CARSLBAD, Calif. – Stuck at home while his team wrapped up a World Series championship last week in Houston, Atlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos wasn’t sure how to celebrate when his two children offered an idea.
“They wanted us to pull out the Sprite and spray it all over the place,” he said.
The age-appropriate bubbly was a no-go on a school night, but the Anthopoulos family found other ways to be festive after he was forced to quarantine at home with COVID-19 as the Braves ended Atlanta’s 26-year championship drought in North America’s four major sports leagues.
One week later, Anthopoulos arrived at the MLB general managers’ meetings in Southern California on Tuesday night. On Wednesday, he smiled wide while recounting the days surrounding the big win.
Anthopoulos, who is vaccinated, had a sniffly nose and tested positive for the coronavirus on the morning of Game 4 in Atlanta on Oct. 30. The Braves won that night, but the Houston Astros survived with a Game 5 victory that sent the World Series back to Texas. Anthopoulos stayed at home while the team traveled to Houston for Game 6 with a chance to clinch.