He played on a national power youth team with Liberty Road, and made his minor league debut with Bradenton, Fla. in 1987.
Now, in his 15th Major League season, Baltimore native Brian Jordan of the Atlanta Braves can sense the end of the road.
“To be honest, this could be it,” said Jordan, standing near the Atlanta dugout prior to Friday?s game at RFK Stadium in Washington against the Nationals.
Jordan, 39, said his off-field interests, including his wife and four children, are the main reasons that the 2006 season may be his last in baseball.
He released his first children?s book earlier this year. And the Milford Mill graduate is very involved in the Brian Jordan Back to the Future Foundation, which supports youth in the Atlanta area.
Jordan played in 76 games for the Braves in 2005, and hit .247. He made this year?s team as a non-roster player in spring training for the Braves and general manager John Schuerholz, a member of the Towson University athletic Hall of Fame.
“I have been around for a long time. It is a great feeling,” he said of being with the Braves this season. “Bobby Cox (manager) gave me an opportunity to come back and be that (veteran) guy. I am having fun. I understand my role. I will be there when needed.”
Jordan is mostly used as a pinch-hitter, and was hitting .313 in games through Saturday. He made hit first career start at first base on April 6 at San Francisco, and hit a home run in the ninth inning.
Jordan almost became a member of the Baltimore Orioles earlier in his career when he was a free agent, in 1998. But he signed with the Braves.
“It would have been a great thing. Baltimore was in transition. It was hard to pass up,” he said.
Jordan played baseball and football at the University of Richmond, and graduated in 1989. He signed with baseball?s St. Louis Cardinals in 1988, and was drafted by the Buffalo Bills of the NFL in 1989.
“I used to call baseball players wimps when I was in the NFL,” Jordan said. But after the “daily grind” of the 162-game Major Leagues, he changed his tune.
THE JORDAN FILE
Sport: Baseball
Team: Atlanta Braves
Hometown: Baltimore
Did you know? Jordan played in the NFL for three seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, and was a Pro Bowl alternate in 1992 … Jordan?s parents still live in Baltimore County, and he also has relatives in Glen Burnie … Jordan graduated from Richmond in 1989 with a degree in sociology … Jordan entered this season with a major league average of .283 in 1408 games, with 181 homers and 811 RBIs.
