Sports Atlanta: A local take on sports

Busy Day in Atlanta

2011-04-29T08:06:00.009-04:00

Wow, a lot going on in Atlanta sports. I'm just going to recap with quick links (my thoughts in italics below each:

- The Falcons trade up (way up) to nab Alabama receiver Julio Jones with the 6th overall pick in the NFL draft. (We gave up 5 picks over this draft and next to acquire a #2 receiver? Unlike previous moves by Dimitroff, who has earned my respect since he arrived in Atlanta but may end up regretting this move.)

- The Hawks eliminate Orlando 4 games to 2 to move into the second round of the NBA playoffs. Special thanks to Mike Bianchi for firing up the boys! (Chicago looked pretty vulnerable in Round 1 - at least until Game 5 - so the Hawks should have a chance to snag a game or two, and maybe more if things ALL break right for us.)

- Derek Lowe gets arrested for a DUI. (Off days in the major leagues are always trouble, it seems. The last thing this team needs coming off a strong road trip is an off-field distraction. And they already had one, which was...)

- Roger McDowell did...something. Oh, wait - Gloria Allred shows us (at the 1:55 mark, at least)! (My guess is that the original altercation between the fans and McDowell was no more than some good-natured ribbing - no pun intended. But the escalation described by the father is unsettling if true - although Allred's involvement makes it seem a lot more attention-seeking than trauma.)

- The Thrashers' talks to move to Winnipeg may be more serious than first thought. (If it's not this one, it'll be the next one. The Thrashers aren't committed to winning, which means the fans aren't committed to attending. Hard to keep hockey out of Canada where it will definitely be supported.)

Please comment below. There's a LOT to talk about!!

Don Sutton: Where's the energy?

2011-04-25T13:58:00.003-04:00

The Braves picked up a great win Sunday, defeating the San Francisco Giants 9-6 in 10 innings to get their first sweep in that town since 1998. Traditionally light-hitting Nate McLouth was the hero, lacing a two-out single to center on a 3-2 count with the bases loaded off Giants closer Brian Wilson for the game-winner. But to hear Don Sutton call it on the Braves radio network, McLouth apparently did nothing of consequence. I wish I had a recording I could link for you, but trust me when I say that Mr. Sutton needs to learn a thing or two about letting his voice reflect the emotion and size of the moment. Seriously - Sutton sounded like he was describing a golfer choosing to lay up on a par 5. On the 6th hole. On a Thursday. On the Nationwide Tour.

Even worse than this. (first video)

Braves - Time For a Wake-up Call

2011-04-15T08:16:00.007-04:00

Last night, the Braves lost to the Marlins 6-5, securing their third consecutive series loss and the first to the Marlins at home in what feels like forever. While the offense appears to be showing some signs of life, it has definitely shown a lot of inconsistency over the first two weeks of the season. Wednesday, the team was a 9th inning homer from Chipper Jones away from being shut out for the third time already this season. While it's far too early to be panicking, it's never too early to tweak the lineup, and that's where my frustration with new manager Fredi Gonzalez is starting to grow.

Gonzalez was a great hire, in my estimation, because he brought with him a sense of continuity. As one of Bobby Cox's former assistant coaches, Gonzalez would theoretically extend Bobby's penchant for loose clubhouses, an even-keeled demeanor and the one-day-at-a-time approach to the game. However, he seems to have also inherited one of Cox's most frustrating traits: a stubborn refusal to break with his lineup or with previous player assessments (think Keith Lockhart).

Bobby Cox is a legendary manager. Players loved to play for him and his record speaks for itself. While we as fans may have complained about his lineup choices, we at least had to acknowledge that he'd earned the right to make a few questionable decisions and trust that he knew what he was doing. Gonzalez has earned no such right. A new manager has to be willing to tinker with things until he gets the mixture just right. Anything less is a disservice to the fans and even the players themselves.

Steve Berthiaume and Curt Schilling discussed the Braves' lineup after the loss on Baseball Tonight. Schilling - a likely Hall of Famer - said he's reluctant to criticize managers, but that if he were pitching now, he'd love the fact that Jason Heyward was batting sixth in the Braves' order. Berthiaume went on to explain that at their current rate, Nate McLouth will have almost 75 more plate appearances than Heyward. That concept should unsettle any true Braves fan, especially in a season in which the Braves already have their work cut out for them and figure to be in a tight race with the Phillies in the National League East. Here's hoping that Fredi recognizes the potential that he's missing in this lineup and adjusts accordingly. Otherwise, the bloom is dangerously close to falling from the rose.

