Augusta GreenJackets V Kannapolis, Braves, NBA, and More – 20/20 Sports With A.B.

Well, it's Thirsty Thursday tonight at SRP Park as the GreenJackets play host to Kannapolis, coming off a win over Kannapolis last night, 4 to 3. In Major League Baseball, Marcell Ozuna hit his team-leading 15th home run. He also leads the majors in RBIs, as he had three last night as the Braves beat the Cubs 9 to 2. Max Freed a 3 hitter. He struck out nine enroute to his second complete game of the year.

Also in the NBA, it was Kyrie Irving with a big first half and then Luka Doncic with a huge fourth quarter as Dallas beat Minnesota 108 - 105. That's game one of the Western Conference semis, game two of the Eastern Conference semifinals tonight in Boston, where the Celtics lead the Pacers one game to none.

Also in the NHL, Florida blanked New York last night. Three nothing to take in that conference final matchup in game one to take a one game to none lead. Tonight it's Edmonton at Dallas. They'll drop the puck in that, conference final at 8:30. That is game one. 20/20 Sports Ashley Brown 95.1 WGAC.

Ashley Brown, or A.B. as he's known, is a sports commentator, columnist, and broadcast veteran. He was born and raised in the Augusta area. A.B. attended Lakeside High School and graduated in 1989. After high school, he attended Columbus State University on a basketball scholarship.

A.B. moved back to Augusta after college, where he began his career in talk radio. He continues to provide sports updates for WGAC, while also working as the Director of Customer Service at recteq.

Tune in each week on WGAC as Augusta sports commentator and broadcast veteran Ashley Brown hosts Thursday Night Huddle. A.B. talks about all things sports, including local high school games, college, and more.  Plus get the latest local and national sports news and more!

Thursday Night Huddle with A.B. airs every Thursday from 6:05 pm until 7:00 pm on WGAC. 

We've officially made it to Major League Baseball's opening day. And we've got four bold predictions for the 2024 MLB season.

Last year felt like a nice setup for this season to really hit one out of the park, so to speak. 2023 saw the new MLB rules take hold. This was notable with the pitch clock and the attempt to speed up the game. The looming question of what's next for Shohei Ohtani was lingering all year. Obviously the uncommon pitcher/hitter superstar chose to stay in southern California, but headed to move over to the Dodgers.

A consistent, no-frills style of baseball led the Texas Rangers to defeat a young and scrappy Arizona Diamondbacks in the World Series. Both have similar rosters this year, but will either team be as good?

We are already off to a unique start with the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers splitting the Seoul Series in Korea. We are certainly teed up for an exciting seven months of baseball.

Some factors came close to finding their way into my four bold predictions, but were not strong enough to grab a spot in the lineup. However, they do remain open questions for baseball fans to look out for as the season unfolds.

In New York, will the Yankees adding the fierce bat of Juan Soto to the team bounce them back from a disappointing season? Soto may have to make up for the lack of depth at pitching now the Cy Young winner, Gerrit Cole is starting the season injured.

In Atlanta, the Braves are so talented across the board, it's hard to pick against them in all of the National League. However, I do expect some epic NL East clashes throughout the year between division rivals, the Braves and Philadelphia Phillies.

We shall see about all of the above. In the meantime, let's hit some 2024 MLB bold predictions to get the ball rolling.

It may be a news subject that fades away, but Shohei Ohtani's name being involved in a potential gambling scandal is not a great way to kick off the season. This general topic is one that all pro sports are taking very seriously and could hang over the organization's head for much of the season. The Dodgers are certainly loaded with stars, but as the Yankees have proven in years past, a monster payroll does not guarantee wins. In fact, too many superstars in one clubhouse can be detrimental to team unity.

MLB has been faced with the challenge of making the games more exciting and engaging. There's only so much you can do to change the rules of the sport without stepping on the integrity of the game. The adjustments to speed things up certainly helped. So did the arrival of flashy alternate uniforms. Nine new teams will have a creative new jersey thrown into their mix. They will be unveiled soon. However, rocking a special edition jersey that is a nod to your home city should make this gear a top-seller in the shops. We've already seen teams like the Diamondbacks add accents of teal and fluorescents into their color schemes. This City Connect theme has been a very successful model in the NBA.

Speaking of uniforms, the Padres adding a sand tone to their away threads is an all-time classic look. The beach and baseball are synonymous. That has nothing to do with why SD will finish ahead of the bigger names like the Dodgers or San Francisco Giants. Fernando Tatis Jr is fully back, and the cornerstone to a team that is full of both speed and strength. The Padres did a great job of giving fans an inside glimpse of their spring training this year, and it certainly appeared as if the club was already having a blast. Their team unity and chemistry will carry them far.

Seattle, and the great state of Washington was so close to starting the year off with a championship parade thanks to the Huskies making the college football finals. They may end the year with one instead, and it will be well worth the wait. Julio Rodríguez is one of the most well-rounded players in the game. He's also just 23 years old. The X factor for the M's, though, will be how solid their pitching is, with the bulk of the rotation remaining healthy all year. The lineup then institutes small-ball baseball beautifully throughout the year, where the team seems to always know how to close out the close games. Ultimately, I'm taking the Mariners over the Braves in the 2024 World Series, which I can foresee being one of the most thrilling finals we've seen in a long time.