The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Former player seeks just 1 more day in the majors
Caffeine fix helps keep relievers alert and energetic. Gary Cooper, a 67-year-old Savannah native, asks again for a chance to qualify for pension.
Each night in the bullpen, the Braves relievers who are available that night will stay physically and mentally ready for anything. As the game progresses, they go through their routines to stay ready for any situation.
There is one important part of this process that most of them cannot go without. You likely do not see it with your own eyes, but it is fuel for the moment.
Here’s a hint: It gives them wings.
“You can’t have greenies anymore like they could back in the day,” Tyler Matzek said. “So we’re stuck with caffeine, and Red Bull is a good way to get it, so we just drink some Red Bulls.”
Red Bull, an energy drink, is, well, not the healthiest option. It is loaded with caffeine and sugar. On its website, though, Red Bull claims one can of its drink has as much caffeine as one cup of coffee.
The relievers want extra juice and energy in an efficient way. So on nights they pitch, most of the Braves’ relievers will snag a Red Bull from a fridge, whether it be in the clubhouse or out in the bullpen.
“You can only drink so much coffee without feeling full or stuff like that,” Jesse Chavez said. “But it depends. If we’re up, we have a Red Bull. If we’re down, we don’t have anything. You know what I mean? So we just try to pick and choose because you can only have so many Red Bulls before you get an ulcer.”
“It’s just almost like a psychological thing. It’s almost like, when you get down there, it’s just part of the routine, right?” Pierce Johnson said. “You just grab a Red Bull and go from there. I love the taste of Red Bull, I’ve always liked it. But yeah, it’s just a little bit of extra zip you can get, get the heart moving a little bit.”
“Well, what it was, was, we play so late, and as a reliever you’re sitting there watching a game, kind of being lulled to sleep, just sitting there, waiting — you can’t be running around or doing anything for five or six innings,” Matzek said. “So it was a way to stay stimulated, stay awake, stay ready to go. … On the short list of things we’re allowed to have is caffeine, so we crush caffeine.”
Asked when he first began gulping energy drinks before appearances, Chavez recalls his days in Double-A Frisco in the Rangers organization — before he even debuted. Monster — another energy drink brand — sponsored the team. The Frisco minor leaguers had three different flavors of Monster in the clubhouse.
“Guys have been doing it for years,” Chavez said.
“I think it’s definitely a reliever thing,” A.J. Minter said.
Remember Will Smith? In 2018, Smith and Johnson played for the Giants. Smith went on to close games for the Braves, including recording the final outs of the 2021 World Series. And a year after the Braves traded Smith to the Astros, the Braves acquired Johnson from the Rockies.
But in 2018, Johnson was a rookie still. He looked up to Smith, a veteran lefty.
Smith taught Johnson a lot, including how to get more amped up before an outing.
“I watched Will Smith drink a Red Bull almost every day,” Johnson recalled. “He put it on ice in a cup when I was in San Francisco. Smitty’s the man, I love that guy. He was the best. When I was a rookie, he was a great guy to have around and kind of help chaperone me into becoming a big leaguer and stuff like that. I don’t know — I saw him doing it, I was like, ‘Hey, he’s doing it right, might as well start doing stuff he’s doing.’”
And nowadays, Johnson brings a hydration drink to the bullpen. He’ll drink that, then grab a Red Bull. He doesn’t always finish his Red Bull, but for games after travel days or day games, he sometimes needs the extra zip.
Minter estimates he’s been drinking Red Bull before pitching since 2018 or 2019. Minter remembers Jason Motte, a reliever who pitched for the Braves in 2017, drinking them. “He was a big Red Bull guy,” Minter said. So much so that Motte would smash the can on his head after he finished it.
And now, Minter and Chavez have their own nightly competition. After they finish drinking a Red Bull, they see who can stomp his can into a perfect circle.
Of course, they have conflicting opinions on who is better at this.
On the day Minter talks about their battles, he picks up Chavez’s cleat. Whereas Minter’s shoe has a groove in the middle, Chavez’s cleat is flatter.
“Chavy is cheating because he has these big, flat shoes, so he gets a lot more square feet,” Minter said. “Mine’s a little bit harder to smash.”
Told about this another day, Chavez says: “No. No, no. Nope. I figured he’d say that. No, no, there’s no chance. He’s bad. He’s bad at it. There’s no way around it.”
Chavez contends that his stomping attempt actually is more difficult because he does it sitting down. Minter stands up. “He didn’t tell you that, though, did he?” Chavez adds. (No, Minter didn’t mention that part.)
So what’s the strategy for achieving a perfect circle?
