SunTrust Park Could Change the League

The New York Yankees and the Atlanta Braves play an exhibition game tonight in Atlanta down at the newly built SunTrust Park. While I tried my best to get tickets to the game they kept their tickets, which were only made available to season ticket holders, tight to their chests this time around. Since I can’t be there tonight in person I figured I would talk about all the things I’ve read about SunTrust Park as I think it could change the way stadiums are built for the foreseeable future in the league. Or maybe I’m just looking too far into things as I tend to do sometimes. Either way come with me.

The Braves purchased “The Battery Atlanta” which is a 60-acre complex that will house the $622 million ballpark but that’s not all that will be there. There are restaurants, retail shops, residential areas, a concert hall and even a four-star hotel in the development as the Braves look to be a one-stop shop for all your needs when you come out to the ballpark. That I thought was interesting maybe more so than the green seats, the brick walls and the throwback feel the stadium brings to metro-Atlanta.

Now while the Braves aren’t the first organization to bring shops, eateries and living quarters in and around the ballpark they may have been the ones to do it the best. St. Louis, Boston and the Los Angeles based teams also have these accommodations but, and maybe I am just bias as a metro-Atlanta resident, it just feels like the Braves did it better. The Braves fans have always said that they absolutely loved Turner Field as there was an absolute ton to see and do inside the Stadium, and I would agree as I have been there more times than I can count now, but the outside of the stadium just always seemed… I don’t know… blah? Borderline dangerous maybe? I’ve seen one fan call the outside of Atlanta’s Turner Field “Bosnia, Georgia” before if that tells you anything but this new stadium just seems… I’m at a loss for a fancy vocabulary word here so I’ll just keep it simple and say “better.”

So I look forward to seeing the new stadium tonight on television and I truly look forward to seeing it live and in person with my children and that special someone in my life. As always. Enjoy the game tonight everyone.

My Fondest Memories as a Yankees Fan of Turner Field

One of the most enjoyable and at the same time one of the most miserable experiences you can have as a fan of Major League Baseball is entering a home team’s stadium that is not your own. What do I mean? Try being a Yankees fan walking into Fenway Park. It’s awesome if you win but it can be absolute and utter hell if you lose. The same goes for Philadelphia I would imagine and I’m sure it can’t be fun being a St. Louis Cardinals fan in Wrigley Field with the Cubs on top but there are a few exceptions to this rule. Away stadiums that are actually enjoyable to go to. That’s one thing I will miss about Turner Field and one thing that I hope travels with the team over to Sun Trust Park in 2017. 

I have to say that the fans inside Turner Field were always so laid back and wonderful that at times it almost felt like being inside Yankee Stadium. I’ve been to stadiums like Shea Stadium and Tropicana Field where you get heckled and boo’d for wearing the opposing teams jersey but in Turner Field I’ve always been treated with the same amount of respect that I ever got in Yankee Stadium, maybe more. When the “Let’s Go Yankees” chants began and eventually drowned out the Turner Field crowd there wasn’t anger and beer thrown, they just let it happen. It was always just a chill place to be and I will always have some fond memories from that place. 

As you know I moved down here from New York while I was in High School and the thing I miss the most is my Yankees with pizza, Chinese food and my family not far behind (and maybe in that order… pizza sucks down here). When I got older and got my own job and car and such I went to Turner Field as much as possible, even if the Yankees weren’t in town. I’d go see the Braves play the Mets, the Nationals, hell I even watched them play the Miami Marlins one time when they were losing 100 games a season. I just loved the experience and the atmosphere. I sat behind home plate, in the bleachers, down both lines and in the outfield. There wasn’t a bad seat in the house. 

I’ve seen so much sitting in those seats inside Turner Field as well. I saw Derek Jeter signing autographs for hours at a time and even got a signed baseball from him once. I saw Alex Rodriguez tie Lou Gehrig on the all-time grand slams list live and in person. I saw Jose Fernandez pitch in either his first or second year, I can’t remember exactly. I saw Andy Pettitte hurl a gem against the team in 2009 and I watched Luis Severino hurl another gem in 2015 in the same game where a fan fell to his death right in front of my eyes while he was heckling A Rod from the top deck. 

