Jordan Has a Worthy Defense for This Pick

Michael Jordan, in an interview in the issue of Slam magazine that goes on sale Monday, is asked to name his ultimate starting five from his era.

Although Jordan declines to accept the label as “greatest of all time,” the assumption can be made that he would name himself the shooting guard. He names Magic Johnson the point guard -- “without a doubt.”

His center is Hakeem Olajuwon, although he says he never saw Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in his prime.

Jordan, requesting the use of a sixth man, says he would split Scottie Pippen and Larry Bird at small forward.

Saying, “I’m a Carolina guy,” Jordan names James Worthy his power forward.

“Charles is going to be mad,” Jordan says, referring to Charles Barkley, “but I know Charles never played defense.”

Trivia time: What was the Chicago Bulls’ series record in the NBA Finals when they had Jordan and Pippen?

A minor role: Director Ron Shelton’s 1988 classic “Bull Durham” starred Kevin Costner as over-the-hill minor league catcher Crash Davis, and Trey Wilson played Manager Joe Riggins.

At the time, the first-year manager of the real Bulls of Durham, N.C., was Grady Little. He soon became a technical advisor.

“We showed up after their minor league season had ended,” Shelton recalled recently, “and I needed a baseball man to help with the technical stuff. Grady was there, we asked him, and he suddenly had a decent-paying, two-month, off-season job.”

Asked his impression of the Dodgers’ manager back then, Shelton said, “He is way smarter than he wants you to think he is.”

Fowl tip: The Durham Bulls made news recently when a seagull was hit by a pitch as it swooped down between the mound and home plate during a game between the Bulls and the Buffalo Bisons at Buffalo.

Wrote Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times: “The bird regained consciousness, thought better of charging the mound, and flew away.”

Not a first: During an exhibition in 2001, Randy Johnson, then of the Arizona Diamondbacks, threw a pitch that killed a dove. And in 1983, Dave Winfield, then with the New York Yankees, threw a ball that hit a seagull at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto. Winfield was initially charged with cruelty to animals, but the charge was dropped.

Looking back: On this day in 1990, Nolan Ryan pitched his sixth no-hitter as the Texas Rangers beat the Oakland Athletics, 5-0. Ryan became the first to pitch no-hitters for three teams -- he had four with the Angels and one with the Houston Astros -- and, at 43, the oldest to throw one.

Trivia answer: 6-0.

And finally: Notre Dame Coach Charlie Weis, a guest on FSN’s “Best Damn Sports Show Period,” was asked about Reggie Bush’s pushing Matt Leinart over the goal line against the Fighting Irish. “I would have wanted my player to do the same thing,” he said. “How can you condemn a guy for doing something you’d want your own guy to do?”

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Larry Stewart can be reached at larry.stewart@latimes.com.