KOBALT TOOLS 500 THIS SUNDAY! SEE BACK PAGE

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1 MARCH 4-10, 2009 KOBALT TOOLS 500 THIS SUNDAY! SEE BACK PAGE ATLANTA S WEEKLY SPORTS TALK NEWSPAPER VOL 5 NO 5

2 02 I SCORE ATLANTA Get In The Game!

3 MARCH 4-10, 2009 SCORE ATLANTA I 03 PUBLISHER/EDITOR I.J. Rosenberg MANAGING EDITOR Tad Arapoglou ART/CREATIVE DIRECTOR David Gaudio WEBMASTER Alex Ewalt VIDEO MANAGER/PREP EDITOR Scott Janovitz BUSINESS MANAGER Marvin Botnick SALES MANAGER Mark Mayo BEAT WRITERS Josh Bagriansky (Falcons), Stephen Black (Kennesaw State), Jason Boral (Thrashers), James Butler (UGA), Dave Cohen (Georgia State), Johnny Crosskey (Tech), Alex Ewalt (Preps), Scott Janovitz (Hawks/Recruiting), Fletcher Proctor (Braves) STAFF WRITERS Cranston Collier, Joe Deighton, Ricky Dimon, Rajesh Gupta, Zander Lentz, Andrew McCarron, Corey Mitchell, Jessica Parker, Leighton Savary, Keafer Triplett, Derek Wiley DESIGN INTERNS Chris Nunn, Bob Weldon CONTRIBUTORS Dean Zindler, Kevin Dankosky, Mitch Evans, Matt Judy, Tony Schiavone, Richard Diamond, Joe Haines, Brian Katrek, Chris Dimino, Mike Bell, Matt Stewart, Fred Kalil, Nick Cellini, Phillip Leopold, Dave Marshall, Greg Smith, Steak Shapiro, Mike Cather, Beau Bock, Hal Lamar, Chris Cotter, Roy Hickman, Dave Cohen, John Olah, Jeff Woolverton, Chris Voss, Bob Rathbun, Courtney Capps, Bill Hartman, Chuck Dowdle, Shannon Alderman, Dan Kamal, Dennis Scott, C.C., Hal Lanier, Jeff Batten, Micah Hart, Ben Wright, Alan Vasquez, Andrew Vedlitz, Brian Jones SPECIAL CONTRIBUTORS Mitch Albom, Dave Kindred, Barry Bloom STARTING LINEUP SCHOOL LISTING CHEROKEE/FORSYTH: Cherokee, Creekview, Etowah, Forsyth Central, North Forsyth, Sequoyah, South Forsyth, West Forsyth, Woodstock COBB: Allatoona, Campbell, Harrison, Kell, Kennesaw Mountain, Lassiter, Marietta, McEachern, N. Cobb, N. Cobb Christian, Pebblebrook, Pope, S. Cobb, Sprayberry, Walton, Wheeler DEKALB: Chamblee, Columbia, Decatur, Druid Hills, Dunwoody, Lakeside, Marist, Miller Grove, M.L. King, Paideia, Redan, St. Pius X, Southwest DeKalb, Stephenson, Stone Mountain, Tucker FULTON: Alpharetta, Blessed Trinity, Centennial, Chattahoochee, Douglass, Grady, Lovett, Mays, Milton, North Springs, Northview, Riverwood, Roswell, Tri-Cities, Westminster, Woodward Academy GWINNETT: Berkmar, Brookwood, Buford, C. Gwinnett, Collins Hill, Dacula, Grayson, Greater Atlanta Christian, Meadowcreek, Mill Creek, Norcross, North Gwinnett, Parkview, Peachtree Ridge, South Gwinnett, Wesleyan IN YOUR FACE NEW STATE: Keith Brooking has played for a Georgia team for his entire football career East Coweta High School, Georgia Tech and the Atlanta Falcons. That will change soon, however, as Brooking became a free agent last Friday and signed with the Dallas Cowboys. The five-time Pro-Bowler was the only remaining Falcon from the 1998 Super Bowl team. Photo courtesy of Jimmy Cribb/Atlanta Falcons. 5 I.J. Rosenberg has a lot of things on his mind this week, ranging from Andruw Jones s current status in the Majors to Stan Kasten taking over as Washington s GM. 9 Check out our High School Sports Report for analysis on the basketball state playoffs, as well as recruiting notes, a full baseball preview and much more! 17 Braves beat writer Fletcher Proctor has more on free-agent pickup Garret Anderson (pictured), who gives the team a much-needed boost in the outfield. 19 Tad Arapoglou previews NASCAR s Kobalt Tools 500, which will take place at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday. Can Kyle Busch go back-to-back? A SCORE UPDATE: Before the basketball state champions are crowned, Score Atlanta will bring you LIVE coverage of the semifinals in Classes 4A and 5A at Gwinnett Arena! On Scoreatl.com, we will webcast all 16 games (eight boys, eight girls) and several of our reporters will be providing color commentary. Visit Scoreatl.com on March 11 and 12, starting at 3 p.m. each day. All five state championship games will be televised on GPB on March 13 and 14. TEAM PAGES I COLUMNS COVER DESIGN BY DAVID GAUDIO. COVER PHOTO COURTESY OF ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY. 5 CHEAP SEATS 6 DUE UP-KATREK 7 SPIN-C.C. 9 HS SPORTS REPORT 14 HAWKS-THRASHERS-FALCONS 15 DAWGS-JACKETS 16 BRAVES-OWLS-PANTHERS 17 MEMORY LANE 18 CALENDAR 19 AD INDEX

4 04 I SCORE ATLANTA Get In The Game!

5 MARCH 4-10, 2009 SCORE ATLANTA I 05 Brooking leaves, Andruw s career may be over and praise for LeBron As our local shiny-headed sports radio heavyweight Steak Shapiro of 790 The Zone likes to say, Here s what I learned over the last week Veteran linebacker Keith Brooking is gone, headed to play in Dallas after signing a three-year deal with the Cowboys. The Falcons wanted to keep Brooking but pay him less and put him in a reserve role. Though Brooking brought a lot to the Falcons with his play on the field and his foundation off of it, it s time for the team to go young at the linebacker position. I trust general manager Thomas Dimitroff has a pretty solid plan here not only to replace Brooking but also Michael Boley, who bolted for free agency. Many felt Boley would be a star here but something happened last season and now he is signed to the New York Giants. As far as Brooking is concerned, for me he was an overachiever and should not be remembered for the mistake he made late in the Arizona playoff game but instead for season after season of consistent play. Middle linebackers are not typically flashy and Brooking did his job about as well as anyone that has played that spot here since Tommy Nobis retied in The Georgia Tech and East Coweta High School alum also raised a lot of money off the field through his foundation, something that we at Score helped him market his charity. I wish him the best of luck in Dallas, where hopefully he can bring some stability to a messy locker room. Anyone notice why the Braves didn t push hard to bring back Andruw Jones? As of Monday, he had nine at-bats in major league spring games for the Texas Rangers and had struck out eight times. It s a shame but it looks like his career may be over, which surprises me because I remember a conversation I had with Braves superscout Paul Snyder back in 1994 in West Palm Beach. Jones was only 17 then and took the field for the first time for the Braves in their minor camp. Snyder nudged me while pointing at what then was a very skinny Jones and said, I.J., he will be in Cooperstown some day. Jones had all the talent in the world to get to the Hall of Fame but in the end it will be his work ethic and stubbornness that will keep him from getting in. His career power numbers (371 home runs, 1,131 RBIs) are certainly respectable and he was one of the greatest defensive players of the last 25 years but an overall.259 average and a complete fall from grace these last two years (I don t even want to mention stats) will keep him from ever becoming considered one of the game s best outfielders. How bad is it really getting at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that in Sunday s edition they did a question-and-answer session with Speedy Claxton? Speedy who? That s not going to sell papers. After seeing LeBron James come to Atlanta Sunday night, I ask if, other than Tiger Woods, there is a more dominating player in all of sports. Physically, James must be 285 pounds and is the most imposing athlete I have ever seen and I have seen quite a few. I do wonder how much time the tattoo artist had to spend to put that drawing on his arm. I mean, when did LeBron have time to do that? On the other hand (or perhaps other arm), I really like Hawks guard Joe Johnson. Joe just shows up, doesn t ever make a fuss about anything and just plays great basketball almost every night. Interestingly, if he would have hit that final shot to beat the Cavs on Sunday a shot which just clanged off the rim he would have imbedded himself in Atlanta sports lore. But Joe still has plenty of time to do so. There is no bigger ticking time bomb in sports than Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin. AJC.com s Michael Carvell wrote a great blog about Kiffin and his staff getting quite vocal last weekend when some of the best high school juniors in the country were visiting the school. Check out Carvell s blog from March 2. Kiffin is nuts! The Braves had been broadcasting their games on FM on county station 94.9 The Bull but next year will move to Project Their AM station will continue to be 640 WGST. Actually I sort of liked the Braves on The Bull, giving me my first glimpse into country music. Hear the lonesome whippoorwill; He sounds too blue to HOME SWEET HOME: Joe Johnson and the Hawks return to Atlanta this Saturday and the good news is that they will be home for the majority of March. From March 7-29, the Hawks will be hosting 11 of their 12 games. Included in the stretch are matchups against Detroit (March 7), Dallas (March 19), San Antonio (March 25), Boston (March 27) and the Los Angeles Lakers (March 29). Talk about a playoff atmosphere at Philips! Photo courtesy of Don Jackson/Photographic Arts. CATCH I.J. ON SUNDAYS As far as [Keith] Brooking is concerned, for me he was an overachiever and should not be remembered for the mistake he made late in the Arizona playoff game but instead for season after season of consistent play. fly; The midnight train is whining low; I m so lonesome I could cry. That s some Hank Williams for you. About 3 p.m. on Monday, I was checking out the sports headlines and saw where Stan Kasten had named himself general manager of the Washington Nationals. This came after Jim Bowden resigned as the president and Kasten, the team president, said, I m in charge. I ve done this before. I m doing what we need to do to keep the franchise moving forward. Kasten actually has been a ON THE COVER The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will arrive in our backyard for the first time in 2009 this weekend, as the Kobalt Tools 500 will take place at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Though Jimmie Johnson has been the sport s most thrilling driver over the past three seasons (and won the event in 2007), it was then-22-year-old Kyle Busch who took home the victory in Will either of these drivers see the checkered flag this Sunday? The photo above and cover shot of Busch after his 2008 victory are courtesy of Atlanta Motor Speedway. GM before, with the Hawks from and of course was the Braves president during their great run in the 1990s. But Kasten would do well to do what he did back in 1991 when he hired John Schuerholz to be the GM of the Braves. He needs someone to come in and turn around what is easily the worst franchise in baseball, going last year. Score is very excited about webcasting the Class 5A and 4A basketball semifinal games for both the boys and girls. Our webcasting viewer numbers from the GHSA wrestling finals were tremendous and you will be able to watch the games both live and on demand. Visit Scoreatl.com and GHSA.net for more as we do the games on March from Gwinnett Arena. Rosenberg can be heard every Sunday on 790 The Zone on Score Sports Sunday from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Score also hosts a high school recruiting show on 790 every Sunday from 1-3 p.m. Rosenberg can be reached at ijrosenberg@scoreatl.com and Also, don t forget to check out SCOREATL.COM for all the high school playoff basketball scores.

