Braves fans: Tell us your Braves story

[DrMickey]

I think some of my friends from Atlanta are surprised at how big the regional following is for the Braves. I’m 50 now, and I suspect my Braves story is similar to a lot of you. Partly because TBS beamed it into our homes every night all summer.

My Grandad and dad grew up in Greenwood, home of a AA Braves team for years (so unlikely for a city of that size today). I’ve got a picture of me and my brother with Hank Aaron in the late 70s when he came by the Greenwood team one day. And I’ve got a baseball that used to be signed by him, except I thought it was so cool I used it to play catch. But we didn’t live next to James Earl Jones from the Sandlot, so I’m out of luck.

My grandad almost never missed a game. It was on TV every time we went to see him. Lots of bad teams, with an occasional good one.

Dale Murphy (installed in the Hall of Very Good, near Cooperstown) was fun to watch, as long as the two-strike pitch wasn’t low and away. My wife says she had her first sports crush as a kid on Damon Berry.

Then things got serious. As a long suffering Braves fan, it’s hard to describe those first few years of dominance. The Sid Bream slide in real time slow motion, and the whole Furman campus (where I was a student) erupted in the Braves chant. And oh, those pitchers. What a set of arms. Holy cow. If it weren’t for those Da** Yankees.

When I got married in 98, my wife’s boss gave us tickets to a game right behind home plate and dinner in the 755 Club. We felt like celebrities. And Maddox pitched a gem.

Then we started having kids, and life happened. And we didn’t watch a lot. But my mother-in-law does. She texts me after nearly every win. She’s an old Conyers GA girl, and she, like my Grandad, never misses a game. When we go visit her, the Braves are the soundtrack.

Lots of fun, and some darn good teams over the years! Tell me your story.

 

[76gintcock]

Our dad took me and my brother to Atlanta in 1966 to see the Braves play the Yankees in the last exhibition game that year. I was 12. My brother was 10. We stayed in the old Marriott downtown. The Yankees were staying there! We got all kinds of autographs. Maris, Mantle, Tresh, Richardson, Boyer, Stottlemyre, Ford, Berra (coaching), etc. (Pepitone was an ass). Late in the day brother and I got on the elevator to take one more pass through the lobby. A large, well dressed black man was already on the elevator. Bro asked if I thought we would see any more Yankees. The guy looked at me with a little smile. He was probably a ft. taller than I was. I said, "It depends. Is Elston Howard a Yankee?". Howard loved it. He hooted with laughter. Slapped me on the back. Damn near killed me!

 

[hahnenkampf]

I would often drive from Charleston to Atlanta for a Braves game. My favorite game was around 1978 when Phil Neikro pitched against Vida Blue. Got a late start out of Charleston that day — ended up getting three speeding tickets — one in SC and two in Georgia. That was before tickets in other states counted against your home state points total. Cost me a bunch of cash though. It was an epic pitching match-up!

 

[cockn'fyr]

In the late 60’s the union 76 station in the neighborhood was giving away free braves player placards, we collected a bunch of those, also around that time Hank Aaron came to Columbia to promote a new subdivision, my friends mom took us and I can’t tell you how many things henry signed for me, that’s something you never forget! And then that summer my little league team took a trip to Atlanta for my first live braves game, we were lucky enough to be there for hank’s 500th home run, we received a small commemorative you were there card for being there, which I stupidly traded away for a bob gibson baseball card! So the braves go back with me pretty far, lots of ups and downs, but I can honestly say the only professional team in all sports that I claimed as my team!

 

[SLODAWG]

Grew up near Savannah a Braves fan. Didn't see them until 1997 in old Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Sounds corny, but I'll never forget walking up the ramp to the seats; how green the field was and to finally see my team! Vivid memory of that. Been there through all the 90s heartache. Maybe this year...

 

[NAGamecock]

Grew up a Braves fan because of TBS. I was there last night when the Braves won their right to play the cheating Astros. Freaking crazy in that park last night and outside of it.

 

[myrtlecock]

My dad was always a fan so, so was I. Hank Aaron was his hero. We were in Atlanta the year before he broke the home run record and if you remember he was getting close at the end of the season prior. My dad's sister married a man from Winder Georgia. My first cousin by that couple grew up in Stone mountain where they lived forever. He's a big bulldog obviously. We're a week apart in age and more like brothers.

