The Boston Celtics took a step in the right direction to making the playoffs on Friday night. Paul Pierce had his third triple-double of the season and he and the Celtics beat the Hawks 118-107.
The Celtics outscored the Hawks 32-30 in the first quarter and never looked back. They also held a ten point lead at halftime. They also shot an outstanding 54 percent from the field as a team. Pierce had twenty points, ten rebounds and ten assists for the triple-double. Jeff Green led the Celtics though with 27 points, followed by Jason Terry with 24 and Brandon Bass with thirteen. Shavlik Randolph came off the bench and led Boston with thirteen rebounds. The Celtics have now won two games in a row and are 38-34 on the year.
The Hawks tried to keep it close and they did most of the game, but it just wasn't enough. They had a different looking starting lineup, as Josh Smith and Jeff Teague were the only normal starters that started. Al Horford, who has been leading the team lately, missed the game with a stomach illness. Also, the bench players had extended minutes.
Mike Scott led the Hawks with nineteen points off the bench. He was followed by Smith who had eighteen, Teague was next with seventeen, Anthony Tolliver had fourteen and Shelvin Mack had twelve. Rookie John Jenkins left the game in the first half and didn't return after suffering an injury. Devin Harris missed the game with his foot injury, its the third game in a row that he hasn't played. Zaza Pachulia also remained out.
The Hawks are now 40-33 on the year. They return home to play the Orlando Magic tomorrow night at 7 p.m. The Magic are having one of their worst seasons in recent years, they currently have a record of 19-54.
Josh Smith throws down a dunk during the Hawks' 118-107 loss to the Boston Celtics on Friday night.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
The Atlanta Braves faced off against the Houston Astros in their spring finale in Florida on Thursday afternoon. They got great pitching and won 2-0, they can now make final preparations for Opening Day next week.
The Braves' offense got five hits while scoring their two runs. Andrelton Simmons hit a solo home run, it was his third of the spring. Justin Upton also got a hit and scored a run due to an error. Freddie Freeman, Evan Gattis and Ramiro Pena were the other three Braves to record hits.
Paul Maholm started the game and pitched four scoreless innings while striking out two batters. He increased his scoreless innings streak to 24 and two-thirds innings to end his spring. He also got the win, he went 4-1 on the spring and had an ERA of 1.53. Craig Kimbrel, Jordan Walden and Anthony Varvaro all pitched a scoreless inning each. Walden's inning was the most impressive as he struck out two of the three batters he faced. Adam Russell pitched the ninth inning and picked up his first save of the spring.
The Braves finished their Florida portion of spring training with a 20-15 record. They have an off day tomorrow and then will travel to Mississippi to face the Braves' Minor League All-Star squad. Mike Minor will make the start against the Braves' young up and comers.
Paul Maholm picked up the victory on Thursday in the Braves' 2-0 win over the Astros. Maholm went 4-1 on the spring with a 1.53 ERA.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
The next Falcons' player recap will be over long snapper Josh Harris. This is also the final Falcons' player recap.
Harris is a one-year pro out of Auburn. He didn't do much in his first season in the NFL, but in 2012 he saw some action with Atlanta. He was the team's long snapper for punts and he also made three special teams tackles. He should be around with the Falcons again next season since good long snappers are harder to find. He might also see more time on the special teams' unit covering kickoffs.
The Atlanta Hawks beat the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night, 107-88. With the victory, the Hawks clinched a playoff spot, it is the sixth year in a row they have made the playoffs, the longest streak of any team in the Eastern Conference.
The Raptors started the game off strong by outscoring the Hawks in both the first and second quarters. They held a ten point lead at the half with the score being 54-44. But they fell apart in the second half and just couldn't do anything right. Jonas Valanciunus led the Raptors with nineteen points. Rudy Gay was next with fifteen points, he also led the Raptors with twelve rebounds. DeMar DeRozan added fourteen points, Terrence Ross had thirteen points and Alan Anderson had twelve points. Kyle Lowry also had ten assists to lead Toronto in that category. The Raptors are now 26-45 on the year and have lost five straight games.
The Hawks were sluggish in the first half but totally dominated in the second half. They outscored the Raptors 63-34 over the third and fourth quarters. Now that they are going to the playoffs again, the Hawks need to start having more performances like they did against Toronto. They also shot 49 percent from the field as a team in the win.
Al Horford led the Hawks in scoring with 26 points, he also pulled down a team-high twelve rebounds. Jeff Teague was next in scoring with 24 points, he also dished out a game-high thirteen assists. Josh Smith was the only other Hawk in double figures, he had nineteen points. Devin Harris missed his second game in a row with his injured foot, Zaza Pachulia also missed the game with his injury.
The Hawks are now 40-32 on the year. Their next game will be on Friday against the Boston Celtics in Boston at 7:30 p.m. The Celtics are 37-34 on the year and are still looking to clinch their own spot in the playoffs.
Al Horford throws down a dunk in the Hawks 107-88 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night. Horford led the Hawks with 26 points in the victory.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
The Washington Nationals defeated the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday, 11-2. They used six home runs while demolishing Atlanta pitching.
Atlanta's offense had eleven hits in the game but could only manage two runs. Those two runs came on home runs by Gerald Laird and Evan Gattis in the sixth inning. Laird's home run was his first of the spring, Gattis' was his sixth of the spring. Ramiro Pena led the Braves with three hits. Andrelton Simmons, Chris Johnson and Jordan Schafer all had a hit for the Braves along with other minor leaguers that played in the game.
In a surprising move, Eric O'Flaherty started the game and pitched a perfect first inning. He gave way to Daniel Rodriguez who only made it through two innings and gave up eight runs on six hits, including four home runs. He took the loss, he is 0-2 on the spring. Luis Avilan pitched a perfect fourth inning, Cristhian Martinez pitched two innings but gave up a solo home run. Dusty Hughes also pitched an inning and gave up two runs, including a home run, but struck out three men. Washington's Ryan Zimmerman had three of the Nationals' home runs, catcher Wilson Ramos had two and Tyler Moore hit one.
The Braves are now 19-15 on the spring. They will play their final spring training game in Florida tomorrow against the Houston Astros at 1:05 p.m. Paul Maholm will make the start and try to increase his scoreless innings streak. Also, the Braves announced that Jose Constanza, Tyler Pastornicky and David Carpenter didn't make the team and they were sent to minor league camp. All three players will start the year at Triple-A Gwinnett.
Eric O'Flaherty started the game against the Nationals on Wednesday, he pitched a perfect inning. The Braves lost though, 11-2.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
The Atlanta Falcons found a replacement for John Abraham on Wednesday. They agreed to terms with defensive end Osi Umenyiora on a two-year contract, worth $8.5 million.
Umenyiora gives the Falcons a slightly younger defensive end, Abraham was 34 and Umenyiora is 31. He has been a big part of the New York Giants' defense since 2003 when he was drafted out of Troy. He helped lead the Giants to two Super Bowl titles in the nine years he spent there. He set career-highs in tackles with 71 and sacks with fourteen and a half back in 2005. Overall for his career he had 376 tackles and 75.5 sacks. He will pair with Kroy Biermann to give the Falcons two fast pass rushers for at least the next two years.
The next Falcons' player recap will be over kicker Matt Bryant.
Bryant is a twelve-year veteran out of Baylor. He has played for the New York Giants, the Indianapolis Colts, the Miami Dolphins and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before coming to Atlanta in 2009 to replace Jason Elam. His past three years in Atlanta have been the most productive years of his career. He attempted a career-high tying 38 field goals last year and made a career-high 33 of those attempts. That includes him being a perfect four of four from beyond the 50 yard line, his season long was 55 yards. He also made 44 extra point attempts, one off his career-high in a season.
Bryant will again be around for the Falcons next season. He will continue to be their kicker until he starts to falter or he starts getting too old. Don't expect that to happen for another few years though, as he seems to have gotten better as he gets older.
The Atlanta Braves used a pair of late homers to complete a comeback on Tuesday against the Detroit Tigers. The homers came in the seventh and ninth innings to help Atlanta win, 6-5.
