Snitker’s feel-good story was well-earned

Brian Snitker is a real-life feel-good story.

Six days shy of his 61st birthday, Snitker had the interim tag removed from his title Tuesday, and he became the manager, plain and simple, of the Atlanta Braves.

Feel-good?

Forty years ago, he joined the Braves organization as an undrafted catcher out of the University of New Orleans. He has been in baseball ever since — and every one of those 40 years have been with the Braves organization.

Tommy Lasorda may bleed Dodger blue.

Brian Snitker bleeds Braves red, white and blue. He has been a backup catcher in the low Minor Leagues, a coach and manager in the Minors, and a coach and manager in the big leagues.

And he has done it all for the only club he’s ever known.

How long has he been in the organization?

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Well, there have been 699 players who have worn an Atlanta Braves uniform since Snitker joined the organization in 1977, which was the year before Dale Murphy made his first Braves Opening Day roster.

It was the year before the Braves made Bob Horner a first-round Draft choice, and 13 years before Chipper Jones was the first player selected in the Draft. It was seven years before the Braves used a second-round pick on Tom Glavine, and a decade before the Braves sent Doyle Alexander to the Tigers for pitching prospect John Smoltz.

And it was the year that then-owner Ted Turner — upset at an 8-21 start — told manager Dave Bristol to take a 10-day vacation in May, and Turner named himself interim …

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