The Newsletter of the Atlanta 400 Baseball Fan Club February 2019
The Newsletter of the Atlanta 400 Baseball Fan Club ______February 2019
By Dave Badertscher; photos by Linda Lovejoy
The Atlanta 400 Baseball Fan Club held its annual Gameboree banquet and fundraiser on Saturday, January 19, 2019, at the Atlanta Marriott Northwest at Galleria. This year’s theme was “All-Stars, Gold Gloves and National League Honors.” More than 180 Braves fans, honored guests, and Braves officials turned out for the Fan Club’s largest event of the year. Emcee Paul Byrd (pictured below) was a big hit.
The reception and silent auction opened at 5:00 with a fine selection of Braves and other baseball memorabilia. Thanks go to Silent Auction and Raffle Coordinator Nate Morgan and his crew, as well as to Fan Club members who generously donated items. As usual, all proceeds go to the Phil Niekro Scholarship Fund. This year guests in the Auction Room were entertained by Braves organist Matthew Kaminski. Quite a nice treat!
Once everyone was seated for dinner in the Cobb Ballroom, Fan Club President Howard Evans introduced the guests and award winners at the head table. Atlanta’s favorite tenor, Timothy Miller, sang “The Lord’s Prayer.” During dinner folks enjoyed a slide presentation highlighting the Fan Club’s many fun and worthwhile activities over the past year.
Following dinner, Howard thanked Club members who were involved in planning, organizing, and setting up this year’s event, especially Gameboree Program Coordinator Wayne Coleman and Logistics Coordinator Judy Messer. Howard talked about upcoming Club activities in 2019, including six monthly social gatherings in the SunTrust Cabanas, our Major League trip to Washington, DC, on June 21-23, and minor league trips to see the Rome Braves and the Gwinnett Stripers this summer. Details and sign-up will be available on our website (www.atl400.org) closer to the dates of the events. The Tomahawk Times February 2019 Page 2
Howard announced that this year 400 Fan Club members will again have an exclusive members-only Braves ticket discount. For all Sunday through Thursday games, excluding Opening Day, visit www.braves.com/400club and use promo code ‘400CLU’ to receive 20% off the gate price for seats in the Dugout Corner, Home Run Porch and Grandstand Reserved sections.
Howard then introduced the evening’s emcee, Braves pitcher and announcer, Paul Byrd. They shared insights on our theme “All-Stars, Gold Gloves and National League Honors.” Not only did the Braves win the National League East by eight games, but team members collected many individual awards and honors. The 2018 Braves had four National League All-Stars, three Gold Glove winners, the NL Rookie of the Year, and the NL Manager of the Year.
2018 Atlanta 400 Baseball Fan Club Awards
Red Wooten Metro Atlanta High School Player of the Year: Will Banfield (Brookwood H.S) (accepted by fellow Brookwood student, Jacob Oldknow)
Jason Varitek Most Outstanding Scholar Athlete in Georgia: Joey Bart (Georgia Tech) (accepted by Georgia Tech Head Coach, Danny Hall)
Phil Niekro Scholarship Awards: Georgia Gwinnett College (Lawrenceville) Middle Georgia State University (Macon)
Luke Appling Nostalgia Award: Ron Reed (Braves, Cardinals, Phillies, White Sox; Detroit Pistons)
Jacob Oldknow accepts HSPOY for Will Banfield Danny Hall accepts Varitek Award for Joey Bart
Brad Stromdahl, Gwinnett Georgia College Paul Knight, Middle Georgia State Univ. Ron Reed, Appling Award The Tomahawk Times February 2019 Page 3
2018 Atlanta Braves Minor League Awards Introduced by Ron Knight, Assistant Director, Player Development - Operations
Bill Lucas Award for Sportsmanship & Character: Hayden Deal (Rome Braves)
Hank Aaron Award for Outstanding Minor League Player: Austin Riley (Gwinnett Stripers)
Phil Niekro Award for Outstanding Minor League Pitcher: Touki Toussaint (unable to attend)
Bobby Cox Manager of the Year Award: Chris Maloney (Mississippi Braves)
Hayden Deal, Bill Lucas Award Austin Riley, Hank Aaron Award Chris Maloney, Cox Award
Special Award: National League Manager of the Year Brian Snitker
Howard Evans was called back to the podium to present a special award. “This may be my best baseball honor,” Howard said in recognizing Brian Snitker as the National League Manager of the Year. “The players love Brian Snitker and so do the fans. He makes everyone feel important. Brian treats everyone the right way and I love him. So many players have said they just want to go out there and do everything they can for him.”
Brian said it was a pleasure to be among his many friends in the 400 Fan Club. “I’m very proud to be an Atlanta Brave. The minor league people do an unbelievable job. Our coaches and scouts are the hardest working in baseball. This is a great time for the Braves Nation. Our young guys are out there having fun playing baseball. That is so refreshing.” The Club donated a check for $1,000 to Brian’s chosen charity, the Tim and Kim Hudson Family Foundation.