Atlanta's offense used ten hits to score their six runs. Ramiro Pena had the big home run in the seventh inning, it was a three-run shot to give the Braves a 5-4 lead at the time. It was Pena's first of the spring. After Detroit tied the game in the eighth inning, Juan Francisco hit a solo shot in the ninth inning for the winning run, it was his sixth home run of the spring. Freddie Freeman and Gerald Laird also drove in a run each for the Braves. Matt Pagnozzi tied Francisco for the team lead with two hits for the game. Jason Heyward, B.J. Upton and Reed Johnson each had a hit for the Braves too.
Tim Hudson had a good day in his final tune-up before he starts on Opening Day next week. He pitched four innings and gave up one run on four hits. Jordan Walden and Adam Russell also had scoreless appearances for Atlanta. Jonny Venters had a bad day, he pitched a third of an inning and gave up three runs on two hits, including a home run to Detroit's Don Kelly. He also pulled himself from the game with an injury the team is calling a sprained elbow. Cory Gearrin pitched the eighth and ninth innings and gave up no runs and two hits. He earned the victory, he is 1-0 on the spring.
The Braves are now 19-14 on the spring. Their next game is tomorrow against the Washington Nationals at 1:05 p.m. Daniel Rodriguez will be making his first start of the spring for the Braves.
Ramiro Pena (14) is congratulated after his three-run home run in the seventh inning. The Braves beat the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday, 6-5.
Photo Courtesy of images.yahoo.com
Today's Falcons' player recap will be over punter Matt Bosher. It is also the beginning of coverage of special teams' players. That will last for the next three days and then the Falcons' recaps of last season will be finished.
Bosher is a two-year player out of Miami University. When the Falcons drafted him before the 2011 season, his job was the replace Michael Koenen, who is one of the better punters in the NFL. He struggled at first in his rookie season, but settled down and he has become a good punter himself. Last year he had 60 punts, they went for an average of 47 yards per punt, five yards better than his rookie year. His longest punt went for 63 yards. He also pinned the opponent behind the 20 yard line 22 times.
Bosher will be the Falcons' punter again next year. He will only get better as he continues to increase his leg strength and as he gets more acclimated to punting in the NFL.
The Indiana Pacers were missing several key players on Monday night. That didn't matter as they defeated the Atlanta Hawks, 100-94.
The Pacers were playing without star Danny Granger, David West, George Hill and Granger's replacement Lance Stephenson. But they showed they had true depth on their team as they handled the Hawks, especially in the second and third quarters. The Pacers outscored the Hawks 32-17 in the second quarter and 27-20 in the third. Gerald Green started and led the team with nineteen points, seventeen of those points came in the second half. Roy Hibbert was next with seventeen points, followed by Orlando Johnson with fifteen, Jeff Pendergraph with fourteen, Paul George with thirteen and Tyler Hansbrough with twelve. Hibbert and Hansbrough both had double-doubles as Hibbert led Indiana with thirteen rebounds and Hansbrough had eleven. The Pacers are 44-27 on the year.
Atlanta started off the game strong, but really struggled in the second quarter. The third quarter wasn't much better and they managed to only score 37 points between the two middle quarters. They had the bench out for the fourth quarter and they played extremely well, they outscored the Pacers 31-15. Unfortunately it wasn't enough, even though the Hawks had made it 94-90 at one point near the end.
Josh Smith led the team with 20 points. Al Horford was next with thirteen points, followed by Jeff Teague who had ten and Shelvin Mack came off the bench to score ten points too. The Hawks didn't have Zaza Pachulia again due to his injury. Devin Harris also missed the game with the foot injury he suffered on Sunday at Milwaukee.
The Hawks are now 39-32 on the year. They need to win one more game to make the playoffs. Their next chance to do that will come on Wednesday night when they will take on the Raptors in Toronto. The Raptors are 26-44 on the year and have lost four straight.
Shelvin Mack takes a shot against the Indiana Pacers. Mack scored a season-high ten points off the bench for the Hawks in the loss.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
The Atlanta Braves lost on Monday to the New York Mets, 7-4. Mike Minor got roughed up again and his spring ERA rose to 6.26.
The Braves' offense had nine hits while scoring their four runs. Jason Heyward led the Braves with two hits, one of them was his fourth home run of the spring. He and Justin Upton hit back-to-back home runs in the seventh inning. The home run was Upton's sixth of the spring. Juan Francisco and Evan Gattis drove in the other two runs for the Braves. Freddie Freeman, B.J. Upton, Jordan Schafer and Chris Johnson all added hits for Atlanta too.
For the pitching, Minor threw five innings and gave up five runs and six hits, including three home runs. He suffered the loss and is now 2-1 on the spring. Craig Kimbrel pitched again and this time he had a much better outing, he struck out a batter in a scoreless eighth. Anthony Varvaro and Adam Russell both pitched and each gave up a run on two hits in their innings of work.
The Braves are now 18-14 on the spring. They will play again tomorrow at 1:05 p.m. against the Detroit Tigers. Tim Hudson is expected to make his final start before he pitches on Opening Day. Also, the Braves announced they sent Blake DeWitt, Jordan Parraz and Joey Terdoslavich to minor league camp. Christian Bethancourt was also sent to Double-A Mississippi, meaning Evan Gattis or Matt Pagnozzi will back up Gerald Laird at catcher until Brian McCann is healthy again.
Today's Falcons' player recap will cover corner back Peyton Thompson. It is also the last day that the recaps will cover the secondary. Tomorrow will start the beginning of special teams players.
Thompson is a rookie out of San Jose State. The Falcons didn't draft him but signed him as an undrafted free agent. He proved to be good enough for Atlanta to hang on to but he didn't see any game action in 2012. Thompson could be around next season, especially with the Falcons being thin at the corner back position now. At best though, he would make the team as a special teams player.
For the second time this week the Atlanta Hawks beat the Milwaukee Bucks. This time they used a strong fourth quarter to push themselves to victory, 104-99.
The Bucks played the Hawks tight and ended up being tied after three quarters. The fourth quarter, the Bucks battled and battled but fell short in the final minutes. They shot a combined 45 percent from the field as a team in the loss. Monta Ellis, who did horrible earlier this week against Atlanta, led the Bucks with 20 points. Ersan Ilyasova had nineteen points and ten rebounds, Larry Sanders also had a double-double with fifteen points and a team-high twelve rebounds. Brandon Jennings added twelve points, while Ekpe Udoh scored ten points off the bench. Milwaukee has now lost their last three games and they are 34-35 on the year.
After an even first quarter, the Hawks used a run in the second to give themselves a one point lead at the half. Then in the fourth, the Hawks used some scrappy play to pull ahead for good by five points. They shot 50 percent from the field for the game and hit 38 percent of their three-point attempts.
Al Horford led the Hawks with 24 points. Josh Smith followed with 23 points, Devin Harris had sixteen and Jeff Teague had fourteen. Kyle Korver hit 3 three-pointers, he has hit a three-point shot in 63 consecutive games now. Also, Harris left the game late in the fourth quarter with a foot injury, he did not return. The Hawks also didn't have Zaza Pachulia again, DeShawn Stevenson and Ivan Johnson didn't play either.
The Hawks are now 39-31 on the year. They turn around quickly and play the Indiana Pacers tomorrow night at 7 p.m. at Indiana. The Pacers are one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference this season with a 43-27 record.
Al Horford throws down a dunk on Sunday against the Milwaukee Bucks, the Hawks won the game 104-99.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
The Atlanta Braves lost to the Washington Nationals on Sunday, 9-3. The game was played under very poor and windy conditions and eventually was called due to rain after eight innings.
The Braves had six hits for their three runs in the loss. Dan Uggla, Tyler Pastornicky and Juan Francisco drove in the three runs for the Braves. Chris Johnson, Ramiro Pena, Jason Heyward and Andrelton Simmons all added hits for Atlanta.
Pitching wise, Kris Medlen was rocked for six runs on eight hits, including a home run, in five innings. He finishes the spring with a 1-2 record. He also hardly resembles the pitcher that completely dominated the second half last season. Luis Avilan pitched the sixth inning and gave up a run on two hits. David Carpenter pitched the seventh inning and gave up two runs on two hits, including a homer.
The Braves are now 18-13 on the spring. They will play again tomorrow against the New York Mets at 1:05 p.m. Mike Minor will be making his final start of spring training.
