Billy Martin Jr. refuses to focus on George Steinbrenner firing his father five times. Instead, the son of the legendary feisty Yankees manager opts to remember two men who were addicted to loyalty and winning.
“I think of a Hall of Fame owner,” Billy Jr. told The Post from his Dallas home when asked about his lasting memory of The Boss. “I think about a guy who tried to win as hard as my father did. So many people think that I should hate him because he fired Dad five times, but he hired him as many times.”
The mix of Steinbrenner and Billy Martin was going to be volatile. Billy, the scrappy infielder who surfaced from nothing, was working for Steinbrenner, who came from an affluent lifestyle Martin only heard of.
“He thought George grew up privileged,” Billy, Jr. said. “And when you are taking mustard sandwiches to school you aren’t doing too good.
“When you get two people with egos like that, there are going to be difference of opinions,” Billy Jr. said. “But he was big on loyalty and so was Dad. Loyalty and effort meant a lot to my father. My father used to say, ‘Who tries harder than that guy.’ ”
Billy, Jr., along with David Pepe, represents players. One of them was Sean Henn, a lefty pitcher the Yankees drafted. Henn was going through his physical in Tampa while his relatives roamed through the gift shop at what was then Legends Field and is now George M. Steinbrenner Field.
“I introduced the family to George and he said he heard about Sean and was glad he was a Yankee,” Martin said. “Then he goes over to the most expensive leather jacket, takes if off the rack and gives it to Sean’s sister. Then he tells them to buy whatever they want and put it on his account.”
When Martin, who lost his father in a car accident on Christmas Day, 1999, heard The Boss died yesterday, he went straight for the chicken coup he built for Billy III, age 11, a year ago.
“I read a story where George’s father turned over a chicken coop to him when he was a boy to run the business to make money with the eggs and I told my son the story and we built the coop,” Martin said.