Michael Cunningham
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Sports columnist @AJC Louisville native. Alum: @uofl @SJI_Update. Previous homes: Seoul, Daegu, Miami, Milwaukee. ajc.com/presson
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Articles by Michael Cunningham
There’s little reason to believe Georgia Tech’s Key will get staff hires right
Georgia Tech coach Brent Key says he messed up by hiring defensive coordinator Jason Semore and two other first-year assistants last offseason. After Key fired them and another assistant on Monday, he will have to hire their replacements under worse circumstances than he faced then. Key got his DC hire wrong after Tech competed for the ACC title in 2025. Key also erred with an important position for the style he wants to play: offensive line coach.
Trading Jessie Bates III weakens Falcons, but deal is worth it
The Falcons were a bad team with safety Jessie Bates III. They’ll be even worse after they traded Bates to the Jaguars on Monday for draft picks. But it doesn’t necessarily mean that the Falcons (3-6) are giving up on this season. They can still make the playoffs by being the best team in the bad NFC South. If you think the Falcons weren’t going to do that, anyway, then that’s even better reason for them to get something for Bates now.
Weekend Reflections: Last-place Falcons headed for another losing season
After his Falcons flopped in Madrid on Sunday, coach Kevin Stefanski declined to make any “proclamations” about the rest of the season. That made sense. Would anyone believe Stefanski if he expressed confidence about turning the season around? But then Stefanski said he has no concerns as his team prepares to face the Chiefs on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. That’s a strange perspective for the coach of a team that’s lost four of its past five games. Not that it matters.
Falcons coach Stefanski isn’t using Bijan Robinson like he should
Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski has expressed regret for not getting Bijan Robinson the ball more in some games. He’s touted Robinson’s special ability to gain yards in tight spaces. Yet when Falcons played the Buccaneers on Sunday in an ideal situation for Robinson to run, he was a smaller part of the game play than quarterback Michael Penix Jr. Robinson ran 19 times for 76 yards in the wet and windy weather. Penix attempted 24 passes and threw four of them to the Bucs.
Weekend Predictions: Falcons are ‘home’ underdogs in Madrid
Weekend Predictions is back on the winning side because I didn’t do anything as dumb as passing the ball 24 times in a Florida rainstorm. To be fair to the Falcons, picking Georgia Tech to cover the spread at Pittsburgh was almost as dumb. That mistake didn’t prevent me from ending my losing streak at three weeks. Maybe Real Madrid will rub off on the Falcons. The longtime loser (American) football team is practicing at the home of the storied Spanish football (soccer) team.
Weekend Reflections: Good chance Dream will be back in Finals next year
The Dream led Game 7 of the WNBA Finals with 16 minutes to go. They tied the score three times in the fourth quarter. That’s how close they came to winning it all in San Francisco. The Valkyries finished stronger to claim the championship. It was a missed opportunity for the Dream, but there’s a good chance they’ll make it back to the Finals in 2028. Six of the seven Dream players who logged the most minutes in the playoffs are under contract for next season.
Dream were so close to winning first title, but Gabby Williams plucks it away
SAN FRANCISCO — The Dream were so close to clutching the WNBA championship trophy that they could almost taste the Champagne. They just needed one rimmed-out shot to stay down. They needed one more jump ball to go their way. And, most of all, they needed one more defender to help slow down Valkyries star Gabby Williams. Any of those things might have put the Dream over the top in Game 7 of the Finals on Saturday.
To bring title home, Dream must conquer Valkyries at ‘Ballhalla’
SAN FRANCISCO — The Atlanta Dream must win at “Ballhalla” on Saturday to become WNBA champions. That’s a very cool nickname for the home of the Golden State Valkyries — certainly much better than Chase Center — but there are a couple of things to consider about the moniker. First, there’s the source material it borrows from. According to Norse mythology, Valhalla is a place where slain warriors fight each other every day while the god Odin presides.
Dream get ‘swagger back’ to earn WNBA championship shot
Atlanta’s major professional sports teams have played a collective 206 seasons. They have three league championships to show for it. That number is dwarfed by the number of bitter disappointments and unbelievable collapses. There were moments Thursday when it felt like the Dream would add their name to that list. They staggered the Valkyries from the start of Game 6, but they were wobbling near the end. The Dream’s 19-point lead was down to eight with a minute to play.
Weekend Predictions: Georgia can’t overlook rejuvenated Florida
Weekend Predictions is bloody, but unbowed, because the Falcons are inspiring me for a change. If they can surprise everyone by coming back from the abyss, then I can do it, too. My season record picking games against the spread is barely above break-even after three straight losing weeks. The Falcons made me look foolish for siding against them last weekend. Georgia Tech made me look goofy for siding with them.
