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If their paths ever do cross again, Glenn DiSarcina believes his old Birmingham Barons teammate would remember him. But they roam different galaxies. DiSarcina lives in Shirley and is the baseball coach at Groton (Mass.) School. Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player ever -- and most famous .202 hitter in Double-A baseball history -- is majority owner of the NBA's woeful Charlotte Bobcats. The two were teammates 19 years ago, riding through the Southern League in a $350,000 luxury bus provided by a Birmingham, Ala., tour company in exchange for Jordan appearing in a magazine advertisement. The Saratogian

Charlotte Bobcats, Michael Jordan, MLB, Glenn DiSarcina 

On the team bus and inside the Barons clubhouse, Jordan was just one of the guys, says DiSarcina. He just had a lot more walking-around money. The team had a Dominican catcher named Rogelio Nunez. Jordan took it upon himself to help Nunez improve his English. He offered Nunez $100 each time the catcher correctly spelled a baseball term that began with a certain letter. Jordan would give Nunez the letter the day before and tell him to study overnight. Unbeknownst to Jordan, Nunez's studying consisted of going to his English-speaking teammates for a cheat list of possible terms. "I think he made $2,000 before Michael caught on," says DiSarcina. The Saratogian

Charlotte Bobcats, Michael Jordan, MLB, Glenn DiSarcina 

"He was a great teammate. He worked extremely hard," says DiSarcina. "If he had come out as an 18-year-old and worked strictly on baseball, he would have been in the big leagues in four or five years. For athletic ability, nobody was better." The Saratogian

Charlotte Bobcats, Michael Jordan, MLB, Glenn DiSarcina 

Bo Jackson, the former Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals outfielder who threw out the first pitch Monday at U.S. Cellular Field, defended Bulls star Derrick Rose for taking the deliberate course back to the court after ACL surgery last May. "I am quite sure that Derrick is going to come back when he needs to," Jackson told reporters in the press box during a wide-ranging conversation. "I couldn’t say either way whether he should or not. Derrick will know when it’s time to come back. I think he has handled it very well. It seems like the people who are having fits about this are you guys. "Derrick has handled it well. He is a new dad and seems happy. Why push it? Between the media and the public pushing him he should come back, he should come back ... what if he did come back and reinjure himself? Then you’re going to point fingers at the staff of the Bulls saying he shouldn’t have come back. You guys can’t have it both ways. Let him heal, come back home and when he comes back home, welcome him." Chicago Tribune

Chicago Bulls, Derrick Rose, Injuries, MLB, Bo Jackson 

Prior to those jobs, Courtney spent time in Houston, where he announced games for the Rockets of the NBA, Astros in MLB and the Gamblers of the now-defunct United States Football League. The Sports Network

Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Media, MLB, David Courtney 

If embattled Alex Rodriguez needs any advice, an avid New York Yankees supporter welcomes A-Rod to call him. That fan would be LeBron James. In an interview Friday with FOX Sports Florida, the Miami Heat star talked about the surprising drop-off and benching experienced by Rodriguez in the postseason and offered his assistance. "If he wanted to reach out to me, I've never turned down a phone call to help somebody," James said. FOXSports Florida

Miami Heat, LeBron James, MLB, Alex Rodriguez 

"I've always kind of wished him the best and wanted him to do well because I was in that same position, people saying you can't win one, you can't win, you don't show up under pressure," said James, who won his first title last season in his ninth NBA year while Rodriguez won his one World Series with the Yankees in 2009 in his 16th season. "It was good to see him actually play the way he played when they actually won it. He was a big reason why they won it. "You always hear the saying, ‘What have you done for me lately?' It sucks that it had to come to that, that one of the greatest baseball players of all time is actually scrapped out of the lineup when he's still capable of playing baseball. I think we all think he's capable of still doing it. It's like, ‘What happened?"' FOXSports Florida

