Georgia sports for Monday, August 27th

The Braves have fallen farther back in their hopes of returning to the postseason, after losing at St Louis Sunday afternoon 4-1. The Braves dropped 2-of-3 in their series against the Cardinals, and now are 2-5 on their road trip. On Sunday, the Cardinals scored 3 runs in the 5th inning off Atlanta-starter Jo-Jo Reyes. The Braves’ offense came from catcher Brian McCann, who singled home Mark Teixeira in the 6th inning. The Braves now trail the NL-East leading Mets by 7 games, and are behind in the wild card race by 4 games. The final stop on the road trip for the Braves opens tonight with the 1st of 3 in Florida.

From the NFL, the Atlanta Falcons will hit the field for their third exhibition game of the preseason--their first at home, facing the Cincinnati Bengals. The side story of course will be the absence of Michael Vick, who will appear in Virginia court this morning to plead guilty to dog fighting charges.

The Little League World Series champion banner will reside in Georgia for a 2nd straight year. Yesterday in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Warner Robins beat the team from Japan 3-2 for the title. It took extra innings--in the bottom of the 8th, shortstop Dalton Carriker knocked a solo home run to right field for the dramatic game-winner. Just last year, the city of Columbus celebrated its Little League title. Now, a celebration for the Warner Robins kids is being planned for later in the week.

Georgia sports for Friday, July 20th

The Braves kicked-aside their 3-game losing streak in grand style last night, trouncing the Cardinals 10-1 in the opener of a 4-game series from Atlanta.

The Braves' offense included a home run and 3 RBI's from Andruw Jones. Matt Diaz knocked a homer, while Julio Franco in his first game back with Atlanta delievered a 2-run single.

On the mound, Tim Hudson was solid in 7 innings of work, allowing a run and 5 hits. His record improved to 10-5.

The Braves remain 2-and-a-half games behind the Mets for first in the NL-East Division.

Georgia sports for Thursday, July 19th

A game that took over four hours Wednesday afternoon ended up another loss for the Braves--they fell to the Reds 5-4 in 15 innings from Turner Field in Atlanta. Cincinnati swept the 3-game series. Brandon Phillips had a 2-run single in the 15th inning for a Reds' 2-run lead. The Braves got 1 run back in their last at-bat courtesy Jeff Francouer's RBI-hit. The Braves hope to get back on track as they open a new series against the Cardinals tonight.

The Braves have brought back an old face. Julio Franco has been re-signed by the club. The 48-year-old Franco was with Atlanta from 2001 through '05. He left as a free agent for the Mets, but they released him last week. Franco will serve as a utility player off the bench.