A couple weeks ago I blogged about April showers and rain delays at the ballpark. Last week, the Delta gang and I experienced quite the rain delay! They invited me to the annual Delta Block Party at Delta’s World Headquarters. It was a huge party for all of the local Delta employees in their parking lot with tons of food, games, live music, face painting, and VIP guests like the Tomahawk Team, Homer, and Freddie the Falcon (the mascot of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons.)

My first stop on the block was the main stage where the DJ introduced me to the crowd and had me help him with a trivia game. He asked a question that stumped everyone, me included. “How many tropical islands does Delta service?” I wasn’t entirely sure (okay, I didn’t have a clue) but the thought of a flight to a tropical island sounded pretty awesome to me. A right answer to a trivia question got you 4 tickets to the June 24th Braves game versus the Yankees. Those are tough tickets to get! Delta Day at Turner Field is June 24th so I was happy to give several Delta employees and their families tickets to the game. They’ll be there to see me throw out the first pitch!

I was getting warmed up at the “Speed Pitch” game (they hold a radar gun up as you throw a baseball at a big picture of a catcher, batter, and umpire to see how fast you can pitch the ball) when the bottom fell out of the sky. I only had the chance to take on a couple of challengers before the storm hit. There’s a great part of Turner Field called Scouts Alley and they actually have a game like this set up. You get in a batting cage and pitch a baseball to a big screen and they call balls and strikes and read how fast you are throwing. They also have a similar game where you can test your hitting skills. It’s a pretty popular place before a Braves game and during rain delays of course.

I managed to jump under a nearby tent during the storm, but unfortunately it was not the Chick-fil-A tent! For me, the best tent, hands down, to be stuck in would’ve been the Chick-fil-A tent.

The rain never let up much, but it was amazing to see how many people stuck around. Delta had some great entertainment lined up for that afternoon, including a couple bands. I thought it was really cool that Delta was doing this for all of their employees and their families. There were thousands of people there throughout the day.

To all the employees out there: Did you enjoy the Block Party in Atlanta? As I’m sure many people did, I left with squishy shoes and soaked jeans, but had I a good time while I was there.

Here’s hoping the employees enjoy sunny skies at the Delta Block Party in Minneapolis this Saturday!

Jeff Francoeur
Atlanta Braves

Happy Memorial Day weekend to everyone!

I hope you guys have great plans for the long weekend. Since I’ve been in the big leagues I haven’t been able to do much traveling for this holiday, but it always reminds me of beach and lake trips, fishing, barbecues, fireworks, American flags and summer. I love driving down the Atlanta streets when they’re lined with all the little American flags. When we’re at home for Memorial Day, Turner Field usually does some really cool things. Members of the Armed Services play the National Anthem and they roll out a HUGE American flag that covers the whole outfield. I hope your cities have some special things going on to honor the men and women who have fought and given their lives for our country.

After being on the road for over a week, it was good to be playing at home for a while. We’re wrapping up a long home stand this weekend and then packing up and heading out west to San Francisco and then Phoenix. It’s a long flight, so our bags will be packed with iPods, pillows, DVDs, laptops, playing cards – and game tapes, of course.

Unlike the trips to New York, Philadelphia, Washington and Miami, we only go to California once or twice a year. While the jet lag is sometimes tough to adjust to, especially in the middle of an already long and exhausting season, these trips are typically pretty cool. San Francisco is absolutely beautiful with the stadium right there on McCovey Cove. The Giants’ AT&T Park has one of the best atmospheres of anywhere I’ve ever played. It’ll be fun to be out there on Memorial Day…I’m sure there’ll be boats, floats and kayaks sitting in the Cove waiting for what the Giants call “Splash Hits,” which are home runs hit by Giants players that land there on the fly. As a right fielder, with the Cove directly behind me, I’m hoping I don’t hear ANY baseballs splashing! However, I wouldn’t mind any of my teammates or myself launching a few out there to take a swim.

I just wanted to briefly check in and wish everyone a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend. And if you’re traveling, let me know where you’re headed!

Throw a steak on the grill for me!

Jeff Francoeur
Atlanta Braves

You may have noticed that your Delta emails about fare sales, SkyMiles promotions and program updates, and other partner offers look a little different starting today.

Yesterday we launched our first mailing in our newly redesigned Marketing email template. The template has been updated to provide you with an easier read, quicker access to delta.com, and more personalized and relevant information.

We hope you enjoy our new design, which you’ll see on all future Delta emails. What’s your take?

John Morris
Manager, Direct & Interactive Marketing