Regeln » has never faced the Orioles

It was a question that came up again this week when Atlanta played host to Georgia’s overtime loss to Alabama in the national championship game Authentic Isac Lundestrom Jersey , complete with the squandering of a double-digit lead.

Is this the worst sports city in America ?

Turns out, the A-T-L has some stiff competition.

To start with, here are the five biggest losers, presented in alphabetical order with their rare accomplishments and plethora of failures.

Congratulations, Minneapolis-St. Paul, you just missed the cut.

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ATLANTA

Major Pro Championships: One. The Braves won the 1995 World Series.

Flops: The Braves fell short of a championship every other time during their run of 14 straight division titles. The Falcons lost twice in the Super Bowl. The Hawks have never reached the NBA Finals. Two NHL teams – the Flames and the Thrashers – moved to Canada.

Back To School: Atlanta (along with nearby Athens) does get some credit for its college sports. Georgia Tech claimed a share of the football national championship in 1990. The University of Georgia, about 75 miles away, captured the 1980 title and is one of the nation’s most prominent programs.

Biggest Disappointment: The Falcons blowing a 25-point lead in last year’s Super Bowl .

Did You Know? The Chiefs won the 1968 North American Soccer League title Olivier Rodrigue Oilers Jersey , so some Atlantans insist the city has two championships. Nice try.

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BUFFALO

Major Pro Championships: None (sorry, two titles won by the Bills before the American Football League merged with the NFL fail to qualify).

Flops: The Bills lost four straight Super Bowls in the early 1990s and had the longest active postseason drought of any North American franchise (2000-16) before making the playoffs this season. The Sabres came up short in their two trips to the Stanley Cup final and are now on course to miss the NHL playoffs for the seventh year in a row. The Braves lasted just eight NBA seasons in the 1970s before moving to San Diego.

Back To School: The University of Buffalo football team has only two winning seasons since moving up to the NCAA FBS ranks in 1999. The Bulls men’s basketball team was one-and-done in its two NCAA tournament appearances.

Biggest Disappointment: History might have been a lot different if Scott Norwood had made a 47-yard field goal with just seconds to play in the 1991 Super Bowl. It went wide right, and the Bills lost to the Giants 20-19. Buffalo was blown out in its next three Super Bowls.

Did You Know? Buffalo had a team in the baseball’s Federal League, which attempted to become a third major league in the 1914-15. It didn’t work out.

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CLEVELAND

Major Pro Championships: Eight. A rather high number for this list, but the Indians won the last of their two World Series titles in 1948 and the Browns have never been to the Super Bowl, though they do have four NFL championships from the 1950s and `60s. LeBron James and the Cavaliers really messed things up by winning their first NBA crown in 2016. (Left off this list: the Browns’ four straight AAFC titles and the Cleveland Bulldogs, whoever they were, taking the 1924 championship in the fledgling NFL.)

Flops: The Indians were swept in the 1954 World Series after winning 111 games http://www.ravensauthorizedshops.com/authentic-mark-andrews-jersey , and they squandered a lead in the ninth inning of Game 7 in the `97 Series. The Browns went 0-16 this season . The Cavs have lost three times in the NBA Finals. The Barons expired in the 1970s after lasting just two NHL seasons.

Back To School: Best we can come up with is nearby Youngstown State winning four FCS national football titles.

Biggest Disappointment: In the 1987 AFC championship game at Cleveland, John Elway directed the Broncos 98 yards for a tying touchdown in the final minute of regulation, a possession forever known as ”The Drive.” The Broncos advanced to the Super Bowl with a field goal in overtime.

Did You Know? The Rams started out in Cleveland. They even won the NFL title in 1945 – and moved to Los Angeles the very next season.

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PHOENIX

Major Pro Championships: One. The Arizona Diamondbacks won the 2001 World Series in their fourth year of existence.

Flops: The Arizona Cardinals have made just five NFL playoff appearances since moving to the desert in 1988. The Phoenix Suns lost twice in the NBA Finals. The NHL Coyotes are an attendance-challenged franchise that seems constantly on the verge of moving .