The Tomahawk Times February 2019 Page 4
2019 Ivan Allen, Jr., “Mr. Baseball” Award
Wayne Coleman, 2014 “Mr. Baseball,” presented this year’s award. Wayne recognized one of the largest gatherings of past Mr. Baseballs at a Gameboree and asked each recipient to stand (see photo below). The “Mr. Baseball” Award is given annually to the “person who has contributed significantly to the promotion of baseball in the Atlanta area.”
The 2019 “Mr. Baseball” recipient is legendary coach, Hugh Buchanan. He was the first baseball coach at Parkview High School where during his 29 seasons (1976-2004), his teams won three state titles. Hugh finished with a career record of 546-245 for a winning percentage of .690. Parkview named its baseball field after him.
Hugh was co-founder of and served as Team Georgia director for twelve years. He is now a professional scout for the Atlanta Braves.
2019 Eddie Glennon Gameboree: Faces in the Crowd
To view more 2019 Gameboree photos visit: www.atl400.org/photo-gallery/gallery62/ The Tomahawk Times February 2019 Page 5
By Howard Evans, President Atlanta 400 Baseball Fan Club
What a dramatic way to start the New Year! The 2019 Gameboree, our traditional start of the season event, with over 180 in attendance, capped off the Braves Chop Fest weekend on January 19th. Master of Ceremonies, Paul Byrd, took us through the Awards ceremonies with a mixture of humor and storytelling, as we celebrated the 2018 season. If you couldn’t make it, you missed a spectacular night, as the audience finished the night on their feet in a standing ovation. Much credit is due to Paul Byrd, Phil Niekro, and the Braves for their participation and support. A special thanks goes to all our Board and members, who devoted so much time over a period of months on the planning and detailed execution for the event. Recognition is due to Presidential Advisor, Wayne Coleman, who for the umpteenth consecutive year as Program Chair, had overall responsibility for making the Gameboree a memorable fan experience.
Turning the page to the 2019 Season, Spring Training is about to open. By the time you read this, the popping of leather and the smell of the grass permeate the air. Many of you will make the trip to Florida to watch the Braves, as they begin the defense of their Division Championship. Don’t forget to post pictures of your trip on the Fan Club’s Facebook page. We’d love to see them.
Membership renewals are coming in fast and furious. If you have not renewed for 2019, now is the time. Membership packages this year will include two “Join Us” business cards. We hope you will use those cards to hand out to friends, family or colleagues and let them know why you enjoy your membership in the Fan Club. We are bringing back our pregame socials held on the Xfinity level Cabanas, which provide a great opportunity to tailgate before the game. Make sure you don’t miss taking in some of our activities this season and GO BRAVES!!!
2019 Fan Club Activities Calendar
March 30th (Saturday) Opening Week Viewing Party (Phillies) Location TBD
April 12th (Friday) Pre-game Social at Xfinity Cabanas (Mets)
May 11th (Saturday) Gwinnett Stripers vs Pawtucket Red Sox at Coolray Field
May 17th (Friday) Pre-game Social at Xfinity Cabanas (Brewers)
May 31st (Friday) High School All-Star Presentation at SunTrust Park (Tigers)
June 17th (Monday) Pre-game Social at Xfinity Cabanas (Mets)
June 21-23 (Fri.-Sun.) Major League Trip to Washington, DC
July 19th (Friday) Pre-game Social at Xfinity Cabanas (Nationals)
August 2nd (Friday) Pre-game Social at Xfinity Cabanas (Reds)
August 24th (Saturday) Rome Braves vs Columbia Fireflies at State Mutual Stadium
September 5th (Thursday) Pre-game Social at Xfinity Cabanas (Nationals)
Sept. 18 or 19 (Wed/Thurs) Luncheon TBD
October 14th (Monday) Sid Slid Celebration
November 9th (Saturday) 2019 Wrap-Up & Election Luncheon
Welcome New Atlanta 400 Baseball Fan Club Members!
Christian Koch, Atlanta, GA John Martin, Alpharetta, GA
Aaron Welling, Cumming, GA The Tomahawk Times February 2019 Page 6
2019 Atlanta 400 Baseball Fan Club
Officers Directors Advisory Council
Howard Evans, President Jay Aven Wayne Coleman
Dave Badertscher, Vice-President Mary Lou Brooks Bernie Marino
Lynn Walley, Treasurer Bud Carter Judy Messer
Rich Vitaris, Secretary Arlene Langer Bob Messner
Linda Lovejoy Gary Novak
Nate Morgan John Padgett
Becky Sawyer Johnny Tallant
Anjy Tankersley Rick Wheeler Sid Tourial Phil Youngberg
2019 Membership Renewal Reminder:
Thanks to everyone who has already renewed their 2019 Fan Club membership!
