The Marlins defeated the Braves "before 12,582 mostly active-duty soldiers and their families Sunday" at Fort Bragg in Eastern North Carolina, but the score "hardly mattered," according to Sammy Batten of the FAYETTEVILLE OBSERVER. For the players and coaches, this was "about honoring the military personnel who protect our nation." As further evidence this "wasn't just another game, players could be seen snapping photos with their phones throughout the evening." The pregame ceremonies "started with a huge American flag being unfolded in center field while Sgt. Traci Gregg of the 82nd Airborne's All-American Chorus sang the national anthem." As Gregg's rendition drew to a close, a quartet of helicopters "emerged from the overcast skies in center field and flew over the ballpark." MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred "wouldn't say if another game would occur in the near future, but he obviously liked the way things played out." Manfred: "We're very interested in the concept of taking baseball to parts of the country that don't ordinarily see professional baseball. I do think military bases provide a great venue" (FAYETTEVILLE OBSERVER, 7/4). Manfred said the game was a "unique chance for the baseball family to say thank you to our servicemen and women." He said he was "just thrilled by the visual of this field, I think it is fantastic.” Manfred said the origin of the idea to play at Fort Bragg came from a broader idea from MLB COO Tony Petitti “to take baseball -- Major League games -- to places where we don’t ordinarily play them." Manfred: "Tony came up with the idea of doing it on a military base and everybody jumped on that idea. Fourth of July, baseball, our military, it just seemed like a great mix” ("Marlins-Braves," ESPN, 7/3).
BASE BALL: In Ft. Lauderdale, Craig Davis wrote the "magnitude of the setting and the moment, on the eve of Independence Day," was "pervasive for all who participated and witnessed it" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 7/4). In Atlanta, Steve Hummer wrote there was "joy to be found in the setting" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 7/4). In Raleigh, Andrew Carter wrote some members of the Braves on Sunday morning "toured some of the Special Forces facilities on the base, while others learned about packing parachutes." Later in the afternoon, Manfred "visited the Fisher House, which provides military families with housing when a loved one is hospitalized" (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 7/4). USA TODAY's Joe Mock writes the event "encompassed more than the game itself." As part of MLB's Play Ball initiative, reps from USA Baseball "held a clinic for 250 children from military families" (USA TODAY, 7/4).
FIELD OF DREAMS: SI.com's Jay Jaffe wrote the field on TV "looked as attractive and brand-spanking-new as a top-shelf minor league park or spring training facility." Players said that the playing field was "in better condition than some major league parks" (SI.com, 7/4).In North Carolina, Michael Futch notes the field will "remain on site as a gift to the installation, while the temporary bleachers, locker rooms, press box and such will be broken down and carted away over the next three weeks." The remaining bones of the field will be "converted into part of a multipurpose recreational complex for soldiers and their families" (FAYETTEVILLE OBSERVER, 7/5).
NOT ON THE LIST: In North Carolina, Drew Brooks notes baseball collector Zack Hample near the end of the Fort Bragg game "tweeted that he caught 11 baseballs." Most on social media "took issue not with his efforts, but with his attendance at the special for-the-troops game." Officials "distributed 12,500 tickets, with most going to troops, their families, veterans and Fort Bragg civilian employees." Days before the game, Hample was "using social media, offering $1,000 for tickets to the game" (FAYETTEVILLE OBSERVER, 7/5).
