Quotes from Billy Martin:
"All I know is (as a Yankees Manager), I pass people on the street these days, and they don't know whether to say hello or to say good-bye."
"Everything looks nicer when you win. The girls are prettier. The cigars taste better. The trees are greener." Los Angeles Times 09/17/75
"I don't think so because I've got the reputation for being baseball's bad boy and I don't deserve it. But I think I'd make a good manager. For one thing, I know how to handle men. That's the secret of managing. For another, I know enough about the game, not fundamentals, but executing. I think I could get the most out of players with common sense and psychology. I'm fiery enough that I'd have their respect. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll ever get the chance and there's nothing in the world that can change that." Baseball Digest, June 1961
"I owe it to my health and mental well-being to resign at this time, and I am very sorry that there were things written about George Steinbrenner. He did not deserve them, nor did I say them. George and I have had our differences, and in most cases we have been able to resolve them." Billy Martin 'Resignation' Press Conference (1978)
"I really love the togetherness in baseball. That's a real true love."
"I'm getting smarter, I finally punched something that couldn't sue me." Sports Illustrated, September 6, 1982
"If they can win (the pennant) with that club (1973 Milwaukee Brewers), I'm a Chinese aviator."
"Most people miss the great part mental outlook plays in this game."
"Sometimes I would do just the opposite of what George wanted me to do, because I won't let anyone tell me how to manage. If I'm going down the tube, I'm going to do it my way." Number 1 by Billy Martin (1980)
"The only real way to know you've been fired is when you arrive at the ballpark and find your name has been scratched from the parking list."
"The two of them (Reggie Jackson and George Steinbrenner) deserve each other. One's a born liar; the other's convicted."
"There's nothing greater in the world than when somebody on the team does something good, and everybody gathers around to pat him on the back."
"What I miss when I'm away is the pride in baseball. Especially the pride of being on a team that wins."
"What does George know about Yankee pride? When did he ever play for the Yankees?" Number 1 by Billy Martin (1980)
"Billy Martin makes the game lean a little more toward professional wrestling. He might as well wear a hood and come to the park as the Masked Manager." - Sportswriter Mike Downey in the San Francisco Examiner (05/05/1983)
"Billy was a true Yankee — one of the truest ever. He always said he wanted to die a Yankee. He was his own man. He was fiery and could be charming. He was a great manager." - Bucky Dent, after Martin's death
"Even when Billy's not around, he's in every mind. It's like a spiritual involvement with the Lord. You can't see him, but you know he's there. That's enough." -Oakland Pitcher Mike Norris
"He's a good manager. He might be a little selfish about some of the things he does and he may think he knows more about baseball than anybody else, but it wouldn't surprise me if he was right." - Casey Strange in The Sporting News (08/23/1975)
"I have no idea why I liked him so much. We never could figure it out. Me and Whitey Ford and Billy were all so different. That's why we got along so well." - Mickey Mantle in the Washington Times (12/29/1989)
"I'd fire my mother for the chance to hire Billy Martin." - Texas Rangers Owner Bob Short (Defending his firing of Whitey Herzog to make way for Martin)
"If liking a kid who will never let you down in the clutch is favoritism, then I plead guilty." - Casey Stengel on Martin as a player
"People think I hate Billy Martin. I don't. I hate some of the things he did. And I will say I don't understand him. Billy Martin is not an intellectual, but there is a cunningness to him that is something to behold." -Reggie Jackson in Reggie (1974)
"Some people have a chip on their shoulder. Billy has a whole lumberyard." - Sportswriter Jim Murray, LA Times
"There's a manager (Billy Martin) I could play for." - Reggie Jackson (1976)
"We used to tease each other about whose liver was going to go first. I never thought it would end for him this way." - Mickey Mantle in USA Today (12/29/1989)
Caseys' Quotes / The Mick's Quotes / Yogisms / Earl's Pearls