6 06 I SCORE ATLANTA Get In The Game! SCORE LIST BY TAD ARAPOGLOU ALMOST DONE: The first rounds of the basketballl state tournaments brought plenty of drama how about Walton s boys beating McEachern? But I m still going with Wheeler s boys in Class 5A, and there s no stopping Wesleyan s girls in Class A. HOOP-LESS: I know the Bulldogs shocked us by winning the SEC Tournament as the last-place team in 08 any chance that happens again? Uh, no. And Tech s hopes are even smaller a shame, too, with the ACC Tournament in Atlanta this year. READY TO RACE: Local NASCAR fans will be jumping for joy this Sunday, as the Kobalt Tools 500 comes to town! Hard to predict a winner, but I m thinking Jimmie Johnson picks up his first win of For a full preview, check out page 19. SO LONG, KEITH: It will be sad to see Keith Brooking suit up for Dallas as he was the last member of that 1998 Super Bowl team. I think we ll be seeing a lot more of Stephen Nicholas and possibly a draft pick to team with Curtis Lofton next year. ON THE MOUND: I know, spring training doesn t count. Still, Derek Lowe, Kenshin Kawakami and Tommy Hanson all had outstanding performances in their first outings. And with Garret Anderson in the outfield, maybe this team can surprise people. KING KOVY: At this second, no one is playing better hockey than Ilya Kovalchuk. Period. The guy is a scoring machine and even helped the Thrashers achieve a winning record in February their first month with a winning record since Dec CELTIC PRIDE: Former Georgia Tech point guard Stephon Marbury got his wish: the New York Knicks finally bought out his contract and now he is playing for Boston. Nice to see he can miss the majority of the season and still end up with a championship. IS DUNN DONE?: I know the Tampa Bay Bucs are starting a youth movement but I was surprised to see them dump so many of their veterans, including Warrick Dunn. With no real room for Dunn on the Falcons, where will the longtime running back end up? CHIEF CASSEL: Those Patriots are hard to figure out. They sign Matt Cassel to a huge deal and then turn around and trade him and Mike Vrabel to Kansas City for the 34th pick in the draft. Guess they re (over)confident Tom Brady will be healthy. FUNNY GUY: I had a chance to meet Robin Williams and catch his show at the Fox last Friday absolutely hysterical. He s back at the Fox on March 12 so if you have a chance, get these tickets. Otherwise, prepare yourself for his HBO special trust me. DUE UP WEDNESDAY 4 THURSDAY 5 FRIDAY 6 SATURDAY 7 SUNDAY 8 MONDAY 9 TUESDAY 10 HOTTEST THINGS TO SEE AND DO OVER THE NEXT SEVEN DAYS BY BRIAN JONES Georgia Tech vs. Miami. 790 The Zone. It s been a very disappointing year for the Jackets but they are hoping to win their last home game for the fans. They go up against the Hurricanes, so it won t be an easy task. Tip-off at the Thriller Dome is at 7:30 p.m. World Baseball Classic. ESPN2. It s been three years since Japan won the first World Baseball Classic and they will start their quest for another title as they take on China in the opening game of the tournament. Watch Ichiro and Dice-K in action at 6:30 p.m. Gladiators vs. Charlotte. 550 AM. The Gladiators are fighting hard but they have struggled to pick up wins in recent weeks. They have another battle against the Charlotte Checkers, a team that always gives the Gladiators fits. Face-off is at 7:35 p.m. Harlem Globetrotters. They re back! The world s most exciting basketball team makes its return to Atlanta to entertain fans and put on a great exhibition of basketball. The Trotters always put on a great show so bring the family down to Philips at 1 p.m. Kobalt Tools 500. FOX. This will be the first time this year the Sprint Cup Series makes its way to Atlanta Motor Speedway. Come on down to see Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth and the rest of NASCAR s stars in action at 1:30 p.m. Hawks vs. New Orleans. 790 The Zone. FSN South. We re down to the last full month of NBA action, so the Hawks will need to keep winning in order to maintain the No. 4 spot in the East. They take on the New Orleans Hornets at Philips Arena at 7 p.m. Thrashers at Colorado. 680 The Fan. SportSouth. The Thrashers have seen their fair share of struggles this season, but they did defeat the Avalanche at Philips on Feb. 24. Find out if they can find the same success when the teams play in Colorado at 9 p.m. THUMBS UP TO RACING IN ATLANTA Kobalt Tools 500 Racing fans, NASCAR is back in Atlanta! The 2009 Kobalt Tools 500 will take place at Atlanta Motor Speedway this Sunday. Will Sprint Cup Series points leader Matt Kenseth (pictured) win his third race in four tries? Garret Anderson The Braves said they needed a veteran outfielder and now they ve got one. Anderson, a 15-year veteran and three-time All-Star, will take over in left field. Anderson is a consistent hitter with a lifetime average of.293. Ilya Kovalchuk Man, this guy has been on fire lately! At press time, the Thrashers forward had recorded a ridiculous 21 points (13 goals, eight assists) in a 10- game span. In Sunday s 5-3 win over Carolina, Kovalchuk had two goals and three assists. Tech/UGA basketball After losing to North Carolina by 30 on Saturday, Georgia Tech fell to 1-13 in ACC play and had lost seven straight at press time. And days after beating Vanderbilt, Georgia lost to Arkansas last Sunday to fall to 2-12 in SEC play. Quincy Carter Unfortunately, the former Georgia quarterback still cannot seem to stay out of trouble. Carter, who starred for the Bulldogs from , was charged with DWI and marijuana possession in Mission, Tex., last week. Linebackers gone Looks like the Falcons will be looking for linebackers in the draft. Keith Brooking (pictured) and Michael Boley each signed with new teams, meaning Atlanta will replace two of their three opening day LBs from last season. THUMBS DOWN TO TWO STARTERS OUT CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS 9 Number of times the ACC Tournament has been hosted outside North Carolina 4 Number of times Atlanta has hosted the ACC Tournament (ATL hosts it March 12-15) 4 Number of different schools who have won the tourneys Atlanta has hosted TIGER RETURNS; CINK EXCELS Tiger Woods is back. OK, so he didn t win the Accenture Matchplay Championship, but he looked good. Tim Clark was too much to handle for the world s No. 1 in the second round. This happens in match play. (Clark got rolled by 19-year-old Rory McIlroy in Round 3, by the way.) But Tiger didn t limp, wince or hardly even frown in his return after an eight-month layoff. We will probably see him again next week at Doral, with another expected stop at Bay Hill two weeks before the Masters. A special tip of the cap to Atlanta s own Stewart Cink. He was the runner-up last year to Tiger Woods and made it to Sunday again this year at the Accenture Matchplay. Stewart was one of the leaders of the United States President s Cup team two years ago and is expected to be again this year in San Francisco. Cink is a five-time winner on the PGA TOUR and is one of the nicest, most thoughtful people you will ever meet. It is always good to see the nice guys do well. Brian Katrek can be heard on 790 The Zone s On The Green with Brian Katrek Sundays from 8-9 a.m. and can be reached at bkatrek@790thezone.com. SANITY AT LAST There will always be a huge place in my heart for the Falcons and the city of Atlanta regardless of what my future holds. - Dallas LB Keith Brooking (in to AJC)

7 MARCH 4-10, 2009 SCORE ATLANTA I 07 Stafford, Moreno participate at combine; NFL commissioner takes pay cut THOUGHTS ON HAWKS, NFL We will see exactly what our Atlanta Hawks are made of during this lovely stretch of home games throughout the month of March. They can either use this time to secure home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs or they can play around and let the chips fall where they may. I fully expect a great home stand from them even though they are playing some of the better teams in the league. After about a month-anda-half-long slump (or two months, depending on who you ask), Joe Johnson seems to have found his silent killer instincts again. His recent struggles and the team s recent struggles are no coincidence. Although they are much improved in a lot of areas, they will only go as far as Joe takes them. We all realize the NFL is a business, but sometimes we have to be reminded of that fact. Tampa Bay drove that point home in a major way when they cut Derrick Brooks last week. Brooks is the first thing that comes to mind when you think about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and they couldn t find a roster spot for him. Really? That s unbelievable. Brian Dawkins is no longer with the Philadelphia Eagles. They will regret not re-signing him next season. He was the heart and soul of their defense and now that he s gone, who is going to fill that void? I know that this is just business as usual for the Eagles but their defense was pretty much the only element of that team that had a leader and now they ve let him walk away. You can replace good productive players, but it s not easy to replace a leader. You can t teach good leadership and for a team without very much of it you would think they d know that. Finally, DeAngelo Hall has a great agent. Albert Haynesworth has an even better agent. But Nnamdi Asomugha has the best agent. C.C. can be reached at cfelicec@yahoo.com KINGS OF THE MAT: The Traditional Wrestling State Championships were held at Gwinnett Arena on Feb. 21 and to the surprise of no one, the Collins Hill Eagles dominated in Class 5A. Pictured above are the five Eagles who came home with state championships and led Collins Hill to its second consecutive team title (fourth since 2002). Also winning team titles were Effingham County (4A), Eastside (3A), Jefferson (2A) and Bremen (A). Photo courtesy of Lily McGregor/Photographic Arts. HERE S THE SCOOP... his year s NFL Draft prospects tested Ttheir various skills at the league combine last week and the results were mostly mixed for Bulldog participants. First, Matthew Stafford, considered by most to be this year s top signal caller, decided to run the 40 and participate in some of the day s other tests but opted to wait for Pro Day in Athens to throw the football. Whether waiting to throw was a good decision remains to be seen, but Stafford did perform well in the drills in which he chose to participate. Running the 40 in 4.81 seconds proved the former Bulldog has enough quicks to pick up yards running the football when nothing is available downfield and, though shorter than previously thought (6-2), he did drop some extra weight, now down to 225. It s also worth noting that Matthew finished among the top 10 quarterbacks in the vertical jump (tied for eighth) and the all-important broad jump (10th). Running back Knowshon Moreno had an up-and-down day, turning in a disappointing time before running the short-shuttle and longshuttle in impressive times of 4.27 and seconds, respectively. Moreno also did a good job catching the ball out of the backfield and, overall, did nothing to really hurt his top-20 status. Staying with football, ESPN.com s Chris Low took some time last week to outline the spring football storylines to watch for each of the SEC s teams. Low explores some of the obvious questions, such as how quarterback Joe Cox will handle the transition to full-time starter, and some of the less-publicized topics, like the lack of depth and overall production at the defensive end position. Low also addressed just how fortunate Georgia was to hold on to offensive line coach Stacy Searels and, not surprisingly, expects big things from his unit this spring and next fall. The Georgia line was in constant flux a year ago because of injuries, Low writes. The Bulldogs started five different offensive tackles. The good news is that all that moving of players around should make Georgia that much stronger in the offensive line next season, especially with tackle Trinton Sturdivant returning. FINANCIAL WORLD At a time when the economy is struggling and athletes and coaches are being criticized for the dollars they make, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell decided it was time to give back, announcing last week that he will cut his $11 million salary by 20 to 25 percent. In addition to his own fiscal sacrifice, Goodell has also trimmed the league staff by 15 percent, resulting in a reduction of 169 jobs CHECK THIS OUT! March means it s time for basketball. March Madness and Atlanta Hawks basketball are in full swing, and fans will have a chance to catch another great show on the hardwood this weekend, when the legendary Harlem Globetrotters bring their high-flying dunks and tricks to Philips Arena and Gwinnett Arena. Get in on all the action this Saturday at 1 p.m. (Philips) or Sunday at 2 p.m. (Gwinnett), and be on hand for one of the greatest spectacles that sports has to offer. Tickets are as low as just $23, with the best levels offering prices of $97. Or purchases tickets for the whole family as a part of the QT Family Four Pack! With plenty of high-octane action, this is a game that is not to be missed! Visit Ticketmaster.com to get your passes or call the arena box offices. Written by Scott Janovitz through buyouts, layoffs and other methods. In actuality, the figure makes up a little more than 15 percent of the league s 1,100-man work force. Finally, the 2009 salaries of all league employees have been frozen and projected expenses for the year have been reduced by 20 percent. On the topic of getting money, local product and former North Springs star linebacker Channing Crowder reached an agreement with the Miami Dolphins on a multiyear contract last Thursday. Though not all terms of the deal were released, it was reportedly a three-year offer. Crowder, now 25, was set to become an unrestricted free agent on Friday. A third-round draft choice in 2005, the former Florida Gator standout is coming off a career year in which he played in a career-high 15 games and totaled an impressive 113 tackles. The World Baseball Classic is set to begin this Thursday and the Atlanta Braves organization should have quite a prominent role in the competition. The Braves have 10 players competing for their respective countries in the Classic, including Chipper Jones and Brian McCann, who will participate as members of Team USA. For a full list of participating Braves, check out our beat on page 16. Janovitz can be reached at sjanovitz@scoreatl.com.

8 08 I SCORE ATLANTA Get In The Game! Try Arby s new Roastburgers! Choose from the Bacon Bleu, All American, or Bacon Cheddar. One bite and we guarantee you ll love it!

9 Hood wraps up career with run to playoffs harlie Hood, along with his surprising CMarietta Blue Devils, competed in his 20th and final state tournament on Saturday night. After 37 seasons as Marietta s head boys basketball coach, Hood had his 999- game career come to an end as host Marietta fell to Milton, 80-55, in the first round of the Class 5A state playoffs. Hood, who won state titles in both 1983 and 1989, announced prior to the Region 5- AAAAA Tournament that he would step down at the end of the season. If people thought that meant one more game for Hood, you could not have blamed them. The Blue Devils, with only one player in their starting lineup taller than six feet, finished the regular season with a 9-16 record. Seeded seventh in the region, they faced a Cherokee team that headed into postseason play with an 18-7 record, including 15-3 in region competition. Cherokee had also defeated Marietta twice in the regular season, the second time by 17 points. With a state tournament bid on the line, however, the third time was the charm for Marietta. Or perhaps it was Hood s retirement revelation that was the real spark. The Blue Devils defeated Cherokee, 65-46, and went on to stun No. 3-seeded Harrison, 59-54, for a spot in the region final alongside powerhouse McEachern (17-0 in Region 5). That s where the ride ended, but not before Marietta secured its improbable home game in the first round of the state tournament. The kids were all fired up trying to prolong everything, Hood said of the seasonending run. I think my announcement spurred a little bit of juice into them. The underdog Blue Devils did not have enough juice against an impressive Milton squad, but the loss did nothing to take away from an appropriate end to Hood s illustrious career. Hood finished with 716 wins and 283 losses. One more victory could have had him coaching in his 1,000th career game. I don t even know our record this year, assistant coach Bob Davis concluded after the loss to Milton, but I ve never seen him work harder than he did this last year. We just had a great run. HONORING THE LEGEND Hood noted that not many people get to retire by winning their last game anyway. But he did get to retire on his home floor, coaching a group of players that were not expected to be in that position in the first place. Because Saturday night s outcome was decided well before the buzzer sounded, the announcer late in the fourth quarter gave fans the opportunity to thank Hood for his brilliant 37- year head coaching career at Marietta. A rousing standing ovation naturally ensued. It s been 40 years at one school, explained Hood, 61, who started at Marietta as a 21-year-old assistant and took over as head coach after three seasons. That s what I m most proud of. What now? I don t know, Hood said. I ve never done this before. I might try to improve my golf game. If it becomes half as good as his Marietta coaching career, watch out. Dimon can be reached at rdimon@scoreatl.com. THE HIGH SCHOOL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK TRAE GOLDEN McEACHERN HIGH The junior guard scored 36 points in the Indians disappointing home loss to 4- seed Walton in the first round of the state tournament, but helped lead McEachern to a 24-4 overall record and a one-time national ranking this season. Golden, a one-time Ohio State commit, is considered a three-star recruit by Scout.com and is a member of the Atlanta Celtics AAU team. CONISHA HICKS MILLER GROVE HIGH Also just a junior, Hicks made a name for herself this year in leading the Lady Wolverines to their first-ever playoff berth. Although the team lost in the first round, Hicks 14 points, including 10 in the first half, helped Miller Grove hang with a tough Mays squad on the road. Hicks scored 29 points in the Region 6- AAAA tournament third-place game, a win over Tucker.

