Mickey Moniak hits 2 homers, including a grand slam, in Angels’ victory

• March 23, 2023

THE GAME: Mickey Moniak hit two home runs, including a grand slam, in the Angels’ 10-9 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday afternoon in Scottsdale, Ariz.

PITCHING REPORT: Left-hander Reid Detmers did not allow a run through four innings, but then he gave up three runs (two earned) on a pair of homers in the fifth inning. He was pulled after 4-1/3 and 87 pitches. Detmers has allowed five earned runs in 17-1/3 innings this spring, with 23 strikeouts and five walks. … Right-hander Jacob Webb worked 1-2/3 scoreless innings. He has not allowed a run in eight innings, with 10 strikeouts and three walks. A non-roster invitee, Webb is fighting for the final bullpen spot. … Left-hander José Quijada faced just eight batters and allowed six hits, all of them leading to runs. Four of the hits had exit velocities of more than 100 mph. Quijada pitched in his first game since taking the loss for Venezuela in a World Baseball Classic quarterfinal against Team USA.

HITTING REPORT: Moniak and Jared Walsh hit back-to-back homers in the second, and then Moniak cleared the bases in the sixth, his third homer of the spring. Moniak is 18 for 44 (.409) with an OPS of 1.185 this spring. The Angels don’t have a spot for him to start ahead of Taylor Ward, Mike Trout and Hunter Renfroe, so they still might decide he and the organization are both better if Moniak is playing every day in Triple-A, as opposed to sitting on the bench in the majors. “That wouldn’t be ideal,” Moniak said. “But it’s out of my control. I don’t get paid to make those decisions. I get paid to go out and play baseball.” … Walsh, who also had an RBI single, is 14 for 35 (.400) this spring, including 11 for 22 with two homers in his last eight games. … Anthony Rendon doubled and singled, improving to 14 for 30 (.467) with a 1.329 OPS this spring. … Luis Rengifo hit his third homer of the spring. Rengifo, who missed much of the spring while playing for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic, has only 28 plate appearances with the Angels so far.

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DEFENSE REPORT: Rendon, who was playing far off the third base line, went to his right to field a grounder, but had no play at first. Rendon also made a throw in the dirt that first baseman Jake Lamb couldn’t pick during the fifth inning. … Lamb made an over-the-shoulder catch of a pop-up in shallow right field.

UP NEXT: Angels vs. Padres, Friday, 1 p.m. PT, Tempe Diablo Stadium, Bally Sports West, 830 AM

​ Orange County Register 

Judge halts newly enacted Wyoming abortion ban

• March 23, 2023

By Mead Gruver | Associated Press

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Abortion will again be legal in Wyoming — at least for now — after a judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked a ban that took effect a few days earlier.

Teton County District Court Judge Melissa Owens’ decision halts the ban amid a challenge in her court to a law that took effect Sunday. The Republican-controlled Legislature approved the law despite earlier rulings by Owens that had blocked a previous ban since shortly after it took effect last summer.

Owens put the new ban on hold after a hearing Wednesday in which abortion-rights supporters said the law harms pregnant women and their doctors. Owens suspended the ban for at least two weeks.The law prohibits abortion at all stages of pregnancy except in cases of rape or incest that’s reported to police, or to save a woman’s life.

The judge did not weigh in on another new abortion law that’s also being challenged in her court: Wyoming’s first-in-the-nation ban on abortion pills. That law, signed by Republican Gov. Mark Gordon on Friday, is not set to take effect until July 1.

Two nonprofits, two doctors and two other women have sued to block Wyoming’s broader abortion bans.

In July, Owens found that their concerns that the law would harm women and doctors and violate the state constitution could have merit. State lawmakers then wrote their new law to try to override those objections.

Owens in her July decision found that a 2012 state constitutional amendment guaranteeing the right to make one’s own health care decisions could allow abortion.

The new sweeping ban asserts that abortion is not health care and the amendment therefore doesn’t apply to abortion.

Gordon expressed reservations about the new ban, even as he allowed it to take effect without his signature. He said voters should resolve the constitutionality of abortion in Wyoming instead of the Legislature addressing abortion piecemeal, year after year.

