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Still, it is, as they say, a long, long way from May to September, and Martin's prodigies may not be able to keep up the pace. They dismiss such doubts, insisting that their strength—mastery of the game's fundamentals—is the most durable of all assets. He has also brought them the swagger of a man whose playing days were spent with immortals and who has managed teams to four division titles, two American League pennants and one World Championship. Says Third Baseman Gross: "The first thing he did was give us credibility with his record and reputation."
And, lest they forget, he taught them how to fight. The A's also lead the league this season in brouhahas, having participated in three bench-clearing brawls already. There were two dustups with the Seattle Mariners—not to mention Martin's catching their groundkeepers marking off oversize batters' boxes in hopes of gaining an advantage against Oakland's curve-ball pitchers. The most recent fight, a free-for-all with the California Angels last week, was a rarity in baseball battles: it had a second round. Not satisfied with the eighth-inning on-field action (in which Angels Catcher Ed Ott's spikes sliced through Martin's shoe), the players went at it again in the tunnel beneath the stands when the game was over, Martin ended up holding California Pitching Coach Tom Morgan by the throat and shoving his head against the wall.
California Manager Jim Fregosi pulled the two apart. "Jimmy did right," a briefly chastened Martin said later.
"Coaches shouldn't fight. There's no excuse for it." A pause, and then a look of relish. "I was gonna punch Morgan out."
Did you hear that, Oakland? Billy's back.
The demons that have always driven him have not been stilled. May the Lord have mercy on the big guys, wherever they are. —By B.J. Phillips. Reported by Edward I. Adler/New York and Paul A. Witteman/Oakland
* The 1955 Dodgers, 1962 Pirates and 1966 Indians won ten in a row. Pittsburgh and Cleveland collapsed and finished off the pace; Brooklyn won the pennant by 13½ games.