Gary Caruso

CARUSO, Gary

Gary Caruso died on April 11, 2024, in Carlsbad, California, after a brief illness. He left the world peacefully, listening to his favorite band, Chicago, playing his favorite song, 'Does Anyone Really Know What Time It Is?' He was 74.

Gary's love for baseball was a defining aspect of his life, manifesting in various ways. In sixth grade, he sent a Christmas card to his idol, Warren Spahn, the Milwaukee Braves pitching ace and winningest left-handed pitcher. Gary's decision to attend Ohio's Marietta College was influenced by its reputation as one of the nation's top small baseball colleges. He began his journey as a pitcher, later transitioning into coaching for the freshman and junior varsity teams. After earning a degree in speech/television and radio and a brief stint at an Ohio newspaper, Gary set his sights on Atlanta, Georgia.

Throughout his career, Gary made significant contributions to the sports journalism industry. He spent a decade as a sportswriter and executive sports editor with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, followed by a senior writer/editor role with The National Sports Daily. He is the author of The Braves Encyclopedia, a comprehensive chronicle of the Braves' history from 1871 to 1995 when the Atlanta Braves clinched their first World Series. However, it was during his 16-year tenure as editor and publisher of ChopTalk Magazine that Gary's vision of creating the ultimate fan publication was realized. Fueled by the Braves' success from the mid-1990s until 2010, ChopTalk reached tens of thousands of subscribers in all 50 states and 20 countries. The monthly magazine offered in-depth baseball coverage and personal, behind-the-scenes features about ballplayers and baseball operations, making it unrivaled among team publications.

Among Gary's accomplishments are conceiving and raising all the funds, $95,000, for the Warren Spahn statue that stands at Truist Park (originally sited at Turner Field in 2003), delivering the eulogy for Spahn in 2003, and delivering the eulogy for Lou Burdette, MVP of the 1957 World Series, in 2007.

In addition to The Braves Encyclopedia, Gary wrote three other books about baseball: Turner Field: Rarest of Diamonds (1997, Longstreet Press), Behind the Plate (2012, Triumph), the biography of former Major League catcher Javy Lopez, and Marietta College Baseball: The story of the 'Etta Express' (2012, History Press).

Gary and Lane, his wife of 36 years, moved to California in 2007. He loved Boston Terriers and enjoyed daily walks with his Boston companions, Casey, Pumpkin, and Rigley. He was an avid fan of the band Chicago and saw them perform live more than 100 times.

Gary's ashes will be interred with Warren Spahn in Oklahoma.