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On the Diamond Horner still warming hearts in Atlanta
By Dan George, CNNSI.com ATLANTA -- They still love Bob Horner in this bustling city of grits, sweet tea and more streets named Peachtree than you can count. It's been 14 years since Horner last wore an Atlanta Braves uniform, but when he stepped to the plate Sunday in the All-Star Celebrity Hitting Challenge the fans greeted him as if were yesterday. "That was nice. Very nice," Horner said of the cheer that rumbled through Turner Field, just a long flyball from where he toiled nine seasons at old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Horner is now 42 and the trademark blond curls are long gone, but there's still plenty of pop in his quick, right-handed swing. After warming up with several line drives, he triggered more cheers with a long home run into the left-field seats. The stocky former third baseman finished with 240 points but, as with so many of those seasons with the Braves from 1978 to 1986, it wasn't enough to lead his team to victory. That honor went to former Expos and Cubs star Andre Dawson, whose two homers were all Rico Carty's team needed to knock off Darrell Evans' squad. The hitting challenge began with four teams, each consisting of a U.S. Olympic softball star, a celebrity, a former major league All-Star and a former Brave. The field was divided into zones, and the hitters were awarded points depending on which zones the ball fell in. Horner's team, including former Cardinal Ozzie Smith, Sugar Ray vocalist Mark McGrath and softball star Crystl Bustos, were eliminated in the first round, as were the team of former Brave Otis Nixon, 12-time All-Star Dave Winfield, TV actor Marc Blucas (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and softballer Dot Richardson. In the finals, Carty's team of Dawson, ESPN baseball analyst Harold Reynolds and softballer Lisa Fernandez piled up 620 points -- Dawson and Reynolds had 520 -- to easily handle Evans' crew of Wade Boggs, softballer Michele Smith, film actor Chris Klein (American Pie), which had 430. After a stellar college career at Arizona State, Horner was drafted by the Braves as the No. 1 overall pick in 1978, then became one of just 17 players to go straight to the major leagues without playing a single game in the minors. He still remembers that first at-bat. And who wouldn't? It was a home run off of wily Bert Blyleven of the Pirates. "I was just scared to death," Horner now says with a chuckle. Horner went on to win National League Rookie of the Year honors after hitting .266 with 23 homers and 63 RBIs. In 1980, he finished second in the N.L. with 35 homers, and in 1986 became one of 12 players to hit four homers in one game. "I had a good week that day," he says. "It was just a typically hot day in July. The ball was flying, and I was just trying to hit it hard. I just teed up. The thing I remember is I don't think we ever had the lead when I came to bat. We were always behind in that game. We lost 12-9. That game had a bit of everything -- home runs, stolen bases, hit batters, wild plays. Terrific game. It would have been nice if we'd won." Horner's career ended after a year in Japan and a final season with the Cardinals in 1988. These days, he lives in Irving, Texas. "I don't do nothin'," he laughs. "Play a little golf. That's it." Of course, he still follows baseball. And, like everyone else, he has some thoughts on today's home run explosion. "The ball certainly hasn't something to do with it," he says. "The ballparks are built hitter-friendly. With expansion, the pitching is thinner, there's not as much as before. And there's evolution -- guys are getting bigger and stronger and faster. I think it's just a combination of all those things. Guys are just going to hit the ball further." The situation probably isn't going to change soon, he adds. "I think they [Major League Baseball] are trying to do what they think is right," Horner says. "If you ask them, they'll probably say most fans would rather see offense instead of pitching and defense. And that's what they're getting."
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