Not gonna lie...

[The Chosen One]

I sat in my seat until 99% of the stadium left and the ushers and security kicked everyone out.

For the last 30 minutes a lot of peeps were going seat to seat to grab leftover foam tomahawks and souvenir beer cups. I had to sit back and take in the moment that this was the last time I'd see Turner Field in person on on TV and I damn near choked up and cried.

I'm only 26 so growing up in the 90s I wasn't old enough to remember an entire season of Fulton County Stadium but Turner Field was there on my TV almost every night for almost all of my childhood. In some ways this was the last lifeline to those glorious years. No more TBS, Turner South, Bobby, JS, Chipper, Andruw, Holy Trinity, Skip, Pete, Ernie, etc. And now no more Turner Field. It's just crazy because despite not winning a championship there, some of the best baseball any of us have ever seen came from Turner Field. And now it's awkward to think that's it.

20 years was just too short. Years from now when I have kids I thought I'd be taking them to the Ted. Now that won't be the case.

I kept looking around the stadium during and after the game just to appreciate how simplistic and classic of a ballpark it is. The outfield dimensions are nearly perfect from foul pole to foulpole. No gimmick fences or distances. I will miss that.

Without any realistic public transportation, going to a game at SunTrust is going to be a nightmare with how already congested that area is. But I'll be there opening series.

Thanks Turner Field.

[GovClintonTyree]

I sat in my seat until 99% of the stadium left and the ushers and security kicked everyone out.

For the last 30 minutes a lot of peeps were going seat to seat to grab leftover foam tomahawks and souvenir beer cups. I had to sit back and take in the moment that this was the last time I'd see Turner Field in person on on TV and I damn near choked up and cried.

I'm only 26 so growing up in the 90s I wasn't old enough to remember an entire season of Fulton County Stadium but Turner Field was there on my TV almost every night for almost all of my childhood. In some ways this was the last lifeline to those glorious years. No more TBS, Turner South, Bobby, JS, Chipper, Andruw, Trio, Skip, Pete, Ernie, etc. And now no more Turner Field. It's just crazy because despite not winning a championship there, some of the best baseball any of us have ever seen came from Turner Field. And now it's awkward to think that's it.

20 years was just too short. Years from now when I have kids I thought I'd be taking them to the Ted. Now that won't be the case.

I kept looking around the stadium during and after the game just to appreciate how simplistic and classic of a ballpark it is. The outfield dimensions are nearly perfect from foul pole to foulpole. No gimmick fences or distances. I will miss that.

Without any realistic public transportation, going to a game at SunTrust is going to be a nightmare with how already congested that area is. But I'll be there opening series.

Thanks Turner Field.

I saw a lot of great pitching in that park. The Big Three on our side and I had really good luck with Schilling, Kerry Wood...Randy Johnson a half-dozen times. Chipper. Andruw's Spider-Man catch was right under me. I took my (very) young son to Jeff Francoeur's debut and he hit his first dinger right over our heads.

To be honest, I won't miss walking through Summerhill at 11:30 at night. The ballpark was supposed to be the centerpiece of a showcase of retail and restaurants as the Battery will be in Cobb, and it was a missed opportunity for urban renewal...never has an enormous investment been frittered away so stupidly.

I'm no longer an Atlantan, but I'll remember Turner fondly because of the game and those teams. Were I still there, I'd be pretty excited about the Cobb thing even with the traffic hassles that are on the horizon.

[depley]

while everyone seems to have their "Ted" moment, mine with the stadium is just a bit different.

I attended the first ever event held at the stadium, the dress rehearsal of the opening ceremonies for the 96 Olympic games (2 days before the actual opening ceremonies). I worked for ACOG at the Archery venue, I was a late arrival on the team so was only given 1 ticket for the ceremony rehearsal, one of my co-supervisors had been there from the beginning and she had 2 tickets, and was there alone, so she traded me her 2 tickets for my 1, so that I could take my wife. Well, when we got to our seats were were in total disbelief. we had FRONT row tickets, I mean we were right at the fence and inches from stuff that was going on. That is my favorite memory of the building, nothing could come close.

