I'm already beginning to wonder how many times will I get out of the bed after midnight, to put thought-to-blog (man that just sounds wrong....considering it used to be 'thought to paper').
One thing that pissed me off tonight watching the Braves/Yankee game on television were all the 'band wagoners' at Turner Field in Atlanta. I was not at the game, but you could clearly see and hear a stadium packed with so-called Yankee fans. Now, I have not done the Census research, but I would be very surprised to hear that 30,000 New Yorkers in Atlanta all went to the Braves game tonight. The sad thing is many of those fans were from Decatur, Sandy Springs, Marietta (suburbs of Atlanta).
I understand the concept - it's more fun to root for a winner. But let's be honest....how long has it been since the Yankees won anything, besides "Highest Payroll in Baseball" Award?
I've lived in this city for 13 years. I have come to expect "bandwagon fans" at Hawks games or maybe even a few Falcon games, but not Braves games. This baseball franchise, for the most part, has been a first class organization with a 15 year run of continued success.
Besides, there is something about Braves baseball that just feels so 'southern'. 'Braves Baseball' - those two words are synonymous with hot summer nights in the South. To see that sweaty family of four in their jean shorts and matching Chipper Jones jerseys get out of their family pickup truck with the Coweta County license plate...it just warms my heart like a bowl of fried okra.
What's worse is after the "New Yorkers" from Marietta leave Thursday....."RedSox Nation" from Conyers and Norcross arrives at Turner Field for a weekend series. I guess the only way for the Braves to win back their own fans is to beat these teams on the field. The question is - will winning games on a Tuesday night in June make a lasting impression on that guy in section 213 in the Yankee cap, or the girl in the pink RedSox tshirt in ChopHouse? Probably not.
Playing meaningful baseball in October is the only way to get these fans off one bandwagon and on to another.
Where are you from? Oh that's right Milwaukee and when the Brew Crew come into town who do you root for? And if the Dawgs ever had the guts to play USC what colors would you wear in Athens? This city is full of transplants. 9 times out of 10 if you ask somebody where they are from in Atlanta they are not from here. I won't even get into the coporate sell out of professional sports today. All the guys in the lower levels are C-level guys from up North running Atlanta companies because the UGA grads are out playing golf.
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