The Braves’ New Home: SunTrust Park

With the Washington Nationals now only two wins away from clinching the NL East, the Atlanta Braves are holding out hope that they have a late season surge in them to make another appearance in the National League Wild Card one game playoff game. The only problem is that they are currently 4.5 games off the pace.

Braves ownership announced Tuesday that they have reached a 25 year deal with SunTrust bank (terms have not yet been released) for the naming rights to their new ballpark opening in 2017.

The timing of the announcement may have a direct correlation to the Braves’ dwindling postseason hopes. The attention of Braves fans will be driven away from their loss against the Nationals last night and be fixated on their new ballpark. At least for one day.

Here is a sneak peek at what SunTrust Park will look like:

Considering that the skyline in the pictures look more like an oil painting than reality, the stadium looks gorgeous. If Cobb County (the location of their new digs and 12 miles away from where they are now located) is able to produce sunsets of that nature routinely, Braves ownership will be doing backflips.

In all seriousness, I like the vibe that the park gives off in those photos. It has the appearance of an old-school stadium, just enhanced with all the in-stadium features today’s fans know and love.

In today’s sports universe where stadiums are growing in both size and complexity, this is a refreshing sight. Sometimes simple is better and the Braves seem to grasp that concept well with SunTrust Park.

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Unfortunately, those wishing for a fish tank rivaling the one in Marlins Park in Miami will be in for a huge letdown.

Verdict: The name could be a bit more flashy, SunTrust Park just leaves me wanting more as a fan of stadium names. There is no use of alliteration or easy abbreviation, which always makes things more fun. But who am I to judge considering the amount of dough auctioning off the naming rights will bring in.

The overall appearance (at least from the mock-up pictures) appears to be an A, thanks to its resemblance to a simpler time.

SunTrust Park will be a great place to view a ballgame, regardless if the real night sky looks like a perfectly articulated oil pastel masterpiece.