Wyoming has only one abortion provider, a women’s health clinic in Jackson that only provides medication abortions but has been forced to stop after the state’s broad ban took effect this week.

Wellspring Health Access has been planning to open a clinic in Casper that would provide surgical and medication abortions. After an arson attack prevented that clinic from opening as planned last summer, organizers hoped to open it next month.

​ Orange County Register 

FAA issues safety alert after near misses on runways

• March 23, 2023

The Federal Aviation Administration is cracking down on safety protocols, citing “six serious runway incursions” that occurred since January.

These incidents were discussed at a safety summit on March 15, a meeting that followed a “call to action” issued by the acting FAA administrator, “to ensure focus and attention on risks to the aviation system.”

“In recent months, a number of notable and high visibility events have occurred in the National Airspace System,” stated the FAA alert issued on Wednesday.

“While the overall numbers do not reflect an increase in incidents and occurrences, the potential severity of these events is concerning.”

According to the alert, six serious runway incursions have occurred since January, including an incident at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, “involving a taxiing aircraft narrowly avoiding a departing aircraft.”

The FAA also cited a landing aircraft that came within 100 feet of a departing aircraft” at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas.

Earlier this month in Massachusetts, U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch called for a review of FAA flight operations and an update on investigations into three recent “troubling” incidents at Boston Logan International Airport.

On March 6, the right wing of a United Airlines plane struck the tail of another United plane, as both were set for departure. A week earlier, a JetBlue plane preparing to land had a “close call” with a Learjet aircraft.

The latter incident occurred a day after a Massachusetts man allegedly attacked a flight attendant and tried to open an emergency exit door on a United flight headed to Boston.

The FAA’s safety alert outlines specific steps it wants airlines, pilots and others to take. This includes ensuring pilots and flight attendants have the same understanding of what “sterile flight deck” means and the risks associated with extraneous communication during this time.

The FAA is also emphasizing the importance of aircraft awareness in relation to taxiways, runways and other aircraft.

This includes reviewing past safety alerts for operators around high collision risk during runway crossing, runway incursion prevention actions, and flight crew techniques and procedures to enhance taxi, pre-takeoff, and after landing safety to reduce the risk of runway incursions.

Other directives are focused on encouraging staff to identify and report emerging safety issues, reinforcing adherence to FAA processes and procedures, and ensuring safety management systems are accounting for the high rate of change and churn in the industry.

​ Orange County Register 

Pac-12 football: What to watch during spring practice

• March 23, 2023

For several Pac-12 teams, spring practice began weeks ago. Some are just underway. Others won’t start for a few more weeks. But in every case, the spring games (i.e., gloried scrimmages) are scheduled for the second half of April.

The Hotline has questions about them all.

(Note: All spring games on Pac-12 Networks except Colorado, which is on ESPN. All times Pacific.)

Arizona

Newcomer to watch: LB Justin Flowe (from Oregon)

QB1 status: It’s Jayden de Laura’s job to lose, and he won’t.

Outlook: The Wildcats lost gifted receiver Dorian Singer to the transfer portal but have far more holes to fill on defense. The unit struggled last season (6.6 yards-per-play allowed) and is relying on newcomers like Flowe, a former blue-chip recruit, to upgrade the situation. We are particularly intrigued by the defensive line, where several transfers could lock down rotation spots. But most of the questions (culture, philosophy, quarterback hierarchy) associated with coaching changes are no longer applicable as the program enters a more mature phase of the Jedd Fisch era.

Spring game: April 15 (3:30 p.m.)

Arizona State

Newcomer to watch: OL Ben Coleman (Cal)

QB1 status: Returnee Trenton Bourguet is the favorite but will face stiff competition.

Outlook: The Sun Devils experienced massive (and necessary) change in every facet of the program, with rookie coach Kenny Dillingham and his staff leaning heavily into the transfer portal. This spring is about implementing the culture and accountability that were lacking under the previous administration, in addition to framing the depth chart. ASU lost a slew of starters from the offensive line, so establishing continuity up front is crucial. Bourguet must fend off transfers Drew Pyne (Notre Dame) and Jacob Conover (BYU), plus four-star recruit Jaden Rashada, who will enroll this summer.