Anyway we were at the game when the Braves were playing the Phillies just before the end of that season and saw him hit a home run. It was something like 710 maybe 712.

Over the years we made many trips not only to see the Gamecocks and the bulldogs play which incidentally was my first ever college football game, in Athens. Then we would stay in Stone mountain and go see a Braves game if we could. It always brought us together as a family since we fought over football but we could root for the same team in baseball.
During the big run of the 90s my dad went to many playoffs and world series games. He'll be 81 in a couple of weeks and I dearly hope they bring home the trophy for him this year. As bad as the Gamecocks are doing in football it will be wonderful for him.

 

[section907]

Sitting in outfield - chanting Darryll - ( daryll strawberry. )

another - Went down with a few college friends one year and remember being mad that Smoltz was pitching. He was like 2-8 up to this start. They played the Cubs . With Ryan sandberg. Braves won. This was 1st game I remember the fans doing the Chop chant. David justice was out hurt. But got his autograph at the cheetah later that night. 😁. I believe this was the year smoltz started seeing a sports psychiatrist and turned his career around

another cool memory was watching clt knights beat the Richmond braves to win triple A crown in the 90’s . Braves had chipper jones , Ryan Klesko, Javier Lopez, mark wohlers , The knights were the Indians and had Jim thome, Julian taverez , Manny rameriz , coached by Charlie Manuel
Then - 3-4 years later the braves beat the Indians to win the World Series. It was pretty much a re-match. As all the same players were now on the mlb rosters.

 

[CockofEarle]

I think some of my friends from Atlanta are surprised at how big the regional following is for the Braves. I’m 50 now, and I suspect my Braves story is similar to a lot of you. Partly because TBS beamed it into our homes every night all summer.

My Grandad and dad grew up in Greenwood, home of a AA Braves team for years (so unlikely for a city of that size today). I’ve got a picture of me and my brother with Hank Aaron in the late 70s when he came by the Greenwood team one day. And I’ve got a baseball that used to be signed by him, except I thought it was so cool I used it to play catch. But we didn’t live next to James Earl Jones from the Sandlot, so I’m out of luck.

My grandad almost never missed a game. It was on TV every time we went to see him. Lots of bad teams, with an occasional good one.

Dale Murphy (installed in the Hall of Very Good, near Cooperstown) was fun to watch, as long as the two-strike pitch wasn’t low and away. My wife says she had her first sports crush as a kid on Damon Berry.

Then things got serious. As a long suffering Braves fan, it’s hard to describe those first few years of dominance. The Sid Bream slide in real time slow motion, and the whole Furman campus (where I was a student) erupted in the Braves chant. And oh, those pitchers. What a set of arms. Holy cow. If it weren’t for those Da** Yankees.

When I got married in 98, my wife’s boss gave us tickets to a game right behind home plate and dinner in the 755 Club. We felt like celebrities. And Maddox pitched a gem.

Then we started having kids, and life happened. And we didn’t watch a lot. But my mother-in-law does. She texts me after nearly every win. She’s an old Conyers GA girl, and she, like my Grandad, never misses a game. When we go visit her, the Braves are the soundtrack.

Lots of fun, and some darn good teams over the years! Tell me your story.

U recall seeing a young Glenn Hubbard in pinky country?

 

[gamecokpride]

TBS for sure.
Then started going to games in the mid-80s with my then girlfriend, now wife.
Late Seotember remember buying $5 outfield seats, and walking around and sitting right behind the dug out

 

[81 Alumnus]

I was 7 when the Braves moved to Atlanta in 1966. My cousin, who was my hero, had just moved to Atlanta after graduating from USC and sent me pocket schedules, cap, t-shirt, yearbook and scorecards. I was pretty closed to hooked. Henry Aaron, Ernie Johnson, Milo Hamilton and Larry Munson (yes, that Larry Munson) sealed the deal.

 

[uscbeckham]

Short story. Long before I started going to Carolina games, Atlanta Fulton County Stadium was the first major sports stadium I had gone to.

Dad took us to the Braves game, and we stayed at the Ramada across the street. We didn’t have good seats, but we were happy to be there.

