Tragic story of first head Buckhead Baseball umpire nearly forgotten

For over a decade, a plaque hung in the concession stand at Buckhead Baseball that read, “Hoyle Dye; A Friend of Boys.”

It disappeared many years ago, according to Ray Mock, whose father, Jim Mock, was one of the founders of the youth baseball program. With it, generations of coaches, players and supporters never learned the tragic story of the first head umpire of Buckhead Baseball.

Since 1952 Buckhead Baseball has been teaching the game to generations of young boys on the fields of Frankie Allen Park on Pharr Road.

One of the first names associated with the program is Dye’s. He was an outstanding athlete at Boys High School in the 1930s and played baseball professionally as a catcher in Richmond, Va., before World War II. After his playing days were over, Dye began refereeing sports as a way to spend time with his son, Robert. He officiated high school and little league football, basketball and baseball games. He was the first head umpire for Buckhead Baseball.

He was also an outstanding police officer.

On Nov. 9, 1960, his hobby and his profession intersected with terrible consequences.

According to the local newspaper report, Dye switched shifts that day so that he could umpire a game that evening. Just after noon, he and his partner J.R. Weldon received a call about a suspect who had beaten his sister. The brother, George Gray, had left the scene and a judge issued a warrant for his arrest.

The officers went to the house and got a description of Gray. Their search led them to a corner grill at the intersection of Northside Drive and Simpson Street. As Weldon talked to the owner, Dye walked to one of the booths in the back, where a man was sitting alone. Weldon said he heard Dye ask a question when suddenly the man jumped to his feet, drew a gun and shot Officer Dye. Weldon was able to hit the suspect several times, but he fled the scene.

Dye died on the way to Grady Hospital.

Weldon apprehended the killer a short time later. He showed no remorse in the killing of the popular Buckhead Baseball umpire. He told officers he was minding his own business when the officer started asking him questions.

Perhaps Buckhead Baseball will one day find that old plaque in a store room somewhere, and the real story of Hoyle Dye – police officer, first head baseball umpire and a ‘friend of boys’ – will regain its rightful place.

SunTrust Park & The Battery Are Ah-ight, Will Get Better

On a damn-near perfect Sunday afternoon I got my first look at the new home of the Braves, SunTrust Park in Cobb County.

The game itself was about what you’d expect. Our pitcher was 42-year-old knuckleballer, who fell behind 0-4 early. Our “next big thing” shortstop kept striking out and it was up to Freddie Freeman to singlehandedly get us back in it.

In extra innings the Braves, being the Braves, stranded runners in scoring position twice before losing by two.

The drive in to the park was easy enough, and there seemed to be plenty of parking. We did go about an hour and half before the first patch so we could explore the new restaurants and shops, grab a bite to eat and a cold beer.

But every restaurant – and there are several from Fox Bros. BBQ to Yard House – was an hour to an hour and half wait. We walked around and found that maybe half of the retail was complete. As we got closer to 41, the store fronts were boarded up with “coming soon” signs in the windows.

We bailed on that plan and went to our seats early. Inside, the concession lines were long and gummed up the concourses, making it a slog to get to our seats.

It is a smaller park. The first home run went maybe 360 feet – just over the left field wall. Right field is 325 feet away from home plate. And there are three random trees in straightaway center behind the wall with no explanation. I think I saw a water feature out there which didn’t quite seem to be working.

The area around the park is a huge improvement over The Ted, even if it’s not quite there yet. I wish we had been able to create something similar around the old stadium, but after four decades, it wasn’t going to happen.

Cobb County lured the Braves with a $400 million investment from the taxpayers, so thank you for that. To be fair, we, as Atlanta taxpayers, forked over a hell of a lot more for the billion dollar robosphincter on Northside Parkway. Apparently we made our choice, and it was professional football (and soccer.)

Atlanta’s major league baseball team had been based in downtown Atlanta since 1966, first at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, then at Turner Field, aka The Ted.

Foursome broke color barrier at Bobby Jones

Alfred “Tup” Holmes, Georgia Golf Hall of Fame

On an ordinary spring day in 1951 Billy Wilson, the general manager of Bobby Jones Golf Course, took payment from K.B. Hill thinking nothing of the individual wanting to play the city of Atlanta-owned amenity.

Wilson couldn’t have known Hill was a plant. A black man whose complexion was so light he was often mistaken for white, Hill was allowed to play a whites-only golf course in Buckhead.

