AJC > Blog > Archives > 2006 > May > 17 > Entry
We got loud
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We got loud in the late innings of Tuesday’s game. And not just because the BravesVision (tm) mega-teleprompter told us to “MAKE SOME NOISE.” (It’s a sad commentary on our times, I think, that baseball fans need digital cue cards reminding them to get in the game but that’s a whole ‘nother blog.)
We got loud because when the posers who arrived late to the game started streaming out of the stands early - like, after the last out of the eighth inning (the EIGHTH!) - those of us who have the guts and grit to stick it out to the bitter end were left to cheer on the Tomahawks. We know who we are; we stay until the last out is in the books. We report to work the next day wiped out and hoarse from doing The Chant. We live and die with the Braves. We aren’t going to let the insipid fear of fighting ATL traffic dissuade us from keeping our seats, Chopping and rooting on even those guys who should have This Week’s Goat embroidered on their jerseys after making - or not making - plays that would be no-brainers to your Little Leaguer.
We got loud because we’d seen two great young pitchers - our boy Huddy and their D-Train - battle it out all night. If pitching duels are your thing, Tuesday’s matchup was as good as advertised. And Willis’ losing record has to result from lack of offense keeping it in “W” reach; he was in fine form, far as I saw. Add him to our rotation and the wins just keep on comin’. (If only… sigh)
We got loud when Matt Diaz popped a fifth-inning homer to make it 2-1. We got loud when Frenchy calmly sent the game into extra innings with yet another of those dramatic ninth-inning feats of fabulousness he’s been pulling out of his magic bag of tricks since his Parkview H.S. days. We got loud when the Fish scored the go-ahead run top of the 11th, thanks to some infield action that was eerily reminiscent of those early “Bad News Bears” montages showing just how bad Tanner Boyle and the gang really were before Kelly Leak rode his Harley onto the scene. (OK, it wasn’t that awful but still… )
We got loud when Andruw’s double again tied things and we got REALLY loud when Chipper booked it from first to home, never entertaining the idea of stopping as he rounded third. Make ‘em throw you out, Chip, and that’s the breaks if they do. We got loud, watching Chipper hustle. We got loud when Diaz smacked the game-winning single in the bottom of the 11th and Andruw bounced to home, the team jumping for joy as they greeted him. We got loud when Diaz pumped his fist in the air. It was weird but when the young fourth outfielder strode to the plate… well… we just KNEW he was going to get it done. We knew we were going to win.
We got loud when the “Braves Win!” fireworks lit up the sky and we stayed loud as the dogged lot of us reluctantly left the Ted, the scene of such drama, such sheer joy. Braves 4, Marlins 3 (11). What a score. We got loud when we, perfect strangers united only perhaps by our shared love of Braves baseball, high-fived each other in the stands. We’ll likely never see each other again but for one moment, we had to take a page from the ‘79 World Champion Pirates and ex-Braves coach/MLB great Willie Stargell. When the boys rally to win and we, the diehards, stick it out to witness such an emotional comeback then yes - We Are Family.
We got loud because we needed this win. The Cards didn’t help us against the Mets and we know because all night we kept checking the NL scoreboard. We got loud because we WANTED this win, because we wanted the Tomahawks to prove to the doubters that they’ve still got that intangible “it” when it counts. (You listening, ESPN?)
We got loud because this is why we’re baseball fans; we live for games like this. The Braves didn’t quit Tuesday night and neither did we.
We got loud because we were there.
