Auburn’s win over Michigan State in Atlanta last night finalized the men’s Final Four. On the women’s side, South Carolina and UCLA will learn their opponents after tonight’s games are finished.
And the Atlanta sports memory bracket? We’re about to set that Final Four too (vote here!).
But first: What’s up with the Braves?
Quick links: Braves swept | Hawks 145, Bucks 124 | PHOTOS: Savannah Bananas in ATL
A ROUGH START
Credit: Gregory Bull/AP
Credit: Gregory Bull/AP
Four straight losses, a bullpen snag or two and a nonexistent offense. Not exactly how you pictured the Braves’ opening weekend, eh?
There are … a lot of negative numbers to consider: 22 straight scoreless innings, 1-for-22 with runners in scoring position.
“It’s bad; 0-4 is pretty bad,” manager Brian Snitker said. “We didn’t get it done. We didn’t hit enough, pretty much.”
But how about we focus on a few positives? Or glass-half-full type situations, at least.
➕ We won’t get too advanced metric-y. But as our pal Justin Toscano reports, the Braves hit 16 balls at 100 mph or above during the series.
The Padres robbed multiple home runs and others fell just short.
Translation: Atlanta hit balls hard but had nada to show for it. These things generally even out over time (with or without torpedo bats!).
➕ The pitching’s been pretty darn good! The starters ERA sits around 3.60, which is eighth in the National League. The bullpen settled in pretty well after Hector Neris’ four-run meltdown in Game 1.
Translation: Spencer Strider (who pitched three solid innings in his first rehab start over the weekend) is due back in a couple weeks. Grant Holmes will likely move back to the bullpen and give it a boost, too. Good gets better!
➕ The Braves last started 0-4 in 2021 — which, as our Gladness vs. Sadness bracket will remind you, turned into a pretty pleasant year.
Translation: Don’t freak out, man.
“We still got 158 left,” center fielder Michael Harris II said. “Just move on to the next opponent and keep your head high. It’s too early in the season to keep your head low and focus on what just happened. It’s all up from here. Just try to move on to the Dodgers now.”
😬 Tonight’s game: The Dodgers, of course, are the favorites to win this year’s World Series — and sit at 5-0 to start the season. They’ll send Tyler Glasnow to the mound to face Atlanta’s Holmes.
First pitch is at 10:10 p.m. on FanDuel Sports South and Southeast.
Sign up for the AJC’s Braves Report newsletter for more coverage straight to your inbox, every weekday afternoon.
ALMOST THERE, Y’ALL
Credit: Cayce Dunn/AJC
Credit: Cayce Dunn/AJC
Can you believe we’re almost set for an Atlanta sports memory Final Four — and the ultimate battle for our city’s soul?
💔 In our most recent misery matchup, Jim Leyritz’s home run against the Braves in the 1996 World Series (62%) easily topped Georgia football’s 2nd-and-26 overtime loss to Alabama in the national championship game.
💖 In terms of happier memories, the 2021 Braves title team ousted the upstart 1996 Olympics pretty handily.
Today we’re choosing between two terrible Falcons memories — and two more iconic Braves moments.
THE MISERY MATCHUP: 28-3 vs. Vick goes to prison
Credit: Curtis Compton/AJC
Credit: Curtis Compton/AJC
Witnessing your team jump into eternal on-field infamy with both feet (that is, blowing the biggest lead in Super Bowl history)? A deeply unpleasant experience.
So is losing your team’s exciting star quarterback — because he was running an illegal and inhumane dogfighting ring in his free time.
Which is worse?
THE FOND MEMORY FACEOFF: The ‘95 Braves vs. Sid’s slide
Credit: Jonathan Newton/AJC file photo
Credit: Jonathan Newton/AJC file photo
A tough choice for Braves fans.
The 1995 World Series marked Atlanta’s very first professional sports championship of any kind — and a deep sigh of relief after previous teams fell just short.
That said: Sid Bream’s iconic, game-ending slide in Game 7 of the 1992 NLCS is truly one of the most dramatic moments in the history of sports. Atlanta-related or not.
Which is more glorious?
Go vote, vote, vote — and check back Wednesday for the results.
PEACH STATE PRIDE
For the first time since 2008, the men’s Final Four is comprised entirely of No. 1 seeds: Auburn, Florida, Houston and Duke.
Two of those, of course, are also SEC teams — and if you can put conference rivalries aside, you may find yourself rooting for a few Peach State products when they face off Saturday in San Antonio.
🍑 Auburn’s Dylan Cardwell, a McEachern High grad, has made a name for himself playing an old-school sort of center position.
🍑 Auburn guard Miles Kelly graduated from high school in Virginia but also starred at Gwinnett’s Parkview High — and spent three seasons at Georgia Tech, too.
🍑 Florida guard Will Richard won a state title at Woodward Academy and started his college career at Belmont before heading to Gainesville.
Auburn and Florida play at 6:09 p.m. Saturday, with Houston vs. Duke to follow at 8:49 p.m.
Both game are on CBS.
WEEKEND WONDERPERSON
Credit: Aaron Gash/AP
Credit: Aaron Gash/AP
Today we’re starting a new feature: Each Monday, I’ll give a local athlete, coach or other sports-related person props for a stellar weekend performance. I’m calling it the “Weekend Wonderperson,” because it’s inclusive and also funny.
This week’s honor goes to the Hawks’ Zaccharie Risacher and his 36-point performance in Sunday’s win over the Bucks.
The Frenchman shot 12-of-21 from the field, including 5-of-11 from 3-point range, to set his career high — and become just the 10th teenager in NBA history to score at least 36 in a game.
The Spurs’ Stephon Castle is probably the favorite for Rookie of the Year … but Risacher keeps on adding to his own case. Including with this dunk on a Trae Young lob.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
⭐ Dyson Daniels, whose five-steal game moved him past Mookie Blaylock to become the Hawks’ all-time single-season steals leader.
⭐ Manager Ronny Deila and the rest of the Atlanta United crew, who pulled off a dramatic, come-from-behind victory over NYCFC on Saturday — and may have solved their offensive production problems at the same time.
⭐ Georgia baseball, which swept its weekend series with No. 11 Auburn and, at 28-2, is off to the best 30-game start in school history.
PHOTO OF THE DAY
Credit: Daniel Varnado for the AJC
Credit: Daniel Varnado for the AJC
The Savannah Bananas took over Truist Park for two sold-out shows over the weekend. Former Braves fan favorite Charlie Culberson even joined the fun (and did a backflip before his at-bat).
Check out more photos here — and don’t miss this behind-the-scenes look at what’s fueling the Bananas phenomenon.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
The improv moments usually get the most views because no one expects it to happen. I mean, obviously a big run-scoring celebration or a big walk-up, those get a lot of views. But sometimes our left fielder twerking in the outfield might get more.
Thanks for reading to the very bottom of Sports Daily. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact me at tyler.estep@ajc.com.
Until next time.
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