Goodbye No. 6.

Almost everything that can be said about Bobby Cox has been, and by folks more articulate than me.

My first date with my wife was a Braves game in 1991 on a sweltering Friday night in July. We were married in December of ’91. Almost 19 years later, the skipper of that first date team is finally retiring.

We’re not huge sports people. We don’t have season tickets to, well, anything. Still, Bobby Cox was an unlikely constant for us. Unlikely, because we’d never consider ourselves baseball fanatics. Even more unlikely because how many managers are successful enough to stay with one team for more than two decades?

Her father might have been the biggest Braves fan I ever knew. He saw every game or listened to it on the radio. He was at the game for Hank Aaron’s 715th homerun. Tie games drove my mother-in-law nuts. Every time the two of them went to a game, there would always be extra innings.

Even when his light began to fade, and he had a hard time following the roster, he still watched and listened. He still knew Chipper and McCann. If I was at his house during baseball season, I watched or listened with him.

When he passed away, I took up the torch of watching and listening. Not quite as religiously, but as much as I could and with just as much passion.

Folks will make what they want of Bobby Cox’s legacy. For me, I’ll choose gratitude. Thank you, No. 6.

i hate to say it.

even though i love the hawks and want to see the braves do good, and consider myself to now firmly be an atlantan, when it comes to baseball i will never be able to cheat on my one true love.

the lovable losers from chicgao’s northside, the one and only, chicago cubs.

as most of you know, the braves will be opening the 2010 major league campaign today at turner field. and they will be doing it against the cubs.

so my mark grace jersey from 1998 is now out and ready to go. and yes, i am going to be *that* guy. the obnoxious guy who shows up decked out for the visiting team and cheers so loud for them you want to kill him. the guy who knows every stat about every player that’s ever played for the visiting team and won’t shut up about it.

so if you see me out at the ted today and you have the urge to punch me, i understand. i feel it every time i go to philips to see the hawks play the lakers or the cavs or the knicks.

but before you cock back and aim a fist my way, remember, 102 years. that’s how long it will be this year since the cubs one the world series.

btw – the best part of all of this is that atlanta metblogs own ben k. will be going with me and my cheering for the cubs is going to annoy the ever living daylight out of him. BONUS!!!!