REGGIE'S LATEST ACT FALLS FLAT

Sometimes I hear a story on ESPN and I have to give it a few days to sink in. On Thursday, ESPN released a story about Reggie Jackson that made me really stop and wonder what the hell was he thinking?

In an interview with Sports Illustrated (Read about it HERE), Jackson made mention that players who have been confirmed as using performance enhancing drugs should not be inducted into the Hall of Fame. He went on to say that no Hall of Famer would attend the inductee ceremony of any such player. He listed current players he believed didn’t belong and those who shouldn’t be inducted. Among them were Gary “The Kid” Carter, Andy Pettitte and Alex Rodriguez.

Now look, I get what Reggie was trying to say. Cheating is cheating. It’s wrong. There is no shades of gray or any other way you can paint situations in which players have used PED’s. I get it. But coming from Reggie it is kind of a harsh blow to the Yankees and to his friend, Alex. That's what I think anyway. Reggie once told Alex that he was fully capable of breaking every record; that he was capable of a Hall of Fame career. Playing in New York, the media is rough on you already. They over analyze every breath you take and are almost waiting for you to slip up. There is no reason why more ammunition should be given to them. Especially when it comes to a guy like Alex who is constantly being thrown under the bus for one reason or another.

Reggie knew that, he was in the New York Spotlight for years, he should have known better.

Look, I’m not going to make a case for all the reasons why Alex should or shouldn’t be in the HOF. I do believe that Alex has had a great career and that his admission of PED’s was unfortunate. He is an incredible athlete and in my opinion has never needed to use PED’s. However, Reggie is a special advisor to the Yankees. He is a friend to Alex and to Andy. He is someone who I have a lot of respect and admiration for. I think his playing career was amazing. And despite all that, It's a disappointment for him to make those statements.

The redeeming factor in all of this is that Reggie seems to realize the severity of what he said. He has since made attempts to reach out to Gary Carter’s widow, and has contacted Alex to speak to him about the comments. Read HERE. There doesn’t seem to be any disciplinary action so far. Reggie is usually Alex’s PR Rep but after Alex’s “with friends like that, who needs enemies” statement, I’m not sure if that will continue. Words have power and grow like seeds in the minds of men. Reggie comments will be no different...I believe that.

--Erica Morales, BYB Writer




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