13. Turner Field
By a remarkable coincidence, I am writing this just a scant two days after I returned from a trip to Atlanta to visit my sister, the always remarkably cool tigerlily_blue. We were not able to make a return trip to Turner Field this past weekend due to the Braves not opening at home, but we did drive past the park at least three times.
Appropriately, driving past is the only thing I ever did with Turner Field's predecessor, Fulton County Stadium. That happened back in December 1993* when my family drove to Florida to visit relatives in Florida over the Christmas break. We didn't even stop the car in Atlanta, let alone go into a ballpark in December. Fortunately, the first time I actually made a meaningful visit to Atlanta I made it into the park. Somewhat unusually, I actually synopsized it back then, but the short version is that my sister and I were in Atlanta, and we visited Kendra and the three of us went to the ballgame with Kate. We watched the Dodgers beat the home team 6-3. Tim Hudson started for the Braves, as did no doubt future Hall of Famer Chipper Jones and "how did he miss the Hall of Fame-r" Andruw Jones. Nomar suited up for the Dodgers. It was a pleasant night.
For the most part Turner Field is a relatively standard mid-1990s ballpark. It gets bonus points for being named after an actual person; even if it is really just a different application of naming rights it sounds better than cheering at a park named after an insurance company. The fans are perhaps slightly more annoying than most others (Tomahawk Chop? Really? And it's even more annoying in person), but pretty much all is forgiven by the perhaps the best single scoreboard I have ever seen. Oh, it's not the size of the screen or the HD quality of the video (although it was a record setter in 2005 when they renovated) that gets me going. They have (or had) the entire scorebook visible at all times. As it happens, I keep score at the games using old fashioned pen and paper. Sometimes I go to get food and miss some of the action. At other parks, I have to remember to check what a batter did on previous innings when he returns to the plate. At Turner Field, all I had to do is look up at the screen. Every single at bat is up there in perfect scorebook notation. Of course, if you can't actually read scorebook notation that might not help you much, but due to a glorious career spent on the bench in youth league baseball, I can keep book very well.
Ok, so what about the amenities for non scorekeepers? As I recall there was the usual collection. Certainly there was nothing wrong with the place, although even in early May it was a bit muggy. I'm sure it must be brutal when the summer actually arrives. You almost wonder why they didn't put a dome on so they could get a/c in there.
I wish we'd gone to the museum in the park. Perhaps on a future visit, but time is slipping away for that one. Even though Turner Field is not even 20 years old (it opened in 1996 for the Olympics, the Braves have already started building a replacement for it out in the suburbs. With my sister now residing in Atlanta full-time I'm sure it'll be easy enough to knock off the list when it opens in 2017. However, you have to wonder why anyone would spend money on a park if even a relatively modern ball park (more than 50% of the existing parks are older than Turner Field) can be "out of date". Sometimes, the economics of my favorite sport go from stupid to flat out ridiculous. In any event, the Braves look terrible this year and probably next, so Turner Field will most likely end its ball existence with a losing team, which was very much a rarity in the years of its existence.
**Or maybe 1994. I'm pretty sure it was my sophomore year of high school, but as we've already established, memory is tricky.