“It’s just the angle,” Chavez said. “You just gotta go straight down.”
They compete. Neither wants to lose.
“Ours is intense,” Chavez said of their game. “We make sure everybody knows, too. You get it wrong, you are getting blown up, for sure.”
But let’s ask a couple of others: Who is better at smashing his can into a perfect circle?
“I’m gonna have to go with Chavy,” Matzek said. “I think he’s got a little more time under his belt crushing them. Mint has been known to put up a very good stomp, but I think Chavy is the more consistent stomper.”
“Oh yeah. Mint’s terrible at it,” Johnson said. (Sorry, A.J.)
And the shenanigans don’t end there: Years ago, Chavez played in the Rangers system with a reliever named Danny Herrera, who eventually pitched for the Reds. When Chavez was with Pittsburgh and Herrera was with Cincinnati, Chavez and others would take the tab off the Red Bull can and cut it in half for the 5-foot-6 Herrera — a small can for a short guy.
While Red Bull is a staple for the Braves’ relievers, not everyone chooses it, for one reason or another. But all the guys have their preferred drinks.
“I just started getting too amped up, too jittery (with Red Bull),” Matzek said. “I was already getting plenty stimulated when I was out on the mound. I didn’t even need to get even more amped up and over-anxious, I guess.”
So about three years ago, Matzek switched to CocaCola. If it’s a day game, he’ll have a coffee.
In years past, Dylan Lee would drink Red Bull before his appearances. “Grab one, sip one, finish it,” he said. But this season, he stopped.
He felt pretty amped already. He didn’t need caffeine.
“I actually think that it does the opposite to me, and that’s why I stopped drinking it,” Lee said. “Because when I drink Red Bull, it calms me down, and I don’t think that’s good, especially in the bullpen. So I stopped drinking it, and now I feel a little bit more alert. I started getting tired.”
Joe Jiménez opts for coffee and lots of water.
“At the start of my career, I started doing pre-workout before I pitched,” Jiménez said. “But I felt it was more that it’s like, ‘OK, I need to do it. If I don’t do it, I’m not gonna feel good.’ I don’t want to feel that again. I think guys do it because of that more than anything else — I don’t know. Maybe.”
And because he felt like he was drinking something only to drink something, he stopped. Now, it’s coffee and water only.
And we should give Johnson some props: It seems most guys, like Minter and Lee, would drink sugar-free Red Bull.
“No, I can’t be having that,” Johnson said. “Nah. Give me the real stuff.”
Johnson drinks the regular one.
Lee can’t match it?
“I can match it, it’s just not good for me,” Lee said.
On nights they’re available to pitch, Red Bull is a familiar taste of most of Braves relievers. But everyone drinks something — even if it’s not Red Bull.
“It’s more of, like, out of tradition, I guess, than anything,” Matzek said. “I don’t know that it helps you much out on the field, but I feel left out not drinking something. All we got is (guys) chugging Red Bulls down there.”
Gary Cooper experienced the “42 best days” of his life as an MLB player with the Braves during the 1980 season.
He’s spent the decades since wishing his time in the big leagues had lasted one day longer.
A Savannah native, Cooper played in 21 games and made two plate appearances in a late-season call-up from the minor leagues. He was sent back to the Braves’ Double-A affiliate in Savannah in early October — one day short of service time eligibility for a player pension. He never returned to the big leagues, retiring after the 1981 season.
“For those 42 days, I was like a little boy in a candy store. It was awesome; the best feeling,” Cooper told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday. “I’ll always be a major league baseball player. I just needed to be there one more day.”
Under the pension system, players receive payment for every quarter — or 43 days — of service time. In 2021, one quarter was valued at $5,750 annually, according to a Phoenix-based firm that manages wealth for professional athletes.
Cooper, now age 67, sought an exemption to receive the pension in 2017, but he was denied. Two subsequent appeals have failed, and he has launched a petition drive — with more than 4,000 signatures to this point — ahead of another appeal.
“They say the third time’s a charm,” Cooper said. “We’ll see.”
Cooper’s case recently received attention from an article in Andscape and a social media post from Savannah Mayor Van Johnson. Johnson posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Tuesday the Braves should sign Cooper to a oneday contract in order for him to qualify for a pension. Johnson’s post noted that Cooper’s 43rd day would have been a game that was rained out and not rescheduled.
In an interview at his office Wednesday, Johnson appealed to Braves’ management to do for Cooper what they did for baseball icon Satchel Paige in 1968, when they signed the then62-year-old for one day to qualify him for a pension.
“We go hard in Savannah for Savannahians, and we’re talking about one day,” Johnson said. “We’re talking about the opportunity to do something that will be a small matter for the Braves but that will be huge for this man.”
