Not OT: The Time a Former Cal Bear (Mike Epstein) Beat the Crap Out of Reggie Jackson
9,162 Views |
55 Replies |
Last: 8 yr ago by jyamada
Great story!
Never poke a bear.
Never poke a bear.
Met Reggie several times when he came to Oakland City Hall to meet with Mayor Lionel Wilson. Reggie was all about Reggie and that's all he could talk about. I was not a fan of Reggie. I really enjoyed meeting Rickey Henderson and Dave Stewart though.
Loved the A's back then and went to 4 playoff and 4 world series games in their run of 3 straight titles from '72-74.
Loved Reggie as a player but he was about as arrogant as it comes. Funny that guys he came up with wanted to see his ass whooped. And that was hardly the only fight. I know Billy North and Reggie were in one, too, and current announcer Ray Fosse crushed a disc trying to separate them. After they were separated, they went back to fighting again but their teammates just ignored them and played cards in round two. Rollie Fingers and Blue Moon Odom got into it right before the '74 world series, too. But none of that kept the A's from winning.
Loved Reggie as a player but he was about as arrogant as it comes. Funny that guys he came up with wanted to see his ass whooped. And that was hardly the only fight. I know Billy North and Reggie were in one, too, and current announcer Ray Fosse crushed a disc trying to separate them. After they were separated, they went back to fighting again but their teammates just ignored them and played cards in round two. Rollie Fingers and Blue Moon Odom got into it right before the '74 world series, too. But none of that kept the A's from winning.
MoragaBear;842815829 said:
Loved the A's back then and went to 4 playoff and 4 world series games in their run of 3 straight titles from '72-74.
Loved Reggie as a player but he was about as arrogant as it comes. Funny that guys he came up with wanted to see his ass whooped. And that was hardly the only fight. I know Billy North and Reggie were in one, too, and current announcer Ray Fosse crushed a disc trying to separate them. After they were separated, they went back to fighting again but their teammates just ignored them and played cards in round two. Rollie Fingers and Blue Moon Odom got into it right before the '74 world series, too. But none of that kept the A's from winning.
Deadspin had an interesting Q&A with the author today. I thought you might find this interesting:
Quote:
waykwik
3/07/17 12:47pm
Why doesn’t that A’s dynasty get the respect it deserves from the baseball establishment?
Jason Turbow
3/07/17 1:08pm
That’s a great question. As best I can figure, it’s all on Charlie Finley. On one hand, he was an iconoclast who made few friends in the ownership ranks. They were not inclined to prop him up any more than was neccesary.
On the other hand, the A’s couldn’t even sell tickets in their home ballpark while they were winning championships. This, too, circled back to Finley, who never lived in Oakland and rarely tried to tie his team into the fabric of the community. Look no farther than Raiders boss Al Davis, who was all about the East Bay, and whose fans were among the most rabid in all pro sports. Finley fell far short in this regard, and if a team’s own fans can’t bother to pay attention, how can one make a case for the historical record?
Ask a follow-up
Jason Turbow
3/07/17 1:08pm
That said, my entire book is making a case against the historical record. This team deserved the accolades.
In response to orindabear: There's another comment from Deadspin contributor Dave McKenna (you may know the name from his chronicling of Kevin Johnson's scandals):
Quote:
Dave McKenna
3/07/17 1:37pm
Jason: How normal was Reggie Jackson? I ask because the only personal interaction I ever had with him was absolutely loony tunes. It was in the late-1980s at an auto auction in Auburn, Indiana. His car warehouse had just burned down so everybody knew he was there to spend big bucks, as he was one of the most celebrated car collectors in the world at that time. I was media and was there early and he was getting a VIP tour of the available autos when a little kid walked up and asked for his autograph. Jackson took the kid’s pencil and dropped it on the floor and started yelling in a fake kid’s voice “’Mr Jackson! Mr. Jackson! Can I have your autograph!’God dammit!!!!” as the kid ran back to his father. I’d never seen an adult, let alone a beloved celebrity, bully a kid like that. I came away convinced he’s deranged with serious anger issues, but I never dealt with him again. Is he alright?
My dad is a recently retire prosecutor and had some dealings with Reggie when he was with the Angels (Reggie as victim/witness, as I recall; not as criminal). He had similar unkind things to say about Reggie.
MoragaBear;842815829 said:
Loved the A's back then and went to 4 playoff and 4 world series games in their run of 3 straight titles from '72-74.
