Gamecocks Must Improve

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier says his Gamecocks must improve this week to compete at Georgia on Saturday. Spurrier says South Carolina must tackle better and improve its rushing defense. He says the team also needs to cut down on mistakes. South Carolina gave up more than 250 rushing yards in a 28-14 win over Louisiana-Lafayette last week. Spurrier says he was pleased the Gamecocks were able to keep the Ragin' Caguns out of the end zone twice inside the five yard line in the second half. The Gamecocks have not beaten Georgia since Spurrier took over before the 2005 season. The Bulldogs have won five straight over South Carolina. Georgia beat Oklahoma State last Saturday.

Dawgs/Jackets Move Up...Michigan Moves Out

The latest Associated Press College Football rankings are out and Georgia and Georgia Tech are on the move after solid week one wins. The Bulldogs, who knocked off Oklahoma State, moved from number 13 to number 11 this week. Georgia Tech wasn't ranked last week, but thanks to their 33-3 thrashing of Notre Dame, the Yellow Jackets come in at number 21 this week. Michigan, who lost to Appalachian State 34-32, dropped completely out of the Top 25. The Wolverines were ranked number five last week. Their fall, the largest since the Associated Press begin a Top 25 back in 1989.

Mitchell Suspended for Opener

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - South Carolina quarterback Blake Mitchell was one of three players suspended for the opening game against Louisiana-Lafayette for missing summer school classes. Steve Fink, a spokesman for the athletic department, said Thursday that Mitchell, tailback Bobby Wallace and cornerback Chris Hail were suspended for the Gamecocks' home opener Sept. 1. The three players also were suspended from the team's first two practices this fall for missing classes. Mitchell is appealing his suspension, said South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier, who will allow Mitchell to play if the appeal is successful. The suspension is the latest setback for the Gamecocks' starting quarterback. Mitchell was arrested a year ago and charged with simple assault after a nightclub bouncer told police that Mitchell punched him. The charge was later dropped, but Mitchell sat out for several weeks as Syvelle Newton ran the South Carolina offense.

Falcons Lose Shockley

The Atlanta Falcons have lost the services of rookie quarterback D.J. Shockley. The team confirmed Monday that Shockley will likely undergo surgery next week for a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Shockley also sustained a slight tear of the medial collateral ligament and a bone bruise when he went down awkwardly in Friday's preseason game at Buffalo. The former Georgia Bulldog was competiting for the Falcons number two quarterback spot with Chris Redman.

High School Football Scores

St. Andrew's 7

Charleston Collegiate 21

Colleton Prep 47

Bible Baptist 6

Hilton Head Prep 31

Hardeeville 6

Franco Heads to Rome

Atlanta Braves First baseman Julio Franco has reported to Class A Rome. A quarter century after his first game in the major leagues, the 48-year-old Franco is back in the minors. He was designated for assignment by the Braves two weeks ago. After clearing waivers, he agreed to a minor league assignment. The former American League batting champ, who turns 49 next week, said he will stay with Rome for the next four days, and might join next week's road trip in Savannah. He likely will rejoin Atlanta on September 1st when the major league rosters are expanded.

SCAD Soccer Teams Ranked

The Savannah College of Art and Design Men's and Women's soccer teams are ranked in the NAIA Pre-season polls. The SCAD men enter the 2007 season ranked Number 20. The Bees return seven starters from last year's 13-6-1 squad that lost to Northwood (Fla.) University 3-1 in the NAIA Region XIV title match. The SCAD ladies start the season ranked Number 17. That's the highest ranking in school history for the Bees. SCAD returns seven starters from last season’s 11-5-0 squad that lost to Northwood 2-1 in the title match of the NAIA Region XIV Tournament.

Colby May Commits to UGA

South Effingham senior Colby May has made a verbal commitment to play baseball at the University of Georgia. May, who is now a senior at SEHS, helped guide the Mustangs to the Class AAA state quarterfinals in the spring. Over the summer, May played for Junior Team Georgia, a team consisting of the top junior baseball players in the Peach State.

Eagles Open Camp

Temperatures near 100 degrees couldn't stop the Georgia Southern Eagles from taking the field for the first day of camp Monday. First-year head coach Chris Hatcher putting his team through two-a-days early this week. The team has been broken up into two groups for the first couple days. A group made up of mainly younger players practice in the morning, while upperclassman lift weights. The squads switch in the afternoon. Coach Hatcher said this gives the coaching staff a better opportunity to take a closer look at the players and what they can do. “First of all you get more reps with the guys you have out there. You have all the young guys in the morning, you don’t go quite as fast a tempo as the afternoon so you get to teach them more,” said Hatcher. “The biggest mistake you can make as a coach is come out here, throw a whole bunch at them and then those young guys are thinking too much and you can’t see what type of player they really are. We try to keep it simple with them early on so that we can see if they are going to be able to help us out down the road this season.”
Georgia Southern opens the 2007 season on Saturday, September 8, against West Georgia with kickoff scheduled for 6 p.m.

