Morning, friends.
Lots o’ news today, include a notable Georgia Tech basketball departure and a closer look at the Braves’ Drake Baldwin. Stay tuned to AJC.com/sports this afternoon for our high school basketball players of the year and all-state teams, too.
But first, gird yourself: It’s a big day for our bracket pitting Atlanta’s finest and foulest sports moments against each other. We’ve got our first major upset coming in hot — and, unfortunately, it’s time to talk about the Super Bowl, too.
Yeah. That one.
Quick links: Baldwin ready | Hawks fall short | George hits the portal | Apalachee’s new coach
WHERE THINGS STAND
Credit: Cayce Dunn/AJC
Credit: Cayce Dunn/AJC
We’re almost there! And as you can see, I greatly underestimated the civic pride instilled by the 1996 Olympics. And/or the fervor of our Georgia Tech readers.
🤗 On the happiness side of the bracket, the Olympics (a No. 7 seed) dominated UGA’s two recent football titles, earning about 60% of y’all’s votes.
🫣 The misery index stuck to the chalk, with UGA’s 2nd-and-26 overtime loss in the national championship game (the No. 2 seed) easily fending off the Thrashers’ departure.
Today you’re voting on our final pair of first round matchups — the No. 1 seeds versus the No. 8s. And I bet you can guess what that means.
THE MISERY MATCHUP
28-3 vs. the 10-run inning
Credit: Curtis Compton/AJC
Credit: Curtis Compton/AJC
The No. 1 seed: Super Bowl LI. 28-3. The pièce de résistance, the crown jewel, the immortal embodiment of Atlanta sports suffering.
I watched this game with my wife and two other casual football fans. As the Falcons built up the lead, they celebrated. I sat mostly silent, well aware of the awful potential that still lurked. But even then … surely not, right?
Surely so!
We won’t belabor it. But Tom Brady and Patriots launched the largest comeback in Super Bowl history, winning in overtime.
And the Falcons, well … that Julio Jones catch should’ve sealed things up even after things started getting hairy. Fans will forever hold a grudge against Kyle Shanahan. And the franchise will continue catching strays on every Super Bowl broadcast (and many, many others!) until the end of time.
Credit: Curtis Compton/AJC
Credit: Curtis Compton/AJC
The No. 8 seed: Tough matchup here. But in terms of straight up deflation and embarrassment, it takes a lot to top the Braves’ performance in Game 5 of the 2019 National League Division Series.
You know … the one where Mike Foltynewicz managed to get one out — and the Cardinals scored 10 runs in the first inning? Which broke some all-time records and tied others? And eliminated the Braves, marking the 10TH STRAIGHT TIME they’d lost their first postseason series?
How could you forget?
THE FOND MEMORY FACEOFF
The ‘95 Braves vs. Tech’s Final Four run
Credit: Jonathan Newton/AJC file photo
Credit: Jonathan Newton/AJC file photo
The No. 1 seed: There’s nothing like your first. Especially after years of trying.
Tom Glavine’s stellar eight innings and David Justice’s solo shot gave Atlanta a 1-0 Game 6 win over Cleveland — and the 1995 World Series title.
After twice flirting with glory (and enduring a leaguewide strike), the Braves finally had their ring. And lest we forget: this also marked the city’s first championship in any professional sport.
As Skip Caray so eloquently summed it up: “Yes! Yes! Yes! The Atlanta Braves have given you a championship! Listen to this crowd! A mob scene on the field!”
Credit: Sunny Sung/AJC file photo
Credit: Sunny Sung/AJC file photo
The No. 8 seed: Is there anything better than a lengthy March Madness run?
Props to Georgia Tech’s “Lethal Weapon 3″ squad of 1989-90, but today we’re talking about the 2003-04 team that made it all the way to the title game.
A year after losing Chris Bosh to the NBA, B.J. Elder, Jarrett Jack and crew rambled through the regular season and earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
They dispatched Northern Iowa, Boston College, Nevada and Kansas before Will Bynum’s game-winning runner against Oklahoma State sent them to the national title game.
The Jackets then fell to the UConn juggernaut. But gracious, what a ride.
That’s all for the bracket extravaganza today. Go vote, vote, vote, and check back Friday for our second-round matchups.
NOT SO GOOD NEWS
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
In keeping with today’s theme, I’ve decided to sort the rest of the news by vibes. Here’s the bad stuff.
↔️ Nait George, one of Georgia Tech’s key men’s basketball stars, intends to hit the transfer portal.
😖 Daniel Calhoun, a potential starter for Georgia’s offensive line come fall, will miss the rest of spring practice with a foot injury. (Silver lining: Tickets for the G-Day game go on sale Monday.)
🚨 Georgia coach Kirby Smart also addressed the team’s most recent driving-related arrests, saying he’s disappointed and deals with discipline on a case-by-case basis.
🫣 The Hawks tried to come back, launching a furious 29-8 run in the fourth quarter, but fell to the Rockets 121-114.
BETTER NEWS
🙏 Apalachee High School hired a new football coach, about three weeks after Mike Hancock stepped down to focus on grief counseling.
🗣️ Leonard Floyd, the Falcons’ newest pass rusher, finally met with local reporters and said he’s all for the team adding some reinforcements in next month’s NFL draft.
🥳 The Atlanta Drive won the inaugural championship in the TGL, that indoor, virtual-based golf league with pros like Patrick Cantlay and Billy Horschel.
💪 Atlanta United’s Mateusz Klich is ready for more action after battling pneumonia and a quad injury. The Five Stripes host NYCFC on Saturday.
GREAT NEWS
Credit: Ross D. Franklin/AP
Credit: Ross D. Franklin/AP
Top prospect Drake Baldwin is ready to make his big league debut when the Braves (finally!) start their season Thursday in San Diego.
And as beat reporter Justin Toscano writes in his latest deep dive, everyone — from former college coaches to current Atlanta pitchers — is singing the catcher’s praises.
🙌 A sample, from the always thoughtful Spencer Strider: “Phenomenal catcher. Love throwing to him. Just really good personality as well. Just thinking off the field, friends with everybody, very communicative, very social. He’s a phenomenal player, obviously. Good swing. But just has the presence of a guy that has experience. When you’re throwing to him, it just feels very confident and comforting, makes the glove look like it’s 5 miles wide. That’s something that’s hard to teach. I think he’s definitely got a bright future, for sure.”
Let’s goooo!
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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