CHECK US OUT AT SCOREATL.COMOCTOBER 30 - NOVEMBER 5, 2009 VOL 5 NO 27

I’ve always said Clemson running back C.J.Spiller is one of the most overrated players

in college football. I’m from Florida original-ly and so is he. I had the chance to watch himin high school and, back then, was blownaway by his explosive speed and overallpower. He was a physical runner at the timeand had all the tools to be a college star. Then,he went to Clemson and, as I would go on toclaim for the next three years, became ahousehold name and a special teams dynamo,but really nothing more. Despite quicklyearning the reputation of a top-notch collegerunning back, anyone who watched the kidconsistently knew he was nothing of the sort.Spiller had lost the toughness he once dis-played on the high school gridiron and, inthree years, had little success as a true,between-the-tackles running back. As aresult, and in much the same way I once dis-counted the college Reggie Bush, I believedSpiller had little value as an NFL prospect.Like Bush, I knew Spiller would never be anevery-down back in the NFL and that helacked a true position, a trait seldom attrib-uted to top draft picks.

Well, fast-forward to today, and I have toadmit I was totally wrong. True, he still is farfrom a traditional running back and will prob-ably never be the every-down back NFL teamsare searching for in the first two rounds. He is,however, explosive in ways I really never knewand that have seldom been matched. Actually,I knew Spiller had the potential to be explo-

sive, just not with such consistency. To believein Spiller as one of the most dynamic footballplayers of the last 10 years or so, here’s all youneed to know: Through just seven games thisfall, C.J. has scored an amazing eight touch-downs of 60 yards or more. Yes, my friends,more than once a game C.J. takes the ball 60yards or more for a score. So, I now say, forgetthat he won’t carry the ball 25 times a gameand that he probably wouldn’t start for mostteams in the league. A guy who can score fromanywhere on the field with that kind of stun-ning consistency deserves to hear his namecalled early on Draft Day 1.

At 4-3 overall and 3-2 in conference play,Georgia is far removed from the nationalchampionship discussion and is all but elimi-nated from SEC title contention. Still, evenwhile falling short of its two primary goals forthe year, the Dawgs can save their season thisweekend with a win over No. 1-ranked Florida.

Unfortunately, I’m not sure this isGeorgia’s year to win the annual Jacksonvilleshowdown. Its defense has been sieve-like formost of the season, and its offense will be luckyto find the end zone twice on Saturday. Withthat and more in mind, I have the Gators gettingout of Jacksonville with a 27-10 victory.

TELLING IT ALL …In his upcoming autobiography Open,

former professional tennis player AndreAgassi admits to using crystal meth in 1997and to lying to tennis authorities when he

failed a subsequent drug test. According toan excerpt of the autobiography publishedWednesday in The Times of London, theeight-time Grand Slam champion writesthat he sent a letter to the ATP tour toexplain the positive test, saying he acciden-tally drank from a soda spiked with meth byhis then-assistant “Slim.”

Anyway, I’m not shocked to learn Agassiused meth; after all, I can’t ques-tion the merits of the drug seeingas I’ve never tried it. But, whenAgassi writes, “I can’t speak toaddiction, but … if you’re usinganything as an escape, you have aproblem,” I can’t help butacknowledge the always-surpris-ing fact that even the rich andfamous, those who seem to haveeverything going their way, aren’talways happy. And I’m not talkinga surreal or euphoric happinessonly found in fairytales, but ratherthe kind of ordinary, day-to-daycontentment that prevents theaverage person from usingmethamphetamine. Now, it’s niceto already know how the storyends, with Agassi continuing anall-time great career (in 1998, theyear after he kicked his nastyhabit, Aggasi made the biggestone-year jump into the top 10 inthe history of the ATP Rankings,

going from his year-end 122 to No. 6.), clean-ing up his act, marrying Steffi Graf and havingtwo kids with the former female tennis great.Still, it’s eerie to think how low someone whoseems to have it all can sink, but also specialto realize how far from rock bottom one canclimb with only the right frame of mind.

Janovitz can be reached atsjanovitz@scoreatl.com.

C.J. ALL THE WAY: C.J. Spiller, Clemson’s do-it-all superstar, hasaccounted for eight touchdowns of over sixty yards so far this sea-son. Photo courtesy of Clemson University.

Clemson RB living up to explosive billing; Agassi comes clean in new book

02 I SCORE ATLANTA Get In The Game!

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Scott Janovitz talks about one of the mostamazing stats in college football this season,and Andre Agassi’s tell-all book.

In his Sitting in the Cheap Seats column,I.J. Rosenberg looks at the Falcons’ sta-dium situation and tells fans not toworry about the Dallas loss.

The Dawgs are ready for No. 1Florida, and the Yellow Jacketstravel out of conference for about with Vandy. Our beat writershave the scoop.

Media columnist Fletcher Proctordiscusses former Falcon KeithBrooking’s regrettable behavior fromSunday’s game.

TEAM SCOOP AND VOICESCOVER DESIGN BY DJ GALBIATI. COVER PHOTOS COURTESY OF JIMMY CRIBB/ATLANTA FALCONS.

2SPIN 5CHEAP SEATS

6 SCORE LIST-KATREK 9UGA-GA TECH 10 FALCONS

11 SCORE MORE 12 GA STATE

13 CALENDAR 14 MEDIA-AD INDEX

PUBLISHER/EDITOR I.J. RosenbergGENERAL MANAGER Bob Houghton

MANAGING EDITOR Alex EwaltART/CREATIVE DIRECTOR DJ Galbiati

VIDEO MANAGER Scott Janovitz BUSINESS MANAGER Marvin Botnick

SALES MANAGER Mark MayoSALES ASSOCIATE John Saunders

BEAT WRITERS Josh Bagriansky (Dream), Stephen Black(Kennesaw State), Jason Boral (Thrashers), James Butler

(UGA), Dave Cohen (Georgia State), Ricky Dimon (Tech), AlexEwalt (Preps), Scott Janovitz (Hawks/Recruiting), Brian Jones

(Falcons), Fletcher Proctor (Braves)STAFF WRITERS Cranston Collier, Joe Deighton, Rajesh Gupta, ZanderLentz, Andrew McCarron, Alan Gales, Brian Penter, John Edwards,

Derek Wiley, Foster Lander, Summer GoldbergCONTRIBUTORS Tad Arapoglou, Dean Zindler, Kevin Dankosky,

Mitch Evans, Matt Judy, Tony Schiavone, Richard Diamond,Joe Haines, Brian Katrek, Chris Dimino, Mike Bell, Matt Stewart, FredKalil, Nick Cellini, Phillip Leopold, Dave Marshall, Greg Smith, Steak

Shapiro, Mike Cather, Beau Bock, Hal Lamar, Chris Cotter, RoyHickman, Dave Cohen, John Olah, Jeff Woolverton, Chris Voss, Bob

Rathbun, Courtney Capps, Bill Hartman, Chuck Dowdle, Shannon Alderman, Dan Kamal, Dennis Scott, C.C., Hal Lanier,

Jeff Batten, Micah Hart, Ben Wright, Alan Vasquez, Andrew Vedlitz, Brian Jones

SPECIAL CONTRIBUTORS Mitch Albom, Dave Kindred, Barry Bloom

SHOT OF THEWEEK…

JUMP UP: Roddy White and the Falconsdidn’t have much to celebrate after their loss toDallas on Sunday, but they have a chance toredeem themselves in the NFL’s biggest show-case — Monday Night Football. Time for somegood, old-fashioned Falcons-Saints hate! Photocour tesy of Jimmy Cribb/Atlanta Falcons.

