Yeah, for whatever reason the Stripers have never drawn well at all. They are typically at the bottom of thee league in attendance. Traffic is certainly a factor, but I have to believe there is more to it than that.
2 main reasons IMO:
Correct. Same argument could be made by them about why are we playing football on fake surfaces. Just sayin'. (side note, I believe the Shivering Chihuahuas now play baseball on fake grass too)
Who dat?
No offense to Stripper fans but the team probably should have stayed in Richmond. Fans up there felt part of the Braves organization. The city just wasn't willing to build a new stadium. It may have been a MLB requirement to upgrade. Its amazing a AAA team can be so close to a major league team like the Braves and have decent attendance.
I’m nostalgic for when the Braves had a popular farm team system in Richmond, Durham, and Savannah.
Tbh, I don't think stripper fans are easily offended.
I honestly don't know because I have heard that Augusta and Columbus are pretty nice stadiums. I'm planning on making a game to both of those this summer. Rome's stadium is just old and probably needs to be remodeled. I would put it above the Stripers stadium right now. The Stripers stadium has potential to be fun, and I think the apartments around it have actually added to it's feel. I went to a 4th of July game a couple of years ago and that was a sellout which made it a great experience. I just think that they are too close to Atlanta and more often than not, they just struggle to get in baseball fans. Most of the people that attend are just there because the tickets are cheap and don't really care about the action on the field. That's at least the vibe that I get.
And yet, the old Diamond (Braves park in Richmond for decades) has now been built new. It's called CarMax Park. I believe UVA played VCU there over there past weekend. $900M stadium and home of the Richmond Flying Squirrels. And you are correct, I wish they had stayed in Richmond. At one time, back at the old Diamond, they drew very very well. I always assumed Atlanta liked Gwinnett because having it nearby made for easy transitions of players back and forth and perhaps some consolidation of personnel. I dunno. Last year, I believe the Braves set a MLB record for most number of pitchers used in a season. They should have a location midway between Lawrenceville and Marietta and call it the Braves AAAA Home (or Quad A) because we seem to have a lot of pitchers who should be there - hello Bryce Elder.
I would at least understand why the B10 would use Turf based on their cold weather climates and difficulty getting there fields ready for March baseball. But in the Southeast, it makes no sense for baseball.
Welp...some folks just look better with their clothes on. Just sayin'.
From Bobby Google....And yet, the old Diamond (Braves park in Richmond for decades) has now been built new. It's called CarMax Park. I believe UVA played VCU there over there past weekend. $900M stadium and home of the Richmond Flying Squirrels. And you are correct, I wish they had stayed in Richmond. At one time, back at the old Diamond, they drew very very well. I always assumed Atlanta liked Gwinnett because having it nearby made for easy transitions of players back and forth and perhaps some consolidation of personnel. I dunno. Last year, I believe the Braves set a MLB record for most number of pitchers used in a season. They should have a location midway between Lawrenceville and Marietta and call it the Braves AAAA Home (or Quad A) because we seem to have a lot of pitchers who should be there - hello Bryce Elder.
media.milb.com
I think they moved down to AA but not sure. Losing the Braves to Gwinnette may have motivated them to build a new stadium. Strippers have been in Gwinnette for several years now. Cities have learned these ball teams are a source of business development. It has been a boom for Durham.And yet, the old Diamond (Braves park in Richmond for decades) has now been built new. It's called CarMax Park. I believe UVA played VCU there over there past weekend. $900M stadium and home of the Richmond Flying Squirrels. And you are correct, I wish they had stayed in Richmond. At one time, back at the old Diamond, they drew very very well. I always assumed Atlanta liked Gwinnett because having it nearby made for easy transitions of players back and forth and perhaps some consolidation of personnel. I dunno. Last year, I believe the Braves set a MLB record for most number of pitchers used in a season. They should have a location midway between Lawrenceville and Marietta and call it the Braves AAAA Home (or Quad A) because we seem to have a lot of pitchers who should be there - hello Bryce Elder.
I think it has a lot to do with the availability of the field in January when there is possibly snow or snow melt to deal with. These turf fields can go from covered in snow to playable in a short period of time. Tony Vitelo has stated in interviews that one of the main conditions he placed on UTenn before accepting that job was that they had to commit to installing 100% field turf. He felt that was a major driver in them improving their program.
Ha ha. This thread will die by Friday, so no biggie. And you are right...it's time to fry some turkeys.Take this to the Stripers thread. Lol. It's VT time.
/Thread
This is the 18th season for the Gwinnett Braves/Stripers.