Back To School: In 1996, Arizona State’s bid for a perfect season and its first national football title ended with a 20-17 loss to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. The program hasn’t come close to matching that level of success.

Biggest Disappointment: The Cardinals made an improbable run to the 2009 Super Bowl, only to lose to the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-23.

Did You Know? The city does have a three-time WNBA champion, the Phoenix Mercury.

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SAN DIEGO

Major Pro Championships: None (as with Buffalo, we’re not counting the Chargers’ 1963 AFL title, nor the 10 indoor soccer titles won by the Sockers).

Flops: The Padres were blown out in their two World Series appearances. The Chargers only Super Bowl run ended with a 49-26 rout by the 49ers. A pair of NBA teams Mike Remmers Color Rush Jersey , the Rockets and the Clippers, abandoned the city.

Back To School: San Diego State twice reached the men’s basketball Sweet 16 under Steve Fisher. That’s about it for the college game.

Biggest Disappointment: After failing to work out a deal for a new stadium, the Chargers moved to Los Angeles last year .

Did You Know? Wilt Chamberlain was blocked in court when he

The Atlanta Braves, tied for the best record in the National League, return home from their brief two-game road trip to host the Baltimore Orioles, the team with the worst record in baseball.

The three-game interleague series begins on Friday at SunTrust Park.

Baltimore will start right-hander Alex Cobb (2-9, 7.14) against Atlanta left-hander Sean Newcomb (8-2, 2.70) in the series opener.

The Braves (43-30) split two games at Toronto and return home having won seven of their last 10 games. Atlanta has a three-game lead over Washington in the National League East.

The Orioles (21-52) have lost eight of their last 10 games. They dropped two of three games at Washington Arden Key Color Rush Jersey , although all of the games were within three runs.

Newcomb has made enjoyed a breakthrough season in his second year in the majors. Newcomb has posted two scoreless starts over his last three appearances, most recently on June 16 against San Diego. He struck out seven and allowed two hits in that six-inning start, which he won. That was a bounce-back for the southpaw, who had allowed five runs in 5 1/3 innings against Los Angeles in his previous start.

“After you have a good one, you’ve got to be able to clear it and look forward to the next one,” Newcomb said. “You’ve got to treat each start as kind of a new thing, whether you had a good one or a bad one. That allows you to go out fresh every time.”

Newcomb leads the team in wins and has allowed two or fewer runs in ten of his 14 starts. He has never faced the Orioles.

“It’s good to see that maturity and confidence in him now,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. “There’s no panic. I love how he stays pitch-to-pitch during a game. It’s just a young pitcher who is confident in what he’s doing and has faith in himself.”

Cobb has made five quality starts in 12 previous outings but has not pitched well in his last two starts Mike Marjama Seattle Mariners Jersey , both losses. He allowed five runs in seven innings against Miami on June 16 and was rocked for nine runs in 3 2/3 innings against Toronto in June 10.

“Being out there and feeling comfortable is such a thing you take for granted,” Cobb said. “I’m just really comfortable where I’m at. I’m able to execute a high amount of pitches. That’s going to lead to some success.”

He has one career start against the Braves in 2012. He allowed two runs in seven innings and struck out six in earning the victory.

With the series in Atlanta, Baltimore will not be able to use a designated hitter. That may be OK with Mark Trumbo, who is hitting .349 (15-for-43) in 13 games playing in the field, compared to hitting .233 in 27 games as the DH.

Atlanta first baseman Freddie Freeman has been among the league leaders all season. He leads the National League total bases (162) and is second in on-base percentage (.420) and slugging percentage (.579). His 93 hits are tied with teammate Nick Markakis for the league lead. His .332 batting average is second only to Scooter Gennett’s .336 mark.

The Orioles are expected to get slugger Chris Davis back in the lineup on Friday. He has missed eight games while making offensive adjustments after hitting .150 with 86 strikeouts in 57 games.

“I’m really looking forward to getting him back on the field,” Baltimore manager Buck Showalter said. “I’m really looking forward to getting the impactful player he’s capable of being.”

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