Saturday, December 8, 2012

Legend of Bo lacking in Cleveland

If you plan to watch ESPN's 30 for 30 documentary on the legend of Bo Jackson or have already seen "You Don't Know Bo" you might be wondering how the two-sport superstar fared against the Indians and Browns.

Here you go:

Jackson played in the NFL for the Los Angeles Raiders from 1987 to 1990, but never faced the Browns. Cleveland did play the Raiders in the second-to-last game in '87, and won, 24-17, but Jackson did not play in the game.

Jackson played baseball for the Royals from 1986 to 1994, but a hip injury in 1991 while playing football derailed his career on the diamond. He was mostly a part-time player after the injury with the White Sox and Angels, so we'll only look back at how he fared against the Indians up to the 1990 season, when he was a full-time player for the Royals.

In 42 games vs. the Indians from 1987 to 1990, Jackson hit .270 (40 of 148) with six home runs and 50 strikeouts.

The most memorable Bo vs. the Indians moment occurred in 1987 in Kansas City when (and this is so unfair) Jackson and Tribe catcher Rick Dempsey, who was near the end of his solid career, collided on a play at home plate. News-Herald Indians beat writer Jim Ingraham covered the game that night and compared the collision to a 50-feet tidal wave throwing a surfer back to shore. Sounds about right.

Jackson slid into Dempsey as if he was about to tackle him, but credit the Indians catcher for holding onto the ball and tagging Jackson out. The play came with a price, as Dempsey broke his thumb on the play. Luckily, his knee was OK, as on first look it appeared Jackson sliding head first into Dempsey's legs would cause serious damage.

Check out the video below:

- Mark Podolski | @MPodo

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