Jeff Schultz

Can Josh Smith and the Hawks replicate the Saints' post-season success?

It took 21 seasons before the New Orleans Saints finally reached the playoffs. It was 34 years before they won a postseason game and 43 before they found their way to the Super Bowl.

So let’s start with this: When it comes to the playoffs, regardless of the sport, having an impressive resume is not a prerequisite to winning a championship. If the Hawks were seeking some affirmation that unlikely story lines develop every day, they just got it.

The Saints just won the Super Bowl. Next week, Liechtenstein conquers China.

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The Hawks face the Miami Heat Wednesday night at Philips Arena. It will be their final game before the All-Star break. After Miami, they’ll play 51 games and hold the …

Continue reading Hawks are hoping to use Saints as a blueprint »

The Count: not one for flowers.

The Count isn’t quite the romantic. He never has been one for long relationships. Then again, you sort of eliminate the possibility of being tied down to one women when you bite a dozen new acquaintances on the neck every full moon. That leaves his hookups somewhat pale and undemanding. Fortunately, that means The Count doesn’t have to deal with every guy’s least favorite holiday, Valentine’s Day. But here’s great news, guys: Valentine’s Day has been devalued by $4 this year! It’s true. According to something called the National Retail Federation, couples will spend an average of $63.34 romancing each other this Valentine’s Day, or roughly the cost of drive-thru for two, his and her Nick Saban bobblehead dolls and a six-pack in Tuscaloosa. That $4 less than in 2009. “Valentine’s Day is more of a discretionary occasion than Christmas and birthdays, which means it will be hit particularly hard by the current economic climate,” said George Van …

Continue reading Valentine’s Countdown: Tiger, Kendra and a statue of Bud? »

Here's Johnny Damon hitting a three-run triple at Turrner Field last season — as a Yankee.

There are several reasons to believe the Braves have interest in Johnny Damon, not the least of which is the fact that they have yet to declare publicly, “We have no interest in Johnny Damon.” And given that the player is represented by agent  Scott Boras, they would have all the motivation in the world to shoot this rumor down.

I know. We’ve been down this road before. David O’Brien has discussed it on his blog, and I wrote nearly three weeks ago that the Braves needed to take a run at Damon to fill their need for a leadoff hitter. Most of you agreed. I just checked poll results and of 2,750 readers who voted, 78 percent supported the Damon idea.

This is what has happened since: Nothing.

That’s good news if you support Damon’s signing. The market has dried up and there’s reason to believe Boras’s asking price is coming down. Whether it comes down to the Braves’ liking remains to be …

Continue reading Braves could be waiting on Damon to lower his price (UPDATED) »

These signs say it all for what the New Orleans Saints have overcome.

It’s understandable if some of you are having a hard time embracing this moment.  Two weeks ago I asked how you felt about the Falcons’ No. 1 rival reaching the Super Bowl and — despite the feel-good nature of the New Orleans Saints’ story — it was clear the masses were split.

But in terms of Feel Good Champions — granted, a subjective title –the Saints reign supreme.

Everybody has their favorite sports moment. Given the Saints’ stunning Super Bowl win over Indianapolis Sunday, I thought it would be timely to list some of the greatest championship storylines in pro sports history. These are my Fave Five.

♦ 1.) New Orleans Saints (2009-10): Sunday’s win, in itself, wasn’t a monumental upset. The Colts were only five-point favorites. But think about the backdrop. Even with s0me recent success, the Saints historically are one of the losingest franchises. This is where the whole paper-bag-on-the-head thing …

Continue reading Sports’ feel-good list: Saints No. 1, Braves, others follow »

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman still believes in Atlanta as a hockey market, but the Thrashers have been hurt by ownership squabbles.

Smart, objective businessmen know that when a company goes belly-up, it’s probably not the fault of the minimum-wage schlepp on the assembly line. So it follows that when NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was asked about the myriad problems the league’s Atlanta franchise is having, he didn’t point to an underachieving goalie or a failed intern in marketing.

It starts at the top. It always starts at the top.

“Ultimately, the ownership situation has to be straightened out,” Bettman told The Atlanta  Journal-Constitution. “It’s difficult to operate a franchise when owners aren’t getting along. It’s even more difficult in a recession climate. A team has to be at its very best. Issues have to be resolved and everybody has to be together so they can interact with fans. But that’s difficult when the owners aren’t together.”

