The Official Newsletter of the Braves 400 Fan Club

Transcription

1 The Official Newsletter of the Braves 400 Fan Club June 2017 By Howard Evans; photos by Linda Lovejoy The Braves 400 Fan Club honored the top Metro Atlanta baseball players at its 46 th Annual High School All-Star Luncheon on June 6 th at the Marriott Northwest at Galleria. Approximately 100 players, coaches, families, friends, and Fan Club members enjoyed the ceremonies. Front, left to right: Bryar Hawkins, Peyton Glavine, Austin Weiermiller, Luke Bartnicki, Caleb Mitchell, Luke Torbert, Tyler Doanes, Jared Mihalik. Back, left to right: Colin Hall, Kyle Jacobsen, Chase Smith, Cade Heil, Brant Hurter, Jake Lecroy, Bay Witcher, Drew Waters. Not pictured: Ethan Lindow, Baron Radcliff. Fan Club President Rick Wheeler welcomed the players, their families, and coaches, giving a brief history of the Club and information about its many activities. Past President Wayne Coleman recalled previous High School All-Stars, who have gone on to successful Major League careers, and presented the awards. No one surpasses Mr. Baseball in his ability to recite each player s statistics with the enthusiasm of the master. However, the crowd got very quiet when Wayne announced that each player would have 10 minutes to speak upon receiving his award. There was much relief throughout the room when he broke into laughter, joined by the parents and coaches. Our guest speaker was A.J. Scola, the Atlanta Braves Director of Minor League Operations. Based on his own experiences playing at high level amateur and professional sports, A.J. s very motivational message went directly to the players. It also resonated with their parents and coaches, as he talked about the personal values, character, and work ethic that elite athletes are blessed with and that should lead to making good life choices in the future. Our thanks go out to Johnny Tallant, Cindy Tate, Jim Spano, and all the other Braves 400 Fan Club members who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to plan and put this program together. This is one of the Fan Club s most worthwhile community activities. Great job!

2 The Tomahawk Times June 2017 Page 2 **2017 Metro Atlanta High School All-Stars** PLAYER SCHOOL COACH Luke Bartnicki Walton Shane Amos Tyler Doanes Whitewater Rusty Bennett Peyton Glavine Blessed Trinity Andy Harlin Colin Hall Wesleyan Brian Krehmeyer Bryar Hawkins West Forsyth Mike Pruitt Cade Heil North Gwinnett Ryan Moity Brant Hurter Woodstock Jeff Brown Kyle Jacobsen Allatoona Keith Hansen Jake Lecroy Kell Todd Harris Ethan Lindow Locust Grove Stephen Phillips Jared Mihalik Johns Creek Billy Nicholson Caleb Mitchell Parkview Chan Brown Baron Radcliff Norcross Nick Drescher Chase Smith Pope Jeff Rowland Luke Torbert Hillgrove David Richardson Drew Waters Etowah Greg Robinson Austin Weiermiller Cambridge Miles Martin Bay Witcher Loganville Jeff Segars Player of the Year, Drew Waters (Etowah High School) Coach of the Year, Jeff Segars (Loganville High School) with Fan Club President Rick Wheeler and A.J. Scola The Braves 400 Fan Club supports baseball at all levels in the community. Rick Wheeler presented Coach Billy Nicholson, on behalf of Team Georgia, with a $1,500 check from the Fan Club. Team Georgia is a traveling team of Georgia high school all-stars who compete against teams in other states. They use this money toward team uniforms, equipment, and travel expenses.

