If it was a $12,000 publicity stunt, it’s worked.
If it’s a legitimate attempt to find the world’s next two two-sport star, it’ll flop.
Here we are, still frothing at the mouth over the Rangers drafting Seattle Seahawks’ quarterback Russell Wilson. And Wilson’s visit to Surprise, Arizona is still resonating in the desert. During his day with the Rangers at Spring Training, Wilson dreamed of playing both sports, but acknowledged that it would take a “miracle.”
The only man to be named an All-Star is now chiming in on Wilson’s options. His advice: Dance with the girl who brung ya.
“Stick to what got him in the headlines, not baseball,” Bo Jackson told reporters Tuesday at the White Sox Spring Training in Glendale, Arizona. “When I did it 25 years ago, I’m not trying to say anything negative about other athletes, but the talent pool wasn’t that deep. In this day and age, with all the high-tech training, computer-engineered workouts and the proper food and diet, if you try to concentrate on two sports, I guarantee you’re going to ride the bench in both because the talent is that deep. Stick to whatever sport you’re comfortable with and let everything else. Go.”
Jackson, who wowed fans in the late ‘80s with 90-yard touchdown runs and 500-foot homers, admits that even he couldn’t play both sports at that heightened level in today’s sports environment.
“I probably couldn’t, no,” he said. “If my kids want to do both sports … No. No. No. You’ll never get to that level that you want to get if you split your time between multiple sports.”
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So if Wilson listens to the 51-year-old Jackson, he’ll never ditch his football helmet for a batting helmet.
These days, apparently Bo knows … no.
A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He currently writes a sports/guy stuff blog at DFWSportatorium.com and lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.
