Rich Eisen on the Importance of Reggie Jackson's Retelling of the Racism He Faced as a Minor Leaguer

[@ricksmith2127]

I am glad that Reggie didn’t take the softball question and romanticize his experience in Alabama playing in the minor leagues

[@amschmidlkofer]

I agree with not romanticizing, however, Reggie’s story was about his time with the Birmingham A’s in 1967. They were the AA affiliate of the Oakland A’s and Reggie was one of the only black players on the team. Reggie never played in the Negro Leagues.

[@Burton_Man]

@@amschmidlkoferI appreciate this answer because many don’t know this fact. Most assume incidents like this ended in the 60s but Reggie stories take place in the late 60s and the 70s n possibly later because his career didn’t end until the late 80s.

[@doug3819]

A older man once told my late father the good old days wasn't worth a damn !

[@abc-bu7nr]

Didn't his dad play in the Negro Leagues? Maybe I'm mistaken

[@monica93304]

@@amschmidlkofer correct. He didn't play in the Negro leagues, but in Alabama they reminded him of the color of his skin. Once again, Reggie hit a bomb that only he could hit. Bravo Reggie.

[@michaelschroeder8005]

Kind of ironic … Reggie hit it out of the park again

[@b.a.samuels]

Well done sir, well done.

[@JackieLastrada]

Mr. October..in June.

[@Beardo2517]

💯

[@Rayheem]

Bring back the Reggie Candy Bar!

[@4rmDEC2FRE]

Damn. That was hard how you did that

[@MrTee12]

*Before someone says it...this is NOT VICTIMHOOD...This was HIS EXPERIENCE!*

[@ToFester]

Not just his....

[@The_king567]

It’s victim hood

[@danielleb7416]

@@The_king567He was a legitimate victim. He was a human being who did not deserve to be abused & mistreated because of his race.

[@The_king567]

@@danielleb7416 a victim of his own actions I agree he wasn’t abused or mistreated for no reason

[@ToFester]

@@The_king567 You're just trying to troll...trust me I know.

[@Jahwobbly]

When I was a JV high school player in 1979, the opposing team chanted racist insults at me in unison in Mcclouth, Kansas. Imagine what kind of adults want to hurt a 15 year old that way. Racism is real and it still hurts and threatens living people today.

[@bihsaidwhatnow2392]

Imagine what six-year old Ruby Bridges went through in 1960. She's 69 years old, still alive, and speaking out against banning books that contains the truth about America's history past and present.

[@catali033]

Adults who do (and did) that are wicked to their core…..devilish, possessed, lack spiritual foundation even if they go to church, have a stoney heart, and wake up every day to let the devil use them any way he wishes. I could never treat anyone like they are not human, especially a child. That’s disgusting.

[@seensay2132]

And people NEVER want to claim their Grandparents or Great Grandparents acted like this! They would have you believe the people who did these nasty things were someone else’s ancestors and that they were the minority. Not the majority.

[@bihsaidwhatnow2392]

@@seensay2132 Probably why they want books banned or removed. ..Great grandkids and grandkids would probably would recognize G-ma and Poppa in some of those lynch-photos.

[@ridgesindi6746]

And just imagine how and who those people are today.

[@ShelbyBaby27]

Similar to Bill Russell not sugarcoating his experience playing for The Celtics. As a reminder that Jackie Robinson died in his early 50's from stress-induced diabetes complications. He may have broken the color barrier, but what he endured broke him (physically)

[@bigdaddy3621]

And Jackie Robinson said he would never salute the flag

[@hestiaa9354]

@@bigdaddy3621Don’t blame him one bit.

[@omlooper]

Jackie Robinson supported Nixon in 1960. Weird, right? Before the political parties “switched.”

[@mrcnub]

​@@omlooper Yes, 1960 was before 1964. I know math is hard, but try to keep up.

[@stevewise1656]

Yes, Jackie looked like he was in his 80's while in his early 50's. The Boston Red Sox had Willie and refused to sign him because he was black.

[@kelvinmorris1991]

As a black man this interview gave me a heavy heart 😢😢😢😢😢 he’s a human being just like any other person..

[@mebeingU2]

Not to mention that as he worked to be the best at his craft, he had to also endure the despicable injustice of racism - day in, day out. SMH

[@AlostCause-hc9hc]

Heavy heavy heart man

[@winstonsyme5899]

How do feel about the high crime rates and places you destroyed. Detroit, Gary, St.Louis, Memphis, Newark, New Orleans, everywhere you live that starts with ‘New’.

[@Judge_Meridian]

​@@winstonsyme5899Black people didn't destroy those places. Read a book.

[@winstonsyme5899]

@@Judge_Meridian Really? Who did? The people who left? In 1960 Detroit had the highest per capita income in the US. By 1980, one generation,it resembled a bombed out third world city. Who was running the city? Who was the majority population?

[@termitez97]

Racism against Black Americans is painful to hear, but even more when you had to live thru it.

[@stephenburpo7755]

I had to live through blacks being racist towards me. I ain't crying about what happened 30 years ago.

[@tonyr.3435]

​@@stephenburpo7755 When you're a member of a particular ethnicity that does not possess the inate drive for work/education or a work ethic that other groups do possess like Asians, Hispanics, Caucasians etc, they'll cling to resolved grievances, even resurrect those that can literally live forever. There are only two ways their meal ticket could ever be eradicated, if they're gone or who they consider their oppressor is no more.

[@nuwildcat90]

Reggie Jackson's comments remind me of the following, "If you don't like the harsh truths that someone is saying, that's why the person had to say them."

[@BeWiseLegette]

This is the way that black people are treated in my current city of San Antonio. They probably won't blatantly kick you out, but they will give you the worst treatment or customer service. I will never compare today's racism to what my parents experienced, but living in San Antonio, Texas and traveling through Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and other parts of this country is eye-opening. Racism is alive and well. San Antonio practices a passive-aggressive version of Jim Crow laws. Thank you Reggie keeping it real.

