REGGIE JACKSON'S Lost Season

[TakebackOPACY]

I was too young to remember him when he was actually with the O's. But it makes me sick. Why? Because I was taught from a rather young age that it makes me sick. Noone got booed at Memorial Stadium quite like that candy bar guy got booed when he came to town.

[Arthur_Bryant]

I think Peters thought Reggie would sign for a discount because his mother lived in Baltimore and Reggie used to play for Johnny's Used Cars - a sandlot team in West Baltimore that had a lot of success. Peters was a fool. Good article on Johnny's here:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vau...8866/index.htm

Great article. I think the team was known as Leone's when Reggie played.

[Frobby]

If what my dad has told me was true, he was a lazy bum. So...I'm guessing nobody talks about it because nobody wants to remember it.

It's not true. Earl Weaver thought very highly of Reggie. He was a hard worker. A prima donna, to be sure, but a hard worker.

[OFFNY]

I saw Reggie's first game in an O's uniform - May 2, 1976. It was game two of a double header against his old team - the Oakland A's. I don't remember anything about the game. I do remember Reggie hanging out by the visitor's bullpen talking to the A's pitchers in between innings.

That trade has to rank as one of the worst in O's history. If you're going to pull the trigger on a deal like that you have to resign him. I don't know what Peters was thinking. He knew the O's were on a shoe-string budget.

Baylor was signed for another two years.

Torrez had some good years after the trade as well. The other guy they got, Ken Holtzman, did nothing but complain. Later that year they were able to unload him to the MFY in the big deal for Dempsey. Tippy. and McGregor.

I think Peters thought Reggie would sign for a discount because his mother lived in Baltimore and Reggie used to play for Johnny's Used Cars - a sandlot team in West Baltimore that had a lot of success. Peters was a fool. Good article on Johnny's here:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vau...8866/index.htm

No, that's not true about Baylor. Baylor became a free agent the same season that Reggie Jackson did, and he signed a 6-year $1.6 Million contract with the Angels (huge money back then). The two main guys in the trade were Reggie Jackson and Don Baylor, and they both became free agents and subsequently left their respective teams (Orioles and Athletics) at the end of the 1976 season. In the end, we essentially replaced Don Baylor with Reggie Jackson for that one season. Baylor, like Jackson, had eyes on getting much more money than either Hank Peters or Charlie O. Finley would have been willing to dish out for 1977, so ultimately, Baylor for Jackson was essentially an even swap for players that had similar years in 1976.

Ironically, we improved drastically in 1977 in spite of losing Jackson, and took the Yankees down to the final weekend of the season before being eliminated. Trading Holtzman and company for Rudy May, Scott McGregor, Tippy Martinez, and Rick Dempsey wound up getting us more than we lost in the other part of the trade.


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[SteveA]

Ironically, we improved drastically in 1977 in spite of losing Jackson, and took the Yankees until the final weekend of the season before being eliminated.


.

That 1977 season is, to me, the most "underrated" classic O's season. Everyone remembes 1966, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1979, even 1980, 1982, 1983, 1989, 1996, 1997... but 1977 was special too. Not only did we lose Reggie, we lost 20 game winner Wayne Garland to free agency, we had traded Baylor, we had lost Bobby Grich, and several other great O's from the early 70s had reached the end of the line like McNally, Cuellar, etc. We had made a midseason trade the year before to pick up and unknown catcher named Dempsey, and behind Palmer in the rotation we had a bunch of rookies and second year players no one knew very well named Flangan, McGregor, and Martinez. We broke in rookies at DH (Eddie) and 2B (Dauer). The transition from Brooks to Dougie at 3B was nearly complete.

We weren't supposed to compete that year. Not with the mighty defending AL champion Yankees who had been the first to discover the free agent market, or the powerhouse Red Sox two years removed from the World Series.

But Palmer won 20, Eddie was rookie of the year, Lee May was hitting moonshots, the young pitchers ALL came through (hint hint 2011 cavalry).

And we were in the race to the final weekend of the season. The team that no one gave a chance wasn't eliminated until Friday night in Boston.

Of all the seasons we didn't make the playoffs, 1977 is definitely in my top 4, right along with '89, '82, and '80.

