Ultimate Baseball Road Trip (37 page)

The Negro League’s Atlanta Black Crackers were nearly as successful as their white counterparts after beginning play in 1919. For more information on both teams, we recommend Tim Darnell’s book
The Crackers: Early Days of Atlanta Baseball.
As the book attests, winning teams are as much a part of Atlanta culture as peanut butter and Coca-Cola. And after some down years in the 1970s and 1980s, the Braves have more than done their part to uphold this tradition.

Despite their winning ways the Braves have faced a persistent challenge when it comes to filling their ballpark. Well, that may be overstating things. The team does draw a respectable two and a half million fans a year, or about thirty thousand per game. But these totals place the Braves in the middle of the pack compared to the other thirty teams. And, owing to their consistent success and the quality of Turner Field, they should be drawing larger crowds. What’s more, the Braves have failed to sell out many playoff games through the years. When they were the class of the league back in the 1990s this was the case and, more recently, it has been as well. The Braves closed out the 2010 season, for example, with a Game 4 loss to the San Francisco Giants in the National League Division Series before a crowd of 44,532. More than fifty-three thousand fans had turned out the day before to watch the Braves fall 3-2 in Game 3, but with the team facing elimination Turner Field suddenly had six thousand empty seats and its standing-room areas were deserted.

Have Braves fans been spoiled by the team’s success? Is Atlanta’s ballpark just too big for America’s thirty-third largest city? Does the fact that Atlanta is full of transplants from points elsewhere subdue enthusiasm for the home team? Is the city’s steamy weather to blame? The answer is likely all of the above. In any case, we like the cheap tickets—available from scalpers outside the park or from the box office—that are the result of this lukewarm love affair between Atlanta fans and the Braves.

The North Gate opens three hours prior to game time, allowing fans the chance to watch batting practice from the outfield seats and to visit Scouts Alley and the massive food court. The concourses are wide, the seats big and sturdy, and there’s ample room between rows. Even the outfield and upper-level seats are angled toward the infield. Every aisle seat showcases a swinging Hank Aaron silhouette.

On all levels of the park, odd-numbered sections appear on the first-base side, while even-numbered ones appear on the third-base side. Section 100 at Field Level is directly behind home plate. Section 200 on the Terrace Level is as well. And Section 400 is behind the plate on the Upper Level. On the Club Level, there is no Section 300 because the press box sits where it would be.

The first row of the upper level hangs over the lower bowl’s back rows, thus preventing any sort of overhang obstruction for those below. This is a well-conceived seating approach.

These infield box seats extend from third base to home plate and then around the bend to first. They are sloped at a significant enough pitch to allow shorter fans to easily see over the heads of those in front of them. Really, every one of these seats is a winner, kind of like those starting pitchers the Braves used to roll out in the ’90s. Fans without tickets to these sections are welcome to stop by for a peek during batting practice. But an hour before the game an announcement over the P.A. asks non-ticket holders to vacate the area. This seems fair to us. Hey, we figure that by the time this book warrants a third edition we’ll be able to afford the good seats, and when that day comes, we don’t want a bunch of slobs mucking up the view and leaving peanut shells on our seats.

Kevin:
Who are we kidding? We’ll be seat-hopping slobs till the day we die.

Josh:
Umm … Right. I’m heading to the SunTrust Club. I’ll catch you later.

Kevin:
Isn’t that a highly exclusive luxury club with gourmet food? They won’t let you in.

Josh:
Probably not. But I’ll catch you later.

Kevin:
Josh?

Josh:
Please, don’t follow me.

Kevin:
You’re going to the Club level. You sellout!

Josh:
I said don’t follow me!

The Field seats are between first base and the right-field foul pole and third base and the left-field pole. The two outfield-most sections on either side house Field Reserved seats and sell for a few dollars less. But throughout this area of the park, a first-row seat sells for the same price as one in the back row, so shoot for a lower row number. We really liked the sections in this price range closest to the infield. Section 119 just beyond first and Section 120 just beyond third are well worth the money. We weren’t as impressed by the Field Reserved Sections (124–129) by the foul poles, preferring the straighton view from the Field Pavilion in home run territory.

Any seat in this price range will furnish its holder the hope (however remote) of snagging a souvenir. The seats in left and left-center (132–150 even-numbered sections) are especially choice for ball hawks, because the left-field power alley is ten feet shallower than the right-field alley. Odd-numbered Sections 143–151 in right-center offer the worst chance of getting a ball. Wherever you sit, don’t plan on leaning over the fence to snatch a ball off the top of the wall or to dump a beer on an outfielder, as a three-foot dead zone separates the seating area from the outfield fence, eliminating opportunities for fan interference. If you’re looking for a front-row seat, you’ll want to remember that most Field Pavilion sections begin with Row 13. We can only assume this lucky number has something to do with the post-Olympic remodeling. Sections 131 and 133 are best to be avoided because of the right-field foul pole, while Section 132 should be avoided on account of the pole in left.

Kevin:
The pole’s really not that bad if you just lean to one side.

Josh:
We came to watch a baseball game, not to stare at yellow paint.

Kevin:
Where’d you get that cured-salmon sandwich?

Josh:
Never mind.

Kevin:
You got into the SunTrust Club, didn’t you? Let me have a bite.

Josh:
You wouldn’t like it. It’s topped with herbed crème fraiche.

Kevin:
Okay. The jig is up. That’s not something you’d eat either.

Josh:
No. It’s not. Can you believe they try to pass this stuff off as ballpark food?

Kevin:
Only in the SunTrust Club!