3 The Tomahawk Times June 2017 Page 3 Pope High School, the 2017 AAAAAA Georgia State Champion, was awarded the Pete Van Wieren Most Outstanding High School Baseball Program of the Year. The team had a record of 34-6 and was among the Top 25 nationally ranked High School baseball teams. Pope won the championship by defeating Lee County 5-1 and 2-1 in a doubleheader at a neutral site. The award and a check for $1,000 to be used in support of the baseball team were accepted by Coach Jeff Rowland. For more Luncheon photos, visit our website at: The week after the Fan Club s High School All-Star Luncheon, the MLB First-Year Player Draft was held on June Six of our All-Star players were selected in the Draft. Rd. 2 (41 st overall) Drew Waters (Etowah), OF (Braves) Rd. 5 Ethan Lindow (Locus Grove), LHP (Phillies) Rd. 33 Kyle Jacobsen (Allatoona), CF (Brewers) Rd. 37 Peyton Glavine (Blessed Trinity), LHP (Angels) Rd. 39 Colin Hall (Wesleyan), CF (Rockies) Rd. 40 Baron Radcliff (Norcross), RF (Braves) By Lynn Walley The first Reach Out, Be Our Guest event for the 2017 season was held on Tuesday, June 6th, when the Braves 400 Fan Club hosted a group from the Fellowship of Christian Athletes ( FCA ) Urban Baseball: Atlanta to attend the Braves vs Phillies game. Coaches and players from the 14U FCA All-Stars were welcomed to SunTrust Park by Braves Community Affairs Coordinator, Kathryn Bennett, and Fan Club members Carole Brooks, Mary Lou Brooks, Wayne Coleman, Howard Evans, Arlene Langer, Linda Lovejoy, Linda Smith, and Lynn Walley. The mission of FCA Urban Baseball: Atlanta is to use the platform of baseball to impact inner-city Atlanta and the world for Jesus Christ through the influence of coaches and athletes, and to empower and equip coaches and athletes to become leaders in their communities through the power of the cross of Jesus Christ. Prior to the game, each member of the group was given a Braves t-shirt provided by the Braves 400 Fan Club. The group was then escorted to Hope and Will s Sandlot where they tested their skills in the batting and pitching cages, ran the bases, competed with each other on the various arcade games, and enjoyed zip-lining and the Climbing Tower. As a part of Kid s Week, a Q&A session featuring Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman and pitcher Julio Teheran was held in the Georgia Power Pavilion, where only kids were handed the mike and allowed to ask questions of the two Braves players. One of our FCA All-Stars, Nathan Riediger, stepped right up to the mike to ask Freddie and Julio a question! Before heading to the game, the kids took time for a photo op with Home Depot Tool Race stars, Phil the Bucket and B-Rush.

4 The Tomahawk Times June 2017 Page 4 Check out our new Braves shirts! Having fun at Hope and Will s Sandlot Testing the zip line The Braves 400 Fan Club reserved a booth at the Cobb County Business Expo and Summer JAM in the Cobb Galleria Centre on Friday afternoon, May 4 th, from 3:00-6:00 PM. We were one of more than 150 exhibitors and were located directly across the aisle from the Atlanta Braves. Our mission: to help Expo attendees become acquainted with the Fan Club and in the process sign up new members as part of our 2017 membership drive. Club members Wayne Coleman, Phil Youngberg, Lynn Walley, and Dave Badertscher greeted folks at the booth. By Wayne Coleman Rick Wheeler and I delivered an entertaining presentation about the Braves 400 Fan Club at The Georgian Club's Luncheon on June 5. The Georgian Club's promotional material for the luncheon posed the questions, "How can you support the newest professional sports team in Cobb County and at the same time support baseball in the Greater Atlanta community? Plus have a great time with a group of baseball fanatics?" The assembled fans apparently enjoyed the presentation as we picked up thirteen new Braves 400 Fan Club members. The private Georgian Club offers its members elegant surroundings for conducting business or entertaining clients with a beautiful view of the Atlanta skyline from the 17th floor of Galleria Tower 100. Our presentation was part of The Georgian Club's "Lunch and Learn" series in which local businesses deliver informative presentations during lunch. How about your club, organization or Rotary? Are they looking for speakers? As part of the Braves 400 Fan Club's membership drive, we can bring our Club's presentation with colorful slides to one of your meetings. To discuss a booking, please contact Wayne or Rick by leaving a message on the Fan Club Hotline,