Kris Medlen was hit hard in his final spring start. The Nationals knocked him around for six runs in five innings of the Braves' 9-3 loss.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
Today's Falcons' player recap will be over safety Shann Schillinger.
Schillinger is a two-year player out of Montana. He was originally drafted by the Falcons back in 2010 and appeared in games with them in that season and in 2011. He had nineteen tackles over those two years. In 2012, Schillinger didn't appear in any games with the Falcons. He could be in Atlanta again in 2013, but he will have to earn a roster spot in camp, otherwise, he could be looking for a new home.
The Atlanta Braves played a pair of games on Saturday and won both of them. They beat the Houston Astros 3-2 and they also beat the Toronto Blue Jays 10-5.
In the game against the Astros, the Braves' offense scored their three runs on three hits, all solo home runs. Dan Uggla hit his first home run since March third, it was his second of the spring. Evan Gattis then homered, it was his third home run in his past two games, and his fifth overall of the spring. Jordan Parraz also homered for the Braves, it was his third of the spring.
The pitching was stellar for the Braves, especially for starter Julio Teheran. He pitched six innings and gave up no hits, while striking out ten batters. He is now 3-1 on the spring. It was also announced that he had won the job for the fifth spot in the starting rotation over lefty Sean Gilmartin, who started the other game on Saturday against Toronto. Jordan Walden pitched a scoreless seventh inning while Eric O'Flaherty pitched a scoreless eighth inning. Craig Kimbrel pitched the ninth and gave up a two-run homer to former Brave Rick Ankiel, who had both of the Astros' two hits in the game. Kimbrel did earn his first save of the spring though.
In the game against the Blue Jays, the Braves' offense had thirteen hits while scoring their ten runs. Minor league third baseman Edward Salcedo entered the game late and had two hits in the final two innings, both were home runs. He also drove in four runs to help the Braves to victory. Justin Upton had two hits and drove in a run, Blake DeWitt also had two hits. Reed Johnson added a two-run single in the fifth inning, while the other Braves to get hits in the game were B.J. Upton, Ramiro Pena and Matt Pagnozzi.
For the pitching, Gilmartin had a day he wouldn't mind forgetting. He gave up five runs on ten hits, including three home runs, in five innings. He was sent to minor league camp after the game was over and will most likely start the year at Triple-A Gwinnett. Cristhian Martinez had a good day though, he pitched three scoreless innings and gave up two hits and had two strikeouts. That should increase his chances of making the bullpen, he is competing with Anthony Varvaro for one of the final spots.
The Braves are now 18-12 on the spring after winning both games. They will play again tomorrow against the Washington Nationals at 1:05 p.m. Kris Medlen will make the start, it will be his final start of the spring.
Dan Uggla hits a solo home run in the Braves' 3-2 victory over the Houston Astros on Saturday.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
The next Falcons' player recap will cover corner back Asante Samuel.
Samuel is a ten-year veteran out of the University of Central Florida. He started his career with the New England Patriots before being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Falcons acquired him in a trade with the Eagles before the 2012 season. Samuel had a decent first year with Atlanta, he did struggled with some minor injuries throughout the season though. He had 36 tackles, the most he has had since the 2009 season, and he had five interceptions, one which he returned for a touchdown, the sixth time he had done that in his career. He has 50 interceptions in his career.
Samuel will be back in Atlanta next season. He will be anchoring the corner back position, which has a cloudy future now. With Dunta Robinson and Christopher Owens gone, and Brent Grimes probably leaving too, the Falcons only have Samuel and Robert McClain left from the main group of last season's corner backs.
The Portland Trail Blazers came to Atlanta needing a win. They accomplished that feat with a big fourth quarter which led them to a 104-93 victory on Friday night.
The Blazers and Hawks were keeping it close in the beginning as they were tied 45-45 at the half. After the Hawks outscored them in the third quarter, the Blazers roared back and outscored the Hawks in the fourth quarter 31-17. That big quarter propelled them to the victory. Wesley Matthews led the team with 28 points. Damian Lillard was next with 22 points, followed by LaMarcus Aldridge who had 20 points and led the team with thirteen rebounds. J.J. Hickson also had a double-double with fifteen points and ten rebounds. The Blazers are now 33-36 on the year and are on a two-game winning streak.
The Hawks just didn't have enough left in the tank to pull out the win. They played well through three quarters and then just faltered off, especially on defense. They shot 44 percent from the field, but only hit 29 percent of their three-point attempts.
Josh Smith led the Hawks with 24 points, he also added ten rebounds. Jeff Teague was next with 21 points, while Al Horford was the only other Hawks to score in double figures, he had fifteen. Horford also pulled down seventeen rebounds to lead the Hawks, it was his 40th double-double of the season. Zaza Pachulia missed the game, he is still out with his injury.
The Hawks are now 38-31 on the year. Their next game will be on Sunday in Milwaukee as they take on the Bucks at 3 p.m. The Bucks are 34-34 on the year and just lost to the Hawks this past Wednesday.
Josh Smith goes up strong for a shot, he led the Hawks with 24 points in the loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
The Atlanta Braves fell behind in the earlier innings and came back to take a late lead. That didn't hold up though as Philadelphia Phillies prospect Darin Ruf hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth to give the Phillies a 7-6 victory.
The Braves had twelve hits in the loss. Evan Gattis had a big day. He had three hits, including two home runs, he now had four home runs on the spring. He also drove in three runs. Jose Constanza also had three hits for the Braves. Chris Johnson added two hits and drove in a run. B.J. Upton had a hit, a solo shot, for his second home run of the spring. The other three Braves to record a hit were Freddie Freeman, Dan Uggla and Blake DeWitt.
Paul Maholm did struggle a little bit, but overall he was effective. He pitched six innings and gave up four unearned runs on seven hits with five strikeouts. The runs scored because of two errors, one by Chris Johnson and the other one by Uggla.
The Braves are now 16-12 on the spring. They will split up tomorrow and play two games. Half of the team will play against the Toronto Blue Jays and the other half will play against the Houston Astros. Both games are at 1:05 p.m. Sean Gilmartin will start one game, while Julio Teheran will start in the other.
Today's Falcons' player recap will be over corner back Dunta Robinson.
Robinson is a eight-year veteran out of South Carolina and a local boy from Athens. He has spent the majority of his career with the Houston Texans before spending the past three seasons in Atlanta. He had his best season yet with the Falcons in 2012, recording 80 tackles, one and a half sacks and an interception.
The Falcons released Robinson in early March for salary cap reasons. He has already moved on and found a new home with the Kansas City Chiefs, where he will shore up their secondary and be a starter.
Tim Hudson was named the Opening Day starter earlier in the day. Later, he performed like the ace the Braves hope he will continue to be throughout the 2013 season, leading the Braves to a 4-3 victory over the Washington Nationals.
The Braves' offense had ten hits while scoring their four runs. Justin Upton hit his third home run in his past two games, and his fifth overall for the spring. His home run went completely over the scoreboard and it ended up being the decisive run for the Braves. Tyler Pastornicky had two hits and two RBI's for the Braves. Reed Johnson also had two hits and drove in a run. Chris Johnson had two hits too and scored a run for Atlanta. The other three Braves to get a hit were Andrelton Simmons, Juan Francisco and Joey Terdoslavich.
As mentioned earlier, Hudson had a great outing. He pitched six scoreless innings and gave up six hits while striking out five batters. He picked up the victory and is now 2-1 on the spring. Luis Avilan pitched the seventh inning and struggled, giving up three runs on four hits. Cory Gearrin pitched a scoreless eighth inning and struck out two men, while Anthony Varvaro pitched a scoreless ninth and earned his third save of the spring.
The Braves are now 16-11 on the spring. They will play again tomorrow at 1:05 p.m. when they take on the Philadelphia Phillies. Paul Maholm will make the start for Atlanta, he hasn't allowed an earned run in his last fourteen and two-thirds innings.
Tim Hudson delivers a pitch in the Braves' 4-3 victory over the Washington Nationals, in which Hudson pitched six scoreless innings for Atlanta.
Photo Courtesy of yahoo.com
Today's Falcons' player recap will be over corner back Christopher Owens.
