The Atlanta Braves Foundation 50/50 Raffle Presented by Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos is Back for the 2024 Season!

April 3, 2024
PHOTO: Atlanta Braves

It’s now easier than ever to participate in the Atlanta Braves Foundation 50/50 Raffle presented by Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos!

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ATLANTA – This season, fans located anywhere in Georgia can participate in the 50/50 Raffle. Fans may purchase raffle tickets online here at braves.com/5050 or via the MLB Ballpark app while in the state of Georgia, and fans at home games can continue to purchase raffle tickets from sellers at Truist Park and around The Battery Atlanta. At the end of each raffle, one lucky fan will walk away as the winner of a cash prize.

The purchase of a raffle ticket gains entry into the grand prize drawing, which will take place after the 8th inning on the final day of the raffle period. The winning ticket may be claimed at the guest services booth located at Section 111 or by emailing [email protected]. Winner does not have to be present to win.

Every transaction is electronically tallied and updated in real time. The ongoing total is displayed inside Truist Park on the LED board located in left-center field, on the Georgia Power Pavilion in The Battery Atlanta, as well as braves5050.com.

The Raffle Jackpot Winner will receive one half of the total net proceeds collected by Atlanta Braves Foundation during the Raffle Period, less any and all applicable taxes or other fees.

Prize claims can be made at the Atlanta Braves Foundation booth located at Section 111 inside Truist Park for Braves home games, or by emailing [email protected]. All prize claims must be made within thirty (30) days of the raffle drawing date.

Alex Anthopoulos Checks in With Cellini & Dimino before the First Game at the Phillies

March 29, 2024
ATLANTA, GA – NOVEMBER 05: Atlanta Braves General Manager Alex Anthopoulos waves to the fans during the World Series Championship Parade and Celebration at The Battery and Truist Park on November 5, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire) (Icon Sportswire via AP Images)

We just always felt we were an outfielder short. Once we got Adam Duvall back, that just basically…OK, now we have a guy that can backfill and cover everybody. Ronald goes down, he could play right field. Harris goes down, he could play center field and Jared goes down, he can play left field. 

ATLANTA – Braves General Manager Alex Anthopoulos checks in with Cellini& Dimino with some final evaluations and team information before we start the 2024 Regular Season. Find out why Adam Duvall is returning to the Braves, how Pitcher Chris Sale is adapting to the new clubhouse, Spring Training positives with Jared Kelenic and MORE!

UGA’s Big Dogs – A Roundup of Interviews with Georgia’s Head Coaches and Athletic Director

March 28, 2024

UGA’s Big Dogs – A Roundup of Interviews with Georgia’s Head Coaches and Athletic Director

Georgia Football Head Coach Kirby Smart

UGA Women’s Basketball Coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson

J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Josh Brooks

Georgia Men’s Basketball Head Coach Mike White

Georgia Soccer Coach Keidane McAlpine

Georgia Baseball Head Coach Wes Johnson

Atlanta Braves Announce 2024 Opening Day Roster

March 28, 2024

Club sets 26-man roster for NL East title defense

ATLANTA – The Atlanta Braves today officially set their 26-man roster for Opening Day. The final roster includes 13 pitchers, two catchers, five infielders, five outfielders and one designated hitter. The club today selected RHP Jesse Chavez to the major league roster, and placed RHP Angel Perdomo on the 15-day injured list.

The roster includes five players who will be wearing a Braves jersey for the first time in their career this year, including LHP Chris Sale. Atlanta acquired the seven-time All-Star via a trade with Boston on December 30. 

Sixteen players return from last year’s Opening Day roster, including 2023 All-Stars Ronald Acuña Jr., Orlando Arcia, Ozzie Albies, Matt Olson, Austin Riley and Spencer Strider, who is set to serve as the club’s Opening Day starter for the first time in his career. 

The roster includes just one player making his first Opening Day roster. OF Forrest Wall opens the season with the club after debuting for Atlanta last July. 

The oldest player is 40-year-old reliever Jesse Chavez, while Michael Harris II is the youngest at 23 years old.

The Braves will visit the Philadelphia Phillies at 3:05 p.m. (BSSO) tomorrow afternoon to open the 2024 season, with Strider set to face right-handed pitcher Zack Wheeler. Atlanta’s full roster for tomorrow’s season opener is below.

26-Man Roster

PITCHERS (13): LH Aaron Bummer, RH Jesse Chavez, LH Max Fried, RH Raisel Iglesias, RH Joe Jiménez, RH Pierce Johnson, LH Dylan Lee, RH Reynaldo López, LH Tyler Matzek, LH A.J. Minter, RH Charlie Morton, LH Chris Sale, RH Spencer Strider

CATCHERS (2): Travis d’Arnaud, Sean Murphy

INFIELDERS (5): Ozzie Albies, Orlando Arcia, Luis Guillorme, Matt Olson, Austin Riley

OUTFIELDERS (5): Ronald Acuña Jr., Adam Duvall, Michael Harris II, Jarred Kelenic, Forrest Wall

DESIGNATED HITTER (1): Marcell Ozuna

The Braves celebrate the 50th anniversary of Hank Aaron’s record-breaking 715th home run

March 27, 2024
Score this limited-edition Hank Aaron Bobblehead commemorating Hank’s 715th home run!

