VOLLEYBALL, SUN AND FUN IN ATL THIS WEEKEND SEE BACK PAGE MAY 27 - JUNE 2, 2009 ATLANTA’S WEEKLY SPORTS TALK NEWSPAPER VOL 5 NO 11 02 I SCORE ATLANTA Get In The Game! WWW.SCOREATL.COM MAY 27-JUNE 2, 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, Dream), 5 I.J. Rosenberg shares some of his Memorial Day musings with Stephen Black (Kennesaw State), Jason Boral (Thrashers), readers, including thoughts on the Braves’ near future and the James Butler (UGA), Dave Cohen (Georgia State), Ricky Falcons’ team energy at minicamp. Dimon (Tech), Alex Ewalt (Preps), Scott Janovitz ___________________________________________________ (Hawks/Recruiting), Fletcher Proctor (Braves) 8 Check out our high school sports report for an update on the STAFF WRITERS Cranston Collier, Joe Deighton, Rajesh Gupta, baseball playoffs, and profiles of the Marist baseball Zander Lentz, Andrew McCarron, Corey Mitchell, Alan Gales, program and East Paulding pitcher Zack Wheeler. Brian Penter, John Edwards, Derek Wiley ___________________________________________ CONTRIBUTORS Tad Arapoglou, Dean Zindler, Kevin Dankosky, 10 The AVP Tour (pictured) is back in Atlanta this weekend for the Mitch Evans, Matt Judy, Tony Schiavone, Richard Diamond, fourth time, so head down to Atlantic Station to catch some of the Joe Haines, Brian Katrek, Chris Dimino, Mike Bell, Matt Stewart, world’s best volleyball players in action. Fred Kalil, Nick Cellini, Phillip Leopold, Dave Marshall, Greg ________________________________________________________________ Smith, Steak Shapiro, Mike Cather, Beau Bock, Hal Lamar, Chris 19 Braves beat writer Fletcher Proctor takes a trip up I-85 to check in on Cotter, Roy Hickman, Dave Cohen, John Olah, Jeff Woolverton, the newest addition to the local sports landscape, the Gwinnett Braves. 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, If you’re planning on attending any of the five high school baseball championship series this Friday and Saturday, be sure to look for Alan Vasquez, Andrew Vedlitz, Brian Jones the official GHSA state championship program, brought to you by SPECIAL CONTRIBUTORS Mitch Albom, Dave Kindred, Barry Bloom Score Atlanta. The special edition features a complete finals preview, scorecards, rosters, and a feature on one of the top players in the ™ SCHOOL country, Cartersville’s Donavan Tate. Pick one up this weekend, or LISTING download the program 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 Head coach BACK IN THE SWING: COVER DESIGN BY DJ GALBIATI. COVER PHOTO COURTESY OF AVP TOUR. DEKALB: Chamblee, Columbia, Decatur, Druid Hills, Dunwoody, Mike Smith and the Falcons were back at Flowery Lakeside, Marist, Miller Grove, M.L. King, Paideia, Redan, St. Pius X, Southwest DeKalb, Stephenson, Stone Mountain, Tucker Branch last week in the team’s second minicamp of FULTON: Alpharetta, Blessed Trinity, Centennial, Chattahoochee, the offseason. Though questions surrounding their 5 CHEAP SEATS 6 SCORE LIST-DUE UP 7 SPIN-C.C. Douglass, Grady, Lovett, Mays, Milton, North Springs, Northview, (still) teammates Michael Vick’s release from prison Riverwood, Roswell, Tri-Cities, Westminster, Woodward Academy 8 HS SPORTS REPORT 14 HAWKS-THRASHERS-FALCONS GWINNETT: Berkmar, Brookwood, Buford, C. Gwinnett, Collins threatened to overshadow the action on the field, the Hill, Dacula, Grayson, Greater Atlanta Christian, Meadowcreek, Mill Birds’ young guns and veterans alike got some of 15 DAWGS-JACKETS 16 BRAVES-OWLS-PANTHERS Creek, Norcross, North Gwinnett, Parkview, Peachtree Ridge, the much-needed rust off with some rigorous work- South Gwinnett, Wesleyan outs. Photo courtesy of Jimmy Cribb/Atlanta Falcons. 17 DREAM 18 CALENDAR 19 AD INDEX WWW.SCOREATL.COM 04 I SCORE ATLANTA Get In The Game! WWW.SCOREATL.COM MAY 27-JUNE 2, 2009 SCORE ATLANTA I 05 Braves a year away from contending; football fever in full bloom at Flowery Branch fter a few needed days away from the key may be how much pressure the Falcons • All this movement of athletes from Aoffice with the kids on a lake in north can put on opposing quarterbacks, taking one high school to another other is getting Georgia, here are some observations as we some pressure off their own young secondary. way out of hand and is a subject I will head into the hot summer and count down the No early predictions from me, but when was address closely come football season. The R days until football starts … the