trublue

Found this a few days ago....when looking up Stubby Currence...(not the one on this site, sorry). Thought these photos were very interesting....some of the youngest "whipper snappers" will not know any of the names but some of you might know some. http://books.google.com/books?id=--EaiAD...&hl=en#PPP1,M1

[ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] We are doing the All you can eat/drink seats on Wednesday night vs. the Padres. The seats arent on the field, where I normally like to sit, but I think the food and beverage will make up for it. [/ QUOTE ] Yeh, they'd lose money with me on that deal...I'd just go for the food, to heck with the baseball game, I'd catch the highlights on SportsCenter... [/ QUOTE ] I definitely plan to get my money’s worth. The tickets were $70, but a couple BBQ sandwiches, 2 or 3 hotdogs, some nachos, and a "few" "beverages of choice" should even things out pretty well. [/ QUOTE ] A bottle of water is 4.75, hot dogs were almost 7.00, your beverage of choice was 7.00ish. So, you are getting a deal in the food dept. Since that's a night game during the week there will not be as many ppl.....and for the day game....you may be able to get closer to the field if you talk nicely to the attendants ha-ha. What am I saying....of course, you'll talk nicely you're from Richlands Drive safely....crazy drivers in GA....(excluding me, of course.)

[ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] That is a wonderful article on Chipper. The Braves better lock him up for a few more years. Let the man that has given your team so much retire with the team he dreamed of being a part of as a kid. [/ QUOTE ] No worries. He'll be a brave as long as he wants to be. [/ QUOTE ] I think the ATL Braves fans would riot if they didn't let Chipper retire/quit/hang it up in a Braves uniform. I think they (management) will show the same respect for Chipper in allowing him to finish as a Brave as they are allowing Smoltzie to do.

It will be something to build-on for next year. I confess, I'm not really a NBA fan but do watch the playoffs, sometimes.

The offense has come alive....thank goodness. Hokie 7....no sliding into first base.....hope you got that out of your system when you got to high school...ha-ha.

D E S T R O Y E D......Hawks are finished.

[ QUOTE ] Give Chipper a 3 run shot in the bottom of the 2nd vs. the Reds today! It's 7-0 Braves and Arroyo is done after 47 pitches and 1 1/3 innings. [/ QUOTE ] Whew.....Glavine finally gets some run support and couldn't make it through the 5th. to get his first win of the year after giving up 6. Prado just slid into 1st. base and checking his thumb....hope nothing serious. Why would you slide into first.....I don't even think little leaguers do that.