CHEROKEE/FORSYTH: Cherokee, Creekview, Etowah, Forsyth Central,North Forsyth, Sequoyah, South Forsyth, West Forsyth, Woodstock

COBB: Allatoona, Campbell, Harrison, Kell, Kennesaw Mountain, Lassiter,Marietta, McEachern, N. Cobb, N. Cobb Christian, Pebblebrook,

Pope, S. Cobb, Sprayberry, Walton, WheelerDEKALB: Chamblee, Columbia, Decatur, Druid Hills, Dunwoody, Lakeside,

Marist, Miller Grove, M.L. King, Paideia, Redan, St. Pius X, SouthwestDeKalb, Stephenson, Stone Mountain, Tucker

FULTON: Alpharetta, Blessed Trinity, Centennial, Chattahoochee, Douglass,Grady, Lovett, Mays, Milton, North Springs, Northview, Riverwood,

Roswell, Tri-Cities, Westminster, Woodward AcademyGWINNETT: Berkmar, Brookwood, Buford, C. Gwinnett, Collins Hill, Dacula,

Grayson, Greater Atlanta Christian, Meadowcreek, Mill Creek, Norcross,North Gwinnett, Parkview, Peachtree Ridge, South Gwinnett, Wesleyan

GORDON: Calhoun, Gordon Central, Sonoraville

™ STARTINGLINEUP

™ SCHOOLLISTING

ONTH

E This Saturday, check out a live webcast ofall of the state volleyball finals at GHSA.tv.Score Atlanta is once again joining forceswith the GHSA and Georgia PublicBroadcasting to bring fans a free webcastof the state championship matches fromMarietta High School. Coverage starts at10:45 a.m. on Saturday, and you canaccess the on-demand video anytimeafter that at GHSA.tv!

CAN’TMISSCAN’TMISS

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THIS WEEKGeorgia WR A.J. Green

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month on Tuesday, Friday and Saturdaynights for both girls and boys teams. We dothese for the AJC, and they will be avail-able at ajc.com as well as at scoreatl.com.If you want your scores online and in theAJC print editions, please call our scorehotline at 404-256-1572 or email scores toscores@scoreatl.com.

In a few years, remember what I am aboutto say: Atlanta will have a new all-purpose

stadium with a retractable roof.Many won’t remember, but before the

Georgia Dome was built some 17 years ago,I covered for the Atlanta Journal-Constitutionthe Falcons’ threat to move the team toJacksonville if they didn’t get a new stadium.We all know what happened, and Idon’t think Falcons owner ArthurBlank will pull a Rankin Smith Sr.and threaten to go.

But Blank should get newdigs where we can make moneyoff luxury boxes and such, likemost every other NFL owner.The Georgia Dome is better thanit was a few years ago becauseBlank has spent millions toimprove every part of it despiterealizing he probably is notgoing to get back much on hisinvestment. But Blank is allabout customer service and wasbothered by the condition of theDome when he bought the team afew years back.

It was announced a few daysago that the Georgia WorldCongress Center, which overseesthe stadium, has hired a KansasCity-based architect to propose amaster plan for the Dome. TheFalcons are pushing to get a newstadium and well before the cur-rent contract they have with theDome ends; they have to playthere until the bonds are paid off, whichcould be as late as 2017.

My bet is that we have a new stadium,sitting either beside or where the Dome istoday, by 2014. Shoot, the Falcons can playat Tech for a year while it is being built.

Like Dallas, the Falcons and their ownerdeserve it and we as fans deserve a place towatch pro football outdoors.

NEW BASKETBALL SCOREBOARD …As we do on Friday nights with high

school football, Score will be doing highschool basketball scores beginning next

slumps, and while Turner hasn’t put up thesame numbers he did last year, he certainlyhas helped the Falcons get off to a 4-2 startagainst a brutal schedule. Now they get 6-0New Orleans on Monday night and manyfeel the Saints can go 16-0. The Saints unde-feated? Come on. I bet the Falcons win thisgame, and not only win it, but handle the

boys from the Bayou and win by 10.I called a Tech resurgance after itsloss to Miami and I said Georgiawould win its next three after its lossto Oklahoma State. Panicking afterone game is for fair-weather fams.The Falcons, behind the leadershipoff the field of head coach MikeSmith and on the field of quarter-back Matt Ryan, will be just fine.Bet on it.

AND FINALLY …Every week I get the same message

at my office from a gentleman whoalways starts off by saying: “You writea great column as long as you don’twrite about politics.” Excuse me, Ihave made one, well, maybe two, neg-ative remarks about our president andI’m not going to stop there, especiallyafter seeing that not only has the Prezfailed to accomplish anything, he haslet Wall Street and the banks, whichgot us into this whole mess, get backon their feet and take the same outra-geous bonuses they always have. I ama conservative, but if Obama is thevoice of the liberal side of this coun-

try, he sure hasn’t done much to help the peo-ple and small businesses that need it the most.I call it welfare for the rich.

I guess that’s enough for two phonecalls this week.

AND FINALLY ONE MORE TIME …The biggest knucklehead in sports today

is Tennessee’s Lane Kiffin. If I saw him walkinto a restaurant in which I was eating, I wouldwalk out immediately, worried the Volunteerscoach just might blow himself up. Is it possi-ble to have said more dumb things and upsetmore people in the small time he has been in

Knoxville? Then, on Saturday, he has a chanceto beat then-top-ranked Alabama but decidesto play not to lose and puts his field goal kick-er in a terrible situation when he lets the clockrun down from 35 seconds because he is wor-ried about the officials making a bad callagainst his team. Coaches like Kiffin nevermake it, and when he was at Oakland, we feltbad for him after the way he was let go byowner Al Davis. But we actually might havefound someone who is wackier than Davis.

Rosenberg can be heard on 790 TheZone during Falcons games on Sunday. Hecan be reached atijrosenberg@scoreatl.com and 404-256-1572. Score also continues to look forinterns for graphics, writing, editing, webwork, webcasting and advertising. If you areinterested, email us at info@scoreatl.com.

FALCONS WILL BE A OK …What did I take from the Falcons’ loss in

Dallas? Not much. Past the first drive, theydidn’t play well and ran into a quarterbackwho had a great game. And why in the worldis everyone down on Falcons running backMichael Turner? The AJC’s Mark Bradleysays he is looking more and more like a one-year wonder. Let’s see, I think they were say-ing the same thing a couple years ago aboutSaints running back Reggie Bush when somefelt he would be a bust. Professional athletes,no matter how good they are, go through

Falcons stadium talk reaching peak; Falcons will be fine despite blowout loss

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OCTOBER 30 - NOVEMBER 5, 2009 SCORE ATLANTA I 05

CATCH I.J. ON SUNDAYSI bet the Falcons win this game (against the Saints), and notonly win it, but handle the boys from the Bayou and win by 10.

JOE’S SHOW: The Hawks and their leader, Joe Johnson, have tipped the seasonoff and are looking for a third straight playoff berth. With the same nucleus, theteam will once again look to wow fans at the Highlight Factory. Check outHawks.com for the best ticket deals around! Photo courtesy of Scott Cunningham.

OUT FRONT

The Falcons took a hit when they lost inblowout fashion to the Cowboys, but arestill very much in line for a playoff berthand can solidify that status with a winover undefeated New Orleans. TheSaints have looked unstoppable thisseason, but the 4-2 Falcons are hopingto shore up some defensive issuesbefore meeting a prolific offense led byQB Drew Brees. The cover photo andabove photo are courtesy of JimmyCribb/Atlanta Falcons.

