Columbus Wins!!!

I know many of you, even those that consider yourselves Georgia Force fans, don't have quite the same rabid passion you do for the NFL. I understand. It's okay.

However that probably means that there are a few things you don't know. First, Columbus beat Dallas tonight! This means that the Force now have home field advantage next week also (assuming we beat the Soul tonight).

You may also not realize that Head Coach Doug Plank was just named AFL Coach of the year... for the second time!

Not only that, but Chris Greisen (the quarterback if you're just a casual fan) has set numerous records in his first season as a starter, despite being described as a "question mark" during the preseason by a certain national sports company.

If you have missed parts of the season, but want to catch up in time for the playoffs and the quest for the Arena Bowl, read my season recap/playoff preview in the July 8 issue of Sunday Paper. Go Force!

Smoltz & Glavine

By Jason Chatraw

I don't know if I'll ever get over Tom Glavine spurning the Braves for a few lousy million bucks and playing for the hated Mets, but John Smoltz has. In fact, he never had anything to really "get over." He misses his buddy, but has never had anything but nice things to say about Tommy.

Before Tuesday night's game against the Mets, the New York media cornered Smoltz for a little pow-wow, grilling him on everything from steroids to Barry Bonds to Glavine. And while I found what Smoltz had to say about steroids mildly interesting, it was his reflection on Glavine that stood out the most.

Question: I don't think anybody will ever accuse Tom Glavine of using steroids, but what do you think has kept him in the game for so long?

Smoltz:Perseverance, perseverance, perseverance. You can't say it enough about him. He has just persevered through every adversity in his career and just keeps his head about him. But he's also got great mechanics--and he never gives into a batter.

Question: What has your relationship with Glavine meant to you?

Smoltz: Obviously, it has meant a lot to me. I know Tommy better than I know anybody in the game of baseball. ... He's at the point in his career, like me, that if baseball was gone tomorrow, he would have no regrets. He's had an unbelievable career. People will never know the way he has handled controversey that came his way without him asking for it. There could be a book written on stories that will never be told about situations that have arisen for him and how he has handled them."

Come again? What situations, Smoltzy? What in the world are you talking about? Of course, the NY media just had to ask what, which of course Smoltz declined to elaborate. Now, the Curious George in me is just dying to know what the heck Smoltz meant by that. My other media mates in the press box just think Smoltz was just shootin' from the hip and there's really nothing else there (i.e., he's referring to the tension between Braves GM John Schuerholz and Glavine when Schuerholz outed Glavine in the book as leaving the Braves' offer on the table because a players' union rep couldn't turn down more money--bad for everyone in the league who wants bigger paychecks). But who knows? Maybe we'll have to get Glavine's autobiography to learn more ... if he actually does decide to write about it.

GAME NOTES
* Braves' castoff and New York Mets starting pitcher Jorge Sosa entered Tuesday night's game against the Braves with a 3-0 record and a 2.25 ERA. I thought that there had to be some other Jorge Sosa in the league and he couldn't possibly be the same guy who imploded for the Braves a season ago before the Braves traded him away. But, alas, I realized it was the same Sosa when the Braves hammered him and put an end to his winning streak to start the season.

* Reason No. 543 why the Mets won't win the World Series this season? Aaron Sele. This is the best the Mets have to throw out there in relief? Braves starting pitcher Kyle Davies who had exactly one hit last season (1-for-23) and no hits entering Tuesday night's game, belted a home run to straightaway center field off Sele, the first dinger he's surrendered to a pitcher in his career. Davies' only hit last year? A home run.

* Check out this weekend's paper for our feature on Cairo, Ga., native Willie Harris. He's got a great story!

* Also, read this week's story on Kelly Johnson and Scott Thorman by our columnist, Adam Krohn.

Baseball Uniforms

The baseball season has been upon us for almost a month now, and that has given us all a chance to look at most, if not all the teams, play at home and on the road. In addition to the game, I am intrigued by the uniforms and the changes made from one year to the next.

So far, the only significant change has been Arizona, who switched from their Wimbledon inspired purple and green to red and black. Unfortunately, I did catch the Pirates in their red vests, which may seem strange to some, but red is one of the Pirates colors, which is in sharp contrast to the traditional gold and black we all have been used to seeing over the years. No wonder they went with black and gold for all those years...

I glanced at a few of the uniforms the teams have worn over the years and much like a lot of things in the world, things have come full circle. Most of the uniforms of the 30’s and 40’s can be seen in today’s teams. Of course, we all experienced that disco era v-neck double knits that I will deny I knew anything about. Take it a step further and throw in the made for TV power blue road jerseys some of the teams wore and you would think the majority of the teams shopped for their uniforms at the Chapel Hill Kresges, which later became K-Mart.

