Atlanta Daily World

Falcons Sign Former St. Louis Rams Running Back Steven Jackson to 3-Year Deal

The Atlanta Falcons offense is starting to take shape. After learning just before the start of free agency that Pro Bowl tight end Tony Gonzalez would return to the team instead of retiring, on Thursday free agent running back Steven Jackson has agreed to a contract with the Atlanta Falcons, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The Falcons' official Twitter page reports that the deal will be for three seasons. Dollar figures for the contract were not immediately provided by the team. However, ProFootballTalk.com reports that the deal is worth $12 million.

Jackson hit the free agent market after the St. Louis Rams provided him with the option to void the final year of his contract. The Rams are preparing to go forth with 2012 draft choices Daryl Richardson and Isaiah Pead in the backfield, acoording to Yahoo! sports.

Jackson drew interest from both the Green Bay Packers and Falcons before deciding on Atlanta on Thursday. The Falcons were in the market for a veteran back after releasing Michael Turner earlier this month. Turner topped 1,300 three times during his first five seasons with the Falcons, but was released after averaging just 3.6 yards per carry in 2012 and watching his 2013 base salary swell from $5.5 million to $6.9 million.

Jackson will join Jason Snelling and Jacquizz Rodgers in the Falcons backfield.

SIAC Track and Field Honors Announced

The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announces its Track and Field weekly honors for the week ending in March 9.
 
Women’s Track & Field Athletes of the Week
 
Sprinter
 
Chemekea Davis, Freshman, Benedict College
The freshman made a big splash at the Palmetto Meet held in Mt. Pleasant, SC last weekend. She finished first in the 200 meter event with a time of 24.69, while finishing second with a 12.11 mark in the 100 meter event. In addition, she anchored the Lady Tigers 4 x 100 meter relay team, which finished first at the meet with a time of 47.6 meters.
 
Mid-Distance
 
Stephanie Rhoden, Freshman, Benedict College
Rhoden, freshman making a mark for Benedict, ran a 49.70 at the Palmetto Classic, which is the fastest time in the conference this short season.
 
Distance
 
Olivia Traylor, Sophomore, Albany State
 The sophomore ran a 2:24.86 in the 800 meter events and in the 1500 meter event she ran a 5:02.69 at the BSC “Southern Invitational” held in Birmingham, AL last weekend.
 
Field Events
 
Euphemia Edem, Junior, Stillman
Event: Long Jump                  Hometown:
Edem jumped 5.52 meters at the BSC Southern Invitational last week. The junior also has the best long jump distance in Division II after she leaped 5.91 meters (19’3.75 feet) at the Mississippi College Season invitational.
 
 
Men’s Track & Field Athletes of the Week
 
Sprinter

Jeffrey Henderson, Junior, Stillman
Henderson blew away the field at the BSC Southern Invitational in the 100 meter event with a time of 10.6 for a first place finish at the meet. He also anchored the Tigers 4x1 team which finish first place at the meet with a time of 41.03.
 
Mid-Distance
 
Sidney Buchannon, Junior, Albany State
Buchannon finished third in the Birmingham-Southern Invitational in the 400 meter event with a time of 49.84 at the meet. He also has the second fastest 200 meter time in the conference this season with a 22.56.
 
Distance
 
Deon Clifford, Freshman, Benedict
Clifford, a freshman, ran a 15:42.61 at the Savannah State Tiger Relays, which is the top time for a distance runner this season in the SIAC.
 
Field Events
 
Daniel Dent, Junior, Stillman
Dent finished second in the long jump with a 6.77m jump at the Birmingham-Southern meet. In his first outdoor meet of the season, at the Mississippi College Opener Invitational, Dent posted a Division II best 7.25m jump.
 
Here is a look at the Top 3 Performers in each Track and Field Event this season.
(Source: www.tfrrs.org)
 
100m (Men)

 
 
100m (Women)

 
200m (Men)

 
200m (Women)

 
400m (Men)

 
400m (Women)

 
400m Hurdles (Men)

 
400m Hurdles (Women)

 
 
800m (Men)

 
800m (Women)

 
1500m (Men)

 
1500m (Women)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
5000m (Men)

 
5000m (Women)

 
4 X 100M Relay (Men)
                                TEAM A                                                                              Performance

Performance:                                                                             Performance:
 
4 X 100M Relay (Women)
                                TEAM A                                                                              TEAM B

Performance:                                                                                                 Performance:
 
4 X 400M Relay (Men)
                                TEAM A                                                                              TEAM B

 
 
4 X 400M Relay (Women)
                                TEAM A                                                                              TEAM B

       
 
High Jump (Women)

 
Pole Vault (Women)

 
Long Jump (Men)

 
Long Jump (Women)

 
 
Triple Jump (Men)

 

Shot Put (Men)

 
Shot Put (Women)

 
Discus Throw (Men)

 
Discus Throw (Women)

Former Brave Andruw Jones' Home For Sale Months After Divorce Filing

Former Atlanta Braves center fielder Andruw Jones is selling his Atlanta area home. The house has a listed price of $4.9 million and is located in Duluth.

