Monday again, huh?
What do you say we ease on back into the workweek with the suddenly resurgent Braves, the mascot-less Atlanta Dream and a feel-good high school football story?
Quick links: Weekend reflections | Brent Key unimpressed | High school football rankings
STILL WORTH WATCHING
The Braves beat the Guardians three times over the weekend. They’ve only lost twice in the past 10 days. The once-dismal offense keeps humming along.
But does it … matter?
Heck yeah it does.
To be clear: Atlanta is still 12 games under .500. It’s 10 games back of the National League’s final wild card spot (currently held by the Mets, believe it or not). As I wrote in one edition of the Braves Report last week, the Braves’ 2025 ship has already sailed far enough to make Magellan jealous.
It’s also, you know, football season — an excellent excuse to cut bait on a disappointing baseball campaign.
👀 But this Braves team is suddenly worth watching again.
And recent results matter moving forward.
“Beyond winning for winning’s sake, there’s the reality that the 2026 Braves likely will look much like the 2025 Braves,” the AJC’s Michael Cunningham wrote in his latest Weekend Reflections column.
“The outlook for next season and beyond will improve if underachieving players who likely will return finish this season strong. That’s been happening since the trade deadline.”
He is correct, as usual.
- Ronald Acuña Jr. returned to the lineup over the weekend.
- Michael Harris II stayed hot (even with a bunch of goofy bat designs).
- Jurickson Profar, who’s hitting just shy of .300 lately, launched Sunday’s go-ahead home run.
- Ozzie Albies — the team’s straggliest straggler, offensively speaking — has six hits over his last four games.
Hurston Waldrep and Joey Wentz, meanwhile, are helping carry a beleaguered pitching rotation. And the bullpen … has actually been pretty solid.
👀 Writes Mr. Cunningham: “The Braves will have holes to fill for 2026. They’ll have fewer issues if their key players under contract finish strong. That matters, even if you think that winning when they are out of the playoff race doesn’t.”
Hear, hear.
The White Sox — one of four MLB teams with a worse record than the Braves — come to Truist Park tonight to kick off a three-game set. Spencer Strider will launch another bid to join the turnaround crew.
And everyone else will just try to keep it going.
Make sure to read Michael Cunningham’s Weekend Reflections column every Monday. This week’s edition also tackles the Saints, an “absurd” College Football Playoff proposal and more.
EYES ON EAST LAKE
It’s now officially Tour Championship week over at Atlanta’s East Lake Golf Club, where the PGA’s top 30 players will vie for a $10 million prize. (No surprise here that Scottie Scheffler, last year’s winner, comes in fresh off a victory at the BMW Championship.)
Much more as Thursday’s Round 1 approaches, but remember: East Lake ditched that strange “starting strokes” format, so everyone will start on even footing this year.
🔗 More recommended reading: Remembering Charlie Harrison, East Lake legend
TRIVIA TIME
What year was East Lake Golf Club named the permanent home of the Tour Championship?
Answer at the bottom of the newsletter.
MASCOT MANIA
The Atlanta Dream put together a strong second half to beat the Golden State Valkyries last night in Cali. They remain in second place in the WNBA standings.
🤔 More importantly: Should the team get a mascot? And what should it be?
Over the weekend, The Athletic pointed out that the Dream are now the only team in the league without a human-in-a-suit mascot roaming the sidelines. They also offered some … interesting suggestions for rectifying the situation.
I’ll give them props for “Party Peach, the basketball-alien-fruit hybrid” — but I think we can do better.
🤔 A few random ideas: How about a sentient Coke bottle? A giant, anxious chicken who escaped from the wing factory? Some kind of alarm clock?
Maybe this is harder than I thought. Shoot me an email with your suggestions and maybe we can start a movement.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT …
🐦⬛ The Falcons lost their second preseason game. Beat writer D. Orlando Ledbetter offered up a report card from the performance against the Titans, as well as a closer look at five things we learned — which include some clarity at a few key positions.
The team made some roster moves this morning, too.
⚽ Atlanta United still hasn’t won an MLS match since late May. Beat writer Doug Roberson says one play from Saturday’s loss in Colorado — “a pratfall in a season of face-plants” — sums things up pretty well.
🐝 Merely a motivational tactic? Maybe. But Georgia Tech football coach Brent Key wasn’t impressed with his team’s effort during their latest scrimmage: “I don’t think we’re anywhere close to being ready to play a football game.”
That opener at Colorado arrives in 11 days.
WEEKEND WONDERPERSON
The start of Georgia’s high school football season did not disappoint. A pair of No. 1 teams dominated their top-10 opponents. A three-time defending state champ lost its opener.
But the best story of the weekend?
That happened Saturday at Apalachee High School, where the football team won its first game since 2021 — and, just as significantly, its first since the deadly on-campus shooting that rocked the Barrow County community a little less than a year ago.
The Wildcats more than earned today’s Weekend Wonderperson honors.
I got handshakes by people I hadn't met yet. Students that aren't in my class come up to me and say thank you. They were thanking all the players. It was very emotional for a lot of the kids. There were lots of tears shed by players and students and families.
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: 2005.
About the Author
Before taking over the AJC's Sports Daily newsletter, Tyler Estep spent two years writing the A.M. ATL newsletter. A Gwinnett County native and University of Georgia graduate, he has been with the AJC since 2015 and previously worked as a reporter on the breaking news, hyperlocal and local government teams.