Loved Reggie as a player but he was about as arrogant as it comes. Funny that guys he came up with wanted to see his ass whooped. And that was hardly the only fight. I know Billy North and Reggie were in one, too, and current announcer Ray Fosse crushed a disc trying to separate them. After they were separated, they went back to fighting again but their teammates just ignored them and played cards in round two. Rollie Fingers and Blue Moon Odom got into it right before the '74 world series, too. But none of that kept the A's from winning.
You're father was clearly a very good father!
Billy Martin trying to fight Reggie in the Yankee dugout was another classic-of course it was all love and kisses in October
grandmastapoop;842815871 said:
Comment by Dave McKenna
3/07/17 1:37pm
Jason: How normal was Reggie Jackson? I ask because the only personal interaction I ever had with him was absolutely loony tunes. It was in the late-1980s at an auto auction in Auburn, Indiana. His car warehouse had just burned down so everybody knew he was there to spend big bucks, as he was one of the most celebrated car collectors in the world at that time. I was media and was there early and he was getting a VIP tour of the available autos when a little kid walked up and asked for his autograph. Jackson took the kid's pencil and dropped it on the floor and started yelling in a fake kid's voice "'Mr Jackson! Mr. Jackson! Can I have your autograph!'God dammit!!!!" as the kid ran back to his father. I'd never seen an adult, let alone a beloved celebrity, bully a kid like that. I came away convinced he's deranged with serious anger issues, but I never dealt with him again. Is he alright?
Reggie came to play in Oakland with the Yankees in about 1979. It was my friend's bday and he (his parents) took about 4 friends to the game. Afterwards, we waited in the parking lot to get his autograph. There were about 50 kids (maybe 100) all crowding around his car. He came out bummed to see us all. Everyone started pushing to get near. He yelled at all of us to settle down or he'd not sign anything. He stuck around a long time and signed all sorts of stuff. Not having planned, all I had was a scrap piece of paper. He eventually signed it and everyone else's stuff.
I "get" the stories about him, but at least in this instance he stayed an extra 30 mins or so for us all.
No, I have no idea what happened to that piece of paper. It probably
1) was shoved in my pocket, forgot about and ran thru the washing machine,
2) was thrown out by mom beforehand, or
3) was left on the back seat of my friends' car.
GB54;842815876 said:
Billy Martin trying to fight Reggie in the Yankee dugout was another classic-of course it was all love and kisses in October
Billy fought anyone anytime. He was a West Berkeley kid. Reggie use to hang out mornings at the donut shop at the El Cerrito Plaza.
grandmastapoop;842815805 said:
http://thestacks.deadspin.com/the-time-reggie-jackson-got-his-ass-whooped-in-the-club-1792943293
Reggie is giant D-Bag, IMO. I was at Juan's after a Cal football game, sitting at a table next to Cal TE/OT Ernie Rogers. The place was packed and Reggie approached Rogers due to his size. He said, "what position do you play?" Rightly assuming that Ernie played for Cal. Speaking in voice so loud that it drew the attention of most of the restaurant, he told Rogers that white boys can't play tight end. He meant it in a benign way, but the volume and obnoxious manner he spoke was embarrassing. He obviously enjoyed attracting attention to himself and totally self-absorbed.
grandmastapoop;842815805 said:
http://thestacks.deadspin.com/the-time-reggie-jackson-got-his-ass-whooped-in-the-club-1792943293
Woah, I had no idea he went to UC Berkeley!
Whenver I looked at the "Notable alumni" from my high school, I'd always see Mike "SuperJew" Epstein, a former MLB-er, but I had never bothered to check out who he was.
My high school has produced a number of famous people, including the original 4 Red Hot Chili Peppers, 2 Jackson Five-ers, the co-founder of Guns N' Roses (Tracii Guns) and the guy who replaced him (Slash), the inspiration for the song "My Sharona" and the 2 women who have so far married Ashton Kutcher.
okaydo;842815917 said:
Woah, I had no idea he went to UC Berkeley!
Whenver I looked at the "Notable alumni" from my high school, I'd always see Mike "SuperJew" Epstein, a former MLB-er, but I had never bothered to check out who he was.
My high school has produced a number of famous people, including the original 4 Red Hot Chili Peppers, 2 Jackson Five-ers, the co-founder of Guns N' Roses (Tracii Guns) and the guy who replaced him (Slash), the inspiration for the song "My Sharona" and the 2 women who have so far married Ashton Kutcher.