last time this town was this excited about a way parents are shopping their kids and the E • I would like to think the Braves will be football season where the Falcons, Tech and recruiting by coaches is causing some real in the thick of the division and wild card race Georgia all have a chance to be very good? problems among the high school communi- V in August, but they are going to need some • I checked out a couple of message ties. What needs to happen is the schools O offensive help to be taken seriously. While boards and blogs recently where sports fans themselves need to get a better handle on C the starting pitching is sound and Tim tried to make a case that the Falcons should what is going on in their athletic depart- Hudson may be back later in the summer, the hold on to Michael Vick and even put him out ments, and I wish there was a rule that stu- bats need to take pressure off the pitching at receiver. Are you kidding? While I hope the dent-athletes have to sit out a year if they E and I'm not sure they have the talent right best for Vick in his comeback, he left this fran- transfer schools. But recently it was made H now at the other eight positions to do so. This chise in shambles. The best for the Falcons and easier for student-athletes to move, as they T team lacks the big hitter most clubs have and Chipper Jones continues to be nagged by N injuries. I wrote before the season—and I still feel strongly—that this team may be a O year away from being a very competitive team. The key is patience and not to get des- For the fourth year, the AVP Tour goes perate like they did two years ago when they made the Mark Teixeira trade, which proved through Atlanta. The Atlanta Open hits to be a huge bust and left the team without Atlantic Station this Friday through the cleanup hitter it needed as well as several good prospects that have turned quickly into Sunday, and fans can watch some of good major league players. Remember 1990, the world’s top beach volleyball play- the season before the consecutive division championship run began, when the Braves ers while enjoying a little bit of beach had a rotation that was beginning to jell com- living in the middle of the big city. The bined with a group of young and talented position players? This roster makeup is dif- event is quickly becoming Atlanta’s ferent when it comes to the age of the pitch- favorite way to officially kick off the ers in the rotation, but it reminds me of a team that is just a piece or two away from summer. The above photo and cover really being good. Still, no one in the NL photo are courtesy of the AVP Tour. East is running away from the pack, so any- thing can happen. But realistically, we may SCOREATL.com and hit the football icon in be a year away. READY FOR ANOTHER RUN: Rich Poythress and the Georgia baseball team lost to LSU in the SEC Conference Tournament semifinals on Saturday, but will be looking to get back to the College World Series for the second the right column below the Watch Videos tab. • The morale at the Falcons complex in • Fox 5 sports director Ken Rodriguez Flowery Branch is strong as the team prepares straight year when NCAA Tournament play begins this week. Last season, the Bulldogs were one game away from knocking off Fresno State in the final series. Photo courtesy of UGA Sports Communications. and lead producer Chip Zell do a fabulous job to prove its 11-5 season and playoff appear- with high school football and Score will be ance last season was not a fluke. While I think partnering with them in the fall. Look for it is unfair to think this team has the tools to be CATCH I.J. ON SUNDAYS more information soon, but high school foot- considered one of the league's best right now, ball fans are going to really benefit from the the Falcons could very well find themselves combining of these resources. playing deep into the playoffs if they can find Remember 1990 when the Braves had a rotation that was beginning to jell combined • We have a cover and inside page devot- a way to get this defense to take the same jump with a group of young and talented position players? This roster makeup is different, ed to the AVP Tour, coming to Atlantic the offense took last year. Healthy, the Falcons Station this weekend. It is a fabulous event have one of the top three or four offenses in but it reminds me of a team that is just a piece or two away from really being good.