Troy's Noise

2008-08-05T20:18:00.002-04:00

Looking for a few good fans

One of our faithful Ledger-Enquirer readers, Sam Ruffner, recently asked me about resurrecting a feature that used to appear in our sports section during college football season.

He proposed bringing back a weekly Top 25 poll as voted on by readers.

I figure our readers can't do any worse than a panel of sportswriters or coaches, although it wouldn't surprise me if our top 10 included Georgia, Auburn and Alabama in some order based on fan loyalties in this area.

Anyway, I pitched the idea of the poll to our sports editor. He liked it.

The next step is to determine what form it should take.

My thoughts are to make it online-only. We put a poll format on our web site and you log on and vote. I figure we can leave the polling open from Sunday morning until Monday night so those folks who lack computer access on the weekends can limit their productivity at work by deciding whether to put South Florida ahead of Missouri.

Anyway, let me know what you think about the concept.

And, if you have any ideas for a name, we're open to those as well (I think "Super Fan Football Extravaganza" might be a little wordy and sounds a bit too similar to a Japanese game show).

2008-08-04T15:58:00.003-04:00

A distinctive voice goes silent

If you follow the Atlanta Braves, this particular call from Skip Caray will live in your imagination forever:

"A lot of room in right-center. If he hits one there we can dance in the streets. The 2-1. Swung, line drive left field! One run is in! Here comes Bream! Here's the throw to the plate! He is ... Safe! Braves win! Braves win! Braves win! Braves win! ... Braves win!

"They may have to hospitalize Sid Bream -- he's down at the bottom of a huge pile at the plate.''

I remember where I was when Caray called the moment during Game 7 of the 1992 National League Championship Series. I was sitting in the living room with my late father, watching Francisco Cabrera's line drive drop and watching Bream chug around the bases and just barely beat the throw. The great announcers frame such moments without overpowering them and, in that regard, Caray obviously learned well from his legendary father, Harry.

What made Skip Caray, who died in his sleep Sunday, stand out even more was the fact that he told it the way he saw it. Even though he was expected to be something of a homer while covering the Braves for TBS, he put his sarcasm to effective use when the team wasn't performing well. His wisecracks, about everything from Shea Stadium to the Montreal Expos' oddball mascot Youppi, provided the perfect balance to the prim and proper baseball scholar, Pete Van Wieren.

He represented one of the last members of a sports broadcast generation that existed without yelling, screaming and shameless self-promotion, a breed that included gruff but cuddly curmudgeons like his father and smooth stylists like Vin Scully.

"His legendary calls and trademark wit on TBS baseball are what resonated most with fans nationally and will not soon be forgotten,'' Turner Sports president David Levy said Monday in a statement.

Turner Sports will honor Caray over the next several weeks on its family of networks. There will be rememberances of hims during its upcoming telecast of the PGA Championship on TNT, a feature on its Aug. 10 Sunday MLB on TBS telecast and another set for an Atlanta Braves' game on Peachtree TV on Aug. 12 to coincide with what would have been his 69th birthday.

Those ideas are nice, but the best and most appropriate way to pay tribute to the impact of Caray's work would be enshrinement in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

2008-07-31T11:42:00.002-04:00

Today's dose of strange

LSU football coach Les Miles must be one straight-up, loped-out G.

You don't know what I just typed. Frankly, I'm not sure what it means either.

But know this: Les Miles has more street cred than any other Southeastern Conference football coach at the moment, and not just because he won the Bowl Championship Series national title trophy back in January.

He's rollin' with the homies. Or one rather famous homey.

It seems, based on a story that just came across the Associated Press wire, that Miles and rapper Snoop Dogg are buddies. Or, in hip-hop parlance, they're crew through and through.

The Doggfather visited Miles in Baton Rouge and -- get this -- accompanied him to a Rotary Club meeting. According to the AP's account, Snoop put on an LSU jersey and said he just wanted ''to give his love and support'' to Miles. Miles told the AP that he became a fan of the music and the man through his son, Ben.

Could you picture any other SEC head coach hanging with the Snoop D-oh-double-jizzle? Or any other rapper for that matter?

Nick Saban in Kanye West's venetian blind-style sunglasses?

Mark Richt in baggy jeans and gold chains?

Bobby Petrino busting a funky rhyme?

Nope, not seeing it.

2008-07-30T15:46:00.002-04:00

Ailing in Atlanta

The headline atop our sports section this morning read: "Big deal: Braves trade Teixeira.''

To which I say, with more than a little sarcasm: Big deal indeed.

Take Tuesday's trade of first baseman Mark Teixeira to the Los Angeles Angels as confirmation that the Atlanta Braves' season is effectively kaput, a train wreck that rivals Tila Tequila's love life.

The Braves acquired Tex last season, thinking his big bat would invigorate their lineup and enable them to separate themselves from a tightly-bunched National League East race. It might have worked if Tex had been equipped with another skill set aside from his excellent fielding and power hitting -- say the ability to perform orthopedic surgery or fill in as a closer or starting pitcher in a pinch.

And this season has presented one interminable pinch, what with Chipper Jones and Tim Hudson on the disabled list, the bullpen's revolving door and the health issues affecting John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Mike Hampton.

What the Braves got in return for Teixeira wasn't particularly remarkable: first baseman Casey Kotchman (.287, 12 homers, 54 RBI) and minor league pitcher Steve Marek. But, with this season spiraling further out of control after ghastly performances against Philadelphia and St. Louis, the Braves had to try to get something in exchange for Teixeira.

He was destined for free agency and its accompanying bidding war.

The Braves' gamble on Tex didn't yield significant gains for the franchise, largely due to circumstances beyond their control.

This season has been a disaster to date. It's time to set a new course and plan for 2009. There's no point in pretending there's still something to play for in the present when an 18-35 road record, four-game losing streak and crowded training room say otherwise.

2008-07-28T11:33:00.002-04:00

It's all Greek to me

You might have visited my blog 'hood last week in search of updates from Southeastern Conference Football Media Days in Birmingham.

I had planned to oblige with anecdotes about everything from Tim Tebow saving orphans to Urban Meyer referring to himself in the third-person to Alabama fans tearing through the merchandise in the nearby Bama Fever store on the day Nick Saban arrived to Phil Fulmer looking as if he as trying to pass a kidney stone while avoiding questions about his subpoena.

All very entertaining stuff.

Unfortunately, technology did not cooperate.

For some reason, the wireless computer network at the Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover left me helpless and hopeless in an unsuccessful attempt to navigate a language barrier.

When I used google or attempted to sign on to my blog, the templates came up in German.

I kid you not.

I was left to try to decipher words like Bloggenglobben and Heffweisen.

OK, I made up those words. But it still doesn't change the fact that my screen was filled with characters that, when read, sounded a lot like a lead-in to a Def Leppard song: "Unduh gleeben globben globen ...'' Or something like that.

Anyway, I'm happy to report that my search engines and blog templates are in English again.

2008-07-02T17:16:00.000-04:00

The fish are biting

Did you see the story that ran on page A2 of Wednesday's Ledger-Enquirer?

It seems a 6-foot catfish in Berlin, Germany, died after trying to consume a soccer ball. According to the Associated Press story, the fish was found floating atop the water in a canal with a blue and white soccer ball in its mouth.

A police spokesman said the fish tried to eat the ball and it got lodged in its mouth, leading to its death. Personally, I'm reluctant to bite on that story. The situation warrants further investigation because soccer fans in the country were undoubtedly riled up after Spain's 1-0 victory over Germany in the Euro 2008 championship.

Perhaps some German soccer hooligan took out his or her frustration on the fish -- especially if the catfish hailed from somewhere like Barcelona or Madrid.

Either way, it's fishy.

2008-06-26T10:31:00.000-04:00

Point guard or power forward?

Very soon, lil' NBA commish David Stern will step up to the podium (and, being short, he will have to step up) to officially begin the NBA Draft.

Are you counting your goosebumps yet?

I'm not sure how many folks care about the draft in this part of the country, but I'll pretend as if a significant number actually do.

This year, we won't get to berate the Atlanta Hawks for their curious talent appraisals (Marvin Williams over Chris Paul AND Deron Williams?) since they will be sitting idly by, having traded away their first round pick (No. 15 overall) to Phoenix.

So, instead of hating on the Hawks, we'll busy ourselves with sorting out the question of Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley with the No. 1 pick.

Chicago will have to decide between Rose, the supremely gifted point guard who left Memphis after his freshman season, and Beasley, the double-double-producing power forward who left Kansas State after his freshman season (anyone notice a trend?).

Advantage Rose.

He's quick off the dribble, comes with a creative grab bag of passing skills and possesses the sort of speed, size and power that will have him an major physical advantage over most players at his position. He's not a great perimeter shooter, but does he really need to be given his ability to drive to the basket?

Beasley isn't a bad option, mind you. Sure, he shrank from his college-listed height of 6-foot-10 to 6-8 after pre-draft evaluations. At the same time, his ball skills and activity level on offense make regular 20-point, 10-rebound nights inevitable.

Still, Rose should be the pick because the way talented point guards can transform a mediocre team into a great one.

2008-06-25T16:54:00.000-04:00

Strange week

Wow, you leave the country for a few days and all hell breaks loose.

First, the Columbus Catfish cleared the last hurdle in their way of leaving town after this season. When I read the story while on vacation, my initial reaction was, "Hmm, didn't realize there was a minor league baseball team in Columbus,'' but then I remembered that I had written, oh, about a year ago that they were going to be moving to Bowling Green. Based on attendance figures, it seems a significant number of folks are under the mistaken impression they had already moved.

It's a shame because I don't see any scenario that will allow Columbus to carry on with major league-affiliated baseball.

There are a number of culprits in the blame game, but the field personnel is exempt from the discussion. They put on a pretty good show. The failings of the previous owner have been chronicled, but what amazed me were some of the reader comments posted on our web site after Major League Baseball approved the Catfish's relocation request.

A couple readers suggested attendance was so moribund because of the proximity of a housing project to South Commons and suggested fears of crime kept fans away. I have to call foul on that. I've worked in Columbus for 11 years now and have covered a number of events at Golden Park, the Civic Center and Memorial Stadium. Generally, I'm leaving those venues late at night, longer after the last of the fans have filed out. I have never felt unsafe in that environment.

It’s a shame that some have chosen to stay away from South Commons because of urban legend and ridiculous prejudice. There may be a number of reasons why baseball has failed in our city, but the neighborhood around Golden Park is the least legitimate of them.

Speaking of preposterous comments, can you believe Don Imus opened his mouth again?

The guy just had to weigh in on Adam "Pacman'' Jones' race and somehow imply that his off-field misdeeds are somehow connected to his skin pigment. Imus should have abandoned his attempts at armchair sociology after the Rutgers brouhaha. I'm all for defending free speech, but I'm beginning to wonder how many Imus moments are required before duct tape should be invoked.

Perhaps the strangest story of the week involves Alabama running back-turned-linebacker Jimmy Johns, who was arrested yesterday and charged with selling cocaine and possessing ecstasy pills. Johns had been a regular occupant of Alabama coach Nick Saban's doghouse, which brings up an interesting sidebar to his arrest.

I ran across the web site www.JimmyJohnsPitBulls.com this morning (a recent check indicates it has been removed). Apparently, Johns was breeding and selling the animals. There were photos of Johns in his Alabama jersey, information about the breed and a visitor registry that proclaimed: ''Yo ass has been counted.''

Nothing illegal about breeding or selling pitbulls. Just fighting them, although there is no evidence that Johns has done that.

Still, it makes you wonder if Saban and his staff ever really knew Johns or had any chance of heading him off before he could find the sort of trouble that isn’t punishable by extra wind sprints and one-game suspensions.

2008-06-25T16:36:00.000-04:00

And we're back on the blog

Based on the length of my absence from the blogosphere, you might have thought I'd been eaten by a grizzly or detained by immigration officials while in Canada. I'm happy to report that we're back from Montreal, although it was tempting to stay a while longer.

As a first-time visitor, I came away highly impressed with Montreal's diversity, its culture and its preservation of its history. We toured cathedrals, the city’s version of Central Park, the cobblestone-lined streets of Vieux Montreal, the wonderful botanical gardens and the Biodome complex that houses everything from penguins and lemurs. In addition to walking about five miles a day, we ate. A lot. Within a few blocks of our hotel, you could find Russian, Lebanese, Thai, French, Greek and Polish restaurants as well as corner markets with produce bigger, brighter and fresher than anything we've found in our home supermarkets of choice.

The people were wonderful as well even though they're comfortable speaking French and I'm not. It has a very European feel, naturally. A good portion of the men resemble Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah right down to the ponytail. The women, mercifully, look much better.

The sports scene is rather remarkable as well. Instead of ESPN, the TV offers the Canadian version known as TSN. It's great if you want news on the NHL draft, Euro 2008, major league games or the CFL. If not, you can at least appreciate the lack of a Chris Berman or Stuart Scott.

We took a peek inside the Bell Center, home to the NHL's Canadians, and came away impressed. As for Olympic Stadium, uh, not so much. Built for the 1976 Summer Games, it resembles an ashtray from outer space. Still, the adjacent tower offers an incredible view of the city thanks to the cable car that carries tourists up the side.

Just make sure you look in the direction of the botanical gardens rather than Olympic Stadium.

2008-06-15T12:43:00.001-04:00

North of the border, eh?

In an effort to expand my cultural horizons, I will be joining Mrs. Troy's Noise on a trip to Montreal this week.

I'm particularly excited about it for the simple fact that it's about 75 degrees there during the day as opposed to 98 here.

Anyway, that means I'll be out of touch with the blogosphere, the newspaper and the sports world in general for the next week. I'm not sure what sports Montreal residents preoccupy themselves with at this time of year. The Stanley Cup has been decided and the Expos no longer exist, so I'm thinking the options are limited.

I wonder if curling and/or hurling are popular at this time of year.

The Expos may be out of business, but Olympic Stadium is still standing. I plan on taking a look while I'm there, but I'm said that there won't be any Yupi sightings (remember the Expos' strange mascot?).

2008-06-13T14:40:00.001-04:00

Atlanta's ailing arms

Just took part in a conference call with Atlanta Braves right-hander John Smoltz for an update on his post-shoulder surgery progress.

Smoltz underwent surgery Tuesday at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Birmingham, Ala. Dr. James Andrews, the renowned orthopedic surgeon who built a measure of his rep at Columbus' Hughston Clinic, repaired damage to Smoltz's right labrum.

The post-recovery prognosis for any athlete can be dicey, particularly for a 41-year-old major league pitcher, but Smoltz said his doctor didn't uncover any gruesome surprises during the procedure.

‘‘If he's pleased I’m pleased,’’ Smoltz said. ‘‘They think they have fixed it all, which translates into a chance to recover to whatever level I desire to recover.’’

What won’t be known for quite some time is whether Smoltz will pitch in another major league game. Smoltz said he plans to pursue ''aggressive'' rehab, but the possibility of returning to the game next season would most likely hinge on how well he regains flexibility in his right shoulder. He said he won’t be able to attempt to throw a baseball for four months. However, he was pleased to learn from Andrews that he could resume his golfing hobby in two or three months.

While the best-case scenario for a comeback by Smoltz would be spring training next year, he will rejoin the team after its current road trip in order to provide counsel to its young pitchers. Injuries have made the Braves’ season look increasingly bleak, with lefty Tom Glavine the most significant casualty of late. Atlanta sits 7 1/2 games out of first place in the National League East heading into Friday night, but have lost six straight and are 7-24 on the road.

During Friday’s media conference call, Atlanta general manager Frank Wren revealed that Glavine will be out for a month due to a torn flexor tendon on his left elbow. Wren said the earliest Glavine could be cleared would be the All-Star break (July 14-16).

"The only thing that will heal it is time,’’ Wren said.

When the Braves acquired Glavine in the offseason, it was celebrated as an opportunity for Atlanta to recapture some of its 1990s-era magic, when the lefthander starred in a rotation that included Smoltz and Greg Maddux. While Smoltz faces an uncertain recovery, he expressed sympathy for his teammate.

‘‘This is not in the script,’’ Smoltz said. ‘‘This wasn't supposed to be the way it was going to end (for both of us). There's still a little light at the end of the tunnel for him. With him, he's going to finish up his career and pitch again.’’

As for Smoltz, he reiterated Friday that he’ll retire with a clear conscience if his shoulder doesn’t heal well enough for him to continue on with the Braves next season.

‘‘I don't have to (pitch), but I still enjoy it,’’ he said. ‘‘If it's meant to be, then I'm going to do it. If not, then it's no big deal. I would welcome that if it's still afforded me. There's nothing I have to attain, nothing I have to prove. I look forward to seeing what the next four or five months hold for me.’’

2008-06-12T17:07:00.000-04:00

He's ambulatory, folks

Granted, it's just the first day of the U.S. Open and there are three more rounds to negotiate.

That said, Tiger Woods did pretty well for himself on Thursday. Yes, he was all over the place with three birdies and two double-bogeys that reduced what could have been a solid opening round to a 1-over par 72. Still, the way people were postulating about his health, it's a wonder he could finish 18.

Woods underwent knee surgery two days after the Masters, which explained in part why he faded from contention in that tournament. He hadn't played 18 holes since then until being grouped with Phil Mickelson for Thursday's opening round at Torrey Pines.

It really shouldn't come as any surprise if Woods wins this thing despite all of the doubts about the durability of his knee.

Bodog, the online gaming emporium, rated him as a 5-to-2 favorite going into the U.S. Open.

If any other player in the world had undergone knee surgery a little more than a month ago, you'd have to discount his chances. But Woods has shown time and again that he's not the typical player, that he borders on the bionic. He's far better conditioned than most of the players on the Tour and burns with competitive intensity at all times.

‘‘Guess I don't need a cart after all,'' Woods said Thursday after his round.

Guess he's not out of the U.S. Open picture either.

Discount him at your own risk.

As for me, I wouldn't write him off even if his clubs were replaced by gardening tools and he was forced to negotiate 18 while hopping on one leg.

2008-06-12T12:13:00.000-04:00

Courting Tebow's vote

By now, Florida quarterback Tim Tebow's exploits have grown from being simply outstanding to a borderline fairytale.

Forget about the jump pass he threw as a freshman or the Heisman Trophy he won as a sophomore.

Since he picked up the little stiff-arm trophy in December, he's flown 15,000 miles and been honored by 15 different organizations and nine states. He's also traveled to the Philippines and helped doctors provide circumcisions to poor children.

He also killed a grizzly bear by flicking it with his index finger, healed a leper simply by looking at him and fended off five would-be muggers with nothing more than a $5 footlong sandwich.

OK, we made up those last three.

But nothing seems all that impossible for Tebow anymore.

Apparently, his Q-rating is such that political candidates want a piece of whatever magic he contains.

When Tebow won the Heisman in December, President Bush sent him a handwritten letter congratulating him. According to an article by Matt Hayes of the Sporting News, Tebow responded with a handwritten letter of his own. Now, everybody wants to use Tebow as a political football of sorts.

Hayes' story noted that Democratic and Republican representatives asked him to campaign with them during Florida's presidential primaries.

‘‘I didn't feel it was right to publicly show support right now," Tebow told The Sporting News. "I am conservative. I am interested in politics, I pay attention. But there's too much on my plate right now. That may be something that comes in the future."

In other words, get ready for a possible political advertisement with the following addendum:

Hi, my name is Tim Tebow ... and I approved this message.

2008-06-09T15:16:00.000-04:00

Brown-out at Belmont

The sport of horse racing seemed to be moving along at full gallop before Saturday afternoon, as if somebody had applied a strong whip hand to spur it back into public consciousness.

I tuned in to watch the Belmont, something I rarely feel compelled to do, because of the promise that history might be made. During the buildup to a race that would last no more than a couple minutes, we were led to believe that an event of seismic proportions would unfold if Big Brown became the first horse to capture the Triple Crown in 30 years. As if the weight of the troubled racing industry would be carried comfortably on Big Brown's four hoofs.