Ricardo Montalban went to Fairfax HS?
NYCGOBEARS;842815918 said:
Ricardo Montalban went to Fairfax HS?
Why's Matt Damon on the list of notable alumni? He's a Boston kid.
And why were there so many other famous alums at Fairfax? Doesn't seem like a likely hotbed for future stars.
And why were there so many other famous alums at Fairfax? Doesn't seem like a likely hotbed for future stars.
I'm an East Bay guy, who had, at a young age, already committed to the Giants when the A's came to Oakland. The Swingin', Brawlin' A's, wow: Ya had to admire them, too bad I couldn't root for them. We used to focus the binocs on Reggie's forearms, in awe. Was lucky to attend a game during the middle of young Vida Blue's super-hot streak (pre-All-Star game). Most dominating performance by a pitcher I ever saw.
MoragaBear;842815924 said:
Why's Matt Damon on the list of notable alumni? He's a Boston kid.
And why were there so many other famous alums at Fairfax? Doesn't seem like a likely hotbed for future stars.
Don't know about Matt Damon, but Fairfax is right in the middle of Hollywood.
MoragaBear;842815924 said:
Why's Matt Damon on the list of notable alumni? He's a Boston kid.
And why were there so many other famous alums at Fairfax? Doesn't seem like a likely hotbed for future stars.
That's Mark Damon....
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Damon
Fairfax High is located on trendy Melrose Avenue, 2 blocks north of CBS Television City (home to All in the Family, Dancing with the Stars, James Corden, American Idol, The Price is Right, The Carol Burnett Show, Elvis Presley's first appearance on Ed Sullivan, Sonny & Chere, etc..)
It's located 1 mile from the Sunset Strip.
It's located 1 mile from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where all the celebrities die (it has been home to such recent deaths as Bill Paxton, Florence Henderson and Debbie Reynolds). (Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love lived 2 blocks from Fairfax High when their daughter was born at Cedars.)
It's located 2.5 miles from where the Oscars were held last week (Hollywood Blvd and Highland)
It's located 2.5 miles down Melrose from Paramount Studios, which hosted Pac-12 Media Day a few years ago, and which is where The Godfather, Vertigo, Citizen Kane*, The Brady Bunch, Cheers, Star Trek, Glee, Community, Wayne's World, Dr. Phil, Arsenio were/are filmed. (*Citizen Kane was filmed at RKO Studios, which is now Paramount Studios.)
So Fairfax High is in a prime location.
Figured there had to be a reason. Always thought Fairfax HS was more central/south LA.
okaydo;842815930 said:
That's Mark Damon....
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Damon
Fairfax High is located on trendy Melrose Avenue, 2 blocks north of CBS Television City (home to All in the Family, Dancing with the Stars, James Corden, American Idol, The Price is Right, The Carol Burnett Show, etc.)
It's located 1 mile from the Sunset Strip.
It's located 1 mile from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where all the celebrities die (it has been home to such recent deaths as Bill Paxton, Florence Henderson and Debbie Reynolds).
It's located 2.5 miles from where the Oscars were held last week (Hollywood Blvd and Highland)
It's located 2.5 miles down Melrose from Paramount Studios, which hosted Pac-12 Media Day a few years ago, and which is where The Godfather, Vertigo, Citizen Kane*, The Brady Bunch, Cheers, Star Trek, Dr. Phil, Arsenio were/are filmed. (*Citizen Kane was filmed at RKO Studios, which is now Paramount Studios.)
So Fairfax High is in a prime location.
It's also close to Cantors and Oki Dog!
okaydo;842815917 said:
Woah, I had no idea he went to UC Berkeley!
Whenver I looked at the "Notable alumni" from my high school, I'd always see Mike "SuperJew" Epstein, a former MLB-er, but I had never bothered to check out who he was.
My high school has produced a number of famous people, including the original 4 Red Hot Chili Peppers, 2 Jackson Five-ers, the co-founder of Guns N' Roses (Tracii Guns) and the guy who replaced him (Slash), the inspiration for the song "My Sharona" and the 2 women who have so far married Ashton Kutcher.
That's pretty cool, especially the Ashton kutcher trivia.
But why would Epstein go by the nickname "SuperJew"? Isn't that kind of offensive if you are Jewish? Or maybe he was given the name but didn't like it.
