The Hot Button: Who’s the biggest dud in local sports?
Megaton dud Eddie Haas pulls Gene Garber. (AJC photo by Calvin Cruce)
Again, I have you folks to thank — or blame, as the case may be — for this entry. This tangent arose on Saturday’s live chat off the Falcons’ defensive collapse, and I thought it would make a nice Hot Button. (Or Cold Button, as the case may be.)
The question: Who’s the biggest dud in local sports?
Parameters: It has to be someone currently employed locally. Meaning: No Len Barker, no Aundray Bruce, no Eddie Haas, no Ron Jirsa, no Bruce Pickens, no Jeff Francoeur, no J.R. Rider, no Jeff George, no Priest Lauderdale, no Ray Goff, no Corky Miller, no Marion Campbell, no Peerless Price, no Damian Rhodes, no Bill Lewis, no Albie Lopez, no Robert Fick, no Shelden Williams, no Jimmy Williams, no Bobby Petrino, no Dan Kolb, no Steve Broussard, no Adam Keefe, no Brad Komminsk, no Reggie Kelly … enough already!
I’ve taken the liberty of nominating one deserving — or undeserving, as the case may be — candidate from each local entity. (Caveat: No college players will be considered. It’d be mean to label an amateur a flop, especially with so many alleged pros from which to choose.) And here we go. Feel free to comment/disagree/amplify/moan.
Greg Norton, Braves slugger: I don’t think I need to outline the argument for/against him. And if I did, I’m not apt to do it any better than I did it in this post earlier today.
Jamaal Anderson, Falcons defensive end: First-round draft pick (No. 8 overall) has two sacks in two seasons. On the bright side, he had two more sacks in Year 2 than in Year 1, so the graph is pointing upward. Started as a rookie. Probably won’t start as a third-year man. Was drafted as a DE. Has been tried at defensive tackle. Best position would seem the bench.
Mike Woodson, Hawks coach: He makes the list because each local sporting concern must have a representative. Also because he’s still more than a hundred games under .500 as a head coach. Also because he just groused to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports about not having been offered a contract extension. But Woody did a good job last season and wouldn’t be included had not Speedy Claxton been shipped to Golden State, which was downright thoughtless of Rick Sund.
Don Waddell, Thrashers GM: Ten years on the job, two winning seasons, one playoff appearance, no playoff victories. But he has had a nice offseason, and if he persuades Ilya Kovalchuk to stay we’ll be throwing roses at the Teflon Don, as opposed to the usual rotten tomatoes.
Loading ...Willie Martinez, Georgia defensive coordinator: His players were in position; they just didn’t make the tackles. But seriously, folks … here’s the reason Unslick Willie is substandard.
Paul Hewitt, Georgia Tech basketball coach: Took the Jackets to the 2004 national championship game by winning five riveting NCAA games in 17 days. Has won one NCAA game since. Has missed the Big Dance three times in the past four years. Has had a losing record three of the past four seasons. Just saw his program lose two scholarships for failure to meet NCAA academic progress standards.
Me, I’d say the overall choice comes down to expectations, meaning money. Norton is stealing earning $800,000. Martinez makes $325,000, or $1 per missed tackle. Anderson earns — wrong word, I know — $3.8 million. Which would seem to make him the winner/loser. Except:
Though Hewitt’s annual pay packet is only (only!) $1.375 million, Tech would owe him $7.175 million were it to fire him today. That makes him the biggest underachiever in local sports. But I say that knowing, seven months from now, we might well believe he’s the best bargain around. Because the Jackets should be really good next season.
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259 comments Add your comment
Brian
September 3rd, 2009
10:39 am
I love how they’re all coaches, GMs or supposed starting players except Norton, who is about the 23rd most important player on the Braves. That’s an excellent sign for them.
shards1967
September 3rd, 2009
10:39 am
Tech signed Charlie Dudish in the late 60s and he was going to be the greatest QB in the history of the world, having played at Avondale HS. Well, he only played in one or two games and one was vs USC ( S.Cal) and he did decently but the jackets lost.
He was sooooooooooooo great, that national tv news did a piece on him on prime time tv back then. He is the biggest bust in my mind and now? A minister, I htink. Great.
Slimpickens
September 3rd, 2009
10:39 am
Biggest Dud = Mark Bradley
Greg Norton! Whiffing! Can someone make it stop? | Mark Bradley
September 3rd, 2009
10:42 am
[...] available! My feeble mind enflamed by this burning topic, I decided to expand the discussion. Who’s the biggest dud in local sports? Greg Norton’s name is mentioned, you should [...]
ATLNick
September 3rd, 2009
10:47 am
I voted for you Mark…but as a joke. Much like Greg Norton’s numbers this year a big fat joke! Nice piece.
G Dawg
September 3rd, 2009
10:50 am
CWM cant really go out on the field and make tackles himself. He gave the players all the tools they needed to go out and do their job.
Mark Bradley
September 3rd, 2009
10:50 am
True confession, Nick: I voted for me, too.
Bat Masterson
September 3rd, 2009
10:51 am
Don Waddell could not get away with it, if people knew we had a hockey franchise in atlanta.
Sam in High School
September 3rd, 2009
10:53 am
i would say peter moylan for the first half of the season but that has changed now. he was a guaranteed loss everytime he came out of the bullpen at least now he seems to be dependable (knock on wood). now its definitely norton
Bushwacker
September 3rd, 2009
10:53 am
How about the Braves annoncers last night for slamming Hanley Ramirez for not being in the games during a playoff race but making excuses for why Chipper was sitting out a game during the same playoff race????
Angus
September 3rd, 2009
10:54 am
Norton’s thankful to be considered this important, it’s not JA’s fault he was picked 8th, Willie will prove himself this year, Woodson’s passable, Bradley’s OK, who’s Don Waddell? we have hockey here?
Paul Hewitt, hands down, takes the cake.
FIREWADDELL
September 3rd, 2009
10:57 am
It’s obviously Waddell but the majority of this city doesn’t know that we have a Hockey team so won’t vote for him.
The problem is that Waddell is the exact reason why most of this city doesn’t know we have a hockey team.
Joey
September 3rd, 2009
10:57 am
Didn’t vote for you Mark, because I know deep down, you have the guts to ask Bobby about Norton…. right? Please ask him.
Mark Bradley
September 3rd, 2009
10:59 am
Sure. I’ll ask Cox about Norton next time I see him. I’ll say, “Bobby, doesn’t Greg cut a dashing figure in his uniform?”
Actually, I will ask why he keeps using the Nort Man. Because I’d like to know myself.
Like I see it
September 3rd, 2009
11:00 am
Pretty sure that would have to be you Mark and your soul mate Terence Moore running a close second.
jeffrey d
September 3rd, 2009
11:01 am
Can we can it with the “no one in Atlanta even knows we have a hockey team.”
We know…we just don’t care. Our summers are spent sweating in 90 and 100 degree weather. Our winters are spent freaking out if there’s a snow flurry. We’re not used to cold weather, hence, we weren’t raised with cold weather sports in our culture. It’s not that we don’t know, it’s that we don’t like it. We’re not stupid.
gtdave
September 3rd, 2009
11:03 am
Think it’s a tie vs. Waddell and Hewitt…Both have lost their fan base. Thrashers games use to have tons of energy, now it’s closer to watching croquet. Hard to imagine any decent hockey player would want to come down here and be irrelevant. I would be totally shocked if Kovy is here for the entire year, and wouldn’t blame him for leaving after the season is over if he doesn’t get traded.
For Tech, used to never be able to get ACC tickets the day of the game. That should say enough. 2-14 in conference? Are we the Duke of Football? This year may be a different, but if the golden child stays for one year, we’ll be back to where we were before…Cremins, didn’t recruit a ton of depth, but still won, except for the last couple of years he was here. Is Hewitt a a good X’s and O’s guy? (how many close games were lost because couldn’t score when had to). Not sure what he really brings to the table.
Maybe I am wrong and both can turn things around this year. If not, they both should be out (and I’ll gladly contribute to the buyout for Hewitt.)
CLTDawg
September 3rd, 2009
11:04 am
It has to be Anderson, only because he is supposed to be an every down player. He was drafted to help/replace Kearney and Abraham, but we get squat from him. Hopefully he can do something this year, but I am not counting on it.
But my gawd, Norton is awful. He would easily win if this was for part time players. We would be better off getting the kid from the Bad New Bears (Stein maybe) whose sole responsibility was to get hit by a pitch.
Mark Bradley
September 3rd, 2009
11:05 am
Wait a second. Atlanta has a hockey team?
Joey
September 3rd, 2009
11:05 am
G Dawg, you’ve got your head in the sand almost as deep as Richt. It’s not just the tackling. It’s the scheming and gameplans before the games, the sideline adjustments during the games, and the analysis after the games. We always win or hold our on for a quarter or two like the Alabama and Fla games last year. But what happens then? The other coaches adjust and Willie doesn’t. He has the only college coaching job he’ll ever have, because his boss loves him…
Sammy
September 3rd, 2009
11:05 am
Hey Shards, many of us from AHS will agree with you. But if you know the true history, Charlie’s daddy (former NFL player) burned the boy out early with forced drills year round. No wonder he went to TECH – he was a straight-A srudent, but wanted to torque-off his old man, an UGA alum.
He cratered during the tulane game. The cray &*((* dropped acid beefore the game and was later heard to say, “Man, I could see all kinds of sh*t coming off of the ball as I released it.”
Sad.
rlinaug
September 3rd, 2009
11:06 am
Right now, the biggest dud is Bobby Cox, for sending Noron the plate in a big moment with Brooks Conrad on the bench. I know the lefty-right matchup favored Norton but still. In his earlier stint with the Bravos, Conrad did nothing to warrant being sent back to Gwinnett. He’s done everything to deserve to pinch-hitting ahead of that dud Norton. There’s no excuse for having Norton at the plate when the game is on the line. Norton didn’t even put the ball in play last night, didn’t even give the opposing team a chance to mess up. Cox is privy to the same stats you mentioned.
Rob
September 3rd, 2009
11:07 am
Hewitt hands down…what a loser!
Scott
September 3rd, 2009
11:07 am
No question – Chan Gailey, the “offensive genius”.
Gravy Train
September 3rd, 2009
11:08 am
Mark you don’t belong on the list. Most days you give us something to ponder and debate. It has helped speed the time between football seasons for me anyway.
Teflon Don. He escapes scrutiny because nobody cares about hockey.
