Willie Randolph’s former teammate from the Bronx Zoo days of the late 70s, Reggie Jackson has exchanged several phone calls with the embattled manager, the New York Times reports.

Jackson received a voicemail from Randolph on Saturday and has spoken with him on three separate occassions since. Jackson spoke about how race became a subject of Randolph’s comments.

“It can play on our mind. We are going to think about it in times of difficulty, whether you feel sorry for yourself, or whether you just acknowledge it. It’s fair to think about it,” Jackson also said a man in Randolph’s position must be “sensitive how you express it” toward people you are “trying to meld with and create a better environment for all.”

Steve Popper on his blog for The Record reports that Omar Minaya gathered up Willie Randolph and his coaches and took them all to dinner last night after their first win in the last six games.