Okaydo, what's the name of the famous old school sneaker shop that's been across the street from Fairfax High forever?
NYCGOBEARS;842815933 said:
It's also close to Cantors and Oki Dog!
Yes, and Marc Canter the son of the owners of Canter's (who now owns Canter's) befriended Slash in elementary school, and took pictures of him performing in the Fairfax High quad at age 17 (see below).
Marc Canter would feed Guns N Roses before they were famous at his parents' restaurant -- the iconic Guns N Roses shot was taken at Cantor's -- and documented their every performance.
Axl Rose performed at his wedding.
[video=youtube;3n_f_JOkU9E][/video]
NYCGOBEARS;842815940 said:
Okaydo, what's the name of the famous old school sneaker shop that's been across the street from Fairfax High forever?
Sportie LA!
FuzzyWuzzy;842815939 said:
But why would Epstein go by the nickname "SuperJew"? Isn't that kind of offensive if you are Jewish? Or maybe he was given the name but didn't like it.
Noodling around, I came upon this: It appears he embraced his heritage, but I thought it was interesting who in 1972 supported him.
"Epstein wore a black armband during the 1972 playoffs in memory of the 11 Israeli athletes murdered by terrorists at the Munich Olympics. Teammates Ken Holtzman and Reggie Jackson also wore the armbands. A's owner Charles Finley, who usually demanded conformity from his players, gave them the OK to wear the memorial items until the season ended with the A's World Series victory." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Epstein
Cool story. I have a friend who grew up with the Van Halen brothers and ELR in Pasadena when they were playing HS dances, bar mitzvahs and whatnot. Rock stars are just like us!
FuzzyWuzzy;842815951 said:
Cool story. I have a friend who grew up with the Van Halen brothers and ELR in Pasadena when they were playing HS dances, bar mitzvahs and whatnot. Rock stars are just like us!
It's really cool when your rock star alumni give back (Fairfax High didn't have a marching band or a single music class when I went there, despite having so many famous alumni in the music industry).
http://www.today.com/popculture/flea-takes-break-peppers-teach-wbna18617938
Jaysus, somebody start a Trump thread already!
grandmastapoop;842815805 said:
http://thestacks.deadspin.com/the-time-reggie-jackson-got-his-ass-whooped-in-the-club-1792943293
MoragaBear;842815829 said:
Loved the A's back then and went to 4 playoff and 4 world series games in their run of 3 straight titles from '72-74.
Loved Reggie as a player but he was about as arrogant as it comes. Funny that guys he came up with wanted to see his ass whooped. And that was hardly the only fight. I know Billy North and Reggie were in one, too, and current announcer Ray Fosse crushed a disc trying to separate them. After they were separated, they went back to fighting again but their teammates just ignored them and played cards in round two. Rollie Fingers and Blue Moon Odom got into it right before the '74 world series, too. But none of that kept the A's from winning.
Were you even born back then, MB? :p
I went to game 4 in '72 and games 6 & 7 in 1973. Not too many A's fans back then. Only reason I was able to go was because there were only 2 or 3 A's fans on our baseball team. The third baseman's father had season tickets and since I was only one of a couple of A's fans on the team, he invited me to go in 72-73. Box seats for the 72 series were $15!! I went to about 10-11 games during the 72 season and they won them all including George Hendrick hitting a 2 run homer in the bottom of the 9th to win 3-2 (if my memory serves me correctly). One of the greatest teams of all time from 71-75 but never, ever got the credit they absolutely deserved.
MoragaBear;842815924 said:
Why's Matt Damon on the list of notable alumni? He's a Boston kid.
And why were there so many other famous alums at Fairfax? Doesn't seem like a likely hotbed for future stars.
I think it's Mark Damon.
barabbas;842815899 said:
Reggie is giant D-Bag, IMO. I was at Juan's after a Cal football game, sitting at a table next to Cal TE/OT Ernie Rogers. The place was packed and Reggie approached Rogers due to his size. He said, "what position do you play?" Rightly assuming that Ernie played for Cal. Speaking in voice so loud that it drew the attention of most of the restaurant, he told Rogers that white boys can't play tight end. He meant it in a benign way, but the volume and obnoxious manner he spoke was embarrassing. He obviously enjoyed attracting attention to himself and totally self-absorbed.
Yes, but Coach Bobby Winkles had a great team at ASu in 1963.