‘Uncomfortable conversations’ for Dream before WNBA Finals elimination game
The Dream were feeling good Wednesday after a video review of Game 5 that forward Angel Reese said included “some uncomfortable conversations” about what individual players must do to improve the team in the WNBA Finals. They need to make more open shots. They need to play at the faster pace that they prefer. They need to cut down the unforced turnovers. Checking those boxes will give the Dream a good chance of avoiding elimination in Game 6 against Golden State on Thursday at State Farm Arena.
Danny Ridgeway obituary
Danny Ridgeway obituary Wed, 28 October 2026 at 5:20 pm UTC Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Danny Ridgeway brought warmth and humanity to his role as a teacherPhotograph: none My friend, Danny Ridgeway, who has died suddenly aged 70, worked as a further education teacher for 32 years and was latterly an inspiring principal of Bexley College, in south London.
Danny Ridgeway obituary
Danny Ridgeway brought warmth and humanity to his role as a teacher Photograph: none My friend, Danny Ridgeway, who has died suddenly aged 70, worked as a further education teacher for 32 years and was latterly an inspiring principal of Bexley College, in south London. Under his leadership, from 2010 until 2016, improvements were made to the extent that by the time of his retirement Ofsted rated the college “good”; an immense achievement.
Weekend Reflections: Falcons win with mature performance by Michael Penix Jr.
There was nothing extravagant about how Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. played against the 49ers on Sunday. That’s what made it so impressive. The 49ers weren’t going to let Penix make big plays, so he just made the right ones. He was smart, patient and efficient during the 29-20 Falcons victory at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Penix passed for 213 yards on 34 attempts with three touchdowns and zero interceptions. He was effective despite an inefficient running game.
Hawks return home and show familiar holes, same fight
The last time the Hawks played an official home game they absorbed a historic beatdown from the Knicks. It wasn’t a flashback at State Farm Arena on Saturday night. The Hawks put up a fight in their home opener against the Rockets. But the visitors took advantage of them in many of the same ways the Knicks did during the first-round playoff series that ended with a 140-89 Hawks defeat in April.
Weekend Predictions: Fading Falcons are underdogs at home again
At least the Falcons had Cooper Rush to use as a scapegoat. Weekend Predictions has no one else to blame. Back-to-back losing weeks have everyone — me, most of all — questioning whether the improvement was real. My picks against the spread are taking on water. I’m still above the surface for the season, but I’m sending out an S.O.S. Except I’m looking for a clue, not love. Disco is dead and so is my confidence.
Dream’s Angel Reese lets Valkyries know: ‘Y’all not taking this from us.’
It’s clear the Dream are the better team in the WNBA Finals. That doesn’t mean they’ll win the championship. It does mean the Valkyries will have to take it from them. It’s hard to picture that happening when the Dream have Angel Reese on their side. The Dream squandered a late lead during Game 1 in San Francisco, but they’ve dominated the Valkyries since then with Reese as the catalyst. Game 3 at State Farm Arena on Wednesday night turned into a party at Golden State’s expense.
Football Selected as "Team of the Week"
Shreveport - The Centenary football team has been selected as Centenary Athletics' "Team of the Week" after the Gents defeated Austin College in a thriller by a score of 26-23 last Saturday night in front of a spirited Homecoming crowd in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play at Atkins Field. The Gents improved to 2-4 overall and 1-1 in SCAC play and won for the first time at home this season.
Weekend Reflections: Stefanski has more, doing less with Falcons offense
Kevin Stefanski lost 11 more games than he won as Browns coach and earned one playoff victory over seven years. The selling point for him to fare better with the Falcons: He’s a good offensive coach who just needed better offensive players. Stefanski inherited plenty of them with the Falcons. The team believed that, with Stefanski’s guidance, they would finally unlock their underachieving offense. That plan got a late start because Cooper Rush was the starting quarterback for the first two games.
No excuses for No. 1 Georgia in ugly loss to unranked Auburn
ATHENS — There were excuses available to No. 1 Georgia for this ugly loss at home to unranked Auburn. Star safety KJ Bolden didn’t play because of injury. Georgia was coming off an emotional win at Alabama while Auburn was idle. Coach Kirby Smart cited his old standby, the grind of the SEC schedule. “I know it’s a big deal to everybody else, but to me it’s another game,” Smart said after Auburn’s 27-24 victory. “And we have to turn around and get ready to go play again.
