The Official Newsletter of the Braves 400 Fan Club ________________________________________________________________ December 2016

The Braves 400 Fan Club will hold its 51st annual winter banquet and fundraiser at the Atlanta

Marriott Perimeter Center on Saturday evening, January 14, 2017. A gala reception, silent

auction and raffle of Braves memorabilia begins at 5:00PM with the awards dinner and program

following at 6:30.

This year’s theme is “A New Beginning: Turner Field to SunTrust Park.” Newly elected Baseball

Hall of Fame member John Schuerholz, Braves Vice Chairman, will keynote the evening. Braves manager Brian Snitker and Hall of Famer Phil Niekro will be head table guests along with many

additional award winners and honored guests. Atlanta Braves broadcaster Jim Powell will emcee the

program. More details on our lineup of guests will be posted on our website as they are available.

Admission is by advance reservation only. No tickets will be sold at the door. Seating is assigned as payments are received, so make your reservations early to secure the best available seats.

Tickets are $75 for Braves 400 Fan Club members and $80 for the general public. The cost of a

table for ten is $700. Reservations can be made on the Club’s website (www.braves400.org) or by mailing a check to the Braves 400 Fan Club, P.O. Box 7689, Atlanta, GA 30357-0689. Confirm your

reservation by calling the Club Hotline at 770-416-4539. The deadline for making Gameboree

reservations is January 9, 2017, or until all seats are sold. Register now!

The 2017 Gameboree Silent Auction will again provide serious collectors,

passionate fans, and all other attendees a terrific opportunity to acquire autographed baseballs, pictures, and other unique commemorative items. Included are

autographs of your favorite Braves from the past and our stars of the future. In

addition, rare signed collectibles from Hall of Famers will be available that are

normally sold far below internet prices. Other items to be offered include a number

of bobbleheads and hard-to-find memorabilia.

The Tomahawk Times December 2016 Issue Page 2

As part of the Silent Auction, you will be given an inexpensive opportunity to win valuable prizes

during the raffle and drawing taking place during dinner. We thank the Braves 400 Fan Club

members, officers, and directors who contributed items from their personal collections to make this

auction a success. As always, proceeds go to provide funding for the Phil Niekro Scholarship Fund.

Braves 400 Fan Club Phil Niekro Scholarship Awards are presented each year to one or more

deserving Georgia college baseball programs. The scholarships are funded through the proceeds of

the Silent Auction and other Club fundraising efforts. This year’s recipients are Clark Atlanta

University and Mercer University.

Braves 400 Fan Club “Red Wooten” High School Metro

Atlanta Player of the Year:

Josh Lowe attended Pope High School in Marietta. Josh was

selected by the Tampa Bay Rays with the 13th overall selection

in the 1st Round of the 2016 Draft. He was viewed as a 1st round pick as both a 3rd baseman and as a pitcher. Josh played 3B for

the GCL and Princeton Rays in 2016.

Braves 400 Fan Club Varitek Award for the Most Outstanding Scholar Athlete in Georgia:

Matt Gonzalez was a 2012 Braves 400 Fan Club High School All-Star honoree

from Harrison High School. Matt was selected in the 6th round of the 2016 MLB Draft

by the Atlanta Braves after a stellar baseball career at Georgia Tech. As a senior,

he led the Jackets with a .378 batting average and was First Team All-ACC. Matt

majored in Business Administration. After signing with the Braves this year, he hit .302 as a second baseman with Danville.

Braves 400 Fan Club Luke Appling Nostalgia Award: (to be announced)

Braves 400 Fan Club Ivan Allen, Jr. “Mr. Baseball” Award (to be announced)

Presented to the “person who has contributed significantly to the promotion of baseball in the Atlanta area.” Past winners include Hank Aaron, Skip Caray, Bobby Cox, Dale Murphy, Pete Van Wieren, and

Chipper Jones. Last year’s “Mr. Baseball” Award went to Brian Snitker.

