BASEBALL DIGEST OPENING DAY EDITION A Special Publication of Arnall Golden Gregory LLP * * * By Abe J. Schear Neal Freeman April 2015 “Youth Baseball And More” Youth baseball, that game for “the boys of summer”, is changing due in no small part Schear: I’m with my good friend Neal When you were a little boy did you to my friend Neal Freeman. Neal and his Freeman. So Neal, tell me what are read avidly about baseball? Or just company have long been one of the leading your first memories of baseball? really watched it on TV? (and quietest) of Atlanta’s retail development Freeman: Well, it was Saturdays when Well, it was both. I watched it on the companies, building one family center after there was only one baseball game a week game of the week but also I loved The another, all while Neal was finding ways to address his passion for baseball. on TV. I think it was Joe Garagiola and Sporting News. I memorized The Tony Kubek announcing and I remember Sporting News to the point where my This first occurred to me when Neal explained watching that every week and then after father’s golf buddies would ask me to me how he could take fallow land behind watching that, pretty much every night each Saturday on the golf course what one of his centers and convert this unused of the week I would take the rubber was the batting average of Felipe Alou? (and low basis) property into a baseball field, a swim center and a play area. His baseball and throw it against the brick How many strikeouts did Don Drysdale perseverance and persuasion were remarkable garage and play my own imaginary have? How many home runs did Al as he overcame one hurdle after another and games, a lot of times based on the game I Kaline have? I could immediately spit made it happen. had seen that week or the article I might them out because it was something I just have read in The Sporting News that loved and literally read every word of the When he first explained the LakePoint project to me, I knew that I should be attentive to week. That was my first memory. magazine every week. his vision, one which merged youth sports, Okay. Did you play baseball as a Did your family talk about baseball at sportsmanship and fellowship, one unlike youngster? the dinner table? any project ever built, one which correctly identified that youth tournaments can include both structure and entertainment. “I remember playing in bare feet as long LakePoint is barely 20 minutes north of the Interstate 75 and Interstate 285 intersection. as I could.” It has 3 miles of highway frontage. Players are playing baseball there not just in the summer but nearly 10 months a year. Soccer tournaments are being held. The wakeboard Yes. I played as early as T-ball at 6 Well my father played American Legion park is open, as is the beach volley ball years old in Cairo, Georgia. I played ball. He was a second baseman. So we facility. pretty much every sport every season. talked a little bit about that and I enjoyed I certainly looked forward to baseball watching him play. I became a middle Neal has made reality of his bold aspirations, season. One of the memories I have is infielder because that is what he was. certainly with the help of others, but LakePoint is Neal’s vision and his belief in youth sports that we all had dirt fields, the softball Did you pitch when you were in little and family values. fields and American Legion fields, and I league or in youth league? remember playing in bare feet as long as Yes. I was a pitcher and was not known * * * I could convince my father I was faster for my speed but for a lot of accuracy, I that way. He would let me do that. He guess because of throwing that rubber Abe J. Schear is an attorney with Arnall also let me play barefooted in football ball against the wall. I got to where I Golden Gregory LLP and is a member of but said I was probably going to get hurt could be Greg Maddux kind of accurate. the firm’s Real Estate Group. Contact Abe and I disagreed. Then, my first sweep Generally, just taught myself a lot about at 404.873.8752 or [email protected]. play as a running back I broke my toe in baseball by just impersonating what I a pile up. saw. And then my son Philip actually got A r n a l l Go l d e n G r e g o r y L L P | April 2015 better than I ever was at impersonating. They have such great radio announcers Did you follow the games on TV or So I need to take you to the county fair that I actually enjoy listening just as radio or newspaper? with me if I need to take home some much as I do watching. I do enjoy both Mostly, I would work my schedule stuffed animals. because I like watching. Growing up, I to make sure I was available for that Well you could have then but I don’t do enjoyed imitating swings and throwing Saturday TV game. It’s funny how too much to help with that now. I would motions of Juan Marichal or Luis Tiant things have changed. We cherished that have been your man then. or Carl Yastrzemski. They were so one game and it didn’t matter who was Did you play high school baseball? unique and I enjoyed emulating them. playing. I did not play after ninth grade but As a hitting coach at Wesleyan, I enjoy I agree and I don’t remember if played up until then. In ninth grade I’d watching a swing pass and some of the the Braves had a big network that become a pretty accomplished golfer and techniques. But the announcers for the extended all over the state. baseball and golf competed in the same Braves are so good that I enjoy listening No. But when it did and I’ll never forget season. Neither coach would allow me to that as well. Andy Messersmith and Channel 17, to play both and I thought that I could You ever try to announce a game? which I thought was so hysterical. But get a college scholarship playing golf. I have done the PA but I’ve never done from that day until now I’ve been a I actually got a few offers but didn’t play-by-play. I hear it’s quite difficult. season ticket holder and been a monster play golf in college. I chose golf over I think it’s really hard. I tried to do it Braves fan. Live and die with them. baseball. I regretted it to some degree just once. I thought it was really, really Do you remember the first game that but I wasn’t the greatest at hitting a curve hard. you went to? ball so maybe that was the right decision. You taught your son to pitch? Yes, and he became a very accomplished “Being a hitting coach is the greatest thing pitcher all throughout his travel ball and high school career and his specialty because hitters don’t normally come to you likewise was amazing control. His two years in middle school he had like 120 unless things are going poorly.” strikeouts and only 4 walks. He did the same thing I did growing up. Instead of rubber ball he took a tennis ball Back to the Braves – you are a homer We used to always try to go every July and threw it against the wall for hours for sure? 4th. I can’t remember the first one. But and hours and I credit that towards his I always have been a homer, always one game was weird. I remember this accuracy and really a lot of his arm for the Braves even when I used to go one July 4th that Darryl Chaney hit a strength. to games when they lost all the time, triple in the corner to win the game and You know today they would have some being one of 500 people at the park. I the fireworks were extra special. Just a sort of restrictive covenant in your remember Neikro, but I love the days of very good family memory with my father neighborhood that you can’t throw Rico Carty and the Alou brothers. and brother. against the wall that much for fear Did you come to the Braves games Did you collect baseball cards as a that it would bother the neighbors and when you were living in Cairo? child? reduce the property values. Did you I don’t remember ever doing that. We I did, but not too intensely. I’d say follow the Braves when you were a really thought our whole life was going I had a moderate collection, which youngster? to always be in south Georgia and eventually got cleared out and thrown Well I lived in south Georgia so we then my father got an offer to come away. Another memory growing up I really didn’t pick up the Braves too be a CFO for Watkins Trucking. So remember is with my brother. We would much. I was a Florida State fan for we loaded up the vehicle from South play whiffle ball one on one and we had entertainment.