The Win Column: Calling our shot(s)

Getting toasty this week, folks.

And I’m not just talking about the weather.

THE WORLD CUP HEATS UP

Credit: Estela Muñoz/AJC

Credit: Estela Muñoz/AJC

This little international soccer tournament has been a banger and, with the action rolling through Atlanta again this week, I figured we’d start today’s newsletter with a few predictions for what lies ahead.

A grain or seven of salt is advised.

1️⃣ Atlanta will remain lit. We’ve had full houses at “Atlanta Stadium,” at the official FIFA Fan Fest at Centennial Olympic Park and just about everywhere else I’ve seen during these first few weeks of festivities.

Don’t expect that to slow down much this week.

Noon game, schmoon game. It’s gonna be a party.

It’s also gonna be a few days before the Fourth of July … so the Win Column is officially calling for a British defeat on American soil.

These African squads have been tough.

Credit: Rahul Deshpande

Credit: Rahul Deshpande

2️⃣ Atlanta will host Messi. Our fair city also hosts a Round of 16 game next week, with the winners of Australia-Egypt (2 p.m. Friday) and Argentina-Cape Verde (6 p.m. Friday) fighting for a trip to the quarterfinals.

Assuming Mo Salah is healthy, look for Egypt to advance. And as much as we’d enjoy seeing tournament sensation Cape Verde back where they started their magical run … Lionel Messi and the defending champs will be too much.

The GOAT will play in the ATL. And ticket prices will rise even higher.

3️⃣ The U.S. men’s national team will win. Unlike a certain TV reporter from Los Angeles who spent her weekend apologizing to an entire country, I can point to Bosnia and Herzegovina on a map (roughly). I’m also from Lawrenceville, which has a notable Bosnian population, so … respect.

Feeling a tad less confident about a subsequent Round of 16 match against the winner of Belgium-Senegal, but we can’t have everything now can we?

And remember: Our friend Michael Parkhurst told us that just getting to the Round of 16 would count as a winning tournament for the U.S.

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WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING THIS WEEK?

🏆 Golden Spikes: College baseball’s Golden Spikes Award gets announced tonight at 7:30 on MLB Network, and Georgia’s Daniel Jackson is the odds-on favorite to win. He’d be the first Bulldog so honored since … Charlie Condon in 2024.

🎾 Wimbledon: Big-time tennis is already underway in England and runs through July 12. Serena Williams starts her comeback bid by taking on Australian Maya Joint, the world’s 53rd-ranked player, around 1 p.m. EDT on Tuesday.

💰 Hawks: The NBA’s official free agent negotiation period starts at 6 p.m. Tuesday. First question of many: What do with Jonathan Kuminga’s $24.3 million club option?

🏀 Dream: It’s off to Washington, D.C., on Thursday (7:30 p.m. on Peachtree Sports Network) before the Golden State Valkyries come to College Park for a nationally televised July 4 matinee (1 p.m. on CBS).

🍑 Northside Hospital Peachtree Road Race: How could we forget? America’s greatest 10K no longer bears the AJC name, but we’re still buds.

In fact: Come by our office on Peachtree Street between 8 and 10 a.m. Saturday to cheer on runners — while enjoying a free King of Pops ice pop, plus live music from DJ La Bonita and the Clark Atlanta drum line.

CUNNINGHAM: SEND KIM BACK TO THE BENCH

The Braves, meanwhile, host the Cardinals this week (7:15 p.m. each night, Tuesday through Thursday). They say they’re not in panic mode. Things have to turn around at some point.

Right?

Well … perhaps not for shortstop Ha-Seong Kim. Third baseman Austin Riley is eliciting heretofore unseen levels of skepticism too.

🤔 From AJC columnist Michael Cunningham’s weekend reflections:

“Manager Walt Weiss should be out of patience with Kim,” Mr. Cunningham wrote. “Weiss’ latest, desperate gambit was giving Kim three straight starts at San Francisco over the weekend. Kim went 0-for-8 with two walks and four strikeouts.

“Kim has made 82 plate appearances; he’s reached base 14 times and struck out 22 times. Kim has zero extra-base hits.

“Enough is enough. Kim should stay on the bench, because the Braves are worse off when he plays.”

I’ll also point out that the $20 million shortstop last got a hit June 3 … so no argument here.

🤔 As for Riley: He’ll keep getting playing time, “but he hasn’t homered since May 20. The 32-game streak without one is the longest of his career.”

Ugly stuff.

And with their division lead now sitting at just three games, the Braves are no longer sitting pretty.

A MORE OPTIMISTIC QUOTE ABOUT THE BRAVES

PITTS POLL, TECH GEAR AND TORCH TALK

📊 The results are in for last week’s poll on Kyle Pitts’ new payday … and there was a distinct lack of uproar. “Would’ve preferred he played on the franchise tag but … eh” was the most popular answer (41%). “Dude’s pretty darn good with halfway decent quarterback play” came in second, with 27%.

Look at y’all being all glass-half-full.

🐝 Georgia Tech’s swanky new Under Armour merch officially launches Wednesday, but it’s already available at the bookstore on Tech Square. Click-clack!

🔥 Learned things from this piece by GPB’s Jeff Hullinger, in which he pays tribute to the late Georgia Tech professor who designed the relay torches for Atlanta’s 1996 Olympics. (Did you know there were like 17,000 of them?!)

ONE MORE THING …

OK, two things. Both of which happened just this morning:

For the record, PrizePicks does not appear to have been utilized in the first part (and has not been tied to any athlete-involved betting scandal, far as I can tell).

But quite the timing, eh?

The State Farm deal means you can expect PrizePicks signs around the arena, including on a new “PrizePicks Party Deck.” It figures to become ubiquitous on broadcasts as well, with sponsored in-game stat updates and such.

At least games won’t also air on FanDuel Sports Network (RIP) ... but what a treat to lie in the obnoxious bed our overlords have made.

Thanks for reading to the very bottom of the Win Column. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact me at tyler.estep@ajc.com.

Until next time.