Mr. October

Not many players have embodied such conflict whilst donning the Pinstripes. He hit, he yelled, he postured, he won, he came, he left. We here at trueyankee.blogspot believe it is this conflict and duality of Yankeehood that makes him such a superb subject.

First, the numbers.

Look, the guy is a Hall of Famer, obviously. In fact, if the HOF had subdivisions which further separated the immortal from the highly elite, I think we know which group Reggie would be a part of. But, does that make him a True Yankee? Only one way to find out:

TRUE YANKEE QUALITIES

Umm, Seriously, Did You not See His Nickname???: +1200 TYP


All these problems you hear about with A-Rod and Yankee fans nowadays? Gone, if Alex could just manage to hit 3 home runs in one game to clinch a World Series. Is that really too much to ask?

So, to you seamheads out there who opine that "clutch" does not exist: True Yankee fans respectfully disagree. From the period beginning in 1977 and ending in 1981, the Bombers made 4 postseasons and qualified for 3 World Series', 2 of which they added to the ever-growing collection. There was a reason for that. That reason had a name. The name was not Mickey Rivers. You do the math.

The Aforementioned Two (2) World Series Victories: +1250 TYP

After falling in the Series in 1976, the Boss and his minions correctly estimated that the team was one key cog away from world domination. That cog was Reggie. Two consecutive championships following his arrival is no coincidence.

In the two Series victories, all Mr. October did was go .419/.520/.953 with 7HR and 16RBI. Can you say filthy? Throw in the Series MVP in '77, and you've got yourself a Pantheon performance.

The Reggie Bar: +100 TYP

This is a bit of a tough spot for True Yankee fans. See, at the end of the day, it's all about the team and the "Yankee Way". However, it would be false to state that "we" do not engage in our fair amount of hero worship. And by "fair", I mean "obscenely copious". Never tried the Reggie! Bar myself, but I would imagine it was delicious, much like the man himself.

Tried to Assassinate the Queen of England: +75 TYP


True Yankees know that there is no royalty in this world other than those who proudly display the Pinstripes. England seems to think that they can have this figurehead who rules over her subjects with a sanctimonious glare while wielding no actual power and living in opulence. Although he was with the Angels at the time, he remembered his Yankee training well. If you don't think Vincent Ludwig was a representation of Steinbrenner then, well, you just were not watching. However...

NON-TRUE YANKEE QUALITIES

Thwarted by Enrico Polazzo (aka Lieutenant Frank Drebin): -100 TYP

True Yankees just can't accept having an honest assassination attempt spoiled by a fat lady falling out of the stands and landing atop your person. In fact, the only situation in which a fat lady should be on top of a True Yankee is if she is a "slumpbuster". Even that is a stretch, because True Yankees do not have slumps.

This also seems like a good place to mention Reggie's forgettable appearances in such flops as Richie Rich and The BenchWarmers. Ugh.

"The Straw that Stirs the Drink": -75 TYP

Talk about announcing one's presence with authority. However, you never ever speak ill of a Yankee catcher, especially one who is the captain of a pennant-winning team and just picked up a little thing called the MVP. Again, True Yankees are more or less about the team. Team is about chemistry. Showing up and talking shit about your new teammates is a little unorthodox. However, he does not get docked a ton since his little ploy worked and success ensued.

In addition, he drove Billy Martin to the brink of insanity. I'l grant that this is not a very difficult task, in and of itself, but it is immense fun to imagine the carnage that would have resulted had no one held Billy back.

Almost Single-Handedly Defeated the Anti-Fraternization Rule: -150 TYP

In his first book, former umpire Ron Luciano detailed the rule against conversing with opposing players in warmups and practice prior to games. He further describes that umpires were supposed to write down the names of violators in a little notebook so that the proper fines could be dispensed. Reggie defiantly disobeyed and spoke out against this practice, saying that he should be able to talk to the other great hitters in the world about their craft to improve and make the game better.

While I do not disagree with this logic even one iota, we must understand what this rule's downfall really meant. Players today consistently deny and downplay rivalries and their importance. Fans live and die by the rivalry. "We" hate the Red Sox and all their players, so we want our players to possess that same disdain. They don't and, further, they never did, but the Anti-Fraternization rule gave us the appearance that such a tension exisited. In some cases, ignorance is bliss.

Tore it up For Teams that were not The Yankees: -150 TYPNow, I show this for two reasons. First, that is just a sick artistic rendition. Second, however, is to show that Mr. October was very visible on the national radar before he even got to New York.

However, "we" cannot begrudge Reggie his success elsewhere. Great players are great, regardless of location. Further, his teams' successes never came at the direct expense of the Yankees. Sure, he was a bit of a vagabond, playing for 5 different franchises during his 21 year career. But that's sort of endearing. He was a real-life Paladin: "Have bat, big mouth & pimp glasses, will travel."

Final Total: +2150 TYP

You guessed it: Mr. October is a True Yankee for life. This is proof that: 1) Yankee fans love great players, and 2) One really does not have to spend an overtly great amount of time with the club to be embraced.

Yankee fans would probably never consider Reggie as one of their most beloved players ever, but they sure did love what he did for the team and appreciated when he talked shit to others while repping the Bombers. Basically, he was like Gary Sheffield. With a personality. For that, we all owe.