Mr. October Watch Spotting

[White Collar Boy]

Originally Posted by Cloudchaser

I would never would have bothered if I thought there wasn't a chance for civil dialogue! TRF is an incredible community!

You're right about my baseball passion. The game shaped me and gave me an outlet during my own angry years. I have watched my son benefit from the game and have been amazed by the lessons he gleaned from the game and the team environment/structure. Failure, humility, teamwork, so many lessons in the most humbling of the sports!

In a timely development, too, MLB reached a CBA with minor leaguers today; every minor leaguer (not on a 40 man roster) just received a raise of MORE THAN DOUBLE their previous salary. Even a single-A player now makes a livable wage. About damn time! This helps, to some degree, address the problems mentioned earlier.

That’s incredible and long overdue news.

I didn’t play as much baseball as you or some of the other guys but know exactly what you mean about it being the most humbling of sports (though I think golf must be up there too). When we’re at a game together, I try to point out to my kids how nearly every minute someone’s dealing with obvious failure and disappointment, and how going back out is what resilience looks like. (I have to point externally to this last one.)

[ronricks]

Originally Posted by Cloudchaser

Great new documentary on Reggie Jackson has been out for just a few days and it's not only a good chronicling of Reggie's career but a great, nostalgic trip for any baseball fan who came of age in the 70's!

And it is fantastic watch spotting! He rocks a ceramic GMT, a 5 digit GMT, a WG Sub, a vintage Daytona, and more in the course of his interviews. Muscle cars, motorcycles, Rolex, and baseball. Good stuff!

A little long for a sports documentary but there's a lot to digest. Well worth it!

I watched the Yankees vs Dodgers documentary over the weekend that ESPN did about the 1977 and 1978 World Series and it was great. Jackson had several different Rolex on during his interviews.

[Blansky]

For baseball fans...and people who like to read....this showed up in my feed this morning....

https://getpocket.com/collections/te...3-71d13e8b36be

[White Collar Boy]

Thanks Blansky. I enjoyed that Sam Miller satirical article about Mark Reynolds being blind. The GIFs of Reynolds completely losing the ball, whiffing helplessly, and turning his body toward loose pitches help make it funny throughout, not an Onion-like amusing premise that quickly gets tired.

RIP Roger Angell.

[rjd1]

Originally Posted by Blansky

For baseball fans...and people who like to read....this showed up in my feed this morning....

https://getpocket.com/collections/te...3-71d13e8b36be

Thank you for this - love the piece on Thurman. As a boy living in CT during the 77-78 Yankee teams I lived and breathed Yankee baseball. My favorites were Chambliss, Munson, Reggie - in that order. I can still replicate the entire lineups batting stances as a 54 year old man. I remain a disciple and historian of those great teams.

I watched the Reggie piece the day it came out and thoroughly enjoyed it. The baseball, the watches, the cars, and Reggie. Certainly much at stake beyond the corners of the diamond and I admire Reggie’s work in the area he is now focusing on. The scenes in Hank Aarons kitchen were amongst the best things I’ve ever seen on TV. There has been no greater man let alone baseball player than Mr. Aaron.

I did and still do love that team but have to add to this whole thread (maybe I missed it somewhere) - Reggie didnt help himself with the “I’m the straw that stirs the drink” interview right from the get go. That wasn’t a great start for him. But we learned to love him anyway because he backed up the talk as only Mr. October could do.

[Blansky]

Originally Posted by rjd1

Reggie didnt help himself with the “I’m the straw that stirs the drink” interview right from the get go. That wasn’t a great start for him. But we learned to love him anyway because he backed up the talk as only Mr. October could do.

In 1983 Wayne Gretzky in an after game interview where the Edmonton Oilers beat the New Jersey Devils 13-4, that a young Gretzky called the Devils a Mickey Mouse organization because he felt bad for the players getting creamed every night.

After the uproar from that interview from that point on, for the rest of his career and afterwards, Gretzky was the most boring interview in sports. He'd learned his lesson.

I actually prefer players who are a bit more vocal.

https://edmontonsun.com/2014/10/06/o...m-mickey-mouse

[Cloudchaser]

Originally Posted by Blansky

In 1983 Wayne Gretzky in an after game interview where the Edmonton Oilers beat the New Jersey Devils 13-4, that a young Gretzky called the Devils a Mickey Mouse organization because he felt bad for the players getting creamed every night.

After the uproar from that interview from that point on, for the rest of his career and afterwards, Gretzky was the most boring interview in sports. He'd learned his lesson.

I actually prefer players who are a bit more vocal.

https://edmontonsun.com/2014/10/06/o...m-mickey-mouse

Tiger Woods made a comment early in his career where I believe he won that week but claimed to be playing with his "C+ game." The truth hurt, so he took some guff.

Fortunately, he learned nothing from that and kept things exciting for the rest of his career.

[rjd1]

I remember both of those stories actually - I think Reggie learned a bit from that and I’d think from what he’s said all these years later that he’d do that particular one differently - esp considering the target, Thurman. I’ll choose to give him the benefit of the doubt. Either way, glad that he still kept his outspokenness and bravado - “they don’t boo nobodies” and “it isn’t bragging if you can back it up” which he certainly did. Man I miss those days in baseball.