Y’all see this story about Major League Baseball firing an umpire who “shared a sports betting account” with a friend?
There’s no evidence Pat Hoberg (considered one of the best ball-and-strike umpires in the game, incidentally) bet on baseball or manipulated games. But not a good look!
And I’d wager we’re going to continue seeing scandals like this across the sports-o-verse, given the gambling apps' increasing ubiquity — and most leagues’ efforts to actively promote them.
Quick links: Dawgs at the Super Bowl | Hawks break streak | United’s new striker
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MAKING THE GRADE
Credit: Wire photos
Credit: Wire photos
Don’t look now, guys and gals. But most of our favorite Atlanta sports teams are … having pretty solid offseasons?
The latest example: Atlanta United landing a striker named Emmanuel Latte Lath for an MLS-record transfer fee of $22 million.
With him and a flurry of other recent moves in mind, I figured it was time to rank offseason activity on a highly subjective, vibe-centric scale.
Read on for that, but here’s the fun part: You can rank the acquisitions too!
(Click that link to weigh in! And let us know if you have any issues — we’re trying something new here.)
️⚽️ Atlanta United: 9.2/10
Latte Lath comes over from Middlesbrough, a squad I must admit I’ve never watched. In fact, I checked three times that there wasn’t another “o” in there somewhere.
But the Five Stripes needed another striker — and nine goals in his last 16 matches ain’t nothing. Combine it with the feel-good return of Miguel Almiron and, as reporter Doug Roberson put it, you’ve got potential for one of the best attacks in MLS.
We’ll see what kind of magic new manager Ronny Deila can work.
🏀 Atlanta Dream: 8.8/10
Brittney Griner, 34, isn’t getting any younger — but if you’re looking to make a splash, snagging a 10-time All-Star and one of the most recognizable names in women’s basketball is how you do it.
Add in a three-time All-Star forward (Brionna Jones), a Sixth Player of the Year candidate (Shatori Walker-Kimbrough) and a new coach (Karl Smesko)? Then you’re cooking with the appropriate level of gas to go from middling playoff team to potential contender.
Griner, Jones and Walker-Kimbrough meet the press later today. @KSugiuraAJC will be there.
⚾️ Atlanta Braves: 7.8/10
Am I a member of the Ian Anderson and Grant Holmes fan clubs? Sure! Pretty good, as in-house options go.
Was I still hoping the Braves would add a more established arm to the rotation? Absolutely.
But sign me up for outfielder Jurickson Profar all day. The switch-hitter’s coming off a career year with a .380 on-base percentage (exactly the type of bat the Braves need) and joining a team he watched as a kid in Curacao.
We love to see it.
🏈 Atlanta Falcons: 6/10
No, it’s not even really the NFL offseason yet. And no, the Falcons haven’t made any moves. So they’re kind of catching strays here.
But the approaching months will include eating quarterback Kirk Cousins’ salary one way or another. And presumably making an underwhelming draft pick. And probably not getting trade-demanding Cleveland pass rusher Myles Garrett, either.
“Calm down #Falcons fans,” the AJC’s D. Orlando Ledbetter wrote on X. “He said he wants to go to Super Bowl Contender. The team has had seven consecutive losing seasons.”
D-Led from the top rope!
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BACK ON TRACK
Credit: Duane Burleson/AP
Credit: Duane Burleson/AP
Trae Young hit a wild game-winner with less than two seconds to play against the Pistons on Monday night, then stepped over a fallen defender to celebrate the 132-130 win. Talk about breaking an eight-game losing streak in style.
Young scored 17 of his 34 total points in the fourth quarter — and now has the most clutch points (points in the final five minutes or overtime of a close game, basically) in the entire NBA.
🔮 As far his future goes: AJC columnist Michael Cunningham says signing Young to an extension and trying to pair him with another star is still the best option.
😖 Also, a quick mea culpa: Yesterday, I confused myself and wrote that the Hawks drafted Kevin Huerter with the extra pick they got from trading Luke Doncic. They did take Huerter in the 2018 draft, but the 2019 selection of Cam Reddish is the selection that came from Dallas.
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TRIVIA TUESDAY
The Hawks’ Dyson Daniels — aka “the Great Barrier Thief,” which is grade-A nickname work for a defensive-minded Australian guy — filled up the stat sheet last night: 19 points, six rebounds, seven assists, four steals and three blocked shots.
🤔 But who was the previous Atlanta hooper to put up more than 15 points, five rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocks in a single game?
Answer at bottom of the newsletter.
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LIVE FROM THE SUPER BOWL
Credit: Cody Chaffins/DawgNation
Credit: Cody Chaffins/DawgNation
The aforementioned D-Led is in New Orleans for the Super Bowl, where he’s already written stories about the Eagles and Chiefs mastering “opportunistic football” and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s stance on diversity.
🎥 And don’t miss the fun video from our friends at DawgNation, who touched base with several former Bulldogs playing defense for the Eagles (and brought “a bag of memories” along for the ride).
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RETURN TO THE FIELD
Former Georgia assistant Scott Cochran is back in college football, taking the head coaching job at West Alabama. That’s a Division II school in Livingston, way out near the Mississippi line.
💪 Get caught up: If you haven’t read Ariel Hart’s piece about Cochran’s yearslong battle with addiction, you should.
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TECH HOOPS
🏀 The Yellow Jacket men do not have a road win this season. They hope to rectify that against Clemson (9 p.m. on ACC Network).
🏀 Fresh off their weekend win at Miami, the No. 20 Tech women landed two players on a national awards watch list. They host SMU on Thursday (7 p.m. on ACC Network Extra).
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PREP NOTES
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PHOTO OF THE DAY
Credit: Kenneth Walker/AJC File Photo
Credit: Kenneth Walker/AJC File Photo
Brian Ellis, star quarterback at Clayton County’s Morrow High School, during a practice in February 1989.
Ellis, a 53-year-old who also played football at the U.S. Naval Academy and served in the Marines, was among the American Airlines passengers killed last week when their plane collided with an Army helicopter near Washington.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
Morrow was just the neatest little place to grow up. We all loved each other really well and took care of each other. We were all so proud of him.
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Thanks for reading to the very bottom of Sports Daily. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact me at tyler.estep@ajc.com.
Oh, and the trivia answer in Paul Millsap.
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