Is it weird to be this emotional about a building? I really don’t think so. Plenty of people have a special connection to, say, their childhood home. But, I have more of an emotional attachment to Turner Field than I do with that old house on Ogeechee Drive.

 

After all, baseball is the fabric of my life. Those that know me at all know that’s obvious. Someone once asked me what I’d do if God asked me to give up baseball. I replied that was a ridiculous question because Jesus loved me. He wouldn’t do that.

 

When The Ted opened on April 4, 1997, I was just six years old. I was amazed that my Braves were getting to play in the stadium that was first built to hold that Olympic Flame I stood on the side of the road to see pass a year before. Later, while visiting my grandparents in Roswell, I clearly remember being fascinated by an article in the Atlanta-Journal Constitution about the layout of the Braves new clubhouse, complete with a map. Little did I know that I’d get to go on a few tours over a decade later and see that clubhouse for myself.

 

I’ve got so many memories at 755 Hank Aaron Drive. It’s hard to believe that on Sunday I’ll make my last memory there.

 

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“Like Lambs to the slaughter, the Braves take the field.” – Skip Caray

The Braves have started a season 9-28 for the first time in franchise history since the Boston Rustlers began 9-28 in 1911. 105 years after player/manager Fred Tenney was fired after leading his team to a dreadful 44-107 season, the Atlanta Braves have fired Fredi Gonzalez. He’s the first manager in Atlanta to be fired in 26 years.

It’s no secret that the Atlanta club is awful. Once in a century (hopefully) awful. But it wasn’t all Fredi’s fault. He was given a terrible, young, and unproven roster to work with. These guys will undoubtedly grow and get better, becoming our future bedrock, but no one expected them to win in 2016. That being said, no one thought they’d win quite so rarely as they’ve shown.  Continue reading →