This uniform switch can become a little silly at times. Remember a few years ago, Craig Biggio wore the wrong uniform top during a game? The Astros have a red jersey reading Astros for home games, and Houston for road games. Biggio mistakenly wore the wrong jersey for a few innings.

"I had no idea," Biggio said. "My family didn't even notice." Remembering that he went 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored during the Astros' 5-2 win, he jokingly threatened to wear the wrong jersey again.

"Nobody noticed that during the game," Biggio marveled. "As much as I'd like to get all over Dennis for this one, I can't. I'd like to blame Dennis. I really would. But I can't. That one was my fault."

The best jerseys in baseball belong to the patriarchs of the game. The Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox, Tigers and Giants have classic uniforms that have not changed much since their birth at the beginning of the century. In fact, if you look at a picture of one of those teams from the 30's, their uniform has not changed much, if at all.

Major League Baseball players began wearing numbers on the back of their uniforms permanently in 1929. Cleveland sported the look first, on April 16 (for home games only), and the Yankees following suit two days later. New York was the first club to wear numbers on both their home and road uniforms. Prior attempts to identify the players numerically were met with derision from the players, who thought that the numerals made them look like convicts. The fans, however, enjoyed this identification system, and by 1934, all major league clubs donned the digits, the New York Giants being the last holdout.

Originally, uniform numbers were determined by a player's place in the batting order. The Yankees did this to help the fans pick out their favorite players easily. Babe Ruth batted third, hence number three, and Lou Gehrig followed him at number four. Incidentally, Gehrig's number four was the first uniform number to be retired, on July 4, 1939.

Certain numbers mean certain players. If I mention 24, immediately you will think of Willie Mays. 44 means a trio of sluggers: Hank Aaron, Willie McCovey and Reggie Jackson. Over in Yankee Stadium, 7 meant Mickey Mantle, while 5 belonged to Joe DiMaggio. In Boston, 9 was worn by Ted Williams and 8 by Carl Yastrzemski. In Pittsburgh, Roberto Clemente wore 21, and to this day the stadium scoreboard puts his number underneath the AT BAT sign on the scoreboard before a game. Jackie Robinson has the distinction of being the only player to have his number, 42, retired by Major League Baseball. The range of numbers is total as well as 0 was worn by Texas slugger Al Oliver while Philadelphia’s Mitch Williams went the other way and wore 99. There was even a fraction of a number worn in 1951 as midget Eddie Gaedel, pinch hitting in one of owner Bill Veek’s crazy promotions, wore 1/8.

Through the years, there have been some uniforms that should have never left the clubhouse. Please take cover while you see these fashion assassins that someone in major league baseball thought were a good idea.

1970’s San Diego Padres

There was a rumor all San Diego area ice cream men gave away a Padres jersey with every banana fudge sickle sold during the season. My father once told me they reminded him of the inside of a cheese burrito. And you thought watching a University of Wyoming game would blow out the color tubes in your TV...

1970’s Houston Astros
I think the Astros were way ahead of their time by embracing the gay pride movement with these colorful items. They tried to correct their colorful mistake by going the other way and taking all the color out of what they wore, but that just made it worse. Their road uni’s were a crème color with the stripes on the shoulders. These uniforms were out of this world, and that is where they should be stored before we have a nuclear biohazrd on our hands. By the way, is that oscar winning actor Phillip Seymore Hoffman at an Astros game? (right)

We had two teams that went multi colored on the majors in the 70's. First, the Oakland A's played championship baseball, then went straight over to the TV studio after the game was over to film their Sprite commercial. Not to be outdone, the Pittsburgh Pirates made the red vests look like Yankee pinstripes with their four set jersey/pant combo. Rumor has it the clubhouse man who was responsible for putting the correct color combination in each players locker during their world's championship season of 1979 got a double world series share, which they delivered to him at a local Pittsburgh hospital where he was recovering from corrective eye surgery to repair a burnt out retina from all the different color combinations he had to deal with.

What are your favorite and least favorite baseball uniforms? Drop me a line and we can discuss!

(Thanks - National Baseball Hall of Fame, Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates)

My Day at the Masters

Last week I got a chance to visit August National for the practice rounds at the Masters. Since this was my first appearance there, I was dubbed a “chipmunk” by my friends who had been several times before. “Chipmunk” is the official term for a rookie on their first day on the course. Rodent or not, I have to write how impressed I was with the experience. I am sure you are thinking it was because I saw Tiger Woods on the putting green, or watching Phil Michelson teeing off, but it was for reasons I never would have imagined.