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THUMBS UP TO TITLE POTENTIAL

THUMBS DOWN TO GOING DOWN IN DALLAS

Georgia Tech on top The Yellow Jackets were able to get abig win against Virginia inCharlottesville, the first time that theyhave won there since 1990 when theywon the national title. And becauseClemson defeated Miami, GeorgiaTech is now in first place in the ACCCoastal Division.

Rivalry Week It’s the end of October and that means thatGeorgia and Florida will do battle down inJacksonville. But don’t forget the MondayNight Football game, as the Falcons will headdown to New Orleans to take on the Saints inan ultra-important game for both squads.

Hawks open season The NBA is back and the Hawks opened theirseason on Wednesday against the IndianaPacers at Philips Arena. Many experts havethis team finishing fourth in the EasternConference, and Jamal Crawford is a candi-date for Sixth Man of the Year.

Atlanta Falcons Even though the Falcons are 4-2 andare still hanging with the Saints forthe NFC South title, they struggledmightily against the Dallas Cowboysin a 37-21 loss. Matt Ryan wassacked four times after only gettingsacked twice this season beforeSunday’s game.

Jason Heyward Another big-time local player that sufferedan injury is the Braves’ top prospect JasonHeyward, who suffered a lower-back strainin the Arizona Fall League. Last season,Heyward hit .323 with 17 home runs and 63RBIs with three Braves affiliates and wasnamed Minor League Player of the Year byBaseball America.

Ilya Kovalchuk The Thrashers received bad news as their starplayer will miss four weeks due to a brokenbone in his right foot. Kovalchuk was havingone of the best starts to a season in his career,as he was leading the NHL with nine goals.

SANITY

“They got out-schemed. So it’sillegal to out-scheme them, I

guess. We blocked them the sameway we blocked them a year agoand they weren’t complaining

when they won.” - GT head coach Paul Johnson’s

response to Virginia Tech head coachFrank Beamer’s claim the Jackets were

executing illegal blocks

CRUNCHING THE

NUMBERS AT LASTJACKET TAKES ITCongratulations to former Georgia

Tech standout Troy Matteson on his winlast week in Phoenix. The wincame in a playoff over two greatyoung players, Rickie Fowlerand Jamie Lovemark. Fowler,is a great player and will be avery good TOUR pro, but heis a funny-looking dude.

Luke Donald recently wrotefor the Golf Channel that he does-n't think the new groove regulationswill affect him too much. Donald is a

very straight driver of the ball and the newgrooves will work just fine from the fair-

way. Luke did say he heard from someplayers that they actually picked up

as many as 15 yards on iron shotsbecause of the lack of spin. Toobad the manufacturers didn'tthink of that before.

Brian Katrek can be heardon 790 The Zone’s “On The

Green with Brian Katrek”Sundays from 8-9 a.m. and can be

reached at katrek@790thezone.com.

2417

Number of times Falcon QBswere sacked all of last year,fifth-best in the NFL

Number of times theCowboys sacked Ryan dur-ing their 37-21 win

Number of times Matt Ryanhad been sacked going into lastweek’s game against Dallas

SCORE LISTMONDAY MANIA: Sure, theFalcons got demolished in Big D and,yeah, the Saints look unstoppable.But if the Falcons want to provethey’re truly an elite team, they haveto come through big on this MondayNight Football showdown.

SPEAKING OF THE SAINTS:Seems Reggie Bust … er, I meanBush … has started talking about 16-0, Super Bowls, MVPs, Pro Bowlsand other irrelevant accolades andachievements that have nothing to dowith Monday’s game. Keep lookingahead, Reggie.

THEIRS FOR THE TAKING:Speaking of coming up big, Techrouted Virginia in Charlottesville,beating the hated ‘Hoos on their turffor the first time since 1990. With yetanother bad streak snapped, can theJackets reach another milestone withan ACC title?

COCKTAILS ANYONE?: TheDawgs have had two full weeks toprepare for a very un-dominantFlorida squad, and will no doubt behyped up at a chance to knock off thenation’s No. 1 team. Can Mark Richtand team work some magic inJacksonville?

PLAYOFF PUSH: As the NFL andcollege football are working throughthe meat of the schedule, the highschool season is nearing the post-season. Is your team in the runningfor a spot? Check out our prep insertsfor full rankings and updates.

GET IT STARTED!: We’ve gothigh hopes for the Hawks this sea-son, and we like the moves theteam made in the offseason. All theingredients are there for yet anoth-er jump in production from a yearago, and we’re ecstatic openingweek is already here.

DON’T JERK US AROUND:Come on, Thrashers. This is just likeyou. You give your devoted fans hopewith a red-hot start, and then dash itto the ground with a losing streak anda killing injury to Kovy. It’s like mak-ing the playoffs for the first time andgetting swept.

WHAT A TWIT: Chiefs runningback Larry Johnson, like manyother un-self-aware athletes andcelebrities, unfortunately seems tohave forgotten that Twitter getspublished; that’s right, anyone any-where can read it. I’m not gonnapublish his posts; just Google ‘em.

HOT DIGGITY DOG: Jets QBMark Sanchez got busted last week-end for chowing down on some ball-park fare on the sideline, but at leasthe’s turning his controversy into acharitable cause. The rookie donated500 hot dogs and hamburgers to alocal food bank.

BIG MAC’S BACK: MarkMcGwire was named the hittingcoach for Tony LaRussa’s Cardinalsthis week. I’m sure LaRussa’s hop-ing the former single-season homerun champ doesn’t resort to his per-sonal training techniques from backwhen he played.

BY ALEX EWALT

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On Sept. 17, Georgia Tech traveled toMiami and got pounded by the

Hurricanes 33-17 in a game that was not evenas close as the humbling score indicated. The16-point setback not only appeared to be areality check for the previously 2-0 YellowJackets, but it was also thought to be a devas-tating blow to their hopes for an ACC title.

Now, just five weeks later, a surging Techteam finds itself alone atop the ACC CoastalDivision — and the entire ACC, for that matter —and in complete control of its conference destiny.

Heading into a Saturday road trip toVanderbilt, the Jackets are in the midst of animpressive five-game winning streak, withfour of the victories coming at the expense ofACC competition. They bounced back fromthe loss to Miami with a 24-7 rout of NorthCarolina, kept their conference championshipaspirations alive with a hard-fought 49-44win at Florida State, then cemented them-selves as serious contenders by scoring one ofthe biggest victories in Bobby Dodd Stadiumhistory, winning 28-23 over Virginia Tech.

Nonetheless, that trio of impressive per-formances (in addition to taking care of SECfoe Mississippi State 42-31) only put GeorgiaTech in second place in its division and tiedwith both Miami and Virginia Tech (andDuke!) in the loss column, with one conferenceblemish. Paul Johnson’s squad still trailed thesurprising Virginia Cavaliers, who were 2-0 inACC play after feasting on meager opposition.

Not for long. The Ramblin’ Wreckstormed into Charlottesville last Saturday andhammered the Wahoos 34-9. So dominant werethe Jackets that the weekend’s only suspensefor them came while they — you can be sure —were following another game later that night.Miami, considered to be a front-runner in theCoastal Division along with the two Techs, suf-fered a brutal 40-37 loss to visiting Clemson.

Prior to the Hurricane heartbreaker,Miami, Georgia Tech, and Virginia Techappeared to be on course to finish tied atopthe Coastal with one loss apiece. With a head-to-head tiebreaker unable to decide matters(Miami beat GT, GT beat VT, and VT beatMiami), BCS rank at the end of the season

would have the final say. In that all-importantdepartment, Miami had a clear upper handprior to Saturday’s shakeup.

