After the Hawks defeated the Magic in the Eastern Conference playoffs last spring, much of the analysis centered on all the shots Orlando missed. Before the teams met Friday for the first time since that series, Magic coach Stan Van Gundy lauded how the Hawks played defense then.

On a day when sunshine gave way to a light rain, two things stayed the same Friday at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Charlie Wi was still atop the leaderboard, and Tiger Woods didn't hole enough putts to make up ground. Wi escaped most of the rain at Pebble Beach, where he holed a wedge from the 13th fairway for eagle and limited the damage to a bogey on his final hole for a 3-under 69 that allowed him to open a three-shot lead.

If Georgia football player Sanders Commings faces any disciplinary action over the incident that resulted in his arrest last month, it likely will come from the school before he goes before a Clarke County judge. Commings, a rising senior and starting cornerback, was arrested Jan.

Hawks forward Josh Smith looks at the reserves voted to the Eastern Conference All-Star team and figures there must be behind-the-scenes forces that explain why some of the players made the team ahead of him. “You’ve got to factor in there is a lot of politics involved in the All-Star selection,” Smith said Friday.

Corey Pavin shot an 8-under 64 on Friday to take a two-shot lead over Fred Funk, Bernhard Langer and Peter Senior after the first round of the Allianz Championship. Pavin, winless in 34 career starts in the Champions Tour, had six birdies in a seven-hole stretch to shoot a back-nine 29 at Broken Sound Golf Club.

Ron Hunter has accomplished things in his first season at Georgia State that have never done before. Not by Lefty Driesell, who guided the Panthers to their second conference championship, the second round of the NCAA tournament and whose name adorns the GSU Sports Arena’s court.

With a 6-foot-9, 231-pound man barreling at him, Georgia Tech forward Kammeon Holsey made the painful decision to stand in his path. N.C. State center DeShawn Painter steamrolled along the baseline and into Holsey, who crashed backward. Holsey’s selflessness was rewarded with a charging foul on Painter in the Yellow Jackets’ loss to the Wolfpack on Thursday night.

Georgia Tech defended, rebounded, made free throws and benefited from one of forward Kammeon Holsey’s best games of the season. The Yellow Jackets were capsized, as often has been the case this season, by an inability to make jump shots. They lost 61-52 to N.

This time Joe Johnson will go to the NBA’s All-Star game without a Hawks teammate. Eastern Conference coaches voted Johnson to his sixth consecutive All-Star team. But the other Hawks candidate, power forward Josh Smith, wasn’t among the seven reserves selected for the Feb.

The Hawks no longer will have to make do using forwards at center. The team signed veteran free agent Erick Dampier to a 10-day contract Thursday. He joins Zaza Pachulia as the only healthy centers on the roster after injuries sidelined Al Horford and Jason Collins.

With signing day over for another year, the highest profile football recruiting sweepstakes Georgia has seen in recent years is about to intensify in the pursuit of Robert Nkemdiche. He’s a 6-foot-5, 270-pound defensive end from Grayson High School who is ranked as the nation’s No.

Kennesaw State athletic director Vaughn Williams finds himself singing a new tune as he walks around his house. It's so catchy, his youngest daughter will chime in at the important part: "K-S-U, K-S-U." The Owls will unveil their first fight song before Friday's basketball game against Mercer.

You can call it the Highlight Factory again. The Hawks snapped a three-game losing streak — all at Philips Arena — with a 97-87 victory over the Pacers on Wednesday night. Josh Smith had 28 points and 12 rebounds to lead the much-needed effort for the Hawks (17-9).

Two teams on divergent paths met at Stegeman Coliseum on Wednesday night. But it was the one supposedly heading downward that came out on top. Georgia, which won one of its eight games during the first half of the SEC schedule, started the second by doubling its conference total with a 81-59 victory over Arkansas.

