Mike's New Gig
            

            Hi--

            Interesting you mentioned Michael Jordan, because I was reading a story in
yesterday's Washington Post about his first practice with the Wizards.
What does it say about a team when its best player is its owner? A lot,
huh?

            So the owner (or president of basketball operations or whatever he is) puts
on a Wizards No. 23 practice jersey (love that) and sits around waiting for the
real players to show up for the morning workout.

            Here's a quote: "I was one of the first guys here," forward Tracy Murray
tells the Post , "and when he (Jordan) saw me, he said, 'What are you
doing showing up late?' I said, 'Late. I'm early.' But he was already dressed
and ready to go."

            This is going to be fun. Here's the story: The wily old veteran as wrecking
ball, crashing into the infrastructure of today's 20-something,
multi-millionaire, "What? Me practice?" new-age sports world. Fabulous.

            As you know, I've never covered the NBA (people reading this must be saying,
what does this woman cover? The answer is the Olympics, and football and
chick soccer--as of last July--and, of course, the most entertaining sport on
the planet, figure skating. Among other things). So I've never reported on
Jordan. Ever. But then I got the call about the 4 p.m. press conference at the
MCI Center and so I made it last week's USA Today column.

            I went in thinking I wouldn't like Jordan. I don't know why I thought this;
probably because of all the MJ hype and MJ adoration and MJ this and MJ that
and a lingering feeling that ESPN SportsCentury totally blew it and should be
renamed ESPN SportsDecade: The '90s. Jordan over Babe Ruth? Or Ali? Come on.
(And where was Billie Jean King on that list? 59 th ? Thanks, boys.
That's what that was: The boys picking their favorite boys who play
sports.)

            But, get this, I loved the guy. I loved the way he came into the news
conference and didn't mince words (mince words? This was a scorched-earth
policy). He called the Wizards "underachieving;" said his agent, David Falk,
was "a pain in the ass;" wondered how "scared" his players would be to practice
against him; and called all his new employees "disposable."

            When was the last time you heard such honesty? Ditka? Bobby Knight? (But who
wants to listen to either of those tired old misbehaving bad boys?)

            What I love about this Jordan thing is that he has embraced an opportunity
that could lead to his total failure on a basketball court. Golf and baseball
are one thing. Now he's putting that golden image of his on the line in the
sport that matters. He left us the last time with that wonderful picture of
hitting the jumper to win Game 6 and the NBA championship in 1998.

            He nails the shot. He wins the title. He walks away. Perfect. (Better than
Ted Williams even.)

            And then he's bored--obviously carpooling wasn't for him--and so he comes
back for more.

            Lucky us, we get to watch.

            See you,
Chris