ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Braves did more than just build a beautiful ballpark, although they've certainly done that. Beyond the achievement, Commissioner Rob Manfred believes they've drawn up a blueprint for what's ahead.
"The ballpark itself is beautiful," Manfred said Friday night as Atlanta prepared to play its first regular-season game at SunTrust Park. "But the scope of the project around it, I really think is the future for baseball."
Manfred had been on hand for the 2014 groundbreaking and then had returned earlier this year for another look. Finally, on Friday, he saw the finished product, a venue that is both a spectacular, intimate ballpark and part of a year-round retail complex of restaurants, shops and entertainment places.