BASEBALL DIGEST  WORLD SERIES EDITION 

A Special Publication of Arnall Golden Gregory LLP

By Abe J. Schear Bob Hope October 2017 “Memorable Moments ”

* * * Schear: Bob, where did you grow up? Yes, we would drive down to the games. It would be unlikely to ever be able to I grew up in Atlanta and basically have I was too young to drive back then. replicate the career of Bob Hope. Working lived here most of my life. I was in Was your family interested in as a PR person and usher for the first New York for 4 years, but Atlanta’s my baseball? Braves’ team, Bob later became the public hometown. Oh yeah. My dad had played baseball relations director for the Braves and the What part of town did you grow up growing up in high school. So he was a Atlanta Hawks (and the Atlanta Chiefs). In in? big Crackers fan. We enjoyed baseball. addition, and with the encouragement of Ted 1753 Moores Mill Road, which is I guess the games were on the radio Turner and the Braves, Bob orchestrated the Buckhead area. But back then Buckhead back then. They were the Crackers, media around the 1972 Baseball All Star was more out in the country than it is they weren’t Major League Baseball. game and the Hank Aaron home run chase. today. It was definitely the Crackers. I mean I live right near Moores Mill and the Crackers were on Ponce de Leon and Without the benefit of a manual, Bob was Howell Mill. you had your favorites. Eddie Matthews able to add fun to the early Atlanta Braves Oh yeah, absolutely. was probably the darling of the Crackers experience without reducing the product That was a pretty neighborhood then and then he went to the big leagues. to the woeful quality of play in those first and it’s a pretty neighborhood now. They had a lot of players that came years. It helped, for sure, that Bob is an It was a nice neighborhood. We didn’t through and went on to play in the big Atlantan since birth, and he understood the have an interstate connector back then, leagues. southern mentality.

In 2015, Bob was inducted into the “We just knew there was a tree in the outfield.” Atlanta Hospitality Hall of Fame, an honor which recognized his lifetime achievements so you were a little far out. Did you have many memories of the and his robust volunteer spirit. Interstate 75 probably wasn’t even park or the magnolia tree out there? built then. Did you follow baseball as Oh yeah. The magnolia tree was a In his interview, Bob recounts an Atlanta a child? fixture. I don’t think that we necessarily period not too far into the past, one with Yes I did. I went to a lot of Atlanta knew that it was unique to Atlanta. We wonderful characters and, like today, a Crackers games and you know we would just knew there was a tree in the outfield. “we can” attitude. His stories surely bring go to Ponce de Leon Park. Somehow, I heard all the stories about the longest to life an Atlanta we have only read about, one of our neighbors was a friend home run ever hit was by Montag. It but not fully appreciated. of several of the Crackers players. I landed in the railroad car and ended up in remember going down to their house Chattanooga, and that type of legendary and meeting Bob Montag and some of thing. * * * the other players. Whitlow Wyatt was It all gets recycled. The railroad track the manager. In fact, we had a German is part of the beltline now and they Abe J. Schear is an attorney with Arnall shepherd dog that had gotten too big for basically hit it from Home Depot onto Golden Gregory LLP and is a member of our yard and we gave it to Wyatt to take the beltline. the firm’s Real Estate Group. Contact Abe out to his farm. That’s right. at 404.873.8752 or [email protected]. So you would drive down to the That’s how I see it now when I walk games? on the beltline. Now did you play A r n a l l G o l d e n G r e g o r y L L P | October 2017 baseball as a child? “Bob, Eddie Robinson may want to make night pushing these giant rolls of paper I think all of us played baseball. Back a trade, but if you’re not around and I’m across the concrete floor after doing it all then, baseball was probably in third not around he can’t do it. So let’s go summer and three or four months during place in the city schools. Football was sailing.” So we did. the school year. Did that all night and the king and basketball was number Well, Mr. Bartholomay is a nice man. then I’d go to classes in the morning. I two and then baseball. Oddly enough, I So did you follow a Major League would try to get some sleep and study. went to Northside High School. I think baseball team when you were a little I thought there had to be a better way one of the years we didn’t have enough boy? than that. So one Saturday morning I had my Dad drive me over to the brand new Braves stadium in Atlanta, which “I never would’ve been in a bar brawl if I was just sparkling. There were trailers outside, they didn’t have offices yet. I didn’t know Eddie Matthews.” walked around and spoke with a man named Jim Hay. He told me I could fill players to actually fill out the team, I mean you watched Dizzy Dean and Pee out an application and that I could start but everybody played a little baseball. Wee Reese, the announcers on TV. All ushering. This was during the spring of Whether you were good at it or not, you you could get was pretty much the game my senior year and then very quickly still played baseball. of the week. Tony Kubek was on for a after that they said they had an