I nominate the Atlanta Spirit group. They have squandered a great opportunity to make the Hawks really good with their in-fighting and stubborness to continue to dump money on the dumpster fire that is the Thrashers. Liberty Media would be a close second.
Mark Bradley
September 3rd, 2009
11:09 am
One of the first names Steve Figueroa mentioned to me when I came to work here was Charlie Dudish. Of whom I hadn’t heard.
Joey
September 3rd, 2009
11:09 am
I’m looking forward to it Mark. I was serious about the guts thing, because I’m sure Bobby will hold a grudge against you during his next 10 years or so in the dugout. Can’t wait to hear his justification.
Mark Bradley
September 3rd, 2009
11:10 am
Why, thanks, Gravy. But I thought I should give y’all the option of voting for (or against) me. Fair’s fair.
GeoffDawg
September 3rd, 2009
11:11 am
It’s hard to argue with either Jamaal Anderson or anyone associated with the Hawks. However, what do you think of Rich McKay? He was supposedly this GM savant (who was allegedly on the short list for NFL commissioner) but his tenure was marred by bad personnel decisions and bad hires. Dimitroff has clearly demonstrated what a competent GM with the resources of the Falcons franchise can do in a short period of time. I’m honestly surprised that McKay is still employed with the organization after getting pushed aside and basically demoted.
FEAR
September 3rd, 2009
11:12 am
WAIT! Someone from the AJC is gonna question a Cox move? Well stomp on frogs and shove a crowbar up my nose!
observor
September 3rd, 2009
11:13 am
Without a doubt it has to be Jamaal Anderson. He is clearly the most overrated and ill equipped NFL draft pick I’ve seen since the aforementioned Aundrey Bruce. Obviously Norton is awful, but Norton wasn’t drafted 8th overall in the draft with the intention of being a replacement for a Pro Bowl defensive end (Kearney) and being a foundation piece of your defense for the next decade
jeffrey d
September 3rd, 2009
11:13 am
I didn’t realize that Norton was a 2nd round draft pick.
Mrs. Chanandler Bong
September 3rd, 2009
11:13 am
Mark, I voted for you too. But only as a joke. I’m just in shock that Greg Norton’s winning at something.
FEAR
September 3rd, 2009
11:14 am
Biggest dud…………………Mr. Bobby “By the Book” Cox
jeffrey d
September 3rd, 2009
11:14 am
Or that his middle name is Blakemoor! HA!
Mark Bradley
September 3rd, 2009
11:16 am
Got to admit, that’s a serious middle name, Jeffrey. Sounds like he spent some time with the hound of the Baskervilles.
Starring Kam Fong as Chin Ho
September 3rd, 2009
11:16 am
Joey, didn’t Ga out play Bama in the 2nd half last year? Just saying. Anyway the biggest dud has to be Joe Schiambi.( ? spelling). He is not by favorite broadcaster.
GeoffDawg
September 3rd, 2009
11:16 am
I wish it wasn’t so easy to come up with such a long list of Atlanta sports duds from the past. I foresee the Hawks and maybe Braves continuting the tradition for awhile to come.
BugKiller
September 3rd, 2009
11:18 am
Willie Martinez GAVE his players the tools to be successful?
Really?
What defense have you been watching the last four years, G Dawg?
Because the defense I’ve watched has been criminally UNDERCOACHED. We’re talking about a team that has gotten progressively more undisciplined under Martinez with a shocking lack of fundamental knowledge on how to play the game.
Seriously. Stop making excuses for this man who is substandard in every way.
And Mark, blame Norton all you want, but who’s the man who keeps on running Norton out there game after game?
Who’s the man that refused to bench Francouer or Schaefer?
Who’s the man who refused to bench Kelly Johnson until it was far too late?
Who’s the man who is the WORST postseason manager in the history of baseball?
Blame Bobby Cox. Norton doesn’t get a chance to kill rallies without Cox’s implicit consent.
Mark Bradley
September 3rd, 2009
11:18 am
Were we to discuss “Greatest Atlanta sports duds ever,” we’d be here for a month, Geoff.
Now that I think of it, that could be my next post.
Don
September 3rd, 2009
11:19 am
No contest —Bobby Cox
The Braves Pitching is good enought that you have a reasonable expectation of winning each time a starter goes to the mound. Yet Bobby Cox has the team barely winning half of its games.
Don
September 3rd, 2009
11:22 am
Relating to your recent column relating to Norton:
Mr. Bradley, you, without question, are right about Norton; but the point you are missing is — That as bad as he is, he is still a better hitter than Bobby Cox is a manager. Using Norton is just one little example of Cox’s continous blundering and incompetency.
Jack G.
September 3rd, 2009
11:22 am
Dont put the knock on Norton, It’s got to be the manager===BOBBY COX hands down. No one else is close—well maybe Hewitt.
YESSSS
September 3rd, 2009
11:26 am
Mark – the biggest dud in Atlanta sports are the Atlanta FANS. 14 consecutive playoff teams for the Braves and after the first couple of years, you don’t get packed houses??????? The Braves draw nice, polite, suburbanites who want to tip-toe into the park in the 3rd inning – have a low-fat, grilled chicken sandwich with lite ranch on the side and one Mich ultra, cheer for the Home Depot tool race, and leave in the 7th. Heaven forbid that a large group of people get to the game early, razz the other team, guzzle a few beers, eat a Bratwurst, scream like crazy when the game gets tight, You know – SUPPORT THE TEAM!!!!!
SimpleDawg
September 3rd, 2009
11:27 am
All of your nominations are worthy of the Title, but I’ll go with Jamaal Andersson.
I have a foolish question after watching the Braves Game last night…..Why is bases loaded, no outs, and a 1 run lead in the sixth inning not a good time to bring one of your best pitchers? Why would you not be warming up Moylan or Gonzo when the inning began to look like trouble?
the real Old Gold
September 3rd, 2009
11:29 am
Willie Martinez is based in Athens. I think Georgia State probably has some regional geography classes open this semester.
KPH
September 3rd, 2009
11:30 am
Len Barker the sore armed drunk that the Braves sold the farm to get. Maybe Nick Esasky but his ailment wasnt self inflicted like Barkers.
Mike Hampton? Anyone remember Earl Williams? Too many to list.
BugKiller
September 3rd, 2009
11:32 am
Mark, while I am no fan of Woody, wouldn’t Joe Johnson and his inability to step it up when it matters (or you know, be his “playing Charlotte” self at the very least when it matters most) make him the Hawks’ representative?
I know, I know, I’m crazy and insane. But you know what, for years and years I’ve been the man in the wilderness calling for Bobby Cox’s head because of the immense October failings of some of the best teams in baseball history due to his inept managing of his bench and pitching staff in the playoffs and have suffered the slings and arrows… but people are starting to come around to my way of thinking on Cox.
I’ve been after Martinez since losses to Auburn and WVU in the 2005-2006 season, losses that would have NEVER have happened under a BVG-coached defense. When I later found out that Martinez was Richt’s former college roommate and BFF, I made the connection to Richt’s mentor’s mistake with his son, Jeff Bowden, and knew, even three years ago, that Richt would NEVER fire Martinez, no matter how inexplicably his defenses would collapse at the most inopportune times, culminating in last year’s freefall.
And now, while there are people who are still so blindly loyal they defend the indefensible, there are many more sick of Martinez, calling on Damon Evans to do what Richt refuses to do.
If the defense performs as I expect it to (giving up over 30 points to OSU in a Bulldog win because their defense stinks, losing to LSU and Florida by big points), then Evans must fire Martinez, even before the Tech game.
Dooley's Cardiologist
September 3rd, 2009
11:33 am
Atlanta still has a hockey team??
Dink
September 3rd, 2009
11:33 am
Aundray Bruce without a doubt.
That is when I began to wonder if the Falcons were a cursed franchise.
YESSSS
September 3rd, 2009
11:34 am
Oh, I forgot – they want to do that cute Tomahawk Chop too. Just a reminder, people. The Chop got started because Deon Sanders was from Florida State where (though I’m no fan) they do the Chop with some amount of exuberence. Deon is gone. The Braves’ fan version of the Chop these days is the lamest, most wimpy excuse of fan participation in an athletic event. It ranks up there with the Wave and the organ player playing scales to get the people to clap in time. Ugh!!!! I want to the Braves management to develop a “NON-FAMILY” section of the park. You must blow .08 or higher in order to be seated in that section. You must be screaming or you will be ushered out of the section. There is a 2 beer minimum while you’re in the section, and peanuts are complimentary as long as you’re throwing them at the players or umpires. COME ON, PEOPLE.
Mark Bradley
September 3rd, 2009
11:36 am
It’d be hard to classify Joe Johnson as a dud, BugKiller.
Larvell "SugarBear" Blanks
September 3rd, 2009
11:37 am
MB, this is a close call between Norton and Anderson. However, seeing as how Anderson was drafted as an every down player as oppossed to a utility player, i.e. third down specialist then hands down it goes to Jamal Anderson. And if Greg Norton is a Utility then I say it is time to turn the lights out on his career. Also, what about Garret Anderson? This guy has done little to nothing as well!
Ryno
September 3rd, 2009
11:39 am
It’s Woodson. He’s totally worthless and can’t develop young players to save his life. He’s Dusty Baker on the hardwood.
Bank Walker, Texas Ranger
September 3rd, 2009
11:41 am
Hands down J. Anderson. All the others have had some success at one time with little expectations but Anderson was a top 10 pick with 1 sack. And really, does anyone give a crap about Norton, he is just a pinch hitter. Cox is to blame for ever using the guy. Willie could end up a close 2nd with the expectations he is going to have to live up to.
Braves73
September 3rd, 2009
11:41 am
This arguement is a two way tie for me. I believe the biggest “dud” is Willie Martinez. Here’s why…
1.) He is consistently provided enough talent to be successful but has vastly underperformed and has yet (& probably never will) been a difference maker in his time as defensive coordinator. See his statistics from year one to current as facts.
2.) Discipline which should be # 1 for any coach (especially football) has been sorely lacking. There are a lot of exterior factors that coaches have little control over (injuries, youth), but discipline should not be one of them. This is an absolute for any “quality” coach to make the grade.
3.) Terrible in game adjustments…I have been to several UGA games and I can’t honestly say that I have EVER walked away thinking, “Wow, the defensive play calling was GREAT!”.
The second “dud” is Paul Hewitt. Here’s why…
1.) He did have his moment bringing a previious staffs’ unit together with the Final four appearance, but since then it has been a gradual downward regression.
