Coincidentally Jerry Reinsdorf, the owner of the Bulls, also owned the Chicago White Sox. The Birmingham Barons were a Double-A minor league affiliate of the Sox, so Mike made a deal with Reinsdorf to play for the Barons. Michael worked his butt off everyday to get better at baseball. He finished batting .202 with 3 home runs, 51 runs batted in, and 30 stolen bases.
In August 1994 the MLB went on strike. With nothing to do because of the baseball lockout Mike decided to call his friend and former Bulls teammate B.J. Armstrong. They met up at Bakers Square near the Bulls practice facility in Deerfield, IL. After they finished eating, B.J. invited Mike to practice to see his old friends. Phil Jackson let Mike participate in practices for a few weeks and that’s when the love for the game started to return. Then on March 18, 1995 Jordan sent a two-word fax to the media announcing his return:
"I'm back."
The rest is history.