Spring game: April 15 (12 p.m.)

Cal

Newcomer to watch: TB Byron Cardwell (Oregon)

QB1 status: Sam Jackson, a transfer from TCU, is the early favorite.

Outlook: The Bears fired play caller Bill Musgrave late last season and hired Jake Spavital to implement a modified version of the spread that will feature Jadyn Ott in the running game. Our eyes are on Jackson, a dual-threat quarterback who played sparingly at TCU, and the offensive line, which struggled last season and has few options for rapid improvement. This is a crucial year for Wilcox’s tenure, as the early momentum has faded and the realities of institutional hurdles and questionable staffing decisions take hold. Few spring games will be more interesting to watch.

Spring game: April 15 (2 p.m.)

USC

Newcomer to watch: LB Mason Cobb (Oklahoma State)

QB1 status: Caleb Williams is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner

Outlook: The pomp and circumstance that accompanied coach Lincoln Riley’s first spring, in 2022, has given way to the routine (to the extent that anything is routine at USC). And for the Trojans, the most important aspect of the spring workouts is the most mundane: The fundamentals of tackling and executing basic defensive assignments. To that end, a slew of transfers are worth watching, including Cobb, edge rusher Anthony Lucas (Texas A&M) and linemen Jack Sullivan (Purdue) and Kyon Barrs (Arizona). The pressure on coordinator Alex Grinch is significant.

Spring game: April 15 (12 p.m.)

Colorado

Newcomer to watch: DE Jordan Dominick (Arkansas)

QB1 status: Transfer Shedeur Sanders, son of the head coach, is the presumptive starter.

Outlook: No spring season anywhere will generate more interest than the debut of the Deion Sanders era in Boulder. Will he adopt a hands-on role or leave the details to his staff? Will the atmosphere be regimented or loose? And what about all the holes on the depth chart? (The Buffaloes hit the transfer portal ferociously.) Every position is of interest, starting with quarterback Shedeur Sanders, whose experience consists of two seasons at Jackson State. There’s a reason CU has the only spring game scheduled for broadcast by ESPN, mirroring the USC situation last year.

Spring game: April 22 (12 p.m.)

Oregon State

Newcomer to watch: QB DJ Uiagalelei (Clemson)

QB1 status: Uiagalelei is expected to win the job over returnee Ben Gulbranson.

Outlook: It takes expertise in running a low-profile program to turn a development as significant as Uiagalelei’s presence into a routine arrival, but Jonathan Smith has managed just that. Whether Uiagalelei is named the starter this spring or in August, the endgame seems clear. Other positions are in flux, including the secondary, where OSU lost first-rate starters Alex Austin, Rejzohn Wright, and Jaydon Grant. We’re also curious about the afterglow of the 10-win season and whether the Beavers have made the essential mental shift to 2023. This is the time to snuff out complacency.

Spring game: April 22 (12 p.m.)

Stanford

Newcomer to watch: OL Trevor Mayberry (Princeton)

QB1 status: Sophomore Ari Patu, who has six career attempts, is the frontrunner.

Outlook: Stanford changed eras, with David Shaw stepping down and Troy Taylor taking over, but the near-term outlook remains the same: bleak. Most of the top players have departed, the roster lacks high-end young talent, the quarterback options are limited, and there are no quick fixes. The Cardinal has added three transfers so far — two from the Ivy league and one from Florida International. (That says it all.) Every position group needs an upgrade in addition to the changes Taylor and his staff must make with culture, leadership and, in particular, strength training.

Spring game: April 22 (1 p.m./tentative)

Utah

Newcomer to watch: LB Lavani Damuni (Stanford)

QB1 status: Cam Rising, assuming he’s healthy, will run the show once again.

Outlook: Rising isn’t participating in spring practice while he recovers from a leg injury suffered in the Rose Bowl. (He’s expected to be ready for the season opener.) However unfortunate, the situation provides an opportunity for the Utes to develop their QB depth. We have questions about the offensive backfield, where converted quarterback Ja’Quinden Jackson was impressive in limited duty, and the defensive backfield, where the Utes suffered heavy attrition. Mostly, we wonder if Utah can maintain its edge after back-to-back conference titles. Then again, that’s a nice problem to have.

