‘The Ted' filled with celebrities, fans ‘chopping through drama

The powerful, the fanatical, the famous and the brave packed The Ted on a glorious Sunday afternoon, hoping for a hometown advantage in Sunday's NL Division series against the San Francisco Giants.

Former President and Mrs. Carter and former Braves owner Ted Turner were among the high-profile fans with fine vantage points in the ballpark. President Carter, appearing in fine form after his recent health scare, sat near Turner and a lady friend in the VIP section, just a couple of rows behind home plate.

Braves player turned analyst Brian Jordan was excited to cheer on his former boss, who -- retiring after the season -- received a thunderous welcome from fans.

"I'm excited for Bobby Cox; Bobby's a player's manager," Jordan said. "The top word is respect. That's something he gave all of us as players. He taught us to give 110 percent. I just want to see him go as far as he can go."

The famous and the not-so turned out for game three in the series.

Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds  -- two handsome young actors  in town shooting "The Change-Up" -- were spotted. So were Dr. J and Danny Glover.

Moya Angela, starring in "Dreamgirls," at the Fox this week, performed the National Anthem.

"It was so last-minute; I think we found out on Friday," Angela said during an interview on the field, just moments before she began to sing. Despite its killer high note, she enjoys singing the Star Spangled Banner, saying, "It's one of those songs that brings everybody together."

After she was done many fans shook her hand in appreciation. The first to do so was Turner.

Everybody hoping for a second Atlanta win was ‘chopping.

Jesalyn Mollica does the tomahawk chop at home. In the car. In the arms of her dad when they walk through the gates at The Ted.

That Jesalyn is 23 months old -- would you expect any less from a true Braves fan?

"My wife has to work Sundays, but I'm off. ... I'm hoping for a father-daughter bonding experience," Atlanta's Brandon Mollica said, holding his daughter just before the first pitch at the Braves playoff game Sunday. "She started humming the song in the car."

Ohhhhh, Ooohhhh, Oohhh, Oh -- you get the picture.With a sellout crowd waving red foam tomahawks they got free when they walked through the gates, the hum in the air only grew the farther fans got into the stadium.

They came from Gainesville, Augusta, Birmingham, South Carolina.

The afternoon, with clear skies and a high in the lower 80s, held only promise for their home team heroes, no matter the outcome.

"It's her first game here ever," said Deanne Case of her 3-year-old daughter, Mary Ella, who was busy running the bases on the stadium's upper deck while her dad watched the game from a nearby railing.

That Case and her husband chose Sunday for such an experience, driving in from Marietta, echoed throughout the afternoon.

Where else would family spend time together, heads cuddled together as they argued the last called strike or a ball that just missed the corner?

Where else would they watch history and Braves manager Bobby Cox's last game at the helm?

And how else could they paint their bodies and faces, sticking feathers in their hair and spelling out B-R-A-V-E-S in red on their bare chests?

For that matter, why would they do that?

"To get noticed," admitted Morgan Soather, who drove in from Dalton with his buddies.

Soather had a "B" painted on his chest, and his five friends complemented that effort, their own chests adorned with one letter for each in the team name.

They got stopped at every turn, fans asking to take their picture, wondering how long it took and just what kind of paint they used.

The guys just laughed, stopping good-naturedly to pose. They, too, had the foam tomahawks, which they used along with the painted cardboard ones they had brought from home.

It was no secret as to why they came Sunday. Soather's joke aside, buddy Josh Myers was much more serious when he gave the true answers.