When I was a kid in the 1970s, there was no brighter star in baseball than Reggie Jackson. I once had this 1978 Topps card, and for the 10 year-old kid that I was back then there was no greater card to have. Even the red-white-and-blue shield in the upper right corner of the card provided a hint of superhero mystique.
When MLB played a game in Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama earlier this month, the event took on an immediate significance with the simultaneous passing of Willie Mays. But on the day of the game itself, Fox Sports analysts had Reggie Jackson on, to talk about his experiences playing in Birmingham. And the response Reggie gave them was as compelling as anything I’ve ever seen.
In addition to pointing out the pain caused by the treatment he received in the segregated South, Reggie made sure to give credit to his manager and his A’s teammates who helped him along the way. Rollie Fingers and Joe Rudi were names I had heard before, but names like Dave Duncan and Lee Meyers were ones I had not. And they looked out for him, in a way that probably didn’t win them any admirers in that time and place.
Reggie’s story proves thow good people can rise up and do what’s right, especially in times where that’s not the easiest thing to do. Reggie Jackson remembered their assistance, and made sure that the rest of the world now knows about it, too.
One of the things I sometimes do when I have a moment is to dabble in writing poetry. There are many moments when it feels like that’s all that can be done to memorialize this crazy, often unfair, but ultimately beautiful world that we get to share with each other. I’ll often just pick up a pencil, find whatever paper is available, and see what words can find their way out. It’s therapeutic, in a way that is hard to explain but makes sense to me.
On the day that I saw Reggie Jackson relate his experiences playing in the South, I knew there was something to say about it. Reggie Jackson shared his story with us, and it’s up to us to internalize the message going forward. The result has already been shared with others, both online and in person, in whatever ways I have found for engaging with people, and so I’m presenting it here, as well.
Baseball’s North Star
On a magical night back in 1977
Reggie Jackson established himself
as the brightest of baseball’s superstars.
Three pitches
Three swings
Three home runs
on the biggest stage of them all.
Since that night, no professional athlete
has ever approached this singular feat.
And then one night, many years later
America heard the truth
about how this brightest of all stars
was nearly snuffed out.
Racism in the South
routinely denied him a meal
or a place to sleep
and it fell to his manager
along with some sympathetic teammates
to shield him, as best they could.
The brightest star of all
continues to reign supreme
in baseball’s firmament,
and now a number of other stars
have also appeared
as if for the very first time.
They have always been out there
aware of their importance
and now, thankfully,
the rest of us are, too.
I’m glad to know that the superhero ballplayer of the 70s rose above what was thrown at him as an unknown young man, and that there were good people to make sure he didn’t face it all alone. We always achieve more when we work together, and Joe Rudi and the others who helped Reggie Jackson out are shining examples of this fact.
I, too, was surprised that Reggie told the story the way he did. We are better together.
Thank you for the kind words, and for reading the post. Lee Meyers, who Reggie mentioned in his comments, is a rather fascinating story, even though he never got a whiff of the majors.