8/2/2009 - Turner Field - MLB Ballpark #29

2009 Game #27 - Los Angeles Dodgers at Atlanta Braves

Final Score: Dodgers 9, Braves 1

Hot Dog - 3/5

As we noted earlier, our game at Turner Field in Atlanta was moved from 1:00 in the afternoon to 8:00 at night.  Thanks, ESPN!

I really mean that thanks, though, as sitting through a day game in the sweltering heat of midday Atlanta was not something I was looking forward to.  Also, there was nary a drop of rain to be seen, despite the fact that 2 out of 3 weather websites we checked said there was a 70% chance of rain during gametime.  It must be tough to be a meteorologist.  Anyway, our seats were in the centerfield bleachers, right next to the “hitters’ eye” canyon, where Matt Kemp of the Dodgers blasted a homer in the 5th.  Yup, he destroyed it.  Watch the replays closely and you might see us stuffing our faces, as we had “All-you-can-eat” tickets.  Having noticed this promotion in some parks early on, we decided to try it once.  Eh… not worth the money in the end.

The game itself was a stinker, if you’re a Braves fan.  They only managed 5 hits in the game, and went down 1-2-3 four times!  The lousy playing didn’t stop the fans in the stadium from doing the “Tomahawk Chop” to encourage their boys.  Overall, that was kind of creepy.  They even have a chant that goes with it, as I’m sure many of you already know.  In addition to the Chop, the fans were very supportive of their team, and very not supportive of Manny Ramirez.  He had 5 at-bats, and was loudly booed every time.

Another interesting point in the game was Dodger manager Joe Torre’s use of a pitcher as a pinch hitter in the 6th inning.  It ultimately worked out well for the Dodgers as Jason Schmidt hit a single and ended up scoring a run.

Well, the game stunk, but the stadium in which it was played was not too bad.  It was built for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and became the new home of the Braves afterwards.  Previously, the Braves played in Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, and Turner Field was built in its parking lot.  Now, Turner Field’s parking lot is where the reminders of AFCS are.  There is a long, curving retaining wall with the name of the old stadium and the dates it was in use, and the ground is paved so that you can see where the old infield was.  It was a parking lot, yes, but I thought it was rather neat.  One feature common to Major League parks (as you have already heard) is Stupid Stuff Races.  (You thought I was going to talk about a mascot, didn’t you!  The Braves don’t have one…unless you count the baseball headed guy named Homer.)  The Stupid Stuff that raced at Turner Field was tools.  That’s right– a heated sprint with Hammer, Saw, Paintbrush, and Drill.  Drill had a spill late in the race and struggled to get up, and Saw also had some difficulty.  In the end, it was Paintbrush with the victory!

In all, Turner Field was a great place to watch a game, even with its Tomahawk Choppin’ fans.

-Karyn