[Home Free]

My source keeps amazing me with the quality Brace photos he has available. I was able to cross off two of the toughest to find Braves players of the 70s -- two that have yet to turn up in the Vault!



Have seen a color headshot of John Fuller (1974), but nothing close to this Wrigley Field shot. In fact, it might have been taken the day of his MLB debut -- a pinch-hit appearance against the Cubs on May 9. He would go on to pinch-hit once more in the coming week, then in what would turn out to be his final MLB game, May 12, he got his only hit and finished the second game of double-header playing center field.



Mike Macha (1979) earned a handful of starts at third base during one of Bob Horner's frequent trips to the DL, and had an RBI double in an 8-7 win for his only RBI. He was returned to the minors after six games (three starts) and returned in 1980 for five games as a member of the Blue Jays.



Bob, or Robert, Long appeared on a 1982 Rookie Stars card as a Pirate, but reached the big league for only five games during the 1981 season. He returned for an extended, 28-game stay in the majors with the Mariners in 1985 at age 30, but despite stints in the Braves and Orioles systems, never returned to the majors. He returned to his Chattanooga hometown and spent many years as a respected pitching coach.