Atlanta Braves Minor League Awards (to be announced)

Hank Aaron Award for the Braves Outstanding Minor League Player

Phil Niekro Award for the Braves Outstanding Minor League Pitcher

Bobby Cox Award for the Braves Minor League Manager of the Year

Bill Lucas Award for the Braves Minor Leaguer: Sportsmanship and Character

Gameboree Notes:

Hotel - The Marriott Perimeter Center is the host hotel for overnight accommodations. Call 800-228-9290 or

770-394-6500 and mention the Braves 400 Fan Club Gameboree to get the special rate of $89 per night. Or click

here to make your Marriott reservation online. The deadline for hotel reservations is December 23, 2016.

Evening Dress Code Reminder – Coat and tie suggested for men and equivalent attire for women.

Dietary Needs – If you have special dietary needs, please call the Braves 400 Fan Club Hotline at 770-416-4539.

Gameboree Goodies - All Gameboree guests will receive a souvenir program and a well-stocked goody bag.

The Tomahawk Times December 2016 Page 3

By Rick Wheeler, President Braves 400 Fan Club

Welcome to our last Tomahawk Times for 2016. The big news in this issue is the announcement for the 2017 Gameboree: “A New Beginning: Turner Field to

on January 14. You will find all the details in the lead article. SunTrust Park”

It is a bit difficult to bring in our honored guests--Turner Field and SunTrust Park. So we have done the next best thing. Newly elected Baseball Hall of Fame member

and Braves Vice Chairman John Schuerholz will keynote the evening. John was

instrumental in setting the stage for many of the Turner Field memories and I

suspect had more than a passing interest in SunTrust Park.

You will want to make your reservations quickly as we expect a full house for this event.

Reservations will be on a first come/first serve basis. Once we are at capacity your name will be

placed on a waiting list.

We can’t wait for 2017. It is shaping up as a year of change for both the Braves and your Braves

400 Fan Club. Only 60 days until the start of Spring Training and then another 60 days later the

opening of sparkling SunTrust Park and The Battery Atlanta. I look forward to seeing you there.

The Board of Directors thanks you for all your support this year. We wish you and yours the most

joyous of holiday seasons. Hope to see you at the 2017 Gameboree!

By Rick Wheeler

Oh yes, there will be some baseball too. That’s right, the 2017 Major League Trip for the Braves

400 Fan Club will be to Miami the weekend of May 12-14. We’ll watch the Braves and Florida

Marlins at Marlins Park.

There were several options this year. As the

newest stadium the Fan Club has not yet visited,

we decided it is time to go to Miami. Our hotel

will be an easy walk to the waterfront on Biscayne Bay. We are working on the details

and expect to have them finalized by the

Gameboree. Look for a flyer in our Gameboree

goody bag.

At the present time we do not have final package

prices confirmed. 30 air packages will be

available at approximately $875 per person

double occupancy. Land packages will be

approximately $500 per person double occupancy. Single supplement pricing is not yet available. Of

course, all packages include transportation to and from Miami International Airport and all games, hotel accommodations, a trip memento, one group meal, tickets to all three games, and some other

surprises.

If you would like to get your name in early for the trip, call the Fan Club Hotline at 770-416-4539 or email me at rwheeler47@earthlink.net. We will make sure your name is on the list.

The Tomahawk Times December 2016 Page 4

The Braves 400 Fan Club’s annual Election Luncheon took place on Saturday, November 12th.

The slate of candidates put forward by the Nominating Committee was unanimously approved. The

new officers and directors will officially begin their terms following the 2017 Gameboree in January.

Many in the group met at a restaurant for lunch. We talked Braves baseball, looked forward to the

2017 Gameboree and the move to SunTrust Park, and even worked in a little Fan Club business.

The Cubs recent win over Cleveland in the World Series was a hot topic. Final game pitching

decisions were debated and comparisons to the 1991 Series between the Braves and the Twins

drawn. We wondered aloud whether our Braves will be able to follow the Cubs’ rebuilding path to success and how close that might be. Folks agreed that Spring Training will be here before we

know it. We also agreed that the burgers at the Grub Burger Bar were mighty fine.

