Friday night was a night of firsts for me. It marked the first game I attended with the new look 2008 Braves, the first game where I witnessed a Bobby Cox ejection, the firs
t time I saw Jair Jurrjens pitch, followed by the first time I’ve ever seen a pitcher walk in three runs in a row, the first time I’ve ever seen a Andruw Jones-less outfield (which includes the numerous games I’ve attended prior to Jones departure), the first time I saw Kelly Johnson hit a homerun (who knew I would see Scott Thorman accomplish this feat before Kelly) and the first time I’ve seen the Braves get a win in over a year. Oh and it was the first time in three years that I both purchased and ate a hot dog at Shea Stadium. Talk about bravery!
The game was quite the juxtaposition to the other major event happening in Queens on Friday, the Sean Bell trial acquittals. I must have checked every local newspaper’s websites to make sure there wasn’t any rioting happening over in Queens. I mean, I enjoyed the book The Bronx is Burning but I never wanted to witness a similar event. Luckily, there were no major disruptions. (Not just for myself and those heading to the games, but also to the community at large.) The Stadium itself was very mellow, especially for a Mets/Braves game. I think that was partially due to the fact that it was not only a Friday night game, but also because it was many school aged children’s spring break making it kind of like a kids' night at Shea. Plus the rivalry between the two teams has diminished some, with much of the Mets fans hatred falling on the shoulders of the Phillies players and not the Braves. It also turned out be the Braves only win of the weekend with both Tim Hudson and John Smoltz suffering through poor starts. No matter what the score, it's always nice to see the team live and in person instead of on the TV.
t time I saw Jair Jurrjens pitch, followed by the first time I’ve ever seen a pitcher walk in three runs in a row, the first time I’ve ever seen a Andruw Jones-less outfield (which includes the numerous games I’ve attended prior to Jones departure), the first time I saw Kelly Johnson hit a homerun (who knew I would see Scott Thorman accomplish this feat before Kelly) and the first time I’ve seen the Braves get a win in over a year. Oh and it was the first time in three years that I both purchased and ate a hot dog at Shea Stadium. Talk about bravery!The game was quite the juxtaposition to the other major event happening in Queens on Friday, the Sean Bell trial acquittals. I must have checked every local newspaper’s websites to make sure there wasn’t any rioting happening over in Queens. I mean, I enjoyed the book The Bronx is Burning but I never wanted to witness a similar event. Luckily, there were no major disruptions. (Not just for myself and those heading to the games, but also to the community at large.) The Stadium itself was very mellow, especially for a Mets/Braves game. I think that was partially due to the fact that it was not only a Friday night game, but also because it was many school aged children’s spring break making it kind of like a kids' night at Shea. Plus the rivalry between the two teams has diminished some, with much of the Mets fans hatred falling on the shoulders of the Phillies players and not the Braves. It also turned out be the Braves only win of the weekend with both Tim Hudson and John Smoltz suffering through poor starts. No matter what the score, it's always nice to see the team live and in person instead of on the TV.
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