MAY 6-12, 2009 ATLANTA’S WEEKLY SPORTS TALK NEWSPAPER VOL 5 NO 9 02 I SCORE ATLANTA Get In The Game! WWW.SCOREATL.COM MAY 6-12, 2009 SCORE ATLANTA I 03 ™ STARTING LINEUP IN YOUR PUBLISHER/EDITOR I.J. Rosenberg FACE… MANAGING EDITOR Alex Ewalt ART/CREATIVE DIRECTOR DJ Galbiati VIDEO MANAGER Scott Janovitz BUSINESS MANAGER Marvin Botnick SALES MANAGER Mark Mayo WWW.SCOREATL.COM BEAT WRITERS Josh Bagriansky (Falcons), Stephen Black 5 The Hawks took care of business in the first round against the Heat and now will look to shock (Kennesaw State), Jason Boral (Thrashers), James Butler LeBron and the Cavs. But with the way this team is playing, I.J. Rosenberg writes, that’s not as (UGA), Dave Cohen (Georgia State), Ricky Dimon (Tech), farfetched as it seems. Alex Ewalt (Preps), Scott Janovitz (Hawks/Recruiting), ___________________________________________________ Fletcher Proctor (Braves) 11 Score had the chance to talk with Falcons Owner & CEO Arthur Blank recently, and Birds’ STAFF WRITERS Cranston Collier, Joe Deighton, Rajesh Gupta, top man talks about the team’s breakout ‘08 and what fans can expect for next season. Zander Lentz, Andrew McCarron, Corey Mitchell, Jessica Parker, ____________________________________________________ Leighton Savary, Keafer Triplett, Derek Wiley 12 Falcons beat writer Josh Bagriansky takes a moment to introduce the CONTRIBUTORS Tad Arapoglou, Dean Zindler, Kevin Dankosky, fans to the team’s biggest offseason acquisition in years, tight end Tony Mitch Evans, Matt Judy, Tony Schiavone, Richard Diamond, Gonzalez (pictured). Can the future Hall of Famer put the team over the top? Joe Haines, Brian Katrek, Chris Dimino, Mike Bell, Matt Stewart, __________________________________________________ Fred Kalil, Nick Cellini, Phillip Leopold, Dave Marshall, Greg Smith, Steak Shapiro, Mike Cather, Beau Bock, Hal Lamar, Chris 17 Scott Janovitz, our man on the Hawks beat, discusses which Cotter, Roy Hickman, Dave Cohen, John Olah, Jeff Woolverton, players stepped up during the hard-fought first-round series win over the Miami Heat. Chris Voss, Bob Rathbun, Courtney Capps, Bill Hartman, Chuck Dowdle, Shannon Alderman, Dan Kamal, Dennis Scott, C.C., A SCORE UPDATE: Hal Lanier, Jeff Batten, Micah Hart, Ben Wright, For the second year in a row, Score Atlanta will provide Alan Vasquez, Andrew Vedlitz, Brian Jones the official program for the GHSA girls track and field state championships in Albany from May 14-16. The issue SPECIAL CONTRIBUTORS Mitch Albom, Dave Kindred, Barry Bloom will include a full meet schedule, past record-holders and a word from GHSA executive director Ralph ™ SCHOOL Swearngin. Pick one up at the event or download the LISTING special edition from Scoreatl.com! CHEROKEE/FORSYTH: Cherokee, Creekview, Etowah, Forsyth Central, North Forsyth, Sequoyah, South Forsyth, West Forsyth, Woodstock COBB: Allatoona, Campbell, Harrison, Kell, Kennesaw Mountain, Lassiter, TEAM PAGES I COLUMNS Marietta, McEachern, N. Cobb, N. Cobb Christian, Pebblebrook, Pope, S. Cobb, Sprayberry, Walton, Wheeler Rookie Jordan Schafer REELING IT IN: COVER DESIGN BY MELISSA LEONARD. COVER PHOTO COURTESY OF DON JACKSON/PHOTOGRAPHIC ARTS. DEKALB: Chamblee, Columbia, Decatur, Druid Hills, Dunwoody, and the rest of the Braves will be looking to catch Lakeside, Marist, Miller Grove, M.L. King, Paideia, Redan, St. Pius X, Southwest DeKalb, Stephenson, Stone Mountain, Tucker up with divisional foes Florida and Philadelphia FULTON: Alpharetta, Blessed Trinity, Centennial, Chattahoochee, this week, meeting the Marlins twice and the 5 CHEAP SEATS 6 DUE UP-KATREK 7 SPIN-C.C. Douglass, Grady, Lovett, Mays, Milton, North Springs, Northview, Phillies once—all on the road. And even though Riverwood, Roswell, Tri-Cities, Westminster, Woodward Academy 8 HS SPORTS REPORT 14 HAWKS-THRASHERS-FALCONS GWINNETT: Berkmar, Brookwood, Buford, C. Gwinnett, Collins the team held a one-game lead over the New York Hill, Dacula, Grayson, Greater Atlanta Christian, Meadowcreek, Mill Mets at press time, an ensuing three-game trip to 15 DAWGS-JACKETS 16 BRAVES-OWLS-PANTHERS Creek, Norcross, North Gwinnett, Parkview, Peachtree Ridge, brand-new Citi Field could change things. Photo South Gwinnett, Wesleyan courtesy of Pouya Dianat/Atlanta Braves. 