Big Brown's brash trainer, Rick Dutrow, guaranteed a Triple Crown.

So, naturally, it didn’t happen.

In fact, Big Brown's Triple Crown hopes crashed in slow, majestic fashion.

The magnificent beast that dusted the Kentucky Derby field and made the Preakness field look slower than wooden carousel ponies crumbled, either from the weight of expectations or from the fatigue of being pushed too hard for too long.

It's rare when a strong victory by a 38-to-1 shot like Da'Tara gets overshadowed by the underperformance of another horse, but Big Brown slow canter down the stretch raised questions about how it had achieved its impressive results at Churchill Downs and at the Preakness.

It became the first Triple Crown hopeful to finish dead last, a rather ignominous footnote to its foiled attempt at history.

‘‘I had no horse,’’ jockey Kent Desormeaux said of finding Big Brown unresponsive on the final turn.

It's possible he could have found one if he had a hypodermic needle handy.

On Friday, Dutrow told the media that he would not inject Big Brown with a shot of the anabolic steroid Winstrol before the Belmont. He admitted that he had given Big Brown a shot of the performance enhancer before the Kentucky Derby, but claimed he had not done so since. Dutrow said it was customary for him to give Big Brown and his other horses shots of Winstrol on the 15th of each month, but that he did not know what impact it had on their performances.

I'm no veterinarian, but it seems like it would enable them to run the way Big Brown did at the Kentucky Derby. Winstrol builds muscle mass, but it can also promote weight gain and recovery from injury. Although it's banned from being used in 10 states, it's fair game in the those hosting Triple Crown events.

After Saturday, it seems the 3-year-old colt's previous performances are as suspect as some of the feats of Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire or Marion Jones.

2008-06-07T18:53:00.000-04:00

E-Jack gets slapped

Major League Baseball dished out punishment to eight players involved in Thursday’s brawl between the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays.

Former Shaw High School star Edwin Jackson is among the group facing suspensions and fines.

Jackson, a starting pitcher for the Rays, received a five-game suspension and will begin serving it next Friday. Pretty stiff, but two players came out worse. Tampa Bay pitcher James Shields received a six-game suspension for plunking Boston outfielder Coco Crisp with a fastball and Crisp received a seven-game penalty for charging the mound and opening the floodgates on a massive pile-up of punching and (according to one report) hair-pulling.

The others who received the MLB-style call to the principal's office and detention are Jon Lester (five games), Jonny Gomes (five games), Carl Crawford (four games), Akinori Iwamura (three games) and Sean Casey (three games).

The Red Sox swept the series from Tampa Bay, but the Rays sent an unmistakable message during the free-for-all at Fenway.

If the Red Sox plan to win the AL East, they’ll have to fight their way through the Rays.

2008-06-06T12:20:00.000-04:00

Chipping away at history

Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones took care of No. 400 Thursday night, so now we're left to wonder about the possibility of .400.

Of all of baseball's hallowed records, the ones that stand out most to me are Joe DiMaggio’s hitting streak and Ted Williams' .400 season. Those types of numbers can't be faked or bloated by steroids. It's strictly a matter of hand-eye coordination and consistency.

Right now, it's tough to bet against Jones becoming the first player since Williams to finish a season with a batting average over .400.

He went 4-for-5 against the Florida Marlins last night, raising his already resplendent average to .418. The 36-year-old even stole a base on the night when he hit the 400th home run of his career.

If he maintains his torrid pace, remains healthy enough to enjoy another four or five productive seasons, Jones may retire as the best switch-hitter of all time. Mickey Mantle and Eddie Murray have more home runs, but Jones possesses a higher career batting average (.310 and likely to rise). Pete Rose (.303 for his career) was the most prolific contact hitter in baseball history, but didn't possess Jones' ability to change games with one swing.

And what a flawless swing it has been.

2008-06-04T11:22:00.001-04:00

Hooping it old school

Yet another piece of confirmation that I'm getting old.

An e-mail arrives in my inbox inviting me to attend my 20-year high school reunion in August.

High school wasn't a hellish experience for me by any means, but there are some aspects of 1984-88 that are best left in the time capsule.

Haircuts, for one thing. Those floppy, blond-dyed monstrosities that seemingly every wannabe surfer dude in Central Florida rocked despite the fact that no self-respecting Flock of Seagulls roadie would have kept such a do after its 1984 expiration date.

Ex-girlfriends, for another. That's all that should really be said on the subject.

In the end, curiosity will get the better of me and I'll go. I'll reconnect with friends I lost touch with since heading off to college. My wife will get to hear stories about me. Some of them might even be flattering.

I'm sure some of my friends and I will laugh about what we looked like in our yearbook photos. We'll assuredly laugh at the late-30-something paunch and male pattern baldness that defines so many of us now.

Since I happen to be a sports writer, they're likely to ask me about what I do and which athletes I've met. Eventually, we'll have to talk about the NBA Finals, about the Celtics and Lakers, about which team emerged from this nostalgia-coated seven-game series because those two teams fueled many a lunch room discussion back in the day.

This particular NBA championship series offers a trip in the Way Back Machine even if Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant have replaced Larry Bird and Magic Johnson as the headliners. It's enough to make your inner teen-ager escape to pump some Public Enemy or Beastie Boys on the boom box.

Twenty years ago, it was impossible to conceive of any other teams playing for the league title. Michael Jordan was on the scene, of course, but he had yet to transform the Chicago Bulls into a dynasty.

No matter where you grew up, no matter where you went to school, there were two kinds of sports people. You were a Celtics person or a Lakers person. You couldn't be both.

Truth be told, I was a Celtics person. I appreciated the Lakers -- the way Magic could see the court and squeeze bounce passes through the tightest openings -- but I related to the Celtics more. Even though I experienced some success as an athlete, I was gravity-bound and height-deprived. I couldn't run the floor like Magic, couldn't tower over everyone like Kareem. I also couldn't clear a Visa card with my vertical leap, which made me see players like Bird, Dennis Johnson, Robert Parish and Kevin McHale as not being so different from the rest of us stiffs (even though they were).

The Boston Celtics of today are far different than those of my youth, but I'm still a Celtics guy.

I'll pull for KG and Ray Allen, but I'll hold out hope that this series produces excellence and imagery that will be remembered 20 years from now.

Think of some of the classic outcomes and quirkiness that this series will try to live up to:

* 1984, Game 4: Celtics 129, Lakers 125

Mild-mannered Kevin McHale set the tone for the series by clotheslining Los Angeles ruffian Kurt Rambis on his way to an easy layup in the first half. The benches cleared and tempers flared. That swung the balance of the series and set the stage for ...

* Game 5: Celtics 121, Lakers 103

Bird blows up for 34 point, scorching the nets on a day when it was 97 degrees inside Boston Garden. That was a prelude to ...

* Game 7: Celtics 111, Lakers 102: Boston led by three points with a minute to play, but Dennis Johnson and Cedric ''Cornbread'' Maxwell saved the day with a pair of defensive takeaways. Boston beat L.A. in a Game 7, winner-take-all situation for the fourth time.

* 1985, Game 1: Celtics 148, Lakers 114

Journeyman Scott Wedman went off, going 11-for-11 from the field, and was never really heard from again.

* 1985, Game 4: Celtics 107, Lakers 105

Down 2-1 in the series, Boston gets bailed out by a sequence in which Bird passed out of a double team, finding Johnson for a game-winning 15-footer with two seconds left. But, ultimately, the Celtics' recovery went for naught because ...

* Game 6: Lakers 111, Celtics 100

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar became the oldest NBA Finals MVP at age 38 (which gives hope to all of us on the cusp of a 20-year reunion) after schooling Parish for 29 points, including 18 in the second half to clinch the series for L.A.

* 1987, Game 4: Lakers 107, Celtics 106

Bird drops in a 3-pointer for a 106-104 Boston lead with 12 seconds to go. Abdul-Jabbar cuts it to one with a free throw. McHale loses the ball moments later (with the help of a Mychal Thompson shove), then Magic breaks Boston's heart with a baby skyhook over McHale and Parish.

The Lakers clinched the series two games later, bringing an end to a remarkable period in NBA history in which the league became defined by East vs. West, by Bird vs. Magic, by Boston against L.A.

Twenty years later, we can still work up a good argument about which team and which superstars were better.

One thing we can agree on is that the sneakers Bird and Magic inspired were as awful as the haircuts we sported 20 years ago.

Black or purple and gold Converses.

No thanks.

Some elements of the past are best left buried.

2008-06-03T14:22:00.000-04:00

Hazardous job

As if being an umpire at high school baseball games wasn't tough enough already with irate parents who live a little vicariously through their children and quick-tempered coaches who are convinced the men in blue are always conspiring against their respective teams.

Check out this video from last week's Class AAA state championship series between Cartersville and Stephens County:

http://www.workhorsevideoproductions.com/the%20pitch.mpg

The incident took place in the fifth inning of the deciding third game, won 13-1 by Cartersville. In the video, Stephens County catcher Matt Hill appears to duck and pull his mitt down, allowing a pitch to bonk umpire Jeff Scott on the noggin.

High school pitchers can be wild, for sure, but the Georgia High School Association is investigating whether Stephens County intentionally plunked the ump in order to send him a message. The inning before pitcher Cody Martin's pitch hit the umpire, shortstop Ethan Martin reportedly argued balls and strikes with Scott and threw his batting helmet in disgust after becoming the ninth straight Stephens County batter to strike out.

GHSA executive director Ralph Swearngin told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he expected to make a ruling as early as today on whether Hill acted intentionally in ducking and moving his mitt. Not sure what Swearngin would consider appropriate punishment in such a case. He could have the offending catcher stand over home plate in a batting cage, blindfolded, and allow the aggrieved umpire to feed balls into the pitching machine.

I'm just thinking out loud here, but expressing disgust at an umpire in such an over the top and potentially harmful manner seems counterproductive. What happened to old-fashioned antics like the chest-bump and Earl Weaver's practice of kicking dirt atop home plate?

Besides, when a team loses 13-1, chances are that it had far more troubling issues than an umpire's interpretation of the strike zone.

2008-05-29T13:49:00.000-04:00

A vacation tour goes off track

There were quite a few amazing sights during my recent vacation cruise that included a stop in Belize.

While in Belize, I hiked through a lush rain forest and took an innertube cruise down a spring-fed river that wound through a network of caves. I ate local fare and even caught a distant glimpse of one of the Belizian keys that inspired Madonna to write the song ''Isla Bonita.''

Great place, Belize. It's an up and coming tourist destination.

There are plenty of things I was told to expect in Belize: Around 60 different varieties of snakes (only six or so of which are poisonous), monkeys, Toucans and the fast-food presence of Subway (but not KFC, McDonald's or Burger King). I did not, however, expect to find a monument to a disgraced American sports celebrity.

But there it was on the side of the highway leading out of Belize City: The Marion Jones Sports Complex.

There's even a silhouette of Jones in motion on the billboard perched alongside the road.

Jones, the American sprinter who won five medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, possesses dual citizenship. Her mother is a native of Belize. After Jones went crazy winning medals in Sydney, she made a goodwill tour to Belize and local officials renamed the 7,500-seat National Stadium in her honor.

It's not much to look at, but the locals make the most of the site. There are bleachers on one side, facing a soccer pitch. The field is encircled by a track used for running and cycling events.

Having covered Jones at the 2000 Olympics, it didn't surprise me that there were artifacts of her career in one off the countries that claims her as a citizen. But with Jones serving a six-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to lying to federal agents in the BALCO investigation, I thought most would have been well-hidden.

Jones' legacy has acquired a coating of tarnish in the last year. She's been stripped of her world and Olympic medals for doping offenses and, earlier this week, confessed steroids dealer Angel Heredia testified in federal court that her former coach, Trevor Graham, told him he wanted to administer a banned substances cocktail to Jones before the 2000 Summer Games.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Heredia testified that Graham wanted to pump human growth hormone, insulin and the blood-doping drug EPO into Jones' system befor the Olympics.

When I took notice of the Marion Jones Sports Complex, I happened to be on a bus bound for the rain forest and innertube cave cruise. I asked our guide about the complex and whether Jones' recent troubles had changed the way she's viewed in Belize.

The country hasn't made any plans to re-name its national sports stadium, which sort of goes along with what the guide told me. Most Belizians don't mind counting Jones as one of their own, partly because of the visibility she brought the nation in 2000.

For a nation so small and so hungry to boost its tourist appeal, any level recognition can't hurt.

2008-05-26T13:16:00.000-04:00

Return of the delinquent blogger

You may have noticed that Troy’s Noise was uncharacteristically quiet for the last week or so, but there was a good reason for it.

Or at least I found it to be a good reason anyway.

I've been on vacation.

Just got back from a weeklong cruise that took the wife and I to Cozumel, Mexico, Roatan Island, Honduras, Belize and the Bahamas. I'm a little short of opinions regarding the happenings of the sports world right now because I've been out of touch. It's hard to keep up with the Atlanta Braves or the Indy 500 when you're climbing Mayan ruins, innertubing down a river that runs through a rain forest and a network of caves in Belize or developing sunburn on a beach in Freeport.

While I feel like I've been out of the loop for the last two weeks, it was nice to cut the umbilical cord that so often keeps me tied to a cell phone and computer.

I highly recommend doing so, even if you don't have access to Mayan ruins, a Belizian rain forest or the beaches of the Bahamas.

2008-05-13T17:40:00.000-04:00

No blockbuster here

Given the hype and hysteria on the NFL Network and ESPN earlier today, you'd have thought NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was reviewing the Zapruder film with the expectation of finding indisputable evidence of a second gunman.

The TV talking heads postulated on what, if any, competitive advantage the Patriots could have gained from illegally videotaping an opponent's walkthrough and what else Matt Walsh could possibly have left to show and tell the commish.

So after three months of waiting, wondering and anticipating, Goodell emerged from a meeting Tuesday with a relieved look on his face and a posture that conveyed the following message about Spygate:

Show's over. Nothing to see here. Move along, people.

Basically, Goodell said that the Patriots and their head coach, Bill Belichick, have been punished enough already for their covert camerawork and that there were no blockbuster films hidden in their screening room.

Walsh claims that he didn't film the St. Louis Rams' walkthrough before the 2002 Super Bowl and didn't have knowledge of anyone who did. At the same time, however, ESPN's Sal Paolantonio reported that Walsh told the coaching staff about some of what he personally observed at what was supposed to have been a closed walkthrough.

Goodell penalized the Patriots for illegal videotapes made during the end of the 2006 season and the early portion of the 2007 season, but you have to wonder whether the league wanted to start rummaging through New England's DVD collection. Supposedly, the Patriots' secretive video taping has been going on since 2000.

With that in mind, do you think the NFL really wanted to find more dirt on its most successful franchise?

2008-05-08T14:23:00.000-04:00

Crunching numbers

Some interesting facts and figures gleaned from the news wires and blogosphere:

* According to the Columbia (S.C.) State, one South Carolina football fan transacted a seriously sweet real estate deal with Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier.

The newspaper reported that Spurrier sold a two-bedroom, two-bath, 1,206-square foot condo at CarolinaWalk, located across the street from Williams-Brice Stadium, to a business run by South Carolina businessman Roger Huskey. The sale price was $275,000, but it seems Huskey received quite a break. Other condos of the same size in the complex have sold for around $425,000, the newspaper reported.

* Michael Vick owes the Royal Bank of Canada a cool $2.5 million, a district court ruled Thursday.

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia granted a motion for summary judgment against Vick for defaulting on a loan.

With Vick serving a 23-month federal prison sentence for dogfighting, it may be a while before the check is in the mail.

* Bill Hargrove, whom the United States Bowling Congress dubbed ''the oldest league bowler ever,'' died in Gainesville, Ga., Thursday a mere four days shy of his 107th birthday.

Hargrove received national attention last year after participating in a league after turning 106.

As for me, I bowled a 106 once.

2008-05-08T11:34:00.000-04:00

Stinging the Hornets

No wonder the NCAA needed five years to conclude its investigation of the Alabama State University athletic department.

Given the accusations leveled by the organization this week, the NCAA must have needed to field army of accountants and buy a battery of computers to calculate the grand total of alleged violations.

The NCAA sent ASU a notice of allegations that accused the school of -- get ready for this -- at least 668 violations in four different sports.

That's not a misprint.

If that sounds like a lot, well, it is. It's believed to be the largest naughty list ever unfurled. Florida A&M was once charged with 196 violations. According to a story in the Montgomery Advertiser, nearly 500 violations stemmed from ineligible football players being allowed to work out in the offseason. The NCAA also cited 40 instances in which the grades of football players were changed without the knowledge of their instructors.

If that's the case, then ASU's Academic Percentage Rating should have ranked right up there with Brown and Yale this week.

It didn't.

ASU will have until June 27 to respond to the NCAA's allegations, the most serious of which is the always ominous ''lack of institutional control.''

2008-05-06T10:59:00.000-04:00

Nick Saban interview transcript

Before Monday, I'd only dealt with Alabama football coach Nick Saban in group settings. It's pretty much impossible to have anything resembling a one-on-one conversation with him in Tuscaloosa because people are absolutely loco about Alabama football around there. You show up for their weekly press conference and there are generally upwards of 100 TV and newspaper reporters seated in an auditorium.

It's a different culture.

At Georgia or Auburn, for instance, it’s easy to have a conversation with Mark Richt or Tommy Tuberville because there are fewer layers of insolation between the head coaches and the folks who cover their teams.

Saban has always been viewed as the sort of guy who doesn't enjoy dealing with the press or gladhanding his fans on the chicken dinner circuit. The funny part, of course, is that the writers I know who cover him on a daily basis say he’s not an ogre away from the practice field and press conference podium. The man can be side-splittingly funny, but he's more loose and accomodating when it’s not football season. The competitive tunnel vision kind of subsides for an instant and you see the regular guy in him.

So I showed up Monday to cover the SEC Celebrity Golf Classic at the Country Club of Columbus not really knowing which Nick Saban we'd get. Would he agree to an interview or try to run over me with his golf cart? The man was, understandably, in a bit of a hurry once he got done playing in the afternoon. This time of the year is hectic for college coaches even though practice doesn't resume until August. In addition to trying to make recruiting inroads during the spring evaluation period, they're traveling to various speaking engagements and such.

Anyway, as Saban walked off the 18th green, I caught up with him and asked him a few questions. My esteemed colleagues from the local TV stations -- Andrew Wittenberg from WTVM and Jack Rogers from WRBL -- also joined us. Saban seemed to enjoy the day in general and didn't have us on the stop watch when we interviewed him. Here's a transcript of my conversation with him:

Question: How often do you get to play in events like these and how did you hit it today?

Saban: ‘‘Not very many. ... It depends on what your definition (of success) is. To me, if I hit it airborne, that's a good shot. I'm not disappointed because I hit one ground ball all day.''

Q: You guys are obviously getting together for charitable causes (the foundations of former Alabama player Jeremiah Castille, former Auburn player Joe Cribbs and former Georgia player David Pollack), but does it feel strange at all partnering up with folks from your in-state rival?

Saban: ‘‘I think it's great. At Michigan State, we had a lot of these kinds of events. Bo (Schembechler) had a thing for adrenal cancer at Michigan. The cause we're out here for today is much greater than the competition. Just because you compete doesn't mean you can't do the right things when it comes to supporting great causes. I'm glad to be here to support it.

Q: With the NCAA banning coaches from visiting high school campuses in the spring, people are talking about your use of a webcam to communicate with prospects. How long have you used it and why is it advantageous?

