NewsFrancona reflects on managing Jordan
As legend goes into NBA Hall, skipper recalls Birmingham '94
By Ian Browne / MLB.com
09/11/09 7:45 PM ET
BOSTON -- At the same time the Red Sox were hosting the Rays on Friday night at Fenway Park, Michael Jordan -- one of the most storied athletes of all-time -- was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.While most New Englanders remember Jordan for some of his epic duels with Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics, Red Sox manager Terry Francona had a far closer connection with the megastar.
Remember Jordan's first retirement in 1993, when he pursued a professional baseball career? Jordan's manager for his only Minor League season (1994) was Francona. The two men formed a bond with the Double-A Birmingham Barons, and also after the season in the Arizona Fall League.
"His attitude towards baseball was very refreshing," Francona said. "He treated me and the staff and the players with a lot of respect. He treated the game with a lot of respect. In the situation he was in, you needed to be patient with him. But it was easy to be patient because of the way he treated everybody else. It was a really good year. I was with him in Birmingham and then went to the Fall League, so I spent basically a year with him and I feel better off for it."
Francona is convinced that Jordan could have gotten to the Major Leagues if he had stuck with it instead of returning to the National Basketball Association in 1995.
"I think if he was willing to invest a couple of more full years, where you're looking at 800 to 1,000 at-bats, I have a feeling he would have found a way to the Major Leagues," Francona said. "Because the one thing I did find out is, if you tell him no, the answer is yes."
There were all kinds of competitive situations in which Francona got a close look at how the legend of Jordan was formed.
"He's the most competitive person. The stories you hear about his competitiveness are true," Francona said. "That's why he is who he is. I know the talent is there. He's the most competitive person you'll ever see. That doesn't mean he wins at everything he does. But it means he's the most competitive. We played pingpong, tennis, golf. If you were able to compete, we did it."
Francona learned before long he should duck if Jordan lost.
"I saw him break a pingpong table. I saw him break a tennis racket. He didn't take losing very well," Francona said.
And in probably the biggest treat of all, Francona got to play pickup basketball with Jordan.
"About three or four times, out in the Fall League," Francona said. "We actually did in Birmingham, too. But it was a getting a little competitive. As a Double-A manager, that's not what you need, to call in to [former White Sox general manager] Ron Schueler and say somebody just broke an ankle. We had to kind of cool that one a little bit."
The Barons definitely got a more comfortable bus once Jordan arrived, though Francona says stories about the bus took on a life of its own.
"We got a new bus because he was there, but that's what it was -- a new bus," Francona said. "It didn't have a minibar or a jacuzzi. It just didn't stink as much as the old one. And it didn't break down nearly as much. It was just a bus. It was kind of pretty. It looked a little bit like the Partridge Family, but it was still a bus."
What was Francona's initial reaction when he heard he would be managing Jordan?
"It was about 7 o'clock in the morning. We were in the trailer for the Minor League meeting," Francona said. "And I didn't react. I think I was half-asleep. And I didn't realize what it meant. I was like, 'I'll handle this.' By the time I left the trailer, 10 minutes later, there was all this media standing outside. I thought, 'Uh-oh.' We went from [local media] to 'Nightline.' So it was a good learning experience for me. We learned to be organized and to deal with the media. Like I said, it was probably a very good learning experience."
In Jordan's lone baseball season, he hit .202 with three homers and 51 RBIs. Jordan also stole 30 bases. Perhaps his most thrilling moment came on a night Francona had him on the bench.
"He pinch-hit one night in Jacksonville," Francona said. "He had a scheduled night off and whatever happened, I don't know how he got to it, but he ended up pinch-hitting with the game on the line. And he didn't get a hit. But after the game, he came in and said, 'Thank you.' And I hadn't done it as a favor. I don't know why we did it. At that point of his career, I think that was every bit as exhilarating as him trying to hit a 3-pointer. Game on the line, his at-bat. It was a time in his life when that's what he needed to do."
But on Friday, Jordan celebrated the time of his life when he was the best in the world in a different sport -- maybe the best ever.
Ian Browne is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