2.) His teams rarely over achieve and he has had enought talent to AT LEAST make the Jackets respectable. I mean, they practically allow almost every team in the tournament.
3.) Consitently Inconsistent. I can’t for the life of me understand what the heck Hewitt is doing sometimes with his frentic substitution patterns. You will have a guy with “hot hand” and Paul will pull him, bury him on the bench, and then wonder why they lose/lost a game. It’s mind-numbingly STUPID!
Ok, I couldn’t resist adding a third “dud” to the list – Bobby Cox. Here’s why
1.) It’s very difficult for me to slam Bobby, but he makes it SO easy with his MORONIC moves. I will only say that he drives me to drink and I will leave it at that. The rest is pretty obvious.
Bank Walker, Texas Ranger
September 3rd, 2009
11:42 am
YESSSS, They started doing the chop here in ‘91, long before Deion arrived.
Eastside Jacket
September 3rd, 2009
11:44 am
How does the third paragraph not include Nick Esasky ???
Mark Bradley
September 3rd, 2009
11:45 am
Deion Sanders actually came to the Braves in 1991, Bank Walker. The chop was started as a shout-out to his FSU days.
Don
September 3rd, 2009
11:47 am
Have you thought about how amazing it is — That when we have a Pitching Staff good enough that there is a reasonable expectation of winnning every time one of our starters goes to the mound; yet we have barely won half of our games. Oh, I forgot, Bobby Cox is still the manager.
Mark Bradley
September 3rd, 2009
11:47 am
Because I invoked Esasky’s name a couple of weeks ago. Wouldn’t want to pile on.
Big Man
September 3rd, 2009
11:47 am
I cosign Willie Martinez and Paul Hewitt. I thought Caleb King would be on there. he still has time, but he’s looking kinda Danny Ware’ish(last few years) right now. Who is Greg Norton. Never heard of him before. Jamaal Anderson and Woddy are bums.
YUP!!
September 3rd, 2009
11:48 am
Mike Vick fans!!!!!!
Big Man
September 3rd, 2009
11:49 am
And ya’ll leave Bobby Cox alone
Trade School Junkie
September 3rd, 2009
11:49 am
Biggest sports “dud” in Atlanta?
Easy, the AJC Sports section.
Was this some kind of trick question?
The University of Georgia Tech
September 3rd, 2009
11:49 am
All-time…Len Barker (Braves), Bill Lewis (GT), JR Rider (Hawks), Jeff George (Falcons), Dennis Felton (UGA), and Terrance Morre (AJC).
Current….Schiffer (Braves), Hewitt(GT), Law (Hawks), J Anderson (Falcons), Martinez (UGA), and this article(AJC)
MightyQuinn
September 3rd, 2009
11:51 am
I nominate the Atlanta Spirit. Covers a multitude of sins!
Bob in SF
September 3rd, 2009
11:51 am
I have to go with Don Waddell because he has by far the largest body of incompetence with over 10 years of mind-numbingly consistent mediocrity.
Chef montuer
September 3rd, 2009
11:53 am
Mike Vicks dogs
FEAR
September 3rd, 2009
11:53 am
I’ll leave cox alone when he is no longer the braves skipper
Khao$
September 3rd, 2009
11:55 am
Woodson, hands down. He does less with more, more than anybody. He hasn’t developed anything, refuses to adjust his system to fit his personel, and whines all of the time.
uga_b
September 3rd, 2009
11:57 am
The University of GA Tech doesn’t know his own school’s name. Funny stuff.
I would throw out some owners like the Atlanta Spirit (1st IMO) and Liberty Mutual(?). I think that who owns the braves. I could also throw out the entire Atlanta DREAM.
BugKiller
September 3rd, 2009
11:58 am
Mark,
I know. Regular season, he’s an All-Star.
Playoffs he’s an All-Dud.
So, I’d be half-right? Right? Haha.
Gen Neyland
September 3rd, 2009
11:59 am
In the Catagory of Recent Past Duds : Mike Hampton. At least the rest of the duds actually played a little…
In the Catagory of Current Duds : The GT basketball team
Atticus
September 3rd, 2009
12:00 pm
I say the Atlanta Spirit Group. You notice both a GM and coach of that group are on your list. They just care about the Arena revenue.
BIG BEE
September 3rd, 2009
12:01 pm
BILL LEWIS, no question!!!
Mark Bradley
September 3rd, 2009
12:01 pm
I thought about including the Spirit, Quinn. But I wanted to make this a fair competition.
eyeball kid
September 3rd, 2009
12:02 pm
Mark,
Charles Dudish graduated from Avondale HS in 1967 or 1968 and was considered the best HS football player in the country. He went to GA Tech and apparently did vey little while there. My oldest brother played against him. We all (3 brothers 1 sister) graduated from Southwest Dekalb HS. In 1968 there were only 2 HS stadiums in Dekalb Co. Avondale and Briarcliff.
BIG BEE
September 3rd, 2009
12:03 pm
Could be wrong about BILL LEWIS, may be RANDY JOHNSON, Falsons 1st QB.
Otto
September 3rd, 2009
12:04 pm
The hockey team is sadly the most entertaining game ITP.
Old Dawg
September 3rd, 2009
12:04 pm
I voted for Mark because he’s a man, he’s 40!
Herschel Walker
September 3rd, 2009
12:07 pm
no Andre Bruce?
Mark Bradley
September 3rd, 2009
12:09 pm
I’m actually 53, Old Dawg, and still ain’t much of a man.
ToccoaDawg
September 3rd, 2009
12:09 pm
Mark is pulling a strong third. Does this mean he should be looking for a job in the Falcons secondary?
Richard Hamilton
September 3rd, 2009
12:10 pm
It has to go to DW. Hands down. I mean 10 years and pretty much zero to show for it??? I’m not even a hockey fan and I would vote for him. Norton was pretty good last year, so I call it a wash on him. JAnderson is probably the second biggest dud at the moment. I would say Hewitt and Martinez are running neck and neck for third; lets see how the season unfolds this year.
Actually the term dufus comes to mind when I think of DW.
Black Book Betty
September 3rd, 2009
12:13 pm
The Streets of Buckhead!
Richard Hamilton
September 3rd, 2009
12:14 pm
DW kind of reminds me of that guy sloth in the goonies movie.
ToccoaDawg
September 3rd, 2009
12:14 pm
Seriously Mark. It has to be Anderson who should be cut so our beloved Falcons can save some money and keep a lineman that trys.
Mark Bradley
September 3rd, 2009
12:14 pm
I’m actually running ahead of Paul Hewitt, Toccoa. Good to know all that get-out-the-vote effort is paying off.
GT
September 3rd, 2009
12:16 pm
One thing I will give Mark Bradley he has guts. Do these guys ever back you in a corner after a blog like this? I think you are totally on the money with all you have said. Last year’s Tech team got my goat because they couldn’t shoot foul shots and could not bring a ball in, basic stuff that you start watching other teams do to make sure it is not a national epidemic. The only team I notice with this problem was Tech, and there are a lot of less talented teams playing in the NCAA. Not a priority I guess with Paul Hewitt. I think a lot of big time recruiters are easy on the players to get them to come to what is now a losing program. You might have been a little hard on Anderson, but that money talks. Norton lost that game last night with it on his bat. You could see his frustration, but you couldn’t see the frustration of the minor leaguer whose place he is taking when he plays like that. I often thought of Hanson when Glavine was here demanding some love, in affect leaving the real Tommy in the minors so he could have some unearned limelight. I agree with the Hawks coach and think if this was a richer franchise and not spending their money on lawyers they would have fired Woodson long ago. Hockey the whole sport is a dud unless you are a Canook.
TommyGator
September 3rd, 2009
12:17 pm
How can you include The Swamp Fox (that’s Marion Campbell, not Spurrier or Meyer, for you young ‘uns)? His Falcon failure was due more to the ownership (non)skills of the Rankin Smiths than his coaching ability.
eyeball kid
September 3rd, 2009
12:19 pm
Why has Jeff Francouer not been mentioned?
FEAR
September 3rd, 2009
12:22 pm
current ATL sports players
eyeball kid
September 3rd, 2009
12:23 pm
Claude Humphrey left us for Philly.
Don Waddell Fan
September 3rd, 2009
12:23 pm
Biggest DUD in ATL Sports?
Jeff Schultz!
Honorable Mention: The average “Vick Supporter” in 2009
( Hey, you ASKED. )
eyeball kid
September 3rd, 2009
12:24 pm
Where are Tommy Nobis and Greg Brezeina(sp)?
eyeball kid
September 3rd, 2009
12:26 pm
Fulton Kykundall, Lynn Cain and Alfred Jenkins where are you?
Hillbilly Deluxe
September 3rd, 2009
12:26 pm
Tommy Gator
You’re right, Marion Campbell wasn’t a bad coach, actually. For all time Atlanta Dud, you’d certainly be able to make a case for all those years the Clampetts owned the Falcons.
eyeball kid
September 3rd, 2009
12:30 pm
My all time favorite Falcon LB was the guy with the huge neck brace. #58 and I think his last name was Hansen. Oh well, you would have to ask Van Brocklin.
Ed
September 3rd, 2009
12:30 pm
Does anyone remember Walter (Socko) Stockwell?
Waleska Dawg
September 3rd, 2009
12:30 pm
Biggest dud in Atlanta Sports? Mr. Terence Moore
AlternateReality
September 3rd, 2009
12:32 pm
Why hasn’t Bad News jumped on to nominate Matt Ryan, with Dimitroff a close second?
Have I missed something?
Waleska Dawg
September 3rd, 2009
12:33 pm
Honorable Mention:
1. Reginald Ball
2. Saint Simons
3. Stegeman Coliseum
eyeball kid
September 3rd, 2009
12:34 pm
Not true about Terrance, he has that little gig with Jim Rome.
GT71
September 3rd, 2009
12:35 pm
You must not say anything bad about Paul Hewitt. He is a black coach and has done so much for his fellows in the ‘Black Coaches Association’ (or whatever they call it) that he hasn’t had all the time necessary to actually ‘coach’. So lay off. You know it’s simply racism to put poor old Paul so far out front. You should all be ashamed.
ChopStarter1990
September 3rd, 2009
12:36 pm
I can say that the “chop” was started in 1990. Why, because I was there with a bunch of FSU grads. We got college night seats in right field. Being recent grads, we just started the chop as a way to get on Darryl Strawberry (it was Dodgers game). Why we thought that would get on Darryl, I have no idea, but it was fun at the time.
Tech75
September 3rd, 2009
12:38 pm
Wow. So many choices that I can’t decide on only one.
