You’re not wrong, Dan. My fears match yours, sadly. Not to get political, but I believe wholeheartedly that things in this country are going to change significantly after the election no matter which presidential candidate wins. Rightly or wrongly, there’s so little confidence in our electoral process that a very large percentage of the population will be unsatisfied at best, and even violently angry, perhaps.
Bravo Dan, excellent and important piece and wow, Reggie, keep stirring the drink man - the fact that someone telling the truth is so disturbing to too many people is why we have this shitshow of a culture now. The willful ignorance and fear of the truth is what destroys every good ol' empire.
The sort of behaviour Reggie suffered should not be forgotten “because it was a long time ago” any more than the wars we continue to remember - in order to remind us - we should do better, not worse.
Fantastic article, Dan., Thanks for posting Reggie's statement in full as well. People dismissing his comments because they happened a "long time ago" are using the same rationale as those that say "now's not the time" after another mass shooting. It's cloud cover to avoid uncomfortable truths and or hard reckonings.
Good on you and good on Reggie. A complex man who told it like it was and in many ways, still is, in all its complexity. Thank you for seizing this opportunity. It’s great that MLB honored the NL but it doesn’t makeover the past, so there’s no place for self-congratulation. MLB benefited much more from the NL than the reverse. It was an institutionalized “farm system” from which MLB could cherry-pick the future greats like Willie and Jackie. They each transcended in a totally different way but they both suffered unjustly.
— F E A R OF THEIR OWN VIOLENT HISTORIES AGAINST A L L POWER - ‘ BLACKNESS ’ — ASSERTIVENESS WAS PASSE ‘ — “MALENESS” - WAS ABANDONED EXCEPT ON “WRESTLING” TV …. AND, DISGUSTED FEMALES … !!! ALL OF OUR NATIONAL HATE WAS MIS-DIRECTED TO OUR STRONGEST NEIGHBORS - “BLACKS” ❗️❗️❗️❗️❗️
“POWER “ WAS FEARED ••• !!! WORLD WAR II WAS STILL VERY FRESH IN OUR HISTORY …!!!
- ALL EXCEEDINGLY MIS-DIRECTED… “WHITIES” WERE BASICALLY UNAWARE OF OUR “ BLACK “ AMERICANS WHO WERE THE REAL SURVIVORS - ••• THEY LOVED MOST EVERYBODY ••• THEY OFTEN LIVED /SURVIVED BY GOD’S GREAT LOVE, AND, TRUE APPRECIATION OF THEIR FAITHFULNESSES —
I MET A VERY ELDERLY BLACK COUPLE STILL SURVIVING IN AN OLD FRAME FARMHOUSE AT THE END OF A LONG DRY SANDY - DIRT ROAD NEAR MY ELDERLY “TENANT DIRT- FARMER” AUNT & UNCLE .
I WAS CARRYING ONE SINGLE LARGE PLATE OF LEFT-OVER THANKSGIVING FOOD TO THEM , BECAUSE MY AUNT FEARED FOR THEIR SURVIVAL !!!
THEY WERE TALL BEAUTIFUL “DARKIES” - IN THEIR NINETIES, LIVING IN THE STARKEST OF CIRCUMSTANCES - PROUDLY THANKFUL FOR EVERYTHING THAT GOD GAVE THEM ..!!
THEY TRIED TO FIND A “ REAL GLASS” TO GIVE ME A DRINK, BUT, APOLOGIZED FOR THE TIN CUP. THEY WERE HAPPY TO STILL HAVE WATER … ! THEY STILL HAD A TABLE, TWO CHAIRS, “A BED”, AND, A DILAPIDATED COUCH, FOR WHICH THEY WERE MOST PROUD OF.
SHE APOLOGETICALLY OFFERED ME A CUP OF WATER, WHICH I WAS VERY, VERY PROUD OF FOR THEM ..!!! THEY HAD RUNNING WATER, WHICH MY AUNT DID NOT.