5 The Tomahawk Times June 2017 Page 5 Welcome New Braves 400 Fan Club Members! Brenda Aenchbacher Steve Gardner Greg Robinson June Alder Keith Hansen & Kelli Laser-Hansen Thelma Shorter Shannon, Corinna, Thomas & Nicholas Caudill Amanda Helmstetter Scott Siemon Lenora Chandler Tim Jacobsen Chris Simser Rusty Cothran Laura Mihill & Aiden Mihill Jay Smith Jabar, Bryce & Blake Dozier Jody Miller Hyde Talbot Michael Ehrler Frank Morgan Thomas & Margaret Torbert William Epps Brandon & Brittany Olszeski Lisa Waters Scott Erbe Stephen Phillips Brad Witcher Stephen Frederick William Renshaw William Witcher, Jr. And THANKS to everyone who renewed their membership for 2017!! By Dave Badertscher The Fan Club s first of two Major League trips in 2017 was to Miami, where our group of 27 saw the Braves take on division rivals, the Miami Marlins, at Marlins Park in a three-game series. The Braves came into Miami with a record of 12-19, having lost 7 of their last 8. Meanwhile, the Marlins were 13-21, with 8 losses in the past 10 games. It was time for the Braves to start a winning streak. We hoped for strong starts from Mike Foltynewicz, Julio Teheran, and R.A. Dickey and all three came through. On Friday night s opener Folty pitched six innings of one-run ball and the bullpen helped him nail down his first win of the season. Tyler Flowers homered and later the Braves rallied for 6 runs in the 7th inning in an 8-4 victory. Sweet! Julio (at right) was on top of his game on Saturday night, dueling Edinson Volquez in front of a crowd of 26,692. He pitched six shutout innings, Nick Markakis and Freddie Freeman had multi-hit games, and the bullpen held, as we beat the Marlins 3-1. In the Sunday Mother s Day finale, Dickey s knuckleball worked masterfully until he was ambushed by a pinch-hit, three-run homer by Tyler Moore in the 7th. The final: Marlins 3, Braves 1, but we still took the series.

6 The Tomahawk Times June 2017 Page 6 Coming off the recent opening of SunTrust Park, it was interesting to look at the features of Marlins Park (opened 2012) through that lens. Marlins Park is attractive, bright, and spacious on the inside while offering a nice view of the Miami skyline through the outfield glass panels. The retractable roof was closed on Sunday as rainy weather was predicted. Good to know that we would definitely see a game that afternoon, rain or shine. Not many of our folks made it to the stadium s Clevelander Bar and swimming pool, but the Bobblehead Museum was definitely a fan favorite. What surprised me most was the enthusiasm of the hometown fans in attendance given years of seeing empty, lifeless stands at Marlins games on TV broadcasts. On this spring weekend baseball felt alive and well at Marlins Park. Unfortunately our group was not able to take a guided tour of Marlins Park, because tours are not scheduled on game days. However, that left us plenty of time to explore Miami using the MetroMover, the Miami Trolley, or on foot. Friday afternoon we had dinner on the outdoor patio of the Catch Grill & Bar at our hotel, the Marriott Biscayne Bay, before taking our chartered bus to the game. During the morning and early afternoon on Saturday, a number of folks took hop-on & hop-off tours to South Beach and the Art Deco District, Little Havana, and the Downtown area on the open-top Miami Big Bus. At 3:30 we all met for an enjoyable light meal at Largo Bar & Grill in the Bayside Marketplace. After returning to our hotel, it was off to Marlins Park again. Our thanks go out to Trip Coordinator Rick Wheeler for putting together another great trip. This year the Fan Club offered a second Major League trip to St. Louis in August, which sold out quickly. For more Miami trip photos go to

