Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL Aflanbft offense clicks in turbulent season By R. Travis Haney Morris News Service ATLANTA - At this point any Atlanta Brave will open ly state the obvious, that this season has clearly not gone as planned. At 61-68 through Sunday, the Braves were five games behind Cincinnati in a wide open chase for the National League wild card that, frank ly, includes a bevy of medio cre baseball teams. But one thing’s becoming more and more apparent as Atlanta’s wayward year con tinues: You can’t blame the team’s offense. There has been no club more potent with the bats after the All-Star Break, and the Braves litter the NL team leaderboard in virtually every offensive category. Entering Monday, they were first in slugging per centage (.454); first in RBI (653); second in homers (174, 16 behind the Reds); third in runs scored (674, eight behind Philadelphia); and third in batting aver age (.272, .004 behind Los Angeles). “We’ve got some guys that can swing the bats,” said third baseman Chipper Jones, fourth in NL batting average at .324 despite a couple of DL stints. “Fm pleasantly sur prised with our offense this year. I thought we’d be very competitive offensively, but I didn’t think we’d be scoring this many runs.” The Braves scored 10 and 13 runs in back-to-back days this past weekend against a woefhl Washington pitching staff. Just after the midsea son break, they scored 10 or more runs in five consecutive games, becoming the first team to do so since the 1931 SECOND From page 6A Kent Jones Jr. tied McCants’ tally while Maurice McGriff, Seanon Dinkins and Michael Lawson followed closely. Head coach, Jarrod Johnson, said the team played well on both sides of the ball. J.J. Thomas and Warrior newcomer, Tavaris Horton, added two tackles apiece. Special recognition this week, Hamp said, goes to Michael Lawson and the rest of the defensive squad who played “a very physical game.” Greg Williams and Andre Carswell also recorded one tackle each. Also of note: After finding himself being the only per son between the Falcons and a touchdown, Warrior quar terback, Sheddrick Risper, who sat out a week due to an injury, got in a “good, hard lick” said Hamp, and stopped the Falcons from converting a fumble recov ery into points on the score board. The defense also caused three fumbles, recovered by Greg Williams, McGriff and CONTEST From page 6A “We didn’t play as well as I would have liked, but that’s part of it as long as you get the win,” said coach Jeff Sans. “We hit the ball sporadically and made a few errors that cost us some runs. We had good pitching, though.” Erica Smith got the win as the starting pitcher while Jenna Clarke finished it out. Sans wouldn’t blame the weather problems on the team’s play, but did credit Southwest as being a scrap py, athletic team that kept on coming at them. “We just came out flat,” said Sans. “It took us three and-a-half to four innings to get going.” Ashton Jones had three hits, two for doubles. Clarke also had three hits with a double and a triple. The win was Perry’s first in Region 4-AAA. It has two more region con tests scheduled for home this week. New York Yankees who had Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth in the middle of the lineup. Gehrig and Ruth, they’re not, but Chipper Jones and Andruw Jones have been themselves this season. Chipper has missed time with knee, foot and side issues, but he’s still got 21 homers to go along with the high average and on-base percentage. Andruw has slumped ter ribly since returning from a knee injury, going 2-for-28 since Aug. 18, but he hit his 30th home run of the year in his final at-bat Sunday. It was his seventh 30-homer season of his career. Jones is among the NL leaders, too, with 103 RBIs. Edgar Renteria has enjoyed a resurgent season after a mediocre 2005 in Boston. The shortstop is hit ting .300, a figure he’s hov ered around all season long. Marcus Giles started slowly, but he’s boosted his average to .272 in the leadoff spot. With 26 homers and 75 RBIs, Adam Laßoche has played better since earning the everyday role at first. Jeff Francoeur’s .257 aver age isn’t so impressive, but his 24 homers and 89 RBIs are about what the Braves expected from the 22-year CLEATS / YOO'KETME \ | GOLPKEEPER, CLEO. B [pH (STOP tME BAU! Vj p ~~ ~ 8-J9 Thomas. Thomas’ recov ery was converted into a 35-yard touchdown and got the fireworks going for the Warriors. The Falcons’ passing game was hampered by Tavaris Horton and Donte Holmes, the latter of which picked up his eighth interception of the season. In all, Risper threw for more than 145 yards, com pleting 16 of 22 in the air. When called upon, Hamp said he “boldly took charge” and ran the ball in for a three-yard touchdown. After a disappointing first half, Hamp said Prentice Risper found his “mojo” and pulled down three receptions in the fourth quarter, with one of them being a 30-yard touchdown. Perry High grad, Donovan Kendrick also beat the Falcons’ defensive line up as Hamp said he “hammered Southern Football League Standings American Division W L T Pet. Home Road PF PFAvg. PA South Georgia Stars 6 1 0 .857 2-1-0 4-0-0 152 21.71 56 Inti City Warriors 5 2 0 .714 2-1-0 3-1-0 106 15.14 66 Phenix City Falcons 4 3 0 .500 2-2-0 2-2-0 107 13.38 107 Gadsden Avengers 3 4 0 .429 2-2-0 1-2-0 105 15.00 117 W. Georgia Renegades 0 8 0 .000 0-5-0 0-3-0 49 6.13 89 The Original Solunar Tables* By Mrs. Richard Alden Knight Release week of Aug. 27-Sept. 3. 