[@brownsugar2271]

Pennsylvania is very racist!

[@Amodernelder]

I used to live and work in the ‘progressive’ Bay Area. It was low key racist.

[@captk153]

I recently visited San Antonio , as l walked thru a store two young teenagers looked in my direction and pretended to “vomit” I ignored their stupid immaturity and kept it moving, not out of fear, out of experience.

[@imperiousrex1873]

You can find racism everywhere. If you are constantly looking for it.

[@imperiousrex1873]

​@captk153 Do you know for sure it was racism of they didn't just like they way you looked?

[@AccentShmaccent]

Props to this show for not being scared.

[@winstonsyme5899]

Should they talk about present day crime rates? Read off a list of cities they destroyed?

[@jimwerther]

Being "woke" is the easiest thing in the world. Telling the truth? That would actually take real courage, sorely lacking in the media today.

[@timbobcreations3915]

Rich doesn't shy away....big shout out to first things first as well...Nick Wright played the whole interview on air.

[@winstonsyme5899]

@@timbobcreations3915 Did he talk about Table 43 FBI’s UCR? Too shy for that one

[@timbobcreations3915]

@@winstonsyme5899 um...let me clarify then. Topics that blend sports with politics he won't shy away from. The interview he spoke of was sports based. The Kyrie Irving/Jewish comments also sports related. He hosts a sports based show as you know, if you wanted to talk crime statistics, that's a completely different and unrelated animal.

[@SupermanHopkins]

This is why I don't take people seriously when they say stuff like, "Quit talking about race." Uh, the entire country was and is dipped in this stuff; we're not going to ignore that.

[@winstonsyme5899]

Let’s talk about right now. High crime rates, high illegitimacy rates low test scores, etc.

[@nat55529]

​​@winstonsyme5899 that's not what this feed is it's always somebody trying to deflect a dang troll

[@pronkb000]

@@winstonsyme5899 Crime rates are much lower now than they were in the '70s. We had a bit of a spike during COVID in 2020-21 but things are mostly back down to pre-COVID levels.

[@preservation_of_institutions]

This country and much of the world is racist as ever. Tell me why it wouldn’t be?

[@jamesdellaneve9005]

No one is asking anyone to ignore the racism of the past. It’s important to note how it was and how it is today. It’s also important to differentiate the residual racism of today and life. That’s what the “Quit talking about race” people are talking about. I disagree with Rich about schools not being allowed to talk about race. We learned about slavery, and racism in the 1960’s and 1970’s where I went to school. The whole “Opressor/Opressed” thing of today is what they are pushing back against. It’s got nothing to do with teaching our history and allowing people to tell their stories. Reggie and Hank were my two favorite players when I was growing up. Hank went through hell. It’s not surprising that Reggie did too.

[@chillywillie6283]

You can’t just expect people to forget the horrible experiences they had to live through. It happened and it can’t be and shouldn’t be covered up to hide the shame of inflicting it on others. America was not great for everyone and not everyone wants to return to that time.

[@marjorjorietillman856]

So true! I’m several years younger than Reggie, and I was traumatized like that in grade school in TX by teachers and students! Sadly, it affected Jackie Robinson so badly that he got diabetes and died young. They believe those experiences shouldn’t bother us, but when they go through less trauma, everybody shows empathy and they get therapy, but we couldn’t afford or get therapy for daily overt racism in school!

[@Donkor640]

Put this comment on repeat 👆🏾we wouldn’t be dealing with this passive aggressive racism today if America was brave enough to face its own past. The majority of Americans have only seen a heavily edited version of its own history written with the classic “…and they all lived happily ever after”. It’s hard to describe the effect that racism has on a person. I can only imagine how deeply scarred Reggie is from his experiences from a time when openly racist people and policy’s were tolerated. I’m 48 and I’ve had some racist experiences that fundamentally changed the way I see the world, and there’s no return to the person I was before that. It just has a way of hardening your soul.

[@timothy4145]

It wasn’t just in sports, I served in Northern Maine in the US Air Force from 1978 to 1982, I’m still dealing with the effects of the virulent racism I experienced in those four years.

[@SandraSealySeawomanBDS]

Been watching some docs on this like "Erased".

[@frankm5267]

Preach!

[@stillwaters9087]

My son, who served from 2006-2010, experienced racism in combat zones. Can you imagine mistreating someone who may have to have you back in a firefight? It is the ultimate act of stupidity.

[@willardlockejr2965]

@timothy4145 Thank you for your service. From a Navy Veteran who also had to deal with that racist crap (mostly subtle) back in the day.

[@No_lie_eli]

It’s stories like this that make ppl pause when they hear “Make America Great Again” … cus it’s clear who America was great for.

[@debrabeavers755]

Tell the TRUTH, Bro👍.

[@gaddyify]

They serve it right to your face.

[@Ink0ne415]

Real talk.

[@johnlogan2279]

The crying is so exhausting. Keep living in the past where you are comfortable.

[@Maxrotor1]

This only means that the false MAGA narrative has been successful. The shocking news is America was not aware of this recent history. My mom retired from a large bank and she tells me the cafeteria was still segregated in the early 70s.

[@anthonygipson580]

All the career home runs Reggie hit, what he said about his experience in Alabama was the biggest hit for me! Thank you Reggie

[@DaRealQT]

Still hitting it out the park.

[@iandhr1]

I got the chills listening to Reggie tell his story. At least he had a supportive owner, manager, and teammates.

[@AccentShmaccent]

Yes, glad he mentioned that part as well. Powerful stuff!

[@TheCdecisneros]

His College coach told Reggie he would not be picked first because he was black.