At least there's some hope, though. The Mets come to town tonight.

USA 1, Argentina 1

2011-03-26T23:50:00.002-04:00

Amid all the March Madness, USA Soccer played an important friendly in East Rutherford, New Jersey today. Against a team many now consider the most talented on the planet, the American squad managed a 1-1 draw. While the notion of ties as a positive result is foreign to many in this country, in reality this had to be a confidence-boosting result for the team. It also gave many Americans their first look at 18-year-old Juan Agudelo, who tallied the US squad's only goal of the night. Agudelo's energy was tangible upon his entry into the game in the second half. If the US continues to generate (or attract) more players of his caliber, the future of soccer here may be bright after all.

Three Years Later...

2011-03-16T15:08:00.002-04:00

I'm giving it another go! I've missed the freedom and the enjoyment that blogging provides, and when someone asked me a couple of days ago why I don't do it anymore, I didn't have a very good answer. So just in time for baseball season, I'm jumping back in with both feet. Should be fun!

Top Braves Prospect Suspended for HGH

2008-04-09T10:25:00.003-04:00

Even though Major League Baseball doesn't have a perfected testing system for identifying HGH usage, they've apparently found that the Braves' Jordan Schafer is guilty of taking HGH, and have suspended him for 50 games. Schafer ranks as one of the top prospects in all of baseball, and was thought to have a shot at being called up to play some center field this summer. This obviously throws those plans into serious jeopardy. One can only hope that other prospects and high school kids are taking notice of these incidents and avoiding going down the same path. As always, I remain skeptical that such will be the case. Everyone is looking for an edge, and until the threat of permanent removal from the sport is upon them, many players will continue to flout the rules that have been set forth. It's a sad spectacle, but not that much different from what we see in society as a whole.

Hawks In Good Shape; Thrashers Not So Much

2008-03-27T09:02:00.003-04:00

So back on Valentine's Day, I made my "bold" predictions of how the Hawks and Thrashers would fare the rest of the way. The gist:

Projected finish:

Hawks: 13-20, for a final record of 34-48
Thrashers: 25 points, for a total of 85
[...]
My final predictions: The Hawks have about a 30% chance of making the postseason, and the Thrashers I'd put at 45%. If the Thrashers do deal Marian Hossa, and depending on what they get for him, those numbers will obviously change some.

Well, the Thrashers DID make the deal to move Hossa, but they were heading down the drain before the move. They currently sit at 70 points for the year, eliminated from playoff contention, and mathematically incapable of reaching my 85-point prediction. At least I gave them short playoff odds.

The Hawks, on the other hand, now sit at 31-40, winners of two straight, 6 of their last 10, and currently hold the eighth and final playoff spot in the East. If they can avoid a 3-8 finish (cross your fingers, it could happen), they'll beat my prediction. If they can go 6-5 down the stretch, they're probably into the playoffs, where they'll face the top-seeded Boston Celtics.

So basically, I was a horrible prognosticator for these teams. But I'm glad that one of the local winter teams looks like it is a playoff participant this year.

I'll have my Braves/MLB predictions up this weekend.

Alternate Plans for March Madness

2008-03-19T07:59:00.003-04:00

First of all, everyone should know that I absolutely love March Madness. It's one of my favorite times of the sports calendar. But there seems to be more discussion than usual this year of expansion, even some that are saying to expand the field to 128. For those with less bracket experience, that would only mean one additional round, so it's not as bad as it sounds. But I have a hard time thinking that 128 teams have a feasible shot at a national title. The problem lies in the 30 automatic bids that are assigned to conference tournament winners. No plan for changing or expanding the tournament can "mess with" the small conference champs; they're the Cinderellas.

So I have an alternative. Since there's already one play-in game between the 64th and 65th teams into the field, why not expand on this idea? Take the 16 worst conference tournament champions and have them each play a "play-in" game against each other. Then take the winners of these 8 games and place them against the 1 and 2 seeds from each region. This would allow an extra 8 teams "on the bubble" to be placed into the tournament, while still allowing each of the 16 small-conference teams to play a tournament game.