Spring game: April 22 (11 a.m.)

Washington State

Newcomer to watch: WR Kyle Williams (UNLV)

QB1 status: Cam Ward returns for Year Two as the presumptive starter.

Outlook: The Cougars have plenty to sort out for a program that went bowling last season and returns its head coach and starting quarterback. Both coordinators are new: Ben Arbuckle on offense and Jeff Schmedding on defense. Add the need to retool the offensive line and the loss of several defensive playmakers, including linebackers Daiyan Henley and Francisco Mauigoa, and coach Jake Dickert’s to-do list is packed. Williams isn’t the only new wideout; we’re also monitoring Josh Kelly from Fresno State.

Spring game: April 22 (3 p.m.)

Washington

Newcomer to watch: CB Jabbar Muhammad (Oklahoma State)

QB1 status: Michael Penix Jr. is a Heisman Trophy candidate.

Outlook: The Huskies hit the sweet spot for spring intrigue: They have a bevy of key players returning and lofty expectations but are not set across all position groups. Tailback, offensive line and the secondary have important holes to fill. (Dillon Johnson, a tailback from Mississippi State and former four-star recruit, is central to upgrading the ground game.) Mostly, the aim on Montlake this spring is to build off the momentum generated last fall — a task made far easier by the retention of offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, who interviewed with Alabama.

Spring game: April 22

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Oregon

Newcomer to watch: WR Traeshon Holden (Alabama)

QB1 status: Bo Nix is back.

Outlook: Nix’s return limits the ceiling for intrigue in Eugene this spring, but there are several issues worth tracking: How will new offensive playcaller Will Stein tweak the attack? To what extent will the reworked offensive line coalesce? Can defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi stabilize a unit that was picked apart in crucial losses during the stretch run? (The line is stocked, but we’re curious about the other levels.) The Ducks lost a load of talent to the draft and transfer portal, and we aren’t convinced the arrivals fully offset the departures. The spring will lend some clarity to the situation.

Spring game: April 29 (1 p.m.)

UCLA

Newcomer to watch: QB Dante Moore (MLK High School, Detroit)

QB1 status: Your guess is as good as ours.

Outlook: For the first time since the era of leather helmets and single wings, Dorian Thompson-Robinson isn’t entrenched as UCLA’s starting quarterback. The three-man competition features returnee Ethan Garbers, transfer Collin Schlee (Kent State) and blue-chip recruit Dante Moore. The Bruins have a huge void at tailback and questions along the offensive line. But the biggest issue is the defense — the entire defense. When it mattered most the past two seasons, the Bruins couldn’t stop anyone. And most of the incoming transfers play offense.

Spring game: None

*** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to [email protected] or call 408-920-5716

*** Follow me on Twitter: @WilnerHotline

*** Pac-12 Hotline is not endorsed or sponsored by the Pac-12 Conference, and the views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Conference.

​ Orange County Register 

Mission San Juan Capistrano starts week of celebrating swallows return

• March 23, 2023

Mission San Juan Capistrano joined the community in welcoming the return of the swallows with its annual celebration this weekend.

Along with marking the time of year when migrating swallows return to the area from their winters in South America, the mission’s celebrations on Sunday included its recognition of the Catholic Church’s St. Joseph’s Day.

Both the mission’s feast day and celebration of the swallows have been canceled or reduced in recent years by pandemic concerns; they made their full return this year.

The day started with the ringing of the mission’s historic bells and featured tours, performances and lectures on the swallows.

The mission’s celebration begins a week of festivities, which culminate on Saturday with the San Juan Capistrano Fiesta Association’s Swallows Day Parade and accompanying festival.

Leading up to Saturday will be the Fiesta Grandé, a night of contests, including deciding this year’s hairiest man winner, on March 22; a frog jumping contest on March 24; and the beloved Hoos’ Gow Day on March 24, when folks caught downtown not wearing western garb are detained by the Fiesta Association’s deputies until they make bail by purchasing a souvenir to help raise money for the annual parade.

The parade, in its 63rd year, starts its route through downtown at 11 a.m. on Saturday and the Mercado Street Faire is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Historic Town Center Park.