Just when it seemed as if Georgia State had blown its chance to keep pace in the Colonial Athletic Association race, the Panthers rallied to defeat Northeastern 61-59 on Wednesday at the GSU Sports Arena. Victory wasn’t secured until Joel Smith’s shot bounced off the rim, ending a frantic final few minutes that saw Georgia State’s weakness, free-throw shooting, almost cost it the win.

University of Georgia president Michael Adams expects a college football playoff to be a reality within two years. “My best guess is we’re going to end up with either a four- or eight-team playoff by the time we get to ’14,” he told the executive committee of the UGA Athletic Association’s board of directors Wednesday.

NBA commissioner David Stern said Wednesday that Hawks ownership has committed to pay the luxury tax should they exceed the league’s salary cap. Stern said he remains confident in the Atlanta Spirit following the group’s attempt to sell the Hawks and the operating rights to Philips Arena that fell through last year.

Former Falcons linebacker Buddy Curry and current kicker Matt Bryant spoke to the Health and Human Services committee of the Georgia legislature in support of the “Georgia Return to Play Act of 2012” on Wednesday at the State Capitol. “I remember coming off the field in a daze,” said Curry, who played for the Falcons from 1980-87.

This could be the year that Hawks forward Josh Smith is officially recognized as ranking among the star players in the NBA. Then again, Smith thought the same thing when the All-Star teams were announced during the 2010-11 season — and the year before that.

The Racquet Club of the South in Norcross, where Marietta tennis sensation Melanie Oudin trained before competing in the U.S. Open and at Wimbledon, has been sold to Life Time Fitness, the company announced this week. The Racquet Club has eight indoor and 28 outdoor tennis courts at its complex on Courtside Drive.

Georgia Tech’s game against N.C. State on Thursday night gave coach Brian Gregory reason to review the Yellow Jackets’ first game against the Wolfpack, an 82-71 upset win in Raleigh. Given that Tech lost the next six games after that win, the replay left Gregory encouraged for an unexpected reason.

Former Braves all-star Dale Murphy is a well-known Twitter fanatic, sharing his insights into the Braves, art and his favorite band, the alt-country outfit Wilco. But Murphy lately has used the social media tool to share his thoughts on the Republican presidential primary.

Prosecutors asked Tuesday to have Jerry Sandusky kept indoors as part of his bail conditions, citing complaints that the former Penn State assistant football coach was seen outside and watching children in a schoolyard from the back porch of his home, where he remains under house arrest while awaiting trial on child molestation charges.

For the second consecutive year, the Falcons will be represented at the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony. A year after defensive back Deion Sanders was enshrined, former defensive stalwart Chris Doleman will join him Aug. 4 in Canton, Ohio.

How bad has Georgia been on offense this season? Historically bad. The Bulldogs (10-12, 1-7 SEC) enter Wednesday night’s game against Arkansas (16-7, 4-4) with an SEC-worst scoring average of 60.6 points per game. Only one Georgia team has been worse at scoring since UGA began to keep up with such things in 1960.

Eli Manning hoisted the Lombardi Trophy from a glittering blue-and-white float, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg joked that New York City should now be nicknamed the "Big Blue Apple," as thousands of fans crowded lower Manhattan on Tuesday to celebrate the New York Giants' Super Bowl victory amid tons of confetti.

An hour before a recent Hawks practice, Willie Green already had sweated through half his T-shirt. The guard put up shot after shot in an otherwise empty NBA arena. Sixty minutes later, when Green’s teammates arrived, the shirt was completely soaked. After a change to a fresh practice jersey, Green went through another hour of practice.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski has had no trouble getting his players’ attention this week. He questioned the Blue Devils’ attention to detail and energy at times this season, but he has made sure they know they’re playing at rival and fifth-ranked North Carolina (20-3, 7-1 ACC) at 9 p.

During January, as his playing time decreased and Georgia State’s losses began to mount, Rashaad Richardson kept practicing his shooting and kept watching film. Now, as his playing time is increasing and the wins are back, Richardson’s long-range accuracy is one of the reasons why.

