Batter Up at Turner Field
It is the last Thursday in September and Around Davidson is going to take a day away from our town to report on the harrowing tales of the Boys of Summer as the Atlanta Braves and the Boston Red Sox do battle for a bit of Wild Card glory in baseball. Yes, the results will be posted by press time tomorrow and the diehard Bosox and “Tomahawk Chop” fans will either be smiling or waiting yet again for glory in the New Year!
Why baseball? Complimentary tickets to Tuesday evening’s game at Turner Field in Atlanta for the Woodmansees and Bargers. Time for a road trip and notes from those miles of Interstate and an evening of baseball.
Cheap gas? You bet.
THE BEGINNING
An early start on Tuesday (well 9:30 is early for some) and with sunshine and blue sky, at last, we headed south and made our first pit stop just inside South Carolina where the fireworks abound and the rusting relics of outlawed casino gambling rest in the weeds. We all know that gas is cheaper in the state to our south and we were not disappointed. Raceway was offering to fill our tank for $2.97 a gallon and we could not refuse.
You know you're in SC when you see the Fireworks!
Interstate 85 was a pleasant drive if you don’t mind the truckers who struggle to keep their speed on the gentle uphill grades and then zoom by you on the downhill stretches. That small nuisance is a very minor irritation compared to the widening asphalt filled with crazy drivers as you get ever nearer to Atlanta. Watching speeding cars suddenly zip across six lanes, to make the exit they must have forgotten was just upon them, is enough to rattle the best of drivers!
But with Map Quest directions in hand and extraordinary good luck maneuvering the correct right and left turns, we arrived at our lodging for the night – just feet from the entrance to Turner Field and Braves baseball. Whew!
DNN reporters always use the Media Entrance
THE MIDDLE
Now came the easy part. Take an hour to relax and then head for the stadium where the Braves were up against the Philadelphia Phillies who had already clinched the National League East division pennant for this year. (The Braves needed a win to stay ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals and claim a Wild Card slot in the play-offs.)
Picture perfect baseball weather
Arriving early we got to see batting practice, stretching practice, field preparation and special guests touring the field. The sky was a beautiful blue and the air had finally lost its humidity. How perfect for September baseball! Footlong hot dogs were the choice for our gourmet dinners with snacks of peanuts and ice cream dots. (Why is it that hot dogs never taste better than when eaten at a ball park?) The large crowd was well mannered with ushers and vendors getting high marks for their helpfulness and friendliness.
The national anthem was sung at 7 p.m. and the first pitch at 7:10. Batter up! A little more than three hours later, we had cheered, chopped, clapped, whistled and hollered for the home team but the Phillies were just too strong. The Braves lost 7-1 and the Cardinals won putting these two teams into a final game last evening. Back to our hotel to check on the other wild card game and learn that Boston pulled out a win (as usual in the last seconds of the game against Baltimore) and the Tampa Rays won as well making last evening’s game a must win for the Sox.
Our team lost but we could still smile
THE END
After breakfast with a happy crowd of Philly fans and a hopeful crowd of Braves believers, it was back on I-85 North. We were getting better at reading signs and staying in the proper lane so leaving Atlanta was a much calmer driving experience. With pits stops at QT (Quick Trip) franchises along the way and more cheap gas, we soon were back in the Tar Heel state and the safe pavement of Exit 30 with nothing but grand memories of good baseball, good friends and high hopes for successful seasons in 2012 for those Tomahawk Chopping Braves and those fellas who call the Green Monster their home turf!
AND A FINAL NOTE
As we go to press today on DavidsonNews.net, we congratulate the Tampa Rays as they secure the Wild Card slot for the American League and St. Louis Carndinals for the National League slot. Last night the Braves lost a heart breaker in the 13th inning against the Phillies to end their season. The Red Sox completed their historic late season collapse with a gut wrenching loss in the bottom of the ninth allowing two Baltimore winning runs to score.
Send us your news
Have news for Around Davidson? Write to Brenda Barger at hbarger@bellsouth.net.
