Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
>> I'M KIND OF BLOWN AWAY WITH
IT.
BUT I'VE BEEN OVER THE PLANS, I
HAVE NOT SEEN IT SINCE IT'S
BEEN COMPLETED.
SO, I'M JUST KIND OF BLOWN
AWAY.
I HAVEN'T SEEN IT ALL YET.
IT WILL TAKE A WHILE.
YOU HAVE TO PINCH YOURSELF,
THIS CAN'T BE REAL.
>> UNDER ORDINARY
CIRCUMSTANCES, THERE WOULD BE
PLENTY TO TALK ABOUT THIS FINAL
WEEKEND OF SPRING TRAINING, AS
JOE TORRE BRINGS THE DEFENDING
WORLD CHAMPION NEW YORK YANKEES
BACK TO THE CITY HE STOLE THE
TITLE FROM AGAINST BOBBY ***,
AND THE ATLANTA BRAVES.
A REMATCH OF LAST YEAR'S TWO
WORLD SERIES TEAMS OVER THIS
FINAL WEEKEND OF SPRING
TRAINING.
THE NEW YORK YANKEES AND THE
ATLANTA BRAVES ARE A STORY IN
THEMSELVES, BUT OVERRIDING ALL
OF THIS, MAJOR LEAGUE
BASEBALL'S NEWEST VENUE.
HI, EVERYBODY PETE VAN WIEREN
ALONG WITH JOE SIMPSON WELL
COMING YOU TO TURNER FIELD, THE
NEW HOME OF THE ATLANTA BRAVES.
THE FIRST GAME EVER PLAYED AT
TURNER FIELD.
JOE, DESPITE THE YANKEES BEING
IN DROWN, AND THE BRAVES
THEY'VE MADE THIS WEEK GETTING
READY FOR THE NEW SEASON, THE
STORY IS DEFINITELY THE
BALLPARK.
JOE: NORMALLY THE LAST COUPLE
DAYS OF SPRING TRAINING BOBBY
*** IS DOING FINAL EVALUATION
OF PLAYERS.
TODAY HE'LL BE EVALUATING MORE
THAN THAT.
HE'LL BE CHECKING OUT THE FEEL
TO SEE HOW THE BALL CARRIES,
WHAT KIND OF NUANCES AND QUIRKS
THERE ARE TO GO ALONG WITH
TURNER FIELD THAT MIGHT GIVE
THE BREAKS A BREAK.
PETE: NOT ONLY WILL BOBBY ***
BE CHECKING THOSE OUT BUT SO
WILL WE AND YOU.
THE FIRST GAME AT TURNER FIELD.
[CAPTIONING MADE POSSIBLE BY
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
AND TURNER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP]
JOE: A BEAUTIFUL DAY FOR
BASEBALL.
THE WIND OUT OF RIGHT FIELD.
A PACKED OUT EXPECTED FOR THIS
FIRST EVER GAME AT TURNER FIELD
BETWEEN THE WORLD CHAMPION
YANKEES AND THE ATLANTA BRAVES.
HERE'S THE LINEUP LEADING IT
OFF WILL BE LAST YEAR'S
AMERICAN LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE
YEAR DEREK JETER.
JOE THE CREW IS WATERING DOWN
THE INFIELD, AND YOU KNOW ED
MANGAN FEELS A LITTLE RELIEF.
I KNOW HE FEELS LIKE HE HAS A
LOT OF WORK TO DO, AND PROBABLY
DOES, BUT SOME RELIEF THAT
EVERYTHING LOOKS SO GOOD AND
READY FOR PLAY TODAY.
PETE: HE HEARD SO OFTEN,
ESPECIALLY ABOUT ANYWHERE FROM
SIX WEEKS TO A MONTH AGO, THAT
NO WAY THIS FIELD COULD BE
READY IN TIME FOR THESE TWO
GAMES WITH THE NEW YORK
YANKEES, AND THE HOPE OPENER
APRIL 4.
THERE WAS TALK SIX WEEKS AGO
ABOUT KEEPING ATLANTA-FULTON
COUNTY STADIUM READY JUST IN
CASE THIS WASN'T DONE IN TIME
FOR THESE GAMES, THESE
EXHIBITION GAMES WITH THE
YANKEES.
HERE WE ARE A BEAUTIFUL
AFTERNOON.
A SELLOUT CROWD.
AN EARLY ARRIVING CROWD WANTING
TO CHECK OUT ALL OF THE NEW
NEIGHBORHOODS AROUND THIS
BALLPARK, AND THE PLAZA OUT IN
CENTER FIELD WAS SWAMPED WITH
PEOPLE AN HOUR AND A HALF
BEFORE GAME TIME.
ALL OF THE THINGS THAT ARE
SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN WITH THIS
BALLPARK, HAVE BEEN HAVING HERE
ON THE FIRST DAY.
YOU KNOW ED MAMAAN AND HIS
CREW, AND ALL THE FOLKS WHO
DESIGNED AND PUT THIS PLACE
TOGETHER, HAVE TO BE SITTING
BACK AND SAYING WE DID IT.
JOE: LOOK WHAT THEY D WE HAVE
SOME FILM IN A LIME LAPSE ABOUT
SOME OF THE WORK THAT'S BEEN
DONE SINCE THE PARAOLYMPICS
ENDED LAST AUGUST.
A QUICK RETRO-FIT GETTING READY
FOR TODAY THAT BEGAN IN LATE
AUGUST.
AN AMAZING TRANSFORMATION,.
15 AVERAGES OF SAND ON THIS
FIELD.
SOME INCREDIBLE WORK.
