This story was excerpted from Mark Bowman’s Braves Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
ATLANTA -- Matt Olson experienced the thrill of showing off his infant son Owen when the Braves held family day at Truist Park after their June 1 game against the Red Sox.
“I brought him in and showed him my locker,” the Braves' first baseman said. “I’m pretty excited for when he’ll be old enough to walk in after a win and give everybody knucks [fist bumps].”
Olson and his wife, Nicole, welcomed their first child to the world in December. He was born at a healthy 10 pounds.
“I was joking that [Georgia football coach] Kirby Smart was already calling to make [Owen] a left tackle,” Olson said.
This will be a special Father’s Day for Olson, who is thrilled that his son will experience a childhood similar to the one he had while growing up in suburban Atlanta. This opportunity was created when the Braves acquired the 31-year-old from the A’s before the start of the 2022 season.
The Atlanta area might have been the family’s offseason home, regardless of employer. But the chance to “be home” year-round has many advantages.
“I think the most important thing in life is family and those relationships that you make with each other,” Olson said. “It's kind of cool to start your own, new section of the family. It's almost like you look at your life through their eyes a little bit, even though he’s just six months old.”
Olson looks forward to seeing Owen develop the same lifelong fandom he has had for the Braves, Falcons and other Atlanta-area teams. The veteran was crushed by 2017's 28-3 Super Bowl disaster. But despite being a member of the A’s, he celebrated Atlanta's 2021 World Series win while on a golfing trip with fellow Braves fans.
But for now, he is just enjoying the thrills of seeing an infant come to understand his surroundings.
“I got a video yesterday of him just belly laughing,” Olson said. “Our dog loves chasing the water out of the hose when it gets sprayed. My wife's got our son strapped up to her chest, and she's spraying the water. The dog is chasing it. Owen is just dying laughing on her chest, like, you know, little things like that just kind of brighten our day.”
Olson also now understands how children, especially when they’re young, can quickly erase any stress created by a tough day at the ballpark.
“He doesn’t care what dad did that day,” Olson said. “He doesn’t care if you didn’t feel good at the plate or if you made a big error. He just wants Dad to be there.”