Then I watched this happen in person:

 

[Neanderthal]

I would often drive from Charleston to Atlanta for a Braves game. My favorite game was around 1978 when Phil Neikro pitched against Vida Blue. Got a late start out of Charleston that day — ended up getting three speeding tickets — one in SC and two in Georgia. That was before tickets in other states counted against your home state points total. Cost me a bunch of cash though. It was an epic pitching match-up!

Losing makes Vida Blue.

 

[SCGCock07]

Summers at my grandparents farm in Turbeville, SC consisted of watching WCW Saturday Night and the Atlanta Braves on TBS while eating a BBQ plate from either Brown's or Country Cousins. I smile from ear to ear just thinking about those times in the 1990's.

 

[FORKCOCK]

Braves fan since the late 60's. Aaron was my favorite player. Once saw Aaron, Dusty Baker and Davey Johnson hit back to back to back homers at Fulton County.

 

[Jbouton2]

Grew up a Braves fan because of TBS. I was there last night when the Braves won their right to play the cheating Astros. Freaking crazy in that park last night and outside of it.

I see you have your excuse when Astro's take the series. Go Astro's! Lifelong fan.

 

[CockofEarle]

Short story. Long before I started going to Carolina games, Atlanta Fulton County Stadium was the first major sports stadium I had gone to.

Dad took us to the Braves game, and we stayed at the Ramada across the street. We didn’t have good seats, but we were happy to be there.

Then I watched this happen in person:

View embedded media

Andy was a very good player & had a great career.

 

[alston]

I was a safety patrol boy in Rock Hill and we got a trip to Atlanta to go to Six Flags and see a Braves game in 1970. Got to see Hank Aaron hit a home run. I remember that like it was today. I moved to Atlanta after law school to practice law. A group of my friends bought 4 season tickets behind the Braves dugout in 89 and we gave up two of the seats in 91 because we were so bad. We didn’t see the change coming. I was in those seats for game 7 when Sid Bream (slowest man on the team) scored the winning run. Wildest moment ever. Will never forget it.

 

[capngamecock]

My great grandfather used to listen to EVERY Braves game on the radio on his front porch. This was in the 70's/80's when we were absolutely horrible. He passed away right before the amazing run the Braves had in 91. My dad used to sit on the porch listening to every game with him. So naturally I grew up a Braves fan. I came along in 94, so at least I can say I was on this earth when we won it all in 95. But I'd like to have a championship I can remember. Made it down to ATL for NLCS game 2 this year. Unfortunately I googled "average World Series ticket cost" and it looks like it will be around $1,000, so I'm expecting much higher since we haven't been to the series since 99. Sad that the average person is completely priced out of the World Series.

 

[capngamecock]

I see you have your excuse when Astro's take the series. Go Astro's! Lifelong fan.

Don't you have a trash can to go bang on? You cannot defend that team. Got absolutely no punishment at all for cheating their way to a World Series and getting caught red handed.

 

[coolcock2001]

I was born in 83, grew up in Saluda SC. My favorite memory is I knew not one but multiple peoples' GRANDMOTHER who watched all 162 games in their entirety every year. Put it on like it was the soap operas at night. Something awesome and nostalgic about an old woman in a rural kitchen snapping peas and being on a first name fired up basis with every player major and minor

 

[Jbouton2]

Don't you have a trash can to go bang on? You cannot defend that team. Got absolutely no punishment at all for cheating their way to a World Series and getting caught red handed.

Not trying to defend the 2017 champions. They were fined $5 million, coach was removed along with Lunhow and lost draft picks. To some like you not enough, understood. The 2 ring leaders are gone Beltran and Cora is sitting as coach of the Red Sox.
This year's team I think has 5 players from then. Nothing to do with 2017. Go Astro's, bring the trophy home.

 

[ThatGuyInJax]

First game I ever saw was the Braves against Houston - only it was the Milwaukee Braves vs. the Houston Colt .45s. This was pre-Astrodome and I remember my brother driving a circuitous route through the construction site of the dome to get to parking at Colt Stadium.

Hank Aaron hit a homer in the first inning. Other notables playing that day were Joe Torre, Eddie Mathews, Tony Cloninger, Nellie Fox and Don Larsen.