10 10 HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS REPORT Walton, Central Gwinnett among first-round spoilers in state hoops playoffs he McEachern boys and girls basketball Tteams entered the postseason with high expectations. Both teams had won Region 5- AAAAA and therefore the No. 1 seed going into the playoffs. Unfortunately for Indians fans, both squads were eliminated on the same night in the same gym. The Lady Indians took on No. 4-seed Campbell in the matinee at McEachern on Saturday evening. The Lady Spartans saw themselves fall behind early but jumped out to an 11-point third quarter lead. McEachern would rally but could not overcome the deficit and fell Baylee Hawkins led the Lady Spartans with 16 points while McEachern star Kyra Crosby was held to 12. One of the more highly-anticipated matchups from the first round involved Walton and McEachern, our No. 9- and No. 2-ranked overall teams in the state. The visiting Raiders took a commanding lead into the locker room after Georgia Tech-commit Glen Rice Jr. set the tone for the first half, dunking within two seconds of the opening tip to draw first blood for the Raiders. McEachern, led by junior guard Trae Golden, made a serious run in the third to give the packed house a ballgame. Walton would see its lead cut to four by the end of the quarter. However, the resilient Raiders were able to take advantage of a crucial 3- pointer by Rice to extend their lead to six with just 2:30 left in the game. Tech head coach Paul Hewitt, who was in attendance Saturday night, had to be proud of his future player s 26-point performance. Walton hung on for an exciting but hardfought victory. Golden led all scorers with 36 points while N.C. State-commit Ryan Harrow led the victors with 33. Harrow and Golden kept the audience riveted with several sensational plays. In the first half Harrow followed up an alley-oop which he went almost out of the building to grab with a nifty behind-the-back fake pass and lay-in. Even the Indian fans oooed and ahhhed at the electrifying display. MORE RESULTS Wesleyan, the defending Class 2A state champions who moved down to Class A this year, fell in the first round after a dramatic loss to Athens Academy on Saturday. The returning champs were just happy to get back to the playoffs after losing 10 players from last year s squad, but the close loss shows just how good the new Wolves were this past year. Griffin Schamp led the Wolves with 21 while Jeremy Burgess scored 19 for the Spartans. No. 3-ranked and top-seeded Wheeler outlasted Harrison in their first-round duel, Wildcat star Richard Howell got into early foul trouble but was picked up by his teammates who led a balanced scoring attack the rest of the way. Howell, yet another N.C. State commitment, would score just 12 points but teammate Ari Stewart led the team with 19. Harrison s Vince Martin led all scorers with 26. Wheeler will clash with Peachtree Ridge on Wednesday. In Class 3A, Derrick Favors and the state s No. 1-ranked South Atlanta Hornets defeated Thomson by a score of The Hornets will host Cairo, Region 1 s thirdseeded team, on Wednesday night. One of the more exciting first-round battles came from Gwinnett County, as fourthseeded Central Gwinnett shocked top-seeded Collins Hill, The Eagles had just upset perennial power Norcross in the Region 7- AAAAA Tournament last week for the top seed. Meanwhile, the Black Knights evened their record at in the surprise victory. Collins Hill center Jeremy Olsen led the game with 29 points and as well as 14 rebounds in the loss. Jordan Adams had 22 for the Black Knights. SECOND ROUND ACTION Marietta faced Norcross in the second round of the girls tournament on March 3 (results were unavailable at press time), pitting two Lady Blue Devil squads against each other. Norcross came in ranked No. 8 in the state to face the unranked Region 5 champions. Marietta won its first-round matchup over Lassiter while Norcross defeated Central Gwinnett. Other area girls matchups included Cherokee vs. Duluth, Milton vs. Parkview and Douglass vs. Beach. Check Scoreatl.com for scores and updates. No. 13 Newnan will meet another twoseed in Redan on Wednesday night in what should be a very competitive second-round matchup. The No. 21 Raiders defeated Northside-Warner Robins in a low-scoring affair on Saturday night, Redan s Kenny Hall, a Tennessee commit, should be a load in the middle for the Raiders. Point guard Russell Powell leads a game Wildcat squad into the second round. In other Class 5A secondround action, Wheeler will host Peachtree Ridge, Milton hosts upstart Central Gwinnett, Valdosta hosts Riverdale, Savannah hosts Coffee, and Tift County takes on Westlake. Black can be reached at sblack@scoreatl.com. HORNET S NEST: Derrick Favors is the state s highestrated recruit, and he is hoping to lead the South Atlanta Hornets to the Class 3A state title. The boys second round kicks off on Wednesday night and South Atlanta will host Cairo. Photo courtesy of Langston Sandlin/Z3 Photography. Washington s Smith shifts focus from football field to track in Class 3A rently a freshman at Mississippi State. It was very good to race against him, Smith said. [He s] a good person, he made me work for my second place, I made him work for his first place. Both of us had a battle. Even if Cherry had eligibility remaining, he would not pose a threat to Smith this year, as Washington has dropped down to Class 3A. The competition probably will be a little different. I won t say it won t be as fast, German said. To tell you the truth, I don t know any runners, Smith added about the unfamiliarity surrounding 3A. But at the same time, everybody is going to compete. Smith knows something about competing, as he goes up against teammate Antonio Goodwin, last year s Class 4A 200-meter state Weeks after wrapping up a successful high school football career by being rated as one of the best players in the country and signing a letter of intent to attend the University of Georgia, Washington s Branden Smith is getting set to cement his mark in another sport: track and field. The speedster finished second in the state in the Class 4A 100-meter dash last year, and he and his head coach Joseph German think he can do one better this year. Hopefully he should win the state, German said. That s what we plan on doing. Smith says he ran his personal best in the 100 of 10.4 at last year s state meet before eventually finishing second to Mt. Zion of Jonesboro senior and national 55-meter record holder, D Angelo Cherry, who is curchampion, regularly. Everyday in practice we compete with each other. Sometimes he wins. Sometimes I win, Smith said. It s all about competing, making each other better and that s what we do, make each other better. Goodwin (a major football prospect for the Class of 2010), Smith and Sanchez McMullen return from the 4x100 team that also captured state last year. Smith has been running track since the seventh grade and plans to run at Georgia, as he has the blessing of Mark Richt. [Richt] says it s a good idea to keep my speed up and at the same time get prepared for football, Smith said. GETTING READY German says Smith could go far in track if it was his only sport, but Smith sees football and the calling of the NFL as his first love. That s been my goal ever since I was a little boy, he said. But if he continues to excel on the track this year for Washington and in the future at Georgia, that success could change his mind. You really can t do anything but take the one you re better at, Smith said. For now, he s focused on this track and field season. Washington s first meet is March 10 and the team will compete in events such as the Carrollton, Jefferson and Roswell Relays, as well as the Atlanta Track Classic. And of course come May, Smith should undoubtedly be competing once again for the state title. Butler can be reached at jbutler@scoreatl.com.

11 HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS REPORT I11 Looking at baseball s favorites, contenders in all five classifications for 09 he State of Georgia has always produced Texcellent baseball players, as well as great teams. The 2009 season should be no different, as the talent pool is rich with top players throughout the state. Last season s state champions will return some key players, but that won t stop their opponents from vying for a title. Brookwood is the hands-down favorite once again in Class 5A and is the No. 1- ranked team in the state according to Gasports.com. Last year was a magical one for the defending state champions, as they set the record for most wins in the history of Georgia baseball, going 34-3 and finishing No. 3 in the nation. Repeating a year like that is almost impossible, but with a potent pitching staff, they may come close. The Broncos will be led by the battery of senior pitcher Matt Adams and senior catcher Ronnie Freeman, who were both named to the preseason All- State Team. Their opponents are chomping at the bit to get the season started and get a chance to knock off the favorites. Their main rival, Parkview, is one of the teams that could take the top spot away. Panthers head coach Chan Brown knows that his team will be up to the challenge when the season starts. We play such a hard schedule that everybody is a challenge, he said. We have been working towards a goal of getting Parkview back into challenging for a region and state championship race. We have changed some things around as RIDING HIGH: The Brookwood Broncos swept Walton in the Class 5A state championship finals last year to win their first state title since The 2009 season started last week do the Broncos have what it takes to hoist the trophy yet again? Photo courtesy of Mark Young/Photographic Arts. far as offseason training and some more team bonding activities. His team has a few All-State players of its own in senior outfielders Brandon Jacobs and Kenny Bellavance. Jacobs batted.500 with six home runs, 37 RBIs and 11 stolen bases in 2008, while Bellavance hit.319 and scored 21 runs. With the offseason work put in by Parkview, the state title could be up for grabs in Class 5A. CLASSES 4A AND 3A In Loganville, the defending Class 4A state champion Red Devils are getting ready to defend their title with a team that is loaded with seven returning seniors. However, head coach Jeff Seagers had to be surprised by sophomore pitcher Kenneth Anderson when he shut down Dacula, 6-1, in their first win of this year. If this team can continue to get similar results from their young players, as well as lean on their experience, they should be a team to be reckoned with. The Columbus Blue Devils are looking to challenge Cartersville for the top spot in Class 3A. Fortunately for these top two teams, they will not face each other until a possible meeting in the state playoffs. The Blue Devils have two left-handed pitchers in seniors Taylor Wolfe and Matt Taylor, both of whom have signed to play at Alabama next year. Assistant coach Chad Mathis said the team feels confident with the two aces on the mound: Our number one priority is defense. Our pitchers must throw strikes. CLASSES 2A AND A Cook is the early-season No. 1-ranked team (Gasports.com) in Class 2A. Assistant coach Zach Mauldin weighed in on the Hornets chances of winning a state title, saying, We are coming off a season last year in which we went 28-6, won our region undefeated, and made it the Class 2A Final Four. We feel our pitching is our biggest strength, with Kaleb Cowart, D.J. Johnson and Josh Barks, and also two strong lefties in Trevor Hand and Marcus Smith. We are excited about this year, and hope to make another deep run for the state championship. Cowart can also hit he went 2-for- 2 with two doubles and two RBIs in the team s first victory over Worth County, 7-3. Cook has made the playoffs every year for the last 20 years. Expect that incredible streak to continue this year. Wesleyan lost many of its players that helped it win the Class 2A state title last season. The Wolves move down to Class A this season, which automatically puts them as the favorites to win the state championship. Senior catcher Brent Pugh and junior pitcher/outfielder Daniel Cardwell are the team s top two players. After starting with a loss this year, Pugh, with two RBIs, and Cardwell, with a home run and a save, led the team to its first victory over Holy Innocents days later. The schedule should prove to be interesting for the Wolves; they play Loganville on Thursday. The favorites have all the tools to win their respective state titles, but just like in every sport, anything can happen. And in baseball, it usually does. Deighton can be reached at jdeighton@scoreatl.com. Two-time defending state champion Panthers continue their domination occer season is well underway, and all Seyes are focused on Parkview s girls soccer team in Class 5A. Parkview entered the season as the defending state champions for the second consecutive year, No. 1 in the state and No. 1 team in the nation. Last season, the Panthers also went undefeated for the first time in school history. Needless to say, this year is no different; the pressure is on for Parkview s girls soccer team. Even after losing nine seniors from last year s squad, the Panthers roster is jampacked with talented players. One of the key returners for Parkview is junior forward Kim Spence, who has already committed to Auburn. Alongside Spence is senior defender/midfielder Caroline Kilday, sophomore defender Cherrelle Jarret, and junior defender/midfielder Kansas Bayly. Another player to watch is senior forward Taylor Jackson, who is returning from an ACL injury that kept her from playing most of last season. Despite last year s injury, Jackson secured a Division-I soccer scholarship as well. Head coach Judson Hamby commented, We expect big things from Stint this year, and we re definitely looking forward to having Jackson back. As for Kilday, Jarret and Bayly, they just don t get the credit they deserve, and they do so much for the team. Those three are the reason why we re winning close games. The Panthers are already off to a great start this season as they head into area play undefeated. During the Longhorn Invitational, Parkview shut out Newnan, 2-0, and knocked off the fifth-ranked overall team in the state, North Gwinnett, 2-1. The Panthers continued to show their dominance in the ProsSys Tournament, shutting out all their opponents. Parkview defeated Collins Hill, 3-0, and then picked off the No. 10- ranked team in the state, Walton, 1-0. The Panthers were scheduled to face off against Harrison, ranked third in the state and second in Class 5A, last Friday, but the match was cancelled due to the weather. STAYING ON TOP During preseason play, the Panthers have been plagued by injuries, resulting in losing one player for the year but Hamby and the players are not worried about it affecting their play. We ve had a lot of injuries, but we re really starting to come together as a team, Kilday said. I have faith in my team that we can overcome these injuries and do well this season. Although the road is long and hard, the Panthers are no strangers to pressure. Girls soccer at Parkview is intense: the Panthers have racked up a total of six state championship titles, two of those being back-to-back in 2007 and Senior Emily Fitzgerald adds, We have a great tradition, and we definitely want to live up to the legacy we have here at Parkview, which is why we strive for success on the field and in the classroom. Bottom line, our goal is to succeed. The Parkview girls soccer team so far has done just that: succeed. The Panthers have talent, discipline and desire, all the ingredients needed to keep them at the top. Watch out for this powerhouse of a team this year, and do not be surprised if you see them in the state championship game for the third consecutive season. Parker can be reached at jparker@scoreatl.com. MIKAEL S AUTO SPA ATLANTA S #1 CAR WASH AND DETAILING DESTINATION LOCATED IN THE HEART OF SANDY SPRINGS ON ROSWELL RD Roswell Rd. Atlanta, GA

