It was past 1 a.m. Wednesday at Truist Park. The stadium lights still cast their beams onto the diamond. Sprinklers watered the outfield grass. Armed with leaf blowers, stadium workers cleaned up the stands and concourses.
It had the feel of a high-school gym after homecoming. After the rush of a lively and memorable celebration, the venue was reverting to its normal state.
A weeklong party that brought tens of thousands to Truist and The Battery Atlanta — many who’d never set foot in either before — had come to an end.
Like most big sporting events that have been through town, it would be difficult to call it anything but a success, an opinion shared by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred.
“This year’s All-Star Week exceeded our very high expectations,” Manfred said in a statement provided to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “The Braves were an exceptional host Club and The Battery Atlanta provided a setting that created a large and versatile footprint to celebrate baseball and the world’s best players in first class fashion.
“The week was rich with meaning from MLB Together Legacy projects leaving givebacks for the communities that support us to the heartfelt Stand Up To Cancer moment and poignant Hank Aaron Tribute. We are appreciative of the passionate Braves fan base who came out in large numbers to all of our events including a bustling All-Star Village and a historic All-Star Game. All-Star Week in Atlanta was an extraordinary success.”
There were some logistic issues for media. There are metro Atlantans who still don’t like the cost placed on Cobb County taxpayers for the Braves’ profitable mixed-use development. The Home Run Derby is a three-hour event that should be two hours and conducted without ESPN personality Pat McAfee having access to a microphone. The Wi-Fi coverage at the All-Star Village, the fan experience site held at the nearby Cobb Galleria Centre, apparently was spotty. The star wattage in the celebrity softball game could have been brighter. It’s a mystery why Dodgers manager Dave Roberts subbed his own player, Freddie Freeman, out of the game while he was on the field to allow fans to applaud the former beloved Brave’s solo departure but did not do the same for actual Brave Ronald Acuña Jr.
That said, attendees less bound than Manfred to spout praise also offered their flowers. A sampling of responses to my request on X (formerly Twitter) for feedback:
From Hope Senador, who went to the All-Star Village, derby and All-Star Game: “Was all well done and loved them all. So much better than watching on TV. Packed stadium and electric atmosphere. Like winning playoff games.”
From Ashley Mason: “love the battery and go several times a year. Can’t imagine how any other park/venue can hold a candle to all of the fun events they had. It was well organized and such a great time, especially as a Braves fan with the legends. The atmosphere was electric, reminiscent of the (World Series).”
From Andrew Hyde, who attended the All-Star Futures Game, derby and All-Star Game: “Was an absolute blast, haven’t felt a vibe like that at a game since the World Series.”
A detailed pluses/minuses breakdown from another fan, Benedict Esposito, can’t be adequately summarized here. He did write that “Overall it was a fantastic weekend!”
Images to hold onto:
The Atlanta-flavored pregame musical performance gets the highest of marks. Country music star Kane Brown nailed “Georgia on My Mind.” With backup from the Clark Atlanta University marching band, Atlanta hip-hop legends Ludacris and Jermaine Dupri hyped the stadium with “Welcome to Atlanta.” The Zac Brown Band delivered a stirring national anthem.
In Atlanta, we might not know how to fill potholes or stay calm when the forecast calls for a slight chance of snow, but kudos to MLB and the Braves for showing off one thing our city and region do exceedingly well.
The in-game tribute to Hank Aaron’s 715th home run was captivating and a goose-bump moment. As I wrote after the game, it’s the moment from the game that will be remembered most.
The partisanship fans held onto was entertaining. Braves fans loudly booed Mets and Phillies players as they were introduced, even though they were on the same National League team as the Braves. I saw (and heard) a Yankees fan enthusiastically boo Freeman and salute him with the double bird. That was nice.
The love that fans have for Acuña, Matt Olson and Brian Snitker and former Braves Freeman and Max Fried was felt. When Acuña came to bat in the bottom of the first inning, he was accorded a standing ovation, even from Yankees fans.
What else?
I asked some colleagues for their observations.
AJC photographer Jason Getz pointed out the number of fans wearing jerseys of possibly every MLB team. (Once again mirroring the players wearing their own teams’ uniforms after years of awful All-Star unis) Lots of good-natured ribbing. You’d think you’d see Dodgers, Cubs and Yankees jerseys. But Mariners, Rays and Royals fans repped their gear, too. Probably leading the non-Braves division was Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani. (On the topic of jerseys, All-Star merchandise sales were 11% greater than last year’s event in Arlington, Texas.)
Among other things, my colleague Chad Bishop noticed that concessions and gift-shop lines appeared normal despite the capacity crowds, indicating the preparedness and efficiency of ballpark employees.
For most of us, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The MLB All-Star Game may not return to Atlanta for 30 years.
It will have a lot to live up to.
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
