PHOTOS: Confession of an Atlanta Braves Fan; My First Live Braves Game Since 2002!

There’s nothing like cheering on the Atlanta Braves live and in person! It’s always been a thrill to see my team every chance I get. I had that opportunity Monday night in Baltimore.

I have to preface everything I am about to say with a few words, so bear with me as I divulge in my guilt.

It’s important to keep in mind, as I recount my time at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the I am active duty military. I’m an Army Brat, and I have never been close to a Major League city quite like I am now; I live a short 20 -30 minute drive from Camden Yards, with minimal traffic.

The opportunities and means have not always permitted for me to go the distances required to see my beloved Braves play. In fact, my last live Braves game was in 2002 in St. Louis, and I feel horrible about it.

I lived in Missouri at the time and 2 hours away. St. Louis, of course, is a NL Central team, so the Braves only came once a year. Cardinals tickets aren’t cheap now, and they weren’t that much cheaper 13 years ago. And that was the old Busch Stadium.

To make things even more embarrassing, I haven’t been to see the Braves play in Atlanta since they were in Fulton-County Stadium. I was there to see Dale Murphy‘s jersey/number retirement, and they squared off against the Rockies (which was a loss by the way). I believe that was 1994-ish.

I love the Atlanta Braves. Always have, always will. My grandfather introduced me to the Braves. Dale Murphy, Bob Horner, Bruce Benedict, Steve Bedrosian (BedRock), Glenn Hubbard … the list goes on.

I’m ashamed with myself that I haven’t been able to see them like most other fans. I feel guilty. I’ve yet to visit the Ted. Haven’t even been by it. I’m embarrassed. It is, what it is, unfortunately, in my line of work.

Now, all this being said, I wanted to share some of the moments I was able to capture. I was too excited to be at my first live Braves game and honestly, the fact that they ended up losing didn’t even bother me that much. I got to see the Braves in the flesh.

The best part for me that was the most fun, was getting to be close enough to the relievers in the bullpen. I was so close in fact, that I made small talk with the guys in the pen; David Aardsma, and Arodys Vizcaino in particular.

I asked Aardsma at one point what the general consensus was on Angel Hernandez behind the plate. His answer was interesting to me. To paraphrase, Aardsma simply said it’s just him. I followed that up with how he (Hernandez) always seems so inconsistent with his zone, to that he simply stated “he’s better than some”.

Next: My Favorite Photos of the Night