Find out more about all the upcoming events at swallowsparade.com.

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​ Orange County Register 

Lindsay Lohan, other celebs charged over crypto promotion

• March 23, 2023

By David Goldman | CNN

The Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday charged Lindsay Lohan, Jake Paul and several other celebrities with failing to disclose that they were paid to promote crypto.

The celebrities agreed to pay $400,000, including fines, and return what they were paid for the promotion.

Lohan was paid $10,000 to promote Tronix tokens offered by Justin Sun’s company Tron.

“Exploring #DeFi and already liking $JST, $SUN on $TRX. Super fast and 0 fee. Good job @justinsuntron,” Lohan tweeted on February 11, 2021. The SEC said Lohan failed to disclose that the tweet was a paid endorsement.

A spokesperson for Lohan said the celebrity “was contacted in March 2022 and was unaware of the disclosure requirement. She agreed to pay a fine to resolve the matter.”

Similarly, Paul was paid $25,000 for an endorsement of Tronix, which he tweeted a day after Lohan.

Other celebrities that agreed to settle their charges include Michele Mason (also known as Kendra Lust), Miles Parks McCollum (Lil Yachty), Shaffer Smith (Ne-Yo) and Aliaune Thiam (Akon).

For their violations, Lohan agreed to pay $30,000 in fines in addition to the $10,000 she earned for the promotion. Paul agreed to pay $75,000 in fines on top of the $25,000 he earned.

A spokesperson for Paul declined to comment.

The SEC also announced that it was suing Sun and three of his companies for failing to properly register crypto securities, manipulating markets and failing to disclose paid relationships with the celebrities. It also sued DeAndre Cortez Way, also known as Soulja Boy, who was allegedly a paid endorser for Tronix and failed to disclose his relationship with the company.

A spokesperson for Soulja Boy could not be reached for comment.

“As alleged in the complaint, Sun and others used an age-old playbook to mislead and harm investors by first offering securities without complying with registration and disclosure requirements and then manipulating the market for those very securities,” said Gurbir Grewal, director of the SEC’s division of enforcement, in a statement. “At the same time, Sun paid celebrities with millions of social media followers to tout the unregistered offerings, while specifically directing that they not disclose their compensation.”

​ Orange County Register 

What is the living wage LAUSD workers are striking for?

• March 23, 2023

How much is enough?

If you ask the LAUSD workers who have staged a three-day strike this week for better pay, hours and working conditions, they’ll say “enough” is clearly more than they’re earning.

SEIU Local 99, which represents the 30,000 Los Angeles Unified School District employees, wants to elevate their pay to a living wage. Union officials say they’ve been negotiating with the district for months with little progress.

Pay levels vary among the bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers and special education assistants who walked off the job, depending on tenure and hours worked. But the average employee wage — which takes in many who work part-time schedules — is $25,000 a year, according to the union.

That equates to $12.02 an hour without vacation time. And it’s not nearly enough, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology tool was developed to help communities and employers calculate local wage rates, allowing residents to meet minimum standards of living.

The minimum wage for a single adult in Los Angeles County with up to three children is $15.50 an hour, or $32,240 a year, the calculator says, while the county’s “living wage” for a single adult with one child is $43.81 an hour, or $87,620 a year.

In households with two adults and one working with no children the living wage is $32.46 an hour. That jumps to $40.74 with one child and $45.69 with two children.

In households with two working adults and no children the living wage for each adult is $16.23 an hour, the calculator says. In households with one child that jumps to $23.98 an hour, and $30.15 an hour for households with two children.

Yolanda Cota works 30 hours a week and earns $24 an hour as a special education assistant. But she’s off during the summer months, which eats heavily into the income she needs to pay for rent, groceries and utilities.

“The $24 an hour I earn is the cap … and I also have two kids,” the 39-year-old Sylmar resident said. “I’m paying $1,700 a month in rent, and I also spend about $400 a month on gas and groceries. Everything is going up, and that doesn’t count my car payment, insurance on the car and all of the other expenses I have.”

Her husband also works, bringing in additional income, Cota said.