For example, this year's 16 bottom conference champs might look like this:
- Maryland-Baltimore County - Mt. St. Mary's
- Belmont - Austin Peay
- Portland State - American
- CS Fullerton - Georgia
- George Mason - Oral Roberts
- Cornell - Mississippi Valley St.
- Siena - Boise State
- Coppin State - Texas-Arlington

Are you going to tell me it wouldn't be a high-quality tournament from the get-go if we cut that list down to 8 teams by the round of 64, and replaced them with 8 teams with nice resumes that just missed the cut? I think that would be incredible. So much so that I created my OWN bracket, which you can see here (I assumed that the 15-16 seeds won their first-round games for ease of creating this bracket):

NCAA New Bracket

Please note the difference in the opponents for the 3-5 seeds. There's suddenly a whole new level of games being played there. I think this would go a long way toward improving the overall quality of the event.

Georgia Wins SEC Title

2008-03-17T08:10:00.003-04:00

In a stunning conclusion to a bizarre weekend, the bottom-seeded Georgia Bulldogs won as many conference games in four days as they had all season to earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

Many congratulations are to be extended, chiefly to head coach Dennis Felton, who likely saved his job with this unexpected run. Having backed Felton in the past, I'm glad to see him make a run like this, even if it came at the expense of my beloved Mississippi State Bulldogs.

As a follow-up, the Georgia Bulldogs now get a 14 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and will face a tough Xavier squad in the first round.

I'll be back later to post my bracket and predictions for the Dance, but in the meantime, here are some responses to Georgia's run from around the blogosphere:

Steve at Seventh Inning Stretch:

Realistically, I would have to say Georgia is a long shot to win a game in the thing . . . at best.

But hey, it’s a bright spot in an otherwise dismal UGA basketball season. I’m not going to rule out a Cinderella story.

Razorback Expats:

First things first: Congratulations to the Georgia Bulldogs. That was an incredible tournament run. What a story. They certainly deserve all of the attention and praise they are getting tonight. (And being surrounded by Georgia fans here in Atlanta, that’s not the easiest thing for me to say.)

Canes Rising:

Georgia's achievement over the last four days far exceeds anything I have seen in a power conference in the last 25 or so years. The Bulldogs have been reduced to seven scholarship players for most of the season, have a coach in Dennis Felton that was about to be fired and had to play four straight games against teams either that made the NCAAs or just missed. Add to that the storm that ripped apart the Georgia Dome, the two games against two NCAA bound teams that had both gone 12-4 a few hours apart on the same day, and the fact that the last place Dawgs were forced to play on their biggest rivals home court for the re-scheduled games. Dickie V may go on about Jimmy V's 1983 and 1987 ACC Tourney runs with NC State but the reality is this: In those days the ACC had 8 teams and NC State was essentially an NCAA bubble team entering both tournaments. Georgia was a last place team with injuries and scholarship limitations because of NCAA probation due to Jim Harrick. This Bulldog Championship is the most improbable in the recent history of a power conference.

A Winning Night in Atlanta

2008-03-14T07:47:00.004-04:00

It's true, I haven't blogged in a while. The main reason is that the Atlanta sports scene has become increasingly depressing. But last night, a brief beacon of light shone out: Georgia Tech and Georgia both won their opening conference tournament games, and the Thrashers won at Philips. I haven't had time to do the research, but I'm fairly confident those three teams haven't all won on the same night in quite a while.

It's way too late for any of these teams, short of a miracle run of some kind, but a win always takes the edge off. Anyway, this is just to tide me over until the Braves start in a few weeks.

Falcons Sign Michael Turner

2008-03-03T07:56:00.002-05:00

The Atlanta Falcons made headlines on Sunday, coming to terms with former San Diego Chargers running back Michael Turner. While this likely signals the end of Warrick Dunn's time here in Atlanta, the real debate is over whether the Falcons overpaid to land Turner:

A source told ESPN.com's Michael Smith that Turner agreed to a six-year contract believed to be worth $34.5 million, with approximately $15 million guaranteed.