Johnson Signs with Lions

Former Georgia Tech star Calvin Johnson signed a six year contract with the Detroit Lions Friday, ending an eight day hold out. Johnson was the second overall pick in this years draft. NFL.com reported the deal was worth 55-point-5 million dollars, including more than 27 million dollarsin guaranteed money. Johnson is coming off an All-America junior season at GeorgiaTech during which he caught 78 passes for 1,202 yards and 15 touchdowns. It earned him the Biletnikoff Award, which is presented to the nation's top college receiver.

Football Season is Here

The high school football season is here. Wednesday was the first day Georgia High School Association schools could hit the field. Most Coastal Empire teams practiced in shorts and helmets today, full pads go on Monday. The first games of the season will be played on Thursday, August 30th and Friday, August 31.

Wheeling and Dealing

Mark Teixeira could be the Atlanta Braves' new cleanup hitter as early as Tuesday night. According to a person familiar with the deal, the Braves reached an agreement Monday to send rookie catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia and three minor leaguers to Texas for the switch-hitting Teixeira. The Braves are set to send Saltalamacchia, slick-fielding shortstop Elvis Andrus and two more minor leaguers to Texas for Teixeira and left-handed reliever Ron Mahay.

Dunn to Miss 3-4 Weeks

As if they didn't have enough troubles, the Atlanta Falcons revealed Wednesday that running back Warrick Dunn will miss three to four weeks after having back surgery. Dunn, who rushed for a team-high 1,140 yards last year, hurt his back during offseason workouts and underwent surgery over the weekend. If Dunn needs a full month to recover, he would miss all of training camp and the first two preseason games.

Isle of Hope Wins City Swim Meet

The Isle of Hope Sharks won the annual Savannah Coastal Swim League City Meet on Sunday. The Sharks scored a team total of 736 points. The Bluffton Redfish placed 2nd with 661.5 points and the Landings Club Lightning Bolts placed 3rd with 573 points. The Wilmington Park Barracudas came in 4th, the Mayfair Marlins were 5th, JEA Tornadoes came in 6th, while the Grand Lake Great Whites were 7th.

Some individual swimmers placed their names in the record books today as well by breaking meet records. In the Boys 9 and 10 age division, Jake Minasi of the Bluffton Redfish swam the 50 meter backstroke in 34.05 seconds. Also from the Redfish, David Funk swam the 25 meter breaststroke in the Boys 8 and Under division in 21.10 seconds. Patricia Forrester from Mayfair set a record in the Girls 11 and 12 50 meter freestyle race with a time of 25.99 seconds.

Congratulations to all the swimmers and teams and to all the new record holders and the Isle of Hope team as they win the SCSL City Meet for the second year in a row.

Kyle Petty and others Roll into Pooler

The thunder Pooler residents heard Thursday morning wasn't a storm. It was 280 motorcycles rolling into town and with it a couple celebrities. NASCAR driver Kyle Petty led riders in the 2007 Chick-fil-a Kyle Petty Charity ride into the coastal empire. Hundreds of riders take part in this yearly ride across America to raise money for children with chronic or life threatening illnesses. This years ride kicked off in Bar Harbor, Maine and finishes in Hollywood, Florida. Some of the other celebrities along for the trip included former Georgia great Herschel Walker and supermodel Nikki Taylor (who looks really happy standing beside the Big Guy above).

Gnats Snap Losing Streak

After losing 12-0 Tuesday for their tenth straight loss, the Savannah Sand Gnats and pitcher Nelson Portillo got back to winning Wednesday afternoon, downing Augusta 1-0. Portillo allowed just three harmless singles in seven scoreless innings of work. Ryan Meyers pitched two scoreless innings to earn his 10th save of the year. The Gnats only run came in the fourth inning when Jonathan Sanchez led off the inning with a bunt single then D.J. Wabick drove him home with an RBI double over the head of Augusta left fielder Tyler Graham.

Vick Sacked

A federal grand jury in Virginia indicted Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick Tuesday in its investigation of illegal dog fighting. Vick and three others are charged with violating federal laws against competitive dog fighting, procuring and training pit bulls for it and conducting the fighting across state lines.

