Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) | 921 JACKSON | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
A soul-baring, brutally candid, and richly eventful memoir of the two years--1977 and 1978--when Reggie Jackson went from outcast to Yankee legend
In the spring of 1977 Reggie Jackson should have been on top of the world. The best player of the Oakland A's dynasty, which won three straight World Series, he was the first big-money free agent, wooed and flattered by George Steinbrenner into coming to the New York Yankees, which hadn't won a World Series since 1962. But Reggie was about to learn, as he writes in this vivid and surprising memoir, that until his initial experience on the Yankees "I didn't know what alone meant."
His manager, the mercurial, alcoholic, and pugilistic Billy Martin, never wanted him on the team and let Reggie--and the rest of the team--know it. Most of his new teammates, resentful of his contract, were aloof at best and hostile at worst. Brash and outspoken, but unused to the ferocity of New York's tabloid culture, Reggie hadn't realized how rumor and offhand remarks can turn into screaming negative headlines--especially for a black athlete with a multimillion-dollar contract. Sickened by Martin's anti-Semitism, his rages, and his quite public disparagement of his new star, ostracized by his teammates, and despairing of how he was stereotyped in the press, Reggie had long talks with his father about quitting. Things hit bottom when Martin plotted to humiliate him during a nationally televised game against the Red Sox. It seemed as if a glorious career had been derailed.
But then: Reggie vowed to persevere; his pride, work ethic, and talent would overcome Martin's nearly sociopathic hatred. Gradually, he would win over the fans, then his teammates, as the Yankees surged to the pennant. And one magical autumn evening, he became "Mr. October" in a World Series performance for the ages. He thought his travails were over--until the next season when the insanity began again.
Becoming Mr. October is a revelatory self-portrait of a baseball icon at the height of his public fame and private anguish. Filled with revealing anecdotes about the notorious "Bronx Zoo" Yankees of the late 1970s and bluntly honest portrayals of his teammates and competitors, this is eye-opening baseball history as can be told only by the man who lived it.
Author Notes
REGGIE JACKSON was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1993. He hit 563 home runs and drove in 1,702 runs over the course of his twenty-one-year career. He played three World Series-winning seasons with the Oakland Athletics and two with the New York Yankees. He is a special adviser to the Yankees.
KEVIN BAKER is the prize-winning author of the historical novels Dreamland , Paradise Alley , and Strivers Row ; the baseball novel Sometimes You See It Coming ; and, most recently, The Big Crowd . He served as chief historical researcher for the nonfiction bestseller The American Century . His writing has appeared in The New York Times , The Washington Post , the Chicago Tribune , the Los Angeles Times , and Harper's Magazine , among other publications.
Reviews (2)
Publisher's Weekly Review
If there ever was a clutch hitter in baseball, it was Reggie Jackson-so much so that his number was retired by two teams: the Oakland A's and the New York Yankees. Jackson's first stint with greatness came when he played for Oakland, earning MVP honors in the 1973 World Series. In 1977, as a Yankee, during game six of the World Series, Jackson hit three home runs. It was this moment that gave him the nickname Mr. October. But Jackson didn't always hit the sweet spot in New York. His time in the Big Apple was marred by his deteriorating relationship with erratic manager Billy Martin, a rabid tabloid press, and the growing resentment of his teammates. Since the close of his career, Jackson has carved out a career as a professional motivational speaker-and this is evident in his prowess as narrator of this audio edition. His reading is crisp, but more importantly, he's a natural-and oftentimes riveting-storyteller. And while during some of the book's more dramatic moments, his reading seems a bit forced, this will be a must listen for baseball fans. A Doubleday hardcover. (Oct.)? (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
