Newspaper Page Text
2B
♦ FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1,2006
"*•" •? ■■ ■ ■- .'?'. ~r . r :T..::^..y -,y jjanpl
Shown are the Westfield Hornets for 2006.
Andruw ribbed, but breaks slump
ATLANTA - It might not
have been the most graceful
home run of Andruw Jones’
career.
Okay, strike that. It wasn’t
the most
graceful home
run of Andruw
Jones’ career.
The Atlanta
center fielder
has just hit
his second
homer of the
night Tuesday
and was on his
NOTEBOOK
BRANDON
LARRABEE
Morris News
Service
way to first base when he
stutter-stepped, tripped and
had to catch himself with
his hands before finishing his
run around the bases.
Not surprisingly, Jones
endured some ribbing after
the stumble, and seemed a
bit tired of talking about it
Wednesday.
“It really doesn’t matter,”
said Jones, pointing out that
the important thing was he
hit a home run. “(If) you fall
SERSEY
From page iB
Titans have? The week
before they lost to Denver
35-10.
Michael Vick didn’t have
to pass even though Titan
comerback Adam “Pacman”
Jones didn’t play. Jones was
sitting out a suspension as
punishment for a public
intoxication and disorderly
conduct arrest.
Evidently, he packed too
much brew into his frame.
Sitting out an exhibi
tion game and avoiding an
unnecessary injury must
have been a disappointment
to the defender.
Far be it for a coach to
suspend a player for a game
that counted. I’m sure Jones
learned his lesson. Don’t
drink and stagger.
Based on the injury reports,
all preseason games accom
plish are adding star players
to the injured reserve list.
Oh, they also pad the cof
fers of greedy owners who
would rather sacrifice first
team players to the God of
Gold rather than provide
their fans with much needed
regular season victories.
Oh, I forgot. That’s why
teams have reserves.
I accidentally watched one
play of a preseason game.
Falcons backup quarterback
Matt Schaub ran for his life
HAMRICK
From page iB
who is the best,” said Rhett
Simmons, NWTF special
events coordinator.
CLEATS
Bill Hinds Dist by Universal Press Syndicate
- A \
l--i‘
Hornets ‘O6
down, you fall down.”
And while the slugger was
finished laughing about it, he
said he didn’t care if others
kept getting a chuckle.
“If they want to laugh their
whole life about it, they can,”
he said.
As Jones was answering
some questions from report
ers about the incident, sec
ond baseman Marcus Giles
stepped in to try to save his
teammate.
Giles said that he, too, had
once tripped while heading
around the bases during his
high school days. But Giles
said his was a bit worse
because his stumble hap
pened after he realized he
missed first base.
“At least he was before first
(when he tripped) and he just
kept running,” Giles said. “I
had to stop, go back, touch
first and then continue to
run.
Besides being notable for
his foot foul-up, Jones’ knock
and threw the ball out of
bounds.
The Falcons could win
every preseason game and
it wouldn’t prove a thing to
me.
They had a good preseason
last year and finished 8-8 in
2005.
I don’t expect them to get
any better this year. Well,
maybe 9-7.
Pro coaches don’t want
their star players hurt. They
put the starters in long
enough to take some hits,
try some live-action, and
then get them out before
anything bad happens to
them.
Why do fans insist on pay
ing to atterid games that
mean nothing and prove
less? Oh, I forget. Ignorance
feeds greed.
Owners don’t make
enough off of billion dollar
TV contracts to afford big
screens in their skyboxes.
The fans don’t have any
thing better to do. They
might have to hold meaning
ful conversations with their
kids about public drunken
ness and the dangers of bad
barley.
I was lucky. I was able to
ignore the exhibition games
and focus on a meaningful
sporting event - the Little
League World Series. By the
time you read this, the team
from Columbus and the one
from some place I can’t pro-
Proceeds from the Turkey
Shoot go to help Wheelin’
Sportsmen NWTF provide
people with disabilities
opportunities to learn and
enjoy outdoor sports such as
hunting, fishing and shoot
gave him his I,oooth career
RBI. The center-fielder has
now hit three home runs in
his last two games after going
l-for-27 before that.
