Holding Its Breath, City Waits For Word

Jordan Says He's Quitting Baseball

Tantalized by the possibilities but wary of false hopes, Bulls fans waited vainly for Michael Jordan to confirm the rumors that he's returning to the hardcourt.

Like a heartbroken lover still pining over a thrilling-though abruptly ended-affair, Bulls fans on Friday said to Michael Jordan: All is forgiven.

The psychic wound left by his sudden retirement 17 months ago not yet healed, Bulls fans began a rapid recovery as the possibility of his return to professional basketball seemed more real than ever.

After months of watching him with another sports mistress, no one dared ask: "How could you?" Instead, during Friday's evening rush hour, some shamelessly stood beneath his window at a Near North Side hotel and called up to him, begging him to return.

"Come back, come back," chanted some fans as several hundred gathered outside the Omni Chicago Hotel on East Huron Street, where Jordan had checked in.

Throughout the area, fans were tantalized by the news Friday that Jordan had officially retired from professional baseball. After one season in the minor leagues, Jordan said in a written statement that baseball's 7-month-old strike made it impossible for him to continue.

But they were still left without the answer they were hoping for-that perhaps the greatest basketball player was returning to the Bulls.

Even so, those in and around the Bulls organization continued to give indications he plans to return, assuming there are no glitches in talks with Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf.

Meanwhile, his followers talked about the ordeal of enduring basketball the last 1 1/2 years without Jordan and the spark he'll reignite in the game if he returns.

"The fans never really had a chance to say goodbye to him," Brad Wynne, 32, said while standing outside the Omni. "And I never really believed the reason he gave for leaving. I think he just wanted to get away.

"But in the back of my mind, when the shock wore off, I thought `He's got to come back.' I was ecstatic when I heard the news. It's a momentous day."

At the United Center, where the Bulls faced the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night, the sold-out crowd trickled in earlier than usual, one security guard said, and many seemed to wear wider smiles than usual.

Even President Clinton managed to touch on the Jordan development Friday while announcing that the U.S. jobless rate declined to 5.4 percent in February, from 5.7 percent in January.

"As of today, the economy has produced 6.1 million jobs since I became president, and if Michael Jordan goes back to the Bulls, it'll be 6,100,001 new jobs," Clinton said to laughter in the White House briefing room.

At the United Center, some fans laughed over stories of co-workers scrambling to recoup Bulls season tickets they had given away.

But others seemed to want to play down the news for fear they were setting themselves up by just talking about it.

"My hopes are already up, so it'll be another disappointment if he doesn't come back," 22-year-old Ryan Kelly said while heading to his seat for Friday's game. "I can't blame the guy for wanting to go out while he was still on top of the game, but it was incredibly disappointing."

Heading to his first-balcony seat, Joe Peck said he's still skeptical.

"How many times do you hear that he's coming back? You hear it all the time," said the 27-year-old Riverside resident. "I hope it's true. I was disappointed when he retired, but I could see it coming. I didn't think he'd ever come back."

Others were still slightly angry over his decision to retire.

"It's a great thing if he's coming back," said Ruth Baumgartner, 24, of Naperville. "However, he should've thought about that before he allowed them to make a big deal over his retirement and throw a big ceremony for him."

Well, even so, she added, "it'll be great for the Bulls."

When talking about his impact on the Bulls, fans at the UC never asked will he improve the team's .500 record. It was always asked, by how much?

"The first thing I thought of when I heard the news was the number 4," said Keith Flood, 34, of Homewood. "I'm not thinking about a three-peat anymore. How about a four-peat?"