Annual Trip to SunTrust Park - with bobbleheads, lots of HRs & even a Topps Now card

Living in the upstate of SC it takes a little bit of effort to get down to Atlanta, GA to see a Braves game, however my wife and I try to make it a point to take in at least one game each season. Back in the spring when we decided we'd catch a game we hit the schedule to choose when we'd go. Usually we try for a weekend game as it's easier for us to find someone to watch our girls, however this year I wanted to try to go to one of the games where a bobblehead was offered. Looking over the 2019 promotional schedule there was no shortage of games that were offering bobbleheads, but one stood out more than the others. It was none other than "Swanberson". Tuesday, June 11th it was. We purchased front row tickets in left centerfield for something like $22 each, booked our hotel that was within walking distance and then waited for the game.

Danby Swanson and super star utility player Charlie Culberson look like brothers that were separated at birth. Someone had the great idea to merge the two together to create this interesting looking bobblehead. This was limited to 15,000 and to be certain I got mine I was lined up outside the gates 3 hours before the game. I wasn't going to drive nearly 6 hours to this specific gate and miss out! My wife was very patient with me, even though I believe she was bored out of her goard waiting.

Assuming my wife doesn't want to keep her bobblehead, I'll have an extra to offer up in trade.

Even though I've been to SunTrust Park on several different occasions now, I still love walking through the area with all of the team's history displayed. At the center is this awesome bronze statue of Hank Aaron with a giant '755' made of bats. Above is a constant loop of the video of 755 as well.

While I would prefer sitting a little closer to the action, ticket prices in the outfield are just too good to turn down, so we selected tickets in left centerfield. We were wedged in between Ronald Acuna Jr. in center and Austin Riley in left. My last game I sat over the Braves bullpen and I didn't have a very good view of the scoreboard, but this time that wasn't a problem.

I had no idea the Braves would be this good this season. I was hoping of course last year wasn't a fluke and so far in the first half of the year they have turned out to be on the best teams in the National League if not the whole league. It was so fun sitting in the stands at SunTrust, feeling the electricity in the air. I can only imagine what it would be like there during a pennant race or playoff game. It also excites me for the 2021 All-Star game in Atlanta. I'm going to do my best to get tickets for that weekend.

The Braves hosted the Pittsburgh Pirates. Early on the game was to Pittsburgh's favor behind NC product Chris Archer. However the fireworks would start early for the Braves as Josh Donaldson would lead off the inning with a solo home run. Nick Markakis would follow up with his own solo shot. Next up was Austin Riley, however he wasn't able to muster a hit. Then Brian McCann stepped up to the plate with his solo shot, followed by Ozzie Albies. Two back to back home runs in the same inning. Unfortunately most of the HRs hit were to the right side of the field, but it made for an awesome game. Topps would commemorate this game with a Topps Now card the next day - limited to just 315 copies.

The Braves would go on to win the game 7-5. Josh Bell did his thing and made the game close with a late inning home run. Then the clouds rolled in and it quickly began to rain in the middle of the 8th inning. We found some shelter and hung around for about 45 minutes waiting to see if the game would resume. It was a pretty big storm and it was getting late so we decided to make our way back to the hotel. Thankfully we found some janitors that gave us each a big black garbage bag that we made into makeshift ponchos for the walk back. Not one of my finest moments, but at least I stayed (mostly) dry.

It was a quick trip to Atlanta, but it was a fun time. Depending on my work schedule and my wife's schedule, I would love to try and squeeze in another game in the 2nd half of the season. I don't know if it'll happen, but if the schedule allows I have a feeling that those same seats I had won't be as cheap if the Braves can keep up their current winning pace.

SunTrust Park Visit, 06/01/18

Well, as you can see from the date I'm about 6 months late getting around to posting this...but better late than never, right? Living in the upstate of SC I don't get to take in as many Atlanta Braves games in person as I'd like, but last June for my wife's birthday we made the trip down to the ATL for the weekend to catch a Braves vs. Nationals game.

My wife isn't the biggest sports fan. I can hardly get her to watch anything with me on TV, however she's more interested in watching the games in person. The drive is about 5-6 hours, which isn't too bad, but it's a boring drive down I-85. None the less we sat our early that morning to make our way to SunTrust Park.

We should've stopped and grabbed dinner before hand, but I was anxious to get back to the ballpark so we decided we'd just eat at the game. There are plenty of good food options to choose from. We chose Fox Brother's BBQ at the Terrapin Taproom. The line to get a table was pretty long, even though we were there early. Beforehand I didn't know they offered a "buffet" on the 2nd floor, but when we learned there was little to no wait to went on up. The buffet wasn't a traditional buffet, only allowing one trip through the line. The servers were pretty generous in the servings. I went w/ mac & choose and BBQ baked beans and everything was delicious.

 

After we finished our dinner we walked around a little bit before we headed to find our seats. First row in left center field, right over the Braves bullpen! We got a great deal on the tickets and personally, I loved the view. Since my last visit to SunTrust Park there was a new plaque hanging in the Braves Hall of Fame of my guy "Huddy" so of course I had to snap a pic.

