Billy Martin, an All-Star infielder and former manager of the Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers, New York Yankees and Oakland Athletics, dies in a car accident in Johnson City, NY, at the age of 61. Martin, a five-time Yankees manager under owner George Steinbrenner, was rumored to be a candidate to replace current Yankees skipper Lou Piniella. During an 18-year managerial career, Martin posted a record of 1253-1013, led his teams to five American League pennants and guided the Yankees to the 1977 World Championship. He will be buried in Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Westchester, NY, in a plot near Babe Ruth. Steinbrenner, who fired Martin four times (he resigned the fifth time) purchases the plot.