Sports Illustrated's Phil Taylor recently caught up with Reggie Jackson for a "where are they now" type of story, and SI's promotions folks were nice (and savvy) enough to send some rather controversial quotes from Jackson to the scribes in Minnesota with the issue set to come out today.
You might decide, "Why would I care what Reggie Jackson thinks?" and that is certainly your business. Still, here is Jackson with some takes on two Twins Hall of Famers:
"I didn't see Kirby Puckett as a Hall of Famer. I didn't see Gary Carter as a Hall of Famer. I didn't see Don Sutton as a Hall of Famer. I didn't see Phil Niekro as a Hall of Famer. As much as I like Jim Rice, I'm not so sure he's a Hall of Famer."
On whether Bert Blyleven should have been elected into the Hall of Fame: "No. No, no, no, no. Blyleven wasn't even the dominant pitcher of his era, it was Jack Morris."
Jackson, of course, gained a reputation for being rather brash during his playing days. Decades later, that seems to hold true. While the Blyleven point is debatable, the Puckett example is quite strange. He was a FIRST BALLOT HOFer and a dominant player in a career cut short by circumstances beyond his control. Lumping Puckett into a group of other borderline HOFers doesn't seem right.
Your thoughts, as always, in the comments.