opening. Well, what position did you play? while. On the radio you could listen to The assistant PR director was going to I was third basemen because Eddie the St. Louis Cardinals. the army for 6 months and they asked me Matthews was our star player. That was Did you collect any baseball if I wanted to interview for the job. Lee my position of choice. memorabilia? Walburn, who was the publicity director, Matthews had a pretty colorful history Everybody collected baseball cards. We asked me if I knew how to write a press when he was in Atlanta. He was a 24/7 didn’t know that it would’ve been worth release. I said “absolutely I knew how to kind of guy, there’s no question about holding on to them. After a while I write one,” but I didn’t even know what it. think our moms threw them out. Part of one was. He asked if I knew how to do I could’ve probably gone my entire life growing up was having baseball cards in baseball statistics. I said “yes.” He said and never would’ve been in a bar brawl a shoe box. “well bring me some samples tomorrow.” if I didn’t know Eddie Matthews and Did you put your baseball cards on So I scrambled around. There was a guy since I was with Eddie Matthews, I’ve your bike? I went to school with named Richard been in several of them. My brother did. I think I wrecked my Hyatt who worked as a stringer for the I was talking with someone about bike too many times. Atlanta Constitution sports department, Eddie Matthews, who was a terrific I used to flip cards; it was sort of a so I called Richard. I told him “You’ve baseball player and an interesting gamble. You would flip them against got to help me write a press release and fellow, but he kept the lawyers busy the curb, see if they stood up or fell show me how to do baseball statistics.” when he was in Atlanta. I know that down. You could do pretty well with So we did it that night. I put it in a for a fact. some unsuspecting people. Did you manila folder and went in to see Lee the Well Eddie just had an active temper. I listen to or watch the games? Was next day. He looked at it and said “Well, would be sitting there watching Eddie either one your favorite? you did pretty well.” He hired me for and the conversation would be casual Probably watching the game on TV. The six months and fourteen years later I was and thoughtful. Then somebody at the game of the week was easy, because still there. next table would say something to him every Saturday you would turn it on Did they have much of an idea of what and chairs would start flying. It was just (obviously it was black and white). It they were doing? They were pretty the nature of his personality. He drank wasn’t as easy to follow baseball on the new. too much – there’s no question about radio. I would listen to the Crackers Well they were new but you know they that. sometimes. Following the Crackers is actually ran a pretty good operation. Well there’s a big smile on your face, very similar to following the Braves Dick Cecil was business manager who so they must be pretty good memories. here. The Crackers were our team and had come from Milwaukee and done the It was fine. I love Eddie Matthews. We big league baseball was something that transition. In 1965 the Crackers played went to baseball meetings one time in was played in other places. in the new stadium. I ushered and did Hawaii. Eddie was the manager of the Somehow, down the road you got the score board in 1965 and then went Braves and Eddie Robinson was the involved with the Braves. into the PR department. In ’67, we had General Manager and he told us we I needed to work my way through the Atlanta Chiefs soccer team and I did needed to stay close because he was college. I started at Georgia State and both. I was in college and the assistant about to make a trade. This woman, Bill I was working on the graveyard shift PR director for the Braves, and the PR Bartholomay’s wife, was from Hawaii at a Mead packaging company. I told director for the Atlanta Chiefs soccer and she wanted to take us out on the sail people that I could do more push-ups team. It was just a great opportunity. It boat. Matthews looked at me and said than anybody on earth. I stayed up all was a small operation, but they did good 2 BASEBALL DIGEST by Abe J. Schear work and I learned an awful lot because I hospitality. What I didn’t know until the well it looks pretty, but it looks pretty got to do everything. Sunday night before (the game was on lonely. So, they painted stripes down Was it pleasant to work with the Tuesday), when the teams came in I had the first and third base lines and the tops newspapers back then? this hospitality set up and Major League of the dugouts. From the outfield this Yes, well I think it’s pleasant to work Baseball hired the security guards. My looked glorious. The game was about with them today. I enjoyed working with wife was the first one to start to go in to start and I get a call from the umpire the newspapers. The difficult situation there and they said “no, no, it’s men and he said we couldn’t paint the field was that you had an afternoon paper only” and I thought well that’s crazy. like this, it’s against the ground rules. and a morning paper. If you ever had an announcement one or the other was going to get the break on the story. The “It was just a fun and rambunctious time.” one that did not receive the breaking story would be furious. So you did have She was walking away and Bill