ATLANTA – April 8, 2024 marks 50 years since Henry Louis Aaron hit his 715th historic, record-breaking home run. On April 8th the Braves will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Hank Aaron’s 715th home run with a special night honoring not only one of the most iconic moments in Braves history but in all of baseball!

Make sure to arrive early for the following activations throughout the evening:

  • Exclusive access to view the bat and ball from Hank’s 715th home run in Monument Garden
  • See his Baseball Hall of Fame plaque that will be here from Cooperstown for the special night
  • Pregame ceremony on the field featuring Hank’s family, baseball luminaries and Atlanta civil rights icons
  • The first 15,000 fans through the gates will get to commemorate the night with a Hank Aaron Bobblehead Giveaway, together with Truist.
  • Every fan in attendance will receive a commemorative poster as they leave the ballpark

Kirby Smart on Trevor Etienne, Recruiting Strategies, and the New Additions to His Coaching Staff

March 26, 2024

This week’s Kirby Smart Press Conference features his take on the Trevor Etienne situation, strategies for recruiting players who have committed to other schools, the new additions to his coaching staff, and adopting XFL kickoff rules.

Florida running back Trevor Etienne (7) looks for running room against Georgia during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

TREVOR ETIENNE SITUATION: 
Sometimes kids don’t make the best decisions. The older you get, sometimes the tougher the consequences are for your mistakes. He’s not gonna let this mistake define him. He’s embarrassed. He’s upset, he’s know he’s made a mistake. It’s a teaching moment and we hope he gets better from it. You know, in addition to our university discipline process, we’ve got all the stuff we deal with inside house. And he’ll, you know, be with those same details. He’ll be under the same rules that we have in house as well as the university discipline. So disappointed in his decision making, but he is a good kid.

KIRBY’S RECRUITING STRATEGY:
Me personally, I just got one of the toughest Rd. schedules in the country. I’d like to see it flipped where I got the opportunity for our fan base to have probably the best home schedule ever in Georgia history. You start changing this…the model. I don’t get the flip of the model. They presented us multitude of opportunities. The most continuity is in doing this for two. Let’s see what it’s like. Let’s see how things play out. Let’s see what the CFP becomes, how many teams are going to be in the playoffs. Does that designate us to go to 9? Does television have something to do with that? There’s a lot of unanswered questions.

RECRUITING PLAYERS WHO HAVE COMMITTED ELSEWHERE:
As far as KJ’s recruitment. I don’t see kids as committed to other places. I mean, they’re not, they’re not signed. We recruit good football players, we evaluate every player the same whether they’re committed or not. If there’s interest from them and there’s conversation from them and there’s visits or they come to your campus, then you just be very consistent. And we were very consistent with KJ the…the recruitment never stopped. And I told him that from the day he committed to the day that he came to us, we were not going to stop recruiting because. We think he’s a great kid from a great family and are really, really good football player.

NEW COACHES TAVARIS ROBINSON AND DONTE WILLIAMS:
They both had great energy. They got great relationships with their players. They’re really good recruiters, but they’re passionate and they have good energy on the field. Everything that we heard about them and the things we wanted them to come into our program for, they’re here for and I’m really proud of of both those guys and how they’ve transitioned thus far.

PLAYERS AND NIL:
About the NIL, you know we’ve done studies and look, we have more kids with vehicles now than we probably ever have. I can’t really say to, you know, the style of vehicles you could probably make an easy assumption that with more money they have an opportunity to have nicer cars, but just the number of players with vehicles is higher, but that’s not any excuse for the ability to speed. Just means we have more opportunities to have traffic citations, which we don’t want.

HOW TO HANDLE OFF FIELD EVENTS: As everybody in the country shares ideas. We talked about it at SC meetings. We talk about it all the time across the country. When I meet with other staff, you know, what do you do in special teams? What do you do in offense and defense? What do you do? What do you do off the field? I think that’s one of the areas that we’ve really tried to target. I think we do it better than anybody in the country. I can only speak for my university.

ADOPTING XFL KICKOFF RULES:
We meet with the NFL personnel. It was around 80% of their kickoffs were touch backs and a lot of the NFL, people and personnel felt that special teams were becoming irrelevant in their game. Because the punters are elite hang time and distance, kickers are elite kicking off. If that’s not part of the game, then why are we doing it? OK and how do we do it? Make it part of the game, but yet also make it safer. It’s slowly getting taken out of our game. If you want to develop your roster, you need to have special teams to develop it. We feel the same way I developed my roster through special teams. The guys last year that started on all the units, we’ll probably start at a position this year. So you need those plays to be part of it, but you need them to be safe.

