Reporters’ notebook: Braves’ Brian Snitker tells team ‘we’re here to win’

One cool part: The cameras were inside the auditorium as manager Brian Snitker addressed the club ahead of the first full-squad workout.

“Welcome, everybody,” Snitker said.

The skipper then began listing off the accomplishments from last year.

“But you know, we didn’t attain the ultimate goal,” Snitker said after that. “And I’ve been hearing about it, too. God, I’ve been hearing about it, I’ve been reading about it. Every time I went to Costco, I mean, I’d walk the halls and everybody, it’s like, ‘Man, you guys had a great season, but.’ And I get down here in spring training, and the first question I’m asked is about that.

“We’ve worked really hard over the years to develop that expectation. I wouldn’t want it any other way. I don’t mind answering those questions because, you know what, we’re not here hoping to win. We’re here to win.”

Drew Four-ess

Georgia Tech centerfielder Drew Burress made history Tuesday with a program record four home runs in the Yellow Jackets’ 10-0 win over Georgia State at Russ Chandler Stadium.

Burress, a freshman and Houston County High graduate, hit a leadoff home run to left-center field in the bottom of the first inning, another solo shot to left in the third, a two-run opposite-field blast in the sixth and a two-run bomb off the scoreboard in left-center for the record in the seventh. Burress also was walked on four pitches with first base open in the fourth inning and finished the day 4-for-4 with four homers, four runs scored and six RBIs.

Following the historic performance, Burress woke up Wednesday leading the nation with nine home runs in his first eight collegiate games and 47 total bases. He went into a weekend series with Georgia leading the Jackets in hitting (.441), runs (12) and RBIs (20). Fourteen of his 15 hits as a Jacket have gone for extra bases.

Burress’ four home runs Tuesday broke the previous Tech single-game record of three, which was accomplished 14 times previously, most recently by Stephen Reid on May 7 against Pittsburgh at Mac Nease Park.

Ray Allen pays a visit to Tech basketball team

Often, Georgia Tech first-year basketball coach Damon Stoudamire feels like his message isn’t being heard, no matter how many times he has stressed it throughout the 2023-24 season.

“I have three children. Then you get another 13 as a basketball team,” Stoudamire said Monday during his weekly radio show. “So, I got 16 children that don’t listen.”

A day before Stoudamire’s Yellow Jackets went out and beat Miami in south Florida, Stoudamire brought in reinforcements. Hall of Famer Ray Allen spoke to the Jackets during Friday’s shootaround at the Watsco Center.

“A lot of the message that he was talking to our team about is a lot of the stuff that I say to ‘em as well,” Stoudamire said. “So, the next person is always someone that comes and says the same thing and then they be like, ‘Yep, yep,’ and now they listen. I just got reinforced. So hopefully now they got (Allen’s) message.

“But it was (just about) consistency. Just stay in the moment. And maximize every single opportunity that you get.”

Stoudamire and Allen never played as NBA teammates, but were fierce competitors during their respective times in the league. From 2002-05, Stoudamire played for Portland and Allen played in the same division for Seattle. Stoudamire estimated he and Allen squared off on the court at least 30 times.

Allen starred at Connecticut from 1993-96. Current Tech assistant coach Karl Hobbs was UConn’s assistant coach and recruiting coordinator from 1993-2000.

Phillies want more wins, too

The Braves can expect the Phillies to be a formidable opponent again in 2024. Despite the Braves running away with the National League East the past two years, the Phillies have eliminated them in the NL Division Series.

The Phillies, though, are still trying to get over the hump and reach the heights the Braves achieved with their championship in 2021.

“We need to win more games,” Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper said. “Understand that this is a window we have to win in. Our ownership deserves that, our fans deserve that, (President of Baseball Operations Dave) Dombrowski deserves that, as well, and we do, too. We have to go out there and play our game, play Philly baseball and we’ll see what happens.”

NL East breakdown

The NL East might not be as strong as the past two years, when it put three teams into the postseason. But it remains a grouping stacked with pitching. The Marlins overachieved a year ago but could compete for a wild card again. The Mets, after taking a step back from their flurry of free-agent spending, could end up surprising with a wild-card push themselves.

“The NL East has a rep now that it’s really strong,” Phillies co-ace Aaron Nola said. “I came up in ‘15, and you had a couple teams that were strong. You have five teams that are pretty strong now. That’s what makes it fun. It’s definitely difficult, but I think it prepares us for the postseason, especially these past couple years. It’s tougher to face Atlanta in the postseason because we’ve already seen them several times. But I feel like our battles are fun. We play each other pretty well. The same goes with the Mets, the Marlins, the Nationals. I think the NL East has a good rep now as one of the best divisions in baseball.

“I think it’s just the players and the strides the organizations have made. Just from me seeing it in this organization, we’ve brought good players in to pretty much change the team. Year after year, keep adding players. Former All-Stars who’ve been in playoff situations, experienced it, won World Series. It helps a lot. But I think a really big part, of our team especially, is the chemistry. We just have a lot of good guys, and I think that plays a big part. I think it gets overlooked sometimes nowadays, but I think other teams that are good, especially in the NL East, have that chemistry and camaraderie amongst themselves to propel them to the end.”

The other Phillies’ ace, Zack Wheeler, concurred.

“You have a couple teams who are spending a lot of money,” he said of the division. “Then a couple teams who aren’t, but at the same time, everybody wants to win. You have to give credit to the front offices just putting together good clubs. This division is strong pitching-wise. With the Braves, they can hit well. We can hit well. The Marlins are always sneaky. We always know they’re going to be a tough opponent every year, even though people kind of count them out. Their starters are really good, and they can usually hit well. They always have a good bullpen. It’s just good all-around teams. It’s a tough division.”

