Smiles, but Not Hits, Show Jackson Is Back

A reverential hush settled over Comiskey Park, the normal clatter of pregame activity suddenly still, and the Kansas City Royals stopped in mid-stretch in front of their dugout.

When Bo Jackson stepped into the batting cage Monday to prepare for his White Sox debut, he stole the normal ballpark sounds from the air. Only the crack of bat against ball pierced the eerie stillness; twice, the crack was followed by the muted thud of a line drive hitting distant seats.

“If he were to quit football and devote himself to baseball. . . . I think he’d be one of the best ballplayers ever,” Royal designated hitter George Brett said after watching Jackson. “As long as he continues to play football in the off-season, I don’t think we’ll see how good he can be.”

After hitting .272 for the Royals in 1990 with 28 home runs and 78 runs batted in, Jackson joined the Raiders for his fourth NFL season. A tackle during their playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals Jan. 13 damaged his left hip so badly doctors said he might never walk again unaided, leading the Royals to release him March 19.

Two weeks later, while he was still on crutches, the White Sox signed him and guaranteed him $700,000 even if he never played and $10,000 for every game he is able to play.

That bonus kicked in Monday. After months of therapy and a week’s rehabilitation in the minor leagues, Jackson was activated off the disabled list to become the designated hitter for the White Sox, who are desperate to fortify their offense and stay in the American League West race. Batting sixth against Royal starter Luis Aquino, Jackson went 0 for 3 with a sacrifice fly in Chicago’s 5-1 victory.

“No one expected me to do what I did tonight--ever,” said Jackson, who grounded to the pitcher in the second inning, to third base in the fourth inning, flied to deep center in the sixth and drove in the fifth run with a bases-loaded fly to center in the eighth.

“I give thanks to the Lord and all my doctors and all the people who stood behind me. . . ,” Jackson said.

“This has to be at the top of the chart (of personal thrills), because I never had to work this hard to get back on the playing field. Everything always came easy to me. With God’s help and everyone working with me, I was able to do it.”

His performance exceeded the most optimistic hopes of Manager Jeff Torborg, whose team stayed 8 1/2 games behind the division-leading Minnesota Twins with the help of Jackson, seven one-hit innings by rookie and former Angel first-round draft pick Roberto Hernandez and home runs by Frank Thomas and Dan Pasqua.

“I’d never seen Bo run without a limp. He always had a little hitch in his giddy-up, but he didn’t tonight,” Torborg said. “He looked like he was on everything tonight.”

Jackson ran powerfully and fearlessly. “Robin Ventura said my time to first base was faster than his, and he’s perfectly healthy,” Jackson said. “I’m satisfied with what I have now, and I know things are going to get better.”

In contrast to the awed silence he evoked before the game, his first at-bat drew a standing ovation from the crowd of 37,187, and warm applause greeted him in his subsequent plate appearances. Although he didn’t acknowledge the cheers or banners during the game, he later said he was so moved, “You have to be in my shoes to know how it felt. I can’t describe it.” If the commotion was unwanted, he nonetheless dealt with it smoothly.

“He’s kept it low-key, trying to divert the attention away from himself because he’s concerned about being a distraction. That’s a real good sign of how he feels about this team,” said Torborg, who plans to use Jackson only at DH to spare him the strain of playing defense.

“He showed me a lot more tonight than I really thought he would. I’m very impressed by how he played and the way he handled everything. He was calm and cool, and he was having fun. He looked good up there. I was very pleased.”

Although the Raiders have said they would welcome him back, Jackson won’t discuss his thoughts along that line.

Dr. James Boscardin, the White Sox’s team physician, said he would prefer Jackson not play football, and Dr. James Andrews, one of the doctors who supervised Jackson’s therapy, said no decision has been made on his football future. Both said Jackson looked fitter Monday than before.

“Obviously, there’s more risk in football than there is in baseball,” Andrews said. “The risk in football is a direct re-injury to the hip and impact loading over a period of time.”

Football wasn’t on Jackson’s mind Monday or Sunday, when the Raiders opened their season with a 47-17 loss at Houston. Jackson watched a horse race while his teammates watched football.

“I take it one sport at a time, one night at a time,” said Jackson, who said facing his former Royal teammates in his comeback was pure coincidence. “Now I’ve set a goal to get back if not to 100%, to where I’m satisfied.

“For someone that hadn’t seen major league pitching since last October, I think I fared well. I didn’t swing at bad pitches, and everything I swung at I made contact. I got down the line good--not great, but it’s coming.”