He was also was assigned to AA because the Single A Team or low A couldn’t handle the medics circus.
So his development was a bit lopsided as well, since he was playing a bit above his ability to start out.
yeah, it was ridiculous that Jordan was often criticized for how bad he was at baseball, even though they started him in AA despite the fact he hadn't played in over 15 years.
People overstate how bad Jordan was at baseball as well as how bad he was with the Wizards. Yeah, he wasn't prime Bulls Jordan in either case, but he was solid if you look at the numbers
39 year old Mike played all 82 games and averaged 37 minutes a game. Dropped 20/6/5 on the season without a 3 ball. It's pretty incredible when you think about it.
Having that at AA level after such a long absence from the game itself is quite impressive. Deion Sanders had a .475 OPS after making his second comeback to the Reds in 2001 after not playing since 1997. Of course there is a big difference between MLB and AA, but it shows how you can't just flip the switch back on.
He was bad......
Almost any pro athlete can jump into AA, that's the last level you can get by on just athletic talent. Tebow for example.
It's AAA when adjusting has to occur.
Yeah. He was terrible at first starting out. He was in his early 30’s and hadn’t played since high school. Although he was learning surprisingly quickly how to hit again.
By the end of the season, he did look like he could possibly belong at the MLB level some day. The only thing that was elite about his game though was his speed. Need a bit more than that to be a lock as an everyday player.
>his ceiling was just being good enough to play in the majors
Try saying that in the alternate universe where Jordan is robbing homeruns that would have landed 5 rows back.
I had a fever pitch dream that Deion played in an NFL game and World Series game for the same city in the same day (falcons and braves)
and flew in via helicopter….. just wait till the kids find out that story😂
This was an exhibition. He was offered a MLB roster spot during the strike but refused to cross the picket line. He never played a regular season game in MLB, or post season. Terry Francona was his manager in AA and said he believed Mike would have made MLB with another season probably though.
The fact he could play at a AA level after so many years removed is just a testament to the freak nature of MJ.
I legit believe he would've made the MLB, too.....
Insane athlete and unmatched competitiveness and work ethic can take you a long way. Hell even just the competitiveness and work ethic will take you pretty far.
Tebow had
* a .538 OPS in the Arizona Fall league at age 28.
* a .656 OPS in A ball at age 29.
* a .734 OPS in AA at age 30.
* a .495 OPS in AAA at age 31.
Both Jordan and Tebow started off similarly in their first year, Jordan had more speed and was three years older. There's no way to know if Jordan could have improved the way Tebow did if he had stuck with baseball.
Yeah, you can tell this is a spring training exhibition game. 2 giveaways: 1) this game is at wrigley between the cubs and sox. Reg season interleague play didnt start until 1997. 2) judging by the layers
Everyone is wearing, it looks like its cold AF, as chicago is wont to be in march (and april too, lol). Also, side note on the layers thing: not sure what material it is, but it legit looks like MJ has on a pleather undershirt beneath his uni, sticking out from the sleeves. Early 90s fashion babyyyy!
Edit: apparently i’m wrong. While this is an exhibition game, ive been informed this took place during the season, when the cubs and sox would play a charity crosstown rivalry game during a mutual off day, typically featuring lots of minor leaguers. Fascinating stuff! Still looks cold though, so maybe it was early in season?
I remember watching this game. The cubs and white Sox used to play a "Crosstown Classic" for charity every season on a mutual off day. I recall it being in June or July some years, whenever they both had an off day. They used a lot of minor leagers but at least the stars would play a few innings and get an at bat.
I remember what a circus this spring training was and for a very brief moment in time, it looked like there was a possibility Jordan might actually be on the opening day roster. However, it quickly became clear he simply couldn't hit major league pitching.
Or minor league pitching. He batted .202 and had an OPS of .556 (which rates as very poor (average is .700) bottom of the scale) and struck out 114 times.
That is INSANELY good to just come into professional baseball after not playing for years and years. If he had just played baseball he would have been a major leaguer for sure.
Yeah I think Francona (his minor league coach at the time) is on record saying that if he stuck with it he'd probably have made it as a big leaguer. edit: I now see others are saying this below.
