I'm sure everyone knows by now about the amazing story the Falcons have been thus far. A 6-4 record may seem mediocre for some teams, but for the Falcons and the true Falcon fans, it's a breath of fresh air. But, as we all know, it hasn't always been like this. The Atlanta Falcons were born on June 30th, 1965. The main pusher  was Rankin Smith, a young financial executive who had controlling ownership of the franchise. After a lot of player evaluation and roster shuffling, the Falcons recorded their first franchise victory on August 27th in Columbia, South Carolina against the 49ers 24-17 in the preseason. But, they finished their first season with a 3-11 record. The Falcons went on to suffer 29 losing seasons (up to last year) with a few winning seasons peppered throughout their history. The best season the Falcons have had in the past decade was the 1998 14-2 NFC Championship season. Since then, things have been pretty the same for the Falcons. But, on Dec. 6, 2001, Arthur M. Blank agreed to purchase the team and it became official in 2002.  Their record since then is as follows:

2002  9-6    made playoffs

2003  5-11

2004  11-5   made playoffs

2005  8-8

2006  7-9

2007 4-12

In, 2002, the Falcons won the wild card playoff, but lost in the divisional round. In 2004, the Falcons won the divisional round, but lost in the NFC Championship.

Nobody expected (besides me) the nice start the Falcons have had so far this year. It all started when Arthur Blank went and got Mike Smith and Thomas Dimitroff. Those two have a nice chemistry with each other and the players. Then, Dimitroff drafted QB Matt Ryan out of Boston College, which has paid huge dividends. Things are definitely starting to look up for this frachise. I can't stress enough as a fan, when I say that this year is a breath of fresh air!! Last year was a complete disaster, the franchise QB gets put in jail, a man that I really admired and proudly wore his jersey, the Petrino monster bailed after 13 games, and then we finished with 12 losses. I wish y'all could've seen the funny looks I got in public when I would wear my colors. I mean, this is the home team, and I was getting dirty looks for wearing their colors. This year, I've actually received a few compliments and earned respect for sticking this thing out and not abandoning the team like everyone else did. You can honestly say this year, THIS AIN'T YOUR DADDY'S FALCONS!!!

sources: atlantafalcons.com, espn.com

You know, as I look around the college football and NFL world today, there is a recurring theme: HEAD COACHES ON THE HOT SEAT. That's a headline that, frankly, I'm sick of. It got me thinking about my favorite coach in all of sports, and how I feel blessed as a Georgia fan to have: Head Coach Mark Richt. I've come across some information that I found very interesting concerning him. Here's some facts about the state of Georgia Bulldogs football since he arrived in 2001:

Record Under Richt (2001-2007)

2001  8-4 (5-3) T-3rd East

2002  13-1 (8-1) SEC Champions, Sugar Bowl Champions

2003 11-3 (6-3) SEC East Champions

2004  10-2 (6-2) 2nd East

2005  10-3 (7-2) SEC Champions

2006  9-4 (4-4) T-3rd East

2007  11-2 (6-2) T-1st Sugar Bowl Champions

Recruiting Rankings

2002  #3 Rivals, #9 Scout

2003  #6 Rivals, #11 Scout

2004  #6 Rivals, #6 Scout

2005  #10 Rivals, #4 Scout

2006  #4 Rivals, #4 Scout

2007  #9 Rivals, #17 Scout

2008  #7 Rivals, #5 Scout

National Rankings  (AP Poll Finishes)

2001   #22

2002   #3 

2003   #7

2004   #7

2005   #10

2006   #23

2007   #2

Other Facts:

* 2002 and 2005 SEC Coach of the Year

* Posted a 72-19 record in his first seven seasons

* Has the fourth highest winning percentage in the country among active FBS coaches

* Has led Georgia to 3 SEC Championship games, Georgia is 2-1 in that department

* Has led Georgia to 3 Sugar Bowl appearances, Georgia is also 2-1 in that department

Conclusion

What more can be said? Mark Richt is one of the best coaches in the country. I'm glad we don't have to worry about how our coach being fired. I don't mean that as a stab at any other team whose coach is on the hot seat, I just feel blessed to have a coach like Coach Richt. He's also a man that shares my faith and values, we are both Christians. I've had the chance to hear him speak in person at the NW Georgia and Chattanooga Bulldog Club, and it was pretty awesome. GO DAWGS!!!!!!!

