When the Braves host Grambling State and Florida A&M from Friday through Sunday, Ralph Garr will be there, doing what he knows best. The longtime Braves scout and 12-year major league veteran said he can’t pass up the opportunity to get a good look at the game’s next generation.
The two historically Black colleges and universities are a part of the inaugural Ralph Garr-Bill Lucas HBCU Baseball Classic at Coolray Field. Grambling State and Florida A&M have a combined 0-19 record entering the series, but Garr expects them to put on a good show.
Part of that optimism comes from experience. A scout since 1984, Garr’s priority is the Southwestern Athletic Conference, which includes his alma mater of Grambling State. But part of it also comes from his positive outlook. As he reflects on his life, the 75-year-old is overwhelmed with gratitude.
“I’ve been really blessed,” Garr said. “God has been good to me and my family. We’ve worked hard to let him know how much we appreciate it by trying to do things we think are right, being respectful and caring and respecting the game of baseball.”
Garr and Lucas will be honored as part of the series, which will benefit Black baseball in the Southeast through ticket sales. The games are scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
Lucas played baseball for Florida A&M, served in the U.S. Army and played six years in the Braves minor league system, topping out at Triple-A.
He then joined the club’s front office, and in 1976 he essentially became the majors’ first Black general manager. Braves owner Ted Turner retained the GM title, but he gave Lucas a promotion and all the responsibilities of the job -- and the title of vice president of player personnel. In 1978, Lucas hired Bobby Cox to be manager and picked Bob Horner No. 1 in the draft.
By the time Lucas became GM, Garr had been traded to the Chicago White Sox after about eight seasons with the Braves. Garr did have a chance to interact with Lucas when he was in the minor leagues. He admired Lucas and wanted to make him proud, even after graduating to the big leagues.
Every year before spring training, Garr’s teammate and good friend Dusty Baker drove from California to Florida, picking up Garr in Ruston, Louisiana, on the way. But one spring, Garr and Baker stayed at home as they held out for better contracts. Until Lucas called.
“(Baker said), ‘Mr. Lucas called me, did he call you?’ I said, ‘Yes, he called me, too. Let’s get out of here.’ And we headed on down to spring training,” Garr said.
Lucas died three years into his GM tenure from a sudden brain hemorrhage. In 2006, he and Garr were inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame.
The HBCU Classic is a great way to honor Lucas and further the Braves’ efforts to grow the game, Garr said.
As he sits in the Coolray Field bleachers, Garr said he will be filled with pride in his beloved alma mater and the Braves, an organization he believes to be the best in baseball.
“We as Black Americans have really contributed a lot to the game of baseball, and we just don’t want anyone to forget,” Garr said. “Like Henry Aaron always said, he don’t want nobody to forget Babe Ruth or Mickey Mantle. He just don’t want nobody to forget Mr. Aaron. And that’s a good thing. We are all in this together, whether we want to be or not. And I’m glad that the Braves make me feel like that.”
