Reggie Jackson on His Most Heated Encounters With Yankees Manager Billy Martin (2009)

[@matthewbarnes6219]

I remember when Reggie was traded to California and when he came back to play against the Yankees at the stadium. Reggie launched a home run deep in the center field bleachers. The crowd was chanting Steinbrenner sucks, Steinbrenner sucks! It was awesome.

[@stevevr1965]

I have never been a NY Yankees fan but there is no denying that Reggie Jackson is one of the best players of all time !! Long life and much love to you sir !!

[@slewofdamascus]

Reggie would give you the shirt off his back...that's the kind of person he is...of course, he would call a press conference to announce it.

[@joerusso4417]

reggie looks like an angel in this interview but in sparky lyles book " the bronx zoo" he says reggies ego was hard to take by his manager and team mates. so who do you believe? stern likes to come on and trash people after they're dead and can't defend themselves. billy did say of george and reggie " ones a liar and the other was convicted". got him fired. so really both had issues.

[@jct6758]

Billy was a successful manager no matter where he managed whether he got along with anyone or not.

[@RMUNOZ1963]

I seen Reg-GIE on Madison Avenue once. I said hello, he said hello to me. Most celebrities I wouldn’t bother but I knew Reg-GIE loves the attention of the fans.

[@vccstudents]

Billy didn't want Reggie on the Yankees, but he said in his own autobiography that he was happy the Yankees got him. Steinbrenner forced Jackson on the Yankees against Billy's wishes because Billy wanted another right-handed power hitter. The Yankees already had Chambliss, Gamble, Rivers and Nettles hitting from the left side and needed another right-handed batter to compliment Munson and Piniella. The guy Billy wanted, however, turned out to be a stiff who was out of baseball two seasons later, Joe Rudi. In the end, it worked out. The reason Billy benched Reggie in Game 5 of the '77 ALCS was Reggie couldn't hit the Royals' pitcher, Paul Splittorff. I thought it was funny when the two teams met in the ALCS in '78, and Reggie homered off him. I disagree with Reggie's assessment of black superstars. The Yankees had no one superstar in their lineup in '76, yet they won the pennant. They made the mistake of going up against the Big Red Machine. Nobody could touch that '76 Reds team. That Reds team could have had a rematch against the Yankees had the Reds not traded away Tony Perez. Billy would have loved a player of the caliber of Bernie Williams.

[@howardcosell2022]

Dan Driessen filled in admirably the next season at first base. The failure of the 77 Reds was the starting pitching despite the addition of Tom Terrific

[@carmenxena]

I remember seeing those arguments on TV when I was a kid during the Yankees game on WPIX channel 11. No sound, but I got the idea what was said. ⚾️

[@robparadise6099]

So much of what Reggie says is TRUE, so much of what Reggie says is NOT TRUE.

[@nicksam2]

Exactly right. See below.

[@davidp5341]

These KZbin clips got me to listen to Stern for the first time, consider me now a fan (member of Sirius) who tunes in often!

[@___David___Savian]

I'm from New York City. So, to me this guy is plain and simply a God. I used to buy the Reggie chocolate bar that was sold nationally after he became a national hero in 1977. If you want to know who is one of the most clutch baseball players when it mattered in the post season, Reggie is one of them. Most people run away from big moments scared they would not deliver. Reggie ran towards pressure and even though he struck out a lot, he was the person I wanted batting when the game was on the line Mr. October.

[@brookelynnnnz]

Mr October the greatest ! Rip billy Martin but we told you so

[@jacktorrance2633]

As a young Yankees fan in the 70s, I thought Reggie Jackson and Thurman Munson were the best!

[@01REDEYEDDEVIL]

THATS HOW YOU DO IT, DONT BE A VICTIM, YOU, "EAT EM AND SMILE!!!!!" And one day, they'll wish they were you.

[@j.t.thomas9242]

Reggie came in the off-season after 1976 and immediately came in on the wrong foot with the straw that stirs the drink comment. That was a shot directed towards Munson whom Billy loved. Not sure if Stern ever brought that up to Reggie during this interview. Reggie always plays the race card when it comes to Billy but that is unfair. There were many black players who loved Billy. Even the great Rod Carew was so close to Billy he named him as the God Father to one of his children. Truth be told all 3 men, Reggie, Billy and Steinbrenner all had colossal egos which made it impossible for the 3 to coexist for very long.

[@williamhicks7736]

Reggie Jackson is one my all time favorite players! A dominant factor in any game he took part in...

[@bkdro70]

I dont think Billy was racist...I read this book called "The Best Team Money Can Buy"...it was about the 1977 Yankees...I read that Billy had a soft spot for Mickey Rivers (A black guy) for the Yankees and Billy even lent or gave him money after his wife threw him out of the house and threw his clothes out cause she suspected him of cheating on her....and he liked Rickey Henderson....In fact Rickey Henderson cried when he found out Billy died in a car crash in 1989

[@mikeforte7585]

I liked Billy...he like all of us battled his demons everyday...BUT he was NOT a racist....

[@orbonds3603]

Billy martin needs to be in baseball hall of fame

[@mrmojorisin8752]

Reggie had a well-earned reputation as a pompous, arrogant, testy, selfish ass. He was not popular around the league or in the clubhouse. The soft-spoken, reasonable side he shows in this interview is entirely misleading. Billy would have offered some convincing counterpoints to Reggie, had Billy been around to defend himself. It’s a cliche, but there’s another side to everything Reggie offers here.

[@russellszczepanski9435]

Next to Mickey Mantle my favorite player.