After last week’s developments, howev-er, the Yellow Jackets will have no contro-versial computer formulas to blame if theyare not a part of the Dec. 5 ACCChampionship Game in Tampa.Thanks to Tech’s own stellarplay and to Clemson’s heroicsin South Beach, the equationcould not be simpler: if theJackets take care of businessnext month at home againstWake Forest and on the roadat Duke, they will win theCoastal Division.

Georgia Tech, ofcourse, will then wrap upits regular season againstarchrival Georgia. Notonly will the Jackets be insearch of a rare two-gamewinning streak against

the Bulldogs, they will also be looking to seize— or maintain — momentum heading into what

they hope will be an ACC ChampionshipGame appearance seven days later.

But f irst up? A forlornVanderbilt squad that is 0-5 in theSEC and 2-6 overall. I guess itwould be safe to call this one thecalm before the storm!

The photo of DerrickMorgan is courtesy of GeorgiaTech. Dimon can be reached at rdimon@scoreatl.com.

For the first time in a long time at the World’sLargest Cocktail Party, almost all of the

pressure will be on No. 1 Florida.Georgia already has three losses and is

essentially eliminated from the national titleand SEC East races. The Dawgs alsowon this game two years ago and havewon twice since 2004, so there are nostreaks to end against the Gators.

Meanwhile, UF has struggled thepast three weeks offensively while for-mer Heisman Trophy winner and every-one’s favorite circumsizer, TimTebow, has actually looked human.Tebow threw two pick-sixesagainst Mississippi State lastSaturday and refused to meetwith the media after the game,which are generally signs ofimmaturity in a quarterback.

The Gator offense hasstruggled going deep too, aswide receivers Percy Harvin

and Louis Murphy have gone pro while formeroffensive coordinator Dan Mullen is now inStarkville. The team has had a hard timethrowing the ball as a result of these key loss-es. After being one of the most dynamic pass-

ing offenses in college football in 2008, theGators are ranked just seventh in their ownconference this season in passing.Also, the Gators have felt heat fromAlabama and Texas in the BCS stand-ings and actually fell behind the Tide for

a week in the AP poll.

POUND THE ROCK …A big key in this game will

be the running attacks of bothsides and how each squaddefends against them.

Florida’s ground game hasbeen sensational this sea-son, averaging 258 yardsper game. That number isgood enough for sixth-best

in the country and the best in the SEC. Tebow,Chris Rainey and Jeffrey Demps are all aver-aging over 50 yards rushing per game whileEmmanuel Moody has contributed 38 yardsper game on the ground.

This diverse rushing attack has proveddifficult to stop for most opponents, althoughArkansas caused four fumbles and held theGators to just 136 yards rushing.

Georgia will have to find a way to slowthe Florida running game. The key is on firstdown and second down. If the Gators get intoa third or fourth and short, Georgia will findthat Tebow is incredibly difficult to stop onthe quarterback dive.

Meanwhile, the Dawgs will need to find away to establish some semblance of a rushingattack Saturday. But unfortunately for Georgia,they will have to find this running resurgenceagainst the nation’s No. 1 team in total defenseand the No. 2 team in scoring defense.

Going into the weekend, Georgia is last inthe SEC in rushing offense, averaging just 108

yards per game. Running the football is normal-ly the staple of the Bulldog offense, but withoutKnowshon Moreno in the backfield, Georgia hasstruggled to find any consistency on the ground.

Successfully running the ball, however,will be crucial for Georgia Saturday. TheDawgs do not want to be put into a situationwhere the Gator defense can pin its ears backand come after Joe Cox on every play. Cox isa decent quarterback, but he will be pressedinto mistakes if the team cannot makeFlorida respect the run.

Also, with A.J. Green (pictured) spreadout wide, it would help the Dawgs tremendous-ly if they can force Florida’s safeties to respectthe run instead of focusing on doubling Green.

Georgia has a chance this Saturday, but ifthe Bulldogs are going to win, they will needto slow Florida’s rushing attack and find a wayto consistently pound the rock themselves.

Photo courtesy of the University ofGeorgia. Black can be reached atsblack@scoreatl.com.

Ground games will determine outcome between Bulldogs and No. 1 Gators

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Jackets take control of Coastal Division heading into season’s final stretch

After getting off to an impressive 4-1 start,the Atlanta Falcons came crashing back

down to Earth last Sunday, finding themselveson the wrong end of a 37-21 beatdown inDallas. Now the 4-2 Falcons are suddenly facedwith the threat of losing sight of their MondayNight Football opponent, the undefeated NewOrleans Saints, in the race for an NFC Southtitle. The outcome of their trip to the Superdomewill have added significance, as it may verywell define the course of the season.

OUT OF SYNCH …For the Falcons to hang around on

Monday, they’ll need the offense to put uppoints. That’s not the best of news for a unitthat struggled against Chicago and Dallas thepast two weeks, as New Orleans can build alead quickly against an offense that goesthrough any sort of problems within a game.

The Saints defense has been muchimproved this year. The arrival of GregWilliams at defensive coordinator has

changed things, as New Orleans’ new-found aggressive approach has helped itdevelop an identity on “D.”

It’s the turnover departmentwhere the Saints have made akilling, and the Saints have madean astounding 13 interceptionsthis season while DarrenSharper has returned three fortouchdowns all on his own. MattRyan has made some bad decisionsover the past two weeks, and he can’tafford to do that again if Atlanta wantsto stay in the game. Everyone on theoffense will need to play well, espe-cially the second-year quarterback.The o-line must also keep Ryanupright with sack machines likeCharles Grant and Will Smith onthe other side.

A resurgence fromMichael Turner, who isaveraging just 3.4 yards

per carry, is also a must, as it will help keepthe vaunted Saints offense off the field.

Atlanta will need big games from severalguys, including Roddy White and TonyGonzalez in the passing game, to stayin contact with the home team.

STOPPING A JUGGERNAUT …This is where things get

dicey. The Atlanta secondary wastorched by Tony Romo last week, some-thing Drew Brees has done to virtuallyevery defense he’s faced this season, as N.O.

has averaged just under 40 points per game.That’s not good news for Atlanta’s

struggling secondary, whichmisses Brian Williams in abig way already, as young-sters Chevis Jackson, BrentGrimes and Chris Houstonhave struggled mightily to fill

the void left by the veteran after a season-end-ing injury. Thomas DeCoud and Erik

Coleman have been solid at safety, so theymight be able to at least slow down Brees ondeep passes, with Marques Colston andDevery Henderson being the most likely tar-gets. Still, no matter how you slice it, it’s hardto imagine Brees not having a big evening.

The big difference in this year’s Saints istheir ability to run the ball. Pierre Thomas,Reggie Bush and Mike Bell have shared theload for the NFL’s third-best running gameand have produced much better than in yearspast. If Atlanta can’t slow down the run, andfinds itself giving up second-and-fives andthird-and-shorts, Brees will eat them alive.

Atlanta also desperately needs JohnAbraham to get back on track and get somepressure on Brees in the backfield after nettingjust one sack since Opening Day. Big plays willbe needed all around the front seven, with per-haps a few from Mike Peterson.

Photo courtesy of Jimmy Cribb/AtlantaFalcons. Bagriansky can be reached at jbagriansky@scoreatl.com.

10 I SCORE ATLANTA Get In The Game!

A L W A Y S A T S C O R E A T L . C O M

Ryan, Falcons get no time to regroup with trip to New Orleans looming

The 2009-10 NBA season is finallyunderway, so now we will get defin-

itive answers on all of the offseasonmoves the Atlanta Hawks made. Theteam is not in a situation where any typeof regression will be accepted by thefans. We’ve tasted the second round ofthe playoffs, and while it was very bitter,we expect to at least make it back there.We’ll settle for the Eastern ConferenceFinals if that’s the best they can do.Even though the Atlanta Hawks havehad some tough times, they still have avery loyal fan base, contrary to popularbelief. For years, there were only ahandful of places Hawks fans could turnto get coverage on the team. That is notthe case anymore, because these daysthere are numerous sites you can visit toget your daily Hawks fix.

