The Intangibles: Atlanta Braves - Perfect Zero's Blog

Perfect Zero's Blog

The Intangibles: Atlanta Braves

Posted on January 23, 2012 at 01:45 PM.

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Today, I am continuing my look at all thirty teams in Baseball and the things that make them either great for starting a franchise, or lousy for playing one. This is "The Intangibles," a series of games that look at the aesthetic side of Baseball.

I grade my selections on these criteria...

Stadium Playability- This has to do with how well the stadium plays in the game
Stadium Aesthetics- Basically, how pretty the stadium is.
Team Logo- Is it unique or is it just another run of the mill baseball with circular text?
Uniforms- Are they classic, are they eye-poping, or do they induce depression?
Overall- Not an average, but a summation of the experience that I have with the team.

I will play with thirty teams in their stadiums, and I hope to have this done by the next baseball season. This brings us to the heart of the deep south and the city of Atlanta, "Home of the Braves." The Atlanta Braves have a history of being a vagabond team starting out in Boston as one of the two charter National League franchises left (the other being the Chicago Cubs). They were first the Red Stockings, then the Beaneaters, then the Braves, followed by the Bees, before finally settling on the Braves again. In the late fifties, the team could no longer compete in Boston after the popularity of Ted Williams, and were welcomed with open arms in Milwaukee. From 1953-66, the Braves called Milwaukee home with great players in Warren Spahn and Hank Aaron, but the lure of a new stadium in Atlanta proved to be too much to leave on the table, and the team moved to Atlanta in the mid 60's. The team would become a staple on TBS after Ted Turner bought the team, and became baseball's "America's Team" because of their viability across the United States. The Braves were the team of the 90's with multiple National League Championships and a World Series victory, and they continue their winning tradition to this day.

The Braves have been a traditional red, white, and blue team ever since their days in Milwaukee. The tomahawk has become synonymous with the Braves, and it has even found its way into the cheers for the team. The hat logo is a stylized "A" with the "Braves" wordmark underlined by the tomahawk being the primary logo. Overall, the whole thing just works with the colors popping out and the blend being balanced.

The uniforms are hit and miss however. The team wears a beautiful home and away set, with the perfect balance between navy and red. The team has also announced a beautiful throwback jersey with red lettering and numbers that will be used by the team intermittently throughout the season. However, the team has missed with the two colored jerseys. The navy alternate drowns out the lettering and numbers which are also in navy, and the red jerseys are muddled with a navy wordmark. If the team had chosen white for the wordmarks, the set would be complete. However, it's found lacking by the mixed design of the jerseys.

The Braves play at Turner Field, which once was Centennial Olympic Park. After the Olympics, the track and field section was taken out, and a ballpark took shape. The field itself is a beautiful ballpark with an old fashioned feel, but has a lot of modern taste, especially in the left field section. However, there is nothing that really wows me as a baseball fan. While I agree that baseball stadiums should focus on the game itself, there is no real noticeable feature of the ballpark that screams any sort of uniqueness.

That being said, the ballpark plays extremely well. There is a nice, slightly large foul territory, and the walls don't have millions of nooks and crannies. The visibility is very good for this park, and there are no major distractions from the game itself. Turner Field plays better at night, but is well suited for both times of play. Overall, the playability of the stadium is smooth, and works well with the game.

Grading the whole thing...

Stadium Playability- (A-)
Stadium Aesthetics- (B)
Team Logo- (A)
Uniforms- (B)
Overall- (A-)

The Braves have a classic home and road uniform set with a ballpark that seems generic, but plays really well. If you are a fan of classic look teams both logo and stadium wise and just want to focus on the game, the Atlanta Braves stack up really well in this department.