Saban: ‘‘It came from our medical staff in Miami (with the Dolphins). We're kind of in an age where most of these guys don't read books. They watch videos. Any time you can be visual ... I feel like any time you're sitting there in a video conference talking to a coach or a player, it's almost like you're there. It's much better than a phone call. That's just something that we've used in the past that we've used a little bit this year in recruiting. Since we can't go out and visit the coaches and see the players practice, this has worked out good. I enjoy it. I don't know if they enjoy it. The biggest thing I struggle with, I guess it's the pro ball guy in me, you watch a guy on film, you go to the (NFL) combine and watch him work out, then you go work a player it. It's kind of a crosscheck. I never went out as much (recruiting in the spring) at Michigan State because they didn't have spring ball there, but the fact that all these guys are playing in most of the states that we recruit, I used to go see the best five or six players at every position. It was a great crosscheck.

‘‘You always kind of knew the guy in Mississippi compared to the guy in Georgia compared to the guy in Alabama. That was a great evaluation tool for all of us.’’

Q: Since you can't go visit the campuses now, how are you using your time? What else can you focus on?

Saban: ‘‘Because there's no travel involved, we've tried to do a little bit more with relationship building. The first 16 months we were at Alabama, we worked hard at trying to get our program right and make inroads in recruiting.’’

Q: You guys have had 80,000 to 90,000 fans at the last two spring games and you're mobbed at Crimson Caravan events. Does that kind of underscore what fans expect from you?

Saban: ‘‘I think that positive energy is the most important thing in trying to accomplish any goal. I know our players appreciate what our fans have done in terms of supporting our program and what we're trying to do. That positive energy they've demonstrated helps us in recruiting and in a lot of ways. One thing our fans have done is be extremely supportive.’’

Q: (From Andrew Wittenberg of WTVM) Do you feel like the program is ahead of where it was at this time last year?

Saban: ‘‘I can't make comparisons. The two things we didn't do last year that we need to improve on -- we didn't play with enough consistency. We got ahead in games and let people come back. We played up to the good teams and didn't play as well in some of the other games. We didn't finish. We didn't finish the season. We didn't finish certain games. We didn't play to the standard of excellence we were capable of on a consistent basis. I think we made some progress in this offseason and in this spring practice. Hopefully we'll show some improvement next year.’’

Q: Were the Auburn fans cool to you out there?

Saban: ‘‘Everybody was nice to me. I appreciate that. Glad to do something like that.’’

Q: (as Saban is preparing to get his golf clubs and head out) Heard they were having trouble finding a plane to get you home ... (Alabama booster Paul Bryant Jr. wound up sending his to Columbus to pick up Saban)

Saban (smiling): ‘‘I don't know. I've got to call the office. If they don't have one, they won't answer the phone.’’

2008-05-02T11:35:00.000-04:00

Ryan's Hope extinguished

Defending national champion LSU may have trouble getting out of the starting blocks in the race for the 2008 Southeastern Conference championship.

LSU coach Les Miles announced Friday that quarterback Ryan Perrilloux has been kicked off the team for failing to ''fulfill his obligation as an LSU student-athlete.''

Frankly, this development is about as shocking as reports that Mardi Gras revelers are known to drink large quantities of alcohol. Perrilloux, who served as the backup to Matt Flynn last season, had repeated disciplinary run-ins throughout his college career. He was suspended last summer after being caught trying to enter a Baton Rouge casino with fake ID and was suspended again for skipping classes, missing a team meeting and being tardy to offseason workouts.

It took a fair amount of courage for Miles to make the move he did. Perrilloux can play. He completed 51 of 75 passes last season, including eight touchdowns and two interceptions. Had he not run afoul of Miles' rules, he would have had the inside track to being the starter for a sure-thing top-five team.

2008-05-01T20:50:00.000-04:00

Playoff fever in Atlanta

Hey, the Atlanta Hawks are still alive in the NBA playoffs.

Enjoy it while it lasts. That may no longer be the case in, oh, about 24 hours from now.

Give the Hawks credit for pushing the 66-win, star-laden Boston Celtics to a sixth game. It's a wonder the Hawks avoided a sweep, quite frankly, and it will be equally eyebrow-jacking if they force a seventh game. It's true that Kevin Garnett and Co. should have a prohibitive advantage in terms of talent heading into Friday night's game at Philips Arena, but Atlanta forwards Josh Smith and Al Horford have been impressive and who knows what Joe Johnson could do if he gets hot early in the game?

No, the problem might be the man on the bench, head coach Mike Woodson. He seems more than a little distracted right now and that can't be good for his team.

After Atlanta's last victory in the series, he spoke of his job situation almost in the past tense, as if he expected to get canned at the conclusion of his team's playoff joyride. These last few days, he's been answering and then doing his best to avoid questions of his job security. After all, the guy owns a record of 106-222 in four seasons. I've hung with him in his office before and he seems like a nice guy, but you have to wonder if the the members of the Atlanta Spirit ownership group (who can name all of them given the legal infighting) have grown impatient waiting for him to turn Marvin Williams' potential into production, etc.

In a recent radio interview, Woodson seemed to be making a belated effort at damage control.

"Personally, I think I've done an unbelievable job,'' he said.

Sounds a little like Dubya's endorsement of a certain former FEMA director.

Oh well.

For Atlanta to extend this series, it needs to arrive at Philips Arena with the same sort of energy as last Friday's occupant of the arena floor. The wife and I took in Bruce Springsteen's epic concert in Atlanta last week.

While I've long appreciated The Boss' music, I'd never before seen him live and am in no way represented of the uber-fan/borderline stalkers who bused and flew in from places like Hackensack, Perth Amboy and Paramus with their acid wash jeans and teased hair (in the case of the ladies) to see a Jersey guy who made good.

The Mrs. and I managed to score tickets that got us into the 500-person bullpen right in front of the stage. We were no more than 25-feet away from Bruce, Lil' Stevie and Clarence Clemons at various points during the show. As wonderful as the music was, I spent a fair portion of the show simply gawping at Bruce on stage and wondering how he could maintain his hyperkinetic stage presence as he closes in on his 58th birthday.

You have to figure that this guy has played most of his standards -- ''Born to Run,'' ''Brilliant Disguise,'' "Glory Days,'' etc. -- night after night on the road, probably upwards of 10,000 times apiece over the years. And yet, in Atlanta, he wore a smile on his face, engaged the crowd throughout, sponged gallons of sweat off his face, drank gallons of blue sports drink in between songs and sang every one of his songs with the sort of fervor and passion you would have expected to see during his first tour.

The Hawks need whatever Bruce brought to the stage last weekend, but I'm not sure that ingredient exists in mass quantities.

2008-04-23T17:45:00.000-04:00

What should they do?

The Miami Dolphins took some of the mystery out of the NFL Draft by anointing mammoth Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long as their No. 1 pick and signing him to a five-year, $57.75 million contract.

I guess that means we can do without NFL commissioner Roger Goodell coming to the podium on Saturday and announcing that the Dolphins are ''on the clock.''

Before Miami's pre-emptive strike, I was convinced that Long represented the best option for the Atlanta Falcons if he remained available when it came time for them to pick at No. 3. I know a left tackle doesn't represent a dynamic promotional vehicle. People don't buy tickets to watch offensive linemen block, but the Falcons need a guy who can put defenders on their butts more than they do a first pick who can put butts in seats. Ticket-buyers want to watch a good product and it's obvious the Falcons need to follow new general manager Thomas Dimitroff's directive to build from the inside and out if at all possible.

With Long gone, the logical pick for the Falcons would be either LSU's Glenn Dorsey or USC's Sedrick Ellis. Having seen Dorsey in person several times over the last couple seasons, I'm enamored with his ability to beat double-teams and the relentlessness with which he plays. He's a load to handle in the middle.

Who would you choose with the third overall pick? The Falcons obviously need help at quarterback and cornerback, but are those positions enough of a priority to receive attention with the third overall pick.

While Boston College's Matt Ryan represents the best of a so-so quarterback class, keep in mind that he won't necessarily represent an immediate cure-all. If Atlanta was able to sign him before the season, there's still the likelihood that he would be limited to a backup role until he learns the offense. Plus, would you risk his health behind that offensive line?

2008-04-23T12:43:00.000-04:00

Savage not sore about NFL experience

The scene former Jordan High School running back Dantrell Savage described to me the other day sounded comparable to the treatment afforded to subjects of alien abductions.

At February's NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Savage stood in a long line of league hopefuls wearing nothing but a number and exercise shorts. When his turn arrived, he went into a medical examination room so a series of doctors could take X-rays and MRIs and generally twist and contort every limb on his body in an effort to grade his overall health.

Savage, a tailback at Oklahoma State, got the repeat some of the same procedures with representatives of most of the league's teams.

"The thing I found out about me is that the more you sit there and think nothing is wrong with you, they'll figure out something is wrong with you,'' Savage, a projected third- to fifth-round draft pick, told me on the phone the other day. ''You'll find you're sore. There are 32 teams. They just pick at you and poke you and mess with the same different spots you've had X-rays on. You're going to become sore. They end up hurting you.''

Savage said it will all have been worth it if he gets drafted and lands a roster spot, however.

Read more about Savage in Thursday morning's Ledger-Enquirer.

2008-04-21T12:47:00.000-04:00

Mock draft madness

This is a shameless plug for yet another wonderful thing we're doing at the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer.

We're holding a mock NFL Draft on Friday, the day before the league begins its real two-part event.

I can't take credit for brainstorming this thing. Our sports editor, Kevin Price, put this deal together, but he's looking for more participants. Here's how it works:

If you're the fan of a particular NFL team and want to act as its ''general manager'' for the mock draft, then shoot Kevin an e-mail at kprice@ledger-enquirer.com as soon as possible. All you'll need on Friday is access to a computer and the willingness to log on to our web site -- www.ledger-enquirer.com -- for a short period of time. The draft starts at 9 a.m. and continues with picks every 10 minutes.

If multiple folks want to draft for the same team, the Ledger-Enquirer will choose one lucky person at random.

Here are the teams that are still available:

Arizona Cardinals
Buffalo Bills
Carolina Panthers
Cincinnati Bengals
Denver Broncos
Houston Texans
Detroit Lions
Jacksonville Jaguars
Kansas City Chiefs
Miami Dolphins
Minnesota Vikings
New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints
New York Giants
New York Jets
Philadelphia Eagles
San Diego Chargers
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
Tampa Bay Bucs
Tennessee Titans
Washington Redskins

2008-04-18T10:22:00.000-04:00

Forgotten again

No flowers, no cards, no phone calls. Not even so much as a fruit basket.

You're disappointing me again, people.

Today is National Columnists Day (seriously, look it up) and once again I'm left to wonder: Where is the love? I mean, my wife even failed to remember this special occasion. Then again, it's not as if Hallmark sells cards for National Columnists Day. If they did, I suppose they could offer them in the form of a letter to the editor.

There's still another 14 1/2-odd hours left in the day, offering all of you ample chance for redemption. Tributes and gifts are welcome, just as they have been for the last five years.

In case you're wondering, National Columnists Day was started in 1995 -- on the 50th anniversary of Ernie Pyle's death -- as the result of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. According to the organization, "The anniversary of the April 18, 1945 death of the great Ernie Pyle is a time to reflect on the way newspaper columnists connect, educate, comfort, encourage, celebrate, outrage and occasionally even amuse readers and a time to express appreciation for them for their hard work."

I hope I have done some or all of those things for you in the last year, and I hope to continue it.

Mark your calendar so you don't forget the date next year. In the meantime, the best gift you can give this particular newspaper columnist is a moment of your time each morning.

2008-04-13T19:56:00.001-04:00

Immelman holds on

AUGUSTA, Ga. — This wasn't a golf tournament. The Masters turned out to be a demolition derby.

Trevor Immelman dented a fender in the final round Sunday, but you should see the other guys.

This course was tough enough without the 25 mph wind gusts that made it impossible to command the ball on so many holes. Brandt Snedeker, Steve Flesch and Paul Casey, the only guys who really stood much of a chance when the day began barring a total implosion by Immelman, will need to visit the body shop after this one.

The carnage was unbelievable.

Immelman shot 3-over par on Sunday, his only round above 69 in the tournament, but still finished with a three-stroke victory at 68-68-69-75 -- 280. It's his first major and the city of Columbus can claim a piece of it.

Immelman's brother, Mark, the golf coach at Columbus State, and Mark's wife Tracy, were among the family members waiting out the scorer's tent on No. 18.

Imagine how all of this will play in Immelman's native South Africa.

The country will probably shut down and celebrate and probably even declare a Trevor Immelman Day.

He's the first golfer from the nation to win the Masters since Gary Player claimed his third in 1978. Oddly enough, Player said a couple years ago that Immelman possessed the game to win at Augusta and would eventually eclipse fellow countrymen Ernie Els and Retief Goosen.

Immelman's wake-up call for a championship actually came Saturday night.

His cell phone rang. It was Player, who was about to be heading back to South Africa, calling to tell Immelman to bring it home. Player has known Immelman since he was 5 years old. Players words were along these lines: There will be bad breaks, but I know you're going to win.

Turns out the 72-year-old knew what he was talking about.

‘‘It meant an awful lot,’’ Immelman said. ‘‘I played it to my whole family on speaker phone.’’

2008-04-13T18:23:00.001-04:00

The divine Mr. Imm

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Trevor Immelman is shots ahead of his closest pursuer with five holes to play, which is as much the product of the wacky conditions as it is his own steady play.

Immelman hasn't done anything especially spectacular today. He missed a 2-foot putt for birdie on No. 7 and struggled to control the ball with the wind sustaining 20 to 25 mph gusts. But this is why he should soon be wearing the Masters green jacket and celebrating his first major:

He came into this day leading the field in driving accuracy and in greens hit in regulation.

Coming in, Immelman ranked 202nd on the PGA Tour in putts per greens in regulation. There were only two golfers behind him -- David Lutterus and Steve Allan (not the similarly-named comedian). Immelman isn't known as a terror on the greens, but he could soon be a terror in green because of his work off the tee and from the fairway.

2008-04-13T13:52:00.000-04:00

Ready for some drama?

AUGUSTA, Ga. — The flags are rippling here at Augusta National Golf Club, thanks to the 25 mph wind gusts ruffling the leaves and tousling the coiffs of so many spectators.

Might it also represent a wind of change for the Masters?

It could on a number of levels.

Tiger Woods, who will tee off 10 minutes from now, could make a breakthrough if he can catch up to Trevor Immelman and Brandt Snedeker. He's never won a major when trailing after 54 holes.

It would most definitely represent history for either Immelman or Snedeker, who were the PGA Tour Rookies of the Year in 2006 and 2007, respectively. Both are looking for their first major championship of any sort.

Who knows what will happen today?

Immelman and Snedeker won't be introduced at the No. 1 tee until 2:25 p.m. and there's a fair amount of separation between them and the golfers who have already started their rounds.

But it seems that, in spite of the weather, it will be possible to post a low score today. Ian Poulter has already birdied Nos. 1 and 2 to get to 4-under.

2008-04-12T16:45:00.000-04:00

Moving day

AUGUSTA, Ga. — The weather conditions are certainly having an impact at Augusta National.

The greens, which were as fast as table tops on Thursday and Friday, have played more like shag carpet because of the heavy rain earlier this afternoon.

Several frontrunners have struggled to adjust to the pace of the course.

Trevor Immelman, who held the lead at 8-under coming in, has left a handful of putts short, including a short birdie opportunity on No. 2. He's given a stroke back and shares second with Paul Casey and Steve Flesch at 7-under. Immelman's playing partner, Brandt Snedeker, birdied No. 2 and has followed it with four consecutive pars to take the lead at 8-under.

A couple guys to keep an eye on at this point: Phil Mickelson, who got to 6-under before bogeying No. 6, and Casey, who has birdied three of his first eight holes.

What about Tiger Woods?

He's plugging along, not out of it by any means. He's 4-under for the tournament after a birdie on 13, but has let at least two other legitimate birdie opportunities fall by the wayside.

2008-04-12T13:44:00.000-04:00

Rain, rain, go away ...

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- The folks who run the Masters are pretty powerful.

They have made their event one of the toughest tickets in sports. They can seemingly will the azaleas and dogwoods to bloom even when there are cold snaps. They can tell Chris Berman to stay home.

But they have yet to figure out a way to control the elements. Short of installing a retractable roof over Augusta National's lovely golf course, this will remain problematic.

Play has just resumed after a 40-minute delay brought on by heavy rain.

What does that mean to you, the TV viewer?

Your favorites, guys like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, will be teeing off much later than expected. They may not even be able to finish the third round today, depending on the whims of Mother Nature. About half of the golfers left in the field had teed off when the inclement weather rolled in. We'll see how it goes.

2008-04-11T14:47:00.000-04:00

Not fading from view

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Right now, my face looks a lot like Trevor Immelman’s Masters scorecard.

Lots of red.

Just got back from a long tour of Augusta National, most of which was spent following Immelman and trying to find patches of shade whenever possible. Despite slathering my neck, face and scalp with No. 30 sunscreen, I look medium rare at this moment.

In some ways, I feel kinship with Immelman. Neither of us can be cooled off, it seems.

Immelman, whose brother Mark happens to be the golf coach at Columbus State University, continued his torrid play Friday and currently sits atop the leaderboard at 8-under par (68-68 -- 136). Brandt Snedeker is hanging tough one stroke behind, while Steve Flsesh (72-67 -- 139) made an impressive charge with a round that included an eagle on the par-5, No. 13.

Where’s Tiger Woods, you ask?

He remains even three holes into his round, but a lot can happen between now and the end of the day. Several players to watch, including Woods and first-round co-leader Justin Rose are early into their rounds, but it's shaping up to be a interesting day. Phil Mickelson has made a bit of a charge, gaining three strokes since yesterday. Right now, it looks as if the cut will be 3-over par.

Talk of a Tiger Slam has died down considerably since the beginning of the week, but it's too early to count him out yet. If he's within six strokes of the lead by the end of the day, I wouldn't give up on him.

At the same time, Immelman has emerged as the most compelling story of the tournament (you'll read more about him in Saturday's Ledger-Enquirer). Keep in mind that this guy was in a hospital bed in his native South Africa last December, doped up on morphine, and waiting to find out if a tumor discovered in his chest was cancerous. Thankfully, it proved to be benign, but it took him several weeks to recover well enough to play a full round of golf.

Four months later, this guy, an 80-1 shot according to the oddsmakers for Bodog, happens to be leading the Masters.

His wife, Carminita, had it right when she shared her thoughts about Friday's round with me behind the 18th green.

‘‘This is a special place,’’ she said.

2008-04-10T20:29:00.000-04:00

Local knowledge

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Your Masters leaderboard after one round:

Justin Rose and Trevor Immelman at 4-under par 68.

Some guys named Brian Batemen and Brandt Snedeker sharing second place with Lee Westwood at 3-under.

A log jam of Ian Poulter, Robert Karlsson, Zach Johnson, Stephen Ames and Jim Furyk at 2-under.

Wait a second.

Rose, Immelman and Poulter fighting it out at Augusta National?

Didn't they just do that, oh, about two weeks ago?

If you're looking for a reason why Rose, Immelman and Poulter shot such solid rounds Thursday, you can trace it back to a trip they planned in March. The three, who each live a lob wedge away from each other behind the gates of Orlando’s Lake Nona golfing enclave, were facing off against Tiger Woods and other pros from the hoitier, toitier Isleworth neighborhood in the Tavistock Cup when one of them suggested a road trip to Augusta.

The trio flew to Augusta two weeks ago, bunked down at a Marriott and ate at the T-Bonz steak house located off Washington Road a short hop from the course. They also devoured every possible nook and cranny of the Augusta National course.

‘‘What it did was took the pressure off the practice days this week,’’ Rose said.

And, by all appearances, it gave them a significant advantage over some of their competitors.

Immelman, whose brother Mark is the golf coach at Columbus State, said the two rounds shared with Poulter and Rose were spirited and closely contested. Rumor has it that some wagers were made.

‘‘We just had a fantastic time,’’ he said. ‘‘Kind of like three kids going to their favorite golf course. It was an awesome couple of days.’’

