Sports

Fans Get a Grip on Gwinnett Braves Despite Rain

Baseball Hall of Famer Phil Niekro signs autographs at Fan Fest at Coolray Field

Justin Godfrey was born in 1997, the same year that Phil Niekro was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

They finally crossed paths Saturday (March 5), when Godfrey, who plays baseball on a 13-under traveling team at George Pierce Park in Suwanee, made it to the Gwinnett Braves' 2011 Fan Fest at Coolray Field. Niekro, who won 318 games in his career, mostly with the Braves, was among the former players on hand as part of the festivities. Now 71, he is a Hall County resident.

Godfrey, who attends Twin Rivers Middle School in Lawrenceville, knows all about Niekro, though. He has watched videos of the famous knuckleball pitcher and even knows how the pitcher gripped the ball. "I don't grip it like he does though," Godfrey said Saturday after getting Niekro's autograph at Fan Fest. "I grip it with three fingers."

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Godfrey also is into the modern Braves, and says his favorite Atlanta Braves player is Brian McCann, a Duluth product. Coolray Field gets a thumbs-up. "There's not a lot of people, and the lines for concessions are not that long," he said.

Saturday's weather was not cooperative. Rain and cold temperatures forced the autograph sessions to be moved indoors, and activities such as baserunning and catching fly balls were eliminated. Some fan-oriented activities took place in sheltered areas (see attached video).

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The Gwinnett Braves open their third season in the Atlanta area on April 7. For complete schedule, ticket information and other data, see the team's Web site: http://gwinnett.braves.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t431


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