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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.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
October 8, 2013 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780804148368
- File size: 294457 KB
- Duration: 10:13:27
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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February 24, 2014
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.)■
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