Current Exhibitions / Collections on Loan

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		Billy Martin (1928-1989) Billy Martin did not win much distinction as a baseball player. But during his six seasons of play with the New York Yankees, he became a favorite of manager Casey Stengel. From Stengel he learned much about player management, and when he turned to managing teams himself in the 1960s, it was clear that he had found his milieu. Of the five teams he eventually led, four claimed at least one division championship under his guidance. But despite his skill in shaping teams, his off-the-field volatility and quarreling with team owners inevitably made it difficult for him to hold on to a job. The most noteworthy instance of that was his on-again-off-again stint as manager of the New York Yankees. Between 1975 and 1988, team-owner George Steinbrenner hired, then fired, Martin no less than five times. When Time ran this likeness on its cover in the spring of 1981, Martin was working one of the extraordinary miracles of his managing career. Finishing last in the American League’s western division in 1979, the Oakland Athletics had degenerated into a ragtag team that was "not even worth booing" when Martin took over its management the following year. Martin, however, told his players, "You are going to be winners," and winners they became. In 1980, they finished second in their division, and in 1981 they finished first. Richard Hess (1934-1991) Oil on canvas Time cover, May 11, 1981 National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Time magazine