Georgia Sports Hall of Fame ceremony returns to Macon

After a one year absence, the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony is headed back to Macon.
Officials with the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame Authority voted to return the ceremony to Macon. This year the event was held in Atlanta and raised 86-thousand dollars.
However, people in Macon were determined to get the ceremony back to the museum's home town and held a radio telethon. Local sports talk show host, Bill Shanks says that event raised 40-thousand dollars in pledges including a gift from major league pitcher, Kevin Brown, who is a member of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.
"He was extremely impressed with how he was treated the year he was inducted, which was 2007, and just how special the event was here in Macon, and he pledged 10-thousand dollars which was a huge surprise and obviously very, very, welcome."
This year Georgia lawmakers voted to cut the museum's budget by 150-thousand dollars and said the facility must become self sufficient within the next five years.

Lawmaker wants tighter controls for sports regulatory commission

A state lawmaker says Georgia is losing out on some popular sports events because of weak regulations.

Events like boxing and ultimate fighting matches can bring in big money to the state. Those and other sporting events are regulated by the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission. It oversees the integrity of sports for fans, and safety for its participants.

Republican state senator Eric Johnson of Savannah calls the current laws the Commission has to work with “vague and ambiguous”. Because of that, he says some promoters of big events have bypassed Georgia—taking money with them.

Johnson hopes to change that with new legislation.

"One of the goals is economic development. One of the reasons I'm interested in it is Savannah has a great boxing history and good boxing enviroment, and we want to make sure we can get some of the fights all over Georgia. Augusta is the same way...it has a great boxing history. And of course we've got the former heavyweight champion living in Atlanta".

The World Wrestling Entertainment organization says it would consider leaving Georgia with tighter regulations. They’ve operated under a special exemption since July 2005.

Sports at Tech Schools

Sports may become a part of North Georgia’s Tech schools to attract students.

It may not be football, but eight North Georgia tech schools are looking into developing sports teams that can play each other. It’s a move towards a more traditional college experience. They are even holding meetings to find out what activities their students are looking for outside of classes.

Coosa Valley Tech’s spokesman says the goal is to start a women’s volley ball team and a men’s basketball team by spring.

Over all, the age of the average technical school student is dropping. Coosa Valley Tech even has a new plan called Project REAL, or Relevant Education and Life. It’s designed to recruit students directly out of high school.

State Ed Officials Work To Save Disabled Sports Program

Georgia education officials hope to save a sports program for disabled students funded by the state. Officials say there is a stopgap plan in-place to keep the American Association of Adapted Sports Programs running in Georgia schools. The non-profit based in Atlanta helps to provide handball, basketball and football games for about 500 state families with disabled athletes. Problems arose when funding for the programs fell victim to the budget ax, with 20-percent in cuts hitting education and other departments. Now, officials expect the program to get a little over $200,000, compared to the typical $700,000.

Georgia sports for Thursday, April 26

In Georgia sports,

The Braves had the stunning come-from-ahead loss last night in Miami to wrap their 3-game series, losing 4-3 to the Marlins. Leading 3-0 into the bottom of the 9th inning, the Marlins scored 4 runs off starter Tim Hudson and closer Bob Wickman.
Before that point, Hudson had been terrific, posting a career-high 12 strikeouts in trying to get the complete game.

The Braves’ offense came from solo home runs off the bats of Kelly Johnson, Chipper Jones, and Matt Diaz.

The Braves are off today, they start a weekend series in Colorado Friday.



A second Georgia Tech basketball freshman will enter the NBA Draft. Javaris Crittenton announced yesterday he will put his name into the ring, but not hire an agent. That allows him the option of returning to Georgia Tech. Crittenton follows the lead of fellow teammate Thaddeus Young, who also entered his name for the draft. Young also declined to hire an agent for now.

Both have until June 18th to withdraw from the draft to retain college eligibility. Crittenton and Young both tied for the team lead in scoring last season, with 14.4 points a game for the Yellow Jackets.


The NFL Draft is this weekend. The Atlanta Falcons have 10 picks overall—seven in the 1st four rounds. Their first is at number-8 overall.

Georgia sports for Friday, October 12th

There was a seismic change at the top of the Atlanta Braves management structure. The team announced John Schuerholz is stepping-aside from his long-time job as general manager. However, he gets a better office with the team, taking the reigns as team president. Assistant general manager Frank Wren now assumes full G-M duties. He’s worked with Schuerholz in Atlanta for eight years. The announcement marks the end of a record era of success in pro sports. Schuerholz was general manager 17 years—in that time the Braves won 14-straight division titles, five National League pennants, and one World Series championship.

