Damn Yankees by Edward Drobinski - HTML preview

Damn Yankees

Page 262

Martin was an indifferent student once he started school, and from the age of about 12 he was often in trouble with teachers or the principal. His unusual home situation, his small size and large nose, and his residence in poverty stricken West Berkeley caused other children to mock him, leading to conflict. Intensely competitive and thin skinned, he quickly gained a reputation as a street fighter who would do almost anything to win.

Sports proved an outlet for Martin's competitiveness. He boxed at an amateur level, but it was baseball that proved to be his

calling. His older brother Tudo, ten years his senior, had grown up with Augie Galan, an outfielder for the Chicago Cubs from 1934 to 1941 who continued in the major leagues until his retirement in 1949. Galan, like other professional ballplayers, made James Kenney Park in Berkeley his off season training

ground, for there was a well maintained baseball field there. Tudo was a good enough ball player that he was often invited to play, and Billy would follow along. As the boy got to play more and more as he grew, Galan took a special interest in tutoring Martin in the art of baseball.

When Martin reached Berkeley High School, which he attended from

1942 to 1946, he was dressed worse than many students from the more upscale housing east of San Pablo Avenue, but gained