For years Otis Nixon was defined by an improbable leap. His fall was just as pronounced.

The former Braves outfielder was arrested twice in 2004, charged with aggravated assault and sexual battery. A well-circulated mug shot confirmed that Nixon had surrendered to familiar demons. He looked tired and gaunt. His eyes expressed defeat.

Hyosub Shin/AJC (ENLARGE)

Otis Nixon says he'll soon be an ordained pastor.

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"I've been in the belly of the beast," said Nixon, now 48 and living in Sandy Springs. "I nearly lost it all."

It wasn't the first time.

In 1991, Nixon was suspended from baseball after testing positive for cocaine. As the Braves battled for the World Series, their starting center fielder watched from home.

Not many players could win back the fans after such a letdown. But there's something special about Nixon, something that makes you want to root for him. No surprise, then, that he rebounded to become one of the more iconic Braves from the team's glory days.

"If you know Otis — his heart, his character — then you can't help but back him," said former teammate Terry Pendleton. "The fans just love the guy. Otis has had some issues, no doubt, but he will continue to battle. You can't give up on Otis."

Nixon said the arrests were "a real wake-up call." His baseball career was over. His second marriage had just ended. There were some failed business deals.

"I have an addictive personality," he now admits. "I had a void in my life, and I filled it with the wrong things."

He's clean and sober now, he said. He's working on a book, soon to become an ordained pastor and eager to tell his story.

"I can talk to people about doing drugs because I've been there," he said. "I can talk to people about losing your family because I almost lost mine. I know what it's like to go through hell."

His younger brother remembers how the phone used to ring in the middle of the night.

"I had become his crutch," said Donell Nixon, a former outfielder with the San Francisco Giants. "He was at rock bottom, and I was the one always bailing him out. Finally, I had to just let the phone keep ringing."

When his older brother finally acknowledged he had a problem, Donell Nixon was relieved.

"I had been waiting to hear him say that for so long," he said. "He's come a long way, and he's still coming along."

Otis Nixon has started a limousine service, Above Style. He's slowly working his way back, following the recovery mantra of living each day as it comes. He's reconnected with his twin sons, Travian and Travion, and his daughter Genesis, who recently informed Nixon he's going to be a grandfather.

Besides his faith in God, Nixon is sustained by the city where he made his name. He remains popular in Atlanta, despite his troubles.

"Atlanta has put their arms around Otis," his brother said.

Otis Nixon said he "feels the love."

"People want the best for me, and that really helps," he said.

Longtime fans still vividly remember Nixon's signature play. "The Catch," as it's succinctly known, came in the ninth inning of a pivotal game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, preserving a one-run lead.

"The atmosphere was as alive as most any I've ever been part of at a regular season game," said Charles Davidson, of Atlanta.

He didn't see the catch, but he heard it.

"A friend and I were sitting in right center field, not far from where Otis made the catch," Davidson recalled. "We could actually hear him thump into the wall, though we couldn't see him because of the way the old stadium's lower outfield level was designed. You knew he caught it because the crowd absolutely erupted.

"I'll never forget going to Manuel's [Tavern] after the game. When the TVs showed the replay of the catch, everybody — everybody — in the place roared and chanted, 'Otis! Otis!'"

Author and Gwinnett County native Dallas Hudgens said he enjoyed Nixon's "understated flair."

"Like reaching over the fence to steal a home run and then coming down and casually taking a few steps before he pulled the ball from his glove and let everyone know he had made the catch. That was cool," he said.

The novelist's son agreed.

"When my son was two years old and people would ask him his name, he'd answer, 'Otis Nixon,'" Hudgens said.