“Reggie Jackson in No-Man’s Land” is Robert Ward’s celebrated bonus piece on Mr. October. You may have heard of it. Caused a stir when it appeared in the June 1977 issue of Sport. The story is featured in Ward’s entertaining new collection Renegades and is reprinted here for the first time on-line.
Dig in.
By Robert Ward
Reprinted with permission from the author.
"He was misquoted"
"For 12 fucking pages?!"
R.I.P. Thurman
Reggie was a writer's dream.
Remember when Reggie and George got into a fight on the team bus during the '96 playoffs because Reggie insisted on sitting in the dugout for every game??
I like it when Paulie O or Tino or Boomer Wells talks about George in the '90s and they tell the current Yankees, "You guys have it easy, you have no idea what it used to be like." George was still a pill in the Torre Era for sure but those guys don't know the half of what it was like for the guys in the '70s and '80s.
Yeah definitely. The entire experience of being a Yankee fan changed when George started to exit the stage, around 2006 or so.
I'm not someone who pretends to "miss" the lunacy of Life with George, because it was a whole hell of a lot less charming when it was actually going on, but the whole vibe is definitely different. I mean shit, can you imagine his reaction to the Pineda trade??
[5] Yes, and he would be driving the bus at the head of the caravan that falls over the edge of the Grand Canyon. Exploding in mid-air, no less. I don't miss that one bit. `
[6] oh I agree, I'm not saying I miss it per se. It's just very different is all.
This should be required reading - repeat as often as necessary - for anyone who thinks Reggie Jackson is not a giant prick.
True. Less sense of helplessness as a fan that the owner will totally disrupt what is otherwise a relatively sane plan. No fear of immediate reprisals on the office level, I imagine. fewer hanger-ons and enablers near the top of the ladder, influencing major decisions for personal gain. More of a "big picture" approach as opposed to micromanaging every level of operation from the ground up. Something that takes time for most people to get used to around these parts, but Ikendigget...
[9] for [7]
You can see how insecure he was. And how the old cronies--Billy, Whitey and Mickey--got under his skin.
The whole Billy/Whitey/Mickey scene at the Banana Boat nicely captures what it's like to be around a bunch of guys who were once upon a time hip and dangerous and are now just kinda bloated and tired.
Mickey and Whitey carousing at The Copa circa 1956: stuff of legend.
Mickey and Whitey having a liquid lunch at some Florida tourist trap on a weekday afternoon in 1977: just sad.
Reggie: my all time favorite player. Style, charisma, power. Just a superstar.