[ QUOTE ] Chipper went off these past 2 games. 2 HR in each of the last two games. That brings him to 6 HR's and 16 RBI's [/ QUOTE ] I went to the game last night....vs. Reds....Chipper was 2 for 4. What a year he's having. Great article in AJC about Chipper today. BTW, they, also, honored Smoltzie between innings for his 3,000th. strike out. Bobby Cox presented him w/a framed jersey with the number 3,000 on it. Very touching. ---------------------------------------------------------- ajc.com > Sports > Braves Jones ranks among Braves' greatest By THOMAS STINSON The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 05/04/08 Just turned 36, Chipper Jones is passing a rare threshold in contemporary baseball. He has been a Brave for half his life, 18 years in one organization. Some nations don't last so long. Jones does not mark time that way. He dates himself to a Saturday afternoon in June 1987, when the Braves played Cincinnati at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Seven home runs, 20 hits, a couple of ejections. Braves Dale Murphy and Ken Griffey homered back-to-back in the third, after which the Reds' Bill Gullickson plunked the Braves' Andres Thomas, starting a brawl. Braves won, 8-6. A 15-year-old farm kid, up from Central Florida with his family, drank in every drop from the upper deck, his first major league game. It was the day Chipper Jones and the Braves met. "And I was hooked," Jones recalled recently. "I can remember walking on the concourse and stepping out and seeing that beautiful green baseball field and all the people, and just saying, 'I want to play here one day.' Little did I know it was going to be my home. "But I knew I wanted to be there and I knew when I got there that I wanted to make a splash." Jones closed out April leading the majors with an eye-rubbing .410 batting average, but that was not a feat unto its own. Dating back to last year's All-Star break, his average is .362. Since 2006, he has hit .339, unmatched by anyone in either league (1,000 at-bat minimum). But Jones' real splash washes across Page 401 of the Braves' media guide, where the franchise tracks its most proficient hitters dating to 1900. Quiet but steadfast, Jones has climbed all over the lists: best on-base percentage, second-most doubles, third-most home runs, RBI and total bases. Some of the marks set by the incomparable Hank Aaron Jones will never match. But when his Braves days are done he could well rank first or second in a dozen offensive categories. And two weeks past his 36th birthday, this spring has provided a snapshot of a hitter still in his prime, still hooked a half-lifetime later. "Once you get that mentality and that confidence that every time you walk to the plate you can do something ... there's not a better feeling in the world that swinging a bat and bringing 50,000 people out of their seats," he said. "All of those things really drive me to continue doing what I've done." New teammate wowed At Georgia Tech and then as a cross-league slugger, Mark Teixeira never had a full appreciation for Jones until he began hitting behind him last summer. "His natural ability is probably second to none in baseball," said Teixeira, who moved into the locker next to Jones. "He doesn't have to work like most guys, he doesn't have to think like most guys. "Now, you put his work ethic on top of that? That's what makes him so great." Because Jones has been out there for so long — he can pass the 2,000-game mark this season — fresh perspective like Teixeira's is rare. To close followers of the Braves, Jones is the comfortable old sofa in the family room, more appreciated than prized. What would he be, had his career been played out in New York, Los Angeles or Boston? Among switch hitters, only Mickey Mantle (536) and Eddie Murray (504) have hit more home runs than Jones (394). This is an historic career. "He's gotten cheated as far as his exposure," said Pat Corrales, a longtime Braves coach who's now a bench coach in Washington. "He hasn't gotten the coverage [New York Mets third baseman] David Wright has gotten in three years. "He [Jones] has been doing it for 15 years, and that's a shame." In those 15 years, Jones has learned what is worth worrying about. Some fans will always ride him for a perceived lack of passion; some will never forget his highly publicized admission of marital infidelity in 1998. Jones has come to realize there is always another game tomorrow. Tom Glavine returned from five years in New York this spring to find the third baseman had changed. "My personal opinion is, I think he's grown up a lot," Glavine said. "He seems to be more comfortable with who he is. That's all part of growing up. "It's hard enough that we worry about what we're doing numbers-wise. But when you also worry about what other people think about you and what your reputation is, that's a lot of stuff to take on. I think sooner or later, it's the old cliché; you can't please everybody." So Jones applies his craft by the at-bat, by the inning, night by night, leaving the introspection for someone else. "I think early in my career, I put so much pressure on myself to produce, and it was that pressure that allowed me to be successful," Jones said. "Now, it's more the opposite. I don't live, breathe, drink, eat, sleep baseball anymore. When I leave the park, I'm as much a family man as I can be and try to forget about the game as much as possible." Quiet leadership Whenever the Braves fly somewhere, Brian McCann takes the seat behind Jeff Francoeur, who takes the seat behind Jones. More trips than not, the dominant topic is hitting. "Those are some of the best times for me," Francoeur said, "because you pick up things I never would have dreamed of in my life." Jones' leadership skills have always tended toward the unspoken. Occasions when has tried to impose himself through public remarks have not always gone well. Twice, during the 1996 World Series and the 1998 NLCS, he was called out by teammates behind clubhouse doors for saying too much. Now the senior citizen among the position players, Jones' silence can puzzle the younger set. Bullpen coach Eddie Perez said that when younger players come to ask him what is bugging the third baseman, Perez smiles knowingly and answers, "Nothing." "Chipper's not good to get up in front of everybody here and tell them what he thinks," Francoeur said. "But I don't know anyone better to get on a plane and talk one-on-one for two hours and explain exactly what he thinks and what we need to do. And that's good. "Every once in a while, you need a guy like him to tell you, 'You know what? You're better than what you're getting out of yourself.' " It is a cruelty of baseball that once a player truly grasps how to play the game, he is too often too old to do it anymore. Jones has missed nearly a quarter of all games since 2004 due to injury, but he still gets more out of his game than he often did during his 20s. He is also, by baseball standards, a bargain. After volunteering to restructure his contract in 2005 so the club could sign pitcher Tim Hudson, Jones' salary of $12.33 million isn't among the top 50 in the game. He isn't even among the five best-paid third basemen. He has one option year remaining on his contract, which he can trigger by making 450 plate appearances this season. What happens after that, he says, is up to the Braves. He believes he has five more years in him, although changing teams this late in his career "just to accrue numbers" is not appealing. Until then, his assault on Page 401 continues, a remarkable talent swinging his way through the final quarter of an uncommon career, chasing after the Braves who went before him. "That drives me. It really does," Jones said. "I mean, you walk into the stadium and you see how historic this franchise has been over the years and you see [on the outfield wall] the names and the numbers. And you think, well, not only are all those guys Braves Hall of Famers. But they're Hall of Famers and first-ballot Hall of Famers at that. "I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a goal to be mentioned in the same breath with the Eddie Mathews and the Hank Aarons and the Murphys." No lie. He already is.

