Major League Baseball

Festive day at the park;Standing-room-only crowd soaks in the pageantry of postseason.

Published Oct. 11, 2010 10:06 a.m. ET

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The powerful, the fanatical, the famous and the brave packed The Ted on a glorious Sunday afternoon, hoping for a hometown advantage in Game 3 of the National League Division Series against the San Francisco Giants on Sunday.

Former President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter and former Braves owner Ted Turner were among the high-profile fans with fine vantage points in the ballpark. President Carter, appearing in fine form after his recent health scare, sat near Turner and a lady friend in the VIP section, just a couple of rows behind home plate.

Braves player-turned- analyst Brian Jordan was excited to cheer on his former boss, who --- retiring after the season --- received a thunderous welcome from fans.

"I'm excited for Bobby Cox; Bobby's a player's manager," Jordan said. "The top word is respect. That's something he gave all of us as players. He taught us to give 110 percent. I just want to see him go as far as he can go."

The famous and the not-so-famous turned out for the sold-out affair.

Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds --- two handsome young actors in town shooting "The Change-Up" --- were spotted. So were Dr. J and Danny Glover.

Moya Angela, starring in "Dreamgirls," at the Fox this week, performed the National Anthem.

"It was so last-minute; I think we found out on Friday," Angela said during an interview on the field, just moments before she began to sing. Despite its killer high note, she enjoys singing the Star Spangled Banner, saying, "It's one of those songs that brings everybody together."

After she was done, many fans shook her hand in appreciation. The first to do so was Turner.

Everybody hoping for a second Atlanta win was chopping.

Jesalyn Mollica does the tomahawk chop at home. In the car. In the arms of her dad when they walk through the gates at The Ted.

That Jesalyn is 23 months old --- would you expect any less from a true Braves fan?

"My wife has to work Sundays, but I'm off. ... I'm hoping for a father-daughter bonding experience," Atlanta's Brandon Mollica said, holding his daughter just before the first pitch. "She started humming the song in the car."

Ohhhhh, Ooohhhh, Oohhh, Oh --- you get the picture. With a sellout crowd waving red foam tomahawks they received when they walked through the gates, the hum in the air only grew the farther fans got into the stadium.

They came from Gainesville, Augusta, Birmingham, South Carolina.

The afternoon, with clear skies and a high in the lower 80s, held only promise for their home-team heroes, no matter the outcome.

"It's her first game here ever," said Deanne Case of her 3-year-old daughter, Mary Ella, who was busy running the bases on the stadium's upper deck while her dad watched the game from a nearby railing.

That Case and her husband chose Sunday for such an experience, driving in from Marietta, echoed throughout the afternoon.

Where else would family spend time together, heads cuddled together as they argued the last called strike or a ball that just missed the corner?

Where else would they watch history and one of Braves manager Bobby Cox's final games at the helm?

And how else could they paint their bodies and faces, sticking feathers in their hair and spelling out B-R-A-V-E-S in red on their bare chests?

For that matter, why would they do that?

"To get noticed," admitted Morgan Soather, who drove in from Dalton with his buddies.

Soather had a "B" painted on his chest, and his five friends complemented that effort, their own chests adorned with one letter for each in the team name.

They got stopped at every turn, fans asking to take their picture, wondering how long it took and just what kind of paint they used.

The guys just laughed, stopping good-naturedly to pose. They, too, had the foam tomahawks, which they used along with the painted cardboard ones they had brought from home.

It was no secret why they came Sunday.

Soather's joke aside, buddy Josh Myers was much more serious when he gave the true answers.

"To support the team," Myers said before all six headed in to catch the next pitch.

Keith and E.J. McNeil of Stockbridge were also there for support, among the fans in the standing-room-only ballpark. He's an Army vet now working as a civilian employee in Italy.

"I made it back for the game," said Keith McNeil, sporting a face-painted logo. "Thank God they made the playoffs!"

Five things to do before the game

1. Arrive early. The parking lots don't open five hours before the game just because the attendants need the overtime. It's about traffic flow, people. Help yourself out. (All parking is by permit only, available online at braves.com/parking.)

2. Do a little old-fashioned tailgating. Grilling is allowed in the grassy areas of the Turner Field lots. Warning: Don't make the mistake one fan did years ago and store a still-smoldering grill beneath your vehicle and walk over to the game. He returned to one well-done car.

3. Or, do some high dining --- which in the Turner Field neighborhood means springing for a bucket of the extra crispy at the KFC across the street.

4. The Braves heavy hitters may not show up today, but the Braves Heavy Hitters drum line will be performing before the game at the fan plaza. Fans may also enjoy the musical stylings of D.J. S.T.I.X.

5. Watch a little batting practice. It is the only time home runs are guaranteed.1. The Braves say you will not be hustled off the property. Wait out traffic in the fan plaza. D.J. S.T.I.X. will be performing postgame as well.

Five things to do after the game

1. The Braves say you will not be hustled off the property. Wait out traffic in the fan plaza. D.J. S.T.I.X. will be performing postgame as well.

2. Listen to the postgame show on the car radio idling in traffic, and join in either the community celebration or grousing.

3. Resume tailgating --- responsibly. Your beers are a lot cheaper than their beers.

4. There are no fireworks so if it is a rout either way, you may leave early if you must. Preferably before they break into the Cotton-Eyed Joe.

5. Do your part for the economy. Go to a favorite downtown restaurant or watering hole and perform a thorough autopsy on the game you just watched.

Compiled by Steve HummerFive things to do after the game

Compiled by Steve Hummer

If you go

Will call: Pick up tickets starting at 9 a.m. today.

Parking: All Turner Field parking lots will be permit only, so if you plan on driving, make sure you have pre-purchased a parking permit at braves.com/parking and plan on arriving early. Turner Field parking lots will open five hours before first pitch today.

Open gates: Turner Field gates will open three hours before first pitch.

Free stuff: Each fan will receive a red foam tomahawk at the game.

Today's schedule:

2:30 p.m. --- Parking lots open

4:30 p.m. --- Turner Field Gates open

4:50 p.m. --- Braves batting practice

5 p.m. --- Yacht Rock Revue will perform in Fan Plaza

6:05 p.m. --- Giants batting practice

7:15 p.m. --- National Anthem performed by Yacht Rock Revue

7:37 p.m. --- First pitch

Postgame --- Yacht Rock Revue will perform in Fan Plaza

For the fans: Giants at Braves, 7:37 p.m. today (TBS, 680, 100.5)

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