Old friend visits

With a visit from former Hawks big man John Collins, wing Bogdan Bogdanovic got the chance to walk down memory lane.

The two lived in the same building and did the neighborly thing of carpooling to games or practices.

Following Tuesday’s game, Bogdanovic relived some of the many conversations they shared during those car rides.

“A lot of good times,” Bogdanovic said after Tuesday’s game. “A lot of talking. JC is a guy who likes to talk about life, and he has a great life story. Just does his way of thinking. It was interesting to me, and he was great. He was really eating the same food, or almost, after every game or every day off sharing the plates. So, that was kind of cool, ordering some food from Atlanta and chilling.”

Paying homage to Edgar Allan Poe

In 1845, Edgar Allan Poe wrote his famous poem, “The Raven.”

On Feb. 27, 2024, the Orioles played the Braves at CoolToday Park in an exhibition game, and the game-day staff shined. There was a reference to Poe, who lived in Baltimore.

At one point, they had a picture of Poe on the scoreboard for the Orioles hitters, instead of their own faces.

Georgia’s Wright an SEC legend

Rashad Wright already was considered a Georgia basketball legend. In March, that distinction will become official as the Bulldogs’ former point guard will be recognized as one of 14 legends at the SEC Tournament in Nashville, Tennessee.

A native of Statesboro, Wright was a standout guard and four-year starter for Georgia from 2000-04. He led the Bulldogs to three consecutive postseason appearances – the last two in the NCAA Tournament – and was named the SEC’s defensive player of the year in 2004.

Wright owns Georgia’s career record for assists (493) and produced two of the Bulldogs’ top-10 single-season assists tallies – No. 5 (153) in 2001-02 and No. 9 (149) in 2002-03. He also ranks among UGA’s career leaders in six additional categories – No. 39 in points (1,064), No. 10 in steals (119), No. 18 in 3-pointers (122), No. 18 in 3-point attempts (358), No. 19 in 3-point percentage (.341), No. 19 in free-throw attempts (374) and No. 20 in free throws (256).

After graduating from UGA with a degree in education/sport management, Wright was selected by the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the 2004 NBA draft. He then embarked on a decade-long professional career in Europe, playing for teams in Belgium, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Serbia and Turkey.

The 2024 SEC Legends include: Richard Hendrix, Alabama; Derek Hood, Arkansas; Cliff Ellis, Auburn; Taurean Green, Florida; Tubby Smith, Kentucky; Darrel Mitchell, LSU; Dwayne Curtis, Ole Miss; Timmy Bowers, Mississippi State; Willie Smith, Missouri; Joe Rhett, South Carolina; Chris Lofton, Tennessee; Elston Turner, Texas A&M; and Frank Seckar, Vanderbilt.

Georgia spring practice dates, G-Day set

Georgia coach Kirby Smart is not deviating from the Bulldogs’ normal spring practice schedule, even though it will result in the annual G-Day game going head-to-head with the third round of the Masters.

The Bulldogs, who have gone 42-2 the past three seasons, will open spring practice the week after UGA’s spring break, as usual. This year, that means a March 12 start. Then, after practicing three times a week for five weeks, that sets up for G-Day to played April 13. That conflicts with the Masters, being competed 100 miles away in Augusta. Since Smart has been coach, the Bulldogs have been able to avoid that conflict.

Kickoff time for the annual intrasquad scrimmage has not been set. It is pending TV network decisions.

Georgia already announced that it will conduct its annual UGA Pro Day on March 13 at the Payne Athletic Center on campus. The Bulldogs had 11 players invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, which began this past week, and are expected to have several more players participate in Pro Day, the annual controlled workout for NFL personnel evaluators.

Georgia has had 34 players selected in the past three NFL drafts, more than any other college football program in the country.

SEC Football Media Days set

Smart will be the league’s fifth coach to take the stage when SEC Football Media Days take place July 15-18 in Dallas. The league announced the order of appearance for coaches and players this week.

The annual talk-fest, the unofficial starting gun for the coming football season, is being held this year for the first time in Texas. Last year, it was conducted in Nashville and was in Atlanta the year before that. At one time it was held each year in Hoover, Alabama – a suburb of Birmingham – until Commissioner Greg Sankey decided it made sense to move the event around.

Annually, SEC Media Days attracts more than 1,000 media members to a central location to discuss the coming season, with each teams’ players and coaches. This summer, the conference expands to 16 teams with the additions of Oklahoma and Texas. So, the decision was made to bring the SEC’s preseason circus to the Southwest.

First up with be LSU coach Brian Kelly on Monday morning. Smart will be the first coach on the podium Tuesday. Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer will take his turn Wednesday. Last to go is Texas A&M coach Mike Elko on Thursday.

Here’s the full lineup:

July 15

LSU – Brian Kelly

Ole Miss – Lane Kiffin

South Carolina – Shane Beamer

Vanderbilt – Clark Lea

July 16

Georgia – Kirby Smart

Missouri – Eliah Drinkwitz

Oklahoma - Brent Venables

Tennessee – Josh Heupel

July 17

Alabama – Kalen DeBoer

Florida – Billy Napier

Mississippi State – Jeff Lebby

Texas – Steve Sarkisian

July 18

Arkansas – Sam Pittman

Auburn – Hugh Freeze

Kentucky – Mark Stoops

Texas A&M – Mike Elko

-Staff writers Chad Bishop, Chip Towers, Justin Toscano, Gabriel Burns and Lauren Williams contributed to this report.