12 12 HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS REPORT Opening rounds of state basketball tournament bring excitement, upsets Atitle contender has already fallen by the wayside in the boys Class 5A basketball tournament. McEachern, which was Score Atlanta s No. 2 team in the state regardless of classification before the playoffs started, was upset by fourth-seeded Walton in the first round of action on Saturday night by the score of Despite a 36-point effort from McEachern junior guard Trae Golden, the Indians fell behind early and could never catch up with the run-and-gun Raiders, who were led by another junior guard, Ryan Harrow, who tallied 33 points on the night. Glen Rice Jr. chipped in 26 points for the Raiders, who will face Norcross on the road in the second round Wednesday night. MORE BOYS HOOPS Speaking of the three-time defending champion Blue Devils, Norcross staved off an athletic Meadowcreek team, 68-54, at home to advance to the second round. The Devils led by as much as 25 points in the game before a Mustang rally brought Meadowcreek back into contention. Meadowcreek s Jarvis Brown led all scorers with 19. Centennial will face Region 8- AAAAA champion South Gwinnett after a win over North Cobb. South Gwinnett advanced with a win over Mill Creek. In possibly the secondbiggest upset behind Walton s win, fourthseeded Central Gwinnett shocked Region 7-AAAAA champion Collins Hill in Suwanee, Collins Hill was fresh off an upset of their own, in which the Eagles had defeated one-loss Norcross for the region crown. In other Class 5A boys news, head coach Charlie Hood of Marietta coached his last career game on Saturday, an loss to Milton. Read more about Hood s legacy on page 9. In second-round boys action, look for a great matchup between Tucker and Hillgrove on Wednesday night at Hillgrove. In Class A, the game to watch will be Hancock Central at Turner County. Hancock is the defending Single-A champion, but Turner is currently 27-1 on the season with the only blemish a one-point loss to 5A Tift County back in December. ON THE GIRLS SIDE At press time, only the first round of the girls tournament had been played, but Friday gave us a handful of excellent matchups. What looked like perhaps the best matchup of the girls first round turned into a blowout win for the lower seed. Duluth knocked off Region 8-AAAAA 2-seed Berkmar, which was the only team to defeat Parkview this season (although Duluth won the regularseason matchup back in December, 54-51). The win was sparked by 17 points from Duluth senior Mykala Walker, who helped lead the Lady Wildcats to the semifinals last year. Berkmar finishes the season at The state s top team, Fayette County of Class 4A, advanced to the second round with a win over Tucker. Tessah Holt, who committed to Florida the day of the game, contributed 17 points for Fayette in the win and Anma Onyeuku had 21 points for the Lady Tigers, who struggled with foul trouble for much of the game but pulled away in the end. Defending 4A champion Southwest DeKalb got all it wanted from Region 5 2-seed Douglas County, squeaking out a win over the Lady Tigers to avoid the upset. Region 8-AAA 4-seed EYE OF THE TIGER: Senior Tessah Holt and the Fayette County Tigers ended the regular season as our No. 1 overall girls team in the state. After a first-round victory, can Holt lead her team to the Class 4A state championship? Photo courtesy of Photographic Arts. Hart County upset Gainesville in the first round, in overtime. NOMINEES NAMED The Atlanta Tip-off Club announced its 10 nominees five each for boys and girls for the Naismith Player of the Year Award, given annually to the top boys and girls prep hoops players in the nation. Derrick Favors was the only Georgian on the list, and will compete with Kenny Boynton of Florida, DeMarcus Cousins of Alabama, Renardo Sidney of California, and John Wall of North Carolina. The ATC also announced its midseason Metro Atlanta nominees for various postseason awards. For more on these awards, visit For the most complete coverage of the state basketball tournament, check out the high school section on Scoreatl.com and Georgia Public Broadcasting s prep sports blog at sportsgpb.blogspot.com. On these two sites, Score Atlanta and GPB will be bringing you news, analysis, guest columnists and live updates throughout the basketball playoffs, as well as features on all prep sports throughout the school year. Score Atlanta will also be webcasting all eight semifinals games for Classes 4A and 5A live from the Gwinnett Arena on March 11 and 12. For more information about the webcast, visit GHSA.net. Ewalt can be reached at aewalt@scoreatl.com. Recruiting picks up for two of the state s finest prospects in Brown, James n case you don t already know, my interest in Irecruiting is hardly confined to this bi-weekly space and now includes a radio outlet. Myself and a few other knowledgeable Score reps team up every Sunday on 790 The Zone for Score Atlanta s Official Visit, a two-hour show from 1 to 3 p.m. dedicated entirely to high school recruiting. We address and debate all the biggest issues and stories on both the local and national recruiting scenes, and welcome some of the state s top coaches and analysts as well as its finest recruits (in all sports) to the show. In the last two weeks, we have gotten a chance to catch up with Mack Brown and JaWuan James, two of the top prospects in Georgia and the nation for the class of Brown, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound speedy running back from M.L. King caught up with us two weekends ago and provided some great insight into his recruitment. With offers from just about every major program in the country, including the nine he has gotten in the last week, Brown will have the luxury of going anywhere he wants. For now, however, three schools stand out in particular. Right now, Florida, Georgia and Oklahoma lead, explained Brown. Still, Brown is open to other schools for sure, including Alabama, who offered him nearly three weeks ago and will welcome the senior-to-be to campus sometime in March. As for what he likes about those four schools in particular and what he is looking for in a college, Brown had this say: They are all really good schools and have good coaching staffs and they all run the ball. I am looking at the reliability of the coaching staff, the depth chart and the graduation rate at each school. Finally, will all the added attention Brown and other big-time recruits have Round up your friends for a night of FUN, FACTS, and FREEBIES! Join Trivia Zone Team each week for your chance to WIN! Call your favorite location for start time and details! 30 CENT WINGS at J.R. Crickets in Smyrna every Wednesday night (Dine-In Only) received change the way the highly touted back approaches the game? Yes. I take every game one at a time, but when I see another big-time player I m going to try and play extra hard, Brown said There s a big target on my back right now so I m going to have to come harder every game. JAMES NAMES FIVE Recruiting has also started to pick up for JaWuan James, probably the best offensive lineman in the state. The 6-6, 293-pound North Gwinnett tackle named his top five of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Florida, Alabama and Clemson on our show last Sunday and has had good visits to the latter two in the past couple weeks. In addition to being a standout on the football field, James is an extremely well spoken, intelligent young man who knows exactly what he wants in a college. Tuesday: North River Tavern Atlanta (770) The Grove Restaurant & Bar Decatur (404) StarTime Entertainment Roswell (770) Jeffrey s SportsBar & Grill Alpharetta(770) Ribs, ETC., Buckhead (404) Frankie s at the Prado S. Springs (404) Neighbor s Pub VA-Highlands (404) I m looking for a school that has that winning tradition and also somewhere I can bond with the coaches and the staff and the community there because I m going to have to be there for four years, James said confidently, as if he has experienced the recruiting process once before. I want to be under a guy that knows what he is doing and is a great person. I also will look at the depth at my position. As of now, James has plans to make his final decision either sometime before or during the upcoming summer. And, unlike many other recruits, once James makes a college declaration it will be final. I want to wait until I m sure and take all my visits because I don t want to be a guy who gives a team his commitment and then takes it away. I don t want to go out there and look at any other schools after I commit. Janovitz can be reached at sjanovitz@scoreatl.com. Wednesday: Beef O'Brady's Suwanee (770) Bradley's American Cafe Marietta (770) Montana s Bar & Grill Marietta (770) Alpharetta (678) Dark Horse Tavern VA-Highlands (404) J.R. Crickets Smyrna (678) Thursday: Frankie s at the Prado S. Springs (404) North River Tavern Atlanta (770) StarTime Entertainment Roswell (770) Buffalo s Café Jonesboro (770) WoW Café and Wingery Athens (706) Friday: Ameribistro Smyrna (770) Sunday: Montana s Bar & Grill Marietta (770) Alpharetta (678) North River Tavern Atlanta (770)

