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HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
Shockleyls success could mean much for Falcons
ByAdmm Van Brimmer
Morris News Service
FLOWERY BRANCH -
The D.J. doubters will wise
up sooner or later.
D.J. Shockley, formerly of
Georgia and now with the
Atlanta Falcons, is a com
petitor. He is intelligent and
physically gifted.
And more than anything,
Shockley is a darn good
quarterback. Period.
Not a college quarterback.
Not a system quarterback.
A quarterback.
The Falcons drafted him
with their last pick in April
because they liked him --
and no doubt because they
understood his PR value.
Bring him in to please the
masses, let him compete
with Bryan Randall for the
third quarterback job and
see what happens.
And Shockley, a man
known for making the most
of opportunities, is excel
ling. Forget his numbers
in the first two preseason
games: 5 for 15 for 50 yards
is misleading. Keep in mind
the linemen he is playing
behind and the wide receiv
ers he’s throwing to.
Shockley has shown the
one intangible every NFL
coach values: Poise. He
eludes pressure without
taking his eyes off targets
downfield. When he forces
throws, he always puts the
Laßoche regrets decision to bunt
ATLANTA - A day after
Adam Laßoche’s decision
to bunt hurt the Atlanta
Braves’
chances
to sweep
Florida, his
manager’s
feelings on
the subject
had softened.
But Laßoche
was still
pretty hard
NOTEBOOK
R. Travis Haney
Morris News
Service
on himself in hindsight.
“It’s a decision I made.
I’ve made bad decisions my
whole life,” said the amica
ble Atlanta first baseman.
“That’s not the first thing
that’s gone wrong for me.”
With the potential tying
and winning runs on base
and none out in the ninth
Sunday, Laßoche bunted
into a double play. The
Braves lost by a run.
Bobby Cox was most
miffed at the time by the
fact that bunting to move
the runners to second and
third with one out would
CLEATS
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Building Hues, families, and
ball in spots where only the
best or luckiest defenders
can intercept it.
Shockley will make the
Falcons’ roster. Even if he
loses the competition with
Randall, the Falcons will
want Shockley on the prac
tice squad.
That’s because Shockley’s
presence is no longer about
this season and being a
third-string quarterback.
His promise is for the future,
and specifically what he
could mean for the Falcons
once Matt Schaub leaves in
free agency after this sea
son.
Schaub is in the last year
of his contract, and the only
way the Falcons re-sign him
is if Michael Vick suffers
a long-term injury. Schaub
wants to be a starter and
will get that chance else
where next year, or will at
least be given the opportu
nity to compete for a start
ing job.
With Schaub gone, the
Falcons are potentially right
back where they were three
years ago. Vick breaks his
leg in the preseason. Veteran
Doug Johnson takes over at
quarterback. Atlanta finish
es with a 5-11 record.
Shockley gives Atlanta
another option. He might
not be ready to play in
Vick’s place next year, but
the Falcons can do the same
thing with him as they did
have been counterpro
ductive since pinch-hit
ter Brian McCann would
have been walked to get to
another pinch-hitter, either
Ryan Langerhans or Tony
Pena Jr.
“From now on, I’m not
going to do it,” Laßoche
said. “Obviously, if he want
ed me to be bunting, he
would have given me the
bunt sign.
NEW BUY: Martin Prado
arrived from Class AAA
Richmond just in time
Monday to hit leadoff and
play second base for the
Braves.
Prado was in the lineup
in place of Marcus Giles,
whose bruised and swollen
left hand still isn’t feeling
any better.
Giles, who hasn’t played
since Thursday, got a cor
tisone shot Monday after
noon to decrease the pain
and swelling. He won’t
return until Wednesday
at the earliest, Cox said.
Prado took pitcher Lance
1 (c) 2006 Bill Hinds. Dist. by Universal Press Syndicate
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with Schaub in his second
year - sign a veteran like Ty
Detmer, just in case.
What makes Shockley so
intriguing as a quarterback
is nobody knows how good
he can be. He has started
just 12 games since high
school and his team won 10
of those. He completed 56
percent of his passes and
threw 19 more touchdowns
than interceptions.
Shockley’s limited experi
ence against top-level talent
no doubt hurt him in the
draft. He admitted as much
during the pre-draft scout
ing combine. The 31 NFL
teams other than the Falcons
saw a guy with an unortho
dox throwing motion who
wasn’t good enough to start
for his college team until he
was a senior.
Never mind that he would
have started three or even
four years most anywhere
else. The decision to pass on
Shockley could ultimately
be the right one. Yet there
are enough Tom Bradys
(sixth-round pick) and Kurt
Warners (undrafted) out
there to question teams’
abilities to evaluate quar
terbacks.