ajc.com > Sports > Hawks Celtics fans can't help tipping caps to Hawks By MATT WINKELJOHN The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 05/03/08 The Celtics no more wanted to see famed — if fictional — boxing trainer Mickey Goldmill's rutted face or hear his gravelly voice than they wanted to go back to Boston for any reason other than to play the Wizards. But you don't always get what you want, and the Celtics got a double shot to the gut Friday night that they certainly didn't ask for when the Hawks beat them to force game seven Sunday. Goldmill, the old coot portrayed by late actor Burgess Meredith in the "Rocky" movie, was there for everyone in Philips Arena to see on the big screens with 6:49 left in the game, Atlanta leading 93-89. As a timeout ended, Goldmill, grunted, "What are we waiting for?" And the place went nuts. Then, the Celtics were out-toughed down the stretch. Nevermind that Boston crushed the Hawks in the first three games in TD Banknorth Garden. This is not what the Celtics wanted. "We feel good at home all the time, and that's why we fought all year to have it," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "But like I said after Game 5, we can't hang our hat on just being at home." Boston reserve forward James Posey said, "For one of the teams, it's going to be the last game. Just expect any and everything. That's the bottom line." No, here's the real line: the Celtics didn't make enough plays, and paid dearly for having All-Star Paul Pierce rendered a towel head. He scored 11 points in the first quarter, as Boston took a 32-20 lead, but he fouled out with 17 points with 4:44 to go. Pierce, who spent the rest of the game with a towel draped over his head, was not happy after picking up a technical foul upon his exit. Joe Johnson's free throw pushed Atlanta's lead to 96-89. Pierce was not available for comment after the game. "We should never get a fourth-quarter technical," Rivers said. "Paul threw his headband, and [referee] Bob [Delaney] explained to me that it's an NBA rule." The tenor of the game changed after the first quarter. Boston outrebounded the Hawks 11-3 in the period, but Atlanta carried the second quarter 13-5 on the boards, and were even in the third and fourth quarters. Boston missed four straight shots on a sequence late in the game, center Kendrick Perkins drawing a foul on the fourth. He made two free throws to pull the Celtics within 97-95 with 1:32 left in the game, but that was about it down the stretch for Boston when it came time to muscle up. When the Hawks came back down, Joe Johnson dribbled hard right, stopped, and Posey went into the air and kept flying — to the right. Then, Johnson leaned back left, went up and made a three-pointer with 1:07 left for a 100-95 lead before Kevin Garnett could close out. "It was one of those things," Posey said of going for the fake. "Shot clock, and he did pick his dribble up and he just stopped, shot-faked and just moved over a little bit and knocked down the shot." Posey's three-pointer drew Boston within 100-98 with 48 seconds left. With 12 seconds left, Ray Allen put up — and missed — a quick three-pointer when Boston trailed 100-98. Johnson rebounded and was fouled, making two free throws for a 102-98 lead with 10.6 to go. "Ray Allen is probably the best shooter in the NBA. But we didn't need the three, and that's what we said coming out of the timeout," Rivers said. "The call was for Ray to come off the pick, no shot, dump it down to Kevin. He was open; the problem was he was one for eight from the three-line." Garnett scored off an inbounds pass with 8.7 seconds left, but Mike Bibby made a free throw with 7.4 seconds left, and the game ended with Boston's Rajon Rondo missing a three-pointer as time expired. The play was supposed to go to Allen or Posey for a three. Rivers was irked that Atlanta went to the line so much, making 36 of 47 free throws to 20 of 25 for Boston. Hey, it happens. When Boston beat the Hawks 118-116 in Game 7 of their 1988 playoff series, the Celtics made 25 free throws to the Hawks' 11 — in Boston. "Give them credit. They didn't act like a young team there at the end," Rivers said. "At the end of the day, guys, 47 free throws to 25 free throws. It's amazing ... that's a tough game to win when you give up that many."

