A Down-to-Earth Angel : Despite All His Fame, Bo Jackson Is a Hard Worker With a Big Heart

TEMPE, Ariz. —  Angel first baseman J.T. Snow casually gazed across the room, and gasped. His face flushed, he quickly lowered his head before anyone could notice.

You’re not supposed to care about such things when you are a ballplayer.

Still, he had to share this discovery with someone else, so he leaned over and whispered to teammate Kevin Flora.

“Flo, turn around and look at Bo,” he said. “I mean, will you look at that. My God, look at that body!”

They turned around, stole a peek at Bo Jackson, and shook their heads in amazement.

This is no longer the same athlete who won the Heisman Trophy and played for the Kansas City Royals and the Raiders in the same year. But the aura of the man has not changed.

Bo Jackson, artificial hip and all, remains one of the most popular athletes of any generation, and continues to captivate the nation.

“I think a lot of guys are trying to hide their enthusiasm in here,” said catcher Mark Dalesandro, who is hoping to land his first major league job. “Everyone’s trying to stay cool. But come on, this is Bo Jackson.

“I’m actually here in camp with Bo Jackson.

“If you don’t think that means something, go check out my friends in my neighborhood in Chicago, they’re going nuts right now.”

His artificial hip gives Jackson a special allure. There are men with artificial hips who come to watch; children in wheelchairs, and men and women who need canes to stand.

“I still can’t get over him,” said Phil Couchee, 60, who had hip replacement surgery eight years ago. “I come out here every day and can’t take my eyes off him. We’re talking about a very serious operation, and he’s doing everything he used to do.”

Said Jackson: “My teammates in Chicago used to tease me during spring training. They’d say, ‘Bo, look at all your fans.’ And it would be all these people in crutches, canes and wheelchairs.’

“Well, I consider myself an inspiration for all those people.

“It’s not why I play the game, but believe me, it’s gratifying that people feel that way.”

*

It should have been the most terrifying time of Jackson’s life. He was scheduled to undergo reconstructive surgery on his left hip the next morning, an operation that would alter the rest of his life.

So what does the man do?

He invites the team of doctors to his home for cocktails, takes them to a Chicago Bulls game and brings them back in high spirits. The same doctors who are going to perform this delicate surgery on the world’s greatest athlete can barely manage to walk without falling, according to Susann McKee, Jackson’s business manager.

“I mean they were drunk ,” she said. “(Bo’s wife) Linda and I stayed home to have champagne, but you should have seen those guys come in.

“I couldn’t believe it, but then again, you’ve got to know Bo.”

This is the same guy who three weeks ago went out to El Centro and found himself in the cockpit of an F-14 fighter plane with the Blue Angels. Jackson, who plans to buy a plane when he retires, spent a harrowing hour in the air with the Blue Angels and never begged to come down.

“They couldn’t believe me,” Jackson said. “They spent the whole time trying to get me to pass out or lose my cookies, but I never did it. I came close a few times, and saw these red and green flashes, but they couldn’t get me.

“It was an experience I’ll never forget. I mean, these guys were flying so close together that I felt I could stand in the cockpit and reach out and touch them.

“You talk about a thrill.”

Said McKee: “That really made me mad. I kept saying, ‘Please make him throw up.’ I wanted him to get sick so he’d never want to do this again. Now, that’s all he talks about.”

If Jackson isn’t on the ground or in the sky, there will be plenty of other places he soon can be found.

Fox-TV is making a movie of Jackson’s life story that will be shown this fall. . . . He has been offered a job as an NFL color commentator on Fox. . . . Several sitcoms and soap operas want him to make guest appearances. . . . Movie producers have offered him roles. . . . Arsenio Hall keeps calling.

It’s no wonder that Jackson is enthralled that he’ll be playing in Southern California, a limousine ride from Hollywood.

“When Bo’s done with baseball, I think he’ll do movies,” McKee said. “That’s what he really wants to do.

“Bo’s a natural for the movies. America loves a hero, and who’s a bigger hero than Bo?

“He’s no longer just an athlete, he’s a celebrity.”

Jackson, who has been with the Angels less than a month, has already gotten four endorsement opportunities in Southern California.

“It’s absolutely amazing how popular he is,” agent Arn Tellem said. “I think he’s even more popular now than when he was playing both sports. It just keeps rising.

