But then it occurred to me that since my sister lived in Richmond, Virginia, that I should at least seek out a substitute - the Richmond Braves. Atlanta's own Triple-A (level right below Major League) affiiliate squad played not far from where the wedding would take place, and if I were truly lucky, they would be having home games that same weekend.

It turns out that I was lucky - the R-Braves were indeed staying home, the weekend of my sister's wedding! It's not the same as watching my Atlanta Braves back home, but it would have to do. It wasn't a major league park, but it was still somewhere I'd never been before - furthermore, it was a minor league game; I'd get the opportunity to get a glimpse at either future stars for the Braves, or guys who are essentially the equivalent of injured reserve, hanging in Richmond, keeping their skills sharp until the big squad calls them up. The Richmond Braves are perenially one of the powerhouses of the minor leagues, as the Braves organization has always been known for farming talent like nobody else's business.

But my lucky was even better - not only were they in town, they would be playing against the division rival Durham Bulls. Yes, the same Bulls that Bull Durham was about. Who happen to be the highly talented Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays which always seems to have really good players that get traded off to other teams before they make it to the pro levels.

So my sister's wedding went off without much complication, and it was time for me to set my sights on some minor league baseball. Surely, things would be more relaxed, and potentially fun at a lower-level, since these games are not as nationally touted as the Majors are.

The Diamond is a small park, located on the north end of Richmond. Clearly it's meant for nothing other than Minor League, given its tiny size, and low capacity. With only a handful of vendors, and a "team store" that was more or less a C-train with a door that was strategically placed near one of the entrances, the Diamond was still a cozy, intimate place for real die-hard fans, and families with young children to enjoy the great game of baseball.

The tickets were very economical, since y'know, it was a minor league game, but it was nice to be able to go quite literally a row behind from the foul ball net. Granted, it took a little while to get used to looking through the foul net the entire game, but eventually I got used to it. It kinda stunk for the photograph-taking I normally like to do at new places, but I made do anyway.

It's sometimes amazing to think that at some point in the last decades, current great Atlanta Braves players such as Chipper Jones, and John Smoltz, among many others once played on a daily basis on this dinky little field, when they were but still young twenty-somethings. The progression of a baseball player is a long and arduous timeline, and it's not always a guaranteed bet. I always believed that as baseball players, they have to love the game a whole hell of a lot, because it most certainly is not going to return the favor, especially when there are thousands of young players who are all aspiring for the same goals.

One of the pleasant surprises of the day was seeing Korean pitcher Jae Woon Seo, goofing off in the dugout, teasing children by pretending to give away baseballs, before yanking back on a rope which none of the kids saw attached to the ball. I admired what Seo was able to do in the inaugural World Baseball Classic, but feel unfortunate that he was never able to translate the success he had in the tournament into his Major League career.

For Richmond, I got to see players like Brayan Pena whom I remember being a temporary backup catcher for Brian McCann, and future prospects like Brent Lillibridge. He was actually one of the few guys to record a hit for the R-Braves that afternoon, because the Bulls sent their ace pitcher to mound that day.

Overall, I enjoyed the afternoon at the Diamond. It was very relaxing, and it was nice to know that regardless of the outcome of the game, nothing really counted. These are all guys who play hard, because the goal is on the horizon, and not dependent on the pressures of the current game.

The irony is that in 2009, the Richmond Braves will be no more. Instead, the entire squad is going to be plucked out of Virginia, and transplanted to Georgia; Gwinnett County to be exact, where they will become the Gwinnett Braves. Ironic, because I would have a better chance to see the AAA Braves all the way in Richmond, than I would making the potential 60 mile trek north to Gwinnett to see the new Gwinnett Braves. Especially if the Atlanta Braves are only a third of the distance.

Game Result:   Durham beats the R-Braves by a score of 4-1. The Bulls kept the Braves at bay pretty much the entire game, and the Braves just couldn't get any hits off of the giant Niemann.

Additional Photos:

Back to Home

Part of Real Men Don't Wear Small.
All photos, graphics, text, and other miscellaneous content copyright © D. Hong.
Except for all MLB club logos which are copyright © to Major League Baseball.