Owens is a three-year pro out of San Jose State. He has spent his whole career with Atlanta so far. After being a main reserve in the secondary his first two years, he has seen his action and playing time decrease a little over the last two seasons. He had 22 tackles in 2012 with no interceptions. He hasn't had an interception over the past two years.
Owens is currently a free agent, but the Falcons could choose to re-sign him, especially with the departure of Dunta Robinson and the possible departure of Brent Grimes. If he does come back, he could have a chance to become one of the top reserves at the position again or even the starter if he performs well in training camp over the summer.
The Atlanta Hawks battled long and hard on Wednesday night with the Milwaukee Bucks. At the end, they came out on top, 98-90.
The Bucks had a horrible night, shooting only 37 percent from the field as a team. They fell behind a little bit in the second quarter and then fell behind even more in the third before storming back in the fourth quarter but it just wasn't enough. Brandon Jennings led the Bucks with 21 points on the night. He was followed by Larry Sanders who had nineteen points and added fourteen rebounds, which led the team. J.J. Redick came off the bench and added eighteen points and Mike Dunleavy also came off the bench to score ten points. The Bucks are now 34-33 on the year and still fighting for one of the final playoff spots in the Eastern Conference.
The Hawks started off slow but came alive in the second quarter to take a five point lead going into the half. Then they outscored the Bucks 29-16 in the third quarter to take a huge lead, only to allow the Bucks back into the game at the end before they finished them off. They shot 48 percent from the field as a team in the game.
Three players had double-doubles for Atlanta in the victory. Jeff Teague led the Hawks with 27 points and dished out a team-high eleven assists in his first start in four games. Al Horford was next with 26 points, he also added fifteen rebounds. Josh Smith had twelve points, but he led the Hawks with sixteen rebounds. Devin Harris was the only other Hawk to score in double figures, he had fifteen points. DeShawn Stevenson, who scored only one point, left the game in the first half with a lower leg contusion and never returned. Zaza Pachulia missed yet another game with his injury.
The Hawks are now 38-30 on the year. Their next game is against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday at Philips Arena at 7:30 p.m. The Blazers have lost two games in a row and are 31-36 on the year.
Jeff Teague looks to shoot the ball against two Bucks' defenders. Teague led the Hawks with 27 points in their 98-90 victory over Milwaukee.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
Freddie Freeman and Andrelton Simmons both had a great day at the plate on Wednesday. So did the Braves whole team, as they punished the Pittsburgh Pirates, 18-9.
The Braves offense had 21 hits while tallying their eighteen runs. They have scored 35 runs over their past two games. Freeman had four hits on the day, including two runs, he now has seven home runs on the spring. He also had a double and had four RBI's. Simmons was playing in his first game since returning from the World Baseball Classic. He hit his first two home runs of the spring and added a double and four RBI's too.
Outfielder Jordan Parraz got a hit in his only at-bat, it was a three-run home run, his second of the spring. Chris Johnson had two hits and two RBI's on the day. Jason Heyward also had two hits and drove in a run. Dan Uggla showed signs of life at the plate, he recorded two hits and scored three runs. Justin and B.J. Upton each had a hit and an RBI, Mike Minor also had a double and drove in a run. Jordan Schafer, Reed Johnson, Evan Gattis and Joey Terdoslavich each had a hit for the Braves.
Minor had a rough outing on the mound though. He pitched four innings and gave up five runs on ten hits and struck out five. He did pick up the victory though and is now 2-0 for the spring. It is the second day in a row that a Braves starter has been hit hard. Reliever Jordan Walden, who hadn't pitched since February 23rd with a back issue, made his second spring appearance. He pitched the fifth inning and gave up a run on a hit and two walks. David Carpenter, who is vying for a bullpen spot, gave up three runs on four hits over two innings, which didn't help his case for making the team.
The Braves are now 15-11 on the spring. They will take the field again tomorrow at 6:05 p.m. and play the Washington Nationals. Tim Hudson will make the start for Atlanta. Also, reliever Dusty Hughes was reassigned to minor league camp, bringing the Braves' spring roster down to 40 players.
The next Falcons' player recap will be over safety William Moore.
Moore is a three-year pro out of Missouri. He has spent his whole career with the Falcons and he has become quite an important piece to their secondary over the past few years. Despite missing four games in 2012, Moore set a career-high with 75 tackles and he added four interceptions. Over the past three years he has totaled 200 tackles and eleven interceptions.
Moore was set to become a free agent this off season, but the Falcons already re-signed him to a five-year deal. He will continue to team up with fellow safety Thomas DeCoud to give the Falcons one of the better tandems of safeties in the NFL today.
Today's Falcons' player recap will be over safety Charles Mitchell.
Mitchell is a rookie out of Mississippi State. He was able to appear in ten games as a rookie for the Falcons this season, mainly on special teams. He did record one tackle. He should have a future in the NFL, he just needs to mature and develop a little more. It remains to be seen if that future will be in Atlanta since the Falcons have already locked up starting safeties Thomas DeCoud and William Moore to long-term contracts.
The Atlanta Hawks had a three-game winning streak going. The Dallas Mavericks didn't care though and they came into Atlanta and had their best game of the season, beating the Hawks 127-113.
The Mavericks set two scoring marks in the win. They scored their most points in a half this year when they had 68 points by halftime. They also scored the most points in a game so far this year. Darren Collison came off the bench and led the Mavs with 24 points. Dirk Nowitzki was next with 22 points, followed by O.J. Mayo with seventeen, Chris Kaman with fourteen, Vince Carter with thirteen and Brandan Wright with twelve. Former Hawk Anthony Morrow, who was traded at the trade deadline earlier this year, had eight points off the bench for Dallas. The Mavericks are now 32-35 on the year and fighting for a playoff spot. They have made the playoffs twelve years in a row.
The 68 points the Hawks gave up in the first half was the most points they have given up all season. Also, the 127 points the Mavericks scored for the whole game was the most they have given up this year. The Hawks were shooting good though, hitting 56 percent of their shots, but the Mavericks were just a little bit better, mainly in the first quarter when they outscored the Hawks 34-25.
The Hawks had eight players score in double figures. Jeff Teague led the way with nineteen points, Al Horford added sixteen, Josh Smith had thirteen, Anthony Tolliver had twelve, Kyle Korver had eleven and Devin Harris, John Jenkins and Ivan Johnson all had ten points. Horford led the Hawks with eleven rebounds for another double-double. Zaza Pachulia missed his ninth straight game with his injury, while Johan Petro and DeShawn Stevenson were also held out.
The Hawks are now 37-30 on the year. They will play again on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. when they welcome the Milwaukee Bucks to town. The Bucks are 33-32 on the season and are fighting for one of the last playoff spots in the Eastern Conference race.
Kyle Korver shoots a three-pointer, he has hit a three-point shot in 60 consecutive games now, which is a Hawks record.
Photo Courtesy of images.yahoo.com
The Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies played a slug-fest on Monday afternoon. The Braves prevailed at the end, 17-10.
The Braves offense had nineteen hits while scoring their seventeen runs. Justin Upton had a huge day, he had three hits, including two home runs and six RBI's. The home runs were his third and fourth of the spring. Freddie Freeman also hit a home run, his fifth of the spring, and he had two RBI's. Juan Francisco also hit his fifth home run of the spring, he had three hits total for the day with three RBI's.
Tyler Pastornicky also had three hits on the day, he drove in two runs. Catcher Matt Pagnozzi had three hits too, including a triple, and he drove in a run. Jason Heyward and Kris Medlen had two hits, Medlen also drove in a run. Chris Johnson and B.J. Upton each collected a hit and an RBI to complete the offensive attack from the Braves.
Even though Medlen collected two hits and an RBI at the plate, he had a day he would like to forget from the mound. He pitched five innings and gave up nine runs on fourteen hits, including a home run to Phillies' outfielder Dominic Brown. He did pick up the victory though and is 1-1 on the spring. Craig Kimbrel made his first appearance since returning for the World Baseball Classic, he pitched a scoreless seventh inning. Eric O'Flaherty and Cory Gearrin also pitched a scoreless inning each. Adam Russell pitched the ninth inning and gave up an unearned run.
