Otis Nixon

What is the first thought that comes to your mind, when you hear the name Otis Nixon? For many, it has always been "The Catch." Well, Sunday morning, myself and the rest of the congregation at Milford Baptist Church were blessed with the opportunity to hear the former Atlanta Brave share his testimony. He spoke about his baseball career and his relationship with Jesus Christ.

In 1991, Braves general manager, John Schuerholz acquired Nixon in a trade with Montreal. Looking back, Nixon had some regrets about joining his new team. "On April Fools day, I got traded to the Atlanta Braves. You guys probably don't remember, but I do very well. It was the worst team in America. You guys had the worst team in America... How in the world did I go from here (Montreal Expos) to there and get traded to the worst team in baseball?" At the time, Nixon's concerns were legitimate. Atlanta would struggle into the All Star break and stand 9.5 games behind the division leading Los Angeles Dodgers. But, this was a team destined for a miraculous second half. And, Otis Nixon knew the key to turning the season around. "What happened is, we started believing inside, what nobody else would believe and we started to win... The only thing I could do, was to think we're in the worst spot in the world, we're in last place, we got the worst team, we can only go up."

And, eventually, they did. During a game on June 16, 1991, in which he stole an MLB record 6 bases against the franchise that sent him to Atlanta, Nixon started to voice some of his concerns. "That particular game, I went up to Bobby Cox (and said) Right now, I'm doing everything. We're supposed to have eight other guys out there and I'm the one scoring all the runs. I scored four runs, stole all the bases, made some catches out there. If I could get some help from Ron Gant, Terry Pendleton, Mark Lemke. I was calling out everybody and they busted out laughing. But don't you know, we went on to win 13 straight games?"

In a disappointing end to his season, the North Carolina native tested positive for cocaine in September of 1991 and was suspended for 60 games. "I did not play in the first World Series....I had went out with some friends one day and I had a couple drinks and there was a doctor. I won't call his name, but man I wanted to get him to this day. And he had something back there, cocaine. He said, I love you, man. We're gonna do this in front of you. I said no, no man, I don't wanna do this. And he kept pressuring me, and pressuring me. I went back there and I said one line. Okay, I'm gonna do it. That was a trick of the devil. One line and a couple drinks and went home. I got into the car and I said, why in the world did I just do one line? And, don't you know, when we got ready for the World Series, I thought about it for a minute and said, what if they test me? I couldn't sleep all night, not worried about who's pitching and how many hits and everything. I'm worried about if they're gonna test me. A guy comes in with a white coat on, randomly decides who to test. He says, (pointing) let me have you, let me have you, let me have you, and let me have...okay that's it. My heart was beating like an instrument and I said, Thank God. And he came out to see me and said, I forgot somebody. Mr. Nixon, can you come with me? My heart came out my chest, rolled down, fell on the floor and I felt like I had died, man. He said, You alright? I said, yeah I'm just thinking about the game, you know? So, what happened is, I went in there and tested positive.... So, I went into rehab. I hurt a lot of people, hurt myself. I didn't know exactly what was going on, but I knew every time I looked at the drink, I felt different. Every time I tried to do drugs, I felt different....That addiction was so powerful, that you can't break it just by saying no, don't do this. I believe you need a little Jesus to break that power over you. I realized something, I can't do it unless I have the power of God in my life."

Well, Otis Nixon clearly has the power of God behind him and has put the struggles in his past to rest. And, what makes his testimony so compelling, is the fact that he's been there. He's been through adversity and battled his way back to solid ground. And now, he's in position to reach out his hand and lift others up. Today, the former Atlanta Brave is doing much greater things than stealing 620 bases and batting .270 during a 17 year career in Major League Baseball. Through On Track Ministries, the Otis Nixon Foundation is making a tremendous impact in our communities by helping others change their lives in a positive direction...One man, one woman, and one child at time. "I believe that when Jesus Christ comes back and I'm sitting in line...and He says, Otis why should I let you into my kingdom? (Otis responds) Well, I caught that ball and made it to the World Series, (Jesus answers) Not good enough. (Otis replies) I stole six bases and those other guys didn't even help...(Jesus answers) Ain't good enough...(Otis responds) I said, Lord I believe in you. I believe that you died on the cross. I believe...hold on, can I do something? Can I ask my guys that I've helped, one man at a time to stand up, so they can know you? And, I believe He's gonna say, Otis, welcome. Good job, faithful servant. Come on in."

If you or anybody you know has been incarcerated because of substance abuse, please contact the Otis Nixon Foundation at www.otisnixonfoundation.org.