Page 8 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, May 15, 2020 Fateful decision: Michael Jordan’s 1994 foray into pro baseball had a ripple effect Malden’s Cappuccio had a long pro career, but it may have taken a different path Following is Part One of two-part series telling the story of how a decision by the greatest player in NBA history, Michael Jordan , may very well have influenced the professional baseball fate of Malden High School’s greatest athlete, Carmine Cappuccio. By Steve Freker here has been plenty of discussion and reminiscing about the time the NBA’s greatest player left three world title rings behind, 25 years ago, to embark on a career in a second sport. Those of us who know local sports history are aware of an unspoken ”what might have been” connected to that choice. The greatest-ever NBAer’s choice may have had a direct, ripple effect on the professional career of another greatest ever, Malden High School legend Carmine Cappuccio. A baseball star on three different stages, in high school, college and at times, on the pro level, Cappuccio played professional baseball longer than anyone from Malden ever: nine seasons, over 800 games, more than 3,400 plate appearances and 77 homers, including over 200 games at the Triple-A level – one step from the big leagues, but a big step not eventually taken. Jordan shocked the world in 1994 When Michael Jordan shocked the world for the second time in four months on February 7, 1994, and announced he was coming out of retirement to T currences earlier. Well, the tremors from this announcement traveled nearly 2,000 miles north of the White Sox spring training site in Sarasota, Fla. – all the way to Malden, Mass. Cappuccio a three-sport star at Malden High A 1988 MHS graduate and three-sport All-Scholastic (baseball, basketball, football), the lanky, 6-4 Cappuccio is considered by many as the best and most successful athlete in Malden High School history. Cappuccio’s football team Carmine Cappuccio, Malden High Class of 1988, played for the South Bend White Sox in his professional debut for the Chicago White Sox organization in 1992. (Courtesy Photo) take a swing at a professional baseball career, it was seismic. It made LeBron James’ “The Decision,” when he dumped Cleveland for the first time to run off to Miami in 2010, look like a runof-the-mill TMZ snippet. Jordan’s foray into the world of pro baseball was back in the news all this past week due to the wildly popular, 10-part ESPN In his second season of professional baseball, Malden native Carmine Cappuccio played for the Sarasota White Sox in Single-A ball to start the season. (Courtesy Photo) introspective on his life and career, The Last Dance. The latest installment delved into Jordan’s choice to leave basketball behind and move on to another sport. NBA fans, particularly those in Chicago, were already still shell-shocked from Jordan’s previous news missile, which he launched one day shy of four months earlier. On October 6, 1993, he told the world he was retiring from the Chicago Bulls at the age of 31, after winning the previous three consecutive NBA World Championships. Baseball announcement out of left field The baseball announcement came out of left field, figuratively, but the stature of Jordan in the sports world – there was no one even close at the time – gave his choice instant credibility. It’s Michael Jordan, he can do anything! It certainly did not hurt that NBA legend Michael Jordan shocked the world when in October 1993 (above) he announced he was retiring from basketball, just months after leading the Chicago Bulls to their third straight World Championship. Four months and a day later, in February 1994, he did it again when he announced he would be pursuing a career in professional baseball. (Courtesy Photo) two other larger-than-life sports celebrities were in the midst of a highly successful two-sport career: Bo Jackson of “Bo Knows EVERYTHING” fame (football until 1990; baseball until 1994) and Deion “Prime Time” Sanders. In fact, at the very time Jordan made his baseball bombshell, Jackson was a member of the Chicago White Sox organization. They would end up being in spring training together two weeks later. There were plenty of skeptics when this was front-page news, and lots of sports fans were intrigued by the novelty of the news, regarding the hands-down most well-known athlete in the world. Scratch that, most famous person in the world. Then spring training started and Jordan was settling into his new role and toward the end of the month-long session, it was made known that Jordan, who had been toiling as outfielder, was going to be assigned to start the season with the Birmingham Barons, the White Sox Double-A affiliate in Alabama. What? Double-A? Unheard of! No player with such a dearth of experience as Jordan, despite his expected appeal for ticket sales and every other dollar that could be squeezed out of his choice, would start their career as high as Double-A. But he did. We talked about seismic ocwas considered one of the best ever seen at Pearl Street Stadium in the 1986-1988 seasons, where he established new receiving and scoring records for a season and a career, still holding them to this day. As a 6-4 shooting guard, he bombed away for 40 three-pointers in 1987-88, a school record. In baseball, he graduated as top Golden Tornado in pitching wins and owning every single-season and career record conceivable. His senior year, shortly after registering 50 hits and knocking in 51 runs in just 23 games, Cappuccio was awarded The Boston Globe’s inaugural award as the top male athlete in the state of Massachusetts. A stellar collegiate career followed. Baseball paid for his college education at national power Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla., where he set every hitting record and was a three-time NCAA Division II All-American selectee, first team. A freak knee injury running down to first base, legging out a single, in the first inning of the first game of his junior year, in the spring of 1991, sidelined him for the entire season after undergoing ACL repair surgery. Still, despite the injury, Cappuccio was drafted in the 30th round of the Major League Baseball selection by the Chicago White Sox. Heading into his junior season, before the injury, he was a two-time NCAA All-American pick, rarely seen at any level or DECISION | SEE PAGE 18
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