Archive for February, 2010

Tiger Woods appeared contrite during his 13-minute statement Friday in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. (AP photo)

In the strangest of settings, Tiger Woods gave a 13-minute, nationally televised public confession Friday morning before mostly friends and family members at a Florida country club, admitting to having several affairs and at one point saying, “I have a lot to atone for.”

Woods’ wife, Elin Nordegren, did not appear to be present for Woods’ statement, after which he took no questions from the few media members who were allowed in the room at the TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

“I am deeply sorry for my irresponsible and selfish behavior that I’ve been involved in,” Woods said early in the statement. And that pretty much set the tone for his first public statement since a sex scandal broke in November Friday before a roomful of mostly friends and supporters near his home in Windemere, Fla.

Woods appeared emotional, speaking slowly as he read from a prepared statement. …

Continue reading Woods: ‘I thought I could get away with whatever I wanted’ (Updated with video) »

Tiger Woods was back on a golf course Thursday, practicing at his home course in Windermere, Fla. (AP photo)

Good morning. It’s time for confession.

Tiger Woods will make his first public comment since he crashed his Escalade into a tree and news broke of his infidelity three months ago. I’ll be here to blog immediately following the “passive” news conference — it was announced he will not take questions from three wire service reporters — and get your thoughts on the matter.

You already know what I think. I believe Woods is either getting bad advice or not listening to good advice. He seems less concerned about contrition and the healing process than he does controlling a situation that has long since been out of control.

A few things I didn’t address in last night’s column that you might find interesting:

♦ Want to get a bet down on what Woods says? There’s still time. The folks at Bodog.com are taking wagers on how many times Woods says the word, “sorry” (over-under is 5 …

Continue reading Over-under on how many times Woods says ’sorry’: 5 1/2 »

Tiger Woods can run but he can't hide from the fallout of the sex scandal. (AP photo)

Tiger Woods still believes this is not any of our business. In a perfect world, he would be correct. Because in that perfect Tiger Woods world, he would apologize to his wife, his children, the family members and friends whose lives he damaged with his actions, and then he would spend the rest of his days trying to rebuild bridges.

The problem: Tiger Woods doesn’t live in the perfect world. He lives in the real one. Because in the real world, he has hurt the sport of golf, the fans that follow it, the youth who idolize him, the sponsors that pay millions to support the PGA Tour, the networks that pay millions to broadcast it, and the other golfers who happily walk off the 18th green after completing a round of 65, only to face questions about Tiger and the porn star, or Tiger and the coffee shop waitress, or Tiger and the 12-step program to being satisfied with having a Swedish super model …

Continue reading Tiger Woods trying to control an uncontrollable situation »

The 7-foot-3 Zydrunas Ilgauskas would give the Hawks a needed presence in the paint in the playoffs. (AP photo)

We can speculate at length about how Josh Smith and Al Horford are young and Joe Johnson will re-sign after this season and the Hawks likely will be a playoff team for sometime.

But really, we don’t know. Teams sometimes have a limited window to win. That’s why the Hawks are going after former Cleveland center Zydrunas Ilgauskas now. Smart move.

According to our Michael Cunningham, the Washington Wizards, who acquired Ilgauskas from Cleveland Wednesday as part of the six-player, three-team trade with the Los Angeles Clippers, are likely to buy out the remainder of the 7-foot-3 center’s contract. (They’re rebuilding and only were interested in his expiring contract.) That would allow Ilgauskas to sign as a free agent with any team, and at least four teams appear to be in the mix: Cleveland (which wants him back and would have to be considered the favorite), the Hawks, …

Continue reading Going after Ilgauskas would be right move for Hawks »

Josh Smith and the Hawks now will face Antawn Jamison in a Cleveland uniform, not Washington's. (Jenni Girtman/AJC)

Hello. I am back.

After a few days off for family reasons, I wasn’t sure what to lead with this morning. So I figured I would just offer up this snack pack of morning items. Let’s call it, “Quick Hits.” The NBA trade deadline is at 3 p.m. today and I plan to speak to Hawks general manager Rick Sund about the Hawks’ plans (which is expected to be to do nothing). Which leads me to the first item:

♦ 1.) The Cleveland Cavaliers acquired Antawn Jamison from Washington Wednesday as part of a three-team trade with the L.A. Clippers. Great trade for the Cavaliers. It now gives them a front court of Jamison (power forward), LeBron James (small forward) and Shaquille O’Neal (center). The Cavaliers also had a chance to get Amare Stoudemire from Phoenix but it’s hard to argue with this deal, which gives them a 6-9, 235-pound forward averaging 20 points and nine rebounds. …

Continue reading Quick hits: With Jamison to Cavs, do Hawks need upgrade? (UPDATE II) »

Just a quick note to let you know I’m out for a few days.

