Hard to say which is more amazing, that MSG still allows Fran Healy to host a television program or that Reggie Jackson continues to gripe about ESPN’s dramatic adaptation of Jonathan Mahler’s “Ladies & The Gentlemen, The Bronx Is Burning”. Reggie unloads to Healy on Sunday’s broadcast of “365” (“I was portrayed as a buffoon”), and Newsday’s Neil Best has some of the choice quotes.
œSwagger became arrogance, confidence became conceit and at times I think I looked foolish and silly and they had me make all these efforts to be egotistical to the point of being very insensitive to other people.
“There was a scene in the movie that had me ripping up a bench. I got angry at some point and that never happened in the clubhouse. Even the benches that they used, they were chairs. They weren™t these benches that were nailed down on the floor. It looked like we sat and ate lunch somewhere at a park.
“There were so many scenes we were kidding before that had me sitting inside having a beer with Billy Martin. That never, ever happened. Who would have a drink with a guy who couldn™t stand him and went out of his way to make a fool out of him? I just went out of my way to keep my distance and stay away.
“The way they characterized me walking around with big sunglasses all the time. I wore sunglasses when I played. They were prescription. But the overdoing of the hats. There was one time they showed me loaning money to Mickey Rivers to go to the horse track. I never did that. I thought they disparaged and did their best to embarrass Mickey Rivers with that. It didn™t make me look bad but it never happened.”