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        <title><![CDATA[Michael Jordan turned down MLB roster spot with Sandy Alderson’s Athletics]]></title>
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        <lastBuildDate>Wed, 22 Apr 2020 14:38:25 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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            <media:title type="html">Michael Jordan turned down MLB roster spot with Sandy Alderson’s Athletics</media:title>
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        <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Sandy Alderson&#8217;s Tim Tebow signing as Mets general manager was deemed by some as purely a publicity stunt. But that doesn&#8217;t come close to another move Alderson tried to make that didn&#8217;t come to fruition.</p><p>With Michael Jordan a constant topic these days as <strong>ESPN airs &#8220;The Last Dance&#8221; documentary</strong> about the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls, Alderson revealed on Buster Olney&#8217;s <strong>&#8220;Baseball Tonight&#8221; podcast</strong> that he offered Jordan a spot on the Oakland Athletics&#8217; major league roster before Jordan joined the Birmingham Barons, a Chicago White Sox minor league team, for the 1994 season.</p><p>&#8220;When Jordan stopped playing basketball and decided to try baseball and ultimately went down to the Birmingham Barons, the Chicago White Sox affiliate, when I heard that was happening or about to happen, I called his agent right away and said, ‘Hey, look, I understand he may be going to Double-A.’ I said, ‘Look, I don’t even know who the 25th man is on our major league team right now. I will sign him and put him on the major league roster. He’d be part of our 25-man team tomorrow,’&#8221; said Alderson, who spent 17 years as an executive with the A&#8217;s, for whom he&#8217;s now a senior adviser.</p><p>&#8220;And I know this ended up creating some discussion because I ended up getting either a phone call or a message from the White Sox saying, ‘Hey, what’s going on here? This guy is gonna be part of the White Sox organization.’ There’s a relationship between the White Sox and the Bulls, but in any event, somebody accused me of tampering. The guy’s a basketball player. But anyway, that’s one that got away. It would’ve been fun.&#8221;</p><p>Alderson said he&#8217;s sure Jordan would&#8217;ve played because the Athletics &#8220;were going nowhere at the time.&#8221;&nbsp;Jordan&#8217;s agent David Falk confirmed Alderson&#8217;s offer<strong> to MLB.com</strong>. Jerry Reinsdorf owned &#8212; and still owns &#8212; both the Bulls and White Sox.</p><figure id="attachment_15533706"  class="wp-caption alignright"><strong><noscript><img data- data-src="/uploads/2020/04/michael-jordan-baseball-the-last-dance.jpg" class="lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" /><noscript><img  data-src="/uploads/2020/04/michael-jordan-baseball-the-last-dance.jpg" /></noscript></noscript><img class="lazyload" src='data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22%20viewBox=%220%200%20210%20140%22%3E%3C/svg%3E' data- data-src="/uploads/2020/04/michael-jordan-baseball-the-last-dance.jpg" /></strong><figcaption class="wp-caption-text"><span>Michael Jordan in 1994.</span><span class="credit">Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><p>“I was excited about [the offer], and Michael was very appreciative,” Falk said. “But he wanted to do the baseball thing from the ground up. He didn’t feel he deserved a spot on the Major League roster and didn’t feel he was ready. He didn’t want to be a Herb Washington type who would just steal bases and be a part-time outfielder.”</p><p>Alderson, 72, drew a parallel between Jordan&#8217;s situation and the 2016 addition of Tebow, who has risen and plateaued at the Triple-A level for the Mets.</p><p>&#8220;There was a part of the Michael Jordan history in that Tim Tebow signing,&#8221; Alderson said. &#8220;I also thought that Tim, that there would be other benefits to the organization from Tim Tebow being involved, and I don’t think I’ve been disappointed. He’s been a terrific ambassador for the Mets and for baseball. Notwithstanding a bunch of criticism at the time and to some extent that still exists, but Tim I thought had a more legitimate potential over time because he was committed to the sport as opposed to maybe it simply being a distraction from something else.</p><p>&#8220;One of the great things about baseball that we all have to keep in mind is it’s entertainment. It’s a game. Let’s not get too carried away. Let’s not be super serious here and take ourselves too seriously.</p><p>He sure was serious about his Jordan pursuit.</p>]]></content:encoded>
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