Atlanta, GA

Former Atlanta Braves player hopes to be signed for 1 day to receive pension

Published

2 years ago

April 21, 2024

Former Atlanta Braves player hopes to be signed for 1 day to receive pension

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC/Gray News) – A former Atlanta Braves player is calling on the team to sign him again – for just one day – so he can qualify for a pension he’s been trying to get for more than 40 years.

For 67-year-old Garden City native Gary Cooper, baseball was everything. He spent several seasons playing in the minor leagues with the AA Savannah Braves, WTOC reports.

“That’s all we did, played baseball… That was our thing growing up. From then on, that was the love of my life,” Cooper said. “I got the chance to play at home for three years. That was a beauty.”

Then, in the summer of 1980, he got word the legendary Hank Aaron was calling him up to play for the Atlanta Braves.

“I said, ‘Man, you crazy.’ He said, ‘Yeah.’ So when I got home, my father told me. My mother and father already knew before I did,” Cooper said. “It was a dream come true.”

The Braves were playing the Pittsburgh Pirates, the reigning World Series champions, when Cooper made his major league debut.

“The bottom of the 9th, one of the fastest guys in the major league came up to bat. They were down by two runs. He hit a fly ball. I was playing left field, and I came in. It bounced over my head, so I had to make a 360 [degree] turn. When I did, I grabbed the ball and threw it to second base, and I threw him out to end the game,” Cooper said.

The season ended for the Braves 42 days and 21 games later, and Cooper was eventually sent back to the minors, not knowing he was just one service day short of qualifying for a pension. In order to be eligible for a pension from Major League Baseball and MLB Players Association, players must have 43 days on an active roster.

“When they called me up, I did what I was supposed to do, and right now, today, I can’t understand why I got sent back down,” he said.

Dave Mesrey spent more than a year working on a story about Cooper, talking to baseball historians and industry experts. He says the same year Cooper went to the MLB, the requirements for a pension had just changed.

“They changed the minimum from four years to 43 days, so when Gary Cooper and anyone who made their debut in Major League Baseball in 1980 or there after, all they needed were 43 days to qualify for the minimum pension,” Mesrey said.

Cooper has appealed to the MLB and Players Association twice and was denied a pension. Now, he is hoping to be signed to the Braves for one day in efforts to meet the qualification.

“‘Cause it has happened. Mr. Aaron did it back in the day and… Satchel Paige never got to play, but he got his pension. That’s history. You know, why can’t it happen the same for me?” he said. “Just that day would be awesome. It would be just like being drafted again.”

Savannah Mayor Van Johnson spoke out in support of Cooper.

“It just makes sense. I’m reminded that the Atlanta Braves, for the pitching legend Satchel Paige, signed him to a contract for him to reach his pension. We’re only talking $500 or $600 a month, but for someone in their late 60s, that makes a whole lot of difference. We’re hoping the Braves do the right thing,” Johnson said.

Not only is the mayor behind him, but more than 10,000 people and counting have signed a Change.org petition asking the Braves to sign Cooper again.

“Just one day. For the two and a half hours that is how long the game lasts, just forget about those 44 years, just for that day,” Cooper said.

The Change.org petition says Cooper, who works part time as a landscaper, has struggled with homelessness in recent years. He has no car, no home, no savings and struggles to pay his phone bill every month.

WTOC has reached out to the Braves for comment.

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Atlanta, GA

Athletics defeat Braves 5-2 in Atlanta

Published

7 hours ago

April 1, 2026

Press Room

The Athletics continued their interleague series with the Braves today at Truist Park in Atlanta. Making his first official start of the season for the A’s was 30-year-old righty Aaron Civale. He was 4-9 with a 4.85 ERA last season for three MLB ball clubs. Civale matched up against 28-year-old lefty José Suarez for the Braves. Suarez just pitched in nineteen innings for the Braves last season, going 2-0 with a 1.86 ERA.

After a quiet top of the first inning, the Braves got on the board first when reigning National League R-O-Y Drake Baldwin knocked his third homer of the year to give the Braves a 1-0 lead.