The guy has tons of upside, but he's still unproven as a starter, and it'll be interesting to see how he handles a normal running back's workload. Of course, that's also true of Jerious Norwood, the incumbent backup running back who has put up statistics comparable to Turner's in San Diego in similarly limited carries.

Also, there's the issue of the Falcons' offensive line. Until this gaping hole in the Falcons personnel is addressed, it doesn't matter what running backs or quarterbacks we sign, draft, or trade for. Michael Vick's elusiveness covered up this glaring weakness somewhat while he was our starter, but the reality is that we don't protect our skill players here in Atlanta. That has to change, either via the draft, a trade, or signing free agents.

Thrashers Trade Hossa

2008-02-26T15:37:00.002-05:00

So the Thrashers made the deal. Just in time, too. Just a couple of minutes before the 3pm EST deadline, Atlanta traded Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis to the Pittsburgh Penguins:

The Penguins acquired Hossa and winger Pascal Dupuis from the Atlanta Thrashers for prospect Angelo Esposito, forwards Colby Armstrong and Erik Christensen and a first-round pick.

Esposito was the Pen's first-rounder from last year, and we get another first-rounder from them, so hopefully we'll see some fruitfulness from this move. Looking at it laterally so far, though, it goes like this: Dany Heatley --> Marian Hossa --> Angelo Esposito. I don't know what you think of that. I know that seems like we're moving backwards down the trade ladder. I hope Mr. Esposito proves me wrong, along with the other elements of this trade.

Also, I would be remiss if I didn't take the time to thank Pascal Dupuis and Marian Hossa for their time here in Atlanta. They both contributed greatly to our playoff appearance last year. In a perfect world, they'd both be sticking around. Best of luck, Marian and Pascal.

NHL Trade Deadline Today

2008-02-26T07:23:00.002-05:00

The Thrashers have just a few more hours to make any moves this year. Primarily, we're looking at Marian Hossa leaving, but recent reports have indicated that we're also shopping Bobby Holik, Mark Recchi, and Alexei Zhitnik. I see both sides of this. These moves would hopefully bring in a lot of young potential to reinvigorate the organization. On the other hand, we're still just six points out of the postseason right now, and sending away three or four veterans would likely be writing this season off. While that might be the right decision in the long run, it's kind of frustrating to witness.

I'm really hoping that Hossa gets dealt. It's nothing personal; Hoss has been really good for us. But it looks like we have zero chance of re-signing him after the season, so we might as well get return on our investment.

I'll be by to post updates, either by editing this post or posting new stories, as events unfold today. Good luck, Don Waddell. This will not be a fun day.

Bryan Brothers Volley Drill

2008-02-18T17:37:00.002-05:00

Okay, this has absolutely nothing to do with Atlanta sports, but I am a huge tennis fan, and I came across this clip today. This is the Bryan brothers, the top-ranked doubles pairing in the world, practicing their net game. This is absolutely insane. Courtesy of 30love.net.

Georgia High School Basketball Playoffs

2008-02-18T13:09:00.003-05:00

Per a commenter's request, I decided to post some hoops predictions for Georgia's upcoming state playoffs. Brackets can be found here. I'm sticking with just the top classification, but know that there are lots of good games going on across the state at all levels over the next three weeks.

Round 1:
Coffee over Groves
Stephenson over Newnan
Johnson over Lowndes
ML King over Hiram
Berkmar over Sprayberry
Campbell over South Forsyth
Wheeler over Parkview
McEachern over Peachtree Ridge
Redan over Mundy's Mill
Savannah over Tift
Douglass over Morrow
Beach over Valdosta
Marietta over Collins Hill
Northview over Central Gwinnett
Norcross over Harrison
Centennial over Meadowcreek

Round 2:
Coffee over Stephenson
ML King over Johnson
Campbell over Berkmar
Wheeler over McEachern
Savannah over Redan
Beach over Douglass
Marietta over Northview
Norcross over Centennial

Round 3:
Coffee over ML King
Wheeler over Campbell
Savannah over Beach
Norcross over Marietta

Round 4:
Wheeler over Coffee
Norcross over Savannah

That makes for a final of Norcross vs. Wheeler, which is what everyone in the state is hoping for, anyway. I watched Wheeler play in person this weekend, and while they aren't a perfect squad, they are pretty amazing for the high school level. I think Wheeler will take the state title this year. I'll be watching a couple of rounds in person if possible. I'm also hoping my predictions are totally wrong, since Norcross plays my alma mater Harrison High School in the first round. Shock the world, Hoyas!!

