Reggie Jackson lone Hall of Fame inductee

Reggie Jackson once called himself "the straw that stirs the drink," among the New York Yankees. It was appropriate that when it came time to draw straws for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, Jackson was the only name to cause a stir, as he became the only 1993 inductee.

Jackson, a 14-time All-Star, tallied 396 votes. He is sixth on the all-time homer list with 563, and hit 20 or more 16 times. He also wears five World Series rings.

Though he played just five of his 21 major league seasons with the Yankees, Jackson chose to wear the Yankee pinstripes for his Aug. 1 induction.

It is good for Reggie Jackson to go in as a Yankee," he said. "There's the tradition, being a part of Maris, Mantle, Gehrig, Ruth.

"I feel this (New York) is the place that's really claimed me,' he said.

Jackson, always outspoken, surmised that despite his Hall of Fame numbers, he's been shunned by baseball owners for front-office jobs because of that outspokenness, and because of his race.

"I'm sure that being Black is part of it," said Jackson. "I'm sure that being Reggie Jackson is part of it. I would like to have a job. The right one hasn't come along.

"When you have the name Reggie Jackson, you can't be one of the crowd no matter where you stand in line," he said. "I'm always going to stand out. That doesn't work in a lot of places. They don't want a person who's not going to be one of the crowd."