Permalink | Comments (15) | Post your comment | Categories: Chop Chick
Comments
By Ray
May 17, 2006 12:26 PM | Link to this
Loved this blog Chop…couldn’t have been put any better plain and simple. I believe that the fans really need to get more involved with this team cause they are special. Everyone always writes our Braves off early and even our dreaded postseason accomplishments(which isn’t good). But at the same time those same people will want to be in the stands when we make it to the World Series or better yet on Peachtree for that parade. But i fall into that category of passionate fans that feel we are all connected through our Braves. And yes we need to add Dontrelle to our rotation get one more bat and we are good for this thing. Great Blog
By Areyoukiddingme
May 17, 2006 12:54 PM | Link to this
Baseball games are just a venue for employers to talk business. Don’t try and give me the “We got loud!” mess. I’ve been to a few Brave’s games and all the fans do is talk to each other and every now and then clap when they hear other people clap. Want to know what loud is? Try Knoxville, Athens, Gainseville or Auburn on a fall Saturday afternoon. You try and talk to someone about something other than football during the game and they’ll either ignore you or tell you to shut up until after the game. Let’s get real. Baseball season is just a filler in between Fall Saturday afternoons.
By Chop Chick
May 17, 2006 01:09 PM | Link to this
Can we all just totally ignore the lame “football rules, baseball drools” eons-old, tired argument-where-there-isn’t-one fight that kidding wants to pick with the CC bloggers?
Long story short: We. Don’t. Care.
Moving right along, we now return you to the Chop Chick blog - already in progress…
By Dave
May 17, 2006 01:21 PM | Link to this
I am a season ticket holder to an NFL team (Jaguars) and drive up to Atlanta several times per year to root for my Bravos. No the Ted doesn’t get anywhere near as loud as Jacksonville, Athens, Knoxville (those are the places i’ve been), Atlanta knows when its time to get loud. When there are runners in scoring position for the visitors in the middle innings with two outs and we need a strikeout, fans spontainously stand up and ‘get loud’ without the help of a video board.
Braves fans know baseball, and know when their team needs them. You don’t have to scream your head off for three solid hours to support your team. You just need to be in the right place at the right time…chop chick nailed it in my opinion.
By Hal
May 17, 2006 01:47 PM | Link to this
If comparing apples to oranges is your bag are you kidding might have a point ! well actually no he dosent .The braves crowd gets as loud as most baseball crowds get when the situation warrants it BUT i think chicks point was more to the effect that people give up and leave before the games over and last night that meant they missed the most exciting part of the game.As to comparing football with baseball lets see football players play 162 games and see how much “energy” is in the stands or on the field …apples and oanges
By Chop Chop
May 17, 2006 04:42 PM | Link to this
It’s baseball. Baseball doesn’t provide the same kind of gladiatorial atmosphere that football does, so games are not going to be as loud or as boisterous unless it’s a truly big regular season or postseason game. Football just happens to be my favorite sport, but I’ve been to a lot more baseball games (and certainly watched thousands more) than football games in my life.
I enjoy all the major pro sports and, while college football is my favorite version of any of them, it makes me happy to see Braves fans make some noise and enjoy seeing a game. Unfortunately, as Chop Chick stated, too many fans leave the Ted early or don’t show up at all. I live in south Georgia and don’t often get the chance to go to Braves games, but I know that Braves ticket prices are some of the cheapest in the big leagues. If you’re a Braves fan, you get winning baseball, which is lot more than you can say for most of those teams that charge more, and you get to see a Future Hall of Fame pitcher (Smoltz) and a potential one (Andruw) do their thing at low prices. A fan can’t really ask for much more than that during the regular season, so you might as well go out there as often as you can to take advantage of it.
By eric the elder
May 17, 2006 05:27 PM | Link to this
Super blog, Chick. Brilliantly written.
You mentioned chanting, so I’ll be a wet blanket and say that there is baseball noise and then there is just noise. The chant is the latter, and it’s one reason I can’t get myself up to going to the Ted. Not only the chant, but the Day-O, which has no discernible baseball meaning that I know of, and the goofy guy who presses the bugle charge button when we’re down 14-2 in the 9th inning, two outs, and nobody on. And don’t get me started on the wave.
Throw in a deafening banner-toting airplane and between innings commercials at about 160 decibels and we have noise, excrutiating noise. I’ll feel better about going to games again when I feel that the stands are full of peopl like you, Chick, people who make baseball noise and know why.