17 MEMORY LANE 18 CALENDAR 19 AD INDEX WWW.SCOREATL.COM 04 I SCORE ATLANTA Get In The Game! WWW.SCOREATL.COM MAY 6-12, 2009 SCORE ATLANTA I 05 Cavs may have King James but don’t count the Hawks out of this series he fact that the Atlanta Hawks made it to FALCONS ON A ROLL … years. Steve tells it like is and was blasted Tthe second round of the playoffs is no sur- How quickly fortunes are changing here by Miami Heat fans for being rough on prise here. This is a franchise slowly becom- in sports, as it has been years since this town their star, Dwyane Wade, mocking him ing one of the best in the NBA. The biggest has been this excited about the Falcons. and accusing him of dirty play. Before R positive coming out of the Miami series was While we have seen anything can happen in Game 6, Holman became the story. Look, E that the Hawks finally learned how to win a the NFL and despite the team’s brutal sched- Holman may be a homer, but he will do meaningful game on the road. Remember, ule this year, I think the Falcons have to go his share of ripping his own team. His V sometimes you have to take baby steps. into the season as one of the team’s to beat in best line of the series had to be when O What does surprise me is the fact that no the NFC. The draft was a strong one for the Wade and Heat forward James Jones sent one gives the Hawks any chance to beat Birds, but the big move has to be the addition C Hawks forward Al Horford crashing to the LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. of tight end Tony Gonzalez, who will help ground. “Oh, my goodness! The Heat Former Georgia Tech star Jon Barry, now this team as much off the field as he will on E it. As one football talking head said recently, have resorted to thuggery!’’ screamed working for ESPN, has been very critical of Holman. Keep it up Steve, and bang on H the Hawks and their chances against the “Gonzalez has forgotten more football LeBron for all of us. T Cavs, for the most part saying that Cleveland knowledge than the players on the Falcons will win easily in four. Of course, Barry is known for being wrong more than right. N Look, the Hawks go into the series, O which started Tuesday night (This edition of Score went to print earlier Tuesday), as size- able underdogs to a team seeded No. 1 over- It wasn't the most conventional series, all in the NBA, one that finished the season going seven games despite no lead 66-16 with an amazing 39-2 record at home. changes after the first period, but the But, remember, the Hawks were given no Hawks' home-court advantage paid off chance to beat Boston last year in the play- in the end. Sunday's 91-78 thrashing of offs; all the experts cried for a sweep yet Atlanta took what are now the defending Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat world champions to seven games. Anything, marked the first time an Atlanta Hawks in other words, can happen. team has won a home Game 7. Now, Also, for me, the Hawks are playing LeBron James and the Cleveland with house money, taking an incredible step Cavaliers, fresh off a four-game sweep forward this season by winning 47 games in of the veteran Detroit Pistons in the the regular season and taking out the Heat in the opening round, earning the team’s first first round, await the Hawks. The above trip to the conference semifinals since 1999. photo and cover photo are courtesy of The Hawks, much like in the Boston one Don Jackson/Photographic Arts. last year, have nothing to lose in this series, while all the pressure in the world is on the PHILIPS ON THE RISE: Hawks players and coaches are always quick to stress the impact the home-town there at the end. Right now they are barely Cavs. The Hawks can play loose while head crowd has on the team, and the fans didn't disappoint in the first-round series against the Miami Heat. Philips averaging four runs a game and are hitting coach Mike Woodson has the luxury of try- Arena was as loud as it's been in its 10-year history and helped make it hard on Jermaine O’Neal (shooting) .258 as a team. There also has to be concern ing some different things to see if there is any and the rest of the Heat. Now, the Hawks will look forward to Game 3 and the support of the fans against the Cavs on Saturday night in Atlanta. Photo courtesy of Don Jackson/Photographic Arts. about catcher Brian McCann and his eyesight way the team can contain the mighty LeBron as well as the slumping start of second base- James. Interestingly, the Hawks faced the man Kelly Johnson. I also don’t like what I’ve Cavs four times during the regular season CATCH I.J. ON SUNDAYS seen out of new starter Kenshin Kawakami, and, while they lost three of those games, every matchup but the first one (110-96 loss who has allowed 17 earned runs (21.2 at Cleveland) was close. But, remember, the Hawks were given no chance to beat Boston last year in the innings) and walked way too many batters in a While I’m not going to predict an upset playoffs; all the experts cried for a sweep yet Atlanta took what are now the 1-3 start.