Georgia sports for Thursday, August 28th

Georgia Tech football--

A new era begins tonight for Georgia Tech football. New head coach Paul Johnson will lead the Yellow Jackets into their season-opening game against Jacksonville State. Tech hits its home-turf at Bobby Dodd Stadium with sophomore Josh Nesbitt making his first start for the team at quarterback.

College football / Georgia Bulldogs--

Ahead to the weekend, the preseason no-1 team in the country, the Georgia Bulldogs, will be home in Athens Saturday to face Ga Southern in their opener.

Atlanta Braves--

From major league baseball, the Braves were 4-1 losers to the Florida Marlins in Atlanta last night. Before the game, the Braves traded veteran outfielder Mark Kotsay to the Boston Red Sox for a minor league outfield prospect.

Georgia sports for Friday, August 15th

Atlanta Braves--

The Braves lost again to the Cubs 11-7 last night, and it completed a Chicago-sweep in the 3-game series. Tom Glavine’s return to the mound for the first time in two months did not go well, allowing 7 hits and 7 runs in 4 innings of work. There was good news however from the offense, and a rarity: centerfielder Mark Kotsay became only the second Atlanta Brave to hit for the cycle--a single, double, triple and home run in the same game. The triple came first, and the double was the last of the four--in the 7th inning. The feat is only the fifth for a Brave in franchise history since 1900.

Atlanta Falcons--

From the NFL, the Atlanta Falcons play their second preseason game tomorrow night inside the Georgia Dome against the Indianapolis Colts. Rookie QB Matt Ryan is expected to get playing time.

Georgia sports for Wednesday, July 2nd

Atlanta Braves--

The Braves opened a 6-game homestand with an 8-3 loss to the Philidelphia Phillies, leaders of the NL-East division. The Phillies built an early 5-0 lead through 3 innings on the way to victory. The Braves now in their season meetings against Phildelphia have only a single victory in 7 games, and none in 4 games played in Atlanta. The Braves did get good news with the return of two veterans to their lineup: 3rd baseman Chipper Jones returned from missing 8 starts with a quad strain. Outfielder Mark Kotsay was activated off the disabled list after missing 33 games with a lower back strain.


Women's pro basketball/Atlanta Dream--

The rough opening season of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream continues. The Dream lost to the Phoneix Mercury 97-79 last night, pushing Atlanta’s season opening losing streak to a league-record 16 games.

Georgia sports for Wednesday, May 7th

Atlanta Braves win 5th straight--

The Braves won their 4th straight game last night, taking the 1st of a 3-game series against the San Diego Padres in Atlanta. Jair Jurrjens pitched another strong game in earning the victory. Jurrjens went 6 innings, with 7 hits, a run and 8 strikeouts on his line. Offensively, Chipper Jones knocked his 10th homer of the season, while Mark Kotsay homered as well. Tim Hudson takes the mound tonight as the Braves aim for a 5th straight victory.

Atlanta Hawks' GM Knight resigns--

Billy Knight this morning announced his resignation as general manager of the Atlanta Hawks. It comes after the team just completed its first NBA playoff appearance in nine seasons--a 1st-round, 7-game loss to the Boston Celtics. Knight's resignation is effective July 1st. The 55-year-old Knight spent six years with the organization.
His best season came this year, as the Hawks had a 37-45 regular season record and broke a nine-year playoff drought. Knight says in a statement he's "leaving the organization in much better shape than it was in when I took over."

Former Tech football star arrested--

Former Georgia Tech star quarterback Joe Hamilton is facing multiple charges following a traffic stop early Tuesday. The 31-year-old Hamilton was charged with marijuana possession, driving under the influence of alcohol, hit-and-run, and possessing an open container. Georgia Tech police pulled over Hamilton’s black Ford Expedition, as it matched the description of a vehicle that had been involved in a hit-and-run accident nearby. Hamilton led Georgia Tech to an ACC football championship in 1998, and had just been hired by the school’s football program last week as assistant director of player personnel.

Georgia sports for Wednesday, April 9th

The Atlanta Braves suffered another loss on the road last night, falling to the Rockies by the 4-3 final. Braves’ starting pitcher Jair Jurrjens threw 7 innings, allowing 9 hits and 4 runs in taking the loss. Offensively, Atlanta got the first home run of the season from centerfielder Mark Kotsay. The Braves are now 3-5 for the young season—all 5 of their losses have been by one run. They have 2 more games in their series in Colorado before moving on to Washington and Florida.

The Braves’ top prospect has been suspended 50 games by major league baseball. The commissioner’s office says outfielder Jordan Schafer used human growth hormone, or HGH, in violation of baseball’s minor league drug program. Schafer is seen as Atlanta’s potential starting centerfielder for 2009. The 21-year-old was hitting .091 for the Double-A Mississippi Braves in the first week of the Southern League season.

From pro basketball, the Atlanta Hawks lost their game at Indiana last night 112-98.