By br
May 17, 2006 05:29 PM | Link to this
Sorry folks, but Atlanta always HAS been and always WILL be a football city. This ias a FACT! Over 100,000 fans pack Sanford Stadium every Saturday…the Braves are lucky to get 25,000 on a Saturday, unless the Mets come to town. Yeah, I admit 1991 was a thing of beauty but that was more because the Braves haven’t done squat for 9 years, so it was a novelty…the chant was born and the braves knocked off the mighty Dodgers and Pirates in the playoffs. ‘92 was kinda the same thing, and so was ‘95 and ‘96, but then the novelty wore off and it has gotten worse every year since. Sure, I hear the chant at games, but it is nowhere near the same magnitude as it was in ‘91 or ‘92. In fact, you know it’s sad when the organs do the chant louder than the fans do. Come to grips people, this is a FOOTBALL city. I guarantee you once football season is around the corner, there will be even less fans at the Ted, outside a few thousand diehards. This is a FACT!
By eric the elder
May 17, 2006 07:28 PM | Link to this
I don’t know, br, I think I’m not getting your point. First, Sanford doesn’t get 100,000 every Saturday, just home games - - which is what? 4-5 games? So UGA gets, say, 500,000 for the season, whereas the Braves get over 2 million. If the Dawgs played an 82-game home schedule, do you really think they would draw 100,000 per game?
By Chop Chick
May 17, 2006 09:34 PM | Link to this
To repeat, br and others, in case it didn’t sink in the first time: We. Don’t. Care.
Folks, please don’t feed the trolls. Thank you.
Baseball talk begins again with this: Kyle Davies? Yeah, he’s on the 60-day DL. This really stinks b/c we can’t afford to lose starting pitching. Discuss, y’all.
THIS JUST IN: Once again, ESPN and its girlfriend, the Mets, must be “on” since the seriously lame broadcast team droning over the Mets-Cards game just lauded the Honeybabies, saying that the NYJVers are the team that “WOULD end the Braves’ long division title run.” Then El Dorko checks himself quickly and says “the team that SHOULD end the Braves’ run” and follows with “but we’ve learned to never count out the Braves. Although the Phillies look like the team the Mets should worry about.” Hey Beavis, SHUT THE FORK UP. Braves fans know that ESPN is on the Mets No. 7 Love Train. You said what you really meant: that the Mets WOULD and SHOULD end the run - which is what y’all want since you’re in love with David “E-5” Wright. Don’t go backtracking in a sad attempt to make ESPN look unbiased.
By BJ
May 17, 2006 11:08 PM | Link to this
Bonds, ESPN FIRST LOVE-BOND ON BOND? BIG FIX, GOD BLESS SPRINGER ,HIT HIM AGAIN.
By Joe Roman
May 18, 2006 07:10 AM | Link to this
Way to go, Chick et al! I’ve been away from Atlanta for almost seven years now, and I miss the Braves like crazy. What I don’t miss are the ‘too cool to get involved’ crowds more interested inconversation and their cell phones than the game on the field. Y’all get loud and get proud. This Braves team has heart. Show them you care!!!!!
By br
May 18, 2006 08:36 AM | Link to this
Chop Chick and others,
I was simply stating a FACT! It’s true and you know it, FOOTBALL rules in the south, especially in Atlanta. BTW, EVERYONE knows that ESPN is biased on east coast teams, ie the Yankees, Red Sox (esp. Peter Gammons), and Mets (Steve Phillips)…after all, ESPN is based in Bristol, Conn. Don’t act surprised, this has been going on since ESPN began showing baseball games, which pretty much means FOREVER!
By Chop Chick
May 18, 2006 09:52 AM | Link to this
But br, once again you’re missing the point about this “football rules” thing: We. Don’t. Care.
Oh, and about the “everyone knows ESPN is biased” thing? You’re missing that, too: We. Don’t. Care. We. hate. ESPN.
By br
May 18, 2006 10:35 AM | Link to this
Chop Chick,
Apparently you DO care, because you were watching. Here’s my point: Don’t. watch. ESPN.