When we first took our seats there wasn't much going on in the bullpen as you can see, but it wasn't long before Mike Foltynewicz took to warming up for that nights game. Folty would go on to pitch a complete game shut out against the Nats that night. It was so awesome watching him work his magic that evening, especially striking out Bryce Harper a few times. All those boos turned to cheers with each strikeout...it was great!

The fireworks continued to go off as we exited the stadium. I tried to get a picture or two of the fireworks, but alas the large crowd funneling out of SunTrust didn't allow me much time to grab a picture.

It was a quick was visit to Atlanta as we headed back home in the morning, but I savor every opportunity that I get to catch a MLB game. I'm so jealous of the people that get to go to more games more often, however I'm thankful that I get to (usually) take a game or two in each season.

But what would a post be on a baseball card blog if I didn't tie it back into cards in someway? Well shortly after the game I started to check Topps Now as I just knew that Folty's mound performance should warrant a Topps Now card and for once Topps didn't let me down! I placed the order and proceeded to tell my wife that she had Birthday card from Topps. It was one of the few times where she legitimately seemed interested in baseball cards.

2017 Topps Now: Atlanta Braves #44 (488 print run)

Last year the Braves opened their new home, SunTrust Park on April 14th. 41,149 fans were in attendance as the Braves hosted the San Diego Padres. This day also saw the first home win in the new stadium as Julio Teheran tossed a good game and Ender Inciarte padded the Braves' lead late in the game.

Over the weekend my wife asked me to take her back to Atlanta for a game as her birthday present. Turns out the Nationals will be in town that weekend so I'm starting to look for tickets now. Can't wait to get back as nothing beats taking in a game in person, especially at a beautiful ball park like SunTrust Park.

2017 Topps Now: Suntrust Park #44 (488 print run)

On April 14, 2017 the Atlanta Braves new home, SunTrust Park opened it's doors for it's first home game of the 2017 season. 41,149 fans packed the stadium to check out all the new sights and to watch the Braves take on the San Diego Padres. Behind Julio Teheran, the Braves would go on to win their first home game in their new stadium.

I was lucky enough to catch two homes games last season. Opening Day this season is March 28th and I'm trying to figure out if I can get away and drive down to Atlanta. I don't know if my schedule and finances will allow me to get back to SunTrust Park this season, but none the less I'm glad I've been able to witness a MLB game in yet another big league stadium.

Let's go to SunTrust Park!

Last weekend I had the pleasure to accompany my wife down to Atlanta, GA to visit the Braves new home, SunTrust Park for not just one game, but two games! Thanks to my brother-in-law, we got to add Saturday night's game to the trip we had previously been planning for months. This was my first visit to the new ballpark so needless to say I was excited. This is the 3rd professional baseball stadium that I've been to...and they've all been the Braves home field! I took my camera with me so I could capture all the views and scenes, but wouldn't you know it I left it in the hotel room on both days?! D'oh! So I just had to make due w/ the camera in my iPhone. You can click on any of the pictures for a larger view.

I purchased my parking passes online through the Braves before the game as I read that parking at the ball park could be tricky. On Saturday we ended up in a parking garage on the otherside of I-285. It was only a 10 minute walk at best. The above shots were taken as we were walking up on the stadium.

We were there for games 2 and 3 of the series against the Arizona Diamondbacks...which we ended up sweeping! On the cover of the program is the Freeze. If you don't know the backstory, the Freeze is part of Atlanta's grounds crew, but it's also a Olympic medal winning track star. Nigel Talton is his name, but this superhero like character has been a big hit in Atlanta. He races fans from foul pole to foul pole, but will give his competition a healthy lead. He has been beaten once in Atlanta and of course on his largest stage, the 2017 All-Star game in Atlanta. He raced at Saturday's game, but took the afternoon off on Sunday.

For Saturday's game, my brother-in-law's tickets were up in the Coca-Cola section which was above left field. These were $12 tickets, but the view was amazing. There were a few times where it was hard to see the action, but for the most part these were not bad seats at all. Being that we were in the Coca-Cola section, we also got a free 20 oz. bottle of Coke! The scoreboard was massive and looked fantastic. It was off to our left so we didn't have the best straight on view, but we could still follow the action.

The Coca-Cola section was pretty cool. The whole concourse area was covered in astro turf and there were a few props to take pictures with, such as this oversized baseball. Here you can see my beautiful wife and some ugly slug.

The first order of business after finding out seats was to see what there was to eat. Chip Carey on the Fox Sports telecasts has often bragged on how good the food was at SunTrust Park so we had to see for ourselves. My wife found a street taco place once we made it back down to the main concourse and ordered herself 3 tacos. You're looking at $12 there. Add in her bottle of water and my wallet was $18 lighter. On a good note she said the tacos were really good. I ended up with a plan jumbo brat and a bag of peanuts. After all, I'm at the ballpark so it just felt natural to eat "baseball food".

