ATL AM: Atlanta Sports News 6/11

June 9, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Alex Wood (58) pitches in the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning everyone and welcome to another edition of ATL AM, where we drop the latest links around the Atlanta sports blogosphere and also introduce another poll for you guys to participate in.

Today’s poll is on the Atlanta Hawks. I think this is the first poll I have done on the team and with the recent hiring of Quin Snyder I figured it was as good a time as any. This one is on whether or not you feel more confident in the Hawks with the hiring of Mike Budenholzer and Quin Snyder so quickly.

TalkingChop–if you are interested in all of the picks the Atlanta Braves made in the 2013 MLB Draft be sure to check out this article in full. Dan Simpson looks over the Braves draft choices:

"Rounds 3 through 10 worked a little bit differently this year than in previous years with the implementation of MLB’s slot bonus money system. In essence, teams are given a hard cap that they have to stay under for their first ten picks. That has lead to teams drafting players they know will sign for under the slot recommendation, so that the team has more money for bonuses elsewhere (either for their top few picks or for players in rounds after 10.)That’s why some of the Braves’ picks in the later rounds of the second day (6-10, more or less) may seem to be relative unknowns. For example, none of Stiffler, Manwaring, or Hagenmiller appeared on Baseball America’s top prospect rankings, but 11th round selection Alec Grosser ranked 159. That’s not to say that those three have no talent, but it is obvious that Atlanta looked for signability with those late-second-day picks.We will have more in-depth scouting reports on Atlanta’s second day picks later in the week."

NBA–this is the official release of the hiring of Quin Snyder as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks. Also, be sure to check out Brad’s analysis of the move. I will echo Mr. Rowland and say that I am glad the Hawks are managing to put together such a good staff in such a quick manner:

"he Atlanta Hawks have named Quin Snyder as Assistant Coach, Hawks Head Coach Mike Budenholzer announced today. Snyder joins Atlanta from CSKA Moscow, where he spent last season as an assistant coach.“Quin is an excellent addition to our staff. He has a very strong knowledge of the system that we will implement and his extensive experience will enhance the development and knowledge of our players,” Budenholzer said.Prior to his stint in Russia, Snyder worked as an Assistant Coach for the Los Angeles Lakers (2011-12) and Philadelphia 76ers (2010-11). From 2007-10, Snyder was Head Coach of the Austin Toros (the NBA Development League affiliate of the San Antonio Spurs), recording a 94-56 (.627) mark, while leading the Toros to three straight playoff appearances and the 2008 NBDL championship game. He was the 2008-09 D-League Coach of the Year."

MLB–apparently Alex Wood is adjusting to throwing with glasses. I didn’t realize this. The times I have seen him pitch he wasn’t wearing anything. Mark Bowman gives us a good look at the obstacles with the spectacles however:

"The nerves Braves rookie reliever Alex Wood felt as he made his first career road appearance at Dodger Stadium on Thursday night were not simply a product of pitching in front of more than 40,000 fans for the first time. His anxiety was fueled by the fact he was wearing glasses while pitching for the first time.“When you get glasses, it’s a lot different,” Wood said. “You see better, but your depth perception is off. I got up [in the bullpen] in the seventh [inning] and when I started throwing, I was throwing it everywhere. So that’s probably part of the reason I was nervous when I was out there.”Though the usually calm Wood might have felt uneasy during Thursday’s eighth inning, he had no trouble retiring the only two batters he faced — Nick Punto and Adrian Gonzalez — in a span of only six pitches. The highly regarded left-hander has allowed just one run and four hits in the first 5 2/3 innings of his career, including two scoreless innings with three strikeouts in Sunday’s win in L.A. He didn’t pitch in Monday’s 7-6 loss to San Diego."

TheFalcoholic–Alex Welch writes about whether Mike Johnson is the favorite at right tackle with the departure of Tyson Clabo:

"Johnson played 117 snaps last season, spread across three positions on the offensive line. He’s versatile, and more importantly, he has the edge in experience. Holmes missed rookie camp and OTAs in 2012 due to a foot injury. Add in his seven total snaps of regular season action, and the coaching staff might not feel as confident about throwing him in right away.Now, should we take news out of OTAs as the gospel? Of course not. But Johnson does appear to be the leading candidate for right tackle at this point. The former All-American at Alabama (ROLL TIDE) is getting a chance to prove himself. We’ll see how it plays out during training camp and preseason action."