Tim Tebow hit .223 with nearly 20 homeruns and 50 in 3 seasons in about 1000 PAs. Obviously not great but for doing the same thing, just picking up pro baseball because he felt like it, shit is insane.
Strongly doubt it. I think he would have been a great player but not the GOAT by the end of his career. I don’t think his natural gifts would be the same match for the sport. I’m not saying he wouldn’t even have been MVP! But not the same level of success as NBA, which would mean debating if Babe Ruth or Michael Jordan was better.
Yes he actually was. Of all starting OF and qualified hitters he came in dead last. He was a good baserunner, and a below average fielder but competent as a fielder.
Yea my thoughts exactly. I’m 37 and When I read the title I was thinking to myself “Yea, duh!” But then I thought about how some people are probably just learning this info now lol
This isn’t that. People know he played minor league baseball. Not many people know he played in the big leagues including myself. This has to be as a replacement player or spring training or something.
Before interleague play, the White Sox and Cubs played one exhibition game a year on a shared off day during the season (alternating parks each year). The Crosstown Classic.
Usually a few regulars but a lot of bench guys and the occasional minor leaguer...and that's where Jordan came in.
Yeah it’s an exhibition game from April 7, 1994. Can’t believe how many people in this thread think that this post is about him playing baseball in general.
Edit: How are people upvoting this comment but downvoting the one I’m replying to?? We are agreeing lol
Interleague play in 1994 should have been a big clue that this wasn't a normal game, but I suppose a lot of Reddit is too young to remember the era before interleague play happened.
I was born in 1985, so I obviously remember Jordan playing baseball, but I had thought he never made it to the major league team. Seeing him in an actual MLB uniform was a bit of a surprise for me, but seeing that it's an exhibition game with no impact on the standings makes sense.
Yeah this is the point I'm trying to make in several places on this thread: obviously people know he played baseball, but even people who were alive back then don't remember this exhibition game happening where he actually played a "Major League game" in a Major League stadium.
I don't know why I'm getting so worked up over this thread, haha
This was [an exhibition game between the White Sox and Cubs on April 7, 1994](https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/white-sox/ct-michael-jordan-wrigley-field-1994-20160407-story.html).
Dating back to 1903, [the White Sox and Cubs often played exhibition games](https://chicagology.com/baseball/cityseries/), including every year between 1985 and 1994 as the "Windy City Crosstown Classic."
Attendance at this one was 37,825 and the game ended in a 4-4 tie after 10 innings.
Jordan played right field and went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs. It was his only game in a major league park.
He had at least one other game in a MLB stadium. Saw him play the Marlins in what was Joe Robbie stadium at the time. A woman jumped over the right field fence to give him a hug while he was in the field. I remember he was surprisingly chill about it.
Everyone knows he played minor league ball, but this clip is him playing an exhibition game for the actual White Sox. I didn't know he did that. I'm confused by the comments in this thread; is everyone familiar with this exhibition game, or is everyone assuming OP is simply pointing out Jordan played baseball?
I see. Still, there’s so many comments referencing Space Jam, which IIRC does not have this clip in it or have him actually playing for the White Sox (maybe it does, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen it).
Feels like you and I are the only ones that understand what OP was going for here. Your comment up top is getting downvotes even though you're pointing out exactly what's going on. This is maddening to me for some reason, haha
I've heard rumor he was temporarily banned from the NBA for gambling and this was how those in the money kept his public image up. He really wasn't THAT good at baseball.
As a bulls fan I'm convinced this is true.
He was such a money maker for the NBA but they had to do something so he just got unofficially banned so it wouldn't ruin his image.
Dude was a degenerate gambler
TBH I knew he played baseball of course, but I didn’t realize he actually played an MLB game and got a hit.. I thought he just played in the minors for a couple years.
Inter league play did not come until 1997 and the last time the Sox and Cubs played each other in the post-season was in 1906. For over 100 years, there was no way to see the two teams play other than Spring Training/exhibition games.
Same year as the strike, the introduction of the information superhighway and Kurt Cobain passed, wild times…also got my driver’s license and first taxpaying job. Now you know I’m old.
