An ode to The Ted
It wasn't the best, it wasn't where it was supposed to be and it won't be the most memorable for most. For me, it was the place where I fell in love with sport. It was the place I came face to face with all of baseball's cliches: the smell of the ballpark, the taste of a ballpark dog or H&F Burger and the views of towering home runs and the towering Atlanta skyline from the first base line cheap seats. I witnessed my favorite athlete from the seats, as Larry Wayne "Chipper" Jones Jr. mastered the craft of hitting from both sides of the plate. I got excited when the cleated #6 climbed out of the dugout to argue with an umpire. When Turner Field closes on October 2nd for good, a chapter in my sports memories close too.
It's not going to top the list of all time greatest sports venues, and it stands a good chance to be forgotten by a number of fans who don't have the same memories. But it will forever be my first "crush" and its something I won't forget.
When the city of Atlanta built Turner Field it was for the Opening Ceremonies, Track & Field events and the Closing Ceremonies at the Centennial Olympic Games right next door to Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, The stadium was purposely constructed to be repurposed as a baseball stadium as soon as the Olympic Games concluded.
On paper this should have been one of the most economically efficient modes to build Olympic venues and maintain them into the future. In reality, Turner Field never should have been where it was. It was just far enough outside downtown to be nuisance, the public transportation wasn't immediately connected to the stadium and the surrounding area was never developed.
When the city of Atlanta sent a multimillion dollar bill to the Braves front office for renovations and lease payments with their right hand and agreed to cover 20 percent of the Falcons' new stadium plan with their left hand, they chose sides on which franchise they valued more and the Braves were left to make tough decision.
Braves President John Schuerholz said of the plans to move out of Turner Field back in 2013, "Turner Field, which we do not own, is in need of hundreds of millions of dollars of upgrades," adding, "the massive investment would not do anything to improve access or the fan experience."
The Braves made a business decision to move to Cobb County, building SunTrust Park and The Battery around it to improve accessibility and the fan experience. While the accessibility has yet to be definitively answered in a city that has accessibility issues inside and outside the perimeter, there's no doubt the fan experience will be improved with the downtown shopping/eating/drinking district surrounding the stadium gates and the intimate construction of the actual ball park.
This decision to move was unemotional. There are certain emotions a fan feels when they drive or ride downtown through their city passing the monuments and establishments that are the backbone to your city's culture. I'm filled with pride, excitement and amusement when I go through the city with an Atlanta brand name across my chest and I arrive at the gate.
The feeling and emotions won't be the same when I travel to Cobb. I'm still going to be filled with pride, excitement and amusement when I arrive with an Atlanta brand name across my chest at SunTrust Park - but it will be solely in the team as opposed to feeling all those emotions in my city AND my team.
The city severely fumbled an opportunity to keep the Braves downtown. Had it been up to me, the Braves would have built a stadium on top of Centennial Olympic Park in the heart of downtown, much like Baltimore has done with Camden Yards. This decision would have placed the Falcons, Braves and Hawks all within a 10-minute walk between each other - downtown would have been the heart of sports and the entire city would've benefitted from it. The teams would have been a fabric of the culture inseparable from the city, but instead they are being treated as a a tool the city wants to use for dollars and cents.
Turner Field will open and close it's gates for the final time on Sunday October 2nd against the Detroit Tigers. The matchup against an unusual AL Central opponent is appropriate for the unusual feelings that will come with closing a stadium after only 20 years.
While my first sports memories were had at "the Ted," I look forward to witnessing new memories of new Braves in future seasons at SunTrust Park. I will go wherever the Braves will go, because their brand is important to this city no matter which part of the city they play in.
