The Win Column: Arms wanted

Hi friends, it’s AJ Willingham in for Tyler, who’s dealing with “loose bodies” in his elbow. Wait, no, that’s Braves righty Hurston Waldrep. What an evocative injury description. Bleargh.

THE BRAVES ARE DISARMING

Braves pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach will have been away from the mound for a year when he's due to return in June.

The Braves brass would kindly like you to ignore the growing pile of pitching arms that have fallen off during spring training. Everything is fine, they’re playoff bound and everyone who isn’t already injured is healthy as a horse. It’s not like broken starting pitchers were a major issue last season or anything.

Let’s review:

• RHP Spencer Schwellenbach will be out until at least June and is pursuing arthroscopic surgery for bone spurs in his right elbow. Huge bummer, since he missed a bulk of last season with an elbow fracture and was prepared to make a run for Cy Young contention.
• RHP Hurston Waldrep was shut down a few days into camp due to the aforementioned loose bodies. If he needs surgery, he’ll be out a few months.

Anthopoulos wants a big gun

Obviously, the Braves are shopping to augment their starting rotation. But rather than plug the growing holes, president Alex Anthopoulos says he wants a “playoff caliber” starter to join Chris Sale and Spencer Strider in the top three.

• As Gabriel Burns writes, Braves faithful may want to see a “greater sense of urgency in upgrading the rotation.” Gotta make the playoffs to use a playoff arm, after all.
• Instead, maybe the team could use a reliable man who can cover lots of innings and keep all of his elbow bodies together.
• Michael Cunningham prefers free agent Zack Littell, who’s durable and can do the dirty work to get the Braves into playoff contention.

⚾ READ MORE: Cunningham’s take on Braves’ pitching needs

Remember, the ghost of injuries past is never far: Schwellenbach is a haunting example. Current starters Sale, Strider, Grant Holmes and Reynaldo López all spent time on the IL last year.

YOUR THOUGHTS ON JAMES PEARCE JR.

Last week, Tyler asked y’all what you would do about Falcons phenom James Pearce Jr., who had a historic rookie season but has now been accused of a violent vehicular pursuit of his ex-girlfriend, WNBA star Rickea Jackson.

The Falcons haven’t made a move yet, but there are still a lot of unanswered questions. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich called it “an unfortunate situation.”

The Win Column readers had some compassionate and thoughtful things to say:

• “Cut. The way the whole thing played out gave him plenty of time to make the right decision. People could have died as a result of his actions. I hope the Falcons do the right thing.” — Randy
• “All that potential and to ruin it. Feel sorry for my team and really sorry for him. Got to cut him.” — Stan
• “Wait at least a couple of weeks for the emotions to settle and hear what he says. Then make a decision, but I am hoping he shows remorse and plans for counseling. If he does, we are a forgiving society.” — Larry
• “Growing up as an athlete taught me discipline and character, two traits that were not apparent in this incident. I will not support a team that doesn’t demand both of those qualities in its players.” — John

LET THE MLS SEASON BEGIN!

Atlanta United’s 10th season begins Saturday on the road against FC Cincinnati. The team is looking to improve on a forgettable 2025 season (5-13-16) that landed Atlanta United near the bottom of the MLS barrel.

⚽ Those first few games will be a test: Last year, the Five Stripes won only two of their first 11 matches. Three of the team’s first four games are also against 2025 playoff teams.

YOU CAN RUN FROM THE QUEER HOCKEY BROS, BUT YOU CAN’T HIDE

My friend is in Italy for the Milan Cortina Olympics and sent this photo of a local bookstore going all-in on spicy hockey romance.

🩵 READ MORE: How “Heated Rivalry” is uniting Atlantans

Yes, the “Heated Rivalry” show is a cinematic masterpiece, but it also features one the most painful necessities of sports fiction: fake teams and leagues.

In the “Heated Rivalry” universe, the guys play for the MLH, or Major League Hockey. The MLH has teams like the New York Admirals, the Boston Raiders and the Montreal Metros.

These are far from the worst in the genre, but even the good attempts sound like off-brand grocery store cereals. Love those Froot Hoops and Lieutenant Crunch.

🏒 If you want to vaporize a few neurons, Wikipedia has a shockingly comprehensive list of fictional sports team names. Liberty City Salamanders forever.

TECH BASEBALL DELIVERS

Georgia Tech baseball is off to a scorching start, leading the nation in runs per game at 18.8 — and doing it almost entirely without the home run ball.

The Yellow Jackets have gone deep just five times in four games and somehow still scored 75 runs doing it.

What’s the secret?

Will Baker is hitting an eye-popping .769, Vahn Lackey is hitting .533 and Drew Burress (the guy you’d expect to be clearing fences) is doing most of his damage with line drives and plate discipline.

It’s just four games into the season, and the competition hasn’t exactly been murderers’ row, so let’s pump the brakes before clearing a trophy case. But if you’re a Tech fan, there’s plenty here to feel good about before ACC play arrives.

🐝 READ MORE: Expectations are high for Tech’s loaded roster

Thanks to AJC graphics wiz Rahul Deshpande for the analysis and visual!

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh

I’m still giggling and kicking my feet over Georgia girl Elana Meyers Taylor scoring monobob gold in Milan at the generally-young-but-Olympically-advanced age of 41. She was the only Georgia athlete at the games, too! Happy Black History Month to her!

All of this does not change the fact that bobsled, let alone monobob (you know enough Latin to figure that one out), is an objectively unhinged thing to attempt.

The perspective of this photo is proof enough. She’s in there, in the little sled! If I had a nickel for every time I muttered “That can’t be safe” during the Winter Olympics, I’d have a pile of nickels.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Georgia Gwinnett College in Lawrenceville just started up men’s and women’s basketball programs this year, but you wouldn’t know it from the way they’re winning.

The men’s team is 20-6, with two regular season games to go, and the women’s team is 18-7 with three remaining.

It’s actually not too much of a surprise. Chase Teichmann and Tory Wooley, the men’s and women’s coaches, respectively, came in with sterling records of their own. The Georgia Gwinnett Grizzilies have also grabbed 21 NAIA national championships for tennis and baseball.