I have heard there is a good Reggie and a bad Reggie. Some friends got to meet him in a setting that was very informal with just a few people and they said he was quite engaging but my experience was that he was a bit of a turd.
I was working for the Chicago Cubs during much of the '80's both in security and eventually in the front office and on the first playoff game in 1984 I was asked to hang out in the VIP parking lot to help facilitate getting people where they needed to go. I looked up and saw a limo headed towards me and when it stopped out stepped Reggie Jackson, larger than life. He stepped out of the limo, looked at the flags at the top of the old ballpark pointing directly out to center field and then looked me straight in the eye and said "the wind is blowing out and your Cubs are going to get their asses beat today".
I was wearing my Cubs front office jacket and had a walkie in my hand so there was no doubt I was with the team and always thought that was just so rude of him to say that. But the Cubs got the better of him that day as the wind was indeed blowing out and the Cubs beat the Padres asses that day 13-0. I saw Reggie the next day and made a point to let him know how wrong he was with his prediction. Needless to say he wasn't happy with my assessment of his baseball acumen.
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