The jig was up when a foursome arrived a short time later. They were all African-American. With their clubs in tow they went to the counter and attempted to pay to play the course.

Some unkind and unprintable words were spoken and they were told to leave. Their response? Why, they had just seen a black man playing Bobby Jones Golf Course. That man was Hill.

The ruse led to the first court-ordered desegregation in the state of Georgia four years later.

The course was built on land owned by developer Eugene Haynes and the city of Atlanta in 1932. It was a result of the surging popularity of golf and the world’s most famous player at the time, Buckhead Bobby Jones. Architects Wayne Stiles and John R. Van Kleek designed the 18-hole course, which opened to the public in 1933. Jones himself played his namesake course twice.

The Civil Rights Movement was in its infancy in 1951, when four well-known and accomplished African-American golfers hatched a plan to play the Jones course. The foursome consisted of Dr. Hamilton Holmes, who had a family medical practice in downtown Atlanta; his son, a well-respected minster named Oliver Wendell Holmes; his other son, Alfred “Tup” Holmes, an accomplished golfer who served as a union steward at Lockheed Aircraft; and friend Charles T. Bell.

After Hill had been retrieved from the course that spring day, all five were kicked off the premises. After much consideration and planning, Tup Holmes sued the city of Atlanta, Mayor William B. Hartsfield and Wilson, the course general manager. In the case Holmes vs. Atlanta, the courts ruled in favor of the city several times, but Holmes seemingly achieved a minor victory when a district court in Atlanta ruled blacks could play the course only on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Separate but not-quite-equal was not the goal, however, and the compromise was rejected. The case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The attorney who eventually took over Holmes’ case was none other than Thurgood Marshall. The Supreme Court agreed with Holmes and Atlanta’s public golf courses were desegregated by law Nov. 7, 1955. Of course Marshall would go on to become the first African-American justice to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.

The group of golfers had intended to celebrate by playing Bobby Jones that next day but they did not. Threats had been made against them. Instead they played North Fulton Golf Course at Chastain Park without incident, but later they did play the course that had led to the historic decision. As a point of historic interest, Atlanta Public Schools would not become integrated for another six years. Holmes vs. Atlanta was the first court-ordered desegregation in the state of Georgia.

Read more:  Neighbor Newspapers – Column Foursome broke color barrier at Bobby Jones

Game For The Ages Decides Championship Match-Up

In a hard fought game, the Colts – including No. 66, aka The Boy – fell short of their goal of playing in Monday night’s Championship game.

The lights of Blackwell Field at Chastain Park shown brightly Tuesday night upon two NYO Bigs teams who battled through a triple-overtime thriller for the chance to play in next week’s championship game.

On one side were the vaunted Dolphins, undefeated until the final game of the season when they fell to the team they were about to face; the resurgent Colts, winners of seven straight.

With a few timely turnovers the Colts charged out to a 14-0 half time lead. The Colts may have been riding a little too high in the saddle coming back on the field as the Dolphins scored twice and their defense shut down what had been an effective Colts attack.

As the fourth quarter drew to a close the score stood at 14-14.

Overtime is played by each team lining up 15 yards out with four tries to score or earn another set of downs. Advantage: Dolphins. They have a kicker, something you don’t see too often in 11 and 12-year-old football.

On first pass both teams scored but failed to convert the extra point. 20-20. In the second overtime, both defenses stepped up shutting the other out of the end zone.

It all came down to the third try.

The Dolphins juggernaut for a tail back, Alvin James II, rumbled through for a touchdown and the extra point was true. The Colts Gabriel Wright returned the favor, running through a hole you could have driven a dump truck through into the end zone bringing the Colts within one. On the next play – an extra point attempt from five yards out – the Dolphins broke through the O-line with an all out blitz and caught Wright in the back field.

27-26. Ball game.

The ecstatic Dolphins celebrated; the Colts walked off the field heads hung low. The spectators were a mix of every NYO family out that night, whether they had a kid in the game or not. It was an incredible atmosphere.

Credit goes to Dolphins Coach Hadley Engelhard, his staff and his boys and to Colts Coach Paul Cargal and his crew. It was a season – and a game – many won’t soon forget.

The Dolphins play the undefeated Patriots Monday at 7:15 p.m. for the NYO Bigs Championship. Get your tickets now. If this game is any indication, it is sure to be a good one.