A question, does the TCSB have to use their own funds(taxpayers) to defend this or do they have insurance for any/all lawsuits? Of course, I realize, if it is insurance, the premiums probably take a hit each time there is a defense mounted. Does anyone know how it all works?

This young man is so well grounded.....no doubt the entire area will be "rooting" for him. Good luck Ansel at Hargrave and thereafter.

Smoltz turns to splitter for Special K Braves' ace records 3,000th strikeout, but takes loss By CARROLL ROGERS The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 04/23/08 For all the pitches in his repertoire and all the strikeouts, when it came down to the one that got him 3,000, John Smoltz decided on the split-finger. He got Felipe Lopez swinging at the nasty pitch he first pulled out in the 1992 playoffs against the Pirates, rode to his only Cy Young award in 1996 and on Tuesday used to join an elite group in the history of baseball, one with only 15 other members. With the fourth of his 10 strikeouts, Smoltz claimed a number that should all but confirm he's a Hall of Famer. He did it in a 6-0 loss to the Nationals after staying within 1-0 through seven dominant innings before the Braves bullpen blew it open with a five-run ninth. But Smoltz came away happy that he did it at Turner Field, in front of a crowd of 23,482 that hung on his every two-strike pitch. "This was a pretty incredible moment," said Smoltz, who called it bigger than his 200th win at Turner Field last year. "There were so many people pulling for me to get this done. I wanted it to be at home. I think the fans deserved to see it here and be a part of something." Only five pitchers got to 3,000 strikeouts faster than Smoltz  Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Nolan Ryan, Curt Schilling and Roger Clemens  though it probably hasn't felt that way to Smoltz. He got there after four elbow surgeries and a move from the rotation to the bullpen and back. "Guys above me did it in a much grander fashion; the top guy [Nolan Ryan with 5,714] is ridiculous," Smoltz said. "But I think the course of my career had made this really special for me because there could have been a lot of roadblocks." The video tribute the Braves presented on the BravesVision board in the middle of the third inning might have best put the feat in perspective. It showed clips of Smoltz clean-shaven, with a head full of hair, back in the triple-digit days of this strikeout climb. Smoltz, 40 and with a little less on top, showed a little mileage when he took off his cap to acknowledge the fans during a prolonged ovation. That and perhaps when he dropped his head in relief as catcher Brian McCann ran out to hand him the ball from strikeout No. 3,000. "When it was done, [i was] certainly relieved, happy for the fans and everybody who's been here, for the trainers, the doctors, everyone who's seen me go through a lot," Smoltz said. "I didn't know how to react because there's still a game to pitch. It's not like I could get my four strikeouts and walk off the mound, but very proud." And he could laugh, of course, when he got a postgame text message from Greg Maddux, a fellow member of the 3,000-strikeout club who pitched alongside him for 11 years. "[it said] I've lost one hair for every strikeout that I've made," Smoltz said. "Probably right. "It is incredible to think that aside from making numbers look the way you want them to look, this is a statistic that is what it is. It's nothing that you have to say with [a disclaimer]." Smoltz has allowed only two runs in 23 innings this year, and both were driven in by former teammate Willie Harris, who doubled in the second inning. It was Smoltz's only blemish, and it was sandwiched between his record-setting four strikeouts. Smoltz struck out Nick Johnson and Austin Kearns in the second and pitcher John Lannan to lead off the third. Then Lopez swung through the 2-2 split-finger pitch to bring on a fist pump from Smoltz and a celebration he'll always remember. "I had all kinds of thoughts on what pitch I wanted it to be on," Smoltz said. "That's dangerous as a pitcher because you've just got to throw the pitch you think will get it out. I did it on a split, that's about the only thing I remember from that at-bat."