[rico43]

Nice tribute. I attended final game at Fulton County and the first one at the Ted. I remember from the Olympics that there was an underground passage that opened up where the pitcher's mound is located.

Turner Field was also the only ballpark in the majors that had no light towers in fair territory.

I understand that they will begin tearing down almost immediately. Nice park that will be missed for a little while.

[rniki10]

I don't really post much anymore, but those of you who remember back when I was a very active member of this forum know that I worked at the stadium. I worked there from 2002-2006 and many of the people I worked with still worked at the stadium. Until today. Only two of the many I know are going to be headed to SunTrust Park. Today was likely the last I was going to see of a lot of them.

I didn't cry today but that was only because I fought to hold it in. I knew if I started it would turn into an ugly cry really quick and I didn't wanna do that in public. It was tough because this wasn't just a place where I got to watch my favorite team play. It was a place that became a second home, a safe and happy place for me when I was going through really tough times as a young adult. I fell in love for the first time there. I got to do a lot of cool things, meet great people, I have great stories about players, both for the Braves and opponents. I always felt so loved there from the time I was 21 until now at 36. I still get treated like royalty when I walk in there and I haven't worked there in 10 years. Not because I'm extra special or anything, but just because the Braves managed to hire and retain wonderful people to greet me and others every year for 20 seasons.

I am sure that I will like SunTrust Park. I will make sure that I am there for every Opening Day for as long as I can, just like I did at the Ted. But, I can't imagine it will have the impact on me that Turner Field had. Many things happened at that ballpark with the experiences and the people I met that shaped the person I am now. I will forever be grateful to that ballpark.

**Edited to add that I started crying while typing this post. Damnit. LOL

[smootness]

Nice tribute. I attended final game at Fulton County and the first one at the Ted. I remember from the Olympics that there was an underground passage that opened up where the pitcher's mound is located.

Turner Field was also the only ballpark in the majors that had no light towers in fair territory.

I understand that they will begin tearing down almost immediately. Nice park that will be missed for a little while.

The stadium is not being torn down. It will probably be repurposed for GSU, but that won't start until at least December because the front office will stay there until then.

[The Chosen One]

The stadium is not being torn down. It will probably be repurposed for GSU, but that won't start until at least December because the front office will stay there until then.

I believe Mayor Reed has already said it will be torn down and be replaced with apartment housing.

[smootness]

I believe Mayor Reed has already said it will be torn down and be replaced with apartment housing.

No, the stadium will be converted into a football stadium for GSU. The surrounding area will be developed into commercial and residential space...in other words, what the Braves always asked for from the city, brought about only by their departure.

[rico43]

I'm not sure how much of the stadium structure suits the football stadium. I have not seen an architect's mock-up (anyone?), but I think much of the structure will be taken down.

[57Brave]

I will miss the monument in the parking lot where the Hammer's 715 landed.
Couldn't take my eyes off it first time there

So cool he delivered home plate

[smootness]

I'm not sure how much of the stadium structure suits the football stadium. I have not seen an architect's mock-up (anyone?), but I think much of the structure will be taken down.

It will certainly require some modification, I would imagine. But I also can't imagine they'll tear much of it down, as it is a very good, still relatively new structure. Just seems like a waste to tear most of it down if you're just planning to build another in its place.

The original announcement from the city was that it would be torn down, but that came 3 years ago, well before the announcement that GSU had purchased it. That is no longer the plan.

ETA: http://www.myajc.com/news/news/local-govt-politics/georgia-state-football-at-turner-field-in-17-no-is/nsN9h/

Looks like they plan to play football there next year after some light modifications, with more extensive ones to follow. But it looks like they're planning to keep most of the base structure, just remove the upper deck and change the seating configuration in the outfield, an overall reduction to 30,000 seats.

[Julio3000]

No, the stadium will be converted into a football stadium for GSU. The surrounding area will be developed into commercial and residential space...in other words, what the Braves always asked for from the city, brought about only by their departure.