It’s a dead heat:
Paul Hewitt
Bill Lewis
Chan Gailey
The Atlanta Spirit Group
Don Waddell
Jamaal Anderson
WalkerMuhDawg
September 3rd, 2009
12:40 pm
You’re just beating a dead horse here (and making me ill again thinking of what another year of this will look like.)
Richt is NOT going to fire Martinez because he wants to have staff stability … whatever that is. He wants recruits to know that the guy who recruited them will ALWAYS be there, IMO way-overestimating the care that 18 y/o kids have for their mentors. If our D stinks it up again this year, though, I’m confident that Damon will force Mark’s hand.
We can always hope.
John Smoltz
September 3rd, 2009
12:41 pm
Chipper Jones hands down.
richard cranium
September 3rd, 2009
12:41 pm
The ENTIRE UGA football program, past and present…
Over 100 years of football and only 1 National Championship that occured before the internet was created… and the fans re-live it every day of their lives.
FalconFaninMI
September 3rd, 2009
12:42 pm
I have to agree with an earlier comment – Rich McKay is an even bigger dud that Jamaal Anderson. At least the damage from Anderson is limited to one position.
That said, Paul Hewitt is a bigger dud than anyone else on the current list.
The A Bomb
September 3rd, 2009
12:43 pm
How about Aundray Bruce?
How about Eddie Haas?
How about Bobby Petrino?
How about Chuck Tanner?
How about Dan Kolb?
How about Chris Reitsma?
I would go on, but I’m starting to feel sick. . .
some sense
September 3rd, 2009
12:43 pm
Not even a contest, guys.
BugKiller and Saint Simons.
Tampa Wreck
September 3rd, 2009
12:44 pm
Let’s hope that Paul Hewitt and the Jackets have a great upcoming season and some unkowing SEC school swoops in and hires him away so we can get out from under that 7 million $$$ buyout. It is the only hope for GT basketball in the next five years!!
AlternateReality
September 3rd, 2009
12:45 pm
Ha ha ha.
I just looked at Norton’s stats on the AJC Braves roster page. There’s a little blurb there dated Jun 11. Quote – “Analysis: Norton is an alarmingly bad 4 for 41 (.098) this year”.
See, Bobby keeps running him out there because his average, now .147, continues to climb
Cuz
September 3rd, 2009
12:50 pm
The Two Idiots Marketing Group for the Ad Campaign of “Willie Martinez for Last Chance Fire Extinguishers”.
chc4
September 3rd, 2009
12:52 pm
Can’t wait to see Norton pinch hit tonight in a big spot. Sadly he’s only slightly less likely to get a hit than our other bench lefty — Kelly Johnson. Norton is so horrible.
41 38 49 38 45
September 3rd, 2009
12:53 pm
In about 4 weeks it will be Willie M. Bank on it!
Scrambled Eggs
September 3rd, 2009
12:56 pm
CMR just might be if Willie doesnt live up to his pay raise this year. CMR will have egg on his face…
Chris
September 3rd, 2009
12:59 pm
The biggest dud is Willie Martinez, Willie Martinez, Willie Martinez!!!
What’s it going to take to fire this man? Would someone please talk some sense into someone at UGA that can make this happen. I think CMR is a great coach but it’s obivous that he will never fire his best buddy. Willie would have been removed long ago at any other school.
Someone should get a petition together, send it to your local State rep.(if they’re a Georgia fan), send it to the governor, the president, and anyone who will listen.
This pathetic excuse for a DC has got to go!!!
Pez Hilton
September 3rd, 2009
12:59 pm
Saint Simey……..When was the last time our yeller Jackits won a conference championship? I would love to talk about it on the bluff this weekend. And….FYI……I shaved my apple sack for you this week!! Filet-o-teabag honey!
PeonDion
September 3rd, 2009
1:03 pm
WOW–back to the braves Glory days.
Mark, No mention of Jerry Glanville?
Elvis has left the building.
DawginLex
September 3rd, 2009
1:07 pm
I don’t know if this classifies as a dud but the GT baseball coach does less with more consistently. They have been on a downward spiral since Morris went to Miami.
Hewitt is a close 2nd.
Martinez is 3rd.
All three should be on the hot seat but only one of them is.
kurula
September 3rd, 2009
1:11 pm
if we are bringing money into the equation then my vote goes to waddell. and not for his salary, which i’m sure is more than he deserves, but for the total money spent on many years of crappy hockey teams. the total of those paychecks for a sub-standard product far exceeds the amount spent on any individual. second place…greg norton. simply because he gets $1,000 per strikeout and i could do that for free.
SGTBILKO
September 3rd, 2009
1:13 pm
This is tough. They are all so deserving. Gotta go with the Greg Norton/Bobby Cox combo. Without each other the Braves could be leading their division.
David
September 3rd, 2009
1:18 pm
Mark-
Is that true? The Braves’ chop was started as a salute to FSU when Deion arrived?? That’s cool.
Jake7
September 3rd, 2009
1:21 pm
Bobby Cox…….he’s OUT OF TOUCH……LONG IN THE TOOTH……..OLD SCHOOL……He’s GOT SOOOO much ENERGY……the battery is….DEAD!!!
Matt
September 3rd, 2009
1:21 pm
I agree with Waleska Dawg.
Also, Mike Woodson is really unfair. He turned the Hawks around from being debateably THE WORST team in the NBA to a perinial playoff team. There is no need to bring up his overall record.
kurula
September 3rd, 2009
1:21 pm
if i’m thinking of the all time greatest busts, i’d have to say vick. don’t get me wrong, i loved to watch him play and i still pull for him to succeed. it’s just that looking at him being a number one draft choice, and signing that giant contract, and then him going to prison, the returns never justified the investment. also, if you look at what atlanta traded to san diego, do you realize that atlanta could have drafted ladanian tomlinson AND drew brees AND still kept tim dwight?! (hey, he was a good special teams guy and the opposite of a bust. who scored the only touchdown in falcons superbowl history? tim dwight!)
Chris Broe
September 3rd, 2009
1:24 pm
The Hounds of the Baskervilles!
ChippersLoveChild
September 3rd, 2009
1:26 pm
Took the easy way out nominating Waddell for the Thrashers… how about the Atlanta Spirit Group as a whole? I’m pretty sure we can all agree on that.
Cox loser
September 3rd, 2009
1:30 pm
why THE f^%$ DOES SENILE cOX KEEP USING nORTON, hE CEARLY COST US THE GAME. hE PLACES NOROTN IN KEY SITUATIONS EVERYTIME WITH HIS STELLAR .140 ba avg? wtf why????????
...the truth
September 3rd, 2009
1:30 pm
GREG NORTON
Volman
September 3rd, 2009
1:33 pm
At least Hewitt beats UGA every year. He’s a miserable coach, but this is a poor stab at Georgia Tech.
YESSS
September 3rd, 2009
1:34 pm
Yes. The chop started in Deion’s early days when he was getting a little playing time and having some success. Some of the fans started imitating the chop that they do at Florida State in support of him. And now, about 12,000 suburbanites that show up (late) to each home game mindlessly chop away for a whopping 10 seconds at a time. They don’t actually STAND-UP and do it, mind you. That would just be way over the top for an Atlanta fan.
Herschel Talker
September 3rd, 2009
1:36 pm
1. Terence Moore
2. Any Braves catcher in the 80s
3. Jeff George
NC Dawg
September 3rd, 2009
1:36 pm
Tell me more about this Eddie Haas fellow?
Jake7
September 3rd, 2009
1:36 pm
2nd Choice…..Chipper Jones….aka HOOTER BOY,IRON MAN……..This guy HAS BEEN a MAJOR bust FOR the money the BRAVES have paid him !!! We won 14 titles…ONE WORLD SERIES…..Tell me what he has done in these playoffs!!N-O-T-H-I-N-G ! That’s why BOBBY COX is MY 1st CHOICE !
Don!
September 3rd, 2009
1:38 pm
The answer for the Hawks should be Josh Childress. Anyone who would rather be playing for a second tier league in Greece instead of helping their NBA club in the playoffs is definitely a dud in my book.
Later,
Don!
YESSS
September 3rd, 2009
1:41 pm
Maybe as a tribute to some of the other Athletes in Atlanta, we could do other things instead of the Chop. Like:
We could all pick our noses and shout Jesus F’ing Christ as a tribute to Bobby Cox. He only does both of those things about 100 times every game.
Any of the following in honor of Chipper – Hooters night, Band-aid night, Copenhagen night.
For Garrett Anderson Night, we could have a simulated 90 foot dash, where if you’re faster than Garrett, you get a free….no wait, EVERYONE would be faster than Garrett.
For Greg Norton night, they could give away your choice of a Julio Iglesias or Stevie Wonder CD – both of whom could hit better, I’m sure.
Puck Headlines: NHL’s money goalies; Brashear charms NY fans | Sports News Images and Videos
September 3rd, 2009
1:42 pm
[...] • Is GM Don Waddell the biggest dud in Atlanta sports? [AJC] [...]
Mark Bradley
September 3rd, 2009
1:42 pm
I am humbled to see I’ve claimed third place in our poll by a fair margin. Me, ahead of Woody and Willie and Waddell!
Choco lott
September 3rd, 2009
1:44 pm
shards1967 – shouldn’t you be playing checkers on the porch. I’m the only one in here who remembers Dudish and I was only 13.
leland
September 3rd, 2009
1:45 pm
Dear Mr. MB–how is it that the multitudes, including professionals like personnel directors of professional football teams, might praise some prospective player (e.g., Jamaal Anderson) and draft him early, the player fail to reach his potential as laid out, and it is the player who is the failure? Your pal, Leland
YESSS
September 3rd, 2009
1:46 pm
Props to Choco lott. I love the name.
Mark Bradley
September 3rd, 2009
1:46 pm
Cuz, I think our marketing group than Michael and Elliot’s ad firm on “thirtysomething.”
Spark Madley
September 3rd, 2009
1:48 pm
DawgChasingLexus – you may be right about Tech baseball. In the last few years, they have been a hotbed of pro players.
Mark Bradley
September 3rd, 2009
1:49 pm
Because GMs don’t usually fire themselves, Leland.
YESSS
September 3rd, 2009
1:54 pm
What about worst sports venue in Atlanta? Why did they build a dome to play football in – in ATLANTA – a city renowed for its spectacular fall weather. Nothing like packing in with 70,000 other people in stagnant air and booming rap music when it’s 65 degrees with 30% humidity and light breeze outside (see Between the Hedges)
eyeball kid
September 3rd, 2009
1:58 pm
Mark,
Does Ray Tapley still work at tha AJC? I used to work for him as a stringer On Friday & Saturday nights taking info about HS football.
