Atlanta Braves set American Flag on fire

Julie Paulk / 11Alive Facebook

Atlanta Braves set American Flag on fire
(Image credit: Julie Paulk / 11Alive Facebook)

Two weeks into the baseball season and a team other than the Mets is the leading contender for "Biggest screw-up of the year."

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Atlanta put some pyrotechnics on its big screen in center field, but neglected to remember that fireworks are not only pretty, but very hot, too. A spokesperson for the Braves confirmed to the local NBC affiliate that the mishap really did happen during the team's home opener Tuesday, adding that the flag is made of flame-retardant material so it didn't burn for too long.

In fairness to the Braves, a pyrotechnic operator for the team blamed a "freak shift in the wind" for the incident. But still, shouldn't that have been a consideration when installing the fireworks?

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Jon Terbush

Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.