THE LADY SPENT SOME TIME EXPLAINING WHY SHE AND, HER STRONG HUSBAND HAD SURVIVED ON JUST WATER. SHE CONVENCED ME. THEY BASICALLY STARVED, EXCEPT IN THE SUMMER WHEN THEY HAD A GARDEN PLANTED WITH WILD “STARTS” .
NOBODY NEAR THERE HAD ELECTRICITY THEN; THAT CAME SHORTLY AFTER THEY BOTH DIED …
THEY BOTH LOVED EACH OTHER VERY MUCH, AND, DEPENDED ON EACH OTHER FOR THEIR SURVIVAL. H O W THEY SURVIVED — I REALLY DON’T KNOW…
THEY WERE ELEGANTLY THANKFUL FOR THE “REAL FOOD” THAT GOD HAD SO FAITHFULLY PROVIDED. SHE SAID THAT THAT FOOD WOULD SURELY EXTEND THEIR LIVES BY YEARS…!!!
WE PRAYED TOGETHER AT HER REQUEST. I WAS NEVER SO IMPRESSED BY GOD IN MY LIFE…!!! I CONTINUED TO PRAY FOR THEM REGULARLY FOR YEARS, EVEN AFTER I FOUND OUT THAT THEY WERE BOTH RESTING IN GOD’S RICH GOOD GRACES FOREVER…! !!!
Excellent piece. We can never forget our past lest we repeat it.
Amen. And I fear we are not only on the verge of repeating it, but doubling down on the awfulness.
You’re not wrong, Dan. My fears match yours, sadly. Not to get political, but I believe wholeheartedly that things in this country are going to change significantly after the election no matter which presidential candidate wins. Rightly or wrongly, there’s so little confidence in our electoral process that a very large percentage of the population will be unsatisfied at best, and even violently angry, perhaps.
Bravo Dan, excellent and important piece and wow, Reggie, keep stirring the drink man - the fact that someone telling the truth is so disturbing to too many people is why we have this shitshow of a culture now. The willful ignorance and fear of the truth is what destroys every good ol' empire.
Best Reggie interview ever. Thank you, Mr. October. And thank you for posting it all. ❤️
The sort of behaviour Reggie suffered should not be forgotten “because it was a long time ago” any more than the wars we continue to remember - in order to remind us - we should do better, not worse.
Well done, as always. Appreciate you taking the detour from your regularly scheduled programming.
Truth in cliche: If we don’t remember our history (or more important, turn a blind eye to it), then we are doomed to repeat it.
Fantastic article, Dan., Thanks for posting Reggie's statement in full as well. People dismissing his comments because they happened a "long time ago" are using the same rationale as those that say "now's not the time" after another mass shooting. It's cloud cover to avoid uncomfortable truths and or hard reckonings.
Agreed - there’s never a bad time to talk about/learn from our failings.
Mr. October speaks with clarity and sincerity in June.
Good on you and good on Reggie. A complex man who told it like it was and in many ways, still is, in all its complexity. Thank you for seizing this opportunity. It’s great that MLB honored the NL but it doesn’t makeover the past, so there’s no place for self-congratulation. MLB benefited much more from the NL than the reverse. It was an institutionalized “farm system” from which MLB could cherry-pick the future greats like Willie and Jackie. They each transcended in a totally different way but they both suffered unjustly.
Reggie is a proud man, was a great ball player and still today a great role model for our youths.
Reggie is always tied to music by virtue of the fact that he was the first player to bring stereo into the A's clubhouse!
