A rarely seen side of MJ should be on display for all to see

Documentary "The Last Dance" provides chance to see all sides of MJ

Documentary "The Last Dance" provides chance to see all sides of MJ
Credit Craig Larson

Craig Larson with Michael Jordan at a charity golf tournament

Sunday night the world will receive their first glimpse into "The Last Dance" and the behind the scenes footage of the Chicago Bulls sixth and final NBA Championship, chronicling the 9 season. Born and raised on the southside of Chicago, it was hard to even conceive of anything trumping the Chicago Bears in the Chicagoland public consciousness and popularity. Even now, the 85' Bears, hold a special place in Chicago's heart and NFL lore. Michael Jordan is Chicago's adopted son, someone who was relatable with a strong work ethic, competitive drive, who evolved his game and learned how to trust his teammates along the way in crucial moments.

In 1990, I was in the locker room of The Palace of Auburn Hills after the Bulls lost to the Pistons (yet again) in a playoff series, scoring a meager 74 points in a 19 point loss to Detroit. Michael commented that he was going to come back "even stronger" the following year as he fought back tears. I remember driving back home thinking, "Jordan will never get over the hump, the Pistons are just too deep" The following Summer, Jordan would claim the first of his six NBA Titles and he never looked back.

In 1993, I can recall Phil Jackson blowing off practice, us in the media getting word, for favor of taking a ferry ride to see the Statue of Liberty prior to Game 5 of a playoff series against the Knicks. On that ferry ride, Bulls power forward Horace Grant asked aloud "is that a man or a woman" as he traveled past Lady Liberty. MJ just shook his head in the distance.

September 1994, I covered Michael returning to the Old Chicago Stadium in Scottie Pippen's charity game. At conclusion, in front of 18,676 he knelt center court, kissing the center Bulls logo. Many of us felt that would be the last time we'd see Michael in a live basketball setting.

Several years later, we met up again in Lake Tahoe for a celeb golf tournament. At 6am the entire week, Michael was the first on the tee box hitting drives with his signature Nike attire. Three hours earlier, he was seen at the craps table, yet never missed a beat. I think the most remarkable trait of what I witnessed was his non-stop energy, he would pack an entire week into 1 day.

My hope is that everyone will get to see in this upcoming documentary the humbling moments, the challenges, the humility along the way, and how Michael evolved as a basketball player, but more importantly, evolved into a leader who was accepting of his coaches and teammates.

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Welcome back, Justin! Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images.

Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander will make his season debut Friday night at the Washington Nationals.

Houston manager Joe Espada made the announcement Wednesday.

“Getting him back is huge because it brings a level of confidence to our team, a boost of confidence that we’re going to get someone who’s been an MVP, a Cy Young (winner) on the mound,” Espada said. “It's (good) for the morale and to get stuff started and moving in the right direction.”

The three-time Cy Young Award winner opened the season on the injured list with inflammation in his right shoulder. He made two rehabilitation starts, the first for Triple-A Sugar Land on April 7 before Saturday’s start for Double-A Corpus Christi.

Espada wouldn't say how many pitches the 41-year-old would be limited to but said they'll keep an eye on his workload.

“We've got to be careful how hard we push him early,” Espada said. “I know he’s going to want to go and stay out there and give us an opportunity to win, but we've got to be cautious of how hard we push him early in the season.”

Verlander wasn’t thrilled with the results in his rehabilitation starts, but he said Monday that those games were valuable in getting him prepared to come off the IL.

He allowed seven hits and six runs — five earned — in four innings against Frisco on Saturday. He struck out three, walked one and threw 51 of 77 pitches for strikes.

Verlander allowed six earned runs and struck out six while pitching into the fourth inning for Sugar Land on April 7.

The Astros have gotten off to a tough start with Verlander and fellow starters Framber Valdez and José Urquidy on the injured list. They enter Wednesday's games last in the AL West with a 6-13 record.

Espada hopes Verlander can be the boost the team needs to get on track.

“It’s good to get him back in the rotation,” Espada said. “With what he means to this club just to get him back on track, getting some innings from him (to) build our rotation with the pieces that we need to move forward is exciting.”

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