[SteveA]

Yeah that was a major major mistake. According to reports at the time, Reggie was prepared to sign 4 years for $1 million. That was a bargain and the Os probably would have won the AL East those 4 years. And it's not hindsight, Hank Peters should have KNOWN that was a bargain price because Catfish Hunter received much more than that on the open market a year or two earlier. Maybe ownership wouldn't allow it, who knows. Peters called Reggie's proposal "mind-boggling". What a fool. It still irks me to this day.

Free agency was a completely new concept in baseball, then, pretty much in sports in general. It's easy to look at hindsight after 35 years of watching free agent markets develop, and say he should have known what the "market" was. But pretty much before Catfish Hunter, there had never been a free agent market in any sport before. The notion that players could control their own destiny and sell themselves on the open market was new, untested, radical, upsetting and even unimaginable to many people. To say that a small market GM should have predicted the market and made an offer to prevent Jackson from going to the Yankees is the kind of historical revisionism that judges people by today's standards, such as complaining that women didn't have the right to vote in 1800, when such a notion was so far from the normal mores and ideas of the time that no one ever would have even considered it.

[TakebackOPACY]

Free agency was a completely new concept in baseball, then, pretty much in sports in general. It's easy to look at hindsight after 35 years of watching free agent markets develop, and say he should have known what the "market" was. But pretty much before Catfish Hunter, there had never been a free agent market in any sport before. The notion that players could control their own destiny and sell themselves on the open market was new, untested, radical, upsetting and even unimaginable to many people. To say that a small market GM should have predicted the market and made an offer to prevent Jackson from going to the Yankees is the kind of historical revisionism that judges people by today's standards, such as complaining that women didn't have the right to vote in 1800, when such a notion was so far from the normal mores and ideas of the time that no one ever would have even considered it.

I'm surprised none of the fans who have commented who are old enough to remember the '76 season are describing it the way I've read about it.

From Reggie's perspective, his 'hold out' was standing up for his rights - a player treating the game like a business the way the owners and GM's have done. From the perspective of the Orioles fans, he was refusing to play for Baltimore. From the perspective of some Orioles players (Palmer), he was behaving like he was far more important than the team. And comments from Palmer hit the press.

Reggie was booed by Oriole fans when he finally joined the team. When the team finally got hot and Reggie was just getting lukewarm, fans felt like they could've been in first if he had come in on time and prepared to play. When Reggie got hot (and he did have a great second half), the Yanks' lead was never in any threat.

Someone's dad described Reggie as lazy. I'm sure he wasn't. But when he was traded to the O's, he said he was going on vacation until they paid him. And then he was out of playing shape when he finally joined the team. What impression would you expect people to have of him [EDIT: Pretty much a rhetorical question]?

[SouthRider]

No, that's not true about Baylor. Baylor became a free agent the same season that Reggie jackson did, and he signed a 6-year $1.6 Million contract with the Angels (huge money back then).

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Hmm, I stand corrected. For some reason I could have swore Baylor had two seasons in Oakland but looking up his stats I see you are correct. Good show old man.

[SouthRider]

That 1977 season is, to me, the most "underrated" classic O's season. Everyone remembes 1966, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1979, even 1980, 1982, 1983, 1989, 1996, 1997... but 1977 was special too. Not only did we lose Reggie, we lost 20 game winner Wayne Garland to free agency, we had traded Baylor, we had lost Bobby Grich, and several other great O's from the early 70s had reached the end of the line like McNally, Cuellar, etc. We had made a midseason trade the year before to pick up and unknown catcher named Dempsey, and behind Palmer in the rotation we had a bunch of rookies and second year players no one knew very well named Flangan, McGregor, and Martinez. We broke in rookies at DH (Eddie) and 2B (Dauer). The transition from Brooks to Dougie at 3B was nearly complete.

We weren't supposed to compete that year. Not with the mighty defending AL champion Yankees who had been the first to discover the free agent market, or the powerhouse Red Sox two years removed from the World Series.

But Palmer won 20, Eddie was rookie of the year, Lee May was hitting moonshots, the young pitchers ALL came through (hint hint 2011 cavalry).

And we were in the race to the final weekend of the season. The team that no one gave a chance wasn't eliminated until Friday night in Boston.

Of all the seasons we didn't make the playoffs, 1977 is definitely in my top 4, right along with '89, '82, and '80.

