Atlanta Braves fans forgave David Justice for his outburst against the home folks - after he hit the home run that brought the Braves and the city a World Series title.
Tom Glavine allowed only one hit in eight innings and Justice hit a home run in the sixth for a 1-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians and a 4-2 series triumph Saturday.Justice, who berated the Atlanta fans Friday for being too quiet, was booed when he batted in the second inning. But when he homered, all was forgiven.
After the game, Justice threw kisses to the cheering crowd.
"All I was trying to do was get them to prove me wrong, to just come out and show us the support I know they had in them," he said. "They proved me wrong. ... They were the key factor tonight."
Steve Elliott, 42, brought a sign that read: "Justice - Rip Ball Not Fans."
After Justice hit the game-winning homer, Elliott tore up the sign and gave Justice a standing ovation.
Today, fans got a chance to cheer Justice and the other players again at a parade down Peachtree Street. The festivities also were to feature owner Ted Turner and wife Jane Fonda, president Stan Kasten, general manager John Schuerholz, manager Bobby Cox, the coaches, the club's broadcasters and five marching bands.
To prevent a repeat of the 1991 Braves parade, when thousands of fans broke through police lines to touch the players who rode in convertibles, the players planned to ride this year atop fire trucks.
After making its way through downtown Atlanta and past City Hall, the procession was to end at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.
Police beefed up security and lengthened the parade route in hopes of accommodating more fans and avoiding problems.
"There will be an extra contingency of officers to ensure the safe, efficient flow," Atlanta police Lt. Stan Savage said.
The 1991 parade followed Atlanta's march from worst to first and its dramatic loss to the Minnesota Twins in seven games in the World Series.
This time, the fans had even more to celebrate.
Skip Caray, longtime voice of the Braves, described the feeling on radio after center fielder Marquis Grissom caught the final out off the bat of Carlos Baerga.
"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Caray screamed. "The Atlanta Braves have given you a world championship!"
It was the first championship for Atlanta in any of its three major pro sports - baseball, basketball and football. The NBA Hawks, the NFL Falcons and the Braves had been losers for a combined 84 seasons before Saturday night.
Saturday's victory also brought with it an array of headlines in area newspapers.
The front page of Sunday's edition of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said it boldly, but simply: "WORLD CHAMPS!" On the newspaper's sports section, the headline was: "AT LAST!"
The Savannah Morning News front page had a headline that said: "Finally." Its sports headline read: "On Chop of the World."
The Birmingham News headline was: "Braves On Top Of the World."
The Albany Herald's front-page headline: "Justice Prevails, Braves 1-0."
"This finally puts us out of Loserville status," said Keith Peck of Atlanta, waving his tomahawk as he watched Steve Avery run the bases and slide into home during the Braves' celebration.
Fans in the Buckhead section of Atlanta spilled from bars and restaurants and partied in the streets for three hours after the game.
"It wasn't quite a Presbyterian revival," Atlanta police major Kenneth Green said, "but it was closer to that than a riot."
At Underground Atlanta downtown, fans were jammed wall-to-wall while one man played the Braves' chant on a bamboo flute.
"Braves fans have been vindicated," Steve Carlisle of Atlanta said. "We wanted it more than the players. It's what we deserve."