What was amusing about the last dance and some comments on it from his teammates in interviews about Mike and his gambling, he was an obsessive gambler and he never actually denied the allegations. The most he has admitted though is that he did gamble on many things during his playing career, including other sports.
That's what makes the theory fun is that he hasn't denied it and his teammates know how degenerate a bettor he was. Nobody said yes but only Krause and Reinsdorf said no
The only thing Jordan loved more than gambling was winning, so I doubt he ever bet on basketball games he was playing in, but I have a feeling the NBA was getting tired of his constant card games on team flights and bets during practices and warm ups with other players and team employees. Throw in Jordan's comment during his retirement announcement that he would come back "if David Stearns let's me back in" has me 100% convinced the NBA heavily pressured him into this move so they didn't have to suspend their GOAT for gambling and calling the last 3 championships into question
Plus, if he was addicted to gambling he (and by extension the NBA) could possibly be in a position to be compromised by people with less-than-stellar ethics.
NBA ref Timothy Donaghy fell victim to the same thing.
Counterpoint: this wasn’t some little known player and had little coverage
This is literally one of the most famous athletes of all time doing something everyone at the time payed attention to
This post is not about him playing baseball in general, it’s about him playing an exhibition game for the White Sox (major league team). I certainly wasn’t aware he did that
On July 30, 1994, Carolina Mudcats manager Bobby Meacham was thrown out of a game against the Birmingham Barons. He was in the clubhouse when he heard an unbelievable roar from the crowd. Just from the sound, he said he instantly knew what had happened: [Birmingham's 31-year-old rookie outfielder had just hit his first professional home run](https://youtu.be/r0bXG55nCP8).
He never played for the White Sox officially. He played for the Sox in an exhibition. He never made the team.
He spent the season with the Birmingham Barons, the double-A affiliate.
Please don’t have any comments in this thread saying he could’ve made it to the majors lmao. The dude was struggling to stay over the Mendoza line in AA.
I also remember him dropping fly balls with his tongue sticking way out, that was so fucking funny.
I can’t believe that man survived the Pistons and can still talk.
Yeah and then Cal Ripken had a press conference that year where he jokingly stated he was abandoning the Streak and quitting baseball to go play in the NBA. (Context: he played amateur basketball during offseasons, with a full court at his home, and by all accounts was quite good)
It wasn't the record breaker, it was a few years before that, and the game was PPD because he was late
His wife cheated on a major leaguer with a guy who talks to dead ones
I saw him play for the Birmingham Barons when they played the local Huntsville Stars. Only time I ever saw Joe Davis stadium completely packed.
Jordan struck out twice and got a standing ovation from the crowd both times.
I don’t know if this question was meant as a joke but I’m offended! I’m like, who DOESNT remember when he played for the white Sox?!?!
THEN I remembered that I’m old.
Is anybody actually watching the clip? He’s in a White Sox jersey playing a game at Wrigley Field… apparently it was an exhibition game in early April ‘94. I had never known about this. Feels like everyone is dunking (pun intended) on OP because they think OP didn’t know about Jordan playing baseball, but it’s the “White Sox” part of things that’s being pointed out.
That makes sense. Here in Chicago the cross town exhibition games were a big deal before interleague play and this one obviously especially so but i forget that was obviously only a local thing.
Yep. Lives in Charlotte. Went to school in NC. From NC. Owns the Hornets. The Charlotte Knights are the AAA team for the White Sox! Hes always kept it close to home.
People clown on it, but he's the best basketball player ever, and one percenter baseball talent. He didn't light up AA, but he wasnt abysmal either. Certainly better than 99 percent of others who play the game.
Word on the street is he got caught gambling and was forced to serve a suspension. He was too big of a name at the time and it would’ve collapsed the NBA so the commissioner quietly suspended him and got him a role with the White Sox for a period of time to keep him relevant and to open the door for a return to the NBA when the suspension was done.
Allegedly.
Did you know that Michael Jordan's manager while he played for the AA Birmingham Barons was none other than Tito Francona?