I was young but I was still a huge fan. I read the Green Sheet every day when my dad got home from work from kindergarten on. I still have my green Sal Bando A's bat from that time frame, too.
My dad got those playoff and world series tickets from work. He ran the SF office for Eastman Dillon then. We were right behind the dugout. Also got to go to last home game for the Warriors '75 championship sweep of the Bullets before they wrapped it up on the road.
While the A's had an historic run with the 5 straight division championships and the 3 straight world series titles, they always seemed to be the underdog. They didn't have your classic powerhouse dynasty team but with good pitching and just enough hitting and winner's mentality, they always seemed to pull through. Finley wrecked that team when free agency hit. He sold a bunch of stars just to line his pockets.
I still have 2 of the 3 Epstein cards posted above since I have every Topps baseball card made from 1970-92. I also have an autographed 1972 George Hendrick card that I got sometime after his son Brian starred at Cal. I quit collecting when Topps started making it impossible to complete sets buying them in packs with so many duplicates. It took the fun out of collecting. My wife and I actually both completed a 1987 set while at Cal. For a cheap date, we'd go get gelato at Chimes Market and buy 5 or 6 packs of cards and trade them. We still have the sets.
My dad got those playoff and world series tickets from work. He ran the SF office for Eastman Dillon then. We were right behind the dugout. Also got to go to last home game for the Warriors '75 championship sweep of the Bullets before they wrapped it up on the road.
While the A's had an historic run with the 5 straight division championships and the 3 straight world series titles, they always seemed to be the underdog. They didn't have your classic powerhouse dynasty team but with good pitching and just enough hitting and winner's mentality, they always seemed to pull through. Finley wrecked that team when free agency hit. He sold a bunch of stars just to line his pockets.
I still have 2 of the 3 Epstein cards posted above since I have every Topps baseball card made from 1970-92. I also have an autographed 1972 George Hendrick card that I got sometime after his son Brian starred at Cal. I quit collecting when Topps started making it impossible to complete sets buying them in packs with so many duplicates. It took the fun out of collecting. My wife and I actually both completed a 1987 set while at Cal. For a cheap date, we'd go get gelato at Chimes Market and buy 5 or 6 packs of cards and trade them. We still have the sets.
Well Reggie had a rough childhood.
[video=youtube;ExS-lV1boCA][/video]
[video=youtube;ExS-lV1boCA][/video]
MoragaBear;842816037 said:
I was young but I was still a huge fan. I read the Green Sheet every day when my dad got home from work from kindergarten on. I still have my green Sal Bando A's bat from that time frame, too.
My dad got those playoff and world series tickets from work. He ran the SF office for Eastman Dillon then. We were right behind the dugout. Also got to go to last home game for the Warriors '75 championship sweep of the Bullets before they wrapped it up on the road.
While the A's had an historic run with the 5 straight division championships and the 3 straight world series titles, they always seemed to be the underdog. They didn't have your classic powerhouse dynasty team but with good pitching and just enough hitting and winner's mentality, they always seemed to pull through. Finley wrecked that team when free agency hit. He sold a bunch of stars just to line his pockets.
I still have 2 of the 3 Epstein cards posted above since I have every Topps baseball card made from 1970-92. I also have an autographed 1972 George Hendrick card that I got sometime after his son Brian starred at Cal. I quit collecting when Topps started making it impossible to complete sets buying them in packs with so many duplicates. It took the fun out of collecting. My wife and I actually both completed a 1987 set while at Cal. For a cheap date, we'd go get gelato at Chimes Market and buy 5 or 6 packs of cards and trade them. We still have the sets.
Nerd Alert !!!!
Just kidding MB ... man, if I could get my wife to play with my baseball cards ... (Real baseball cards you gutter rats)
okaydo;842815917 said:
My high school has produced a number of famous people, including the original 4 Red Hot Chili Peppers, 2 Jackson Five-ers, the co-founder of Guns N' Roses (Tracii Guns) and the guy who replaced him (Slash), the inspiration for the song "My Sharona" and the 2 women who have so far married Ashton Kutcher.
"My Michelle" too
Featured Stories
See All
Ole Miss Corner Ricky Fletcher Likes What He Sees at Cal
by Jim McGill
The Rodcast: Cal-UNC Video Breakdown
by Rod Benson
Oregon LB Kamar Mothudi Picks the Bears
by Jim McGill