I loved Billy Martin. I thought Billy Martin would be a great manager. The one thing that hurt Billy Martin was personal habits. And I told him I loved him, I really did. He was down [in Tampa] just before Christmas. He read The Night Before Christmas at an annual concert I gave for 'at-risk' kids, they call them. I don't like to call any kid 'at-risk.' People went wild for him. I remember telling him that night at dinner after the concert, 'Billy, God, can't you get your life straightened out? I've seen you with your ear hanging off.' He was a genius as a manager. He was as much like Casey Stengel as Casey and that meant a lot to me. And it was three days later they called me and told me Martin was killed. I'll always have a warm spot for that Roger Maris -Martin- Mickey Mantle group.
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