This Braves home opener holds special value to one local coach.
Joe Sturniolo, a football and baseball assistant coach at Westminster Schools, will attend his 50th consecutive opening day. Since moving from Southern California to Atlanta during his senior year of high school, Sturniolo has chronicled Braves history with his own experience.
What started with him attending games with friends became an annual tradition. Even as the group changed over the years, Sturniolo remained a constant.
“I’m thrilled that this has happened,” Sturniolo said. “I’m thrilled that we have been able to carry it on over the years. There have been nights I literally went by myself. Some of these cold, rainy, miserable nights you sit through, I’m like, ‘I don’t care. It’s opening day. I have to be here.’ Opening day should be a holiday.”
Sturniolo was at the opener in 1989, sitting behind the visiting dugout, carrying his 10-week-old daughter, Katie. He found a way in 2020 — when fans weren’t allowed in stadiums because of the pandemic — by booking a room in the top floor of the Omni Hotel overlooking the outfield, allowing him to watch from above (“We had a great view,” he said). Chipper Jones, whom Sturniolo saw in each home opener of his career, actually was in the adjacent room.
In a way, Sturniolo has been in the background of Braves history for decades. And when the Braves host the reigning National League-champion Diamondbacks on Friday, Sturniolo will be there for the 50th consecutive year.
“Thankful I’ve been able to do it,” he said, adding the day will be a low-key celebration. “Thankful that somewhere along the way, somebody has always helped me find tickets if they were hard to come by.”
Credit: Photo contributed by Joe Sturniolo
Credit: Photo contributed by Joe Sturniolo
It’s not only opening days. Sturniolo was there the night Sid (Bream) slid. “To the day I die, I’ll never forget Sid Bream slid home to send us to the World Series (in 1992),” he said. He was there July 4, 1985, when the Braves beat the Mets in 19 innings. He and friends had tailgates at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium that had even drawn then-Braves owner Ted Turner and broadcaster Skip Caray. He was in Minnesota for Games 6 and 7 of the 1991 World Series. He traveled to Cleveland during the 1995 World Series, though the Braves ultimately clinched in Atlanta.
“I started going to these games in ‘75, and the Braves weren’t very good for a lot of those years,” he said. “So when they did start having some success, I had made the statement that if the Braves could win the World Series, I would be there.”
He was there in 2004 when Randy Johnson achieved perfection against the Braves, then the 17th perfect game in history. “As a friend of mine recalls, it was like 50-cent beer night, too,” Sturniolo said, laughing. “We had a great time.” He was at the home games of the 2021 World Series, seeing moments like Ian Anderson’s wild no-hit innings and Adam Duvall’s grand slam.
Sturniolo has seen them all, from Hank Aaron and Phil Niekro to Ronald Acuña Jr. and Max Fried. He’s experienced years of openers at all three ballparks. He’s witnessed, up close, every opener managed by Bobby Cox and Brian Snitker, the two best managers in the Atlanta era. He named his dog “Maddux,” a nod to the player he considers the best pitcher he’s seen.
Over these years, Sturniolo has grown to appreciate the individuals he’s watched.
“I’ve seen Tom Seaver, Steve Carlton, I saw Don Sutton pitch for two different teams, obviously all the Braves (players),” Sturniolo said. “Saw (Tom) Glavine pitch for the Mets in an opening-day game. Saw Greg Maddux used as a pinch-runner by the Cubs.
“When you look back on (these years it resonates). At the time, you’re just thinking it’s just baseball and these are great players, you love watching them. It’s something you look back on afterwards. I was looking at the list the other day, going through Baseball Reference looking at all the opening-day games and remind myself of these guys. When you start seeing these names ... you’re like, ‘Wow. This really was baseball history.”
Credit: Photo contributed by Joe Sturniolo
Credit: Photo contributed by Joe Sturniolo
When he’s not watching sports, Sturniolo is coaching them. He was previously featured in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution as a reason that Westminster is coined “Kicker U.” The school has a proud tradition of producing outstanding kickers, including former Georgia Tech and current Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, who in February set two Super Bowl records: longest field goal (57 yards) and most career made kicks in the game’s history (nine).
Westminster baseball made sure not to schedule a game April 5, leaving that open for Sturniolo to make the Braves game. “We’ve got it blocked off on the schedule, so we might have a little celebration with the high-school team as well,” he said. “I’m very appreciative of that.”
The Braves are enjoying another run that’s nearing the halfway point of their 1990s success. They won 14 consecutive division crowns from 1991-2005 and the 1995 World Series; these Braves have won six consecutive NL East titles, along with the 2021 World Series. They’re off to a strong start in 2024.
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BRAVES HOME OPENER
Today, Braves vs. Diamondbacks, 7:20 p.m., Truist Park
TV, radio: Bally Sports South, 680 The Fan/93.7 FM
Starting pitchers: Spencer Strider (Braves), Tommy Henry (Diamondbacks)
Coming schedule: Saturday (7:20 p.m.) and Sunday (1:35 p.m.) vs. Diamondbacks; Monday through Wednesday (7:20 p.m.) and Thursday (12:20 p.m.) vs. Mets.
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