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Snorts Review Mtiy 1994 EDITOR A PUBLISHER Ernest H. Pitt PRODUCTION STAFF WRITERS Scarteii Cover langgjon Went Jf Kamv Lc* V*"** M?hone Ch.rton.IWw, G'ogory Cl?v MiclHAEl JoRdAN's NlJMbERS Should S i Ieince CRi lies Where are all the critics now? The ones who said that this Grand F.xperimervi; grant - ed only Tiiecause Michael Jor dan was Michael Jordan, thl s gift opportunity for Air to play baseball, was going to fall on its face. Kerplunk. Well. Air has hit better than .300 for much of the sea son. even had a 13-gamc hit 'Air' Jordan ting streak playing Double A hall for the Birmingham Barons. As of this writing. May 9, he was going through a slump and his average had dipped to 2fil (24 for 92). hut Jordan is making hits! Of hts 24 hits, five are doubles and he has seven walks . to help, offset 29 strikeouts. In the outfield, he has 34 putouts, one assist and three errors. For a 3 1 -year-old guy with a slightly hum left knee who haven't played baseball in 15 years that ain't bad. - - "1 saw him in a couple of minor-league games in Flori da," Larry Schmittou, who oversees two minor-league teams in Nashville, the double A Express and the triple A Sounds told the Fort-Worth Star Telegram. "He couldn't even make contract against Double- A pitchers: He's come a long way in a month." Jordan is showing no signs of giving up, even threat ening to tarnish, if only slightly, his bigger-than-life image, his seeming ability to never fail. But maybe that's the beau ty in all of this. In basketball, Jordan was perfect. We couldn't imagine approaching his level of greatness. In baseball, Jordan is everyman. Talented, yes. But everyman anyway. He's got to learn the game. He messes up. Michael Jeffery Jordan is, after all, human. People relate. Jordan is selling out ballparks wherever he goes, he's signing autographs, he's selling cleats and bubble-gum cards. At a time when baseball need a hero, some spotlight, here comes Mike, even though some major-leaguers resent that the bald headed menace has taken over their hallowed grounds. "I don't know if more than 1 of 2 percent of those who saw Jordan play will come back," Schmittou said. "But I do know two things: Those who were here had a good time, and Jordan did something we've been unable to do for years, get black families into the ballpark. Baseball could spend a million promotion dollars trying to get minority, families to the games and not have near the impact Jordan has had." Black Cotao e Sports Review to published by Black Sports Inc . 617 N Liberty St . Winston-Salem. N C 27101 Unsolicited manuscripts and photographs will not b? returned. Inquirtat should be addressed to Ernest H Pitt, Publisher Black Cottage Sports Review, P.O Box V636 Winston-Salem, N C 27102. Cover photo by Gary Obrten BCSR is a supplement to these newspapers: Atlanta Votcm, The BuHatn, Bnltimorm Afro-American. Baton fkxjoa Community leader. Birmingham Timas, Carolina Paaca makar. Carotin* Ttma t. Charleston Chronida Chariotta Post. Dallas Texas Waekty. Iredell County Nam. Ptwiadalphia Tribune, Pittsburgh Couriar, Richmond Afro-Ameri can, Washington Atro-Amarican and lha Wkwton-Salam Chronida Why DIcJim't ikfe NFL PraP i CIiarHl Wai?1? Draft Day Afternoon, a/k/a April 24 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City, came and went and Charlie Ward's name was not called by NFL commissioner Paul Tagli abue. Ward, the Heisman Trophy win ner from Florida State, was rendered a non-factor by the NFL's talent scouts. Did the quarterback receive a ? raw That burning issue has spurred much passionate debate the past few weeks. I say Ward was a victim of the system, even though the NFL claims Ward's downfall was his two-sport resume. "The NFL was pressuring Char lie to tell them something," said Eugene Parker, Ward's agent who also represents Deion Sanders. "They said we need a commitment from you." "And Charlie said, 'Can you give me a commitment?' They obvi ously said no. Charlie said if you take me in the first round, I will play foot ball. He asked. 'Can you commit to rne?*" *Tfe said if you don't taker me in the first rouncl, then I'm leaving my option open. It wasn't an ultimatum." Ward's options were playing in the NFL, or the CFL; or the NBA, or a combination. But, you can essen tially rule out the NFL at this point. So that leaves the NBA and CFL. Ward has played in pre-draft all-star basketball camps, and was named MVP of one such camp in Charlotte during the weekend of the Final Four. Parker believes Ward will be taken in the second half of the First round. Now, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL hold his rights in that league. And with most of the CFL schedule being played during the late summer and early falf months, Ward may opt to play both leagues. Charlie Ward's father, Charlie Ward Sr., who played football for Jake Gaither at Florida A&M, said: Florida State University quarterback Charlie Ward. "We are following Junior. Whatever he does, we are following him and backing him as a family. . "He has his degree in therapeutic recreation. So he can go to work like anybody else, just like the rest of us if he has to. If he's happy* we're happy." The bottom line is this: The NFL apparently did not believe Ward wor thy of being a No. 1 f>ick. His critics and detractors questioned his height and arm strength. NFL scouts list him at 5-1 1 3/4, 1 believe he's taller than that. I've seen Ward attired in a suit, and he wasn't wearing high-hill shoes, either. Is Ward the Incredible Shrinking Man? He must be in the NFL's eyes. But why not select Ward in the seventh round, if nothing else, to gain his rights for the future. You have to admit that many of the players select ed in the seventh round won't make the league anyway. That counters the argument that the league draft is only seven rounds, so you can't "waste" a pick. ' That's company hogwash. Some teams even "waste" a pick in the first round. Because their drafting and tal ent-evaluating ability is no better than that of a 5 -year-old. Did some one say the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have been drafting in the top five-top 10 for the past decade (it only seems longer) but still wallow in mediocrity. Some have put the bTame on Ward for supposedly issuing the NFL an ultimatum with the first-round statement. I don't consider that an ultimatum. It's just good business. Ward obviously didn't want to be an afterthought in the draft, as so many black quarterbacks have been. He was saying essentially: I have stock; so take stock in me. Ward Sr. indicated that he was not angry with the NFL, saying, "I was shocked and surprised that nobody would take a chance on the best quarterback in the land. The Wards are confident people. When you say we can't do something, we do it. We are people who like chal-. lenges." Well, so far the NFL has proved - whether justly or not - that it's one challenge the Wards haven't been able to overcome. ? Gregory Clay I Hill ta!<es Job iN CANAdiAN Leaque Hampton assistant football coach Donald Hill, in the works of the old "Jeffersons' T.V. show, is moving on up. Hill, who's served the past two years on coach Joe Taylor's staff was recently hired by the Canadi an Football League's Baltimore Colts. * Prior to joining the Hampton staff. Hilt spent two years at Virginia Union as a quarterbacks and receivers coach. The Suffolk, Va. native is a Union graduate and finished his master's degree in counsel ing at Hampton in May. Hill helped run the Colts tryout camp in Hamp ton and worked the club's open tryout in Baltimore. He officially joined the Colts on May 1 . As a college assistant. Hill helped the Pirates to a 39-8-1 record in four years. During the last two, Hampton was 2 1 -3- 1 .
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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May 26, 1994, edition 3
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