Daily Herald writers share memories of Jordan

Simply unforgettable

I'm a lucky guy. I got to witness up close some of Michael Jordan's greatest moments.

Unforgettable memories.

During those magical days of the Bulls' run to six NBA titles, I would get to leave the hockey beat and help with our basketball coverage.

I was first row courtside at Chicago Stadium in 1988 when Jordan won the slam-dunk competition.

I was there under the east basket at the Stadium in 1991 when Jordan flew through the air past A.C. Green for that right hand to left hand layup against the Lakers in Game 2 of the NBA Finals.

And my best Jordan memory of all: Sitting under the basket at Madison Square Garden for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals when Michael, Horace Grant and Scottie Pippen denied the Knicks' Charles Smith what would have been the go-ahead basket in the final seconds.

It was a 2-2 series with the Bulls leading 95-94 and under 10 seconds to play when Smith got the ball in the lane. Smith had four tries, the first blocked by the Grant, the second by Jordan and the last two by Pippen.

The Bulls won 97-94 and took the series in six games en route to their third title.

I'll never forget the intensity of those blocks by Jordan and Pippen. The sound. Whack. Whack. Whack. I was a mere few feet away.

Jordan was the greatest competitor I have ever seen.

-Tim Sassone

Signature moment

My Michael Jordan memory is baseball-related, not basketball.

Back in the spring of 1994, I headed to Sarasota, Fla., for my first spring training as the Daily Herald's White Sox beat writer.

It was Jordan's first spring as a professional baseball player, and I'll never forget all the daily commotion surrounding No. 45.

One incident will never be forgotten.

The White Sox were getting ready to play the Pittsburgh Pirates in a Grapefruit League game, and a clubhouse kid came over to Jordan's locker with a box of a dozen baseballs.

It was business as usual, Jordan being swamped with autograph requests.

"Can you sign these?" the clubbie asked Jordan.

"Who are they for?"

"(Pirates center fielder) Andy Van Slyke," the kid said.

"Get them out of here. @%$&%@."

Jordan couldn't believe that Van Slyke, now coaching first base for the Detroit Tigers, had the gall to ask for autographs after publicly mocking his attempt to switch from basketball to baseball at the age of 31.

- Scot Gregor

Par for the course

Almost 10 years to the day I was at a legendary golf course covering the exploits of a Living Legend, and every step of the way it was blowing my mind.

I'm out here at Beverly Country Club for the Chicago Open, I thought, and along with a gallery of around 100 people I'm following this golfer - Michael Jordan.

What was going on? The Bulls star had just retired again after a second three-peat, and this time around, instead of baseball, golf seemed to be the sport of choice in his golden years. After a decent start, parring four of his first five holes, Jordan stumbled and finished with an opening-round 84. Afterward, he admitted the course had gotten the best of him.

Things didn't improve the next day and Jordan failed to make the cut. His final score? Appropriately, 23 over.

-Mike Spellman

A near miss

Like a quarterback dropping back to pass, the clock in my head was ticking.

NBA locker rooms are supposed to open 10 minutes after the game ends, so I figured I had a little time to go back to the United Center press room and write a few paragraphs about the just finished Bulls-Milwaukee Bucks game, then go down the hall to the teams' locker rooms.

After a few minutes of typing, I went out to the hall. Seeing the Bulls locker room still wasn't open, I went into the Bucks' locker room to talk to Glenn Robinson, all the while hearing that tick, tick, tick in my head. I couldn't miss my first (and, it turned out, only) chance to talk to Michael Jordan after a game.

After a few minutes with Robinson, I headed back out to the hallway, only to be confronted with a line of media people that looked at least 40-yards long leading to the still-closed Bulls locker room.

By the time I finally made my way inside, the half-circle of people around Jordan's locker was about eight deep. As some in front got what they needed and left, others moved forward to begin the process anew, presumably asking many of the same questions, until at long last I got close enough to reach my tape recorder far enough to record something.

Then time was up. Deadline was approaching, and I had to finish writing quickly to make that ticking sound go away.

- Orrin Schwarz