Alberto Contador should be considered a "cheat" after being found guilty of doping and stripped of his 2010 Tour de France title, the president of the World Anti-Doping Agency said Tuesday. "Anyone who is found by a tribunal in a matter in which he was found to be a cheat, is a cheat," John Fahey said in an interview with The Associated Press.

For the third consecutive year, the Super Bowl set a record as the most-watched television show in U.S. history. The Nielsen Co. said Monday that an estimated 111.3 million people watched the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots on Sunday night.

In a rarity for a prestigious academics university that prides itself on a higher standard, Stanford had a player get into trouble with the law. Star linebacker Shayne Skov was arrested and jailed last weekend for driving under the influence.

Apparently, there is no place like the road for the Hawks these days. After a recently-completed 4-1 road trip, the Hawks dropped their third straight home game Monday night, this one a 99-90 defeat at the hands of the Suns. The Hawks (16-7, 8-4 home) have now lost to the Grizzlies (by 19), 76ers (11) and Suns (nine).

The Georgia Tech women's basketball team has proven it can play with the top teams in the country. Monday night, it showed again that it still can't beat them. The Yellow Jackets lost their sixth game to a ranked team this season, this time to No. 9 Maryland by a 64-56 score at Gwinnett Arena.

Former University of Georgia star running back Knowshon Moreno was arrested by Denver police Wednesday  on a drunken driving charge, KDVR-TV reported. The 24-year-old, who now plays for the Denver Broncos, was pulled over in a Bentley convertible for allegedly going as fast as 70 mph in a construction zone with a posted speed limit of 45, the report said.

Monday was the first day NBA teams were able to sign players to 10-day contracts. The Hawks made no move with Jason Collins (sprained left elbow) out for the next two weeks. “Not a whole lot of news,” coach Larry Drew said of the team’s pursuit of a big man.

Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton gained a backup point guard and lost another one last summer via the NCAA's rule permitting athletes who have earned their undergraduate degrees to transfer and gain immediate eligibility. His thoughts on the rule are not surprising.

ATHENS -- Lost in all the craziness of last week’s national signing day drama and shocking player dismissals was the introduction of Georgia’s three early enrollees -- quarterback Faton Bauta, offensive lineman Mark Beard and tailback Keith Marshall The trio had been shielded from interviews by UGA since arriving in early January to get acclimated to their new class schedules and join in the Bulldogs' off-season conditioning program.

There were few changes in the high school basketball rankings as the regular season enters its final week. New to the boys rankings are Norcross and North Gwinnett (AAAAA), Bainbridge (AAAA), Walnut Grove (AAA), Morgan County (AA). Out are Berkmar and Mill Creek (AAAAA), Chattahoochee (AAAA), Thomson (AAA) and Thomasville (AA).

There are people who marvel at how rookie forward Ivan Johnson has become a key player for the Hawks. Coach Larry Drew holds up Johnson's relentless energy as an example for the rest of the team. Teammate Josh Smith nominates Johnson to play in the rookie game on All-Star weekend.

Forty-five years ago, a business acquaintance asked Larry McDonald if he wanted to join a few friends on a lark and fly cross-country to catch a football game in Los Angeles. No big deal. Green Bay was playing Kansas City, in something called the AFL-NFL Championship Game.

Trae Golden came off the bench for the first time this season and scored 16 points to lead Tennessee in a 73-62 win against Georgia on Saturday night. After a back-and-forth first half, the Bulldogs held a 41-34 lead with 14:25 to play when Jordan McRae hit a 3-pointer for Tennessee.

It has been more than three weeks since the Hawks lost Al Horford to an injury that required surgery, and a couple of things have become clear. The Hawks are good enough to defeat struggling opponents without Horford, their All-Star center. But beating good teams, especially those with the size and aggressive scorers to exploit them inside, is a tougher task.

Center Jason Collins will miss at least two weeks, the Hawks said Saturday, after suffering what the team called a sprained left elbow. Collins sustained the injury during the Hawks’ 96-77 loss to Memphis on Thursday night. Collins, who had his arm pinned underneath an opponent while chasing a loose ball, said he feels fortunate the injury wasn’t more serious.