Steve Brown
September 3rd, 2009
1:58 pm
Chipper Jones-Highest paid part-time player on the Braves with a new physical excuse every week for a pathetic batting and fielding slump during this season’s second half, a period in which the Braves have a shot at a playoff spot for the first time in a few years. I would say more but my fingers hurt, my back hurts, my wrist hurts, my hips hurt, my side hurts and I need to get in some hunting before dark.
Harry
September 3rd, 2009
1:59 pm
how is hewitt a dud? i know we haven’t been in the big dance in a minute, but look at his recruiting. And he not only won 4 games that march in 2004, that was a great season. i just lost a lot of respect for you.
John
September 3rd, 2009
1:59 pm
Mark,
I have to admit, once you have started writing these blogs, I nearly agree with everything you say. I am enjoying iy.
eyeball kid
September 3rd, 2009
1:59 pm
Mark,
Actually worked for Guy Curtwright, but I know he works for Gwinnett paper.
Harry
September 3rd, 2009
2:01 pm
steve brown, you might be the biggest ratard who posted on this article. Yes, chipper is in a slump. Batting .280 is a slump for him. Yea he takes off some days, but who doesnt. Hes getting old anyway. without him, we wouldn’t even be in the talk of things. He’s also one of the reasons why we won 15 in a row. GG
eyeball kid
September 3rd, 2009
2:02 pm
Mark,
My original question was: Does Ray Tapley still work for AJC? I was a stringer on Friday & Saturday nights taking info on HS football games.
Dwyer For Heisman
September 3rd, 2009
2:02 pm
I’m going to have nightmares about Hewitt taking my money at the ticket counter now! Thanks Mark….
AlternateReality
September 3rd, 2009
2:02 pm
YESSS, they built the dome because only 10,000 people would show up at Atl/Fulton co. stadium on a rainy December day to watch the Falcons lose their 13th or 14th game of the year. Forget putting a better team on the field, or having the foresight (or deep pockets) to include a retractable roof.
You do have to admit that without the dome we probably wouldn’t have gotten a Super Bowl, various league championship games, a more popular Peach Bowl aka chik-FilA, etc.
Brendan
September 3rd, 2009
2:04 pm
I agree with all who said, “The Atlanta Spirit.” But, I feel that’s not ENTIRELY correct, just MOSTLY correct. I’d specifically single out Bruce Levenson. Ya see, “Bruce is our guy with hockey experience, from his days with the Washington Capitals.” Well what, pray tell, did he learn while there? I’m not even going to pick on the Capitals for being Cup-less in their history, dating back to 1974. (They got SWEPT by Detroit, in 1998, in their only trip to the Stanley Cup Finals.) Bruce Levenson might be the single biggest detriment to hockey in Atlanta.
Don Waddell is an “easy target.” And, frankly, he deserves a good bit of the criticism that is heaped his way. But really, when you put it into the BIG PICTURE … who’s the bigger idiot?: The failing GM … or the owner who continues to employ him, including all the underlings he installed?
Still thinking? Really. You’re still thinking about it? Almost any other organization would fire a GM after nine seasons, six lottery draft picks, nine Top 10 overall picks, for no berths in the Conference Finals. For those of you who are hung up on ZERO playoff victories, I ask you to consider this: “Would it really have mattered a hill of beans if the Thrashers/Rangers split Games 3 & 4 in the Garden?” The bottom line is … the Thrashers weren’t properly assembled or prepared properly enough for the playoffs. And there it is.
Who has oversight over the team? Answer: The GM. The GM assembles the roster, via draft picks, UFA and RFA contract signings, and trades. In 2007, the Thrashers made four moves at the trade deadline to try to salvage a playoff berth. They gambled big, and lost. And there was NO ACCOUNTABILITY for that. Hartley wasn’t even fired until October 2008, six games into the season, with a fresh, NEW 2-year contract in hand.
Blame Waddell all you want. But is it Waddell’s job to quit? Or is it the Atlanta Spirit, LLC’s job to fire him? My goodness. You’re still thinking about it, aren’t you? The time to clean house, with a new GM, who’d hire a new Head Coach, and a new scouting department, was in April, May or June of 2007. That’s when the organization could have made moves to retain Kovalchuk. Instead, the organization stood pat, while holding a 14, in a game of blackjack. The results were a pair of 76-point finishes, housed inside the lottery draft. I hardly think it went UNNOTICED by Hossa and Kovalchuk that after Hartley was fired, no new Head Coach was hired. Instead, the inept ownership, probably led by Bruce Levenson, suggested that Don Waddell coach the team. After all, Waddell was the “visionary” who put the team together. Well, they went 11-4-1 post Hartley, so Bruce Levenson thought the problem was solved, and handed Don Waddell a fresh, new 3-year deal. Levenson was the butt of many jokes on hockey websites after that. Levenson has done little to contradict claims of his incompetency. It was allegedly Levenson’s idea to continue to charge season ticket holders FULL PRICE for a product he bankrolled to an EXPECTED lottery draft finish. “Stupid is as stupid does,” right?
Some people blame Waddell for Hossa’s departure. I don’t. We knew when Hossa got traded here that he might never re-sign with us. And that turned out to be the case. This is what happens when you trade for players who don’t want to be here. Well, I hear some people screaming, “Waddell didn’t have the budget to assemble the team that Hossa wanted.” That’s certainly true, to some extent. But the 2006 and 2007 seasons saw a maxed cap by season’s end. So? So when the Atlanta Spirit pulled the carpet out from under Waddell and authorized only salary cap floor spending, they essentially “quit” on the Thrashers. So when they (1) STOPPED TRYING to win, (2) retained Waddell, despite the irrefutable results of his Administration, and (3) cut the purse strings, they OFFICIALLY became The Biggest Dud in local sports. I await your rebuttals.
Glenn Beck
September 3rd, 2009
2:10 pm
Notice most are AA. they ruin sports teams just like Obama has done to this country
Money
September 3rd, 2009
2:11 pm
Mike Hampton
Joe Fan
September 3rd, 2009
2:14 pm
To many duds to list them all but if I had to vote my top 3 would be:
1.Paul Hewitt (Even if the team is good in 2009-10.They will be right back in the bottom half the next season when they lose several players to the NBA.)
2.Bobby Cox (Way past his prime. His managerial decisions say it all.)
3.Atlanta Spirit Ownership group (Thrashers-enough said)
Steve Brown
September 3rd, 2009
2:26 pm
Harry,
He has missed 25% of the teams games since the 2003 season (juice testing began). He is hitting .250 since the All-star break and is our highest paid player. Chipper was a great hitter (part-time) and I hope he will be again but right now he needs to shut up and stop making excuses. That’s it, GONE HUNTIN’
BugKiller
September 3rd, 2009
2:26 pm
I am also SICK of people bashing the Dome.
Yeah, the Dome, much like New Comisky Park came in right before Oriole Park at Camden Yards, came along before the nice new stadiums like Bank America Stadium in Charlotte, or M&T Stadium in Baltimore, or the stadium in Tampa.
BUT… the Dome has something not many of newer stadiums have, with their boxes stacked to high heaven:
Some of the best sight-lines of ANY stadium in football.
The Georgia Dome shares impeccable sight-lines with stadiums like Giants Stadium and Arrowhead Stadium.
The only stadium in the NFL with better sight-lines is Ford Field, because like with Phillips Arena, they stack the luxury boxes on one side of the field, meaning the upper deck is lower than at any other stadium.
If the Falcons DO build a new outdoor stadium (which they need), I hope they use Phillips as a model as well. Stack all of those boxes up on one side and have a two-decked stadium for the other 3/4’s for a nice 65,000 seat stadium.
But the Dome is perfect as it is. I love having the SEC Championship Game there. So does the SEC. Don’t you think the ACC would give it’s right nut to have their game in the weather-controlled Dome in the first weekend in December, instead of Jacksonville or Charlotte?
This city would get NO big sporting events if it weren’t for the Dome. No Chik-Fil-A Kickoff Game. No big-time bowl. No NCAA Final Fours. No Super Bowls. No SEC Championship Games.
Nothing.
Yes, I too hate the selection of music in the Dome for Falcons game, but Blank still insists on trying to bring in a certain kind of person to fill his seats instead of appealing to the family orientated college football fans all across the metro area so that’s his deal, not the Dome’s. Notice how quickly all those people abandoned him when their Favorite Felon went to jail. But I digress.
The Georgia Dome is a great venue for sports. And entertainment.
Carter is a Fool
September 3rd, 2009
2:30 pm
Governor Sonny Purdue.
Harry
September 3rd, 2009
2:31 pm
Steve, sorry for calling you a ratard my bad. Chipper is a HOF, and hes still going strong. He had one of his best seasons last season.
and about the list, if we’re counting people who aren’t playing/coaching anymore, wouldn’t the UGA ex-coach top the list? forgot his name…
Hunter Johnson
September 3rd, 2009
2:39 pm
How do you still have a job? How? It is unbelievable to me…
Sanford Drive
September 3rd, 2009
2:41 pm
Well, last time I checked, the Falcons have yet to win the big one.
oldmac
September 3rd, 2009
2:53 pm
OK-I remember Charles Dudish-(left handed, there that proves it) they even did a documentary about his recruiting odyssey. Enough already.
No mention of Koncak?
What about UGA’s nearly constant stream of #1 football recruiting classes? Should be working on their 4th or 5th national champ by now eh?
jn
Puck Headlines: NHL’s money goalies; Brashear charms NY fans | Lancilo USA
September 3rd, 2009
2:57 pm
[...] • Is GM Don Waddell the biggest dud in Atlanta sports? [AJC] [...]
Puhlease?
September 3rd, 2009
2:59 pm
The woman who does the Table Talk blog. She writes about nothing and when brought to task, she retorts in a condescending manner.
All I'm Saying Is...
September 3rd, 2009
3:04 pm
Did anyone mention June Jones III?
Aside from him, it should be Don Waddell in a landslide. With Brad Komminsk coming in second given all the trades we did not make because we wanted to hold on to him.
Puck Headlines: NHL’s money goalies; Brashear charms NY fans | Newstion.com
September 3rd, 2009
3:11 pm
[...] • Is GM Don Waddell the biggest dud in Atlanta sports? [AJC] [...]
