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Falcon debate: Trade George or fire Jones?
= Once again our favorite NFL
franchise in “Hotlanta” finds it
self in the eye of a brewing “per
“Sohal change” hurricane that has
the entire team doubting the pro
fessionalism and overall loyalty of
- Falcon management, ownership,
and yes, even the coaching staff. If
you happen to be a longtime Fal
con fan, you're probably saying to
g%.\rself, “What else is new?” Af
er all, the Falcons are the Fal
cons, known bunglers of talent
evaluations(see Brent Farve), free
agent signings and contract nego
tiations. For over three decades,
the tune, sadly, has never changed
inSuwanee, but the latest episode
of “As the Falcons fold” is truly a
sign of just how far this franchise
has to progress tojoin the ranks of
the NFL'’s elite teams.
Last weekend, when current
Atlanta Head Coach June Jones
yanked QB Jeff George from the
.starting line-up in the Third
,Quarter againstthe Philadelphia
. Eagles, the writing on the Fal
con locker-room wall became
.clearly evident. Ladies and gents,
it's now scapegoat time in
Suwanee, and June has appoint
.ed Mr. George as the No. 1 candi
date to blame essentially for the
Falcons 0-3 start. Is Jeff George
at the center of Atlanta’s offen
sive troubles? Is “J.G.” the pri
mary reason this club has only
scored 41 points in three outings
this season while giving up 85 to
opponents? Is George responsi
ble for Atlanta’s lack of prepara
tion, questionable play-calling,
and the lack of enthusiasm with
inthe Falcon fold? The answer to
all the above questions is clearly
NO, but after Jeffs latest on
camera shouting match with
Jones in the Georgia Dome, the
former Indy Colt has made him
self an easy target once again,
for both the fans and the media.
June decided to suspend George
and a major QB trade may be in
the Falcons’ future. Butisatrade
the answer to cure the Falcons’
Negro League slugger
honored with marker
By Casey Combs
ASSOCIATED PRESS Writer
.. Some say Josh Gibson was born
too soon.
The “black Babe Ruth” hit at least
800 home runs in his 17 years with
Pittsburgh’stwoNegroLeagueteams,
buthe died just months before Jackie
Robinson broke the color barrier to
join the Brooklyn Dodgers.
7“Without Josh there would have
been no Jackie,” said Rob Ruck,
author of several books about the
Negro League.
Gibson was honored Monday with
a historical marker in the city’s Hill
District. Historians agree Gibson
would be a household name if black
men had been allowed to play in the
major leagues during his career.
Nobody has hit longer home runs
at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh or at
Yankee Stadium, and one of his
drives was estimated at 700 feet,
134 feet beyond Mickey Mantle’s
longest.
After Gibson hit a 550-foot homer
at Cleveland Stadium, Washington
Senators owner Clark Griffith
“would like to have kidnapped him
and washed him in Clorox and put
him with the Senators,” said Frank
Bolden, who covered the Negro
League for the Pittsburgh Courier.
. The Rev. Harold Tinker, 91, played
with Gibson and remembered a
game in 1930 when they were be
hind 3-1 in the fifth inning against
Port Vue, a team in southern Al
legheny County.
1. Tinker, up first, hit a single. The
next batter walked. When Gibson
stepped up, Port Vue's pitcher decid
ed:an intentional walk would keep
thepowerhouse from hitting a hom
er.
.., But on the second ball, Gibson
called a time out, walked out to
second base and informed Tinker he
could hit those pitchouts.
And Ilooked at him and said, ‘Are
you crazy?” Tinker said.
A walk would load the bases. But
%gave Gibson the go-ahead.
o“This guy threw his third pitch
way outside, and lo and behold Josh
reachedoutandswung, andhedidn’t
hit, that ball over the right field
fence,” Tinker said. “He hit the ball
-2
i
8
Timeout
®
with Tony (!
illness ofterminal mediocrity and
failure?
The Rankin Smith family, nev
er recognized as an ownership
group with pro-football vision,
has a few serious decisions to
make in regard to the new direc
tion the Falcons must head. Will
the Smith clan allow another Pro
Bowl caliber QB to be drummed
out of town? Will they look deep
er for answers? I hope so, and I
have a few suggestions to help
the franchise get back on track.