13 MARCH 4-10, 2009 SCORE ATLANTA I 13

14 14 I SCORE ATLANTA Get In The Game! Hawks return home, face Wade and LeBron he Hawks spent two weeks (six straight Tgames) on the road, which concluded with a trip to Denver on Wednesday before finally returning home for home dates with Miami and Cleveland on Friday and Sunday, respectively. The team went only 1-2 during the stretch, but the losses to Cleveland and Denver each came by just one point. On Wednesday, the Hawks got the chance to take on one of the West s best without the help of Mike Bibby (flu-like symptoms) and Josh Smith (personal reasons), who both took the night off. The significant absences had an impact early and often against the Nuggets, as the Hawks went into the locker room at the half down by seven. Denver would extend its lead to 17 during the third period and looked to have the game in hand. The Hawks, however, would make a late comeback thanks to big baskets from Joe Johnson, Marvin Williams and Al Horford. In the end it was too late, though, as Flip Murray s attempt at a game-winner rimmed out to give the Nuggets the victory. In what could be a preview of postseason things to come, the Hawks bounced back against the visiting Miami Heat on Friday. Entering the contest in fourth place in the East and just a game ahead of Wade and Company, the victory was significant for playoff seeding and future game-planning purposes. Al Horford had perhaps the best game of his two-year career, going 8-of-14 from the field to score 21 points in addition to grabbing a career-high 22 rebounds. Johnson led the team in scoring with 24 points. Atlanta also did a good job slowing down the league s leading scorer, as the Hawks held Wade to just 21 points on 9-of-17 shooting. Horford s new-found offensive prowess did not last long, however, as the center was held to just 10 points in Sunday s loss to Cleveland. After a relatively lackluster first half, Atlanta showed great energy to close the third quarter, coming back from as many as 13 down to lead by as many as seven points in the fourth. Atlanta s defense was key in the comeback attempt, holding Cleveland to just 35 second-half points and James to without a single field goal after the 2:51 mark in the third. In the fourth, Atlanta would extend its lead to 87-82, but Cleveland would score the game s final six points to capture the one-point victory. For Atlanta, Johnson s 21 points led the way while LeBron led the Cleveland charge, with 26 points and 11 assists. This week, the Hawks leave town yet again, first traveling to New York on Wednesday before visiting Charlotte on Friday. Atlanta will then return Saturday for a contest with the Detroit Pistons. OFF THE COURT The Hawks will tip off Read to Achieve Month on Wednesday by donating over 10,000 books to My Sister s House in Atlanta. Former Hawks Mike Glenn, Andrew Lang, Ivano Newbill and Charlie Criss will assist in delivering the books before hosting a Reading Timeout for the children. The Atlanta Hawks Foundation s charitable grant cycle is open through April 30, The Hawks Foundation will be accepting grant applications for $50,000 in available funds from non-profit organizations in three focus areas Education, Health and Wellness, and Recreation. Janovitz can be reached at sjanovitz@scoreatl.com. Kovalchuk records seven points in two games hile Atlanta only earn two points last Wweek, the team s play gives reason for optimism for the future of the team as the Thrashers knocked off one division rival, the Carolina Hurricanes, at home, while barely falling to the other, the Washington Capitals, on the road. ON THE ROAD AGAIN No Eastern Conference team has more wins at home than Washington, so it was not much of a surprise when the Thrashers left the Verizon Center without a point on Thursday, losing 4-3. Atlanta did show some grit, however, coming back from a two-goal deficit to tie the game in the second. The deficit was built early as Atlanta could not stay out of the penalty box, allowing the Caps to put two unanswered power-play goals on the board. Atlanta responded with goals from Ilya Kovalchuk and Rich Peverley to tie the game halfway though the second period. Mike Green gave the lead back to Washington on the Caps third power-play goal of the night, and Eric Fehr built the lead back to two early in the second period. Atlanta clawed back to within one goal when Todd White scored a shorthanded goal off an assist from Kovalchuk with two minutes left in the game. It wasn t enough, however as Atlanta still found itself a man down with time expiring. Kari Lehtonen made 36 saves for Atlanta in the loss. STORMING COMEBACK On Saturday night, a clear line of demarcation separated the intensity of the Thrashers from the Hurricanes, except unlike previous games it was Atlanta playing as if a playoff spot was on the line. Kovalchuk scored five points on the night to help Atlanta overcome a 3-1 deficit in the third period to win 5-3. Early on, the Hurricanes were the aggressors, outshooting Atlanta 12-6 in the first period. Carolina, fighting for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East, jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period with goals from Tuomo Ruutu and Sergei Samsonov. But with four seconds remaining in the second period, Kovalchuk scored the first of his two goals when he blew a wrist shot past Cam Ward. The lead was then extended back to two on a power-play goal two minutes into the final period. Trailing 3-1, the Thrashers turned to Kovalchuk, who put the team on his back and carried them to victory. Kovy assisted on the next three Atlanta goals, two of which came off the stick of Rich Peverley. He then added the icing on the cake when he scored an empty-net goal to give Atlanta the victory. ROSTER MOVES On Wednesday, Atlanta reassigned forward Jordan LaVallee to the Thrashers Triple-A minor league affiliate, the Chicago Wolves. LaVallee appeared in two games with Atlanta, averaging 6:39 of ice time in those two games. Taking LaVallee s place on the active roster was Jim Slater, who was activated from injured reserve. Slater missed 15 games after injuring his shoulder on Jan. 20 against Montreal. Before his injury Slater had recorded 14 points (five goals and nine assists) in 46 games. Just before we went to press Monday night, it was announced that the Thrashers acquired defenseman Anssi Salmela from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for defenseman Niclas Havelid and forward Myles Stoez. Boral can be reached at jboral@scoreatl.com Brooking, Milloy gone; LB Wire re-signs wo familiar names will be missing from Tthe Falcons roster next season, as the team opted not to re-sign veteran defensive starters Lawyer Milloy and Keith Brooking. Brooking had spent all 11 years of his professional career in Atlanta but will now play for the Dallas Cowboys after signing a three-year deal last Saturday. The Georgia Tech and East Coweta High School alum accumulated five Pro Bowl appearances for the Birds, and was a rookie when Atlanta participated in Super Bowl XXXIII during the 1998 season. A calming veteran force, Brooking will be missed on the Atlanta defense. Keith defined the Falcons in so many ways: his tenure, his leadership on and off the field, his commitment to excellence and his many resulting accomplishments, his love for Atlanta, and so much more, said Falcons owner/ceo Arthur Blank. He will always be a Falcon in the hearts of his teammates and our fans. Also on his way out of town is safety Lawyer Milloy, who totaled 281 tackles and 47 starts during his time as a Falcon. Much like Brooking, the 13-year veteran provided direction and leadership. As an organization, we felt it was in the best interest of both parties to let Lawyer test the free agent market, said general manager Thomas Dimitroff. He significantly contributed in his three seasons with the Falcons and we were proud to have him here. We wish him the best as he takes the next step in his career. Linebacker Michael Boley and cornerback Domonique Foxworth both signed elsewhere, too. Boley will be a New York Giant. He amassed 109 tackles during a great season, but struggled to learn the new defensive scheme last year, eventually losing his starting job. Foxworth, a starter at cornerback for 10 games, signed with the Baltimore Ravens. Foxworth stepped into the starting job six weeks into the season and never relinquished it, taking the place of an injured Brent Grimes. SOME SIGNINGS Dimitroff and Company kept plenty of last year s players around as well. Among them was linebacker Coy Wire, who blossomed towards the end of the season, giving the appearance that Atlanta had found a diamond in the rough after signing the sevenyear pro that had played mostly on special teams over the rest of his career. Wire tallied 34 tackles over last four games played, including a 13-tackle performance in a crucial lateseason win over division rivals Tampa Bay. Jamaal Fudge will also return at safety, giving him first crack at the starting position left open due to Milloy s departure. Atlanta also locked up tight end Justin Peelle (three touchdown receptions on the year), defensive tackle Jason Jefferson and center Ben Wilkerson. IN THE COMMUNITY Falcons players continued their efforts off the field, helping out in the community all across town this past week. Fullback Ovie Mughelli participated in Read Across America Day on March 2, reading to third graders at Sycamore Elementary School. Defensive end Jamaal Anderson and wide receiver Brian Finneran also participated in Read Across America Day, reading short stories to second graders at Lovin Elementary. Bagriansky can be reached at jbagriansky@scoreatl.com.

15 MARCH 4-10, 2009 SCORE ATLANTA I 15 Dogs struggle; women fight for SEC crown n an ongoing battle to avoid ending the reg- season with the SEC s worst Iular record, Georgia lost ground to Arkansas this past Sunday, as the visiting Bulldogs fell to the Razorbacks, 89-67, in Fayetteville, Ark. Trey Thompkins led Georgia with 20 points, but the Bulldogs could not overcome 21 turnovers and a 17-point halftime deficit. Rotnei Clarke s 19 points led Arkansas. With the Bulldogs loss, their SEC East-worst record and the Razorbacks SEC West-worst record both moved to Heading into last week, Georgia had hoped to finish out of the SEC bottom two and had a slim chance of finishing in a tie for fifth in the East. Now the Bulldogs are a lock to finish at the bottom of the East and with one of the two worst records in the conference. If we have to settle for that, then we will, said Georgia guard Corey Butler after a win over Vanderbilt last Wednesday that helped Georgia s SEC record move one game ahead of Arkansas at the time. But of course we re going to try to get as many wins as we can. The Bulldogs (11-18, 2-12) have games remaining at Kentucky on Wednesday and home with South Carolina on Saturday, as they try to avoid finishing with the league s worst record. Also, Georgia announced that reserve forward Travis Leslie will not be available for any of the team s final games so he can concentrate on academics. TOURNEY TIME The women s basketball team enters the SEC Tournament in North Little Rock, Ark., as the No. 7 seed. The Lady Bulldogs (17-12, 7-7) will face 10th-seeded Kentucky on Thursday with the winner playing secondseeded Vanderbilt on Friday. Victories over Kentucky and Florida to end the regular season helped Georgia get the seventh seed. The Lady Bulldogs won at Kentucky last Thursday largely because of Ashley Houts s 26 points. Georgia then came home and defeated Florida, 84-75, on Sunday. Porsha Phillips led the Lady Bulldogs with 20 points in that contest. If Georgia gets by its first two games, LSU would likely be the opponent in Saturday s semifinals, with the finals taking place on Sunday. WINTER BALL AND WINNERS The defending national runner-up and No. 12 baseball team is off to an 8-0 start to its season. The Bulldogs opened the campaign with a three-game sweep of Youngstown State and followed that up by taking two games from Presbyterian. Georgia then hit the road for the first time this season and took all three games at Arizona. The Bulldogs look to continue their hot play, as they have home games with Wofford, Quinnipiac and LeMoyne this week. The No. 1-ranked men s golf team won the Puerto Rico Classic last weekend with a 38-under 826. Hudson Swafford, along with Texas Dylan Fritelli, were the top individual performers, as they both shot a 12-under 204. The men s track and field team finish 12th in the SEC Indoor Championships and the women s team finish 11th, but freshman Torrin Lawrence took home the 200-meter championship for the men with a time of Butler can be reached at jbutler@scoreatl.com. Men s hoops falls to UNC; women take two n Tech s loss to No. 4 North Carolina Ilast Saturday the Yellow Jackets seventh straight they started strong once again but were reeled in and surpassed by a superior team. Tech used sharp shooting by Lewis Clinch (12 points in the first half, 22 in the game) to stay close to the Tar Heels. When UNC s defense came alive, however, the Tar Heels pulled away. A run to close out the half was led by Tyler Hansbrough, who scored a game-high 28 points. Alade Aminu had 19 points and Gani Lawal added 12 points despite being in foul trouble for much of the second half. As for UNC highlights, Danny Green had 23 points, Hansborough broke the 900 freethrow mark for his career, and since the team scored over 100 points, fans at the Smith Center won a discount at a local restaurant. WOMEN ROLL The women s basketball team grabbed a pair of wins against Virginia schools in the final week of the regular season, beating Virginia Tech, 73-68, in overtime and Virginia, Tech got its 20th win of the season despite losing Alex Montgomery and Iasia Hemingway in the game, who both fouled out late in the second half. Instead, Jacqua Williams came to the rescue, scoring five of her 19 points in overtime. The Hokies, who were down by nine at the half, fought their way back to cut the Yellow Jackets lead to two before tying the game with a pair of free throws from Shanel Harrison with 24 seconds remaining in regulation. The Jackets had a chance to win the game but missed a pair of jumpers in the paint before pulling away in overtime. Hemingway and Montgomery were factors once again Sunday, with Hemingway scoring 17 points and Montgomery scoring 16 in Tech s victory over No. 22 Virginia. Tech s stifling defense forced the Cavaliers into 28 turnovers and held them scoreless for nearly nine minutes. Brigitte Ardossi finished with 12 points and eight rebounds, and Jacqua Williams added 14 points and three steals in the final home game of her college career. The Yellow Jackets (21-8, 8-6 ACC) closed the regular season with three straight wins and clinched the fifth seed in the ACC tournament at Greensboro, N.C. They will face Clemson Thursday at 11 a.m. TWICE AS NICE In the midst of basketball ups-anddowns, Tech s eighth-ranked baseball team is heating up and on Saturday swept a doubleheader over Rutgers, 6-4 and Deck McGuire worked eight strong innings while Matt Skole and Tony Plagman both homered to lead Tech to a 6-4 win in Game 1. McGuire (2-0) limited the Scarlet Knights to just one run on four hits and struck out seven. The Scarlet Knights mounted a comeback in the top of the ninth, with three runs, but closer Mark Pope struck out Jarred Jimenez on four pitches to pick up his second save in as many games. In Game 2, Tony Plagman, Jason Haniger and Jay Dantzler drove in three runs apiece, and Zach Von Tersch struck out nine batters in the 13-4 win. Crosskey can be reached at jcrosskey@scoreatl.com.