After you visit Scoreatl.com andHawks.com, you should try your luckwith some of the other Hawks blogs.Don’t be afraid of the word blog. TheHawks blogs are very well written andthey all offer a different take on thegame due to the vastly different person-alities of each blogger. A couple of the

guys have even become a part of majorblog networks. Hoopinionblog.com byBret Lagree is under Truehoop onESPN.com, and Peachtreehoops.com byDrew Ditzel is an SB Nation blog and afavorite of Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo!

Here are some other blogs youshould check out as the season progress-es: Humanhighlightblog.com by JasonWalker; hawkstr8talk.com by LarryStewart; runaroundsues.com by JoeFriday; bravesandbirds.blogspot.com byMichael; and last but not least, coco-vents.blogspot.com written by yourstruly. All of the bloggers are fan friend-ly and we will gladly engage in intelli-gent conversations concerning the team,whether you agree with our opinions ornot. This season should be very interest-ing if for no other reason than the factthat it’s a make-or-break season for twoof the team’s most important members.Mike Woodson is coaching for a con-tract, and Joe Johnson is playing for acontract. Follow all of the Hawks blog-gers and you won’t miss a thing.

C.C. can be reached atcfelicec@yahoo.com.

Where to turn for Hawks talk on the netIf a third consecutive loss wasn’t

enough of a momentum killer, thenews that followed Saturday night’s 4-3loss to the San Jose Sharks stomped outmost of the remaining embers of opti-mism surrounding the Thrashers’ strongstart to the season. Ilya Kovalchuk leftSaturday’s game in the first period aftertaking a shot off his foot. Kovalchuk didnot return and was later diagnosed witha broken bone in his right foot, leavinghim sidelined for at least four weeks. “Itis disappointing but it is part of ourgame,” said Kovalchuk in his first pub-lic appearance since suffering the injury.“Injuries are part of our game and I justhave to stay positive.”

Kovalchuk led the charge for histeam offensively to start the season,scoring nine goals in eight games forAtlanta. At the time of the injury, he wastied for the league lead in goals scored. In one of his more vocal moves sincebecoming captain, Kovalchuk made itapparent that even though he won’t beon the ice to help his team, he still wantsto be a force in the locker room. “I wantto be around. We’ve got chemistrybetween each other and in the locker

room as well. So when we’re together,it’s even better for me, I feel better.”

TWO INVISIBLE SCORERS ……Both Atlanta and Ottawa will have

questions to answer surrounding each oftheir respective top offensive weaponswhen the two face off in Ottawa for thesecond time this season. Atlanta mustdeal with the loss of Kovalchuk, whilethe Senators must find a way to get for-ward Jonathan Cheechoo started after afirst month of the season in which hemight as well have been injured.Cheechoo was the main piece headedback to Ottawa in exchange for DanyHeatley in the offseason’s biggest swap.

But Cheechoo hasn’t found scoringin Canada’s capital easy, as he is stilllooking for his first goal in a new uni-form. With his struggles, Cheechoo hasfound more and more time on the bench,giving him less of an opportunity to getoff the schneid. However, as Atlantaknows from its 4-2 loss to Ottawa earli-er in the season, it’s not time to fallasleep on this Senator offense quite yet.

Boral can be reached atjboral@scoreatl.com.

Thrashers cool down; Kovy goes down

Three tips for a successful Hawks seasonThe NBA season is a long, treacherous

road, one sure to be filled with obsta-cles and surprises along the way. So,with the 2009-10 season in mind, I offerwords of wisdom to head coach MikeWoodson and the fellas. Follow thesetips, and the rest will take care of itself.

Pound the ball to Al: Making AlHorford a consistent post option coulddo wonders for extending Joe Johnson’sseason, as the team’s leader has lookednoticeably pooped at the end of each ofthe last two years. In addition to provid-ing routine easy buckets for himself, awell-fed Horford can create open looksfor other Hawks, all without an over-bearing reliance on Johnson.

If Horford can provide buckets inthe paint on a consistent basis, theHawks will also become a far more dan-gerous team come playoffs. When theball tends to slow and transition bucketsbecome increasingly scarce, a trustwor-thy post-up game provided by Big Alwill be far more valuable than ever.

Get defensive: This advice is reallymeant for Josh Smith more than anyoneelse. After all, Atlanta gave up 96.5points per game last season, which wasbetter than average. The team’s defensesuffered against the league’s better teamsand during the second round of the play-offs, however, as Atlanta was swept fromthe postseason by the Cavs and gave upmore than 100 points to the league’s top

teams on 13 different occasions. Theproblem? Josh Smith went from terroriz-ing shot blocker to everyday defender, ashis blocks per game plummeted from 2.8to just 1.6 per contest. But with Johnson,Horford, Mike Bibby and MarvinWilliams all capable of producing on theoffensive end, J-Smoove now has theluxury of focusing the majority of hisattention on the defensive side of the balland, if he does so, the Hawks stand toimprove considerably.

Win on the road: For yearsWoodson has used the team’s youth asan excuse, arguing young teams in theNBA simply don’t win on the road.Beyond the fact that such a claim iswholly false, the Hawks are no longeryoung and need to become consistentwinners away from home if they want tobe taken seriously.

The three top teams in the East —Boston, Orlando and Cleveland — allwent 27-14 on the road last season whileDenver, L.A. and San Antonio, theWest’s top three, won 21, 29 and 26games, respectively, away from home.As for the Hawks, they were again hor-rid away from Philips, winning just 16affairs. Simply put, winners find waysto get things done on the road and theHawks must turn a great deal of theirfocus toward doing so this year.

Janovitz can be reached atsjanovitz@scoreatl.com.SC

ORE

MOR

EIn mid-July, 12-year-old Jennifer

Valdivia attended her first MajorLeague baseball game in Miamibetween the Florida Marlins andPhiladelphia Phillies. While she was sit-ting in the outfield, superstar sluggerRyan Howard came to the plate. Howardknocked one out of the park and Jennifercaught the home run baseball. Ah, butthis was not just any home run baseball.Jennifer’s big catch was Ryan’s 200thcareer home run. The 29-year-old firstbaseman achieved the milestone fasterthan any other player in Major Leaguehistory, in his 658th career game, 48fewer games than the previous record.

Jennifer, who was at the game withher younger brother and grandparents,was approached by a PhiladelphiaPhillies employee. Jennifer says, theytold her if she handed over the ball, shecould come back after the game, meetthe slugger and get him to autograph it.She gave the ball up. In exchange, shegot cotton candy and a soda.

Jennifer arrived at the clubhouseafter the game, but Howard nevershowed up. Instead, a security guardwalked up and gave Jennifer a brandnew autographed baseball signed byHoward, but it wasn’t the one she

caught. And so the plot thickens.Jennifer gets home and relays the

story to her mother. Jennifer’s mother,Delfa Vanegas contacts the Phillies. ThePhillies refuse to return the baseball.Enter attorney Norm Kent. He firstapproached the Phillies in July with hissimple demand: Give the girl her ball. Nobaseball. The season ends; no baseball.Kent threatens to sue the Phillies onbehalf of Jennifer for the baseball and filea judgment “in excess of $15,000.” Thebaseball was promptly returned. Writtenacross the baseball in capital letters was“Ryan Howard 200th career home run.”

So what’s the ball worth? We maynever know. Jennifer plans to keep it.“When I grow up and everything, I'mgoing to show it to my kids,” saidJennifer. “Then, they’re going to telltheir kids, and their kids are going to telltheir other kids.”