Josh:
Indeed, we’ll be peanut-shelling slobs till the day we die.

Located behind the Dugout and Field seats and above a mid-level pedestrian concourse, the Terrace seats are still on the first level of the park. We really liked the view from behind home plate (Sections 201–208) but weren’t crazy about Sections like 220–224 and 219–223 along the foul lines. These outfield seats sell for the same price as the seats around the infield but the view is not comparable. As for the Terrace Reserved sections, we do not recommend them. Either spend a few bucks more to sit in the Terrace sections on the infield, or spend a few bucks less and enjoy a better view from the Field Pavilion. On an architectural note, we appreciated the open concourse behind the last row of Terrace seats, which allows a view of the game to fans on the prowl for concessions.

These outfield seats are elevated above the concourse that runs behind the Field Pavilion, ensuring clear, if distant, sight lines for fans in the first rows. Because these seats are in the same price range as Field Pavilion seats, while significantly farther from the field, you should avoid them if possible. If for some reason you find yourself relegated to the Terrace Pavilion, aim for the sections in left (even-numbered 232–248) that have a straight-on view of the plate, rather than the ones in right that point fans toward the third base line. On a positive note, the overhang here keeps fans dry on drizzly nights.

These club boxes hang down over the Terrace seats. Sure, they’re good seats, but are they as good as first-level Field and Terrace seats? We don’t think so.

Turner Field’s upper deck keeps fans close to the field by rising at a pretty steep pitch. Sitting up here, your feet are at shoulder-level of the fan in front of you. Kevin, who gets a little bit dizzy sometimes, felt as if he needed his own railing in front of his row, similar to those found at Rogers Centre. Truly, these seats are not for the faint of heart. Unsteady older folks, drunks, and vertigo sufferers should aim for the lower levels. As for the view, it’s not bad, especially in the Upper Boxes behind the plate. Tickets cost the same whether they’re in Row 1 or Row 27, so shoot for the first fifteen rows or so around the infield (400–418), or Rows 1–10 of the Upper
Pavilion along the lines. The Upper Pavilion in right field feels far from the plate; it reminded us of the uppermost seats in Cleveland. A small number of seats in Section 424 in left and Section 439 in right sell for a discount price as Skyline seats. The left-field Skyline is a lot closer to the infield than the Skyline in right. We found these dirt-cheap seats much better than the Uecker Seats in Milwaukee. Here, nothing blocks your view of the field save for a very minimal underhang. These tickets go on sale three hours prior to game time and sometimes sell quickly because they are limited in quantity. We recommend showing up early and waiting in line for a ticket, then using your spare time to check out the Braves Hall of Fame and other attractions in this activity-filled park. And don’t worry, you won’t have to sit in your Skyline seat if you don’t want to. There are usually ample Upper Box seats to accommodate seat-hoppers. Finally, for the best view of downtown Atlanta, aim for seats in odd-numbered Sections 403–421 on the first-base side.

Georgia law allows for buyers on the black market to be prosecuted, as well as sellers. So be very careful in your interactions with scalpers. If you purchase tickets at face value or below, you’re legal. If not, you could spend the night in handcuffs. It’s unlikely, but why take chances? Actually, you deserve to wear cuffs if you’re waving big bills at the scalpers outside Turner Field. The ballpark never sells out, so it’s a buyer’s market.

Turner Field sits one mile south of downtown Atlanta, surrounded by parking lots. But don’t despair. Realizing the lack of peripheral activities and seeking to capitalize on the void, the Braves provide plenty of entertainment options in and around the park. And for those wishing to truly get the full Atlanta experience, the city isn’t that far away. The area around the park is safe and well maintained. Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard is blocked off before and after games, creating space for fans to revel in the streets after the home team wins.

Atlanta traffic tends to be horrendous no matter the hour of the day, so if you’re staying in town we suggest taking advantage of a convenient public transportation option. Take the MARTA Train to Five Points Station, then hop on a free shuttle to the park. These buses begin running ninety minutes before the game and continue until an hour after. In general, however, the MARTA does not seem to cover much of the city, so we wouldn’t recommend planning to spend the whole day zipping around town on it.

MARTA Shuttle Information and Map:
www.itsmarta.com/shuttle-express-service.aspx

If you drive to the game, Turner Field is located near the intersection of Interstate 75, which bisects the city perpendicularly, and Interstate 20, which bisects it horizontally. Take Interstate 75 to Exit 246, Fulton Street/Stadium. From the east take Interstate 20 to Exit 58A, Capitol Avenue. From the west, take Interstate 20 to Exit 56B, Windsor Street/Stadium. The best option is to pay to park in one of the stadium lots. We saw some street spots in the residential neighborhood on the hillside about a quarter mile south of Turner Field but we weren’t comfortable leaving our rental car in this part of the city. Because of the dearth of street spots surrounding the ballpark, and the monopoly the team has on the lot scene, Atlanta ranks right down there with Kansas City and Arlington as a place where you just have to bite the bullet and pay to park.

This parking lot resides on the hallowed ground where Fulton County Stadium once was. This spot was consecrated “baseball-holy” when Hank Aaron blasted a pitch from the Dodgers’ Al Downing deep to left field for the 715th home run of his career. With the blast the man who was the first player in the MLB history books alphabetically at the time stamped his name atop the game’s list of prolific swat sultans. And in our book, there his name still belongs, at least atop the dinger diary with 755 career clouts. We refuse to recognize Barry Bonds’ Steroid Era total of 762. However, we do recognize that Dave Aardsma has supplanted Aaron atop the game’s alphabetical alumni registry.