16 16 I SCORE ATLANTA Get In The Game! Spring training begins and Anderson signs pring training is underway and the future Sof the Braves certainly looks bright. The present, as in 2009, also looks promising. Braves centerfield prospect Jordan Schafer threw his hat into the ring for the 2009 season by crushing a home run to deep center in the team s opening game against Detroit last Wednesday. Jair Jurrjens went two innings, giving up two runs. The bullpen experienced highs and lows with a nice outing from Stephen Marek but a rough outing from Rule V player Eric O Flaherty. The Tigers nipped the Braves 5-4, spoiling a Brian McCann sacrifice fly and a Freddie Freeman two-out, two-run game-tying single. Against the Houston Astros in the Braves home opener, Jorge Campillo started but phenom Tommy Hanson recorded one strikeout in two innings of work, while hitting 96-plus on the radar gun with fastballs and sliders. Kenshin Kawakami may have lived up to the hype as well, as he threw strike after strike, retiring six of seven batters faced with one strikeout. Finally, Derek Lowe gave up five hits and one run but struck out three hitters in two innings of work against Toronto on Saturday. NEW OUTFIELDER General manager Frank Wren addressed two trouble spots with one signing last week, as free agent Garret Anderson agreed to a one-year, $2.5 million deal. Anderson will likely be penciled in as the new left fielder and should assume the clean-up spot in the batting rotation. Anderson was the opening day clean-up hitter for the Los Angeles Angels in 2008, and Bobby Cox could stick Anderson there to provide protection for the reigning National League batting champion Chipper Jones. Throughout his career, Jones has gone on record saying her prefers to hit in the No. 3 spot in the order. Last season, Anderson hit.293 with 15 home runs and for his career has maintained a.296 average. It is unlikely he will hit 56 home runs as he did in 2002, but he should provide leadership as well as the pop needed in this outfield. Anderson is also a three-time All-Star, most recently in AROUND THE WORLD The Braves will be without several of the team s top players for the next few weeks as the World Baseball Classic begins Wednesday. Team USA, featuring McCann and Jones, will play its first game Friday against Canada. Other members of the Braves 40-man roster that will participate in the Classic include Manny Acosta (Panama), Gregor Blanco (Venezuela), Campillo (Mexico), and Javier Vazquez (Puerto Rico). Former Brave Vinny Castilla will manage Team Mexico, which will also feature Braves free agent Elmer Dessens. Acosta will be joined on Team Panama by Braves minor leaguers Yeliar Castro and Concepcion Rodriguez. Team Canada will feature two Braves minor league left-handed pitchers in Scott Diamond and Bryan Dumesmil. When the 2009 season begins, game broadcasts will be on a new FM station. The games can now be heard on Project (96.1 FM), as well as WGT 940 and 52 games on VIVA The broadcasts move to Project after being heard on 94.9 The Bull for the past two seasons. Proctor can be reached at fproctor@scoreatl.com Basketball seasons end and baseball splits he men s basketball team ended its hard campaign with an Tluck loss to USC-Upstate on Saturday in Spartanburg, S.C. The Owls lost their final seven games and 11 of their final 12. It was a season of tough breaks for head coach Tony Ingle s squad, as Texas Tech transfer Jay Mitchell struggled to overcome an ankle injury while the team s only senior contributor, J.D. Pollack, went down with a seasonending knee injury early. The good news for Owls fans is that the entire team aside from Pollack and rarely-used guard Jeff Croft return for next season. WOMEN CLOSE SEASON The women s basketball team concluded its season over the weekend as well, losing to USC-Upstate, 71-66, on Saturday. KSU was picked to finish tied for second in the Atlantic Sun conference with Jacksonville by the media. The Lady Owls ended up finishing 11-9 in the A-Sun, good enough for sixth-place in the league. The season was marked with several dramatic second-half comebacks. Each team has its own personality. Coming back in the second half is just this team s personality, explained head coach Colby Tilley. After starting out 3-4 in the A-Sun, the team fought back on several occasions to win nine of their next 12. The Lady Owls will say goodbye to senior starters Lennisha Johnson, Jennifer Baker and Britteny Henderson, as well as Ashley Johnson. IN OTHER NEWS The baseball squad defeated Campbell, 9-8, on Saturday to salvage a split with the visiting Camels. Jon White doubled in Andrew Martin for the winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning for the dramatic win. Junior catcher Jace Whitmer hit three home runs while also knocking in four runs in the Saturday doubleheader. The Owls are now 2-4 overall and 1-1 in the Atlantic Sun. KSU s other victory came against Samford in the second game of the season in Birmingham, Ala. Samford took the other two while Troy defeated the Owls the following Wednesday. The team travels to East Tennessee State this weekend for a three-game set against their A-Sun rival. The team will then take on Georgia Tech on March 11. The softball squad received a shutout from ace pitcher Catherine Tarvin to defeat Eastern Illinois, 1-0, on Saturday. Lyndsay McCurry scored the winning run off a wild pitch in the seventh inning. KSU is now 6-8 on the season and looks forward to the Buzz Classic in Woodstock, which begins on Friday. The men s tennis team defeated Alabama State, 7-0, to earn its second win of the 2009 campaign. The team now stands at 2-3 and will take on Buffalo on Friday night before hosting A-Sun foe Campbell on Saturday at 11 a.m. The women s tennis team lost a 4-3 heartbreaker to Florida A&M on Feb. 21 to drop the team s record to 3-5. The team had defeated Alabama State 7-0 on the previous day. The Lady Owls face Campbell this Saturday. Black can be reached at sblack@scoreatl.com. Panthers earn eighth seed at CAA Tournament and baseball off to 6-1 start The men s basketball team closed out the regular season with a loss at Virginia Commonwealth and head back to Richmond this week as the No. 8 seed in the 2009 CAA Tournament. The Panthers will face Delaware on Friday at noon in the first game (WRAS-FM, 88.5) In the VCU game, Rashad Chase, who played in his 118th career game to tie the school record held by Lamont McIntosh, led with 10 points and eight rebounds, but the Panthers were hurt by too many turnovers (21) and poor shooting (33 percent), mostly a result of VCU s pressure. You cannot come into someone else s home on Senior Night when they are playing for a championship and turn the ball over as much as we did and expect to have a chance, said head coach Rod Barnes. Obviously we didn t play very well, and we didn t handle their pressure very well. Some of that was our fault but a lot of that was VCU, so give them the credit. The rest of the field for the first round features Hofstra vs. UNC-Wilmington, James Madison vs. William & Mary, and Drexel vs. Towson. The top four teams, VCU, George Mason, Northeastern and Old Dominion earned a first-round bye. If Georgia State can get past Delaware, the Panthers will face the top-seeded Virginia Commonwealth yet again. Our kids are still confident, Barnes said. Now we re all 0-0 going into the tournament, so we ll go home and get ready to come back up here and play a tough game Friday. WOMEN WIN The Lady Panthers pulled out a win over UNC-Wilmington last week after the Seahawks battled back from a 21-point deficit. Danyiell McKellar led the way with 24 points and seven rebounds while Brittany Hollins added 12 points, three steals, three blocks, three assists and three rebounds. Crystal Johnson added eight points, eight assists and six steals. This team never gives up and plays determined, said head coach Lea Henry. Tonight they did what they needed to do to get a win. The score does not indicate how much we controlled the tempo for 30 minutes, but we let them back in by being in foul trouble and softening up on defense. BASEBALL STEPS UP With the rain and snow last weekend in Atlanta, the baseball team still managed to get two games in against Eastern Michigan on Saturday and scored 26 runs in winning both games, 14-6 and Jonathan Kolowich finished the two games batting 4- for-8 with three RBIs, three runs scored and his second home run of the year. In the second game, Chase Childers had the hot bat, going 3-for-5 with three RBIs. The Panthers are now off to a 6-1 start. Join us every Sunday afternoon (4-5 p.m.) for the Rod Barnes/Georgia State Basketball coaches show on WGKA-AM 920. The show is broadcast live from The Panther s Den restaurant in the Citizens Trust Bank building, 75 Piedmont Road, on campus. Follow the Panthers online at For basketball and football ticket information call GA-STATE. Dave Cohen is in his 26th season as the Voice of Georgia State Basketball and Baseball on WRAS-FM (88.5) and works on the football radio crew at Furman University in Greenville, S.C.

17 MARCH 4-10, 2009 SCORE ATLANTA I 17 Acquisition of Anderson bolsters outfield and makes Braves contenders ny Braves fan still fuming over Ken a different color. But that chapter in my life is AGriffey Jr. s return to Seattle should closed, and I m looking forward. breathe a huge sigh of relief. With Junior selecting Seattle, the Braves actually signed the better free agent leftfielder in Garret Anderson days later. In 15 seasons, Anderson was the leader of the Angels franchise and was an integral part of the team s 2002 World Series title. For his career, Anderson has been named to the American League All-Star team three times and was the 2003 Mid-Summer Classic s MVP. But what makes Anderson the perfect addition to the Braves team isn t All-Star appearances, it is his nature as a ball player. Anderson opened the 2008 season in the clean-up spot for the Angels and should slide right into that vacant spot for Atlanta. Anderson manned the four-hole until the Angels made a July trade with Atlanta and acquired Mark Teixeira, moving Anderson to the second spot in the lineup. With Anderson batting clean-up this season, third baseman Chipper Jones can stay at his preferred No. 3 spot in the everyday lineup, where he hit.364 last season en route to a batting title. Anderson can also provide coverage for Jones that the third baseman was missing down the stretch: he is a career.296 hitter with 272 home runs and 1,292 RBIs. I m pleased to be here, and looking forward to helping the Braves in any way I can, said Anderson when he was introduced last week. WHAT TO EXPECT Helping in any way will also mean playing left field on a regular basis. Before Anderson was signed, the team was preparing to head into the season with Matt Diaz platooning with likely Brandon Jones or Gregor Blanco in left field. Diaz missed most of the second half of 2008 with an injury and Brandon Jones never won the job in Diaz s absence. The team missed out of Griffey but that could end up being a blessing in disguise, as Griffey was being looked at for a platoon with Diaz, which would have meant two different lineups for the everyday players to get used to. With Anderson in the fold, however, he will likely get most of the starts in the outfield with Diaz coming off of the bench. The lefthanded hitting Anderson still hits lefties well enough to warrant staying in the lineup against southpaws. I can t say enough about Anderson, Braves manager Bobby Cox says. I ve always tried to catch games when he was playing just to watch his swing. I was a big favorite of guys like George Brett, who could put up a good at-bat every time they were up and get the run in. Garret is that type of guy. Anderson s smooth swing and lefthanded success will be important this season as he will have significant at-bats against ace lefties in his new division such as Johan Santana and Cole Hamels. For those worried about Anderson switching leagues this late in his career, Anderson is a professional. I've put on three different uniforms [with the Angels] and gone through three different name changes, Anderson said in his press conference, referring to the franchise s names changes from California to Anaheim and now Los Angeles. Today when I put the [Braves] uniform on and looked down, it looked different. I m used to seeing a different script across the front and ANGEL IN THE OUTFIELD: The Braves finally landed a big-name outfielder, signing Garret Anderson to a one-year deal. The three-time All-Star selection had played all 15 of his Major League seasons with the Angels and is a very reliable hitter, with a career batting average of.296. Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Angels. FINALIZED ROSTER Anderson s arrival also signals the end of a very busy offseason for Braves general manager Frank Wren. The team had several goals of solidifying the rotation and bolstering the offense of the outfield. Wren worked hard to find a bat for the left field position and the two-time Silver Slugger winner certainly fits the bill. We are absolutely thrilled to bring Garret to Atlanta, Wren said of his latest acquisition. He is a proven winner and true professional. We look forward to his veteran leadership and his presence in our lineup. Cox agreed with Wren in the introductory press conference. This is probably the final piece to fit the 25-man roster. It s a piece that we needed I think this helps in many ways, but especially in our lineup, Garret fits. Anderson will also be looked at a one of the players that WANTED to come to Atlanta, as this offseason has seen multiple players flirt with the Braves only to take a larger salary elsewhere. Bottom line, Anderson s arrival in Atlanta means this team is ready to compete. Adding a three-time All-Star to an outfield needing some juice and adding a clean-up hitter to a lineup in need of a clean-up hitter means this team can now legitimately throw its hat into the ring for the wild card and perhaps even the division. Proctor can be reached at fproctor@scoreatl.com. Conference tourney tix and spotting a reprint The NCAA Basketball Tournament is right around the corner, but first come the basketball conference championships. See what loyal college fans were willing to pay for the best seats in the house in this week s online auction report: Two ACC Tournament Tickets (Atlanta/Georgia Dome) Two SEC Tournament Tickets (Tampa- St. Petersburg/Times Forum) Two Big 12 Tournament Tickets (Oklahoma City/Ford Center) Two Big East Tournament Tickets (New York City/Madison Square Garden) Two Big Ten Tournament Tickets (Indianapolis/Conseco Fieldhouse) The ACC ranked No. 1 this week with the group of two tickets selling for $2,500. Coming in a close second was the Big East at $2,400 for the pair. The Big 12 locked down the third spot, pulling in an impressive $1,800. There was a battle for the fourth and fifth positions, but the Big Ten edged out the SEC by a sum of $1,675 to $1,400. Virtual signings. America Online s popular sports site, Fanhouse has reached an agreement with a Florida-based memorabilia company, Dreams Inc., to be the exclusive sports memorabilia provider for the site. As part of the deal, Dreams Inc. will hold live autograph signings where visitors to the site can order autographed memorabilia and interact with the sports star while viewing the live signing of their own item. FROM THE MAILBAG Dear Dean: I have a couple of St. Louis Cardinals items: a 1987 official World Series program and a baseball signed by the 1982 team. Is any of this stuff worth much? Dear Red Bird: There are two versions of the 1987 World Series program. One was issued by the Cardinals and the other by the Minnesota Twins. Both versions are worth $15. The 1982 Cardinals were World Series champions. Your baseball is worth $250. Number of signatures and quality of signatures can affect the price. Key signatures on the baseball include Ozzie Smith, Willie McGee and Keith Hernandez. Dear Dean: How does one tell if they have a reprint of the UGA opening game ticket from the 1920s? Dear Copy Cat: The easiest way to tell a reprint from the original is from the paper stock. The original ticket was on very thick paper while any reprints would typically be on thinner and more flexible paper. Also if you look at the wording under magnification the black lettering on the original ticket should appear to be solid and tight while the reprint will show a scattered dot matrix pattern. The original Oct. 12, 1929 ticket stub sells for around $200 in these parts. Full tickets can command two to three times that depending upon condition as most tickets were used for the game. Want to know what your item is worth or have a question about a particular sports item? me, Dean Zindler, at dzindler@scoreatl.com.

