To this day, she can still rip off that glorious, lilting name without making a sound.įlash ahead to the night my wife and I met for the first time, each of us on our way home from a Braves game. So much so, she learned to spell his name in sign language, a gesture that made little sense except to a starstruck kid since, as far as we know, Pocoroba’s hearing was just fine (and so is Linda’s).
Growing up, my wife, Linda, had a huge crush on Pocoroba, the youthful, mustachioed catcher.
We bought a small package of sausage and left. The guy thought he had retired and moved to Florida. There was a framed newspaper article about Pocoroba on the wall of the tiny establishment, but the guy behind the counter said the ex-Brave had long ago sold the business. My wife and I turned up there a few years ago, hoping to meet Pocoroba in person, get a selfie and perhaps explain why we still thought so fondly of him. It made perfect sense, he once explained, because he grew up around Italian food and had a grandfather who made sausage for his family. “He read through it and went on to the next page.”Īfter his playing days were over, Pocoroba owned a business known as Sausage World, which is pretty much self-explanatory. “I guess that was a page in his life,” Niekro speculated. If Pocoroba turned up at any of the team’s alumni functions, Knucksie doesn’t recall it. Niekro, now 81, never saw him around the ballpark in Atlanta, or during those many spring trainings spent in Florida as a guest instructor. While the guy known as “Poco” remained a fond memory for many Braves fans - again, who could forget that name? - he didn’t linger around to soak up the adoration. “If he could’ve had a second catcher behind the plate to throw the ball to second base for him, Biff could’ve had a great career.” “You’ve got to be able to throw the ball if you’re a catcher,” Niekro said ruefully. There was an aborted attempt to convert him into a third baseman, but it didn’t pan out. With his arm shot, Pocoroba spent his last few seasons as a backup catcher and pinch-hitting specialist. Pocoroba was released by the Braves early in the 1984 season, finished off at age 29 by a shoulder injury that cut short what could’ve been a more productive career. They hadn’t seen each other in at least 30 years. He wasn’t the greatest catcher of all time, but he was a good catcher. “He was a warrior, I’m telling you, he was a fighter. “All I know is when he came to the ballpark, whether it was a home or road game, he had his game face on every day,” Niekro said Wednesday evening when reached at his home. The last of those outs was delivered by his teammate and future Hall of Famer, the knuckleballer Phil Niekro. 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.
#Biff pocoroba obituary full#
They’re almost like members of the family.īiff 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. It’s curious how certain athletes can become intertwined with your life, taking on an outsized role that defies all logic and reason. “As he retired, he took on being a full-time Papa and chauffeur to his 15 grandchildren,” the obituary said.
The funeral home notice said his “number one passion was for his family.” And what a family it was.
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