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Atlanta Braves Leaving Fulton County: One Last Pilgrimage, Part 2

By Dan Horton

Jul 15, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; A general view of fireworks after the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Colorado Rockies at Turner Field. The Rockies won 11-2. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 15, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; A general view of fireworks after the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Colorado Rockies at Turner Field. The Rockies won 11-2. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jul 29, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; General view of Turner Field as Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Vince Velasquez (28) throws a pitch against the Atlanta Braves in the third inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 29, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; General view of Turner Field as Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Vince Velasquez (28) throws a pitch against the Atlanta Braves in the third inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /

Game Day – Part 1

My tickets were for Saturday’s game. I chose Saturday for a few reasons. It was the weekend of the trade deadline, so I was hoping to see a new face.

The Matt Kemp trade was announced publicly that afternoon. However, it wasn’t revealed to the fans in attendance that night.

I also chose that game because of the promotion that night. I missed the 1995 World Series replica ring give away last year. I didn’t want to miss this ring give away.

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I got to the stadium at 1:30 PM after driving through a driving, pounding southern pop-up storm. But once I got to the parking lot, the clouds parted and it was baseball time. I waited in line for 2 hours and 15 minutes for that ring. I was fourth in line for the gate I was at.

Lastly, it was Alumni Weekend. I wanted to be in Atlanta for that event. I’ve heard that this weekend is the highlight of the year. Over 50 former Braves returned for a great night. The Legends Softball game took place prior to the actual game that night.

I saw legends like Sid Bream, Greg Olson, Ralph Garr, Mark Lemke, Mark Wholers, Brian Jordan, Bobby Cox, Brian Hunter, Francisco Cabrera, Dale Murphy, and Tom Glavine.

The softball game was fun to watch. Lesser known and remembered Brave Mike Bell was the MVP of the game. Bell smashed two homers and helped the 1991 Worst to First Legends take one away form the Alumni.

The really cool part of that game was seeing Wholers, Bream, and Bell go back-to-back-to-back. Sid even risked injury by treating the fans to slide into home after his round-tripper. And the batter’s boxes were of the astroturf variety.

Next: Game Day Part 2: The Green Lot

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