[@TheCdecisneros]

I wished the Mets has taken him .

[@jefferysimmons4501]

I agree re: Reggie's manager (John McNamara) and his team mates (Rollie Fingers, Joe Rudi) being supportive of him. But if you know anything about Charles O. Finley's his bottom line was always the MONEY. PERIOD. The A's were a 70's baseball dynasty that was broken up because Finley was made of that bird material... cheap, cheap, cheap.

[@marcosmercedesn]

That felt so real.

[@seanmcmonagle4012]

I have never expected Reggie to hold back his feelings. He got some trash for it in the 70s but he always spoke about his beliefs. I am still a fan of his for 50+ years.

[@floydwegienka6582]

POWERFUL is definitely the word here.

[@RichRobben1]

Reggie's "monolouge" was incredible!!!

[@joemesa6745]

I agree 100% with this segment on every level.

[@hernangonzalez8624]

This is by far my favorite episode Rich and the team bravo 👏 thank you

[@danielrivera9002]

Makes more sense why people are trying to ban or rewrite books.

[@fredadark5616]

Absolutely. They're afraid their children will see Meemaw and Peepaw in some of those historical photos showing people celebrating lynching and other brutalaties...

[@winstonsyme5899]

Or censor statistically truthful facts that make a certain group look bad. Table 43, FBI’s UCR.

[@The_king567]

They aren’t and you know it

[@SandraSealySeawomanBDS]

They do and it's ridiculous in 2024. And videos like this, RESPECTS real experience. ​@@The_king567

[@CaptainAmerica-pr2jl]

​@@fredadark5616lynching and brutality was as American as apple pie in those days.

[@dylanross7479]

Rich and co. - you ARE the light.

[@gpmom1614]

Rich, you're so eloquent! Thanks.

[@annegreene7690]

Is this why Florida Governor wanted Black History out of the schools? True but not pretty! This sports history must be shared! Proud of you Mr. Reggie Jackson! Truth History Teller! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 Thank you Mr. Eisen for your voice of truth! 👏🏽👏🏽

[@StuckinNOVA]

He didn’t want black history out of schools. That’s just not the truth.

[@OMIGOD11]

Florida has some of the most terrifyingly racist history of all around the time of the Great Migration and currently inhabits pockets of dastardly racists groups you’d more likely associate w Mississippi or Alabama (perhaps unfairly). The groups thrive on fear and ignorance … removing books on the subject from school libraries and failing to teach it in class preserves that ignorance, so they make stoke the fear.

[@pati3992]

@@StuckinNOVA DeSantis approved social studies curriculum guidelines that erroneously teach students that enslaved people “developed skills” that they could use for “personal benefit.” That ain’t history. It’s a white nationalist’s fairytale.

[@DJake78]

Never let the truth get in the way of a good story. No what he doesn’t want is BS lying agenda that isn’t history a la critical race theory being pushed. That’s why he’s also #1 of all past Florida governors who has donated more to black colleges than any of his predecessors (which is a good thing). Another person chirping and hiding behind a profile pic that isn’t themselves. The bravery ma’am 😂.

[@WAHollier54]

@@StuckinNOVA, I’m sorry, you may want to check your facts… look at the books that have been pulled off the shelf in the public libraries in Florida.

[@AndrewWalmsley-mz2ci]

Good for you Reggie Tell the truth

[@Djtonystewart]

MAGA wants to forget this like it never happened!

[@rodneywilliams3762]

I respectively disagree they want to take us back to that time just look at all they are trying to do

[@jjboys215]

Not forget...they romanticise and long to go back to it. Hell you got a Black Congressman (Bryon Donald's) who lamented on the benefits to the black family under Jim Crow. SMDH

[@The_king567]

No they don’t stop lying

[@bwballa]

Well you know the good ol boys clan can’t upset them now can we😂

[@teishahickman2108]

Many Americans...Not just Maga.

[@DaleCharlow]

"Do your part to make it better." That is why we teach and learn History.

[@winstonsyme5899]

Have black people done their ‘part to make it better’? Did they make Detroit better? Memphis? Baltimore? I see a pattern

[@jaxcoss5790]

​@@winstonsyme5899Did white people make it better? Look at the poorest states in the US and who they're run by. Stop being selective and cover it all.

[@AdrianBrown]

@@winstonsyme5899 You can rinse and repeat the same GARBAGE all you want. Just say you want to return to the 1950s and be done with it.

[@winstonsyme5899]

@@AdrianBrown Maybe your group could stop committing so much crime…take responsibility…study harder…etc. Doubtful. Rinse and repeat? Like how you move into areas and they end up being ruined?

[@andreabrown4541]

You cannot intellectualize yourself out of anti-blackness! It's an inside job.

[@reddy11-11]

Appreciate you uplifting that moment🙏🏾By the way it ain’t just Alabama. Willie Mays experienced housing discrimination here in SF, Ca too just as my family did. He said this, "Down in Alabama where we come from, you know your place. But up here, it's all a lot of camouflage. They grin in your face and deceive you." (Willie Mays.The Life.The Legend. By James S. Hirsch p.278). Not talking about it doesn’t help our kids think 🤔 in ways to “create a more perfect Union”✌🏾❤️

[@benniecurrie]

Reggie made me tear up. You could see the pain within that endures for Mr. October. A lot of black people his age and older aren't always so detailed and articulate about their experiences during the Jim Crow era or the years shortly thereafter when there were so many indignities that they had to soldier through -- just to play a child's game, pursue their career passions or maybe buy a decent home in their attempt to live the so-called American dream. His mini-oral history should be sent to the African-American History Museum at the Smithsonian to be shared with generations to come. Because he knocked it out of the park with his reflections.

[@debrabeavers755]

TOTALLY! Your comments were very well spoken.

