GADSDEN – Last October, the Atlanta Braves won the franchise’s second World Series title, defeating the Houston Astros in six games to become Major League Baseball’s latest champions.
I have long been a Braves fan, even during the not-so-successful seasons. I remember the first game I ever attended back in the 1980s. It was at the old Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta. The Braves were playing the San Francisco Giants. I don’t remember many particulars from that game since I was a young kid, but what I do remember is seeing some fans wearing brown paper bags over their heads, and the stadium being half empty.
Yeah, those were definitely the lean years.
I remember watching Dale Murphy, Bob Horner, Glen Hubbard and Rafael Ramirez among others. They never had much success on the diamond, but things slowly began to transition for the better for the club in the 1990s. It took trading Murphy to usher in the era of David Justice, Ron Gant, Terry Pendleton, and pitching aces Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and Greg Maddux. The Braves won 14 straight division titles from 1991-2005 under manager Bobby Cox. They played in the World Series five times in the span of nine years from 1991-99 and won it all in 1995.
It took 26 years for them to reach it and win it again.
On Wednesday evening, the World Series trophy was in Gadsden at The Venue at Coosa Landing. The Venue was one of the 151 stops the trophy is making in “Braves Country”, which includes Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, South Carolina, and North Carolina. The tour began on Feb. 15, and it gives fans – young and old – an opportunity to see the trophy and have their picture made with it.
The tour began on Feb. 15.
When I found out Gadsden was one of the trophy stops, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. My girlfriend, the lovely Bethany Garmon, is also a Braves fan, so it made for the perfect date night.
The trophy is beautiful in person. Since 2000, Tiffany & Co. has created the World Series trophy. With more than 200 troy ounces of sterling silver, it’s worth more than $19,000. The 30 gold-plated flags around it represent each MLB team. It has been given to the World Series champion since 1967.
And it’s pretty tall and hefty too. The trophy is 24 inches in length (excluding the base) and has a diameter of 11 inches. It weighs approximately 30 pounds.
The Braves are to be commended for sharing their hardware with their fans. If you get a chance to see it in person while it’s on tour, I encourage you to do so. I’ve included a link below which includes the remainder of the tour stops. You’ll be making a memory you’ll never forget.
https://www.mlb.com/braves/fans/trophy-tour