Dustin Pedroia: Better than Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson

Dustin Pedroia is... well, let's say he's a confident dude. He talks trash to opponents, he talks trash to teammates, and he even trash talks retired players turned broadcasters well after their careers have ended. The latest in what has been a series of trash-talking boasts -- dating back to his days at Arizona State -- came this past weekend, while Pedroia and the Red Sox were in New York facing the Yankees. FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal has the details:

The Red Sox second baseman strode over to [Hall of Famer Reggie] Jackson and proclaimed, "Barry Bonds, Dustin Pedroia and Reggie Jackson, the top three players in Arizona State history."

Someone asked Pedroia how he would rank the three. He immediately shot back, "Kind of a coin flip between the first two," referring to Bonds and himself - and not Jackson.

Jackson was also a confident dude in his own day -- as Rosenthal notes, he called himself, "the straw that stirs the drink," and with an apt nickname like Mr. October, how could you disagree with him? Not here, though, not with Pedroia being Pedroia right next to him: Jackson simply said, "I'm just happy to be in the top five."

I mean this with the utmost respect for the Hall of Fame slugger: I was not aware anyone could say anything that would result in Jackson conceding ground on his legacy. Dustin Pedroia, everyone.

Does anyone else wish someone would ask Barry Bonds about this?