2017 Officers: (l-r) Dave & Nancy Badertscher, Braves 400 Fan Club: Out to Lunch

Rick Wheeler, Lynn Walley, Howard Evans

2017 Officers 2017 Board Members

Rick Wheeler, President Mary Lou Brooks Bob Messner

Howard Evans, First Vice-President Bud Carter Tom Millin

Dave Badertscher, Second Vice-President Erma Killings Nate Morgan

Lynn Walley, Treasurer Arlene Langer Jim Spano

Nancy Badertscher, Secretary Linda Lovejoy Sid Tourial Carol Magill Phil Youngberg

Welcome New Braves 400 Fan Club Members! Ron Huck, Smyrna Brandt Ross, Atlanta Nan Ward, Dunwoody

Braves 400 Fan Club www.braves400.org

Mailing Address: Fan Club Hotline: P.O. Box 7689 770-416-4539 Atlanta, GA 30357-0689

The Tomahawk Times December 2016 Issue Page 5

The Braves 400 Fan Club is pleased to announce to its members a Gift Membership Program

offering a valuable and lasting way to bring joy to those special folks in your life who share your

enthusiasm for supporting the Atlanta Braves. This year we have added an incentive for you to give

more than one gift. The more memberships you give, the more you can save.

1 gift membership: $25

2-5 gift memberships: $20 each

6-20 gift memberships: $15 each

21 or more gift memberships: $10 each

If you would like to purchase only one gift membership online using PayPal, please click here. If you

want to take advantage of multiple gift pricing, please send an email to Lynn Walley at

lbwalley58@gmail.com. She will help you work out the details. Each gift recipient will receive a

special welcoming letter with acknowledgement of the gift from you. Don’t wait, time is running out

to take advantage of this opportunity!!!

On October 15th a group of Braves 400 Fan Club volunteers received an invitation from Atlanta

Braves Community Affairs Coordinator Kathryn Bennett, which we were delighted to accept:

We enjoyed our lunch at Mellow Mushroom with Kathryn, Ericka Newsome-Hill and other members of

Community Affairs with whom we’ve worked and gotten to know well over the past few years.

Again this year it was our pleasure to volunteer for Cancer Awareness activities, the Braves Youth Baseball Classic, and the Naturalization Ceremony in September, as well as hosting five Reach

Out, Be Our Guest events in 2016. Kathryn gave us a photo book of highlights of this season’s

many community activities. We’re ready to do it again (and more!) next year at SunTrust Park.

Thank you all for a WONDERFUL sendoff at the Ted. As a token of our gratitude for your commitment to our community outreach efforts, we would like to invite you to a lunch on us! We are so thankful for your willingness to volunteer at our events and desire to host underprivileged youth in the Turner Field community throughout the year for a batting practice experience.

Please join us at the Mellow Mushroom, located at 931 Monroe Dr., Atlanta, GA 30308, on Tuesday, October 18th at 12 pm for lunch on the Braves.

The Tomahawk Times December 2016 Page 6

By Dave Badertscher

It’s a long drive from McDonough to the Tallant Baseball Museum

in Cumming. After learning that Georgia State Head Baseball Coach

Greg Frady and Pitching Coach Chris Bootcheck would be guests

at the Forsyth County Hot Stove League on Wednesday evening, November 9, I decided to make the trek. Like others, I was curious

to learn details of GSU’s plans for renovating the Turner Field area,

and particularly the status of their proposed new baseball facility.

This was the Hot Stove’s first meeting of the year and marked its

25th year on a run that began in 1992. An enthusiastic group of 20 gathered in Johnny Tallant’s basement ready to talk baseball. Johnny Tallant & Coach Greg Frady

Earlier that day the Board of Regents approved GSU’s purchase of Turner Field from the Georgia

State Foundation, allowing GSU to move forward with renovation plans. GSU is expected to take

ownership of the property on January 1, 2017, and begin construction shortly thereafter according to

its website. In a multi-phased project, Turner Field itself will be turned into a downsized football stadium with 23,000 seats initially. Barring unforeseen events, the Panthers plan to play the 2017

football season in the stadium.