From pro hockey, the Atlanta Thrashers have now lost 4-straight games to start the season. Last night, the team was blanked at Buffalo 6-nothing. The Thrashers are off to their worst start in 5 years. They've scored only 4 goals in 4 games.

Setting the schedule for college football Saturday ahead: Georgia's Bulldogs take their 4-2 record on the road to Vanderbilt. Ga Tech travels to Miami to face the Hurricanes--the Yellow Jackets a record of 3-3. The Eagles of Ga Southern are on the road with their 4-1 mark, facing Elon.

High school football has another full schedule of games tonight around the state.

Bad news for the Georgia men's basketball team--the school has suspended three players multiple games for violation of the athletic department's new class attendance and academic policies. Starting guard Mike Mercer will miss at least 15 games. Leading scorer Takais Brown will sit-out a minimum of 9 games, while backup center Albert Jackson will miss 6 games.

Georgia sports for Wednesday, August 1st

The Braves opened their 6-game homestand in grand style last night, blasting the Astros 12-4 in the 1st of 3 games from Turner Field.

There were 4 Atlanta home runs--2 from Kelly Johnson along with 5 RBI's. Brian McCann and Jeff Francouer also went deep. Chuck James earned the pitching win, his 9th of the season.

Earlier Tuesday, the Braves finalized three trades, which bolstered the lineup and bullpen. Slugging 1st baseman Mark Teixeira and reliever Ron Mahay come over from Texas. The Braves acquired closer Octavio Dotel from Kansas City, along with pitcher Royce Ring from San Diego. Of the players traded away yesterday, that included young catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia going to the Rangers. For the Braves tonight, Teixeira is expected to make his Atlanta debut at 1st base.

Go to GPB Sports Insider for more on the Braves' trades.

Georgia sports for Friday, August 31st

The Braves open a homestand tonight against the two teams ahead of them in the NL-East standings. In first are the New York Mets, who lead the division by 4-and-a-half games on the Braves. Atlanta also stands 4-and-a-half back in the race for the wild card playoff spot with about a month to go in the season. Tim Hudson gets the pitching start tonight against the Mets--he's going for a 16th win on his record. The Mets enter Atlanta riding a 5-game losing skid.

The first weekend of college football cranks-up tomorrow, with Georgia and Georgia Tech staging their openers. The Bulldogs will be home in Athens for a 6:45 kickoff against Oklahoma State. The Yellow Jackets are on the road for their opener, in South Bend, Indiana to face Notre Dame at 3:30. Geeorgia Southern opens their season next weekend.

High school football opens tonight across Georgia. You can get a preview of what to expect this season, and hear just why prep football is so big in Georgia--on today's edition of Georgia Gazette on GPB Radio at 3 o'clock. Jon Nelson of GPB-TV's Prep Sports Plus will join us for a look at all things high school football.

From the NFL, the Atlanta Falcons play their final exhibition game of the preseason, hosting the Baltimore Ravens. Tomorrow, the Falcons must cut their roster down to 53 players to set their team for the season opener a week from Sunday.

Georgia sports for Wednesday, May 23rd

It was a good opening for the Braves in their series against the NL-East leading Mets, as the Braves won 8-1 last night. Kyle Davies threw 8 strong innings on the mound, and added his own 3-run homer in the 6th inning at the plate. Davies improved his record to 2-2 with only a run and 6 hits allowed in his 8 innings of work. Scott Thorman added a home run, and there were 2 hits each for Kelly Johnson, Brian McCann, and Andruw Jones. The Braves are back to within a game-and-a-half of the division lead.

The NBA Draft lottery was held last night. The Atlanta Hawks will have the 3rd overall pick for the draft, which comes in late June. They'll also have the number-11 pick in the 1st round.

Georgia and Georgia Tech each won a sports championship on Tuesday. The NCAA team tennis championships from Athens concluded yesterday. It was victory for the Georgia Bulldogs in the men's tournament--they won their 5th title with the win over Illinois. Georgia Tech won the women's team title, their triumph over UCLA. It's the first championship for Tech women's tennis.

Georgia Tech, Georgia Southern, and Georgia State are all involved in their respective conference baseball tournaments today. Georgia Tech's Yellow Jackets are the number-7 seed for the ACC Tournament in Jacksonville. Tech faces North Carolina at 1pm this afternoon. The Eagles of Georgia Southern are in Charleston for the Southern Conference tourney. The Eagles take-on Elon College at 4 o'clock.
Georgia State's Panthers lead-off the Colonial Athletic Association tournament in Wilmington--they face Old Dominion at noon today.

Georgia sports for Friday, November 9th

The 10th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs are getting set to meet rival Auburn, ranked 18th in the country. The game kicks-off in Athens tomorrow afternoon at 3:30.