First, the entire Falcon front
office must be reorganized dur
ing the off-season. That includes
the current coaching staff. Why?
Well, the Red Gun offense, time
after time, has come up off target
and loaded with blanks during
the Jones era. The Red Gun is a
gimmick whose time has passed.
It’s time to head in another di
rection. The questionis, can June
accept that change in offensive
philosophy and still prove effec
tive as the man in charge of the
Falcon nest? Can this franchise
salvage the '96 season? I vote
NO!
If the Smith family wants to
save this sinking ship, they need
to act quickly by firing Jones and
trading George, but not before
showcasing his talents as a quick
halfway back to Pittsburgh over the
centerfield fence. I'll never forget
that day.”
The marker by the Pennsylvania
Historical and Museum Commis
sion is on the sidewalk in front of
AmmonsPlayground,once Ammons
Field, where Gibson helped orga
nize the semipro Crawford Colored
Giants in 1929.
A year later he joined the Home
stead Grays, the last championship
team in the Negro League. He also
played for afew years with the Pitts
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Sports Focus
The Rankin Smith family, never recognized as an
ownership group with pro-football vision, has a few
serious decisions to make in regard to the new
direction the Falcons must head. Will the Smith clan
allow another Pro Bowl caliber QB to be drummed
out of town? Will they look deeper for answers? |
hope so, and | have a few suggestions to help the
franchise get back on track.
release passer with range. The
Falcons need to convince NFL in
siders that George has what it
takes to lead, and win consistent
ly, on the professional level. The
Georgetrade,ifand whenit comes,
should not be handled like a ga
rage sale. George has talent, and
thattalent hasconsiderable value
in the NFL. A trade involving
George should reap no less than
two first-round draft picks and
other considerations. Somewhere
downthelinein Atlanta could use
those pickstoacquire afewyoung,
promising cornerbacks, able to
stay healthy for at least half a
season, it would dramatically help
the Falcons in their effort to gain
respectability. Atlanta needs to
leavethe free agent market “easy
fix” concept for other franchises.
The Falcons must start to concen
trate solely on building a future
with young players obtained
through the draft.
Atlanta has spent millions in
cash in the past on aging NFL
standouts on the downside of
their careers. It’s time to realize
there is no known short-cut or
“quick fix” in the ranks of profes
sional football. As the Falcons
begin to alter their “offensive fo
cus”toa more conventional slant,
finding quality players hungry
for an opportunity will become a
little easier for scouts associated
with the Falcon organization. An
experienced player personnel
director, who has a proven track
record of success (hello Bobby
Bethard) needs to be hired im-
burgh Crawfords, where he caught
pitches from Satchel Paige.
Josh Gibson Jr., 66, remembers
Paige and other Negro League leg
endsvisitinghisgrandmother'shome
in the Hill District. The younger
Gibson lived with her after his moth
er died giving birth to him and his
twin sister, Helen, who died in 1985.
The elder Gibson traveled year
round, playing for Latin American
teams in the winter. He was named
Most Valuable Player in the Puerto
Rican League in 1941.
mediately, at any cost. The
Smiths need to spend the next
twoyears devoting their millions
to building an organization
geared toward and committed to
building a respectable NFL team.
The bottom line is simple: The
Jeff and June show has come to
the end of its run!
If the entire franchise is not
revamped, top to bottom, the
Smiths could find themselves
facing a much larger PR problem
in the years to come. That prob
lem has already surfaced tosome
degree during the past three sea
sons. I'm referring to finding a
method, or slick marketing strat
egy, to attract the very fickle
sports fans back to the seats of
the Georgia Dome.
With attendance continuing to
decline, local TV blackouts on the
rise, this franchise could find it
self fielding relocation offers from
other Southeastern cities (Orlan
do, Memphis, Birmingham)starv
ing for the “big city” label and
recognition that goes along with
having an NFL franchise within
the city limits. Are you one of the
long-standing Falcons fans of the
CSRA whobelieves the Smith fam
ily would never move the Birds of
Prey to another city? Well, wake
up quick! The NFLisbigbusiness,
and making money is the real
name of the game. If you don’t
want to take my word for it, just
ask Mr. Cleveland himself ... Mr.
