The first person I associated with the number 44. I still have this card.
As a kid, I was a big Reggie Jackson fan. My parents and siblings had lived in Berkeley when Reggie became a star with the A’s, we had lived in New York when Reggie was at the top of the baseball world with the Yankees, and 1981, we moved to Southern California just months before Reggie followed, going to the Angels, who played within walking distance of our house.
Reggie wore #44 his whole career. And for some reason, of course, the number 44 is sticking in my mind today. Perhaps because of someone whose dignity, intelligence, talent and perseverance earned him a place in history. Someone who will always be identified with the number 44.