It could make for an especially awesome weekend if the three neighbors continue to jostle for position through the final round. It seems there’s some unfinished business dating back to the boys' getaway they enjoyed.

‘‘Justin actually won,’’ Immelman said. ‘‘I think I still owe him some money.’’

2008-04-10T14:05:00.000-04:00

Early Masters impressions

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- As I walked past the Augusta National Clubhouse around 11:30 this morning, the throngs parted for a group of white-shirted security guards escorting a player to the putting green.

Ladies and gentlemen, Tiger Woods.

Woods walked past me, no more than five feet away, looking steely-eyed and ridiculously fit. The guy must live in a gym. As he took his place on the putting green for some practice just before his opening round, the crowd, standing as many as five deep in some places, applauded lustily.

This guy can get a standing ovation just for smiling.

My three-hour morning-to-afternoon walk around the course was lovely. It's warm, but a gentle breeze has been kind enough to tickle the tall pines, the wisteria, the dogwood and the azaleas every so often.

I followed Heath Slocum for most of his round because I'm thinking of writing something about the Milton Mafia as I call them. Heath Slocum, Boo Weekley and Bubba Watson, all graduates of Milton High School in the Florida Panhandle, all in the Masters field.

Anyway, Slocum was 3-under after 8, but bogeyed 9 and 18. He's in second now at 1-under 71. He happened to have Fuzzy Zoeller in his threesome, which is interesting since Zoeller happens to be the only Masters champion to win a green jacket in his first visit to Augusta.

"Honestly, it's such a long way, so far ahead of me, so far ahead that it doesn't even pop into my head, really,'' Slocum told us after his round.

It's wise not to fantasize too much here, because far too many golfers have unraveled after solid starts.

Caught up with Larry Mize some during his round and the Columbus resident was having a tough day. He shot 4-over on the front and gave up another stroke at 16 with two holes to play. Even so, the guy gets a warm ovation at every tee box and green. Being a Masters champion ensures perpetual respect.

That's all for now. Ian Poulter just got to the interview room. He's 2-under 70, but I want to see what he's wearing. The guy usually wears purple pants, but this year he's rocking the lime green.

2008-04-10T09:48:00.000-04:00

Masters gets under way

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Where are we, the London Open?

When the Augusta National Golf Club gates opened this morning, the course was engulfed in the sort of pea soup fog that would have provided the perfect backdrop for a Sherlock Holmes mystery.

Tournament officials delayed the start for a little more than an hour, pushing it back from 7:50 a.m. to 9.

Four-time Masters champion Arnold Palmer hit the ceremonial first tee shot and keep is in the fairway.

There are only about four trios that have gotten under way so far. Columbus' Larry Mize is 1-over after the first hole, while Ben Curtis holds the top spot at the moment, even through four holes.

Of course, it's early.

Most of the heavy hitters won't tee off for at least another hour or two. Zach Johnson will start around 11:23, while Tiger Woods will follow two groups after his.

Who will I be following today?

Obviously I'll check in on Woods, but there's ample time for more detailed Tiger tracking. It's not as if he's going to miss the cut or anything. Johnson will be compelling as well, and not just because we share the same surname. The whole I'm Zach Johnson, regular guy from Iowa, who just happens to be a defending Masters champion thing makes him most interesting.

I'll also be watching Mize since he's local, as well as amateur Michael Thompson, a University of Alabama golfer, Augusta favorites Charles Howell III (Charlie Triple Sticks, we call him) and Vaughn Taylor, as well as those golfers who would fit in well with Larry the Cable Guy. In other words, I'll have keen interest in the efforts of Bubba Watson and former Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College golfer Boo Weekley, because it's cool that guys named Bubba and Boo can strip some of the pretense from what can be a very uptight sport.

2008-04-09T16:23:00.000-04:00

You know he's serious

AUGUSTA, Ga. — The beauty of the Par-3 Tournament, the Wednesday appetizer before the Masters main course arrives at the table Thursday, is incalculable.

Situate nine of the most lush, most vibrantly green par-3 golf holes on a compact tract of real estate. Surround with ponds and creeks, pink azaleas and bleach-white dogwood. Allow the masses to watch from the grassy knoll that rises above it all, giving it a coliseum feel.

Next, project some noise. Pump up the volume and let the sounds rattle off the tree trunks and waft through the branches.

It was loud on Wednesday because fans still appreciate guys like Arnold Palmer and Gary Player.

It would have been louder if Tiger Woods had played, but he opted out.

‘‘It's changed over the years,’’ Woods said during his Tuesday interview session. ‘‘Used to be, I thought it as a lot of fun to play, but now it is a little distracting to get ready and be ready for the tournament.’’

Nice try, but you're not fooling anyone.

Obviously, Woods is attempting to avoid the dreaded Par-3 Curse.

No winner of the Par-3 event has turned around and won the Masters in the same week.

If the current Par-3 leaderboard holds up (there are still golfers on the course), we can mark out Rory Sabbatini as a Guy Who Could Win the Masters. He's leading at 5-under.

But you probably didn't pick him to win anyway, did you?

2008-04-09T13:10:00.000-04:00

Evolution at Augusta

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- The green jacketed members of Augusta National Golf Club are widely perceived as the last members of the Flat Earth Society, stubborn dinosaurs who will ensure that it remains 1955 behind the gates.

It's not as if this is entirely a bad thing.

Unlike most major sporting events, you can feed a family of four without taking out a second mortgage. The cost of the delicious egg salad and pimento cheese sandwiches served hermetically sealed in Masters green wrappers has held firm at pre-Cold War prices.

As much as some club members may cling to the past with a white-knuckle grip akin to the Ranger chokehold, it's not entirely representative of the breed. In years past, the pre-tournament conversation often covered practices by the club that are deemed exclusionary. This year, chairman Billy Payne is being hailed as a visionary.

For the first time ever, the Par-3 Tournament will be televised. And ESPN cameras will be on the course to provide live coverage rather than simply provided the highlights that served as the backdrop for Stuart Scott’s Boo-Yeahs. There have been changes to the tournament's Web site, Masters.org, including streaming video and blogs.

Children 8-16 will also get in free from Thursday-Sunday, provided they are escorted by an adult with a tournament badge because, as Payne said, Augusta National wants to ''expose the game to a more youthful audience to communicate to them that golf is fun, it is family.''

So, for this week, females ages 8-16 will get to tread upon the hallowed grounds of Augusta National. However, they won't be able to join as adults for the forseeable future.

‘‘I don't talk about membership issues,’’ Payne said Wednesday morning, during his state of the tournament address. "That's reserved for the private deliberations of the members. Other than that, I'm not going to talk about it.''

In other words, Augusta National has embraced the technology of the 21st Century but not the sociology.

2008-04-08T12:46:00.000-04:00

Packing up and heading out

I've got my umbrella, a windbreaker, a rain suit, sunscreen and comfortable walking shoes.

In other words, everything I need to deal with the varying weather that normally greets folks at Augusta National during Masters week.

I'm hitting the road and heading for Augusta in a couple hours. Try not to hate me too much.

You'll start seeing my Masters dispatches in the blogosphere on Wednesday and in the Thursday morning Ledger-Enquirer. I'm teaming up with two writers from the Macon Telegraph, Daniel Shirley and Jonathan Heeter, to provide comprehensive coverage of the tournament. We'll obviously be tracking folks like Tiger and Phil Mickelson, as well as last year's winner, Zach Johnson, whose most pronounced success before had come in the form of those giant cardboard checks they hand out on the Hooter's Tour. We'll also be digging up interesting stuff on the amateurs, the darkhorses, the changes to the course and to the way it's being covered (ESPN's in the house for the par-3 tournament, but Chris Berman isn't. For that, we should be thankful).

So check back every so often to see what's cracking on the most perfect golf course ever conceived.

2008-04-07T23:42:00.000-04:00

Rock, chalk, Jayhawk

I'm not sure what was the most impressive component of Kansas' NCAA tournament run, its merciless flogging of North Carolina or its back-from-the-dead resurrection against Memphis.

The Tigers were less than three minutes away from cutting down the nets Monday night in San Antonio, but missed free throws and big baskets like the one Kansas guard Mario Chalmers made at the end of regulation switched Memphis' mood from celebration to devastation.

Your final: Kansas 75, Memphis 68.

Absolutely mind-boggling.

Twenty years ago, Danny Manning helped Kansas hoist a national championship trophy.

Danny and the Miracles, they called them. Manning happens to be a Jayhawk assistant coach now.

Guess they'll have to step aside so Mario and the Miracles can borrow the spotlight now.

2008-04-07T23:39:00.000-04:00

There's something lodged in their throats

That wretching noise you hear is Memphis coughing up a national championship.

Mario Chalmer's last-second 3-pointer at the end of regulation flipped the script as the kids say.

With 2:24 to go in overtime, it's Kansas 69-65.

The Jayhawks have outscored Memphis 18-5 since the 4:29 mark of the first half and are having their way with those nice screen and lob plays to the low post that decimated North Carolina. It helps that Memphis' best rebounder and shot blocker, Joey Dorsey, fouled out in regulation.

2008-04-07T23:27:00.000-04:00

Unreal

My concerns about Memphis free throw shooting (I picked them to get bounced in the Sweet 16 because of its sub-60 percent rate in the regular season) weren't unfounded. Even though the Tigers were better than 70 percent as a team in the NCAA tournament, their old habits resurfaced at the wrong time.

Chris Douglas-Roberts just went clank, clank with his team up 62-60 with 10.8 seconds left, but teammate Robert Dozier bailed him out with an offensive rebound.

Now it's up to Derrick Rose to extend the lead with a pair of free throws after Kansas' grab-and-foul.

The first one ... boink!

The second one ... Swish.

63-60.

Check that.

Mario Chalmers for three just before the buzzer and it drops.

63-all.

We're going to overtime, and that's OK with me. Drama like this deserved to be milked for maximum effect.

2008-04-07T23:19:00.001-04:00

Take a good, long look

Memphis freshman point guard Derrick Rose is putting together a nice farewell performance.

A twisting, fallaway 19-foot bank shot over two defenders with the shot clock at 0:01? A field goal or an assist on seven consecutive possessions?

Yeah, he's ready for the NBA.

Assuming Memphis protects the 62-56 lead it has with 1:39 to go, that should be Rose's next stop.

2008-04-07T22:35:00.001-04:00

It's getting interesting

Since my NCAA national championship game pairing of UCLA and North Carolina was ground up into mulch Saturday, I can watch the Memphis-Kansas game as a dispassionate observer.

It's obvious to me now after watching the first half why these two teams made it this far. The assortment of quick, long-limbed athletes on the court is beyond impressive.

I mentioned on a radio show earlier Monday that I liked Memphis to win with ease because of players like Derrick Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts, who can beat defenders off the dribble and hit mid-range shots or put the defense in foul-me-or-give-up-the-layup situations.

Even after seeing the Tigers go five minutes without a field goal during the first half, I'm still feeling good about them. They just pulled ahead 38-37 a moment ago because Rose has started to attack the basket, which he didn't do in the first half. When Rose gets into the lane, it leads to easy dunks by guys like Joey Dorsey and Robert Dozier.

So far, Kansas has done a pretty nice job of keeping Rose in front of them and daring him to take perimeter shots. We'll see what happens. Right now, Douglas-Roberts looks like the best player on the court.

2008-04-07T12:53:00.000-04:00

Crank That Misogyny

Does anybody else find it mildly hilarious that the hip-hop song ''Crank That'' by Soulja Boy has spread like a virus from stadium to stadium in the last year or so?

It's inevitable that, no matter the sporting event, the song will be played at some point. People hear the dink ... dink ... dink of the steel drums at the beginning, then brace themselves for the crash of the bass.

Before too long, everybody in the stands will be cranking their Soulja Boy even most have nary a clue as to what it means to crank such a thing. Even wholesome Mark Richt bobbed his head to the beat on the sideline while Georgia beat down Auburn last season.

At the Columbus Cottonmouths playoff game Sunday afternoon, the song came over the Civic Center speakers some time in the third period. Little kids were bouncing, grandmas were crunking, middle-aged white guys were spreading their arms like Superman and I started wondering: Do people not understand the lyrics to this thing?

You probably won't be hearing The Wiggles use any of the terminology any time soon:

"Soulja Boy off in this 'ho/Watch me crank it/Watch me roll/Watch me crank dat Soulja Boy/Then Superman dat 'ho ..."

For the uninitiated, ''ho'' is a less than complimentary term for women. And to Superman one would be a particularly dastardly act, according to urbandictionary.com. I won't print the definition here because I like having a job, so look it up yourself if your curious. And, while you're checking on that, you might want to look up the full lyric sheet to the song. Once you read them, you'll probably be amazed that this thing has enjoyed such prominent play as stadium Jock Rock.

It's not as if I'm anti-rap by any means. I still have my Public Enemy and A Tribe Called Qwest CDs from my high school and college days. I'm merely expressing wonderment that people don't seem to actually listen to music and digest the meaning of it. Soulja Boy puts out some great music for the club, but I'm not sure it's the right soundtrack for 8-year-old kids to bounce to at the ballpark.

I mean, it's not like you can go to a Braves game and hear Snoop or Dre rapping about pulling a gat and bustin' a cap in some punk a--.

2008-04-04T10:59:00.000-04:00

Anyone surprised by this?

At least Atlanta Braves left-hander Mike Hampton displayed some creative flair in extending his absence from the starting rotation.

After missing two seasons while recovering from two elbow surgeries and seemingly being one hard sneeze away from breaking a rib since then, Hampton went on the disabled list after being scratched from Thursday night's scheduled start against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Hampton strained a pectoral muscle during bullpen warmups and was replaced by Jeff Bennett.

What's next for this guy?

Mercury poisoning? Gangrene? Whooping cough? Shingles?

Hampton has been that star-crossed, that unlucky, that ... susceptible to misfortune.

When news of his most recent injury came across the Associated Press wire Thursday night, I happened to be in the office talking to a couple co-workers. My initial reaction: ''How can he be so brittle. Is this guy made out of Dresden china or something?''

To which my esteemed colleague David Ching responded: ''No, but he was made in China.''

2008-04-03T11:03:00.001-04:00

An overdue reprieve

Think of what it must have been like to live in Steve Bartman's world these last five years.

There were rumors he'd undergone plastic surgery and moved to England in an effort to escape one moment of ignominy, when jumped out of his Wrigley Field box seat and reached over the railing a foul ball with his beloved Chicago Cubs a mere five outs away from their first World Series trip since 1945.

Chicago left fielder Moises Alou was rushing over to make a play, but couldn't make the catch because the ball bounced off Bartman's outstretched hand.

You know what happened next.

Chicago's 3-0 lead lost its shape faster than Donald Trump's hair in a wind tunnel.

The Florida Marlins staged an impossible rally for eight runs, claiming Game 6 and effectively sticking another pin in the voodoo doll that has cursed the Cubs for all of these years. They went on to clinch the NLCS, depriving the Cubs of a joyful moment and making Bartman the enemy of an entire city.

Bartman left Wrigley under the protection of security guards after Game 6 as fans hurled insults and cups at him.

It didn't get any better.

The governor of Illinois suggested Bartman join the federal witness protection program. Letterman and Leno created laughter at his expense. His Game 6 outfit -- blue Cubs cap, glasses and headphones -- became a Halloween costume. Florida Gov. Jeb Bush went so far as to offer him asylum in the Sunshine State.

Bartman went underground like Punxatawny Phil, retreating from view, declining interviews, getting an unlisted phone number and attempting to return to a Regular Guy existence.

All because he reached for a foul ball in his vicinity, an impulse few fans are able to resist. He can't be blamed for the collapse that followed because he wasn't pitching to the Marlins yet, to see the editorial cartoons and Internet spoofs that followed, it was Bartman and not Mrs. O'Leary's cow who kicked over the lamp that started the Great Chicago Fire.

Here's the truly sad part.

He wouldn't have spent five years looking over his shoulder, worried that maniacal Cubs fans would recognize him and perhaps stone him to death, if Alou had reacted to the foul ball fiasco the way he did earlier this week.

"You know what the funny thing is?'' Alou told Associated Press sports columnist Jim Litke. "I wouldn't have caught it, anyway.''

Alou expressed hope that Bartman would be able to move on without hassle.

"Hopefully, he won't have to regret it for the rest of his life,'' Alou told the AP.

Um, yeah, we can only hope.

Think of the penalty he's paid these last five years.

He's been forced to live in the shadows, as if he crossed the Mafia, all because of a foul ball that Alou probably wouldn't have caught.

Where were Alou's words of comfort oh, I don't know, five years ago?

Now that Alou has removed Bartman from the Bunsen burner of Chicago's hatred, perhaps the regular guy in the Cubs cap and headphones can return to Wrigley and not fear for his safety. Maybe the Cubs could even welcome him as a special guest.

That might actually make up for the last five years.

2008-04-02T13:15:00.000-04:00

Armed and dangerous

Bill Moloney looks and sounds like the quintessential Baseball Man, the sort of no-nonsense field presence who lacks anything resembling pretense.

Chances are you haven't heard of him, but he might have one of the most important jobs in the Tampa Bay Rays minor league system. Heading into his second season as the Columbus Catfish's pitching coach, Moloney realizes the work he does at Golden Park this season could shape the future success of the Rays at the major league level.

While Tampa Bay has struggled to raise itself from the cellar since joining major league play a decade ago, it has remained consistent in its mission of building through its minor league system. Lately, the Rays' farm system has become stocked with a bumper crop of talent that would seem capable of helping the parent club grow into a postseason threat before too long.

There are some parallels between the Rays and the pre-1990s Atlanta Braves, who took their lumps for so long before building around young pitchers like Tom Glavine, Steve Avery and John Smoltz. With pitchers like David Price, Tampa Bay's top draft choice in 2007, waiting in the wings, it's not inconceivable that the Rays could one day build a comparable rotation.

That's where Moloney comes in. Last season, he worked wonders with a pair of impressive talents in Heath Rollins and Jeremy Hellickson. Rollins set Tampa Bay's organizational record with 17 wins in helping the Catfish claim the South Atlantic League title, while Hellickson went 13-3. Both pitchers posted an earned run average well under 3.00.

Rollins and Hellickson moved up the minor league ladder, but Moloney likes the prospects he'll guide this season. The group includes lefty Glenn Gibson, ranked the Rays' 11th-best prospect, and right-hander Alex Cobb, ranked 14th.

‘‘It's a lot of fun for me because it makes me look like a genius,'' Moloney said of the talent on hand. ‘‘Last year's staff was outstanding and I'm anticipating this year's staff can be just as good. Obviously, I've heard some comments down at spring training that this is the deepest. It's a testament to the organization how they're going out and getting these good arms.
‘‘It makes my job easier. It makes me look like a smart guy.''

The Catfish open the season Thursday night at 7 against Savannah.

Moloney, who played in the Boston Red Sox minor league system for six years before an injury led to his release in 1984, said the Rays will demonstrate major improvement over the next few seasons because of the competitive climate in the minor league system.

‘‘The premium is on pitching since it's so hard to come by,’’ Moloney said. ‘‘Everyone is getting an opportunity to show what they can do. Years ago, it was kind of like if you weren't a high draft pick you'd get thrown to the back of the bus, so to speak, until you got your chance. Now these kids are coming out of college on the map.

‘‘Now, the whole mood around the organization is, hey, we have something working here. There's no telling what can happen. With all this young talent pushing them, it can light a fire under some guys. Obviously, it gives these kids the sense that there's light at the end of the tunnel.''

2008-03-28T18:06:00.000-04:00

Cutting dead weight

A Jacksonville State University associate director of athletics has been shedding pounds on the reality TV show ‘‘The Biggest Loser.''

Unfortunately for Roger Shultz, the former Alabama offensive lineman-turned-JSU administrator, his new employer decided it needed to drop some extra weight as well.

Jacksonville State lost about 235 pounds when it fired Shultz earlier this month.