“Before I was married, I was also waitressing to help pay the bills,” she said. “Many of the employees have to work two jobs to get by. I’d like to be working 40 hours a week.”

Alec Levenson, a research scientist with the Center for Effective Organizations at the USC Marshall School of Business, said workers employed by school districts are operating in a workplace dynamic that was developed 70 years ago when readily people accepted the jobs as part-time work to supplement a spouse’s income.

“There’s a challenge there because as a society we think people should be paid on the basis of how much they work, which is reasonable,” he said. “But it can be hard for someone to take a part-time job and then try to fill in the gaps.”

The LAUSD employee woes speak to the struggle of keeping up with Southern California’s ever-increasing costs. Many are strapped by high housing costs, rising gas prices and inflation-weighted trips to the grocery store.

CoreLogic said high home prices are edging many prospective buyers out of the market. In February, the median price for a home in the six-county region was $690,000, and Los Angeles County’s median price was $765,000 — well out of reach for many prospective buyers.

“High mortgage rates and the resulting eroded affordability continue to challenge Southern California housing markets,” Selma Hepp, CoreLogic’s chief economist, said in a statement earlier this month.

SEIU Local 99 is seeking a 30% pay hike over time, more reliable hours for part-time workers and a crackdown against employee harassment. The district’s latest offer was a 23% wage hike over the next few years with a 3% retention bonus.

Lynneier Boyd-Peterson, who has been a bus driver with LAUSD for 31 years, makes $29.70 an hour. But she also works just nine months a year. That three-month summer gap and the three weeks schools are closed during the holidays make a difference, she said.

“Some of our bus drivers are homeless,” the 47-year-old Lancaster resident said. “They’re sleeping in their cars. We used to have cookouts at the yard where the buses park so those people could get some food, but the school district won’t let us do that anymore. That stopped five years ago.”

Members of the teachers union, United Teachers Los Angeles, have joined the striking workers in solidarity.

Boyd-Peterson said some bus drivers can work occasional routes during the summer if they’re available, but there’s never a guarantee.

“What I’d really like to get is respect,” she said. “Many times, management doesn’t respond to us as individuals, and they talk down to us like we’re nothing.”

​ Orange County Register 

Baseball legend Reggie Jackson discusses his legacy ahead of documentary

• March 22, 2023

Reggie Jackson’s baseball resume is the stuff of legend: 563 home runs (making him 14th all-time); 14-time All-Star; a Most Valuable Player Award and five World Series-winning teams – three times with the Oakland A’s and two with the New York Yankees. He also became the first player since Babe Ruth to hit three homers in a World Series game.

Jackson’s outsized baseball achievements landed him in the Hall of Fame, but that’s not how he wants to be remembered.

During his playing days, Jackson brimmed with confidence and famously was quoted describing himself as “the straw that stirs the drink” on the Yankees. (Jackson has disputed saying the quote; the reporter who quoted him continues to stand by it.) He was the subject of endless media coverage, most of it focused on his titanic blasts and larger-than-life personality.

Now Jackson, 76, is the subject of “Reggie,” a Prime Video documentary that premieres March 24. Naturally, the film celebrates his career, including those 1977 World Series home runs against the Dodgers, plus another the following year to finish off Los Angeles as well as a bit on his five seasons and 123 homers with the Angels.

But the element that drove him to overcome his wariness and participate in the film is that it looked beyond the home runs to tackle issues of racism faced by athletes of color during his heyday and by aspiring executives today. The fact that baseball continues to fail miserably when it comes to providing opportunities for diversity when hiring managers and front-office executives frustrates Jackson to no end.

“It impacts the future of the game, too,” he said during an interview this week in a Manhattan hotel. “If you have more diversity, you’ll get ideas from a broader perspective and have a more well-rounded product.”

The film looks back at how racism in baseball, the media and the country back in the 1960s and ‘70s shaped and fueled him. At one point, he notes that Hank Aaron, a Black man, received hate mail and death threats while chasing Babe Ruth’s home run record, but Pete Rose, who is White, was cheered for his pursuit of Ty Cobb’s hit record.

“I was a fierce competitor, but racism did take its toll on me as a player — you get tired and your concentration gets fragmented,” he said during our interview before adding that every Black person in America faced this exhausting conundrum.

