Section 435 An Atlanta Braves blog. From the upper deck at Turner Field.

Boo to Win?

On Booing

So, I understand this tirade, but I gotta say it doesn’t all add up. Do we really need to turn into Mets fans to turn it around for the Braves? Are nasty editorials in the paper going to spark clutch hitting? They’re not really working for Andruw in L.A. The critical journalism on the other local sports teams haven’t helped them. Come on, the Hawks made the playoffs this year with a LOSING RECORD.

On Day-Night Doubleheaders

I’m going to play devil’s advocate here and ask what’s wrong with the team charging twice to see two games? Yes, it was definitely awesome that you used to be able to get a twofer when there was a rain out. But can we ask our team to spend the big bucks to put together a contender and then complain when they have to raise more money?

Of course, I’m missing the first game today due to … having a job … and already having traded in my tickets. And the Braves are one of the most valuable and profitable franchises in baseball.

I guess I’m just not one for nostalgia for simpler time. That probably puts me in the minority among baseball fans. (Though, I do miss the 24 oz. beers for $6.)

On the Road (Record)

The road record has got to be a fluke simply because we just don’t have that big of a home field advantage. While the folks who show up are good fans (and not horrible people like New York, Boston, and Chicago fans), they haven’t been showing up in droves and we haven’t even sold out a game yet this year. We’re drawing slightly less than last year.

Additionally, the Ted plays pretty much a neutral park, neither hitter’s nor pitcher’s advantage, so we don’t get the kind of advantage a pitching team would get in a cavernous facility or a bashing-it-out team would get in a band box.

Which leads me to believe not that we’re going to keep up the pace we’ve been playing at home, but that we’re a better team than we’re playing on the road. The thing about the baseball season is that it’s long, and flukey things like that tend to eventually even themselves out of the course of the season.

We may be working during the game today . . . but I think “working” would be a better term. We at BravesBlast are honoring this day/night doubleheader by listening and commenting about the game just as if it were a night game.

I don’t blame them for getting rid of the true doubleheaders, just a reminiscence about days of old. I’ll be there tonight too, across the aisle of 435