Reflections on Reggie, Number 44

Forty-four remembrances of Reggie Jackson:

1. Maybe the greatest New York Yankee ever whose uniform number was double digits.

2. He once homered at Anaheim Stadium, then told me afterward: “You’ll either tell your children about me or name one after me.”

3. The hardest swing ever, except for Lizzie Borden’s.

4. Gave his name to a candy bar as edible as a chocolate rosin bag.

5. Once changed his motto in mid-season from “If Reggie doesn’t hit, the Yankees don’t win” to “It’s in God’s hands.” This prompted pitcher Sparky Lyle to quote comedian George Carlin: “How do you know His hands are better than yours?”

6. Sat next to Manager Bob Lemon in a dugout and said, “If I hang around you, you’ll get your picture in the paper.”

7. He told Mickey Rivers, “What am I doing arguing with someone who can’t read or write?” Rivers told Reggie, “You oughta stop reading and writing and start hitting.”

8. He once said: “The only trouble with Baltimore is that it’s in Baltimore.”

9. His candy bar prompted Catfish Hunter to say, “When you unwrap a Reggie bar, it tells you how good it is.”

10. Arrival in New York led pitcher Ken Holtzman to tell teammates: “You definitely won’t believe this guy.” Lyle said later: “It didn’t take long to find out that this guy was coming from somewhere I’ve never been.”

11. Once smashed two beer bottles against the Yankees’ training-room wall after a hitless game. The Yankees had won.

12. Once asked a manager, in front of teammates, to bench him because of the opposing pitcher. After the game, when George Steinbrenner asked, in front of teammates, why he hadn’t played, Reggie said: “Beats me.”

13. He posed bare-chested more often than Madonna or Mr. Universe.

14. He would scream at reporters to “get that microphone out of my face” and at TV people to “get that camera out of my face,” then would take a job during the World Series as a TV reporter.

15. He said, “The only reason I don’t like playing in the World Series is that I can’t watch myself play.”

16. Owned more automobiles than Cal Worthington and many Arab oil sheiks.

17. Once got the better of America’s biggest bigot, Archie Bunker, in a guest spot on TV.

18. Had no particular use inside a locker room for three things--reporters from small towns, a bathrobe or a towel.

19. Always fancied himself as Mr. Macho, but when Billy Martin wagged a finger in his face inside the Yankee dugout, I thought Reggie was about to soil his pin stripes.

20. He did, nevertheless, yell at Martin that day, “You better start liking me! If one of us is going to go, it isn’t going to be me!”

21. His at-bat against Bob Welch is still one of the five greatest at-bats I ever saw.

22. He struck out in ballgames more often than I do in singles bars.

23. He said, “When you play the game 10 years, go to bat 7,000 times and get 2,000 hits, do you know what that means? It means you’ve gone 0 for 5,000.”

24. He signs “Mr. October” beneath his name on autographs. Really.

25. His signing with the Yankees prompted Hunter to say, “If you think things are controversial around here now, just wait until Reggie starts up his crap.”

26. First day as a Yankee, Reggie announced, “I didn’t come to New York to become a star. I brought my star with me.”

27. He once, on his own, bunted with a two-strike count in the 10th inning and struck out. Teammates speculated he did it to spite the manager for criticizing his selfishness.

28. Relationship with George Steinbrenner was such that Graig Nettles wrote, “When George had a birthday party, he would invite Reggie and nobody else on the team. We would wonder, ‘What the hell is going on around here? Is this guy a player or is he front office?’ ”

29. Hated to DH, Nettles wrote, because, “Reggie wanted to be seen for two hours a night, not 10 minutes.”

30. His third home run in that 1977 World Series game gave teammates such a thrill that Nettles walked to the on-deck circle while Reggie was circling the bases, then doffed his helmet to the crowd as though everyone was cheering for him, just to see how it felt.

31. Once was confronted by Cliff Johnson, who said another player told him Reggie had been making fun of Cliff’s batting. Reggie said, “Whoever said that is a damn liar.” Next day, Mickey Rivers charged Reggie, saying, “You can call me anything you want, but don’t you dare call me a damn liar!”

32. Caused Lyle to say, “If Reggie could concentrate all year long like he does in the playoffs and Series games, his records would be unbelievable.”

33. Had the third-funniest scene in the “Naked Gun” movie, after Leslie Nielsen umpiring home plate and the Queen of England passing a hot dog to the person beside her.

34. Once said of Tom Seaver, “Blind people come to the park just to listen to him pitch.”

35. Broke up Yankee teammates by saying he smashed his thumb in the on-deck circle attempting to catch a foul ball because there were “little children in the stands and I was trying to protect them.”

36. Got a knot on his head because a Yankee Stadium fan hit him with an object that Reggie insisted was a golf ball. No golf ball was found.

37. Is a more famous 44 than the man who broke Babe Ruth’s home-run record; that’s how famous he is.

38. Once knocked New York’s writers to Oakland’s writers. When New York’s writers resented it, Reggie said, “You guys heard that? If I knew you were listening, I wouldn’t have said it.”

39. Bragged about his own defense, but Lyle said, “Let’s face it, Reggie’s a bad outfielder.”

40. Amid litter from Reggie bars flung by fans from stands, Bob Lemon said, “They should advertise it as the Candy Bar Made to Throw.”

41. Accepted an invitation to a charity luncheon with, “Of course, I’m coming. What the hell would it be if Reggie Jackson wasn’t there?”

42. Complained about controversy always following him, prompting Lyle to say, “Hell, he creates it. And he always will, wherever he goes. If he kept his mouth shut, it would be much easier for him to just go out and play the damn game.”

43. He once said, “I don’t want to be a hero. I don’t want to be a star. It just works out that way.”

44. Possibly thinks Cooperstown should be renamed Reggietown.