When people hear the name Michael Jordan, they immediately think of the greatest basketball player to ever play the game. They think of the Bulls dynasty, the six rings, all the MVPs, the game-winning plays, the high-flying dunks, the unstoppable fadeaway jumpers, and the immensely popular Nike line of sneakers.
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| Image source: lineupforms.com |
But there is a period not often spoken of in the life of MJ that fans would rather forget – the time between his first and second three-peats with the Bulls when he retired from basketball and went on to play baseball.
It was his late father’s dream, Jordan said. And so, he signed on to play with the Chicago White Sox in the minors. In March 1994, baseball training began for basketball’s greatest in Sarasota, Florida. He was then allowed to play for a lower league, suiting up for the Birmingham Barons, a team owned by the Chicago Bulls. Jordan batted .202 and had three home runs. He also batted 51 runs and stole 30 bases, while striking out 114 times and having 11 errors.
Next up for Jordan would be a stint with the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League, where he was a bit more successful at-bat with .252. But that was about it.
Maybe he was tired of being mediocre. Or maybe he just missed the game. Whatever it was, MJ returned during the MLB strike and added to his legacy by winning three more NBA titles.
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| Image source: bleacherreport.net |
Michael Volitich is a Creative Writing student at the University of Florida. He is a lit geek, sports writer and fanatic, and a film buff. Visit his blog for more film-related posts.
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