Mark Bradley
September 3rd, 2009
3:16 pm
Sorry, Eyeball Kid,. I was having lunch with the older of the lovely Bradley daughters and your post got stuck in the spam file, for reasons I know not.
Ray Tapley doesn’t work for us any longer. Ever since I’ve been here, he has worked for the Associated Press stringing games.
Phil
September 3rd, 2009
3:17 pm
In a landslide, it has to be the manager who has lost more post season games than any manager in baseball history:
Moron Bobby Cox
Walter
September 3rd, 2009
3:33 pm
Anybody remember Pepper Rogers as a coach?
Who's Priest Lauderdale?
September 3rd, 2009
3:34 pm
What about Priest Lauderdale picked first round by the Hawks and Nick Esasky picked up by the Braves? Both total Bombs.
Dave
September 3rd, 2009
3:35 pm
Eyeball Kid . . . you and your brothers played football in DeKalb County in the 60’s? And you don’t remember North DeKalb Stadium on the campus of Chamblee High School? Or the stadium @ Decatur High?
JW
September 3rd, 2009
3:39 pm
Reaching a few weeks into the future here….Joe Cox.
dicynoman
September 3rd, 2009
3:42 pm
Fred kalil’s nightly sportscast.
ElRey30
September 3rd, 2009
3:55 pm
HAHAHAAHAH DON WADELL LOLOLOLOLOZZZZZZ
Jake7
September 3rd, 2009
4:06 pm
Harry,
I’m ASSUMING you are a TEEN ager…….Has Chipper BEEN an IMPACT player?? NOOOOO…..look at his RECORD before you POOP off!
lee
September 3rd, 2009
4:08 pm
i voted for u, but just kiddin, greggy by far, he belongs in the dugout. then waddy, great guy, but really? uh not the best GM in my eyes.
nice blog bradley!
lee
September 3rd, 2009
4:08 pm
elrey- u back, r u gonna complain again bout all the other teams too?
gt fan
September 3rd, 2009
4:12 pm
hey volman i think you need to stick with the vols. furry lil varments arent they!
unless my anheuser’s desease is kicking in phew has a losing record against uga also.
matter of fact he does not have a winning record in any facet of the game. unless of course you include contract negotiations and a$$ kissing our former dumb a$$ of an ad… dave braine.
now that you mention it. why hasnt david braine’s name come up?
-he was the guy that insulted every gt sports fan both past an present when he said that gt was a 7-8 win program at best.
-he was the guy who sold blocks of seats in our stadium and in the tit to coporate sponsors that routinely go empty or are filled with opposing fans.
-he was the guy who hired chan gailey and gave him a contract extension the year before he was fired.
-he was the guy who hired phew our coach. looking at phew’s body of work one has to wonder what the f davey boi was thinking. phew is a coach who…
-played community college ball and was mediocre at it.
-who did not major in sports
-who had almost no experience as a bench coach
-who is a one trick pony as far as coaching schemes on D and O. if you are player who can not perform his style of O or D you are screwed. how have we done the last 5 years?
-who is a coach who would rather perform his duties for the BCA than attend coaching clinics and improve his skills. why do coach’s like coach k and coach w routinely attend clinics and phew doesnt?
-who only mentored under one notable coach. coach raveling. a black coach who was also a loser that was drummed out of college bb for cheating. a coach who’s only redeeming quality was that he was the first black coach at a major university. shades of the bca
-And as one other guy noted phew is a coach that put gt in the unenvialbe position of finishing DEAD LAST in both the conference standings AND academics.
phew is just one step away from completing the coaching trifecta…. he has dragged our progam to the bottom of the ACC… he has dragged the academics to the bottom of the ACC… the only item left would be for him to get caught for major ncaa violations.
we can hope cant we. as i see it that is the only way we get rid of phew.
one last slam on phew…. all his defenders brag on the fact that he has so many players in the nba and he does a GREAT job at teaching them fundamentals. he must be doing something right eh?
bull….
if phew was so great at preparing his players for the nba than some nba team would recognize this and hire him on the spot. last time i looked no nba exec is clamoring to hire phew.
one only read the comments from the san fran coach don nelson and from Amo and see that phew does NOT have a clue. he is unable to adjust his system to fit the team or his players.
funny how not even one other college program since right after his ncaa run has tried courting phew when a coaching position opens up. anybody notice that?
we have a coach who cant coach. we have a coach who can only recruit black players. we have a coach who is content with our program as it is now. (his own words) we have a coach who stopped caring about wins and loses once he signed his forever contract.
we have a coach that is connected to the bca such that no other program wants to touch that land mine. afterall if gt were to fire phew i would expect to see the BCA, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and the NAACP at our door steps using the race card.
so if i was going to vote i would pick …
phew first followed closely by dave braineless.
Harry
September 3rd, 2009
4:27 pm
i never said anything about an impact player. Chipper is the most feared hitter we got. ask any pitcher and they’ll tell you the same thing. Your right i am a teen, 19.
4 jacks
September 3rd, 2009
4:29 pm
No doubt it is Hewitt, he has just about destroyed everything that Cremins built at Tech. Yeah, he will have a good year this year with his super stud freshman, but after he bolts for the NBA, it will be back to the basement for the Tech basketball program. Wish he had some class, and would let Tech buy him out at a reduced amount, but that won’t happen, as Hewitt’s ego would never permit him from doing the best thing for Ga. Tech. Wish he would have left with his idiot buddy Braineless, and we can only win 7 games per year attitude. What a complete joke and failures both these guys are.
MIKEM
September 3rd, 2009
4:32 pm
Terry Pendleton. Overrated or just misunderstood….either way he’s terrible. I have ZERO confidence in him as a hitting coach and God help the Brave’s if he turns out to be Bobby’s replacement.
Scrambled Eggs
September 3rd, 2009
4:36 pm
Leeman Bennett “We were just one play away from winning the ballgame”
Frank Wren
September 3rd, 2009
4:38 pm
Anyone who uses the term Bank on it!
go tech
September 3rd, 2009
4:44 pm
Wow, all those names bring back some emotion, just not the right kind.
Who’s coach is worse? I think our coach Hewitt is worse than your UGA coach Martinez for the simple reason that Hewitt has so much more control over the program, and will cost so much more to remove. Dave Braine should be considered one of the worst things to ever happen to Tech, worse I’m afraid than even B___ L___ because the damage propagated by Braine was so much more devastating when done at such a high level position. It may take years to recover from the Hewitt and Gailey buyouts. The only saving grace is that we have a real AD, DRAD, and a real football coach who will bring enough extra financial return to help pay for the Hewitt contract if/when the buyout is needed. Perhaps Hewitt will prove us all wrong and develop a watchable sporting event this year, and in future years. I hope so, but so far his “system” is about as frustrating to watch as Gailey’s “system” was.
Supersize that order, mutt
September 3rd, 2009
4:51 pm
volman, unfortunately you are incorrect in saying that Hewitt’s teams always beat UGAG. Tech has not won in Athens since 1976. During Cremins’ tenure, the game was always played at the OMNI, where Tech won the majority, but under Hewitt, Tech is 50-50 at best, and probably less, since the mutts have, if I remember correctly, won one or two times in Atlanta. Hewitt is defintely a dud.
As far as Charlie Dudish, it’s hard for me to call him a dud, since he obviously had the talent (I was there in 1969 in LA when he ALMOST beat nationally ranked USC). Charlie’s problem was his father, who totally screwed up the kid’s mind. I feel more compassion for him than to automatically call him a dud.
Maxwell Snark
September 3rd, 2009
4:59 pm
No Bob Wickman, no Bob Weiss, no Al Wood, no Dermarr Johnson.
Current dud? Why JSS, of course.
Coleman
September 3rd, 2009
5:12 pm
John Koncak!!!!!! biggest flop for the Hawks for sure.
falconidiot
September 3rd, 2009
5:13 pm
DJ
Biggest "Dud" List
September 3rd, 2009
5:16 pm
Thomas Dimitroff
Mike Smith
Arthur Blank
Matt Ryan
The Day The Dome Stood Still
September 3rd, 2009
5:22 pm
December 6th!!!!!
P Rose
September 3rd, 2009
5:44 pm
J.R. Rider,
Wohler’s slider,
Peerless Price,
Pendleton’s advice,
Turner Field’s chow,
The Chic Fil-A cow,
Roddy White’s holdout,
When Ted Turner sold out,
Robert Fick,
Michael Vick,
Reid Gorecki,
Mike Bielecki,
Garrett’s slowness,
Mike Minor’s bonus,
Jeff George’s trot,
Leyritz’s shot,
Campbell, Marion,
The Mad Hungarian,
Joey Devine,
Frenchy’s decline,
The Clampetts’ hires,
Van Wieren retires,
Hampton’s salaries,
Andruw’s calories,
Buddy Carlyle,
Mike Vick’s trial,
Brett Boone,
The Braves in June,
Eddie Haas,
Last night’s loss,
Petrino the quitter,
Our current pinch hitter,
Aundray Bruce,
Jordan Schafer on the juice,
Vick being “contrite”,
The Braves last night,
Francoeur’s pride,
When Skip Caray died,
Johnson, Kelly,
Bobby’s belly,
Fox reportin’,
Gregory Norton.
41 38 49 38 45
September 3rd, 2009
5:51 pm
Anyone whose name is Frank Wren.
Jack G.
September 3rd, 2009
5:56 pm
Ed—I do.
eyeball kid
September 3rd, 2009
6:22 pm
Dave,
Sorry, forgot about North Dekalb. Didn’t include Decatur because it is not a part of the Dekalb Co School System.
gt fan
September 3rd, 2009
7:00 pm
are we going to have a good year like the year we had crit and young and dickey and amo and west and and and and ……
phew has not shown that he can handle a roster of 7=8 let alone 10. we had a roster with 4 nba players on it at the same time and finished mid pack acc an went one n done in the ncaa.
young and crit an bosh were all lottery picks or at the least drafted in the top 15. bosh is a STAR in the nba. young will soon be in that category. at this point there is no quarnatee that favors will be better than bosh or young. potential is NO quarantee.
that being said why would anybody expect a team of roll players, one potential nba star and a potential nba journeyman in a mix of 5 freshman to accomplish what other more experienced more talented phew teams did not?
we have lost one of our more experienced coaches and we have a coach who is so arrogant that he thinks that the program is fine and that his system is sound. we have 5 freshman.
i will bet that at best we will yet again finish in the middle of the acc. at best we will possibly qualify for the big dance but we will go one an done once again.
we have 9 years of this trend. the same coach with the same system and the same arrogance.
we are once again starting to have issues that phew’s defenders can point to and say but for this… but for that…. we woulda shoulda coulda had a good team and a good season. (holsey blew out his knee)
poor poor poor POOR paul hewit. he is snake bit once again. is anybody else tired of our perennial snake bit coach?
i am and have been for the last two years.
the definition of crazy is when someone keeps doing the same things over and over again yet expects different results.
