Jordan May Be Right, Nobody Can Pay Him What He’s Worth

Can somebody making $3.8 million a year be underpaid? If that somebody is Michael Jordan, the answer is yes.

“Indeed, considering such bloated annual salaries as Danny Ferry’s $4.6 million, Danny Manning’s $6.8 million, A.C. Green’s $6.4 million and Chris Webber’s $7 million, where to even start with a player of Jordan’s caliber and reputation?” wrote Melissa Isaacson of the Chicago Tribune.

Jordan’s current contract expires this summer, so what is he really worth, say $100 million over three years?

Said Jordan, “Nobody can really pay me what I’m worth.”

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Trivia time: Who scored the first defensive touchdown in the Super Bowl?

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Look out below! Bill Lyon in the Philadelphia Inquirer on the Dallas Cowboys’ offensive line:

“The Cowboys beat the Packers in the NFC championship game for the same reason that an antique chair splits when a 350-pound Bubba sits on it.”

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Tune-in early: Ken Rosenthal of the Baltimore Sun on the anticipated Cowboy rout of the Steelers in the Super Bowl: “It will be a ratings blockbuster for, oh, maybe 10 minutes.”

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Changing times: A fleet of a dozen limousines was transported from Dallas to Phoenix to be used by Cowboy stars.

Said former Cowboy wide receiver Drew Pearson, “In my day, we were lucky to have enough money to hail a cab.”

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Line up now: Jim Litke of the Associated Press on the possibility of interleague play in baseball: “It’s not only the test of a good idea, but anything baseball does that gives more Americans a chance to boo Albert Belle in person can’t be all bad.”

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One of a kind: Jim Harbaugh of the Indianapolis Colts is regarded as a fearless quarterback. He says it’s breeding.

“My grandfather, Bill Harbaugh, is the toughest human being I’ve ever met,” Harbaugh told Mark Madden of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

“He’s 81, and he suffered a stroke two months ago. They did some tests and discovered he’d had a massive heart attack last year. He never told anyone. He’s the toughest man alive.”

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Out of place: Another anecdote from the life of the late Minnesota Fats: After watching a televised pool match during which the players wore tuxedos, he said, “Putting a tuxedo on a pool player is like putting whipped cream on a hot dog.”

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FYI: Cotton Fitzsimmons is coaching the Phoenix Suns for the third time. It’s not a record, though. Bob Bass had four coaching stints with the San Antonio Spurs, the last in 1991-92 after replacing Larry Brown near midseason.

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Trivia answer: Green Bay’s Herb Adderley on a 60-yard interception return in Super Bowl II against Oakland in Miami.

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Quotebook: Shaquille O’Neal of the Orlando Magic after scoring 35 points in a rout of Phoenix last Wednesday: “I’m like one of those Japanese bullet trains without brakes: unstoppable.”