The Tomahawk Chop Part 2

This is the continuation of this writeup.

 

June 26, 2012: Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Atlanta Braves

Tomahawk Chop!

Happy birthday to me.  For some strange reason, I disliked all the opposing teams that I watched in Turner Field some time when I was a kid. That happens if the champions of the sport you watch vary ever so often and if you have watched it avidly for a very long time. In baseball, you usually hate your division rivals (in my case, the Mets, Marlins and Phillies… Washington sucked all the time so they have not yet developed that hatred). The Braves were so dominant in the 90s that I ended up disliking each team that eliminated them. That and I was still a kid then. Kids always get emotional when their sports teams get eliminated.

The D-Backs actually did not eliminate the Braves. However, I was not a fan of Randy Johnson (as for Schilling, I forgave him because he delivered a World Series title to the Red Sox). For those who do not know, the Arizona Diamondbacks were also one of the dominant teams in the late 90s. Right now, they are pretty much punching bags even if they entered the playoffs. In this game, they were punching bags from the very start. It was another typical blowout game. The Braves’ bats were just exploding. Call it a boring game, but I enjoyed it. I got to teach a friend about baseball; the Braves fans have vastly improved their cheering (they always clap on two strikes and two outs); and the Braves won during my birthday.

The Tomahawk Chop Part 1

First ever sports team I rooted for. First ever U.S.A. city I liked (thanks to the 1996 Olympics). When I first learned that I will be going to Atlanta, the first thing that I thought of was (aside from work-related things), I’m going to watch the Atlanta Braves live! Yes, I am going to watch the freakin’ Braves!

One of the activities that stand out whenever you talk about Atlanta is watching the Atlanta Braves. From the airport on the way to downtown, you will surely pass by Turner Field at your right. Yes, at the very first day (January 4, 2012) I have been here, Turner Field has been luring me. There were no baseball games then, but I was already eager to step inside the stadium that I went there one winter Saturday morning for the Turner Field tours. Unfortunately, the locals could not even help or direct me to these tours. I had to wait up to April 2012 to watch my first Braves game.

The Redemption

Once upon a time, I was a LeBron fan. You know, when he was balling for his hometown. He had the mold of the ideal basketball alpha dog. He was a physical specimen who had the talents to deliver the high percentage field goals. LeBron had the vision and the ability to pass. Having grown up watching Jerry Sloan’s Utah Jazz pass the ball to execute effectively, I liked this aspect the most. When James showed clutch prowess against Washington, Detroit and Orlando, I thought LeBron was everything you could ask for a basketball player then.