So get this: Back in December, a horse trainer in Kentucky laughed so hard at former Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo missing a field goal (you know the one, where Koo basically stubbed his toe) that he threw himself into a seizure.
The seizure helped doctors find a brain tumor, though, so the guy is appreciative — and healthy enough to attend this weekend’s Kentucky Derby to cheer on a thoroughbred from the farm where he works.
Wild stuff.
And a long, ham-fisted segue to our first bit.
AN ATLANTA-THEMED KENTUCKY DERBY HORSE NAME GENERATOR
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
To be fair, Saturday’s Kentucky Derby field isn’t entirely devoid of notable nomenclature.
Incredibolt and Chief Wallabee are solid work. I’d fight for Right to Party. And the general idea of naming a horse The Puma is pretty funny.
But overall? Pretty boring. Uncreative.
Not … Atlanta enough.
So in order to inspire the next generation of thoroughbreds (and their owners), we took matters into our own hands.
🐴 Behold: The AJC’s Atlanta-Themed Kentucky Derby Horse Name Generator.
Yup.
Give ‘er a spin or five. Thanks to data whiz Charles Minshew, you’ll find more than 16,000 ATL-honoring possibilities.
We mixed in some adjective-type words from the names of previous Derby winners too, for another touch of authenticity.
Your Win Column host already generated hundreds of names himself (hey, work is work), finding particular joy in suggestions like Lady Kudzu, Maximum Peachtree and Super Blooper.
Lemon Pepper Plane Train honestly seemed a bit much.
🐴 Anyway … share your best results (or the fruits of your own imagination) with us at tyler.estep@ajc.com.
Then tune in to NBC by 6:57 p.m. Saturday to watch the race.
BOB RATHBUN, OFF THE LEASH
Don’t get it twisted: Bob Rathbun would rather be on the mic and on your TV screen for Thursday’s do-or-die Game 6 against the Knicks.
A 30-year veteran of the local airwaves, he’s not a fan of the NBA nixing regional playoff coverage, even in the first round.
- “I wish they hadn’t done this. I totally understand the money, and these networks have paid a fortune for these games. I get it,” Rathbun told me before the Hawks’ Tuesday night humbling at Madison Square Garden.
- “But at some point I do believe that the greatest good comes into play. There’s only so many zeros out there before the fans just throw up their hands and just say, ‘I can’t do this. I can’t afford 10 streaming services and cable and every app to get every game.’ So we make it very difficult in that regard.”
Hear, hear.
But then again: Uncle Bob also isn’t having the worst time just hanging around the team, meeting admirers and working on his social media stand-up routine.
“It’s been so much fun,” he said. “Hopefully we can keep it going and do more.”
We also covered CJ McCollum’s early-series heroics (not surprised), Jalen Johnson finding his footing (harder than it looks) and the future of Hawks TV in a post-Fan Duel Sports world (not going anywhere).
📝 Check out more of our convo here.
BON VOYAGE, BLOOPY
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
The Braves are doing just fine, thank you, with their current roster. Nevertheless, reinforcements are on the way — even on the mascot front.
- Pitcher Spencer Strider made his third rehab start Sunday with Triple-A Gwinnett. No exact date yet, but his next start will be on a major league mound this weekend in Colorado.
- Catcher Sean Murphy is now nine games into his rehab assignment (and finally got his first hits Sunday). He could return over the weekend or early next week.
- Shortstop Ha-Seong Kim would’ve started his own assignment with Double-A Columbus on Tuesday, if they didn’t get rained out. By rule, his minor league stint will be 20 days or less.
Then there’s Blooper.
It seems one of the primary performers who brought the mascot — and the odd but delightful X account — to life for the last several years is hanging up the suit.
No official confirmation on the casting change from the Braves (they’re weird about mascots), but they did share this statement: “We look forward to BLOOPER continuing to entertain Braves Country at Truist Park and in the community as the best mascot in sports.”
The show will go on.
And while we’re, uh, hesitant to get too romantic about a mascot … it’s worth a tip of the cap to the previous performers who pushed ol’ Bloopy past a panned debut — “cool, a beige Phillie Phanatic knockoff for your move to the suburbs!” — and made him a beloved bit of the Braves experience.
📺 Must-see TV: Tonight’s game against Detroit features the home debut of Braves youngster JR Ritchie. His opponent? Two-time defending AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal.
THAT’S ATL, BROTHER
Credit: Courtesy Aliya Terrell
Credit: Courtesy Aliya Terrell
There are a lot of cool things about the Falcons drafting Avieon Terrell, little brother of Atlanta star A.J.
They’re both defensive backs. They both grew up in Atlanta and played at Westlake High before heading to Clemson for college — but because they’re almost seven years apart, this’ll be the first time they’ve ever shared a locker room.
That’s my favorite part.
“I have to pinch myself because I just really don’t think it’s real,” their mom, Aliya, told columnist Ken Sugiura this week.
Of course, plenty of brothers have played high school ball in Georgia before suiting up in the NFL. But playing together in the pros, in any sport?
That’s a rarer feat around these parts.
💪 There’s Hank and Tommie Aaron, who played together for both the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves. With 768 combined dingers, they remain MLB’s home-runningest set of brothers … though Tommie’s 13 aren’t exactly pulling even weight.
💪 Phil Niekro and brother Joe also enjoyed a brief Braves cohabitation (1973-74). So did Rick Mahler and the lesser-known-but-more-alliterative Mickey (1979).
💪 More recently, Justin and B.J./Melvin Upton became, uh, something short of fan favorites.
💪 Not sure it counts, exactly — but Hawks star Jalen Johnson’s brother, Kobe, averaged 14.5 points per game for the team’s G-League affiliate in College Park last season.
💪 The Georgia Swarm (professional lacrosse) still employs the legendary Lyle Thompson. Two brothers, Miles and Jeremy, have played with him over the years.
💪 If we’re expanding to sisters: Women’s hoops icons (and identical twins) Kelly and Coco Miller briefly teamed up on the Atlanta Dream at the end of their careers.
Let me know your favorite, and who I missed … then check out some more NFL draft coverage:
OTHER GOOD OR INTERESTING THINGS TO KNOW
🏀 The Dream and Angel Reese get their two-game preseason slate underway tonight in Chicago (against Reese’s former team). At 3 p.m. Sunday, Washington comes to town for Atlanta’s only home preseason game.
You can stream both online if you create a free WNBA ID account.
👃 Shaq (yes that one) has a new fragrance, which he recently unveiled at a local JCPenney. “Trust me, if you spray that, it’s going down,” he threatened.
🤔 The NCAA is moving closer to adopting a “five to play five” rule for athletic eligibility, which would definitely be implemented in an orderly and uniform fashion and not induce even more chaos. The suits continue trying to ram a 76-team basketball tournament down our throats too.
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Several gallons of bleach were used in the making of this photo.
Thanks for reading to the very bottom of the Win Column. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact me at tyler.estep@ajc.com.
Until next time.
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