In this piece found in Baseball: A Literary Anthology edited by Nicholas Dawidoff, we find an article written in 1987 by Esquire Magazine writer David Remnick. The piece is on Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson at the tale end of his career. The profile was meant to tell the tale of an aging slugger.
Reggie Jackson was in his last year of playing in 1987, and he knew that his skills were declining by the day. The former "Mr. October," a nickname he was dubbed after his World Series heroics in the 1970s, found himself as one of the worst players on his own team and trying to conjure up any bit of power he still had every at bat. He says as early as the 1981 World Series he could feel his abilities start to go. The days of the 1977 World Series, when he hit three home runs in Game 6 were over.
To an extent, his declining talent had not phased Reggie when it came to his ego. Reggie is a man full of himself who is still a big-shot when it comes to his public life. Always wanting to be multifaceted, Jackson promoted his own candy bar, talked of becoming a body builder, and checked his stocks. His relationship with women had not slowed down as he was doing what he could to make sure none of them found out about each other. He is still the Reggie who could misplace $10,000 and look for it and find it with the calmness that comes with looking for a dropped pen.
While he did have an ego, he did, to an extent, know his place in baseball. "You compare me to Babe Ruth and I look silly," said Jackson. He also did what he could to try and pass on some wisdom to younger players like Tony Phillips, who Reggie would tell how a deal he was making was not as good as it seemed. Jackson finished the season and his career quietly, one of the rare times for that in his life, and calling it quits after a few decades of being a star.
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