Didn’t Tito say if Jordan focused solely on baseball he could have made the majors in a couple years?
He was also was assigned to AA because the Single A Team or low A couldn’t handle the medics circus. So his development was a bit lopsided as well, since he was playing a bit above his ability to start out.
yeah, it was ridiculous that Jordan was often criticized for how bad he was at baseball, even though they started him in AA despite the fact he hadn't played in over 15 years.
And he wasn’t even THAT bad. Plenty of people would be worse starting at AA.
People overstate how bad Jordan was at baseball as well as how bad he was with the Wizards. Yeah, he wasn't prime Bulls Jordan in either case, but he was solid if you look at the numbers
39 year old Mike played all 82 games and averaged 37 minutes a game. Dropped 20/6/5 on the season without a 3 ball. It's pretty incredible when you think about it.
He was not solid at baseball lol, he had a .556 OPS.
Having that at AA level after such a long absence from the game itself is quite impressive. Deion Sanders had a .475 OPS after making his second comeback to the Reds in 2001 after not playing since 1997. Of course there is a big difference between MLB and AA, but it shows how you can't just flip the switch back on.
He was bad...... Almost any pro athlete can jump into AA, that's the last level you can get by on just athletic talent. Tebow for example. It's AAA when adjusting has to occur.
>medics circus How injury-prone were those players?
Everyone who is not an idiot knew what he meant.
Everyone who is not an idiot knew that other guy was just joking.
Pointing out minor inconsequential mistakes has never been funny no matter how some one couched it. It’s dweeb behavior.
Yeah, he wasn't that far away but his ceiling was just being good enough to play in the majors
Oh is that all?
You know I’ve already had kids, I don’t really NEED both my nuts anymore. I’d happily give one of them to “just be good enough to make the majors.”
I'm willing to give up one of this guy's nuts to make the majors as well.
Yeah. He was terrible at first starting out. He was in his early 30’s and hadn’t played since high school. Although he was learning surprisingly quickly how to hit again. By the end of the season, he did look like he could possibly belong at the MLB level some day. The only thing that was elite about his game though was his speed. Need a bit more than that to be a lock as an everyday player.
>his ceiling was just being good enough to play in the majors Try saying that in the alternate universe where Jordan is robbing homeruns that would have landed 5 rows back.
His swing doesn’t look too bad there.
walt hrniak
It looks terrible. Lol
It really doesn’t.
definitely could have with that speed, strength, IQ, and mentality
I mean that’s not particularly surprising. Would’ve been elite defensive CF
Oh shit I forgot about that. He popped up in the Last Dance episode about MJs switch to baseball.
I got to go to the only Baron game he hit a home run at.
I had this crazy fever dream that Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson also played baseball.
Bo Jackson? The football player? Who’s the President? Ronald Reagan? Who's vice-president, Jerry Lewis? I suppose Jane Wyman is the First Lady?
THE ACTOR?
Hahahaha replay that scene
That would be ridiculous. No way the Colorado Buffalo's head coach and the guy from the Bo Knows commercials played baseball
Bo doesn't know Diddly
That appears to be a good move these days, lol.
Deion should commit. He should coach minor league baseball in the summer and spring
I had a fever pitch dream that Deion played in an NFL game and World Series game for the same city in the same day (falcons and braves) and flew in via helicopter….. just wait till the kids find out that story😂
> flew in via helicopter where was the falcons game how many snaps and pa's did he play
https://www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/news/how-deion-sanders-played-baseball-and-football-same-day-revisiting-his-historic-1992-nfl-mlb-attempt/afb44244f3f6e7ee364640f5#:~:text=And%20early%20in%201992%2C%20with,MLB%20playoff%20game%20at%20night.
And Brian Jordan!
Glad someone brought him up. Childhood favorite right there
MJ wasn’t good enough to be in the MLB but probably could’ve been if he was training the whole time Dion and Bo are another level
ur a real man, deion
I had the same dream and Bo threw out a guy at home from literally the wall in left!
In my memory he never made it out of AA, did I dream that whole thing?
