James Nov-Dec 2023 web - Flipbook - Page 43
n the late 1880s my great, great grandfather
owned a farm in Cobb County near what is
now the intersection of I-285 and Atlanta
Road, just a few miles down the road from what has
now become Truist Park and The Battery.
Fast forward to October of 2023. My mother, an elegant and much-loved fixture of Vinings and Buckhead,
was in her final hours of life after 87 magnificent years
on this earth. Most of it was spent in my family’s home,
just a few miles down the road from that farm of the late
1800s. But more about all of that in a bit.
As a Cobb County boy and a former Cobb state legislator, I am naturally biased in favor of the county. But
when the Atlanta Braves baseball team announced its
move to Cobb, I was highly skeptical. So was my mom.
My mother, Joan Towery, loved politics and was
never hesitant to donate to and support candidates. She
was a major donor to Republicans ranging from Mack
Mattingly, Newt Gingrich, Johnny Isakson and so many
more. But she supported Democrats as well. One of her
favorites was former Gov. Roy Barnes, a fellow Cobb
countian. Add to that Jimmy Carter. She just loved politics and made darn sure I did too, at an early age.
Her very last major vote was for Gov. Brian Kemp.
Now back to the Braves. To say my family members
were original Braves fans would be an understatement.
In 1966 we didn’t have that many folks in Atlanta. At
age six I was there, with my parents, for the first year
of Braves games in Atlanta. Oh boy, those were some
rather tough times. And we all dutifully hung in there
through thick and thin for years, primarily thin.
My late father, Buddy, and I were there for Hank
Aaron’s record-breaking home run in 1974. But years
passed before the magic moment when, again, Dad and
I were in a suite courtesy of Dad’s friend Ted Turner and
lightening finally struck. Sid Bream’s famous “slide” in
game seven of the 1992 NLCS catapulted the Braves
into a winning tradition that was the building block for
the incredible organization we see today.
That night as Bream scored my very businesslike
father, our late great-and-so-dignified former Mayor
Ivan Allen (the namesake of my middle name “Allen”
which no one can ever spell correctly) and his beautiful
and ever-so-proper wife, the late Louise Allen, suddenly formed a four-person jumping jack team. We all just
were holding on to each other and jumping for joy! One
of the greatest memories I will ever have of Atlanta.
I tell of this to say that I believe I’ve earned my
Braves “chops,” no pun intended. But I made one terrible mistake about the Braves ten years ago. One for
which I not only want to atone, but something which I
want to turn into absolute and joyous exultation.
I was wrong about the Braves’ move to Cobb
County. My polling for Fox5Atlanta TV right after they
announced their move from Turner Field was accurate.
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