2006 AM PM Date Day Minor Major Minor Major 8/27 Su 8:40 2.25 9:00 2*5"" 8/28 M 9:20; 3:10 9:45 3:30 8/29 T 10:05 3:55 10:35 4:20 8/30 W 10:55 4:45 11:20 5:05 8/31 Th 11:45 5:35 0 6:00 9/1 F 12:15 6:15 12:25 6:55 9/2 S 1:10 7:15 1:25 7:45 9/3 Su 2:00 8:10 2:20 8:40 C 2006 by King Feature* Syndicate. Inc. SUGARLOAF A Lovely Sidewalk Community In Perry These Homes are quality built all brick homes We have 3 & 4 bedroom homes starting at 131,900 Homes have features such as custom cabinets, fireplace, sod, sprinkler system. Builder is giving a $5,000 bonus if you contract on one of our last 2 completed homes and close within 30 days. We have a new loan program available to use that is a 100% loan with no PMI Information Center open daily Mon, Thur, Fri 12-6 weekdays, Sat 11-5 Sun 1-5. Stop by and visit with Karen or give her a call at 954-HOME (4663) Located on the Perry Parkway right across from the new Court House Coming Soon Another CARTER-WILKES S/D REMINGTON CHASE CONSTRUCTION, INC. JH pairclothßealtv. Inc. m (478) 971-2115 331 Margie Drive, Warner Robins, 68.31088 Disclaimer: Bonuses based on certain completed homes only Loan program based upon credi and may not apply to al purchasers old. Speaking of youngsters, no one was looking for the .341 average Brian McCann has put up in 100 games in his first full major league sea son. McCann earned an All- Star nod for his first-half work, and it’s not out of the question that he’ll vie for the league’s batting title if he can get his plate appear ances up to qualify. “This isn’t a fluke thing that we’re up there in cer tain offensive categories,” Laßoche said. “We know we can get it done.” Want to delve into the rea son Atlanta hasn’t sniffed .500 since June? Jones has a theory. “You look right across the page at the pitching stats, and that’ll tell you the story,” Jones said. “It’s great to come to the ballpark and watch a great offensive ballclub, but if you don’t pitch, you’re not going to win ballgames. “Colorado Rockies teams of the past and Cleveland Indians teams of the past, you know, they just scored 10 runs a night and only won half of them.” Accusatory, perhaps, but Jones has a point. Entering Monday, Atlanta (c) 2006 Bill Hmds. PisT by Universal Press Syndicate them into submission.” Kendrick racked up 68 rushing yards and “skillful ly” penetrated the defense for a 2-point conversion in the first half. Warrior veteran, Tamarco Head, Hamp said, was the “chisel that dug deep’ into the Falcon defensive line. He trudged his was to 47 rushing yards for the eve ning. The score at the half was 14-0. Fearing a replay of the team’s last meeting with the Falcons, Johnson regrouped and kept the Warriors focused. He said the key to success was ensuring the offense converted the turnovers caused by the defense. He also said he refused to accept the lack of con versions that plagued the Warriors during their game against the Gadsden (AL) Avengers. “Where We Take Cleaning To The Highest Level” No Job Too Small! We Schedule On Short Notice /V FREE ESTIMATES! Residential/Commercial 109 Springfield Court • Perry, GA 31069 478-218-4676 SPORTS was 10th in NL ERA (4.64), 12th in strikeouts, and 14th of 16th in walks-and-hits-per innings-pitched (1.46). Only the league’s worst teams, Pittsburgh and Washington, were below the Braves in WHIP Injuries to several start ers and relievers, as well as sporadic inconsistency from guys such as Tim Hudson, have led to the team’s main detractor. The Braves’ bull pen blew 20 of the team’s first 40 games, as well. All that puts more pressure on Atlanta’s offense, particu larly when sub starters such as Oscar Villarreal or Lance Cormier are on the mound. The Braves are expected to get a boost later this week, though, when Kyle Davies returns to the rotation for the first time since May. With Class AAA Richmond, Davies and his surgical ly repaired groin cruised through eight shutout innings Sunday against the Mets’ Class AAA affiliate. The offense’s job? Just keeping hitting. “We’ll just try to keep it rolling as best we can and hope we can get good start ing pitching in the next five weeks,” Jones said. “If that’s the case, we’ll make a pretty good run at iti” The IC Warriors’ record is now 5-2 with the playoffs in sight. They hit the road again this week to take on the 2005 SFL Champions, the South Georgia Stars Saturday in Americus. