ROME - The Atlanta Braves Class A team in the South Atlantic League makes its home debut Friday night at $15 million State Mutual Stadium, exactly one year after groundbreaking ceremonies. <br>
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A sellout crowd of more than 5,000 will be on hand for the opener against Savannah. That number could swell to 5,500 if the fans fill Home Run Hill, a grassy area out beyond right field. <br>
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The team, which moved from Macon where it played since 1991, will feature outfielder Jeff Francoeur from Gwinnett County's Parkview High, the Braves' No. 1 draft pick a year ago. Another player is infielder Jonathan Schuerholz, son of Braves' general manager John Schuerholz. <br>
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``It's the biggest day of this franchise's history,'' said Mike Dunn, the team's general manager. <br>
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``It's like a kid on Christmas Eve sort of feeling,'' said Eddie Brock Jr. about his anticipation of the first game. <br>
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Brock was part of the Citizens' Committee for Baseball, a group that pushed to bring minor league baseball to the area. It was made possible in November 2001 when voters approved a special purpose, local option sales tax to build a stadium. <br>
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``We listened to election returns on (the SPLOST vote) like a ballgame. We were cheering on our team,'' Brock said. <br>
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Longtime baseball fan and former Rome city commissioner Martha Kennedy said she waited in line for about five hours last June to buy season tickets. <br>
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``I'm terribly excited about it. It's something we've waited for a long time.'' <br>
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She said she usually attends about 30 Atlanta Braves games a year but will probably only go to about half as many games now that there's a baseball team in town. <br>
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``It's really nice to have so we can see these future professional ball players,'' she said. <br>
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Several special events are scheduled before the game, but Dunn is keeping some of them secret. <br>
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``We want everyone to be surprised when they get here,'' he said.
