How Billy Martin made the Detroit Tigers, and their management, roar 50 years ago

mrbowling300

EOG Dedicated
Interesting article in today's Detroit Free Press:


How Billy Martin made the Detroit Tigers, and their management, roar 50 years ago

Billy Martin's run with the Detroit Tigers was just before started following the Tigers when I was 8 years old. Ralph Houk was the first manager of the Tigers I remember.

Those were the years when the remnants of the 1968 championship team still were hanging on, Kaline, Freehan, Lolich, Horton, Stanley, etc.

Between the years of 1974 to 1980, they were very lean years, except for 1976 with Mark "The Bird" Fidrych. Then the core players of the 1984 championship team started maturing.
 

John Kelly

Born Gambler
Staff member
Billy Martin was always two innings ahead of the opposing manager.

Good line by Mickey Lolich.

I don't recall Billy Martin as the Tigers manager.

I'll always remember Martin in Yankee pinstripes fighting with the umpires and of course, fighting with his players.
 

Almost Allright

GO Bucks!!!
Except for 76? Tigers were 74-87 in 76. Hell in 78 I think they were like 10 games over. I dunno what you’re getting at here? I know it’s a Michigan/Detroit thing to live in the past but cmon.
 
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Rockfish

EOG Addicted
Martin told Lolich before that 71 season "you are going to be my workhorse". Martin wasn't kidding. Lolich had 376 innings pitched that year. Much different workload today for starters.
entertaining article. Thanks Mr. Bowling
 

FairWarning

Bells Beer Connoisseur
One of the first teams I remember. The Larrin LaGrow - Bert Campanaris dust up in the 72 playoffs was one of the better ones.
 

Valuist

EOG Master
Seeing those old Tigers teams: Gates Brown, Willie Horton and Lolich......they looked more like a softball team.
 

howid

EOG Dedicated
nobody kicked or tossed dirt at the ump like billy martin




actually pretty restrained for billy, he could really light it up
 

howid

EOG Dedicated
took in a doubleheader once, yankees sweeping the home blue jays, billy sat on a stool in the corner of the dugout pretty much the whole time.

guess he was pretty hung over that day.
 
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