[@robbates4265]

This was outstanding. Appreciate acknowledging the moment and the message rich. Shout out to TJ. The oak tree line made me tear up when I heard it

[@NeilTruick]

As a nine-year-old in New York City, I dreamed of living in Southern California. I watched the Rose Parade enough times to know that was the place I wanted to live. Three years later in 1976, I'm handing my one-way ticket to LAX to the ticket agent at JFK, ready to embark on my new life in Pasadena, California. Understand, it was my mother, my younger brother, and me. We were poor in New York and prepared to be poor in Los Angeles, also. Culture shock? Absolutely. People spread out instead of being stacked on each other. No cold winters and you have to drive to the snow. It took a bit of getting used to, but I managed. Pasadena also gave me my introduction to what institutionalized racism looks like. Case in point (and feel free to look this up): In 1970, Pasadena, California became the first city outside the South to receive a federal court order to desegregate their public schools. This was 15 years _AFTER_ the Brown vs. Board of Education decision. Look at a map of the city of Pasadena. Divide the city in four sections, like a graph you'd use in first year algebra. The X-axis is the 210 Freeway, the Y-axis is Lake Avenue. Students were assigned to one of four high schools, based on their address. Families in the northwest quadrant were assigned to John Muir High School. (See the PBS documentary, "Can We All Get Along? The Segregation of John Muir High School", for more details.) As you can guess, the majority of the city's Black residents lived in this quadrant. America loves its symbols and its literal whitewashing of its history. Baseball was considered, for many years, "America's National Pastime." Yet, for a time, access to this pastime was restricted to a certain group of people. But, this is just one of many stories in our history. Native Americans, Mexican citizens, Japanese immigrants, and African Americans could share countless more, if we only listened with the intent to make sure stories like these are told as cautionary tales.

[@mrc302]

👍👍

[@Illtechnica]

And people will complain about, _"but, but, it happened everywhere, not just America!"_ But the founding settlers were championing freedom, education, and civility among other things. America was supposed to be different than the other countries. In the end it was just the same, and they did the same things. They just put icing on a molded cake.

[@MrSoulauctioneer]

@@Illtechnica I think abolishing slavery less than 100 years after writing the Constitution is proof, yeah they were different. and a whole lot of stuff went on alllll around the world, but even then America was the best thing going. Still is.

[@NeilTruick]

@@MrSoulauctioneer The best thing going...for some. Yes, a whole lot of stuff went on and is still going on. Ask the residents of Tulsa, Oklahoma's Greenwood District in 1921 if America was truly "the best thing going". Emmitt Till. Brown vs. Board of Education. Let's not forget it took America another 100 years to codify racial equality after abolishing slavery. Women gained the right to vote in 1920, but that only applied to White women. Black women would have to wait another 45 years until the passage of the Voting Rights Act to achieve the same access. I don't expect America or any country to be perfect. I especially don't delude myself into thinking that the people have power to effect change without the permission of the elite class. I call out America for its hypocrisy because I want it to be a better place, not just better than someplace else.

[@Donkor640]

@@MrSoulauctioneerwe also shouldn’t give them a pass because it was a long time ago. Nothing that I’ve read from the 17th and 18th century makes me believe that the rich and powerful men who founded this country were too dense to understand that slavery was bad. They were definitely drunk off greed and the power of owning another human being but they weren’t too dumb to understand that it was wrong. As a matter of fact they were smart enough to start crafting pseudoscience to support their agenda to keep getting rich. They were able to quiet the abolitionists and anyone else with a shred of moral integrity by claiming Africans were subhuman. This effort took on a life of its own and persisted well into present day history.

[@antzmarchng]

That game and the presentation was outstanding by MLB and FOX Sports. It was very emotional for my son and I. His favorite players note include Josh Gibson and Willie Mays. This was way better than the Field of Dreams game

[@mjcruiser4238]

Not 3 Home Runs in a World Series game but, Reggie was absolutely heroic last night!

[@clownkirkpatrick]

RIch nailed it here, in every aspect

[@jeffanderson3584]

We remember everyone, but have forgotten Larry Doby, who was the first African-American player in the American League. I met him @ Rickwood in the 90s.

[@GoneByDawnSean]

"...and do your part to make it better." Damn right! Well said!

[@jamescpotter]

There is an incredible story of Nat King Cole working at the sands in the early to mid 1950's. "While performing at the Sands, Sinatra noticed that Cole almost always ate his dinner alone in his dressing room. Sinatra asked his valet, a black man named George, to find out why. George explained the facts to Frank. "Coloreds aren't allowed in the dining room at the Sands." Sinatra was enraged. He told the maitre d' and the waitresses that if it ever happened again, he'd see that everyone was fired. The next night, Sinatra invited Cole to dinner, making his guest the first black man to sit down and eat in the Garden Room at the Sands." Racism was rampant post WWII. Is it any better today? Is there more tolerance between human beings bearing different colored skin? On the whole I'd say yes. However, racism is still rampant. Until hearts open and see others, like themselves, as divine beings, this issue will never disappear.

[@bear25727]

Great story, and you’re right about post WWII racism. Imagine serving your country, only to come home and be treated like that.

[@LdyVder]

Today, racism is more covert than in your face racism of the 1950s.

[@travisyarbrough4033]

Sammy Davis Jr. also

[@keithbell9348]

I recently discovered how Frank had a very VERY low tolerance for racism. I heard he was in a famous night club once, from his table he witnessed how a patron, a male roguhed up a woman who was there. (Was it a waitress or his girl friend?- my memory is foggy). The woman was deeply embarrassed and ashamed. Frank got up from his table and followed the guy to one of the restrooms. There Frank threatened the guy and promised him that is he ever saw him do that again he would beat his A double S! Frank always stood up for those who suffered from the abuse and mistreatment of the "status quo" as he saw it. He seen it. He would rise to the occassion!