“ EIGHTY-YEAR OLD WHITIE” - L O V E S T H I S
1000 % TRUTH — AMERICA’S TRAGIC
H I S T O R Y — “ HATRED “
— F E A R OF THEIR OWN VIOLENT HISTORIES AGAINST A L L POWER - ‘ BLACKNESS ’ — ASSERTIVENESS WAS PASSE ‘ — “MALENESS” - WAS ABANDONED EXCEPT ON “WRESTLING” TV …. AND, DISGUSTED FEMALES … !!! ALL OF OUR NATIONAL HATE WAS MIS-DIRECTED TO OUR STRONGEST NEIGHBORS - “BLACKS” ❗️❗️❗️❗️❗️
“POWER “ WAS FEARED ••• !!! WORLD WAR II WAS STILL VERY FRESH IN OUR HISTORY …!!!
HITLER WAS WARCRIMINAL # 1 … !!!
WE WERE FINISHED WITH WAR FOREVER — ! ! !
Right on!
- ALL EXCEEDINGLY MIS-DIRECTED… “WHITIES” WERE BASICALLY UNAWARE OF OUR “ BLACK “ AMERICANS WHO WERE THE REAL SURVIVORS - ••• THEY LOVED MOST EVERYBODY ••• THEY OFTEN LIVED /SURVIVED BY GOD’S GREAT LOVE, AND, TRUE APPRECIATION OF THEIR FAITHFULNESSES —
I MET A VERY ELDERLY BLACK COUPLE STILL SURVIVING IN AN OLD FRAME FARMHOUSE AT THE END OF A LONG DRY SANDY - DIRT ROAD NEAR MY ELDERLY “TENANT DIRT- FARMER” AUNT & UNCLE .
I WAS CARRYING ONE SINGLE LARGE PLATE OF LEFT-OVER THANKSGIVING FOOD TO THEM , BECAUSE MY AUNT FEARED FOR THEIR SURVIVAL !!!
THEY WERE TALL BEAUTIFUL “DARKIES” - IN THEIR NINETIES, LIVING IN THE STARKEST OF CIRCUMSTANCES - PROUDLY THANKFUL FOR EVERYTHING THAT GOD GAVE THEM ..!!
THEY TRIED TO FIND A “ REAL GLASS” TO GIVE ME A DRINK, BUT, APOLOGIZED FOR THE TIN CUP. THEY WERE HAPPY TO STILL HAVE WATER … ! THEY STILL HAD A TABLE, TWO CHAIRS, “A BED”, AND, A DILAPIDATED COUCH, FOR WHICH THEY WERE MOST PROUD OF.
SHE APOLOGETICALLY OFFERED ME A CUP OF WATER, WHICH I WAS VERY, VERY PROUD OF FOR THEM ..!!! THEY HAD RUNNING WATER, WHICH MY AUNT DID NOT.
THE LADY SPENT SOME TIME EXPLAINING WHY SHE AND, HER STRONG HUSBAND HAD SURVIVED ON JUST WATER. SHE CONVENCED ME. THEY BASICALLY STARVED, EXCEPT IN THE SUMMER WHEN THEY HAD A GARDEN PLANTED WITH WILD “STARTS” .
NOBODY NEAR THERE HAD ELECTRICITY THEN; THAT CAME SHORTLY AFTER THEY BOTH DIED …
THEY BOTH LOVED EACH OTHER VERY MUCH, AND, DEPENDED ON EACH OTHER FOR THEIR SURVIVAL. H O W THEY SURVIVED — I REALLY DON’T KNOW…
THEY WERE ELEGANTLY THANKFUL FOR THE “REAL FOOD” THAT GOD HAD SO FAITHFULLY PROVIDED. SHE SAID THAT THAT FOOD WOULD SURELY EXTEND THEIR LIVES BY YEARS…!!!
WE PRAYED TOGETHER AT HER REQUEST. I WAS NEVER SO IMPRESSED BY GOD IN MY LIFE…!!! I CONTINUED TO PRAY FOR THEM REGULARLY FOR YEARS, EVEN AFTER I FOUND OUT THAT THEY WERE BOTH RESTING IN GOD’S RICH GOOD GRACES FOREVER…! !!!