I’ve left most of the blogs open for commenting, including the most recent one: my third annual completely subjective rankings of area sports teams.

I should be back later this week, although I can’t guarantee Johnny Damon will have made a decision by then about whom to sign with.

Thanks. Jeff

Continue reading Taking a short time-out »

It seemed like Mark Richt got rained on a lot last season. Paul Johnson is just trying to figure out how to win a bowl game. (AJC photo)

It was two years ago when we introduced our inaugural “How They Really Stand” rankings for local sports teams. The Georgia football team was so overwhelmed by the moment of being listed No. 1 that coach Mark Richt decided to keep defensive coordinator Willie Martinez for two more seasons, and well, OK — the bowl devolution from Sugar to Capital One to Shreveport, that’s all my fault.

This is how the rankings work. There is no mathematical formula. There are no computers. There is no Harris poll. It’s a completely subjective set of rankings based on records in the most current season, projections for the immediate future, recent transactions, management, coaching, direction, ownership, leadership, structure, stability, drafts (or recruiting), fan support and — in extremely rare circumstances — bizarre issues that might find owners buried in …

Continue reading How they really stand: Falcons hold, Braves climb, Dogs fall »

Scott Boras reaffirms he is king among agents.

You can curse Scott Boras all you want and blame him (and his ilk) for baseball salaries spiraling out of  control. But we just found out again why he’s the best agent in baseball.

According to FoxSports.com, Boras has coaxed a two-year, $14 million offer out of the Detroit Tigers for free agent outfielder Johnny Damon. If the report is accurate, you can forget about the Braves landing Damon for left field and, more important, the leadoff spot in their batting order.

Johnny Damon hit .282 and a career-high 24 homers in 2009.

The Braves’ offer reportedly was for one year for somewhere between $4 million and $5 million, including deferred payments, according to our David O’Brien.

After not extending an offer the entire offseason, general manager Frank Wren clearly was eager for Damon to sign, even having Chipper Jones make a recruiting phone call to the player in hopes of luring him to Atlanta.

But it’s doubtful the Braves would add …

Continue reading Detroit offers Damon two years, $14 million (UPDATED) »

Georgia Tech players look like they're starting to wonder what's going on as much as we are.

OK. My head hurts. After watching Georgia Tech get outscored by Miami, 41-19, in one stretch Wednesday night and ultimately lose, I’ve stopped guessing what the Jackets are going to do next. Throw a whiffle ball into a wind tunnel. There’s your answer.

We know what the ceiling is for this team. There is none. The talent says that. The unpredictability of the NCAA tournament says that. The lack of any dominant team in the ACC and even nationally says that. But Tech is 5-5 in the ACC. Not good Psychotic is more like it. I just looked at the remainder of the schedule and for the first time I’m starting to wonder whether this team even makes it into the tournament.

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Tech is 1-4 on the road in conference games. The only win came at North Carolina. That doesn’t seem nearly as …

Continue reading Schedule looks ominous for Tech’s tournament hopes »

The life (and accuracy) in John Smoltz's arm seemed to come back when he pitched for St. Louis in a game at San Diego. (AP photo)

Spring training opens next week and John Smoltz doesn’t have a job. This might unnerve most 42-year-old pitchers who don’t want to hear from baseball people or medical people or certainly Joe-in-section-312-with-nacho-sauce-on-his-chin-people that his career might be over. But the waiting doesn’t bother Smoltz.

“I’ve been doing what I’ve always done this time of year – throwing every other day and getting ready for the season,” he said by phone while driving to his workout. “I’m at a good place with everything that has gone on in my life. I’m just going to let this play out.”

He is not retiring. Nor has he decided for certain that he will hold off signing with a team until mid-season – as Pedro Martinez did with Philadelphia last July – but acknowledges that is a possibility.

“A lot of people are speculating right now,” he said. “But I can assure …

Continue reading Smoltz waiting for a job (and could he be a Brave again?) »