The Falcons had nothing
to lqse by drafting Shockley,
the hometown boy and
the home state hero. He is
rewarding them for their
faith. And there is no doubt
about that.
Cormier’s spot on the ros
ter since the Braves won’t
need a fifth starter until
Sept. 2 because of sched
uled off days.
In a brief stint with
Atlanta in the early part
of the season, Prado had
a hit and a walk in seven
plate appearances. The hit
was a key triple that helped
the Braves win a game in
Washington.
Prado hit .281 with three
home runs and 38 RBIs in
103 games split between
Richmond and Class AA
Mississippi, where he began
the year.
DAMES UPDATE: Starter Kyle
Davies continues to get
closer and closer to making
a return to the big-league
team after missing more
than three months with a
groin injury.
Pitching with Richmond
on Monday, the 22-year-old
Davies gave up just one
run on three hits in seven
innings to beat Louisville,
2-1.
SPORTS
SERSEY
From page ?A
parent club is the St. Louis
Cardinals.
Springfield has a beautiful
stadium, which shows what
a town can do if it really
wants to support a sports
franchise.
The Cardinals were host
ing a Colorado Rockies minor
league team, whose name
I’ve forgotten. I think they
were called the Tulsa Oilers.
Have you ever noticed how
it’s always the little kids who
get the baseballs? It’s like
grownups are supposed to
hand over any foul balls to
a little tyke who can’t even
get his or her hand around
the ball.
That’s what happened to
me.
I have front-row seats for
the game. Jim and I are sit
ting on the first base side.
You’d think the ballplayers
would give me a baseball
PREPARE
From page jA
some others who it’s their
first time out,” he said.
“And they’re showing a lot
of potential.”
The team’s first meet
is scheduled Aug. 26 at
WIN
From page 7 A
the game against Cairo seal
ing the 1-0 victory.
Northside at Up The Creek
Tournament
It wasn’t the Northside of
last year but going 1-4 at the
Up The Creek Tournament
this past weekend at Sandy
Creek wasn’t all bad, said
head coach Mitch Horton.
“We played well at times
and actually led most of the
game against Ola and Jones
County,” he said. “We just
let the games get away from
us at the end.”
“I am extremely proud
of their effort and atti
You dewve the
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a
since I had my stepson with
me.
No way. It’s not my fault
the guy’s almost 50; I can
still say I’m his step dad.
What would happen in this
era of blended families if a
man can’t get a baseball for
his wife’s child?
There’s no bonding there.
I tried several ploys to get a
baseball. At one point, I told
one of the ushers who had
just handed a baseball to a
child, that I had my stepson
with me.
I told Jim to look pathetic,
but that didn’t work either.
It’s hard to pass for cute
when you sport a beard and
grey hair.
Another cute, little blonde
eyed cherub got a baseball.
Why?
The kid didn’t buy tickets.
She didn’t cough up S2O for
two hotdogs and two beers.
What’s fair about that?
It’s because children are
cute. Even Sonny recognizes
America’s soft spot for kid-
Spalding. Down the line
they’ll be heading to places
like Valdosta, a return visit
to Jekyll Island, which is
a meet they began attend
ing for the first time last
year, and Westover - a place
they haven’t been in awhile,
Erpelding said.
tude and with the quality
of competition we played
hopefully it will prepare us
for our region games this
week.”
In the win column, the
Lady Eagles beat Fayette
County 5-4. That victory
came in part due to the hero
ics of Becky Studstill, who
Horton said hit a home run
in the last inning. She also
picked up the win on the
mound, he added.
Northside’s losses came
to: Dutchtown 7-0, Newnan
2-1, North Cobb 10-3, Ola 6-
4 and Jones County 16-6.
Cady Mcßight and Mary
Evans also hit the ball
well this weekend, Horton
added.
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dies.
I’m more realistic. Benedict
Arnold started out as a child.
Every American traitor
began his and her life as a
child, and I’ll bet some base
ball player gave them a ball
at the end of an inning.
Some adult who risked
iryury to catch a bullet off
the bat of Chipper Jones gave
that ball up to a child.
Why?
We don’t even know what
kind of person the child will
grow up to be. Why should
an unknown quantity reap
such rewards?
If I ever catch a foul ball,
you can bet the only way
some kid is going to get it
is if the whole herd of unat
tended children who wander
baseball stadiums while their
parents are guzzling brew
and ignoring their offspring,
leaps on me and takes the
sphere from my lifeless hand.
Charlton Heston isn’t the
only AARP member to take
a stand.
The teams will also host
region again and for the
first time host the Coaches
Cup, a meet with a trophy
for the winner.
Rest assured that through
it all, there’ll be plenty of
shuffles, whaps and taps,
just no squeak, squeak.
l&the latest news, up||
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