What’s the worst bobblehead you’ve ever gotten? The one that looks least like its intended subject?

I’m not saying the Usher bobblehead the Braves gave away last night definitely makes the list … but fans didn’t seem particularly impressed by the likeness.

More on all that later.

First, we’ve got a suddenly swagger-y ballclub to talk about.

Quick links: Wanna see the Club World Cup? | Hawks hires | 3 Falcons make top 100

HEATER ALERT

Braves pitcher Chris Sale (left) and outfielder Ronald Acua Jr. celebrate Wednesday's 5-0 win over the Mets.

Credit: Daniel Varnado for the AJC

Chris Sale shut things down from the mound, Ronald Acuña Jr. jump-started the offense on the first pitch he saw and the Braves have now claimed two games against the division-leading Mets. Three straight series overall, too.

Does it amount to anything meaningful in the end?

Unclear. Baseball is a fickle mistress. A roller coaster. A marathon. Whichever metaphor you like.

And we’ve done had this discussion … a lot.

As columnist Ken Sugiura put it: “Going back to the awful start to the season, the possibility that the Braves were finally finding their stride has been raised after every glimmer of hope, only to be dashed by a slumping offense or leaky bullpen.”

But dare I say, this time feels a bit different?

I make no predictions. The Braves remain 11 games back in the division and 5½ out of the final wild card spot (with five teams ahead of them).

• Iglesias appears to be back on track

Yet at the very least, it seems this team has remembered what it can be.

And they’re saying so out loud.

😤 Designated hitter Marcell Ozuna: “It’s like everyone is on the same page right now. We’re playing a lot more, and then God is on our side. When God is on our side, we can see the results.”

😤 Manager Brian Snitker: “It’s starting to come around with more than just one guy, I think. What we’ve been striving for a long time now, so hopefully we’re going to get in a groove where we’re kind of passing the baton and keeping the thing moving and being more like what we’re capable of.”

😤 Sale, after his 8⅔ scoreless innings: “When you play good baseball, you just keep playing good baseball.”

We said Tuesday that this two-week stretch — the current Mets series, then sets with the Marlins, the Mets again and the Phillies — was crucial.

Atlanta had a real chance to start righting the ship or sink it altogether.

And so far, they’re still floating.

⚾ Up next: First pitch of tonight’s series finale arrives at 7:15 p.m. on FanDuel Sports. Spencer Strider gets the start.

HERE WE GO AGAIN

Mercedes-Benz Stadium shortly before Monday's Club World Cup match between LAFC and Chelsea.

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

The Club World Cup returns to Mercedes-Benz Stadium today — and the main question isn’t whether Lionel Messi and Inter Miami can beat FC Porto.

It’s how many people will show up.

After Monday’s crowd amounted to a disappointing 22,000 or so, thousands of tickets remain available for another weekday afternoon affair. They start at $97.

Think that’s part of the problem?

⚽ Match starts at 3 p.m. Tune in to TNT, TruTV or DAZN to see how the broadcasters judge us.

NATIONAL LOVE

Meanwhile, on the other side of the spectrum …

❤️ UFC Fight Night’s return to State Farm Arena over the weekend marked the second-highest grossing Fight Night event in the organization’s history.

❤️ Three Atlanta Falcons made CBS Sports’ latest list of the NFL’s top 100 players. I’ll give you Bijan Robinson — but can you guess the other two?

❤️ Two Atlanta United players had their jerseys land among the bestselling in MLS. Which means … something, right?

• Semi-related mea culpa: Some of y’all probably noticed my suggestion that the Five Stripes had a match last night. It’s actually next Wednesday. Calendars are hard.

HAWKS ANNOUNCE HIRES

The Hawks officially welcomed Bryson Graham and Peter Dinwiddie — senior VP of basketball operations and senior VP of strategy and analytics, respectively — into the fold Wednesday.

And we finally heard from new general manager Onsi Saleh, too! Sort of.

“Bryson is widely regarded as one of the league’s top young talent evaluators, and Peter is one of the most strategic minds in the NBA,” Saleh said in a statement issued by the team.

“Ownership has empowered me to build a robust and dynamic front office, and adding two extremely talented, experienced and respected executives in Bryson and Peter is a home run for our group.”

• Can Hawks find an NBA draft gem at No. 13?

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ALSO INTERESTING

👀 The Los Angeles Lakers are being sold to the Dodgers’ owner for a whopping $10 billion. That (sort of) means no more Buss family for the first time in nearly 50 years.

• Any interest in assessing our local sports ownership? Maybe we’ll do that soon.

💵 Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders say they recently got a 400% pay raise. Sounds like a lot until you realize they were making like $200 a game in the not-so-distant past.

🛑 Quarterback Shedeur Sanders got caught allegedly driving 101 mph in a suburb of Cleveland. Naturally, the internet tied the ticket to Sanders’ NFL draft experience.

• The jokes du jour go something like this: “That’s nothing. Sanders recently went 144 when he was supposed to be in the 20s.”

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Terrell Franklin of Lawrenceville holds an Usher bobblehead, which honestly looks more like him than the R&B icon.

Credit: Rodney Ho/AJC

Fans flocked to Truist Park to get their hands on the Braves’ Usher bobblehead doll last night. The likeness of the R&B star left a little something to be desired.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

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Thanks for reading to the very bottom of Sports Daily. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact me at tyler.estep@ajc.com.

Until next time.