Nowadays, most jocks and ex-jocks give only the blandest of quotes, knowing that if they reveal their honest thoughts then problems will ensue. Thus, I and undoubtedly many others were intrigued to read what Reggie Jackson told a Sports Illustrated writer about current and former baseball players. He said that guys—and let’s give him credit for naming names—like Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire who had used performance-enhancing drugs should not be inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Jackson did not stop there, adding that recent inductees such as Jim Rice, Gary Carter, Kirby Puckett, Don Sutton and Bert Blyleven were unworthy.
Wow, where to start with this juicy topic? Jackson, who hit 563 home runs over a 21-year career with the Athletics, Orioles, Yankees and Angels, joined the Hall in 1993, getting 396 votes out of a possible 423. I liked Jax when he was playing, especially as a member of the powerful Oakland team in the early 1970s. I can still rattle off many of the names: Joe Rudi, Sal Bando, Bert Campaneris, Ken Holtzman, Vida Blue, Catfish Hunter, Gene Tenace and Billy North. Adorned in gaudy uniforms by owner Charles Finley, they wore long hair and tweaked a lot of noses among fans, media and opponents. The brightest star in that galaxy was Jackson, a 14-time All-Star.
He later did big things with the Yanks, helping them win the World Series in 1977 and 1978. We all know he hit three home runs in Game 7 of the ’77 Series, helping cement his status as one of the greats. But how great was Reggie Jackson, apart from his bombs, his dingers, his jimmy-jacks? We find he was a one-dimensional player. He never batted over .300, and his career mark was a pedestrian .262. One may fairly ask whether that is sufficient for the Hall of Fame. Guys in the Hall are supposed to be great, not just good or pretty good. Jackson’s criticism of Rice, Carter, Puckett, et al. was based on the view that they simply did not reach the “great” plateau.
Now, let’s look at his strikeout totals. He whiffed a staggering 2,597 times—most in the history of major league baseball, which goes back about 125 years. Babe Ruth struck out 1,330 times, almost exactly half of our hero Jackson. By contrast, Joe DiMaggio had just 369 strikeouts in his 13 illustrious years with the Yankees. That’s an average of 34 per season, far less than Jackson’s average of 149. Such numbers speak for themselves.
Finally, what kind of defensive player was Jackson? Awful. Playing mostly right field, he committed 142 errors for Oakland, Baltimore, New York and California. In an age before anybody had even heard of defensive metrics, he cost his teams a lot with such bad glove work.
Jackson hit for a low average, struck out more times than any other player in the history of the game (although Jim Thome of the Orioles now has 2,530, so he may grab that dubious honor) and was a lousy defender. Since home runs were what he did best, Jackson may have been miffed to see himself dropping on the all-time list. When he retired in 1986, he trailed just Hank Aaron, Ruth, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson and Harmon Killebrew. Since then, Bonds, Rodriguez, Ken Griffey, Jr., Thome, Sammy Sosa and McGwire have passed him. Who knows the reasons for his outburst of candor, and who cares? As I said earlier, it was refreshing to hear a guy speak his mind.
Nevertheless, I would like to have seen evidence that Jackson knew his history. The Baseball Hall of Fame has been around since 1936, and many of its members had careers that were far weaker than those of Jackson’s aforementioned contemporaries. Old-timers whose credentials really fell short would include Jake Beckley (inducted in 1971), Red Faber (1964), Jesse Haines (1970), George Kelly (1973), Fred Lindstrom (1976), Tommy McCarthy (1946), Eppa Rixey (1963), Joe Tinker (1946) and Vic Willis (1995). A cursory analysis of their achievements makes clear that they should be nowhere near Cooperstown.
And as for the issue of performance-enhancing drugs, Jackson played before steroids became prevalent. Even so, amphetamines were openly and abundantly used by almost every player in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. I think it is likely that he took his share of greenies and benefited therefrom.
To muddy the waters even further, I will confess that Jackson was pretty good on the basepaths—especially in the early part of his career. He finished with 228 stolen bases. DiMaggio, superb all-around player that he was, had just 30. On the other hand, Jackson was pompous, arrogant and self-centered; many of his teammates and managers despised him.
Add Comment