Miami Heat, LeBron James, MLB, Alex Rodriguez 

Carmelo Anthony isn't a Yankees fan, but seeing what happened to Alex Rodriguez during the ALCS didn't sit well with the Knicks' star mall forward. "I just feel bad for A-Rod, man," Anthony said. "I don't like to see nobody go through that. It's tough." Rodriguez was benched in Game 3 and wasn't in the starting lineup for Game 4, but entered the game as a pinch hitter. Anthony couldn't see himself being benched. "I can't imagine that," Anthony said. "I can't imagine that." Newsday

New York Knicks, Carmelo Anthony, MLB, Alex Rodriguez 

The Rangers’ situation right now is remarkably similar. They were one strike away (twice) from a World Series title but failed to slam the door on the St. Louis Cardinals. They followed that up with one of the worst late-season collapses in baseball history, allowing the Oakland A’s to rally from 13 games back to win the AL West, and then losing the wild-card game to ex-Rangers manager Buck Showalter’s Baltimore Orioles. “It’s painful, incredibly painful,” Cuban said, reflecting on his experience and imagining how Nolan Ryan, Jon Daniels and the rest of folks in the Rangers’ front office feel. “They’re probably still not leaving their houses to go out and see the world. Don’t eat as much pizza delivery as I did.” ESPN.com

Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban, MLB 

The New York Yankees' 2-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series was a world away. But the struggles of his friend Alex Rodriguez were not. "We spoke a couple of days ago," Bryant said of Rodriguez, whom he befriended on the set of a commercial a few years ago. "You can only control what you can control. You go out there and do the best job you can. If they take you out of the lineup, it's really on you to be a good teammate and support the other guys, which he's good about doing." ESPN.com

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, MLB, Alex Rodriguez 

But that's not exactly what Bryant said when he called Rodriguez, who was benched for Game 3 on Tuesday night because he's hit .143 in the ALCS and .130 in the playoffs with no RBIs. No, that conversation went more like this: "I just say to him, 'You're Alex Rodriguez. You're A-Rod. You're one of the best to ever do it,'" Bryant said. "I think sometimes he kind of forgets that and wants to try to do the right thing all the time. Which is the right team attitude to have. But other times you really have to put your head down and say, 'Hell with it' and just do your thing. "Hopefully the next game they'll kind of give him a chance, maybe put him back at third and let him respond to the pressure, which I think he'll do." ESPN.com

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, MLB, Alex Rodriguez 

Ricky Rubio is all about unity in the community. Even though the Timberwolves phenom has been sidelined while recovering from his ACL tear, he still made it out to support his hometown Twins on Saturday. MLB.com

Minnesota Timberwolves, Ricky Rubio, MLB 

This was only the second time in his life Rubio has attended a baseball game, as the sport doesn't exist professionally in his native Spain. MLB.com

Minnesota Timberwolves, Ricky Rubio, MLB 

Ozzie Guillen's self-imposed probation stemming from April's five-game suspension doesn't extend to sensitivities involving the struggles of Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat. A day after having vowed to be done with Twitter, the outspoken manager wasn't backing off his shoot-from-the-hip style of expression, saying Wade's behavior toward Heat coach Erik Spoelstra during a Thursday loss "can guarantee a fight." "I will kick his ass," Guillen told reporters Friday. "Well, I won't say I'll kick his ass. They'll kick my ass because they're bigger than me, and I'm older. But I will take my chances. Some people have to understand our job." ESPN.com

Miami Heat, Dwyane Wade, Erik Spoelstra, MLB, Ozzie Guillen 

We’re still more than a few weeks away from some team claiming the Larry O’Brien trophy, but we can go ahead and crown the undisputed champ of professional sports leagues on Twitter. The NBA wins in a runaway. The NBA’s Twitter feed has a robust 5 million-plus, and counting, followers (5,011, 814 as of this morning). That dwarfs the National Football League’s 3,332,082, Major League Baseball’s 2,044,861 and the National Hockey League’s 1,166,503. NBA.com

