Reggie Jackson did not comment on "Bronx is Burning"--heard on WFAN

On Joe Benigno's WFAN show today the topic of Reggie Jackson and a supposed reaction to Bronx is Burning was raised. Someone in his studio made the following point:

• Among statements made by the Reggie Jackson character, one has been refuted by Jackson, but not recently and not in response to the mini-series. Some media reports may not have reflected that. It's been recently clarified that Jackson's reaction to a long-ago reported comment was made in a Sports Century show a few years ago. He made no statement about any material in the current series The Bronx is Burning.
• After hearing this, I looked into it and found this report on Fanhouse which may have unintentionally left that impression:

"The actual contents of that interview are disputed to this day ...

• in fact, they were disputed on ESPN immediately after the conclusion of the show. Reggie Jackson maintains that he never said he was "the straw the stirs the drink," while the writer claims that he did ...

which makes you wonder exactly how much truth we're going to get out of this 8-week miniseries."

• So what was attributed to Jackson after the show wasn't in fact said in response to the show, but in an unrelated Sports Century piece a few years ago. The fanhouse writer does a nice job explaining the whole show, but if this were the only characterization you saw of Jackson's reaction to his historical comments, one might assume he responded to the Bronx is Burning, which the WFAN studio staff person said he didn't. This may all have been cleared up elsewhere, but I'm just noting it for the record.

Item from AOL Fanhouse, 7/10/07, "The Debriefing: The Bronx Will Burn Just as Soon as ESPN Finds Time."

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