 

sources: markricht.com, georgiadogs.com

It's been awhile since I last posted a blog, so I thought I'd spout off a few thoughts about what I think about the upcoming season for the SEC.

1. Who will win the East?

That's the million dollar question. Florida looks to be scary good, but they have no defense so look for UGA to run up the score. I know, you Florida fans think you own UGA but let me remind you that WE own the series lead 47-37-2. The winner of the Cocktail Party will win the East and the SEC.

2. Who will win the West?

This is a toss-up because there's no stand-out team. LSU has lost too much talent to compete, Bama is Bama, MSU is improved but not enough to matter, Ole Miss (goes without saying), Arkansas has no offense, and Auburn is going through transition. Really, you could put any team in this slot. I really don't know who will win this division. I'll have to go with LSU because they're the defending champs.

3. Who will win the SEC Championship?

Like I've said before, I think the winner of UGA/UF will win the SEC and go to the National Championship and win. The Atlanta showdown could be Georgia vs. LSU or Florida vs. LSU with the Eastern Division team winning. I'm personally biased if you couldn't tell already for Georgia. We're just too loaded to bet against.

4. Can Georgia successfully navigate the tough schedule?

ABSOLUTELY!!!!! Why not? I encourage everyone to go on georgiadogs.com and check out our depth chart. We have the guns to do it. I'm not saying we'll go undefeated, I think at best we'll go 11-1. Yes, the schedule is tough, but we have one of the best coaches in college football that knows how to motivate his team and keep them focused. I have all the confidence in the world in my team. I'm not ignorant, just confident.

5. Who will surprise?

I know it may sound like I was dissing the SEC West, but I think Mississippi State is the one to watch. I'm not saying that they'll win the division or the SEC, but I think they could be this year's Kentucky. They have a good coach, but they need to get that offense going. I think they'll make a bowl game again this year.

Thank You

Towards the end of 2007, when the national title talk started to heat up, one thing kept coming up among the team message boards: Strength of Schedule. The national title talk for next year has already started, so I did a little research on next year's top 3 teams. I looked at all three schedules and analyzed them. This is what I found:

1. Georgia

Aug. 30 Georgia Southern (7-4, 4-3) Div. 1-AA
Sept. 6 Central Michigan (8-6, 6-1) MAC
Sept. 13 South Carolina (6-6, 3-5)
Sept. 20 #16 Arizona State (10-3, 7-2) Pac 10
Sept. 27 Alabama (7-6, 4-4)
Oct. 11 #12 Tennessee (10-4, 6-2)
Oct. 18 Vanderbilt (5-7, 2-6)
Oct. 25 #1 LSU (12-2, 6-2)
Nov. 1 #13 Florida (9-4, 5-3)
Nov. 8 Kentucky (8-5, 3-5)
Nov. 15 #15 Auburn (9-4, 5-3)
Nov. 29 Georgia Tech (7-6, 4-4) ACC

Schedule Analysis:
* Faces 9 bowl teams from last season
* Faces 5 ranked opponents (based on the final AP poll)
* Highest ranked opponent: #1 LSU
* Lowest ranked opponent: #16 Arizona State
* Faces 9 teams with winning records (excluding Georgia Southern)

Recruiting (according to Rivals.com):
2 Five Star
13 Four Star
23 Total Commitments