Turner Field will leave me with so many memories that I can only hope to bring with me to Sun Trust Park in 2017. I’m sad to see it go but I loved it while it was here. Goodbye to Turner Field (unofficially, the Georgia State college baseball team will use the field in 2017 and beyond) from everyone here at The Greedy Pinstripes. 

Recapping My Eventful Night at Turner Field

I may never go back to Turner Field as long as I live.

Well, I think we both know that this is an absolute lie but I had quite the eventful night on Saturday night when I took my family to Turner Field to see the New York Yankees face off with the Atlanta Braves. First and foremost, and I posted this on my Facebook page, that traffic though. We barely got to the game before first pitch after leaving my house at 3:00 pm in the afternoon. Granted we stopped at the gas station and Steak and Shake for lunch but still, four hours to make an hour and a half trip is ridiculous. I cannot wait until the new stadium opens up in Cobb County, about 30 minutes closer to my home from the current stadium. Also did I mention that I went to a game earlier this season and paid $10 to park in the same parking lot that I paid $40 to park in last night?

So we went to the game and it was pretty uneventful until the Alex Rodriguez pinch hit for Luis Severino. This was when the season ticket holder and Braves fan fell from the upper deck after leaning over the rail to yell at Rodriguez. The man died and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends but it really makes you wonder if your hate for a man that did nothing to you nor anything that affected you is worth your life.

Game over, Yankees win and start spreading the news. Let's get the hell out of here and go home. You have your normal traffic, cars cutting you off etc. going home but the line is moving well enough until a 10 car pileup happens on Highway 75 north. It literally took over two hours to go three miles, two hours to go three miles with a five year old in the back seat that has a question for everything. With me halfway knowing the area I had the great idea to get off on an exit, go down a few exits and see if I can get around it but after sitting in traffic well over three hours now I stop to get a drink and some gas at the gas station.

Shots fired, three to be exact. Needless to say I am getting out of that parking lot in a hurry. The shots were off in the distance, not at the gas station, but they were close enough to know this was not the place I needed to be. When I finally got on the highway and saw the 10 car pileup I was amazed, someone stopped short and caused the domino effect. One person's front bumper was actually attached to the car in front of him and no longer on the car believe it or not, he must have hit hard.

Needless to say I was done after that. My GPS told me it should have taken 1:22 minutes and I was home and in my driveway in 58 minutes.... yeah.... what a night. I had to share that with you guys, hope you enjoy because I sure didn't.

Weekend Finale Open Thread

While this has been one of your run of the mill weekends for most this has been an absolutely crazy weekend for myself. The Yankees came down to Atlanta and I made the two hour trek to Turner Field with my wife and my son and made the two hour trek back to my home on Saturday which really wore me out. When I was younger and it was just me and the wife going to a game and staying out all night was nothing, we even went to work the next day, but now not so much. You don't merely sit in your seats for nine innings with a curious five-year old. You walk around the park, you go to the bathroom about 14 times, you go and get hot dogs, you go  and get drinks, you go see the sites and the museum's inside the ballpark and you're up by 7:00 AM the very next morning because you got two hours of sleep on the way home and you're a kid.

And it was all worth it....

Needless to say I'm beat so I leave you with this open thread to finish off the weekend here on the blog. I may stay up to watch Fear the Walking Dead but I doubt it so just in case I nod off I wanted to leave you here with this music recommendation out of my personal collection. It's my son's favorite song and I think we listened to it like 14 times on the way down to Atlanta Saturday and another nine times on the way home before he finally fell asleep. America's Suitehearts, the remix, by Fallout Boy. Enjoy!

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Atlanta Braves 8/30

The New York Yankees and the Atlanta Braves are ready to finish off their three game set this weekend inside Turner Field in what has been a bittersweet weekend for me. I was born in the Bronx, New York and was forced to move down to Atlanta, Georgia when I was 13 years old and it kills me not to be able to see my Yankees but once every three years but at the same time it makes the whole ballpark experience and being able to share it with my family all the more special. The experience comes to an end this afternoon as the New York Yankees send Nathan Eovaldi to the mound to face off wit the Braves ace Julio Teheran. The game will begin at 1:35 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

Thank you for all your kind words and the support this weekend not only on the blog but on our Twitter account as well. The support you give to us here on the blog and on the @GreedyStripes twitter account is truly humbling and amazing to me, especially when you consider the fact that I didn't even want a blog three years ago when we started this thing. Thank you, and Go Yankees!