OkieJacket
September 3rd, 2009
7:31 pm
Supersize…you are right about Dudish. I was a soph at Tech in 1967. A friend and I were walking back from ptomain hall and his father pulled up, got out of the car and asked, “Have you seen my boy?” We didn’t know who he was, much less his “boy”. He just assumed that everybody knew Charlie Dudish.
Atlanta Sports
September 3rd, 2009
7:53 pm
Atlanta Sports = Loserville!
1 title of any kind in the city’s history and that was a fluke in the strike year of 1995! Up in Boston, we have titles in all sports, and they keep coming!! The Celtics and Patriots will win it all again this year. I’m losing track of all the championships. Atlanta will not have any more for 50 years, which is why everyone in the U.S. calls it loserville!!!!
carolina jacket
September 3rd, 2009
8:15 pm
absolutely has to be Len Barker for whom in 1981 the braves traded Brett Butler and 2 other players plus $150000 in cash (back when that was real money)
Supersize that order, mutt
September 3rd, 2009
8:24 pm
Okie, I don’t know how much you might have read or heard about Dudish’s old man, but whenever he talked about Charlie, it was always “WE”, never “HE.” I guess it’s ok to live vicariously through your child, but not like that jerk did. Do you ever watch “Friday Night Lights” on TV? There is a father-son combo on that show now that reminds me SOOOOO much about the Dudish’s. VERY VERY SAD.
Supersize that order, mutt
September 3rd, 2009
8:28 pm
Okie, I typed this once, but it didn’t post for some reason, so I will try again. Did you ever read or hear anything that daddy Dudish said about his son? It was always “We” and only “He” when Charlie screwed up. There is a father-son combo as characters on the TV show “Friday Night Lights,” which reminds me SOOOO MUCH of the Dudishes. VERY VERY SAD
AtlantaFan
September 3rd, 2009
8:28 pm
Greg Norton needs to go. He sounds like a golfer. Get him out of here. I hate to hear his name announced. Does he come from a rich family or something, why does he keep PH? Jamaal Anderson, I don’t know. One more year with Mike Smith should make him straight. Without the right coaching, he won’t develop properly, which brings me to Mike Woodson, is he the right coach to develop young players? NO But he’s made a lot of progress with this team of nobody’s. Don Waddell. I don’t follow hockey, but that team hasn’t gone anywhere. He might be my winner. Paul Hewitt has the hardest job. He made it thru the ACC, thru the NCAA and to the championship game that we almost won. The ACC is the hardest divison in college basketball plus he has to deal with 1and DONE players. So, he’s at the bottom. Also he’s done a good job at recruiting all this talent within the state. I’m not a UGA fan, I am a TECH fan. So Willie Martinez is my new friend! Mark Bradley has to be the biggest dud of them all. I mean he just walks around here like he owns the place, like he’s the New Ted Turner! No Mark, go and sit in your winery up there in Cumming and write novels. LoL and those are my words.
kool$kat
September 3rd, 2009
9:09 pm
Alltime duds previously unmentioned: Jon Koncak and Danny Manning.
Hey Bradley, start an annual Chan Gailey Dud of the Year award. If someone wins it three times, they get the Len Barker Hall of Duds Lifetime underachievement award.
BrittishAnger
September 3rd, 2009
9:48 pm
I don’t get your line about Speedy Claxton…are you saying it was a bad thing for Rick Sund to ship the biggest bust in Atlanta Hawks history for somebody who will actually contribute to the team? Aren’t you, as a local sports journalist, supposed to be excited about something that improves our team rather than diminishes it? Oh Mark-o….
Stephen
September 3rd, 2009
9:49 pm
THE biggest dud…BOBBY COX..I know..all u pathetic fans of Braves baseball, infamously known for the bandwagon theory..anyway, different argument, different day. BOBBY COX should have been canned years ago…1999 to be exact. YES he was, key word people, WAS, a great manager!! Now..he is so pathetic, it is EMABARRASSING. I will not spend an hour discussing the last 9 years since the series against the yankees was BLOWN … better yet…lets look at this year…4 Braves pitchers lead the N.L. in appearences..why you ask? Piss poor managing…What else, NO FIRE…NO AGGRESSION..NO TEAM…if you are a TRUE fan..u know, watch day in, day out, win or lose…then YOU should know this about the BRAVES…THEY consistently swing at the first pitch..They rarely steal or hit and run…The pitchers allow two runners in the 5th inning to get on with a 2 run lead and dumb ass Cox goes to the bullpen…no faith in the starters (Hanson was pitching by the way 9-3-09) over use of the bullpen!!! Yes, I am clearly pissed!! I love Cox..however just cause u love someone, when their time has come and gone, then it’s time to let them go…COX time came and went…It’s time to move on…They were smart about it with Glavine and Smoltz now it’s time to get rid of COX and soon Chipper…AS the players often say, “It’s just business, nothing personal”. There are ten plus games this year, where COX made bad decisions which cost us the win…Give us those games back…BRAVES are in first place…!!!!!!!!!
BrittishAnger
September 3rd, 2009
9:53 pm
Oh, and Atlanta Sports, I look forward to you all losing in the 2nd round of the playoffs again this year…Picking up ‘Sheed is as dumb a mistake as what’s gonna happen to the Grizzlies when they sign Allen Iverson. Eat your beans leave the Soul Food arguments to the locals.
What the...
September 3rd, 2009
9:55 pm
How is Don Waddell not running away with this thing? I can only imagine that he’s finally driven off all the hockey fans so there’s no one left to vote for him. Sweet Jesus he even comes out of this vote unscathed. He’s coated in something slicker than Teflon.
George P. Burdell
September 3rd, 2009
10:12 pm
Stan “The Man” Gann, Tech QB who shot himself practicing the quick draw back in the late 50s; Charles Dudish, Tech QB in the 60s; Eddie McAshan, Tech QB in the 70s; Fast forward over many other dud Tech QBs to the all-time great Reggie Ball, now in the Bulldog Hall of Fame.
chuck allison
September 3rd, 2009
10:54 pm
Hewitt is 23-69 in road games for all of his time at Tech. He has only had one (1) winning ACC conference season. He has wasted a lot of talent and personally dismantled the Tech basketball program built by Bobby Cremins. He goes after “one and dones” who do nothing to build the program but make him look like a great recruiter. His performance is dismal. At his current salary, we pay him about $100,000 per basketball win.
Dr. R
September 3rd, 2009
11:26 pm
I gotta go with Anderson. As bad as Norton is, he’s just a bit player (though he DOES seem to always be up there with the game on the line). Anderson was a high draft pick with high expectations and he just can’t play. Proves that the whole drafting thing is a crapshoot and you never know which players can make the transition from college to pro. The difference between high level college ball and the NFL is, to borrow MB’s metaphor, like your sisters’ girl fight is to the Corleones vs. the Tatallias. No comparison. Faster, more complex, more dominated by amazing athletes, not just a few here and there but all over the field. He could push around Mississippi State guys but that don’t get you far on Sundays.
Dr. R
September 3rd, 2009
11:29 pm
True story: My dad was a cafeteria manager in Decatur, a joint owned by my uncle, and the Dudishes attended somebody’s TD club banquet that year. My dad said old man Dudish was about the most obnoxious SOB he ever came across in all his years in the business, and it apparently rubbed off on Jr. as well. What makes a guy think he’s hot stuff in the world because his boy can throw a ball? And apparently, not all that well once he left Avondale. What goes around …
Keith
September 3rd, 2009
11:54 pm
I felt soooo vindicated by being able to vote for Norton in an antagonistic expression. Thanks, Bradley. Makes me feel so much better. Love the piece today about NOrton and Bobby’s silver lining saying it’s more about how he hits. The thing that frustrates me is he said he’s actually “productive.” That’s the thing. NO, HE’S NOT!!!!! HE’s BEEN AWFUL. TERRIBLE. MAKES ME WANT TO VOMIT WHEN HE BATS. Did I used enough descriptors???
irishmafia`
September 4th, 2009
12:52 am
Only 42 votes for Woodson r u ******G kidding me? The worst coach in NBA history with 100 games coached and you people don’t see what a huge loser he is? Pathetic sports fans rule ATL anyhow so I guess you recognize extreme failure when it’s shoved in your face!.
Coach (2010 or Bust)
September 4th, 2009
5:16 am
The biggest Dud right now is undoubtedly Bobby Cox.
Greg Norton is the sinking ship and Cox is the captain at the helm.
"Chef" Tim Dix
September 4th, 2009
5:22 am
Hewitt’s a dud but I sure want his agent nezt time negotiate a contract.
LET THE BIG DAWG EAT!
September 4th, 2009
5:54 am
EASY! THE ENTIRE GA.TECH SPORTS PROGRAM IS THE BIGGEST DUD! ALWAYS HAS BEEN – ALWAYS WILL BE!
Coach (2010 or Bust)
September 4th, 2009
5:55 am
When it comes to the Braves, Yes, it is over. Done. finished.
Bobby Cox is the most overrated manager in ML history.
Watching the Braves in the top of the fifth inning last night was like seeing Deja Vu all over again. Their plodding ninety feet at a time offense was all to familiar. Load the bases, push one run in and repeat. All told, four hits, one walk and three outs resulted in a whopping two runs.
Then Tommy Hanson eclipsed that F-N artificial 100 pitch count, Cox then repeated the same mistake he has made a million times, and we all watched the bullpen melt down in the sixth inning exactly as it had done the night before.
Greg Norton then justified Bobby’s faith in him by recording yet another useless pinch hit appearance in the bottom of the sixth.
It’s cookie cutter management gone amok. Cox is his own worst enemy and it feels like Chinese water torture while being forced to endure this endless underachievement by our Braves.
downsouth
September 4th, 2009
6:16 am
i think Bobby Cox is the biggest dud. can we please let his contract expire?!?!?!?
jerry
September 4th, 2009
7:02 am
Either Ragan or Sorenson. If NASCAR is a sport.
