Coppy with Keri – Atlanta Braves GM goes long on number of big subjects
By Colby Wilson
Trash Can Food
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When reminiscing about the early years with the Yankees, when he made no money, Coppy copped to having eaten food out of trashcans, which illustrates the plight of working in sports a lot of the time—you don’t make much money and occasionally go slightly insane. John Coppolella had a six-figure job with IBM lined up out of college AND WALKED AWAY TO GO MAKE $18,000 ON AN INTERNSHIP THAT GUARANTEED HIM NOTHING.
I don’t know if that illustrates the drive he has to be great at what he does or a sociopathic belief in one’s self that rivals that of any professional athlete. Either way, it gives a brief glimpse into why he felt confident in tearing it down in Atlanta; the kind of guy that walks away from six figures at 21 years old to go be abused by George Steinbrenner—although Coppy seemed to enjoy his time with The Boss—is not the sort that shies away from doing something unpopular in the short term if it will help in the long term.
(Which is in itself a fascinating dichotomy when you consider how the Yankees were operated during Steinbrenner’s twilight years, with no farm system and a constant over-payment for players.)
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