18 18 I SCORE ATLANTA Get In The Game! BASKETBALL Hawks. March 4 at New York 7:30 PM. March 6 at Charlotte 7 PM. March 7 vs. Detroit 7 PM. March 9 vs. New Orleans 7 PM. March 11 vs. Utah 7 PM. March 13 vs. Indiana 7:30 PM. March 15 vs. Portland 1 PM. March 17 vs. Sacramento 7 PM. Georgia Men. March 4 at Kentucky 8 PM. March 7 vs. South Carolina 4 PM.. Georgia Tech Men.March 4 vs. Miami 7:30 PM. March 7 at Boston College 12 PM. Georgia State Women. March 4 vs. VCU 6 PM. Top of the Key. Ongoing. Personal basketball lessons with Olympian Debbie Miller-Palmore, boys and girls ages For information call \1502. Southern Xposure. Ongoing. Cobb County Christian School - Marietta. AAU and YBOA tryouts for 9-and-under and 8-and-under teams. For informa tion call or pharper333@yahoo.com. Peach State Basketball. Ongoing. Basketball skill development training for college caliber high school players throughout the off-season. Players can use these sessions to continue improving all year long. Contact Brandon Clay at or visit for more information. Suwanee Sports Academy. Ongoing. Basketball train ing and development for boy and girls grades K-12. Rising Stars, Future Stars, Suwanee Basketball League, On Court Player Development, nationallyrecognized year-round comprehensive player devel opment program. For more information contact Mike Brown at or visit Mark Price Shooting Lab. Ongoing: Personalized pro fessional shooting instruction through one-on-one coaching and state-of-the-art technology at Suwanee Sports Academy. For more information, contact Mike Brown at or visit SSA s On Court. Check out Suwanee Sports Academy s On Court, the nation s premier off-sea son development program at the nation s premier basketball training facility right here in Gwinnett County! For more information, contact Michael Brown at or visit Open Recreational Basketball. GSL -- Georgia Sports Leagues. Georgia s Best Sports Leagues. Registration ongoing. We offer Top Gun, B, C and Co-Ed styles of play around Atlanta. We play ALL year round. For more information please contact (678) or mark@georgi sports leagues.org.visitwww.georgiasportsleagues.org. Just Skills Of Atlanta. 8-week basketball fundamentals program for boys and girls ages 5 to 17 at Bogan Park in Buford and Lenora Park in Snellville. Spring programs start the week of March 24th, Summer programs start the week of June 3rd, Fall programs start the week of August 11th. Please visit for more information or call Sessions are filling up now for spring, summer and fall. Ask about our free introduction day to see what Just Skills Of Atlanta is all about. Open Basketball League Teams Only. November 8 - February 22, Age groups 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th & 8th Grade Boys and Girls. Deadline November 2. Mandatory Coach's Meeting November 2 at 3 PM. All Tournament Players Park, 3910 Canton Hwy Marietta, GA Register at mentplayerspark.com or (678) ATTP/USSA Last Winter Blast (State Qualifier). March 6-8. Age groups Registration fee $25 per team. Registration includes 15 team members and four coaches. All Tournament Players Park, 3910 Canton Hwy Marietta, GA Register at or (678) ATTP/USSA St. Patrick s Day (State Qualifier). March Registration fee $25 per team. Registration includes 15 team members and four coaches. All Tournament Players Park, 3910 Canton Hwy Marietta, GA Register at or (678) BASEBALL Braves. (Exhibition). March 4 vs. New York Yankees 1:05 PM March 5 vs. Venezuela 2:05 PM. March 6 vs. Houston 7:05 PM. March 7 vs. New York Yankees 1:15 PM. March 8 vs. Philadelphia 1:05 PM. March 10 at Houston 1:05 PM. March 11 at Philadelphia 1:05 PM. March 12 vs. Washington 1:05 PM. March 13 at Florida 1:05 PM. March 14 at St. Louis 1:05 PM. March 15 vs. Houston 1:05 PM. March 17 vs. New York Mets 1:05 PM.. (Regular season). April 5 at Philadelphia 8 PM. Prospect Watch. Ongoing - Buckhead. Baseball pitching and hitting lessons by a former college and mino league coach. For information call or visit Adult Baseball League Metro Atlanta. Ongoing. MSBL 18+, 28+, 38+, and 48+. Sunday League con tact info is , info@atlantamsbl.com. MSBL 18+ Saturday League contact info is , AtlantaMABL@aol.com. MSBL 18+ Midweek Wood bat league contact info is , AtlantaMABL@aol.com. MSBL 18+ Fall League contact info is , AtlantaMABL@aol.com. For more information about our Atlanta Adult Baseball League, please visit our website at TNT Sports. Ongoing. Baseball pitching and hitting les sons by Rob Blair, former college coach, Snellville. To set up a free pitching or hitting analysis call Jack City Baseball. Ongoing. Baseball pitching and hitting. Instruction with former pro Keith Whitner. 18-y looking for high school players. The new location is inside Velocity Sports in North Gwinnett. For more information call or visit jackcity.net. FOOTBALL Collins Hill Athletic Association. Ongoing. Accepting applications for qualified coaches in all age groups. For information Craig Deneau at deneauc@charter.net Grayson Athletic Association. Ongoing. Football coaches needed for eighth grade and all age groups. For information call Duane Davis at or visit Flag Football. GSL -- Georgia Sports Leagues. Georgia s Largest Flag League. Registration ongo- ing. We offer 7-Man, 8-man, Youth and Co-Ed styles of play around Atlanta. We play ALL year round. For information please contact (678) or mark@georgiasport sleagues.org.visit Georgia Force Home School High School Football Program. If you are a home school student or a student that attends a Christian school in the Gwinnett or Hall county region and would like to participate in high school football, please contact Scott Willis at ext 401 or at appstmtn@aol.com The Georgia Force High School football program participates in the GFL (Georgia Football League) and is accepting players from the ages of years old. We currently offer a JV and Varsity program. For more information, please go to our web site at Arena Indoor Football. Ongoing. Youth and Adult Leagues. Youth 7 vs. 7; Adult 6 vs. 6. For information, call or info.indoor@atlantasilverbacks.com. Capitol City Officials Association. CCOA is accepting ongoing registration for the upcoming GHSA High School season in football. We hold weekly training meetings. For more information, contact Irvin Seabrook at or Irv_Seabrook@yahoo.com. HOCKEY Thrashers. March 6 vs. Montreal 7:30 PM. March 8 vs. Calgary 3 PM. March 10 at Colorado 9 PM. March 12 at Edmonton 9 PM. March 14 at Buffalo 7 PM. March 16 vs. Washington 7 PM. March 17 at Pittsburgh 7:30 PM. Gladiators. March 6 vs. Charlotte 7:35 PM. March 7 vs. Trenton 7:35 PM. March 10 at Charlotte 7 PM. March 13 at South Carolina 7:30 PM. March 15 vs. Florida 4:05 PM. Peachtree Booster Club. Ongoing - Pickneyville Roller Hockey Rink. Fees: $95 for 12-game season, $30 out-of-county fee. For information visit SOCCER Challenged Soccer. Ongoing. For mentally and physi cally disabled youngsters. For information call Ken Higgins at Fair Play Sports Center. Ongoing on Saturdays. Indoor soccer for ages to 60-minute classes. For information call Hall of Fame soccer clinics. Ongoing on Fridays - Clarkston Community Center. For under-6 through under-12 players. Fees: Free. For information call or visit 5:30-7 PM. Competitive Amateur Soccer in Atlanta For more information, visit TENNIS Technique Clinics. Ongoing - Bitsy Grant Tennis Center. Tuesdays (serve/volley) and Saturdays (forehand/backhand). Fees: $18. For information call or jimhines01@yahoo.com. 2 PM on Saturdays, 6:30PM on Tuesdays. Tennis camps for kids. Ongoing weekly. Lost Mountain Tennis Center. For information call LACROSSE Lacrosse. Ongoing. Registration for 1st-8th grades. For information call , jasona@bagatawaylacrosse.com or visit PlayLaxGwinnett. Ongoing. Players, coaches, referees needed for play at Gwinnett Sports Center. For information call Chris Chico at or or chris@kicks-sticks.com. Double Stixx Lacrosse. Ongoing - Leagues, Travel Teams and Tournaments for youth, high school and adult s boys and girls. More information about the best lacrosse programs in Georgia can be found at or by contacting Chris Smith at chris@dou blestixxlacrosse.com or RUNNING XTERRA Runnin The Rocks 10K Trail Run. Mar. 7. Conyers; Snickers Energy Bar Marathon/Half Marathon. Mar. 7. Albany, 7 AM. Chattahoochee Road Runers 10K. Mar. 7. Sandy Springs, 8 AM. web site. XTERRA Cross Country 10K. Mar. 7. Conyers, 8:30 AM. web site. March Hare Affair 5K. Mar. 7. Warrenton, 9:30 AM Jay's 5K Run for Special Kids. Mar. 7. Cumming, 9 AM Briarlake Beaver Run 5K/Mile. Mar. 7. Decatur, 8:30 AM GEICO Road Race to Benefit Special Olympics 5K. Mar. 7. Macon, 9 AM X2290. Addison Elementary FoundationFest 5K/Fun Run. Mar. 7. Marietta, 8:30 AM irun for Choices 5K. Mar. 7. Woodstock, 8:30 AM Inaugural Run for the Son 5K. Mar. 7. Maysville, 8:00 AM South Jackson Jog 5K. Mar. 7. Athens, 3:00 PM Run Dahlonega. Mar. 7. Dahlonega, 10:00 AM Run for the Roses 5K/10K/Mile. Mar. 7. Atlanta, Georgia Tech; web. ΩΩΩΩ CAMPS Nike Basketball Camps. Camps located in Snellville, Roswell, Kennesaw, Oxford and to find out which dates suit your campers best. Harlem Legends. The Harlem Legends have scheduled their 2008 Shoot for the Stars Basketball & Physical Fitness Camps. The "Shoot for the Stars Youth Basketball Camps and Clinics" are a unique form of learning experiences geared towards young basket ball players of all skill levels. There are two Gwinnett County camps this year. Please visit our website ( or call for additional camps. VOLLEYBALL Gwinnett Sports Center. Registration ongoing. For information call Jerry Robison at or visit Suwanee Sports Academy. Ongoing. Volleyball training and development for boys and girls grades 3-12.VolleySkills, VolleyStars, VolleyTraining, and OnCourt Player Development, a year-round comprehensive player development program. For more information, contact Mary Carnell at x108 or visit VolleyStars. Beginning February Suwanee Sports Academy for girls & boys grades 6-8 teaches individual skill development and team concepts through instruction and game play. For more information, contact Christy Howard at x106 or visit High School Volleyball League. Beginning February Suwanee Sports Academy for girls grades This league is designed for athletes who want t o get in the gym but don t want to commit to club volleyball. For more information, contact Christy Howard at x106 or visit SWIMMING & DIVING Swimming lessons. Ongoing - Alpharetta City Pool - Alpharetta, Ga Old Milton Parkway. For information call Gwinnett Aquatics. Ongoing Quinberry Drive and Bethany Church Road. For ages Swim team and lessons available. For information call Senior Water-Exercise class. Ongoing - Mountain Park pool - Lilburn, Ga. Fees: $1 per class. For informa tion call :50 AM. SwimAtlanta Sugarloaf at Kid s Village. Ongoing. Swim team, lessons, lap swimming, master s pro gram, water aerobics and scuba available. For information call YOUTH REGISTRATION Soccer - Soccer Alley. Ongoing Roswell Road- Atlanta. For information call or visit Tucker Youth Soccer. Ongoing Henderson Road Tucker, Ga. For information call or visit Track and Field - Peachtree City Flash Youth Track Team registration. Ongoing - Riley Field -Peachtree City, Ga. For ages For information call or ptcflash@bellsouth.net. Gymnastics - Georgia Gymnastics Academy. Ongoing. For registration in Lawrenceville call ; in Suwanee call Gym Elite. Ongoing. Registration for ages 2 and older. Cheerleading for ages 6 and older. For information call Youth Soccer Training. Ongoing. Start age 3 and up. For information, call or info.indoor@atlantasilverbacks.com. Flag Footall. GSL -- Georgia Sports Leagues. Georgia's Best Sports Leagues. Registration ongoing. We offer Youth Flag Football for ages (6-8) and (9-12) year olds for both Boys & Girls. Games are played in the Chamblee, Doraville, Dunwoody area. Next season starts in February. For more information please contact (678) or mark@georgiasportsleagues.org. Visit Atlanta Junior Golf. Boys and girls, ages 7-18, can enjoy summer and fall tournaments throughout Metro Atlanta and Middle and North Georgia (from Dalton to Macon and from Carrollton to Athens) in one the nation s premier junior golf associations. All skill levels are welcome, from beginner to expe rienced players, with more than 8,000 rounds of golf available during the summer program alone. For more information, log on Corpus Christi Youth Basketball League. Registration is now underway for our 29th season! Boys and girl sages 5 through 14, any skill level, are wel come. Cost: $90 per child/$85 for siblings. Fee includes uniforms, field trips, skills clinics, 9 games and more! Register while space is still avail able Saturdays October 11 & 18, 2008, 10 AM to 12 PM. Location: Corpus Christi Church Sports Arena, 600 Mountain View Drive, Stone Mountain, GA For info, call , ccybl1@gmail.com, or visit the league s website( SOFTBALL AYSA Spring Season. Ongoing - North Park - Cogburn and Bethany - Alpharetta. Fees: If Alpharetta Residential Property Tax IS NOT PAID at the pri mary residence of the player, then the Non-City Resident Fee must be paid. After Jan. 13, $10 l ate fee is charged. Senior Softball League. Ongoing - Best Friend Park, Jimmy Carter Blvd., Norcross, GA. All Skill levels welcomed. Men age 45+ and women age 40+. Open practice on Saturdays and games on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays. For infor mation call Gary Mastrodonato at or visit Open Recreational Softball. GSL -- Georgia Sports Leagues. Georgia s Best SportsLeagues.Registration ongoing. We offer "Men's" and "Co-Ed" styles of play in Doraville/Dunwoody area. Monday, Wednesday & Sunday league play available. Next season stars in February. We play ALL year round. For more information please contact (678) or mark@georgiasportsleagues.org. Visit giasport sleagues.org. Capitol City Officials Association. CCOA is accepting ongoing registration for the upcoming GHSA High School season in fast-pitchsoftball. We hold week ly training meetings. For more information, contact Irvin Seabrook at or Irv_Seabrook@yahoo.com. K-Club Classic D1 Fastpitch Softball. February Kennesaw State, Memphis, Buffalo, Miami, Drexel and Iowa are schedule to participate. Entry fee $300. All Tournament Players Park, 3910 Canton Hwy Marietta, GA Register at or (678) GYMNASTICS Gymnastics Classes at Gymnastics AcademyofAtlanta. Ongoing Cobb Parkway Kennesaw, Ga. For information call or visit Gymnastics Classes at Gwinnett Gymnastics Center Ongoing Killian Hill Road Lilburn, Ga. Forinformation call Atlanta School of Gymnastics in Lawrenceville. Ongoing. Classes for tots through teens. Cheerleading classes for ages 5 and older. For information call The Little Gym of Snellville. Ongoing. Noncompetitive gymnastics and motor-skills development classes and camps. For ages 10 months-12 years. For information call or visit RACING Georgia Power Qualifying. March 6 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. American Commercials Lines 200. March 7 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Kobalt Tools 500. March 8 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. NASA. March at Road Atlanta. OFFICIATING Basketball - Duluth basketball association. Ongoing. Looking for youth officials with training provided. For information call Barry Sullivan at Football - Lanier Football Officials Association. Ongoing. GHSA member accepting applications with weekly training meetings. For information call Tom Tipton at , ext. 239 or visit Metro Atlanta Wrestling Officials Association. Ongoing. Needs officials. For information call Bud Hennebaul at or BudHen27@aol.com. 9RCorp Sports Officials. Ongoing. Provider of sports officials for multiple sports including basketball, flag football, & softball. Looking for additional officials.for information call Dennis Reagan at or 9rcorp@150mail.com. Georgia Lacrosse Officials Association. Needs youth and High School officials for season. Training and mentoring provided for free. Great way to earn some extra money and get some fun aerobic exercise. For more information, visit or call Jim Westbrook at ATLANTA SPORTS COUNCIL Chick-Fil-A Bowl. Dec. 31, Georgia Dome. For tickets, call To reach the Atlanta Sports Council call or visit MISC Senior Horseshoe Pitching League. Ongoing - Gwinnett Senior Center - Bethesda Park. Includes instructional coaching. Games will be played under NHPA rules. For men and women seniors. Meets Tuesdays. For information call AM. Pool Tournament. Every Monday - Ongoing - Motorheads Bar n Grill - Henry County. Cost: No cover. For information call or visit 7 p.m. Pool Tournament. Nightly - Ongoing - Sean Patrick s Bar & Grill - Buckhead. Fees: No cover. For information call PM. East Cobb Bass Club. Ongoing - Ryan's Family Steakhouse - Canton Road - Marietta, Ga. Boaters and nonboaters welcome. Meets the first Tuesdayof each month. For information call or noeyf@aol.com. 7 PM. Cohutta chapter of Trout Unlimited. Ongoing - Delkwood Bar and Grill. Meets the fourth Thursday of each month. For information call or sonnysjm@cs.com. 6:30 PM. GEORGIA BIKES! Membership. Ongoing. The effectiveness of GEORGIA BIKES! is dependent on volunteers, supporters, and members, like you, who are willing to make a and Club/Small Business: $100. Condor Handball Organization. The Condors feature current Men s National Team members and past National Team members and Olympians as well as the greatest American to ever play the sport, Darrick Heath. We have weekly leagues and train ing opportunities for men, women, and youth. For more information, contact Jeb Bell at handball@equipmentcontrols.com. Performance Training Inc. at Suwanee Sport Academy. Ongoing. Offers speed, agility, and quick ness training for athletes across multiple sports. For moreinformation, contact Dustin Wolf at x121 or visit Suwanee Sports Academy. Pre-K Athletics for 2, 3 and 4 year-olds introduces the basic skills needed to play basketball, soccer, and t-ball. Also, there is a unique after school program that provides students with a weekly sports curriculum along with the after school classroom setting. For more information, call or visit Club Sport. Club Sport opens registration for summer leagues on May 1st with league play beginning in June. Club Sport is Atlanta's recreational sports and social group with over 10,000 participants each year on 1200 teams in 120 leagues. Each season Club Sport offers leagues in flag football, softball, soccer, sand and indoor volleyball, basket ball and more. Club Sport is where Atlanta comes to play! For more information about Club Sport, upcoming events, photos or interviews with the owner, please contact Rich Alvarez at ext. 818 or visit Stout Irish Sports Pub Events and Specials. Monday: Dart League and Free Pool from 11 p.m.-close; Tuesday: Texas Hold 'em; Wednesday: Trivia Night and Free Pool from 11pm-close; Thursday: College Night with DJ All Night; Friday: Happy Hour Food Specials; Saturday: Game Day all day long on Stout's big screen plasma TVs; Sunday: Game Day all day long on Stout's big screen plasma TVs. Miller High Life Beers are always $1. Beer Club:Guests join for $120 and receive a prestigious Stout Club Mug engraved with their name on it.each visit over the course of the year, members enjoy their first beer of choice on the house. For more, call or pub.com.