In essence, the university told Shultz he needed to make a choice between his job and his long-term health. Shultz, who had been hired five months ago to lead marketing and fundraising efforts for the athletic department, had been using sick leave to do the necessary training to shed pounds and stay in contention for the $250,000 prize that goes to the winner of "The Biggest Loser.''

"I feel like we did everything possible to allow this to happen for him, but there came a time and point that we need to move forward in our marketing and fundraising area,'' JSU athletic director Jim Fuller said in a statement released Thursday.

Shultz, an Enterprise, Ala., native, said there are no hard feelings over the firing.

"I was being a little selfish on this end of it,'' he told the Birmingham News. "I wanted to participate [in the show] and get my health back. I didn't know when I got there if I'd be there a week or 15 weeks."

The season finale of the TV show is scheduled to air on April 15, and Shultz would seem to be in prime position among its -- pardon the pun -- thinning herd.

After weighing in at a scale-straining 363 pounds on the first episode, Schultz had shed 127 pounds as of the last episode.

2008-03-26T16:26:00.001-04:00

More Mascot Madness

We don't yet know whether the Columbus Catfish will have staying power in this town beyond the upcoming South Atlantic League season, but this much is certain:

The Catfish are a force to be reckoned with in the world of team mascots and logos.

The team's logo -- a catfish swining a bat at a Georgia peach attached to a fishing hook -- has advanced to the Elite Eight round of the minor league mascot contest created by CNBC.com reporter Darren Rovell.

Rovell constructed an NCAA tournament-style bracket filled with minor league baseball mascots and has invited fans to vote online to determine the nation's best. Votes can be registered at www.DarrenRovell.com and polling will open again Thursday morning at 9.

Columbus advanced to the final eight of the Minor League Baseball logo tournament by outpacing the Aiken Foxhounds in last week's voting. The Catfish are paired up with a familiar foe in this week's bracket, the Augusta GreenJackets.

2008-03-26T13:05:00.000-04:00

A life interrupted

Five months ago, Victor Ellis didn't look like a man stricken with cancer.

In a photo taken at a November fund-raiser held on his behalf before an Alabama football game in Tuscaloosa, Ellis looks like he could still strap on the shoulder pads and return to the linebacker position he once occupied. He's standing tall and proud, wearing a black Izod V-neck sweater over a white dress shirt and smiling into the camera. He looks like a young man with far more living to do.

Sadly, Ellis' life, filled with positivity and full of so much promise, ended late Tuesday night.

The former Alabama football standout died at 28, succumbing to cancer in his hometown of Chattanooga, Tenn.

Ellis' former teammate and his best friend, running back Ahmaad Galloway, was at his side at Memorial Hospital. Their friendship serves as testament to the bonds that form through sports. When Galloway was married last April, Ellis wore a tux and served as his best man. When Ellis was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer after developing a persistent cough last summer, Galloway stepped in to help.

He accompanied his friend to chemotherapy treatments and organized a fund-raiser along with Blair Brown, the president of the Russell/Muscogee County chapter of the University of Alabama National Alumni Association.

The event that originated through their tireless work produced an amazing outpouring of support. Former Alabama football legends mingled with the masses at the ''Tailgating with the Legends'' event set up near Denny Chimes before last November's home game with Louisiana-Monroe. Brown told me that $30,000 in donations were raised for Ellis in just two hours.

Ellis, who served as an honorary game captain for that home game, had an unspeakably difficult fight against tumors that had formed in a lung, a kidney, his chest cavity, spine and pelvis. You couldn't see any of that in the photo that Brown shared via e-mail, the one that showed Ellis looking so happy and carefree not so long ago.

"Victor told me on several occasions that it meant a lot to him for you all to come out and support him like you did,’’ Brown wrote in an e-mail to A Club members Wednesday. "He was very grateful to the Alabama family. We were honored to know him and call him our friend.''

We can only hope that Ellis is at peace now, free of the pain that attacked his body. We must also remember the good work done last fall for a good man.

To see a slideshow from last fall's fund-raiser, log on to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/25115406@N08/show/

2008-03-20T14:37:00.000-04:00

Bracketcide

It's not often you see a 20-plus-point swing in one half, but the Georgia Miracle Network has been officially disconnected.

Xavier 73-61.

The final score isn't indicative of the outcome, however. Georgia, which squandered an 11-point second-half lead, still had a fighting chance with 1:24 left in regulation. Sundiata Gaines whipped a sweet pass to center Dave Bliss for a dunk, closing the gap to 64-61 and keeping hope alive for another possession or two.

Here's the problem: Xavier made its free throws. At one point, the Musketeers were on an 18-of-23 tear at the line. The game got away from Georgia because it couldn't convert makeable shots on the interior in the second half and found itself forced to make chuck-and-duck 3-pointers at the end.

2008-03-20T14:13:00.000-04:00

Bulldogs in a tough spot

Center Dave Bliss just got his fourth foul with 5:31 to go. That leaves freshman Jeremy Price and the 6-10 kid, Jackson, to carry the load for a while.

Xavier is starting to push the tempo and rachet up their defensive intensity.

Derrick Brown just finished a beautiful fast-break sequence with a layup and drew a foul, so Georgia could get buried here in a moment.

Xavier by 8 points with 5:05 to go.

2008-03-20T14:06:00.000-04:00

Not so fast, folks

Georgia appears to be running out of pixie dust.

Your score with about 7 minutes to go: Xavier 52, Georgia 49.

The Bulldogs had been up by as many as 11, but have stalled on offense. They just completed a sequence with a pair of inside misses that ended with Xavier wingman C.J. Anderson burying a dagger of a 3-pointer for the lead. Dennis Felton just called a time out, so we'll see if he's able to calm things down.

The Musketeers are getting in Georgia's shirts on defense.

Oh, and I just noticed that they have a forward named, get this, Charles Bronson.

How cool of a name is that?

"Hi, I'm Charles Bronson.''

That sounds so menacing.

Definitely not a guy you'd mug on a subway unless, of course, you have a (cringe) Death Wish.

2008-03-20T13:14:00.000-04:00

Feeling smart right now

Could I be the smartest man in the world?

Sorry, but I'm having delusions of grandeur because of this halftime score from the NCAA tournament: Georgia 35, Xavier 26.

If you saw my bracket in Thursday morning's newspaper, you probably coughed up your Cheerios upon noticing that I had Georgia winning two tournament games (the bracket is correct, but there was a typo in the text that ran next to it). I really like the way Xavier plays, but I decided to go all-in with the Bulldogs because of what I witnessed in Atlanta during the SEC tournament.

They have proven to be a very determined team and their big men, Albert Jackson and Jeremy Price, have started to grow into decent players. Price went for 8 points and 4 rebounds in the first half, while Jackson contributed 5 rebounds.

Not a bad start, but I wonder if Georgia can maintain its 53 percent field goal shooting. That's uncharacteristically good for this team.

Now, before I feel too good about my basketball evaluations, let's get another score: Michigan State 35, Temple 26 at the end of the first half.

I picked Temple.

2008-03-20T12:53:00.000-04:00

Green jacket Mafia

I found out last week that the Columbus State men's golf team would get to play Augusta National Golf Club as a special guest of James Blanchard, the retired chairman of the board for Synovus who happens to be a member.

Getting to play the most storied and beautiful 18-hole course in the country (we're excluding Pebble Beach because of the lack of azaleas) sounds like a pretty cool experience, right? The sort of thing a lot of weekend golfers would enjoy reading about, right?

Sorry, folks.

Augusta National members are more secretive than the scientists at Area 51 (assuming Area 51 really exists).

I expressed an interest in interviewing CSU golf coach Mark Immelman and his players about their trip, but they declined.

A member of the traveling party told me they sought Mr. Blanchard's OK to consent to the interview and that he told them Augusta National ''doesn't want any publicity'' on the subject.

I've met Mr. Blanchard before and he's a very nice fellow. In fact, he can often be found in the press room during the Masters. And he did a very nice thing by affording the CSU golfers an experience they will remember for the rest of their lives.

It's a shame we can't discuss that kindness in more detail.

2008-03-18T13:17:00.000-04:00

Catfish in Mascot Madness

The Columbus Catfish could add a title to the South Atlantic League championship they clinched at Golden Park last season.

This time, however, the Catfish are in contention for having the best logo in Minor League Baseball.

CNBC.com ‘‘Sports Biz’’ blogger Darren Rovell has constructed his own version of Mascot Madness, a 64-team bracket in which fans’ online votes determine the ultimate outcome.

To participate in the contest, log on to www.cnbc.com/id/23674382 and cast your vote.

Rovell selected Columbus' logo, which features a blue catfish swinging a baseball bat at a Georgia peach attached to a fishing hook, as a No. 2 seed in his bracket. The Catfish are paired against the seventh-seeded Kansas City T-Bones in the Round of 32.

Round Two voting closes today at 9 a.m., so you'd better be quick to click.

Other teams on Columbus' side of the bracket include the Casper Ghosts, Lansing Lugnuts, North Arkansas Naturals, Augusta Green Jackets, River City Rascals and Aiken Foxhounds.

Rovell reported on his blog Tuesday morning that a previous bracket pairing between the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs and Lakewood BlueClaws drew 8,000 votes. The Iron Pigs advaned in the bracket by capturing 52 percent of the vote.

Log on and take a look. There are some great logos in contention for the honor, but the Catfish would appear to have as good a chance as anyone.

2008-03-17T18:31:00.000-04:00

Let's talk some basketball

If any of you want to play hooky from work for a few minutes, log on to www.ledger-enquirer.com Wednesday at noon and find the link to my web chat on the NCAA basketball tournament.

We will be doing a pair of web chats that day, with the second coming at 6 p.m.

Become a member of our Church of Bracketology and tell me who's in your Final Four, what upset possibilities you like, which players you'll be eager to watch over the next three weeks and how ''One Shining Moment'' gives you goosebumps.

My tentative Final Four looks like this: North Carolina, Kansas, Texas and Connecticut. I say tentative because I have yet to put a pen to paper and fill out my bracket. I'm still studying teams and weighing options, but will probably do a grand unveiling in Thursday morning's paper.

Anyway, please feel free to drop in Wednesday at noon and 6 p.m. I could use some company.

2008-03-16T18:36:00.000-04:00

Mad Dawgs March on

ATLANTA -- The two most pressing questions of the day now have answers.

No, Georgia basketball coach Dennis Felton doesn't have to worry about his job security anymore.

And, yes, the Bulldogs will be bound for the NCAA tournament for the first time in six years (OK, Georgia reached the tournament in 2002, but the NCAA later invalidated that appearance as part of probation) after becoming the third team in league history to win four Southeastern Conference tournament games in four days.

Uh, make that four games in three days. Or 120 minutes of basketball in a two-day stretch.

Anyway you want to parse it, the Bulldogs are in after outlasting Arkansas 66-57 Sunday at Alexander Memorial Coliseum. They'll play in the West regional, which seems like a cockamamie concept since their opener will be in Washington, D.C. The 14th-seeded Bulldogs (17-16) drew third-seeded Xavier (27-6).

So, you know what that means.

He's baaaaack.

Felton can quit sweating and Georgia athletic director Damon Evans can start listening to the fan who shouted at him from the stands during Sunday's post-game celebration at midcourt.

''Two-year extension!'' one fan yelled. "Three-year extension! Sign the contract, Damon. Now! We're watching you!''

Evans had a message in return: Chill out, dude.

‘‘He's going to be back,'' Evans said. ‘‘Of course he's going to be back. I told you guys you just have to sit back and wait until the end of the year.''

2008-03-16T15:05:00.000-04:00

Judgement Day

ATLANTA -- We're 30 minutes from tip-off here at the Atlantic Coast Conference arena that happens to be hosting the Southeastern Conference basketball tournament.

In another three hours, the NCAA tournament brackets will begin to take shape on CBS' tournament selection show. A number of nervous college coaches will be looking in on the Georgia-Arkansas game because the outcome could burst their teams' tournament bubbles.

If Georgia wins, it will clinch an automatic NCAA bid and likely push a deserving mid-major team out of the bracket. Right now, it looks as if five SEC teams can expect inclusion in the NCAA field: Tennessee, which may have cost itself a No. 1 seed by losing to Arkansas Saturday night, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Kentucky.

2008-03-15T23:38:00.000-04:00

Dawg tired, but still dribbling

ATLANTA -- The last time such a through-the-looking-glass example of surrealism followed a tornado, Dorothy wandered the Yellow Brick Road with a scarecrow, a tin man and a cowardly lion.

To borrow the words she shared with her faithful dog: ‘‘Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.''

Georgia's stay in the Southeastern Conference basketball tournament has now reached the terrain of the abnormal and the paranormal. The Bulldogs now find themselves on another planet, a place of possibility where it's no longer laughable to spin blindly and hit a game-winning shot or beat a better opponent with three post players plagued by foul trouble and the senior floor leader unavailable for the final 7:18 minutes of regulation after fouling out.

Perhaps this final score shouldn't make eyes bulge out of their sockets given what happened earlier in the day, but tell me these numbers on the board at Alexander Memorial Coliseum don't elicit a double-take and a headshake.

Georgia 64, Mississippi State 60.

Between noon and midnight Saturday, the Bulldogs beat a potential NCAA tournament team in Kentucky and an NCAA lock in Mississippi State to reach their first SEC tournament championship game since 1997.

Still, you'd have to go back much farther in the history book to find such an unlikely and remarkable zeroes-to-heroes metamorphosis. In 1983, Georgia entered the SEC tournament as a No. 6 seed, but won the tournament and dribbled their way to the NCAA Final Four with the help of Terry Fair and Vern Fleming. This year's batch of Bulldogs had to negotiate an extra obstacle in order to reach Sunday's 3:30 p.m. championship game against Arkansas. When Georgia became the only No. 6 seed to win the tourney in 1983 in the days before conference expansion, it merely had to win three games since it received a first-round bye.

‘‘I can hardly describe how proud I am of our players,’’ Georgia coach Dennis Felton said. ‘‘We're also determined to come out and play with the same kind of conviction tomorrow.’’

Throughout the tournament, the Bulldogs have received pivotal plays from unlikely sources. Dave Bliss, the offensively-challenged senior center, banked in a game-winning shot in overtime in a first round game against Ole Miss. Freshman Zach Swansey, forced into late action against Kentucky after senior Sundiata Gaines fouled out, spun and hit a 3-pointer to make the difference in overtime against Kentucky Saturday afternoon. Against Mississippi State, Georgia received inspired play from 6-foot-10 center Albert Jackson (12 points, eight rebounds) and junior wing Corey Butler (8 points, 6 rebounds). Swansey also resurfaced as a leader rather than a last-second scorer, taking over the point when Gaines (20 points, 5 rebounds) fouled out with 7:18 to go.

Gaines sustained a hip injury after charging into a Mississippi State defender beneath the basket on his last foul. Felton said he didn't know whether Gaines' availability for the championship game would be in doubt.

After leading by as many as 11 points in the first half, Georgia was forced to come up with inventive ways to hang together given that Gaines, Bliss, Jackson and forward Jeremy Price were all saddled with second half foul trouble. Not to mention the fact that they were extremely fatigued after playing nearly 80 minutes in one day.

‘‘It was definitely a grind,’’ Bliss said. ‘‘I've probably played 120 games (in my career), but never two in a row. This team has really come together over the last few days.’’

The sum has definitely proven to be greater than the individual parts. Keep in mind that this team had lost 11 of 13 games heading into what was supposed to be a very short SEC tournament stay. With one more win, the Bulldogs will crash the NCAA tournament party by bum-rushing their way through the servant's entrance with four wins in four days.

‘‘My parents always say, ‘When you're at the bottom, you have no way to go but up,’’’ Butler said.

So they will play on, albeit with more sleep and more time to study their opponent than they had early Saturday morning. It would be understandable if the Bulldogs hit the wall and run out of fuel against Arkansas, but the potential rewards could prove to be rejuvenating -- for this team and this program as a whole.

‘‘I'm not really sure what motivation you need besides the automatic bid that's at the end of the fourth game,’’ Bliss said.

They're still following the basketball version of the Yellow Brick Road. Somewhere along the way, this team found what the scarecrow, the tin man and the lion lacked.

A brain, a heart and the courage to continue.

2008-03-15T20:30:00.000-04:00

More madness in Atlanta

ATLANTA — Take a good, long look at Arkansas center Steven Hill.

He’s 7-feet of awkwardness, from the gangly limbs to the puffy hair to the Chewbacca starter kit of beard stubble on his face. Add to this a red headband and Hill looks like he should be posting up Jackie Moon, the Will Farrell character in the soon-to-be released comedy/ABA homage ''Semi-Pro.''

Thanks to Hill, we've just witnessed the sort of moment that makes college basketball so riveting in March.

Hill, the Sasquatch look-a-like who dresses as if he's about to play squash, just buried a turnaround jumper a heartbeat before the buzzer to give Arkansas a 92-91 win over Tennessee in Saturday night's Southeastern Conference tournamnet semifinal at Georgia Tech's Alexander Memorial Coliseum.

Unless you're a Tennessee fan, you have to love a moment like this. Before sinking a shot on a play that wasn't even supposed to run through him, Hill had produced a grand total of zero points and four fouls.

"It obviously was designed for me,'' Hill joked after the game. "I need more shots.''

Other than the tornado that shook the Georgia Dome Friday night and forced the SEC to move to an ACC court, this tournament will be remembered for drama engineered by backups and stiff 7-footers.

First, Dave Bliss knocks in a bank at the overtime buzzer to lift Georgia over Ole Miss in the first round. Then Tennessee escapes against South Carolina. Then freshman guard Zac Swansey, on the court solely because a senior starter fouled out, airmails a whirl-and-shoot 3-pointer to propel Georgia past Kentucky. Later Saturday, it was Hill's turn to create March magic.

What was it that they said about Michael Jordan? It's got to be the shoes.

Take a look at the water ski-length sneakers on Hill's feet. The No. 4 is scrawled on the top of both high-tops in black magic marker. It serves as a tribute to recently retired Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre.

"He's my all-time favorite athlete,'' Hill said.

Brett would undoubtedly be proud of Hill if he saw that last shot. The guts required to take it, let alone make it, were positively Favre-like.

2008-03-15T15:52:00.000-04:00

Intimate setting

ATLANTA — Anybody happen to have a Dunwoody High School roster handy?

Wait, you mean this isn't the Georgia High School Association playoffs being played today at Georgia Tech's Alexander Memorial Coliseum?

Actually, GHSA postseason crowds are generally larger than what Georgia and Kentucky played in front of Saturday in the quarterfinals of the relocated Southeastern Conference tournament.

Damage done to the Georgia Dome by a tornado late Friday night necessitated a move somewhere, what with debris falling from the rafters of the arena and a hole punctured in the roof. Nearby option -- the Gwinnett Arena and Phillips Arena -- were already booked, leaving SEC officials with no other option but a 9,000-seat venue at Tech. They were also saddled with a collosal headache since the Georgia Dome basketball seating arrangement could accomodate 26,000 fans.

That meant a lot of hacked-off Kentucky fans were waiting outside the coliseum and wondering why their SEC tournament passes couldn't get them in the door Saturday morning. SEC officials determined the only way to ensure security and equitability between the schools was to limit passage into the arena to players' families, pep bands and cheerleaders.

As a result, a mere 1,458 fans witnessed Georgia's thrilling 60-56 overtime win over Kentucky.

2008-03-14T01:02:00.000-04:00

Felton not feeling heat

ATLANTA -- If the Southeastern Conference tournament was supposed to represent a referendum on the future of Georgia basketball coach Dennis Felton, then the opening round merely served to muddy the issue.

A Georgia team that came to Atlanta with 11 losses in its last 13 games and nothing to play for put together an extraordinary effort to outlast Ole Miss 97-95 in overtime.

Center Dave Bliss, the least appealing offensive option at the end of the game, hit a 6-foot bank shot as the clock expired to send the Bulldogs (14-16) into Friday night’s second round matchup against Kentucky. In doing so, Bliss may have provided a temporary stay for Felton, who has yet to receive a vote of confidence from athletic director Damon Evans.

