Games 24 & 25

Atlanta Braves (Turner Field) vs. Milwaukee Brewers

The intention of this weekend trip was to get together with a few college buddies.  Thanks to Scott Rowles' hospitality, we had a free place to stay and a chauffeur.  Unfortunately Chris Petersen had to cancel at the last minute due to some emergency at work and Aaron Depew had to rearrange his schedule and miss out on the Braves game.  With all that said, it was still a great weekend.

Rowles and I sold the four tickets and purchased some standing-room only tickets, which in my opinion is the best way to see a Braves' game anyhow....on the terrace of the Chop House in center field.  Of course you have to battle the crowd and stand the entire time, but the view from center field is pretty good and the crowd is more interested in socializing than the actual game.  I have been to Turner Field many times and each time I have watched a game from this location.  It was opening day for the Braves against my home-town Brewers (ironically I was at the Brewers home opener last Friday).  I wore a Brewers shirt and took a little criticism from a few fans, but it wasn't too bad.  In the end, the Braves' fans got the last laugh anyhow.  Photo taken outside the stadium in Monument Grove...I highly recommend checking it out because it offers a lot of history.  The patio area inside the park, but outside of the actual seating area is a good place to grab food and watch the game on the jumbo-tron.

I have been to a lot of sporting events, but this might have been the most insane!  It was clear that people had been tailgating for hours in the hot sun.  The contant chant and tomahawk chop gets a bit annoying after a while.  Adding to the frenzy, it was Tomahawk give-away day, which was a big hit for the kids when I brought them home.  What better weapon than a foam hatchet to beat each other up. 

I was very interested to hear what kind of response Ryan Braun got on the road after his off-season steroid drama....lots of boos.





As mentioned, the Chop House deck is a great way to enjoy the atmosphere and see a little bit of the game.  Scott and I got a good laugh when we saw this sign for maximum capacity on the deck.  We took a walk around the stadium to get some photos and dinner.  When we came back, the Atlanta Fire Marshall was there removing people because they were well over capacity.  I guess that is what you get when you sell more tickets than seats - attendance was listed at 102% of capacity.  Anything to make a few more bucks.

All in all, it was a great night and a very exciting game with the Braves scoring late to win 10-8.


Atlanta Hawks (Philips Arena) vs Toronto Raptors - April, 15th, 2012.

No surprise, I am a huge sports fan; otherwise, why the heck am I doing going to all these games.  However, the NBA is by far my least favorite sports among the top 4 major sports. 

This game was a perfect example of why my interest in the NBA has diminished.  It was by far the sloppiest game I have ever witnessed.  The Hawks appeared that they had no interest in being there, air-balled shot after shot, did not hustle and walked back to the huddle during time-outs...maybe they did too much partying at the Brewers game a few days before. 

This picture about sums up the entire game.  Here the Hawks (in white) attempt to make a pass to nobody in particular, except directly to the Raptors.

The most exciting part of this game was the half-time show.  The mascot (Sky Hawk) and three others took to the air with a rather impressive display of flips, jumps and slam dunks off the trampoline.  In the photo, Sky Hawk can be seen doing a flip right before he dunks the ball.

Our seats were in the 2nd level, near the top, which provided an obstructed view of the overhead scoreboard, but to compensate, there were a number of TVs right in front of us showing the game and providing up to the minute statistics.  The game ended with the Hawks getting blown out - 102-86.  The only bright spot was Josh Smith scoring 26 points, but combined the Hawks shot only 40% and never led in the game.  To quote Hawks coach Larry Drew, "Very flat.  The energy level was very low."  The good news is that it raised $188 for the Jimmy V Foundation.

My current record is now 15-10 (although I will be honest, I was cheering for the visiting Brewers). 

The whole weekend was capped off with a visit to Stone Mountain.  Great fun - good to see you Aaron; thanks for the hospitality Scott and sorry you missed out Petersen!

If you are friends with me on facebook, you can see a lot more pictures of the trip.

Also, please visit my fundraising page. http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/christopher-apel/christopherapel