The Braves are now 14-11 on the spring. They play again on Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates at 1:05 p.m. Mike Minor will make the start for Atlanta. Also, top prospect J.R. Graham has be reassigned to minor league camp. He had an impressive spring training for the Braves and should be in the Majors by next season.
Justin Upton watches the flight of one of his two home runs in the 17-10 win over the Phillies on Monday.
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
Today's Falcons' player recap will be over corner back Robert McClain.
McClain is a three-year pro out of Connecticut. He was originally drafted by the Carolina Panthers but didn't play much with them over two years. Last year, the Falcons took a chance on him and he proved to be a good signing. He set a career-high with 61 tackles and had his first career interception.
McClain will most likely be around next season and he will have a chance to become one of the starting corner backs with Dunta Robinson gone and if Christopher Owens and Brent Grimes both leave during free agency. At the least, he will play in the same role as he did this past season and be one of the top backups to the starting corner backs.
The Atlanta Hawks played an important game on Sunday night. And they realized it was important, especially at the end of the game when they completely dominated the Brooklyn Nets to win 105-93.
At first the game was really close and tight. The Nets took a lead into the final quarter before falling apart and the Hawks took them down. Former Hawk Joe Johnson hit seven of his sixteen shots as he scored eighteen points. Deron Williams also scored eighteen points as both players lead the team for the game. Brook Lopez added seventeen points for the Nets, while Reggie Evans had a monster game, scoring fourteen points and pulling down a team-high 22 rebounds. The Nets are now 38-28 and only a game up on the Hawks for fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Hawks fell behind in the first quarter, took a lead into halftime and then fell behind by two heading into the fourth quarter. That is when they came alive and completely dominated the Nets and outscored them 34-20 in the final quarter. They ended up shooting 52 percent from the field as a team.
Al Horford led the Hawks with 22 points and he also led the team with eleven rebounds. Josh Smith had 21 points, Dahntay Jones had his best game as a Hawk scoring thirteen points off the bench, Kyle Korver also added twelve points. Jeff Teague came off the bench again and had eleven points and he also led the Hawks with fifteen assists. Zaza Pachulia missed yet another game with his injury.
The Hawks have now won three in a row and are 37-29 on the year. They will return home to play the Dallas Mavericks tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. Dallas is 31-35 on the year and fighting to get back into the Western Conference playoff picture.
Dahntay Jones throws down a dunk in the Hawks' 105-93 victory on Sunday night over the Brooklyn Nets. Jones had his best game as a Hawk yet with thirteen points off the bench.
Photo Courtesy of images.yahoo.com
The Atlanta Braves beat the New York Mets on Sunday 2-1. Julio Teheran had a great performance and has all but won the fifth spot in the starting rotation.
The Braves' offense totaled eight hits while scoring their two runs. Chris Johnson had the biggest hit, a solo home run in the fourth inning. It was his third home run of the spring, he also had three hits in the game to boost his chances at winning the third base job. Freddie Freeman had an RBI single in the sixth inning, it proved to be the winning run. Jordan Schafer, Jordan Parraz, Ramiro Pena and Juan Francisco all had a hit in the victory.
Teheran has been sharp this spring and had probably his best outing on Sunday. He served up a home run to Jordany Valdespin to lead off the game but then gave up only two other hits over six innings. He also struck out seven Mets' batters as he improved his spring record to 2-1. Left-handed relievers Luis Avilan and Dusty Hughes both pitched scoreless innings in relief for the Braves. Anthony Varvaro pitched the ninth inning and earned his second save of the spring.
The Braves are now 13-11 on the spring. They will take the field again tomorrow at 1:05 p.m. and play the Philadelphia Phillies. Kris Medlen will be making the start for Atlanta.
Chris Johnson hits a solo home run in the fourth inning for the Braves in their 2-1 victory on Sunday, it was his third home run of the spring.
Photo Courtesy of yahoo.com
The next Falcons' player recap will cover corner back Terrence Johnson.
Johnson is a two-year player out of California-PA. He has played for the Colts and now the Falcons. He only appeared in two games with Atlanta in 2012 and didn't record any tackles or any other stats. His future in Atlanta is questionable. If he gets an invite to training camp, he could try to win a spot on the roster as a special teams player.
The Braves had their secret weapon on the mound against the Yankees on Saturday. Paul Maholm, who hasn't allowed a run in over fourteen innings, shutout the Yankees, as the Braves won 4-0.
The Braves used eight hits to score their four runs. Juan Francisco had the big hit, a two-run homer in the fifth inning, it was his fourth homer of the spring. He finished the day with two hits and two runs driven in. Justin Upton also had two hits and he drove in a run. Jason Heyward drove in the other Braves' run with a hit. Joey Terdoslavich, Tyler Pastornicky and Reed Johnson all recorded hits for the Braves too.
Maholm had a great day on the mound for Atlanta. He gave up two hits and had four strikeouts in his six scoreless innings of work. He has a streak of fourteen and two-thirds innings of not giving up a run, that streak covers his last three outings. He is now 3-1 on the spring. David Carpenter pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning for the Braves. Prospect J.R. Graham was fantastic over the final two innings of the game, giving up one hit and striking out a batter.
The Braves are now 12-11 on the spring. They will take on the New York Mets for the second time in three days tomorrow at 1:10 p.m. Julio Teheran is scheduled to start for Atlanta.
Today's Falcons' player recap will be over safety Chris Hope.
Hope is an eleven-year veteran out of Florida State. He has spent his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans and the Falcons last year. Hope was mainly a reserve on the Falcons, but he did appear in every game for them in 2012. He had 26 tackles but he didn't have an interception for the first time since the 2003 season.
Hope most likely won't be back with the Falcons next year. If he is, it will again be in a reserve role behind starters Thomas DeCoud and William Moore. He might try to hit the free agent market and find a place where he could have more playing time.
The Atlanta Hawks avenged a loss they suffered to the Phoenix Suns earlier in the year back in Phoenix. Playing in front of the home crowd on Friday night, Atlanta easily handled the Suns, 107-94.
The Suns tried to keep it close, but this one was over by halftime. The Suns are miserable this season playing away from Phoenix. They are 7-27 on the road. Goran Dragic led the team with 21 points. Jermaine O'Neal was next with eighteen points, followed by Markieff Morris who had fifteen points and also led the Suns with eleven rebounds. Michael Beasley also came off the bench to score ten points for Phoenix. The Suns have lost three straight games and are now 22-44 on the year.
The Hawks had an eleven point lead by the half, and just matched the Suns' play for the final two quarters to come away with the victory. They shot 48 percent from the field as a team and also 52 percent from beyond the three-point line. They also had most of their players back, including Josh Smith and Jeff Teague, who actually came off the bench during the game.
Smith led the Hawks with seventeen points in the win. He was followed by Kyle Korver and Al Horford who both had sixteen, Devin Harris was next with fifteen and DeShawn Stevenson added twelve points. Smith and Horford both posted double-doubles and tied for the team lead with eleven rebounds. Zaza Pachulia missed the game again with his injury. It was also announced that guard Shelvin Mack had been signed to his second ten-day contract.
The Hawks have now won two games in a row and are 36-29 on the year. They will travel to Brooklyn to take on the Nets on Sunday night at 8 p.m. The Nets are 38-27 on the season.
Josh Smith takes a shot during Friday night's 107-94 victory over the Phoenix Suns. Smith returned after missing the last game with a knee injury to lead the Hawks with seventeen points.
Photo Courtesy of images.yahoo.com
Tim Hudson had a much better outing on Friday for the Atlanta Braves. That, along with two Braves' home runs, wasn't enough to beat the New York Mets though, as they beat the Braves 5-2.
The Braves offense had six hits in scoring their two runs. The runs came on homer's by Juan Francisco and Freddie Freeman. Francisco hit his third home run of the spring in the third inning, while Freeman hit his fourth of the spring in the fourth inning. After Freeman's homer, B.J. Upton, who had two hits, and Dan Uggla both singled but the rally was halted when Mets' pitcher Jeremy Hefner struck out the next three Braves' batters. Catcher Gerald Laird added the other hit for the Braves.
