Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 10, 1993 TAG: 9310100173
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: E1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Jack Bogaczyk
DATELINE: ATLANTA LENGTH: Medium
Blauser, who has more seasons as an Atlanta infield starter than any of his teammates who are playing in their third National League Championship Series, didn't think the Braves would protect him in last winter's expansion draft.
Boy, was he surprised. Then, he stunned even Atlanta management by batting .305 this season, the first Braves shortstop to hit .300 since Alvin Dark hit .322 for Boston in 1948.
On a club with dominant pitching and in a lineup with the 113-homer trio of David Justice, Fred McGriff and Ron Gant, Blauser, typically self-deprecating, calls himself "a stagehand."
"I set up the props for the big guys," he says.
And in Game 3 of the NLCS on a hot Saturday afternoon, Blauser also set up for the big innings to start Atlanta toward a 9-4 victory and a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
His line-drive single off Philadelphia left-hander Terry Mulholland started the Braves' toward a five-run sixth-inning that wiped out a 2-0 Phillies lead.
Then, to start the seventh off reliever Larry Andersen, Blauser stretched a simple base hit to left-center into a double - over the orders of first-base coach Pat Corrales. That began a four-run inning.
Blauser a hero? He wouldn't hear of it. Then again, he isn't hearing what he usually does. This hardly figured to be a big series for the Braves' 27-year-old shortstop.
He feels lousy. He has a sinus infection that has clogged his ears. He can barely hear in the right one. In Game 1 of the series, he struck out three times, then he whiffed in the first innings of Game 2 before ripping a homer - yes, to start the Braves' six-run third inning - at Veterans Stadium.
Unsurprisingly, Blauser found a way to shed the spotlight. McGriff's first-inning blast in Game 2 traveled 438 feet, and, after a loss in Game 1, most Braves considered that homer a message to the Phillies.
"I think mine had more of an effect," Blauser said. "The guys saw how bad I was swinging and said that if a guy like that can get a homer, anybody can."
Blauser has 29 homers in the past two seasons, but it wasn't until an off-season decision by the Braves' front office that he became the everyday shortstop. Atlanta had one of their several phenoms, Chipper Jones, waiting in Class AAA Richmond to take his place.
Blauser's year is miles higher than it would have been in Colorado - for now. The Braves are still chipper about Jones, so where does that leave Blauser next month?
"Who knows?" Blauser said. "I don't have a crystal ball."
He also doesn't have a contract. He's just short of being a six-year veteran, so the Braves have to make a decision on whether to offer him arbitration.
"Do I consider myself fortunate to still be here?" Blauser repeated. "Very much so. I didn't know what my role was going to be. I wasn't playing every day. When you consider the money side, I figured I wasn't going to be here."
In 1989, when Braves manager Bobby Cox still was Atlanta's general manager before returning to the dugout for a second stint, he thought he had Blauser traded to the New York Yankees for outfielder Roberto Kelly. Someone in the Yankees' front office vetoed the deal.
As Skip Caray would say, "Braves win!"
The opportunity to play in a third straight World Series - and winning one - is appreciated by the California native who began his pro career in 1984 with the Pulaski (Va.) Braves, batting .249, a disappointment for a two-time first-round draft choice.
And why is Blauser so much better offensively? Maybe because he improved enough with the glove to stay in the lineup in late-game situations without Cox pulling him for Rafael Belliard.
"People only recognize I hit much better because I was in there every day," Blauser said. "I only hit 15 homers playing every day, where I hit 14 not playing every day last year. I don't know if that's improvement.
"Bobby gave me a chance to go out and prove my worth. I'm not flashy. I'm not a 500-foot home-run guy. I don't steal a lot of bases. I just try to make the plays."
He's done that. Blauser had his best defensive season. In this NLCS, he's 3-for-13, and his eight total bases are third on the club behind McGriff and Pendleton. He's also managed to keep his sense of humor.
Above his locker in the corner of the Braves' clubhouse, teammates have hung a construction area sign that reads, "CAUTION: Ear Protection Required in This Area."
He did hear Corrales tell him to stop when he charged around first headed toward his slide for a double.
"I also heard him call me a name," Blauser said, laughing.
And to think he used to really be a rocky shortstop.
Keywords:
BASEBALL
by CNB