The Braves are renaming their FanFest as "Chop Fest," and will hold the event "for the first time at SunTrust Park on the weekend of Jan. 27-28," according to David O'Brien of the ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION. The team is combining Chop Fest with the Braves HOF induction that has been "held at midseason in the past." The induction will be at the Coca-Cola Roxy in The Battery adjacent to SunTrust Park. Most weekend events at Chop Fest "will be free and open to the public." But there will be "no Braves Country Caravan this year." O'Brien noted the team in recent years has "usually done one or the other -- fan festival or caravan -- but not both" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 12/20).
WE'LL BE BACK: In Seattle, Ryan Divish noted the Mariners' FanFest, a "two-day event usually held in late January, won’t take place this offseason but will return" in '19. The decision was made to "protect the playing surface that was recently installed at Safeco Field." The new grass "isn’t ready to withstand the fan traffic and activities." But the Mariners "plan to bring manager Scott Servais and several players to the Northwest in January for other events and appearances" The Mariners’ Caravan, another annual event, will "proceed from Jan. 8-26 with a handful of players and staff members visiting 19 cities in the Northwest" (SEATTLE TIMES, 12/20).
