Wow, this introduction celebrating the Braves 50th year in Atlanta is starting to make me a little teary-eyed. I got to thinking about all the exciting moments this team had over the years, even before they became a powerhouse. I tried to explain to me son sitting here how attached I was to this team when they moved here. I was a lad of 14 in Tampa, but having been born here, I was totally excited about it. Would stay up late at night listening to WSUN out of St. Pete who did the broadcasts; West Coast games during the school year were a killer, but there was always something about them that I loved. He asked me for some specifics; I gave him:
1. Hank's homer, obviously
2. The night Knockahoma's teepee caught fire
3. Ralph "Beep Beep" Garr and his speed
4. Biff Pocoroba (mainly because the future Mrs. Ed had a crush on him)
5. Sitting behind home plate as Count Montefusco threw a no-no at us
6. Pascual Perez and his trip around the Perimeter
7. Bob Horner coming down from the press box to help out when the aforementioned Perez got a full scale brawl going on the field.
7. Helicopters coming in to run their blades over the outfield grass to dry it out so a huge game with the Dodgers could be played; and Bob Watson hit a homer to win it, pointing at the Dodger dugout all the way around the bases.
8. Sid slid.
9. Justice's homer.
10. The great pitching and team unity of the Cox years.
11. Ted Turner and all his gimmicks. (Remember Andy Messersmith, No. 17, and Ted tried to get his name on the jersey changed to Channel).
Damn, I'm getting sentimental. ONe of these days, I'll repost the day the "Chop" was actually used for the first time at a Braves game...a LONG time before it became popular at Braves games. Hint: it involved a player named Deion and a large group of Noles partying long and hard in the parking lot prior to the game. Crazy day, that.
