After a triumphant 5-2 win over the San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves fans ended Friday night chopping with glee and all in all pleased with their home team's new digs at SunTrust Park.
With more than 40,000 fans patiently awaiting the start of the game (Friday’s opener started about 20 minutes later than planned), there was, of course, various opinions that had little to do with what Ender Inciarte or Julio Teheran did out on the field.
Across Twitter and Instagram, fans sung the praises of the new stadium’s view and even − wait for it − the easier commute to the Cobb County venue versus the former Braves home at Turner Field. But just as the adulation spread across the stadium, the disdain for the wave and soggy snow cones left a sour taste in some Braves spectators’ mouths.
Here’s what Braves fans loved and loathed at Friday night’s opening game at SunTrust Park:
Traffic was hit or miss.
The traffic, a hot topic for weeks prior to the game, was a bit of a breeze according to some fans heading into Friday night’s game.
By the end of the night, maneuvering around SunTrust Park got a little more difficult for some residents near the stadium and those attempting to get home after the game.
The atmosphere knocked it out of the park.
Whatever it took to get inside SunTrust Friday, it was clear that most fans felt the beautiful view and club seats were well worth the wait.
Faulty credit card machines caused fans aggravation.
The beautiful view and aesthetic of the stadium could not make up for the reported credit card machine issue at the stadium Friday night. Braves officials were working on it, but not soon enough for these fans.
The wave will always have a place on the loathe list.
While the credit card machine glitch was a reasonable complaint, the incessant tweets about the Braves wave was one of those “whose fault is it anyway?” moments. The wave has been at issue long before SunTrust Park.
Hank Aaron pulled on the heart strings.
Nostalgia didn’t work for the wave, but the moment of Hank Aaron throwing the first pitch brought widespread joy and good old school feels to all that were there to witness it.