Lucas, I thought, “oh my goodness, what am to deal with those things. The writers who was our farm system director back I going to do?” He said well we can’t were friends and during my tenure, there then, and who was African American, have the game. Luckily all the umpires were blessings in knowing the traditions grabbed my wife by the arm and said were upset and trying to figure out of baseball, but there are also blessings “come with me Susan” and he looked at what to do. So they called Bowie Kuhn in not knowing the traditions. the security guard and said “You know, who was the commissioner of baseball they used to treat our people this way (who turned out to be just a wonderful So, Atlanta hosted in 1969 the playoffs too,” so they went in and word got out. friend) and he came down to the field. with the Mets and then, in 1972, I was Suddenly they were letting the wives I had never met him and I thought oh my God, it’s all over for me. I walked down to the Commissioner, he looked “There was a lot of innovation that went on around and I said “It looks nice, doesn’t it?” The umpire said “Well it’s against in Atlanta simply because we were ignorant.” the ground rules, you can’t do it.” The Commissioner said “get me a rule book.” in charge of Major League Baseball in the rooms. It was just really fun. I I ran up and got the rule book and he all-star game. I wasn’t really engrained think that there was a lot of innovation said, “This is an exhibition game, we in the tradition of baseball so I didn’t that went on in Atlanta simply because can do whatever we want.” It was just a understand that only members of the we were ignorant and really didn’t know fun and rambunctious time. I always tell baseball press association were allowed why baseball did things a certain way. people, I was 25 years old when I went to come into the press box. Again, I into Major League Baseball All-Star figured if you were there and you had a That first year of the all-star game, I game and sometimes you can do things job to cover it, I didn’t care if you were decorated the field. You know the NFL better when you’re young than you can TV, radio or what, you could come in the always had those giant logos in the when you’re old, because you just don’t press box. That initially set fireworks center of the field. I thought well that know exactly why things that make sense off, but then it settled down at work. would be cool if we had one of those in are wrong. You just do them. the middle of the center field. I found Let me fall back. You mentioned As to 1972 the all-star game, I had been the guy in New Orleans that the Falcons somebody that I really would love for to the all-star game the year before had told me that he did the stencils. I you to talk about a second. Talk for a in Detroit and thought the hospitality called him and asked him if he could do second about Bill Lucas. Bill Lucas, first of all, was a wonderful man, considering what he went through “I want it the size of the high school gym.” and the time he went through it. There were a lot of things that happened in seemed pretty stale. I thought that one for the All-Star game for me. He a very general and congenial way in was because they didn’t have enough said “yes just send me the logo for it, Atlanta during the civil rights movement. money. The next year Major League we’ll do it.” He then asked “How big do It kept things calm and Bill Lucas was Baseball said we’d have $40,000.00 for you want it.” I said “Well, how big can at the heart of all of that. There was hospitality. I thought, well that’s not you do it?” He said “Well, I do them in some hate mail, but Bill never flared very much. I called the NFL and asked the high school gym.” I said “I want it up. Bill and Hank (Aaron) stayed calm. how they did the hospitality for the the size of the high school gym.” So, The communities stayed calm. Bill was Super Bowl. I went to the Chamber of we painted this giant All-Star logo in very active in the African American Commerce and they called Coca-Cola, center field. My ground crew had done community here and very active in Southern Company, Delta Airlines and it because he knew it was spraying on engaging the white business community Atlanta Gas Light. They got money like food color. Then they got up in the with the African American community. from each of them, so we had this lavish upper deck and looked at it and said I remember when I was a PR guy how 3 A r n a l l G o l d e n G r e g o r y L L P | October 2017 thrilled I was to be inducted into the I think that’s right, and part of that came along. One time, Phil grabbed me 100% right club or the 100% wrong carries over from Ted Turner. Rubye and said “Bob, I’m chairman of the Big club, which is now a black organization Lucas was on the Turner board for Brothers and Big Sisters, and I want you really, the hierarchy of the black business years. He had made sure that he paid to be a big brother.” I said I would be a community. Bill would work with attention to the family. Ted, through all terrible big brother. He finally got me them and he would bring in 12 or so his craziness, is very wide open and has into it. Phillip Lewis was 8 years old and black business people, who would then a big, giving heart. In this case, he cared I was his big brother all the way until he be honored by the organization. They a great deal about Bill. graduated high school. So they would recruit you to