Billy Ball: Billy Martin and the Resurrection of the Oakland A's

by Dale Tafoya, Barry Abrams (Narrator)

In the early 1970s, the Oakland Athletics was one of the most successful franchises in professional sports, with three consecutive World Series Championships to its credit. But as the decade came to a close, the team was in free fall, having lost 108 games in 1979 while drawing just 307,000 fans. Free agency had decimated the A's, and the team's colorful owner, Charlie Finley, was looking for a buyer. First, though, he had to bring fans back to the Oakland Coliseum. Enter Billy Martin, the hometown boy from West Berkeley. In Billy Ball, sportswriter Dale Tafoya describes what, at the time, seemed like a match made in baseball heaven. The A's needed a fiery leader to re-ignite interest in the team. Martin needed a job after his second stint as manager of the New York Yankees came to an abrupt end. Based largely on interviews with former players, team executives, and journalists, Billy Ball captures Martin's homecoming to the Bay area in 1980, his immediate embrace by Oakland fans, and the A's return to playoff baseball. Tafoya describes the reputation that had preceded Martin--one that he fully lived up to--as the brawling, hard-drinking baseball savant with a knack for turning bad teams around. In Oakland, his aggressive style of play came to be known as Billy Ball. A's fans and the media loved it. But, in life and in baseball, all good things must come to an end. Tafoya chronicles Martin's clash with the new A's management and the siren song of the Yankees that lured the manager back to New York in 1983. Still, as the book makes clear, the magical turnaround of the A's has never been forgotten in Oakland. Neither have Billy Martin and Billy Ball. During a time of economic uncertainty and waning baseball interest in Oakland, Billy Ball filled the stands, rejuvenated fans, and saved professional baseball in the city.

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Biography, Nonfiction, Audiobook, History

Audible Audio

Published November 24, 2020

About the author

Dale Tafoya is the author of One Season in Rocket City: How the 1985 Huntsville Stars Brought Minor League Baseball Fever to Alabama (University of Nebraska Press, 2023), Billy Ball: Billy Martin and the Resurrection of the Oakland A’s (Lyons Press, 2020) and Bash Brothers: A Legacy Subpoenaed (Potomac Books, 2008). His work has appeared in the New York Daily News, New York Post, Sports Illustrated, The Athletic, Baseball Digest, and other noteworthy publications.

Reviews

[Brina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars thoughts soon

[Theo Logos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Billy Martin was THE story where ever he went. Volatile, brilliant, and pugnacious, Martin had a well deserved reputation for turning losers into winners. Fast. Yet the emotional turmoil that followed him like Pig Pen’s dust cloud assured that he would have a short shelf life, and Martin would be moving on to yet another team to triage.

You get the picture. Billy Martin was a character so fascinating that all you really needed to do to tell his story was to write it down. And that is pretty much all Dale Tafoya did — he wrote it down. That’s to say, this is an old time sports book. Tafoya starts at the beginning, giving background going back to Martin’s childhood (slow start). Much of the book is made up of quotes from baseball guys and sports reporters. (And because they all tend to say the same things, there’s a lot of repetition here.) Of course, there’s also plenty of game recreation. This is a most conventional sports book about a markedly unconventional sports character.

Billy Ball is redeemed from its less than stellar writing by the amazing story it has to tell. Martin was a baseball wizard who transformed losing teams into winners overnight. He did it in Minnesota in ‘69, in Detroit in ‘72, and in Texas in ‘74. Together with George Steinbrenner’s money, he shepherded the Yankees out of their wilderness years and back to World Series victory. But his most amazing baseball accomplishment was the transformation he brought to the decimated Oakland A’s. The A’s were a shell of their former glory when Martin took their helm in 1980. The previous season they had only 54 wins against 108 loses. Their fan base had abandoned them. (One game in 1979 there were fewer than 500 people at a game — including personnel.) Martin transformed that team (composed of the same players) and brought them to a second place finish in 1980, and back to winning the American League Western Division title in 1981. He electrified the fan base, filled the stadium, and redeemed a city, all with his unique style of playing the game that the Bay Area press dubbed Billy Ball. It’s an amazing sports story.

I wish that this incredible story had a less conventional, more dynamic telling. But the story is really too good to mess up, and I did enjoy this book. If you are a baseball fan, you likely will, to.

[Lance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Billy Martin's managing career in major league baseball is remembered primarily for three reasons – his success with the New York Yankees, the numerous times he was fired and rehired by Yankee owner George Steinbrenner and whenever he wasn't managing the Yankees, the team he WAS leading would usually make a substantial leap in the standings and performance. One of those teams was the Oakland Athletics (or A's for short) and for three years, 1980-82, Martin's team was one of the most improved and exciting teams in baseball. Those years are captured in this excellent book by Dale Tafoya.

