Sports Page Atlanta

I used to think we would sorely miss Marcus Giles as the Braves second sacker. But, a dismal year in San Diego where he hit .229 and saw his home run total drop by almost 300% combined with the beautiful things Kelly Johnson does for the Braves at second now keep me smiling.

Braves fans should always remember Giles’ tenure in Atlanta from 2001 to 2006. Especially his 2003 season where he hit .316 with 21 home runs and 14 stolen bases.
photo credit: Justin Shearer

Aaron Hanks

Spring football practice started at Georgia Tech this past Monday, as new head coach Paul Johnson see his players in pads for the first time.

Notes:

- Junior linebacker Shane Bowen (shoulder), junior offensive tackle Cord Howard (foot), junior A-back Jason Davis (foot) and junior offensive lineman Brad Sellers (knee) are all recovering from injuries and are expected to miss all of spring practice.

- The coaching staff is taking a look at a number of players at new positions and are far from making any final decisions. For now, however, junior Greg Smith is working at an A-back position and former wide receiver Willie White is practicing with the defensive backs.

photo credit: mosesxan

Bart Stevens

The Atlanta Hawks are currently clinging to the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Being in contention for a playoff berth this late in the season is very unfamiliar territory for this Atlanta franchise, since Atlanta has been in an eight year play-off drought. They have 12 games remaining on the schedule (7 home 5 away), and have no margin for error with New Jersey within half a game’s reach in the East. Fortunately for the Hawks, they have caught fire as of late, winners of 4 of their last 6, and only have three games remaining against teams with an above .500 record. At first glance, the odds of Atlanta securing a playoff berth seem good, but if history has taught us anything, it is that the Hawks can usually find a way to blow it.  Judging by their play throughout the whole season, it is obvious that the talent and the potential of a playoff caliber team is there, but there are a few things that need to happen for the playoff dream to continue.

Mike Woodson’s tenure as head coach in Atlanta has been mediocre at best. He has slowly increased the number of wins every season, (already matching last year’s total of 30 wins) but only marginally enough to make a difference. Flaunting a few garbage victories from late in seasons past are not misleading anyone, which has led to various rumors of GM Billy Knights attempts to fire Woodson. Although both sides deny these rumors, don’t be surprised to see Mike Woodson out as head coach if he finds a way to miss the playoffs this year. Throughout the course of the season, I feel Mike Woodson consistently gets out coached in the second half and fails to keep the team motivated for the full 48 minutes. Conditioning young players to perform like veterans late in games is no easy task, but after 4 years I’d hope he has coached his players to this standard.  In these last 12 games, the Hawks will enter each game as the favorite to win, and Woodson needs to be sure his team performs like it. There is no room for leads to be blown, or games to be overlooked at this point. To be blunt, Mike Woodson needs to coach like his job depends on it, literally.

Another area of concern for the Hawks is finding a dependable third go-to scorer. Joe Johnson has been putting up monster numbers during the Hawks recent hot streak, (26.4 ppg 7.4 apg) which has been one of the few consistencies all season. It also appears that Mike Bibby has gained control of Atlanta’s offense attack adding a much needed perimeter shooter to the lineup.  Both of these Atlanta guards have proven over time that they have the ability to produce on a consistent basis, but the Hawks are in desperate need of finding a third scoring threat. Josh Smith is Atlanta’s 2nd leading scorer (17.3 ppg), but anyone who has witnessed his perimeter shooting would agree that it is far from dependable. Smith is a player who has potential to be one of most well rounded offensive and defensive players in the league if he can come to terms that his scoring zone doesn’t extend past 15 feet from the rim.  His size and athleticism leads to consistent mismatches which are best capitalized in the low post. His south-paw orientation naturally puts him in a position to draw fouls and allow him to work against 2nd string caliber players due to foul trouble.  Dribbling has also been a weak point for Josh, which limits his perimeter game and is constantly exposed by better defenders.  I am an avid fan of Josh’s, but I feel that in order for him and the team to prosper he needs to confide in his role as a dominant low post player.

Marvin Williams has had games where he played like a 2nd overall draft pick, and others where I start kicking myself for selecting him over Chris Paul. It appears Marvin has adopted the identity as a pure 20-foot jumper shooter, which is slightly contradicting to his agile interior play in college. As with any pure shooter, Marvin’s scoring comes in streaks which needs to become more consistent down the stretch. Being the kick-out option for the Hawks offense, William’s number is called numerous times a game, and much of Atlanta’s success depends on his ability to knock down the jumper. Marvin is an extremely young talent who has shown he can be a dependable scoring option, but his game like most of the Hawks, has little room for error in the coming weeks.

Every player on the roster must know that no game can be overlooked.  Atlanta is a city thirsty for some post-season excitement, and the Hawks posses a major opportunity to capitalize on a playoff appearance.  The Hawks have a long way to go before they are in the discussion as some of the leagues elite teams, but there is much experience and benefit to gain if this team can hold the eighth playoff spot. Winning can cure a lot of problems with any team, and should serve as the catalyst the Hawks need to perform to their potential. The eighth seed in the Eastern Conference doesn’t appear to be that prestigious of an accomplishment, but for the Hawks it is a great sign on progress and hope for a promising future for the franchise.

