Southern Bookman

With Paris Olympics over, history moves toward fateful moment

Like a strange exquisite dream, the Paris Olympics have ended.

No more beautiful women sprinters. No more soocer, swimming, gymnastics and pole vaulting. No more views of the Eiffel Tower and  the River Seine. No more tears at the playing of "La Marseillaise."

To add to our sadness, the Braves are collapsing. College football has lost its romance. The NFL slogs toward another grueling season.

The energy of the Kamala Harris campaign stirs hope, but I'm afraid to grow too optimistic.

It's August. Autumn will be here soon, with its day of reckoning for the future.

 

As excitement soars in Paris, heartbroken Taylor Swift fans mourn in Vienna

The joy of the Paris Olympics strikingly contrasts with the sadness of Taylor Swift fans filling the streets of Vienna.

Bereft young "Swifties" mourned the cancellation of three concerts they came to the Austrian capital to revel in.

Officials called off Swift's appearances in Vienna despite the thwarting of a terrorist plot targeting the singer's fans. 

Three adolesent boys were arrested for planning to explode a car bomb or use knives outside 65,000-seat Ernst Happel stadium to "kill as many people as possible" during concerts Thursday or Friday, according to the main suspect, a 19-year-old. The young males reportedly had been indoctrinated by the Islamic terrorist groups ISIS and Al-Qaida.

A crowd of 30,000 onlookers were expected to gather outside the venue during the concerts.

Swift still plans to perform in five concerts at London's Wembley Stadium from Aug. 15-19 to close the European leg of her record-setting Eras tour.

While the Swifties commiserated with each other on the Viennese streets, crowds packed the stadiums and arenas for the Paris Olympics.

Under heavy security, the Paris Games have gone on without major trouble, outside of an unsuccessful effort to disrupt train service on the Olympics' first day.

As with the Olympics, the Swifties came from across the globe for an unforgettable experience. Sadly, their joy was stolen by the fantasies of three deranged young males.

 

 

 

 

Patriotism soars over American performances at Paris Olympics

My American pride's overflowing during the Paris Olympics.

Beginning with LeBron James bearing the wind-tossed Red, White and Blue at the front of the U.S. boat during the Opening Ceremonies on the Seine, I've been thrilled by the U.S. athletes' performances.

Gabrielle Thomas, Cole Hocker, Katie Ledecky, Scottie Scheffler, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Ryan Crouser, Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee and others represent America's diversity and excellence.

The Paris Olympics recall the long history of friendship between France and the United States. As NBC's Jimmy Roberts revealed in one of his sparkling essays on the City of Light's culture and history, Eiffel Tower engineer Gustave Eiffel also helped design the Statue of Liberty, a gift from France.

From golf to gymnastics, swimming, track, soccer, basketball, water polo and other sports, U.S. athletes of different races and backgrounds have shown America's diverse strength.

Louisiana newspaper covers Paris Olympics, while Atlanta Journal-Constitution stays on sidelines

Scott Rabalais, the Times Picayune-Advocate's ace sports columnist, is giving the Louisiana newspaper's readers compelling daily reports from the Paris Olympics.

In glaring contrast, our Atlanta Journal Constitution has no one in the City of Light, although the 1996 Olympics took place in Atlanta.

While the AJC runs generic Associated Press stories, Rabalais is producing pieces packed with local color for the Baton Rouge-New Orleans newspaper and its NOLA web site. 

The veteran Louisiana columnist, who also covers the Masters each year, is reporting on the many LSU athletes competing in Paris, led by women's 100-meter dash favorite Sha'Carri Richardson.

In recent years, the AJC has boosted coverage, adding correspondents in Savannah, Macon and Athens. But the newspaper recently announced layoffs, cutting back on local coverage.

Atlanta's a global city, with the world's busiest airport. Yet the city's daily newspaper is staying home from the Olympics. 

 

 

A sad summer without Braves on TV

I understand how Brooklyn fans felt when the Dodgers fled to Los Angeles.