The book starts out with a description of the depths to which the A's had fallen. In the mid 1970's, the team won three consecutive World Series championships. But by 1979, with the loss of free agents and owner Charlie Finley unable to afford to pay the higher salaries of the new baseball landscape, the A's sank to the worst record (54-108) and attendance (306,763) in baseball. That latter figure is one that a reader won't forget as it is mentioned several times throughout the book, the only quibble this reviewer has with the book as it felt like this point was made too often.

However, after this season when Finley and Martin shocked the world when it was announced Martin would become the A's manager for the 1980 season, the book takes off nicely in describing the rise of the A's under Martin, both in wins and attendance. What makes this part especially good is the writing about the starting pitchers for that 1980 season, when the A's pitchers were throwing many complete games. The criticism that Martin heard long after that season, that so many complete games took their toll on those pitchers and ended their careers prematurely, is also addressed by talking to each of those pitchers and writers covering the team. It presents a fair picture of that issue, allowing the reader to make his or her own conclusion.

The 1981 season is the one in which the A's reached their highest peak under Martin, reaching the American League championship series where they were swept by the New York Yankees. Despite this and the fact that the season was shortened by a mid-season player's strike, it is considered to be one of the most exciting in the franchise's history in Oakland. The writing about that season is very good as well. The next year, 1982, was only successful at the turnstiles as while attendance was setting records, the team slumped badly. Many players had off years (with the notable exception of Rickey Henderson and his setting a new record for stolen bases). However, the book's documentation of that season is mostly on Martin, who was not only getting more upset with his team's performance, but was also considering a return to the Yankees. In the end, that eventually happened.

The book is an excellent source of information for not only Martin, but for the background and insight into the A's for that short time frame and it is a good reflection of the time Martin spent managing the team – very good reading from the start, gets better and even though the ending may not be what one wants, the overall takeaway is a very positive one.

(Note: Rating is 4 and a half stars, rounded up to 5 for Goodreads and Amazon)

https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...

[Tom Stamper · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you never saw Billy Martin manage, then it might seem strange to see a biography of his three years with the Oakland A’s that are all but forgotten outside the bay area. To most fans, those days were just a blip in between his numerous stints as the Yankees manager. But Oakland may be the place where he got the reputation as a short-term success and a long-term problem. Yes, he would generally run afoul of the team owners despite his success, and he was fired from Minnesota, Texas, and Detroit before landing back in the Bronx where he began his playing career. I think he was a special kind of genius whose brains created a complex world that emotions could not keep up with.

Billy Martin took over the Oakland A’s in 1980, a team that was truly awful. The 1979 team lost 108 games and they didn’t add any significant talent except for Martin. His most significant change was working his starting pitchers harder. The 1980 starters pitched 94 complete games. Rick Langford completed 28 of his 33 starts. Rickey Henderson and Tony Armas broke out to have star seasons. The team earned a second-place finish and Billy Martin owned the town.

In 1981, Oakland was leading their division when the baseball strike hit. That would allow them to make the playoffs and face the Yankees in the League Championship series. It was a storybook result for Martin, but it would be his last hurrah in Oakland. It would take Tony LaRussa and an entirely different Oakland A’s team in 1988 to make the playoffs again. Much of this was blamed on Billy Martin and his overuse of the pitching staff. And yet when you ask the pitchers, they don’t think Martin overused them. They blame the baseball strike that allowed them to get out of shape and not enough time to be ready to pitch the remainder of the season.

Martin would manage the Yankees again in 1983, 1985, and 1988 before his death in a car accident in 1990. I have missed his presence on the diamond ever since.

[Conner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Billy Martin was a baseball legend and baseball genius. I wish more coaches today took risks on the field like this guy did. Rickey Henderson, a base stealing prodigy, credits his success from having a coach like Billy that gave him the green light to be aggressive on the base path.

One sportswriter credited Billy as being “recklessly brilliant.” He was hired, fired, and re-hired five times by the Yankees. He was also ejected 48 times in his career. He was definitely volatile and had a short fuse, but his managerial record speaks for itself. He had an incredible ability to turn teams around. Under Billy, the Oakland A’s went from a team that finished last in their division, to 2nd place in his first year, and then a division title in his 2nd year.

For better or worse, the game today is more calculated, with a lot of money on the table. In the early 80s, it was tough for stadiums to fill seats - just go back and watch clips from regular season games of any team; half the seats are empty. The Oakland A’s saw record attendance under Billy. Fans knew if they came out, they would see some excitement. Baseball today needs a coach with a bit of Billy Martin’s style!

