I’ve been trying to come up with an original joke about the sports pope for about 22 hours now — and I got nothing.
So how about we start off with something a little different?
Something boozier? And Dominique Wilkins … i … er?
Quick links: Braves walk it off | Tech legend’s last home series | MARTA joins the SEC
BOTTLES AND BONDS
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
It’s a sunny spring afternoon and I’m at a liquor store on Atlanta’s Westside. Dozens of folks are lined up outside with freshly purchased bottles of bourbon — and a whole bunch of Hawks garb, too.
This isn’t your average pre-weekend booze run.
Dominique Wilkins, the Human Highlight Film himself, is right through those doors. And it’s his hand-selected liquor they’ll soon be sipping.
“When I saw that Nique was putting out his drink and that he was gonna actually be here in person,” College Park native Rashad Watson said, “it’s kind of like meeting your childhood hero.”
🥃 Something to savor
“Nique’s Batch: The Rookie” — as the new, limited stock collaboration between Wilkins and Old Fourth Distillery is called — came together organically.
The sides met through a charity event, hit it off and ended up making one (1) bottle together.
Then Wilkins made the pitch for more.
“When I was (playing professional basketball) in Italy, I got into fine wines and cigars,” he told me. “And now I‘m into bourbon. So I wanted my own bourbon but I didn’t want to do something just to put my name behind it.
“I wanted to do something people will really appreciate and really love because the taste is pretty amazing.”
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
🥃 A ‘self-funded adventure’
Wilkins thinks this one’s a slam dunk.
So do Clinton Dugan and Patrick Lemmond, two of the guys behind Old Fourth and its parent, Shortbarrel Whiskey. (The latter took over the former, the first post-Prohibition distillery in Atlanta city limits, a few years back).
The celebrity alcohol arena is packed, standing room only, with hastily conceived cash grabs, Dugan said. But this “self-funded adventure” hits a little different.
For starters:
- Wilkins isn’t taking a cut.
- He chose the 8-year-old, 105-proof blend himself (I tried it, too — solid stuff!).
- And there are exactly 1,982 bottles (a tribute to his rookie year in the NBA) available.
When they’re gone, they’re gone.
“If you want to build a brand, you have to start small,” Lemmond told me at Shortbarrel’s office/warehouse in Norcross. “You can’t just spam this everywhere. You have to make it limited, you have to make it desirable.”
🥃 ‘Heart and soul’
It doesn’t hurt, of course, that Wilkins may be Atlanta’s most universally beloved sports figure. (Dale Murphy’s right there, but he’s also Mormon, so a booze endorsement is probably a no-go).
That rep encouraged the distillery team to lean into the little things: A label that looks like the shorts Wilkins wore. Trading cards with “barrel stats” (and an autograph, if you’re lucky).
Wilkins’s favorite part is a logo that finagles his initials to look like a rim and net.
“I believe that anything you’re passionate about, you’ve got to put your heart and soul into it,” the Hawks legend said. “And that’s what we did with this bourbon.”
If you’re interested in tracking a bottle down, check out the map at O4D.com. Drink responsibly!
HOW COULD YOU NOT LIKE THE DRAKE?
Credit: Butch Dill/AP
Credit: Butch Dill/AP
Struggling Braves closer Raisel Iglesias gave up another homer in a tie ballgame Thursday, letting the Reds pull ahead 4-2 in the ninth.
But the Atlanta bats rallied to send things to extras — where rookie Drake Baldwin’s 11th-inning single became his first walk-off winner. Electric stuff!
⚾ On deck: A weekend road set with the Pittsburgh Pirates, who are playing so well they just fired their manager. Bryce Elder gets the start when things kick off tonight at 6:40 p.m.
⚾ Injury update: Spencer Strider will throw another bullpen session on Saturday. Then the Braves will decide if he needs a rehab start or pops right back into the rotation.
BEGINNING OF THE END
Georgia Tech baseball hosts Louisville at Russ Candler Stadium this weekend. And it may be the final home series in the legendary career of coach Danny Hall.
Hall announced a few months ago he’d be retiring at the end of the season, his 32nd at the helm in Atlanta.
👑 Said Tech pitcher Mason Patel: “I’ve talked to some teammates and been like, ‘This is really crazy that we’re witnessing a living legend in his last year.’ I think that’s definitely had an internal spark as well. I think I’ve seen him be a little bit more motivated than last year as well. I really hope we can just keep it up for him.”
- Georgia baseball, meanwhile, is trying to stack enough conference wins to host NCAA Tournament games. The Bulldogs take on Alabama in Tuscaloosa this weekend.
QUICK HITS
⚽ Atlanta United shoots for its first win in more than a month when it visits Chicago on Saturday.
- Festivities begin at 2:30 p.m. on AppleTV.
🏀 The Atlanta Dream hosts its first (and final) preseason game Saturday in College Park. The guests? Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever. Tip-off is at 3 p.m. on Peachtree TV.
- Guard Jordin Canada is reportedly out at least two weeks after hurting her knee.
🏆 High school soccer finals lie just around the corner. Who else will join the Pope girls there?
▶️ LeBron James now has an official Barbie-branded doll. Check out this lovely video featuring AJC reporter (and Barbie fanatic) Brooke Howard!
PHOTO OF THE DAY
Credit: Alyssa Pointer / AJC
Credit: Alyssa Pointer / AJC
Holy crap, y’all — they’re finally doing it. They’re finally renaming the Dome/GWCC/Philips Arena/CNN Center MARTA station.
Your stop on a forthcoming journey to Mercedes-Benz Stadium or State Farm Arena: the “Sports Entertainment and Convention Station.”
How you feeling about that particular ordering of letters, Georgia Tech/ACC fans?
QUOTE OF THE DAY
This is kind of an emergency, ‘take action before we run out of time' situation. It's been on people's minds for quite some time, but we're kind of getting close to the event horizon.
Thanks for reading to the very bottom of Sports Daily. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact me at tyler.estep@ajc.com.
Until next time.
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
