The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Short, sweet swing took him far
‘Bullheaded’ player destined to clash with Braves’ Turner.
What he did: The best swing in Atlanta Braves history?
It is debatable. Hank Aaron and his strong wrists certainly deserve mention. So does David Justice’s picture-perfect left-handed stroke. But it is hard to debate the short-yet-sweet swing of Bob Horner. No telling how many home runs the blonde, blue-eyed college boy wonder might have hit if he could have stayed healthy.
Horner was born in Junction City, Kan., but moved to Southern California and played at Apollo High School in Glendale. He was a shortstop but because the area was not known as a baseball hotbed, he was somewhat overlooked, going in the 13th round to Oakland in the 1976 Major League Baseball draft. Horner decided a college education was worth more than a small bonus from the A’s and signed with Arizona State, where he would become one of the greatest college players ever.
In Tempe, he was moved to second base, hit nine home runs as a freshman and was named All-American his sophomore and junior seasons as a third baseman, hitting an-NCAA record 58 career home runs. After batting .412 with 25 homers and 100 RBIs in ’78, he earned the first Golden Spike Award, which goes to the top college player. Horner led the Sun Devils to a national championship as a sophomore before ASU finished as runner-up his junior season to Southern Cal.
The Braves, coming off a 61-101 record in ’77, took Horner first overall in that summer’s draft and called him straight to Atlanta. In his first game on June 16, 1978, against Pittsburgh, he hit a home run off future Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven. He was 20.
Horner was all Atlanta could talk about. Despite the team’s continued struggles, he played in 89 games and hit .266 with 23 home runs and 63 RBIs. He was named National League Rookie of the Year, beating out the great Ozzie Smith, who had played in 159 games.
The beginning of the 1979 season was marked by the death of general manager Bill Lucas, at the time the highest-ranking black executive in the game. And again the Photo gallery: Former Braves slugger Bob Horner Braves struggled. But Horner hit .314 with 33 homers and 98 RBIs and the future looked bright for manager Bobby Cox, whose lineup included Dale Murphy, Glenn Hubbard, Gary Mathews and starter Phil Niekro.
But problems began in 1980. After 10 games owner Ted Turner tried to demote Horner to Class AAA Richmond following the team’s 1-9 start. Though he was hitting just .059, Horner, who was listed on the AllStar ballot that season, refused to go, causing a huge uproar with fans and in the media. Neither side would back down for 10 games until the Braves finally relented. His average dropped to .268 but he still hit 35 homers and drove in 89 runs in 124 games.
Where he lives: Horner, 58, lives in Irving, Texas, with wife Chris of 36 years. He has two sons, Tyler and Trent, and four grandchildren.
What he does now: Horner has been retired for years and said his life is focused on his family and grandkids, who, he said, “are all nuts.’’ He still can hit a golf ball, saying he is a 7-handicapper.
On why he didn’t turn pro out of high school: “The amount of money they were offering didn’t come close to the value of a four-year education.’’
On his career at Arizona State: “It’s funny but we won (the NCAA title) in 1977 though, frankly, I think we had a much better team as far as talent in ’76. The year we won it was a culmination of things and, looking back now, really makes me appreciate my years in college.’’
On going straight from ASU to the majors: “It was all about the situa- tion I was in. If I had been drafted by a team, say, with a Ron Cey or Mike Schmidt at third, I probably would have started and been in the minors for years. But the Braves were struggling and had nothing to lose.’’
On his homer in his first game: “It was pretty much a blur and all I remember is bits and pieces of it. And getting rookie of the year was nice. But really what I wanted to do was help the team get better and win.’’
On hitting four homers in one game: “I remember that game for a lot of reasons but what I remember most about it is we lost the game.’’
On dealing with all the injuries: “At the end of the day, I just couldn’t do anything about it. There was no magic pill to take to make them go away.’’
On the owners colluding against top players: “At the time, I really didn’t know what was going on. But after a few years, you figure it out. It is a shame because it wrecked a lot of careers ... and for what? It accomplished nothing. I mean, look at the salaries they pay today. I will just say, God bless the players.’’
On going to Japan: “I was sitting around in January and all the deadlines had passed and I got a call from my agent and he said he had a team from Japan on the line. I thought, let’s go. I enjoyed it immensely. Don’t get me wrong. It was a tough gig with the language barrier and dif- ferent culture. But they could not have been any nicer to my wife and children.’’
On playing with Murphy: “He is a delightful man with a great family. I treasure the time we played together.’’
On his relationship with Turner: “I have been asked that question a lot. In a lot of ways, we were both bullheaded and stubborn to a fault. But I mean this sincerely and have nothing but respect for the man and where he took the Braves and his company.’’
On retiring from baseball: “When you get up in the morning and know you need help, it’s time to call it a day. It was no way to live.’’
On what he has done since leaving the game: “(Laughing) I’m not qualified to do anything.’’