[@OMIGOD11]

A story well told … 🙏🏽

[@thebourg]

It was chilling to hear Reggie speak.

[@bxlioness4552]

It's more chilling to know that he experienced this.

[@kaptainh5538]

Others went before Reggie , Willie Mays ,Bob Gibson , Hank Aaron , Frank Robinson , Vada Pinson , Curt Flood , Ernie Banks , Lou Brock , Roberto Clemente , and many others.

[@aa697]

Tremendous praise for Reggie - people need to know what it was like so we never go back there ever again.

[@antg007]

A Rod was really moved. He said, "I love you Reg.". That choked me up.

[@reggiebrown9508]

Just as Reggie Jackson and recently Willie Mays many of these people are still alive that did these things.

[@chrisbrooks9118]

That was a real and unfiltered explanation of what he and other Black American baseball players went through. The passion and hurt still remained with him. Now, imagine how other Black Americans are feeling to this day from past and present alienation.

[@fredleinweber2819]

Black people aren't held back at all today and have not for a very long time. Quit lying!

[@dallasborn8574]

Not just ⚾⚾⚾

[@The_king567]

Nobody should care

[@andrewbird57]

Reggie Jackson entered the minor leagues in 1966, at single A in Modesto, CA, where I grew up. I remember watching him play; we would go to games often because hometown hero Joe Rudi was also on that team, as where many of the players who would form the A's dynasty teams of the early '70s. Modesto was a conservative town, but not overtly racist like you found in the South. However, one of our neighbors was from Alabama. He was a quiet-spoken decent man on the exterior, but he was also virulently, violently racist, the most racist person I've ever known. Those people existed in large numbers back then, trust me. Reggie mentioned Rudi and his wife in his remarks, and several other teammates who helped get him through the racism he experienced at AA Birmingham. When I was in high school, the A's won those three consecutive World Series. Reggie Jackson was the superstar of that dynasty, but Joe Rudi was no slouch. He made a catch against the wall in the '72 Series to rival Willie Mays' 1954 catch. Modesto was an easy drive to the Coliseum in Oakland, we used to drive to the stadium on game days during the ALCS games and buy tickets on the spot! Joe Rudi's younger bro is my age, we played with and against him in high school. In 1983 I bought a softball glove from Joe Rudi's Sports Center in Modesto. I still have that glove and at age 67 I'm still playing softball with it in an inner-city coed league in Sacramento, CA. The glove is older than at least 80 percent of the men and women I play with and against.

[@jefferysimmons4501]

Great comments my friend!!!! Joe Rudi's Sports Center on McHenry in Modesto. What a GREAT place to shop for athletic stuff. The only place between Lodi, Stockton, Tracy, Manteca, where you could get the Air Jordans of our day.... PUMAS. The coolest and best looking athletic shoes EVER!!!! Long live the CLAW!!!!!

[@andrewbird57]

@@jefferysimmons4501 Joe Rudi's Sports Center in McHenry Village, used to buy all my athletic gear there. The softball glove I bought there in '83, it's gotten so much use over the decades. I have other gloves, but I still like that one the best.

[@jefferysimmons4501]

@@andrewbird57 My mom drove us all the way from San Joaquin county to go to Joe Rudi's. Great memories!!!

[@monica93304]

Thank you for your story. I'm a native from Los Angeles. Huge Dodger fan. Reggie is STILL my favorite player. Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays were historically heroes of mine as well. You're lucky to have seen Reggie play. I got to see Hank Aaron play. As a Dodger fan, I respect what those A's did. Incredible. It's a shame they're leaving the Bay Area. Once again, Reggie hit a homer.

[@vatiammatri2660]

Cool memories!

[@BAYBAY_316]

Thank you Rich for talking about what really needed talked about. Too many pretend everything was fine and still is fine.

[@michaelwood9866]

@elbob17 revisionist history

[@BAYBAY_316]

@elbob17 I agree and I went to a school system that was only a couple hours drive from where that took place and no one ever mentioned that even once in my history class.

[@GregPappasJr]

Sweeping ugly history under the rug is NEVER okay. Thank you, Reggie, for the truth you spoke, and to people like Rich & TJ who have recognized his words for the truth it was.

[@MikeCee7]

For those who didn’t watch the rickwood tribute pregame show live yesterday. Fox did NOT bleep out the 2 times Reggie said the Nwrd. It went live on TV. (I’m sure they had a delay, but I’m sure they must’ve just let it go through, considering who was saying it)

[@Huntersmells]

Thanks for speaking on this rich

[@brucehicks5817]

Rich, I appreciate you for speaking on this.

[@kenyattaclay7666]

I’m not sure how old TJ is but him recounting his memories of his grandfather mirrors mine with my grandmother. I became a baseball fan in 1977 & Reggie was my favorite player. However my grandmother made sure to tell me about all the great players from the past & she was also a Dodgers fan specifically because if Jackie Robinson. It honestly wasn’t until years after Reggie retired that I found out what he had to still deal with at both ASU and in the minors. Young people really need to sit & listen to guys like Reggie while they’re still around.

[@keefriff99]

I’m pretty sure TJ is almost 50, if not 50. I would have sworn he was waaaay younger, but he mentioned being in a bar when the OJ chase happened, and I was like, “Wait, HOW old is TJ now??”

[@tybooskie]

I'm 36. I actually experienced not being able to go on "that" side of town and not being able to play with white kids because their parents were racist. I had a friend who lived the next block over whose dad was very open that we were free to play outside but that blacks weren't allowed in his house. The sad part is that none of us batted an eye or even thought to question it because it was so normal for us black and white kids. We generally had worse experiences.