[@redrhino2066]

I met Reggie Jackson many times. Player, commentator, just being at the ballpark. I can't say that he was a very polite man and he was most arrogant. In this interview, you are not seeing the same Reggie Jackson of years ago. He was a very confident man, good ballplayer, and a Yankee fan favorite. However, I hope he has changed for the better as it appears in this interview. Then again, it is rare that you get the real person in an interview. He was a competitive SOB, disliked, and very disrespectful. I do hope that he has changed.

[@bjdunnell1477]

Never heard this interview.. sounds like a great one full length

[@Dana-wq5tp]

Billy Martin was obsessed with winning too much not to realize Reggie's importance to the team's success. What bothered Martin was that Jackson always came off(rightfully so) as a "me" person first, the team, second. Reggie was arrogant, and loved attention and Billy was having none of it from day one. Just an intense personality clash and I have no doubt they would have disliked each other regardless of the profession.

[@fredhall6525]

Reggie was a great player, but he was known to be a prima donna. Martin had the classic quote, "One's a born liar (Jackson) and one's convicted" (Stenibrenner).. He was fired the next day.

[@heynow7989]

This is my favorite interview.

[@glenschunk3995]

& Reggie got that hit with 2 strikes on him, the Royals outfield played him deep & to pull so it was able to drop in. That to me was his greatest clutch hit. Reggie was somethin`! He was, is & will always be!

[@georgehakimian5949]

Lenny Randall punced out his manager, Frank Lucchesi, & he continued to play in the Majors after that so Jackson could have punched out Martin.

[@Dynamo001]

I want to see this full interview.

[@justinhandlers4985]

He said, he was, the straw, who stirs, the drink! That hurt, alot, of people! People pay prices, for that, in old school, baseball!

[@RandomGuy285]

Obviously Billy was just ahead of his time and knew the analytics of batting your best hitter cleanup...

[@Andres64B]

Mr. October! I remember seeing him at Tiger stadium.

[@johngullo9420]

Howard brings out the best of every person he interviews. Just amazing!

[@coolbreeze3856]

I love how Jackson implies Martin is a racist and Martin isn't alive to defend himself. Everything is "as a black man"

[@TittyTittyBangBangXX]

LEGEND

[@adamthesurgeon6164]

Howard is an amazing interviewer

[@mtadams2009]

For me Reggie will always be an A. Then Finley had to destroy one of the greatest teams ever over greed. The A's were loaded with three 20 game winners and Fingers coming out of the pen. They were a running team that was fun to watch. I am from New England so the Red Sox are my team but the A's have always been my second team and I still pull for them. Fran Healy was local player and his brother was my teacher in high school. Small world. Not having Reggie bat clean up over race is crazy town. I never even knew that was going on. Pretty sad. Put the best players on the field and just let it happen. Reggie was most certainly Mr. October.

[@ronwilliams357]

Jackson's a class act and an absolute legend!

[@justinhandlers4985]

Reggie, was great for New York! We love them, both! Billy could be very tough, to deal, with! Reggie was no angel! Either, I'm sure.

[@dereksteele291]

only took 5 seconds to play the race card.

[@natalieps2387]

I think billy was jealous of reggie jackson. I can't understand why he had such issues with him. The guy hit 3 straight home runs on 3 straight swings to 3 different parts of the field against 3 different pitchers. Yes he was brash but he backed it up. I did not know he benched reggie in a crucial game. As a manager you dont let ur personal feelings drive managing. Munson had his issues with reggie but wanted to win & put it aside to tell billy reggie should be batting clean up. Reggie is mr October & what is Billy? A drunk & miserable man. Reggie will always be a legend & billy is nowhere near his stature. Sorry but billy played favorites & was so mean to reggie. Showing him up on national tv by benching him. I know people love billy martin but not good how he treated reggie one of the all time greats & greatest world series performer , up there with babe ruth. He is mr October for godsakes. Without him billy would not have won those rings as manager.

[@bishopgreen3460]

Reggie Jackson was great... no matter what u tried to do Billy Martin... u cant stop GREATNESS...

[@jackmcgregor4025]

Billy was one of the goats Reggie gets way to much credit he was a good black baseball player diva through his teammates under the bus all the time

[@howardcosell2022]

Being a diva is what made Reggie clutch. Never seen someone come through in so many important moments outside of Michael Jordan

[@claudevail8714]

Ya did a good job at what you do reggie that's how it is when yer the best of the best

[@thefrase7884]

Reggie Jackson = Class act

[@justinhandlers4985]

Takes two, to tango!

[@robertritchey1210]

Mr. October!! Reggie, Reggie, Reggie!!!

[@raynash4117]

Love Reggie !!

[@raymondlawson2301]

WOW. 👍.

[@namisill850]

Martin was a drunk that that got too much credit for being a good manager. He abused players ,played favorites, And Reggie took that and still despite this runt abusing him won the yanks the world series

[@waynemontpetit8181]

That 70s 'stache though....

[@christyd1144]

He was not an awesome man! Trust me... Tustin CA

[@danjackson9932]

😩

[@lilypoon1175]

What a nice man!

[@gene8172]

As legendary as Billy Martin may be, he’s an afterthought in baseball history. Reggie will live on...long after Martin is worm food.

[@mwebb999]

Robin used to be hot

[@atourdeforce]

1st!!

[@johngullo9420]

Nice to see Robin got rid of that hideous rust colored hair.

[@christopherphillips8162]

Billy Martin is an embarrassment. He can't even hold Jackson's jockstrap. Reggie should've told him to compare their career stats. LOL That would've shut Billy up

[@dontchastop]

As much as I like Billy Martin, I didn't like what I just heard.

[@69sifu]

Billy the racist..