Column: Remembering an old family friend, Biff Pocoroba

ATLANTA (AP) — Ahh, that name.

No doubt, one of the greatest baseball monikers of all time.

If having such a splendid, awe-inspiring name was the primary qualifier, he’d be enshrined in Cooperstown for sure.

Biff Pocoroba.

The former Atlanta Braves catcher died last weekend at age 66, a loss I couldn’t let pass with a mere mention of his modest baseball achievements and a decade-long career spent mostly with some truly awful teams.

Pocoroba, for reasons I will explain shortly, always held a special place in our home. My wife and I actually went on a quest to find him a few years ago — only to discover, sadly, that he had retired from the specialty sausage shop he ran for more than two decades in suburban Atlanta.

The funeral home notice said his “number one passion was for his family.” And what a family it was. A wife of 37 years. Three daughters and a son. A whole team of grandchildren.

“As he retired, he took on being a full-time Papa and chauffeur to his 15 grandchildren,” the obituary said.

It’s curious how certain athletes can become intertwined with your life, taking on an outsized role that defies all logic and reason.

They're almost like members of the family.

Biff Pocoroba was not a great player by any means, though he was good enough to stick with the Braves for nearly a full decade — good enough, even, to earn a spot in the 1978 All-Star Game. He entered the Midsummer Classic at what was then known as San Diego Stadium in the top of the ninth inning, crouching behind the plate for the final three outs of the NL’s 7-3 victory.

The last of those outs was delivered by his teammate and future Hall of Famer, the knuckleballer Phil Niekro.

“All I know is when he came to the ballpark, whether it was a home or road game, he had his game...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Column-Remembering-an-old-family-friend-Biff-15299562.php