Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, July 1, 1990 TAG: 9007010052
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: PULASKI LENGTH: Long
The Pulaski Braves' outfielder wants to follow in the cleat marks of a couple other noted two-sport pros: Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders.
When the Atlanta Braves organization took Walker in the fourth round of the June amateur baseball draft, one of the first items discussed in contract talks was a request. No, make that a plea.
Atlanta officials asked Walker to please stop risking limb and bat speed by playing football for the University of Texas.
Fine, Walker responded, as long as you - the Braves - pay the proper fee.
"I told them if they paid me a nice bonus, a first-round draft choice's signing bonus, then I wouldn't play any more football," he said.
The Braves pondered that. A top draft choice commands something in the neighborhood of $200,000 these days. The Braves already had paid one such bundle to this year's top draft choice, high school shortstop Chipper Jones. Ultimately, they balked at swallowing two big-bucks bonuses in one year.
"So I told them that it would be best for all concerned that I go back to the University of Texas for my senior year of football," Walker said.
The Braves didn't like that much, but they signed him anyway, took out an insurance policy on him and sent him to their Appalachian League outpost at Pulaski.
And, no doubt, they crossed their fingers.
For Walker, it almost was like a homecoming. Braves pitcher Henry Werland was a teammate at Texas, and Walker had been on the same summer teams as Karl Rudison and Juan Williams.
Much can happen to him in the next couple of years, but here is what the 6-foot-1, 185-pounder Walker would consider the ideal scenario:
First, he has a nice Appalachian League season, putting himself on schedule to progress to the next level. Then, he tears up the Southwest Conference as a wide receiver this fall. Being chosen to an All-America team would be nice.
Next comes the 1991 National Football League draft. Walker has been told by his coaches and by a couple of scouts to expect to go in the first three rounds.
As a junior, Walker led the Longhorns with 55 catches for 785 yards and four touchdowns. For his career, he has 74 catches for 1,002 yards.
Another season similar to 1989 and Walker ought to be in fine position to play two sports professionally.
However, he doesn't plan to do that for an extended period.
"I've played two sports ever since I was young, but playing two sports as a pro is entirely different," he said while relaxing in the dugout before a recent Pulaski game. "It's a tremendous strain on you, not only physically, but mentally. Bo is one of the best conditioned athletes in the entire world, but I don't think even he can handle it much longer."
Only Bo knows that.
But if Bo can't do it for much longer, according to Walker's theory, then what makes Walker think he can do it?
"I've been thinking about this since I was in high school, and I've watched Bo and Deion and taken their experience and tried to apply it to myself," Walker said.
One example of that is how Bo and Deion play one sport off against the other for maximum contract leverage. It appears as if Walker and his lawyer already have the hang of that.
That still doesn't answer the question of how he intends to play pro sports year-round.
"I'm going to play both sports until I decide which one I like best and then go with that," he said.
Since there is no sure thing in the development of pro players, all this talk of doubling up may be premature. Nevertheless, things do seem to be working out in Walker's favor so far, particularly in football.
In Austin, home of the Longhorns, they are even talking about fooling around with a kissing cousin of the run-and-shoot offense that helped Houston quarterback Andre Ware win the Heisman last year.
"You know, it's funny," Walker said. "We've gone from a predominantly run-oriented conference to a pass-oriented conference. That's one more reason for me to go back and play football."
Big numbers could be on Walker's statistical horizon.
Walker's first baseball vs. football conflict came when he was preparing to sign a football scholarship at Texas.
At that point, he told the coaches, sorry, but he wouldn't be available for spring football because he would be on the baseball diamond playing for the nationally prominent Texas team.
"I was drafted out of high school and I made it clear to [Texas recruiters] that I wanted to continue to play baseball," he said.
This past season, he batted .326 with three homers for the Longhorns. Apparently, the Braves liked what they saw. Anybody drafted in the top five rounds is usually considered a top major-league prospect.
Walker was rated the fastest base runner in college and the 61st best prospect before the draft by Baseball America.
"As a baseball player, he's had little time to refine his skills, and that's been because of football," said Paul Snyder, the Braves' scouting director. "But this year, he had a chance to play a little more and do some things, and we liked what we saw.
"You can look at his armor top to bottom and find only one chink: You wish he threw a little better. But we can work with him and that'll come. He's got good bat speed, good foot speed, good hands. If we can just get him away from football and all the bumping and knocking, we think he can show people that we made a pretty good pick for the fourth round."
But can he be separated from football?
"If I do get drafted [in football], depending on the round, I'll sign," he said. "Then we'll see what happens."
That, of course, isn't the sort of talk the Braves want to hear.
"But you know what?," Snyder said. "I've told him this myself: If I had been him, then I'd probably be doing the same thing."
by CNB