Atlanta Braves Unveil New Seating Offering, Lexus Premium Boxes, to Open for the 2024 Season

March 25, 2024
PHOTO: Atlanta Braves

Lexus named Official Luxury Vehicle of the Atlanta Braves, with naming rights to the new Lexus Premium Boxes and Terrace (200) Level

ATLANTA (March 25, 2024) – Today, the Atlanta Braves unveiled the Lexus Premium Boxes, a new seating offering that will be available for the 2024 season. The Lexus Premium Box is a first-class season lease and hospitality concept that will offer unparalleled amenities for groups of 8 to 14 guests. The new spaces are part of the previously announced multiphase Truist Park renovations by the Braves and represent a multimillion-dollar investment.

The naming rights to the new Lexus Premium Boxes as well as the Lexus Level, previously known as the Terrace (200) Level, are part of a new partnership, in which Lexus has been named the Official Luxury Vehicle of the Atlanta Braves.

“We have seen incredible demand for season leases and daily rentals of well-appointed, comfortable spaces for groups to enjoy games and events at Truist Park,” said Jim Allen, Senior Vice President of Corporate and Premium Partnerships, Atlanta Braves. “All premium spaces inside the ballpark sold out during the 2023 Braves season. The new Lexus Premium Boxes will help meet this demand while providing a one-of-a-kind experience for partners and groups.”

“Lexus is thrilled to be the Official Luxury Vehicle of the Atlanta Braves,” said Sam Wintermyer, general manager, Lexus Southern Area. “The Braves have been a pillar in the community for decades, and we continually strive to align our brand with partners that share our values of creating memorable experiences.”

The Braves will open 19 Lexus Premium Boxes, located in sections 214, 216, 217, 235, 237, 239, 240, 241 and 242. Each Lexus Premium Box will feature complimentary premium parking, a private entrance, luxuriously flexible seating options including contemporary cushioned seats and high-top seating with moveable bar stools, and unlimited access to the Xfinity Club. Guests will have the opportunity to select exclusive menu and beverage packages to be delivered to their Lexus Premium Box throughout the game, adding to the one-of-a-kind experience.

Season leases for the Lexus Premium Boxes are sold out. There is limited availability for daily rentals. To secure a daily rental, call 404-577-9100 opt. 3, visit braves.com/groups or email [email protected].

Lexus Premium Boxes were developed in partnership with ROSSETTI, with Impact Development Management as an advisor on the project.

Renderings of the Lexus Premium Boxes, courtesy of Atlanta Braves, are available HERE.

Atlanta Braves to Stop in Macon as Part of Their Braves Country Road Trip on Saturday, March 23

March 21, 2024

Braves Country Road Trip on Saturday, March 23

ATLANTA – The Atlanta Braves are taking the Truist Park experience on the road with the Braves Country Road Trip this spring and summer. The Braves Country Road Trip will travel through Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, and North Carolina from March to September.

Fans can step into a replica of Truist Park and pose for their very own customizable baseball card! Fans will receive a printout of their card on-site and will receive it digitally to share with family and friends. Fans can also enjoy some exciting free giveaways like hats, stickers and koozies to rep the Braves all season long!

The Braves will start the trip on March 23 with a visit to the International Cherry Blossom Festival in Macon, GA. 

WHERE: International Cherry Blossom Festival – 794 Cherry Street, Macon, GA 31201
DIRECTIONS
WHEN: Saturday, March 23, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Marcus Wiedower, Georgia House Representative from District 119, discusses the benefits of bringing sports betting to Georgia

March 21, 2024

You know, I think that this is an industry. Obviously that’s not going away. I think we should put some safeguards around it, allow it legally. All the money goes straight into the lottery so we can continue to fund HOPE and pre-K program. 

GA House Rep. District 119

ATLANTA – Marcus Wiedower, Georgia House of Representative District 119, joined Cellini & Dimino to discuss the latest on bringing sports betting to Georgia. It starts with passing bill SB 386 through the Senate with bipartisan support, determining the amount of revenue Georgia could make or lose, how it affects the HOPE Scholarship, how you can help and MORE!

The Business of Sports Minute is presented by Southern Company

Kirby Smart Reports on the Progress of the Bulldogs this Spring

March 20, 2024
FILE – Georgia head coach Kirby Smart reacts during the second half of the Orange Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff semifinal game against Michigan, Friday, Dec. 31, 2021, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

The Bulldogs are looking good as we approach the Spring Game, but what does Head Coach Kirby Smart think about the team’s progress? Today, he comments on various aspects of the Bulldogs’ Game and which players are looking promising? Fire it up and find out!