For the crush of fans who invade the course that day, I have never been in a place run so efficiently in the way it handled the number of spectators who entered the grounds. If you go to a Falcons game, expect to wait in line for everything. At Augusta National, we walked to the line for the restroom, which spilled back towards the concession stand and thought, “This is going to be a long wait.” But that never materialized because the line moved and within a few minutes we were inside. As we got closer, we noticed an attendant bringing people into the restroom in groups, which sped things up, as well as the fact there were several spots open, so you didn’t feel as if you were in the middle of the dance floor in a Buckhead bar. Everyone dressed in green that day was professional and courteous, and it made you feel they were happy to have you over for the day.

At lunchtime, we made our way over to the concessions stand and as I pulled out my wallet, my buddy, Coach B, said, “Don’t worry about it Scoot, this isn’t Turner Field.” After his comment, I looked at the prices and was pleasantly surprised. Sandwiches were no more than a few bucks, drinks were about the same, and you could buy a beer without taking out a second mortgage on your home. Again, the line was long, but moved well and before long, we were on a picnic bench eating our sandwiches and talking golf with the other fans who asked to share our table with them.

After lunch, we walked over to the practice green to watch the putting. We passed by the immaculate condos constructed on the course, and envied the people on their porches, sipping drinks in their expensive clothes while watching the golfers. Maybe envied wasn’t the right word. Try, jealous. Once we got to the putting green, there was Tom Watson, looking awfully good for 58. His stroke was just as good as his looks. Later, we walked over to one of the greens and saw Ben Crenshaw practicing a few shots. After he finished, he walked right directly past us, exchanging pleasantries with some of the fans in the gallery, then disappeared into the crowd. We usually don’t get that close to Keith Brooking after he finishes practice.

I have to say my first trip to Augusta was one of those wonderful days that come along every so often that you will tend to talk about on more than one occasion. Now that I have graduated from being a chipmunk, does that mean I get to go back next year as a gopher? Well, as long as Carl from Caddyshack isn’t lurking about, I would say the chances are pretty good.

Fathers, Sons and Baseball

With the beginning of every baseball season comes memories of my late Father, who loved two things more than anything else: my Mother, and the Atlanta Braves.

After watching the Braves play last week, I was hit once again with one of those times where I wanted to talk to him about the beginning of another season. Of course, those phone conversations were challenging. He had a way of talking about a player, but getting the name slightly wrong. “You know that Andrew Young (Andrew Jones) in the minors is going to be the best centerfielder in the game one day.” “I hope they find a spot for that Ryan Kelso (Ryan Klesko) since he can really hit.” And of course, the biggie, “If we can get Terry Pennington (Terry Pendleton) to hit like he did in 1991, we might win the Series this year.”

Dad passed in 1996, just a few months after his beloved Braves won the World Series. His passing reminded me of other perfect finishes in the game he loved, like Ted Williams hitting a home run in his last at bat, or Cal Ripken going deep the night he broke Lou Gehrig’s all-time consecutive games played streak. After years of last place finishes, which never shook Dad’s love for his team, he left this world at the right time.

The first game my Dad ever took me to was in 1973 in old Tiger Stadium as Detroit played Cleveland. He had a few PBR’s on the way to the park, and sure enough, around the third or fourth inning, Tiger infielder Dick McAuliffe hit a deep drive into the left field seats. Dad saw the ball, leaned forward to catch the souvenir, but unfortunately, all he caught was the next few rows of seats below us. He spent the next few innings buying concession items for the people below us who had their food squashed or spilled by his sprawling body tumbling down the seats.

Dad passed down his love and passion for the game to me, just as his father did for him. Years later I found out Grandpa loved baseball, just as much as he liked to sip the barley at the stadium. The first game he ever took my father to went down to the ninth inning when his hero, Hank Greenberg, hit a two strike pitch into the center field bleachers for a Tiger win. As the custom of the times, fans threw their straw hats on the field, like Frisbees, and Gramps was no exception as he got caught up in the moment. When they got home, Grandma asked what had happened to his hat, and when she smelled the beer on his breath, she pieced it together since that wasn’t his first rodeo at Tiger Stadium. He spent the next few nights on the couch.

Dad taught me about the finer points of the game, as far as strategy and ability were concerned. He also taught me how important it is to show class when a player on the opposing team makes a great play. He was in the seats one afternoon at Ebbets Field when Cardinals Hall of Famer, Stan Musial, was given a standing ovation by the Brooklyn fans after he personally crushed their Dodgers with his hitting and fielding. Sometimes, especially later in his life, he would tear up when he would tell me stories of going to games with Grandpa, or when he talked about seeing Brooks Robinson make a great play at third base, or a masterful pitching performance by Tom Seaver. I would snap him out of his sentimental journey by mentioning his arch nemesis, Boog Powell, whom he hated. “If I was pitching, I would knock that Boog Powell on his fat keyster every time he stepped up to the plate,” he snarled, then opened another PBR.