The Braves haven't gone anywhere, yet they are no longer on my TV screen. Comcast has done a Walter O'Malley by not reaching a deal with the Diamond Media Group, the bankrupt parent of Braves broadcaster Bally.

On the Comcast channel where the Braves broadcasts once beamed, a corporate message on an empty blue screen has replaced Truist Park, Brian Snitker, Ronald Acuna, Ozzie Albies and the tomahawk chop.

If Frank Sinatra were a Braves fan, he'd sing "there used to be a ballgame here."

TV and the Braves go together like peanut butter and jelly. In the glory years of Hank Aaron, Dale Murphy and Bob Horner, the Braves lifted Ted Turner's Channel 17 into a national treasure. Channel 17 made the Braves America's team.

I enjoy listening to the Braves on the radio. Announcer Ben Ingram's resonant voice, wit and baseball knowledge enlighten the broadcasts. Joe Simpson's humor and passion for the game bring excitement, a pleasurable change from the sour judgmental tone he all too often showed on TV.

But unless Comcast and Diamond reach a deal, it'll be a long summer without the Braves on TV.

 

 

 

Cheers for a new baseball season

Scoring better than expected on George Will's annual baseball quiz raised my excitement over Opening Day.

Like many baby boomers who grew up loving the game, I'm always enthralled by the start of another season.

While I lamented the pitch clock for disrupting the game's timelessness, I welcomed the faster pace of play last year.

I'm chagrined by the decline of the starting pitcher, the too frequent changes of relievers, the proliferation of strikeouts and the bloated playoffs.

Despite all of its ills, I love the game, especially as a Braves fan.

Another new season arrives, full of hope and joy.

 

 

 

 

New York Times, the paper of record, shuts down sports department

The New York Times will subcontract its sports coverage to The Athletic, the money-losing web site it acquired for $550 million.

The Times' small squad of sportswriters will move to other departments to write about sports' intersection with business, culture, blah, blah, blah.

Once the Times had Red Smith, George Vescey, William Rhoden, Dave Anderson. They wrote about the beauty of sports.

The Times' shuttering of its sports desk continues a trend of newspapers giving up once core functions as print dies and the digital age advances into an uncertain future.

Here in Atlanta, the AJC now gets most of its arts coverage from the web site ArtsAtl. So much for a diversity of critical voices.

The Athletic began with a splash of venture funding, seeking to upend daily newspapers' sports coverage and hiring away local columnists and beat writers.

Former AJC columnist Jeff Schultz opines about Atlanta teams for the Athletic. Former AJC Braves writer David O'Brien writes about the team for the Athletic.

Under the new Times framework, Schultz and O'Brien's stories likely will run again in the AJC, if available from the Times' wire service.

Maybe the AJC won't even need to cover the Falcons, Braves and Hawks. The AJC can too depend on the Athletic.

Like other newspapers, the AJC has severely cut game coverage in its print newspaper, which now has restrictive early deadlines. I've slowly come to accept reading day-after game accounts in the digital AJC, under the now prevalent "five take-aways" format.

AJC beat writer Justin Toscano writes engaging feature stories and well as covering team news.

The AJC significantly boosted its print newspaper recently by again running box scores of major league games, as well as line scores. The newspaper's timely and informative stats section also runs a list of league leaders in batting and pitching. The newspaper even runs scores of minor league games.

It's fun to know how the Asheville Tourists and the Sugar Land Space Cowboys are doing this summer.

And how the Chicago White Sox's shortstop is hitting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Braves sonnet for Opening Day

Here's a poem for the Braves' opening day.

Let’s give a cheer for Ronald Acuna
from Stockbridge to Lake Allatoona.
Brandon Gaudin, welcome aboard,
we will savor every word.
Kevin Kraus will announce the name
of each player at each home game.
May Spencer, Charlie and Max
enjoy the pitch clock to the max.
Austin, Ozzie, Orlando and Matt
will bring power to each at bat.
Michael's stellar play in center
will let us forget the long, cold winter.
Let Sean Murphy emulate Dale,
bringing joy from Dacula to Austell.
To Brian Snitker, raise a glass
for leading the Braves with such class.
On Opening Day, again we dream
of another championship team.

