December 25, 1989: The Death of Billy Martin

December 25, 1989: Billy Martin is killed when his pickup truck crashes outside his home in Johnson City, New York. He was 61. There is dispute as to whether he was the driver or the passenger, or whether it was his friend, Bill Reddy.

Growing up as a fan of the New York Yankees, I looked upon Billy as a hero, as the Yankees' only real manager, as their Number 1 forever. In the file of "Stupid things I used to think": As an 8-year-old boy, I actually thought that he wore Number 1 because he was the manager of the defending World Champions. After all, didn't Tommy Lasorda, manager of the team he beat, wear Number 2?

I was even at Yankee Stadium on August 10, 1986, the day he got that uniform number retired and received his Monument Park Plaque. He said that day, "I may not have been the greatest Yankee to put on the uniform, but I am the proudest." (The Yankees got pounded that day, 13-3, by, of all teams, the one from the city that Billy hated the most, Kansas City.)

I had no idea just what was going on in Billy's head, either as a 1950s player or a 1970s & '80s manager. He'd been dealt a tough hand as a boy, and he took it out on the world as a man. While he was an interesting player, helping the Yankees win 5 World Series, and an occasionally brilliant manager, taking 4 different teams to the postseason a total of 5 times and winning the 1977 World Series with the Yankees, he did some things, both inside the ballpark and out, that cannot be excused.

To lots of people, including Yankee owner George Steinbrenner and star slugger Reggie Jackson, he could go from beautiful to shameful and back to beautiful in a matter of hours. Star pitcher Ron Guidry said, "Billy's all right, if you approach him right. I try to avoid him altogether."

He was an enigma, wrapped in a fight, soaked in a bottle. He never found peace in life, and made it hard for others to find peace. I hope he found it in death.

He was laid to rest in Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, New York -- a moment's walk away from the grave of Babe Ruth.

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December 25, 1989 was a Monday. This was also the day that Romania overthrew its dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu, and executed him and his wife Eleana.

Baseball was out of season. On ABC Monday Night Football, the Minnesota Vikings beat the Cincinnati Bengals, 29-21 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. There was a college bowl game, between ranked teams: Michigan State, ranked Number 22, defeated Number 25 Hawaii, 33-13, in the Aloha Bowl, despite the game being played on Hawaii's home field, Aloha Stadium in Honolulu.

The NHL does not play on Christmas Day. The NBA does, and 1 game was played: The Atlanta Falcons beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 115-104 at The Omni in Atlanta.