Hawks Trade Roster for...Mike Bibby?

2008-02-16T16:20:00.003-05:00

That's what it looks like. Apparently the Hawks are nearing a 4-for-1 deal to acquire Mike Bibby from the Sacramento Kings. The particulars:

The Sacramento Bee reported an agreement in principal has been reached to send Bibby to the Hawks for guards Anthony Johnson and Tyronn Lue, center Lorenzen Wright and forward/center Shelden Williams.

I like the Hawks making a move to acquire a point guard, and Bibby and Joe Johnson would be a fun backcourt, but is this really a good value for Bibby? Thankfully, we play in the Eastern Conference, and our starting five might be good enough now to make that playoff push.

Falcons Cleaning House

2008-02-15T16:45:00.003-05:00

The Falcons, as rumored in recent days, have parted ways with several veterans, most notably tight end Alge Crumpler.

The Atlanta Falcons continued their franchise makeover in earnest on Friday, releasing tight end Alge Crumpler, quarterback Byron Leftwich, offensive tackle Wayne Gandy and four other players.

The team also announced it had released cornerback Lewis Sanders, wide receiver Jamin Elliott, linebacker Marcus Wilkins and defensive tackle Rod Coleman.

New general manager Thomas Dimitroff is certainly putting his stamp on the franchise right off the bat. Moves like these are not only expected; they're completely necessary for a team that went 4-12 last season. That disastrous season, as I indicated during the Petrino resignation saga, showed that this team had a long way to go to become competitive again. Cuts like this are a good way to get that ball rolling.

And get ready for more. The article goes on to say:

From all indications, the shake-up isn't done. Veterans such as Warrick Dunn and Lawyer Milloy could become victims of the cap, though they weren't included in the original round of cuts.

Given that Dimitroff's previous experience is in the stellar New England Patriots organization, it's not surprising that he would get his tenure in Atlanta started by making a lot of cap-related moves. Now if he can just follow it up with some Patriots-esque drafts and a few free-agent steals (Zach Thomas, anyone?), the team will be well on its way to recovery.

Just so long as they don't draft Matt Ryan.

Thrashers vs. Hawks: Who Has the Best Shot?

2008-02-14T13:11:00.002-05:00

Mark Bradley wrote recently about "who's worse" between the Hawks and Thrashers, an article of which I disapproved. In response, I have decided to undertake a semi-rational take on which team has the best shot at making the playoffs, rather than lambast both organizations.

Current record and standings:

Hawks: 21-28, 9th in Eastern Conference
Thrashers: 28-27-4 (60 points), 11th in Eastern Conference

Projected finish:

Hawks: 13-20, for a final record of 34-48
Thrashers: 25 points, for a total of 85

Moves that could be made

Hawks: None likely
Thrashers: Marian Hossa for "x" (hopefully a lot)

Even in the NBA's atrocious Eastern Conference, 14 games under .500 is probably not going to cut it. The Thrashers are in slightly better shape under my prediction, but still will be cutting it extremely close.

My final predictions: The Hawks have about a 30% chance of making the postseason, and the Thrashers I'd put at 45%. If the Thrashers do deal Marian Hossa, and depending on what they get for him, those numbers will obviously change some.

Good luck to both teams. I'd love to see Philips Arena double-booked for postseason appearances this spring!

John Rocker Speaks Out

2008-02-12T08:31:00.000-05:00

By now you've probably all heard about the latest comments made by John Rocker on several local radio stations here in Atlanta on Monday. Steve Phillips went on ESPN on yesterday afternoon's edition of SportsCenter to immediately refute the importance or reliability of what Rocker said, which primarily included an accusation that Bud Selig ordered a steroids test on Rocker a few years ago and then covered up the results when Rocker's test came back positive. Also included in the conversations were implications that MLB and player's union doctors candidly spoke to players about how steroids could be safely taken.