Elliot Bernstein is a 22 year old native of Atlanta. He currently attends the University of Georgia, but will be graduating in August. He is an avid fan of Atlanta sports, and a very proud member of the Bulldog Nation. Elliot is extremely excited about working with SportsPage Atlanta, and believes the city of Atlanta has an exciting year of sports to look forward to!

Georgia Bulldog Head Coach Mark Richt along with other college coaches (Auburn’s Tommy Tuberville, Miami’s Randy Shannon, Notre Dame’s Charlie Weis and Yale’s Jack Siedlecki) will visit military bases in the middle east May 20th to the 26th.

This is the first time NCAA football and Armed Forces Entertainment has participated in an event like this. The coaches will meet and talk to the servicemen and women and the bases and even set up and coach flag football games.

Richt has family in the US Armed Forces including the Air Force, Army and the Marines.

To learn more go to… 2008 Coaches Tour.

Dave McMahon

In a small trade, the Braves sent middle reliever Tyler Yates to the Pittsburgh Pirates for minor league pitcher Todd Redmond.

The right-hander struggled for the Braves in spring training this season with a 9.00 era in 8 innings.

Last season, Yates appeared in a career-high 75 games for the Braves.

Here were the leaders in games pitched for the Braves last season…

1. Peter Moylan - 80 games
2. Tyler Yates - 75
3. Rafael Soriano - 71
4. Oscar Villarreal - 51

Dave McMahon

John Smoltz is now officially going on the disabled list, and it got me thinking a little bit. Sure, the word coming from the Braves is that Smoltz won’t miss a start…but is there more to it than that? Smoltz developed his own Spring Training regiment this year, pitching the majority of the time on the back fields and in side sessions. This, coming off of a year in which, the shoulder injury that is nagging him presently, had put him on the disabled list for about a month, and bothered him seemingly all season.

Connecting the dots a bit, the consummate pessimist in me is worried. Make no mistake, this is a BIG deal for the 2008 Braves. And, those of you that aren’t concerned, should be. Smoltz is a fighter. He takes the ball every fifth day, and battles through everything. If it is enough of an injury to put him on the DL, it says a lot. Will he be fine in 15 days and return to the form that we have seen time and time again? It’s possible. Maybe even probable. However, the pattern of nagging injuries to the aging ace of the Braves staff is awfully concerning. What say you SportsPage Atlanta readers?
photo credit: sluggerwv

Barrett Sallee has worked professionally in the Atlanta sports market in various aspects for over 7 years. He can be reached at barrettsallee@hotmail.com

With John Smoltz starting the season on the DL, the Atlanta Braves announced that Tim Hudson will be the 2008 game one starter. This will be the 2nd time Hudson has started the first game of the season for the Braves and it will be the 5th time he has done that in his career.

But Huddy has a long way to go if he wants the MLB record in that category. Here are the career leaders for most opening day starts…

Tom Seaver - 16

Steve Carlton - 14

Walter Johnson - 14

Cy Young - 14

Jack Morris - 14

Randy Johnson - 14

*** Walter Johnson holds the record for most opening day wins. The Big Train won the opening game 9 times in his career.

Dave McMahon

The Atlanta Braves were shut out Monday by the Cleveland Indians, 8-0, behind six perfect innings from Indians pitcher and Athens, Ga. native Jake Westbrook in Winter Haven, Fla. Chipper Jones broke up the perfecto in the seventh with a double off of journeyman Jorge Julio, while Jeff Francoeur added the only other hit for the Bravos. Buddy Carlyle looked good in the loss, surrendering one run and striking out three in four innings. Carlyle appears to be Richmond-bound, but has proven the have the stuff to make it at the Major League level, which may be very important if John Smoltz’ injury is more serious than first reported.

Jeff Ridgway, who came over in the Willy Aybar trade over the winter, got lit up like a Christmas tree, giving up six runs (four earned), four hits and two walks in only one inning of work. Will Ohman and Tyler Yates continued the frantic fight for the final bullpen spots, each by hurling 1-2-3 innings themselves.

The loss drops the braves to 13-12 in Grapefruit league action. The Braves play the Mets tomorrow in Port St. Lucie before wrapping up Grapefruit League action with games in the Magic Kingdom vs. the Nationals and Mets.
photo credit: sluggerwv

Barrett Sallee has worked professionally in the Atlanta sports market in various aspects for over 7 years. He can be reached at barrettsallee@hotmail.com

Georgia Bulldog shortstop Gordon Beckham is two-for-two this season. No, he is not batting 1.000 although he is pretty close. The pre-season All-American won his 2nd consecutive SEC Player of the Week Award. He is the first Bulldog to win that award two weeks in a row.

In five games last week, he batted .556 (10-for-18) with 4 home runs and 9 rbi.

On the season, Beckham is batting a robust .517 with 13 home runs and 32 rbi and has scored 32 runs as well.

Dave McMahon

Georgia Bulldog Wide Receiver Tony Wilson underwent successful surgery on Monday to repair a fracture on his left ankle and damaged ligaments. He will have surgery once again in about 8 weeks to remove screws that were placed to stabilize the joint and allow ligaments to heal.

The injury occurred in last Saturday’s scrimmage. He is expected to be fully recovered by the fall and be ready to play next season.

Last season, he played in 12 games, while starting 2. He also added 14 receptions which was 6th on the team.

Dave McMahon