Park Rankings
RankParkTeamFirst Visit# Visits
1 Wrigley FieldChicago CubsApril 23, 20042
2 PNC ParkPittsburgh PiratesSeptember 25, 20042
3 Jacobs FieldCleveland IndiansApril 17, 199963
4 Miller ParkMilwaukee BrewersApril 24, 20041
5 Yankee Stadium (original)New York YankeesJuly 28, 20061
6 Comerica ParkDetroit TigersJuly 31, 20041
7Turner FieldAtlanta BravesSaturday, May 5, 20071
8 Rogers CentreToronto Blue JaysMay 21, 20051
9 Cinergy FieldCincinnati RedsAugust 8, 19984
10 The MetrodomeMinnesota TwinsJune 22, 19923
11 Shea StadiumNew York MetsJuly 24, 20061
12 Great American Ball ParkCincinnati RedsMay 9, 20041
13 U.S. Cellular FieldChicago White SoxApril 25, 20041
Background: Prologue Memory Interlude
Appropriately, driving past is the only thing I ever did with Turner Field's predecessor, Fulton County Stadium. That happened back in December 1993* when my family drove to Florida to visit relatives in Florida over the Christmas break. We didn't even stop the car in Atlanta, let alone go into a ballpark in December. Fortunately, the first time I actually made a meaningful visit to Atlanta I made it into the park. Somewhat unusually, I actually synopsized it back then, but the short version is that my sister and I were in Atlanta, and we visited Kendra and the three of us went to the ballgame with Kate. We watched the Dodgers beat the home team 6-3. Tim Hudson started for the Braves, as did no doubt future Hall of Famer Chipper Jones and "how did he miss the Hall of Fame-r" Andruw Jones. Nomar suited up for the Dodgers. It was a pleasant night.
For the most part Turner Field is a relatively standard mid-1990s ballpark. It gets bonus points for being named after an actual person; even if it is really just a different application of naming rights it sounds better than cheering at a park named after an insurance company. The fans are perhaps slightly more annoying than most others (Tomahawk Chop? Really? And it's even more annoying in person), but pretty much all is forgiven by the perhaps the best single scoreboard I have ever seen. Oh, it's not the size of the screen or the HD quality of the video (although it was a record setter in 2005 when they renovated) that gets me going. They have (or had) the entire scorebook visible at all times. As it happens, I keep score at the games using old fashioned pen and paper. Sometimes I go to get food and miss some of the action. At other parks, I have to remember to check what a batter did on previous innings when he returns to the plate. At Turner Field, all I had to do is look up at the screen. Every single at bat is up there in perfect scorebook notation. Of course, if you can't actually read scorebook notation that might not help you much, but due to a glorious career spent on the bench in youth league baseball, I can keep book very well.
Ok, so what about the amenities for non scorekeepers? As I recall there was the usual collection. Certainly there was nothing wrong with the place, although even in early May it was a bit muggy. I'm sure it must be brutal when the summer actually arrives. You almost wonder why they didn't put a dome on so they could get a/c in there.
I wish we'd gone to the museum in the park. Perhaps on a future visit, but time is slipping away for that one. Even though Turner Field is not even 20 years old (it opened in 1996 for the Olympics, the Braves have already started building a replacement for it out in the suburbs. With my sister now residing in Atlanta full-time I'm sure it'll be easy enough to knock off the list when it opens in 2017. However, you have to wonder why anyone would spend money on a park if even a relatively modern ball park (more than 50% of the existing parks are older than Turner Field) can be "out of date". Sometimes, the economics of my favorite sport go from stupid to flat out ridiculous. In any event, the Braves look terrible this year and probably next, so Turner Field will most likely end its ball existence with a losing team, which was very much a rarity in the years of its existence.
**Or maybe 1994. I'm pretty sure it was my sophomore year of high school, but as we've already established, memory is tricky.
Park Rankings
RankParkTeamFirst Visit# Visits
1 Wrigley FieldChicago CubsApril 23, 20042
2 PNC ParkPittsburgh PiratesSeptember 25, 20042
3 Jacobs FieldCleveland IndiansApril 17, 199963
4 Miller ParkMilwaukee BrewersApril 24, 20041
5 Yankee Stadium (original)New York YankeesJuly 28, 20061
6 Comerica ParkDetroit TigersJuly 31, 20041
7Turner FieldAtlanta BravesSaturday, May 5, 20071
8 Rogers CentreToronto Blue JaysMay 21, 20051
9 Cinergy FieldCincinnati RedsAugust 8, 19984
10 The MetrodomeMinnesota TwinsJune 22, 19923
11 Shea StadiumNew York MetsJuly 24, 20061
12 Great American Ball ParkCincinnati RedsMay 9, 20041
13 U.S. Cellular FieldChicago White SoxApril 25, 20041
Background: Prologue Memory Interlude