Turner Field, Mets House of Horrors, to be Demolished

The mayor of Atlanta said on Tuesday that Turner Field, the scene of so many Mets disasters, will be torn down after the Braves move out following the 2016 season.

The Braves shocked the baseball world on Monday when they announced that they are moving to a new stadium to be built in suburban Cobb County. The Braves say Turner Field is outdated, and the city refuses to take on upwards of $250 million in debt to make the required improvements.

Turner Field is just 20 years old, built for the 1994 Summer Olympics. After downsizing the place for baseball, the Braves started playing there in 1997. Yet somehow it is already outdated.

Perhaps the Braves are pulling a Walter O’Malley and want to escape the terrible inner city for greener pastures elsewhere. Turner Field is located in downtown Atlanta in what is described as a sketchy neighborhood. The Braves are only moving 10 miles away, as opposed to 3000 for the treacherous O’Malley.

Atlanta fans, who historically never turn out in big numbers for Braves games, are complaining on Internet message boards that the new location, at the intersection of two major highways, will be a traffic nightmare. They say traffic is already at a standstill during rush hour; 42,000 people headed to a Braves game will only make matters worse. Plus, there is no train service to the new location.

Mets fans will not be sorry to see Turner Field reduced to rubble. Over the years the Mets are 50-94 in the stadium in addition to 0-3 in the post season (Kenny Rogers issuing an 11th inning bases loaded walk to clinch the 1999 NLCS for the Braves will haunt Mets fans forever, whether the building is standing or not).

Still though, it is odd to see a relatively young stadium bite the dust. Will Citi Field meet the wrecking ball in 20 years? Maybe then they’ll build a replica of Shea Stadium to replace it!