Happy Friday, y’all.
The Braves have a huge home series on tap this weekend. Atlanta United’s back at the Benz to try and right the ship, too.
But there’s always a little time to be weird about the Kentucky Derby, right?
Quick links: Kentucky Derby: What to know | Fixing the Five Stripes | Tony Barnhart to retire
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Credit: Charlie Riedel/AP
Credit: Charlie Riedel/AP
Ahhh, the Kentucky Derby. Bourbon. Seersucker. Dumb hats.
And even dumber horse names.
Rich folks just love slapping the silliest thing they can think of on 3-year-old thoroughbreds. And I’m not gonna stand for it anymore!
🔥 I’m ready to roast, toast and otherwise evaluate the names of every equine contender in Saturday’s race.
Is 19 one-liners too much for one newsletter? We’ll find out together!
Citizen Bull (odds: 20-1): Who would be a better jockey: the 1941 “Citizen Kane” version of Orson Welles or the 1980 “Raging Bull” version of Robert De Niro?
- Name rating: 6/10
Neoequos (30-1): That many vowels to essentially name a horse “new horse?” I … think I love it?
- Name rating: 7/10
Final Gambit (30-1): It’s giving “Avengers” movie subtitle.
- Name rating: 2/10
Rodriguez (12-1): Not great on its face. But apparently honors enigmatic musician Sixto Rodriguez, whose “Sugar Man” (1969) is a certified banger.
- Name rating: 7/10
American Promise (30-1): Which one? Obesity? Student loans?
- Name rating: 4/10
Admire Daytona (30-1): They’re letting the Florida Chamber of Commerce name horses now?
- Name rating: 1/10
Luxor Café (15-1): I’ll take a large coffee with cream, please. And one of those little waffle things, too.
- Name rating: 2/10
Journalism (3-1): Hmm. I appreciate the sentiment. And journalists do like to be first … but they often miss deadline, too. And we could be a little more creative, couldn’t we?
- Name rating: 7/10
Burnham Square (12-1): Burn ‘em? I hardly know ‘em.
- Name rating: 2/10
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Flying Mohawk (30-1): Solid but … all horses have mohawks. You’re not special.
- Name rating: 5/10
East Avenue (20-1): Boring. Next.
- Name rating: 0/10
Publisher (20-1): Man, I sure do love Andrew Morse, visionary president and publisher of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. And signer of my paychecks.
- Name rating: 10/10
Tiztastic (20-1): Fun to say! And a tribute to his daddy, Tiz the Law, which is also fun to say.
- Name rating: 8/10
Render Judgement (30-1): Chill out.
- Name rating: 3/10
Coal Battle (30-1): *Appalachian miners rise up against their early 20th-century overlords*
- Name rating: 8/10
Sandman (6-1): Exiiit light. Enterrrr night.
- Name rating: 6/10
Sovereignty (5-1): Oooh so serious. We’re all ~very~ impressed.
- Name rating: 2/10
Chunk of Gold (30-1): Who you callin’ a chunk, chump?
- Name rating: 6/10
Owen Almighty (30-1): Feels like a bad sequel to “Bruce Almighty,” in which Jim Carrey’s son does something annoying. It got a 53% on Rotten Tomatoes, too.
- Name rating: 5/10
Let me know which one’s your favorite — and if you’re up for it, send me an Atlanta-themed horse name of your own.
You might want to check out this AJC video about an event celebrating the history of Black jockeys, too!
ONE FOR THE MONEY
Credit: David Zalubowski/AP
Credit: David Zalubowski/AP
Should be one heckuva weekend at Truist Park, where the Braves kick off a seven-game homestand with three against the world-beating Dodgers.
You might recall that L.A. contributed to Atlanta’s miserable 0-7 start to the season, first by stifling its offense and then with a Shohei Ohtani walk-off.
The Braves are 14-9 since then.
And the Dodgers? Well, they’re 15-3 at home — but 6-7 everywhere else.
⚾ The schedule: Tonight’s first pitch is at 7:15 p.m. on FanDuel Sports and PeachtreeTV. We’ll get Grant Holmes vs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, whose 1.06 ERA leads Major League Baseball.
- Saturday’s 7:15 p.m. start is on Fox, with Sunday’s 7:10 p.m. game on ESPN.
⚾ In case you missed it: The AJC’s Gabe Burns went down to Gwinnett to check in with Craig Kimbrel and Jarred Kelenic.
TWO FOR THE SHOW
Atlanta United, which has not scored a goal in roughly one million minutes, returns home to host Nashville on Saturday (2:45 p.m. on Fox).
Beat writer Doug Roberson touched base with a pair of TV experts to get their takes on how to fix the Five Stripes. Lots of specifics in the article, which you’ll want to check out.
😬 But this quote from analyst and former United star Dax McCarty about sums things up: “I don’t understand why (manager Ronny) Deila continues to, in my perception, play players out of position.”
DOWN THE HOME STRETCH
We’ve officially entered the final month of the college baseball season, and the locals are all charged up — thanks to a pair of enthusiastic leaders with unorthodox origin stories.
🔋 At Georgia, charismatic rotation ace Brian Curley finds inspiration (and mental strength) from the golf course.
- The Bulldogs visit Missouri this weekend. A sweep could seal an NCAA Tournament berth.
🔋 At Georgia Tech, shortstop Kyle Lodise brought offbeat energy (and plenty of offense) when he transferred from Division II Augusta.
- The Jackets host Western Carolina this weekend.
PREP NOTES
🏅 State playoffs are well underway in baseball and soccer (both boys and girls). All the latest lies within those links!
🏅 Jackson Brooks, son of UGA athletic director Josh Brooks, is a track and field star at Clarke Central High — and a true decathlete, which ain’t that common these days.
🏅 Bass fishing is a high school sport now, apparently! Stay tuned to the AJC preps page later today for the skinny on this week’s tourney at Lake Lanier.
PHOTO OF THE DAY
Credit: AJC
Credit: AJC
Tony Barnhart — who became known as “Mr. College Football” during his storied four-decade career at the AJC, ESPN and the SEC Network — is calling it quits.
The 71-year-old said he’ll wrap things up after embarking upon a farewell tour this upcoming football season.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
I still have a few books left in me. I hope to continue speaking events because they are so much fun.
Thanks for reading to the very bottom of Sports Daily. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact me at tyler.estep@ajc.com.
Until next time.
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