[@AdamLevine-x9b]

Thanks for speaking. We still have racism throughout the country today. I'm 60 and in my lifetime I've been a witness to profound systemic racism. Like Rich Eisen, I lived on Staten Island for many years. The neighborhood we moved into in 1977 was redlined. "The banks are giving them trouble with the loans". My High School had race riots that were 800 white kids chasing 90 black kids with rage and blaming the African American kids which was a lie and I worked in an employment agency in Manhattan where the code word for a job vacancy that shouldn't be sent any African American People was the number 6. Multiple agencies across NYC were using this tactic of racism. How's the water in Flint Michigan today ?

[@marklittle8805]

Water in Flint has been fixed actually....

[@tootssuite23]

I think the point being made was the water never should have needed 'fixing' in the first place.

[@marklittle8805]

@@tootssuite23 the reality is the water issues are more about civic incompetence and bad civil engineering. The majority of Flint is black and they suffered the effects but when the seeds of this disaster were laid was when the civic infrastructure was built and that wasn't recently. It dates back to when Flint was as much white as it was black

[@The_king567]

@@tootssuite23all water gets fixed at some point read a book

[@jasonvoss6559]

Thank you TJ and Rich for having these conversations

[@gregberke6772]

Thank you Rich for expanding on Mr. Jackson's words yesterday. I was proud when I heard him recount his past experiences instead of giving some stock expected response when asked to wax nostalgic. Kudos to Reggie Jackson.

[@AliOmar-zq7eu]

Thanks Rich for continuing the conversation on your show...

[@jasonvoss6559]

Having been to Birmingham and Selma walked over the Edmund Pettus Bridge you can still feel the ghosts of the bondage. I met Reggie Jackson briefly going to A's games a few years back in Oakland where I went to college. I say all that to say this thank you Reggie you are a class act thank you for reminding people that it wasn't so long ago talk about it talk about it talk about in schools and on sports talk radio deal with it until we own it we can't ever get past it or move on thats why it keeps coming up so glad they let Reggie speak from the heart and the realness and reality of the true history.

[@vatiammatri2660]

It was such a powerful and important moment. I remember growing up in Pittsburgh in the 60s and Roberto would tell similar stories about Spring training in Florida. All this erasure of the truth is dangerous. It's OK to feel sad, mad, horrified. It helps us to chart the correct path forward. Kudos Reggie. That interview should be in the BB Hall of Fame.

[@Tyronethereal]

On point and great job.

[@djnkosi]

Thanks Rich, TJ, and the gang. And thank you Mr. Jackson and all who paved the way. 🥹🙏🏽

[@stingrey1571]

reggie has always been that dude. he speaks his mind no matter what. unfortunately what reggie spoke of STILL HAPPENS TODAY!!! some may want to ignore it or (pardon the pun) whitewashed the past. this is AMERICAN HISTORY!!!!

[@fredleinweber2819]

NO it does not! If you hate it here so much please see yourself out. NOBODY is held back by racism. Hell even Reggie Jackson wasn't held back by it. Turn off liberal media as well as whenever Rich goes on silly tangents like this.

[@kcnoise]

Bullshit. 2024 isn’t what it was 50 years ago.

[@machtnichtsseimann]

When you purposely admit a sense of proportion in comparing THEN and NOW, then it doesn't honor the gains made BY Blacks in America. It unwittingly is a disservice, a backwards step, although it is probably meant as being progressive. It is not.

[@jimwerther]

What a bunch of bunk. Educate yourself.

[@Mr50403]

I used the same words when I saw his face on the documentary of him on Netflix with the blue reflective glasses he was wearing. I told my wife he was '' That Dude''

[@ThePwig]

There are plenty of people around that experienced all of this horrible stuff first-hand. I liked how he used the words that he heard. It was jarring and honest

[@matthewdolan3465]

Epic segment.

[@keanquinton5576]

Good for you guys stating what unfortunately should be obvious

[@TheFragranceDressier]

Thank you for having this conversation on your show

[@paulkemezis378]

If anyone thought Reggie was going to "white"wash the past, you invited the wrong dude

[@ProImpactMentors]

Here Mr. October really shows up in June! Thanks Rich for doing such a great job covering this!

[@CharlesWashington-s5m]

When Jackie Robinson made his Major League debut against The Cincinnati Reds at Crosley Field, he was getting death threats. The FBI had to send agents to Cincinnati (reluctantly of course) to protect him. Me being a black man, it was very painful to hear what Reggie Jackson had been through when he was in Birmingham, and it wasn't that long ago. However, I have to take my hat off to him for being butt naked honest about what he experienced.

[@ShawnC.T.]

I'm from Cincinnati, just across the Mason-Dixon line, a racist city @ times, all though I've never ever experienced it there. Pete Rose said that the Reds front office didn't like him being friends with Black players on the Reds, one prominent one being Frank Robinson, that's what the racial climate could be like @ times in Cincinnati...

[@nat55529]

Just like Hank Aaron when he was fixing to break the record of Babe Ruth

[@CharlesWashington-s5m]

@@ShawnC.T. it's great to talk to a fellow Cincinnatian. It's a good city if you want to get married, and have kids. With all the talent that this city has, Cincinnati could be a great city if it let go of its conservative ideology which won't happen anytime soon. I remember when I was a kid, there were a few areas in Cincinnati you wouldn't be caught dead in if you were black. Price Hill, Norwood, and St. Bernard especially. I mean, this is the same city that allowed The KKK to put a cross in Fountain Square every Christmas season, and it wasn't that long ago.

[@ShawnC.T.]

@user-wc3vy2gp1l A nickname for Cincinnati is "Cintucky", that says it all...

[@CharlesWashington-s5m]

@@ShawnC.T. Mark Twain once said, 'If the world ever comes to an end, go to Cincinnati, because Cincinnati is 20 years behind.'