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. The last game between the Warriors and the Stars was called due to inclem ent weather, but SFL Commissioner, Michael Frazier awarded the game to the Warriors due to the fact that the Warriors were leading 7-0 and had posses sion of the ball at the time of the postponement. The Warriors are aiming to take over the Stars’ No. 1 seat in the SFL’s American Division West. This week’s game closes out the Warriors’ regular season schedule and, added Hamp, “promises to be hard hitting, explosive and packed with adrenaline.” DONATE TO GOODWILL. ♦ 2209 Moody Road ♦ 115 Margie Drive j ♦ 1355 Sam Nunn Blvd i ♦ Galleria Mall - 2922 Watson Blvd J www.goodwillworks.org m 00036365 Building lives, families, and communities Braves ripe for an offseason overhaul By Adam Van Brimmer Morris News Service ATLANTA - Propped against a dry-erase board in the Braves’ clubhouse is a horseshoe. It’s old and rusty and obviously has lost its pow ers. Atlanta is done, out of the playoff race for the first time in a decade-and a-half. And the question echo ing throughout Turner Field isn’t so much Why? as What’s next? We know the answers to the why question: an inju ry-plagued pitching staff, a brutal bullpen, inconsis tency at the top of the bat ting order, etc. But what’s next? No one in the Braves’ organization is sure. Many teams for get how to win, but can one forget how to lose? The Braves have made the play offs and finished with a winning record every year since 1991. Those failures alone will cause angst. And once the offseason begins, the Braves won’t have to wait long for the other horse shoe to drop. Among the issues facing the franchise this winter are: * The franchise is in the process of being sold to a buyer that has prom ised nothing more than to maintain the status quo in terms of management and payroll. * The team’s best play er, centerfielder Andruw Jones, will likely be wear ing a different uniform by 2008 at the latest. * The best pitcher, John Smoltz, is 39 years old and is not under contract for next season, although the Braves would be foolish not to pick up his $8 million option for 2007. * The contact of former All-Star second baseman, Marcus Giles, expires after this season, and at approximately $5 million a year year, he is unlikely to remain in Atlanta. * The architects of the Braves’ dynasty, general manager John Schuerholz and manager Bobby Cox, are past retirement age. All those factors, plus this season’s on-field short comings, point to a pos- He said it ... “We’ve learned a lot about racing at California in the last several years and what the track does when during this particular event with the way we start racing during the day and end at dark. Like everything else, handling is important at California. The engine and aero is as important as ever but if you car doesn’t handle through the turns, all the horse power in the world won’t help you because it’s harder to take advantage of because you can’t get back in the gas like you need.” - Dale Jarrett ASE MASTER MECHANIC •Air Conditioning Repair •Engine Repair •Tune Ups, Belts & Hoses BILL BREWER, JR. SO# tattfi Defer* <47«>W8~8656 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2006 ♦ sible overhaul. The Braves’ payroll is around SBO mil lion this season, not includ ing the sl3 million or so insurance is paying injured pitcher Mike Hampton. And with what Chipper Jones calls “a young core of position players” - Brian McCann (22), Jeff Francoeur (22) and Adam Laßoche (26) plus promis ing prospects Kelly Johnson (24), Scott Thorman (24) and Tony Pena (25) - the time might be right for a new approach. “We’ll show up at spring training next February and play with the cards we’re dealt,” Jones said. “I don’t know what ownership is going to do. I don’t know what the payroll is going to be. I can’t imagine it being much more than it is now. We’ll just have to wait and see. New ownership could come in and give us S2OO million payroll. Wow! Then everybody will be hunky dory and people will be talk ing about us contending for a World Series again. We’ll see. I can’t worry about that.” Jones needn’t concern himself with Schuerholz and Cox’s retirement plans either. Schuerholz has worked too hard - and has much too large an ego - to go out with his team a loser. As for Cox, he is slow ing down. He rarely snags throws at first base during batting practice anymore, as was his daily wont as recently as two years ago. But he said he plans to stay as long as ownership will have him. “Honestly, I haven’t given ownership one minute of thought. It’s none of my business,” said Cox, who hopes to stay involved as an instructor or a scout even after he retires from man aging. “I’ll be employed by whoever. It’s fine. As long as I can keep going on the field.” In the meantime, he might want to get a new horseshoe for the club house. Adam Van Brimmer is an Atlanta-based writer for Morris News Service. E-mail him at adam. vanbrimmer@morris.com or telephone him at 404- 589-8424. jrnmaiattmelk 7A 00036421