KIRBY SMART PRESSER:

EARLY IMPRESSIONS: 
Young, I mean, that’s the first impression is a lot of youth there. Raylan and CJ are way ahead in terms of play time. This this is their second spring with the guys behind them are even younger than them. The guy that’s had a good spring so far has been Bowls. He’s done a good job. He’s picking things up. He’s going to help with special teams wise. He’s learning the defense. And then the other three guys that are here mid-year. Providing good depth and…and they’re learning.  
 
TREVOR ETIENNE AT UGA: 
I think running back is one of the positions that you can pick up really quick. You know there’s some similarities between our offense and there’s a lot of the same runs. A lot of the same words, in some cases. He’s not struggled to transition that part. I think getting comfortable in the offense, there’s nuances. I’ve met with him about it, differences in the way we do things, and they did things offensively that he’s picking up on. He’s very bright not going to be a problem for. For him, there’s been some, you know, mistakes and things, but nothing that can’t be corrected. 

Oscar Delp celebrates scoring a touchdown. (PHOTO: AP Sports)

OSCAR DELP LEADS IN TIGHT END ROOM: 
Oscar’s really physical. You know, he does things his way. He’s…he’s not Brock. He doesn’t try to be Brock. He’s a quiet leader, similar to Brock, but he’s really physical. He’s tough. He knows the work ethic it requires, I mean the guys taking a lot of reps since being here, he’s been durable, he’s doing a good job leading in that room as well as Lucky, he is and…and the two young kids. 
 
WHAT “GET BETTER” MEANS THIS SPRING: 
Just being detailed in what we’re attacking each day don’t go out there without a purpose. I try to have the coaches each day go in and give, you know, a few points of emphasis because if we’re not careful, right now there’s so many things to correct, that you can’t see the forest for the trees and it can be overwhelming to a young player. So we…we try to narrow their focus on small things and you know we got 15 opportunities to get better and so far we’ve done that in the…the first three and I have full expectation that they’ll come out there today with the intentions of…of growing and getting better.  

FILE – Georgia quarterback Carson Beck (15) warms up before an NCAA college football game against Tennessee Martin Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)


THE BIGGEST CHANGE FOR CARSON BECK: 
I think one of the big challenges for him is being comfortable and trusting the receivers around him. He’s had the fortune and misfortune of Brock and Lad and Marcus Roseme being in the lineup. And you ask any good quarterback they like, wide receivers. They trust, they know. They have intuitive ability to think the same way and. There’s a lot of change in that room right now, showing confidence in himself and showing confidence in those players to do their job and trust them. It’s a big part of it. That trust is not given, it’s earned and they’re earning his trust and it’s…it goes both ways.  
 
ON COACHES CURRENTLY UNHAPPY WITH CFB: 
I think the leaders are going to do a great job positioning us for the future in terms of what they do, the choice of each college coach is obviously up to the college coaches, I mean, there’s certainly higher stakes and higher pay than there’s ever been for college coaches across the board. There’s, you know, the guys making money and making livings that coordinators can retire now they don’t have to go get a head job. You look back even 10 years ago, how much has changed for coaches? There’s no crying out there from my end. I don’t have a lot of coaches complaining saying they want to get out of the profession. They enjoy the profession, they want the profession to be about relationships, developing talent and rewarding positive performance both on and off the field. 
 
CURRENT SYSTEM UNFAIR TO UPPER CLASSMEN: 
I want what’s best for the student athlete. Sometimes I question the system we have now, if it’s best for the student athlete, it’s not necessarily best for the sophomore, junior and senior and maybe best for the freshman. I would love to see a little more fair system for the players in terms of within the players, not necessarily. Where it’s a reverse system of the younger players sometimes get more than the older players.  
 
GET EXCITED FOR JARED WILSON: 
I’m excited for the rest of the world to get to see Jared Wilson. This is the guy that’s number one, I don’t put a lot of high expectations on people and and anoint people. He has a lot to do to be the best player he can be, but when you talk about athleticism at the center position, this guy runs faster than a lot of our defensive backs. Believe it or not, our tight ends, our quarterbacks, I mean his, his numbers, extremely athletic over 300 lbs can get to the second level as quick as anybody, just really athletic. He’s had the great fortune of learning fromCed, unfortunately, that’s not a position that you rotated at a time, so he didn’t get a lot of opportunities to go and play like maybe a a Mims or a DylanFairchild. They got to go in the game and play. He didn’t get an opportunity to do a lot of those things, but he is a really, really good athlete, an even better person. He’s got a younger brother, that’s it’s gonna be a really talented football player as well. And we just enjoyed his leadership and I’m looking forward to, you know, the center being the leader of the group. Like Ced was he’s taking on a new role and kind of doing it his way. 

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