Hudson pitched a spring-high six innings for the Braves and gave up two runs on five hits. The runs came on one swing of the bat by the Mets' Lucas Duda for a two-run home run in the second inning. Eric O'Flaherty pitched a perfect seventh inning for the Braves, Cristhian Martinez and Cory Gearrin both struggled. Martinez suffered the loss after giving up an unearned run on two hits in the eighth inning. He is now 0-1 on the spring. Gearrin had his first rough outing of the spring, giving up two runs on two hits in the ninth.
After the game it was announced that four more players have been cut from the spring roster. Outfielder Todd Cunningham, shortstop Elmer Reyes and catcher Matt Kennelly were all three assigned to minor league camp. Ernesto Mejia, who was fighting for a bench job, was sent to Triple-A Gwinnett.
The Braves are now 11-11 on the spring. They will take on the New York Yankees tomorrow at 5:05 p.m. Paul Maholm will make the start, it will be his third start against the Yankees this spring.
The next Falcons' player recap will cover corner back Brent Grimes.
Grimes is six year pro out of Shippensburg college. He has spent his whole career with the Falcons. Two of those years, he had really good seasons, but the rest of his career he has battled injuries. Once again, an injury struck him in 2012 as he got hurt in the season opener and missed the rest of the year. He finished that game with six tackles, which is his total for the 2012 season.
Grimes is a free agent this off season and it isn't known yet whether the Falcons will re-sign him or not. Since Dunta Robinson was released, that increases the chances of Grimes returning, but his health will be the key concern. If he does return, it will most likely be on a one-year deal.
After playing each other two days ago, the St. Louis Cardinals returned the favor on Thursday, beating the Braves, 5-4. The Braves pounded the Cardinals 12-3 on Tuesday.
The Braves' offense used eleven hits to plate their four runs. Jordan Parraz had a great day for the Braves, going four for four, with two doubles and scoring two runs. Blake DeWitt drove in two of Atlanta's runs with a hit. Jordan Schafer also drove in a run and scored a run of his own. Mike Minor laid down a bunt to drive in a run too. The Braves also got hits from Dan Uggla, Freddie Freeman, Chris Johnson, Evan Gattis and Juan Francisco, but they couldn't muster anything else out of all those base runners.
For the pitching, Minor started out strong, retiring twelve of the first fourteen batters he faced. Then he got into trouble in the fifth inning and the Cardinals batted around on him. He ended the day giving up four runs on six hits and four walks in five innings. Anthony Varvaro pitched a perfect sixth inning. Prospect Alex Wood pitched the final two innings, giving up a run on three hits. He suffered the loss and is now 0-1 on the spring.
The Braves are now 11-10 on the spring. They will play the New York Mets tomorrow at 1:05 p.m. Tim Hudson is scheduled to start for Atlanta. The Braves also announced that prospect David Hale had been cut from the spring roster and optioned to the minor leagues.
The Atlanta Falcons found a replacement for Michael Turner on Thursday. They announced they signed running back Steven Jackson, formerly of the St. Louis Rams, to a three-year contract.
Jackson will be playing his tenth NFL season in 2013 with Atlanta. He was drafted by the Rams out of Oregon State back in 2004. He is a very dependable running back, and was considered to be the best running back available in this years free agent class. He rushed for 1,042 yards in 2012, his eighth straight season of rushing for more than 1,000 yards. Unlike Turner, Jackson is good with his hands, he even caught 90 passes back in 2006 for over 800 receiving yards. He is the active leader in career rushing yards in the NFL today with 10,135 yards.
Also as expected, longtime center Todd McClure announced his retirement from the NFL. He played sixteen years with the Falcons and started in 198 games for them in his career. That also includes the franchise record he set for most consecutive starts of 144 from 2002-2010.
Today's Falcons' player recap will cover corner back Dominique Franks.
Franks is a third-year player out of Oklahoma. He has been with the Falcons his whole career, but he was lucky this past season. He was released at the end of training camp, but due to an injury, the Falcons brought him back just a few days later. He didn't play much on defense this season, but he got a shot at punt returning and he didn't do so well there either, mainly calling fair catches. He finished the season with fourteen tackles.
Franks could be with the Falcons again next season, but he will have to earn a roster spot. With the recent departure of Dunta Robinson, his chances increase, but he will have to play a lot better in camp than he did in 2012.
The Atlanta Hawks have been struggling lately, but they won a game that should boost the moral on Wednesday night. They held on at the end to beat the streaking Los Angeles Lakers 96-92.
The Lakers started off slow and were down big at the half. In the third quarter things changed though, as Kobe Bryant scored 20 points alone in that quarter to bring the Lakers back into the game. Late in the fourth, Bryant took a shot to tie the game but missed it and twisted his ankle severely, he is out indefinitely. He led the team with 31 points even though he had a poor night shooting. Metta World Peace added 20 points for the Lakers, Steve Nash had eleven and Dwight Howard had ten points and pulled down a team-high sixteen rebounds. The Lakers are now 34-32 and their playoff hopes may have taken a hit with the loss of Bryant.
The Hawks started off quick against the Lakers, leading by seven after the first quarter and then by twelve points at the half. After Bryant had a big third quarter, the Hawks had just enough to put the Lakers away in the fourth quarter.
Devin Harris led the Hawks in scoring with seventeen points. Kyle Korver was next with fifteen points off the bench, followed by Al Horford who had fourteen, Ivan Johnson and John Jenkins both had twelve off the bench and Johan Petro had ten. Horford and Petro both had double-doubles, Horford led the Hawks with fourteen rebounds and Petro pulled down eleven boards. The Hawks also won this game without Josh Smith, Jeff Teague, Zaza Pachulia and DeShawn Stevenson. The first three were all out with various injuries.
The Hawks are now 35-29 on the year. They will welcome the Phoenix Suns to Philips Arena on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. The Suns have lost two games in a row and currently sit at 22-43 on the season.
Devin Harris takes a shot for the Hawks, he had a big night, leading Atlanta with seventeen points in their 96-92 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Photo Courtesy of sports.yahoo.com
The Atlanta Braves had some great pitching and got some clutch offense late to win 2-1 over the Miami Marlins on Wednesday night. They did receive a scare though when Kris Medlen was hit by a batted ball and taken out of the game.
The Braves offense only collected four hits in the victory. B.J. Upton had two of those hits, including a double, but it was Freddie Freeman and Chris Johnson who delivered the damage. Freeman hit a solo home run in the second inning, it was his third homer so far of spring training. Johnson had a bloop single with two outs in the ninth inning that drove in Tyler Pastornicky for the winning run.
As for the pitching, Medlen was having a great day before being hit by a Casey Kotchman liner. The ball hit Medlen in the triceps on his throwing arm and manager Fredi Gonzalez removed him from the game for precautionary reasons. Medlen did say he will be ready to go the next time he is scheduled to pitch. He finished his day against the Marlins giving up only two hits in four plus scoreless innings. Jonny Venters replaced Medlen and gave up a run when he walked four straight batters, other than that he did fine in his inning and a third of relief. Dusty Hughes also pitched a scoreless inning in the seventh.
The Braves are now 11-9 on the spring. They will play the St. Louis Cardinals again tomorrow at 1:05 p.m. Mike Minor is scheduled to make the start for the Braves.
Freddie Freeman watches as his solo home run sails over the fence in the second inning. His homer helped the Braves down the Marlins, 2-1.
Photo Courtesy of yahoo.com
The next Falcons' player recap will cover safety Thomas DeCoud. It also starts the beginning of coverage over safeties and corner backs.
DeCoud is a five-year pro out of California. He has been with the Falcons his whole career and has been a main part of the secondary for most of the past four years. Last season, he had the second highest total of tackles in his career with 76, which included a sack. He also set a career-high with six interceptions.
DeCoud will be around again next season and team up with William Moore, who recently re-signed for the next five years, as one of the best set of safeties in the NFL. They both are hard-hitting and should provide great defense and coverage for the Falcons for years to come.
The Miami Heat continued their winning ways on Tuesday night, easily beating the Hawks 98-81. It was their nineteenth straight victory, which has vaulted them to the top of the NBA with the best record in all of basketball.
