JGANovDec10.pdf - The Jewish Georgian

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Page 22 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN November-December 2010 The Braves’ lucky charm: Magical cookies help team escape slump, find first place Everyone knows about Bobby Cox and Chipper Jones. Most know about Tim Hudson and Martin Prado. But very few know the real reason behind the Braves’ playoff run this past season, which very well might be Ali’s Cookies. Alison and Jeff Rosengarten began providing cookies to the team the night after they lost their ninth game in a row during a rough month of April. But after trying cookies from the East Cobb establishment on April 30, the Braves ended the losing streak and began their ascent to the playoffs. “We delivered cookies to the players that night. They loved the cookies, and they won that night,” explained Jeff. “And in fact, they swept that [series].” After the losing skid, Cox’s team was 8-14 on the season. Then they started eating Ali’s cookies and went 83-57 for the rest of the year. And, since baseball people tend to be some of the most superstitious anywhere, the Braves continued eating them for good luck. “At one point, we were thinking, ‘Let’s see what happens if we don’t send [the cookies],’” said Jeff. “But we didn’t want to take that chance.” BY Stephen Black Not getting the cookies before a home game may make the team nervous or simply jinx them. And that would go against every rule of baseball superstition. “I don’t want to stop [sending cookies] just to prove that point,” said Jeff. On the other hand, Ali and Jeff don’t think the Braves will admit how much the cookies mean to their success. Such an admission could mean revealing a weakness. “I don’t think they want to admit to the superstition of the cookies,” said Jeff with a laugh. “Right now, we give [the cookies] to them as a gift. If the team turned around and said, ‘Hey, we need those lucky cookies,’ those cookies could become very expensive.” Getting into the Braves’ clubhouse was not easy for the husband and wife team. After starting the business almost three years ago, the pair began working with Aramark, the company in charge of concessions at Turner Field. Once inside the Braves’ home stadium, there was only one thing keeping Ali’s cookies out of the Braves’ mouths. “The only thing between us and the clubhouse was security,” said Jeff. “One time, we asked the security guard how we could get cookies into the clubhouse. One of the guards was nice enough to make a contact, and I got a call from the locker room manager. They said they’d be delighted to have our cookies in the clubhouse.” Once in the clubhouse, the cookies became very popular. Though the Special delivery to the Braves - Aliʼs Cookies Rosengartens bring an assortment of the company’s 20 varieties, Braves players have their own personal favorites. “They tell me Jason Heyward likes the ones with the M&M’s,” said Jeff. Since the cookies disappear so fast, some of the players hide them for later dates. “Tim Hudson told me that he likes the cookies so much that when we deliver, he stashes some for himself,” said Jeff. Cox, Jones, Heyward, Prado, Hudson, and others have gotten much of the credit for making the postseason. But very few will know the story behind how Ali’s Cookies broke a losing streak and helped propel the Braves into the postseason.
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JGANovDec10.pdf - The Jewish Georgian

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