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18 Atlanta Braves Home Games Remain…Who Pulls the Rest of the Numbers?

By Alan Carpenter

May 28, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher and Atlanta Braves broadcaster Don Sutton prepares to remove a number from the outfield wall counting down the games left at Turner Field during the game against the Miami Marlins at Turner Field. The Braves defeated the Marlins 7-2. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
May 28, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher and Atlanta Braves broadcaster Don Sutton prepares to remove a number from the outfield wall counting down the games left at Turner Field during the game against the Miami Marlins at Turner Field. The Braves defeated the Marlins 7-2. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Turner Field final season celebration continues with a “18” currently posted up on the LF wall.  Here’s a list of the honorees thus far… and some guesses on those not yet revealed.

Here’s a quick table of the game numbers are those invited to tear down those numbers in the middle of each Turner Field home game this season… for the full list, complete with videos of the ceremony, check the Braves website here.

[table id=55 /]

Some Comments and Notes

There are probably a few of these names that the Braves would like a mulligan on.  Most notably: the name Ryan Lochte.  Obviously he (and Missy Franklin) were there to represent all Team USA Olympians just prior to the Rio Olympiad.

That… didn’t turn out so well for Lochte.  He embarrassed himself and his team… never mind losing all of his corporate sponsorships.  He also could be suspended by the USA Swimming Federation for his stupidity… and the laughable explanation thereafter.

You truly can’t blame the Braves for this, of course, but it’s just one of those unfortunate things that you get associated with every now and then.

You might question the use of Denny Neagle, too, though despite his legal troubles, he’s actually not different from a lot of ballplayers… he just got caught.

I had expected that the #17 might be torn down by Ted Turner.  However, that’s scheduled for Ludacris. He’s a fan, for sure, and even did an after-game concert in 2011, but Turner and his superstation channel 17 certainly would have made sense together – if Turner indeed was willing to participate.

What About the Remaining 5 Slots?

5 tear-downs have not been announced yet:  #13, #7, #5, #4, and #2.

At this point in the process, there’s two questions I have:  are there super-secrets involved or are there scheduling reasons that are delaying announcements?  It could be either, but it’s also noteworthy that we do already know who gets to pull down #1… the entire (surviving) 2016 team!

First off… who’s missing?

More from Tomahawk Take

Joe Simpson and Don Sutton got to pull numbers previously, but Chip Carey has not. Regardless of your opinions about his broadcast abilities, he represents a family of long-time baseball-calling talent, and the list above does honor families in addition to direct participants in the team’s history.  In Chip’s case:  he represents both.

Ed Mangan has been the head groundskeeper for the Braves since before there was a Turner Field… 26 years now as he came with John Shuerholz from the Royals.  Shouldn’t he get a pull?

I’d suggest the entire Scouting Department, but I don’t know that there’s any day in which most of them aren’t scattered about several countries, so that would be difficult, for sure.

Bob Horner was #5… that would certainly fit. So would Freddie Freeman.  Or Ron Gant.

My Own Guesses:

  • 13 – Ed Mangan
  • 7 – Terry McGuirk of Liberty Media
  • 5 – Chip Carey and Elaine Van Wieren
    (edit:  I missed this:  Elaine and Paula Caray were honored in April; changing this to Bob Horner)
  • 4 – Greg Maddux
  • 2 – Members of the 1995 World Championship Team

Next: Braves Win the Latest Snake Fight

Let’s hear your ideas on the Missing Five.  I might even be able to come up with a modest prize if somebody really nails the answer (but you’d better submit your guesses before the current road trip finishes!).

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