April 12, 2010 "Ah Choo"

Last Wednesday the pollen count hit over 5,000 in metro Atlanta and I have the Claritin to prove it. Facebook friend Stacia Addison stated the the pollen count at the Peachtree Allergy Clinic in Carrollton rose to a smothering 6,203, I can taste the pollen when I walk outside. My truck is now a dingy shade of yellow and I have given up on keeping the dadburn thing washed until this pollen season is over. Ken Cook of Fox 5 said we should get a reprieve in a couple of weeks. The Braves got off to a great start last Monday at Turner Field. I began to get nostalgic over a good time in my life. My high school years working for G. B. Evans at the Red and White Food Store were some fine days for me. I learned a lot about the grocery business and Forney Walker taught me what to look for when buying fresh produce. Forney Walker is perhaps the strongest individual I ever met, physically and morally. He could do any task needed in the store from being produce manager, grocery manager, working in the meat department, even running the cash register when Bea Hart would go to lunch. Cash registers back then didn't have scanners like today. When is the last time you saw an old school National Cash Register? Its been a while hasn't it? Working at the grocery store I worked along side Denver Morgan. Denver was a student at Jacksonville State and working his way through college. "D" as I liked to call him got a pair of tickets to see the Braves and invited me to go with him to the twilight double header at the old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. I remember hearing the late Marshall Mann, the public address announcer's booming voice introducing Rico Carty, Phil Neikro, Joe Torre, and Henry Aaron. It was July 4, 1966 and it was a day I'll never forget. Denver Morgan is still one of the biggest sports fans I ever met because a loss by Georgia Tech in football can still put my friend Denver in a bad mood. Former Braves pitcher Rick Camp has been a friend since we were at West Georgia College and he pitched for the West Georgia Braves. He became a star reliever in the National League playing for Atlanta. In 1995 when the Braves won their first World Series I was there for the final game and see Atlanta's win over a tough Cleveland Indians team. Rick got me tickets for that and it cost me a Weatherby 12 gauge. Camp was always bartering since Ted Turner gave him a John Deere tractor as a signing bonus to pitch for Braves. Rick Camp is still a friend. Phil Neikro became a friend over the years because of my annual golf tournament for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. "Nucksie" has always been there to help us out over the years. I once sat with Mickey Mantle and Hank Aaron at a fund raiser for Governor Zell Miller. Mickey Mantle listened to my radio show and became a friend in his last few years of life. Mickey Mantle was a boyhood hero to many, including a little boy who grew up on Stone Street in Tallapoosa. I sat between Mickey and Hank and they swapped stores. "Mickey, tell Rhubarb about the time down at spring training we did so and so" said Hammerin' Hank. "Rhubarb, get Hank to tell you about that game in 1960 when he played for Milwaukee and he hit all those pop ups!" joked Mantle. It was a night forever etched in my heart. Just before the night's event was up, Mickey Mantle and Hank Aaron gave me an autographed baseball. It is a treasure. One of the most difficult tasks I ever had was to speak at Mickey Mantle's memorial service they held in Greensboro, Georgia. I spoke after Governor Miller and Henry Aaron. Mickey Mantle spent his final years as a resident of Georgia. Mickey Mantle had a house on Lake Oconee in Greene County and he spent many days conquering the golf courses there. His biggest battle that he ever faced was alcohol. Being an emcee for a roast for Dale Murphy upon his retirement is a fond memory. He truly was a winner in baseball and truly excelled in life. One of my all-time favorite people who ever word a Braves uniform is Terry Pendleton. Terry Pendleton and I met at the Atlanta Motor Speedway at a NASCAR event. We have ridden Harleys together at a few charity rides and he is a class human being. He called me last Tuesday to show his son Terry around the campus of Kennesaw State. His son Terry is interested in media studies and also in our music programs offered at Georgia's third largest university. We spent a couple of hours around campus and it was an enjoyable time. I invited Terry and his family out to Tallapoosa this weekend for the Dogwood Festival, but his employer the Atlanta Braves has him coaching this weekend. Terry Pendleton had a 15 year career in professional baseball playing for the Cardinals, Marlins, Reds, Royals, and Atlanta. He went to 5 World Series and won Major League Baseball's Most Valuable Player Award and was voted as an All-Star. He retired from playing in 1998 and is one of the most respected hitting coaches in all of baseball. Baseball insiders say that T. P. is in line for Bobby Cox's position once Bobby retires at the end of this season. I hope the Atlanta Braves realize that it would be continuing having "class" at the top of the organization.