In honor of what was potentially his last game at MSG,
Michael Jordan wore his original Air Jordans during the
Bulls-Knicks game Sunday on NBC. The shoes were visible
throughout the telecast and received mention before tipoff
and in the first, second and fourth quarters as well as at
halftime. In the first quarter, after a Jordan jumper,
NBC's Isiah Thomas said, "It must be the shoes." In the
second-quarter, NBC's Ahmad Rashad reported that the
original Air Jordans were size 12 1/2, but Jordan now is a
13 1/2. Jordan had a pair of the '97-98 Air Jordans (shown
on camera) in case he needed them. In the fourth quarter,
NBC showed a close-up of the old Air Jordans being worn by
Michael. Jordan, after the game: "My feet are killing me,
but it was fun, though. It was fun" ("NBA on NBC," 3/8).
MORE FUN: The N.Y. DAILY NEWS' back page features the
old Air Jordans under the header, "Really Big Shoe -- Jordan
rips Knicks in rookie sneakers .. for old time's sake."
Mike Lupica, on the original Nike Air Jordans: "They will
probably put them back on the market tomorrow. He has not
just been the greatest player of all time. He has also been
the greatest marketing agent" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 3/9). Bulls
G Steve Kerr: "I was betting guys he'd take them off at some
point. Then he hit his first four shots." More Kerr: "I
thought, 'Is he nuts?' Did you see those things? They
looked like pieces of cardboard put together. It's amazing
how far the shoe industry has come" (NEWSDAY, 3/9).
BULLS' BIG BEEF: The "Beef Wennington" sandwich at
Chicago-area McDonald's has made Bulls C Bill Wennington the
team's "burger king," according to Elliott Harris of the
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES. The sandwich is a 1/4 lb. hamburger with
cheese, bacon, pickles, onions, mustard and BBQ sauce.
Wennington: "I thought about adding tomato and lettuce to it
but opted against it. ... I just think the burger was good
as it was. Marketing-wise, a lot of people don't like
tomatoes. I do like tomatoes, but I felt it would take away
from the flavor of the barbecue sauce" (SUN-TIMES, 3/8).