Coach Frady and Coach Bootcheck introduced themselves and talked about their baseball careers. After 10 seasons as head coach, Frady is GSU’s all-time leader in victories. He talked about his stint

as head coach of the German National Team—an interesting experience to be sure. Bootcheck

played collegiately at Auburn and was drafted by the Angels in the 1st round (20th overall pick) in

2000. He pitched for several Major Leagues teams over 7 years, as well as in Japan and Korea.

Coach Frady then shared his thoughts on the

new GSU baseball facility, which he hopes will

be ready for the 2018 season. The most

prominent plan is to place the baseball field on

the footprint of old Atlanta-Fulton County

Stadium (see rendition at right from GSU website). Coach Frady did say there is some

talk of moving the baseball field closer to the

new football stadium, allowing locker and

conditioning facilities to be more easily used by

the baseball team, so nothing is set in stone.

He went on to say that the GSU baseball team will use what was the Atlanta Braves locker room.

Cool! The Strength/Conditioning room will be 10,000 square feet shared with the football team.

There has been a discussion about whether to use artificial turf or natural grass for the baseball field.

Artificial turf may help in the rainy season, but overall Coach Frady prefers grass. Hank Aaron was

his childhood hero and he cherishes the Braves greats. “We are going to preserve the Hank Aaron Wall,” he said. If Coach Frady has his way and the money is right, he would like to see an entry

lobby to the field with a Hank Aaron Museum on the left and a Georgia State Tradition Room on

the right. Apparently there is much to finalize on the Turner Field master plan, but as far as the

baseball facility goes, hopefully it will be shaped by tradition-conscious hands like Coach Frady.

The coaches answered questions about the GSU baseball program including recruiting, scholarships,

player discipline, pitch counts, saving young arms, and much more. Coach Frady advised doing the

right thing for the people around you, but not compromising the team culture. Thanks to Coach

Frady and Coach Bootcheck for making it an informative and entertaining Hot Stove evening.

The Tomahawk Times December 2016 Page 7

Several Braves 400 Fan Club members were pleased to volunteer as

scorers for Phil Niekro’s 20th Annual Golf Classic at Chateau Elan

on October 20th. This community event raises funds for the

Edmondson-Telford Center for Children, a non-profit organization

that serves abused or neglected children in Hall and Dawson

counties. The Center has provided forensic services to over 10,000

child victims since opening in 1997.

Phil welcomed celebrity captains representing a number of different

sports, their foursomes, and the volunteers to a full day of golf, food,

awards, and raffle drawings. Being the 20th anniversary of the tournament, several special activities commemorating this milestone

took place. Phil received a commendation from Gov. Nathan Deal

read by attorney Lydia Sartain (pictured right) and a well-produced

video on the work of the Edmondson-Telford Center for Children

followed. It was a fun day of golfing and fellowship. Best of all, the

tournament raised over $80,000 for this very worthy cause.

Sunday, October 23rd, was the last day for season ticket

holders to make memories at Turner Field.

Manager Brian Snitker spoke to the crowd gathered at Fan Plaza. He talked about his recent promotion, his pride

in the team’s performance this season, and his optimism for

next season. He’s definitely ready for Spring Training!

For those craving some final hands-on action, there were

games in Scouts Alley, on-field batting practice and

shagging, throwing in the bullpen, and one last chance to

run (or stroll around) the bases.

If shopping is your deal, the Atlanta Braves

Foundation held a well-stocked yard sale and silent

auction, while all merchandise in the Clubhouse Store

was discounted. Plenty of treasures to take home, if

only one could find the space for them at home.

In the mood to explore the stadium one last time? You

could make one last stop in the nearly empty Braves

locker room or venture down into the dugout. How

about a photo with the 1995 World Series Trophy?

The Tomahawk Times December 2016 Page 8

As usual, it was great running into fellow Fan Club members all over the stadium. Many were

carrying bags of goodies. The fan activities and tasty meal prepared by Fox Bros Bar B-Q definitely

did not disappoint. Let’s do it again next year at SunTrust Park.

Congratulations to John Schuerholz on his unanimous election to the Hall of Fame. Over the years he has been an enthusiastic supporter of the Braves 400 Fan Club. Below are a few photos taken

by Fan Club members that we thought we would share.

At the 2015 Gameboree Signing for A-List members at FanFest

2014 HOF

Induction

Weekend

Turner Field Naturalization Ceremony