JUNE: THE BASEBALL GURU ARTICLE FROM

ONEMOREINNING

REGGIE

  

   “IF I PLAYED IN NEW YORK THEY’D HAVE NAMED A CANDY BAR AFTER ME.” REGGIE JACKSON: 1978

 

    WELL, HE DID AND IN 1978 STANDARD BRANDS DID NAME A CANDY BAR AFTER REGGIE JACKSON. IT WAS CALLED  THE REGGIE AND IT WAS A CROSS BETWEEN A BABY RUTH AND A MARS BAR. IT WAS CIRCULAR AND CONSISTED OF PEANUTS DIPPED IN CARAMEL, COVERED WITH CHOCOLATE, AND TOPPED WITH A THICK, SWEET TASTING CORN SYRUP.

   WHEN FANS CAME TO THE HOME OPENER AT YANKEE STADIUM BETWEEN NEW YORK AND THE CHICAGO WHITE SOX THEY WERE GREETED BY A SURPRISE. EVERY FAN ATTENDING THE GAME WAS GIVEN (GUESS WHAT) A REGGIE BAR.

   IN THE FIRST INNING, REGGIE WAS REGGIE, AND OF COURSE HE HIT A TOWERING THREE RUN HOMERUN. WHEN THE INNING WAS OVER HE WENT TO HIS POSITION IN RIGHTFIELD AND THEN HE WAS GREETED BY A SURPRISE. HUNDREDS OF REGGIE BARS WERE THROWN ONTO THE FIELD. THE GAME WAS THEN HELD UP FOR SEVERAL MINUTES WHILE THE BARS WERE TAKEN OFF THE GROUNDS.

   AND THEN IT STARTED AGAIN.

   FINALLY PLAY WAS RESUMED BUT THROUGHOUT THE GAME MORE BARS MADE THEIR WAY ONTO THE FIELD.

   AFTER THE GAME REGGIE’S COMMENT WAS THAT HE  THOUGHT THE FANS DIDN’T LIKE THE BARS AND THIS WAS THEIR WAY OF SHOWING THEIR FEELINGS ABOUT IT.

   MAYBE IT WAS.

   REGGIE BAR DID POORLY OUTSIDE OF NEW YORK AND WAS PHASED OUT IN 1980.

   IT MADE A COMEBACK OF SORTS WHEN JACKSON WAS INDUCTED INTO THE HALL OF FAME AND THEN DISAPPEARED AGAIN.

   AS OF NOW IT’S A COLLECTIBLE ODDITY AND CAN BE HAD FOR ANYWHERE FROM TWENTY TO FIFTY DOLLARS. I HAVE THREE OF THEM AND OVER THE YEARS HAVE BEEN VERY CAREFULL TO KEEP THEM AWAY FROM MY ASSORTED GRANDCHILDREN.