 

[mikeypen]

My dad was always a fan so, so was I. Hank Aaron was his hero. We were in Atlanta the year before he broke the home run record and if you remember he was getting close at the end of the season prior. My dad's sister married a man from Winder Georgia. My first cousin by that couple grew up in Stone mountain where they lived forever. He's a big bulldog obviously. We're a week apart in age and more like brothers.

Anyway we were at the game when the Braves were playing the Phillies just before the end of that season and saw him hit a home run. It was something like 710 maybe 712.

Over the years we made many trips not only to see the Gamecocks and the bulldogs play which incidentally was my first ever college football game, in Athens. Then we would stay in Stone mountain and go see a Braves game if we could. It always brought us together as a family since we fought over football but we could root for the same team in baseball.
During the big run of the 90s my dad went to many playoffs and world series games. He'll be 81 in a couple of weeks and I dearly hope they bring home the trophy for him this year. As bad as the Gamecocks are doing in football it will be wonderful for him.

I believe I may have been at that same game. My Mother and Grandmother had family in Atlanta and we would go see the Braves play almost every year. I remember buying a Phillies helmet at the stadium because I was a big Mike Schmidt fan.
On another note, back to the OP, I grew up in Laurens and went to many of the G Braves games in Greenwood. I saw Bob Feller there twice I believe. He did a little clinic, and my Little League team was there. I got an autographed ball, which I then proceeded to play with and then lost. What a dummy.
I then followed the G Braves in Greenville for all the years they were there. Saw all of the guys play at Greenville right before they got called up together. I believe it was Blauser, Justice, Gant and maybe Lemke? Not sure of all of them. Also Russ Nixon was managing.

 

[cockymom2boys]

Great post!
My first memories of the Braves is seeing my grandfather hunched over a radio in Liberty SC trying to listen to Milo Hamilton and Ernie Johnson call the games. My grandfather's hearing was bad from years of working in the local textile mill.
Then I spent a lot of weekends going to Atlanta at the old stadium with my dad.
I was the youngest of 4 children and a big tomboy/Daddy's girl.
We saw Hank Aaron, Orlando Cepeda, Phil Nikero back in the day.
Visiting teams/players I remember are Tom Seaver with the Mets, Johnny Bench and Pete Rose with the Reds.
Great times!!

 

[Jbouton2]

Great post!
My first memories of the Braves is seeing my grandfather hunched over a radio in Liberty SC trying to listen to Milo Hamilton and Ernie Johnson call the games. My grandfather's hearing was bad from years of working in the local textile mill.
Then I spent a lot of weekends going to Atlanta at the old stadium with my dad.
I was the youngest of 4 children and a big tomboy/Daddy's girl.
We saw Hank Aaron, Orlando Cepeda, Phil Nikero back in the day.
Visiting teams/players I remember are Tom Seaver with the Mets, Johnny Bench and Pete Rose with the Reds.
Great times!!

When visiting relatives I went to many games in the Astrodome. Went on a tour the year it opened. One of my highlights also was seeing Hank Aaron hit a homerun over centerfield in the dome. Ball was crushed by the way 😆.

 

[1977 Cat]

Great post!
My first memories of the Braves is seeing my grandfather hunched over a radio in Liberty SC trying to listen to Milo Hamilton and Ernie Johnson call the games. My grandfather's hearing was bad from years of working in the local textile mill.
Then I spent a lot of weekends going to Atlanta at the old stadium with my dad.
I was the youngest of 4 children and a big tomboy/Daddy's girl.
We saw Hank Aaron, Orlando Cepeda, Phil Nikero back in the day.
Visiting teams/players I remember are Tom Seaver with the Mets, Johnny Bench and Pete Rose with the Reds.
Great times!!

Milo Hamilton was awesome. Grew up in a small town in southcentral Kentucky about an hour from Nashville. I would listen to Milo on WSM in Nashville. Hank Aaron was my favorite player and in 1976 we played in the Peach Bowl against North Carolina at the old Atlanta Fulton county stadium and I got a chance to meet him. Never thought that would happen.