The Atlanta Spirit owners want …

Continue reading Bettman wants Thrashers’ owners to get their act together »

Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt wasn't happy with anybody Saturday, and it showed. (AP photo)

While Paul Hewitt is beating the drum for a 96-team NCAA tournament field, he might want to note that his team just looked like No. 97.

Facing North Carolina State, the last-place team in the ACC, Georgia Tech committed 22 turnovers, missed 14 free throws, blew several layups, also a slam dunk, struggled to execute an in-bounds play as if it were rocket science (isn’t this the Institute of Technology?), melted down against a full-court press and somehow blew a 16-point lead in the time it takes to say, “NIT.”

Yes, Tech won the game. By two points. And a spasm.

Hewitt was so thrilled that he ripped his players. Then himself. Then his players again. Then he snapped at a simple question in the postgame media session. At one point he even belabored the fact that he has been preaching to players about not throwing lob passes against the press “since the first day I walked into the door. …

Continue reading Hewitt has a right to be ‘embarrassed’ — by team and himself »

Imagine how filling out a 96-team bracket would cut into President Obama's work day.

The Super Bowl is the single biggest event in sports, the latest evidence being that we’ve just spent the past two weeks debating what commercials we should or shouldn’t be subjected to while we’re trying to focus on our beer. And nachos. And beer.

(By the way: Received yet another email today from an organization asking me to interview them about “family.” I would’ve thought ignoring the first 23 emails about “family” would’ve been a hint. Are “family” organizations oblivious to hints?)

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Where was I? Oh yes, sports. The Super Bowl may be the biggest event, but the NCAA basketball tournament is the best thing going. It contains everything we love about sports, particularly upsets and underdog stories. It’s …

Continue reading One word about NCAA tourney expansion to 96: lunacy »

Thrashers coach John Anderson has to find goals in his lineup without Ilya Kovalchuk (center).

While the trade of Ilya Kovalchuk did not represent a departure for the Thrashers from past dealings with their impending unrestricted free agents, Thursday’s deal is different in one way: It’s earlier in the season than previous trades and the team is still in the playoff race.

So here’s the question of the day: Do you believe the Kovalchuk trade smothered any chance of this team making the playoffs, or do you believe there’s a chance this team will pull together?

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This topic was broached by pal Scott Burnside of ESPN.com, an Atlanta resident. Under the headline, “Atlanta has a chance to prove Kovy wrong,”  Burnside wrote: “Many will suggest this trade is the final nail in the coffin for this franchise. And that may well be true, but it doesn’t have to be. The men who will …

Continue reading Can Thrashers make playoffs without Kovalchuk? »

Here's Ilya Kovalchuk going against the Devils' Johnny Oduya. Just switch the uniforms now.

This is generally how these things end. A star goes one way. A large package of some undetermined substance and quality goes the other.

This isn’t a new practice with the Thrashers, just an evolving one. The names keep getting bigger. Dealing Ray Ferraro and Jiri Slegr in the early days came with limited blowback. They were late in their careers. But then another impending free agent, Donald Audette,  couldn’t come to terms and was traded to Montreal for an obscure prospect named Kamil Piros. (Unfortunate early analysis from then-coach Curt Fraser:  “The greatest player in Czechoslovakia.”). Then Marian Hossa wouldn’t re-sign and was dealt to Pittsburgh.

Now it’s Ilya Kovalchuk’s turn.

This isn’t just a trend any more. It’s a disturbing franchise trait, with no sign of change in sight.

Kovalchuk was traded Thursday night to New Jersey. His exit was predictable since last season, when …

Continue reading Kovalchuk dealt to New Jersey in sad, expected ending »

Could Ilya Kovalchuk and Dany Heatley be reuinted in San Jose? And does this affect Bobblehead copyright?

Ilya Kovalchuk boarded the Thrashers’ charter to Washington Thursday and, barring  a trade, will be in uniform Friday night when the team faces the Washington Capitals. Anybody else find this strange.

After Waddell told Kovalchuk and his agent, Jay Grossman, Wednesday that he was attempting to trade the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, it didn’t seem logical that the team would risk an injury by putting him on the ice. What if he turns an ankle in practice? How does that impact an already difficult trade market? And how can Kovalchuk, knowing he’s about to be moved, put aside any feelings about his impending departure and play another game for the Thrashers?

Wouldn’t it make more sense for general manager Don Waddell to wrap their biggest asset in bubble wrap before a deal?

Also unexplained is why Waddell said anything to Kovalchuk to begin with. If it was an attempt …

Continue reading Shouldn’t Thrashers put Kovalchuk on ice (not the ice)? »