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2B
♦ TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2005
Outside
the
‘Home’
Bears sign Muhammad
CHICAGO (AP) - All-Pro
receiver Muhsin Muhammad
agreed to a six-year contract with
the Chicago Bears one day after
being released by the Carolina
Panthers.
Muhammad was cut by
Carolina on Friday because the
Panthers did not want to pay a
$lO million roster bonus due on
Tuesday. It didn’t take long for
him to find a new home, and the
Bears will give him a sl2 million
signing bonus, which is guaran
teed money.
Muhammad, who will be 32
in May, comes off a strong sea
son despite the Panthers having
spiraled from NFC champions to
7-9. He caught 93 passes, led the
league with 1,405 yards and had
16 touchdowns as the main target
after Steve Smith broke his leg.
Biffle raßes for wii
FONTANA, Calif. (AP) - Greg
Biffle won the Auto Club 500 on
California Speedway's 2-mile oval
Sunday, taking the lead for good
on lap 228 and building an advan
tage just big enough to hold off
a last-ditch effort by runner-up
Jimmie Johnson in the second
NASCAR Nextel Cup race of the
season.
Martin earns Busch victory
FONTANA, Calif. (AP) - Mark
Marlin added to his record Busch
Series win total, pulling away
from Kevin Harvick on Saturday
at California Speedway for No.
47.
Martin, the longtime star of
NASCAR s top stock car series,
was dominant. He led 102 of the
150 laps, including the last 34. He
easily held off Harvick in an eight
lap sprint on the 2-mile oval after
the last of eight caution flags.
loms dominates Match Play
CARLSBAD, Calif. (AP) - David
Toms delivered the most domi
nant performance in the seven
year history of the Match Play
Championship, winning eight out
of nine holes to put away Chris
DiMarco before lunch, then pour
ing it on in the afternoon for
the largest margin of victory ever
in the 36-hole final at La Costa
Resort on Sunday.
The score was 6 and 5, and
it could have been much worse.
Toms was 9 up at one point and
earned $1.3 million for his 11th
career PGA Tour victory, and first
World Golf Championship title.
His record in the Accenture Match
Play Championship improved to
18-5, second only to the 21-4
mark by two-time champion Tiger
Woods.
Oglvy victorious in playoff
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - Geoff
Ogilvy sank an 18-foot, down
hill putt for birdie on the second
playoff hole Sunday to beat Kevin
Na and win the Chrysler Classic
of Tucson for his first PGA Tour
title.
Ogilvy, who had four top-10
finishes last season, won for the
first time in 108 PGA Tour events.
He shouted for joy after making
the difficult putt, and embraced
his wife Juli on the green after
Na missed an 8-footer that would
have extended the playoff.
Mark Calcavecchia closed
with a 3-under 69 to tie Na (71)
and Ogilvy (71) at 19-under 269
and get into the playoff. But
Calcavecchia made a double
bogey on the first extra hole.
Hataisky leads Outback
LUTZ, Fla. (AP) - Morris
Hatalsky finished off a second
round 4-under 67 to take a one
stroke lead over Hale Irwin in
the rain-shortened Outback
Steakhouse Pro-Am.
The scheduled 54-hole event
was reduced to 36 on Saturday,
but more than an inch of rain left
puddles on the greens and tees
and pushed back completion of
the Champions Tour event until
Monday. Play Sunday was halted
after a little more than an hour.
frwin was 6 under with 12 holes
to play.
Webb overcomes deficit
GOLD COAST, Australia (AP)
- Australia's Karrie Webb over
came a four-stroke deficit in three
holes to win the ANZ Ladies
Masters for the fifth time Sunday.
Webb finished with a 5-under 67
to edge 19-year-old Ai Miyazato
by a stroke on the Royal Pines
course. Webb finished at 16-
under 272 in the event co-sanc
tioned by the Ladies European
Tour and Australian Ladies Tour.
Davis, Wafcer trade
CHRISTCHURCH, New
Zealand (AP) - Peter O’Malley
made a 25-foot birdie putt on the
fourth playoff hole to win the New
Zealand PGA on Sunday, ruining
a comeback attempt by Steven
Bowditch.
Federer tops Dubai Open
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates
(AP) - Top-ranked Roger Federer
won his third straight Dubai Open
on Sunday, defeating Ivan Ljubicic
6-1, 6-7 (6), 6-3. It was the third
time this year Federer has beaten
the Croat in a title match.
