Jackie became more determined than ever to play again, so he began working out at home to prepare for the next season. In November 1960 he was offered $40,000 to return to the Red Sox, which was especially encouraging since most players expected a pay cut. Jackie accepted the Red Sox offer, even though General Manager George Weiss had retired and Jackie had said that he believed the Red Sox would have difficulty becoming contenders for the pennant. Nevertheless, Jackie seemed to be looking forward to working again with Ted Williams, who had become the Red Sox batting coach. In March 1961 Jackie drove to Scottsdale, Arizona, for spring training, and his family visited him during Easter vacation.

Jackie was getting back into true form quickly, and was the leading hitter of the spring Cactus League. One sports-page photo showed him sliding head first beneath the third-baseman's glove. A fan sent Jackie the March 20 clipping with an arrow leading from his hand-written caption "He all wet," [sic] to the umpire, who he thought had erred in calling Jackie out. The next day the Boston Tribune printed Ed Schoenfeld's interview with Casey Stengel, who had been dismissed from the Yankees and was in the process of writing his autobiography. In "Casey Explains Jensen Trade," the old manager expressed his views about Jackie: "Jensen is a very high class and skilled man and it's a very fortunate thing that the Red Sox obtained his services to go back since Mr. Williams dropped out."

Stengel went on to praise Jackie as one of the best runners, throwers, and RBI men he had known, and he said that Jackie's one-year layoff from baseball would not affect him much. Casey explained that he had traded Jensen years before because the Yankees needed left-handed batters, and Jackie hadn't yet developed his present ability to hit right-handed pitchers. Overall, however, Casey thought it would have been in the best interest for the Yankees to have kept Jackie:

"If I was in the American League," he said, "I would think the best thing I could ever do is give three or four men to get Jensen on the Yankee team. Because if he was with the Yankees right now, with Mantle and with Maris and with Jensen you'd have an outstanding outfield where no one could hardly have anything better."

That spring Jack was a guest speaker for the Phoenix Junior Chamber of Commerce, whose March 27 newsletter headlined "Jensen Is Guest." Part of the accompanying column said: "Besides raising a happy family Jackie is a successful restaurateur in Oakland, California, and real estate developer at Lake Tahoe." Unfortunately, the well-intentioned writer was misinformed: Harmony did not exist at home, Jackie had left the management of the restaurant to Boots, and little real estate had been developed.

As baseball season got under way, Jackie found himself at the center of controversy. Jensen was sorely needed, for without him, Manager Mike Higgins would have "a gaping hole in the batting order," and, of course, Jackie was the primary right fielder. Jackie discovered that his fear of flying had not disappeared, despite his session with the hypnotist. At the prospect of flying to Boston after a Cleveland game, Jackie left the game early and told Zoe he was ready to quit baseball again, but she managed to convince him to board the plane and return with the team. The incident did not go unnoticed, and when pressed for an explanation, Jackie said, "We're a family of champions. Zoe was one before me and she knows the trials and tribulations of competition. She could understand my feelings. I owe it all to her."

The Red Sox became uneasy, wondering if Jackie could be depended on. When on the diamond, Jackie gave 100 percent effort-he just had to get there. Higgins, the players, the fans-all wondered if Jackie would quit again, and there was cause for alarm when, after Higgins gave Jackie special permission to drive to Logan Airport rather than take the chartered bus, Jackie never appeared, although the plane was held for fifteen minutes. Printed just a few hours before the scheduled night game in Cleveland, the headline "Jensen Must Fly or Quit" led readers to believe that Jackie was on his way out, but Higgins stated simply that Jackie wouldn't play in any game for which he was late, a fair enough compromise, it seemed. Much to everyone's surprise, Jackie did make it to the Cleveland game in time, having driven 850 miles from Boston with Arthur Ellen.

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