GATES OPENED AT 10:20 THIS
MORNING FOR THE PLAZA AREA.
FANS WERE ALLOWED TO GO TO
THEIR SEATS ABOUT AN HOUR
LATER, BUT THAT PLAZA AREA, OUT
BEHIND CENTER FIELD, LOOKED
LIKE THE STATE FAIR MIDWAY
ABOUT 15 MINUTES AGO.
AS SOON AS THE NATIONAL ANTHEM
WAS SUNG, EVERYBODY STARTED
RUSHING TO THEIR SEATS, AND THE
PLAZA AREA BEGINNING TO THIN
OUT A LITTLE BIT.
ER' LOOKING AT THE BREW PUP IN
RIGHT CENTER FIELD.
IT'S GOING TO BE A POPULAR SPOT
BECAUSE OF THE VANTAGE POINT.
PETE: IF YOU PANNED TO THE LEFT
OF WHERE THE BREW HOUSE IS,
YOU'LL GET A LOOK AT THE PLAZA
OUTBACK WHICH HAS A LOT OF
INTERACTIVE AIR YASS, GAMES
KIDS CAN PLAY AND ADULTS.
PLACES TO POSE FOR PICTURES,
GET YOUR OWN BASEBALL CARD.
ALL KINDS OF FOOD AREAS, AND
SOUVENIR AREAS, THAT PLACE WAS
SWAMPED ALL MORNING LONG.
THAT'S THE REASON FOR IT BEING
THERE, TO GIVE FANS SOMETHING
TO DO BEFORE THE GAME STARTS,
IF THEY LIKE TO ARRIVE EARLY.
THEY CAN GO BACK AND FORTH
BETWEEN THE PLAZA AND THEIR
SEATING AREA TO WATCH BATTING
PRACTICE.
THEY CAN SPEND TIME AFTER THE
GAME WAITING FOR TRAFFIC TO
THIN AT THE PLAZA, WHICH WILL
REMAIN OPEN AFTER THE BALL
GAME.
SEATING CAPACITY IS 49,714.
A LOOK AT THE DIMENSIONS OF THE
BALLPARK, 335 DOWN THE
LEFT-FIELD LINE, 380 TO THE
POWER ALLEY IN LEFT CENTER E.
400 FEET TO STRAIGHT AWAY
CENTER.
330 DOWN THE LINE IN RIGHT.
EIGHT-FOOT HIGH FENCE.
BOTH MANAGERS, JOE TORRE AND
BOBBY *** TALKING ABOUT THE
BALLPARK AND THEIR FIRST
IMPRESSION LOOKING AT IT TRYING
TO GET A FEEL, FEEL THIS WILL
FAVOR THE HITTERS MORE THAN
ATLANTA-FULTON COUNTY STADIUM
DID FOR A COUPLE REASONS.
IT'S NOT AN ENCLOSED BALLPARK,
YOU WON'T GET THE SWIRLY WINDS
WHEN THEY ARE BLOWING AS
BRISKLY AS THEY ARE TODAY OUT
TOWARD RIGHT FIELD.
THERE'S NO BACKDROP TO STOP THE
WINDS FROM CARRYING THE BALL IF
IT'*** HIGH.
JUST KEEP CARRYING IT.
YOU'LL SEE THE WIND BE MUCH
MORE OF A FACTOR THAN AT
ATLANTA-FULTON COUNTY STADIUM.
JOE: IT WILL BE A TRUE WIND.
IF IT'S BLOWING AT US IT WILL
TAKE BALLS OUT.
IF IT'S BLOWING IT, IT WON'T
CIRCULATE.
IT IS BLOWING OUT, OUT TOWARD
RIGHT CENTER.
I NOTICED A LOT OF HIGH FLY
BALLS CARRYING TO THE BRAVES'
BULLPEN.
ONE OTHER FEATURE NOTICED RIGHT
AWAY BY TED TURNER WHEN HE CAME
DOWN THROUGH THE SEATS TO COME
TO HIS BOX, RIGHT NEXT TO THE
BRAVES' DUGOUT, HE SAID WE
MIGHT HAVE TO HAVE A SCREEN
OVER HERE.
SOMEBODY WILL GET HURT IF
THEY'RE NOT PAYING ATTENTION
BECAUSE THEY ARE CLOSER TO THE
PLAYING FIELD, AS ARE ALL OF
THE FANS, AND CERTAINLY IN THE
OWNERS BOX ON BOTH SIDES, FIRST
AND THIRD BASE, THEY HAVE TO
PAY ATTENTION BECAUSE THEY ARE
IN HARM'S WAY ON ANY FOUL
BALLS.
PETE: ABOUT 20 FEET LESS FOUL
TERRITORY IN THIS BALLPARK THAN
THE OLD BALLPARK.
THERE'S A LOOK AT THE PLAZA
AREA.
JOE: THERE'S SOME MONITORS
RIGHT UNDER THAT CLUBHOUSE
STORE SIGN, ABOUT 12 OR 14
MONITORS WHERE YOU CAN ACTUALLY
SEE EVERY BASEBALL GAME THAT'S
GOING ON AROUND MAJOR LEAGUE
BASEBALL OUT IN THAT PLAZA, NOT
JUST HERE.
PETE: WE'RE SET FOR THE FIRST
PITCH EVER TO BE DELIVERED AT
TURNER FIELD.
JETER, THE AMERICAN LEAGUE
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR A YEAR AGO
WILL STEP INTO THE BATTER'S BOX
AND AWAIT THE MITCH.
JETER, .247, A HOMER AND EIGHT
R.B.I.'S.
PETE: YOU LOOK AT THE OFFICIAL