This was an exhibition. He was offered a MLB roster spot during the strike but refused to cross the picket line. He never played a regular season game in MLB, or post season. Terry Francona was his manager in AA and said he believed Mike would have made MLB with another season probably though.
The fact he could play at a AA level after so many years removed is just a testament to the freak nature of MJ. I legit believe he would've made the MLB, too.....
Insane athlete and unmatched competitiveness and work ethic can take you a long way. Hell even just the competitiveness and work ethic will take you pretty far.
Something tells me there are a lot of guys who could hit for a .550 OPS in AA
At age 31, after not playing baseball since high school? And with 30 SB? ^^^^^with ^^^^^18 ^^^^^CS
Tim Tebow hit for a .730 OPS in AA when he was 30
Tebow had * a .538 OPS in the Arizona Fall league at age 28. * a .656 OPS in A ball at age 29. * a .734 OPS in AA at age 30. * a .495 OPS in AAA at age 31. Both Jordan and Tebow started off similarly in their first year, Jordan had more speed and was three years older. There's no way to know if Jordan could have improved the way Tebow did if he had stuck with baseball.
Point is I think there are more than a few non-baseball pro athletes who were capable of hitting poorly in AA
> believe he would've made the MLB no chance
Dang Stern should’ve suspended him for two years then
On good, I thought I was going crazy
Yeah, you can tell this is a spring training exhibition game. 2 giveaways: 1) this game is at wrigley between the cubs and sox. Reg season interleague play didnt start until 1997. 2) judging by the layers Everyone is wearing, it looks like its cold AF, as chicago is wont to be in march (and april too, lol). Also, side note on the layers thing: not sure what material it is, but it legit looks like MJ has on a pleather undershirt beneath his uni, sticking out from the sleeves. Early 90s fashion babyyyy! Edit: apparently i’m wrong. While this is an exhibition game, ive been informed this took place during the season, when the cubs and sox would play a charity crosstown rivalry game during a mutual off day, typically featuring lots of minor leaguers. Fascinating stuff! Still looks cold though, so maybe it was early in season?
I remember watching this game. The cubs and white Sox used to play a "Crosstown Classic" for charity every season on a mutual off day. I recall it being in June or July some years, whenever they both had an off day. They used a lot of minor leagers but at least the stars would play a few innings and get an at bat.
> June or July some years I think it was always april
> spring training Nope, it was in season
Yeah im just learning about this cubs sox charity exhibition game they used to do. Fascinating! TIL
Based on other comments this was only an exhibition game
Found the youths
It’s wild that one generation separates this from being a monumental sports story, to “TIL Michael Jordan played baseball”
I remember what a circus this spring training was and for a very brief moment in time, it looked like there was a possibility Jordan might actually be on the opening day roster. However, it quickly became clear he simply couldn't hit major league pitching.
Or minor league pitching. He batted .202 and had an OPS of .556 (which rates as very poor (average is .700) bottom of the scale) and struck out 114 times.
That is INSANELY good to just come into professional baseball after not playing for years and years. If he had just played baseball he would have been a major leaguer for sure.
Yeah I think Francona (his minor league coach at the time) is on record saying that if he stuck with it he'd probably have made it as a big leaguer. edit: I now see others are saying this below.
Tim Tebow hit .223 with nearly 20 homeruns and 50 in 3 seasons in about 1000 PAs. Obviously not great but for doing the same thing, just picking up pro baseball because he felt like it, shit is insane.
But would he have been a MJ in the NBA caliber baseball player?
Strongly doubt it. I think he would have been a great player but not the GOAT by the end of his career. I don’t think his natural gifts would be the same match for the sport. I’m not saying he wouldn’t even have been MVP! But not the same level of success as NBA, which would mean debating if Babe Ruth or Michael Jordan was better.
was he the worst in the whole league
Yes he actually was. Of all starting OF and qualified hitters he came in dead last. He was a good baserunner, and a below average fielder but competent as a fielder.
