Sweet! Mr. October honors Little League champs; iconic Reggie bar is coming back
The revival of the Reggie candy bar is a hit with Las Vegas’s beloved Little League team.
Reggie Jackson himself made sure of it Sunday afternoon.
The five-time World Series champ held court at an event honoring Summerlin South’s Little League champs inside the Hall of Excellence at Fontainebleau. In an unannounced visit, Mr. October joined broadcast great and Hall of Excellence partner Jim Gray in a medal presentation inside the display space.
The medals were expected. The accompanying plaque and banner near the entrance were a given. The kids’ joyous response was on-point.
But Jackson also handed out Reggie candy bars. Famous orange wrapper. Image of Reggie swinging for the cheap seats. A bonafide shocker. This is one of those IYKYK things.
These confections were a big deal for a hot minute when Jackson was laying the lumber against the Dodgers in back-to-back World Series championships in ‘77 and ‘78 (after he’d won three straight with the A’s in ‘72-‘74).
This immediately triggered childhood memories of the Reggie TV commercials, “REG-GIE! REG-GIE!” across the Yankee Stadium scoreboard. I wish that highlight was played for the Summerlin South kids, to show what fame was really all about in the ’70s.
Remembering a famous quote, I asked Jackson, “Who said, ‘When you open a Reggie bar, it tells you how good it is?’ Was that Graig Nettles?’”
“Catfish Hunter,” the Hall of Famer said, without pause, referring to the late Hall of Fame pitcher. Similar to Jarts, pet rocks and mood rings, the Reggie bar fell off the market in the ’70s. But Team Reggie is bringing them back. In time for trick-or-treating (go to reggiejackson.com for intel).
Just before Jackson addressed the team, Tom Brady delivered his tribute via video. The seven-time Super Bowl champ and Gray’s co-founder in the Hall of Excellence congratulated the team on staying focused through the playoffs.
Brady said of the new banner, “Hopefully, it inspires others to chase their dreams just like you guys did.” Brady lauded the team’s “commitment, teamwork, and excellence.” A Raiders and Aces minority owner, Brady also told the kids that baseball was his first sport. He was drafted by the Montreal Expos in 1995, but stayed with football. “The rest is history,” he said.
Summerlin South won the Little League World Series U.S. title, but fell short against Chinese Taipei in the world championship game.
Brady also told the kids that baseball was his first sport. He’d been drafted by the Montreal Expos in 1995, but stayed with football. “The rest is history,” he said.
Gray and Jackson posed Summerlin South’s players and coaches, who then roamed the memorabilia collection.
Afterward I asked the man New York sports scribes once called “Reggie Jax” who he liked in the World Series.
“I was kind of rooting for Toronto to be two-up,” Jackson said. “I wanted to see the Dodgers play when they were really down. They have the best players and have a great organization. But I wanted to see them down. We were down two games, and came back and won four straight.”
That was against the Dodgers, and we remember those great Yankees teams. Reggie bars for all.
Honoring Carol Davis
Hall of Excellence honored “The First Lady of Raider Nation” Carol Davis after the ceremony. Gray and Venue director Howard Deneroff ordered up a couple dozen white roses to pay tribute to Davis, mother of Raiders owner Mark Davis, who died Friday afternoon at age 93.The display is just off the main entrance.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
