The Braves on Thursday "unveiled plans" for tributes to honor Baseball HOFer Hank Aaron throughout SunTrust Park, according to Tim Tucker of the ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION. The ballpark will honor Aaron with a "bronze statue, a baseball-bats sculpture, silhouettes of his famous swing on the ends of each row of seats and a terrace displaying the bat and ball from his record-breaking 715th home run." The statue will "capture the moment of impact between the bat and ball on Aaron's 715th home run." It was the creation of Atlanta-based artist Ross Rossin, who "previously completed two portraits of Aaron." Adjacent to the statue at SunTrust Park will be a sculpture "featuring 755 baseball bats in honor of Aaron’s career home-run total." The sculpture will be "almost six feet tall and 10 1/2 feet wide." The Hank Aaron Terrace will "display the bat and ball from his 715th home run." The terrace, which will have an "inside bar and outdoor seating, will be decorated with 715 bat knobs, each inscribed with the date and opponent of an Aaron home run" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 1/13). Meanwhile, Cobb County Transportation Dir Jim Wilgus said that the bridge over Interstate 285 leading to the new Braves ballpark is 45% complete and "still on track to be operational by first pitch on April 14." Wilgus said that $4.1M has been "spent on construction so far." In Atlanta, Meris Lutz notes the "total cost of the bridge, including design," will reach about $12M (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 1/13).
