Pendleton goes from Mr. Mom to Braves hitting coach

KISSIMMEE, FLORIDA - For the past three years, Terry Pendleton was Mister Mom. <br> <br> The former National League MVP fixed breakfast for his kids, drove carpools to and from school, sat in the stands at basketball games. <br> <br> The former major league of 15 years said, ``I had been gone from home for so long. Three years doesn&#39;t make it up to my wife, but I tried to help out.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Finally, after turning down repeated offers from the Atlanta Braves, he decided the time was right to get back in uniform as the team&#39;s new hitting coach. <br> <br> Clearly, Pendleton is back in his element, standing at the batting cage as he offers tips and encouragement to students such as Andruw Jones. Still, returning to the game he played for so long was an agonizing decision. <br> <br> Pendleton took the job at the urging of his wife, Cathy, who had the couple&#39;s third child just a few months earlier. <br> <br> The Braves sought a hitting coach after firing Merv Rettenmund, who presided over a lineup that ranked 13th in the league in runs last season. <br> <br> Pendleton was the natural choice, having played for the team from 1991-94, then another brief stint in &#39;96. He won the MVP in 1991 -- the improbable worst-to-first season for the Braves -- and remained in Atlanta after his playing career ended. <br> <br> General manager John Schuerholz called Pendleton -- again -- to see if he was interested. <br> <br> He said Schuerholz told him not to do it unless his heart was in it. Pendleton said he turned it down. <br> <br> That&#39;s when Cathy Pendleton stepped in and convinced her husband to take the job.

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