Smoltzie goes for 3,000th. strike out tonight. ================================================= ajc.com > Sports > Braves Bruce Benedict excited for Smoltz's milestone Former Braves catcher was behind plate for pitcher's first strikeout By CARROLL ROGERS The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 04/21/08 When John Smoltz takes the mound Tuesday against the Nationals needing four strikeouts to reach 3,000, one scout in the Turner Field stands will become a fan. Former Braves catcher Bruce Benedict, who's in town scouting for the St. Louis Cardinals, was behind the plate when Smoltz collected his first strikeout vs. the Mets on July 23, 1988. He'd like to be a couple feet behind the plate in the stands when Smoltz gets No. 3,000. "I remember after the game, John wanted everything that I had used in the game — my glove, my shoes — to commemorate his first major league win," Benedict said. "I remember him like he is now, full of energy, full of life, could have pitched a couple games that day I think." It's easy for Benedict to recognize Smoltz's talent now now, but he said he said the same thing after Smoltz's debut that Sunday in Shea Stadium. "I think I came into the training room, Bobby Cox [then the general manager] was in there and said 'What did you think?'" Benedict said. "I said, 'Wow. I think you've got a really good one here.' There's no doubt about the fact that he's a special pitcher and a special player. ... He's obviously had to make some adjustments because of arm problems, but the stuff is still there. He's still throws very, very hard." Twenty years after that first strikeout of Darryl Strawberry and his first major league win, Smoltz said he'd like the ball from strikeout No. 3,000. But otherwise, he's trying not to make a big deal out of this milestone. "I haven't asked my kids if they want to go," Smoltz said Monday. "I don't even know if they know it's a big deal. That's the way I've approached it. If I was totally healthy and just know I was going seven, eight, nine innings, it may be more in the front of my mind, but — not to be melodramatic — I don't know what I'm going to have each start. I'm more concerned with how to get guys out than I am a number of strikeouts." The start of Smoltz's season was delayed by soreness in his trapezius (shoulder) muscle and he's pitched only five innings in each of his three starts since. But they've been dominating, including 10 strikeouts in his last start against Florida. Smoltz, even at 40, still has the propensity to rise to big moments. "[Three thousand strikeouts] is pretty unique," said Smoltz, who's in line to become the 16th pitcher to do it.