Cooper’s appeals to a committee — which has equal representation from MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association — were denied based on the facts at hand.
The service-time system is collectively bargained by MLB and the MLBPA — for every day on an active roster
Former Braves player Gary Cooper was on the team’s major league roster for 42 days in 1980.
in the regular season, a player receives a day of service time. Players who are on a team’s active roster during the regular season for at least 43 days over their careers are eligible for a pension.
Johnson’s post on X mentioned a rainout on the 43rd day for Cooper. However, an off-day counts as a day of service time. Whether the game is played ultimately is irrelevant. If Cooper’s 43rd day were a rainout, then he would have 43 days and be eligible for a pension.
According to committee standards, if money is awarded to someone who doesn’t qualify, there would be less money for those who do.
There are many instances of players who amass 41 or 42 days of service time, and the pension program is not adjusted based on those circumstances.
Cooper, who was known for his speed, was used as a pinch runner and outfielder during his stint with the Braves as a 23-year-old. He had two plate appearances, without a hit. He scored three runs and had two stolen bases. He was caught stealing once.
After his stint with the Braves, Cooper was sent back to the minor leagues. He played one more season with the Durham Bulls before retiring from baseball.
“I didn’t have nothin’ to prove back in the minors,” Cooper told Andscape in an article this month. “I just felt like it was time to call it quits.”
The Braves referred questions about Cooper’s case to MLB and the MLBPA, as those two entities administer the pension program.
The Braves signing Cooper for a day also would be logistically impossible. If they did, he would need to be part of the 26-man roster, and he would be in the dugout for the game — which means someone currently on the roster would need to be sent to Triple-A. And if Cooper were on the roster, the Braves would need to pay him for a day’s work — prorated from the league minimum of $740,000.
Plus, MLB must approve every transaction. This one — signing Cooper — almost certainly would be denied because it could be viewed as a clear case of a team trying to circumvent the pension plan set by MLB and the MLBPA.
With 15 ACC games down and 15 to go, the time is now for Georgia Tech baseball to make a move toward its goal of returning to the NCAA postseason.
“It’s not gonna get any easier of the last five weeks of the season. It’s a tough schedule ahead,” veteran Yellow Jackets pitcher Ben King said. “We’re just hoping to go out and give our best effort, and whatever happens, happens.”
Tech, at 22-13 overall and 7-8 in ACC play, is at the halfway point of the conference schedule and has some work to do, both in the standings and in the conversation to be considered for an at-large berth into an NCAA regional tournament. The Yellow Jackets go into the weekend with an RPI of 74 and in third place (behind four teams) in the ACC’s Coastal Division.
Baseball America projects Tech as one of the first eight teams on the outside looking in at a postseason field of 64. The Jackets missed the NCAA Tournament in 2023.
“I think we’re in good shape, but we got 15 (ACC) games to go. We’re getting ready to go through the jug- gernaut,” Tech coach Danny Hall said. “Everybody that we play moving forward is either ranked or they have a really good RPI, which is a good thing if we can capital- ize on us getting better and winning some of these games and series.
“I think that’s the way you get ahead in this league, is to win series. We’ve won a cou- ple (series) in a row, and now we gotta go try to win some more of ’em.”
Tech’s harrowing road through the rest of the regular season begins at 6 p.m. Friday at No. 10 Virginia (29- 9, 11-7 ACC). It also has a road trip to No. 6 Clemson (30-6, 11-4 ACC) to start the month of May, hosts No. 7 Duke (24- 10, 11-7 ACC) and travels to
Jackets freshman Drew Burress ranks in the ACC’s top 10 in multiple offensive categories, including batting average, home runs and total bases, and Baseball America projects Tech as one of the first eight teams on the outside looking in at a postseason field of 64.
No. 8 Florida State (30-6, 10-5 ACC) for the regular- season finale.
The Jackets need any num- ber of wins they can mus- ter over that stretch. With a current RPI of 74, Tech is only 1-6 against Quadrant 1 teams. It also has a bad loss to Cornell (RPI 172) on the resume.
A sweep of North Carolina State and a series win over Virginia Tech, however, has shown Hall’s bunch has the capabilities to play high-level baseball. They just have to do it more consistently.
“We’ve been up and down. We show flashes of being of kind of (a College World Series)-caliber team. But we’ve shown flashes of really not being anywhere close to where we wanna be,” King said. “I think a lot of that is
just kind of turnover from bringing in this many new guys as we have. It can be a little bit hard for a team to find its rhythm and consis- tency. But I really like the culture that we’ve got. I feel like all the guys really like each other, and we play well with each other.
