This began as an innocent email interchange between Pasqua and I regarding what to name the trophy cup for our fantasy baseball league. Pasqua brilliantly suggested the Lemke Cup after former super-stud Atlanta Braves second baseman Marcus Ignatius Octavius Lemke. What followed was a bloody, rude, crude, sometimes fruit-filled debate about the pros and cons of one Turner Field...
Wait...which stadium is this again? Oh yeah, the Braves...thank God for that logo in centerfield otherwise I would have said Cincinnatti.
Pasqua: You're welcome for the Lemke Cup. Maybe we can bring it to a Braves game and have that short fuc* sign it.
Oh Mark I shall drink frosty brews out of the cup named in your honor at this year's draft
Stanicek: Yeah right - like those "fan friendly" wonks at Turner would let you bring something like that into the stadium. I had to get a full body cavity search and an implanted electro shock chip just to bring in a pen and ask for autographs.
Stanicek: Yeah right - like those "fan friendly" wonks at Turner would let you bring something like that into the stadium. I had to get a full body cavity search and an implanted electro shock chip just to bring in a pen and ask for autographs.
Pasqua: You're an idiot…I love Turner more than a warm crescent roll during a bubble bath with someone’s Grandma. Weird I know.
Stanicek: We'll just have to throw Turner into the "Scrubs" pile of things we will never agree on - I don't like it because of the militant anti-fan atmosphere and lack of any defining or charming characteristics (other than "Its got lots of TVs" and "Its got a HUGE TV!" and "Hey look at that TV") and you like it because you are an Atlanta apologist. So agree to disagree.
You have to question Pasqua's taste cause he doesn't like this either
Pasqua: Yes, you're correct. Turner sure does blow because of how fan friendly it is for kids (I dred the day I have to take my kid to Turner…), and how about those walkways? They're so spacious you don't have to rub up against a 400lb man to get around. How ridiculous is that? Oye vay, and Turner certainly has jacked up ticket prices. I mean $1 seats!!! What kind of lunacy is that???
Pasqua: Yes, you're correct. Turner sure does blow because of how fan friendly it is for kids (I dred the day I have to take my kid to Turner…), and how about those walkways? They're so spacious you don't have to rub up against a 400lb man to get around. How ridiculous is that? Oye vay, and Turner certainly has jacked up ticket prices. I mean $1 seats!!! What kind of lunacy is that???
Stanicek: So the things going for Turner are 1) all the other things to do besides watch baseball and 2) there's lots of room in the walkways. Not exactly glowing reviews. I look for that authentic baseball vibe in a ballpark...sitting down and knowing what stadium and city you are in immediately, the character, the uniqueness...that's what sets great stadiums apart. In Turner there's nothing. No view of the skyline, no distinct features, it is drab and lifeless. Not to mention that they will saw off your hand if you try to get an autograph, watch the starters warm up in the bullpen or take a picture two hours before the game when there are a grand total of 300 people in the entire stadium. As for my kids - there is no way I'm taking them to some arcade in the bowels of the stadium during the game - we will be there to watch baseball.
Pasqua: My kids will be there to watch baseball as well homie. The fact that the tickets are affordable, they offer great discounts for tickets, and there really isn't a bad seat in the house gives Turner a great advantage. You're straight up and down 100% without a doubt completely disastrously wrong about the skyline not being visible from Turner. Sure, it's a horrendous and hideous skyline…but it's there. I also love the bars in the stadium that allow you to stand with a brew in hand and with a huge group of friends. Both of the outdoor bars give you a great view of the field. Give me a distinct feature of LA's stadium? I actually consider the Chophouse and Top of the Chop a distinct feature. If you want to drink with friends at US Cellular, you have to do so in the walkways. Granted, I also consider the big screen a distinct feature…but whatever. You're probably right…it's so much better to watch a replay in your mind than on a 80,000 foot HD big screen. And I've said this before, but US Cellular doesn't let you down onto the lower level AT ALL before or during the game unless you have a lower level ticket. Not the case at Turner…just FYI.