When asked after the game whether he felt Thursday night’s victory answered his critics, Felton was non-plussed.

"I didn't know I had any critics,'' Felton said. "They just haven't surfaced as far as I'm concerned. How could I possibly sit here and do Damon Evans' thinking for him? That's a question that's suited for Damon.''

Evans' decision will certainly be guided by Felton's overall body of work rather than what happens in Atlanta, but Thursday night should have been seen as a positive.

Georgia played with intensity that belied a team with a 4-12 conference record. The Bulldogs nearly fumbled the game away by committing fouls on last-ditch 3-point shots, once at the end of regulation and once at the end of overtime, enabling the Rebels to force ties. At the same time, they finally finished off a game against a quality opponent.

"For our team to actually finish up the game, which we hadn't done in a long time, I think that is real special,'' said point guard Sundiata Gaines, who converted 11-of-13 free throws and finished with 22 points.

2008-03-14T00:40:00.000-04:00

Day one observations

ATLANTA -- Georgia just outlasted Ole Miss in overtime, 97-95, despite doing everything possible to keep the Rebels in the game.
Georgia committed fouls on a pair of Ole Miss 3-point attempts, once at the end of regulation and once at the end of overtime, allowing the Rebels to tie what seemed to be an airtight game on both occasions.
The Bulldogs made the most of the 5.5 seconds left on the clock in the latter instance. Corey Butler pushed the ball upcourt and found Dave Bliss unguarded to the right of the lane. Bliss, the senior center who is undoubtedly the last option to consider for a game-winning shot, banked in a 6-footer just before the buzzer to seal the deal.
Since I'm waiting for Dennis Felton to arrive for his postgame press conference (in case anyone is still awake), I'll fill the time by running down some players who stuck out.

Shan Foster, Vanderbilt: The 6-foot-6 guard, who earned SEC player of the year honors, lived up to his billing with 26 points against Auburn. He made 6-of-9 3-pointers, many of them coming from waaaaay deep, and displayed a nice mid-range game.

A.J. Ogilvy, Vanderbilt: Hard to believe he's a freshman. What stood out -- other than his 12-of-13 shooting, was his footwork and soft hands. It's rare to see a 6-11 player with considerable bulk run the floor so well.

Anthony Randolph, LSU: This freshman can afford to stick around. He'll merely boost his NBA earning potential by bulking up his thin 6-10 body and expanding his skill set. He went off for 22 points and eight rebounds in a loss to South Carolina.

Mykal Riley, Alabama: Riley has been lethal from long-range in the last two games. He absolutely buried Florida by hitting crucial 3-pointers in the second half. He may be a bit one-dimensional, but it's a good dimension to have. Keep stepping back until they choose not to guard you and bury it in their face. Riley went 8-of-12 on threes on the way to a 26-point night.

Sundiata Gaines, Georgia: Haven't seen the final box score yet, but he had 20 points and applied some suffocating defense. He's the consummate point guard -- tough in the lane, good court vision and scrappy on defense. He made life miserable for Ole Miss freshman point guard Chris Warren.

2008-03-13T21:47:00.000-04:00

Alabama advances

ATLANTA -- Alabama just bounced two-time defending national champion Florida out of the SEC tournament, 80-69.

The Crimson Tide finished strong after allowing a 23-point halftime lead to get cut to 57-51 in the second half.

Mykal Riley was lights-out for Alabama for the second straight game, hitting eight 3-pointers and finishing with 26 points.

2008-03-13T21:19:00.000-04:00

Uh, not so fast ...

ATLANTA — Now we're seeing a glimpse of the Alabama team that went 5-11 in SEC play this season.

The Crimson Tide’s 23-point halftime lead over Florida dissolved to seven a couple minutes ago. Mykal Riley just buried another 3-pointer to help push it back to 11 points with about five remaining.

Riley has gone absolutely bonkers. Haven't seen updated stats, but he had 14 points at halftime after going 4-of-7 from 3-point range. Richard Hendrix was unstoppable in the first half with 15 points and five rebounds.

It's rare for a Billy Donovan-coached team to go out with a whimper, but the Gators could be playing their way out of the NCAA tournament equation. They were 21-10 (8-8 in the SEC) going into Thursday and were widely believed to be in need of a win or two in the league tournament in order to offset a weak RPI rating (64th).

Florida has won 18 consecutive postseason games over the last two years, but it's looking like any extension to that will come in the NIT.

2008-03-13T19:46:00.000-04:00

Alabama looking sharp

ATLANTA -- If this keeps up, Florida may soon find its NCAA bubble pierced by a stilleto.

Your score from the Georgia Dome at the first TV timeout:

Alabama 14, Florida 2.

The Crimson Tide jumped out to a 14-0 lead before the Gators came ''roaring back'' with their first basket of the game.

2008-03-13T18:59:00.000-04:00

Auburn out of SEC, on to CBI?

ATLANTA -- Auburn's stay in the SEC basketball tournament was neither long nor particularly memorable.

Even though the Tigers flamed out with a 93-82 loss to Vanderbilt on Thursday, it's entirely possible that Auburn’s season won't end just yet.

The Tigers, who allowed Vanderbilt to shoot 67 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3-point range, wouldn't seem to be an especially enticing postseason commodity at 14-16. The NIT would certainly seem to be a longshot with that record, but an upstart alternative to that consolation prize could have room for the Tigers.

Ever hear of the CBI? Neither had I until Thursday afternoon (I do enjoy CSI, however, preferably the one set in Las Vegas).

The College Basketball Invitational will compete with the 32-team NIT for the leftover scraps that don't land on the plate of the NCAA tournament. A CBI representative has contacted Auburn in search of statistics and background information on the team.

The 16-team CBI is operated by the Gazelle Group, a New Jersey-based firm that operates some of college basketball's early season tournaments.

Auburn basketball coach Jeff Lebo said he'd like for his team to receive a bid to play in a postseason tournament, simply for the experience.

''Just to play in the postseason is big,’’ Lebo said. ''Just to play in that environment.''

The CBI, however, comes with a price tag. In order to host, an athletic department must cut a $60,000 check. Road teams will have their travel expenses paid for them, however. One twist to the CBI format will be a best-of-three championship series.

Lebo said playing in the NIT would likely be more practicle for his program, but stopped short of saying Auburn would turn down a CBI invitation. He said his primary concern with the CBI involves the potential for grueling roads -- especially in a best-of-three final.

"What happens if you play and you've got Washington vs. St. John's in the final?'' Lebo said.

2008-03-13T16:21:00.000-04:00

SEC hoop happenings

ATLANTA -- After witnessing the first half of the Auburn-Vanderbilt basketball game here at the Southeastern Conference tournament, I have come to the following conclusion.

Vanderbilt could play 2-against-5 and have a fighting chance to beat Auburn as long as their duo happened to be Shan Foster and A.J. Ogilvy. The pair combined for all but 14 of the Commodores' first-half points.

Your score at halftime: Vanderbilt 47, Auburn 36.

The Foster-Ogilvy stat line: A combined 13-of-16 from the field and 33 points.

Auburn fell into a hole early and lost its grip on the rope when senior forward Quan Prowell picked up his third foul of the half. Prowell, the former Jordan High School standout, scored eight points in just minutes of play.

Here's another startling stat: Auburn ended the first half with just seven rebounds. Sure, the Tigers are lacking size on the inside, but the low total may have more to do with slow-to-react defense. Vanderbilt buried 19-of-25 field goal attempts in the first half and Auburn has yet to figure out a solution to the Commodores' passing from the high post. Ogilvy, who went 7-for-7, scored most of his points on wide-open post baskets created by impeccable feeds from the high post.

2008-03-13T11:33:00.001-04:00

Toasts of the town

Imagine being at a wine tasting and seeing the name of Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones on the label of the bottle about to be uncorked.

Pop it open and breath in the boquet. It will undoubtedly have a strong nose, perhaps reminiscent of a locker in the clubhouse.

How does it taste?

Strong, full-bodied. Definite power to the opposite field. But there's a slight grittiness. Do I detect a hint of infield clay?

Jones and two of his Atlanta teammates, pitcher Tom Glavine and catcher Brian McCann, could soon be stocking your wine cellar in the interest of charity.

The three have teamed up with Charity Hop Sports Consulting and Napa Valley's Clos LaChance Winery and Estate Vineyard to create wines to be sold at retailers in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

All of the profits will be given to charity, according to a press release sent by Charity Hop Sports Consulting. So, before too long, you might see some of the following labels on grocery store shelves:

* Cabernet Glavignon, which will benefit Glavine's designated charity, CURE Children's Cancer.

* Chipper Chardonnay, which will benefit Jones' choice, The Miracle League.

* McCann Merlot, which McCann hopes will benefit Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research.

I must say that these would seem to represent far more palatable options than, say, a John Rocker Riesling. In actuality, the bottles would be worth purchasing simply for their value as a collector's item.

The expected retail price for each label will be $13. That's a pittance considering how the money will be applied.

2008-03-11T13:15:00.000-04:00

Shameless self-promotion

Loyal Troy's Noise followers know that I recently wrote about my experience riding around Atlanta Motor Speedway at frightening speeds as a passenger in a Jeff Gordon Racing School stock car.

There's video of the experience as well that will give you a better understanding of what 175 m.p.h. really looks like. My Ledger-Enquirer colleague Jerry Morehouse shot video of his own three-lap ride and recorded my futile attempts to put on the Jeff Gordon Racing School firesuit and get into the vehicle (remember, the doors are welded shut) without assistance. It's funny stuff.

Our ace video guy, Joe Paull, edited the webcast, which can be seen at the following locations:

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WS2JBQDG2sw

If nothing else, you can make fun of how the racing uniform looks on me.

2008-03-09T01:42:00.000-05:00

Carver loses, but the city makes gains

MACON, Ga. — As the final seconds ticked off the clock in Saturday night’s Class AAA boys state championship basketball game and four fouled-out Carver High School starters watched from the bench, helpless and hopeless, a group of Glenn Hills fans serenaded them with a chant.

‘‘Stick to football!’’ ... clap, clap, clap-clap-clap ... ‘‘Stick to football!’’

Although it’s true that two Carver starters were instrumental in the Tigers winning their first state title in football in December, it's fair to say the basketball team wouldn't have advanced so far without its star wide receiver, Jarmon Fortson, being a very capable guard or its star linebacker, Jarvis Jones, being one of the most rugged post players in the state.

Jones certainly showed up, large and in charge while pouring in a game-high 23 points and owning the backboards, but Glenn Hills held on for a 64-57 because of its excellent and intelligent team play rather than because of any Carver shortcomings.

‘‘When I watched them play the other night, I told the guys that if we were not sharp and we were not structured, they would eat us up,’’ Carver coach Warren Beaulah said.

He was right. The Spartans were razor sharp in executing their flex offense. They maintained excellent spacing, set strong screens, continually made the extra pass for easier shots and put on a clinic in how to lose defenders on backdoor cuts. They encapsulated the consummate team effort, while Carver often resembled a tired and frustrated collection of individuals.

They accumulated fouls from lazy reach-in defense, struggled to find the range on their perimeter shots and couldn't find a consistent offensive threat other than Jones. Most of those issues likely arose from what happened the previous night. Carver knocked off a heavily-favored Dunwoody team filled with three Division I signees and likely treated that occasion with the importance normally afforded to a state championship game.

It's difficult to summon that type of urgency and excellence two nights in a row.

‘‘The game last night actually had me scared,’’ Beaulah said. ‘‘I think we lost energy. We just hit a little bit of a barrier.’’

They hit the wall in the fourth quarter, in particular, when foul trouble and calm, collected play from Glenn Hills proved to be too much to overcome.

So the drought since Carver’s first and only state basketball title in 1971 has grown to 37 years. But think about where Columbus-area basketball is now as opposed to 10 or 15 years ago.

Jordan won a boys’ state title last year in Class AAA. Carver has knocked on the door twice since 2004. The Kendrick girls finally broke through Saturday night against Carrollton and won the city's first state title for their gender after several close calls.

At different times these last seven seasons, programs have risen up without really falling back. Jordan might have faced Carver in the state title game had it not been for a knockout loss to Glenn Hills. Northside's boys have grown into a formidable program, while Shaw and Spencer are typically competitive. On the girls' side, Columbus, Carver, Shaw and Spencer have all enjoyed varying degrees of success.

It’s no longer a surprise when a Columbus team makes its way to Macon for the final four.

The most important factor in the improvement is the desire from so many players to develop their skills year-round. Amateur Athletic Union basketball enabled players like Jones to face the state's elite over the summer, including some of the stars who suited up for Dunwoody and Glenn Hills.

‘‘I think basketball has always been good in Columbus, but it’s getting better,’’ Beaulah said. ‘‘I think a lot can be attributed to the guys getting out and competing. They're getting to face a lot of the good competition that's outside Georgia.’’

While the pain felt inside the Carver locker room late Saturday night was palpable, the presence of two local teams in state championship games proves that the overall health of city basketball has never been better.

2008-03-07T12:02:00.001-05:00

Pete Sampras interview

Here's a transcript of the telephone conversation I had with 14-time Grand Slam tennis champion Pete Sampras on Wednesday in anticipation of Saturday night's exhibition match against Todd Martin at the Columbus Civic Center. Often criticized for not being emotional enough on the court, Sampras seems to be exactly what you would expect: cerebral, articulate and, above all, incredibly polite.

Question: What made you want to do the exhibition matches? Do you use it as a competitive outlet or is it a way to stay connected to your fans?

Sampras: ‘‘A little bit of everything. I still enjoy playing, but I don't play a ton of exhibitions. It (the Martin exhibition in Jacksonville, Fla., and Columbus) kind of happened last minute. It's a way to get a few matches under the belt and shake off the rust (before a Monday night exhibition against top-ranked Roger Federer in New York City). (Todd Martin) is a good friend, but part of it is you want to entertain the people.’’

Question: How seriously will you treat this exhibition, especially with Federer coming up in a couple days? Will you bother taking off your Rolex? Will it be geared more toward showmanship and shot-making?

Sampras: ‘‘People want to see real tennis. We’ll play hard, we’ll play for real. There's a sort of lighter side, but once the ball is in the air we'll play the points.’’

Question: You went 1-2 against Federer in your exhibition tour of Asia last year, which sent a pretty strong message for a retired guy since he rarely loses. Does playing him again get your competitive juices going?

Sampras: ‘‘Obviously, he's on autopilot the way he's going. Roger is expected to beat me. For me, I don't play any matches. It's about trying to find some rhythm and confidence as we go.’’

Question: But you still beat Federer the last time you played him. Does that make you re-think the whole idea of retirement?

Sampras: ‘‘No, not realistically. I’m curious to see how I might do at Wimbledon. But the day in, day out grind of tennis (makes a comeback unlikely). I was listening to what Brett Favre said the other day and how he said he was tired. It's the day in, day out grind of the sport. Once I got to a point where I had nothing left to prove to myself, that's when I knew I could walk away from it.’’

Question: Does being the parent to two sons change your priorities?

Sampras: ‘‘I went from retirement to being a father and it takes up your time and responsibility. My wife (actress Bridgette Wilson) was for me keeping on going. If I decided to come back, she’d be supportive. I don't feel that pressure that I need to be at home because I'm a dad now. You can still be a top-ranked player and be a father, but I enjoy being at home and seeing my kids.’’

Question: You were 19 when you one your first Grand Slam (1990 U.S. Open). How difficult was it to manage the sudden crush of celebrity and the expectations that came with that?

Sampras: ‘‘Initially, the next three or four months I struggled with the expectations, the pressure, even my security as a man. I had a few holes in my game. All of a sudden I was thrown into this celebrity status and I wasn't ready for it. I was kind of thrown into a cage of lions. I wasn't ready for it, I wasn't used to it. I went through some bumps along the way. It was a matter of time and maturity, being around the media, being around people, learning how to deal with some wins and losses. It took some time. When you win that major that young, you did something great, but it definitely changes your life. It took some time for me to get comfortable in my own skin.’’

Question: It seemed like you received a lot of criticism early in your career for being introverted and for being the antithesis of Andre Agassi at that time. At the same time, do you think your success was a by-product of being very private and kind of having tunnel-vision when it came to competing?

Sampras: ‘‘I've analyzed it and looked back at it. I lived in Florida for many of the years I was on top. ... I wasn't in the mainstream media much. I played my majors and played my events and went back to Florida. My friends called me Howard Hughes. I was training hard. In one way, it probably hurt my marketability and exposure, but it kept me together and kept me focused on what I wanted to do. It's kind of a Catch-22, but at the same time, I was all about winning majors. I didn't want to have a P.R. person having me flying around doing all these shows. I just kind of kept myself in the house and was pretty private.’’

Question: You kind of defined a Golden Age for American tennis. How much do you think you think the timing of your arrival factored into your success? You had guys like Andre Agassi, Jim Courier and Michael Chang out there at the same time.

Sampras: ‘‘Having those guys, those young Americans, kind of pushed me harder. I also learned a lot from the servers and volleyers like (Boris) Becker and (Stefan) Edberg. They all pushed one another.’’

Question: How much have you enjoyed the exhibitions against Federer and do you feel you guys share some of the same traits?

Sampras: ‘‘It's been fun and he's a great, great player. He possesses a big serve and moves great and does incredible things on the run. He can come in a little bit if he wants. There's nothing he can't do. We (both) kept it simple and weren't too brash or abrasive out there. I'm a fan of his game and him as a guy. He's very humble and understated. He lets his racquet do the talking.’’

Question: You mentioned that it took some time for you to become comfortable in your skin. It seems like the more bombastic an athlete is, the more attention he or she gets. When people called you ‘boring,’ did it bother you?

Sampras: ‘‘I did stay true to myself and didn't change as much as some folks in the media wanted. Some folks at Nike wanted me to act in a different way. I wasn't going to sell out. I'm an athlete in the purest form. I'm not going to create something that's insincere. I don't think Roger (Federer) is like that either. There's not a lot of horns and whistles there. I've always liked the understated.’’

Question: When you learned you were going to play an exhibition in Columbus were you surprised at all about the location? And did you need to look at a map?

Sampras: ‘‘It's funny. My brother (Gus) manages me and we were trying to set up a couple exhibitions in the Southeast. He said there's one in Jacksonville, one in Columbus. How many Columbuses are there in the country?’’

2008-03-06T15:39:00.000-05:00

Think they'll draft a QB?

Around and around they go in the NFL's version of the revolving door.

Michael Vick stepped in and came out the other side in manacles, bound for federal prison. Byron Leftwich entered it, but got chewed up and unceremoniously spat out after two starts.

We're talking about the Atlanta Falcons' starting quarterback job, of course, which may be an undertaking more hazardous than sailing through the Bermuda Triangle. This has become the sort of job where careers go to die.

Joey Harrington became the latest casualty when the Falcons released him Wednesday after one uninspiring season that included 10 starts, seven touchdown passes, eight interceptions and multiple benchings.

This leaves Atlanta with Chris Redman and D.J. Shockley and makes it a certainty that the franchise will use one of its draft picks to select a quarterback.

There's been much speculation that Boston College's Matt Ryan could be the guy at the No. 3 spot in the first round. If I'm calling the shot, I pass on him and take Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long to improve a weak offensive line. Now that Michael Turner has been signed, there's no need to think about Arkansas tailback Darren McFadden, the best pure talent in the draft.

Here's what gives me pauses about Ryan: He's not especially mobile and he surrendered 19 interceptions as a senior. Yes, he engineered some nice comebacks in college and possesses a presence. But the Falcons would be better served to first strengthen their line play (offensive or defensive) and secure a quarterback later in the draft.

If the Falcons trade DeAngelo Hall and get another first round pick out of it, there's a possibility of grabbing Delaware's Joe Flacco, who drew raves at the NFL combine and the Senior Bowl. Beyond him, a player like Tennessee's Erik Ainge might represent the next best option.