So what are Jennifer’s thought’s onthe whole ordeal? “The next time achild catches a home-run ball, let thekid keep it, or if you’re going to take itaway, at least ask a parent first.”

Want to know what your item isworth or have a question about a partic-ular sports item? Email me, DeanZindler, at dzindler@scoreatl.com.

The saga of a historic home run baseball

SCOREM

ORE

A L W A Y S A T S C O R E A T L . C O M

OCTOBER 30 - NOVEMBER 5, 2009 SCORE ATLANTA I 11

A L W A Y S A T S C O R E A T L . C O M

Football practice slate winding down; basketball teams gearing up for seasonThere are just a few remaining weeks on the

practice schedule for this first Pantherfootball squad and according to head coachBill Curry, “Practice has been picking up. Wetry to make each drill interesting to the play-ers. We explain to them exactly how this isgoing to make them better.”

The team has been shuffling betweenLakewood Stadium, The NFL YET locationnear campus, and the Georgia Dome for prac-tice sessions. With all the rainy weather inAtlanta in recent weeks they’ve been able toget into the Dome a few times. “Every timewe go in the Dome, it’s a great exercise ofbeing comfortable in our home field sur-

rounding. By comfortable, I’m talking aboutcatching the ball, keeping our footing, know-ing how it feels to play there.”

READY FOR HOOPS …Panther basketball held an intrasquad

scrimmage last Saturday at the Sports Arena.Ousman Krubally tallied 28 points and 13rebounds. Joe Dukes finished with 14 pointson 6-for-10 shooting with four rebounds, fourassists and two steals. “I saw a lot of goodthings out there,” said head coach RodBarnes, who begins his third season atGeorgia State. “We probably played betteroffensively than defensively. When we had

certain combinations out there, we lookedpretty good, but we’ve got to get some otherguys playing better.” Georgia State hostsShorter College in an exhibition on Nov. 3 at7 p.m. at the Georgia State Sports Arena. ThePanthers’ regular-season opener is Nov. 12 atN.C. State. Games can be heard live onWRAS-FM (88.5). … Women’s basketballhosts two exhibition games; Nov. 4th vs.Shorter College and again Nov. 10th vs.Georgia Southwestern.

On the links, Cathrine Madsen shot a 76(plus-4) to earn a 17th-place finish at thePalmetto Intercollegiate on Kiawah Island,S.C., leading Georgia State women’s golf to a

ninth-place finish among a field of 18. “Todaywas a very, very disappointing day,” said headcoach Cathy Mant. “Not quite the note I want-ed to end the fall season on. We started outreally slow and when you get down early likethat, it’s awful tough to come back.” Madsenearns her fourth top-25 in five events this sea-son. Georgia State remains undefeated againstColonial Athletic Association opponents, earn-ing wins over William & Mary and Richmond.

Dave Cohen is in his 26th season as the“Voice of Georgia State Basketball andBaseball on WRAS-FM (88.5) and works onthe football radio crew at Furman Universityin Greenville, S.C.

12 I SCORE ATLANTA Get In The Game!

A L W A Y S A T S C O R E A T L . C O M

A L W A Y S A T S C O R E A T L . C O M

OCTOBER 30 - NOVEMBER 5, 2009 SCORE ATLANTA I 13

AYSA Spring Season. Ongoing - North Park - Cogburn andBethany - Alpharetta. Fees: If Alpharetta Residential Property Tax IS NOT PAID at the primary residence of the player, then the Non-City Resident Fee must be paid. After Jan. 13, $10 late fee is charged.

GYMNASTICSGymnastics Classes at Gymnastics AcademyofAtlanta.

Ongoing - 3126 Cobb Parkway Kennesaw, Ga. For information call 770-975-8337 or visit www.gymnasticsacademyofatlanta.com.

Gymnastics Classes at Gwinnett Gymnastics Center Ongoing - 927 Killian Hill Road Lilburn, Ga. For information call 770-921-5630.

Atlanta School of Gymnastics in Lawrenceville. Ongoing. Classes for tots through teens. Cheerleadingclasses for ages 5 and older. For information call 770-277-9434.

The Little Gym of Snellville. Ongoing. Noncompetitive gymnastics and motor-skills development classes and camps. For ages 10 months-12 years. For information call 770-982-0901 or visit www.tlgsnellvillega.com.

RACINGDale Jarrett Racing School. October 31-November 1at

Atlanta Motor Speedway.World Karting Association. October 31-November 1 at

Road Atlanta.SCCA American Road Race of Champions. November

6-8 at Road Atlanta.

OFFICIATINGClub Sport, "Where Atlanta Comes To Play!" Flag

Football, Softball, Soccer, Basketball, Volleyball. Earn money officiating. Training provided. For more info email atlanta@usclubsport.com or visit www.usclubsport.com.

9RCorp Sports Officials. Ongoing. Provider of sports officials for multiple sports including basketball, flagfootball, & softball. Looking for additional officials. For information call Dennis Reagan at 404-213-0588 or email 9rcorp@150mail.com.

Georgia Lacrosse Officials Association. Needs youth and High School officials for 2008-2009 season. Training and mentoring provided for free. Great way to earn some extra money and get some fun aerobic exercise. For more information, visit www.GALAXREF.com or call Jim Westbrook at 770-753-9059.

ATLANTA SPORTS COUNCILChick-Fil-A Bowl. Dec. 31, 2009. Georgia Dome. For

tickets, call 404-444-4444.To reach the Atlanta Sports Council call 404-586-8510 or visit www.atlantasportscouncil.com.

MISCPool Tournament. Nightly - Ongoing - Sean Patrick’s

Bar & Grill - Buckhead. Fees: No cover. For information call 770-650-5723. 8 PM.

Suwanee Sports Academy. Pre-K Athletics for 2, 3 and 4year-olds introduces the basic skills needed to playbasketball, soccer, and t-ball. Also, there is a uniqueafter school program that provides students with a weekly sports curriculum along with the after schoolclassroom setting. For more information, call 770-614-6686 or visit www.ssaports.com.

Club Sport. Club Sport opens registration for summer leagues on May 1st with league play beginning in June. Club Sport is Atlanta's recreational sports and social group with over 10,000 participants each year on 1200 teams in 120 leagues. Each season Club Sport offers leagues in flag football, softball, soccer, sand and indoorvolleyball, basketball and more. Club Sport is where Atlanta comes to play! For more information about Club Sport, upcoming events, photos or interviews with the owner, please contact Rich Alvarez at 678-994-0793 ext. 818 or visit www.usclubsport.com.

Club Sport, "Where Atlanta Comes To Play!"Registration Ongoing for Sand & Indoor Leagues and Tournaments League games played every day and night at the Brookhaven Boys and Girls Club. For more info or to register visit http://www.usclubsport.com/

Harlem Legends. The Harlem Legends have scheduledtheir 2008 Shoot for the Stars Basketball & PhysicalFitness Camps. The "Shoot for the Stars Youth Basketball Camps and Clinics" are a unique form oflearning experiences geared towards young basketball players of all skill levels. There are two GwinnettCounty camps this year. Please visit our website (www.harlemlegends.com) or call 404-837-6719 for additional camps.

VOLLEYBALLGwinnett Sports Center. Registration ongoing. For

information call Jerry Robison at 678-491-0203 or visit www.gscfun.com.

Suwanee Sports Academy. Ongoing. Volleyball trainingand development for boys and girls grades 3-12. VolleySkills, VolleyStars, VolleyTraining, and OnCourt Player Development, a year-round comprehensive player development program. For more information, contact Mary Carnell at 770-614-6686x108 or visit www.ssasports.com.

