Braves News World

Bobby Cox has been known to give umpires a mouthful on occassion… Now Cox will get a mouthful with a couple lucky fans. But that’s mainly because they’ll be having lunch!

Fans who donate $10 to the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization of Coosa Valley can enter a drawing to be held January 27th at the Rome Braves annual Hot Stove gathering. The two winners drawn (and their guests) will join Cox for lunch at Thurston’s Cafe on February 1st. In Calhoun, Georgie, tickets can be purchased at North Georgia National Bank, Sears, Georgia Bank & Trust locations and Thurston’s. Tickets are also available at K-98 Radio and Nextel in Rome, Georgia, and PAL’s Car Wash in Cartersville, Georgia.

With the blessing of the league office, Bobby Cox started donating to the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization several years ago in lieu of paying fines to the league for altercations with umpires. He has donated tens of thousands of dollars in this manner over the years. This begs the question: does Cox now look for every opportunity to bust the umps’ chops knowing he’ll be donating more to the charity?

If you live near Calhoun and are interested in making a donation for a chance to have lunch with Bobby Cox you can call (770) 629-6029 for further information.

The Braves announced their 2005 spring training schedule on Tuesday. It features 33 games, commencing with an exhibition against Georgia Tech on March 2nd at Disney’s Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. As usual, the team will train at Cracker Jack Stadium, one of the featured attractions at the Disney facility. Pitchers and catchers are due to report to camp on February 17th, while the rest of the players must report by February 22nd.

Spring training game tickets will be on sale starting January 7th through Ticketmaster and the Disney complex box office. Ticket prices will range from $13 to $21. Tickets to the exhbition games at Turner Field will be available later through the Braves’ ticket office and official website.

The complete 2005 Atlanta Braves spring training schedule is as follows (all times Eastern):

Mar. 2 vs. Georgia Tech 1:05 p.m.
Mar. 3 at Los Angeles (NL) in Vero Beach 1:05 p.m.
Mar. 4 vs. Los Angeles (NL) 1:05 p.m.
Mar. 5 at Houston in Kissimmee 1:05 p.m.
Mar. 6 vs. New York (NL) 1:05 p.m.
Mar. 7 at New York (NL) in Port St. Lucie 1:05 p.m.
Mar. 8 vs. New York (AL) 1:05 p.m.
Mar. 9 vs. Houston 7:05 p.m.
Mar. 10 vs. Pittsburgh 1:05 p.m.
Mar. 11 at Houston in Kissimmee 1:05 p.m.
Mar. 12 split squad vs. Detroit 1:05 p.m. / split squad at Philadelphia in Clearwater 1:05 p.m.
Mar. 13 at St. Louis in Jupiter 1:05 p.m.
Mar. 14 at St. Louis in Jupiter 1:05 p.m.
Mar. 15 vs. Los Angeles (NL) 1:05 p.m.
Mar. 16 vs. Washington 7:05 p.m.
Mar. 17 at Pittsburgh in Bradenton 1:05 p.m.
Mar. 18 vs. Cleveland 1:05 p.m.
Mar. 19 split squad vs. Philadelphia 1:05 p.m. / split squad at Detroit in Lakeland 1:05 p.m.
Mar. 20 vs. St. Louis 1:05 p.m.
Mar. 21 vs. St. Louis 1:05 p.m.
Mar. 22 at New York (NL) in Port St. Lucie 1:05 p.m.
Mar. 24 at New York (AL) in Tampa 1:15 p.m.
Mar. 25 at Toronto in Dunedin 1:05 p.m.
Mar. 26 vs. New York (NL) 1:05 p.m.
Mar. 27 at Los Angeles (NL) in Vero Beach 1:05 p.m.
Mar. 28 at Cleveland in Winter Haven 1:05 p.m.
Mar. 29 vs. Detroit 7:05 p.m.
Mar. 30 at Washington in Viera 1:05 p.m.
Mar. 31 vs. Houston 1:05 p.m.
April 1 vs. Cleveland at Turner Field 7:05 p.m.
April 2 vs. Cleveland at Turner Field 1:05 p.m.