by John Branston
ATLANTA--Success has its rewards, and there are few better examples in sports than the Atlanta Braves.
The
Braves' doormat-to-dominance rise in less than a decade has resulted in
baseball's best roster, a television contract that beams every game all
over America, and brand-new Turner Field, where the prices ain't cheap.
If you're planning on bringing the family to Atlanta to catch the Braves this summer, better bring a C-note to the ballpark. To lure fans, hard-pressed teams in small markets like Minnesota and Pittsburgh and losers like the Detroit Tigers are offering family packages for about $25 a game this season. But the high-flying Braves are under no such economic imperative.
The cheap seats cost $10, the $25 seats extend all the way to the distant upper reaches of the outfield, and the hot dogs and Cokes are $3.50. There are numerous places to buy tastier and more expensive fare. And no way a kid of any age is getting out of that sports-themed video arcade in the outfield for less than $20. The Atlanta Journal/Constitution recently had a 13-year-old field-test it and ran up a $57 tab.
Well, Ted's gotta pay for all that talent somehow.
In many ways, Turner Field, named of course for Braves owner Ted Turner, is a park for people who have better things to do than watch a baseball game. There are indoor and outdoor restaurants, sunny picnic areas aplenty, the aforementioned arcade, and a Braves hall of fame. The "club" level has air conditioning and polished hardwood floors, possibly the most jarring feature of a baseball park to anyone old enough to have ever experienced the likes of Fenway Park or Tiger Stadium.
Apart from the tower and faux Olympic torch behind centerfield, you would never guess that less than a year ago this stadium was the site of the opening ceremony of the 1996 Summer Olympics. The place is beautifully designed for baseball. The location of the Braves bullpen in the middle of the centerfield food court is an especially nice touch. You can lean over the rail and watch the pitchers warm up, get a nice close-up picture, and hear the pop of each pitch hitting the catcher's mitt.
Only in Atlanta and Denver would a crowd of over 40,000 be somewhat disappointing, but that it was. More so considering that this particular Sunday afternoon game was only the third in Turner Field history and that ace pitcher Greg Maddux was on the mound.
The efficient Maddux and closer Mark Wohlers were all but unhittable by the hapless Chicago Cubs (still winless at this writing). The Braves win took 13 minutes less than two hours, making it the fastest game in the majors since 1992. Probably cost Turner a few million in lost concession sales.
The rest of the talent looks good enough to repeat as National League champions. Newly acquired Kenny Lofton got picked off first base but atoned by making a nice running catch in center field. Young Andruw Jones, handed the starting outfield job after the trade of Dave Justice and Marquis Grissom, slid head first a good 10 feet on the wet turf to take away another hit. Light-hitting Jeff Blauser did his best Justice imitation by hitting a home run and a double. Rising star Chipper Jones also homered, and the defense was flawless, while the Cubs made four miscues.
You can drive four hours to St. Louis or 15 minutes to Tim McCarver Stadium in Memphis and see cheaper baseball, but not, by a long stretch, better baseball.
Two people can do an Atlanta weekend for airfare of $78 apiece and a motel room for as low as $40 within 10 miles of the park. Even at a game billed as a sellout, tickets at less than face value were plentiful both in and around the stadium, where the legislature recently legalized ticket scalping.
What a sports town. The Omni, home of the playoff-bound Atlanta Hawks, is a short hop from the ballfield. Next door is CNN's headquarters and a mall and food court that seem to be beating the hell out of the ones at Underground Atlanta on Peachtree. And next to that is the year-old Georgia Dome, home of the Atlanta Falcons, where a Revco trade show had 'em lined up for free Cokes and samples of pain relievers and bunion removers. The remnants of Centennial Park and the Olympics are yet another nearby draw in this unmatched sports feast. 0