Eagles Named All Americans

Two Georgia Southern University football players were named Preseason All-America by the College Sporting News. Junior Brandon Jackson was named Second Team while senior Jayson Foster landed Third Team honors. Jackson, who earlier this summer was chosen as one of the top cornerbacks in the nation led the Southern Conference with five interceptions last year. He also broke up four passes while recording 35 tackles. Foster earned his Preseason All-America status as a return specialist. Foster already shares the Georgia Southern season records for punt returns and kickoff returns for a touchdowns, and career record for punt returns.

Fowler Wins The Players Amateur

After shooting a final round 69, soon-to-be Oklahoma State Cowboy Rickie Fowler won The Players Amateur at Belfair Golf Club this weekend. Fowler's final score was a scorching 24 under par for the tournament. Battling him almost stroke for stroke throughout the weekend was University of Alabama golfer, Michael Thompson. Thompson finished the tournament two strokes back with a 22 under. Fowler and Thompson came into the 18th hole on Saturday tied up, looking to battle for the title on Sunday, but Fowler's 133 yard approach shot found the bottom of the cup for an Eagle to put him two strokes ahead to start the final round. Those two strokes ended up being the difference with Thompson only getting as close as one stroke back on Sunday. Congratulations to The Players Amateur 2007 Champion Rickie Fowler!

Oliver Picked by San Diego

The San Diego Chargers selected Georgia cornerback Paul Oliver in the N-F-L supplemental draft Thursday. Oliver, picked 28th in the fourth round, was the first player selected in the draft. Oliver failed to meet academic standards and was declared ineligible for his senior season. He was among Georgia's leaders with 57 tackles last season. The Baltimore Ravens chose Maryland tackle Jared Gaither 31st int he fifth round. He started in 17 of Maryland's last 21 games. With the selections, San Diego and Baltimore will forgo the corresponding picks in the 2008 draft.

Green and Sutton Pick Florida

Franklin Green and Chaz Sutton have verbally committed to the University of Florida. The Jenkins High Warriors have been heavily recruited for the last eight months. Green, a running back, picked up 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns in just nine games in 2006. Sutton, who plays defensive end and running back, will likely play on the defensive side of the ball for the Gators. Both players are entering their senior year at Jenkins. They open the 2007 season on August 30th against Bluffton (S.C.).

Ready to Tee Off at Belfair

Thursday morning some of the best amateur golfers in the country will tee it up at Belfair Golf Club in Bluffton. In just eight years, Players Amateur has turned into one of the largest amateur events in the country. Defending Champion Jonathan Moore from Oklahoma State will be a no show at this years tournament. He is set to play in the PGA's John Deere Classic, but there are plenty of other big names in this years field, including Savannah's Brian Harman, the 2005 Players Am Champ.

Bulldogs go to Camp...and Love it!

Hawks Sign Horford and Law

The Atlanta Hawks have signed first-round draft picks Al Horford and Acie Law to multi-year contracts. Horford, the Number three pick in the first round, is expected to play forward and center for the Hawks. Law, the Number eleven pick, is expected to compete for astarting job at point guard. Horford will earn three-point-one (m) million dollars as a rookie and three-point-35 (m) million dollars in his second year. Law is guaranteed salaries of one-point-six (m) million dollars as a rookie and one-point-72 (m) million dollars in his second year.

Smoltz Goes on the Shelf

The Atlanta Braves placed pitcher John Smoltz on the 15-day disabled list Friday after an M-R-I found inflammation-- but apparently no structural damage -- in his right shoulder. The 40 year old was placed on the disabled list retroactive to July third. He will be eligible to come off the D-L on July 18th. Smoltz will miss Tuesday's All-Star game in San Francisco as well as Saturday's scheduled start at San Diego.

Harbour Town Aces

A Tennessee man accomplished every golfer's dream - twice in the same round. Mark Converse made two holes-in-one during his round on Independence Day at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head. The Murfreesboro, Tennessee, man used a five-iron to ace the154-yard fourth hole, the same hole P-G-A Tour pro Jerry Kelly aced during the third round of the Verizon Heritage event this past April. Then on the par-three 14th, Converse knocked a six-iron into thecup from 138 yards away. Converse finished with a 83 on the par-71 layout.

New Hot Dog Eating Champ

An American is the new world hot dog eating champion. Californian Joey Chestnut inhaled a record 66 hot dogs in 12 minutes today to defeat six-time winner Takeru Kobayashi in the annual Fourth of July contest in New York. Kobayashi won every Nathan's hot dog competition from 2001 through last year. He recently had a wisdom tooth extracted and received chiropractic treatment because of a sore jaw. But that hardly slowed him down, as he had his best performance ever by eating 63 hot dogs. The previous record for most hot dogs eaten in a competition wasthe 59 and-a-half Chestnut ate last month. Chestnut and Kobayaski each had eaten 60 hot dogs with 60 seconds to go when Chestnut, with the veins on his forehead extended, pulled away to end Kobayashi's reign.

