The Untold Story of Billy Ball: How One Man Revolutionized Baseball Forever

The Real Birthplace of Billy Ball - The Denver Bears

Forget what you thought you knew—Billy Ball didn’t start in Oakland. It started in Denver, and Bob Burris was right there to witness it.

In this first episode, Bob shares the untold story of how his father brought fiery third-base coach Billy Martin to manage the struggling Denver Bears in 1968—and how that decision sparked a revolution in the way baseball was played. From stolen signs to stolen bases, this is the real inside story of how Billy Martin’s aggressive, no-nonsense style changed the game forever.

⚾ Go behind the scenes with Bob as he recounts wild subway rides, late-night speed bag sessions with Billy, and the moment Denver fell in love with baseball again.

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Chapters
0:00 – The Origins of Billy Ball
0:33 – The Phone Call That Changed Everything
1:29 – Lunch with Jack Dempsey
2:06 – Inside the Commissioner’s Office
2:32 – First Subway Ride & Arrival at Yankee Stadium
2:57 – The Owner’s Box & Manager’s Box
3:28 – Mickey Mantle Notices Bob
3:54 – Mantle’s Home Run Epiphany
4:42 – Getting Into the Baseball Business
5:11 – Working the Denver Bears Scoreboard
5:41 – The Team Falls Apart
6:07 – Bob’s Dad Demands a Change
6:58 – Billy Martin Comes to Denver
7:22 – Living with Billy Martin
7:52 – Billy Ball Is Born
8:18 – The City Rallies Around the Team
8:41 – Catcher Signals from the Scoreboard
9:01 – The Four-Game Streak
9:31 – The Beanball Incident
9:49 – Final Record & Stealing Home
10:10 – Billy Martin’s Managerial Journey
10:26 – The Only Place Billy Martin Wasn’t Fired