SWIMMING & DIVINGSwimming lessons. Ongoing - Alpharetta City Pool -

Alpharetta, Ga. - 1825 Old Milton Parkway. For information call 678-297-6107.

Gwinnett Aquatics. Ongoing - 2800 Quinberry Drive and Bethany Church Road. For ages 5-18. Swim team and lessons available. For information call 770-972-4055.

Senior Water-Exercise class. Ongoing - Mountain Parkpool - Lilburn, Ga. Fees: $1 per class. For informationcall 770-546-4650. 10-10:50 AM.

SwimAtlanta Sugarloaf at Kid’s Village. Ongoing. Swimteam, lessons, lap swimming, master’s program, water aerobics and scuba available. For informationcall 678-442-7946.

YOUTH REGISTRATIONSoccer-Soccer Alley. Ongoing - 3265 Roswell Road-

Atlanta. For information call 404-266-0762 or visit www.starsoccerclub.com.

Tucker Youth Soccer. Ongoing - 2803 Henderson RoadTucker, Ga. For information call 770-414-0538 or visit www.tysa.com.

Track and Field - Peachtree City Flash Youth Track Team registration. Ongoing - Riley Field -Peachtree City, Ga. For ages 6-14. For information call 770-631-3552 or email ptcflash@bellsouth.net.

Gymnastics - Georgia Gymnastics Academy. Ongoing. For registration in Lawrenceville call 770-962-5867; in Suwanee call 770-945-3424.

Gym Elite. Ongoing. Registration for ages 2 and older. Cheerleading for ages 6 and older. For information call 770-242-0678.

Youth Soccer Training. Ongoing. Start age 3 and up. For information, call 678-714-7454 or e-mail info.indoor@atlantasilverbacks.com. www.atlantasilverbacks.com/indoor.

Corpus Christi Youth Basketball League. Registration is now underway for our 29th season! Boys and girls ages 5 through 14, any skill level, are welcome. Cost: $90 per child/$85 for siblings. Fee includes uniforms, field trips, skills clinics, 9 games and more! Register while space is still available Saturdays October 11 & 18, 2008, 10 AM to 12 PM. Location: Corpus Christi Church Sports Arena, 600 Mountain View Drive, Stone Mountain, GA 30083. For info, call 770-469-0395, email ccybl1@gmail.com, or visit the league’s website (www.ccybl.net).

SOFTBALLClub Sport, "Where Atlanta Comes To Play!" Registration

Ongoing for Men's & Coed Leagues League games played at multiple locations throughout the Metro Area. For more info or to register visit www.usclubsport.com

School season in football. We hold weekly training meetings. For more information, contact Irvin Seabrook at 404-957-3331 or e-mail Irv_Seabrook@yahoo.com.

HOCKEYThrashers. October 31 at Ottawa 2 PM. November 3 at

Montreal 7:30 PM. November 5 vs. Columbus 7 PM. November 7 at New York Islanders 7 PM. November 8 vs. St. Louis 7 PM. November 12 at New York Rangers 7 PM.

Gladiators. October 30 vs. Charlotte 7:35 PM. November 1 at Charlotte 4:05 PM. November 6 vs. Florida 7:35 PM. November 7 vs. Kalamazoo 7:35 PM.

Peachtree Booster Club. Ongoing - Pickneyville Roller Hockey Rink. Fees: $95 for 12-game season, $30 out-of-county fee. For information visit www.pbsports.org.

SOCCERChallenged Soccer. Ongoing. For mentally and physi

cally disabled youngsters. For information call Ken Higgins at 770-985-0434.

Hall of Fame soccer clinics. Ongoing on Fridays Clarkston Community Center. For under-6 through under-12 players. Fees: Free. For information call 404-508-1050 or visit www.clarkstoncommunitycenter.org. 5:30-7 PM.

Competitive Amateur Soccer in Atlanta For more information, visit www.majesticsoccer.com.

TENNISTechnique Clinics. Ongoing - Bitsy Grant Tennis Center.

Tuesdays (serve/volley) and Saturdays (forehand/backhand). Fees: $18. For information call 404-790-4772 or email jimhines01@yahoo.com. 2 PM on Saturdays, 6:30PM on Tuesdays.

Tennis camps for kids. Ongoing weekly. Lost MountainTennis Center. For information call 770-528-8525.

LACROSSELacrosse. Ongoing. Registration for 1st-8th grades. For

information call 404-216-5870, email jasona@bagatawaylacrosse.com or visit www.bagatawaylacrosse.com.

Double Stixx Lacrosse. Ongoing - Leagues, Travel Teams and Tournaments for youth, high school and adult’s boys and girls. More information about the best lacrosse programs in Georgia can be found at www.doblestixxlacrosse.com or by contacting Chris Smith at chris@doublestixxlacrosse.com or 404-550-5322.

RUNNINGSilver Comet Half Marathon & Fun Run. Oct. 31.

Mabelton; silvercometraces.com.ATC Run Around the Rock 5M/10M/15M. Oct. 31.

Stone Mountain, 9 AM. www.atlantatrackclub.org.Run Like Hell 5K/Run Like Heck 1K. Oct. 31. Atlanta,

9 AM. 404-374-6871.Dolce Toga Trot 5K/Mile. Oct. 31. Peachtree City, 8:30

AM. 770-569-9890.The Family Y 5K. Oct. 31. Augusta, 2:30 PM.

www.augustahalf.org.Cobb Start! Heart Walk. Oct. 31. Marietta,10:00 AM.

678-224-2064.Flowery Branch 5K Boo Run. Oct. 31. Flowery Branch,

9:00 AM. 706-769-6593.Boston Ga Mini-Marathon Races. Oct. 31. Boston,

GA, 8:00 AM. 229-498-6743.Hog Jog Road Race 5K/Mile. Oct. 31. Vienna, 8:15

AM. 229-268-4171. Carrollton High School's Fall Festival 5K & 1M Fun

Run. Oct. 31. Carrollton, 11:00 AM. 770-655-0131. Skirtchaser 5K. Oct. 31. Savannah, 5:00 PM.Race to See 5K/1K/Tot Trot. Oct. 31. Smyrna, 8:30

AM. 770-432-7280.

CAMPSNike Basketball Camps. Camps located in Snellville,

Roswell, Kennesaw, Oxford and 0894-4297 to find out which dates suit your campers best.

BASKETBALLHawks. October 30 vs. Washington 7:30 PM. November 1

at Los Angeles Lakers 9:30 PM. November 3 at Portland 10 PM. November 4 vs. Sacramento 10 PM. November 6 at Charlotte 7 PM. November 11 at New York 7:30 PM.

Club Sport, "Where Atlanta Comes To Play!" Registration Ongoing - Men's League plays on Sunday evenings at the Brookhaven Boys & Girls Club. For more info or to register visit www.usclubsport.com

Suwanee Sports Academy. Ongoing. Basketball training and development for boy and girls grades K-12.Rising Stars, Future Stars, Suwanee Basketball League, On Court Player Development, nationally-recognized year-round comprehensive player development program. For more information contact Mike Brown at 678-541-0176 or visit www.ssasports.com.

Mark Price Shooting Lab. Ongoing: Personalized professional shooting instruction through one-on-one coaching and state-of-the-art technology at SuwaneeSports Academy. For more information, contact Mike Brown at 678-541-0176 or visit www.ssasports.com.

Open Recreational Basketball. GSL -- Georgia Sports Leagues. Georgia’s Best Sports Leagues. Registrationongoing. We offer “Top Gun,” “B,” “C”and Co-Ed styles of play around Atlanta. We play ALL year round.For more information please contact (678)799-0159 or email mark@georgiasportsleagues.org. Visit www.georgiasportsleagues.org.