Curtis Martin has gone from the mean streets of Pittsburgh to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The star running back with the Patriots and Jets for 11 seasons was one of six players elected Saturday to the shrine. Martin once disliked playing the game, but used it to escape a neighborhood where his grandmother was murdered.

Georgia State started strong for the second consecutive game, blowing out Hofstra 59-43 on Saturday. The victory clinches the team’s first winning regular season in seven years. “I didn’t realize that until somebody told me,” coach Ron Hunter said. “I’m happy for the kids.

It didn’t matter so much that the opponent was not of great quality or that the ensuing video review would reveal its share of flaws. It didn’t matter to Georgia Tech’s fans, who rose in appreciative applause when the Yellow Jackets’ 51-47 win over Boston College became all but certain, or to the Jackets themselves.

A career milestone and a rare family reunion. All of which left Lindsey Vonn in tears, and it made for a perfect day. Vonn captured her 50th World Cup victory Saturday, winning the downhill on the demanding Kandahar course with temperatures plunging to minus 13.

Pro sports will crown another champion Sunday night, and once again Atlanta will be left out of the celebration. So what else is new, right? Since big-league sports migrated here in 1966, Atlanta teams have finished 154 seasons — 46 in the NFL, 46 in Major League Baseball, 43 in the NBA and 19 in the NHL — and won just one ultimate championship.

It probably will come as no surprise to find out that Gerald Robinson was good at sports other than basketball. Football, especially. A senior guard for the Georgia Bulldogs, Robinson starred as a running back in the youth programs in and around Nashville when he was a kid.

In this new NFL age of throw first and throw again, it's easy to forget to first rule of football: Defense wins championships. Sorry Eli. Sorry Tom. There's no doubt you're both among the league's elite quarterbacks. The Super Bowl, however, is going to be decided by defense, and the Giants are better than the Patriots right now.

The case against Lance Armstrong is closed. His legacy as a seven-time Tour de France champion endures. Federal prosecutors dropped their investigation of Armstrong on Friday, ending a nearly two-year effort aimed at determining whether the world's most famous cyclist and his teammates joined in a doping program during his greatest years.

Georgia Tech’s progress has been incremental and sometimes invisible. The Yellow Jackets were picked to finish 10th in the ACC and, thus far, have not disappointed in that regard. As the Jackets turn the page Saturday on to the second half of the league schedule with a 1 p.

For Georgia Tech, the upshot of the ACC’s new scheduling formats for football and basketball is more league games and more trips to Pittsburgh. At its annual winter meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., the ACC finalized its alignments and scheduling plans for the league’s expansion to 14 teams when Pittsburgh and Syracuse join the conference.

Just as it appeared Georgia was building championship-level depth on its football team, the Bulldogs were hit with a disciplinary situation that resulted in the loss of three players. Defensive backs Nick Marshall and Chris Sanders and wide receiver Sanford Seay were dismissed from the team Friday by coach Mark Richt for an undisclosed violation of team rules.

The Hawks are down to one healthy center and must step up their ongoing search for help at the position. Jason Collins had an MRI on his sprained left elbow Friday. The team is waiting on the results of the test for a better indication of how much time Collins will miss.

Al Groh won’t be in Indianapolis on Sunday, but a part of him will be. The Georgia Tech defensive coordinator’s son, Matthew, is in his first year working in the New England Patriots’ scouting department, having left his position as an attorney to start on the NFL’s ground floor.

John Carlos, half of the 1968 Olympic medal-winning duo that proclaimed “Black Power” on the medal stand to call attention to the plight of the African-Americans, will speak at Clark Atlanta University Wednesday as part of the school’s Black History Month programming.

The Atlanta Falcons' desired open-air stadium might wind up with a retractable roof if ongoing negotiations get bogged down. While both the Falcons and the Georgia World Congress Center Authority say the focus remains on trying to reach a deal that would put the team in an outdoor stadium and preserve the nearby Georgia Dome for indoor events, neither side shuts the door on the option of an indoor/outdoor, retractable-roof facility.