Rain Cools Gnat Hot Streak

Monday’s Sand Gnats game against Columbus was suspended in the middle of the fourth inning due to heavy rain and wet field conditions. The game is scheduled to resume at 5 p.m. Tuesday and will be followed 30 minutes later by Tuesday’s originally schedule game. The second game played on Tuesday is scheduled for seven innings while the suspended game must be completed as a full nine-inning game. Post-game Independence Day fireworks, presented by Sesbella, will follow the second game.The tarp went on the field at 8:34 p.m. with Savannah trailing Columbus 4-3. When the game resumes, it will be the bottom of the fourth inning with Sand Gnats third baseman Leivi Ventura leading off.

Sand Gnats Biting Strong

On Sunday, the Savannah Sand Gnats beat the Columbus Catfish 8 to 2 to extend their winning streak to three games. While entertaining plenty of four-legged friends during Bark in the Park Day, the Gnats slobbered all over the Catfish scoring 6 runs in the first inning. The Gnats didn't need any more offense for the rest of the game, but scored two more in the next inning to move their run total to 8. The Gnats will try to add to their season best winning streak playing at Historic Grayson Stadium for the rest of the week.

The Atlanta Braves continue their hot streak as they began a 10 game road trip on Friday night. The Braves again scored double digits, this time winning 12 to 3 against the Florida Marlins. The Braves scored two in the third, then scored four more in the fifth while batting around. That would be enough as Atlanta starting pitcher Chuck James held the Marlins to only one run on four hits in 6 2/3 innings.

Hawks Land Horford

The Atlanta Hawks used their Number Three draft pick Thursday to choose Florida's Al Horford. The Hawks took point guard Acie Law of Texas A-and-M with their second first-round pick,at Number 11 overall. As expected, the Portland Trail Blazers chose Ohio State's Greg Oden over fellow freshman Kevin Durant with the number one overall pick in this years NBA Draft.With the 12th pick, the Philadelphia 76ers took Georgia Tech freshman forward Thaddeus Young. Another Georgia Tech freshman, point guard Javaris Crittenton,was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 19th draft choice.

Braves Bust out Brooms and Bats

Chipper Jones drove in four runs to back a strong start from John Smoltz, helping the Atlanta Braves beat Washington 13-0 Wednesday night. The win completed a three game sweep by the Braves. Atlanta had a season-high 22 hits and scored in six of the first seven innings, snapping out of a dreadful five-game losing streak in which they scored just one run against Detroit and Boston. Smoltz (9-4) struck out seven and walked one, leaving for apinch-runner in the fifth after throwing only 89 pitches.

The Ugly Dog

I bring you Elwood, a 2-year-old Chinese Crested and Chihuahua mix, was crowned the world's ugliest dog. Elwood, hairless except for a mohawklike puff of white fur on his head — is often referred to as "Yoda" or "E.T.," for his resemblance to those famous science-fiction characters. After finishing second in last years contest, Elwood took home the title in 2007. You may have seen him as the Call of the Day....if not, here he is with the yuck hanging out of his mouth.

Hanzel Wins City Amateur

Doug Hanzel won his second straight Savannah City Amateur Golf Championship this past weekend at Bacon Park. Hanzel has actually won five city championships in seven years. His four-under par for the tournament was the only score in red, beating the field by four strokes. Recent Benedictine grad Brendan Gillins won the second place trophy by virtue of a tie breaker with an even par and also took home the Junior Championship title. Steve Holton and Wills Smith placed third and fourth, respectively, also with even pars. In the Senior Division, Charles Thibodaux won by two strokes with a two-over 144.

Patrick Signs with Arizona

Former Jenkins High standout Ben Patrick has signed a three-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals. Patrick was drafted by Arizona in the seventh round of the NFL draft in April. The University of Delaware Tight End is the first Arizona rookie to sign this year. The Cardinals picked up five draft picks in this years draft.

Patrick, who transferred to Delaware from Duke, caught 64 passes for 639 yards and six touchdowns for the Blue Hens in 2006. Following the season, Patrick was invited to play in both the East-West Shrine Game and the Senior Bowl.

Tyson Named Top Prospect

Statesboro High Senior DeAngelo Tyson has been named the state of Georgia's top college football prospect. The 6'2 275 pound defensive tackle named the top prospect by Bobby Burton of rivals.com. Earlier this year, Tyson verbally committed to the University of Georgia.