You know who that is? That's Reginald Martinez Jackson. When Reggie smiles the world just gets happy. This is a card that Topps just "found" recently. Although just stumbling across this does seem like a cock and bull story of the highest order, there are some facts that certainly give this credence. But do you know what throws me off? The fact that the Yankees is clearly on the card. Well, ok...Reggie actually played for the Baltimore Orioles in 1976. See, that's something for the haters, he didn't play for Oakland or New York during the bicentennial, Reggie spent that time with us. The Orioles didn't get him for a song either. The team traded away pitcher Mike Torrez, Paul Mitchell and Don Baylor for Reggie, Ken Holtzman and Bill Van Bommell. "Regge" did miss three weeks due to an injury but he posted 27 home runs and even managed to steal 28 bases; his highest total. See, it was all of those good vibes from his Baltimore fans that helped him round those bases.
By late 1976 free agency reared its ugly head. All of the sudden Baltimore wasn't enough for Jackson and he took the first thing smoking to the odious New York Yankees. I'm not ashamed to say that I never got over Reggie leaving the Baltimore Orioles. In fact, him leaving my state turned me to a life of crime. Back to the baseball card. The one up top was to be the original Jackson card. The one down here with the crudely painted on Yankees cap is the one that was issued.
Reggie Jackson as a Yankee? That's just crazy talk.
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