Originally uploaded by douglashaslam.
On vacation in Atlanta last week, took the wife and son to Turner Field to catch the Braves vs. The Chicago Cubs. Despite the title of this post, we actually had a very good time. A close game with a lot of action, and we arrived early to catch batting practice, with my son getting an autograph from the Cubs’ Cliff Floyd, and the wife getting a good seat at the right field tavern for a pre-game quaff.
What did inspire the title of the post was the in-game “entertainment.” After every pitch– every freakin’ pitch!– there was some loud burst of crowd encouragement. The bugle “charge,” Addams Family theme, “Car Wash” Claps, and literal exhortations to “make some noise.” I had a headache by the third inning.
Now I know this isn’t the first rant about such stadial nonsense, but I just had to go with the moment fresh from the event. Perhaps I am a jaded ol’ New England fan of the Boston Red Sox, but I went to Turner to see a baseball game. If I’m going to make some noise, it’s because the game is exciting. And I don’t need some talentless bimbos shooting T-shorts out of the T-shirt-shooter.
Perhaps the Braves exec’s need to do these things to motivate the so-called fans. I don’t know, but I was really put off.
That said, there were some really nice things, including a Braves museum signifying an overall sense of history around the park, and some appropriately simple activities for kids in the outfield concourse. Plus, the stadium was nice, and accessible.
But my God, the noise…
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I’m SO GLAD Atlanta will not be in the playoffs this year! I have nothing against the team, but that ceaseless racket of drumming, chanting, and chopping is enough to drive a sane person crazy or an insane one to do something to want to harm someone else or themselves. I finally had to mute the sound to finish watching the game–not a way to watch a game. I’m surprised the players can tolerate it.