[Bigcountry77 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book. The story was rich in A’s and baseball history. Being an A’s fan, I had heard about “Billy Ball” in the early 1980s, but this book brings everything together with excellent context. “Billy Ball,” under the colorful Billy Martin, exploded on the scene when the A’s were a dying franchise in Oakland. “Billy Ball” brought life to the Oakland stadium, the city, and the A’s were suddenly a national story. Billy Martin, warts and all, was an expert at bringing life to every club he managed. He did the same with that A’s club after Steinbrenner fired him. The fact that Billy grew up in the Oakland area makes the story even more meaningful. By 1982, the Oakland franchise was named best in baseball. The renaissance began when Martin got there. I enjoyed this book and learned a lot. I never knew the A’s were that close to moving to Denver.

[Anup Sinha · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are many Billy Martin stories of triumph and scandal but for me the most fascinating is what happened in Oakland from 1980-1982. I was pleased to find a book about those very seasons and Dale Tafoya did a good job of going behind the scenes and telling its story more than forty years later.

Billy Martin is the greatest strategist I ever saw in a major league dugout. But his demons prevented him from living up to his potential as a manager and though he put a charge into every organization he worked for, Martin's transgressions made him unemployable in the long term.

The 1979 Oakland A's were one of the very worst major league ballclubs I have ever seen, going 54-108 and barely clearing 300,000 in attendance. This just five years after winning three consecutive World Series from 1972-1974! Billy Martin came in for 1980 with mostly the same cast and improved them 29 games to 83 wins. It was incredible, I was just a kid then but even as an adult I can barely fathom how he did it.

All of his starting pitchers turned into stalwarts seemingly overnight. Rickey Henderson, Dwayne Murphy, and Tony Armas all took quantum leaps in their games and became the best outfield in baseball. They played hard and they played smart. They played Billy Ball!

Tafoya goes deep into the background of Billy Martin's life and the preceding history of the Oakland A's. Much of the franchise backstory belongs to former owner Charlie Finley whose last major decision as owner was to hire Martin. There's a lot of good behind-the-scenes detail that explains what I remember seeing from a distance. This book is well-written and well-researched with a solid narrative.

The tragedy for me is that Billy Martin had it all in Oakland. It was his hometown, they loved him, he had a fine young team who responded to his style, he was given the GM reigns as well as manager, and he still blew it. The 1982 season was a disaster and consisted of one meltdown after another to the point where Owner Walter Haas had to fire Martin only two years into a massive five-year contract.

I put this book down rather sadly imagining the possibilities had Martin been able to stay clean and stay focused. He died seven years later after three more unsuccessful managerial stints with the Yankees, never again making it to the postseason.

And I began reading this just days after the Oakland A's played their very last game as they make their eventual move to Las Vegas. They were threatening to move to Denver in 1980 only to be saved by Billy Martin. This time, 44 years later, there is no such savior.

Recommended for like-minded interested readers.

[Tom Gase · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well researched book on the Oakland A's from about 1977-1982 with the primary focus being on the 1980, 81 and 82 years managed by Billy Martin. Martin has been documented in many books, but mostly with the Yankees. For the majority of his time with the A's he didn't face much turmoil from an owner and this story is told here. Also there is stories on the upcoming of Rickey Henderson, Dwayne Murphy and Tony Armas as well. Although Martin is often credited with being a baseball genius, his flaws also come out in this book such as his mishandling of the A's pitching staff. Yes they were good, Keough, Langford, McGratty and Norris, but they were also overused. It's interesting to see just how much. The fans at the Coliseum are described - first how nobody showed up (633 people in 1979 game) to filling up the venue again by 1981. The owner situation with Finley and how they almost moved to Denver is also described. For those wanting to have knowledge about the A's situation in Oakland now and how they're probably moving to Vegas, I'd start reading this book now. Good stuff. Wish there was a little more description on the 1981 playoffs. Author moves through that in just a few pages.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Oakland Athletics have got to be the most random MLB club ever. They have these desperately dry runs of being horrible, and then all of a sudden in a matter of a few years, they reinvent themselves and become World Series contenders. In 2023, the team is definitely in one of their downturns.

This book tells the story of Billy Martin’s life and how he was capable of managing a losing Baseball team and turning them into something commendable. Under continuous pressure from his players, his leadership, and his Athletics’ fans, he rose to the occasion and turned this hodgepodge of relatively unknown ball players into a team even LA feared.

This book was a fun listen, I liked hearing about all the games and all the internal political drama both directed at and instigated by Billy Martin.

I wanna read more Baseball books now…

[Brett Van Gaasbeek · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an impulse pickup at my library, as we had just read and discussed Moneyball by Michael Lewis in my current event class. I thought it would be interesting to read about the previous issues in that franchise, but it ended up being an overview of a season that just never gained traction for me as I read. It is kind of the "same song, same dance" with this book, as the A's are still a poor team in an area that doesn't support them financially and with a young core of talent that eventually is traded away by ownership. You would need to be a huge fan of the organization to really get into this book, as the players are not really presented in a way to get the reader emotionally invested (unlike Moneyball that makes an attempt with players like Scott Hatteberg).

