Terry Jay Forster (born January 14, 1952) is a retired left-handed relief pitcher who played for 16 seasons in the Major Leagues….as he played for five teams in his career and recorded 127 saves during his time in the majors. Forster became a free agent and signed with the Atlanta Braves for the 1983 season. He had an efficient three seasons, compiling an ERA of under 3.00 in each of those seasons….and while with the Braves….he gained notice for his weight problem. The 6’3″ Forster reportedly weighed 270 pounds while with Atlanta…..when David Letterman gave the left-hander national notoriety in 1985….when he referred to the lefty as a “fat tub of goo” on his Late Night show….to which Forster later appeared as a guest on Letterman’s show following the comments….while eating a sandwich as he entered the set after Letterman introduced him. He also recorded a novelty song called “Fat Is In“.
Bob Watson (born April 10, 1946) is an American former professional baseball player and sports executive….who was a first baseman and left fielder that played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves from 1966 to 1984. Watson was credited with scoring the millionth run in baseball history….although this was later found to be incorrect. Watson coached baseball after retiring as a player….and after a return to the Yankees serving as general manager….when the team won the 1996 World Series. He served as MLB’s vice president in charge of discipline and vice president of rules and on-field operations until 2010.
Bruce Benedict (born August 18, 1955) is an American former professional baseball player, coach and scout…..who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Atlanta Braves from 1978 to 1989.
Bruce Benedict made his major league debut as the Braves catcher on August 18, 1978, his 23rd birthday…..then in 1981 he led National League catchers with 73 assists and 48 base runners caught stealing…..when his defensive skills earned him a spot as a reserve on the 1981 National League All-Star team. In 1982, Benedict led National League catchers with a .993 fielding percentage….as the Braves won the National League Western Division title. The highlight of Benedict’s season came in a regular season game was when he set an MLB record by throwing out 3 baserunners in one inning. In the only post-season appearance of his career, the Braves lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1982 National League Championship Series. In 1983, Benedict had a batting average well over .300 in the middle of June….which earned him a place as a reserve player for the National League in the 1983 All-Star Game…..as he ended the season with a career-high batting average of .298 with two home runs, 43 runs batted in and a .992 fielding percentage….which was second only to Gary Carter among National League catchers.