I'm going to go out on a limb a little here: I actually think John Rocker is a pretty well-spoken guy. His famous comments about the New York subway, while definitely not PC, may have ruffled feathers more because they hit close to home than because they were inappropriate. Considering those comments were made in the privacy of his own car (albeit with a reporter present) makes me want to cut the guy a little slack. After all, isn't one of the founding principles of this country the ability to speak our mind, or at least to hold an opinion, regardless of how much people may disagree?

Anyway, I just wanted to go on the record as saying that I wouldn't be surprised if what Rocker is saying has merit. Unfortunately, the spin machine that baseball has going right now will likely bury this story. Again, ESPN is marginalizing the story right off the bat (much as they did with Jose Canseco at first), even though the fact that ESPN has a huge contract to televise tons of MLB games might seem to some to be a conflict of interests.

Let's hope some truth comes out of all of this, even if the truth ends up being that John Rocker is a nutcase. I wouldn't mind being wrong on this one.

Recruiting Hits A New High (or Low)

2008-02-06T12:49:00.000-05:00

Today is a day full of back-door dealings and false promises. It is a day in which grown men will tell teenagers the importance of loyalty, commitment and desire, mere months before they abandon their position for one with better pay or better personnel. They call it Signing Day.

It might as well be called The End of Innocence...uh, Day.

I heard a guest from one of the main scouting services on the radio this morning, assuring listeners that his employer had already laid out their first rankings of the top 100 players of 2009. Don't let him fool you; these guys have scouted out the next 3 years of players, at least.

If you're a high school football player, don't worry about getting your driver's license, who you're going to ask to homecoming, or what questions are going to be on that upcoming algebra quiz. The important thing to ask yourself is: Who's your leader right now?

For those of you not versed in "recruit-speak", a leader is the college you are most likely to commit to at the moment. I don't know about you, but until the spring of my senior year in high school, I still hadn't picked my school out. And I had a lot less to offer to a school than these kids, who will pack 80,000 seat stadiums full of screaming (and paying) fans.

That kind of pressure is insane. And the trend is toward applying that pressure at younger and younger ages. Some of this pressure inevitably stems from the schools themselves. But more often, the pressure comes from an enlightened element of the population that realizes that the statistics and measurements of the top high school kids is just a mouse click away.

There was a time when fans of a school would ask a coach in late summer, "How we looking, Coach? Got any good'uns?" Now a call-in show is likely to include questions like, "Where do we stand with the Johnson kid out of Oolagaga?" This age of uber-informed fans has led to the current craze known as Signing Day.

This morning in downtown Atlanta, the ESPNZone restaurant opened its doors and invited in dozens of local high school athletes to publicly announce their college decisions. This isn't an indication of arrogance on the part of these students (although for some it might have that effect). It's instead a simple case of supply and demand. The public wants to know, and this is as efficient a way of disseminating the information as you can find.

I love sports. I particularly love college sports, and I'll admit that I keep an eye on where the local talent is headed. But the obsession with this date every year makes my jaw drop. I'd love to see a day where the fans could simply be fans of their team, regardless of who was inside the jersey and how many stars were next to their name in a recruiting guide. Unfortunately, I'm afraid those days are long gone.

Vick Gets to Keep Most of Bonus

2008-02-05T07:45:00.000-05:00

A judge has ruled that Michael Vick gets to keep almost 20 million dollars of the bonus he received for signing with the Atlanta Falcons.

The Falcons argued Vick used proceeds from a contract he signed in 2004 to finance his illicit activities.

But U.S. District Judge David Doty of Minneapolis ruled that recovery of the bonus money by the Falcons would violate the NFL collective bargaining agreement. The agreement does not allow signing bonuses to be forfeited for years a player has already performed.

I actually agree with this decision. As awful as Vick's actions have been, the fact is that a bonus is just that: an incentive placed by an organization to retain someone's services. Unless the contract contains specific language around behavior or character, it was hard to imagine this going any other way. The fact that he almost certainly used parts of this bonus to fund his hideous dog-fighting operations is purely secondary.

MLS to Atlanta?