Things are a little busy around the house these days because my wife and I are getting ready to start a team of our own. As you can imagine, I don’t have as much time to watch the Braves, but seeing the game the other night brought my Father closer to me, at least for a few hours. I wanted to pick up the phone and ask him what he thought of this year’s team and if they had a chance to go to the Series. He probably would have said, “You know, if that Ryan Langerhouse (Langerhans) has a good year, we might just make it.”

Manic Monday

By Jason Chatraw
Sunday Paper Sports Editor

The Atlanta sports world was buzzing Monday as a flurry of activity with a number of different teams has our heads spinning. Here's all you need to know:

... Mike Hampton is done for the season, the club reported Monday afternoon. Hampton, who has a career record of 138-101 with a 3.97 ERA, tore a flexor tendon in his left elbow, requiring surgery that will shut him down for the a second straight season. ... Now he has told me before of his deep love for NASCAR, but if he wants to follow racing that bad, he can retire. At his age, I don't ever see him returning with the impact that he once had. Usually pitchers recovering from injuries like he sustained don't really return to form until their second year back, which means Braves fans won't have any production to look forward to until 2009. Sadly enough, baseball may have seen the last of him.

...Joey Harrington became the latest lousy signing by the Falcons on Monday. Once a highly-regarded quarterback, the former Oregon product has watched his stock drop faster than Ernon. He bumbled his way through Miami last season and frankly isn't going to help the Falcons' chances of winning in 2007. Look for some great spin doctoring to be put on this one by the Falcons--and don't expect this to be a memorable move during the '07 offseason.

... Josh Smith was suspended by the Hawks for two games for his alleged profanity-laced tirade against head coach Mike Woodson. Hmmm. Let's see. Joe Johnson is shut down for the season, as is Josh Childress. And now Smith's two-game suspension with two to play. The Hawks are 2.5 games ahead of Milwaukee in the race for the No. 3 draft pick--a must for the Hawks or else they forfeit the pick to Phoenix in the trade for Johnson. If the Hawks get one of the top three spots, they get to keep the draft pick. So, is this a ploy to look like you're not trying to win the last five games of the season without looking like you're not trying to win the last five games of the season? Chat with me, "Let's go, Bucks! Let's go, Bucks!"

... The Braves took a well-deserved day off after cooling down the New York Mets and seizing first with the best record in the Major Leagues. And it was the bullpen that shined the most. Braves GM John Schuerholz is looking like a genius just one week into the season. But there are 156 games left to be played, so let's reserve judgment until we've played at least two months of baseball. However, at this stage, Schuerholz at least deserves to be smiling on the inside.

This week looks to be another juicy one as well for Atlanta sports fans as NHL Playoff hockey makes its first appearance in the ATL and the Braves welcome the Florida Marlins and Washington Nationals to town. The Hawks even have a crucial showdown with the Bucks ... "Let's go, Bucks! Let's go, Bucks!" ... Wouldn't it be sweet to see Greg Oden dominating the post complemented by Johnson, Smith, and Childress. Ah, we can dream, can't we?

October's Not Even This Cold: Braves/Mets

By Adam Krohn
Sunday Paper Sports Columnist/Feature Writer

I'm in the press box at Turner Field watching the Mets and Braves on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Normally, it's 75-80 degrees outside, but today, it's 45 degrees (windchill 36), and it feels more like October than April. And it's very obvious the weather is affecting the players, because both Chipper Jones and Carlos Delgado committed first-inning errors while trying to make routine plays. Worse for us in the media, the cold weather has forced the press box to close it's windows, detaching us from the game in sound-proof fashion, creating an atmosphere that one member of the New York media described as "a doctor's office." When he tried to call in to a live radio show to give a game update, nearly everyone in the room turned their heads to stare at him as if he was in a library. The tension caused him to screw up on live air. It was great.

(Photo: AtlantaBraves.com)

But I'm not complaining: the temperature in here is 70, and I get unlimited free ice cream (seriously).

Anyway, the atmosphere downstairs in the clubhouse, where I was before the game, is not that of an October feel. There is not an overwhelming number of reporters cramming the locker rooms, and the players see today's match-up for what it is - the second game of an early-season series. It is worth noting however, that the Mets were on fire heading into today's game, outscoring their opponents 31-3 in their first four games, all on the road, including the 11-1 thrashing of the Braves in last night's home opener. So, from the Braves point of view, they are simply trying to even the series at a game a piece before heading into tomorrow's rubber match. But to even think about winning, the Braves would first have to find an answer to this burning question:

How do you stop the Mets offense?

The Braves had an answer today, and his name was John Smoltz. He and his pitching dual with the Mets' Tom Glavine was as good as advertised, with the two future Hall-of-Famers going toe to toe with another, and Smoltz getting the better of this contest.

So the Mets finally lose and the Braves move in to a tie for first. But I have to remember, it just happens to be cold - it's not October yet. There is still a lot of baseball to be played. And a lot of ice cream to be eaten.