“I’m just feeling good at
the plate right now,” Jones
said. “I’m just trying to con
tinue to do what I need to be
doing.”
BONDS GET TWO. TOO: Another
guy had two home runs
Tuesday night at Turner
Field. Heard of this Barry
Bonds guy?
The prolific and controver
sial San Francisco slugger
smacked his 18th and 19th of
the year or, more significant
ly, his 726th and 727th of his
career, putting him 28 shy of
the Braves’ Hank Aaron for
the all-time home-run title.
In all, Bond has 39 of his
career blasts against Atlanta,
good for eighth among all
major-league clubs. Thirteen
of those homers have come in
the 38 games the Giants have
played at Turner Field.
nounce or spell, Japan, will
have faced off in the champi
onship game (and of course
Columbus won).
I wonder if the results will
make any newspaper other
than the one in Columbus.
Not if there’s another NFL
exhibition game on Sunday
TV
But that’s another story.
Right now, I’m saying that
the Falcons won’t be any
better this year than last.
I’m not convinced that the
Atlanta coaches know what
to do with Michael Vick.
That’s because they didn’t
ask me. Make him a receiv
er and put Matt Schaub at
quarterback. If a backup
is good enough to refuse a
first-round draft pick for,
he’s good enough to start.
Vick is good for last min
ute heroics. I want a Falcons
team that will have the game
in hand before the final two
minutes. Vick can run, but
he hasn’t convinced me he
can run a team.
But the Falcons are sold
on their marques player. Put
him on the field and give
him a chance to handle the
ball on every offensive play
and that will put fans in the
seats.
Vick won’t last the first
half of the season. He’ll get
hurt and Schaub will get
his chance. If that happens
Atlanta will finish at least
10-6 and make the playoffs.
ing.
For more information
about the 13th annual
Turkey Shoot or the NWTF
in general, visit www.nwtf.
org or call 1-800-THE
NWTF.
SPORTS
BANG
From page iB
“We’ll probably do a couple of things they
haven’t seen before.
“Playing early, there might be more big
plays. The execution may not be as good as
you would expect it to be later on. It’s going
to be interesting and exciting.”
As for What the Eagle staff should know
about the Bears, the quarterback, Martez
King, is back after starting as a sophomore
and the backfield is experienced with Eric
O’Neal and Lydel Jones.
“They always have some big guys,” said
Nix. “They have a lot of big linemen back.
They have a good nucleus of people return
ing.
“On either side of the ball, offense or
defense, we have to control the line of
scrimmage. Hopefully we’ll have better per
centages in doing that than them.”
“The biggest strength for them in the last
10 years has been speed,” said Johnson.
“Their team speed is just phenomenal.
Their kids are so quick that even if they
take a wrong step, they can overcome it.
The slower kid can’t take that step and
overcome it.”
Nix knew going into the season he would
have young, developing front lines. He said
these kids are good players, but haven’t had
the chance to play.
“Experience is a key commodity in this
game of football,” said Nix. “We did OK (in
the scrimmage against Perry). We didn’t
do everything right, but the guys adjusted
well. Perry did a lot of stuff, stunted a good
bit, and we picked it up well.”
“We hope we can get after it and block
them some,” said Johnson.* “Even though
they had some kids who graduated, they
seem to put another kid in who was just
waiting his turn. They looked as strong to
me against Periy as they do always.”
The quarterback position for Northside
is one of those questions only games will
resolve. Marques Ivory, the projected starter
as a junior, was unable to play in the scrim
mage, but the Eagles got good play from last
year’s starter, senior Jacobi Rodrigues, as
well as sophomore Joe Scott.
Johnson knows that whoever is playing
quarterback for the Eagles, the offense will
be the same. He said each one has different
strengths that will impact the type of plays
they see, but it would only change about
five to 10 percent of what Northside does
overall.
“They have great (defensive) players
back,” said Johnson. “Their speed is just
phenomenal. Kevin Kinsler does a good job,
and they just fly to the football. In the last
few years Northside’s defense has just been
phenomenal. This group doesn’t look any
different than any of the rest of them.”
The Northside scrimmage allowed stand
out senior linebacker Deonta Jordan to
make his debut as a fullback.