Also ahead in college action Saturday: Ga Tech is on the road in Durham to face Duke. Ga Southern is home in Statesboro tomorrow to meet Furman. G-Southern’s Eagles are tied with Wofford and Elon atop the Southern Conference.

College basketball’s season opens tonight for Georgia and Ga Tech: The Bulldog-men host Jacksonville tonight at 9. In Atlanta, Ga Tech’s men’s team plays their opener against UNC-Greensboro at 6.

Pro sports: the Hawks are at Boston, while the Thrashers skate at Florida.

Georgia sports for Monday, January 7th

From women's college basketball Sunday, 7th-ranked Georgia lost their first game of the season. The Lady Bulldogs fell on the road to Xavier, 65-55.

Men's college basketball action yesterday had Georgia Tech winning their contest in Atlanta with Presbyterian, 77-64.

From pro hockey Sunday, the Atlanta Thrashers topped the Buffalo Sabres in Atlanta, 5-2.

GPB Sports

Tour de Georgia

Racing in the US for the first time, a citizen of Belarus, a former region of the USSR, won the Tour de Georgia yesterday. Twenty-five year old Kanstantin Sivtsov took the overall lead Saturday in a grueling climb up Brasstown Bald Mountain, while his teammate, New Zealand’s Thomas Henderson won the race’s final stage in a final sprint through downtown Atlanta yesterday.

Falcons new quarterback

The Michael Vick era is officially over in Atlanta Falcon’s history. The Falcons drafted their quarterback of the future, Matt Ryan from Boston College. It was a position Vick was sure to have until he was convicted and imprisoned on dog-fighting charges last year. The new quarterback is part of a campaign to put a new face on the Falcons.

Braves lose

The Atlanta Braves lost to the New York Mets yesterday, 3-6.

Georgia sports for Monday, August 25th

Atlanta Braves--

The Braves wrapped a 6-game road trip with only a single victory--that came Saturday night in St. Louis. Sunday, the weekend series in St. Louis concluded with a 6-3 Cardinals' win. The Braves had no answer for St. Louis slugger Albert Pujols, who had 8 hits in 11 at-bats in the series, including 2 home runs. Braves' manager Bobby Cox called it a "terrible road trip", as the Braves' pitching staff posted a 7.66 ERA over the 6-game span that included a stop in New York against the Mets.

The lead for Braves' 3rd-baseman Chipper Jones in the National League batting race has shrunk to a single percentage point. Jones holds the .359 batting average edge, to now only .358 for the Cardinals' Pujols.

Atlanta Falcons--

The Falcons have made their decision for a starting quarterback for the season--rookie Matt Ryan. The team's top pick and #3 overall selection in this April's NFL Draft will get the call for game #1 of the season on September 7th, when the Falcons host Detroit. The former Boston College star completed 15 of 21 passes for 102 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions in the Falcons' preseason win over Tennessee Friday. The Falcons' final preseason tuneup is Thursday night at Baltimore.

Georgia sports for Tuesday, December 4th

Men's college basketball last night included wins for Georgia and Mercer. Georgia's Bulldogs were home in Athens, scoring the 81-74 decision over Augusta State. Sundiata Gaines led scorers with 24 points. Georgia improves its record to 5-1. Mercer tripped-up Charleston-Southern in the final second. James Florence hit the winner with :01 showing on the clock. He finished with 28 points.

From pro basketball, the Atlanta Hawks were winners on the road at Philidelphia 88-79. Josh Smith paced the Hawks with 22 points--Atlanta improves its season record to 7-9.

Off-season news from the Atlanta Braves. The team has announced a deal with the Chicago Cubs. The Braves send reliever Jose Ascanio to Chicago--in return, Atlanta gets reliever Will Ohman and utility infielder Omar Infante. The trade satisfies a pair of needs for the Braves--filling the gap for a left-handed reliever, and getting a backup infielder. Braves' officials are with those from other teams this week at baseball's winter meetings in Nashville.

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 Tuesday, July 1st

Atlanta Braves--

Out of Monday's off-day, the Braves pick up with action back home at Turner Field in Atlanta. They'll start a 6-game homestand with the 1st of 3 against the NL-East Division leading Philidelphia Phillies. Into today's play, the Braves are 4 games out of first in the division. Atlanta's record is 40-43, now 2 games past the halfway point of the season schedule.

Georgia sports for Thursday, September 27th

The lights are nearly out for the Braves' postseason hopes, in the wake of their 5-2 loss to the Phillies in Philidelphia last night. Tim Hudson suffered the pitching loss to drop his season record to 16-10. A key Chipper Jones throwing error paved the way for 3 Phillies' un-earned runs off Hudson. With 4 games left in the season, the Braves stand 4 games out of 1st in the NL-East, and 4 off the top for the wild card. Concerning the Phillies, their recent surge combined with the Mets' faltering play has drawn Philidelphia to within 1 game of New York in the division.