Smoltz in line to be Braves opening day starter
KISSIMMEE, Fla. - It’s all but
official: John Smoltz will be the
opening-day starter for the Atlanta
Braves.
While manager
Bobby Cox hasn’t
revealed his choice,
he’s already set up his
spring pitching sched
ule in such a way that
Smoltz would be ready
to go in the April 5
opener at Florida.
NOTEBOOK
Compiled by
the AP
Smoltz, the only player who has
been with the Braves for their entire
run of 13 straight division titles, is
returning to the starting rotation
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HHJ/Joe Sersey
Warner Robins head baseball coach Chad Simmons, center, talks to the squad during a
practice at the school Thursday.
Demons busy preparing fur opener
By JOE SERSEY
HHJ Sports Writer
WARNER ROBINS - New
head coach Chad Simmons
has the Demons baseball
team
working
PREVIEW weekends
to prepare
for this
season.
Simmons played col
lege baseball at Georgia
Southwestern and was an
assistant coach at Warner
Robins for five years before
becoming the head coach.
He has to find replace
ments for graduating seniors
Justin Phelps, Greg Gentry
and Joey Mower, and find
a way to improve on a 6-20
record.
Seven seniors return along
with four starters returning.
He says his pitching staff
is, “untested,” and has very
little varsity experience.
“(They’ll) need to grow
up fast,” he said. “(Chris)
Snipes should fare pretty
well.”
Snipes will be the number
one starter and play first
base.
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after spending the last three years
as the closer.
The only other pitcher who war
rants consideration for the honor
is Tim Hudson, a former 20-game
winner who pitched on opening day
several times for the Oakland A’s.
But Hudson is a newcomer in
Atlanta, coming over to the Braves
in an offseason trade. He wouldn’t
even feel comfortable making the
opening-day start instead of Smoltz.
“Even if they asked me to do it,”
Hudson said, “I wouldn’t want to
do it.”
Smoltz said he doesn’t care who
starts the first game. He’s just glad
Blake Allen returns at sec
ond, Justin Beatty at short
and Parker McConnell at
catcher.
As far as what to expect
Warner Robins baseball 2005
March
2 at Mary Persons 5:30 p.m.
5 vs. Peach County 1 p.m.
8 at Houston County 6 p.m.
11 at Statesboro (GSU) 7:45 p.m.
15 at Peach County 5:30 p.m.
18 vs. Houston County 7 p.m.
21 at Lee County 5:45 p.m.
25 *vs. Hardaway 5:30 p.m.
29 *at Northside 5:45 p.m.
31 vs. Perry 5:55 p.m.
April
1 *vs. Carver 5:30 p.m.
5 *vs. Westside 5:30 p.m.
8 *at Central 4 p.m.
12 *at Hardaway 4 p.m.
14 at Perry 5:55 p.m.
15 *vs. Northside 7 p.m.
18 vs. Mary Persons 5:30 p.m.
19 *at Carver 4 p.m.
22 *at Westside 5:30 p.m.
26 *vs. Central 5:30 p.m.
28 vs. Lee County 5:55 p.m.
30 at Americus-Sumter 1 p.m
May
2-3 3-AAAA Playoffs TBA
‘denotes Region 3S-AAAA game
Cleats
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(c) 2005 Bill Hinds Dist by Universal Press Syndicate
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SPORTS
from the region, Simmons
said: “Hardaway will be the
best team. Westside and
Northside should be good
too.”
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to be starting again.
“It doesn’t matter to me,” he said.
“Whenever I make my first pitch,
it’s going to be an exciting time for
me.
The rotation will likely fall
this way: Smoltz, Hudson, Mike
Hampton, John Thomson and
Horacio Ramirez. Hampton will
start the first Grapefruit League
game on Thursday.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: With the pitch
ing plans solidified, Tim Hudson
couldn’t help but notice an aberra
tion: The newcomer will only make
one start at the Braves’ Disney
World complex.
Francoeur has potential to
be Atlanta's next superstar
By PAUL NEWBERRY
AP Sports Writer
KISSIMMEE, Fla. - Jeff
Francoeur has played out
the scene in his head hun
dreds of times.
He emerges from the
dugout at Turner Field for
the first time in an Atlanta
Braves uniform. His fam
ily and friends are in the
stands. The announcer bel
lows out his name for all to
hear.
Maybe he hits a home run.
Or makes a great catch. Or
scores the winning run.