Dream make WNBA Finals as Angel Reese ‘takes us to another level’
The Indiana Fever’s best players were in street clothes, yet they came back to beat the Atlanta Dream in the first round of last year’s WNBA playoffs. The Dream fell apart at winning time in Game 3, then watched the visitors celebrate on their floor. The Dream were good, but they weren’t focused or tough enough to put away the shorthanded Fever. The plan to fix those deficits was simple: Just add forward Angel Reese.
Weekend Predictions: Falcons are home underdogs against Bears
Just when you start feeling good about things, it happens. Everybody knows it’s hard to trust the Falcons. Weekend Predictions is supposed to be more reliable. I followed my best week picking games against the spread with my worst. I knew first losing week would happen eventually. But why did it have to be so ugly? I have been sufficiently humbled. Now it’s back to debilitating self-doubt, as usual.
Blown lead and Penix injury make miserable night for Falcons
They missed several chances to put the Ravens away before squandering an eight-point lead in the last minute of regulation. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. got hurt while trying to rally them. Tua Tagovailoa threw an interception that ended their last chance in overtime. The Ravens beat the Falcons 30-23. They did it with two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson in street clothes. The Ravens won despite giving up a defensive touchdown.
Weekend Reflections: Braves’ Anthopoulos pushes back on need for lineup overhaul
The Braves just lost to the Dodgers in the National League Division Series while scoring a total of eight runs in the four games. That’s a small sample size, but they’ve scored 47 runs in their past 17 playoff games (2.9 per game) going back to 2022. The pattern suggests that offense has been the main issue for the Braves in recent Octobers, especially because the same core of hitters were in the lineup each year.
Weekend Predictions: Alabama’s Russell is big problem for Georgia
After losing for so long, the local sports institution finally is making everyone remember what it feels like to be a winner. The Falcons are doing pretty good, too. Weekend Predictions is riding high. I’m coming off my best outing of the season (8-3) picking games against the spread. My weekly record is 4-0-1. Last weekend, I was on the right side of games for the Falcons, Georgia and Georgia State.
Acuña ‘didn’t do anything’ in NLDS, and neither did other key Braves hitters
This wasn’t the Ronald Acuña Jr. who became an MLB superstar. There were no signs of the athleticism, the flair or, most of all, the production that once made him National League MVP. Instead, there were few hits and lots of strikeouts for Acuña during a low-energy performance in the NL Division Series against the Dodgers. Eventually, some Braves fans at Truist Park grew tired of seeing it. They jeered Acuña after what ended up being his last at-bat of the postseason Wednesday night.
Lack of pitching depth catching up to Braves in NLDS
The Braves had a lot riding on lefty Chris Sale against the Dodgers on Tuesday. It was probably too much for any team that wants to be a serious contender to win the World Series. Sale is a fantastic pitcher, but he’s been asked to carry a heavy burden in October. He successfully did it twice against the Phillies in the NL Wild Card Series. He couldn’t do it in Game 3 of the NL Division Series against the Dodgers on Tuesday. The Braves are facing elimination after the 3-1 loss at Truist Park.
Falcons turn ‘Domecoming’ night into dud for Saints
NEW ORLEANS — “Monday Night Football” was supposed to be all about the Saints. As far as their fans were concerned, the Falcons were there to help them create new memories. The Saints celebrated 20 years since the “Domecoming” game on Sept. 25, 2006. That was the first game at the Superdome following Hurricane Katrina. The Saints beat the Falcons in that game, and they were favored to win this one. Except the Falcons didn’t play along with the script.
Weekend Reflections: Braves return home with that 2021 feeling
The 2021 Braves were the least-impressive team among the six straight division champions. Then October came, a long list of implausible scenarios coalesced and, next thing you know, they were beating the Dodgers on the way to a World Series championship. So many things about that run didn’t make sense. The Braves returned from Los Angeles early Monday morning with that same feeling. The Braves beat the Dodgers 3-2 in Game 2 of the National League Division Series.
Mighty Dodgers stand in way of Braves again
The Braves won the first of six straight National League East titles in 2018. It took them another three seasons to figure out the Dodgers. The Braves beat L.A. on the way to the 2021 World Series title. But those aren’t the Dodgers the Braves will see in the best-of-five NL Division Series starting this weekend. Back then, the Dodgers were regular-season stalwarts but postseason underachievers. The current Dodgers are back-to-back World Series champions.