The Heat didn't play their best basketball as they shot only 42 percent from the field as a team. Somehow they outscored Atlanta in every quarter though and earned their nineteenth straight victory. Dwyane Wade led the Heat with 23 points, LeBron James followed him with fifteen, Mario Chalmers and Chris Bosh both had fourteen, while Ray Allen added twelve points off the bench. Udonis Haslem pulled down eleven rebounds to lead the Heat in the victory. With their nineteenth straight victory, the Heat are now 48-14 on the year.
The Hawks just didn't have it from the beginning, as the Heat outscored them 26-18 in the first quarter and they never recovered. To make matters worse, they lost Jeff Teague to an ankle injury after halftime and he returned to the bench but never went back in to the game.
Josh Smith led the Hawks with fifteen points in the loss. Al Horford had twelve points and so did Teague before he went down with his injury. Eight other players scored for the Hawks, but none in double figures. Zaza Pachulia missed another game with his injury and Johan Petro didn't play either.
The Hawks are now 34-29 on the year and have lost three games in a row. They will return home to play the Los Angeles Lakers tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. The Lakers have been on fire as of late and beat the Hawks just last week. They have won four games in a row and are 34-31 on the year.
Jeff Teague drives in the lane against the Miami Heat on Tuesday night. Teague had twelve points before he left the game with an ankle injury.
Photo Courtesy of sports.yahoo.com
The Braves took out their frustrations from last year's wild card playoff game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday. They pounded the Cardinals and won 12-3.
The Braves' offense used fourteen hits to score their twelve runs. Freddie Freeman, Evan Gattis and Ernesto Mejia each had two hits for the Braves. Gattis had a double and three RBI's, Mejia also had a double with two RBI's and Freeman had two RBI's. Joey Terdoslavich drove in two runs with a double, and B.J. Upton and Jordan Schafer both drove in a run with a hit. Also adding hits for the Braves were Jason Heyward, Ramiro Pena, Tyler Pastornicky and Jordan Parraz.
The pitching was mostly good for the Braves. They got a sensational outing from Julio Teheran, he pitched five innings of no-hit ball and struck out six batters. He is now 1-1 on the spring. Eric O'Flaherty returned from injury and made his first appearance of the spring. He gave up two hits, but didn't allow any runs in his scoreless inning of work. Luis Avilan was hit hard for the first time this spring. He gave up three runs on four hits in his inning of work.
The Braves also announced after the game they made ten cuts. Pitchers Yohan Flande, Gus Schlosser and Ryan Buchter, catchers Jose Yepez, Braeden Schlehuber and Louis De La Cruz and third baseman Joe Leonard were sent to extended spring training, while pitching prospects Cory Rasmus, Aaron Northcraff and Juan Jaime were sent to their respective minor league teams.
The Braves are now 10-9 on the spring. They will play the Miami Marlins tomorrow at 7:05 p.m. Kris Medlen will make the start for Atlanta.
Julio Teheran pitched five innings of no-hit ball and struck out six batters while picking up his first victory of the spring.
Photo Courtesy of news.yahoo.com
The Falcons and tight end Tony Gonzalez announced that he will return to the team in 2013. After saying all year in 2012 that he was going to retire, Gonzalez surprised the Falcons and their fans with the announcement.
Even though Gonzalez has been around since 1997, he was still on top of his game last year and was near the top of every statistical category for tight ends in the NFL. He had 93 receptions for 930 yards to go along with eight touchdowns. For his career he had caught 1242 passes for 14,268 yards and 103 touchdowns.
Also, the Falcons announced they had re-signed offensive lineman Sam Baker to a six-year deal. Re-signing Baker was key with him being one of the top lineman on the team last season for Atlanta and with the almost definite retirement of center Todd McClure.
The next Falcons' player recap will cover linebacker Sean Weatherspoon. It is also the final recap over the linebackers. The next recap will start coverage on safeties/corner backs.
Weatherspoon is a three-year pro out of Missouri. When the Falcons first drafted him, they envisioned him being a star on defense and he has become just that. He had a career-high 115 tackles in 2011 for Atlanta and last year he finished with 96 tackles despite missing three games with an injury. He also had three sacks and made his first career interception.
"Spoon", as Falcons' fans have come to know him, will be back next year and will be leading the line backing corps. There will probably be a few new faces at linebacker for the Falcons next season, so "Spoon" will be in charge of helping them become a part of the team.
The Atlanta Braves got off to a good start against their division rivals this year, even if it is only spring training. They beat the Nationals 7-2 on Monday after hitting Stephen Strasburg hard in the sixth inning.
The Braves' offense had nine hits while plating their seven runs. Blake DeWitt had two hits, including a double and two RBI's to lead the offense. B.J. Upton also had two hits and drove in a run. The other Upton, Justin, had a hit and drove in two runs, as did Ernesto Mejia, who had a double and two RBI's. Tyler Pastornicky, Reed Johnson and Matt Pagnozzi also had a hit each for the Braves.
The pitching had a pretty good day for the Braves. Starter Paul Maholm was terrific, pitching five scoreless innings and giving up only two hits to go with five strikeouts. He is now 2-1 on the spring. Anthony Varvaro and Cory Gearrin both pitched scoreless innings. Varvaro struck out two batters in his inning of work and Gearrin struck out the side during his outing.
The Braves have once again evened up their record and they are 9-9 on the spring. They will play again tomorrow at 1:05 p.m. against the St. Louis Cardinals. It will be the first time the two teams have met since last year's wild card playoff game. Julio Teheran is expected to make the start for the Braves.
Justin Upton ropes a two-run single in the top of the sixth inning against the Washington Nationals on Monday.
Photo Courtesy of yahoo.com
The next Falcons' player recap is over linebacker Mike Peterson.
Peterson is a fourteen year veteran out of Florida. He has spent his career with the Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars and the Falcons. The last few years he has mainly been a backup and a veteran leader on the team. 2012 was probably Peterson's worst in the NFL stats-wise, as he had only fourteen tackles, a career-low.
Peterson will most certainly be gone next year. He will either retire from the NFL or find a backup spot on a team that needs depth for the linebacker position.
The Miami Marlins had everything going for them on Sunday. The Atlanta Braves apparently didn't, as Miami defeated them 10-2.
The Braves' offense got eleven hits in the game but could only push across two runs. Dan Uggla drove in one of the runs with an RBI single and Joe Leonard drove in the other with an RBI double. B.J. Upton had a good day with three hits, all singles. Jason Heyward had two hits for the Braves, that helped him to break out of a slump where he was hitless in his last fourteen at-bats. Ernesto Mejia and Chris Johnson also had a hit for the Braves.
The Braves' pitchers didn't have very good days. Tim Hudson made the start and gave up six runs on nine hits, including a three-run home run in the first inning. He suffered the loss and is now 1-1 on the spring. Jonny Venters pitched an inning and gave up two unearned runs on three hits. The runs scored because of a Chris Johnson' error. Prospect Cory Rasmus also had a rough day, he gave up a two-run homer in his one inning of work. Fellow prospect J.R. Graham had the best day of all the Braves' pitchers, he pitched two scoreless innings, giving up two hits and striking out two batters.
The Braves are now 8-9 on the spring. They will face the Washington Nationals tomorrow at 1:05 p.m. and Paul Maholm will make the start for the Braves.
Tim Hudson started for the Braves on Sunday but struggled, giving up six runs on nine hits in only five innings.
Photo Courtesy of yahoo.com
The next Falcons' player recap will be over linebacker Stephen Nicholas.
Nicholas is a six-year veteran out of South Florida. He has been with the Falcons his entire career but has only recently become a starter in the past few seasons. In 2012 he set a career-high in tackles with 97. He also added two sacks and had an interception.
Nicholas will be a starter again for the Falcons next season. Along with Sean Weatherspoon, they form a fearful tandem of linebackers and perhaps one of the best duos in the NFL today.
The Brooklyn Nets continued their winning ways on Saturday with a 93-80 victory over the Hawks. Atlanta seemed lifeless after their overtime loss to Boston yesterday.
The Nets took a fourteen point lead at the half and easily cruised the rest of the way. Andray Blatche came off the bench to score eighteen points to tie Brook Lopez for the team lead in the game. Deron Williams added seventeen points as they were the only three players to score in double figures. Former Hawk Joe Johnson hit only four of his thirteen shots for a meager eight points. The Nets have won three games in a row and are 37-26 on the year.
