Bo Jackson: Big Talent, Big Gamble

B o Jackson Placed on Waivers.

There’s a headline for you.

In the shock value division, can you think of another that would even come close?

Babe Ruth Cut.

John Wooden Fired.

UC Irvine Asks Permission To Interview P.J. Carlesimo.

Bo Jackson is on waivers and we’ve been waiting for the rest of major league baseball to pick itself off the floor to see what happens next. If Kansas City took the plunge Monday, 25 other teams are now twisting by the pool. Confronting them is either the opportunity of a lifetime or the gamble of a lifetime, Pete Rose’s included.

Technically, Bo can be bought for $1. That’s the going rate on the waiver wire, which is pure Crazy Eddie stuff. Bo for a buck. Last year, you couldn’t have gotten Bo for Buck Rodgers, Buck Williams, Buck Henry and the Milwaukee Bucks. Now, you can get Bo Jackson cheaper than Bo Jackson’s baseball card.

These prices are insane.

Except that the buck doesn’t stop there. A dollar only gets you in.

Two million, minimum, keeps you in.

The Royals were cutting overhead, straight and simple, by waiving Jackson now, three weeks before opening day. By doing so, Kansas City is only responsible for one-sixth of Jackson’s $2.4-million salary, leaving the other five-sixths to Bo’s next boss, whoever and whenever that may be.

So for $2,000,001, you can own the rights to Bo. That’s it. That’s the guarantee. There is no warranty, because Bo might never play baseball again. This season is out for sure, the doctors say, and maybe all the other seasons after that. Then again, maybe Bo comes back in 1992 hitting 450-foot pop-ups and hitting the cutoff man from the 350-foot sign--and for a limited time only, right now, he could be all yours.

Do you go for Door No. 1 or Door No. 2?

The Angels, along with about 24 other teams, continue to mull the question.

“When I heard he was released,” Angel CEO Rich Brown said Tuesday, “I immediately called (General Manager) Mike Port and told him to look into it. The critical thing, from our standpoint, is, how bad is he? One rumor we’ve heard is that Bo has the same thing Neil Lomax had. Neil Lomax just got rewarded with an artificial hip.

“We also have to consider the financial exposure. Would we love to have a healthy Bo Jackson? I can taste the very thought of it in my mouth. Would we love to pay $2 million for a player who could play in name only? No.”

Bo’s availability also catches the Angels at a bad time, Brown said.

“Our payroll is bursting right now,” he said. “I just paid $1.4 million for Dave Parker, a year, and he’s someone who I know is going to help us. I am not of the mind to pay $2 million for someone who may not. I’d rather give that money to charity. There are a lot of worthwhile causes that could use $2 million.”

So much for the reasons against.

Now, on to the reasons for:

1) The Angels are geographically desirable, situated just a traffic jam from the Los Angeles Coliseum, where Bo plays his football, when he plays. With the Angels, he could be a Southern California man for all seasons, assuming he’s medically cleared for all seasons.

2) The Angels once drafted Bo, during his junior year at Auburn. “And one of the darkest days ever was his decision not to sign,” Brown said.

3) Bo likes Anaheim Stadium, as his leadoff home run in the 1989 All-Star Game will attest. “Come this September,” Brown said, “that ball may even come down.”

4) Bo would rattle the balance of power in the American League West on two fronts--adding to the Angels while subtracting from the Royals. “As much as I like Gary Gaetti,” Brown said, “one of the main purposes for us signing him was to take him out of a division rival’s lineup and put him into ours. It would be the same thing with Bo Jackson.”

5) The Angels have time to wait. Bo is 28. If he sits out a year, he’s 29. If he sits out two, he’s 30. A couple years’ grooming after that and Bo will almost be ready to crack the Angels’ lineup.

“We haven’t come to a definite decision either way,” Brown said. “We still have a little time to play with (before the Friday waiver deadline). We’re huddling with our doctors and trying to make the best physical evaluation we can.”

At best, consider the Angels leery. Brown admitted that the Royals’ abrupt action Monday on Jackson gives him pause.

“Obviously, Kansas City is a bright organization and they seem to be convinced that he’s through for this year and more,” he said. “At the very least, you hear he’s out through the All-Star break. Well, when a player goes down and he’s going to be out half a season, a team just doesn’t go out and release him.

“The Royals acted upon it so quickly. And if it wasn’t for health alone, if there were personal problems, they would have gotten rid of him by trading him. Think of what he could have brought them.”

Bo Jackson, the unprecedented two-sport superstar, has presented baseball with an unprecedented challenge, pushed it to an unprecedented crossroads. For 25 teams, the choice is theirs. For $2 million, one of them can have it all--the best athlete of the era--or possibly nothing at all.

“Nobody is going to spend $2 million for a player who can’t play,” Brown said. “You don’t sign a big name just to keep a big name around. If that were the case, I’d be bringing in Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio. They’d be enjoyable to have around, too.”