Art Modell!
Tony Cornish dr. isafree-lance
sportswriter based in Augusta.
High School Foothall 1996
“LIVE” Every Friday!
Date Schools Times
Sept. 2] Lucy Laney vs. Glenn Hills (@ Butler] 7:30 PM
Oct 4 Augusta Christian @ Curtis Baptist 8:00 PM
Oct.ll Swainshoro vs. Westside (@QARC) 1-:30 PM
Oct.lß Westside @ TW. Josey 130 PM
Oct. 2% Aiken @ North Augusta 8:00 PM
Nov.l Hephzibah @ Glenn Hills 1-30 PM
Nov.B Lucylaneyvs.T.W.Josey (@ ARC) 130 PM
N0v.15 South East Macon @ Butler 130 PM
WRDW SPORTS RADIO 1480 AM
o2\ i 8/‘ 7 g
G \' 21 ' %’;‘
TH E~{ e 5
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AUGUSTA FOCUS September 26, 1996
Augusta’s girls in Atlanta
match-up vs. top hoopers
By Timothy Cox
AUGUSTA FOCUS Sports Writer
With the shining success of the
USA Women’s gold medal-win
ning Olympic team, the fever is
still running high for ladies’
hoops, and appropriately enough,
in Atlanta, Ga.
On Sept. 27-29, some of the
nation’s top high-school lady
cagers will meet in what’s being
dubbed the “Stars of the South
Shootout.” A number of Augus
ta’s finest basketballers will be
part of the all-Southeast affair.
According to Sam Ward, noted
Amateur Athletic Unioncoachand
physical director, Augusta Boys
Club, the Shootout offerslocal girls
“a chance to compare their skills
with other talented players.”
Team Augusta is comprised of
top talent which played together
as a team, this summer. Their
Rooney vs. Tyson lawsuit
baffles promoter Don King
By Clis Cavola
ASSOCIATED PRESS Writer
ALBANY, NLY.
Promoter Don King, no stranger
to controversial deals, said trainer
Kevin Rooney’s breach of contract
lawsuit against Mike Tyson is a
“new one on me.”
Rooney, Tyson’s former train
er, claims the fighter reneged on
a handshake deal that promised
him 10 percent of the fighter’s
earnings for the rest of his ca
reer. The alleged deal between
Rooney and Tyson’s late mentor, -
Cus D’Amato, dates from 1982
whenthe 16-year-old fighter was
training at D’Amato’s Catskill
gym.
“I've never seen this one,” King
said Thursday outside the federal
courtroom where the lawsuit is be-
24-4 record, coupled with a trip
to a Junior Nationals tourna
ment, has Team Augusta
pumped and prepared to take on
teams from Ala., Tenn., Fla. and
South Carolina. Other coaches
are Sammy Lilly, Brenda
Sheddrick and team organizer
Terri Simmelton.
Team Augusta members rep
resent Butler High: Jenine
Saunders, Crystal Davis,
Kwameka Brown, Shareon
Patterson; Hephzibah High:
Brandi Hicks, Joanne Aluka,
Deyanna Little, Shantel Bethel;
Richmond Academy:Natasha
Reid, April Steele; Josey High:
Sherika Wright, Kellie Holland,
Miatonya Smith; Westside
High: Brandi Robinson, Katie
Lawrence and Kinesha Harden.
Mr. Ward thanked parents
and sponsors for ensuring the
girls were able to make the trip.
ing heard before an eight-member
Jury.
“I'venever seen where aguy owned
a guy for all of hislife, and when you
train him, thisisit,” King said. ‘T've
never heard of that one before. No
agreement, no nothing, but I own
you.”
Rooney is seeking $49 million from
Tyson: $18.5 millionofhispastearn
ings and $30.6 million in projected
earnings.
King is expected to be called as a
witness for Tyson, thoughon Thurs
daythepromotersaid hedidn’t know
when he would take the stand. He
said he would bein Albany for “how
ever long it takes.”
Tyson could testify next week.
Robert Hirth, one of his attorneys,
said even if D’Amato made such a
deal with Rooney, it wouldn't be
binding.
13