by Donnell Suggs
@suggswriter
There are more than 800 miles separating the city of Atlanta from my hometown of Brooklyn, New York. Another fact that I like to remind my Georgia born friends is that there are also about a hundred more professional sports championships dividing the two cities.
Living, working and writing in Atlanta has been a pleasure for sure. I have made some awesome friendships, even more importantly I met my wife here. That alone is enough to to keep Georgia on my mind forever. Personal stuff aside, it has been something other than paradise in regards to being a sports fan. A life-long Mets, Jets and Nets fan-I know the Nets were in Jersey up until four years ago but when they drafted Kenny Anderson out of Georgia Tech,
it was all over for me, moving to Atlanta in 2006, I was sure to be very popular amongst the other sports writers and fans throughout the city and state.
April 22 was a microcosm of my fanhood mixed with intersecting New York v Atlanta matchups with a dash of disappointment, slightly stirred and then garnished with a win and a lose. Enjoy. At least somebody can.
The Mets hosted the Braves on Wednesday night at Citi Field-across a huge parking lot from what was once the team’s original home field Shea Stadium. Note: I worked in the Shea Stadium warehouse stocking concessions when I was 19 years old. I’m just saying, I am a Mets fan on a whole other level. The Braves have owned us for the last decade and a half-even when the Mets were good they weren’t good enough to stop the Braves from winning 17 consecutive National League East titles. Interesting fact: The Mets have appeared in more World Series appearances than the Braves over the past 15 seasons, 1-0. This season the same old “lose to the d@*m Braves ghost seemed to be rising after losing two of three at Turner Field (A wonderful stadium I might add. Too bad the team is moving up north to Cobb County in 2017.) earlier this season. This of course came before the Mets reeled off nine consecutive wins and beat the Braves on tuesday night 7-1. Times have changed, the team has changed. The Mets have pitching again, the Mets are healthy (for the most part-starting third baseman David Wright and catcher Travis d’Arnaud are both on the 15 day DL with minor dings) and the Mets are winning. Wednesday night’s 3-2 victory gave the Queens, New York team a 3.5 game lead in the NL East over Atlanta.
While that game was tied at 2 runs, the Nets were in Atlanta playing out game two of their first round playoff series with the Hawks. Now I must admit that I do not hate the Hawks like I do the Braves. The Braves have broken my heart and spirit for almost 20 years, the Hawks on the other hand have barely been a blip on my sports radar. As successful as this years Atlanta Hawks have been-4-0 against the Nets during the regular season-I still believe that WE (Yes I use “we” whenever anything in/about/of the city of Brooklyn is mentioned) will beat them. The Hawks had won game 1 on Sunday night despite me wearing my lucky Nets t-shirt, hat and sweater. No amount of screaming at my beloved 42” tv could change the outcome of the game. Go figure. Game 2 had to be different, WE had to win this one and head home to Brooklyn with a game in hand. (Technically the Barclays Arena is on Flatbush Avenue in Park Slope, five blocks from where I grew up on St. John’s Place. Just sayin’.) The people I work with, live near, ride the trains and buses with were all giving me flack about the series before it began, After game 1, a 99-92 Hawk victory, I was getting hit from all sides, even from folks I knew didn’t care anything about Hawks basketball eight months ago but were now riding around town flapping their lips and proverbial wings in excitement. NOTE: Atlanta sports fans are the most fickle in sports. I have seen Braves fans leave Turner Field as early as the sixth inning due to a deficit, Hawks fans denounce their team as early as the all-star break and I don’t even want to get into the Falcons “fans”. The Nets fought hard despite their only being one lead change the entire game and almost put most of the 18,440 Hawks “fans” in attendance on their backside with what should have been a soul crushing jumper by Deron Williams that would have tied the score with less than 20 seconds left. Another lose-96-91-and more abuse from Hawks fans.
The New York teams went 1-1 on Wednesday-The Mets have a 1:10 p.m first pitch set for Thursday afternoon’s series finale. I’ll be watching, still screaming at my tv, Mets jersey over my shoulders and New York City-Brooklyn in particular-in my hearts as always.