[Jeff Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book, it takes you back in time when we A`s fans had to start all over again with a bunch of some really good rookies: hitters Ricky Henderson, Tony Armas, Dwayne Murphy, along with pitchers Rick Langford, Mike Norris, Matt Keough, Steve McCatty, and Brain Kingman...and don`t forget new owner Walter Haas. Heck they didn`t even have a radio station to listen to the games on!, but all was forgiven when we went on to the playoffs in 81. So pick yourself up a copy and take a trip back in time...enjoy!

[W · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a timeless, Oakland baseball classic that masterfully captures the most entertaining era of Oakland A’s baseball. The A’s lost 108 games and drew just under 307,000 fans in 1979. The A’s were a dying company until Billy got there and gave Oakland and the club a bolt of electricity. This book brought back so many great memories for me. I remember watching an A’s game at the Coliseum and seeing “Urban Cowboy” at a Drive-in right after.

[Coffee Lover · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story intrigued me. It was so awkward to see Billy Martin on the front cover of a book wearing green and gold. But after reading the book completely, it all made sense. Billy’s impact in Oakland was historic. Not only managing the A’s, but playing for the Oakland Oaks in the 1940s as well. Impressive research. Billy Martin clearly battled his share of demons, but he was a baseball doctor who healed sick teams.

[Riley V · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever since seeing ESPN’s miniseries “The Bronx is Burning” I’ve been fascinated by Billy Martin. This book does a great job exploring his past, what made the man the way he was, and how he impacted those around him. As a baseball fan, the “Billy Ball” era A’s were a team I had no knowledge of outside of Rickey Henderson but Tafoya does a spectacular job introducing the reader to the many names that are not remembered from this era of baseball history

[Steve Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A concise telling of Billy Martin's eventful but short tenure as manager of the Oakland A's. The book also adds context by covering Martin's managerial career as well as the dire straits of the Oakland franchise at the end of the 1970s. Charlie Finley's notorious frugality provides a few laughs. Mr. Tafoya does a good job of pulling the various threads together for the story of one of baseball's most memorable managers, doing what he did best--turning around dormant ballclubs. 4.5.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read several books on Billy martin over the years as I find him one of the most interesting personalities in baseball history. This is the first book that specifically covers Martin’s three years managing Oakland. The author did a great job conveying how low the franchise had fallen and how Martin was key in revitalizing it and saving baseball in Oakland.

[Chris Jaffe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good overview of the brief Billy Martin era in Oakland. It focuses heavily on the first two years, with the 1982 collapse treated mostly as an afterthought. It's very enjoyable while it focuses on telling its story. It never tries to get too deep into it, but Tafoya tells the tale well.

[Jay Hinman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even after living through Billy Martin’s time managing the A’s and seeing them in person, I’d forgotten just what an amazing story they were and how they captivated the Bay Area in 1980-81. I just wish Tafoya had mentioned the “Billy Ball” commercial set to the music of The Coasters’ “Charlie Brown” that’s been going through my head for nearly forty years.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book

It has been years since I read a baseball book. Growing up watching Billy Martin, this book made me realize why he was so beloved despite being a troubled soul. Gritty, hustling, iconoclastic, and anti establishment, he represented everyone whose had to fight hard to get ahead and stay there.

[Cookreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

My top book of 2020 so far. Incredible history. Billy Martin was a magician. Can't help but pull for the Oakland A's after reading. How the crowds kept growing in Oakland after Billy got there was miraculous.

[Tammy J Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read if you are a baseball fan!

Always enjoy reading baseball books and can remember being a Billy Martin fan. Mostly because he told George off. It was a great read setting the inside workings of how Billy managed those the years.

[Michael Weiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bi!my ball

Quick read ,the ups and downs of the legend named Billy Martin. The book centered around the the saving of the franchise in Oakland by Martin and then his inevitable demise from the franchise.

[Gerard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! Another great book to add to my baseball library about Billy Martin!

[Catherine Mustread · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to an interview with the author on Baseball by the Book podcast 4/2/20.

[mitchell p. kanefsky]

A good-hearted read of one chapter in his tumultuous career.

[Josh Finley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. Billy Ball revived baseball in Oakland.

[Chris Schaffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really an awesome super great book. Doesn't get into Martin's bad behavior cause I guess with the A's he was more of a mellow Billy. Great book.

[Adamdaigle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read. Now I know how the A's got to be so good in the late 80s and why they are what they are now.

[TK421 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining look at one of baseball's most iconic figures.

[Will Bowlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars