‘Mr. October’ eager to see baseball return
Major League Baseball should be easier than most sports to get back up and running, Hall of Fame outfielder Reggie Jackson said, citing the minimal contact. And the star of the 1970s A’s dynasty is looking forward to it.
Jackson, who will turn 74 on Monday, said on The Chronicle’s “A’s Plus” podcast that he believes baseball can begin in empty stadiums and, at some point, can allow in paying customers and keep them spaced out, limiting attendance to 17,000 or so.
“I’m excited about it,” Jackson said. “At this particular point, I’m like most people: I’m a fan.”
As you might imagine, Jackson particularly likes watching New York’s powerhitting outfielder, Aaron Judge. Jackson still works as an adviser to the Yankees, helping in particular with an initiative to keep players healthy and on the field. Jackson speaks to general manager Brian Cashman every week.
Jackson’s most iconic moment came with the Yankees — the threehomer game in the 1977 World Series against the Dodgers — solidified his “Mr. October” nickname, and he wears a Yankees cap on his Hall of Fame plaque. Even so, he retains
a strong devotion to his original team after spending the first nine years of his career with the A’s. He also played his final season (1987) with Oakland.
“I love the A’s,” Jackson said, praising especially the ownerships of the Haas and Fisher families. “I’ve never had a bad spot for the A’s or anyone there. … I don’t know what’s going to happen with the stadium. It would break my heart to see them leave. I’m an Oakland A in my heart forever. It’s where I started, it’s where I have family. I still own a home there. I’ve got nothing bad to say about Oakland or anyone in the organization.
“I’m a proud Oakland A with all the championship teams. The team we had there is one of the great dynasties in all of baseball.”
Jackson chuckled at the thought of the A’s 197274 championship teams dealing with today’s 24hour news cycle and Twitter. Those clubs were known for their big personalities — Jackson was the biggest — and the behindthescenes brawls, including Jackson’s with outfielder Billy North and first baseman Mike Epstein.
“They were a big deal then,” Jackson said of the dustups. “If it had been now with all the media, it really would have been something. They’d have forgot about ‘The Last Dance’ and all that stuff. We had big stars and a big star owner (Charlie Finley).
“You’re a kid. Looking back at 27 years old, I was thinking about looking cool, what to drive, getting a new pair of Guccis. I didn’t know what was going on in the world.”
Jackson’s interest in cars continued well past his baseball career; he’s known as a top collector, though he plans to pare his fleet to about 20 and sell other properties in order to pass along many of his assets to family members now so they can enjoy them while he’s still around.
He’ll keep some of his favorites, though, including a few from his A’s days: a 1976 RollsRoyce he purchased on Van Ness, a 1955 Chevy he bought in Pleasant Hill in 1971, and a 1970 Chevelle that Jackson admits now that he used to dragrace in Fremont after every day game. “It was an allcomers meet,” he said. “You had to have a helmet and take the hubcaps off. We’d race from 5:30 to 10 p.m., that’s the truth.”
Along with parting with some of his cars, Jackson said he’s spending the shelterinplace period in Monterey getting organized and watching financial channels and BBC
News. For his work with the Yankees, Avis and General Motors, among others, he has become accustomed to Zoom calls. And while he’s working out at home, he said, “I miss the gym. … I’m missing hanging out with different people. I certainly miss the restaurants.
“I do my best to keep things in perspective because I’m a religious guy. Part of this is a wakeup call; everybody was chasing the stock market and getting rich. I honestly think we got out of focus there and God shook the trees a little bit and showed what’s really important.”
As for the next group of players to join him in Cooperstown, Jackson is OK with the Hall of Fame’s decision to push the 2020 induction ceremony to next year .
“I don’t like double ceremonies, but I get it,” he said. “COVID19 in the most densely populated area, the most cases, is right in NYC and you’re certainly going to draw a huge crowd from NYC, so it’s best to back off this year.
“I trust the people there. I don’t secondguess what they’re doing. I’ll look forward to attending next year to see Derek Jeter go in.”