The Atlanta Braves are all set to retire Bobby Cox's No. 6 this weekend at Turner Field. It will be the eighth number retired by the franchise, with the others being Hank Aaron (44), Tom Glavine (47), Greg Maddux (31), Eddie Matthews (41), Dale Murphy (3), Phil Niekro (35), and Warren Spahn (21).
A huge group of players - both past and present - are expected to be at the ceremony, along with other coaches, scouts, front office members, and of course his friends and family.
As for the festivities themselves, here is a schedule and information released by the Braves:
- Gates will open at 4:30.
- Parking lots will be permit only, so take MARTA or other means of transportation.
- The ideal time to be in your seat is 6:30.
- The ceremony will start at 7:00 sharp.
- The game is scheduled to start at 7:35, though that time is tentative at the moment.
- In addition, if you plan on attending the Legends Game and 20-year anniversary of the 1991 team before Saturday's game, be there by 5:30 as that will be the start time. Same situation goes for parking and transportation.
- For tickets, only a very few remain from the ticket office. Standing room only tickets will go on sale at 9am Friday morning for $20.
- If you cannot make the game at Turner Field, it will be broadcast on SportSouth beginning at 6:30 pm ET. The pre-game show will air for an hour instead of the usual 30 minutes, and complete coverage of the Bobby Cox ceremony will be shown. No word on if Braves.com will also air the festivities, but they have in the past when Maddux and Glavine had their numbers retired.
This should be a great night in Atlanta and it figures to be a wild atmosphere at Turner Field. Mike Minor is set to face Carlos Zambrano to kick off a 10-game home stand.