Atlanta Braves’ Morning Chop: a shopping list for Christmas

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 05: Discarded Christmas trees lie outside houses in Angel on January 5, 2018 in London, England. In the lead up to Christmas a pine tree is the centre point of a home, the pride and joy of the family, decorated with beautiful lights and decorations guarding presents until Christmas Day morning. Traditionally, trees and decorations are taken down on Twelfth Night, leaving these once loved and cherished trees serving no purpose and finding themselves cast out into the street ending up as Lonely Christmas Trees. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 05: Discarded Christmas trees lie outside houses in Angel on January 5, 2018 in London, England. In the lead up to Christmas a pine tree is the centre point of a home, the pride and joy of the family, decorated with beautiful lights and decorations guarding presents until Christmas Day morning. Traditionally, trees and decorations are taken down on Twelfth Night, leaving these once loved and cherished trees serving no purpose and finding themselves cast out into the street ending up as Lonely Christmas Trees. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
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circa 1933: Spiral ramp allowing easy access for cars to all levels of a car park, the ‘Garage Littorio’, Piazza Roma, Venice (Photo by General Photographic Agency/Getty Images)
circa 1933: Spiral ramp allowing easy access for cars to all levels of a car park, the ‘Garage Littorio’, Piazza Roma, Venice (Photo by General Photographic Agency/Getty Images)

There’s a sharp distinction between things we need, things we want, and things we want… but can’t have.  This list will cross all of those boundaries (but mostly the latter).

The Atlanta Braves have their own shopping list for this off-season… and I have one for them, too.  I am guessing that the amount of overlap between these lists isn’t especially high, but we’ll still give it a go in the spirit of this season of giving.

Since it’s already December 23rd… we’d better get this list started quick!

#12.  A ‘Real’ STP Parking Garage

I am not quite up to speed on the parking arrangements at other stadiums.  However, the situation at SunTrust – while providing options as varied as those on a Chinese food buffet line – is crazy.

Even the nearest of the nineteen official parking lots – aside from the A-Lister parking – has a very lengthy walk.

It would really be a benefit to the fans if there were additional options for direct stadium-side dropoff by bus – which happened at Turner Field – or better yet, a ginormous parking garage adjacent to the stadium.

The Marlins – with their bloated-cost facility – actually have 4 excellent garages with easy access surrounding the stadium.  Maybe the access is better because nobody shows up, but it’s still good.  That would have been very helpful, but alas no.

Unfortunately, both the cost of such a structure and the size of it immediate rule out any shot at such a thing.  Any available patch of ground has already been dedicated to another purpose – either for Battery Atlanta or road access.

That leads me to #11…

Schedule