Stanicek: So you are touting Turner based on a ballpark neither of us have ever been to that was built in the 1960s and US Cellular which is one of the crappier stadiums I've ever set foot in. Besides, Turner was JUST built...they had every opportunity to make it distinct, make it interesting and didn't. Sure, Turner is more pleasant than most minor league stadiums and is probably better than Florida's stadium - does that make it better? And sure the skyline (and by skyline I mean the GA Capitol building area, with the tall buildings and what not, not the projects and highways over right-center) may be visible from some seats or the ramps but its not a focal point a la Baltimore. As for the big-screen TV...come on...EVERY stadium has a replay board but I'm supposed to go ga ga for this one because Turner's is 72 feet whereas Texas' is only 68 feet. That just doesn't impress me. I don't go to stadiums for the size of the TV. Finally, the ticket pricing argument is irrelevant - the only reason the prices are so low is because the fans are so lousy. If they ever started selling out the stadium consistently those tickets would skyrocket faster than an Aubrey Huff homer. It's captialism. The Orioles also have very cheap and discounted tickets. What I'm basically getting at is that 1) I've had bad experiences at Turner with the rules/regulations, 2) I expect more from it aesthetically because it was built in the past few years and had the benefit of taking the best points from other stadiums, 3) the designers failed to do that and turned in nothing more than a mediocre at best park, 4) that makes me like it less because of the wasted opportunity, 5) overall its fine but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone doing a tour of stadiums.
Now THIS is a stadium - skyline is a focal point, recognizable immediately and incorporates something unique about the city into the design...and no interstate highways don't count.
Pasqua: Pretty interesting that my cousin, a life-long Cubs fan, says Turner is one of the best stadiums he's ever seen. As has my Uncle, a life-long White Sox fan. So have my relatives from San Diego. The list goes on and on. The fact is, I think it's a gorgeous park from the inside as well as the outside when you're driving along the highway. They had NO OTHER CHOICE but to build it next to the old Fulton County stadium so I can't fault them for what's in the background. When you're in the upper deck you can see all of Atlanta's skyline…really…I think you're wrong on this point. The parking situation is one of the best I've ever seen too. Other stadiums you have to take a train or park in a lot close to the stadium for $50…and I know you'll refute this as being something that doesn't matter…but the fact is that it makes the overall experience more enjoyable. You made no mention of the bars in the outfield…which is the point I harped on most and one of the main reasons I enjoy Turner. It allows you to drink with a group of 20 if you'd like and be able to see the field to follow the game. I've yet to see a stadium that offers something like that to the general public for free. What I'm getting at is that 1) Turner's rules/regulations are actually LESS strict than US Cellular's and I have to imagine other stadiums beefed up security in recent years too 2) I disagree and think it's a very pretty park…especially when you get first glance of the field from the outfield entrance 3) again, agree to disagree 4) they didn't have a choice on location and did the best they could 5) I'd recommend it since there's no other ballparks near Turner except in Florida. PLUS, they have some really fun 7 th inning traditions…”THANK GOD I’M A COUNTRY BOY!!!”
(Editor's Note: The following comment was not part of the original email interchange but because I was the one that posted I get the final word - fair? No.)
Stanicek: Don't even get me started on Turner BLATANTLY STEALING the Baltimore Orioles' 7th Inning Stretch tradition. That's just another nail in Turner's stale, generic, characterless coffin - having no originality or tradition of its own Turner goes out and steals "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" from the Orioles (the song, I should note, is in a National Baseball Hall of Fame exhibit in Cooperstown under Baltimore traditions). As for the bars - granted - they have two bars where you can buy purchase $9 beers to your heart's content and watch the game from some of the worst seats in the house. But seeing as I generally try to avoid spending upwards of $72 for alcohol at baseball games the bars are moot. Finally, this whole skyline issue - I realize they had to build the stadium there but did that prevent them from orienting it so that Atlanta's skyline would be the skyline out over centerfield? I can't count the skyline as a plus for the stadium when the only people who can see it are in the upper deck craning their necks.
Thoughts?
