Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 1, 1994 TAG: 9404010059
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: SARASOTA, FLA. LENGTH: Medium
Michael Jordan will begin his career as a pro baseball player with Birmingham of the Class AA Southern League, where his longest road trip will be a 12-hour bus ride and his meal money will be $16 a day.
The Chicago White Sox assigned Jordan to the Birmingham Barons on Thursday and said he will play his first game April 8 at home against the Chattanooga Lookouts.
"I think it's a level where I'll either make myself or break myself," Jordan said.
Before joining the Barons, however, he will play for the White Sox on April 7 against the crosstown Cubs in the annual Windy City Classic. Then, he will trade in the luxury of the majors for the daily grind of the minors.
"Unfortunately, when you're a first-year player, you only make $850 a month," said Ron Schueler, the White Sox's general manager. "He's not going to be buying many meals now. It will be interesting to see him get on that bus for the first time.
"Right now, he's just a member of the ballclub. He'll be treated just like any other player."
For other players, that means dinner at McDonald's, Waffle House and Cracker Barrel. The Barons will spend a lot of nights in Holiday Inns - they used to stay at the Super 8 in Huntsville, Ala., but have changed hotels this season.
The longest road trip for Jordan and the Barons will be to Orlando, about 525 miles and 12 hours on the bus. It's about the same distance to Jacksonville, and maybe 10 hours to Zebulon, N.C., home of the Carolina Mudcats.
While the life may not be glamorous, it's what Jordan and the White Sox wanted. At Class AAA Nashville, he might have been overmatched at the start; at Class A Hickory (N.C.) or South Bend (Ind.), it might have been too tough to tell how he measured up against quality pitching.
Jordan played for Class A Prince William (Va.) of the Carolina League on Thursday and went 0-for-4 against the Salem Buccaneers. He is 4-for-26 in seven minor-league exhibition games.
The 31-year-old rookie right fielder was 3-for-20 with four walks and a sacrifice fly in major-league exhibition games for the White Sox.
"I'm really looking forward to it, hitting-wise," Jordan said of his Class AA assignment. "The competition will certainly get me prepared so I know where I need to be. Hopefully, it is competitive and, hopefully, I'll respond well to it."
Jordan has indicated he wants to be on Chicago's 40-man roster in September.
"I want to give it a whole year," said the three-time National Basketball Association MVP. "I think in a year's time, I can learn more about my skills than in a month or two. I'm giving it a year's time and then I'll take it from there."
Terry Francona, Birmingham's manager, said having Jordan on his roster will make for an interesting situation.
"The whole idea is to not lose sight that he's trying to get to the big leagues," Francona said. "Everybody who goes there is important to the White Sox. All I have to do is treat him like another player. I get the on-the-field stuff. I get to watch him improve."
Not everyone was happy to hear about Jordan's assignment.
Charles Poe, 22, who had expected to play right field for Birmingham, was assigned to Prince William to make room for Jordan.
"I know he's a big-name guy," said Poe, who batted .249 with Class A Sarasota last year. "I knew when Michael Jordan was coming down, someone would miss some at-bats. It's not Michael Jordan I have a problem with. It's the people who made the decision."
by CNB