If you haven”t seen it already, I strongly encourage you to find and watch the video of baseball HOFer Reggie Jackson discussing what he faced when playing ball in Alabama and throughout the south at the beginning of his career. It is truly frightening to hear about the systemic racism he had to endure, the rejection he faced when entering restaurants or trying to stay in the hotels with his teammates. Most of all, his fear of going out at night, being afraid he might get into a fight and, as he put it, end up in an oak tree.

I don’t think MLB nor Fox Sports were expecting such remarks while celebrating Willie Mays and the Negro Leagues in a reconstructed ball park where both played but they certainly got more than their money’s worth.

Reggie was always an egotistical person during his playing days even though he could back his words up with his on-field efforts. In this interview, he’s being openly and candidly honest and, as such, simply hits it out of the park.