BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : AROUND THE MAJORS : Sanders Might Return for Stretch Run

If the Atlanta Braves ask, Deion Sanders said he--not the Falcons--will decide if the outfielder-cornerback joins the final days of the NL West pennant race.

“It’s only speculative,” Brave General Manager John Schuerholz said. “We may pursue Deion Sanders. We may not. We haven’t done anything yet.”

Sanders, who left the Braves for the Falcons on July 31, said there was a 90% chance he would return to the Braves for the end of the season, but that he hasn’t been asked yet.

“If they come to me and ask me to do so, it’s pretty much done,” Sanders said. He added he would do “anything it takes” to help the Braves in their quest for the NL West title.

The Falcons have a home game on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, but have a bye the following week.

Falcon Coach Jerry Glanville was asked about the possibility of loaning out Sanders. “I would not allow that unless they would let me be the third base coach,” Glanville quipped.

As had been speculated, Bob Gebhard, the assistant to Minnesota General Manager Andy MacPhail, was hired as general manager of the expansion Colorado Rockies and John McHale Jr. was hired as the team’s chief contract negotiator.

“Bob is probably one of the most prized prospects in baseball today,” Rockies President Steve Ehrhart said. “John McHale and Bob Gebhard provide two of the best baseball minds who have been involved with several of the most successful major league franchises.”