Final AP Ranking: #2

2. USC

Virginia (9-4, 6-2) ACC
#5 Ohio State (11-2, 7-1) Big 10
#25 Oregon State (9-4, 6-3)
#23 Oregon (9-4, 5-4)
#16 Arizona State (10-3, 7-2)
Washington State (5-7, 3-6)
Arizona (5-7, 4-5)
Washington (4-9, 2-7)
California (7-6, 3-6)
Stanford (4-8, 3-6)
Notre Dame (3-9) Ind
UCLA (6-7, 5-4)

Schedule Analysis:
* Faces 7 bowl teams from last season
* Faces 4 ranked opponents (final AP poll)
* Highest ranked opponent: #5 Ohio State
* Lowest ranked opponent: #25 Oregon State
* Faces 6 teams with winning records

Recruiting:
2 Five Star
13 Four Star
19 Total Commits

Final AP Ranking: #3

3. Ohio State

Youngstown State (7-4, 3-3) Div. 1-AA
Ohio (6-6, 4-4) MAC
#3 USC (11-2, 7-2) Pac 10
Troy (8-4, 6-1) Sun Belt
Minnesota (1-11, 0-8)
#24 Wisconsin (9-4, 5-3)
Purdue (8-5, 3-5)
Michigan State (7-6, 3-5)
Penn. State (9-4, 4-4)
Northwestern (6-6, 3-5)
#20 Illinois (9-4, 6-2)
#18 Michigan (9-4, 6-2)

Schedule Analysis:
* Faces 7 bowl teams from last season
* Faces 4 ranked opponents (final AP poll)
* Highest ranked opponent: #3 USC
* Lowest ranked opponent: #24 Wisconsin
* Faces 8 teams with winning records (excluding Youngstown State)

Recruiting:
4 Five Star
9 Four Star
20 Total Commits

Final AP Ranking: #5

Final Comments:
Based on all of this, I would have to give the toughest schedule award to UGA (not just because I'm a dawg fan). I put this blog together to hopefully shed some light on the schedules and settle the debate about who has the toughest schedule. Georgia and Ohio State both play one Div. 1-AA team, while USC plays none. The reason UGA has the toughest schedule is because we face more ranked opponents, more bowl teams, and more teams with winning records. The lowest ranked opponent is #16, while the other two lowest teams were near the bottom of the poll. Georgia also faces the 2006 and 2007 National Champions, back to back, on their turf. This isn't just opinion, it's backed up with facts.

Thank You

It would do us Atlanta Braves fans and players good to take a look back at the only world title we've been fortunate enough to celebrate. I'm doing this blog because going into 2008, we need to look back at what we had to keep us hungry in the future.

Before 1995:
1991- We had the worst team in the NL, and then we came back to win the pennant. We did farely well against the Twins in the World Series, until Game 7. We had our hearts broke. We lost the World Series.
1992- We won the NL Pennant again, only to lose in the World Series to the Toronto Blue Jays.
1993- We made the playoffs, but lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS.
1994- The strike...

The Dream Becomes A Reality:
This was the year after the strike and baseball was trying to recover. The NLDS was instituted, and the Braves prevailed, defeating the Colorado Rockies. It was on to the NLCS, where we defeated the Reds.
Ah, at last, another NL Pennant and another World Series. Do you remember the jitters, the anticipation, the hope?

Game 1:
Atlanta 3
Cleveland 2
Series 1-0
Winning Pitcher: Greg Maddux
Losing Pitcher: Orel Hershiser

Game 2:
Atlanta 4
Cleveland 3
Series 2-0
Winning Pitcher: Tom Glavine
Losing Pitcher: Dennis Martinez

Game 3:
Atlanta 6
Cleveland 7
Series 2-1
Winning Pitcher: Jose Mesa
Losing Pitcher: Alejandro Pena

Game 4:
Atlanta 5
Cleveland 2
Series 3-1
Winning Pitcher: Steve Avery
Losing Pitcher: Ken Hill

Game 5:
Atlanta 4
Cleveland 5
Series 3-2
Winning Pitcher: Orel Hershiser
Losing Pitcher: Greg Maddux