The Hawks started off the game quick by taking an 11-1 lead. They let the Nets slowly chip their way back into the game before totally blowing it in the second quarter. Then the Hawks showed a little life in the fourth quarter, but it just wasn't enough to get themselves back into the game completely. Most of the fourth quarter was played by the reserves.
Al Horford had yet another double-double leading the Hawks with fifteen points and twelve rebounds. Josh Smith was second in scoring with twelve points, while John Jenkins added ten off the bench. Johan Petro also scored ten points, all in the first quarter, but he didn't take another shot for the rest of the game. Zaza Pachulia missed yet another game with his sore Achilles, it was the fourth straight game he has missed and the tenth out of the past 21 games.
The Hawks are now 34-28 on the season and have lost two in a row. Their next game will be on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in Miami against the Heat. The Heat are unstoppable right now. Not only have they beaten the Hawks all three times they have faced them this year, but they are on an eighteen game winning streak. They have a 47-14 record overall.
Johan Petro takes a rebound away from Brook Lopez of the Brooklyn Nets. Petro scored ten points for the Hawks in their 93-80 loss.
Photo Courtesy of es-us.noticias.yahoo.com
The Atlanta Braves stole the show on a day when all eyes were on the Yankees' Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera. They both played in their first spring games and for the first time since returning from major injuries.
The Braves totaled five hits while scoring their 2 runs in the 2-1 victory. Tyler Pastornicky had another good day gathering two hits, including a triple and scoring on a Dan Uggla single. Jordan Schafer also had a double and scored on Jordan Parraz's sacrifice fly for the winning run in the top of the ninth inning.
The pitchers had a great day for the Braves. Mike Minor started the game and pitched four innings, giving up no runs on three hits. Reliever Anthony Varvaro had a much better outing than the day before, he pitched a perfect inning and picked up the victory, he is 1-0 on the spring. Luis Avilan and Dusty Hughes also pitched a scoreless inning each. Prospect Alex Wood pitched the final two innings and gave up an unearned run on three hits. He earned his second save of the spring.
The Braves are now 8-8 on the spring. Their next game will be against the Miami Marlins. Tim Hudson will make the start for the Braves in the 1:05 p.m. match up.
Mike Minor had a superb outing for the Braves against the New York Yankees. He pitched four scoreless innings as the Braves won 2-1.
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The Atlanta Falcons announced they re-signed three of their potential free agents. Running back Antone Smith, offensive lineman Garrett Reynolds and safety William Moore were all brought back for at least two more years.
Moore was the biggest name among the group. He was re-signed for the next five years. He had 75 tackles last season for Atlanta to go along with four interceptions even though he missed four games due to injury. Reynolds was a starter for the first few games of last season before going down with an injury and missing the rest of the year. He will help to provide depth on the Falcons' offensive line. He was re-signed for two more seasons along with Smith, who is an excellent special teams player.
This Falcons' player recap will be over linebacker Robert James.
James is a three-year pro out of Arizona State. Even though the Falcons drafted him back in 2008, James never appeared in a game for Atlanta until this past season. He was mainly a special teams player, but he did appear in all sixteen regular season games. He finished the season with eleven tackles.
James could be with the Falcons again next season. He also could find a home where he will receive more playing time. The Falcons are thin at the position though, so look for James to return, unless they sign someone else over the off season.
The Atlanta Hawks played their rivals, the Boston Celtics, close on Friday night. They came up short though, losing 107-102.
The Celtics had the lead throughout most of the game. In the fourth quarter, they had a twelve point lead that they blew late as the Hawks forced overtime. The Celtics got big shots from Jason Terry, Paul Pierce and Jeff Green in OT which helped them clinch the victory. Pierce led Boston with 27 points, while Terry added nineteen off the bench. Kevin Garnett had seventeen and Green added twelve points off the bench. Boston is now 34-27 on the year and they have won five games in a row.
The Hawks did a great job fighting back and forcing overtime. They were even taking control of the overtime until their cold streak started. The Hawks didn't score a field goal over the final 2:14 which caused them to lose. Al Horford did have another monster game, he scored 22 points and pulled down thirteen rebounds for the double-double. Four players scored in double figures while only three more people scored for the Hawks.
Josh Smith led everyone in the game with 32 points. Jeff Teague was next with 26 points, followed by Horford, who was then followed by Devin Harris who had twelve points in the loss. Ivan Johnson, DeShawn Stevenson and Zaza Pachulia all didn't play in the game.
The Hawks are now 34-27 on the year. Their next game will be tomorrow night against the Brooklyn Nets at Philips Arena at 7 p.m. The Nets are currently 36-26 on the season and have won two in a row.
Josh Smith drives into the lane against the Boston Celtics on Friday night. Smith led the Hawks with 32 points in the 107-102 loss.
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The Atlanta Braves had their first split squad action of the spring on Friday. They beat the Houston Astros 14-9 but lost 7-1 to the Toronto Blue Jays.
In the victory, the Braves recorded seventeen hits for their fourteen runs, all the runs came in the first three innings. Evan Gattis led the Braves with three hits. He had a double, hit his second home run of the spring and drove in four runs. Freddie Freeman also hit his second home run of the spring and drove in two runs. Chris Johnson, Joey Terdoslavich and Tyler Pastornicky each had two hits and drove in two runs, while Dan Uggla and Matt Pagnozzi had two hits and drove in a run. Reed Johnson and Chris Marrero both recorded a hit for the Braves.
The pitching wasn't superb for the Braves, but it was enough to get them the victory with the strong offense. Sean Gilmartin started the game and pitched three innings while giving up two runs on five hits. He did get the victory, he is 1-1 on the spring. Cory Gearrin and Yohan Flande pitched scoreless outings, but the same can't be said of Christhian Martinez and David Carpenter. Martinez pitched two innings and gave up three runs on four hits, while Carpenter pitched an inning and a third and gave up four runs on four hits.
In the loss, the Braves fielded a team mainly made up of minor leaguers. The offense had only two hits while scoring their one run. B.J. Upton and Ernesto Mejia recorded those two hits and Blake DeWitt drove in the only run. Kris Medlen got the start and pitched four innings but gave up three runs on five hits. He is 0-1 on the spring now.
The Braves are now 7-8 on the spring with the win and loss. They will play the New York Yankees tomorrow at 1:05 p.m. Mike Minor will get the ball for the Braves.
Freddie Freeman blasts his home run in the 14-9 victory over the Houston Astros on Friday afternoon.
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Today will be the beginning of recaps for linebackers on the Falcons. The first one will be over Akeem Dent.
Dent is a two-year pro out of the University of Georgia, and a hometown boy from Atlanta. Dent was mainly a special teams player in his rookie season, but in 2012 he took over for the departed Curtis Lofton. He set a career-high in tackles with 64 but he didn't have any sacks.
Dent should be the starting middle linebacker again in 2013. The Falcons will probably expect more of him though, especially tackling. He had about 50 less tackles than what Lofton produced on average for a season.
The Atlanta Braves lost to the Detroit Tigers on Thursday, 9-2. The Tigers used a five-run seventh inning to run up the score.
The Braves' offense had nine hits while scoring their two runs. Juan Francisco had the biggest hit for Atlanta, a solo home run in the seventh inning, it was his second of the spring. Joe Leonard also had an RBI single for the Braves. Blake DeWitt had a double, while Jordan Schafer, Justin Upton, B.J. Upton, Dan Uggla and Ernesto Mejia all added singles in the loss.
Julio Teheran made the start for the Braves. He pitched four effective innings and gave up only a run on three hits and struck out five. He did suffer the loss though, he is 0-1 in spring play. Jonny Venters and Luis Avilan both pitched a scoreless inning. Anthony Varvaro had a rough day. He was on the mound during the seventh inning and gave up five runs on seven hits. That will hurt his chances of making the team in the bullpen.
The Braves are now 6-7 in spring play. They will have their first split-squad day of spring training tomorrow. Half of the team will play the Houston Astros and the other half will play the Toronto Blue Jays. Kris Medlen will start for the Braves against the Blue Jays and Sean Gilmartin will make the start against Houston. Both games are at 1:05 p.m.
Julio Teheran made a good start for the Braves but still suffered the loss, he pitched four innings and gave up a run.
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