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Atlanta Braves 8/30

The New York Yankees and the Atlanta Braves will finish off their three game set this afternoon in Turner Field before the Yankees make the trip to Fenway Park for a three game set. The Yankees offense exploded in the first game of the contest which marked the return to Atlanta for Brian McCann while the pitching matchups sent to the mound by New York have done the Braves no favors. The pitching matchups for Atlanta doesn't get any easier today when the Yankees send Nathan Eovaldi to the mound to face off with the Braves starter Julio Teheran. The game will be played at 1:35 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

• "Eovaldi gives up too many hits" so he has been correcting that lately giving up less and less hits per start. "Eovaldi can't go deep into games" so he threw eight shutout innings last time out against the Houston Astros and has been pitching later and later into his starts the longer the season has gone on. Let's try this, "Eovaldi can't improve on his 1-0 career record and 0.90 ERA in three career starts against the Atlanta Braves this afternoon." Bet you won't!

• Teheran has pitched well during the month of August and may be the Braves best pitcher at the time of this start. Teheran has posted a 2.73 ERA in five August starts and has held opposing offenses to just a .210 batting average against after a change in how he approaches at bats and opposing hitters. Unfortunately for the Yankees the Braves were able to squeeze out one more August start from Teheran, let's hope New York can turn those stats around this afternoon. 

New York needed a little break in their schedule and they are seemingly getting in with this series and their series with Boston. The team is not getting any favors done for them by Toronto as the team cannot seemingly lose with any consistency this season so it's more and more imperative that New York wins every game they are supposed to win, that includes this afternoon's game. Go Yankees!

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Atlanta Braves 8/29

Greetings from Turner Field ladies and gentleman as the contest between the New York Yankees and the Atlanta Braves is set to kick off. I cannot put into words how excited I am to be seeing my boys in Yankees pinstripes tonight live for the first time since the 2012 season. I also cannot put into words how excited I am to be watching Luis Severino make his fifth start of his Major League career tonight against Matt Wisler for the Braves. The game will be played at 7:10 pm ET and can be seen on Fox Sports One and MLB TV.

New York has one more game inside Turner Field tomorrow afternoon before making the trip to Boston to face off with the Boston Red Sox for three games inside Fenway Park. After another off day and the conclusion of this road trip the team returns home to Yankee Stadium to continue their push for the playoffs and the American League East Division crown. Watch it all unfold this season in the Bronx by clicking the Yankees Tickets link at the top of the blog and getting your seats reserved for the remainder of the season. You can also follow us Twitter, although it may be a little slow tonight with me and my son in the ballpark tonight, by following @GreedyStripes.

Ellsbury and company are ready to hit some home runs and lead New York to another victory and I’m ready to become Atlanta’s own version of Zack Hample. Let’s get to it, Go Yankees!

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Atlanta Braves 8/29

The New York Yankees and the Atlanta Braves continue their three game set tonight inside Turner Field with Mr. Greedy Pinstripes myself in the building. The Yankees have done well against the Braves in their short list of Interleague head-to-head matchups and New York looks to keep that going tonight with another key victory. The Yankees will send Luis Severino to the mound tonight looking for his second career victory while Atlanta counters with Matt Wisler. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET and can be seen on Fox Sports One and probably MLB TV.

• Severino heads into his fifth start of his Major League career tonight looking for his second victory of his young career. Severino earned his first win in his last start against the Cleveland Indians where he went six innings allowing just one run and three hits on August 22. Severino threw a career high 107 pitches last time out and could be good for more if needed tonight inside Turner Field.

• Wisler has been as home run prone as they come this season giving up eight home runs in just 22.2 innings pitched during the month of August. Wisler is in the midst of his rookie campaign with Atlanta and has struggled commanding both his fastball and his slider thus far which could be a recipe for disaster tonight against the Bronx Bombers.

I’m sitting in the right field outfield just over the fence and the Yankees are facing off against a guy that is giving up a home run every three innings or so, I may pull a Zack Hample tonight. With Mark Teixeira expected to be ready for tonight’s matchup and Jacoby Ellsbury hopefully back in center field as well it should be a great matchup for the Yankees tonight. I hate to say this out loud but in my 29 years of Yankees fandom I have never seen the team lose while I was in the stadium, never. The streak is on the line, Go Yankees!

