So why doesn’t Atlanta ever win the big prize?

The Carolina Panthers, who began play in 1995, have qualified for their second Super Bowl. The Falcons, around since 1966, have been to one. The Miami Heat, in business since 1988, have won three titles. The Hawks, who arrived here in 1968, haven’t reached the NBA finals. The Miami Marlins, born in 1993, have won two World Series. After alighting in Atlanta in 1966, the Braves have won one.

Except for the bit about Carolina making another Super Bowl, the paragraph above includes no new information. That deflating data has long been the source of local rants, and I’ve tried over time not to turn fatalistic. On an intellectual basis, I know Cliff Levingston’s running lefty hook had nothing to…