Short-Circuited Neon Not Fair to the Braves

A year ago this month, human boomerang Deion Sanders took off on the Atlanta Braves like a baseball bat out of hell. The football-playing Atlanta Falcons were about to make camp, and the Braves were far behind the Dodgers--hopelessly behind, it appeared, even to him.

So, Neon Deion, gold chains jingle-jangle-jingling, circled the basepaths July 31 after a three-run homer against Pittsburgh. The center fielder-cornerback shook hands with his teammates, pulled off his batting helmet, cleared out his locker and reported the next morning to his other Atlanta teammates, slipping into his other helmet.

Error-8.

A few weeks later, Sanders was commuting by helicopter between football practice and pennant-race baseball games, saying: “That’s the last time I leave a winning team for a loser.”

He paid a stiff price for abandoning the Braves, though not in money. What it cost Sanders was a chance to play in the World Series--one of the most memorable World Series of the century, at that--and such chances can be precious and few. Ask Ernie Banks, who never had one, or Nolan Ryan, who has not been near one since 1969.

You could make a case that Deion Sanders cost the people of Atlanta a championship.

One swing, one stolen base, one run of any kind could have made the difference between Atlanta winning the World Series--which the city has never done--and losing, which it did in Game 7 against the Minnesota Twins, 1-0.

Without Otis Nixon, suspended because of a drug relapse, the Braves were hurting for one thing during the Series--good baserunning. Let us not forget the ring-around-the-rosy running of Lonnie Smith, who might not even have been on the field had either Sanders or Nixon been there when the Braves needed them most.

Nobody felt worse about what happened than runaround Deion. He came to the games in mufti, accessorized by Tiffany’s, and hung around in the bullpen beforehand, mingling with his brother Braves. With each passing day of the playoffs and Series, they missed him more.

They had pitching, hitting, fielding and momentum. They had everything it takes to win--everything but a leadoff man with speed to burn. Everything but a catalytic character who could bat left-handed and maybe rattle right-handers such as Jack Morris, Scott Erickson and Rick Aguilera, the opposition’s best pitchers.

Furthermore, not only did Deion injure the Braves, he added insult to the Falcons, calling them “losers” after they had gotten off to a slow start. By season’s end, the Falcons, just like the Braves, had pulled everything together and reached the playoffs, the only difference being that Sanders did not leave his football team in the lurch.

And now, it being midsummer again, with the smell of Cruex in the air, football players are preparing to report for training. A mini-camp organized by the Falcons is due to open next week. And an invitation has been extended to Neon Deion, who continues to punch the clock daily with the Braves.

Oh, and one more thing:

Inside the invitation envelope, with an RSVP written beneath, is a check payable to Deion Luwynn Sanders in the amount of $1,000,000.00.

That is how much the Falcons are willing to part with for Sanders to betray the Braves again. A million smackers if Deion will cut out this baseball nonsense and report for active duty where he belongs, doing the exact opposite of Bo Jackson, who waited until the baseball season was concluded before gracing the Raiders with his presence.

Eugene Parker, the Indiana attorney who consulted with Sanders Thursday, emphasized how important it remains to his client to “excel at both sports.” Which is all well and good.

There are catches this time, though, that did not exist a year ago. For one thing, Atlanta’s baseball situation is anything but hopeless. The Braves are definite contenders to take another pennant and more. Nor is Sanders a newcomer in search of his skills; he has been a diamond demon this season, having the makings of one of baseball’s most exciting players.

And then there is the matter of Brian Jordan, another two-timer, who has been persuaded by his baseball employers in St. Louis to give up football. Jordan, being Sanders’ sidekick in the defensive secondary, has left the Falcons with a serious hole to fill, and they are in no mood to fill two.

What Deion Sanders has done, although certainly meaning no harm, is turn two teams from the same town against one another. Imagine how popular Al Davis might have been one July had he tried to bribe Bo Jackson into bolting the Dodgers.

You can’t really blame Sanders for dreaming of being Bo Jackson II. But someone should finish what he starts, so Deion should finish this season for the Braves. He could rue the day forever if he runs out on them twice.