My Son’s First Yankees Game is Tonight!

Tonight is the night that my first born, Evan, gets to see the New York Yankees live for the very first time. He was a little young to see them live the last time they came to Atlanta in 2012 in my opinion but he’s a big boy now, he’s started Kindergarten and he’s ready. We went to an Atlanta Braves vs. Washington Nationals game at the end of last season just to make sure he could sit through a game without going wild just to be sure and tonight is the night he sees a real team.

So every time a Yankees player hits a home run over the right field fence tonight in Atlanta and you see a little five year old jumping up and down you’ll see me right beside him. I can’t wait. Go Yankees!

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Atlanta Braves 8/28

My happiness has turned to giddiness as the New York Yankees filed into Turner Field tonight to take on the Atlanta Braves. It is amazing how the little things in life can really make you happy and make you smile, isn’t it? The Yankees will send Masahiro Tanaka to the mound tonight to face off against the Braves starter Williams Perez. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

The Yankees have two more games in Atlanta and three in Boston before an off day and a trip back to the Bronx and Yankee Stadium. To have your Yankees tickets for when the team comes home or to see the team in Atlanta if you’re a New York transplant like myself be sure to click the Yankees Tickets link at the top of the blog now while you still have time. If you can’t make it live then be sure to give @GreedyStripes a follow to interact with us and root for the home team during each and every Yankees game for the remainder of the season.

Brett Gardner and company are ready to wake up and ignite the offense and I’m ready to send a bunch of co-workers the sarcastic “are you watching the Braves game?” texts when the Yankees get up big. Go Yankees!

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Atlanta Braves 8/28

Words cannot describe how excited I am to be writing this game previews. As many of you already know I was born in the Bronx, New York but due to circumstances beyond my control my mother moved me down to Atlanta, Georgia in 1999. I was crushed obviously because I would be leaving my favorite MLB team and half my heart in the Bronx but thanks to Interleague Play being implemented I at least get to see my team once every three years. That three year drought comes to an end tonight when the New York Yankees make the trip to Turner Field to face off with the Atlanta Braves. The Yankees will send Masahiro Tanaka to the mound tonight looking to put this train back on the tracks while the Braves will counter with Williams Perez. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

• Tanaka heads into Atlanta tonight looking to improve on his 4-2 career Interleague record and 1.66 ERA in six starts. Tanaka has never faced the Braves in his career and will look to rebound off a tough loss to the Cleveland Indians last time out after allowing four runs, three of them earned, over six innings.

• Perez is in the middle of his rookie season with the Braves and has battled with the inconsistency that many rookies face in their careers. Perez will be making his 9^th start of his career tonight and will look to not fall behind most batters or get himself into unnecessary jams like he has the past month of baseball.

I tried to purchase tickets for all three games this series but having two kids, two jobs and the wife it just wasn’t meant to be this time around. Instead I will watch tonight’s game from the comfort of my own home before making the trek to Atlanta tomorrow evening to watch Luis Severino’s latest start. New York heads into this series with the offense scuffling and the team in second place so a series victory or sweep this weekend would be huge, especially for me when I go back into work on Monday morning. The Yankees have the three pitchers they want going in this series so there’s always that to mix in with a little bit of hoping and praying. Go Yankees!

Quiz: Baseball Stadium on Your Bucket List?

While rummaging through my bookmarks I had set aside to read this week I found an interesting quiz on Fox Sports that I thought I would share tonight. The basic premise of the quiz is to determine which stadium you should go to assuming that you cannot see all 30 stadiums in the league right now. When I took the quiz, SEEN HERE, the stadium I should add to my bucket list was Dodger Stadium.

Is there anything better than perfect weather, palm trees and baseball? Apparently for you, absolutely not. Massive Dodger Stadium is nestled in Chavez Ravine, providing a picturesque backdrop and a fun-for-all environment for your bucket list stadium trip.

Just in case anyone was wondering I haven't actually seen that many stadiums in my lifetime, not nearly enough. I have been to the old Yankee Stadium, Shea Stadium, Tropicana Field, Turner Field and Fulton County Stadium. What are yours? Leave them below in the comments section or leave them for us on Twitter by tweeting @GREEDYSTRIPES.