Smoot, I think it's important to make a distinction here.

What the Braves asked for was not that the city develop the area around the stadium. It was that the city give 50-odd acres around the stadium to the Braves, with carte blanche for development (in other words, more or less what they got in Cobb—ownership of the development surrounding the stadium).

It's misleading to suggest that what the Braves wanted was development. They wanted to own the development and its revenue.

[chop2chip]

Smoot, I think it's important to make a distinction here.

What the Braves asked for was not that the city develop the area around the stadium. It was that the city give 50-odd acres around the stadium to the Braves, with carte blanche for development (in other words, more or less what they got in Cobb—ownership of the development surrounding the stadium).

It's misleading to suggest that what the Braves wanted was development. They wanted to own the development and its revenue.

To the Braves defense, how many years have we been reading about the issues surrounding Marta and Turner Field? It seems like its come up every single year since the Ted opened up. I'm not stating that it's the city's responsibility to cater to its sports teams, but there was a disconnect there that was quite clearly in the Braves' disfavor. I think that this move for the Braves was about having more of a relationship with city government rather than it was the new stadium or development plot.

[JohnAdcox]

Here's a pretty good pic of the new development plans:

[Julio3000]

To the Braves defense, how many years have we been reading about the issues surrounding Marta and Turner Field? It seems like its come up every single year since the Ted opened up. I'm not stating that it's the city's responsibility to cater to its sports teams, but there was a disconnect there that was quite clearly in the Braves' disfavor. I think that this move for the Braves was about having more of a relationship with city government rather than it was the new stadium or development plot.

Sure, I get that the team felt like they got short shrift from the city. Still, it's not as simple as the city not investing in the TF area. The Braves were asking for a pretty significant public giveaway. They didn't get it in the city, they did get it in Cobb. Those are the decisions communities have to make.

[Tapate50]

Turner also has really been poorly maintained from what I am told. Structural issues, etc..abound.

[Nerfherders]

Wow. It looks like GSU's baseball field will be directly over where Fulton County was, presumably retaining the 715 monument. That is... really really awesome.

[smootness]

Smoot, I think it's important to make a distinction here.

What the Braves asked for was not that the city develop the area around the stadium. It was that the city give 50-odd acres around the stadium to the Braves, with carte blanche for development (in other words, more or less what they got in Cobb—ownership of the development surrounding the stadium).

It's misleading to suggest that what the Braves wanted was development. They wanted to own the development and its revenue.

Perhaps, but either way the city hasn't been making a dime on that area as it stands. Any way you look at it, they took the Braves for granted. I'm sure something shy of a complete donation of the area could have been worked out had they been willing to discuss it.

But regardless, I can't fault the Braves for taking the deal they got.

[Julio3000]

Perhaps, but either way the city hasn't been making a dime on that area as it stands. Any way you look at it, they took the Braves for granted. I'm sure something shy of a complete donation of the area could have been worked out had they been willing to discuss it.

But regardless, I can't fault the Braves for taking the deal they got.

Nor can I, in that their baseline goal is maximizing shareholder value. I understand the move.

That the franchise was taken for granted is certainly the Braves' spin, and I'm not necessarily saying that it's wrong, per se, but I think someone on the other side of the issue would say that the Braves didn't exactly step up as a partner in the community, but seemed to be looking for a handout.

I'm sure something shy of a complete donation of the area could have been worked out had they been willing to discuss it.

Maybe. I don't know. But the city was willing to discuss it. They rejected the land donation, and instead wanted to put the development out for bid. The Braves counter was that they (the team) have full control over the bidding process and be allowed to be a bidder. It's not hard to see why that didn't fly, either. Could the city have kept going and figured something out? Probably so. Could the city have been successful if they'd been more proactive earlier in the process? Probably so. I'm just responding to the thumbnail idea that the Braves would have been glad to stay if the city had devoted more attention to the neighborhood. That is not what they were asking for. What they were asking for was what they got in Cobb and that, for better or for worse, was a bridge to far for Atlanta/Fulton County.