MVP Jordan's voice makes him most valuable

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Chris Condon/PGA TOUR

Michael Jordan was picked by Fred Couples to be an "assistant-assistant" for the American team.

The choice was so Fred. So outside the box. So fun. So inspired.

C'mon, think about it. Who wouldn't want to hang out with Michael Jordan for a week?

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Forget about the legend thing. And the quality cigars, although I'm betting he's got an excellent selection -- and supply -- tucked away in the team room. And, well, the whole help-at-the-highest-level-of-the-game thing -- in this sport anyway.

Jordan isn't here to critique swings or plot course strategy. He isn't here to sort pairings or give any insight to the course.

He's here for, shall we say, his way with words. Really. Seriously. Not kidding.

Ask Tiger. The guy does all-world conversation. All day. Jordan can turn nothing into 10 minutes and keep right on going. Think chatterbox. Tiger just uses the more casual term for it.

MJ is a master at hanging out. No one tells better stories or gives a higher fist-five. He's a cheerleader and mind coach combined. At least that's what he's been at the last few Ryder Cups when he's simply cruised the rough with President Bush 41 or dropped by a team room to say hey and sit for a while.

So, why not, Fred thought, include one of his buddies in the brain trust?

Honestly, this ridiculously talented superstar is easy to be around. Fred easy. There's not a pretentious bone in that frame you can't miss in a crowd. He finishes a story, throws his head back and laughs, takes a puff on his cigar and you're hooked.

Or he takes yet another opportunity to bust Tiger a little. Tiger busts right back. Suddenly, you're simply sitting there among good friends. Tiger's one of the guys with his 15 majors and endless jokes and pranks, so why not Jordan with his six NBA titles, an NCAA title and charisma that won't quit?

Yes, we imagine someone will get a little tongue-tied. Zach Johnson hinted he just might stumble around a little. After all, he's held MJ on a pedestal since he was 4, which would have been back in those Be-like-Mike and His Airness days.

Wanna bet there was a poster on Johnson's wall with Jordan skying toward the rim, tongue hanging out?

"That's going to be awesome,'' Johnson said. "I don't really know how to explain it. To me, it almost seems a little surreal right now knowing that arguably the best or one of the best athletes of all time is your assistant captain.''

It wasn't as big a deal when he was just chilling with the President inside the ropes. But now?

You've gotta believe that he'll be telling stories. He won't be going Ben Crenshaw-inspirational, but he will be talking. About NBA titles. About college hoops. About the Olympics. About playing at a level that only he and Tiger truly comprehend.

Those two are good buddies, and you can bet there will be some talk going down. Heck, Tiger just flew past Jordan on Forbes' list and landed in that Bill Gates-Warren Buffet billionaire stratosphere. Jordan is building a house -- well, a 38,000 square foot compound -- in Jupiter, Fla., not too far from Tiger's under-construction home and Greg Norman's estate. And, of course, right by The Bear's Club, so Jordan can get his daily golf fix.

This is going to be as much fun for Jordan as it is for the team. He's had the golf bug for years now. Doesn't just about every athlete from another sport? It's amazing to watch the top players in football or hockey or baseball talk about meeting Tiger or Phil or Fred. They're in awe of each other; of the physical and emotional demands of each other's sports; of the skill it takes to play at the highest levels.

Jordan can take the pressure off this team. The assistant-assistant captain can just walk into the room and start talking. He can disarm and charm them. He's been at every high, low and in between during his career, and he can read these players as well as inspire them.

And, just maybe, when Fred heads off on one of his run-on sentence tangents that goes anywhere but straight to the point, Jordan can reel him back in with a laugh. Or put it in perspective afterward. Or know when not to say one darn thing.

Jordan will be in his element -- in the team room with the boys. Of course he'll stand out -- but tell us a time when he hasn't? It wouldn't surprise us to hear that he's giving out shooting tips or that he's taking a few putting lessons from Tiger or Phil. That is, after all, just what guys do.

As long as no one challenges him one-on-one on the court, it's all good. If someone does? Fair warning. The guy doesn't back down.

The players keep talking about how cool it will be to get to know the man who people mention in the same breath with Muhammad Ali as the greatest athletes in the world. To watch him blend in and build confidence; to watch him become one of the guys in yet another sport.

"With Jordan and his competitive mind in the room,'' Stewart Cink said, "how could that be anything but fun and inspiring?

Hey, we're right there with ya.

Melanie Hauser is a columnist for PGATOUR.COM. Her views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.