ATLANTA -- As an emotional Rubye Lucas participated in a ceremony honoring her late husband at SunTrust Park on Thursday afternoon, she expressed her gratitude to the Braves by repeatedly referencing the lyrics to "I Thank You", a song released by Sam & Dave in 1968 and covered by ZZ Top a decade later.
"You didn't have to do what you did, but you did, and I thank you" essentially served as the heart of the message Lucas conveyed while speaking to Hank Aaron, Dale Murphy and other Braves dignitaries who gathered on this February day to celebrate the legacy created by Bill Lucas, a baseball pioneer whose memory will be honored at SunTrust Park just as it had been at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium and Turner Field.