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