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This week, Chiefs Wire's Ed Easton Jr. spoke with retired Major League Baseball All-Star and FOX Sports analyst John Smoltz.
In his interview with Easton Jr., Smoltz discusses his participation in this year's American Century Championship, which will take place July 10-12 at Edgewood Tahoe and air on NBC and Peacock. He discussed the Atlanta Braves' bounce-back 2026 season after last year's struggles and its potential similarities to the Kansas City Chiefs ahead of the new NFL season.
"You have pride, you want to find a way to climb the ladder (at the American Century Championship) and be in that last or second or last group," said Smoltz, "It just happens to be that I don't start very well, I finish well, but I gotta, I gotta find a way to start better."
Smoltz's former team, the Braves, had their worst start and season in over a decade last year, missing the playoffs. A similar scenario for the Chiefs, who started last season slowly and eventually snapped their division title and playoff appearances streak after many successful seasons. Atlanta has stormed back in 2026 with the best start in baseball, signaling that last year was a fluke as the Chiefs hope to mirror that performance in the NFL.
"The probability of them (Braves) going 0-9 last year and starting again this year was not high—the probability of all those guys getting hurt in a perfect world that went absolutely wrong. You think that by those things alone, you were going to be better. If they stay healthy in the rotation, they're going to be a tough team to beat. Now it's the perfect start," said Smoltz. "Last year was the absolute worst start, so you see the two ends of the spectrum. You would never think you were going to have a 10-game lead this early in the season, but the entire league kind of went the wrong direction, while the Braves went in the right direction. We're on the flip side, the central, everyone's got a winning record, so you don't know how baseball is going to shake out, and right now, you couldn't ask for a better start."
The annual tournament awards $750,000 in prize money, much of which the celebrity players donate to local and national charities. Over the years, over $8 million has been donated to non-profit causes. Network television exposure on NBC/Peacock and a first-place prize of $150,000 make the celebrity tournament one of the most prestigious in golf.
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In his interview with Easton Jr., Smoltz discusses his participation in this year's American Century Championship, which will take place July 10-12 at Edgewood Tahoe and air on NBC and Peacock. He discussed the Atlanta Braves' bounce-back 2026 season after last year's struggles and its potential similarities to the Kansas City Chiefs ahead of the new NFL season.
"You have pride, you want to find a way to climb the ladder (at the American Century Championship) and be in that last or second or last group," said Smoltz, "It just happens to be that I don't start very well, I finish well, but I gotta, I gotta find a way to start better."
Smoltz's former team, the Braves, had their worst start and season in over a decade last year, missing the playoffs. A similar scenario for the Chiefs, who started last season slowly and eventually snapped their division title and playoff appearances streak after many successful seasons. Atlanta has stormed back in 2026 with the best start in baseball, signaling that last year was a fluke as the Chiefs hope to mirror that performance in the NFL.
"The probability of them (Braves) going 0-9 last year and starting again this year was not high—the probability of all those guys getting hurt in a perfect world that went absolutely wrong. You think that by those things alone, you were going to be better. If they stay healthy in the rotation, they're going to be a tough team to beat. Now it's the perfect start," said Smoltz. "Last year was the absolute worst start, so you see the two ends of the spectrum. You would never think you were going to have a 10-game lead this early in the season, but the entire league kind of went the wrong direction, while the Braves went in the right direction. We're on the flip side, the central, everyone's got a winning record, so you don't know how baseball is going to shake out, and right now, you couldn't ask for a better start."
The annual tournament awards $750,000 in prize money, much of which the celebrity players donate to local and national charities. Over the years, over $8 million has been donated to non-profit causes. Network television exposure on NBC/Peacock and a first-place prize of $150,000 make the celebrity tournament one of the most prestigious in golf.
Continue reading...