Here's a commentary in the AJC today about UT.....also, few other schools. ============================================================ UT has a QB; South Carolina has a question mark By Tony Barnhart | Monday, April 21, 2008, 08:02 AM The Atlanta Journal-Constitution We had a bunch of spring games over the weekend. What did we learn? Mostly it was about quarterbacks. 1. Jonathan Crompton is going to be just fine: I was in Knoxville on Saturday and saw the new Tennessee quarterback have a pretty good day (13 for 20, 266 yards, 3 TD). Yes, some of those yards came against the No. 2 defense. What was important, though, is that Crompton looked comfortable running Dave Clawson’s new offense and played with a nice rhythm. He made one bad throw at the end of the day. “It’s different when you’re the backup quarterback and get in eight or 10 plays a game,†Clawson said of Crompton. “It’s easier to be comfortable. Now he has to translate that into 65 or 70 plays a game. That is the challenge.†Based on what I saw, Tennessee’s offense will be fine. RB Arian Foster got one carry in the game because there was no need to risk injury. But the word I got Saturday is that the big concern at Tennessee this fall will be depth at defensive tackle. The Vols can’t afford injuries at that position. 2. Stephen Garcia needs to get back in school: After South Carolina’s two quarterbacks combined for eight interceptions in Saturday’s spring game, it’s pretty clear that Garcia needs to get his act together and get back into school. The redshirt freshman is on suspension until Aug. 15 after he was arrested for underage drinking. It was Garcia’s third run-in with the law since he got to campus 16 months ago. He is scheduled to apply for readmission after he undergoes alcohol counseling. Even if Garcia gets back into school that is no guarantee that he’ll get on the field for coach Steve Spurrier anytime soon. But Spurrier doesn’t sound like a guy who is in love with either of the other two quarterbacks-Chris Smelley or Tommy Beecher. “At some point, one of the quarterbacks has to really show a strong commitment level to really want to be good,†Spurrier told reporters on Saturday. “I don’t think that any quarterback we have here knows what really playing well is all about.†Ouch. Methinks the Head Ball Coach is getting a little frustrated. 3. Virginia Tech will use two quarterbacks: It looks like Sean Glennon will still be the starting quarterback at Virginia Tech in 2008. But the Hokies are going to need sophomore Tyrod Taylor as well. That’s because Virginia Tech is hurting at running back. Branden Ore, who probably would have been a 1,000-yard rusher this season, has been kicked out of school. Kenny Lewis, who was the likely starter in Ore’s place, will be sidelined for at least four months because of shoulder surgery. Glennon had a better day than Taylor in the spring game and, barring injury, will take the first snap in the opener with East Carolina on Aug. 30 in Charlotte. But Taylor is too good of an athlete not to get on the field. 4. QB will be OK at UK. What the ‘Cats need are some WRs: Kentucky can’t replace quarterback Andre Woodson but it appears the drop-off in production this season won’t be dramatic. Both Curtis Pulley and Mike Hartline played well in Saturday’s spring game. Coach Rich Brooks told reporters on a conference call last week that both quarterbacks “are capable of winning in this league.†His biggest concern on offense is at wide receiver. The Wildcats are going to really miss receivers Keenan Burton and Steve Johnson, plus TE Jacob Tamme, who combined for 182 catches last season. “Right now that’s our biggest question mark going into next year,†Brooks said. 5. Mustain will start season at No. 2: Looks like Arkansas transfer Mitch Mustain may have to wait a while to get on the field at Southern Cal. Coach Pete Carroll named Mark Sanchez the starter early last week and the redshirt junior backed up his coach by having a very solid spring game (16 of 24, 203 yards, three touchdowns). Some Arkansas friends were telling me that the job would be Mustain’s as soon as he walked on to the USC campus. But Sanchez, you should remember, was the Parade All-America player of the year in 2004. This guy was a big-time recruit, just like Mr. Mustain. “I didn’t come here to be a backup,†Mustain told the Los Angeles Times on Saturday. Well, a lot of guys go to Southern Cal not planning to be backups. Stay tuned.

The VT Spring game today was won by the White team lead by Sean Glennon. Rob Stanton, TE for VT, (former WR for Richlands) caught a pass in the corner of the end zone from Tyrod Taylor leading the Maroon team.....however, it was called back due to holding. Way to go Rob.....keep up the hard work.

[ QUOTE ] I love my braves, but they need some pitching! [/ QUOTE ] I will say this, Bennett surprised me and probably many last night....he did what he was supposed to do...to bad he didn't get the win. Glavine going on the DL for the first time in his career....ouch, that hurt. Chucky will be pitching today....that should be an adventure. Also, the news is Moylan elbow is feeling better. Whew, can Braves fans endure this all year?????

