Reggie: Welcome to the club, Albert

ARLINGTON, Texas

He had World Series Game 3 on television, but once things got out of hand, Reggie Jackson turned his focus elsewhere. He took a drive for some ice cream near his Northern California home, he said, and it was at that point that he turned on the radio and realized what was happening.

Albert Pujols already had two home runs, and the conceding Rangers let veteran lefty Darren Oliver throw the ninth inning. Mr. October realized that would be a favorable matchup for the righty-hitting Pujols. And when the third homer landed, Jackson and Babe Ruth had company in their ultra-exclusive "three homers in a World Series game" club.

"Being associated with Pujols and Babe Ruth, I wasn't as good a player as either one. But I could play under pressure like any of them," Jackson told Newsday Sunday. "It's an honor to be included with them."

Jackson vowed to monitor Game 4 to see if Pujols would match or even exceed Jackson's record of four homers in four World Series at-bats. He homered in his last at-bat of 1977 World Series Game 5, and after walking in his first plate appearance of Game 6, he went deep in his next three trips.

Pujols' homers came in three straight at-bats Saturday. But in his first at-bat Sunday night, he grounded out to shortstop Elvis Andrus.

Jackson has never been accused of humility, but he expressed his respect for Pujols' accomplishments. If he and the Babe had to add a member, it's clear, Pujols makes the cut.

Said Jackson, "You have go back to DiMaggio, Ruth, Gehrig, Aaron, Mays and Mantle in order to find comparisons to the 11 years he's had."

Salute to Junior

On May 31, 2010, Ken Griffey Jr. pinch hit for Seattle teammate Rob Johnson and hit into a forceout against the Twins' Jon Rauch. It proved to be his final major-league appearance. Three days later, amid a controversy about him napping during games, he announced his retirement and went into relative hiding.

As commissioner Bud Selig said Sunday, Griffey's retirement "came quickly." That MLB never honored one of Selig's favorite players prompted the decision to do so before Game 4 at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington with the Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award.

Selig saluted Griffey for "staying out of controversy, playing the game the way it was supposed to be played and should be played." Translation: "We have no evidence that he used illegal performance-enhancing drugs."

"You know, I had ups and downs like everybody, but I can tell you that . . . everything that I've done in this game, I wouldn't change," Griffey said. "I came in this game just wanting to play baseball, my love for baseball."

Extra bases

In light of the news about Red Sox players drinking beer in the clubhouse during games, MLB executive vice president of baseball operations Joe Torre said, "We've got to look at" the idea of banning alcohol in all clubhouses.

Selig said owners and players met Sunday for a collective bargaining session. An agreement for 2012 and beyond is unlikely to be struck during the World Series, but there is confidence that the talks won't last too much longer.