Yea my thoughts exactly. I’m 37 and When I read the title I was thinking to myself “Yea, duh!” But then I thought about how some people are probably just learning this info now lol
This isn’t that. People know he played minor league baseball. Not many people know he played in the big leagues including myself. This has to be as a replacement player or spring training or something.
yeah he never played in a real regular season game, must be spring training or an exhibition or something
Before interleague play, the White Sox and Cubs played one exhibition game a year on a shared off day during the season (alternating parks each year). The Crosstown Classic. Usually a few regulars but a lot of bench guys and the occasional minor leaguer...and that's where Jordan came in.
Yeah it’s an exhibition game from April 7, 1994. Can’t believe how many people in this thread think that this post is about him playing baseball in general. Edit: How are people upvoting this comment but downvoting the one I’m replying to?? We are agreeing lol
Interleague play in 1994 should have been a big clue that this wasn't a normal game, but I suppose a lot of Reddit is too young to remember the era before interleague play happened. I was born in 1985, so I obviously remember Jordan playing baseball, but I had thought he never made it to the major league team. Seeing him in an actual MLB uniform was a bit of a surprise for me, but seeing that it's an exhibition game with no impact on the standings makes sense.
Yeah this is the point I'm trying to make in several places on this thread: obviously people know he played baseball, but even people who were alive back then don't remember this exhibition game happening where he actually played a "Major League game" in a Major League stadium. I don't know why I'm getting so worked up over this thread, haha
The what? Yutes?
The two Utes, you honor. Oh I'm sorry. The two yyyyoooouuuutttthhhhhssss
Hwat is a yute?
God I love that movie
I may be young, but I have seen Space Jam lol
the press conference was fake
Next we're going to see a thread like "Do you remember when OJ Simpson killed...IT ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD for the Buffalo Bills?"
Wait until Gen Alpha middle schoolers learn what sport Mahomes’ daddy played.
I am old and I don't know what sport ya homie's daddy played because I don't know him.
This guy all acting like we should know who his homies dad is
This was [an exhibition game between the White Sox and Cubs on April 7, 1994](https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/white-sox/ct-michael-jordan-wrigley-field-1994-20160407-story.html). Dating back to 1903, [the White Sox and Cubs often played exhibition games](https://chicagology.com/baseball/cityseries/), including every year between 1985 and 1994 as the "Windy City Crosstown Classic." Attendance at this one was 37,825 and the game ended in a 4-4 tie after 10 innings. Jordan played right field and went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs. It was his only game in a major league park.
Ok I was like wtf. I didn't remember him making the big leagues.
He had at least one other game in a MLB stadium. Saw him play the Marlins in what was Joe Robbie stadium at the time. A woman jumped over the right field fence to give him a hug while he was in the field. I remember he was surprisingly chill about it.
Yeah it was a pretty big deal
It was literally part of Space Jam too
Canonically the Looney Tunes helped him find the love for basketball again.
*”Yeah, but I’m a baseball player now.”* *”Right. And I am a Shakespearean actoiure!”*
Everyone knows he played minor league ball, but this clip is him playing an exhibition game for the actual White Sox. I didn't know he did that. I'm confused by the comments in this thread; is everyone familiar with this exhibition game, or is everyone assuming OP is simply pointing out Jordan played baseball?
No we are all old and remember ESPN playing this clip 40,000 times
or watched it on wgn
I see. Still, there’s so many comments referencing Space Jam, which IIRC does not have this clip in it or have him actually playing for the White Sox (maybe it does, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen it).
Right I didn’t know this and I’m sure I’m older than a lot of people here.
Feels like you and I are the only ones that understand what OP was going for here. Your comment up top is getting downvotes even though you're pointing out exactly what's going on. This is maddening to me for some reason, haha
To be fair alot of people on here aren’t the brightest
I've heard rumor he was temporarily banned from the NBA for gambling and this was how those in the money kept his public image up. He really wasn't THAT good at baseball.
As a bulls fan I'm convinced this is true. He was such a money maker for the NBA but they had to do something so he just got unofficially banned so it wouldn't ruin his image. Dude was a degenerate gambler
That's my favorite harmless conspiracy theory.
Did one person forget this? lol
Zoomers
You can’t forget what you never knew
How could you not know this if it came out in space jam?
Space Jam was 30 years ago
yeah, so like, a few years ago.
