When Deion Sanders was winning Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys, he craved for media attention.
One of the best cornerbacks in the National Football League, Sanders couldn't get enough of the spotlight. However, the new Sanders, one who has found religion, wanted no part of it yesterday.
The Syracuse SkyChiefs left-fielder snubbed 10 camera crews, the largest media turnout in Ottawa Lynx history, last night at JetForm Park, where the Toronto Blue Jays' Triple-A affiliate handed the Lynx their fifth consecutive loss by a 4-1 score.
After joining the SkyChiefs 20 days ago, Sanders was often accessible to the media, but yesterday he said he was tired of answering the same questions.
"I just need a day off," he said. "I may talk (today)."
Quiet or not, the player they used to call Prime Time remained a centre of attention.
With two out in the ninth inning, a fan bolted from the stands and tried to get to Sanders, but he was slammed to the ground by SkyChiefs third baseman Cole Liniak before he could reach Sanders.
Liniak wouldn't discuss the incident, but SkyChiefs manager Omar Malave said Sanders' teammates must help protect him.
"You never know what the guy was going to do," Malave said. "It was the thing to do."
Sanders was cheered every time he stepped to the plate by many of the 4,294 fans, the fourth largest Lynx home crowd of the season.
After being held hitless in his first three at-bats, he turned a single into a double with his speed, leaving him with a .365 batting average in International League play. Then Felipe Lopez drove in Sanders with his second homer of the game.
Sanders also was upstaged by winning pitcher Willie Banks (7-4), who struck out 11 batters in seven innings.
The loss went to Lynx starter T.J. Tucker (2-1), who allowed four runs -- three earned -- in 71Ž3 innings.
Vernon Wells, a star outfielder in the Jays' minor-league system, sits next to Sanders in the locker room and says the 33-year-old veteran has been a positive influence since joining the SkyChiefs after he was released by the Cincinnati Reds on July 17. He had hit only .173 in 29 National League games.
"Deion is a unique athlete," Wells said. "We've learned a lot of things from him, including how to deal with the media. But I also understand why some days why he doesn't choose to talk."
Wells says Sanders, who has had stints with five major-league clubs, but was out of baseball last year and played with the NFL's Washington Redskins, has been swarmed by fans and media since he reported to Syracuse. He even has used police escorts to prevent fans from following him home.
Once Sanders stepped off the team bus three hours before game time yesterday, sipping a Pepsi and munching a bag of chips, he became an event. Some fans were lined next to the SkyChiefs dugout three hours before game time, seeking his autograph. Another spectator tried to enter the locker room to have Sanders sign a football.