The following, a new weekly feature of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, allows our reporters to open their notebooks and provide even more information from our local teams that we cover daily. We think you’ll find in informative, insightful and fun.
He doesn’t play here anymore
A stroll through the concourse at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum brought a strange and unexpected sight.
A No. 12 Oakland A’s jersey with “Murphy” on the back.
If you have not been living under a rock, you know Sean Murphy now plays for the Braves.
Must be a clearance sale.
The man charged with getting Robinson ready
Falcons running backs coach Michael Pitre is charged with developing rookie Bijan Robinson, who was drafted eighth overall in the NFL draft.
“The biggest thing that has jumped out to me is how receptive he is to coaching,” Pitre said Friday before the team’s practice at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. “He takes everything in. He wants to get better. He wants to be great. So, he’s very, very receptive to coaching and with the details that we ask of him.”
The Falcons turned some heads with the selection of Robinson. Last season, they drafted Tyler Allgeier in the fifth round, and he went on to break the 43-year-old franchise rookie rushing record.
The Falcons believe there’s enough work for Robinson and Allgeier.
“The day and age (of) just having one back and he gets the main carries, or whatever you want to call it, that no longer exists,” Pitre said. “I think when you’re able to add a player like Bijan to the (group), it’s just giving us another explosive athlete that we’re able to utilize in the offense to make it stressful for the defense.”
After signing his four-year, $21.9 million contract, Robinson has been on hand for the offseason program. He flashed his pass-catching skills and running ability in the open practice.
Robinson is picking up things pretty quickly.
“It’s a day-by day process,” Pitre said. “The first thing you want to do as a teacher and coach is you have to figure out how they learn. Because that’s your job to make sure that they can get their information.”
The Falcons are not treating Robinson any differently than they did Allgeier last season.
“Obviously, we are going to challenge him and all of those guys in the (meeting) room with a lot of information,” Pitre said. “It’s going to be a very methodical approach. All we’ve asked of these guys, and specifically him, is just get better at one thing every day. ... Just make sure your effort is there.”
Mature beyond his years
The Braves called up 20-year-old AJ Smith-Shawver.
Like Bryce Elder, Smith-Shawver is from Texas. Elder worked out with the righty one offseason, and at that time, Smith-Shawver was 18 or 19 years old.
“He’s kind of one of those kids that doesn’t seem like he’s as young as he is,” Elder said. “He’s mature. His body’s mature, he’s mentally mature. I really look forward to seeing him pitch. I think he’s gonna be really successful this year and have a really long career.”
No place like home
Atlanta United manager Gonzalo Pineda on the team’s striking difference between playing at home versus on the road: “At home, we’ve been much better compared to when we play away. That, again, is something that we’re talking a lot with the players about why we change that much, home versus away. It’s normal that you change a little bit, but why the difference has to be that big. Something to correct. But now we have a game at home, and I hope and feel like we’ll have that sense of urgency from the beginning and I hope we’ll have a good game.”
Atlanta United was 5-1-2 at home. It is 1-3-4 on the road.
Injury report
Dream guard Danielle Robinson underwent a successful left knee arthroscopy at Emory’s Musculoskeletal Institute in Atlanta performed by Dr. Sameh Labib.
Robinson sustained the injury with 1:02 left in the second quarter of the Dream’s game at Dallas on May 20. She is expected to return before the WNBA All-Star break.
Robinson is a three-time WNBA All-Star and three-time all-defensive pick. The Dream traded for Robinson this offseason.
Credit: Photo courtesy of Atlanta Braves
Credit: Photo courtesy of Atlanta Braves
All-Star campaign
The Braves released a campaign this week to get several players to the MLB All-Star game in Seattle.
It is coffee themed.
The Braves are encouraging fans to vote for players with coffee puns. Some examples are:
Ronald Acuna: La Bestia Venezuelan Blend
Ozzie Albies: Ozzie’s 1 Shot
Orlando Arcia: Orlando’s Ice-T-A
Travis d’Arnaud: d’Arnaud’s d’Ark Roast
Michael Harris: Money Mike-iato
Sean Murphy: Backstop Blend
Matt Olson: Mattspresso
Marcel Ozuna: Oso Grande
Austin Riley: Hot Corner Riley’s Roast
The campaign also kicked off with former Braves Peter Moylan and Nick Green working in a coffee shop and going through the menu with Andruw Jones.
Perform well, get paid well
Defensive lineman Calais Campbell has a chance to earn an extra $2 million – in addition to his $7 million contract – with the Falcons next season.
Here’s the breakdown:
-$500,000 if he has between from 5-7.5 sacks.
-An additional $500,000 if he has eight sacks or more.
-$500,000 if he plays 60% of the defensive snaps.
-An additional $500,000 if he plays 70% of the defensive snaps.
Campbell, who turns 37 on Sept. 1, has said that he expected to play 60% of the defensive snaps. He has 99 career sacks.
Outside linebacker Bud Dupree has $2 million available in incentives next season as well – $1 million if he gets seven or more sacks and $1 million if he plays 70% of the defensive snaps.
-Staff writers Justin Toscano, Gabriel Burns, D. Orlando Ledbetter and Chris Vivlamore contributed to this article.
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