Larry Drew was afraid it would happen. The Hawks coach even issued a warning to his team, but it didn’t help. Drew feared a letdown against the Grizzlies after his team’s recently completed 4-1 road trip had them tied for first in the Southeast Division and second in the Eastern Conference.

Joe Johnson will have to wait another week to see if he is named to the NBA All-Star team. The Hawks guard was not one of the five Eastern Conference starters, as determined by fan voting, announced by the league Thursday night. Johnson is a strong candidate to be named to his sixth consecutive All-Star team when the reserves are announced Feb.

Just another pregame video session for the Georgia Tech’s women’s basketball team was enlivened by the appearance of a basketball legend. “It was like, ‘Whoa, he looks exactly like Charles Barkley,’” Tech center Sasha Goodlett said. “Then I was like, ‘Oh, God, it is.

At Cook High on Wednesday, Travin Henry signed his letter-of-intent with Georgia Tech and celebrated with family, teammates, coaches and friends. At Tech, fans gathered on signing day watched his highlights and marveled at a one-handed catch made as he fell backward.

The Hawks met Thursday with a representative of Kenyon Martin, according to a person with knowledge of the team’s thinking. The 11-year veteran center is playing in China and can return to the NBA following the season in several weeks. He reportedly has also drawn interest from the Heat, Clippers, Spurs and Knicks.

The recruiting saga of Josh Harvey-Clemons had a happy conclusion for the Georgia Bulldogs on Thursday. Harvey-Clemons, an outside linebacker from Valdosta considered by many to be the top prospect in the state, told a national TV audience Wednesday that he would sign with Georgia over Florida, Florida State and Miami.

In 1998, when Robert Dale Morgan was hired on as president and chief executive of the Atlanta 2000 Super Bowl Host Committee, he knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But as his career blossomed, similar opportunities seem to find him time and again.

The helmet-to-helmet shot knocked Tony Dorsett out cold in the second quarter of a 1984 Cowboys-Eagles game, the hardest hit he ever took during his Hall of Fame NFL career. "It was like a freight train hitting a Volkswagen," Dorsett says now. "Did they know it was a concussion?" he asks rhetorically during an interview with The Associated Press.

Hawks players were given the day off Wednesday, a reward for a just completed 4-1 road trip. Take a deep breath. It’s a brief respite as the team opens a four-game homestand Thursday against the Grizzlies. The Hawks will also host the 76ers, Suns and Pacers over the next seven days at Philips Arena where they are 8-1 this season.

Coachspeak with Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson “I expect this class to do a lot of big things. I think we covered a lot of our needs. We signed four defensive linemen, picked up some guys in areas that we felt like we need to shore up in certain positions, and I think we’ve got a really good group.

Coachspeak with Georgia coach Mark Richt “I think recruiting rankings are way overrated. ... I don’t get too caught up in that. The reason I’m telling you is we’ve got some really quality football players that are going to help us win. We’ve got some guys I think that are going to be able to make an impact right away.

Angelo Dundee, the brilliant motivator who worked the corner for Muhammad Ali in his greatest fights and willed Sugar Ray Leonard to victory in his biggest bout, died Wednesday in Tampa, Fla. He was 90. The genial Dundee was best known for being in Ali's corner for almost his entire career, but those in boxing also knew him as an ambassador for boxing and a figure of integrity in a sport that often lacked it.

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Varez Ward scored 17 points and led a productive night at the free-throw line for Auburn in a 59-51 win over Georgia on Wednesday night. Ward hit all 12 of his free throw attempts as Auburn (13-9, 3-5 Southeastern Conference) shot 80.

Georgia Tech co-offensive line coach Todd Spencer's texting cost him his job. The school, sensitive to NCAA compliance after being placed on probation over the summer, accepted Spencer's resignation for violating rules forbidding text messages to prospects and their parents or guardians.

