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Former World Series MVP gets second chance at glory
ATTENTION - THIS REPLACES EARLIER STORY Oly-Bbl-Raines,profile - as Raines was not chosen for US Olympic team/// DURHAM, North Carolina, Sept 1 (AFP) - Consigned to a developmental team for a cellar-dwelling expansion club, 37-year-old catcher Pat Borders seemed unlikely to repeat his World Series glory days with the Toronto Blue Jays. But with the Olympic baseball opening to professionals starting at Sydney, the 1992 World Series Most Valuable Player has one more opportunity to reach the summit of his sport as a member of the United States Olympic squad. Borders, a 12-year veteran of the North American major leagues, will provide vital guidance behind home plate for young US pitchers who must face potential gold-medal batting talent from Cuba, Japan, South Korea and Australia. "We're going to bring back the gold medal with us," US manager Tommy Lasorda said. "We're not going 6,000 miles to lose." Borders, the oldest player on a team of mostly young top minor leaguers, had his best moment in 1992 when he batted .450 with nine hits and a home run to spark Toronto past Atlanta for the 1992 World Series crown. Borders also served as the starting catcher for the Blue Jays' 1993 World Series repeat, when they defeated Philadelphia in six games. In 1994 he was batting .254 with nine homers and 55 RBI when a labor fight ended the season. Between 1994 and 1997, Borders played with seven major league clubs, then settled in as a backup catcher for two seasons with the Cleveland Indians, who lost to Florida in a dramatic seventh game of the 1997 World Series. Last year, Borders made brief appearances with Cleveland and Toronto. This year, he has spent all season with the Durham Bulls, a minor-league club made famous in the Kevin Costner film "Bull Durham". The Bulls are the top farm team for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, the newest American League club composed of castoffs from rival teams. So far this season, Borders has a .276 average with 12 homers and 54 RBI. Borders, a .256 lifetime hitter in the major leagues, offers the experience so lacking in most American players because the US major leagues are not shutting down for the Olympics, denying the chance for "Dream Teams" in Sydney. Despite 19 seasons since turning pro in 1982, Borders was not exactly what the International Olympic Committee had in mind as a US headliner when the notion of opening the Games to pros was approved. But until the likes of star slugger Mark McGwire and top pitcher Greg Maddux are allowed to participate, this is the best the US has to offer. "We would love to field a Dream Team and have McGwire and Maddux and those guys playing for us," US Olympic general manager Bob Watson said. "We're still going to have a very good representation of baseball in the United States.
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