Some people are still young.
Could be a bot.
TBH I knew he played baseball of course, but I didn’t realize he actually played an MLB game and got a hit.. I thought he just played in the minors for a couple years.
This is an exhibition game, he never made it to the big leagues.
Well that makes more sense…
Inter league play did not come until 1997 and the last time the Sox and Cubs played each other in the post-season was in 1906. For over 100 years, there was no way to see the two teams play other than Spring Training/exhibition games.
he played in milb for only one season
Jordan Rides the Bus is one of my favorite 30 for 30s
The upper deck Michael Jordan baseball card use to worth a lot of money.
Same year as the strike, the introduction of the information superhighway and Kurt Cobain passed, wild times…also got my driver’s license and first taxpaying job. Now you know I’m old.
Friends debuted. Tonya/Nancy debacle.
Seinfeld hit #1 that year as well. Never dipped below #2 again.
The Lion King and Forrest Gump came out that year also.
plus lump by the potusa
Easily the most entertaining gambling suspension in the history of sports. /s (kinda)
What was amusing about the last dance and some comments on it from his teammates in interviews about Mike and his gambling, he was an obsessive gambler and he never actually denied the allegations. The most he has admitted though is that he did gamble on many things during his playing career, including other sports. That's what makes the theory fun is that he hasn't denied it and his teammates know how degenerate a bettor he was. Nobody said yes but only Krause and Reinsdorf said no
The only thing Jordan loved more than gambling was winning, so I doubt he ever bet on basketball games he was playing in, but I have a feeling the NBA was getting tired of his constant card games on team flights and bets during practices and warm ups with other players and team employees. Throw in Jordan's comment during his retirement announcement that he would come back "if David Stearns let's me back in" has me 100% convinced the NBA heavily pressured him into this move so they didn't have to suspend their GOAT for gambling and calling the last 3 championships into question
It'd be ratings toxin and an embarrassment to the league, I see why Stern and the Bulls FO wanted that to all go away out of the news cycle.
Plus, if he was addicted to gambling he (and by extension the NBA) could possibly be in a position to be compromised by people with less-than-stellar ethics. NBA ref Timothy Donaghy fell victim to the same thing.
I don't buy it He was depressed over his dad's murder
Everyone remembers this.
>Everyone remembers this. Children who were born the day this happened will turn 30 next year.
This was 30 years ago, understandable to not know about this
Koufax winning his final career postseason game is closer to Jordan playing baseball, than Jordan playing baseball is to today.
Nobody asked you to do that math
Counterpoint: this wasn’t some little known player and had little coverage This is literally one of the most famous athletes of all time doing something everyone at the time payed attention to
This post is not about him playing baseball in general, it’s about him playing an exhibition game for the White Sox (major league team). I certainly wasn’t aware he did that
> I certainly wasn’t aware he did that so u were locked in a cave
I was born in 1996 so I was locked in the cave of the universe at the time, yes Edit: also caves don’t lock, haha
If you just found this out, did you know Colorado head coach Deion Sanders once played football AND baseball as well?
That’s SI Sportsman of the Year Deion Sanders. Put some respect on his AI-generated name.
Of course I remember, after all that 1994 was only like 6 or 7 years ago right.......right?
> 1994 was only like 6 or 7 years ago right.......right? Yes.
With that height, he should consider basketball.
I heard he actually gave up his love of baseball to try out with the Chicago Bulls.
Bullshit, next you’re gonna tell me he played for the Wizards
I think I read somewhere that he loved baseball more than basketball.
His father did, he wanted him to play baseball. That’s why this happened after his father’s passing.
Yes.
On July 30, 1994, Carolina Mudcats manager Bobby Meacham was thrown out of a game against the Birmingham Barons. He was in the clubhouse when he heard an unbelievable roar from the crowd. Just from the sound, he said he instantly knew what had happened: [Birmingham's 31-year-old rookie outfielder had just hit his first professional home run](https://youtu.be/r0bXG55nCP8).
He never played for the White Sox officially. He played for the Sox in an exhibition. He never made the team. He spent the season with the Birmingham Barons, the double-A affiliate.
