Royalty goes to Gwinnett to see the other Braves play in August!‏

Welcome to the Peach State

After spending the night in Chattanooga, Tennessee, I returned to the Peach State to wrap up my weekend getaway down South. Since the Atlanta Braves had their game changed from a day game to a night game to accommodate ESPN, I decided to go to Gwinnett that afternoon instead. I knew all along that was going to happen. I didn't wait for the official announcement. I decided that it made more sense for me to fly back that Sunday night from Atlanta . I didn't want to get up extra early to go back home bright & early Monday morning since I had another busy day planned which included doing a lot more driving. As it turned out my pal Gio Gonzalez was pitching that night too since the Braves were playing the Nationals. As they say, you win some, you lose some. I made the best of the circumstances I was given.

On my way to Gwinnett which is a suburb north of Atlanta‎, I stopped off at a Waffle House where I got to enjoy a royal breakfast to start my day off right. It worked out well as I wound up pressing for time. They serve food good fast as they like to say. I was a satisfied customer. After I got done eating, I got back in the car & I  finished the drive to Lawrenceville which is the town in Gwinnett county. When I got off the highway, I had to drive a few miles to get to Coolray Field which is where the Gwinnett Braves play. They're the Triple A affiliate of their parent club, the Atlanta Braves. That day they were playing the Norfolk Tides, the Baltimore Orioles' farm team. 

 

Coolray Field, Home of the Gwinnett Braves 

Upon entry, I went to the guest services booth where I was greeted by a gentleman named Dan. He made me feel right at home. He thanked me for coming out to the game. I told him it was my first visit. He told me I'm happy you're here. After talking for a few minutes with him, I went on my merry way. He directed me to the team store since they didn't have the passport stamp at that booth anymore. He said they used to. He searched high & low before he asked a co-worker for assistance. That person told him they have it at the team store. I proceeded to go there. After I got validated, I went & I sat down behind home plate so I could relax & enjoy the game.

 

Here's my official stamp

Here I am getting ready for the game to start

As for the game I saw, the hometown Braves wound up blanking the Tides, 2-0. The Braves got a fine performance out of their starter, Mike Wright who threw seven shutout innings. The bullpen preserved the last two innings as the people who showed up got to go home happy.

After the game, I drove an hour or so to the airport which is located south of downtown. I had to maneuver around some traffic as I approached downtown Atlanta. I saw a sign that said a few lanes were closed, so I got off the highway as I noticed the traffic building up to a standstill & I drove around on the streets in the downtown area before I was able to get back on the highway to get to the airport. Since it took me longer than I expected, I decided to go right to the airport instead of stopping somewhere to have dinner along the way. I stopped off for gas right near the exit for the airport then I returned the Chevy Sonic I rented for the weekend to Hertz. I wound up driving 1,004 miles safely. I proceeded to check in for my flight on Delta Airlines. After I got through security, I saw a Bojangles' which is a fried chicken restaurant near my gate. I  decided it was "Bo time" if you will. That's what their slogan said. I sat down, relaxed & I enjoyed some more Southern Hospitality before it was time for me to depart for my flight back home. 

While I waited for my flight to leave, I got to follow the game I was missing at Turner Field in Atlanta on my phone using the MLB At Bat app. Since Gio was pitching I was following it very closely as I always do when he pitches. He struggled in the first inning. He then seemed to have settled down for the next two innings. Since it was time to take off, I couldn't follow anymore. When I landed at LaGuardia shortly after 11PM that night, I found out that Gio got roughed up. With that being said, in retrospect, I made the right decision after all. I would have loved to have seen him pitch regardless but the way it turned out I may have had more trouble sleeping.

Stay tuned for another special post I'm going to be that will recap that memorable Monday I had.

Thank you for reading ‎& following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman