THE BEST PLACE FOR FLAT PANEL TVs SEE BACK PAGE APRIL 1-7, 2009 ATLANTA’S WEEKLY SPORTS TALK NEWSPAPER VOL 5 NO 7 Tuesday: Wednesday: StarTime Entertainment Roswell (770) 993-5411 North River Tavern Beef O'Brady's 30 Atlanta (770) 552-8784 Suwanee (770) 886-8221 Buffalo’s Café The Grove Restaurant & Bar Bradley's American Cafe Jonesboro (770) 998-1314 Decatur (404) 321-4420 Marietta (770) 321-0108 CENT Montana’s Bar & Grill WoW Café and Wingery StarTime Entertainment Marietta (770) 998-1314 Athens (706) 543-5510 Roswell (770) 993-5411 Alpharetta (678) 366-8928 WINGS Friday: Jeffrey’s Dark Horse Tavern Ameribistro WWW.THETRIVIAZONE.COM SportsBar & Grill VA-Highlands (404)873-3607 Smyrna (770) 437-0272 at J.R. Crickets in Alpharetta(770) 346-0807 J.R. Crickets Smyrna (678) 305-0225 Sunday: Ribs, ETC., Montana’s Bar & Grill Smyrna every Buckhead (404) 843-8200 Thursday: Round up your friends for a night of FUN, FACTS, Frankie’s at the Prado Marietta (770) 998-1314 and FREEBIES! Join Trivia Zone Team each week Wednesday night Frankie’s at the Prado S. Springs (404)843-9444 Alpharetta (678) 366-8928 S. Springs (404)843-9444 for your chance to WIN! (Dine-In Only) Neighbor’s Pub North River Tavern North River Tavern Call your favorite location for start time and details! VA-Highlands (404)872-5440 Atlanta (770) 552-8784 Atlanta (770) 552-8784 02 I SCORE ATLANTA Get In The Game! WWW.SCOREATL.COM APRIL 1-7, 2009 SCORE ATLANTA I 03 ™ STARTING LINEUP IN YOUR PUBLISHER/EDITOR I.J. Rosenberg FACE… MANAGING EDITOR Alex Ewalt ART/CREATIVE DIRECTOR David Gaudio VIDEO MANAGER Scott Janovitz BUSINESS MANAGER Marvin Botnick SALES MANAGER Mark Mayo WWW.SCOREATL.COM BEAT WRITERS Josh Bagriansky (Falcons), Stephen Black 5 Now that the Hawks are on their way to the playoffs, longtime (Kennesaw State), Jason Boral (Thrashers), James Butler Atlanta star Dominique Wilkins is planning a comeback. But is (UGA), Dave Cohen (Georgia State), Johnny Crosskey he ready for the rigors of the league? Scott Janovitz investigates. (Tech), Alex Ewalt (Preps), Scott Janovitz ________________________________________________________ (Hawks/Recruiting), Fletcher Proctor (Braves) STAFF WRITERS Cranston Collier, Joe Deighton, Ricky Dimon, 12 Derek Wiley offers his take on this weekend’s Final Four matchups. Will pre-tournament favorite North Carolina Rajesh Gupta, Zander Lentz, Andrew McCarron, Corey Mitchell, be able to fend off a surging Villanova squad? Jessica Parker, Leighton Savary, Keafer Triplett, Derek Wiley _______________________________________________ __ DESIGN INTERNS DJ Galbiati CONTRIBUTORS Tad Arapoglou, Dean Zindler, Kevin Dankosky, 17 It’s time for another season of Braves baseball, and beat Mitch Evans, Matt Judy, Tony Schiavone, Richard Diamond, writer Fletcher Proctor previews the 2009 year. Can the team return to the playoffs for the first time since 2005? Joe Haines, Brian Katrek, Chris Dimino, Mike Bell, Matt Stewart, ________________________________________________________ Fred Kalil, Nick Cellini, Phillip Leopold, Dave Marshall, Greg tu Smith, Steak Shapiro, Mike Cather, Beau Bock, Hal Lamar, Chris 19 Hawks fans may be ready for the postseason, but Flip Murray Cotter, Roy Hickman, Dave Cohen, John Olah, Jeff Woolverton, (pictured) and team still have a lot to play for. Hear what Chris Voss, Bob Rathbun, Courtney Capps, Bill Hartman, Chuck head coach Mike Woodson had to say on the playoff push. Dowdle, Shannon Alderman, Dan Kamal, Dennis Scott, C.C., Hal Lanier, Jeff Batten, Micah Hart, Ben Wright, A SCORE UPDATE: Alan Vasquez, Andrew Vedlitz, Brian Jones It’s been a bittersweet couple of weeks around the Score Atlanta offices, as two SPECIAL CONTRIBUTORS Mitch Albom, Dave Kindred, Barry Bloom longtime members of the Score family will be moving on to pursue other opportuni- ties. Managing editor Tad Arapoglou (who started in November 2005) and art director ™ SCHOOL David Gaudio (October 2005) have each left a big impression on Score and will be LISTING sorely missed. From everyone at Score Atlanta, good luck in all your future pursuits! 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 TOMAHAWK TIME: The Braves open DEKALB: Chamblee, Columbia, Decatur, Druid Hills, Dunwoody, COVER DESIGN BY DAVID GAUDIO. COVER PHOTO COURTESY OF SCOTT CUNNINGHAM/ATLANTA HAWKS. Lakeside, Marist, Miller Grove, M.L. King, Paideia, Redan, St. Pius the season in Philadelphia this Sunday, but X, Southwest DeKalb, Stephenson, Stone Mountain, Tucker Tomahawk Team captain Jessica and the rest of the FULTON: Alpharetta, Blessed Trinity, Centennial, Chattahoochee, girls will be back in action at Turner Field soon 5 OFF THE PINE 6 DUE UP-KATREK 7 SPIN-C.C. Douglass, Grady, Lovett, Mays, Milton, North Springs, Northview, Riverwood, Roswell, Tri-Cities, Westminster, Woodward Academy enough! Since Jessica heads up the team, we have 8 HS SPORTS REPORT 14 HAWKS-THRASHERS-FALCONS GWINNETT: Berkmar, Brookwood, Buford, C. Gwinnett, Collins to ask — is there any room on the squad for a few Hill, Dacula, Grayson, Greater Atlanta Christian, Meadowcreek, Mill 15 DAWGS-JACKETS 16 BRAVES-OWLS-PANTHERS Creek, Norcross, North Gwinnett, Parkview, Peachtree Ridge, spirited sportswriters? I’m drawing the line at the South Gwinnett, Wesleyan shorts, though. Photo courtesy of the Atlanta Braves. 17 MEMORY LANE 18 CALENDAR 19 AD INDEX WWW.SCOREATL.COM 04 I SCORE ATLANTA Get In The Game! WWW.SCOREATL.COM APRIL 1-7, 2009 SCORE ATLANTA I 05 With playoffs on the horizon, a Hawks legend makes his comeback push hile the 2008-09 season has no doubt “I’m making a comeback,” he said. Rathbun. He did, however, give me the Wbeen a successful one that Hawks offi- “Going back to Greece to join Josh number of his agent, Steve Kauffman. cials can be proud of, recent injuries to for- Childress?” I asked, thinking I had just bro- Still, I had to find out a little more before ward Marvin Williams and backup point ken my first big story but totally unknowing I could leave. I mean, the man is almost 50 guard Acie Law have sullied the good air as to what was about to come next. years old and hasn’t played NBA ball in near- R over at Philips Arena as of late. In fact, as the “Nope. I’m coming back to help the ly 10 full seasons. How good could he be? E team’s beat writer for this paper and some- Hawks win a championship.” What was he hoping to contribute? one who keeps a watchful eye on the league “Well, I’m obviously not going to be the V same ‘Nique. I can’t jump like that anymore, in general, and considering how hard Hawks COULD IT BE TRUE? … O officials have taken this recent crop of bad Of course, it took me a moment to deter- that’s for sure,” he said with a grin. “They’re news, I have been utterly shocked by the mine he was actually serious about all this, not bringing me in to start or to play 40 min- C team’s apparent disinterest in adding another after which time I asked why, how and when utes or anything like that, but I can definitely body or two to the roster. (I mean, did you all this was determined. bring experience to this team and be a big- see what Tony Parker and the Spurs did to “I’ve been working out pretty hard for time contributor off the bench. I still know the E game, I feel young, and I have the same skills the Hawks last week without Tim Duncan some time now, staying in shape, and the H and with Manu Ginobili only logging a Hawks and I of course have remained close, I had when I was scoring almost 30 a night. measly 14 minutes?) That is, until I stumbled so they know what kind of shape I’m in,” he “I can definitely still be a good scor- T upon perhaps the juiciest piece of Hawks news since … well, ever. N At this point in your read, you already know what I’m talking about. Dominique O Wilkins – that’s right, The Human Highlight Film and the greatest player in franchise his- tory – is returning to his sanctuary, the hard- We watched Michael Jordan return to wood, just in time for the playoff push and in the game at an advanced age after a an a attempt to put the Hawks over the top. prolonged absence … so why can’t The THE SCOOP … Human Highlight Reel pull off a come- Now, at this point I’m sure you’re asking back of his own? Thanks to a chance how I’m privy to such valuable information. encounter with the legend, our own Where are Sekou Smith, the AJC and the rest of the sports world on this one? The answer: Scott Janovitz learned of Dominique dumb luck and a pious friend were my Wilkins’s aspirations of returning to the weapons of choice. game — and soon. The 49-year-old’s So here’s how the story goes. A good friend of mine attends bible study at a local presence should provide some much- church every Thursday. As one for theologi- needed leadership for the playoff-bound cal discussion and the friend of a relatively observant American Jew (that’s me), she has Hawks. The above photo and cover shot approached me on numerous occasions in of Dominique Wilkins are courtesy of the past about attending the class with her. Scott Cunningham/Atlanta Hawks. Well, last Thursday, I finally accepted the invitation, not knowing of course it would go and Dominique come to a contractual agree- down as one of the better decisions I’ve THEY’RE BACK: Head coach Mark Richt (left) looks on as a group of his quarterbacks (No.