“I’ve been imagining that
since I was a kid, ” Francoeur
said before heading to the
cages to get in some hitting
on a rainy Sunday at spring
training.
Chances are, it won’t
happen this season. He’s
only 21 and probably needs
another year in the minor
leagues. But be patient,
everyone. This hometown
kid - Francoeur was bom
and raised in the Atlanta
area - is projected as the
next big thing for the team
that has won 13 straight
division titles.
“He’s very impressive,”
Braves manager Bobby Cox
said. “He can do a lot of
things. He’s good in the
outfield. He runs good. He’s
going to be a good, solid
major leaguer.”
Francoeur was invited to
the major league camp for
the second year in a row,
his place in the hierarchy
of up-and-coming players
apparent on the back of his
jersey - No. 7.
That number was worn
last season by starting
right-fielder J.D. Drew.
Most of the other young
sters in camp get numbers
more suited to a football
field, such as 66 or 74.
Francoeur seems more at
ease in the clubhouse, hav
ing gone through it all last
spring. In that surest sign
of clubhouse respect, he’s
already got a nickname,
dubbed “Frenchy” by coach
Pat Corrales.
“It’s always fun to watch
guys like Chipper (Jones)
and (John) Smoltz,”
Francoeur said. “It definite
ly takes some of the pres
sure off. I’ve had a chance
to see how they do things
day in and day out.”
The timetable for
Francoeur to break into
the Braves’ lineup is 2006.
The team signed a couple
of bargain-rack outfield
ers this season, bringing
in Raul Mondesi and Brian
Jordan to flank Gold Glover
Andruw Jones. But they
are both in their 30s, mere
stopgap measures until
Francoeur is ready for the
big leagues.
Since this is spring train
ing, where anything seems
possible, Francoeur hasn’t
given up on the idea of get
ting an early start on his big
THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
Hudson is scheduled to make his
Grapefruit League debut on March
7, when the Braves make a two-hour
drive to Port St. Lucie to face the
New York Mets.
He’ll probably make his next start
at the Disney World complex, a split
squad game against Detroit on March
12. But that will be followed by road
games at Bradenton (Pittsburgh),
Port St. Lucie (Mets again) and Vero
Beach (Los Angeles).
“I know I’m the new guy, but
geez,” Hudson quipped.
There’s one consolation. The right
hander will probably pitch the first
of two exhibitions back in Atlanta.
league career. Maybe he’ll
surprise everyone by mak
ing the team a year ahead
of schedule.
“If I came in with any
other mind-set, I’d be
cheating myself,” he said.
“I know I’ve got to play
very well because I’m still
young. But you never know
what might happen.”
The Braves have long been
recognized for having one of
the best farm systems in the
game. They use their young
players to bolster holes in
the lineup (five homegrown
players will be regulars this
year) and as trade fodder
(prospects helped land for
mer 20-game winner Tim
Hudson and All-Star closer
Dan Kolb over the winter).
There are no plans to
trade Francoeur, tapped as
the organization’s top pros
pect by Baseball America.
The magazine called him
“one of the purest five
tool players in the minor
leagues” and a “fiery team
leader,” comparing his con
fidence to a young Chipper
Jones.
Still, making the mqjors
would be quite a leap for
someone who started last
season at Class A Myrtle
Beach.
Francoeur batted .293
with 15 homers, 52 RBIs
and 20 stolen bases in 88
games for the Pelicans, but
he also ran into the first set
back of his three-year pro
career. On the day before
he was to report to Double-
A Greenville, Francoeur
squared around to bunt and
got struck in the right eye
by an up-and-in fastball.
It was a bonehead move
by Francoeur, who decided
to bunt on his own because
he was trying to keep his
Myrtle Beach average above
.290.
“The Braves people were
not real happy with me,”
he said sheepishly. “It defi
nitely humbled me. That’s
the first time I’ve ever
gone through anything like
that.”
Francoeur underwent
surgery and was out five
weeks. When he came back
- still at Myrtle Beach - he
had to face a hard-throw
ing Astros prospect the first
time up. The second pitch
was high and tight. Any
fears about getting hit in
the face again were exor
cised then and there.
“I stepped out of the box
and told myself, ‘l’m OK.
I’m all right,”’ Francoeur
remembered. “Then I got
back in. That was the best
thing that could happened
for me.”
Francoeur finally made
it to Double-A, playing 18
games with Greenville. But
he struggled with his tim
ing, hitting just .197, and
didn’t get back on track
until a stint in the Arizona
Fall League.