(March has begun. It is, unquestionably, the busiest month of the year for me, both professionally and personally. It really is March Madness. So I'll be grinning and bearing it for the next 30 days. And when April comes, I will definitely appreciate the relative peace and quiet. And baseball season! It's time for Cardboard Appreciation. This is the 20th in a series):
I absolutely love cards that depict subjects in a way you would not expect. An image that seems out of character for the subject pictured.
Anyone who followed Billy Martin during his career, or even has only read about him, knows one thing about the man. He was an angry, volatile, hard-drinking, combative, win-at-costs, insecure guy. He was a great manager. He knew the game. But his prickly personality got in the way much too often.
When I picture Billy Martin, I picture him arguing with an umpire or maybe that confrontation with Reggie Jackson in the dugout. I think of all the fights he got into and all the times he was fired. I certainly don't picture him smiling and giving the "thumbs-up" sign.
That is why I love this card. Because I am sure there was that happier side to Billy Martin. And family members -- probably his much beloved mother -- would have told you that about Billy, too. It's too bad that all everyone remembers is how troubled he was.
Martin died in a one-car accident on a late afternoon in December 1989 in Fenton, N.Y., which is about 7 miles from where I grew up. He was a passenger in a car driven by a longtime friend. His friend was drunk and the roads were icy. His friend's pickup truck skidded off the road and plunged 300 feet down a gully, stopping at the foot of Martin's driveway. Martin died in a hospital at 6:56 p.m. at age 61.
He never got the chance to change the public's perception of him. But at least there's his 1981 Donruss card. It's something anyway. Something to appreciate.
I absolutely love cards that depict subjects in a way you would not expect. An image that seems out of character for the subject pictured.Anyone who followed Billy Martin during his career, or even has only read about him, knows one thing about the man. He was an angry, volatile, hard-drinking, combative, win-at-costs, insecure guy. He was a great manager. He knew the game. But his prickly personality got in the way much too often.
When I picture Billy Martin, I picture him arguing with an umpire or maybe that confrontation with Reggie Jackson in the dugout. I think of all the fights he got into and all the times he was fired. I certainly don't picture him smiling and giving the "thumbs-up" sign.
That is why I love this card. Because I am sure there was that happier side to Billy Martin. And family members -- probably his much beloved mother -- would have told you that about Billy, too. It's too bad that all everyone remembers is how troubled he was.
Martin died in a one-car accident on a late afternoon in December 1989 in Fenton, N.Y., which is about 7 miles from where I grew up. He was a passenger in a car driven by a longtime friend. His friend was drunk and the roads were icy. His friend's pickup truck skidded off the road and plunged 300 feet down a gully, stopping at the foot of Martin's driveway. Martin died in a hospital at 6:56 p.m. at age 61.
He never got the chance to change the public's perception of him. But at least there's his 1981 Donruss card. It's something anyway. Something to appreciate.
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