Otis Nixon
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-->Otis Junior Nixon (born January 9, 1959 in Columbus County, North Carolina) is an American baseball player. He is a former center fielder and switch-hitter who played in Major League Baseball between 1983 and 1999.
Career
In the minor leagues, Nixon led the league twice in stolen bases (1980 in the South Atlantic League with 67 & 1983 in the International League with 94), Runs Scored (1980 in the South Atlantic League with 124 & 1983 in the International League with 129, Hits (162 in 1983 in the International League), At Bats (557 in 1983 in the International League) and walks (57 in 1979 in the Appalachian League, 113 in 1980 in the South Atlantic League and 110 in 1981 in the Southern League). He started out as an infielder but was switched to outfield in 1983 due to his superior speed and his penchant for making errors (56 in 127 games in 1981 at shortstop for the Nashville Sounds).Nixon shares the single game stolen base Major League record with 6 on June 16, 1991. He also holds the Atlanta Braves single season record for stolen bases with 72 in 1991. In 1982, Nixon stole 107 bases in a combined season between the AA level Nashville Sounds and the AAA level Columbus Clippers.
In 17 seasons Nixon played with the New York Yankees (1983), Cleveland Indians (1984-87), Montreal Expos (1988-90), Atlanta Braves (1991-93, 1999), Boston Red Sox (1994), Texas Rangers (1995), Toronto Blue Jays (1996-97), Los Angeles Dodgers (1997) and Minnesota Twins (1998).
On July 25, 1992, Otis made a catch over the wall to rob Andy Van Slyke of a home run that was replayed constantly on the sports news television shows.
Nixon was a career .270 hitter with 11 home runs, 318 RBI, 878 runs, 1379 hits, 142 doubles, 27 triples, and 620 stolen bases in 1709 games.
Off Field Troubles
- Otis has struggled with a cocaine problem since the 1980's. He first tried it as a college freshman and got hooked. He was first arrested in 1987 while playing at the AAA level Buffalo Bisons for possession and spent 28 days in rehab.
- Near the end of the 1991 season, he tested positive for cocaine and was suspended by Major League Baseball. He missed the World Series because of it.
- He cleaned up after the suspension and did not have any brushes with the law until 2004, when he was charged with threatening his bodyguard with a knife and in a separate incident, misdemeanor sexual assault. Authorities could not understand why Nixon would have a bodyguard. The Gwinnett County GA charge has been concluded, however the DeKalb County Charge remains. He still is under Examination for Fraud and questionable Financial Transaction(s).
Accomplishments
- Ranked 15th for all time stolen bases with 620
Trivia
- Nixon's younger brother, Donell, also played in the Major Leagues from 1987 through 1990 for the Seattle Mariners, the San Francisco Giants and Baltimore Orioles. Donell once stole 144 bases in one minor league season at Bakersfield in 1983 in only 135 games.
- Otis was once married to former R&B singer Perri "Pebbles" Reid.
- An Otis Nixon Baseball Card is the focus of a "Steal of the Century" video on the comedy website Something Awful.
- The Boston-based magazine Phoenix gave Nixon the title of "32nd unsexiest male celebrity".[link]
- Mainly during his stint with the Atlanta Braves in the 1990's, Nixon's name achieved moderate use as an exclamation among young adults. (e.g. "Otis Nixon! There are a lot of people here.)
- Similar to replacing "There's a bad moon on the rise" with "There's a bathroom on the right" in the Credence Clearwater Revival song "Bad Moon Rising", Nixon's name has been used as a replacement for the lines "Oh, let's dig it. Can you dig it (baby)?" in the Friends of Distinction song "Grazing in the Grass". Thus, the lines become, "I can dig it, he can dig it, she can dig it, we can dig it, they can dig it, you can dig it, Otis Nixon!, Otis Nixon baby!
External links
- Otis Nixon at:
- *[Baseball Library (article)]
- *[Baseball Reference (analysis and stats)]
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