2008-02-03T11:28:00.000-05:00

Mike at My Soccer Blog comments that Arthur Blank, owner of the Falcons, is looking at expanding his ventures, and is including Major League Soccer as one option. The gist:

Arthur Blank, owner of the NFL's Atlanta Falcons, wants his sports operation to expand outside of American football and Major League Soccer is high on his list. Blank said 'he is "actively looking at" bringing a Major League Soccer expansion team to Atlanta. He described it as "in the exploratory stage" and said the team would need a soccer-specific stadium. "We're out looking at stadium sites right now ... in a variety of places," he said.'

Mike seems to think the idea has legs. As a big soccer fan, I'd love to see him be right. There are definitely a lot of young kids in the suburbs of Atlanta playing the game, so it'd be nice to provide them a local outlet to watch professional soccer, even if the MLS is still a cut below other leagues around the world.

If nothing else, it'd be an alternative to watching this.

Atlanta a Bad Sports Town, Part 362,295

2008-02-02T08:26:00.000-05:00

Ben Bussard from the Bleacher Report (an aggregator of sports commentary of which I recently became a part) writes a fairly unoriginal story about the sad state of Atlanta professional sports. His grammar's a little rough, but he does a fairly good job of restating (again) the frustrations of being a sports fan in Atlanta. Some takeaways:

- Bussard uses the typical approach when dealing with the anomaly of success the 1991-2005 Braves present.

Excluding the post-1990 Braves, the city of Atlanta has suffered through 40 Hawks seasons (NBA), 42 Falcons seasons (NFL), 16 Flames and Thrashers seasons (NHL), plus 25 seasons from the aforementioned pre-1990 Braves.

Except that you can't exclude elements from a sample like this. Whether or not you think the Braves should have won more World Series (a debatable point that I consider moot in the Wild Card Era), the fact is that for 14 consecutive seasons, they won the division in which they were placed. No other team in any sport has ever achieved that.

- Bussard also takes an unfortunate swipe at a tragic event in Atlanta sports history.

The Thrashers won the Southern Division in 2007 after 6 losing seasons, but were swept in the first round faster than a Dany Heatley-driven Ferrari.

Classy.

- Finally, Bussard hits on the one element with which I totally agree: that Atlanta has some of the most passive fans around, and tend to disappear when their teams aren't winning. It's definitely frustrating, but it's not an exclusive trait to Atlantans, and his statement that "Minneapolis has been just as unsuccessful as Atlanta in terms of winning, but at least the Metrodome is always packed―regardless of the sport" is simply false on multiple levels. Guess that's why the North Stars left, and the Twins were once rumored to be on the chopping block if baseball had chosen contraction.

I don't think there is any city (outside of Boston) that wouldn't say they'd like to see more championships from their sports teams. And we are saddled with one of the worst football franchises here in the A. However, the Thrashers seem to be trending slightly up, as do the Hawks. And the Braves have been a quality product for approaching 20 years.

Let's not speak longingly of fan bases like the Cubs and all the Philadelphia franchises. All we can do is continue to be good fans, attend games, and bring and inform other people. All we need is one little run like the one Boston is on, and the "worst sports city" conversation can be put to bed forever.

Atlanta's WNBA Franchise

2008-02-02T00:02:00.000-05:00

One of my commenters (whose nickname I'll refrain from typing here)on a previous post about the sad state of the Hawks and Thrashers had this to say about the sad state of professional sports in Atlanta:

If I have learned anything from Juwanna Man is that we need to get a women's basketball team and bring some dignity back to Atlanta. And by dignity I mean the hilarious hijinks of Miguel Nunez playing a female basketball player.

Well, ask and ye shall receive: I give you the Atlanta Dream, the newest WNBA franchise!! And holy crap, the expansion draft is on February 6th! That's less than a week from now. Do I hear a clamor for some live blogging of this event?

It continues to blow my mind that such a money-draining failure of a business venture continues to expand on the backbone of another enterprise (the NBA). Knowing our luck, the Dream will immediately become the greatest franchise in the history of our city.

Joe Johnson an All-Star

2008-02-01T12:42:00.001-05:00

The Hawks' Joe Johnson has been named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team. Johnson is having another solid season for the Hawks. While our acquisition of Joe Johnson carried a hefty price tag, he's certainly been a good one for us. Hopefully he'll be rewarded either this year or next with a playoff appearance.