The home on Grey Moss Pass has 12 full bathrooms, three half baths, nine bedrooms, and includes an indoor basketball court, double waterfall, putting green, elevator and batting cage, reports the Gwinnett Daily Post.

The home also includes a pool and spa, outdoor kitchen, two indoor kitchens, and three laundry rooms, according to the home’s listing.

The listing comes less than three months after Jones' wife filed for divorce following a domestic incident late last year, the Gwinnett paper notes.

Jones' wife filed for divorce Dec. 31 in a superior court complaint that also included a mutual restraining order and an order for a parenting seminar.

Jones and Derick have been married for 10 years and share a 9-year-old son.  As part of the divorce complaint, Derick contends that her marriage to Jones is “irretrievably broken.” The miffed missus is also requesting that a judge reassess the prenuptial agreement she signed and declare it null and void.

According to a police report that was filed after the alleged assault, Derick told authorities that her husband “dragged her down a staircase, grabbing her neck and saying he wanted to kill her.”  The fight between Jones and Derick allegedly happened after she asked him to help her tidy up.

Jones played for the Braves during the 1996 through 2007 seasons. Jones most recently signed a one year contract with Japan's Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.

Click here to see more photos of the home.

Atlanta Sports Fans Should be Ashamed After Last Night’s Hawks-Lakers Game

The Hawks are a team with a winning record, playing with a slew of injuries and still have a realistic chance of getting home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. And on Wednesday night, in their own building, Atlanta fans almost cost the team a game.

As Kyle Korver stepped to the free throw line with 16.9 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Philips Arena was the loudest it had been that night. It was almost surreal. Korver was being booed at the line by fans in his own city, in a game against a Western Conference team from across the country barely hanging on to the number 8 seed in the playoffs.

“I just hear noise, good or bad” he said. “In my mind, they were cheering for us.”

It would seem unconscionable for a shooter stepping to the line in his home building to get that kind of treatment with the game on the line, but that’s how it happened.

“I’m used to it,” said guard Devin Harris who got the start for the injured Jeff Teague. “It’s funny actually, it’s not just the Lakers, it’s different teams with winning records. We just look at it as a challenge and we’re happy to get a win for our fans.”

The crowd at Philips Arena on Wednesday night was only about 30 percent Hawks fans, based on ocular estimates, but for most of the evening they made the most noise. With the Lakers down by as many as 14 points in the third quarter, the sea of purple and gold had little to cheer about.

But with 10:38 left on the clock, Lakers guard Kobe Bryant went on a spectacular tear to bring the team back, scoring 20 points in a little over seven minutes.

From there, the lead went back and forth, with the teams exchanging momentum after seemingly every timeout. The Lakers led by as many as four, while the Hawks were able to pad their advantage by five after Harris went on a scoring spree of his own.

In the absence of Josh Smith, Jeff Teague, Zaza Pachulia, Lou Williams and DeShawn Stevenson, guys like Shelvin Mack, Johann Petro and John Jenkins were forced to step in and they came up big. Jenkins scored 12 points and shot 50 percent from three-point range, while Mack handled duties at the point guard for stretches, playing 14 minutes and scoring seven points. Petro started the game at center and defended Lakers’ All Star Dwight Howard all night, equaling his point total (10) and nabbing a double-double with 11 rebounds.

The breakout star of the night for the Hawks, though, was Al Horford, who, despite a modest scoring night (14 points, 14 rebounds), led the team emotionally on offense and defense.

“I thought Al set the tone for the game, he really did,” said Hawks coach Larry Drew.

Horford threw down a series of big dunks early in the first quarter to get the Hawks’ momentum rolling, including a one-handed an alley oop jam that brought the crowd, dressed in red and purple alike, to its feet.

Unfortunately the standout team effort from the Hawks was taken like pearls to swine.

Certainly, the team has been more than an occasional disappointment this season and in seasons past, but the guys that were on the floor Wednesday night deserved better than what they got from their hometown crowd.

“[The team] just went out there and handled our business,” Horford said of responding to a hostile home crowd, “and our fans got behind us.”

The players are thankful to those fans. More than most people realize.