Life is suffering, German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer famously wrote.
Pretty sure he didn’t have professional sports in mind, it being the early 1800s and all. But nevertheless: Atlanta fans (and athletes) sure seem to have done an inordinate amount of living over the years.
Wanna talk about it?
Quick links: UGA WR reaches plea deal | Falcons eye edge rushers | Almiron returns | 10 titles and counting
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MISERABLE MEMORIES
Credit: AP File Photo
Credit: AP File Photo
This was Jalen Johnson’s breakout year. Nineteen points, 10 rebounds, five assists a game. Leaguewide props.
But now the budding Hawks star is done, suiting up for surgery on a torn right labrum. And if they weren’t already, the 2024-25 Hawks are officially cooked, too.
All of which got me thinking: What are the worst injuries in (recent) Atlanta sports history? The biggest bummers? The ones that still make you wonder “what if?”
I couldn’t include everything that popped into my big fat brain — but here are some choice cuts.
🥴️ Ron Gant’s broken leg (1994): Do you remember how good (and beloved) Ron Gant was? Dude nearly averaged 30 homers and 30 stolen bases a year between 1990 and 1993.
Then the Braves cut him. After he shattered a leg. In an offseason dirt bike crash.
😖 Mike Vick’s broken leg (2003): With mobile quarterbacks, injuries are part of the package. But breaking a fibula on a meaningless scramble in a meaningless preseason football game? Then missing most of the season, helping lead to head coach Dan Reeves’ dismissal?
Very Falcons behavior.
Credit: Curtis Compton/AJC
Credit: Curtis Compton/AJC
😢 Mike Soroka’s Achilles tendon (2020-21): In terms of just generally feeling sorry for a guy, it’s hard to beat Mike Soroka. A dominant debut season on the mound, an opening day start in Year 2.
Then boom, a torn Achilles. Rehab, near recovery. Then boom, a re-torn Achilles.
😠 Trae Young’s ankle (2021): Listen. There are no guarantees in sports. But the Hawks were on an unprecedented playoff heater in 2021 — and you can’t convince me they weren’t going to beat the Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Until late in Game 3, that is. When Trae Young STEPPED ON A REF’S FOOT, rolled his ankle and bruised a bone.
🏅 Honorable mentions: That time the NYPD broke Hawks guard Thabo Sefolosha’s leg. Either of Ronald Acuña Jr.’s knee injuries (though the first one obviously preceded a World Series title). Pretty much every Braves pitcher getting hurt before the playoffs in recent years.
- And best of all, even though he denies it ever happened: Braves great John Smoltz missing a start because, the team said at the time, he burned himself while ironing a shirt he was wearing.
What did I miss? Shoot me an email at tyler.estep@ajc.com to let me know. And tell your friends to subscribe to Sports Daily!
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SEEKING SACKS
Credit: George Walker IV/AP
Credit: George Walker IV/AP
The Falcons have not had a true threat of a pass rusher in more than a decade (in this house, we don’t count Vic Beasley’s fluky 2016 season.) But might that change soon?
Our pal D. Orlando Ledbetter reports that Atlanta is “heavily scouting” the position at this week’s Senior Bowl — and there’s plenty to like, too.
🏈 Players of potential draft interest: Donovan Ezeiruaku (Boston College), Kyle Kennard (South Carolina), Josiah Stewart (Michigan) and Mike Green (Marshall) — who did this to an offensive lineman on Wednesday.
🏈 On the other side of the ball: Former Georgia Tech tight end Jackson Hawes seems to be impressing folks, too.
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BRAVES BARGAIN BIN
So who’s left on the Major League Baseball free agent market? And what are the odds the Braves scoop one of them up? The AJC’s Gabriel Burns breaks things down.
🗣 Can you guess who this passage is about? “(This guy) was limited to nine starts last season because of numerous injuries. But his pedigree and price might make him worth a look for a club that lost Max Fried and Charlie Morton in free agency.”
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SPORTS IN COURT
Georgia wide receiver Colbie Young, suspended indefinitely since his October arrest on misdemeanor battery and assault of an unborn child charges, reached a plea deal with Athens-Clarke County prosecutors.
⚖️ The deal downgraded the battery charge to disorderly conduct and dismissed the other count. Young is set to serve 12 months probation and could, in theory, return to football activities. No word on the latter yet.
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HE’S BAAAACK
Credit: ccompton@ajc.com
Credit: ccompton@ajc.com
It’s official: Midfielder Miguel Almiron — one of Atlanta United’s most beloved players and still the franchise’s third-leading scorer — has returned.
The team announced the completion of his transfer from Newcastle this morning. Almiron said he’s stoked to return to “a club and a city that has always held a special place in my heart.”
🤔 So what’s next? The season starts Feb. 22. As our Doug Roberson reports, Atlanta’s search for a third striker continues — and we could see some action sooner than later.
“The transfer window in England, where reported target Emmanuel Latte Lath plays for Middlesbrough, closes on Monday,” Doug writes. “The transfer window in Portugal, where reported target Arthur Cabral plays for Porto, closes Tuesday.”
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NEVERTHELESS, THEY PERSISTED
The Hawks continue their snake-bitten season tonight when they visit the Eastern Conference-leading Cavaliers (7 p.m. on TNT).
⭐️ All-Star reserves, which could include Trae Young, get announced half an hour earlier on the same channel.
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PHOTO OF THE DAY
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
Pace Academy boys basketball coach Sharman White poses with the 10 state championship rings he’s won at his current school and during his earlier stint at Miller Grove High School. He recently chatted with the AJC about the keys to his success.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
I liked giving others the opportunity to learn, which is how I look at coaching. The classroom is the gym, the homework is practice and the test is the game.
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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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