Friday, February 17, 2012

THT: 20,000 days since the Copacabana incident

Martin went out with Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, Hank Bauer, Johnny Kucks, Yogi Berra, and their assorted wives. It promised to be a good night, as Sammy Davis Jr. was the headline performer that night at the Copa, and the Yankees were enjoying the show.

It started out nice. Then some bowlers showed up.

These bowlers weren’t looking for just a nice pleasant evening like the Yankees were. They also weren’t big fans of Sammy Davis Jr. Oh—and they were drunk. They began heckling Davis. They began race-baiting Davis. And the Yankees, Sammy Davis Jr. fans that they were, decided they weren’t going to stand for it. Martin was especially infuriated, as he was the roommate of Elston Howard, the team’s first black player.

Exactly what happened next is something of a Rashoman incident. Different people told different stories. What is clear is a fracas broke out pitting Yankees versus bowlers. When it was over, one bowler was knocked unconscious with a broken jaw and a concussion.

Also of note, it’s the 23nd anniversary of this event:

1990 The Yankees sign amateur free agent Mariano Rivera.

So Happy Mo Day!

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