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Last night I watched the newest installment, Ron Shelton's "Jordan Rides the Bus," in ESPN's "30 for 30" sports documentary series. The piece explored Michael Jordan's first retirement from the NBA and his subsequent career playing professional baseball. While I consider myself a lifelong NBA fan and an absolute diehard MJ supporter, I was simply too young to understand the ramifications of his move back when it happened; I was about six years old at the time. The only thing I remember about that time period is an Upper Deck baseball card of Michael Jordan in a White Sox uniform that I happened to procure (to this day one of my favorite cards in my remaining collection). Thus, when I heard that this piece dove directly into the retirement/career change, I highly anticipated its premiere.
As a whole, "Jordan Rides the Bus" was a solid production and an informative work that any NBA fan should watch. There has always been a lot of speculation over why Michael Jordan decided to retire and play baseball. In this documentary, Shelton does his best to set the record straight. That is, MJ retired for a combination of reasons, namely: 1) he was bored with basketball and had lost his passion for playing; and 2) his father, who was murdered shortly after Jordan won his third NBA championship, had always dreamt for MJ to play baseball, so this was a decision to honor his dad. As a kid, I don't remember any mention of the murder of MJ's father. And perhaps that is for the better because I doubt any parent would want their child watching a news story of a man found dead in a creek. But that is such a vital component of the MJ story and I am glad that I learned of it. Finally, from a production standpoint, I wish the producers had the chance to interview MJ, today, about the events. I noticed that in many of the "30 for 30" pieces, the subjects of the documentaries are rarely featured in present-day interviews. It would have been great to hear from the man himself as he undoubtedly could provide insight/knowledge/information that you simply cannot get from analyzing videotape or talking to friends.
From a sports perspective, here are some things that intrigued me:
1. When MJ went to Chicago Bulls and Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf to inform Reinsdorf of his decision to retire and try baseball, Reinsdorf suggested that MJ talk to coach Phil Jackson about the decision. Reinsdorf felt that Jackson would be able to offer valuable advice/insight to the young star. Jackson, in his meeting with MJ, said, "You have to understand…you are depriving so many people who enjoy this sport [of] the opportunity of such a great amount of pleasure." Two things jumped at me when I heard that line. First, although the Zen Master is completely correct in his assessment, that is truly terrible advice. I wonder how much MJ even considered that in making his decision. I understand the sentiment that professional athletes play "for the fans," but in MJ's situation, was that even an appropriate thing to say? Sprinkled in Jackson's comment is the foundation for today's team/owner/city mentality that a professional athlete is simply property. When LeBron decided to leave Cleveland for Miami, Cavs owner Dan Gilbert and Cavs fans were irate because they felt LeBron owed them his services. They felt he belonged to them. The Ménage à trois between sports franchises, players, and fans, is unique and certainly special. But people need to keep things in perspective.
My second reaction to Jackson's comment is this: Imagine if MJ had stayed in the NBA and played full 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons. Would the Bulls have won eight championships in a row? As unimaginable as the feat seems, if there's one team that could have done it, it was MJ and his Bulls. By all accounts the year off for MJ was valuable to his basketball career--Jackson says MJ became a much better teammate when he returned for the second three-peat. So, being on the conservative side, let's say MJ, suffering from burnout in 1993-94, doesn't win that season, but wins the next season (1994-95). That means in a span of eight NBA seasons, MJ and the Bulls would have won seven titles, including a four-peat. A four-peat? Does that even exist? If that had happened, I don't think we would ever see a more impressive team accomplishment in the modern era.
2. What is today's equivalent of MJ's move to baseball? Think about the components of this career change. For one, he left the top of one sport to go to the middle of another sport. Second, he left money, success, dominance, and everything else that came with being the NBA's top player for road trips on busses with no-names and ballparks that seat roughly 10,000 fans. Third, he moved to a sport that emphasizes completely different skills. And fourth, he left a media that loved him and never questioned him to a media that doubted him and wanted to see him fail. Because baseball is so unique as a sport, the only transitions even comparable to MJ's are another basketball star to baseball or a football star to baseball. And because it's too easy to use a basketball-to-baseball comparison (LeBron, Kobe), let's try football to baseball.
The only equivalent I can think of is Tom Brady moving to baseball (to hit, not pitch) after he had won his third title in four years with the Patriots (2004-05 season). Like Mike, Brady was the unquestioned leader and most valuable component to a team that had a stranglehold on its sport. And like Mike, Brady had a flawless public image and a unique way with the media. Brady does have a more established baseball background than MJ (Brady was drafted by the Expos as a catcher). But the point is you throw Brady in without having any at-bats in the past 10 years, at a somewhat high level in the sport, and see what he can do.
But if someone were to try it, I don't think it would generate as much fanfare as MJ's move did. Sure, if Brady tried baseball, SportsCenter would go crazy and probably take us to every at-bat live. But would minor league stadiums sell out? Doubtful. In the one season MJ played with the Birmingham Barons, the attendance tripled. Home and road games had the "Stephen Strasburg effect" for a guy who had not picked up a baseball bat since high school! He wasn't a highly touted prospect with once-in-a-lifetime raw talent, highlight videos, or gaudy amateur statistics!