[@barrvason5431]

I’ve watched Rich from the sidelines for years, now I’m all in. People simply have to know our countries past is as dirty as much as anything else. And don’t sit in LA, Chicago, NY, or St Louis and think, wow, it sure was messed up down south, because the bad and the hate always was and still is nation wide from sea to shining sea. Across the amber waves of grain and sitting next to you at school and church. And I’m a 61 year old white guy from Atlanta. I’m not fooled by the BS people try to not see and downplay. I’ve lived it first hand.

[@dancaulfield1008]

That was the only MLB game ever held in Alabama, and now we know why. Because it's an incredibly racist place.

[@jimwerther]

Now? Just stop.

[@dallasborn8574]

​@@jimwertherStop what? Telling the truth?

[@jimwerther]

@@dallasborn8574 Does it make you feel superior to slander 5 million people you don't know? Virtue signaling is a pathetic excuse for a life.

[@inthefray4279]

@@jimwertherI was sent to Alabama in 2005 while in the military and could see for myself the unrepentant and unapologetic racism and bigotry there. Maybe my rank and size gave me something akin to a deterrent but in 2024 a half dozen police officers in Alabama were convicted of torturing and arresting two black men after planting drugs on them because one random racist called them to complain that they were living with a white woman. Are you equally offended by that image of Alabama as well?

[@ambilewis9185]

@@inthefray4279 people don’t want to hear facts because you didn’t say all the people where racist

[@marcosmercedesn]

Good for Reggie for speaking about hard lived expiriences.

[@billschwalb9486]

Great discussion. Thank you Rich & Co.

[@genediggs417]

Rich I am so proud to have been privileged to be exposed to you and your wisdom and insight about so many things. Keep us all updated my brother!

[@johndoylespiritual]

They shouldn't have bleeped out Reggie's use of the n-word. That was his testimony and it needed to be heard as he spoke it. He suffered greatly from the use and the meaning behind the word. We should feel even a fraction of what he experienced. His testimony is historical fact. Mr. October!

[@kwaichangshane122]

In the original interview on FOX they did not bleep him out,it was raw and it was real.

[@richjasso]

God bless Reggie , the truth monger making people uncomfortable that need to be uncomfortable.

[@joeb5212]

Agreed! The context of how he used the word was appropriate. He was telling facts, it hits much harder and people feel it more. He doesn’t hold back the word that was directed at him, people need to hear how awful people treated him.

[@jonleonguerrero]

I do not get enough of Rich Eisen. Always compelling.

[@imfrcd]

Thank you so much, Rich!

[@paigedavis8761]

This is a great segment Rich! Thank you for talking about it

[@darrylhall9503]

His stories are heart wrenching. America, do better

[@scottchristmon1726]

It was a great broadcast and great interviews leading up to the game. Enjoyed your show.

[@pnojazz]

20 years after Jackie Robinson and Alabama was still acting a fool!!!

[@marklittle8805]

Alabama is a little slow on the uptake

[@pronkb000]

"Alabama, you've got the rest of the Union to help you along / What's going wrong?"

[@DSMTheEditor]

That was compelling and wonderful. Reggie continues to be a legend, and Rich and the crew continue to be the best in their field

[@TTony-tu6dm]

As everyone knows, the New York Mets took Steve Chilcott number one overall in the 66 draft over Jackson. Chilcott went on to infamy as one of the three overall number ones that never played in the big leagues. But the reason the Mets took Chilcott over Reggie was because Reggie had a WHITE GIRLFRIEND. The New York Mets, my team, have a history of racist actions which they have never addressed, and it’s about time they did.

[@wolfwilliams]

And the crosstown Yankees were none too quick to jump on the train of signing non-white players. The American League was an ugly place. Only three teams--Phillies, Tigers, Red Sox--waited longer than the Yankees. The Red Sox taking forever to sign a black player was more the norm than the exception in the AL.

[@richjasso]

I didn’t know tat the Mets possibly passed on Reggie because he had a white girlfriend. Stupid ignorance is a poor excuse for just plain prejudice if that’s true.

[@TTony-tu6dm]

@@richjasso Yes, look into the history of M. Donald Grant, who was the head of baseball operations for them from 62-78. As players like Cleon Jones, Tommie Agee, Ed Charles and others attested, Grant was as racist as they come. Even after that, Darryl Strawberry and Doc Gooden have talked about racial problems in the franchise. It’s the elephant in the room vis a vis the Mets organization, and it’s never been properly addressed.

[@charlespeakjr2168]

According to Reggie's autobiography, which was co-written with Mike Lupica around 1986. When he was at Arizona State, he was told by his Baseball coach, Bobby Winkles, that he had deserved to be the No.# 1 Draft Pick. But the Mets had heard that he was dating a White woman. The young lady in question, was named Jennie Campos, who was actually Mexican-American, not that it was anyone's business. BTW. Reggie and Jennie were married in 1968. Also, there is additional information in a 1975 paperback copy of REGGIE: A Season With A Superstar. Published by Playboy Press. It is no longer in print, but check any old bookstore or Amazon.

[@charlespeakjr2168]

​@TTony-tu6dm It wasn't just M. Donald Grant. The entire Payson Family were just as guilty.

[@rubyrage6993]

Refreshing! Mr. Reggie Jackson wasn't speaking 'His' truth, he spoke 'The 'truth'! Glad it made people squirm & feel uncomfortable. Mr. Jackson didn't "Go Along 2 Get Along". Bravo!

[@FilonisHat]

This is why that "Make America Great Again" political slogan from one side of the aisle is such an affront to a lot of older folks in this country. For them, growing up, their country was not great; in fact, it was brutally antagonistic and almost terrorist-like for them and their families. Why would they want to go back to those days? A lot of those folks are too traumatized to even speak of the evil they forcefully endured. I'm sure many would rather move forward towards a better future, than look back.