Twitter, NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB 

Reactions from the Lakers and throughout the NBA on news that Magic Johnson's group is buying the Dodgers: — Jerry Buss, Lakers owner: "Magic Johnson is probably the most beloved sports figure in Los Angeles history. In addition to being a phenomenal success on the court in leading the Lakers to five NBA championships, he has been a success in everything else he's become involved with, most notably his spectacular business career and also his educational campaign on behalf of HIV awareness. I'd like to congratulate Magic and his partners on their acquisition of the Dodgers and wish them the best of luck." — Kobe Bryant: "Magic's got his hands everywhere, man. But I'm happy for him. Obviously, everybody knows how well-loved he is in Los Angeles and he's starting another chapter in his life and another chapter in his post-NBA career of rebuilding the Dodgers' franchise." Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Jerry Buss, MLB, Los Angeles Dodgers 

One Los Angeles institution is buying another. A group that includes former Lakers star Magic Johnson and longtime baseball executive Stan Kasten agreed Tuesday night to buy the Dodgers from Frank McCourt for a record $2 billion. The price would shatter the mark for a sports franchise. Stephen Ross paid $1.1 billion for the NFL’s Miami Dolphins in 2009, and in England, Malcolm Glazer and his family took over the Manchester United soccer club in 2005 in a deal then valued at $1.47 billion. Yahoo! Sports

Los Angeles Lakers, Magic Johnson, MLB, Los Angeles Dodgers 

The deal, revealed about five hours after Major League Baseball owners approved three finalists for an intended auction, is one of several steps toward a sale of the team by the end of April. It is subject to approval in federal bankruptcy court. “I am thrilled to be part of the historic Dodger franchise and intend to build on the fantastic foundation laid by Frank McCourt as we drive the Dodgers back to the front page of the sports section in our wonderful community of Los Angeles,” Johnson said in a statement. As part of the agreement, the Dodgers said McCourt and “certain affiliates of the purchasers” would acquire the land surrounding Dodger Stadium, including its parking lots, for $150 million. “If they invested that much money, I’m sure they’ll invest to get us a winner,” said Tommy Lasorda, the Dodgers’ retired Hall of Fame manager. “I wish them all the luck, and I admire them. I know both of them. I know Magic from the day he came into Los Angeles as a basketball player for the Lakers.” Yahoo! Sports

Los Angeles Lakers, Magic Johnson, MLB, Los Angeles Dodgers 

A record price tag of $1 billion can be expected for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Dodger Stadium and the surrounding real estate, according to several sports economists following the team's upcoming sale. "If you're talking about the asset value of the Dodgers franchise, the stadium, the parking lots and the surrounding acreage, I think a number in neighborhood of $1 billion is reasonable," Andrew Zimbalist, a professor of economics at Smith College, said last week. "I believe the reasonable or final offer will be $900 million to $1 billion." ESPN.com

Los Angeles Lakers, Magic Johnson, MLB, Los Angeles Dodgers 

Three years ago, Dodgers owner Frank McCourt outlined a $500 million project around the stadium that would include parking structures, a Dodgers museum and a plaza behind center field with year-round shops and restaurants. Such a sweeping project could add more revenue streams for the future owners and potentially raise the price of the team. "As a comparison, the Chicago Cubs went for $845 million two years ago, and I think most people looking at the revenue streams between the Dodgers and Cubs would have them being pretty comparable," said Victor Matheson, a sports economist and an associate professor of economics at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass. "It's probably more in favor of the Dodgers because they have such a huge area that could also be redeveloped. The Cubs' deal includes Wrigley Field, but that's tied into the city grid there so there's only so much you can do. The Dodgers really do have space there for other projects." ESPN.com

Los Angeles Lakers, Magic Johnson, MLB, Los Angeles Dodgers