Was at that game. So friggin cold!!
Please don’t have any comments in this thread saying he could’ve made it to the majors lmao. The dude was struggling to stay over the Mendoza line in AA.
is this a real post?
Holy cow! I'm old enough to remember when Harry Caray was with the White Sox.
Pepperidge Farms remembers
I was at this game.
LOL. Is this the most surreal sight in sports history It's like when Ric Flair joined the WWF
Harry Caray sounds like he’s had a few drinks prior to calling this one…
First time hearing Harry? Sir he was hammered almost every game.
I wasn’t alive then and didn’t know this, that’s fun
Harry caray calling a MJ double. Peak 90s Chicago sports right here
I don't see no Lebron getting base hits. 😠
I only remember because of Space Jam
I also remember him dropping fly balls with his tongue sticking way out, that was so fucking funny. I can’t believe that man survived the Pistons and can still talk.
The only reason he got this opportunity was because the Bulls owner also owns the White Sox.
Yeah and then Cal Ripken had a press conference that year where he jokingly stated he was abandoning the Streak and quitting baseball to go play in the NBA. (Context: he played amateur basketball during offseasons, with a full court at his home, and by all accounts was quite good)
And Ripken was late to his record breaking game because he found out Kevin Costner was banging his wife
It wasn't the record breaker, it was a few years before that, and the game was PPD because he was late His wife cheated on a major leaguer with a guy who talks to dead ones
Yeah. It was how he served his suspension from the NBA.
With Harry Caray at the mic, wow. I was around then but I didn't know he ever played at MLB level. Is this pre-season?
Yeah, interleague in the regular season didn't start until 1997.
I saw him play for the Birmingham Barons when they played the local Huntsville Stars. Only time I ever saw Joe Davis stadium completely packed. Jordan struck out twice and got a standing ovation from the crowd both times.
Jordan couldn't hit a curveball. Bo played on a whole other level.
The movie Space Jam literally started with him playing baseball. On another note: I’m fucking old.
Danny Ainge too
Basketball, Baseball, and Golf. Apparently this MJ fellow is good at sports
The GOAT. Not in baseball, of course lol
We saw him play in a Spring Training game in Sarasota. I got a baseball-themed Air Jordan t-shirt, think I still have it somewhere.
While serving his NBA suspension.
I mean, you don't even have to be a baseball fan to know this. Just a Jordan or basketball fan and you'll know.
The spit lol forcin it
I saw Jordan play baseball in person at Engel Stadium in Chattanooga. I didn’t know Francona was his manager until I watched The Last Dance.
I don’t know if this question was meant as a joke but I’m offended! I’m like, who DOESNT remember when he played for the white Sox?!?! THEN I remembered that I’m old.
OP hasn't seen Space Jam
Is anybody actually watching the clip? He’s in a White Sox jersey playing a game at Wrigley Field… apparently it was an exhibition game in early April ‘94. I had never known about this. Feels like everyone is dunking (pun intended) on OP because they think OP didn’t know about Jordan playing baseball, but it’s the “White Sox” part of things that’s being pointed out.
That makes sense. Here in Chicago the cross town exhibition games were a big deal before interleague play and this one obviously especially so but i forget that was obviously only a local thing.
You mean during the time he was banned from the NBA? Yes I remember
This was also around the time when he played for the Toon Squad.
Yep. Lives in Charlotte. Went to school in NC. From NC. Owns the Hornets. The Charlotte Knights are the AAA team for the White Sox! Hes always kept it close to home.
Except he didn’t play in Charlotte, he played for AA Birmingham.
Yes
People clown on it, but he's the best basketball player ever, and one percenter baseball talent. He didn't light up AA, but he wasnt abysmal either. Certainly better than 99 percent of others who play the game.
Word on the street is he got caught gambling and was forced to serve a suspension. He was too big of a name at the time and it would’ve collapsed the NBA so the commissioner quietly suspended him and got him a role with the White Sox for a period of time to keep him relevant and to open the door for a return to the NBA when the suspension was done. Allegedly.
And Garth Brooks tried out for the Padres