“Mormon Night” at the Atlanta Braves Game
In early August 2010, they had a “Mormon Night” at an Atlanta Braves Game at Turner Field (against the Mets) in Atlanta.
We all got to go and enjoy the festivities…but Frank, his friend Kevin from Vegas, Liz, PJ and Ashley had the most fun. They got there for an early meet and greet with Dale Murphy. Then, all the Mormons that came early got to come out the player’s tunnel and do a “parade” around the field and watch the pre-game preparations that were going on…like the players warming up and the guys working on making the field PERFECT.
It was sooo exciting for Frank who has always been an AVID Braves fan. He actually attended the very first “Mormon Night” they had for the Braves….it was back in the late 70′s! He had just recently been baptized into the church.
Megan had Volleyball tryouts and Mikayla had cross-country…and Don made the mistake of not going early…so, some of us missed all the early fun stuff…and we highly regret it!!
For those of you non-sports lovers, Wikipedia says:
“Dale Bryan Murphy (born March 12, 1956, in Portland, Oregon) is a former outfielder and first baseman in Major League Baseball, most notable for his years with the Atlanta Braves. During his career, Murphy won consecutive National League Most Valuable Player Awards (1982-1983), the National League’s Silver Slugger Award four straight years (1982-1985), and the National League’s Gold Glove award five straight years (1982-1986).
Murphy is regarded by many as one of the premier players during the 1980s. His best years were with the Atlanta Braves, appearing in the All-Star Game seven times, and leading the National League in home runs and RBI twice; he also led the major leagues in home runs and runs batted in over the 10-year span from 1981 to 1990. He led the National League in games, at bats, runs, hits, extra base hits, RBIs, runs created, total bases, and plate appearances in the 1980s. He also accomplished a 30-30 (30 home runs with 30 stolen bases) season in 1983, at the time only the 6th player since 1922 to do so. His 1983 MVP year is the only time in major-league history a player has compiled a .300 batting average, 30 home runs, 120 runs batted in, 130 runs scored, 90 bases on balls, and 30 stolen bases – with fewer than 10 times caught stealing. Murphy is only one of two players who hit at least 300 home runs in the 1980s. The other is Mike Schmidt.”
AND…yep…he’s a Mormon (aka, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints).
Frank and Kevin (a friend visiting from Las Vegas)...at the Braves game.
Kevin (back) with PJ, Ashley and Liz before they saw Dale Murphy at the Braves pre-game "Meet 'n Greet.".
Frank and Ashley with Dale Murphy!!
Don't you hate it when you get a photo op like this and the shot is blurry!! There was some guy there taking the photos for them (with our camera) and he didn't know what he was doing...arggghhh!
Kevin and Dale Murphy...
PJ, Liz and Dale Murphy...
Liz getting her shirt (actually Frank's shirt) signed by Dale Murphy. He's such a nice guy!
Poor guy though...he used to play in Atlanta, but has lived in arid Utah for many years (I believe) and his body isn't used to the humidity anymore :-(....
Ashley getting her hat signed by Dale Murphy.
Lining up the Mormons for a PARADE on Turner Field!!! They were invited from all around the area.
Waiting in line to be in the "Mormon Parade."
Cute Ashley waiting for the parade...
Kevin waiting to be in the parade...
Ashley, "Are we STILL waiting in line to be in the parade?"
Liz and PJ waiting in line to be in the "Mormon Parade."
Frank in all his giddiness. Can you imagine being a DIE HARD Braves fan and getting to do all of this??? I was so happy for him!
PJ, "I can't wait in this humidity!! My hair!!!"
Getting ready to come out of "The Tunnel" into the stadium.
Let the parade begin...Frank getting to walk Turner Field in the "Mormon Parade."
The Braves Dugout
Frank in front of the Braves Dugout
Braves Dugout
Braves Dugout
They work VERY hard on that field before the game starts.
The tomahawk...
Some sportscaster guy getting people ready for the game.
The JumboTron. Check out the Videos below to see the family on the JumboTron.
Kevin mocking the people that thought they had it good because they had front row seats! Suckers!!! ;-)
The Stadium...and the Chick-fil-a cow...
PJ, "My hair!"
Frank, "Is this awesome, or what?!"
The Field...real grass...
Kevin making a catch...
Frank and Kevin making a dual catch...
The Players Warming Up
Braves players warming up...I think...
This is the view from our seats. There were a few times that we thought the ball might come our way...but no such luck...
The view of the JumboTron from our seats.
Beautiful Liz....being all sporty...
Watching the game (LtoR): Megan, Donovan, PJ, Kevin, Frank, my empty seat, Mikayla, Ashley & Liz.
Watching the game (LtoR): Megan, Donovan, PJ, Kevin, Frank, my empty seat, Mikayla, Ashley & Liz.
Watching the game (LtoR): Megan, Donovan, PJ, Kevin, Frank, my empty seat, Mikayla, Ashley & Liz.
Above: This is Liz in line waiting to start the parade. It’s just silly, but you get a good look at her big, beautiful eyes!
Above: Ever see a line of Mormons? Ok, me too. But this one is waiting to parade around Turner Field at a Braves Game…see, you’ve never see THAT, right? 
Above: In this video Frank is telling us that they are waiting for the “parade” to start and they are about to go out the tunnel onto the field.
Above: This video was taken when they first entered Turner Field for the “Mormon Parade.” They got to see themselves on the JumboTron…which is way cool! 
The rest of us were very jealous!
Above: This was taken while they were out on Turner Field for the “Mormon Parade.”
Above: In this video you get to see the pre-game preparations for a Braves game. You also get to see Frank’s perma-grin as he gets to walk the field of his beloved Braves.
Above: The first section you see in this video is where our seats were. That is Ashley asking if it is real grass. This is still during pre-game events.
Above: In this video you can see Frank “catching” a “fly ball” right at the wall in the outfield at a Braves game. Ok, it was pre-game, and there was no ball…but still…how cool is that???