“He’s flying, he’s bow-hunting, he’s riding Harleys. He’s the total Renaissance man.”

There are plenty of other ideas that Jackson is kicking around. He’s planning to build a large recreation center in Orland Park, Ill. He is talking about opening a soul-food restaurant in downtown Chicago. Then again, he might buy this colonial estate he has seen in Atlanta and watch his three kids grow up.

This would provide his wife with the time to attend law school. Linda already has a Ph.D in clinical psychology, and Bo has told her he’s willing to step aside so she can have a career.

“He’s not this big macho jock that everybody thinks he is,” said McKee, who has known Jackson since his freshman year at Auburn. “I mean, he’d like everyone to think that, especially reporters, but he’s a big softy at heart.”

It would have been easy for someone of Jackson’s stature to dominate the Angel clubhouse. Instead, he is among the first players to arrive each morning. He talks to the minor leaguers with the same respect he shows the veterans. He makes sure that 92-year-old coach Jimmie Reese has transportation each day to the practice field.

Jackson has also switched uniform numbers. He is wearing No. 22 instead of the No. 8 he wore in Chicago. Jackson was told he could have his old uniform number when he signed with the Angels. They would simply have rookie second baseman Kevin Flora change his to accommodate Jackson.

Jackson was all set to wear No. 8 until he heard the story of why Flora wanted to keep the number. Flora’s wife, MaryAnn, who was killed last season in a car accident, was born on Feb. 8. It was Flora’s way of bringing her memory onto the field each day.

“I think someone told Bo about it,” Flora said, “and the next thing I knew, I got the number back. He never let me know the reason for giving me back my number, but I know.”

*

The scar runs across the base of his back and down his left buttock. Two years ago, doctors removed his deteriorating hip and inserted a metal and plastic prosthesis into the hip socket.

He was supposed to be finished. His athletic career was over, it was assumed--nobody could come back from this, not even Jackson.

But there he was in the home opener at Chicago last season, hitting a home run against the New York Yankees, crying in sheer joy while crossing the plate. There he was in September, hitting the winning homer on Sept. 27 that clinched the American League West division title. There he was in November, winning the comeback-of-the-year award.

It would have been easy for Jackson to leave it all behind. What was there left to prove? And if the Angels never called, why not just retire?

“It’s something I thought about,” Jackson said, “but I love this game. It’s the desire, the drive to succeed again. I’ve been yearning for this my whole life.”

Jackson wanted to stay with the White Sox, but they declined to pick up his $2.41-million option for this season. They would take him back, but only at a drastically reduced salary.

He thought he was headed for the Oakland Athletics, who had started calling the moment he became a free agent. The Athletics suddenly changed their mind. Instead, they decided to bring Rickey Henderson back.

Jackson, who batted .232 with 16 home runs and 45 runs batted in, was left without a job until the Angels called. It was perfect. The Angels needed him, and he still needed baseball.

“People keep asking me if I have anything left to prove,” Jackson said. “Hey, I never set out to prove anything in the first place. I just wanted to play ball, and after a while, you would think people would quit doubting me.

“And that’s what this is all about. Nothing more. Nothing less.”

Jackson, 32, is projected to be little more than the Angels’ fourth outfielder. He will play a little left field, maybe take a few grounders at first base and probably give designated hitter Chili Davis an occasional day off.

That’s the plan, anyway.

“I know Bo is telling everyone that he’s just an extra outfielder,” Angel General Manager Bill Bavasi said, “but I don’t believe that. Nobody works as hard as Bo (just) to sit on the bench. I think he’s got other ideas.”

Said Angel Manager Buck Rodgers: “It’s all about pride. We know he’s not in it for the money. He wants to show people that he’s still a great baseball player.”

Said Art Stewart, the Kansas City Royals’ scouting director: “He could have really been something. He was the finest athlete and prospect of our time, maybe ever. There have been others, but never anyone with the overall talent, never anyone who combined the speed of a Willie Wilson, the arm of a Roberto Clemente and the power of a Mickey Mantle.”

Jackson refuses to look back and question his decision to play pro football. He was the one who wanted to play both sports. No one forced him.

“How could I ever complain--I’ve got everything I want,” Jackson said. “I’ve got a great family. I’ve got more money than I could spend in a lifetime. I’ve done things that people dream about.

“Don’t ever feel sorry for Bo. Believe me, Bo’s doing just fine.”