Technical Tidbits 7/4: Blackmon Named to All-Star team, Jackets Repping the U.S.A

As we celebrate Independence Day, let us also celebrate that in just 362 days Georgia Tech will be independent of Russell Athletic. If you’re not tired of uniform related discussion yet, Todd Stansbury discussed the state of Georgia Tech’s search for an apparel provider on a recent episode of his podcast (or Todd-cast, if you will). I haven’t listened to the podcast yet but based on Ken Sugiura’s recap Stansbury doesn’t reveal anything too ground breaking. That said, it’s always nice to get updates from the man himself.

Sunday night, Yellow Jacket alumnus and Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon was named a starter for the National League in the 2017 MLB All-Star Game. Blackmon received just over 4 million votes, behind only the National’s Bryce Harper and Yankees rookie Aaron Judge. This will be Blackmon’s second All-Star appearance and caps off a tremendous first half of the season. As he has ascended into the ranks of the MLB elite, Blackmon has started to receive more attention from fans and media alike. The New York Times published a great piece yesterday highlighting his switch from pitching to hitting while on the Flats. The move has obviously paid off for Blackmon. The midsummer classic is scheduled for Tuesday, July 11th at 8:00 pm.

Josh Okogie will continue his run with the USA U19 Basketball Team today with a game against Italy. The Yellow Jacket sophomore has performed extremely well through the team’s first two games, leading the USA in scoring against Angola on Sunday. The US will tip off in Cairo at 10:00 am ET. If you read this early enough, I think you’ll be able to livestream the game at the link provided.

Okogie isn’t the only Yellow Jacket set to represent the United States. Volleyball alumna Teegan Van Gunst was named to the women’s volleyball team for the 2017 Summer Universiade. The Universiade, or World University Games, is a biennial event organized by the International University Sports Federation (FISU) and is the largest multi-sport event in the world, outside of the Olympics. The 2017 summer games will take place August 19-30th in Taipei. Congratulations and best of luck to Teegan and Team USA!

Have a happy and safe Independence Day! Time for me to head back to the beach.