Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 4, 1994 TAG: 9403040209
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: From Associated Press reports
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Jordan went 0-for-3, barely missing an extra-base hit before striking out twice on off-speed pitches, and dropped a wind-blown fly ball that doomed his team to a 12-7 defeat Thursday in an intrasquad game for the Chicago White Sox in Sarasota, Fla.
"Some critics may see it as a setback, but I saw it as an opportunity to go out and see what a baseball game is like," Jordan said.
"It was my first game, and I felt nervous and out of my element," he said. "Hopefully, I'll get another chance and be a little more comfortable."
Gene Lamont, the White Sox's manager, said Jordan would not start today in the exhibition opener against Texas. But Lamont said Jordan is likely to play some in right field.
"If he'd gone 3-for-3 or 0-for-5, I don't think it would've made any difference," Lamont said. "It was just a chance for him go out there. He probably hit the hardest ball of the day."
In his first at-bat, facing the fastballs of prospect James Baldwin, Jordan hit a line drive into the gap that left fielder Warren Newson caught with a backhanded dive.
Jordan, batting sixth for a team led by coach Joe Nossek, had a tougher time against rookies Rod Bolton and Scott Christman.
Jordan was called out by college umpire Cal Van Auken on a 1-2 sinker by Bolton and swung far ahead of a 2-2 change-up by Christman.
No pitcher threw close to Jordan, and he managed a total of three foul balls in his three at-bats.
"No hits, but certainly I felt comfortable at the bat," Jordan said. "I saw every pitch. I saw some good ones."
Jordan was on the same team as Jack McDowell and did not face the Cy Young winner. AL MVP Frank Thomas, Robin Ventura and most of Chicago's regulars did not play.
Earlier in the fifth inning, Jordan was fooled by the wind. With two out, two runners on and the score 6-6, Joe Hall sliced a high fly into the 25-mph gusts. Jordan, instructed to play deep, ran in and toward the line, but the ball glanced off his glove, a model specially made by Wilson with his name in it. One run scored on the play, and eight runs scored in an inning that included errors by all three outfielders.
"I didn't think I would be able to reach it," Jordan said. "When I did, I was not able to collect myself, and the ball hit the heel of my glove.
"That was one of those mistakes you don't want to happen because everybody is paying attention to you. I think everybody forgot the center fielder's and left fielder's error, but they remember mine. But I realize that."
Jordan played all six innings of a game that included 17 hits, four errors, six walks and five hit batters. Hall, competing with Jordan for a job, also hit a solo homer and a two-run single.
In other baseball:
\ BONILLA WANTS TO PLAY IN THE NBA: If Michael Jordan can live out his fantasy, Bobby Bonilla doesn't see why he can't pursue his two-sport dream.
So as outrageous as it may sound, a resolute Bonilla told the New York Daily News on Wednesday that he wants to play professional basketball . . . in the NBA, no less.
"I figure this is the day and age of two-sport athletes. I'd like to give it a go," Bonilla said after the Mets' rain-shortened workout. "I'm not being facetious. Michael is doing it. It's something I'd love to try. My brother-in-law keeps egging me on.
"I know I'm not as tall as these guys in the NBA, but I do know that I can score. All I'm looking for is a team willing to give me a shot."
That in itself would be quite a long shot. Bonilla, who never played basketball in high school or college, hasn't designed a plan of action for his NBA dream and understands his chances of ever stepping on an NBA court are slim.
Still, all Bonilla is asking for is an opportunity.
"Michael wasn't a baseball player, but Chicago gave him a chance," he said. "I'm fired up for him. I want him to make it. I just want a chance. But I also know it would cut into the baseball season, so the Mets won't go for it."
Keywords:
BASEBALL
by CNB