WINGS AND BIG SCREENS! SEE BACK PAGE JUNE 24-30, 2009 ATLANTA’S WEEKLY SPORTS TALK NEWSPAPER VOL 5 NO 13 02 I SCORE ATLANTA Get In The Game! WWW.SCOREATL.COM JUNE 24-30, 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 (Dream), Stephen Black 5 Score Atlanta’s I.J. Rosenberg highlights local agent Todd (Kennesaw State), Jason Boral (Thrashers), James Butler France’s free football camp for kids and talks about Georgia’s (UGA), Dave Cohen (Georgia State), Ricky Dimon (Tech), replacement for Larry Munson. Alex Ewalt (Preps), Scott Janovitz (Hawks/Recruiting), ___________________________________________________ Brian Jones (Falcons), Fletcher Proctor (Braves) 8 Thrashers beat writer Jason Boral looks ahead to the rest of the STAFF WRITERS Cranston Collier, Joe Deighton, Rajesh Gupta, Thrashers’ offseason and discusses potential moves the team Zander Lentz, Andrew McCarron, Corey Mitchell, Alan Gales, could make to get better. Brian Penter, John Edwards, Derek Wiley ________________________________________________ CONTRIBUTORS Tad Arapoglou, Dean Zindler, Kevin Dankosky, 10 The Braves may be frustrating at times, but the team, Mitch Evans, Matt Judy, Tony Schiavone, Richard Diamond, Fletcher Proctor writes, already has all the ingredients Joe Haines, Brian Katrek, Chris Dimino, Mike Bell, Matt Stewart, to become a contender. Fred Kalil, Nick Cellini, Phillip Leopold, Dave Marshall, Greg ________________________________________________ Smith, Steak Shapiro, Mike Cather, Beau Bock, Hal Lamar, Chris 15 NBA reporter Scott Janovitz offers a mockup of the entire first Cotter, Roy Hickman, Dave Cohen, John Olah, Jeff Woolverton, round of this Thursday’s draft. Will VCU guard Eric Maynor Chris Voss, Bob Rathbun, Courtney Capps, Bill Hartman, Chuck (pictured) fall to the team at No. 19? Dowdle, Shannon Alderman, Dan Kamal, Dennis Scott, C.C., Hal Lanier, Jeff Batten, Micah Hart, Ben Wright, A SCORE UPDATE: For all you recruitniks out there, head over to Scoreatl.com for Alan Vasquez, Andrew Vedlitz, Brian Jones each week’s installment of The Official Visit, Score SPECIAL CONTRIBUTORS Mitch Albom, Dave Kindred, Barry Bloom Atlanta’s all-recruiting radio show that airs on 790 The Zone every Sunday from 2-4. If you can’t catch the show live, ™ SCHOOL head to Scoreatl.com for full recaps of the show, as LISTING well as downloadable interviews and podcasts. 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 It’s hard to tell if we’ll be OLD FRIEND: COVER DESIGN BY DJ GALBIATI. COVER PHOTO COURTESY OF JIMMY CRIBB/ATLANTA FALCONS AND TODD FRANCE. DEKALB: Chamblee, Columbia, Decatur, Druid Hills, Dunwoody, happy to see former Georgia Tech star Jason Lakeside, Marist, Miller Grove, M.L. King, Paideia, Redan, St. Pius X, Southwest DeKalb, Stephenson, Stone Mountain, Tucker Varitek when he and the Red Sox hit The Ted for FULTON: Alpharetta, Blessed Trinity, Centennial, Chattahoochee, a series this weekend. On the one hand, it will 5 CHEAP SEATS 6 SCORE LIST-DUE UP 7 SPIN-C.C. Douglass, Grady, Lovett, Mays, Milton, North Springs, Northview, mean that one of Tech’s favorite sons will be Riverwood, Roswell, Tri-Cities, Westminster, Woodward Academy 8 RECRUITING 10 FALCONS GWINNETT: Berkmar, Brookwood, Buford, C. Gwinnett, Collins returning to Atlanta, but it also means the Red Hill, Dacula, Grayson, Greater Atlanta Christian, Meadowcreek, Mill Sox are in town, with their obnoxious fans and 11 BRAVES-MEMORY LANE 12 PANTHERS Creek, Norcross, North Gwinnett, Parkview, Peachtree Ridge, gaudy record (42-27 at press time) in tow. Photo South Gwinnett, Wesleyan courtesy of the Boston Red Sox. 13 DREAM 14 CALENDAR 15 AD INDEX WWW.SCOREATL.COM 04 I SCORE ATLANTA Get In The Game! WWW.SCOREATL.COM JUNE 24-30, 2009 SCORE ATLANTA I 05 France still giving back with free camp; thoughts on Munson replacement and NBA Draft or many of us, it is a very difficult time. NEW GEORGIA VOICE … matic improvement in the way this entire FThe economy is in shambles (though I was glad to see the University of teams plays. Bibby, who could tutor Teague, President Obama and the liberal media Georgia officially make Scott Howard its appears to like Atlanta and it wouldn’t both- would say otherwise), the value of our dollar voice of the football program, replacing the er me if they had to overpay for him. I also R continues to fall, gas prices are soaring and retired and legendary Larry Munson. I like it think the Hawks will be able to hold on to E our