1957: The Copa, Our First Yankee Scandal...Billy Is Gone

If you were a professional ballplayer in the early 1900s, your motto was "anything goes." As a group, baseball players were crass and rough. The press reported little or no gossip. One example was the alleged night the Babe was chased through a train car by a woman wielding a knife. In this day and age this would have been all over Youtube.

Television starts and the media realizes that scandals sell.

The date was May 16,1957. I was a bit young to read the news. I remember many a Saturday afternoon having to hand-wash beer glasses (25 cents an hour) at a family tavern while listening to the locals' interpretation of the latest sports headlines. The most enjoyable job I ever had.

It was Billy Martin's birthday and Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford planned a party. Besides Mantle, Ford and Martin, the invited were Yogi Berra, Hank Bauer, Johnny Kucks and their wives. The wives were incharge of the arrangements.

The night started with dinner at Danny's Hideaway, and after dinner someone then suggested that Sammy Davis Jr. was at the Copacabana.

My Uncle was at the Copa that night, and this was his version.

The drinks were flowing as Sammy came on. A bowling convention was in town and a group of them already had way too much to drink. They were giving Sammy a real hard time.

Billy asked them to please keep it down, a few insults were exchanged, "the great Yankees are here, Big Deal!" Things were about to get ugly. One of the bowlers staggers to his feet, stares at Billy and says "Why don't we talk about this outside?" Billy says, "Sure pal, lets go." You never had to ask Billy twice.

Bauer asked, "Billy where are you going?"

"I'm just gonna talk to him, that's all."

The next thing my uncle heard was a loud crash and one of the drunks was lying in a heap by the cloak room, knocked cold. The bouncers now quickly usher the Yanks out the back door.

While waiting for a cab outside Billy said to Mickey, "please Mick, from now on don't throw me anymore birthday parties."

A criminal complaint was filed. On judgement day thousands surrounded the courthouse.

They all testified. Johnny Kucks was so nervous his legs quaked. After they finished with him, Billy took the stand and told his story. Then Whitey, Yogi, and Hank told theirs. Finally it was Mickey's turn.

The transcript highlight...a matter of public record:

"Mr. Mantle, are you chewing gum?"

"Yes sir."

"Well get rid of it."

Then the district attorney started in. "Now Mr.Mantle, were you at the Copa on the night of the 15th?" "Yes sir."

"Did you see a fight at the Copa that night?" "No sir, I didn't."

"Did you see a gentleman lying unconscious on the floor near the Copa entrance?" "Yes, I did."

"Do you have an opinion as to how this could have happened?"

Mickey thought about it and in his shy southern drawl said, "By the way things looked, my guess would be that Roy Rodgers rode through the Copa on his horse and Trigger kicked that guy in the head."

The grand jury was still laughing when the judge dismissed the case for insufficent evidence.

The next day Mickey found Billy cleaning out his locker and asked, "What are you doing?"

"I'm gone Mick, guaranteed. This is just the excuse General Manager Weiss needs to ship my butt to another club."

Trying to get Billy de-stressed, Mickey joked, "Well I better check with Yogi and see if he's interested in having me as a new roomie."

Shortly after that night Billy was traded and Bobby Richardson began.

Billy was a true Yankee, he cried like a baby when they told him the news. The first of many Billy Martin Yankee eras had ended.