Braves' minor league team makes debut in Rome

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> <br> 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> <br> The team, which moved from Macon where it played since 1991, will feature outfielder Jeff Francoeur from Gwinnett County&#39;s Parkview High, the Braves&#39; No. 1 draft pick a year ago. Another player is infielder Jonathan Schuerholz, son of Braves&#39; general manager John Schuerholz. <br> <br> ``It&#39;s the biggest day of this franchise&#39;s history,&#39;&#39; said Mike Dunn, the team&#39;s general manager. <br> <br> ``It&#39;s like a kid on Christmas Eve sort of feeling,&#39;&#39; said Eddie Brock Jr. about his anticipation of the first game. <br> <br> Brock was part of the Citizens&#39; 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> <br> ``We listened to election returns on (the SPLOST vote) like a ballgame. We were cheering on our team,&#39;&#39; Brock said. <br> <br> 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> <br> ``I&#39;m terribly excited about it. It&#39;s something we&#39;ve waited for a long time.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> 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&#39;s a baseball team in town. <br> <br> ``It&#39;s really nice to have so we can see these future professional ball players,&#39;&#39; she said. <br> <br> Several special events are scheduled before the game, but Dunn is keeping some of them secret. <br> <br> ``We want everyone to be surprised when they get here,&#39;&#39; he said.

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