 

[capngamecock]

Not trying to defend the 2017 champions. They were fined $5 million, coach was removed along with Lunhow and lost draft picks. To some like you not enough, understood. The 2 ring leaders are gone Beltran and Cora is sitting as coach of the Red Sox.
This year's team I think has 5 players from then. Nothing to do with 2017. Go Astro's, bring the trophy home.

$5 million is nothing to a MLB franchise. Should have all had their rings taken away.

 

[jsusc]

When I was growing up, good old TBS was for the Braves and WGN was for the Cubs. I'm white trash, so I grew up in a trailer. I used to love sitting there in the living room in the summer with the window unit air conditioner blowing right at me while watching the Braves game. They would come on like everything else on TBS back then, at 5 after the hour. It was always a real treat when the Braves were on the west coast and the game would come on at like 10:05 or 10:35. I would watch that, then do something else for a couple of hours until 5:05 and 5:35am, at which point I would watch Hogan's Heroes and eat Jeno's pizza rolls.

The best time was when my family would all be gone to play bingo and I was there alone. I could watch my hero, Dale Murphy, and listen to Skip Caray and Pete Van Wieren. The Braves used to have a paper catalog they would send you so you could order merchandise. I got one once, but never was able to order anything. I used to love to leaf through it though. I wonder what guys like Bob Horner, Rafael Ramirez, and Gene Garber are up to nowadays.

 

[NAGamecock]

$5 million is nothing to a MLB franchise. Should have all had their rings taken away.

I wouldn’t take their rings away. The only thing that bothered me about it was that MLB said it was a player deal the whole way but only the coaches and GM were punished. There should have been players suspended but they got off with out even a slap on the wrist.

 

[capngamecock]

I wouldn’t take their rings away. The only thing that bothered me about it was that MLB said it was a player deal the whole way but only the coaches and GM were punished. There should have been players suspended but they got off with out even a slap on the wrist.

They cheated to get those rings...why wouldn't they take them away? If not for cheating, they might not have won them to begin with.

 

[Gamecockben1979]

The first game I ever attended as a kid was the game that they fired Russ Nixon and hired Bobby Cox. The team played about .500 the rest of the season and you could start to see where 1991 could be something special with all the improvement in the young players starting to take shape.

I have too many Braves memories to mention. I’ve probably attended almost 100 games.

When I was a kid I watched them on TBS every night like the OP alluded to. I watched them so much my parents put an old TV in the corner of the bonus room. The TV picture died but the sound still worked so for the longest time I listened to the games on a broken TV.

 

[atl-cock]

And prior to WTBS, the Braves had a "network" of a few dozen TV stations across the southeast which carried 20-30 games each season, mostly Friday night and Sunday afternoon contests, all on the road.

Sometimes, the network might televise, for example, a Friday night game from Shea Stadium and the following Sunday afternoon contest from Shea as well. And if NBC's Saturday afternoon MLB Game of the Week featured the Braves vs the Mets from Shea, you got to watch all three games from the series on TV!

 

[fowl_mood]

Sometime between 69 and 72 my best bud and I and dad went to Atlanta for a San Fran Brave twin bill. We sat there enthralled for both games, except for one trip I just had to make to buy the commemorative Atlanta Braves pen set!!

Why, I don't know.

Needless to say, when Willie McCovey slapped one of his grand slams that comprised the longest consecutive streak of years with a grand slam while I was shopping, my buddy was handed a story that has been repeated to me about a thousand times.

It always ends with, "and where is that commemorative pen set now?"

I don't know, though, they were pretty sweet, and my set had a holder and double the pens!

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[Fish&Grits]

My dad grew up in Georgia and lived in Atlanta for a while before he and my mom moved to South Carolina. He was in Atlanta when the Braves moved there from Milwaukee . When we got cable when I was a kid it was essentially ESPN, CNN and WTBS. My dad, my brother and I watched the Braves on WTBS. We got to go to a game or two a year at old Fulton County stadium as well. My dad is loving this run and I really hope they can deliver a World Series win to Atlanta.

 

[winloseortie]

Too many to tell but quickly..... I was at the Fulton County Stadium and Pascual Perez was not!

 

[Neanderthal]

Does anybody remember Willie Montanez or Mike Lum?