7 The Tomahawk Times June 2017 Page 7 Members of the Braves 400 Fan Club journeyed to State Mutual Stadium on Saturday, April 29 th, to watch the Rome Braves take on the West Virginia Power in an evening Sally League contest. Last year Rome was named the 2016 Minor League Team of the Year by Baseball America. Their success on the field continues. Braves pitchers Bryse Wilson and Oriel Caicedo shut down the Power in a 6-1 win for the home team, as Kevin Josephina had three hits and catcher Tanner Murphy homered. A spirited crowd of 4,051 experienced the fun of Minor League baseball. We weathered a couple of brief showers, watched players for both teams go up to the plate swinging and busting it in the field, saw our pitchers bear down, and witnessed both benches and bullpens clear after an incident at first base, only to be quickly defused by Manager Randy Ingle and the umps. Many in the stands hung around after the game to see a real gamer get shot out of a cannon. He landed safely in the net at home plate. Nuff said. The Fan Club enjoyed spending the evening with the Rome Braves Braves 400 Fan Club Calendar of Upcoming Events June 24 th (Saturday) Author Luncheon, Dan Schlossberg, Marriott Northwest at Galleria July 15 th (Saturday) Tailgate, Braves vs. D-Backs, Marriott Northwest at Galleria July 22 nd (Saturday) Gwinnett Braves vs. Indianapolis, Coolray Field August (Fri-Sun) Major League Trip #2: St. Louis, Braves vs. Cardinals (Sold Out) September 19 th (Tues.) Call-Up Luncheon, Marriott Northwest at Galleria October 14 th (Saturday) Sid Slid Celebration, Turner Field Lot (pending GSU approval) November 4 th (Saturday) 2017 Wrap-Up and Club Elections, Marriott Northwest at Galleria

8 The Tomahawk Times June 2017 Page 8 By Damion Carpenter On Tuesday May 16th, ESPN's senior baseball writer Keith Law visited Decatur Library to discuss his new book "Smart Baseball" in front of an audience of approximately 50 people. Law is known for his quick wit, sharp opinions, his annual ranking of baseball s best prospects, and outside the box thinking. He contrasted sabermetrics with the statistics that the average fan views on the back of a baseball card or by doing a simple Google search. Law stated that all 30 teams in MLB use advanced analytics more than ever, with organizations such as the Los Angeles Dodgers having as many as 14 individuals dedicated to analytics alone. His view is that common statistics and the historic way of viewing players based on won-lost record, saves, RBIs, batting average, hits, etc., are very misleading. While answering questions from fans in attendance, Law supported his theories with a few examples: Joe Carter, who was a good player, was able to benefit in a contract year and cashed in by hitting behind Hall of Fame caliber players, Tony Gwynn and Roberto Alomar, whereas another player on a team that didn't have the same caliber of players would be overlooked. Another example would be Hall of Famers with 300+ wins who played behind teams with explosive line-ups. Other pitchers with 200+ wins struggled for votes to get in due to their lack of explosive line-ups and/or numbers. This is where the purists who are stuck on conventional wisdom or numbers are less likely to value a player for his worth based on Statcast, WAR (Wins Above Replacement), and WPA (Win Probability Added). Law said that a player s value should be judged by how many games they can alter defensively, keeping their team in games with quality starts and OBP (On Base Percentage). Law spoke highly of several prospects around baseball, including Atlanta's own pitching prospect, Ian Anderson. He was asked about the direction of the Braves organization as a whole. In response, he stated that General Manager John Coppolella is a tireless, fearless, aggressive worker, who has the organization headed on the right path. Afterward Keith Law signed copies of "Smart Baseball" and talked more baseball with those who wished to stay and participate. Keith Law/Damion Carpenter By Dave Badertscher We hope you enjoy this issue of The Tomahawk Times. It hardly seems like two months have passed since Opening Night at SunTrust Park. What a celebration! We rushed to get our April newsletter out as soon as possible to report on this milestone in franchise history. Finally, it seemed, it was time to sit back, relax and watch the Braves season unfold in their new home. Play ball! As you can see, though, this spring has been anything but a slow time for the Braves 400 Fan Club. We ve successfully held our High School All-Star Luncheon and begun our 2017 Reach Out program, planned ambitiously for additional activities in new venues, made a road trip to Miami and seen the Rome Braves play, increased our Facebook participation, and been energized by a spirited membership drive that capitalizes on Cobb connections we ve worked hard to establish. The Fan Club has been busy. Can you tell?