A friend texted me the night before the Fourth of July and told me he was watching the ESPN “30 for 30” documentary about Michael Jordan’s season playing baseball for the Birmingham Barons when he heard an “awfully familiar voice.”
I texted him back and said, “MJ’s voice is rather distinct – and the other guy, too.”
Of course, the other guy was me.
The next day, another friend texted me and told me had watched it, and during his viewing, “All of sudden I hear this voice and I knew it was you! Then, you finally showed up! Very cool! You’re a celeb!”
I don’t know about that, but I was the Barons’ beat writer for the Birmingham Post-Herald when Jordan patrolled right field for the team during the 1994 season. The producers of “Jordan Rides the Bus” decided to give me a brief cameo in the 51-minute documentary, which was released in 2010.
I don’t know if that makes me a celebrity, but it was fun to be a part of it – just like it was fun watching the basketball GOAT (Greatest of All Time, just in case you aren’t familiar with that acronym) try his hand at baseball.
Jordan’s diamond foray came a mere two years after he helped the “Dream Team” capture the 1992 Olympic basketball gold medal in Barcelona and a year after he had led the Chicago Bulls to the 1993 NBA championship, the third in the first set of three consecutive NBA championships Jordan and the Bulls won. The second set came from 1996 to 1998 after Jordan had returned to the hardwood.
As a Baron, Jordan wore No. 45, the number he wore for his Laney, North Carolina, High School baseball team, and the Barons traveled on road trips in The JordanCruiser. Jordan didn’t buy the bus, contrary to popular belief, but he ensured it was roomy and comfortable enough to accommodate his 6-foot-6 frame.
Being at the Hoover Met that season was like being at a party every night. The ballpark was packed and alive with energy as fans poured in to see if Jordan really could hit a curveball and smack a home run. Media showed up from around the nation and the world, including Japan and Israel, to chronicle Jordan’s exploits.
A few celebrities – real ones – also flocked to the Met, and so did athletes from other sports. Late in the Barons season, when the Buffalo Bills had an off day during their NFL training camp, Cornelius Bennett and Bruce Smith flew down to watch Jordan from a skybox they shared with Charles Barkley.
One of my lasting memories was walking into the manager’s office outside the Barons’ clubhouse for one of my daily interviews and stories about Jordan. Manager Terry Francona, pitching coach Kirk Champion and Jordan would be in there playing Yahtzee and Francona would look up and say, “What do you want?” He often scolded me for interrupting their game.
Jordan’s popularity helped shatter the franchise’s single-season attendance record (467,867), which has since been broken at Regions Field downtown. The Barons drew 985,185 fans overall – at home and on the road – in 1994.
There were countless stories that season and much has been written and broadcast about it since.
Jordan wound up playing in 127 games, batting .202 with three home runs, 51 runs batted in and 30 stolen bases. He also struck out 114 times and committed 11 errors.
Not too bad for someone playing Double-A baseball, which is kind of a proving ground for major league prospects, for the first time and especially for someone who was 31 years old and hadn’t played baseball since he was 17 in high school.
I can’t believe it’s been 30 years since Jordan rode the bus. And I can’t believe someone thinks I’m a celeb for saying a few words in a documentary about it.
