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Reggie Jackson... and The Pressure
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(EDITOR'S NOTE: Since becoming the leading home run
hitter in the major leagues, Reggie Jackson of the Oakland
A's says his life has changed drastically. The pressures upon
him, he says, are mounting, especially from fans and the
news media. In an interview with NEA's Marty Ralbovsky,
Jackson tells his story.)
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“. . . f'm not going to hit 60 home runs”
By REGGIE JACKSON
As Told To
MARTY RALBOVSKY, NEA Sports Writer
CHICAGO—(NE A)—The night wo played the White Sox
up in Milwaukee I felt pretty good I got to the park early,
signed a lot of autographs and did some interviews in the
clubhouse When I went out on the field I did some more
interviews around the batting cage until it was my turn
to hit. Then I excused myself and went into the cage.
I no sooner looked up at the pitcher,
waiting for my first pitch, when some guy
jumps into the cage with me. I was
shocked. He says he's from some news
paper and he wants an interview. I said,
"Gee, man. I’m taking batting practice.
Can you wait until 1 finish?” He said,
“Aw, heck. It'll only take a minute. C'mon
over here.’’ I was furious. Not because of
the interview but because that man didn’t
have the courtesy to let me take my
swings. I stepped out of the cage and did
the interview anyway, but the more I think
Ralbovsky
about it the more I’m convinced I should have refused.
You know what would have happened then? He would
have written me up as a bad fella I figure I'm fortunate
to be in the public eye, and I owe a lot to the press and
to the fans, but I’m still Reggie Jackson, human being. I
remember when I was a kid hanging around Shibe Park
in Philadelphia 1 didn’t have the nerve to ask the big
stars for their autographs like the other kids did. 1 was
content sitting in the stands and just seeing them. Now
I'm running into people who seem to be just the opposite
of me, people who don’t seem to care about my feelings
or about me as a person, just the fact that I'm a home run
hitter. I'm flattered by their interest, of course, but many
of these people are so inconsiderate I can't help getting
mad.
When we're on the road, the phone in my hotel room
starts ringing at 8 in the morning, sometimes' earlier. Now
that's too much to take, especially after a night game. I
have to get my rest just like anybody else. Sometimes I
don't answer the phone and I lay there listening to it ring
. . . eight, nine, 1* times. They don’t give up. When I get
out of bed and answer it you know what I hear on the other
end? “Hey, Reggie. This Is Joe Blow from Texas. I'm
waiting down In the lobby. How about coming down and
signing an autograph?”
I talked to the front office about switching to a dif
ferent hotel on road trips and maybe that's the answer.
You know, I can give 90 per cent of myself to the public,
or maybe even 95 per cent, but there’s five per cent of me
that has to remain Reggie Jackson. I think all athletes
feel that way. In the last two months I’ve come to value
my privacy more than at any other time in my entire life.
When I walk through a hotel lobby I'm really tickled
when somebody says, "Hey, there's Reggie Jackson," and
a whole bunch of kids run over for autographs. I love kids
and I know how they feel about baseball stars because I
felt the same way when I was a kid. But it's the older
people, the people who are looking to use you for some
thing, who put the pressure on and they never let up.
“Hey, Reggie," they say, “how about coming over to my
drugstore today and saying hello to the folks?” Or, “Reg
gie, mind stopping over to the studio today and making a
tape?" It's free, free, free, of course. Nobody says, “Here,
Reggie, here's a little gift for your wife, and thanks for
stopping over,” or "Gee. Reggie, we appreciate your doing
this and here’s a few dollars for your time.”
Now I’m not saying that I resent being in the limelight
I really enjoy it most of the time. I've been getting so
much fan mail lately that I've had to hire people to answer
it for me, and I'm flattered that so many people take the
time to write. I've even been invited to appear on the Joey
Bishop Show, and the other day the folks in my hometown
wrote and told me they’re going to have a Reggie Jackson
Day in my honor at Yankee Stadium. And my real estate
firm down in Phoenix is doing a lot more business these
days because of all the publicity I’ve been getting.
Rut there's one thing people have to realize, and that's
if a player overextends himself it has to affect his per-
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“. . . already I'm seeing fewer and fewer good pitches"
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“... when I’m in Oakland or at my home in Phoenix, I rarely go out in public anymore”
formance on the field and I won’t allow that to happen to
me. I have to have a certain amount of time for myself,
to relax, to think about a game and who's going to be
pitching that day, and to prepare myself mentally. I'm not
the kind of guy who can step out on the field and say,
“0.K., here I am. Let’s go.”
When I’m in Oakland or at my home in Phoenix, I rarely
go out in public anymore. I’ve had my phone number
changed four times and now nobobdy knows it, not even
the club. My wife doesn't like to go out with me in public
anymore because she gets irritated with people who stop
us in a store, or someplace, and start talking about this
or that without thinking that maybe we'd like to be alone.
When she goes out by herself people still pester her but
I tell her it's not so bad because at least she doesn’t have
to stand around and sign autographs.
I’m fortunate enough to have gotten off to a good start
this season and already people are talking about me hitting
60 home runs. Well, I’m not going to hit 60 home runs.
You know what 60 home runs is? That’s one every three
games and nobody’s going to get that many good pitches
to hit. Already I'm seeing fewer and fewer good pitches,
and I’m getting more walks than I ever did. If you’re not
getting the good pitches, there's just nothing you can do
about it.
Ask guys like Yaz and Oliva and they'll tell you the same
thing. They’re the two best hitters in the league, as far as
I'm concerned. I watch the way they wait for the good
{►ltch and when it comes they pounce on It. Rarely do they
et a good pitch slip by. Pitchers are working me differ
ently now than they were earlier in the season. Sure, I’d
like to hit 69. But I know I'm not going to do it.
Another thing is my eyes. I don’t see too well at night,
especially in the late innings of a game. I went to an eye
doctor and he told me I have unusual eyesight. He said
one person in 10,000 has vision like mine. I can see excep
tionally well in daylight hours, but at night my vision
clouds up and things get a little blurred. Sometimes I have
trouble picking up the ball in the late innings of a night
game. That’s why I always hit better during the day.
And. as far as the outside pressure goes, I’ve talked to a
lot of experienced baseball people about it, men like Joe Di-
Maggio, who’s been through it all, and they tell me to
handle it as best I can. I hate to be ducking people all the
time, or hiding out in a hotel room by myself, but if I have
to, I will. I still feel my biggest obligation is to the team
and I know what outside pressure can do to a player.
Remember what Roger Maris went through in 1961° Well,
I’m getting a taste of the same business now.
Someday, if I spot Roger Maris at a game I’m going to
go over to him and shake his hand and tell him that I’ve
been there, too.
(Newtpa per fnttrprn. Ann ) 7-16-69
★ ★★★**
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Jackson's Grip