Note: This is the first of an ongoing series called Beyond the Braves – lesser-known stories about the team’s traditions, new initiatives, and the faces behind the scenes.
Braves Historian Sam Wallace says his children claim he knows nothing about baseball, because he only knows about his hometown team.
“For 26 years, I have been completely focused on the Braves,” Wallace said. “That’s the best part of my job – to tell the story of the team.”
Wallace’s ties to the team started in childhood
Atlanta-born Wallace said he “has no memory of not watching the Braves,” having followed them since childhood.
“If the Braves were on, I was watching them. I pretty much remember every game since 1982 – from when I was old enough to know what was going on – to the present,” he recalled.
He joined the Braves organization when he took a job in the merchandise warehouse two weeks after graduating from Jacksonville State University in Alabama.
He folded shirts and shipped mail-order posters, and the following season, was assigned to the Braves museum, where he conducted tours at Turner Field, the team’s home ballpark from 2007 to 2016.
“With those new duties, I inherited the artifacts and the history, which was my preference anyway, because I was so attached to the history,” he said. “Since then, I’ve made history and artifacts the focus of my job.”
Total Braves immersion
Besides conducting tours of the ballpark, including the Braves’ Memorial Garden museum, Wallace keeps tabs on upcoming milestones by its current roster of players. For example, when Cy Young pitcher Chris Sale was about to surpass right-hander David Cone for 27th on the all-time strikeout list, Wallace, besides alerting the media to the event, was thinking about what artifacts he could collect for the Braves.
On that night, a ball used in the game was collected, Wallace said.
“We decide what is important enough to keep in our archives, what we can sell so fans can have a piece of history, and what the player wants to keep for himself,” he said. “We’re all on the same team, so there’s no competition there.”
Not every milestone can be anticipated, however. If a certain player has a particularly significant accomplishment, like pitching a no-hitter, a prospect making his Major League debut, or a player hitting for the cycle, Wallace said he will ask the clubhouse if he can “keep something from the game.”
While it might not be a jersey or a baseball, it could be the player’s spikes, his hat, or the lineup card from the game.
When first baseman Matt Olson, on July 10, broke Dale Murphy’s franchise record for consecutive games played, Wallace and the team obtained Olson’s jersey for posterity.
The Braves’ most prized artifact
Wallace said the Braves’ most significant pieces of memorabilia are probably the two most important artifacts in Major League baseball history – the home run ball and the bat that Hank Aaron used on April 8, 1974, when he hit his historic 715th home run to beat the record held for 39 years by the legendary Babe Ruth.
“It’s the crown jewel of our collection,” Wallace said. “[The Baseball Hall of Fame in] Cooperstown has the 700th, the 714th, and the 716th ball, but Hank wanted [the 715th ball and bat] to stay here, because of the attachment he had to Atlanta.”
Commemorating 60 years in Atlanta
The Braves are celebrating six decades of baseball with six special displays at the Memorial Garden that highlight each era. The 1960s case features Eddie Matthews, the only team member to play in Milwaukee, Boston, and Atlanta, and a ticket stub from 1969, where a playoff ticket was only $5.
The 1970s display focuses primarily on the Aaron era, while the 1980s display centers on legendary player Dale Murphy. The 1990s case highlights the Braves’ most successful decade when the team won five National League pennants. The 2000s memorabilia center on the team’s two players named Jones – Andruw and Chipper.
A passion that became a job
The work doesn’t stop at the end of each season, as Wallace and his team work to refresh memorabilia displays for the following year, and work to develop content for the newly launched BravesVision channel.
“There’s always something to do, even in the off-season,” he said.
Wallace said he loves his job because he gets “to watch baseball for a living.”
“That’s a pretty fun way to do life,” he said. “I think everyone should love baseball, and I get to talk to people and explain why they should love baseball more.”