Michael Snaer scored 21 points and Bernard James added 13 on Wednesday night as No. 21 Florida State rallied in the second half to defeat Georgia Tech 68-54 for its sixth straight win. The victory gives Florida State (15-6, 6-1 Atlantic Coast Conference ) its best start in league play since joining the ACC for the 1991-92 season and it keeps the Seminoles tied with North Carolina for first place.

The bottom line Georgia Tech signed 17 players, eight from in-state. The class includes four defensive linemen, three defensive backs, two linebackers, offensive linemen, quarterbacks and wide receivers and one running back and one punter. The Jackets went heavily for defensive linemen after not signing any in the 22-member 2011 class and losing two to graduation.

Georgia State found some answers in a 68-53 win at North Carolina Wilmington on Wednesday to some of the problems it has been experiencing. The Panthers, who broke a two-game losing streak, made six 3-pointers and created 15 turnovers that they turned into 22 points.

Josh Dawson: Georgia With all the hoopla surrounding his decision on where he would play college football next season, Georgia or Vanderbilt, Tucker’s Josh Dawson relied on two of the three things that have been a constant in his life: his faith and his family.

Alabama (26): The national champs added to their bounty by signing the No. 1 recruiting class, according to ESPN, and No. 2, according to Scout. Highly regarded defensive back Landon Collins, receiver Eddie Williams and running back T.J. Yeldon were expected to sign, but so did top defensive tackles Dalvin Tomlinson (Henry County) and Korren Kirven, who choose Alabama over Virginia Tech.

Josh Harvey-Clemons provided the state of Georgia with one of its more memorable recruiting dramas ever Wednesday. And it may not be over. Harvey-Clemons, whom ESPN ranks as the state’s No. 1 overall prospect, committed to Georgia on national TV on Wednesday morning.

The bottom line Locally, Georgia’s 2012 recruiting will be perceived as a disappointment. That’s especially true considering the drama surrounding Josh Harvey-Clemons, who told a national TV audience he was headed to UGA, but at the end of the business day had not sent in his letter-of-intent.

Georgia State football coach Bill Curry said the 2012 signing day class represents the strongest the Panthers have signed in their short history. That will be immediately needed because he also said the team is going to switch defensive schemes. Curry said his assistant coaches worked to find players who will help the Panthers as they embark on their first season in the Colonial Athletic Association.

Thirty-two years ago, Georgia's landmark signing of Herschel Walker came well before the Internet, well before cellphones and well before college football recruiting evolved into a spectator sport of its own. Imagine if today's technology and fanfare had accompanied the 1980 recruitment of the running back from Wrightsville.

Part-time St. Simons resident Brandt Snedeker now has three PGA Tour wins and has come from the back of the pack each time. But Sunday’s victory at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines was by far the most remarkable. Snedeker began the final round seven shots behind Kyle Stanley and was nine behind two holes into the final round.

TORONTO (AP) — Joe Johnson needed just three quarters to have one of his best games of the season. Johnson matched his season high with 30 points, Tracy McGrady scored 15 against his former team and the Hawks recorded their sixth consecutive victory over the Raptors, beating Toronto 100-77 on Tuesday night.

Two years ago, Denzel McCoy signed with Georgia Tech to close a heated pursuit that didn’t end after he made his commitment to the school. The defensive lineman from Northview High continued to receive calls and emails from coaches at USC, Florida State, Auburn, Oregon and other powerhouses in hopes he would waffle on his allegiance to the Yellow Jackets.

NBA baller Allen Iverson has gotten a little behind on his bill to a jewelry store in Gwinnett County. Now a judge has given the store permission to garnish his bank account. A Gwinnett County judge on Monday granted Aydin and Company Jewelers access to Iverson's Wells Fargo account in Norcross in the jeweler's attempt to recoup $375,000 it says Iverson owes for jewelry -- including diamond bracelets, a diamond watch and ring, according to a court filing and Aydin's attorney Janice A.