As we walked around the park Saturday evening, we made it over to the kids area. Wow, this place had everything. Speed pitch, a climbing wall, a zip line and several booths that housed different carnival style games. It appeared that you bought tokens to play these different games. Everytime we went through this area, it was packed. In the evening it looked even cooler w/ the lights strung across the top.

Outside of the main Customer Service area there were these glass plaques of various baseball players that have played for the Braves organization since 1871. You may recoginize a few of these guys...

There were a lot of these glass plaques, displayed 3 (or was it 4?) vertically in rows. A very impressive sight, however there would be more Braves history to look at just around the corner it turns out. The Braves Monument Garden contained a lot of Braves history and was laid out in a very cool way. The path started out with various Braves jerseys from over the years...

I tried to get close enough so you could read the little plate inside the glass case that told you a little about the jersey. I don't know about you, but I really liked those powder blue jerseys they wore in the 80's.

On the opposite side of the jerseys the walk way took you various awards won by Braves players such as the MVP, Cy Young, Silver Slugger, Gold Glove and Rookie of the Year. Below each award was a list of the players and the year Braves players won the award.

All along the sides of the walk way were these cool translucent "walls" that contained images and history from the Braves organization. In person it was much more beautiful than what I have pictured.

At the top of the arched walk way was a big memorial and bronze statue of none other than Henry "Hank" Aaron. The large screen was looping a video about the legendary player and his accomplishments both on and off the field. Underneath the screen was a large 755 made out of Louisville Slugger baseball bats. Across from the bat display was a large bronze statue that overlooked a little waterfall.

As you walked down the path on the opposite side of the Hank Aaron memorial there were different artifacts for your viewing pleasure. 

An autographed champagne bottle by Tom Glavine used in one of their post game celebrations and

the knee brace wore by Sid Bream during that moment we Braves fans call "the slide".

Game used baseball bat and ball from Bob Horner's 4 HR game and a Hank Aaron jersey

1957 World Series ring

By the time we made it all the way through the Monument Garden, it wasn't long before the first pitch so we made our way back to our seats. However on Sunday I got visit the other items on display which you'll see below.

Fireworks are shot from behind the Coca-Cola area after a HR is hit or when the Braves win. Late in the game, bottom of the 8th if I'm remembering correctly, Jace Peterson came into the game to pinch hit for the pitcher and hit a first pitch HR. I quickly turned around and snapped a picture of the fireworks celebration.

After the game, we made our way outside the stadium along with the other 41K people in attendance (the Braves set a new home game attendance record that night) and while in the massive crowed, I turned around to snap one last picture. Have no fear though as I was coming back in less than 24 hours to catch another game!

For Sunday's game we got to park in Lot 9, which was right outside the Battery. The Battery if you don't know is a large multi-use area just outside SunTrust Park. While it's still being built up, there are businesses, restuarants, shops, a movie theatre and even condos where people live above all the action. These large murals were on the outside of one of the Battery parking decks.

I knew that Sunday was Braves Alumni, but what I didn't know until I looked up from my phone was that we were walking in right behind Braves legend, Dale Murphy!

These images were taken from the Battery just outside the main gates. When I say this area was absolutely awesome, you have no idea. There was music playing, games being played for the kids, lots of restaurants to hang out in before (and after) the game...it was an amazing place. By this time it was about 11:30 AM so we still had plenty of time before the first pitch. We opted to have lunch at the Terrapin Tavern which also served Fox Bros. BBQ.

My wife settled for the Frito pie appetizer, but I went for the pulled pork sandwich with mac & cheese. Oh. My. Goodness. This was some of the best pork BBQ I've had, period. Fantastic atmosphere, fantastic lunch. Only $22 too for the two of us. Oh and I can't forget to mention the sweet tea...or as my wife called it, sugar water. Oh soooooo good!

After lunch we went ahead into the stadium and made our way over to the team store. The line on Saturday was longer than I wanted to wait...and sadly by the time we got there on Sunday it was just as long. I remember seeing a smaller New Era team store around the corner so I opted to go there. I wanted to buy a new hat anyways so that was the perfect shop. After I picked out a new hat, we continued to walk around the main concourse and back to the Monument Garden. This time I took pictures of the trophies and rings that were showcased on the opposite side of the garden walk way.

Beautiful stuff here.

We had great seats for Sundays game. We were in the first row in left center field. We were right behind centerfielder, Ender Inciarte. However after the game was over, we made our way over to the first base side, lower level and grabbed some very nice seats for the free post game concert featuring South Carolina's own Needtobreathe. This is why my wife picked this game in the first place!

SunTrust Park is a beautiful baseball stadium and I think any baseball fan would be hard pressed not to find something there that they wouldn't like or enjoy. Granted the only other parks I have to compare it against are the Braves old homes (Fulton County Stadium and Turner Field), I think it truly is amazing. Not sure when I'll get back down there, but I'm very thankful for the chance to see two games there already. My wife and I both had an absolute blast.

Oh, one last thing. On Sunday when we got to the ballpark, I tweeted that I wanted to meet Fox Sports South reporter Kelsey Wingert. While I didn't get to meet her, I did get a "like" from her official Twitter account!