Atlanta Falcons defensive back DeAngelo Hall says he's been fined 100-thousand dollars by the team for his outburst during the Falcons' loss at home to Carolina last Sunday. Hall also might be suspended for some length of the team's upcoming game against the Houston Texans. Last Sunday, Hall was whistled for 3 penalties on the same Falcon defensive series. His outburst included 2 personal fouls and a heated exchange with coaches on the sidelines. Hall says he plans to appeal the team sanctions through the NFL Players Association.

From preseason hockey, the Atlanta Thrashers last night beat the Florida Panthers 4-1 in exhibition action. The team is coming down the stretch toward their season opener, a week from Friday.

A new meaning to 'faith-driven community'

A mobile congregation faces Pastor Norman Markle standing in the doorway of New Hope Methodist Church as he delivers a sermon broadcast on AM airwaves during a drive-in service at the 152-year-old church in Marietta, Ga. (AP / John Amis)

The preacher stood in the doorway of the picturesque church and looked out at the parking lot as his congregation gathered for the early morning service.

By the time the Rev. Norman Markle started his sermon, everyone was still in their vehicles — just as planned. The 150-year-old New Hope United Methodist Church is offering a drive-in service, hoping to attract new visitors with an unusual worship experience.

“Maybe they don’t have a church or don’t care to get dressed up to go to church; let’s find a way to eliminate all that,” Markle said. “People go where they’re comfortable.”

The service has all the markings of traditional worship — hymns, a Scripture reading and a sermon — but everything is broadcast over an AM radio station. Attendees can stay in their cars, spread a blanket on the ground or go inside the tiny chapel, depending on where they are most at ease.

The Georgia church is still working out the kinks after just a few weeks of drive-in services. One recent Sunday, a sports radio show bled through on the church’s AM channel, punctuating hymns and prayers with scores and stats.

Markle is hoping to draw attention to his 88-member church, which is off the beaten path in a suburban Atlanta area now crowded with automotive repair shops, car dealerships and fast food restaurants. He plans to run the services through the fall, or until the weather gets too cold to sit outdoors.

The church hopes to add a monthly communion to the drive-in service, where attendees would be served the bread and grape juice in their cars. Some Sundays, coffee and doughnuts will be offered after worship.

A recent Sunday drew about 20 worshippers in 10 or so vehicles. Most of the group sat in their cars and trucks, enjoying the unseasonably cool morning. The crowd included three dogs and several people munching on breakfast as they sang along to “Just a Closer Walk with Thee.”

One family piled on a blanket in the back of their pickup truck with their rat terrier, Kapone, and listened to the sermon.

“I think it’s incredible,” said Kapone’s owner, Renee Ford-Murphy, who’s been a member at New Hope for three years. “I’ve never had an opportunity to worship in the open air like this.”

The church has advertised the service in the newspaper and with signs along the winding roads that lead to the tiny, white chapel. “Come worship in your car, just as you are,” the signs say.

Rebecca Ash-Allen and her husband, Chuck Allen, decided to try out the service after they saw the signs, which are close to the Chrysler dealership where Allen works. The couple likes to listen to the service with the top down on their green convertible.

“It allows me to have an enjoyable setting while praying,” Ash-Allen said. “He and I both feel more comfortable in this setting.”

(The Associated Press)

Georgia sports for Friday, June 22nd

The Braves out of yesterday’s off-day on the schedule, are back to action tonight opening a home series against the defending American League champion Detroit Tigers. John Smoltz will get the pitching start.

The Braves have struggled this month in general, especially in home games, where they’ve lost 10 of their last 14 played at Turner Field. Centerfielder Andruw Jones has been going especially tough, hitting only for a .202 average as the season heads into late-June. Jones is in the final year of his contract, and looking for a big pay-day when his free agent status arrives.

Despite Andruw’s and the Braves’ struggles, the team is still only a game-and-a-half behind the Mets for 1st in the NL-East.

Georgia sports for Monday, January 21st

Two Georgia Bulldog football players have been suspended for the team's season opening game in late August. Defensive back Donavon Baldwin and fullback Fred Munzenmaier were booked into the Clarke County jail early Sunday on alcohol-related charges. The backup players were both given a one-game suspension, to miss the August 30th game against Georgia Southern. The players will also be assigned community service and be disciplined within the team.

Women's college basketball from Sunday: 12th-ranked Georgia scored a win in Athens over Alabama 71-53. Tasha Humphrey netted a season-high 25 points. Georgia Tech's Yellow Jackets were losers on the road at Maryland in double overtime, 99-95.

Out of pro hockey, the Atlanta Thrashers lost on home ice to Edmonton Sunday, 4-2.