SPORTS

BY RUSS REGAN
We are now right at the two-week mark of the 2020 baseball season and the Braves potentially got some bad news. The Bulldogs saw a big recruit go another way. We also see the NFL preseason get cut in half, at least. It wasn’t a great week in Georgia sports but hopefully it will get better. Let’s start with the Braves.
The fourth of July didn’t start well as four players tested positive for the Covid-19 virus. All star first baseman Freddie Freeman and new closer Will Smith were among the four. Touki Touseant and utility infielder Pete Kozma were the other two. The news wasn’t so bad for Smith and Touseant as they were A-symptomatic. The news wasn’t as good for Freeman as he was starting to show symptoms. Let’s hope the all star can make a speedy recovery. If he isn’t ready to start the season, my guess is that Adam Duvall may get his chance to play there for a little while. If he is pressed into action, it will be interesting to see what he can do if he can get some steady bats. 
The Braves lost another player that was related to the virus but he wasn’t sick. Starting pitcher Felix Hernandez has opted out of his deal. “The King” has a non-roster invite to spring training and it looked like he was going to make the big league club. It’s too bad because I would have liked to have seen if he had something left in the tank. Braves first base coach Eric Young Sr. also has opted out for the 2020 season. And it’s lead by new Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher, David Price. There are a couple of huge names that say they are on the fence. San Francisco catcher, Buster Posey and the game’s best player Mike Trout from the Angels haven’t completely made up their minds.
It was a big day last Tuesday (June 30) for the Bulldogs as the nation remembered one cornerback, Tony Grimes as he was announcing his college decision. The Bulldogs were in his final four with North Carolina, Texas A&M and Ohio State. The consensus had him heading to North Carolina and sure enough he is going to be a Tar Heel. I guess being on a winning team wasn’t his top priority. On a better note, 2021 Bulldog to be Brock Handagriff had a huge pro day at the Elite II quarterback camp. He will be in the mix to have a shot at the starting job in Athens next fall.
There was some NFL news this week. The league has decided to shrink the preseason down to just two games. The players association took things one-step further by rioting to get rid of the preseason games all together. It will be interesting to see where that one winds up.