In the top of the second, Brent Rooker led off with a single but was erased on a double play ball by Soderstrom. Max Muncy walked and advanced to second on a balk and scored on a single by Andy Ibáñez. Lawrence Butler and Denzel Clarke each walked and Jacob Wislon hit a ground rule double to drive in two.

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Atlanta, GA

Atlanta Snags Two 2026 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Award Nominations

Published

19 hours ago

March 31, 2026

Press Room

Atlanta Snags Two 2026 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Award Nominations

The James Beard Awards Foundation announced its official 2026 slate of award nominees on Tuesday, March 31, and two Atlanta names and places are among them.

J. Trent Harris of lauded Midtown restaurant Mujō is nominated in the Best Chef: Southeast category. Additionally, wine-focused Aria (also a finalist last year) was recognized in the Outstanding Hospitality category.

The news comes after eight Atlanta restaurants and bars were originally under consideration when the long list of semifinalists was revealed back in January. The winners will be announced at a ceremony at the Lyric Opera of Chicago on Monday, June 15.

Considered one of the restaurant industry’s most coveted awards, the honors span categories such as Restaurant and Chef Awards, Media Awards (Book, Broadcast Media, Journalism), and Achievement Awards. Last year, the foundation introduced the new category of Impact Awards, which it describes as recognizing “achievement by individuals and/or organizations who are actively working to push for standards that create a more equitable, sustainable, and economically viable restaurant industry.”

The full list of nominations can be found here.

Disclosure: Some Vox Media staff members are part of the voting body for the James Beard Awards.

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Atlanta, GA

Jaylen Brown Takes the Blame for bad Boston Celtics Loss to Atlanta Hawks

Published

1 day ago

March 31, 2026

Press Room

Jaylen Brown Takes the Blame for bad Boston Celtics Loss to Atlanta Hawks

The Celtics dropped a tough one in Atlanta, falling behind by 21 in the fourth quarter of a game that was tied at halftime.

The Celtics were missing Jayson Tatum and Neemias Queta, but they had Jaylen Brown, who missed his last two games with left Achilles tendinitis. The Atlanta native finished with an impressive stat line, falling one assist shy of a triple double. But his 29 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists don’t tell the whole story of the game.

“That was probably one of my worst games of the season,” he told reporters in Atlanta after the loss. “This game was on me. I gotta be better. Probably one of my worst performances in a while, and that cost us.”

Brown scored 14 points in the fourth quarter to help cut the 21-point Hawks lead down to 11, but they could get no closer than eight. Brown had his chances to make this a monster night, but he shot 9-29 from the field and 8-14 from the free throw line.

“I missed a lot of easy shots,” he said. “Very physical game. Playoff-like atmosphere, and I don’t think we adjusted quickly enough. They came to play, the refs let a lot of stuff go, and we didn’t adjust to the physicality.”

Easy shots for Jaylen Brown are tough shots for a lot of people, and there were definitely some tough ones in the mix in this game as well. That’s a credit to the Atlanta Hawks defense, which used speed and length to bother Brown, knowing that without Tatum, they were more free to do so. Maybe they also felt they could exploit his recent bout with tendinitis in his left leg.

“I felt fine,” he said. “ I’m just trying to get my feet up under me and just maintain my balance and stuff like that.”

He later added, “Everybody’s dealing with something.”

Luckily for the Celtics, the loss did little damage in the standings. Boston has a two-game edge on New York with seven games to play (including one against each other in New York on April 9). It’s not an impossible gap to close, but it’s not an easy one, either. Especially once Brown gets back on level footing.

Brown has had bad games before, and he’s never shied away from admitting so afterwards.

“You can’t throw in the towel if you’re not feeling up to your best. Still got to do what you need to do,” he siad. “You just got to work your way through it, rely on your teammates. But if you’re getting good shots and getting good looks, you got to trust that and keep playing aggressive basketball. Tonight wasn’t the greatest night for my team or myself, but you learn from it and move forward.”

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