Guess what this is a photo of! - Page 61

cara · 06-10-2006, 02:14 AM

okay... that was easy for me.. just had to ask google..;o))

History

Turner Field, named after Braves owner Ted Turner, was built as Olympic Stadium in 1996 just south of Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium (a.k.a. "The Launching Pad") where the Braves played for 30 years. This $320 million stadium was retrofitted into a baseball-only, open-air, natural grass facility for Opening Day in 1997. The old stadium was imploded in 1997 and was converted into a parking lot for Turner Field.

The team built the park because Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium was becoming obsolete and they wanted a new retro style ballpark like the one which had then recently opened in Baltimore to rave reviews. Meanwhile, a new multi-purpose stadium was needed for the 1996 Olympics, so the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games and the Braves agreed to a compromise.

The new Olympic Stadium was built across the street from the old ballpark. It was comprised of two major sections. At one end, the structure of what would become Turner Field's grandstand was built. At the other end, an expanse of temporary bleachers completed the distorted oval. When the games were over, the bleachers came down and work began on completing the baseball stadium.

There are several ways to get into Turner Field, but most people use the entry plaza located at the northwest side of the ballpark. The columns that once supported the temporary bleachers for the Olympics serve as part of a fence that surrounds the large curved outer plaza called Monument Grove. Statues of Hank Aaron, Phil Neikro and Ty Cobb as well as the retired number statues of Warren Spahn, Eddie Mathews, Hank Aaron, Phil Niekro and Dale Murphy are there, as is the ticket office.

Luxury boxes are tucked away discreetly under the upper deck. There are no bleachers in Turner Field, so everyone has a seat with armrests and a back.

Turner Field was the third stadium in history to have played host to the Summer Olympics before being used as a major league ballpark. Now, it bears little resemblance to the Olympic facility; a commercial atmosphere still permeates the park, from the overpriced food to the East and West Pavilions where fans can buy food or have their likeness stamped on a baseball card, but that's all.

In 1997, guards at Turner Field cracked down on fans bringing food into the park. After they confiscated the special candy bars of a diabetic, Ted Turner himself apologized and commented that food at the park was overpriced.

There is also a museum at the park featuring anything from the railroad cars that were used to haul Braves players in the 1940s to Hank aaron's 715th home run bat and ball to the knee brace that Sid Bream wore when he slid home to clinch the 1992 NL pennant.

http://www.baseball-statistics.com/Ballparks/Atl/

phinz · 06-10-2006, 07:15 AM

You are correct! You're up.

**jennyema** · 06-10-2006, 10:02 AM

The thing I hate about Turner Field is that there are way too many other things going on which detract from the baseball game (arcades, batting cages, shopping mall, etc).

The thing that I like is the sports bar in center field which shows other games on tv while you watch the one at hand!