With the Atlanta Braves World Series championship win still fresh on everyone's brain, the next step for many fans was to go out and purchase the official shirts, ball caps and other memorabilia.
Dozens of shoppers hurried in and out of the Gainesville locations for Dick's Sporting Goods and Academy Sports + Outdoors around noon today. While Dick's still had a selection of sweatshirts, T-shirts and ball caps, anything at Academy with 'World Series' printed on it was gone by 1 p.m.
Among those out shopping was Beverly Clancy, a Flowery Branch resident. At 84 years old, Clancy is truly a lifelong Braves fan.
Clancy said she grew up in Boston and rooted for the Braves when the team was the Boston Braves. Then interestingly enough, she married a man from Milwaukee and moved there around the time the team relocated.
Once Clancy and her husband moved to Atlanta, she continued rooting for the team and met some of its most famous players in a big way.
"I was a nurse at Piedmont Hospital in Labor and Delivery and I helped deliver Dale Murphy's and Bruce Benedict's and Glenn Hubbard's kids," said Clancy. "They've just been my boys."
Clancy said she has a batting glove signed by Murphy. The Braves organization also recognized her a few years ago at SunTrust Park, now Truist Park, as one of the team's longest fans. It also happened to be her birthday on that same day.
It is only fitting that Clancy and her granddaughter Taylor Walker would be among hundreds of shoppers out searching for Braves World Series merchandise the morning after the big game.
Walker said Dick's Sporting Goods was their third stop of the day. They purchased World Series hats, pennants and beer mugs.
"As much as we can get," Walker said, chuckling. "This doesn't happen very often, so we might as well just get it all!"
Michael and Amy Rifenburg were also among those out shopping for Braves gear. The Gainesville couple said they headed out as soon as they could get their kids to school.
Michael Rifenburg said he could remember going out to stores to buy a shirt the day after the Atlanta Braves won the World Series in 1995. Like many Georgians, he expressed his excitement for a team from Atlanta to win a championship.
"The city of Atlanta really doesn't get a lot of championship, that's really rare," said Rifenburg. "It was cool to see this team, with all that they went through...never expected to beat the Dodgers, never expected to beat the Astros, never even expected to get to the World Series...that was super awesome."
The Rifenburgs said they plan to attend the Braves celebration parade on Friday; they even plan on making it a family affair.
"Hopefully Gainesville City Schools lets the kids out early, if not, we'll pull them out early and go to wherever that parade is going to be," said Michael Rifenburg.
