Scanning the Dial? Please! This is THE FLETCH

Sorry about that. I didn't choose the new title. but let's go with it. Here is this week's THE FLETCH! On newsstands now!

Last week while calling the Class AAAAA and AAAA basketball semifinals for Georgia Public Broadcasting at the Gwinnett Arena, I ran into an old colleague from 790 The Zone, “Hometeam” Brandon Leak. After he was let go by 790 The Zone in September 2008 and replaced with David Pollack, Hometeam has managed to keep his hand in the local sports market through various media forms. Leak has done some voiceover work for the Atlanta Hawks and has made contributions to a blog on the Hawks webpage. “It is a great opportunity, working with the Hawks,” says Leak. “The way technology has improved, the web is the future of this business.” Leak also co-hosts HawkTalk on Comcast OnDemand with fellow former 790 The Zone personality Sandra Golden. Leak’s previous Comcast OnDemand experience came as he was the host of the Falcons Report during the 2009 season. Hometeam still considers himself a “Jack of All Trades,” who would love to get back into radio, perhaps with the Hawks. “I’ve been very fortunate that opportunities have presented themselves without leaving the city. Extremely fortunate.” As the playoffs near, check out Hometeam on HawkTalk on Comcast OnDemand.

Last Sunday on Score Atlanta Sports Sunday on Sports Radio 790 The Zone, our show followed the ACC Championship game, featuring Georgia Tech. As 790 is The Official Home of the Yellow Jackets, the game was aired and after a quick postgame from ISP, callers lit up the phone lines and the first hour and twenty minutes was just Tech fans calling in. What was strange was the range of callers’ opinions on the program. Some callers thought that Tech made up for a “crappy season” with an NCAA tournament appearance. More callers than not though were unhappy with the fact that Paul Hewitt likely saved his job with the appearance in the ACC title game and now a bid to the NCAA tournament. Several fans called for Hewitt to be fired the day after the ACC tournament ended before a contract roll-over was activated, and when I asked who would coach the team, one caller said, “the same person coaching it now: no one.” The Georgia Tech fan base, at least the 19 or so calls we took during those four segments were clearly unhappy with Hewitt’s performance over the past few seasons and the unpleasantness continued the follow day on Brandon & Woolvy’s show on The Zone. The range was a little wider with a few more folks calling Brandon and Jeff to voice support for Hewitt, but the ratio was still in the favor canning Hewitt. On Sunday eight out of ten wanted him gone but by Monday it was maybe just six of ten. How will Tech fans feel after the first weekend of the tournament? Tune in this Sunday from 2-5 p.m. for Score Atlanta Sports Sunday as we will take your calls yet again.

Doug Roberson of the AJC covers the Jackets and he appeared on Score Atlanta Sports Sunday, where he not only discussed the basketball team but also gave some insight into the football team. Roberson said that he believes that maybe only two or three true freshmen will see time this season and perhaps the defense may take some time to find the pieces to make the 3-4 work. He also went on to say that he thought Tevin Washington would take most of the first string snaps this spring with Josh Nesbitt injured and Jaybo Shaw having left the team to transfer to Georgia Southern.

As we all know by now, 680 The Fan is the new radio home of the Atlanta Braves. (Just listen. You’ll hear a promo saying that within eight minutes!) Former Braves pitching coach Leo Mazzone of The Rude Awakening and the Braves pregame show has now taken up the mantle previously held by afternoon host Buck Belue as top Braves apologist. This is understandable as Mazzone used to be under the employ of the Braves and Bobby Cox is such a close friend, as are certainly many folks in the locker room, but some of the comments are a bit much. Sometimes we need to hear it as it is. Don’t just sugarcoat everything just because you don’t want to hurt feelings. This is why you were brought in I believe, to give the insight on baseball and that means sometimes delivering the hard line. We all know Leo has it in him. Remember Tim Spooneybarger? Perhaps after Cox leaves the Braves and the team doesn’t resemble the team it was with Leo rocking on the bench, maybe then honest, apology-free analysis will be offered up.

Speaking of morning shows, do they REALLY need a break THAT early in the program? Both The Rude Awakening and Mayhem in the AM regularly run interviews from the previous day around 6:30 or 6:50. Really? Just two or three segments in? Are the guys stopping for a coffee break? I understand wanting to replay big-time interviews, like when Buck & Kincade had Michael Vick on or when the Stews interviewed some of the big names at the Super Bowl, but some of the interviews that are re-aired…I didn’t want to hear them the FIRST time around. Seriously guys. You offer replays on the website. If I want to hear an interview I missed, I’ll go to the website. You don’t have to re-air them for me when I’d rather hear some fresh material on my way to the gym.

Finally, Michael Vick to appear on this season of Spike TV’s Pros vs Joes. The announcement was made a few days after Vick appeared on a St. Louis Radio station declaring that he’d love to play for the Rams. This was after he was on another radio interview saying he’d like to play for the Carolina Panthers. Umm, Michael, the last time I checked, the Philadelphia Eagles picked up your roster bonus and decided to keep you for the second year of the two-year deal that you signed. You are Eagles property until they decide to cut you or trade you. Quit pining to be on another team and show loyalty to the team that took the bullet to sign you. And maybe try and keep your head down and out of the media for a while. You know. Let people breath a little more after the whole “I killed dogs,” thing.

CAN YOU BELIEVE HE SAID THAT?
D. Orlando Ledbetter is the AJC Falcons beat writer and Mr. Ledbetter decided to release his own mock draft, which is cool. Everyone has one these days. The decision though for the Atlanta Falcons is what I think is bizarre. Ledbetter has Atlanta selecting Florida Gator center “LaShawn” Maurkice Pouncey at No.19. Ledbetter acknowledges that this selection, for the second straight week, has made some readers “irate” but he attempts to justify the pick by saying that the Falcons need interior offensive linemen, and it is noted that that Damien Woody went No.17 and Jeff Faine went No.21. To that I argue that Atlanta-native and Colts center Jeff Saturday was undrafted and current Falcons center Todd McClure was a seventh round pick. Yes Pouncey may be a quality center, but to take him at No.19? Seriously?