No Matter the Time, This Bo’s on the Go

Scanning the American League leaders, the name you see most regularly is Bo Jackson’s. Bo is first in home runs, second in both runs scored and runs batted in, and fourth in stolen bases.

However, Bo invariably starts as fast as treated charcoal. Two years ago he catapulted through April with 15 RBIs and a .324 average. Last year Bo had a swell April--four homers, 11 RBIs--then was a cyclone in May: .330, five dingers, 19 RBIs. This April, his eight homers, 20 RBIs and nine steals, was more of the same. All of which leads to an annual rite of spring--wondering if this is the year Bo Jackson becomes Mickey Mantle. In turn, that wonder leads to the question: So when is Bo going to forget about this cockamamie football-baseball thing already?

The Royals must be terribly frustrated. They’re looking at a player who has holes in his swing, who doesn’t truly know how to run the bases, who throws off the wrong foot. Yet he’s a once-in-a-lifetime athlete with bottomless natural ability that compensates for every mistake. Joking around at the batting cage two seasons back in Royals Stadium, Bo took five five swings lefty and blasted two out. “You want to know how good he is?” a scout asked The Washington Post’s Richard Justice, then told this apocryphal anecdote, “I saw him hit a ball to deep center field. He ran out and caught it, then turned around, and beat his own throw back to the plate.” Already a legendary talent, Bo never has hit above .209 after the all-star break. Every scout says the same thing: Imagine what Bo could do if he actually knew how to play the game. That’s all the Royals are asking: enough time alone with Bo to teach him. But whenever the opportunity presents itself, he’s off playing football.

The Raiders must be terribly frustrated, too. Let the Royals think they’ve got Mickey Mantle, the Raiders think they’ve got Jim Brown. They can’t believe Bo’s wasting time playing pepper.

It’s possible there has never been a pro athlete as gifted as Bo Jackson, one apparently touched by greatness in two major sports. (Attention couch potatoes: He does it without lifting weights. What a wonderful way to spit in the eye of the insufferable plague of electrochemical jock-technology in today’s sports.).

Danny Ainge made the National Basketball Assn. all-star game, but was just a passable infielder for the Toronto Blue Jays. Dave DeBusschere pitched briefly for the White Sox, but abandoned it for basketball. John Elway dabbled at baseball, but concentrated on football. Deion Sanders--if he’s Prime Time, then Bo’s All Time--says he may play football and baseball. Meanwhile, Bo continues at both, to the chagrin of public opinion, which thinks he should pick up on one and let the other one ride.

Speaking for the minority, I hope he continues the romance. It should be clear he loves playing both sports. Why make him choose? To satisfy someone else’s sense of neatness? People ought to applaud his commitment to the joy of sports, shout hurrah for the year-round pleasure he gies. Whatever happened to the liberal artist, or did everybody become a business major? Let the guy have fun. It’s his life, isn’t it?

Considering his athletic ability, Bo ought to play more sports. His sneaker commercials imply he’s thinking of branching out. One has him running, with the underline, “Another day, another hobby.” One has him dunking a basketball, pondering the sound of “Air Bo.” A third has him cycling, asking, “When’s that Tour de France thing?”

Bo, just do it.

This week, for example, he could come to Hyattsville, Md., and win the Ladies Pro Bowlers Tour at Fair Lanes. From there, he could fly to Oakland and play center for Golden State against Utah. The Warriors don’t have a center. Pardon me, they have Manute Bol firing up 3s, and they have Ralph on his keister. (Can you believe that? Ralph’s 28, smack in the prime of what should be an unparalleled career, and instead he’s on the wood. No time. Nada, zip, zilch, zero, not one single minute so far in the playoffs. Incredible. You could probably have him for a meat-loaf sandwich; if I’m the Bullets I’m toasting the bread right now. Ralph can’t be this bad, can he? Five years ago you’d have been locked up for predicting that Ben Coleman and Mike Brown would be getting more NBA time than Ralph. Everybody’s getting more time than Ralph. Jimmy Hoffa comes back, he’s getting more time than Ralph. Not since the Titanic has anyone sunk like this.)

Bo could’ve saved Arena Football. He goes into the National Lacrosse League as an impact player. He may be thinking of doing that; he’s reportedly filmed a sneaker commercial playing lacrosse. Why not soccer?