BASEBALL DIGEST OPENING DAY EDITION A Special Publication of Arnall Golden Gregory LLP By Abe J. Schear Bill Curry March 2020 “Super Career” * * * So here we are. I am with Billy Curry into the south? I was walking through the lobby of our and it is December 17, 2019. It is a Well, yeah, New York. It brought the office and there was my former partner, pleasure to be here. I know you were mystic of the Yankees and I imagine Pete Wellborn, who motioned me to join the born in College Park. What was it like what it might have been like to grow up conversation he was having with Bill Curry. to be in College Park in the 50’s? in Greece, in the heyday of the Gods, In fact, I recognized Bill immediately and Well, I was actually born at Emory and and to think about Zeus and the assorted there I was listening to his stories. it was during the war in 1942 and beds other Gods that lived on the mountains This is the 80th interview (plus a couple for the children were so scarce that the and fired thunder bolts. That’s how it which I did for family rememberances). family tradition has it that I was put in felt. Within a year or two, not only was None came about any smoother nor was easier to edit. Bill has clear memories and talks in perfect paragraphs. And he is “We would play long, long baseball games.” enthusiastic about each chapter of his life. How wonderful. a chest of drawers in the room with my I watching baseball every time I could, 20 year old mom. But, we did live in I was playing baseball all day every I made sure to stay on the baseball course but College Park and it was that southern day at the little park in our community. sometimes, and this was one of those times, childhood that seemed idyllic to us, Sometimes it would just be two of us there was more to talk about. Memories of because we did not know that we were and we would play long, long baseball Bobby Dodd, Vince Lombardi, Bart Starr (I made sure to give Bill a beautiful Bart living in the middle of Jim Crowe, anti- games. Starr football card), coaching Georgia Tech semitism and anti-Catholic. We did not Did your family teach you to play and Alabama. understand that until much later. But it baseball? was nice, it was fun for the most part. My family was not interested in baseball I asked Bill for 30 minutes and ended up I had some very difficult things in my until I became a little leaguer at age with 37 perfect interview minutes which family, as most of us do. But it was a 10. I went over to the little league made for two extra pages of beautiful simple time to grow up. try-outs and I am not a natural athlete memories. Bill reminded me that humility What are your first memories of at anything. I need thousands of reps. and self effacing humor are valuable baseball? The good news is I am willing to do the qualities, that taking yourself too seriously (Laughing). We had this weird reps. I will do anything if I get to play. is dangerous and that being a gentleman is contraption at our house and it had little And, I will never forget being there with hardly under rated. If you have the chance to see Bill in person, take the time to lean rabbit ear antennae and sometimes you the manager. Somehow I got allocated in and listen to what he has to say. had to put tin foil to make them work. to the Braves in the College Park Little It was a black and white, sort of motley League and I remember running after screen. I mean this literally was my first him and grabbing him. I reached up and * * * memory of turning on that television grabbed his jeans and yanked and said to see Yogi Berra behind the plate with “Mr. Parrot did I make the team?” He Abe J. Schear is an attorney with Arnall Whitey Ford on the mound in the World was walking away from me as fast as he Golden Gregory LLP and is a member of Series. I was transfixed, I was locked in. could and he said, and he was kind, “Bill, the firm’s Real Estate Group. Contact Abe I was hooked really forever. no you are going onto the farm team.” at 404.873.8752 or [email protected]. It pretty much brought the big cities Then he gathered all the boys and sat on A r n a l l G o l d e n G r e g o r y L L P | March 2020 the bank. I wasn’t supposed to go sit in Oh sure, yeah. My dad and my uncle We had everybody’s baseball cards so if that group. I had already been told, but would take me. it was not raining, we would be playing. I did. I sat where I could get eye contact They had streetcars that came to the We would be up at the park. I would be with him, with big tears streaming down park. the Yankees and he would be the Braves and if we could get a couple of snot- noses to join us, then we would have “It was the greatest day of my life.” three or four per team. As little guys, we would choose up and we would play all my cheeks just leaning into him. I will We went on a car but my dad rode the day. The score would be 127 to 114. never forget the last name he called. He trolleys to Rich’s Department Store. You collected baseball cards? You said “Bill Curry.” I got my first uniform He was a coach at Georgia Military bought them and you played with that day. It was grey with a blue hat and Academy (now Woodward) until I was 9 them? blue socks. It was the greatest day of my years old. I bought them, ruined my teeth with life. Right. Topps bubble gum and played with those What position did you play? If you go to Woodward Academy today, cards. Jackson, my buddy, invented Mostly on the bench. My second year I to the weight room today, it is the Major a game we could do with dice; if you got to play the right field. This is where Bill Curry weight room because my threw a 4 that would be a homerun they always put the worst player in little father built it. unless he threw an odd number which league. I was 0 for the season. I struck I see. meant somebody caught it at the fence out every single time I went to bat except He went to work for Mr. Dick Rich and we would play inside or outside all once. I got a bunt down and got thrown and he fell in love with the Rich family day every day. It was just a wonderful out at 1st. I was so happy I had put a and they loved us and my dad had 23 time. ball in fair territory. Small things you have to do when you are trying to fight your way into a lineup. “I bought them, ruined my teeth with Topps Did your family come and watch all those games. bubble gum.” Mom and Daddy came most of the time. They did not care about baseball, but wonderful years. He was a sporting You would use the cards on your bikes they cared a lot about me. By the time goods buyer at Rich’s Department Store. and all that so they would make noise? I was 12 years old, a couple of really You could get downtown on the trolley No, that would destroy the cards…we wonderful managers had said, you know and maybe go from there to Ponce de would use other kinds of cardboard on what, you can throw the ball and they Leon. the bikes. had taught me to pitch and so I became On the street car. So you went to see the Crackers. an all-star pitcher in the College Park Yes. What was the first major league game Little League, which was by far the Did you listen to the games on the you went to see? highlight of my life. radio? The first major league game I ever saw So, when you were little, 10 or 12, did No. For some reason radio didn’t do was at Wrigley Field and it was the you root for baseball teams or did you it for me. I would list to music all the Chicago Cubs. I went to Chicago, to root for the Atlanta Crackers? Did time. My family was not sophisticated Evanston, Illinois, to play in the college you follow the Yankees and teams in in musical matters, but we had a great all-star game in that other sport. It turns major league baseball? church choir. So, I was a boy soprano out the we got to the state finals my I followed the Yankees and, of course, and I learned to love Mozart and Bach junior year in high school in baseball we all pulled for the Crackers, we did and those people. I still do.