 

[uscclassof74]

I was a Braves fan when they were in Milwaukee. The move south was a dream-come-true. My first game was with a group from the Greenville YMCA. Willie Mays homered off the left-field fair pole. My first game with my parents was vs. the Dodgers. I hoped Koufax or Drysdale would start. I had to settle for some unknown rookie from Alabama. Don Sutton.

 

[punydevil]

I think some of my friends from Atlanta are surprised at how big the regional following is for the Braves. I’m 50 now, and I suspect my Braves story is similar to a lot of you. Partly because TBS beamed it into our homes every night all summer.

My Grandad and dad grew up in Greenwood, home of a AA Braves team for years (so unlikely for a city of that size today). I’ve got a picture of me and my brother with Hank Aaron in the late 70s when he came by the Greenwood team one day. And I’ve got a baseball that used to be signed by him, except I thought it was so cool I used it to play catch. But we didn’t live next to James Earl Jones from the Sandlot, so I’m out of luck.

My grandad almost never missed a game. It was on TV every time we went to see him. Lots of bad teams, with an occasional good one.

Dale Murphy (installed in the Hall of Very Good, near Cooperstown) was fun to watch, as long as the two-strike pitch wasn’t low and away. My wife says she had her first sports crush as a kid on Damon Berry.

Then things got serious. As a long suffering Braves fan, it’s hard to describe those first few years of dominance. The Sid Bream slide in real time slow motion, and the whole Furman campus (where I was a student) erupted in the Braves chant. And oh, those pitchers. What a set of arms. Holy cow. If it weren’t for those Da** Yankees.

When I got married in 98, my wife’s boss gave us tickets to a game right behind home plate and dinner in the 755 Club. We felt like celebrities. And Maddox pitched a gem.

Then we started having kids, and life happened. And we didn’t watch a lot. But my mother-in-law does. She texts me after nearly every win. She’s an old Conyers GA girl, and she, like my Grandad, never misses a game. When we go visit her, the Braves are the soundtrack.

Lots of fun, and some darn good teams over the years! Tell me your story.

I have a signed ball my dad got me after a Braves game in '67. One of his childhood friends, Ty Cline, was the first player Bill Wilhelm sent to the pros from Clemson. Ty got everybody to sign it and tossed it up to my dad in the stands. That was my first ever professional game. (Second was when I went to see the Falcons play SF. Was excited to see John Brodie play but he was hurt and some jackass named Spurrier played instead and beat my Falcons.) I couldn't bear to watch Cabrera's at bat and my Jersey wife who previously couldn't have cared less about the Braves or MLB is screaming he's gonna score come here come here come here from the next room. This has been an awesome run.

 

[CockofEarle]

I think some of my friends from Atlanta are surprised at how big the regional following is for the Braves. I’m 50 now, and I suspect my Braves story is similar to a lot of you. Partly because TBS beamed it into our homes every night all summer.

My Grandad and dad grew up in Greenwood, home of a AA Braves team for years (so unlikely for a city of that size today). I’ve got a picture of me and my brother with Hank Aaron in the late 70s when he came by the Greenwood team one day. And I’ve got a baseball that used to be signed by him, except I thought it was so cool I used it to play catch. But we didn’t live next to James Earl Jones from the Sandlot, so I’m out of luck.

My grandad almost never missed a game. It was on TV every time we went to see him. Lots of bad teams, with an occasional good one.

Dale Murphy (installed in the Hall of Very Good, near Cooperstown) was fun to watch, as long as the two-strike pitch wasn’t low and away. My wife says she had her first sports crush as a kid on Damon Berry.

Then things got serious. As a long suffering Braves fan, it’s hard to describe those first few years of dominance. The Sid Bream slide in real time slow motion, and the whole Furman campus (where I was a student) erupted in the Braves chant. And oh, those pitchers. What a set of arms. Holy cow. If it weren’t for those Da** Yankees.

When I got married in 98, my wife’s boss gave us tickets to a game right behind home plate and dinner in the 755 Club. We felt like celebrities. And Maddox pitched a gem.

Then we started having kids, and life happened. And we didn’t watch a lot. But my mother-in-law does. She texts me after nearly every win. She’s an old Conyers GA girl, and she, like my Grandad, never misses a game. When we go visit her, the Braves are the soundtrack.

Lots of fun, and some darn good teams over the years! Tell me your story.

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