REMEMBER
From page iB
other scrimmages in the
area. Scott said it was bet
ter to play that caliber an
opponent, because they
could have played a weaker
school, made the exact same
DONATE TO
GOODWILL.
♦ A
wvw.goodwillworks.org
Building lives, families, and
Deer hunt season for
archers begins Sept. 9
Special to the Journal
Deer hunting season dates
for the various types of deer
hunting are as follows:
■ Archery (either sex):
Sept. 9 - Oct. 13 (state
wide)
■ Extended Archery
(either sex): Jan. 2-31,
2007 (only in Clayton, Cobb,
Dekalb, Forsyth, Fulton,
Gwinnett & Rockdale coun
ties).
■ Primitive weapons
(either sex): Oct. 14-20
(statewide)
■ Firearms (Northern
Zone): Oct. 21-
Jan. 1, 2007
■ Firearms (Southern
Zone): Oct. 21-
Jan. 15, 2007
Over one million acres of
public land on more than
Submitted
mistakes they did against
the Eagles, and still win by
30 points or so.
“We will continue to play
them,” he said. “It does us
no good to play somebody
(in the preseason) we’re a
lot better than.”
That same thinking
carries over into the sea
HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
90 state-operated wildlife
management areas and
other state land is open for
hunting.
Information about these
WMAs and other public
lands is available at www.
gohuntgeorgia.com.
Various WMAs offer spe
cial hunts throughout the
season, including primi
tive weapons hunts, ladies
only hunts and adult/child
hunts.
For dates and locations
of special hunts, check the
2006-2007 Georgia Hunting
Seasons and Regulations
guide available on the WRD
website and at all WRD
offices and license agents.
For more information
on deer or other hunting
seasons, visit www.gohunt
georgia.com.
"This group here Is hoping
to turn the tide a little bit.
They've had our number."
- Houston County head football coach Doug
Johnson
That was a slot left open by last year’s
senior graduation. Nix said it’s their hope
that Jordan can be more than just a fill-in
on offense in addition to full-time duties on
defense.
Heat is still a factor in September, and
that could limit Jordan’s offensive duties.
Ultimately, Nix feels Jordan can be a great
asset both running the ball and blocking.
Johnson and the Bears had several issues
to settle in the preseason, and found some
good answers in the scrimmage with Jones
County. The coach said, though, this team
needs a real game after weeks of practice.
“All the kids who will be playing high
school football this weekend are ready to
get rolling,” said Johnson. “You make your
biggest improvement between the first and
second game. When you scrimmage your
self, you have an idea of what you think you
look like, but you really don’t know until
you play somebody. We’ll know real quick
(against the Eagles) where we’re at.”
“I’m just glad football season’s here
again,” said Nix. “Everybody’s worked
hard. All the schools in the state are excited.
Everybody has high goals. Nobody’s won a
game, and nobody’s lost a game. After this
weekend, half the teams in the state are
going to have a loss and half are going to
have a win.”
The overall series between these schools
hasn’t gone well for Houston County despite
a number of close games. Last year’s wasn’t
close, though, a shutout win for the Eagles.
“This group here is hoping to turn the
tide a little bit,” said Johnson. “They’ve had
our number. Northside not being a legion
game, it’s still an important game for us
and them.”
But for the Bears side, Johnson wants his
team to start a roll towards the six-game
region schedule with a win over the Eagles.
For Northside, this is just part one of a two
week rivalry journey as next week’s game is
against Warner Robins High.
FOUR QUARTERS FUR CHRIS: The Northside
football program is still paying homage to
Chris Johnson, a former member of the
Eagle defensive line. Nix said he is still in
the recovery stage in his bout with leuke
mia that began more than a year ago.
To help the Johnson family in alleviating
the hardship, the Four Quarters for Chris
bucket campaign will take place at the
Northside-Houston game. The buckets will
be at the stadium, and attendees are asked
to donate whatever change or dollars they
can spare.
son opener tonight on
the road.
“We want to win as many
as possible,” said Scott. The
Panthers are faced with a
sub-region alignment in 4-
AAA that gives them five
sub-region games plus a
playoff at the end of the
regular season.