The Haven at Turner Field

by Lizziebeth on Jul 22, 2008 6:16 PM EDT Comment 10 comments

We all know how terrible Sunday's game was, and thank Pujols it's behind us now. But despite the game, I left the Ted on Sunday feeling pretty good and I wanted to tell you all why. Going to games alone, I meet a lot of people, mostly ushers and security folks. Some actually remember me, like Mr. "Big Man" at the gate near where Marta lets off, and dear Ici, the usher for section 138. But Sunday I met somebody really special...Hazel.

If you're ever going to a game and have to sit in the upper deck, I strongly suggest you sit in 418. That is Hazel's Haven. Sure it's not first base or home plate, but the view is fairly good, there's a breeze, and Hazel will try to make it fun (or at least tolerable if you're just a miserable s.o.b.)! I didn't have seats in her section, but I was at the park early and thought I could get a clear shot of the SportsSouth broadcast booth from there, in case they used it for the Braves Live segment. Not only did she not mind, she let me stay there and she treated me like a loved granddaughter; asking me if I had enough water, urging me to get out of the sun but handing me towels to wipe off the sweat when I wouldn't, giving me a new hair tie, candy, a Braves bumper sticker...I saw her playing games with and giving sweets & stickers to the kids, as well as fans, handkerchiefs & pins to the older folks...all this in only 4 innings. I went by her section before I left and took a picture of her with the sign Turner Field put up for her this year:

Hazel has been doing her thing at the Ted for a while, so the kicker that makes her even more special is that this year she is doing it while suffering from leukemia. I tried to think of a better word than suffering, because to be around her, you wouldn't think of it that way. The woman's resolve to have fun and spread her joy never flagged. Even on that oppresively hot and bad-game day, she was still smiling and pumping people's spirits up as they left. So even if you don't sit in her section, maybe go by and say "hi" to the bronzed lady (she puts bronze glitter on her arms) in 418. A true fan, and a true good spirit!

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Absolutely love this story....

thanks for sharing!

by secondbass on Jul 22, 2008 9:04 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Beautiful

418 is considered general admission, so I can’t purchase tickets through my front-office in that section, but it’s nice to see the good in Ted employees. I’ve seen her before giving out candy, but I never noticed the sign. I’ll have to keep my eyes peeled the next time I’m there.

No wonder nobody likes you, Tuttle... everything's a (Pujols) damn debate.

by royhobbs on Jul 22, 2008 9:23 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Better than the usher in 403, or maybe its 405

One game, an old (60’s)couple sitting behind us got up to go somewhere, and this family comes and sits in their seat. The old couple comes back, and tell the guy to get up, and he informs them the usher told them to sit there after someone had sat in their seat. So they go complain to the usher, and he points to some open seats for them to sit in-HIGHER UP THAN THEIR ORIGINAL SEATS. and they do it.

One bright note for the low 400’s is one of the beermen, young black fella, he shouts across 2 sections and points at you: “its that time! its that time!” I love that guy. It was my wife’s b-day last time we went, and he said he couldn’t give her a free beer, but he’d give her some brown sugar. i generally don’t care for people hitting on my wife, but that was a good line!

by 10-4 on Jul 23, 2008 4:12 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Turner Field employees, huh?

406 – I think she’s Filipino – but this woman does her job by the book, no exceptions. You can say it’s a good thing or a bad thing, but a complete lack of flexibility is a bad thing in my opinion. I’ve been bumped one seat, because practically the entire row was empty, and I decided to give some people some courtesy space. Needless to say, if not for her, I wouldn’t have found my comfort section in 414.

I’ve also seen her ostracize people for down-grading their seats by moving further back, to an isolated area, so they could socialize. She followed them up, looked at their tickets, and kicked them back up, to their closer-to-view seats. They had the most dumbfounded look on their faces.

Re: the beer man – another one of his lines I enjoy is “CHIPPA JONES DRINKS BUD LIGHT!!”

No wonder nobody likes you, Tuttle... everything's a (Pujols) damn debate.

by royhobbs on Jul 23, 2008 4:25 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Beer Man is awesome.

And yes, 406 is Filipina. She’s been nice to me for the last couple of years because I once showed her a pic of my grandma, who’s also Flip. I prefer to sit a little further down the line, though, to see into the dugout. :)

by Lauren T. on Jul 24, 2008 1:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

RE: Beer man

Has to be the same guy urging everybody to “get drunk and forget the game” on Sunday!

by Lizziebeth on Jul 23, 2008 4:46 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Last year

The minor league players were at Turner Field last year in September getting their awards, and I asked an usher if I could slip down near the front to get some pictures. The guy said no, which I thought was total crud, but then he pointed about 2 sections over and said, “that usher over there might let you.” And he was right, I got to go up front. I thought it was strange that he wouldn’t break the rules but pointed me to someone who would!

by secondbass on Jul 23, 2008 4:50 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

It's amazing

How actually asking ushers sometimes gets good results. I think they take exception to all the people that try to sneak around so much, that they don’t know how to handle people that genuinely ask politely. Last season, I was up at RFK watching the Braves beating the Nationals (seriously, we used to dominate them), and by the 6th inning, like so many fair-weathered DC fans, they started going for the door.

I was with my dad who hadn’t been to a game since Joe Torre was an active player, so I asked an usher if I could take some freshly vacated seats, to which he looked at me confused, like he’d never been politely asked for anything in his life. I told him that I was with my dad, and how long it had been, and he was like “uh, sure.”

And then my dad and I sat in the warmer sunlight, and watched Tim Hudson the remainder of all nine innings to complete the only complete game for us that year. Good times.

No wonder nobody likes you, Tuttle... everything's a (Pujols) damn debate.

by royhobbs on Jul 23, 2008 4:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Last year vs SF during BP Klesko was hanging out at the corner of the Braves dugout talking to people in the stands. He was probably my favorite Braves besides Chipper. We walked down, got to the top of the dugout and preceded to go down and an usher stopped us. He asked for my ticket, and i said “i just wanna meet Klesko”. He shook his head no, and before i could argue, Klesko walked off. I was so pissed.

by 10-4 on Jul 23, 2008 7:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Same thing happened to me....almost

Back in the 90’s the Braves had a pitcher named Pete Smith. I was in the outfield stands with a buddy of mine, and I saw Pete at the dugout signing autographs. I got up and trucked it over there as fast as I could (it wasalmost halfway around the place, so it took a while. Anyway, just as I got there, the last person walked away and when I came running up she said something along the lines of “no more, he’s done.” And then Pete said to her, “Let him on down.” I wanted to be snarky with that lady, but I behaved myself. And I was a Pete Smith fan from that day on.

by secondbass on Jul 23, 2008 11:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs