TheFletch for this week

Back from NYC, on my way to Cabo. Thought you should still enjoy this week's THEFLETCH. But you know the drill. STOP BY QUIKTRIP and GRAB a copy of Score Atlanta. DO IT!

I was able to finally catch the Braves pregame show on 680 The Fan recently and I must say that I’m a bit disappointed. Buck Belue and Mark Lemke were hosting the official pregame show on the Braves flagship station, and honestly, Belue’s show last season was better. In 2009, Belue hosted a thirty minute show that aired before Braves home games, usually featuring a Jonathan Chadwick interview or report from Turner Field, and I don’t know if it was the length of the show (much shorter, so more meaningful minutes) or the slant of the broadcast, but last year was better. This year Belue seems more corporate when previewing the games whereas last season he was able to relax more. Perhaps it is because Belue is having to set up other people, but he is so conversational when by himself opposed to that sometimes hushed voice he breaks out for big time interviews, his serious voice, I guess. I hate to be one that longs for the good ole days, but I long for the days of…last year. And for the record, when it comes to the Braves pregame coverage, it seems as though Leo Mazzone is finally comfortable on the radio. Leo offers great insight and strong opinions when discussing baseball and the Braves in particular that I quite frankly have not heard on the Rude Awakening. He and Lemke play well off each other, and it is nice to hear his thoughts on the way the game is played today. Leo is old school for sure when it comes to pitching, and I find myself agreeing with him on the pregame shows instead of just wishing he would stop talking like I do when he giggles through the morning show.

The Official Visit, presented by Score Atlanta pulled off quite a coup last Tuesday when Pope offensive lineman Thomas O’Reilly committed to Auburn on the show, which aired on 790 The Zone. O’Reilly is the first recruit to commit for the 2011 class live on The Official Visit, which had McEachern’s Terrell Mitchell pledge to the University of Kentucky in January 2009 and was scheduled to have Hutson Mason deliver his pledge to the Georgia Bulldogs earlier this year, before Mason instead declared on CSS. Chip Towers of the AJC was quick to credit The Official Visit with the announcement, but the two major recruiting websites, scout.com and rivals.com used the content without giving proper credit. Scout.com did send an email, thanking Score Atlanta for the information, however rivals.com lifted the interview, verbatim, claiming that its writer had asked the same questions and had gotten the exact same answer. The “interview” on rivals.com’s site was also posted roughly 45 minutes after the conclusion of O’Reilly’s appearance on The Official Visit. As a co-host of the show and a member of the media, I realize that everyone borrows from everyone, but I personally give credit if I use something that should be credited. Hopefully rivals.com can learn that lesson someday.

The Atlanta Thrashers reshuffled its coaching staff and front office, naming Rick Dudley its new GM after Don Waddell was promoted to team president. The move was met with an “it’s about time,” piece from Jeff Schultz from the AJC and kind words from an ESPN NHL blogger. Pierre LeBrun said of Dudley, “He's a quirky guy, doesn't suck up to owners or people in power like many of his colleagues, and doesn't play politics all too well. He's just a great hockey man; but, unfortunately, that's not always good enough in this business.” Dudley was a former assistant GM with Chicago before coming to the Thrashers before this past season. LeBrun noted in his blog that it was only a matter of time before Dudley replaced Waddell, saying, “Another season out of the playoffs, the ninth time in 10 seasons that's happened, made it the right time. The local fans and media have soured greatly on Waddell.” Meanwhile, Schultz of the AJC wondered last week if enough had been done. “Change is good. Change is needed. Change is the only thing that gives the Thrashers a chance for success and hockey an extended lifeline in Atlanta. But did the Atlanta Spirit go far enough?” Schultz bemoaned the lack of accountability and surmised that perhaps the only reason this change in infrastructure went down was because it was the least expensive way.
I know that this is the South where college football is religion, but I find it interesting the differences in signing day coverage between college football and college basketball. For college football EVERY local paper, be it the AJC, the Gwinnett Daily Post, the Marietta Daily Journal or even the Athens Banner-Herald, is all over National Signing Day. When it comes to basketball’s signing day though, the coverage dips a little bit. Perhaps it is because there are two signing periods, the early period and the late period which we are currently in, but the coverage always seems second-rate. This season is a bit of an exception though. Not only has The Official Visit on 790 been all over the late signing period, but the Athens Banner-Herald has posted updates in regards to Georgia, and the AJC has been chronicling the Marcus Thornton story. Thornton of Westlake was named Mr. Basketball by the AJC and once Clemson’s coach departed, Thornton asked for his release, as he signed in the early period. The AJC is describing him as one of “the top free agents” in recruiting circles. College basketball recruiting should receive more coverage than it does, especially with the stars having to go to college for at least one season. Two years ago after Georgia won the SEC tournament championship, the Dawgs signed Travis Leslie, Dustin Ware and several other players in the late period. This season, Georgia picked up Donte Williams and Sherrard Brantley. With all of the talent in the state of Georgia, with top programs invading the state every signing period looking for the best players, seemingly the local media would amp up its coverage. Perhaps we are now FINALLY seeing that.


CAN YOU BELIEVE HE JUST SAID THAT?
“You got this punk ass Billy Payne who goes on TV…for him to get on there and act like he’s all Uncle Tom, he’s the master on the plantation, that piss [sic] me off.”
Charles Barkley added on Dan Patrick’s radio show that he wishes someone would walk up to Payne and punch him in the face. Clearly Chaz is upset with Payne, the Masters chairman, for coming down hard on Tiger Woods in his pre-tournament press conference. TMZ actually beat me to it, but Charles, in the book, “Uncle Tom” was black. Just saying.