95: Opening Day With The Wildcat

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by epriseWildcat

ENTERPRISE, AL – The wildcat is home from the most amazing baseball game I’ve ever seen. WOW!!!

The opening ceremony was fantastic. Well… except the fly-by which was mistimed and showed up half way through the national anthem. From my vantage point in section 225 we could not see the planes at all.

Look who is standing respectfully, attentively and quietly. Photo by Rich Addicks, AP

Oh well… that was the about the only thing that went wrong for the Braves. Well… there was D. Lowe’s first inning. Yuk!!! From our vantage point there was no strike zone and there was no sink to his sinker. We’re lucky they only scored three!

As for our young right fielder Mr. Heyward there is no way to describe the excitement he generated with that blast deep into Braves bullpen. The Ted went absolutely crazy. The ball he hit was still rising from my vantage point deep into right field. It was a shot!!! I should also mention how smooth and graceful he is in the outfield. Amazing! This kid will be a fixture for the Braves for many years. The symbolic first pitch from Hank to Jason tells the story perfectly.

Hank & Heyward - ajc photo by Phil Skinner

Good gosh, there were Cub fans everywhere. It would be easy to over estimate their numbers but 15-20 percent wearing Cubs gear is probably pretty close. The obnoxious one in front of me left in the 7th inning. He’d seen enough. Atlanta needs to wake up and get behind this team and fill the seats.

I can remember a lot of speculation this winter about Marian Byrd and picking him up as a big bat. He may swing a pretty big stick but he can’t field a lick. Can’t imagine the Cubs will keep him in center field.

What a great day for Braves fans. For this Braves fan it was a great way to share a day with his son. What a shame they take tomorrow off. This line-up is strong with youth and veterans and the pitching is first rate.

Just a couple more observations of a great opening day for our Braves.

* The stadium staff and security could not be nicer. Very friendly and helpful.

* The stadium looks great! Upgrades to the electronic scoreboards and new graphics abound. The new Coke bottle is really cool. There have been major improvements to the sound effects played during the game. Long overdue! The Ted is a great place to watch a ballgame!!!

* The Chik-fil-A chopping cow appears to be having technical difficulties. He only managed to get into a full chop only once.

* The baritone singer in the tux that sang God Bless America during the 7th inning stretch was awesome! Should be a fixture at every home game. Sure beats Steven Tylers awful rendition during the Yanks-Red Sox game Sunday night. Yuk!

Really looking forward to going back in a couple of weeks.  Hope the weather is as great!

We'll be seeing a lot more of him! ajc photo by Phil Skinner

~epriseWildcat~

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