2008-03-05T13:14:00.001-05:00

Pistol Pete content in retirement

Just finished a telephone interview with 14-time Grand Slam tennis champion Pete Sampras, who will be playing an exhibition against Todd Martin Saturday night at the Columbus Civic Center.

While Sampras claims he picks up his raquet infrequently these days, he still puts it to good use. In addition to beating world No. 1 and possible Grand Slam record heir Roger Federer in an exhibition in Asia last year, he soundly thrashed top-20 pro Tommy Haas 6-4, 6-2 last month at an event in San Jose, Calif.

Sampras insisted in 2003 that he would remain ''100 percent'' retired, but I thought that me be worth revisiting since it's obvious his skills have remained largely intact.

"I enjoy being at home and seeing my kids (5-year-old Christian and 2-year-old Ryan),'' Sampras told me.

Not to mention the fact that he also gets to spend time with his lovely wife, actress Bridgette Wilson.

Sampras admitted there are days when he wonders what it would be like to lace up his sneakers for a Grand Slam event.

"I'd be curious to see how I might do at Wimbledon,'' he said.

But don't take that as any sort of hint that he's contemplating a comeback. He said former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre put the grind of being an elite athlete into perspective when he announced his retirement the other day.

"I was listening to what Brett Favre said about being tired,'' Sampras said. "It's the day in, day out grind of the sport. Once I got to a point where I had nothing left to prove to myself, that's when I knew I could walk away from it.''

You'll be able to hear more from Pistol Pete in the column I'm constructing for Thursday morning's Ledger-Enquirer. As all Troy's Noise fanatics know (I've heard there actually are some outside my immediate family), you'll be able to find it at www.ledger-enquirer.com/sports

2008-03-05T11:40:00.000-05:00

Keep an eye on Colby

Former Russell County High School baseball star Colby Rasmus appears ready to skip a rung on professional baseball's promotional ladder.

After making the climb from Class A to Double-A the last two seasons, Rasmus has a very real shot at making the St. Louis Cardinals' opening day roster.

The 21-year-old drove in both St. Louis runs in a 10-2 loss to Baltimore on Tuesday and raised some eyebrows with a solo homer.

Not that such production isn't expected. Rasmus, the 28th player taken in the 2005 draft, is ranked by Baseball America as the top prospect in the St. Louis farm system and the fifth-best prospect in all of baseball. He's the two-time reigning Minor League Player of the Year in the Cardinals' organization, based on his precocious performances in Double-A (.275, 29 homers, 72 RBI) and Class A Springfield (.288, 16 homers, 85 RBI).

While Rasmus faces competition from six other outfielders, he's already made a favorable impression on St. Louis manager Tony La Russa.

"Some of our older scouts, who are tough to convince, think he has the right stuff,'' La Russa told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "He wouldn't be in a 1 p.m. game if he wasn't somebody that we want to evaluate against major league players. With him, it isn't so much a question of it but when he will be ready.''

Sounds like the when portion of the equation is close to being solved.

2008-03-04T17:54:00.000-05:00

Uh ... congratulations?

An e-mail from Auburn's athletic department just popped into my inbox and the subject line caught my attention.

''AUBURN BASEBALL: Burnside And Greinke Placed On Clemens Watch List''

Two thoughts: What exactly is the Clemens Watch List and does Henry A. Waxman, the chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, keep track of it.

If you happen to play baseball, it's fair to say Clemens happens to be a name with which you do not want to be associated at this moment. Apparently, the Greater Houston Baseball Association is undaunted by Congress' interested in whether a former trainer plunged a syringe into Roger Clemens' buttocks.

They present the Roger Clemens Award, which goes to an outstanding college baseball pitcher of their choosing.

Anyway, the Greater Houston Baseball Association selected Auburn right-handers Paul Burnside and Luke Greinke to be on the 78-player ''watch list'' for the 2008 Roger Clemens Award.

Rumor has it the winner of the award will be honored with a party at Jose Canseco's mansion.

2008-03-04T15:48:00.000-05:00

One more footnote on Favre

Man, the Atlanta Falcons sure look smart for not keeping Brett Favre around long enough for him to mess up the franchise.

Just kidding.

In all seriousness, though, consider the destiny-altering implications of Atlanta's trade of Favre to the Green Bay Packers.

Atlanta selected Favre in the second round of the 1991 draft. He was the third quarterback chosen, a stupifyingly astounding possibility because of the two stiffs whose names were called ahead of his.

Hello, Lost and Found? Anybody turn in a Dan McGwire or a Todd Marinovich in the last 24 hours?

Naturally, the Falcons had no idea that a future Hall of Famer had landed in their laps. Their failing in this case involved an appalling lack of patience with a young quarterback. The first of the four passes he threw as a rookie was an interception. Perhaps thinking it an omen of things to come, the Falcons traded Favre to Green Bay in the offseason for a first-round pick and made what turned out to be one of, if not the most, lopsided trades in NFL history.

Guess what? It did not turn out well for Atlanta.

The Falcons wound up trading the first-round pick to Dallas. The Cowboys used it to obtain cornerback Kevin Smith, a solid contributor who earned All-Pro honors one season and played on three Super Bowl teams. The Falcons received the 19th and 104th overall picks and used them to obtain Southern Miss running back Tony Smith and Baylor defensive back Frankie Smith. Leave it to Atlanta to find the Smiths who can't play.

As for Favre, well, he did OK for himself. He retired Tuesday as the NFL's all-time leader in passing yards, touchdown passes, completions, attempts and victories by a starting quarterback. He also played in his last 253 regular season games (275 in a row counting the postseason), both of which are records for a starting QB. He also guided Green Bay to a victory in Super Bowl XXXI, played in nine Pro Bowls and earned three league MVP trophies.

Given his longevity and amazing productivity, it's worth wondering how different the last 17 years might have been for the Falcons if they had exercised more patience with him.

2008-03-04T15:15:00.001-05:00

This time, he really means it

When the Green Bay Packers’ official team Web site recently posted a ‘‘Favre retires’’ headline, it caused a panic in Cheesehead Nation.

The headline vanished into the Internet ether once concerned fans started bombaring the franchise’s switchboard.

False alarm, team officials said. They blamed it on a software glitch and said that the headline was part of a template created just in case quarterback Brett Favre called it quits in the near or distant future.

Besides, it wasn't as if Favre hadn't flirted with the idea on occasion these last few years. Remember his emotional post-game TV interview in 2006, when his tears were nearly frozen to his face as he walked off the field in Chicago? Given some of the late-game magic he engineered in his career, a comeback shouldn't have been especially surprising.

It would have been perfectly reasonable for him to continue playing on after leading the Packers to the NFC championship game in January, but Favre wasn’t kidding when he confirmed his retirement on Tuesday.

Besides, at 38 and with 17 seasons, three MVP awards, a Super Bowl ring and several NFL records to his credit, he’s earned the right to rest on his laurels.

The question now is where he ranks among the all-time greats.

He broke Dan Marino’s record for most career touchdown passes (442), John Elway’s mark for most career victories by a starting QB (160) and became the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards (61,655), completions (5,377) and attempts (8,758).

My all-time list of favorite QBs would look like this:

1. Joe Montana, San Francisco 49ers
2. Favre
3. Terry Bradshaw, Pittsburgh Steelers (chrome dome, wobbly spirals and a winner's edge)
4. Bart Starr, Green Bay Packers (his stats aren't anywhere close to the top three, but he epitomized the term ''field general.'')
5. Elway, Denver Broncos
6. Dan Marino, Miami Dolphins (he threw a beautiful deep ball)
7. Johnny Unitas, Baltimore Colts (flat tops and high-top black cleats should never have gone out of style)
8. Joe Namath, New York Jets (Who would you rather have as a wingman and whose leftovers would you rather land? Namath's or Tom Brady's? Flip a coin)
9. Archie Manning, New Orleans Saints (great player on an awful team)
10. Joe Theismann, Washington Redskins (only because I'm a Redskins fan)

If we're talking about best quarterbacks of all-time, then Brady and Peyton Manning would naturally bump some of my favorites out of the top 10. But Brady and Manning already have most everything -- money, looks, fame, etc. -- so they'll have to live with me keeping them out of my top 10. It's about time somebody said no to them.

Who are your favorite NFL quarterbacks of all-time? Where does Favre rank?

2008-03-03T17:38:00.000-05:00

Falcons Dunn with veteran

Warrick Dunn should have seen this day coming since the end of the regular season, but that couldn’t have made it any easier for a player so readily identified with the Atlanta Falcons and universally lauded as the one component the franchise could count on amid last year's turmoil.

The Falcons released the 11-year veteran running back on Monday, one day after signing free agent Michael Turner to a six-year contract.

While the 33-year-old Dunn ranks fourth among the NFL’s active running backs with 10,181 yards, the Falcons’ decision was as necessary as it was unfortunate. The organization requires radical reinvention and reassembly with new pieces.

The diminutive Dunn gained 720 yards last season, but averaged a mere 3.2 yards per carry behind a patchwork offensive line. Under new offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey, the Falcons will require a bruising between-the-tackles back to complement speedster Jerious Norwood. In signing Turner, who averaged 5.2 yards per carry as a backup in San Diego, the Falcons picked up a younger, more powerful back who could have another 10 seasons left on his career clock.

The only real downside for the Falcons is what they lose off the field by unloading Dunn. He represented a quiet, community-minded presence that seems all too rare in professional sports. While Dunn enjoyed three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons in Atlanta, he conducted himself with humility and did everything possible to avoid the spotlight.

Here's what will endure about Dunn: In 2004, he received the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award. His charity work, which included the ''Home of the Holidays'' program that helped single parents become first-time home owners, stands as a testament to what he's about.

As good as Dunn's career numbers are, he may be a borderline candidate for enshrinement in Canton. However, there's no questioning his credentials as a hall of fame-caliber person.

2008-02-29T13:28:00.000-05:00

ESPN Bobs for ratings

Quick, somebody nail down the chairs on the SportsCenter set, institute a 10-second delay on anything Bobby Knight utters into his microphone and put the lawyers on stand-by just in case 10 seconds aren't enough.

If you thought ESPN's coverage of college basketball was loud enough already with Dick Vitale assaulting our ear drums, buy some ear plugs and develop an affinity for the mute button.

ESPN’s announcement Thursday that it has hired Knight, the former Texas Tech and Indiana basketball coach who has won more games than anyone else in Division I history, means the network will soon ratchet up its decibels and perk up the ears of the FCC. Knight will make his debut on March 12 and work through April 7, a time line that will include on-site appearances from the NCAA Final Four in San Antonio. He'll also be seen and heard on SportsCenter, ESPNEWS and ESPN Radio.

This promises to be an interesting merger seeing as how Knight now becomes a member of the very sort of profession he loathes. He once described the media as ''one or two steps above prostitution.'' Do you suppose Knight still holds that view now that he's thrown himself on the mattress back-first?

Part of me thinks he could be quite good in his capacity with the big E. He'll obviously be able to provide keen insight into the how and why of basketball tactics. Plus, as the anti-Kelvin Sampson, a man who by all appearances ran a sterile program in terms of NCAA compliance, he could provide an occasional voice of reason regarding the era of done-in-one star players and renegade coaches.

At the same time, this sets up as a boom-or-bust decision for the network. If Knight reinvents himself as something other than an egomaniacal and verbally abusive curmudgeon, it could be the start of a strong second career for him. If he continues to be an egomaniacal and verbally abusive curmudgeon, well, it will likely mean a ratings boost for certain ESPN programs that could offset the damage of FCC fines.

Consider some of his highlights from years past:

* 1985 -- Knight goes bonkers during a game against Purdue, slinging a chair across the court to protest a referee's call and drawing a one-game suspension.
* 1988 -- Knight infuriates women's groups and establishes himself as a misogynist when, during an interview with Connie Chung, he says: "I think that if rape is inevitable, relax and enjoy it." Knight's comments were in reference to a game in which he felt officials made poor calls against his team.
* 1993 -- Knight catches flak for allegedly kicking his son, Pat, during an Indiana game. He later claims he kicked a chair instead (but at least he didn't throw it this time).
* 1995 -- Knight goes ballistic on an NCAA tournament volunteer after a first-round loss to Missouri. The volunteer, Rance Pugmire, had been erroneously told that Knight would not be attending his post-game press conference and relayed the information to the media. What followed serves as a timeless example of Knight in full tantrum mode:
"You've only got two people that are going to tell you I'm not going to be here. One is our SID (sports information director), and the other is me. Who the hell told you I wasn't going to be here? I'd like to know. Do you have any idea who it was?...Who?...They were from Indiana, right?...No, they weren't from Indiana, and you didn't get it from anybody from Indiana, did you?...No, I—I'll handle this the way I want to handle it now that I'm here. You (EXPLETIVE) it up to begin with. Now just sit there or leave. I don't give (EXPLETIVE) what you do. Now back to the game.''

There are more nuggets, but I'm tired of typing and you undoubtedly get the idea.

Given those examples, you have to wonder why ESPN thought it was a good idea to put Knight in front of an open microphone and an unblinking camera.

2008-02-28T14:23:00.000-05:00

Another playoff perspective

Given Auburn's experience with the quirks of the Bowl Championship Series computers in 2004, it would be perfectly understandable if university director of athletics Jay Jacobs favored a playoff system for college football.

Find an Auburn man (or woman) who wouldn't have been in favor of one when the Tigers won the Southeastern Conference, ran the table at 13-0 and failed to get a seat at the head table reserved for the BCS title pairing. The Tigers may not have won the national championship, but they would have done something Oklahoma failed to in its 55-19 face plant against USC. And that would be to show a pulse.

But this blog is not intended as a referendum on what went wrong in 2004. USC was clearly a deserving national champ and Auburn finished No. 2, which isn't too shabby at all.

Since Jacobs visited the Ledger-Enquirer office Wednesday afternoon to discuss various developments and ongoing plans on the Auburn athletic program, I managed to squeeze in a few questions about issues affecting NCAA members and the Southeastern Conference.

SEC athletic directors are generally reluctant to criticize the BCS monstrosity since league commissioner Mike Slive happens to occupy a seat of power in that system. Plus, the league has won the last two BCS championship games (LSU over Ohio State this season and Florida over Ohio State the year before). Plus, university presidents tend to do most of the shouting for change. Witness the of outcry Georgia president Michael Adams and state legislators, who were peeved that the Bulldogs had to ''settle'' for a Sugar Bowl berth in January after failing to win their league.

Anyway, I asked Jacobs if he liked the idea Adams presented -- a playoff system confined to eight teams. Jacobs would instead prefer uniformity in determining conference championships.

"I am not for the playoff as everybody talks about it,’’ Jacobs said. ''What I'd like to see first is that every conference has a championship game first. Let's pair those people up. It's not the same. When you have the last two national champions come out of the SEC because they won their conference championship, that's pretty strong. That's pretty sporty. The first step is that everybody needs to have a conference championship.''

It's unlikely that, say, the Sun Belt or Western Athletic Conference would ever become viable members of such a mix. However, it's laughable that the Big 10 and Pac-10 don't play a league title game when the SEC, ACC and Big 12 do.

"If we're going to have any type of playoff, let's have a playoff in the league first. Then, the next step for me would be a plus-one,'' Jacobs said.

Jacobs' concept makes sense because it would allow for the preservation of the bowl system and prevent the season from being lengthened to 15 or so games by a lengthy playoff.

"Having played in this league and gone to a bunch of bowl games, there's nothing like the experience for a student-athlete,'' said Jacobs, a former walk-on offensive lineman at Auburn who eventually started for a No. 3-ranked team as a senior. "The other thing is there's no way that my parents could have afforded to follow me around to two or three cities in December and January.''

2008-02-28T11:56:00.000-05:00

Now that's a meal

I know this blog is supposed to be a clearinghouse for sports news and insight, but I simply must take a radical detour today.

Did anybody see the Associated Press story about the 16-foot python that stalked a family dog in Australia and eventually swallowed it whole in front of two terror-stricken children?

It used to be that the Aussies didn't have much to worry about other than dingos eating babies, but that changed Monday when a scrub python squeezed the life out of a silky terrier-Chihuahua mix and devoured it oustside a home in Queensland.

A 5-year-old boy and a 7-year-old girl saw their family pet disappear down the gullet of the snake.

But here's the truly freaky part of the story.

"It actively stalked the dog for a number of days," said Stuart Douglas, owner of the Australian Venom Zoo, which sounds like a lovely place to visit. "The family that owned the dog had actually seen it in the dog's bed, which was a sign it was out to get it.''

Gee, do you really think so?

According to the story, the python was taken by the Australian Venom Zoo.

It was still in the process of digesting the dog as of Wednesday.

It undoubtedly needed a long nap afterward.

2008-02-22T14:38:00.000-05:00

Jeff Gordon interview

As promised (but ultimately delivered tardy), here's a rundown of a roundtable interview I participated in with four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon Tuesday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Gordon was in town to promote the Kobalt Tools 500, set for March. We covered a wide range of topics with Gordon, including his impressions of Atlanta Motor Speedway, his thoughts on the Car of Tomorrow, his new team alliance with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the concept of NASCAR drivers plotting exit strategies for careers.

Sadly, we ran out of time before we could ask him about the sizzling hot photo of his supermodel wife on the pages of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.

Anyway, here's a transcript of the Q&A:

Q: The Car of Tomorrow seemed to take a pretty bad beating at Daytona. Your thoughts?

Gordon: ''Daytona is probably the toughest challenge we have. During testing, we cracked a lot of pieces in the chassis because of the pounding that car takes. You see the car bouncing. We saw some things. ... It definitely was a wake-up call for all of us as far as the stress that we're putting on the suspension components. I don't think any place is as bad as Daytona. It's 500 miles, the corners are so big that the loads are huge and the bumps ...''

Q: Where does Atlanta Motor Speedway rank in your estimation?

Gordon: ''This is one of my favorite tracks. Here, Michigan, Charlotte ... I like the road courses, too ... Bristol. This is an awesome race track. I hated to see them reconfigure it because I liked the old track. But I've gotten to where I really like the new track almost even more. Most of that is because of the surface that's there right now.''

Q: Do you think AMS will remain one of the fastest, if not the fastest, stop on the circuit?

Gordon: ''I would think so. We saw some laps drafting at Daytona that might be faster. Overall, grip is grip. This track has got a lot of grip. And, compared to all the other tracks, I still think it will play out as the fastest track.’’

Q: At Daytona, it seemed a lot of teams were having tire-wear issues with the Car of Tomorrow. Is that a result of set-up choices?

Gordon: ''‘It's the Car of Tomorrow. This car has a higher center of gravity. We can't even put lead in the car. It's just very heavy to the right side. We're trying to get grip in the car, but yet, at the same time, we're using the right side tires harder than we ever have. We knew that going in. From a set-up standpoint, you need to be a little more on the conservative side. Your set-up can make it worse. It's really more the fundamentals of this car versus the old car. We're going to see a lot more right-side tire wear. ... The car doesn't stop as good. You have to be smoother with this car. It's harder to get the car to slow down, harder to get the car to turn. We learned a lot last year and we're learning even more now. It's driving as good as what the old car did.’’

Q: Are you getting more comfortable with the Car of Tomorrow?

Gordon: "I think it plays into my skills pretty well. You have to be a little more patient with this car.''

Q: How's your new teammate (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) doing?

Gordon: "I'm pretty excited about having him onboard. ... I've seen nothing but good energy. I've read so much about how this is going to work. I think we all kind of questioned what this is going to be like. The way Junior has handled it has probably been the biggest surprise. He's down to earth, he's humble, he's appreciative. He's not a guy who's got an ego. He's not sitting there saying, I'm the man, you have to listen to me. He's excited and having fun.’’

Q: Have you picked up unexpected fans because of having him as a teammate?

