To every person who asked Bobby Cox Friday afternoon in the Braves dugout if his right arm was loose and ready for the ceremonial first pitch, the former Braves manager laughed and said “no, not really.”
But still, he had big plans for it.
“Four-seamer,” Cox said. “Like (closer Craig) Kimbrel. Make it rise up a little bit.”
Braves president John Schuerholz, who helped build the Braves perennial division-winning teams of the 1990s with Cox as his manager, had just walked by, and heard Cox lament the way his arm was feeling. He offered “you need a cut-off man?”
Schuerholz, who’s coming off recent shoulder surgery, and Cox, who said he’s headed for surgery on his left arm in the coming year, may not be as limber as their younger years, but both were loose and enjoying themselves on the eve of Game 2 in the division series at Turner Field.
Cox has been admiring the work of the Braves’ this season and his protégé manager Fredi Gonzalez, occasionally in person but mostly from the rocking chair at his Adairsville home.
“With all the adversity, the (job the) coaches and Fredi have done, it’s been remarkable,” Cox said. “Ninety six wins, it’s unbelievable. It’s a team that’s picked each other up. You always talk about that. It’s living proof.”
Cox, clad in khakis and a white golf shirt, got his ceremonial first pitch to the plate, though just a little outside, to the veteran Tim Hudson.
Having a player catch the ceremonial first pitch was a change from Game 1 on Thursday night when the Braves mascot “Homer” caught the first pitch from Chipper Jones.
Jones voiced his displeasure from his Twitter account later Thursday night, saying sarcastically: “Wanna thank the Braves organization for having me throw out the first pitch to the mascot tonite. Quite sure that’s never been done before!” Later, Jones also tweeted: “Nor will it EVER happen again!”
Thursday was also the day Jones had gone on the air with the Braves flagship radio station, 680 The Fan, and predicted the Dodgers would win the division series in four games over the Braves.
