ATLANTA – When Tom Glavine left Braves in 2002 after 16 years as a freelancer, he did not do well in Atlanta. Many fans considered him selfish and disloyal and basically a traitor. The fact that he had already lost some supporters because he had a strong voice in the players’ union during the strike several years earlier – and he had the audacity to sign a deal with New York! – did not help.
So it wasn’t surprising that when Glavine first appeared in the Atlanta Forest in 2003, he became “pretty good,” he recalled. “And people had to say disgusting things until my wife and children left.”
(He also didn’t do well on the court. The brave scored six races and eight hits for Glavine in a 3 1/3 shift with a 10: 4 win.)
There’s hope that Freddie Freeman’s reception on Friday will be different when he returns to Atlanta to have a weekend series with the Dodgers. Regardless of which side you want to blame for Freeman signing a contract with Los Angeles as a free agent – after the Braves ended negotiations, replacing four prospects in place of his replacement Matt Olson – it would be absurd to fan one of the more loyal players in the franchise. history and who was responsible for the team’s rise to world title last year. The statements “he never wanted to sign here” are lazy and obviously false. But in sports, people are often driven by their emotions.
Glavine believes Freeman “gets a positive response.” There will probably be some praise – see the results of the poll – but they should be loudly applauded when he gets to the table for the first round on Friday night.
Interview time. When Freddie Freeman returns to Atlanta this weekend:
– Jeff Schultz (@JeffSchultzATL) June 19, 2022
The organization treats Freeman’s return as a party, as has happened to other players on last year’s title team who have returned in a different form this year, such as the Giants’ Joc Pederson on Monday night. The Braves are giving Freeman a ring in his World Cup and are expected to pay tribute to their former MVP before the game.
It’s just a guess, but there are a few clips of Freeman’s housemates and maybe one of them raising his hands at first base after Dansby Swanson’s release to record for the World Cup final in Houston.
Freeman played his first hit against the Braves in Los Angeles two months ago. This is the only second series between the teams, unless they meet in the offseason, in which case Braves’ Twitter would merge.
Looks like. . . October?
There was a reason for the play-off atmosphere in the game on Monday night in June. The brave may have turned their heads and reversed their season with their recent 14-game winning streak, but this week’s seven-game home against Giants and Dodgers qualifies as a benchmark. All three projects will be made into off-season teams, as will Mets, who will be coming to Atlanta in a few weeks. So, yes, that’s when the pecking order starts to take shape.
Teams have great seasons when they get performances from unlikely sources. The brave got away with one of them again in Monday’s 2: 1 win over the Giants when Orlando Arcia, the second player to replace injured Ozzie Albies, finished ninth in the RBI single, scoring Phil Gosselin. . Orlando Arcia? Phil Gosselin? Arcia achieves .338 with .941 OPS. The brave three best OPS averages currently belong to William Contreras (.987), Michael Harris (.949) and Arcia, although none of the three have enough winners to qualify.
MBS may have grass all the time, but here’s why it’s not
You now know that right after the last Falcons home game of the 2025 season, Mercedes-Benz Stadium Square will be turned from artificial turf to grass to prepare for the 2026 World Cup. The exact timetable has not yet been finalized, but MBS is likely to need to install some kind of underground irrigation and ventilation system, as well as some kind of lighting system to replicate the greenhouse effect. An open retractable roof alone is not enough.
But here’s the question: if it’s all feasible, why shouldn’t the stadium have natural grass all the time? Answer: Yes. But that is not the case. MBS is one of the most active sports facilities in the world. In the year before 2019, COVID hosted 66 ticketed events and 275 private events, for a total of 341 events in 365 days. This includes football and soccer games, as well as concerts, conventions, weddings, retirements, corporate events and more. Before erecting the stages and tables, wooden tables are used to cover the square.
Grass would not survive it. Owner Arthur Blank does not intend to sacrifice this revenue stream or add to the cost of constantly repairing and replacing the lawn. So you get a plastic lawn and you are happy with it.
Hawks need change through trade, not draft
The NBA draft is on Thursday night, and the Hawks promised upcoming new head coach Landry Fields, who is still answering team president Travis Schlenk, to ask questions of the media on Monday. Fields did well, especially since it was his first official press conference since signing a contract with the Toronto Raptors 10 years ago. He managed to release nothing from the team’s plans.
But here’s the point: Hawks’ only way to make significant improvements from last year is through trade (or free agency), not drafting. This team is young enough and needs a proven scorer and defender in the NBA that the draft can’t guarantee. (Schlenk shared some thoughts The Athletic Here.) Areas for considering the benefits of trading and maintaining choice (currently ranked 16th overall): “There is always a good line. There are only a few times a year you can upgrade your team, and one of them is a draft. Talented players are needed to win basketball games in this league. We try not to get into too positional needs. It’s still the best player available. ”
Truth, fiction and somewhere in between…
• Why doesn’t anyone talk about Phillies? Their record in June (15-3) is only one game worse than the Braves (16-2).
• Wizards guard Bradley Beal is set to reject his $ 36.4 million player selection. He is widely expected to do so in order to sign a maximum deal with Washington Athletic’s Josh Robbins. Okay, now that I’m covered, imagine Hawks with a background of Trae Young and Beal.
• Seriously. (Kinda.) Sportabook.ag has outlined the odds for potential suitors if they don’t re-sign Beal Wizards. Here’s the top five: Celtics 3: 1, Trail Blazers 4: 1, Heat 5: 1, Nets 6: 1, Hawks 7: 1, Nuggets 15: 2, Lakers 8: 1, Mavericks and Sixers 9: 1, Knicks 10- 1.
• Here’s the unofficial probability that the Hawks will be happy with (again) dissatisfied Kyrie Irving: zero.
(Photo: David Banks / USA Today)
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