The television set won't be the only place to watch video of the New York Giants and the New England Patriots this Sunday. For the first time, U.S. football fans will be able to watch the Super Bowl live on a computer or on a phone. You may be wondering whether anyone without super-strength eyesight would be able to follow the football on a tiny phone screen.

Away from all the noise, all the tweets, all the reminders of his rough 2011 season, Jason Heyward stepped into the batting cage at Turner Field earlier this month for a quiet moment between hitters. Chipper Jones looked him in the eye and initiated a little back-and-forth before Heyward picked up his bat to take his first swings, with Jones, new Braves hitting coach Greg Walker and his associate Scott Fletcher looking on.

In the past two weeks, Georgia State’s men’s basketball team has traveled approximately 3,800 miles — roughly the same distance as Atlanta to Alaska — to play six games. During one stretch, the team left on a Tuesday and didn’t return to campus until Saturday night.

Three days after the U.S. women’s soccer team secured a spot in the upcoming summer Olympics, the domestic league, Women’s Professional Soccer, announced on Monday it was suspending operations for the 2012 season. The league, which includes the Atlanta Beat, hopes to return in 2013.

With 44 seconds left between Virginia Commonwealth and Georgia State on Saturday night, Monica King’s game-tracker froze. From her home computer in Madison, Wis., she lost touch with her son, Shaka Smart and his VCU Rams, whose lead had just been cut to 56-50.

Hubert Adams, the father of UGA President Dr. Michael F. Adams, has died. He was 87. Mr. Adams, who lived in Stone Mountain, died Sunday at his home, according to the family. Visitation is  scheduled for 5-7 p.m. Wednesday at Tom M. Wages Funeral Service, Snellville.

Class A high school football fans soon could find themselves asking the same question that college football fans ask: “Who’s No. 1?” When the executive committee of the Georgia High School Association voted overwhelmingly (36-12) earlier this month to hold separate playoffs and championships in all sports in Class A, the handful of voters on the short end of the decision predicted several unforeseen consequences.

NEW ORLEANS – Slow start? Not this time. The Hawks got off to a sizzling beginning against the Hornets – a game they never trailed – en route to a 94-72 victory Sunday. The Hawks fell behind in their past two games, a loss to the Spurs and an overtime win over the Pistons, but they would have none of that in the Big Easy.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The difference between Georgia Tech and North Carolina Sunday night was not just Tar Heels guard Kendall Marshall, but that's a good place to start. The North Carolina point guard's speed and vision were principal factors in the 93-81 flattening that the Tar Heels administered to the Yellow Jackets at the Smith Center.

The Braves built so much minor-league depth at shortstop that by last fall they moved a couple of prospects to new positions. Edward Salcedo, 20, a prized international signee two years ago, moved from shortstop to third base at Class-A Rome, and 2010 first-round draft pick Matt Lipka switched from shortstop to center field last fall at the instructional league in Florida.

Jeff Teague started at point guard despite an ankle sprain that limited him in Friday’s overtime win in Detroit. Teague played 17 minutes in the first half with 15 points, including three 3-pointers. Joe Johnson, who entered Sunday 15th in the NBA in scoring at 19.

Marian Gaborik made New York Rangers teammate Henrik Lundqvist pay for not selecting him to play for Daniel Alfredsson's team in the NHL All-Star game. Gaborik beat Lundqvist twice in the first period, finished with three goals and an assist, and earned MVP honors in leading Team Chara to a 12-9 win over Team Alfredsson on Sunday.

Class AA has new No. 1 boys and girls high school basketball teams as the regular seasons enters its final two weeks. The No. 1 boys AA team is Jordan of Columbus, which avenged one of its two losses – to Manchester – with a 71-55 win on Friday. Jordan replaced Greater Atlanta Christian, which lost to Butler 66-65 in Augusta on Saturday.

Forget the quarterback ratings. And forget the prevent defense. If you want a hands-down, airtight, take-it-to-Las Vegas prediction for the winner of the Super Bowl, there’s one thing to look at — the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And while the BLS doesn’t gather much information about football, it does calculate the unemployment rate.