do good things. Also, the “My all-time favorite duo was Dusty Baker players back then were very different, particularly during the Ted Turner era. and Ralph Garr. ” We had all these crazy promotions, the crazier the better for Ted. He was apt would do things like the Two Friends Thanks for sharing that. Who were to come up with all of these ideas. The Award where they would get any of the your favorite players back then? players were great, and would come top athletes to come to their big banquet. That’s pretty easy. There were just in and present their ideas to me. I If they honored a black athlete, the black certain players that were just fun to be remember one of them particularly. athlete would have to bring his best around and my all-time favorite duo was They had found some Italian restaurant black friend. If they honored a white Dusty Baker and Ralph Garr. Back then, that was willing to cook spaghetti on athlete, the white athlete would have to you had a speaker’s bureau, they hired the field after the game and the players bring his best white friend with him. Bill three or five players to come in and just wanted to cook it too. So we had and was sort of the orchestrator and peace make speeches. I always put Ralph and event with the Braves players cooking maker. He was very bright. He built a Dusty together and the reason was they spaghetti on the field. good farm system at the time when the were like the greatest comedy team ever. I interviewed Phil Niekro once and he Braves didn’t really have the money to Dusty was a straight man and Ralph was was absolutely a gentleman. It was a build a good farm system. He was loved just hilarious. lot of fun. by the players. He certainly started the Phil has always been that way. I did core basis of minor league players for the Both of them were just great. One time, an interview with him for the Atlanta Braves. He brought in people like Paul a promoter around town called me up Rotary Club a few months ago. He’s Snyder and the ones that continued to and he was furious because Ralph and just delightful and his stories are so build it until they started winning in the Dusty didn’t show up for the circus remarkable when you consider growing 90’s. He was quite remarkable. parade that morning. I thought, well up with Joe and their best friend was It was a big loss when he died. it’s unlikely but I didn’t know what to John Havlicek. Oh, a huge loss. It was probably the do. So I go to lunch and came back, and What was the chaos like when Hank worst night of my life. I can vividly Ralph and Dusty were sitting there. I Aaron hit his 715th home run? remember the phone ringing in the remember Ralph looked up at me and Well, the event was quite remarkable. middle of the night and just thinking said “Are you mad at us?” I said “Yeah, Luckily, we had hosted the ‘72 All-Star this is not good. For whatever reason I’m mad at you. You didn’t show up to game, and we knew how to handle a lot I just had this feeling that I didn’t want the circus parade.” Then they explained of press. I called the NFL and asked to answer this phone. Getting word that to me that they walked up to the parking them how to do a big press conference he had an aneurism and going to the lot at the corner of Harris and Peachtree and they told me how to do a pre-game hospital and Rubye, his wife, was in the Street or whatever. A guy came up to and post-game press conference. Then waiting room. It was me and her. She them and took them across the street and we would schedule interviews during was holding on to me, crying and all. I pointed to an elephant. He had a stick the day every 15 minutes with the right thought this was not something I had with a nail on the end of it and poked people that needed to interview him in ever done before and I didn’t want to the elephant in the trunk. He said now person. It really was quite wearing on do it. It was a difficult time for all of us climb up that trunk, sit on the elephant Hank but he was always gracious about who knew him. He was 43 years old. and hold on to its ears and ride it down it, but the buildup was just intense. I He was vibrant and had an infectious, Peachtree Street. I said you don’t have don’t think any of us had any idea that outgoing personality. One of the truly to tell me anymore, you were smart not he was going to hit 715 on opening greatest people you’ll ever meet. [Note: to go. But they were just great and fun night. In fact, I was pretty foolish. We Bill Lucas, the Braves’ general manager, to be around. had so much preparation for opening was the then highest ranking black night. I sent our assistant PR director to executive in professional baseball. He is Mike Lum was fun to be around. Phil Cincinnati and that first day when Hank a member of the Braves Hall of Fame.] Niekro and Hank Aaron were always hit 714, I thought oh my gosh I’m in It seems like the Braves have actually gracious. They were two that were trouble. Then he came in for the opening done an okay job of making sure they committed to do the right thing, and Phil night. didn’t just let him be forgotten. was chairman of almost any charity that They sat him down. They didn’t play 4 BASEBALL DIGEST by Abe J. Schear him after that. one with the Braves.” She said “This is so you would have a couple of drinks Well they didn’t want him to play, that Ms. Bailey.” She was just delightful, and before the game. There were other was the problem. I