"Here's one I'd never heard. I was hanging out on the set with my friend and mentor, Ron Shelton (director of "White Men Can't Jump"). It went something like this: Someone said, "Michael Jordan is the greatest athlete in the world."

Ron immediately fired up. "That's bulls$%&!!!," he growled. (With Shelton, it isn't worth discussing if you can't growl about it.) "Michael Jordan is an amazing physical specimen who advanced one game to its highest level. But no way he's the best athlete in the world."

"Who is, then?" someone asked.

"Why not Danny Ainge?"

"Danny Ainge? Danny Ainge!!???"

"You mean Danny Ainge the whiner?"

"That Danny Ainge?"

"Yeah," said Ron. "For starters, Danny Ainge has two NBA rings as a member of the Celtics. He shot almost 50 percent from the floor."

"What'd Jordan shoot?"

"About the same," said Ron.

"So you're sayin' Ainge was good as Michael?" someone foolishly inquired.

"Did I say that!? I didn't say that!" yelled Ron.

"Bob Cousy only shot 37 percent," I threw in to deflect the heat.

"And they say players today can't shoot," someone added.

"Look," said Ron. "We're talking greatest athlete, not basketball player. Athlete. And before the Celtics, Danny Ainge actually played Major League Baseball. Three years with the Blue Jays. Something Jordan didn't come close to."

"Yeah, but Ainge couldn't hit, either."

"It's a matter of degree," barked Ron. "Ainge was 10 times the baseball player that Michael Jordan was. And last -- he's a scratch golfer. Do you know how tough that is?"

I didn't know (having sworn off golf years earlier as just one more unnecessary pursuit that was bound to make me crazy), but I knew we were gonna find out. Shelton, you'll remember, directed "Tin Cup" and is a fine golfer, himself.

"How tough?" someone asked.

"Ask Michael Jordan," answered Ron"

http://espn.go.com/page2/s/ryder/031216.html

I LOVE the last part. TOTAL dig on Jordan's golf game.