Reggie Jackson on Willie Mays' legacy & emotions of visiting Rickwood Field | MLB on FOX

Reggie Jackson joining us now Reggie great to see you and uh you know on a on a night on a week that we remember in honor Willie May I just wanted to point out for the maybe the non-baseball fan watching tonight wanted to thank Barry Bonds for joining us because Willie was his Godfather and they were so close and he was emotional so it was hard for him to come up here and do that and we appreciate that thought it was so great but let's ask you Reggie just I know a little hard to hear here with all the all the music and noise going on what did Willie make mean to you gosh I think Willie May meant to me the same thing that he meant to most people um he was a barishnikov on the baseball field as far as being given the most skills you've got Babe Ruth you've got Hank Aaron you've got L garri you've got Barry Bonds you've got Alex Rodriguez these guys that were gifted all of these skills but the guys that were the guy that got the most skills I believe of anyone run throw hit hit with Power Defense um a a as well as baseball instincts he had six rather than five was really a special player um I think that he had a lot of things to say about the game but at the time when Willie was playing Hank Aaron was playing the Willie mccabes were playing the Bob Gibsons were playing they grew up in an era when you had to complain about the game or complain about Society you you suppressed it today's player doesn't do that well I I tell you you know Reggie's been like a big brother to me right I don't want to say like a father but I'm saying a big brother to me so so re old you keeping it real are you keeping it real so so Reggie you always send me random texts but I'm going to read I asked you if I could read this you sent me this text the other day you said about Willie he was at the very least one of the greatest of all time we all wanted to be like Willie when one played against him you got caught up in watching Willie he was pure baseball my all-time favorite love the guy I wanted to be like Willie tell me what it felt like coming up watching Willie May play and what made you want to be like Willie outside of just his athletic ability you know you could see that the Love of the Game was in Willie May Derek and the way he went about it when you saw saw him in spring training I learned to wear my uniform the way Willie ma did I didn't have the long pants and the feet uh the the heels over the spikes I learned by watching Willie ma he was the first guy to get his uniform tapered he and Mickey Manel but the way that he showed the Love of the Game the way he respected the game even when he had a complaint about what may have been going on with minorities or whatever in his era Derek you didn't speak speak about it he loved the game so much that he refrained but my admiration for him was how he went about it and how he showed people like me following him how to play I would say to a guy that had a chance to play with you or you or you watch him you'll learn a lot when you think about baseball great you think about him think about you think about this fellas when you first got inducted into the Hall of Fame and you saw that Gan out there what was the F the first impression coming out of you for me the Hall of Fame was a a goal that you cannot plan I don't think any of you guys are are here in the Hall of Fame the guys that just walked off here Hall of Fame players as well bar not in but Hall of Fame player you can't plan getting into the Hall of Fame you have to play for 17 18 20 years which all you guys did here sitting up here did you play 20 yeah and just go out and be committed have a strong Constitution honor the game and honor your opportunity and play against the guy you see every day in the mirror you got to play against that guy and honor the gifts God gave him the guy that you look in the mirror that's your responsibility that's how you get into the Hall of Fame you can't plan it no you don't plan it Reggie the the Baton has been pass for over a century year we've been talking earlier about if it wasn't for the Willie Mays the Jackie Robinson the Reggie jackon the three of us wouldn't have an opportunity to play how emotional is it for you to come back to a play that you played with one of the greatest teams around Alex Alex when people ask me a question like that that it's like coming back here is not easy the racism that I played here when I played here the the difficulty of going through different places where we traveled fortunately I had a manager and I had players on the team that helped me get through it but I wouldn't wish it on anybody people said to me today I spoke and they said you think you're a better person you think you you you won when you played here in conquer I said you know I would never want it to do it want to do it again I walked into restaurants and they would point at me and said can't eat here I would go to a hotel and they say can't stay here we went to Charlie Finley's Country Club for a welcome home dinner and they pointed me out with the nword he can't come in here Finley marched the whole team out finally they let me in there he said we're going to go to the diner and eat hamburgers we go where we're wanted fortunately I had a manager and Johnny mcnamer that if I couldn't eat if I couldn't thank you if I couldn't eat in the place nobody would eat we'd get food to travel if I couldn't stay in a hotel they drive to the next hotel and find a place where I could stay had it not been for Raleigh fingers Johnny mcnamar Dave Duncan if Joe and Sharon Rudy I slept on their couch three four nights a week for about a two month and a half finally they were threatened that they would burn the apartment complex down unless I got out I wouldn't wish it on anyone the year I came here Bull Connor was the sheriff the year before and they took base Bor League Baseball out of here cuz in 1963 the clan murdered four black girls children in 11 12 14 years old at a church here and never got indicted it it was they were from the clan Life Magazine did a story on them like they were being honored it I wouldn't wish it on anyone at the same time had it not been for my white friends had it not been for a white manager and Rudy fingers and Duncan and Lee Meyers I would have never made it I was too physically violent I was ready to physically fight some I'd have got killed here because I'd have beat someone's ass and they you just saw me in an oak tree somewhere Reggie I I I I can't even imagine it's awful you had to go through that but you know appreciate you sharing the rawness and the honesty of it with our audience I mean really it's we love you re yeah thank you quick history lesson right there that's a great history lesson Reggie Jackson telling us all about it preaching wow that's unbelievable [Music]