As the Atlanta Braves Exit Turner Field, It’s Hard to Feel Nostalgic
The final weekend is upon us, and I’m trying to reconcile all of the pomp and circumstance. Any excuse for a party, perhaps, but I don’t know that I’ll miss Turner Field.
I suppose I’m in the minority. And there are reasons for that.
While most definitely a fan of the Atlanta Braves, I am not an Atlantan. That clearly biases me, as I didn’t see all of the construction leading up to the Olympics, nor was present for any of those festivities… that likely would have changed things.
But in this era in which people changes phones, cars, churches, or even homes as quickly as they would a dirty shirt, that’s what this stadium-switcheroo feels like.
At least that’s the case today. If this were another 20-30 years down the road, then I would reconsider. But that’s not going to be the case.
The oldest MLB ballparks are Fenway Park (1912) and Wrigley Field (1914). Fenway is now 104½ years old.
Do you know which park is next? It’s Dodger stadium… 1962. A gap of 48 years.
From there, it’s two more California parks: Angel Stadium and the Oakland/Alameda County Colesium (both 1966). Then it’s Kansas City’s Kauffmann (1973).
Other than these, every other ballpark has been opened since 1989 – 25 of them. None more than 28 seasons old. And of course the Braves will open another, come next April.
The Name Thing
I never actually cared for the ‘Turner Field’ moniker. That seemed too self-serving, particularly when Ted Turner himself didn’t build it. But it wasn’t a first, either: Kauffman, the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Jacobs Field (now Progressive Field) in Cleveland. No, I won’t forget that Wrigley Field was named after William Wrigley Jr, who christened it in 1927.
One such narcissistic naming in this era was the original Busch Stadium in St. Louis, which was officially named for August Busch III after baseball objected to naming the stadium after a commercial product and alcoholic beverage.
Busch exploited the obvious loophole as the Cardinals are corporately owned and itself named for their founder.
For Turner Field, I would have personally liked to see it become (or stay as) Olympic Stadium, Atlanta Park, Braves Field, Hank Aaron Park… almost anything else. But that wasn’t my call, or course.
But even the names of parks are changing. The Diamondbacks were in Bank One Ballpark (the “BOB”). Now it’s Chase Field. The Giants were in Pac-Bell Park, but now it’s AT&T Park. The Astros briefly had Enron Field… that became Minute Maid Park. None of these venues changed physical locations to do so.
These are additional signs of our times – testimonies of the need for ‘more’. So the use of Corporate branding is here to stay, and thus we have SunTrust Park, replete with myriad additional industrial partners, from Delta to Chick-fil-a to Home Depot to Georgia Gas, Comcast, and many many more. Indeed, the sport could not survive otherwise.
The Park
I like the look of Turner Field. I’m a fan of brick and the dark green colors work well with that. The seats are a bit narrow for my own tastes, though I understand SunTrust will remedy that.
Sight lines have felt good there, though again this is an area in which SunTrust will likely excel. The seating angles could be good or bad, depending on the time of year and the time of the game. For a Summer’s day game, you could be baked in virtually any seat. For evening starts, the first base line kept you hot and squinting until the sun dropped far enough.
In the outfield… you simply had to endure until sunset. That came late, especially given how deep (west) Atlanta is within the Eastern Time Zone.
This is a case in which – upon reflection – the Braves are wise to move games to 7:30 next season. Between the issues with traffic and with the sun, this should help immensely. Roof canopy aside, those sitting between the third base dugout and left-center field will absolutely embrace that.
Means to an End
It is unfortunate that our society is driven by the need for more, for better, for shiny, for cash, for … the next big thing.
I would have liked to see Turner Field become a nostalgic landmark. I like symbols of stability, of lasting value, of historic significance. Cities deserve these. Communities deserve them. Baseball does too.
A perfect venue is not necessary. It is interesting to me to note that while infield are meticulously drawn and measured in baseball’s rule book, outfield dimensions have never been part of that. I am thus in favor of “quirky” fields, as they lend character to the sport.
The original Braves Field in Boston, for example, was significantly lopsided, with a cavernous area to cover between center and right-center field…. over 500 feet to the fence in places!
I like local character. The ivy in Wrigley, the monster in Boston, the short porch in Yankee Stadium. Tal’s Hill at Minute Maid (RIP). Kudzu climbing OF wall at SunTrust would be a nice quirky thing, except for… well, you know.
A perfect venue is not necessary. Something that stands the test of time is. Hopefully that will be the case for SunTrust Park.
In the meanwhile, we bid adieu to Turner Field. It was fun.
There are memories, but alas these are memories – most of which wouldn’t be old enough to vote yet. I completely understand why that’s the case, but it’s still somewhat disappointing.
I won’t miss it so much, though, for it came and went all too soon.