Atlanta Braves

On May 10, 1977, Ted Turner—the budding media mogul and owner of the sad-sack Atlanta Braves—told manager Dave Bristol to take 10 days off after losing 16 games straight. Too bad Turner had no clue what he was doing.

Last night’s Cobb County Commission meeting felt more like a Chamber-backed groundbreaking for the new Braves stadium than a public forum. Before the call to order, the room was packed with suits, ties, and a few nametags attached to people talking about business, glad-handing, and passing out cards—the only things missing were the souvenir hard hats and shiny shovels.

You may love them or you may loathe them, but you can never say that Philadelphia sports fans aren't passionate—and creative. When their teams suck, Philly fans generally deride and degrade their own more than any visitor would dare. But as a rival, it is cathartic to watch them choke on their antics.

The Atlanta Braves' up-and-down streakiness has left them one game behind the Washington Nationals in the NL East (at least, that is, until the Nats play tonight). In the midst of this season's roller-coaster ride, some may have forgotten about the team's new stadium in Cobb County set to open in 2017. And the warm and fuzzy feelings from the weekend’s Hall of Fame inductions of Bobby Cox, Tom Glavine, and Greg Maddux might have just been enough to put outrage about the planned relocation on the back burner for most fans. (We stress: Most; not all.)

Mazzone has fond memories of Turner Field, where he wore out the bench as pitching coach, rocking nervously back and forth in the dugout beside manager Bobby Cox as the two oversaw the most successful stretch in Braves history.

For both millenials and long-time fans, this Braves season is starting to bring flashbacks. Young fans recall the collapse of 2011 as the long-sufferers fight off visions of the late 1980’s. The team has lost six straight games—falling to three games behind the first-place Nationals. Despair over this slump is mitigated by a trade with the Cubs that could give the team a needed jolt.

In his sky blue bodysuit, Nigel Talton can outrun almost everyone in “RaceTrac’s Beat The Freeze,” at the Atlanta Braves' SunTrust Park. We interview the 28-year-old former track star about his history, Olympic dreams, and his time volunteering.

East Cobb lawyer Susan McCoy hoped “something exciting” would happen when she asked the feds to investigate Cobb County’s bond deal with the Atlanta Braves. “I didn’t realize that would be my garden and fence burning up,” she said.