Weekend Predictions: Falcons look to keep flying high at Saints
Coach Brent Key said Georgia Tech is “damn near rebuilding” during the bye week. That’s a shame. Weekend Predictions can’t relate. I’m feeling myself after posting winning records on picks against the spread for three consecutive weeks. I’ve backed several underdogs who won straight-up. I’ve held my nose and picked big road favorites who covered the spread. Nothing can stop me from ending my season-long losing streak at four years. No, that’s not false bravado masking insecurities about blowing it.
Phillies villain Bryce Harper blunders against Braves, then strikes back
It felt almost like “Attaboy, Harper!” Part II at Truist Park on Wednesday. Former Braves infielder Orlando Arcia shouted that taunt in the visiting clubhouse after Phillies slugger Bryce Harper’s base-running mistake ended Game 2 of the 2023 National League Division Series. Harper hit two home runs to lift Phillies to victory in Game 3, and they went on to win the series.
‘Robot’ Chris Sale is a machine for Braves in Game 1
This is what the Braves expected when they traded for left-hander Chris Sale. It’s the reason why manager Walt Weiss gave Sale extra rest between starts this year. The Braves did everything possible to get Sale to the postseason healthy. Give him the ball, and he would take care of the rest. That’s how it played out against the Phillies in the National League wild card game at Truist Park on Tuesday. Sale pitched more innings than he ever had in a postseason start.
Weekend Reflections: Braves have fresher pitchers than Phillies for playoffs
The Braves clinched the NL East title on Sept. 20. That allowed manager Walt Weiss to take it easy on his pitching staff for the final week of the season. The Phillies fought Arizona to the finish for the final NL wild card spot. They had to send out their best pitchers over the final days of the season. That means the top pitchers for the Braves will be fresher for the best-of-three wild card series that begins Tuesday afternoon at Truist Park.
Tougher test is another rout for Georgia: ‘This is not our final form’
ATHENS — The glorified scrimmages were supposed to be over for Georgia. This wasn’t Tennessee State or Western Kentucky coming to town. The Bulldogs rolled over Arkansas in Fayetteville, but they were facing a higher-caliber SEC opponent at Sanford Stadium on Saturday. Oklahoma was ranked No. 10 in the preseason. The Sooners had a chance to win late at now-No. 18 Michigan in Week 2 before losing 17-10. They are one of the few teams in the nation with a defense that rivals Georgia’s.
Falcons’ Penix earns redemption in return: ‘I know how much it means to him.’
GREEN BAY, Wis. — It was the question that followed Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. for a month. He was medically cleared to play, so why wasn’t he playing? Penix explained there was a difference between getting the OK from doctors and feeling comfortable enough to play. He said he was running his own race and not letting any outside pressure rush his process. Now, there should be no question that Penix’s plan was best for him and the Falcons.
Weekend Predictions: Can Penix save the Falcons in Green Bay?
Weekend Predictions should have gained confidence from the Falcons getting folded in half by the Panthers. There’s no way my performance on picks against the spread can ever be worse than that. But I predicted a victory for the Falcons, and there was no hope of that after 10 minutes. I had to spend the rest of the afternoon watching terrible football while doing some honest introspection about my belief in Cooper Rush. I still managed to squeeze out a winning record.
Weekend Reflections: It should mean a lot that Braves are NL East champs
The Braves clinched the National League East title on Sunday. That won’t mean much to a lot of people, perhaps including some players, if they don’t go on to win the World Series. That’s not the case for me. Believing that winning the division is a greater accomplishment than winning the World Series probably makes me a weirdo. But baseball teams that outlast the competition over a full season are more impressive to me than those that catch enough breaks during the small sample size of October.
Falcons fans deserve better than this
Falcons fans hoped Cooper Rush would be better this time. They serenaded the quarterback with cheers of “Coooop!” during player introductions on Sunday. It took only two possessions before they turned against Rush with jeers of “Booooo!” Rush decided to run for the first-down marker on the first play of the game. Panthers safety Zakee Wheatley knocked the ball loose. Teammate Nick Scott recovered, and the Panthers turned the giveaway into a touchdown.
With Braves close to clinching division, which team is best playoff matchup?
The Braves will win their 19th National League East title within the next few days, unless they blow it (they won’t). The Braves will be the No. 3 seed in the best-of-three wild-card round at Truist Park unless they go on an incredible streak while the Brewers or Dodgers nosedive (they won’t). So, with nine games to go in the regular season, it’s time to narrow down the potential October opponents for the Braves.