A lifetime of racism often left him burning with anger, he said. “I was in my mid-50s before I settled down. I didn’t care to cover it up and I was truthful about it so I wouldn’t have done a documentary back even in my 50s. I was too amped, still.”

Jackson also hopes the film would help restore the sense of his dignity that he felt was stripped away by the White media and fans who interpreted his confidence and swagger as pure arrogance. (That attitude still plagues baseball; for example, Jackson’s ex-teammate Goose Gossage has berated Latino players, calling them showboats for playing with joy and enthusiasm.)

“People said I was an egomaniac and that’s why I hit home runs in the postseason — they’d say, ‘Reggie plays better when he’s on television,’” Jackson said. “Really, I just handled pressure well.”

(Indeed he did. In nine post-seasons with Oakland and the Yankees, “Mr. October” batted .300, well above his .262 regular season average. For stats fans, his OPS – on-base plus slugging percentage – in those playoffs and World Series was a whopping .944 versus his .846 regular season tally.)

In the film, Jackson chats with former teammates like Vida Blue, Joe Rudi and Rollie Fingers about their shared experiences.

“It was hugely important for me to include them, but I couldn’t get all the people I wanted into the documentary because I didn’t have control of it,” he said. “That broke my heart.”

Jackson also talked with Aaron shortly before his 2021 death. That conversation helps Jackson highlight baseball’s lack of diversity among its managers and front-office executives. Aaron notes that his role with Atlanta is meaningless, that he has a front office job so the powers that be could point to that as a sign of progress.

“He had a name on the office and nothing else,” Jackson said in our interview. Aaron died a month after their talk and Jackson said mournfully, “He said to me, ‘Reggie I always wondered if the color of our skin was a curse.’ Hank Aaron died sad.”

In one scene, Jackson talks to Yankee owner Hal Steinbrenner about the paucity of minority executives. Steinbrenner’s platitudes clearly frustrate Jackson who left the Yankee family to join Jim Crane and the Houston Astros as a special adviser. Houston already had Dusty Baker, one of the game’s few Black or Latino managers, and since the film was finished the Astros have hired Dana Brown, now the game’s only Black or Latino general manager.

“I won’t take any credit for that,” Jackson said during our interview. (Don’t worry, Jackson has not become overburdened by modesty. The man who once prophesied that “if I played in New York, they’d name a candy bar after me” dropped an aside during our conversation that “I’m one of the best-known car collectors in the country.”)

His point here is that leveling the playing field “is up to ownership and it’s not happening fast enough.” (He also praises Crane’s humility, calling up a text on his phone to show that Crane – who interviewed four Black candidates out of six total – is equally uninterested in being saluted for this decision.)

The film recounts Jackson’s failed attempt to buy, with a group that included Bill Gates and Paul Allen, the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1990s (he planned to give shares to legendary Black players Aaron, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson and Bob Gibson) and talks about falling into depression after that failed.

In our conversation, he said he also fronted an attempt the following decade to buy the A’s – he pulled up on his phone a letter that showed that his group’s offer would go $25 million beyond any other. His effort did not receive support from then-commissioner Bud Selig. When I asked if he felt there was concern about having an outspoken and honest Black man as an owner, he responded with his own question that referenced some White Hall of Famers: “Do you think if I was Mike Schmidt or George Brett this would have happened?”

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Jackson recalled being surprised that Richard Lapchick, who heads The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport, called him an activist. “I didn’t know I was one because I think of an activist as someone who’s difficult and outspoken and unruly,” Jackson says. “I’m not that. I’m just for what’s right. Treat me right, bro.”

Still, Jackson sounded a bit like an activist at the end of our conversation when he said he was a little disappointed that the documentary didn’t always emphasize what was most important to him. I asked for one thing that was edited out that he’d like to have in the record books and Jackson pointed to work his Mr. October Foundation does helping prepare minority children for STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) careers.

“I wanted to talk about how my career impacted my future,” he said. “I’d rather be remembered and lauded for helping pave the way for those who followed and for what I do to help lift underserved communities than for my home runs and baseball career.”

​ Orange County Register