19 MARCH 4-10, 2009 SCORE ATLANTA I 19 Kobalt Tools 500 to bring thrills to Atlanta ne year ago at this time, all NASCAR Ofans could talk about was Jimmie Johnson and rightfully so. The racing phenom had won two consecutive Cup Series titles and was the reigning Kobalt Tools 500 event winner at Atlanta Motor Speedway. And if anyone was going to defeat Johnson in 2008, it would likely be Carl Edwards, who had won the season s previous two races (Auto Club 500 and UAW-Dodge 400). Instead, it was 22-year-old Kyle Busch who picked up the fifth victory of his career, holding off teammate Tony Stewart to become the winner of the 2008 Kobalt Tools 500. Driving the No. 18 car the same car Bobby Labonte once used to win six total races in Atlanta Busch exclaimed, The 18! The 18! The 18 is back at Atlanta! (By the way, neither Johnson nor Edwards finished in the top 10.) This Sunday, Busch will be trying to go back-to-back at the 2009 Kobalt Tools 500. Anything can happen, however, and odds of Busch repeating are stacked against him: no driver has won back-to-back Kobalts since Cale Yarborough won three straight from (when it was known as the Atlanta 500). THE FAVORITES You can t start a year any hotter than Matt Kenseth did, who won the first two races of the 2009 season (Daytona 500 and Auto Club 500). Though Kenseth s bid at three straight was thwarted last week, he is still third in overall points and is hoping to improve his ninth-place finish in the Sprint Cup Series standings from Then there s Johnson, who could use his second Kobalt victory in three years to rise in the standings. Surprisingly, the three-time defending Sprint Cup champion is not ranked among the top 12 early on in the season, which is where drivers need to be in order to qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup at the end of the year. Let s not kid ourselves, he ll be there soon enough but this would be the perfect opportunity to jumpstart his 2009 season. In addition to Johnson and Busch, the latter of whom won last Sunday s Shelby 427, plenty of NASCAR s top names have won this race in years past and will be looking to rediscover their magic. The Rainbow Warrior Jeff Gordon, who currently leads in the overall standings, has won the race twice once in 1995 and again in Labonte s aforementioned victories in Atlanta include two at this event (1998 and 2003). Dale Earnhardt Jr. saw the checkered flag in 2004 and his father, the late legendary Dale Sr., was a five-time winner. Stewart, Edwards and Kasey Kahne round out the list and each have won in the new millennium. DRIVERS TO WATCH Experts have been giving nothing but praise for Joey Logano, dubbing him Sliced Bread. While Logano is far from The Chase as it stands, he is the clear favorite to win the 2009 Rookie of the Year Award. A victory here certainly seems like a long shot, but keep in mind that the 18-year-old Georgia resident has more or less been raised on the local track. In fact, as a 10-year-old, Logano set the Atlanta Motor Speedway record for 14 consecutive victories as a Legend car driver. And hey, his car (No. 20 Home Depot) has already won the race, as Stewart won the 2002 event as its former driver. Greg Biffle has already posted a topfive finish and closed the 2008 season in third place overall. He had his best Series finish in 2005, tying for second overall with Edwards, and is a consistent threat for The Chase. But the sleeper here is Kevin Harvick. The man behind the wheel of the No. 29 Pennzoil seemed all but dead in the Daytona 500 before clawing his way back to finish second and may have even won it had rain not shortened the event. Harvick was unable to win a single race in 2008 but still managed to finish the season in seventh place. Redemption may be coming this Sunday. WEEKEND ACTION Before the race begins, fans have a chance to witness the drivers fight for starting position in the Georgia Power Qualifying (Friday, March 6). Last year s pole winner was Gordon, who clocked in at miles per hour. Then on Saturday, March 7, the American Commercial Lines 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race gives fans 135 laps of hardcore action Busch picked up the victory last year, giving spectators a taste of what was to come the following afternoon. The Kobalt Tools 500 kicks off on Sunday, March 8 at 2 p.m. The 125,000-seat Atlanta Motor Speedway has always been known as one of the most fan-friendly tracks on the circuit, providing some of the best tailgating experiences around. To purchase tickets, visit or call AMS-TIX. No matter who emerges victorious this Sunday, one thing is for sure you won t want to miss the chance to see one of the most exciting early-season races right here in Georgia. Arapoglou can be reached at tarapoglou@scoreatl.com. CATCH THE THRASHERS AND HAWKS SAID ON THE AIR [Matthew] Stafford is the rocketarm, super blue chipper who can make throws that no one else can make He is still a work in progress, though, lacking a measure of consistency, which is why he can t be asked to be the savior right away like was the case with Matt Ryan this past season. ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper KEEPIN AN EYE ON On Wednesday, Terence Moore criticized Georgia Tech swimming for planning to purchase new LZR Racer gear, arguing that it gives the school s swimmers an unfair advantage and, therefore, is cheating. Moore compares using the suit to the use of steroids in baseball, calling both the result of a by any means necessary culture. Moore fails to acknowledge, however, that, unlike steroids, use of the LZR swimsuit is in no way a breach of NCAA rules or American law. Dave O Brien used Sunday to talk about Braves spring training, particularly the team s four young guns and just how impressive they have looked so far. O Brien first addresses outfield prospect Jason Heyward and first base prospect Freddie Freeman, pointing out how both approach the game with old-school perspectives. O Brien also mentions center fielder Jordan Schafer and future ace Tommy Hanson. The summary? Have a little patience Braves fans the future is brighter than ever. MEDIA HALL OF FAME Andy Staples of Sports Illustrated spent time last week re-ranking the college football recruiting classes of 2006 and the results were pretty interesting. Not surprisingly, Staples determined Florida s class of 2006 was the country s finest three years after Rivals rated it second in the nation. The biggest jump belonged to Missouri, who was ranked 47th by rivals in 2006, but eighth by Staples upon closer review. Georgia s class, which was ranked fourth in 06 and included Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno, held on to the same position. WIPE YOUR DEBT AWAY! Affordable Loans for every Situation and Budget Call now and get an answer in 24 to 48 hrs! Call us at SCORE ATLANTA ADVERTISING INDEX 790 The Zone...1, 3 Affordable Loans...19 Arby s...8 Atlanta Braves...13 Atlanta Hawks...2 Atlanta Motor Speedway...1, Back page Atlanta Thrashers...13 Aqua Blue...15 Blue Cross Blue Shield...1 Cigar Merchants...19 DeBartolo Sports University...15 Georgia State...16 GPB...4 Instant Imprints...19 Joseph & Friends...10 Man s Best Friend...7 Mikael s Auto Spa...11 North River Tavern...5 Rhodes Bakery...14 Ron Veal QB Instruction...19 Sammy s DJ...14 TGS Media...14 Trivia Zone...12 WellStar...17 TO ADVERTISE IN SCORE ATLANTA: Copyright 2009 Score Atlanta Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. Score Atlanta is published every week on Wednesdays. Views expressed in Score Atlanta are not necessarily the opinion of Score Atlanta, its staff or advertisers. 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