[@henrywallacesghost5883]

Just remember that the MAGA slogan was co-opted from Reagan's campaign over 40 years ago. That's how long the delusion of these people have lasted on the nostalgia of pre Civil Rights America.

[@brianw3656]

What a stupid, naive take. Anybody using that slogan is not focusing on the wrongs from the past.

[@patrickdolinski7105]

@@brianw3656 sorry pal, you are the ignorant one here

[@analogboi]

@@brianw3656 the slogan is literally implying thing were better in the past, complete b.s. to anyone who knows history.

[@jamesbaker7366]

Your 110% right they ignore and try to say it never happened like that oh yeah they name it CRT​@@brianw3656

[@richardcoe7417]

I was a young white kid growing up in Birmingham during the time when Reggie Jackson was playing for the Birmingham A's. We were all Reggie fans and would go see Reggie Jackson play at Rickwood. We were of course oblivious to any racial stuff that was going on. We just knew he was a great ball player and were thrilled to go to the ball park and see him play. I does hurt my heart to know that he had to endure such racism. There is no doubt that athletics has led the way to changing hearts and minds of all of us that were on the wrong side of history. Thank you to all the black athletes that helped open the hearts of generations of us that needed our hearts and minds changed!

[@jribe]

Bravo! Props to Reggie Jackson for reminding people of history in the Jim Crow South

[@Bonzi_Buddy]

The Democrat Jim Crow South.

[@parveneh]

​@@Bonzi_Buddyyou mean Jim crow America and does it really matter who was leading the mantle at the time. The repubs are not having any problem buying into it now

[@The_king567]

Oh no Jim Crow how bad literally nobody cares dude

[@braedonshelton2305]

Glad you talked about this Rich! Well Said.

[@stevewise1656]

That's the first time I've heard Reggie not follow the corporate line in not telling the truth about what black players like him went through playing in the South. Are those the good old days MAGA is clamoring for as white nationalists? Yes, it is...

[@sidpackard8613]

Wrong. Watch a MAGA rally instead of repeating what the socialists in the MSM feed you. MAGA is about fiscal, border, and international policies.

[@Bonzi_Buddy]

The democrats were the ones that instituted Jim Crow laws.

[@aboobuka]

Thank you Reggie for sharing. I was so moved.

[@FilmSchoold]

Thank you Rich Eisen Show!!!! This is why you are Emmy nominated. It was a conversation we needed!!!! Reggie Jackson was basically discussing childhood trauma... the trauma of racism. Important. You discussed this well!

[@michaelwood9866]

@elbob17 ppl in this country live in a bubble honestly. this injustice as it's called happens all over the world yet nobody goes and screams about it anywhere but here cause they know bad things could happen in other countries. they don't see the bad things going on hence living in a bubble. this conversation has been going on forever and it got worse with obama and has steadily declined ever since.

[@andreabrown4541]

He was an adult, not a child. Children didn't then and don't now play professional sports.

[@FilmSchoold]

@@andreabrown4541 He was in the Minor Leagues!!! He doesn’t get to the majors until he is 20 years old. And who cares he was a young man!!! What about the substance of the racism he faced!?!

[@FilmSchoold]

@@andreabrown4541 I get it! Some in America don’t wanna hear about what happened to Black people. I get it!

[@jamesfields2249]

Great stepping up to the plate Brother Rich Eisen and having this dialogue. Calling it like you see it, may you be blessed. 🕊️ This is G-D’s Nation and all people. Todah Rabah !!

[@JB09712]

I’ve lived in Birmingham my entire life and I couldn’t be prouder to call it home then after yesterday. People today hear the name and instantly think it’s the same as it once was. Everyone who lives here is deeply familiar with the history of this city and the horrific things that happened here and we embrace that history as it shows how far we have come and how far we still have to go. Birmingham is absolutely full of historic places and museums that shine a light on the past while embracing a brighter future and I hope the MLB continues this as an annual game or even series

[@mhgreen3000]

Thanks for talking about this, Rich & Co.

[@futureglobal7258]

In Alabama, public schools won’t be able to teach the students any of the first hand recollections Mr. Jackson described.

[@michaeldean9338]

Very satisfying segment, gentlemen. Thank you.

[@robinwilliams5794]

This is a subject that needs continuous conversations. I know that some may disagree with me, but we all must hear stories like Reggie told so that we can find our humanity and never let go of that.

[@catali033]

Exactly..

[@briagolden1]

Im glad they gave him space to tell this story. I wasn't ready, but I loved every minute of it!!

[@lisamay4376]

And if that’s what Reggie Jackson dealt with in the 70’s(60’s?) can you imagine what Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays were up against.

[@DeanAllman]

Man this is why I love Rich Eisen. Thanks man.

[@Captain_Aubie]

Back in 1979-80 in Birmingham, my junior high principal was always talking about how his dad played with Babe Ruth and the Yankees. He was the kindest man, I always thought he was just talking but sure enough his dad was Ben Chapman who was also the biggest racist to ever play baseball. He made such unconscionable slurs to Jackie Robinson as the manager of the Phillies in 1947 that baseball commissioners Happy Chandler and Ford Frick ordered it stopped and later had Robinson and Chapman pose for a publicity picture. Chapman died in Birmingham in 1993, just a few miles from Rickwood Field. I never could understand how such a nice man came from such a home full of hate.

[@Weldon-h3n]

@elbob17explain how this moves the conversation besides expressing your unavailability to have remorse and empathy. It’s okay because God sees the ignorance and it is for him/her/they to judge. Blessings !!

[@l.b.9567]

​@elbob17Did you see Lucille, she left me with 4 hungry children and the crops in the fields 😭

[@jaylaurence619]

Thank you, Rich, for speaking on this