ATLANTA – There is symbolism and there is symbolism. Suffice it to say, there aren’t many major league managers anywhere who would have welcomed the symbolism the Atlanta Braves decided to treat their fans to in Friday night’s home opener at Turner Field.
Nevertheless, there was retired manager Bobby Cox – he of the 14 straight division pennants, one World Series and living legend status – throwing out the ceremonial first pitch to … to … to … Fredi Gonzalez, the man who’s replaced him.
Only a manager completely confident in his abilities would have approved of such a moment. Then again, Gonzalez not only appeared to gladly accept it, he reveled in it, spotting the defending National League champion Philadelphia Phillies a 3-0 lead before managing the Braves to a 6-3 victory to leave the soldout crowd chanting “Fredi! Fredi! Fredi!” as loudly at the finish as they did at the beginning.
Now this is the way to pass the managerial torch.
This is not to say one victory can alter a 162-game season, especially when that one win still leaves the Braves a game and a half behind the Phils.
But this may also have been the most memorable April win in franchise history. There was pitcher Tim Hudson pitching magnificently after that early 3-0 hole.
There, too, was Gonzalez doing what Cox too often failed to do in late innings. As soon as Hudson surrendered a double in the eighth, despite having already locked up the inning’s first two outs, Gonzalez removed him.
Hudson couldn’t talk his way into staying. He was done, and perhaps because of that, so were the Phillies, so completely did the bullpen slam the door.
Of course, even Hudson sort of had to take a back seat to Chipper Jones, who not only picked up his 2,500th hit to further cement his future spot in the Hall of Fame, but just as importantly ripped an early double off former Cy Young winner Cliff Lee that drove home three runs.
Heck, even Braves radio voice Don Sutton, the king of casual, wore a tie to this one because, well, “Opening Day is always a special occasion.”
It was such a special occasion from beginning to end that the Braves brass even trotted out the incomparable Timothy Miller to deftly deliver “God Bless America” during the seventh-inning stretch.
Or perhaps that’s the way all opening days should be. At least that’s the opinion of Braves fan Toby Hawkes, who arrived at Turner Field three hours before Cox’s soft toss to Gonzalez in order to “soak in the atmosphere. There’s just so much going on around here tonight.”
A native of Great Britain, Hawkes first saw the Braves 12 years ago. He moved to the Big Peach five years ago to work for the Atlanta Police Department. He wore a Cox No. 6 jersey to Friday’s game, cheering wildly when Cox took the mound.
But that doesn’t mean he wasn’t happy to see Cox step down in favor of Gonzalez.
“Sometimes you need to refresh something to make it better,” Hawkes said. “I think the Braves needed to be refreshed.”
A few feet from Hawkes stood 15-year-old Chet Popelka of Lawrenceville, Ga. An autograph book under his arm, he was hoping to add to his 500 signatures.
“I don’t think the Braves can win the division,” he said, “but I think they’ll make the playoffs.”
Playing as they did Friday, these refreshed Braves just might win the division and the playoffs for their fearless new boss.