Gordon: "Typically, that would be like a sin to ask me to sign an Earnhardt die-cast or hat. I see some people, say, hey they're teammates, it's OK. We still have our rivalry and our fans. The only difference I really see is we now have team debriefing meetings, he's there. He and I have always gotten along good.''

Q: Are more NASCAR drivers coming up with exit plans now?

Gordon: "I think we all think about it. I'm seeing guys earlier in their careers are thinking about it. You see how much money is coming in and they're saying, I have to invest, I have to think long-term. Before, I think if you didn't make a lot of money you didn't worry a whole lot about it. Now, you're seeing a time frame or a lifespan of an average career in this sport. You look at guys who are outside the sport and it starts to make you think about it a little bit more. You think about where you want to be. I didn't think about it much ... (Gordon's sponsorship contracts run through 2010) Once I knew there was that number out there that could be close to when I want to step away from a full-time schedule. I don't have a full plan or anything in place, but I certainly have thought about it a lot more.’’

2008-02-20T16:28:00.000-05:00

One crazy ride

There's nothing quite like getting scared to death to make you feel alive.

If you read my column today about my experience as a passenger in a specially modified stock car at the Jeff Gordon Racing School (available, as always, at www.ledger-enquirer.com/sports), you probably know where I'm coming from with this.

I've done some crazy things before. I've ridden countless roller coasters, tumbled head-first off high-dives, gone bobsledding and been relentlessly pounded by the ocean while surfing.

Nothing provided a rush quite like sitting in the passenger seat of a Monte Carlo being driven around Atlanta Motor Speedway at 175 mph.

At least they told us it went 175. The driver might have been taking it easy at 150 or so, but it's impossible to know for certain since no speedometer exists on the dashboard. Just an RPM gauge, a fuel indicator and lots of mysterious toggle switches.

You definitely feel the speed, whether it's 150 or 175. It throws you back in your seat and steps on your chest in the high, 24-degree bank turns. If I had to describe it in one word, it would be this: Speedgasm. I realize that's not a legitimate word and I hope it doesn't offend you, but that's the best approximation I can make.

During lunch Tuesday with four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon, Gordon explained what it's like to participate in a ridealong as a passenger.

"Imagine the best and worst feeling at the same time,'' he said.

I understand now. The best part is the sheer rush from going that fast. The worst is not having control of the wheel and getting an up-close view of the wall, which feels no more than six inches removed from the window as you roar into the straightaway.

Gordon proved to be a charming lunch companion. I've been around him at races before, but this was my first chance to talk to him. He's very personable and could easily transition into TV when he decides to quit driving.

He actually shared some interesting insights about his ''exit plan'' from NASCAR, which I'll post more about later.

2008-02-18T20:29:00.000-05:00

Be on the lookout

The news editor of ''Baseball America'' contacted me last week to see if I'd write a 700-word article about the ongoing process to sell and relocate the Columbus Catfish.

He also wanted the article to contain some background about the icy relationship between Columbus owner David Heller and the city government and the difficulty the team has had in drawing fans.

I told him that would require at least 700 words by itself.

Anyway, I just finished the piece. Assuming it passes muster, it should appear in the next issue.

As for what's going on with the Catfish and the prospects of them moving to Bowling Green, Ky., after the 2008 season, well, a lot must still be decided.

Art Solomon, the owner of the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats, exercised an option last week to purchase the team but must still receive approval from the South Atlantic League and Minor League Baseball. He told me he should have the paperwork filed with the league office this week.

That part should pass without any difficulty. Solomon seems like a nice guy, plus he's a well-respected owner and savvy businessman. The annual attendance for his Double-A team has blown up since 2004, from 215,961 to 371,710 last season.

That's pretty impressive. Makes you wonder what he could do with the Catfish, who have brought up the rear in attendance in the South Atlantic League.

It's entirely possible we'll find out.

While Solomon didn't make any definitive promises when asked whether there was any scenario in which the Catfish would remain in Columbus after the 2008 season, it's a possibility.

Two credible sources told me the South Atlantic League may not rubber-stamp a relocation request. It seems some owners may not embrace the extra mileage that would be required to travel to Bowling Green. Plus, there are questions of whether Bowling Green (population 60,000) could support minor league baseball any better than Columbus over the long haul.

2008-02-18T20:08:00.000-05:00

Wild ride

My wife had a question for me when she found out what I planned to be doing Tuesday afternoon.

''Where's your life insurance policy?''

In the lock box, of course.

She needed to know a couple other details.

The 401K? My IRAs? Any and all over savings accounts that we don't already share jointly?

"I am the beneficiary, right?'' she asked.

Of course, dear.

She wanted to know because, as of noon or so Tuesday, I could be flying around Atlanta Motor Speedway at roughly 165 mph. There's a good chance you'll recognize me by the unique screaming sound I'm sure will be just barely audible above the growling engine.

My Ledger-Enquirer colleague, Jerry Morehouse, and I have accepted an invitation to attend a media luncheon with four-time NASCAR Spring Cup Jeff Gordon at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He'll be there to promote the upcoming Kobalt Tools 500.

Afterward, there's a good chance he'll be scaring us to the point of near-bladder release.

After lunch, us reporter-types will be allowed to participate in ride-alongs provided by the Jeff Gordon Racing School. We'll get strapped into a modified, two-seat stock car and driven around the track at alarming speeds. If I happen to be one of the six reporters who win a sweepstakes drawing, I'll have Gordon at the wheel for my turn.

So I had to do some thinking today. Have I ever written anything that would p--- off Gordon?

I didn't think I had, but checked just to be safe.

I also made sure the life insurance policy was in the lock box, but that was more for my wife's benefit.

If I'm going to watch my life pass before my eyes at 160-plus mph, I might as well have a driver like Gordon at the controls.

2008-02-16T11:47:00.000-05:00

Super Bowl suit

Here's a new cheer for athletes to learn:

Two, four, six, eight, losers get to litigate!

Seriously. A former St. Louis Rams player filed a $100 million class action suit in U.S. District Court in New Orleans as a result of allegations that the New England Patriots videotaped the Rams' walkthrough before Super XXXVI in 2002.

Former Rams defensive back Willie Gary, who played seven games for St. Louis that season, now plays for the Georgia Force of the Arena Football League. The suit filed on his behalf named the Patriots, head coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft as defendants.

The Patriots upset the Rams 20-17 at the Louisiana Superdome. The filing came after allegations surfaced that New England, which was sanctioned by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell earlier this season for spying on the New York Jets, videotaped the Rams' walkthrough before the Super Bowl.

According to the Associated Press, the suit said the Patriots illegally taped the Rams' workout for the purpose ''of gaining an unfair advantage in the game.'' It claims the Patriots engaged in a raft of unsavory practices, including fraud, breach of contract and racketeering in violation of Louisiana's consumer protection act.

The suit seeks damages for Rams players, coaches and staff, as well as the 72,922 fans who attended the game.

It doesn't specify whether Patriots fans who bought tickets would be eligible to share in a victorious judgment.

2008-02-15T13:46:00.000-05:00

Falcons purging roster

We knew Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff and head coach Mike Smith would likely do some radical things to reinvent a franchise that went 4-12 last season, but it was a little surprising to see tight end Alge Crumpler and defensive tackle Rod Coleman among the seven veterans released Friday.

Crumpler, while plagued with injuries of late, represented one of the Falcons' few dependable elements on offense with 42 catches last season and an average of 45 receptions over his seven-year career in Atlanta. Coleman, while certainly not the dominant presence he represented during Atlanta's run to the NFC Championship game four seasons ago, was at least productive.

"As a football coach it is never easy to cut any player, especially veteran players who have been valuable members of the organization," Smith said in a written statement.

Coming off a 4-12 season makes it that much easier. Other players released were quarterback Byron Leftwich, offensive tackle Wayne Gandy, wide receiver Jamin Elliott and linebacker Marcus Wilkins.

Leftwich represents the most notable name among the other cast-offs. While Leftwich possesses a indisputably strong arm, his lack of mobility, injury difficulties and inability to separate himself from a mediocre cast of quarterbacks that includes Joey Harrington and Chris Redman made him expendable.

That's where most of this Atlanta roster falls right now, into the category of expendable. Beyond linebacker Michael Boley, running back Jerious Norwood, wide receiver Roddy White and defensive end John Abraham and, maybe cornerback DeAngelo Hall, there's not much to like. Linebacker Keith Brooking and running back Warrick Dunn, while wonderful human beings, have lost a step with time. They may be worth keeping around strictly because of their professionalism, but their influence couldn't ward off the disastrous downturn of the last three seasons.

In a situation such as this, there’s only one decision to make. Raze the whole thing, get a dump truck to cart off the rubble and try again.

Dimitroff seems intent on doing this because it's the way he learned during his apprenticeship as a New England Patriots' talent evaluator. Dimitroff has said he wants to build from the draft and he'll have that opportunity. Atlanta will get nine draft picks in seven rounds, including an early first-round pick.

Putting yourself in Dimitroff's position, which player would top your wish list?

The Falcons need so much, but their first choice will obviously be determined by what happens with the draft picks ahead of theirs. LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey could be the first overall pick, or he could slide. Arkansas running back Darren McFadden could be available when the Falcons choose. So could Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long. Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan, the lone marquee prospect at his position, might be the safe bet.

The possibilities are infinite, but so are the Falcons' needs.

2008-02-13T22:14:00.000-05:00

Dawgs, jungle cats and Catfish

I've spent so much of this day multi-tasking, typing column and story notes while simultaneously interviewing various sources on the cell phone, so I guess I should exercise the same efficiency in blogging.

The topics: University of Georgia athletics, Smiths Station High School football and Columbus minor league baseball.

It's a bizarre mix, to be sure, but the last two days have been less than conventional.

OK, here we go. The University of Georgia Board of Regents signed off on a plan Wednesday to put non-football facilities under the banner of the Vince Dooley Athletic Complex. The complex will include a large bronze statue of the coach being carried off the field on the shoulders of his players following the 1980 national championship game and a garden. If you read my column Wednesday morning, you know how I feel about this. It's great to honor Dooley for his accomplishments as a football coach and athletic director, but the placement of it seems all wrong. Based on the reader reaction I've received via phone and e-mail, a lot of other folks feel the same way.

In contrast to Georgia's attempts (however misguided they may be) to honor a legend, Smiths Station High School dishonored one by firing football coach Woodrow Lowe, a three-time All-America linebacker at Alabama, a former NFL standout and member of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. A lot of parents were confused by the Lee County Board of Education's 4-3 vote for termination, particularly since 50 parents and players and a petition with 200 signatures of support were seemingly overlooked. The Panthers went 1-9 in Lowe's first season, but followed up with 6-5 and 5-5 finishes. Participation has gone up and Lowe instilled discipline in his players. This has the feel of a firing based on politics rather than performance.

Transitioning from Panthers to Catfish, I spoke with the baseball team's prospective new owner today. Art Solomon hopes to assume ownership of the franchise from David Heller in time for the season opener. People in Bowling Green expect him to move the Catfish there for the 2009 season. If the deal falls through, it won't be due to a lack of financing or concerns about Solomon's stewardship of a franchise. He owns the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats and is well regarded in the minor league baseball community.

Solomon seems like a genuinely nice guy as well and an involved, community-minded kind of owner. I asked him if there was any scenario he could see that would allow the Catfish to remain in Columbus and he was coy on his response. Check out what he said at www.ledger-enquirer.com.

It would have been interesting to see what results a guy like Solomon would have achieved in owning the Catfish from Day One. While Heller is perfectly justified in wanting to sell the team in the face of lagging attendance, it's reasonable to question whether he did all he could to sell the product. He was trying to move the team from the time it arrived here and didn't even bother showing up for the South Atlantic League championship clincher at Golden Park.

It's true that attendance has been stale and that the city might have been slow to improve Golden Park, but Heller built some pretty tall walls between himself and this baseball market.

2008-02-12T14:50:00.000-05:00

Furthering the discussion

The folks at BallparkDigest.com, an excellent Web site for seamheads, adds some perspective on the possibility of the Columbus Catfish being sold and relocated to Bowling Green, Ky.

They linked to my story, so there's some shameless self-promotion at work here. But it's an excellent Web site and it adds some interesting points on to the story I wrote for this morning:

http://ballparkdigest.com/

2008-02-12T10:48:00.000-05:00

The Gambler

Mention Kenny Rogers to most baseball people and they won’t think of the country crooner with a voice and silver beard like spun silk. They'll think of the other Kenny Rogers, the left-handed pitcher with 200 wins and a perfect game to his credit.

In most respects, Wade Townsend, who pitched for the Columbus Catfish last season, resembles the other Rogers. He stands 6-foot-4, weighs 230 pounds and throws some serious heat.

But Townsend channeled the original Kenny last month and demonstrated that he knows when to hold them and knows when to fold them.

The blog of my friend and esteemed colleague Stacy Long, the Montgomery Biscuits beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser, pointed me to this wonderful nugget:

http://www.thepokerforum.com/wsopctu120708.htm

It seems Townsend won a whopping $77,000 and a gold championship ring at a World Series of Poker circuit event last month at the Grand Casino Resort in Tunica, Miss. He emerged victorious from a No-Limit Hold'Em tournament that featured 380 players and a prize pool of $256,120.

Not a bad day of work. Wonder which he'll wear more often: The ring from Tunica or the championship ring from last year's South Atlantic League championship.

2008-02-11T16:30:00.000-05:00

Scary scene

A good friend of mine just covered the most gruesome and frightening scene of his journalistic career.
Buffalo News sports writer John Vogl, whom many of you remember from his days of covering the Columbus Cottonmouths for the Ledger-Enquirer, covered Sunday’s NHL game between the Sabres and Florida Panthers.
Florida’s Richard Zednik was struck in the throat by the skate blade of falling teammate Stephen Weiss. The collision severed Zednik’s jugular vein and left a 100-foot trail of blood on the ice of Buffalo’s HSBC Arena.
Thankfully, Zednik is in stable condition in the intensive care unit at Buffalo General Hospital after undergoing surgery.
Check out John Vogl’s story about the incident by following this link:

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/sabresnhl/story/273620.html

John provided an eyewitness account of the horrific scene during an interview with ESPN this morning.
The video shown by ESPN was chilling to say the least. Two conclusions are inescapable after seeing it and reading the story.
Zednik is very lucky to be alive and it’s a wonder this doesn’t happen more often in professional hockey.

2008-02-11T12:08:00.000-05:00

Going, going ... almost gone

Assuming the paperwork gets filed on time and passes the inspection of the South Atlantic League and Minor League Baseball, the Columbus Catfish will be playing in Bowling Green, Ky., in 2009 under a different name.
That raises the likelihood that Golden Park could be empty for quite some time.
According to South Atlantic League president Eric Krupa, the SALLY League can't expand unless Major League Baseball does the same. Two things would have to happen in order for Golden Park to have a tenant other than pigeons in 2009.
(1) Another ownership group would have to step forward and poach a team from another South Atlantic League market and move it here. That seems unlikely in the immediate future since the Catfish aren't officially gone yet and a sale and change of location for a franchise would require months of preparation and reams of paperwork.
(2) Independent league baseball anyone?
In the past, I've used this blog and my column to examine some of the issues surrounding the Catfish. Assuming the deal closes and they move on, it's difficult to imagine Columbus not having a minor league baseball team.
What do you think would have to happen in order for Columbus to maintain baseball in some form or another? Is local ownership enough? Does the location of Golden Park work against attendance?
Feel free to voice your ideas in the comments section or e-mail me at johnsont@ledger-enquirer.com.

2008-02-07T14:28:00.000-05:00

Signing day leftovers

There are certain components you can always count on for National Signing Day.
1. The teenagers signing scholarship papers will be seated behind a long cafeteria-style table in either the lunchroom, library or gymnasium.
2. Parents, teachers, classmates and newspaper photographers will take enough photographs to rival the paparazzi's latest Britney Spears sighting. The kids will sign their national letters of intent and it will be treated as if they're affixing their names to the Declaration of Independence. But then Aunt Berta's camera will have jammed and they'll have to pose again with their pens suspended above their important documents.
3. If the TV camera crews are late (and they generally are), then they will stage a signing. Instead of signing letters of intent, the athletes will probably be signing their names to blank scrap paper.
4. The football players will be referred to by someone -- most likely the high school principal -- as ''student-athletes.'' When they get to college, most will become ''athlete-students.''
5. If a player has multiple offers from high-profile programs, he may milk the moment for maximum suspense. He might have, for example, several different team baseball caps hidden beneath the table and take turns putting them on and teasing the fans of those respective schools until finally finding the hat and program that best fits.
6. You can count on the idiot faction to emerge when a player who has been verbally committed to a school spurns that program for another on signing day. Carver High School wide receiver Jarmon Fortson was labeled a ''traitor'' among other things for backing out of a commitment to Auburn and signing with Florida State on Wednesday. Prospects across the country caught a ridiculous amount of heat for doing the same thing. Here's the thing: Fortson didn't turn his signing into a major media event or a joke. He changed his mind, which 18-year-olds tend to do from time to time. It doesn't make him a bad person. It makes him human.
7. You can count on the same idiot fans to not say anything when their favorite team ''turns'' a prospect who had been verbally committed to a rival program.
8. When interviewed about their decision, many of the ''student-athletes'' will say they signed with Big State U. because Coach So-and-So ''cared about me.'' Within a few months, they'll be cursing Coach So-and-So with every other breath for being so tough on them.
9. Fans will obsess over how their programs' recruiting classes fared in the rankings compiled by Scout.com, ESPN.com, Rivals.com and any other outlet whose name if followed by a period and a ''com.'' It's true that many of the top programs are where they are because of how many five-star players they signed, but how do you explain the sudden success of signing day non-factors like Missouri and Kansas?
10. At most every player signing, cake and sodas will be served. That's reason enough to attend.

2008-02-04T13:09:00.000-05:00

Glad I was wrong

As it turns out, New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress knew what he was talking about and I didn’t.
Burress stated before Super Bowl XLII, to much derision, that his team would pull the upset and it did. He also said the Giants wouldn’t give up more than 17 points, again to much derision, but they didn’t.
I blew it in both categories, but I've never been so happy to be so wrong.
The Giants’ 17-14 victory over the previously unbeaten New England Patriots was one of the most stirring moments in sports history.
While the first three quarters last night were enough to make viewers search for the remote and turn to the ''Puppy Bowl'' on Animal Planet, the last quarter more than made up for the lagging pace that preceded it.
The last 12 minutes were what we hope for in a Super Bowl -- Eli Manning shaking off pass rushers, David Tyree making an acrobatic catch to sustain a 12-play drive, Tom Brady heaving the football some 70 yards in the air in a hold-your-breath moment at the end.
The Patriots, who could have won their fourth Super Bowl in seven years, may one day be regarded as the NFL's most powerful dynasty. Because of what the Giants accomplished with their pass rush and their poise at the end, however, the Patriots won't get a seat at the head table reserved for perfect seasons.
The only place setting belongs to the 1972 Miami Dolphins and will until further notice. Their 17-0 record and collection of Hall of Fame busts remain the standard-bearer for the league.
You have to feel good for Bob Griese, Larry Csonka, Mercury Morris, Bill Stanfill, Jake Scott, Mike Kolen, Paul Warfield, Garo and the rest. It was widely assumed they would be eclipsed, but this morning they should have been savoring a champagne buzz from the previous night.
The latest and nearest threat to their legacy tripped with the finish line in sight.
The Dolphins' 17-0 season may well be the most impressive record in professional sports. I used to consider the most hallowed marks to be those achieved individually, Hank Aaron’s home run record and Roger Maris' summer of 61, but juiced baseballs and juiced players have caused me to see the numbers differenly now.
Miami’s 17-0 season remains pure.
Yes, it's tougher to run the table in the NFL now. Keep in mind, however, that the Dolphins played 11 regular season games with their backup quarterback and won without the benefit of hidden cameras or Human Growth Hormone.
What sports records resonate the most with you?