TOM GLAVINE, former Braves pitching great
On his initial reaction to hearing the news Monday morning of the Braves’ move to Cobb County:
“I think your first reaction is ‘wow, really?’ and I guess from an aesthetic standpoint, it still feels like Turner Field is relatively new. So from that point, it’s a little bit of a surprise but I’m sure the people that are there every day have things that they would like to change and fix and it sounds like the more you hear, the Braves didn’t necessarily have as much control over a lot of that stuff as they would have wanted. It starts to make sense when you start looking at the lack of control you have maybe and then when you start looking at how much money you’re going to have to spend maybe to update something, at the end of the day you think, ‘Well, for a little bit more we could have our own and build it the way we want and have everything.’ So you get to that point where it just kind of starts to make sense.”
On his feelings given all the games he pitched there:
“Well it’ll be odd when that day comes to go in there and watch a game in a stadium that I never played in. That’ll be weird. But certainly you go through that a little bit when we went from Fulton County to Turner Field, and there will be some of that certainly going from Turner Field to the new place. But the history of the franchise isn’t going to change. That’s still all a part of the organization regardless of where they play or where they call home. That’ll all go with it, but there’s no question it’ll be a little bit weird, those first few times going in there and realizing for all those years you played, you never played there.”
On given his familiarity with metro Atlanta, living in Johns Creek, thinks traffic situation will be any easier:
“I think it has the potential to be easier, put it that way. I don’t think regardless of where you put a stadium that it’s ever going to be necessarily easy getting in and getting out. That’s the nature of going to games, when you’re getting 50,000 people all going into one place. Will it be easier than Turner Field? Probably. I think the pretty standard complaints about Turner Field were getting in and out of there and that there was nothing to do around there. I think that they certainly have the potential to address both of those issues, and I’m sure they’ll put a lot of time into trying to make that happen.”
On what he thinks about the location in general:
“It makes sense because — I’ve said all along I wish that’s where the hockey team was – everything in Atlanta is moving that way. So certainly a large percentage of your fan base is up that way and this gives them that ability to create an environment there that’s more than just a baseball field. When you hear people that have been in the game talk about places that they like, inevitably you hear Colorado, you hear Camden Yards, Fenway Park, all those places are downtown. There’re things going on around them. It makes the whole experience so much more fun because you’re not just going down there to get in and get out of a ballgame. That has the potential to be a huge upside for them to be able to create that atmosphere.”
CHIPPER JONES, former Braves third baseman
On the Braves’ planned move to Cobb County:
“I’m surprised that the move is being made but I’m always up for moving into new digs. I have a lot of memories at The Ted and it will be a sad day when the Braves move out. But some of the reasons to move make sense. I guess the next generation of Braves superstars will have a brand new home to make their own batch of unforgettable memories.”
HANK AARON
“I’m proud of the Braves and their rich legacy, and look forward to the next chapter of our great organization.”
FRANK WREN, Braves general manager
“The new development, the whole project, will allow us to remain competitive for the future…. Our ownership has always demonstrated that as our revenues increase they will pour it all back in the product.”
Will it have any immediate effect on payroll and decisions this offseason?
“It’s so early (in development stages) that we haven’t discussed future payrolls and budgets. There’s a lot of work to be done.”
“It will introduce new revenue streams we didn’t have in the past. I don’t think it changes anything in the near future. As we get closer to moving into the stadium, I think we’ll see some adjustments.”
KRIS MEDLEN, Braves pitcher
“I had no idea what you were talking about, then I just read about it. I’ll give you a quote about it in a couple of years if they still want me here. Hahaha.” (Medlen then made it clear that he hopes to stay with the Braves.)
BUD SELIG, Major League Baseball Commissioner
“The Braves have kept us apprised of their stadium situation throughout this process. Major League Baseball fully supports their decision to move to a new ballpark in Atlanta for the 2017 season, and we look forward to their continued excellence representing their community, both on and off the field.” (in a statement)