If you haven’t renewed yet, dues are only $30 (primary) & $15 (associate).
It’s easy to renew online at www.atl400.org or call our Hotline (770-416-4539)
How long since you have visited the Nation’s Capital? If it has been more than ten years, why don’t you join us for a weekend of baseball and tourism? We have a schedule set up to take in all three games between the Braves and Nationals, yet have plenty of time available for you to take in whatever interests you.
Both air and land packages are available for the trip. Based on the response to the December trip announcement there are only 9 air packages left. The air package cost is $800/person double occupancy and includes transfers between the airport and the hotel. The Cost Saver Land package cost is $475/person double occupancy. A single supplement for either package is available for $180. We can also arrange extra night stays and a Monday return for a nominal extra cost. With 40 game tickets reserved, we can take an additional 13 travelers.
We will travel non-stop between Atlanta and Reagan National on American Airlines. Our accommodations are a short three blocks from Nationals Park at the Marriott Courtyard Capitol Hill/Navy Yard. On Friday before the game we will have a group dinner. We are still working on the location, but there are a number of excellent restaurants a short distance from our hotel.
In addition to a full day available on Saturday for you to explore Washington DC, you will also have Friday afternoon open to either explore the Navy Yard/Ball Park area or go visit a museum. The Green Line Metro stop is only two short blocks from the Courtyard. It can take you into the center of downtown DC. To help your exploration on Saturday you will have a full day ticket to use on the Old Town Trolley Hop-on/Hop-off tour of the center of the District. There are no time restrictions with this ticket. It is yours to use all day however you want.
The reservation deadline is March 15. A 50% deposit is required by April 15 and final payment by June 1. To reserve a spot, contact Rick Wheeler (404-373-7041 or [email protected]) The Tomahawk Times February 2019 Page 7
The Braves launched Chop Fest Weekend with their Gala Awards event at the Coca-Cola Roxy on Friday evening, January 18. The 2018 season gave the Braves and their fans much to celebrate. The program featured player and alumni introductions, presentations to award winners including 2018 Rookie of the Year Ronald Acuña and NL Manager of the Year Brian Snitker, the introduction of new players Josh Donaldson and Brian McCann, and a player update from Freddie Freeman, Dansby Swanson, Ender Inciarte, and Charlie Culberson. The evening closed with the Braves Hall of Fame induction of Boston Beaneaters legend Hugh Duffey and MVP/Gold Glove winner, clubhouse leader, coach, and role model Terry Pendleton, who was introduced by Chipper Jones.
Terry shared memories of the many influences that helped him along the way: God, the Braves organization, Brian Snitker, his Little League and Fresno State coaches, John Schuerholz, Bobby Cox, Paul Snyder, and his wife and family. He challenged the 2019 Braves “to keep it going.”
Friday night’s Gala was followed by a full day of activities on Saturday as Chop Fest returned to SunTrust Park and The Battery. Braves players, the Heavy Hitters, and Blooper kicked off the event with the Chop Rally at 10AM in the Plaza despite the forecast of an all-day rain.
The Chop Fest schedule featured something for fans of all ages and lasted until 6PM. This included photo and autograph ops with players, on-field clinics, panel discussions, a “State of the Team” address, a Braves uniform fashion show, and even wiffle ball home run derby at the Roxy for kids.
Photo op with Sobotka, Allard, and Wright Ozzie’s selfie with the fans You really gotta want it bad! The Tomahawk Times February 2019 Page 8
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Chop Rally: Blooper tests out Dansby’s “flow” Chip and Jeff led a very entertaining players’ discussion
As usual, a good crowd of Braves fans turned out for the annual Rome Hot Stove Gathering at the Forum, on Monday, January 28th, from 5:30-7:30PM. Fans enjoyed the silent auction, “all you can eat” ballpark dinner, autograph session, comments by special guests, and a Q&A session. This year proceeds went to Alternative Baseball, a non-profit developmental baseball program for teens and adults with autism and special needs, and the Atlanta Braves Foundation.
The Rome Braves were represented by GM Jim Bishop, Asst. GM Jim Jones, new Manager Matt Tuiasosopo, and members of the coaching staff. Guests from the Atlanta Braves included Alex Anthopoulos, Brian Snitker, Dom Chiti, Ron Knight, Chris Lionetti, Perry Minasian, Braeden Schlehuber and Jonathan Schuerholz. The 2017 Metro Atlanta High School Player of the Year (Etowah High School) and the 41st pick overall in the draft, Drew Waters, also participated.
Alex Anthopoulos signs for Johnny Matt Tuiasosopo Johnny, Wayne, Howard, John, Dave, Steve at the Forum