AND THEN IT HAPPENS:
Game 6:
Tom Glavine pitched shutout ball the entire game, the only run scored in the whole game was a David Justice home run. The ball was turned over to closer Mark Wohlers. It's the bottom of the ninth, two outs, Carlos Baerga at the plate. One out away from finally winning our only world title AND THEN IT HAPPENS!!!
"Grissom on the run... YES! YES! YES! The Atlanta Braves have just given you a championship!" Skip Caray calls the final out on Braves Radio with utter excitement!!! We were World Champions!! There's no feeling like it.
Atlanta 1
Cleveland 0
Series won 4-2
Winning Pitcher: Tom Glavine
Losing Pitcher: Dennis Martinez

Being from a small town, it meant so much to me that my favorite team was a world champion. Since then, we've made the playoffs every year with the exception of 2006 and 2007, with nothing to show for it. It's been a disappointing ride over the last few years, but I'm confident that we will prevail this year. We have a team that, if healthy, can go back to the World Series and win. I know that sounds like a stretch, but I have every right to be confident going into this season. I'm proud of my Braves and we deserve to celebrate another championship. GO BRAVES 2008!!!!!!

sources used: baseball-almanac.com

Since Tom Glavine is back in Atlanta for the first time since 2002, and since Spring Training is just a few weeks away, I decided to do some research and put together a little tribute to the guy I grew up watching, Mr. Tom Glavine. Consider this a 'Welcome Home' tribute.

Bio

Thomas Michael Glavine was born on March 25, 1966 in Concord, MA. He has a brother named Mike and is friends with Hall of Famer Tom Seaver. He was drafted by the Braves in the second round of the 1984 amateur draft and made his MLB debut on Aug. 17, 1987. He struggled his first couple of seasons with Atlanta, but eventually found his form. He has went from the young kid who went 7-17 in 1988, to the 300-win future Hall of Famer. He pitched for the Atlanta Braves from 1987-2002, and the New York Mets from 2003-2007.

Stats and Info.

Bats: Left

Throws: Left

Height: 6' 0"

Weight: 205 lbs.

Born: Mar. 25, 1966 in Concord, MA

MLB Debut: Aug. 17, 1987

Career Pitching

Pct.        W        L        G       CG        SHO         IP

.604      303    199    669    56          25          4,350

Career Hitting

G        AB       R         H        2B         3B       HR        RBI         SB      AVG       OBP       SLG

679   1,304  91      244      25           2          1           89            1       .187       .244       .212

Postseason

14-16  3.42 ERA

All-Star Selections

1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006

Cy Youngs

1991, 1998

MVP

1995 World Series MVP

Other Awards

1991- TSN Pitcher of the Year

1995- NL Babe Ruth Award

2000- TSN Pitcher of the Year

2007 Stats

W       L         ERA        SO

13       8        4.45         89

 

I hope that you've enjoyed this little piece of info. on Tom Glavine. Out of fairness, the sources used are: baseball-reference.com and atlantabraves.com.

Thank You

I've been silent long enough about this issue. I've given my opinion on Clemens, but not the whole steroid issue. Here's my take: The focus should not be on past players. Baseball can't do anything about the past players who no longer are employed. The focus should be on the here and now. The only past players to look at are the ones who are on the Hall ballot (McGwire, etc.). Selig needs to put into practice random drug testing whether it's urine testing or blood testing, whatever works. If a player is caught once, he should be banned for life, no second chance. That will take care of your steroid users. Selig better get his act together before MLB goes bye-bye. I have been a baseball fan my whole life and I have never seen anything like this. I suspected McGwire but you didn't really hear much about it. I partially blame Selig and the owners for letting it go and letting get as bad as it did. Why are they waiting until just now to handle it? I guess I'll never understand it and the issue will never go away. When spring training starts, the talk needs to be about baseball, not steroids and all of the he said-he said bullcrap. Selig needs to either own up to his mistakes or resign. Believe me, I'm a huge baseball fan, but they really have to get their act together, no excuses. Do you agree or disagree? Let me know.