I'll never forget the Sports Illustrated pre-season analysis for '77 which said, "If Earl Weaver wins with this bunch he truly is a genius." It made me mad at the time and I still smile thinking about it.

[OFFNY]

SIDE NOTE: In 1977, Rudy May filled in admirably for the departed Wayne Garland as our number 2 starter behind Jim Palmer. He won 18 games, and was a big key to our very successful 1977 season. BUT ........... we traded him after the season for Don Stanhouse, Joe Kerrigan, and Gary Roenicke. When Peters and Hoffberger told Earl Weaver about the trade, Earl went absolutley ballistic, and he quit. He screamed, "You guys are ****ing crazy !!! I QUIT !!!", and ran out of the Orioles' front office where they were having a meeting (Jerold Hoffberger, Hank Peters, Weaver and his assistant coaches). Fortunately, Peters and a couple of Earl's coaches ran after Earl and coaxed him back. The only reason why I know about this is because I remember reading about it up here in the New York newspapers at the time.


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[andyman8986]

You know it's been a good offseason when you see this thread the first week of full Spring Training!

[SouthRider]

SIDE NOTE: In 1977, Rudy May filled in admirably for the departed Wayne Garland as our number 2 starter behind Jim Palmer. He won 18 games, and was a big key to our very successful 1977 season. BUT ........... we traded him after the season for Don Stanhouse, Joe Kerrigan, and Gary Roenicke. When Peters and Hoffberger told Earl Weaver about the trade, Earl went absolutley ballistic, and he quit. He screamed, "You guys are ****ing crazy !!! I QUIT !!!", and ran out of the Orioles' front office where they were having a meeting (Jerold Hoffberger, Hank Peters, Weaver and his assistant coaches). Fortunately, Peters and a couple of Earl's coaches ran after Earl and coaxed him back. The only reason why I know about this is because I remember reading about it up here in the New York newspapers at the time.


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Ah, now I think I have one on you my friend. I remember that incident occurring after the O's traded Mike Parrott for Carlos Lopez with the Mariners. Earl was pissed because he wasn't informed of the trade prior to it going down and he had no interest in Lopez. Peters replied that they couldn't get a hold of Earl and had no choice. Both deals occurred on the same day of the winter meetings, Dec 7, 1978.

[OFFNY]

Ah, now I think I have one on you my friend. I remember that incident occurring after the O's traded Mike Parrott for Carlos Lopez with the Mariners. Earl was pissed because he wasn't informed of the trade prior to it going down and he had no interest in Lopez. Peters replied that they couldn't get a hold of Earl and had no choice. Both deals occurred on the same day of the winter meetings, Dec 7, 1978.

1977. I was in 7th grade at the time.

I didn't know that both trades were on the same day, though. Thanks.


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[Moose Milligan]

I remember being like, 11 or 12 when this card came out:



I remember seeing it and thinking it had to be a misprint, that upper deck was playing a joke or something. I asked my parents if Reggie ever played for the Orioles, they didn't remember. I forgot how I did my research at the time but remember being shocked that it was true.

By all accounts, Reggie did play hard. Palmer has a couple anecdotes about him in that book he did about him and Earl Weaver, "Together we were eleven foot nine." Reggie called Palmer "Diamond Jim" and was clear to him that he knew he'd be in Baltimore for just one year.

Those pics in the OP are great. It's crazy seeing him in an Orioles uniform. Kinda like seeing Unitas in the Chargers powder blues or Jim Brown in a Raiders uniform.



Or perhaps Willie Mays in his final days playing for the Mets.

This is pretty different though. This is a HoF player who spent one year of his prime in one city. The ones I listed above were guys hanging on at the end of their careers...or in Brown's case, attempting a comeback. I think the thread title is perfect, it really is Reggie's forgotten season.

I can't think of anyone having a season that compares, really. One thing that did come to mind is Mike Piazza playing for the Marlins for about a week.

[86this]

[QUOTE=I think Peters thought Reggie would sign for a discount because his mother lived in Baltimore and Reggie used to play for Johnny's Used Cars - a sandlot team in West Baltimore that had a lot of success. Peters was a fool. Good article on Johnny's here:

This organization does like to think the home town discount works. They've applied that theory for another 30+ years.