Ernie Johnson Jr. brings Atlanta connection to TBS baseball coverage

Ernie Johnson Jr.'s not the voice of the Braves, but Atlanta fans see him as part of the team's history.

Recently lauded for leading TBS' "Inside the NBA" panel featuring Shaquille O'Neal, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith, Johnson is playing a similar role during the network's National League playoffs coverage.

Johnson is presiding over pregame and postgame commentary by baseball greats Jimmy Rollins, Curtis Granderson and Pedro Martinez.

The classy broadcaster's appearance on TBS brings additional joy to Atlanta fans as the Braves make their playoffs run against the Milwaukee Brewers.

While Johnson has no connection to the Braves, longtime fans remember when his father, Ernie Johnson Sr.,  called Braves games on the network's predecessor, Ted Turner's Channel 17 Superstation, along with Skip Caray and Pete Van Wieren. The Braves games were broadcast across the United States, building a national fan base that endures. Chip Caray, Skip’s son, calls Braves games during the regular season, now broadcast by gambling friendly Bally Sports.

The Johnson connection to the Braves-Brewer series also includes the city of Milwaukee. Ernie Johnson Sr. pitched for the Milwaukee Braves, contributing to their 1957 World Series championship.

After the Braves' thrilling victory over the Brewers Monday on pinch-hitter Joc Pederson's  three-run homer, Ernie Jr. showed his Atlanta connection when he asked hometown hero Dansby Swanson how he felt playing a few miles from Marietta, where Swanson grew up. An emotional Swanson recalled cheering for the Braves during his childhood.

The Braves and Brewers series also recalls the monumental career of Henry Aaron, who died in January. Aaron played 12 seasons for the Milwaukee Braves before the team moved to Atlanta, where he broke Babe Ruth's home run record and gained recognition as perhaps the game's greatest player. The perennial all-star finished his career with the Brewers, before returning to Atlanta as a Braves executive. In later years, Aaron was beloved in Atlanta for his business success and support for civil rights causes.

Aaron was also known for connecting to new generations of players. Today's Braves and Brewers are carrying on the two cities' deep baseball histories.

 

 

Keep Masters free from politics

I've been amused by the misguided campaign for a Masters protest of Georgia's voter suppression law.

Even sophisticated writers like the Atlantic's Jemele Hill have the misconception that the PGA tour runs the Masters, as Major League Baseball does the All-Star game. The PGA has nothing to do with the tournament. The annual "tradition like no other" is put on by the private and exclusive Augusta National Golf Club.

Some even called for the Masters to be moved, as Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred switched the all-star game from Atlanta to Denver. That will never happen. The Masters would no longer be the Masters if not played at Bobby Jones' hallowed course.

No sporting event is more defined by its venue than the Masters is by Augusta National. The U.S. Open, PGA and British Open move to different courses each year. The Masters is always played at Augusta National. The tournament is intertwined with the Amen Corner, the Green Jacket, legendary holes like the par 3 12th.

Masters Chairman Fred Ridley at his news conference Wednesday supported voting rights without directly opposing Georgia's law. Like voting rights advocate Stacey Abrams, Ridley also opposed boycotts. As Ridley said, many average Augusta residents benefit from the tournament. Some pay their mortgages by renting their homes for the week.

There's no doubting Augusta National's continuation of the Southern plantation myth. Founding Chairman Cliff Roberts, a notorious racist, resisted inviting black players to participate in the tournament for years. The club also fought efforts to open its membership to blacks and women, once putting on the tournament without TV commercials to head off corporate boycotts.

I've poked fun at the club's pretensions, like calling the fans "patrons" and mandating CBS Television's reverent coverage.

But I've loved the tournament since childhood. A bunch of wealthy Republican 1-percenters run the event, deigning to let us plebeians watch it on television. But the tournament celebrates golf, sportsmanship, competition. The Masters is an arcadian fantasy of true sport, which should be free from politics.