We Are Braves Country

Sometimes, when you’re up past 4 am, you just need to write. I found myself scrolling through pictures of Turner Field on the internet just a few minutes ago. Maybe not the best way to spend my time, but it got me thinking. I’m really excited for the new stadium. We’re season ticket holders for the 2017 season, and I’m eager to attend the exhibition game. And as many times as I’ve looked at construction updates and driven past the stadium, it still just doesn’t feel real.

The idea of SunTrust Park came shortly after the 2013 baseball season. I was upset and excited all at once. But at that moment, I knew we had three seasons left at the Ted. And let me tell you, 2014 - 2016 were three very long seasons. We didn’t play our best baseball, and at times it was miserable. But that didn’t really matter. Every game I attended suddenly became one less game at Turner Field. I’ve never attended as many Braves games as I did in 2016. I know, I picked a great year. But each game was special. I met new people, saw some great games, and watched the final countdown number slowly shrink. Except, it didn’t feel that slow down the stretch. The Braves were playing better baseball, and the final countdown started to make it’s way to single digits. I attended the Braves home opener, and I was there for the last game. And let me tell you, watching them pull off the one was like a boost of reality. It suddenly went from “until next time, turner field” to “well, I guess this is goodbye, friend.”

The final game at Turner Field was everything I could have wanted. The pregame was epic. Watching the legends of the Ted take the field made me feel blessed to be a Braves fan. My three original favorite players were there: Glavine, Giles, and Lopez. What a lucky kid I was. We played a close game, and we won! The crowd was loud, and I was happy. I was feeling optimistic for the future despite only winning 68 games on the season. I knew we were better than our record showed at that moment.

The game ended and the final ceremony started. I hate to say I can barely remember a lot of it. I just remember the emotion of sadness creeping into my soul. That sounds extremely dramatic, but hey. The main thing that sticks out to me is the final chop. It was at that moment that I knew it was over. The remaining crowd chopped in unison, and I cried. My brother said looking over at me and seeing me in tears was one of the saddest things he’s ever seen. It seems silly, but I was truly sad to say goodbye. My life has been full of great memories at Turner Field. I was born in 1996 and have been attending Braves games since 1997. Every year that Turner Field was opened, I was in attendance at least once. It was my summer home and my favorite place in the world. I can’t even start to describe favorite memories because how would I pick? (Okay, game 162 of 2010. But still.)

It took a lot of effort for me to finally leave the park that night. I didn’t want to. I knew leaving meant never returning. But I finally turned my back on that beautiful ballfield and walked out of Turner Field for one last time. It was hard, I was sad, and it felt like the end. I got in my car, got back to school, and distracted myself with the playoffs.

The thing is, it’s been like any other offseason. I have the usual baseball blues and football is my main distraction. It’s been a relatively quiet offseason compared to some of the previous ones. Most of our signings came early. But I find as the time passes, I forget that I’m not going back to Turner Field. I was in Atlanta after Christmas and drove past the stadium. Other than a few things, you wouldn’t even know the Braves weren’t returning next season. I almost feel as though come April I will be returning.

But I won’t. I’ll be at a new park, and that’s the strangest thought. I’ll be going from a place I knew like the back of my hand to something foreign. I’ll be leaving behind memories, both good and bad, for a blank canvas. No personal attachment, no sentimental value. No memories to look back on. Just a lot of possibilities.