3. The most incredible part of all of this is the following: Michael Jordan won three consecutive titles with the Bulls, then took a year and a half off to play professional baseball, and came back and won another three consecutive titles. That's greatness. That will never, ever happen again in any professional sport. He didn't take a year off to rest and recuperate his body like Favre. He spent that year toiling in baseball stadiums and under the scrutiny of sports media. Yet he came back and picked up right where he left off. Amazing. The greatest ever.
As a whole, "Jordan Rides the Bus" was a solid production and an informative work that any NBA fan should watch. There has always been a lot of speculation over why Michael Jordan decided to retire and play baseball. In this documentary, Shelton does his best to set the record straight. That is, MJ retired for a combination of reasons, namely: 1) he was bored with basketball and had lost his passion for playing; and 2) his father, who was murdered shortly after Jordan won his third NBA championship, had always dreamt for MJ to play baseball, so this was a decision to honor his dad. As a kid, I don't remember any mention of the murder of MJ's father. And perhaps that is for the better because I doubt any parent would want their child watching a news story of a man found dead in a creek. But that is such a vital component of the MJ story and I am glad that I learned of it. Finally, from a production standpoint, I wish the producers had the chance to interview MJ, today, about the events. I noticed that in many of the "30 for 30" pieces, the subjects of the documentaries are rarely featured in present-day interviews. It would have been great to hear from the man himself as he undoubtedly could provide insight/knowledge/information that you simply cannot get from analyzing videotape or talking to friends.
From a sports perspective, here are some things that intrigued me:
1. When MJ went to Chicago Bulls and Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf to inform Reinsdorf of his decision to retire and try baseball, Reinsdorf suggested that MJ talk to coach Phil Jackson about the decision. Reinsdorf felt that Jackson would be able to offer valuable advice/insight to the young star. Jackson, in his meeting with MJ, said, "You have to understand…you are depriving so many people who enjoy this sport [of] the opportunity of such a great amount of pleasure." Two things jumped at me when I heard that line. First, although the Zen Master is completely correct in his assessment, that is truly terrible advice. I wonder how much MJ even considered that in making his decision. I understand the sentiment that professional athletes play "for the fans," but in MJ's situation, was that even an appropriate thing to say? Sprinkled in Jackson's comment is the foundation for today's team/owner/city mentality that a professional athlete is simply property. When LeBron decided to leave Cleveland for Miami, Cavs owner Dan Gilbert and Cavs fans were irate because they felt LeBron owed them his services. They felt he belonged to them. The Ménage à trois between sports franchises, players, and fans, is unique and certainly special. But people need to keep things in perspective.
My second reaction to Jackson's comment is this: Imagine if MJ had stayed in the NBA and played full 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons. Would the Bulls have won eight championships in a row? As unimaginable as the feat seems, if there's one team that could have done it, it was MJ and his Bulls. By all accounts the year off for MJ was valuable to his basketball career--Jackson says MJ became a much better teammate when he returned for the second three-peat. So, being on the conservative side, let's say MJ, suffering from burnout in 1993-94, doesn't win that season, but wins the next season (1994-95). That means in a span of eight NBA seasons, MJ and the Bulls would have won seven titles, including a four-peat. A four-peat? Does that even exist? If that had happened, I don't think we would ever see a more impressive team accomplishment in the modern era.
2. What is today's equivalent of MJ's move to baseball? Think about the components of this career change. For one, he left the top of one sport to go to the middle of another sport. Second, he left money, success, dominance, and everything else that came with being the NBA's top player for road trips on busses with no-names and ballparks that seat roughly 10,000 fans. Third, he moved to a sport that emphasizes completely different skills. And fourth, he left a media that loved him and never questioned him to a media that doubted him and wanted to see him fail. Because baseball is so unique as a sport, the only transitions even comparable to MJ's are another basketball star to baseball or a football star to baseball. And because it's too easy to use a basketball-to-baseball comparison (LeBron, Kobe), let's try football to baseball.
The only equivalent I can think of is Tom Brady moving to baseball (to hit, not pitch) after he had won his third title in four years with the Patriots (2004-05 season). Like Mike, Brady was the unquestioned leader and most valuable component to a team that had a stranglehold on its sport. And like Mike, Brady had a flawless public image and a unique way with the media. Brady does have a more established baseball background than MJ (Brady was drafted by the Expos as a catcher). But the point is you throw Brady in without having any at-bats in the past 10 years, at a somewhat high level in the sport, and see what he can do.
But if someone were to try it, I don't think it would generate as much fanfare as MJ's move did. Sure, if Brady tried baseball, SportsCenter would go crazy and probably take us to every at-bat live. But would minor league stadiums sell out? Doubtful. In the one season MJ played with the Birmingham Barons, the attendance tripled. Home and road games had the "Stephen Strasburg effect" for a guy who had not picked up a baseball bat since high school! He wasn't a highly touted prospect with once-in-a-lifetime raw talent, highlight videos, or gaudy amateur statistics!
3. The most incredible part of all of this is the following: Michael Jordan won three consecutive titles with the Bulls, then took a year and a half off to play professional baseball, and came back and won another three consecutive titles. That's greatness. That will never, ever happen again in any professional sport. He didn't take a year off to rest and recuperate his body like Favre. He spent that year toiling in baseball stadiums and under the scrutiny of sports media. Yet he came back and picked up right where he left off. Amazing. The greatest ever.
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