Thread: (1/5) I can’t tell you all how much this means to me! A decade back, I heard this story from my father-in-law and it captivated me. It was over a decade ago I shared this story over at Tomahawk Take and then at Walk Off Walk, and finally at #Braves Journal.
— Ryan Cothran (@baldheaded1der) November 14, 2022
(2/5) In my New Orleans days, I became good friends with Benjamin @hochman, who was working in basketball at the time ans now he’s at the STL Dispatch. The summer before last, we went to my in-laws in STL to visit and that’s when I was able to tell “Hooch” about Udell Chambers.
— Ryan Cothran (@baldheaded1der) November 14, 2022
(3/5) He was fascinated and went on a year journey to get the scoop. I put him in touch with Udell’s niece, nephew, and sister and the story started to unfold but he waited over a year for the National Archive to get back to him and finally they did.
— Ryan Cothran (@baldheaded1der) November 14, 2022
(4/5) What’s not said in this piece is that Udell Chambers was set to become the #Braves SS in 1968, directly from Single-A (according to a SS who was also in the Braves farm with Udell and just so happens to live in my neighborhood. Look him up on B-Ref. He was a stud.
— Ryan Cothran (@baldheaded1der) November 14, 2022
(5/5) Here’s the story. It made me cry tears again, both tears of sorrow and tears of joy knowing that Udell’s story will live on. pic.twitter.com/onA4YrqYd9
— Ryan Cothran (@baldheaded1der) November 14, 2022
If you’re interested in reading the full article, it can be found here:
https://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/benjamin-hochman/hochman-the-st-louis-native-hit-325-in-the-minors-then-he-died-in-vietnam/article_5a14c7e6-744f-5d59-82af-b0402d60b305.html
Author: Ryan Cothran
Ryan is the site editor and manager of Braves Journal. Follow him on Twitter. View all posts by Ryan Cothran
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