“If we play up to our level of ability, we can play with anybody in the country. I’m not saying we’re gonna go to Clemson or go to Florida State and sweep ’em on the road, but I think we can go and compete with them for three games if we play up to our level of capability. I think we’re trending in that direction. I really do.”
Tech heads into the week- end with the league’s best mark for walks drawn (242) and second among ACC teams in on-base percent- age (.431). Freshman Drew Burress ranks in the top 10 in the ACC in walks (30), bat- ting average (.378), hits (51), home runs (16), on-base per- centage (.491), runs (44), RBIs (45), slugging percentage (.822) and total bases (111).
Tech still needs improve- ment on the mound, with
its team ERA of 5.71 and 9.6 hits allowed per nine innings. Tech has 12 pitch- ers who have made at least eight appearances this sea- son — only sophomore Car- son Ballard, freshman Michal Kovala and senior Cam Jones have sub-3.00 ERAs among that group.
“I think we’ve improved. I think we’re definitely improved. I think there’s still some growth,” Hall said. “I think there’s guys that can definitely get better. You see flashes of it, but the consistency is kind of what you look for as a coach. You wanna see more guys as consistent as King so that when we put ’em in a game, we know what we’re getting.
“Same thing with hitters. There’s guys that they get hot, and then they slump a little. Looking for that con- sistent piece from everybody. It’s not easy to get to some- times, particularly with young guys; you’ll sort of see that go up and down a little bit.
“Pitching, hitting, defense — we’ve made improvements,” Hall said. “But now we gotta keep making improvements in the next 15-20 games.”
Atlanta United will host Charlotte Independence of USL League One in the fourth round of the U.S. Open Cup.
The match will be held at Kennesaw State on May 7 or 8.
This will be Atlanta United’s first match in this year’s U.S. Open Cup. Atlanta United won the tournament in 2019. Charlotte Indepen- dence advanced to the fourth round by defeating Rhode Island 5-4 on penalty kicks after the match ended 4-4 in regulation Tuesday.
Charlotte is 2-0-1 in USL League One this season. It is managed by Mike Jeffries. Its roster includes former MLS player Miguel Ibarra and Manchester United and Newcastle player Gabriel Obertan.
Atlanta United manager Gonzalo Pineda said the ros- ter for the match will include a mix of players from the first team and Atlanta United 2.
He said last year’s upset loss to Memphis in Atlanta United’s first match in the tournament was “a bit of an accident.”
“Many things happened in that game,” he said. “I think now we’re much bet- ter. I think our depth is not just player by player but ... the whole squad is in a very good level.”
Almada hoping for busy summer
Saying it’s an honor to rep- resent his national team, Atlanta United midfielder Thiago Almada on Thurs- day said he hopes to play for Argentina in the Olym- pics and Copa America this summer.
The Copa America is scheduled to begin June 20 with Argentina hosting Canada at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The tournament championship is scheduled July 14 in Miami.
The men’s soccer sched- ule for the Paris Games starts July 24, and the gold-medal match is Aug. 9.
If Almada were selected by Argentina’s U23 team for the Olympics, which seems likely because he captained the team during its qualification, and its senior team for Copa America, he could miss as many as 10 Atlanta United (3-2-2) matches, including its two Leagues Cup matches.
“Hopefully I can be a part of it,” he said.
Pineda didn’t seem concerned.
“I hope he plays against Cincinnati,” Pineda said about Saturday’s opponent. In the past, Pineda has said he hopes players on the team can compete in the Olympics. He had that experience with Mexico in the Athens Games.
Almada is off to a slower start this season, with one goal and one assist in Atlanta United’s first seven matches, than last season, when he had five goals and six assists through seven matches. Almada has played with three starting strikers this season. He said it hasn’t affected him.
“I think it’s all part of this, and hopefully I can start adding those numbers again soon,” he said.
Giakoumakis trains with team
His right knee bandaged, striker Giorgos Giakoumakis trained with Atlanta United on Thursday ahead of Saturday’s match.
Pineda said he expects Giakoumakis, who leads the team with five goals, will be available for Saturday, but that the team will know more today.
Giakoumakis has missed the past two matches after sustaining a bone bruise in the team’s match against Chicago. Jamal Thiare started the next match and scored but sustained a hamstring injury. Daniel Rios started last week’s match against Philadelphia and scoredhis first goal this season.
Winger Xande Silva also trained with the team Thursday. Pineda said he expects that Silva will be available for Saturday. Centerbacks Stian Gregersen (knee) and Derrick Williams (calf ), and Thiare, didn’t train with the team Thursday.