LAC
September 4th, 2009
7:51 am
Dumb don waddell IS the reason we have a POOR NHL club. This IDIOT has had ten+ years to produce a WINNER and never has, his only reason for staying is these sprit owners are worse than a bunch of first graders
at running a sports business, the need to go AWAY and suck their thumbs and let a REAL OWNER fire waddell and put NHL hockey on the MAP HERE !
sidslid
September 4th, 2009
8:20 am
Rich McKay: It was Dan Reeves coaching of Michael Vick that got us that epic season and win on the marhmellow tundra
McKay’s suit is as empty as anyone since Steven Weed and Cato Caylin (sp)
m
September 4th, 2009
8:26 am
chan gomer gailey is by far the biggest dud EVER!!
Hiring him at TECH was the dumbest thing in history.
Keeping him 6 years while he destroyed TECH’s program is unfathomable.
Tech websites like the HIVE and Stingtalk propping him up with bullshiiite talk about how good his resume was or what a good man he is was just STUPUDITY beyond belief.
And sportswriters like Mark Bradley giving him a free pass for 6 long sorry years was ridiculous.
Any Tech fan that had anything to do with the hiring of chan gomer gailey or supporting him or defending him in any way SUCKS as bad as he does.
Thanks to God and Greyhound that chan gomer gailey is gone forever. Did you notice it only took Kansas City one year to correct their mistake of hiriing him….not 6 long horrible years?!?!?!.
m
September 4th, 2009
8:31 am
There is no doubt that chan gomer gailey is by far the biggest dud EVER!!
Hiring him at TECH was the dumbest thing in history.
Keeping him 6 years while he destroyed TECH’s program is unfathomable.
Tech websites like the HIVE and Stingtalk propping him up with bullshiiite talk about how good his resume was or what a good man he is was just STUPUDITY beyond belief.
And sportswriters like Mark Bradley giving him a free pass for 6 long sorry years was ridiculous.
Any Tech fan that had anything to do with the hiring of chan gomer gailey or supporting him or defending him in any way SUCKS as bad as he does.
Thanks to God and Greyhound that chan gomer gailey is gone forever. Did you notice it only took Kansas City one year to correct their mistake of hiriing him….not 6 long horrible years?!?!?!.
JohnKrukisMyDaddy
September 4th, 2009
9:42 am
Another vote for Bobby Cox.
JohnKrukisMyDaddy
September 4th, 2009
9:43 am
Bring Medlen in AGAIN… after he was damaged so badly the night before. He’s going to shatter the poor kids confidence. The problem is.. Bobby never brought Medlen into ANY pressure situations during the rest of the season. Then, all of the sudden, we are in the thick of it in September, and he expects the kid to come into these difficult situations. Bobby didn’t prepare him for this!
Coach (2010 or Bust)
September 4th, 2009
9:57 am
Yes it is over. Done. finished.
Bobby Cox is the most overrated manager in ML history.
Watching the Braves in the top of the fifth inning last night was like seeing Deja Vu all over again. Their plodding ninety feet at a time offense was all to familiar. Load the bases, push one run in and repeat. All told, four hits, one walk and three outs resulted in a whopping two runs.
Then Tommy Hanson eclipsed that F-N artificial 100 pitch count, Cox repeated the same mistake he has made a million times, and we all watched the bullpen melt down in the sixth inning exactly as it had done the night before.
Greg Norton then justified Bobby’s faith in him by recording yet another useless pinch hit appearance in the bottom of the sixth.
It’s cookie cutter management gone amok. Cox is his own worst enemy, and it feels like Chinese water torture while being forced to endure this endless underachievement by our Braves.
Coach (2010 or Bust)
September 4th, 2009
9:58 am
Enter your comments here
Pop
September 4th, 2009
10:56 am
Bobby Cox. He only uses half of his bullpen. The Braves don’t lose because of bad relievers – they lose because the same relievers pitch day after day after day.
Andy Smith
September 4th, 2009
11:34 am
I think Mark Richt is great, and I admire his loyalty. I hope he does not jeopardize his career and the hopes of Georgia football on Martinez. Mark ,please go find a better defensive coordinator
Dud Fan
September 4th, 2009
7:10 pm
The Falcons secondary defense; Atlanta Dream’s coach, Marynell Meadors; Bobby Cox; Josh Smith’s jumpshot; All of the part time Hawks fans that do not support our Atlanta Dream.
live by the sword...
September 4th, 2009
7:30 pm
censorship sucks no matter how you do it….you of all people should know it
and Jeff Schultz IS a transvestite who needs a hair weave
Danny
September 4th, 2009
11:11 pm
How about Chris Medlin & Manny Acosta? What have they done?
Bad News
September 4th, 2009
11:22 pm
ANALYSIS OF VICK & POST VICK ERA:
Vick’s last 3 seasons……..
2004
11-5
2005
8-8
2006
7-9
TOTAL:
26-22
POST VICK:
2007
4-12
2008
11-5
TOTAL
15-17
REMARKS:
In order for the post Vick era to equal or surpass the record of Vick’s last 3 seasons, the Falcons must have a record of 11-5.
Surely the post Vick era will not be outdone by a guy who did not study film or practice hard
RobertNAtl
September 4th, 2009
11:25 pm
He barely fits inside the given parameters of being “currently employed locally,” but the hype to performance ratio of Jordan Schafer approaches infinity.
Paddy
September 5th, 2009
8:56 am
Eddie Haas….the only mgr in the history of MLB that was afraid of his players and as a result afraid to manage.
Skeezix
September 5th, 2009
9:07 am
That no hitting Norton of this 2009 Braves team gets my vote for first. And then I’d put the Ga.Tech b-ball coach second (can they get Bobby Cremins back?). Also, remember who won the 2008 NL batting title? …..Well I think we have to put Chipper Jones in there somewhere because the Braves offense was built around him and he is having a miserable season by Chipper Jones standards. His extended slump over the last several weeks has help cripple their play off hopes. I believe his BA has dropped around 70 points year to year. Unfortunately I can’t blame Wren for that.
braves70
September 5th, 2009
10:35 am
I also vote of the biggest Dud of all time, anywhere: Bobby Cox. Ted Turner had it right when he fired him after the 1981 season. Greg Norton would not even be in our discussion were it not for his enabler, Bobby Cox.
Farnsworthy
September 5th, 2009
12:08 pm
I thought we were suppose to limit it to current Atlanta players. Since many bloggers have strayed from that—my vote for all time biggest dud is Len Barker. But also, Vick, for the terrible abuse and killing of animals….then might as well throw the Hockey team in there too.
Ralph
September 5th, 2009
1:56 pm
Mark I voted for you but thats because you left out the most deserving reciepent BOBBY COX, and thats why I voted for you.
bigeasy830
September 5th, 2009
2:10 pm
The AJC for banning my buddy FALCONS SORRY.
rufues
September 5th, 2009
6:41 pm
I have to agreed with Bushwacker the announcers are showing way too much favoritism, towards Chipper Jones, he has without a doubt hurt the Braves this year, along with Bobby Cox, and yet
I have not heard on single criticism, on how bad he’s doing. Now if it was another player like Escobar, Joe would cut him up from one end to another and he’s not the only one who has more than hurt the Braves is Kelley Johnson, who should have been, in the minors months ago. All my year following the Braves, this is the worse managing from Bobby Cox. My recommendation is to sell the Braves to someone who really wants to win.
rufues
September 5th, 2009
6:57 pm
best announcers the Brave ever had SKIP AND PETE. Such do miss real talented announcers.
scottbravesfan
September 6th, 2009
12:02 am
Don Waddell and it’s not even close.
scottbravesfan
September 6th, 2009
12:13 am
Irishmafia,
No one really cares about the Hawks in this town that’s why no one is talking about Mike Woodson. It’s the Braves, Falcons, Dogs, and Tech. No one else matters. I like the Hawks and the Thrashers but we have to be honest we have like twelve fans unless we make the playoffs. Don Waddell and Mike Woodson are awful.
yogi2
September 6th, 2009
7:22 am
nortn,b cox, francueor, w martinez, m booboo
yogi2
September 6th, 2009
7:26 am
Jordan Shafer has my vote. another Cox illusion
Truth
September 6th, 2009
10:56 am
Jeff Schultz is a transvestite and needs a hair weave….FALCONS SORRY rules!!!
j k mckay
September 6th, 2009
12:21 pm
This years Braves team!!!!
Willie Jacques
September 6th, 2009
1:50 pm
I’m surprised you didn’t include Bobby Cox on the list. To many games have been lost due to a manager that can not “see” the game, and make the necessary changes. Case in point is Chipper’s slump, and I like Chipper.
But Chipper needs a rest to get his mojo back. BC should have sat him down for two or three games. It better than losing 16 of the last 22 games
BrittishAnger
September 6th, 2009
3:13 pm
Woody inherited a team with very bad chemistry and has turned them around into a team worth watching again. In admission to those who dislike old chrome-dome, his record historically doesn’t speak volumes about what he’s done, and even with a solid winning season this year that stat is going to be hard to deter any time soon, short of a Cleveland styled run on the league (another year and it’s very probable we could). However, improvement every year since that crappy first and finally having a back office that’s willing to put in the work to make the team more fan friendly is the reason why he won’t be considered a bust in this city again until he drops the ball and Atlanta goes back to a dismal 13 win season (which, by Dobbs and cornbread, won’t be happening anytime soon). There are Hawks fans, more than twelve of us: I see more Atlanta Hawks gear on the streets of Atlanta these days than I’ve seen in years. Sure, it’s hard to transition die-hard Braves fans (brainwashed and retarded as some of them are) to recognize what the worth of that team is and has become, but when you realize that people are more willing to critique the busts of the Braves and most especially the Thrashers, it’s no wonder why Woody’s vote count is so low. He’s done something with a team that was going nowhere, rather than sticking through until the thing burns to the ground (Bobby Cox), or just burning the thing to the ground (Thrashers); that’s no bust ninja, that’s improvement.
Brendan
September 6th, 2009
5:57 pm
There is no possible way … there is a bigger Dud than Bruce Levenson. He’s the biggest impediment to the Atlanta Thrashers. Waddell is merely a Levenso-symptom.
Puttin Pitcher
September 8th, 2009
6:19 am
Whoever didn’t trade Tree Rollins for Kareem, whoever didn’t trade Wolhers for Barry Bonds and Whoever drafted J. Anderson thinking he was a second coming of a medicore running back and everybody who will not sign a big time slugger for the 2010 Braves
blackprix
September 8th, 2009
6:32 pm
I’ll have to SEE IT before I believe GT basketball is going to be consistentl good again under Paul Hewitt.
My bet is NO!