Eight things to know in Sports this weekend A brief look at some of the key sports events and names that are sure to be part of the conversation with someone you know this weekend:
1. HONEY, WE’RE HOME
The Braves are back home and will open a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers beginning tonight at Turner Field after their second 10-game trip of the season. The Braves have played the fewest home games of any team in the majors in the first quarter of the season, only 14, one more than the Texas Rangers. Oddly, both teams lead their divisions. Beginning Monday, the Minnesota Twins begin a rare visit to Turner Field for three games, including a Wednesday businessman’s special at 12:10 p.m. The AJC will have our own first-place team of writers covering the entire homestand.
2. I'LL BE BACK
Braves right-hander Brandon Beachy, who had elbow ligament replacement surgery last June 21 is scheduled to be on the mound for the Triple-A Gwinnett Braves at 2:05 p.m. Sunday when the Louisville Bats visit. (You can see the game on CSS if you can’t make it to Coolray Field and want to click back and forth between the major-leaguers and Beachy). An AJC reporter will be there to chronicle the most visible part of Beachy’s comeback in what is expected to be the first of six rehabilitation starts. If all continues to go as well as it has thus far, he could be activated in the middle of June.
3. THE ODDS ARE …
Kentucky Derby winner Orb is set to start on the rail in the 138th Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore on Saturday at 1-1 odds and looking for his sixth consecutive victory as the favorite in the smallest Preakness field since 2007. Two bits of history to make your friends think you know what’s really going on: No horse has won the Preakness from the inside post since Tabasco Cat in 1994, and there hasn’t been a horse racing Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978.
4. COMING SUNDAY … PAUL JOHNSON INTERVIEW
Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson opens up in a lengthy and frank interview with columnist Mark Bradley that you can only find in the AJC. He shows that he is not the gargoyle guarding the entrance to Bobby Dodd Stadium that many believe him to be. It’s a don’t-miss moment on Sunday morning for subscribers to the AJC and MYAJC.com.
5. IF YOU LOVE 1-0 GAMES …
We jest. Metro Atlanta teams dominate the lineup of high-scoring, high school soccer teams playing this weekend at either the University of West Georgia or at Kennesaw State in state title games. On Saturday at KSU, both Class AAAAAA games will be played with Harrison meeting Parkview in the girls title game at 5 p.m. and Berkmar squaring off against Collins Hill in the boys title game at 7:30 p.m. On Friday at KSU, the St. Pius girls and boys both go for state titles at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Check the AJC for results of all high school sports this weekend.
6. IT’S NOT A WEEKEND WITHOUT GOLF
You may be saying to yourself: “Self, why is the AJC doing so much with college golf?” Long answer: Both the men’s and women’s NCAA golf championships are headed for golf courses near you soon. The women’s title will be decided next week at the University of Georgia golf course in Athens. And the men, who are playing regionals around the country this weekend, will advance to play at the Capital City Club's Crabapple Course in Milton for an NCAA championship week after next. Teams with a chance to come home to play include Georgia, Georgia Southern, Georgia Tech and Kennesaw State. Individual players who have a chance to come home and play for a title also include golfers from Georgia State, Augusta State and Mercer.
7. THE BEST OF A GENERATION?
If you can find a way to catch the Detroit Tigers vs. the Texas Rangers this weekend on television, it’s worth it to see Miguel Cabrera hit against the team with the American League’s best record. Last season, he was the first baseball Triple Crown winner since 1967, and already is on a pace to challenge for it again this season. (Triple Crown winners lead the league in home runs, RBI and batting average). Cabrera is first in RBI, second in batting average, and only three home runs out of the AL lead. Since 1942, even marginal baseball fans recognize the only other names of the AL players who have won Triple Crowns: Carl Yastrzemski, Frank Robinson, Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams.
8. THE END OF A LONG SEASON
You can catch a rare college baseball game on WSB at 2 p.m. Saturday when Florida plays at Georgia in what will be the Bulldogs' final game of the season. Dave Perno’s struggling Bulldogs had only a slim chance of even making the SEC baseball tournament, much less the NCAA postseason, when they met the Gators on Thursday night and lost to fall to a shocking 19-32 record. The baseball team sticks out like a sore thumb while the men’s and women’s tennis teams, the men’s golf team and the women’s softball team all compete this weekend in NCAA competition.
About the Author