BASEBALLProspect Watch. Ongoing - Buckhead. Baseball pitching

and hitting lessons by a former college and minor league coach. For information call 404-869-7966 or visit www.eteamz.com/tryouts.

Adult Baseball League Metro Atlanta. Ongoing. MSBL 18+, 28+, 38+, and 48+. Sunday League contactinfo is 770.785.2588, e-mail info@AtlantaMSBL.com.MSBL 18+ Saturday League contact info is 770-436-8114, e-mail AtlantaMABL@aol.com. MSBL 18+ Midweek Wood bat league contact info is 770-436-8114, e-mail AtlantaMABL@aol.com. MSBL 18+Fall League contact info is 770-436-8114, e-mail AtlantaMABL@aol.com. For more information about our Atlanta Adult Baseball League,please visit our website at www.AtlantaMSBL.com.

TNT Sports. Ongoing. Baseball pitching and hitting lessons by Rob Blair, former college coach, Snellville. To set up a free pitching or hitting analysis call 678-344-5876.

Jack City Baseball. Ongoing. Baseball pitching and hitting. Instruction with former pro Keith Whitner. 18-ylooking for high school players. The new location isinside Velocity Sports in North Gwinnett. For more information call 770-633-0948 or visit jackcity.net.

FOOTBALLFalcons. November 2 at New Orleans 8:30 PM. Georgia. October 31 vs. Florida 3:30 PM. Georgia Tech. October 31 at Vanderbilt 7:30 PM.Collins Hill Athletic Association. Ongoing. Accepting

applications for qualified coaches in all age groups.For information email Craig Deneau at deneauc@charter.net

Grayson Athletic Association. Ongoing. Football coaches needed for eighth grade and all age groups.For information call Duane Davis at 678-300-0282 or visit www.gaasports.org.

Flag Football. GSL -- Georgia Sports Leagues. Georgia’sLargest Flag League. Registration ongoing. We offer7-Man, 8-man, Youth and Co-Ed styles of play around Atlanta. We play ALL year round. For information please contact (678)799-0159 or email mark@georgiasportsleagues.org. Visit www.georgiasportsleagues.org.

Arena Indoor Football. Ongoing. Youth and Adult Leagues. Youth 7 vs. 7; Adult 6 vs. 6. For information, call 678-714-7454 or e-mail info.indoor@atlantasilverbacks.com. www.atlantasilverbacks.com/indoor.

Capitol City Officials Association. CCOA is accepting ongoing registration for the upcoming GHSA High

SCORE ATLANTAADVERTISING INDEX790 The Zone ..........Cover, 4, 10Army ..........................Back PageAtlanta Falcons ..................CoverAtlanta Hawks ........................15GEICO ................................CoverGHSFD Newsletter ....................4Georgia State ..........................12GPB ......................................4, 8Hooters ..........................Cover, 7Man’s Best Friend ....................5MetroPCS ..................................3Mikael’s Auto Spa ....................4North River Tavern ....................9Ron Veal Football Camp ..........14Touchdown Club ......................12Trivia Zone ..............................14Worthmore ................................2

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14 I SCORE ATLANTA Get In The Game!

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Copyright 2009 Score Atlanta Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved.Score Atlanta is published every week on Fridays. Views expressed inScore Atlanta are not necessarily the opinion of Score Atlanta, its staff oradvertisers. Score Atlanta does not knowingly accept false or misleadingeditorial content or advertising nor is Score Atlanta responsible for thecontent or claims of any advertising or editorial in this publication. Nocontent (articles, photographs, graphics) in Score Atlanta may be usedfor reproduction without written permission from the publisher.

The Atlanta Falcons were part of the FOXnational broadcast last week, as they flew

west to face the Dallas Cowboys. ThomBrennaman and Troy Aikman called thegame, but it was clear that one of the majorstory angles the network was going after wasKeith Brooking’s first game against his for-mer club. Brooking suited up for Atlanta for11 seasons before leaving the team to signwith Dallas before the season.

In the week leading up to the game,Brooking made appearances on both ofAtlanta’s sports radio stations and he spokewith FOX as well. During most of the inter-views, he spoke kindly of the city of Atlantaand had mostly positive words to say abouthis time in Atlanta at both Georgia Tech andwith the Falcons. During the game, however,Brooking looked happier over the fact thathis former team was losing than the fact hisnew team was doing well. The former Falconlinebacker finished with just two tackles andwas on the sidelines for much of the secondhalf, but he was seen several times mockingthe “Dirty Bird” dance that several Falconsdid so many seasons ago. He sarcasticallywould flap his arms, or “wings,” after team-mates made plays.

Following the game, Brooking said tothe media, “I ain’t apologizing for nothing.”He noted that the Cowboys stepped on hisformer team and kicked them to the ground,and that he guessed that while this is a youngman’s game, “I guess an old man can stillplay.” I watched the entire game and I cannot

recall a single impact play he made, and to behonest, I had to check cbssports.com to seethat he had those two tackles. Throughout thefourth quarter, though, he was seen giddilyjumping on the sidelines while the rest of theCowboys made plays. I know you are anemotional player, Keith, but the mock wingflapping and your comments to the mediaafter the game might just be costing you achance at some sort of long-term partnershipwith the Falcons. Maybe your former team-mates understand the situation, but I thinkyou might have a hard time getting some ofthem to appear at your next fundraiser afteryou openly mocked them like that. The AJCreported that Brooking was apologizing toFalcons personnel after the game, but that islike when the player flips the bird to the homefans and turns around and says, “Oh, thatisn’t in my character. That isn’t who I am.”We saw how you truly feel in the heat of bat-tle. Words after the fact are one thing; youractions during the game spoke volumes.

Speaking of speaking volumes, afterFlorida’s 29-19 win over Mississippi State,Gator QB Tim Tebow’s volume was set tomute. Tebow turned down interview requestsafter the game; instead, Florida coach UrbanMeyer spoke to the media. Tebow threw twointerceptions that were returned for touch-downs by the Mississippi State Bulldogs.Meyer took the blame for his quarterback,saying he put Tebow in the wrong situations,but I disagree. Meyer wasn’t the one thatthrew the picks. Tebow, as a senior, should

have known to throw it away or pull it downand try to run for the touchdown himself.Tebow is made available to the media afterevery Gator win and spoke to the press lastseason after the Ole Miss loss, giving theworld the now-famous speech. Just becausehe played a bad game, Tebow should nothave been taken away from the media byMeyer. If Tebow made that decision on hisown, he needs to realize that he will need tospeak to the media after a bad game in theNFL. Tebow needed to face the music over abad performance, as QBs do all over the con-ference and the NCAA. And don’t think NFLplayer personnel guys weren’t taking notethat Tebow ducked the media. His stockmight have taken a hit there.

Finally, ESPN has fired Steve Phillipsjust days after the former MLB analystadmitted to having an affair with a productionassistant at the sports network. Phillips hadbeen with the network for several seasonsafter he was fired from his position as GM ofthe New York Mets. Phillips was added to theSunday Night Game of the Week team withJon Miller and Joe Morgan before the season.According to a Phillips spokesman, Phillipswill enter a treatment facility.

Proctor can be heard on 790 The Zone’sweekly all-recruiting show, The Official Visitpresented by Score Atlanta. He also is thecolor commentator for GPB’s FootballFridays in Georgia webcasts, which airevery Friday at GPB.org/football/watch. Hecan be reached at fproctor@scoreatl.com.

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OCTOBER 30 - NOVEMBER 5, 2009 SCORE ATLANTA I 15