Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx Is Burning: 1977, Baseball, Politics, and the Battle for the Soul of a City

by Jonathan Mahler

“In my judgment,” wrote one outraged Twins’ fan, “history will record your decision on Billy Martin along with decisions that were made by Henry Ford, Adolf Hitler, and Napoleon, when they took it upon themselves, in defense of their own egos, to determine what was good for all the people.”

In the News, syndicated columnist Patrick Buchanan nostalgically recalled the far less measured response to the 1863 rioting, which had also erupted on July 13, by Irish immigrants who were protesting the Civil War draft. “With a clear conscience,” Buchanan wrote, “President Lincoln dispatched the Army of the Potomac, which in turn dispatched a number of the rioters.”