government appears to be doing a lot of when a program promotes internally, and Marvin Williams, who is a restricted free window dressing and spending, but very lit- while Howard’s approach is not the same as agent; the Hawks can only lose Williams if V tle when it comes to rolling up its sleeves and Munson, he has been the second man on another team comes with an offer sheet they O actually turning things around. Oh, and did I Georgia football games since 1993 and has are unwilling to match. But I just don’t see another team throwing a lot of money at C forget to mention the 1970s-type inflation great insight into the history of the program. that eventually is going to hit us? Initially, I had heard that Georgia may make Marvin. While at times he has shown But enough of my political thoughts. a run at Georgia Tech’s Wes Durham, one of glimpses of being a very good player, I think E These difficulties can’t stop us from the best in the business. But if they did, noth- he is fragile physically and plays at a position H helping those that really have no place to turn. ing ever came of it and I assume much of the of plentiful talent in the NBA. I do disagree T I have noticed that many non-profits are cut- Bulldog faithful would have had a hard time with those that want to trade Josh Smith. The ting way back and the number of free summer N programs and camps for kids is on the decline as well. I will say the local pro teams in O Atlanta, however, remain entrenched in the community when it comes to helping others Local agent Todd France, who runs and so has local agent Todd France, who is France All-Pro Athlete Management, holding his free football camp this week at continues to put on his yearly free Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School. summer camp for kids, with help, as Every year, France brings in his players always, from his stable of NFL ath- from around the country for a four-day camp letes, including Falcons quarterback open to everyone, and at no charge. Unlike past D.J. Shockley (pictured on cover). camps where France was able to go out in the Despite hard economic times and community and get a lot of sponsors to help him with funding, his staff had to put it into over- with free camps and summer activi- drive to get things done this year, and Walgreens ties for kids disappearing, France has jumped on board as the major sponsor. found a way to once again put on a “Over the years, the camp has been a great event for young football players huge success and there was no way we were at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School. going to let things change,’’ said France, one The above photo is courtesy of of the NFL’s top agents whose pool of players Photographic Arts. include many local athletes like D.J. Shockley, Thomas Brown, Ronnie Brown SUMMER VACATION: Tony Gonzalez and the rest of the Falcons will get a chance to relax for a while before AND SPEAKING OF THE BRAVES … and Philip Wheeler. “All the players feel very training camp starts in August, as mini-camp and OTA’s ended last week. Gonzalez in particular drew rave There isn’t enough space left in this col- strongly about this camp, about what it reviews from teammates, coaches and onlookers alike, as the aging tight end can still catch and block with umn to spend too many words on the Braves brings back to the community.” the best of them. Photo courtesy of Jimmy Cribb/Atlanta Falcons. and their issues, but it has become extremely Hundreds of kids will push through evident that to stay in the race they are going France’s football drills this week, many get- to have to make a deal to get a big bat in this ting their only chance this summer to attend CATCH I.J. ON SUNDAYS a camp of any sort. For this reason, Score lineup. Actually, because the other teams are gladly gives up its cover at this time every so inconsistent, the Braves would be on top if year, providing France, his staff, players and ‘The local pro teams in Atlanta remain entrenched in the community when it they had any type of offensive consistency. sponsors the thank you they deserve for the comes to helping others and so has local agent Todd France, who is holding Going into this week, the Braves had 52 home money and hours they put in. For Todd, it is his free football camp this week at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School.’ runs in 68 games and not one player had his most relaxing and certainly most memo- reached nine.