For only one day. “Forget about those 44 years just for that day,” Gary Cooper remarked while seated in Grayson Stadium for the game’s two and a half hours. Gary Cooper, a native of Garden City, was a summertime player for the Atlanta Braves in 1980.
He played for the Braves for forty-two days. A player must have 43 days on an active roster in order to be eligible for a pension from Major League Baseball (MLB) and the MLB Players Association.
Cooper received a call to join the Atlanta Braves in 1980 after spending a number of seasons in the minor leagues with the AA Savannah Braves.
That first game with the team, playing against the Pittsburgh Pirates, is something he says he will always remember.
Cooper was not granted a pension despite making two appeals to the MLB and Players Association.
In an attempt to fulfill the requirements for a pension, he is now seeking to join with the Atlanta Braves for a single season.
While researching an article about Cooper, Dave Mesrey spoke with baseball historians and business leaders for over a year.
According to Mesrey, Cooper’s eligibility for a pension had recently changed the year he joined the MLB.
Cooper has received a ton of support; thousands of people have signed a petition urging the Atlanta Braves to sign him. According to Savannah Mayor Van Johnson, Savannah is fully behind Cooper.
