Dog Days Turn to Football Season Quickly

The Fourth of July, the GHSA’s mandatory dead week for high school sports programs and the sometimes unbearable heat have all arrived, and that means we’ve hit the dog days of summer.

But there is hope, my friends. Those things mean we are right around a month away from high school fall sports.

Yes, that’s right. We’re on the downhill slide to football season.

Many local prep football teams will continue their summer workout and conditioning programs, as well as various 7-on-7 passing dates and team camps over the next couple weeks. However, soon after that will be the official start of fall practice with the GHSA’s mandatory acclimation days. Then, the full-padded practices will get rolling, and some teams have preseason live scrimmages against opponents the first week of August.

So, hang in there, folks. We’re almost there. Before long, we’ll all be headed out to Barron Stadium, Chris Hunter Stadium, Woodard-Tuggle Stadium, Dragon Stadium, H.A. Lindsey Stadium, Branch Bragg Field and Grizzard Park for football Friday nights.

And then, those trips to Valhalla Stadium and Barron Stadium on Saturdays won’t be far behind as Berry and Shorter get their seasons underway in late August and early September.

Football season is right around the corner, but that reminds me. I better get back to work on Pigskin Preview.

Please send me ideas of what new things you want to see in the RN-T Pigskin Preview this year. It will have all the normal content, including team previews, schedules, photos, band and cheerleader photos, etc. I’m also trying to get a full list together of former local football players now on the college level, so you can keep up with them on Saturdays in the fall.

However, I’m always open to new ideas, so send them along to AFarrer@RN-T.com.

Braves could be in the midst of a lost season

When a team that has been assembled with a young to veteran core of talented players, it’s just an assumption it will be in contention every year.

Sometimes, though, teams like those just have lost seasons.

Unfortunately for Braves fans, that might be what Atlanta is experiencing in 2024.

It has seemed like the season has been cursed from the start with season-ending injuries to franchise anchors Ronald Acuña Jr. and Spencer Strider, to various injuries to several other impact players that caused them to miss large chunks of time over the first-half schedule.

And on top of those tough breaks, even many of the players who have remained healthy have experienced down years in production this spring and summer. The Braves’ offense, in particular, just can’t get on track. Other than a few flashes here and there, the entire lineup has been in a slump since the end of April.

With all that said, Atlanta is still atop the wild card standings in the National League, and if the playoffs over the last few years have shown us anything, it’s all about getting hot at the right time, with regular-season records and seeding not meaning much once the postseason field is set.

The NL East title streak looks to be in serious jeopardy with the Phillies building a substantial lead (nine games up on the Braves as of Friday), so getting that top wild card spot should be Atlanta’s main goal right now.

I expect the Braves to make some minor moves around the trade deadline, but I wouldn’t expect them to go all in with a huge move. With the injuries and the shallow farm system already making trade chips thin, general manager Alex Anthopolous will have to work some magic to pull off any substantial move.

The pitching — both starters and relievers — seems to be pretty solid, but Atlanta could definitely use a boost at the plate, possibly with an addition of an outfielder or even shortstop. Orlando Arcia has been on a major decline since the end of last season, so that could be a spot for an upgrade.

You never know what’s going to happen. After all, Atlanta’s World Series title run in 2021 came after a pretty average first four months of the season, so it is definitely a possibility that this team could get right and go on a similar trajectory. There are still enough pieces there, even with the injuries, to be one of the best teams in the National League.

But with the way the season has gone so far, it might not be good for Braves’ fans to get their hopes up too high. As the old saying goes, “Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.”