The Win Column: Matt vs. Freddie

Hey y’all.

Wanna join me in (mostly) pretending the Falcons’ exhibition-opening debacle didn’t happen?

Fabulous.

Let’s stir a different pot instead.

THE BEST FIRST BASEMAN (EVENTUALLY)?

Matt Olson, flying up the charts. (Seth Wenig/AP)

Monday probably isn’t the best time for thought experiments. It feels too early, all day long.

Here’s one anyway:

Can Matt Olson eventually become the greatest first baseman in Braves history?

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Who you’re thinking about. And one Frederick Charles Freeman is the undisputed champ around here, no doubt.

The man played here for 12 years. He won an MVP and a World Series. He was (is?) the most universally beloved Brave since those teams of the ‘90s and early 2000s.

• Give our latest round of Braves trivia a shot

But don’t be so hasty to dismiss Mr. Olson.

His go-ahead three-run shot against the Diamondbacks on Sunday made 36 homers on the season. He broke the single-season franchise record for home runs back in 2023 … and by September’s end, he could have the most of any player in their first five seasons with the Braves.

The list, per MLB.com’s Sarah Langs:

• Eddie Mathews: 190
• Matt Olson: 182
• Henry Aaron: 140
• Bob Horner: 138
• Wally Berger: 135

Pretty good company.

And while Freeman and Olson are different hitters (career batting averages: .300 vs. .258, respectively), the former’s record of 271 home runs as a Braves first baseman is under imminent threat.

He’s 32 years old, but Olson could pass the mark well before his current contract expires in 2029 (there’s also a club option for 2030).

It’s also possible the pride of Parkview extends his iron man streak further into historical-type territory while continuing to play Gold Glove-caliber defense.

General manager Alex Anthopoulos apparently thinks he’s “arguably the best defensive first baseman of all time.”

Not sure about that … but whaddya think, big picture?

What would it take for Matt Olson to pass Freddie Freeman as the best first baseman in Braves history?

• A. A ring or an MVP.
• B. A ring and an MVP.
• C. Gotta get that batting average up.
• D. Sacrilege! Freddie forever.
• E. It’s confusing but … all of the above?

✅ Use the fancy form (which also includes a Hawks question I’ll explain momentarily) to submit your answer. You can email me too.

WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS WEEK?

⚾ Braves: A rather tough upcoming slate also offers three midweek day games, including Wednesday’s series finale in Minnesota (1:40 p.m.), Thursday’s rain-delay makeup with the White Sox (2:10 p.m.) and Friday’s series opener in Milwaukee (4:10 p.m.).

🏀 Dream: More momentarily, but a four-game road trip starts with a Tuesday night matchup against the Las Vegas Aces (9 p.m., ESPN) and a Thursday night visit with the L.A. Sparks (10 p.m., Prime Video).

🏆 Little League World Series: The festivities start Wednesday in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. No team from Georgia this year, but Phenix City, Alabama (right across the Chattahoochee from Columbus) is about as close as you can get.

• Fun fact: Phenix City, which opens play at 3 p.m. Wednesday, has the only girl playing in this year’s tournament.
• Another fun fact: The Braves take on the Brewers in Williamsport on Aug. 23.

🫣 Falcons: The Dirty Birds head to Indianapolis for joint practices with the Colts on Wednesday and Thursday. They clash in a formal exhibition on Saturday (1 p.m., Fox 5). Head coach Kevin Stefanski previously deemed starters unlikely to see action in the second preseason game.

⚽ United: Atlanta United — which finally returned home and finally won a match over the weekend — rolls into Minnesota on Wednesday night (8:30 p.m., Apple TV).

• The Five Stripes are reportedly close to signing Swiss striker Breel Embolo for an $18 million transfer fee, too. So that’s nice.

🏈 High school football: Opening week, non-Corky Kell edition, has arrived. Here’s where things stand in the AJC Varsity rankings.

TODAY’S OTHER POLL: WATCHING THE HAWKS CLOCK

The Hawks’ schedule for the upcoming season is set, with reunions (vs. Trae Young and Washington, Nov. 7) and meaty matchups (vs. LeBron James and Philadelphia, MLK Day) throughout.

The more tangible news for fans: Most home games will tip off at 7 p.m. instead of 7:30 p.m.

It’s reportedly the first time Atlanta has chosen such an early start since the 2010-11 season.

But here’s the question: Does it matter to you?

• A. It does not.
• B. It does … and 7 p.m.’s gonna make it real hard to get there in time after work.
• C. It does … and I love it. Early to bed, early to rise, etc.

✅ Use the same form linked above or shoot me an email with your thoughts.

GOTTA MAKE THOSE LAYUPS

The Dream's Angel Reese (left) and Allisha Gray, during the second half of Sunday's overtime loss to the Fever. (Brynn Anderson/AP)

The Atlanta Dream are now 21-13. That’s the WNBA’s fifth-best record, and the second-best in the Eastern Conference.

They’ve also performed suboptimally against top competition.

After Sunday night’s heartbreaker of an overtime loss to the Indiana Fever, Atlanta stands just 3-8 on the season against the four teams ahead of them in the standings.

Angel Reese making more layups probably isn’t a panacea … but as columnist Michael Cunningham points out in his latest weekend reflections, it sure wouldn’t hurt.

🗣️ “Per WNBA tracking data, Reese is making 48% of her shot attempts from within 5 feet of the basket. That’s the lowest mark among 18 players with at least five attempts per game from that range.”

Yeesh. And during Sunday’s loss?

🗣️ “Reese did her usual good work on defense and the boards (14 rebounds, including five offensive). But she scored just 15 points on 16 shots. She missed 9 of 13 attempts from within 5 feet, including one that could have won the game.”

Team leader Allisha Gray said the team has “all the faith in the world” in Reese.

Something to keep an eye on down the stretch and into the playoffs, though.

OK, FINE, WE’LL DO A LITTLE FALCONS

After learning that pass rusher James Pearce Jr. would be suspended for eight regular season games, the Falcons went out and laid an all-around egg in their preseason opener.

A few follow-ups:

• Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (3-for-5 for 22 yards, one fumble) deemed his performance unacceptable: “What we put out there is not a reflection of the hard work that we’ve put in the first two weeks in training camp and it does no justice for the work that our coaches have implemented.”
• Coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters Monday morning that the team is “continuing on our process, continuing where we are,” in terms of choosing a quarterback.
• They’ll do 7-on-7s during their joint practices with the Colts this week, so Michael Penix Jr. can participate.

In terms of replacing Pearce (and the injured Jalon Walker): “The Falcons started Samson Ebukam and Cameron Thomas at outside linebacker in their preseason opener, while Azeez Ojulari also saw extensive action,” AJC beat writer Daniel Flick wrote. “Bralen Trice, who rotated with the first-team defense during training camp, didn’t play because of an undisclosed injury that’s not expected to be a long-term issue.”