asked her if she would come sing the colorful announcers. I remember Harry He didn’t play on Sunday, did he? National Anthem. She said she would Caray and Skip Caray. He did, he played all 3 days. I was love to do it and would be there. You were with the Braves for a long holding my breath. I thought what I What do you remember about that time. will do here if he hits both home runs in night? Yes, 14 years. Cincinnati? It became a big issue. Why Well, it was chilly and raining. I Tell me if you were a commissioner in the world would the National League remember there was a lot of pre-game of baseball for a day or two what or even Donald Davidson, who had the chaos on the field. Of all the ceremonies would you change about baseball? title of Game Director and had a lot of we have had I don’t think I’ve ever You see it from a PR standpoint and flexibility when setting the schedule, been accused of underdoing anything. you understand the fans’ perspective. have let us open on the road? I think we I probably overdid it. We had a lot of What would you do? outsmarted ourselves. Donald figured people that were there for Hank, which I think they are doing a pretty good he would open three days in Cincinnati put a lot of pressure on him. He had job within the game. I definitely think and then come home and have this long to see them before the game, socialize that the timing of the pitches to keep home stand and Hank would hit both and talk with them. I remember the the game moving along is important. I home runs in Atlanta. So it was a big excitement from his mom and dad being also don’t think you should give a pass shocker when he hit that first home run. there. It was just kind of a shocker when to the batter and not throw the four Cincinnati wasn’t pleasant all along. he swung the bat and the ball went over balls for intentional walk. I think the There was a little bit of controversy the fence. You just sort of stand there mechanics of the game and the symmetry when Jesse Jackson had called Hank watching the game and for whatever of the game are so important. When in the locker room. He asked Hank reason the reality was a little surreal. you consider that there are 81 home to ask for a moment of silence for After all, this is the first game, he is games and how much they charge per Martin Luther King, because it was the surely not going to hit it tonight, and ticket and what the attendance is today, anniversary of his assassination. Hank suddenly one swing of the bat, and it’s they don’t get credit for marketing put his request in with the Reds and over with. Tom House comes running it. I think if there was anything that I Dick Wagner with the Reds turned him in with the ball. Tom House was sort of would change would be to work much down and said they wouldn’t do it. Then like a cartoon character, very bouncy. I harder to get the personalities out there. suddenly the media makes it sound like Hank was raising hell over something when he was just making a reasonable “Pearl Bailey was about as big a name as request. any.” Before the first Atlanta game, it was somebody’s idea for Pearl Bailey to always tell people that Tom House was a There was a time when baseball really sing the national anthem. How did really good relief pitcher. If Tom House was a soap opera sport and you would you get her to sing? could pitch in the big leagues, anybody follow it, day in and day out, and the Somebody had her phone number and I could. He wasn’t really a great athlete, players were personalities and you knew was asked to give her a call. I was doing but just a great guy. He came running in what they were like, you knew them the pre-game ceremonies for the opening with the ball and he was all excited and as people. It was like watching a soap game, which is why I stayed and didn’t he ran to the two guys who did all of our opera on TV. Today you don’t really go to Cincinnati. I had to paint the flag security and nobody could possibly get get the opportunity to understand their on the field, which was a map of the U.S on the field, but then we saw the guys personalities. The players change teams which looked like a flag, and we were running around the bases with Hank. a lot and it’s not quite the same intimate going to re-live this is your life Hank This is just great. I just have a relationship that you had with the fans. I Aaron. We wanted to do something couple of more questions. So, of the think if they could build on personalities that was pretty dramatic, which was the announcers that were around, which of the players, it would help a lot. National Anthem and Pearl Bailey was were your favorites? What do you think of the new ball about as big a name as any. Somebody I think my favorites were, all of them park? gave me her phone number. I called and were different in their own way, Ernie I think they did a marvelous job, though this lady answered the phone and I said Johnson. Pete Van Wieren. I remember I’m not sure why we need three ball “Ms. Bailey?” She said “Can I tell her listening to audition tapes when we hired parks. who’s calling?” I told her “this is Bob Pete for $17,000/yr. It was down to two, Well, this is great and I’m going to Hope, not the television Bob Hope.” She either Pete or another guy. Skip would stop right here. Thank you so much. said “I know which Bob Hope this is, the want to take you into the press lounge

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