A week later, in Kansas City, Billy Martin announced that he was resigning as Yankees' manager. He was replaced by Bob Lemon, and a few days later, on July 29 at Old Timers Day at the Stadium, in a bizarre, surprise announcement, owner George Steinbrenner revealed that Martin would return to manage the Yankees in 1980.
The following is a chronicle of the Yankees' 1978 season as reported by the media, with some comments and reactions that hindsight and twenty seven years of reflection have produced.
February 28, 1978: Reggie Arrives for Spring Training.
World Series hero Reggie Jackson arrived at the Yankees' spring training complex at Fort Lauderdale a day late due to outside business commitments. Reggie was the center of attention for everyone---except his teammates. None of the Yankees went out of his way to shun Jackson, but none went out his way to greet Reggie either.
The fans kept Reggie busy for more than a half hour signing autographs after his workout, before which he said that he preferred to forget the 1977 regular season. He said he hoped it would be easier but that if it weren't, he was prepared to deal with problems more effectively.
Willie Randolph and Catfish Hunter, the latter a former teammate from Oakland, were the first to greet Jackson and a few other players greeted him, but Reggie had to approach most of the players, including Bucky Dent, Fred Stanley, Jim Spencer, and Graig Nettles. The brief conversation Jackson and Nettles had more than equaled the total time they spoke to each other last season.
COMMENTS: "Reggie is Reggie" has been used to explain and/or excuse Reggie. The fact is that Reggie is so full of himself that he creates problems. The basic Yankees' premise, or at least George Steinbrenner's basic premise, is the only successful season is one in which the Yankees win the World Series. They did that in 1977, yet Reggie said that he preferred to forget the 1977 REGULAR season.
The media and fans can criticize Reggie as much as they want, but Reggie is a winner. He didn't say that he would like to forget the 1977 season. He said that he would like to forget the 1977 REGULAR season. We all know why, and without having to say so, we all know why no one will ever forget the 1977 World Series.
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