With the assistance of Baker (The Big Crowd, 2013, etc.), legendary slugger Jackson (Reggie: The Autobiography, 1984, etc.) attempts to set the record straight about the tumultuous World Serieswinning New York Yankees of 1977 and 1978. When he signed with the Yankees in 1976, Jackson was already a star, having won two championships with the Oakland A's and a league MVP award in 1973. He also had a reputation for speaking his mind in a way that did not always endear him to teammates and fans. None of this, however, prepared him for the cauldron that was the Yankees, run by manager Billy Martin and owner George Steinbrenner. Much has been written about this team, and Jackson announces early on that this book was born out of his outrage at how he was portrayed in the 2007 miniseries The Bronx Is Burning; indeed, the tone is often aggrieved as the author recounts the many injustices he faced along the way. There's no denying he has a point: He was often treated unfairly by the press and his teammates and certainly by Martin, a volatile personality at the best of times, who never got over his resentment that Jackson was brought onto the team against his wishes. But whatever was behind the struggles--racism, resentment over his comments to the press, his superstar salary or other factors--Jackson does himself no favors by repetitively rehashing these old wounds, though he does at least acknowledge partial responsibility for some of them. Resentment aside, the author remains a fascinating character who offers plenty of insight into the game as it was played then and now. No baseball fan can deny the greatness of Jackson's magical three consecutive first-pitch home runs in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series, and many will enjoy reliving the moment through his eyes. Readers not put off by the taste of sour grapes will find much of interest here, from the unique mind of one of baseball's most enigmatic stars and greatest clutch performers.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Excerpts
Excerpts
Yankees vs. Red Sox, September 1977: "Do you ask Babe Ruth to bunt--or Cookie Lavagetto? Willie McCovey--or Phil Rizzuto? "But I was learning. Billy Martin said bunt, I was prepared to bunt. Reggie Cleveland threw in on me, though, so I couldn't get the bat out and had to take it for a ball. I looked back down to Dick Howser--and now the bunt was off. Cleveland threw me a fastball, and I fouled it off. "I looked back at Howser. The bunt sign was back on. Tell me, does this make any sense at all? "I got ready to bunt again, but Reggie Cleveland threw another ball in. It was like they were picking up the signs, which maybe they were. It was like they knew I was going to try to lay one down. "Personally, I thought they were making a mistake. If it was my team and Reggie Jackson wanted to bunt, let him bunt. "Instead, the count fell in my favor, the bunt was taken off, and Cleveland hung a slider. It was room service. The rest is history." Excerpted from Becoming Mr. October by Reggie Jackson, Kevin Baker All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
Table of Contents
| 1 Bull in the Ring | p. 1 |
| 2 Birmingham | p. 11 |
| 3 Gunslingers | p. 21 |
| 4 Leaving Charlie O. | p. 27 |
| 5 "Like a Guy Trying to Hustle a Girl in a Bar" | p. 36 |
| 6 "Any Specific Player" | p. 47 |
| 7 Billy | p. 55 |
| 8 The Hole in the Doughnut | p. 73 |
| 9 The Article | p. 83 |
| 10 Boston | p. 96 |
| 11 Eye Exam | p. 108 |
| 12 Calling My Dad | p. 116 |
| 13 Hiding in the Bathroom | p. 127 |
| 14 Pinch Hitter | p. 143 |
| 15 "Another Chapter in the Tumultuous Life of the 1977 Yankees" | p. 160 |
| 16 "That's Three, Mom!" | p. 171 |
| 17 Sitting in the Rocking Chair | p. 184 |
| 18 Reggie! Bar | p. 192 |
| 19 Here We Go Again | p. 206 |
| 20 Forcing the Issue | p. 216 |
| 21 "One's a Born Liar" | p. 231 |
| 22 "A Very Simple Game for Children" | p. 243 |
| 23 Catching Boston | p. 254 |
| 24 "I Hit It to the Prudential Building" | p. 263 |
| 25 "Finding a Prize in the Weeds" | p. 276 |
| Epilogue: "Nothing Gold Can Stay" | p. 287 |
| Acknowledgments | p. 291 |