They're on a roll....two wins in a row. As this area of the board has kinda slowed down...thought this won be a good read. ajc.com > Sports > Braves Red-hot Chipper leads Braves past Dodgers Bennett puts together impressive outing By DAVID O'BRIEN The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 04/18/08 He walked toward his locker slowly late Friday night, his ankles still taped from the game, attired in the T-shirt and four pairs of sliding shorts he wears under his uniform. Chipper Jones didn't look like he wanted to spend much time being interviewed. Then he was asked about his second consecutive two-homer game, and the 35-year-old third baseman smiled like a kid and started talking. "I wish I could express, or begin to illustrate to people, how awesome the last couple of nights have been," said Jones, whose two homers and four RBIs fueled a 6-1 series-opening victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Turner Field. The home crowd of 38,250 was treated to a near-repeat performance by Jones from the night before in Florida, when he went 4-for-4 with two homers and a double to help John Smoltz and the Braves beat the Marlins 8-0. He had three hits and four RBIs on Friday, including a three-run homer off Derek Lowe in the fifth inning to break open what had been a close game That's six homers this season for Jones, who leads the major leagues with a .455 batting average and leads the National League with 18 RBIs. He has 392 career homers, but this was only the second time he ever hit multiple homers in back-to-back games. He also did it in 2003. "Just one of those crazy streaks you get on every two or three years," said Jones, who has hit .475 with five homers and 12 RBIs in a 10-game hitting streak. "Not only getting pitches to hit and not missing them, but doing ultimate damage." In the past two nights, the previously listless Braves have outscored opponents 14-1 and outhit them 26-8. Jones had seven hits, four homers, 20 total bases, seven RBI, and five runs in those two games, helping the weary and injury-riddled Braves to a pair of wins after dropping six of their first eight games on the just-completed road trip. "He's going amazing right now," said Dodgers center fielder Andruw Jones of his longtime Braves teammate. "Everything he hits is right on the money." Dodgers manager Joe Torre said, "We were certainly alerted that he was hot. But it was a situation where we couldn't do a whole lot about it." Braves manager Bobby Cox was ask if he'd ever seen Jones, the 1999 National League MVP, quite this hot. "I saw it in New York, like this," he said. "At Shea [stadium], when he was a Met-killer up there. "His stroke is so pretty. Always has been." The Braves have also had strong pitching for two nights. After John Smoltz and four relievers combined on a three-hit shutout Thursday, Jeff Bennett pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings of two-hit ball in a spot-start Friday. A few minutes after the Braves announced in the fifth inning Friday that starter Tom Glavine was going on the DL, Jones figuratively announced -- with his bat -- that he is a hitting machine. Just in case anyone wasn't aware. Jones' three-run homer on a first-pitch sinker from Dodgers starter Derek Lowe opened a 5-0 lead. "My preparation is paying off," Jones had said before the game, when asked about his season-opening surge, after a .337, 29-homer season in 2007. "Pretty much whatever I'm trying to do out there, against whatever pitcher, it's working -- a lot. "Knowing the repertoire of pitchers, knowing what pitches I want to hit, goes a long way. The difference between an experienced hitter and a young hitter is being able to wait an entire at-bat to get the pitch you want to hit. And then having the confidence to know you're not going to miss it." The Braves are 4-2 at home with a batting average over .310 and scoring average over seven runs per game. On the road they are 3-7 with a .252 average and barely four runs per game. Bennett took a one-hit shutout to the fifth inning, when he gave up a two-out double by former Brave Rafael Furcal and a walk to Matt Kemp. Left-hander Will Ohman entered to face lefty hitter Andre Ethier and struck him out to preserve the five-run lead.

According to the announcers.....I didn't listen to the first of the game.....just heard the end of it.

Grayson HS beats Princeton HS at Bowen Field via mercy rule 23-06 Grayson scored 11 runs in first inning

I say send it to a nice "glass" repair shop in GA.....they'll "repair it up" nicely. Those Dawgs are known for eating glass just to sharpen their fangs and will especially enjoy the task, since it has that "gator smell" on it. (I'm not a "gator-hator"....I do have gator alum friends but I love the pickin........)

I will be flying my VT house flag here in GA tomorrow.

[ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] There is one rule that I found that will shut most of you up about this matter. 8th graders can not play against anyone above 10th grade. So if the other team has 8th graders then no the 11th and 12th grades should not play. THis is a VHSL rule. [/ QUOTE ] And since the VHSL allows 8th graders to participate in JV sports, this would eliminate 11th and 12th graders from competing at the JV level... [/ QUOTE ] Blues.... did you read the above????? Your continuing to post is not helping your team or you.

I am glad to see the "core" of the SWD stay intact for the present.

[ QUOTE ] Having worked at those WWGA tournaments the last time they were in town, I have to say it is a combination of good golf and attractive girls. These ladies can play, and they do it with style. [/ QUOTE ] No doubt about it. The "ole grey mare" (LPGA) ain't what she used to be.....and you're right, they're doing it with style and pulling in a larger viewing audience.

That's the coolest dragon I've ever seen.....what big teeth he has....no wait, that's another story....lol. Those "daggum" gators are hated/despised/stinking varmints here in GA. Who ya REALLY thinking is gonna be playing in the Dome for the SEC crown this year????