Weekend Predictions: Falcons will fare better no matter the quarterback
The Falcons and Georgia Tech lost. Georgia was never in danger of losing from the moment it scheduled Western Kentucky, so the Bulldogs don’t count. Never mind the Braves taking two games from the Phillies last weekend because that’s baseball and, more importantly, it doesn’t work for my setup. Weekend Predictions had the best results among the locals. My 7-4 record picking games against the spread in Week 2 is the best since a 7-4 record in Week 13 of last year.
Why the ‘day to day’ quarterback plan is perilous for Falcons
FLOWERY BRANCH — There was only one thing Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski was willing to say for sure about the most important position on his team for Week 2. “We will have a quarterback, yes,” Stefanski said Wednesday. Which of them will start against the Panthers on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium? “I would say we are working through it,” he said. “I’m not ruling anyone out.” Does that mean it could be Michael Penix Jr.? “I’m not trying to be coy,” Stefanski said.
Weekend Reflections: Texas is No. 1, but Georgia looks best among contenders
It makes sense that Texas leapfrogged No. 2 Georgia in the latest AP football poll. The Longhorns beat previous No. 1 Ohio State on Saturday night, while the Bulldogs have yet to be tested. But the 20-point rally in the fourth quarter didn’t make me forget how bad the Longhorns looked before then. They owe Ohio State coach Ryan Day for giving them an opening with his conservative approach.
It’s a sad start to the season for star-crossed Falcons
PITTSBURGH — It’s like the setup for a bad joke that you’ve heard too many times before. What happens when the Falcons start a third-string quarterback with a bad back in the first game of the season? The punchline: The Falcons still had a chance to beat the Steelers with Cooper Rush, but the new kicker they signed isn’t such a sure thing now that he plays for them. For nearly any other NFL team, it all might be written off as weird circumstances.
Weekend Predictions: Can the Falcons really upset the Steelers?
Georgia Tech coach Brent Key says he’s still “extremely high on this football team” despite the bad performance against Colorado. That certainly sounds as if he’s extremely high on something. There was no way Weekend Predictions could be the biggest local loser in Week 1. The Jackets wrapped up that title before the weekend officially started. Truthfully, I can’t clown them too much because I took Tech –6 ½. At least I didn’t have a losing record picking against the spread in Week 1.
Weekend Reflections: The real Acuña Jr. is back – and Philly hates it
It’s not easy to admit that doubts about Ronald Acuña Jr. creep into my head from time to time. How can I even think about the Braves trading a 28-year-old with superstar talent and a team-friendly contract? Those thoughts are inevitably pushed aside once Acuña gets healthy and starts producing, like he’s doing now. He went off in Philadelphia over the weekend and, as a bonus, the Phillies and their fans hated it.
Georgia’s unstoppable offense vs. TSU is good sign for later
Georgia coach Kirby Smart told the SEC Network that stifling heat at Sanford Stadium was the “great equalizer” between Georgia and Tennessee State. It turns out it didn’t help the visitors close the gap on an opponent that spends 10 times as much money on football. The Bulldogs are supposed to overwhelm the Tigers in any weather. It was a top-tier Power 4 team against an FCS team with a rich history, but coming off a 2-10 record last season. The season opener went as expected. Georgia won 63-3.
Weekend Predictions: ‘Coach Prime’ returns with loss to Georgia Tech
After so much buildup, it was a flop in the end. Expectations weren’t met. The hype wasn’t real. What’s worse is that Georgia Tech, Georgia and the Falcons also had disappointing finishes last season. Weekend Predictions is back for my eighth season of picking football games against the spread. I’m on a four-year losing streak after posting winning records in each of the first three years. I had a chance to go out as a winner last season, but ended it with a 1-6 thud.
Brent Key has ‘big-time football’ back at Georgia Tech. Can he sustain it?
Georgia Tech isn’t accustomed to winning football championships in the modern era, but coach Brent Key repeatedly says that’s his goal. It’s one of many things to like about Key. If the Yellow Jackets aren’t striving to be the best, then what’s the point? Key’s results started to match his rhetoric when Tech played Pittsburgh last season with a chance to go to the ACC title game. The fans showed up for the primetime matchup against Pitt, but the 16th-ranked Jackets didn’t.
Weekend Reflections: Maybe Mahle is October starter Braves needed after all
There was nothing about right-hander Tyler Mahle’s recent track record to suggest he was the top-tier playoff starter that Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos sought before the MLB trade deadline. There was something Anthopoulos saw in Mahle that made him believe the pitcher could be more than just an innings eater. So far, it looks like Anthopoulos was right. Mahle has been great for the Braves since they acquired him in a trade with the Giants.
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