Last week, the Georgia Force learned they are not only without a 2009 season but a head coach as well, as Doug Plank accepted a job with the New York Jets earlier last week. On Wednesday, the Jets announced that Plank has joined the New York staff as an assistant secondary coach. Plank coached the Force for the last four seasons and compiled a 47-25 overall record, leading the team to three division titles and an Arena Football League championship game appearance.
Hall of Famer and longtime North Carolina State women’s basketball coach Kay Yow died last week, passing after a long-fought battle with breast cancer. Yow, who was 66 at the time, was diagnosed with cancer in 1987. Her many accomplishments in what was a lengthy career include more than 700 wins, a gold medal as coach of the 1988 U.S. Olympic women’s team, four Atlantic Coast Conference tournament championships, 20 NCAA tournament bids and a Final Four appearance in 1998. Not only a great coach, Yow was inspirational to many in her fight with cancer and spent considerable time and effort raising awareness and money for cancer research.
Atlanta Braves right fielder Jeff Francoeur used his Monday last week to stop off in Macon, signing autographs and taking pictures with fans at a private reception held at the Hilton Garden Inn. That evening, Francoeur visited the Mercer University Center, as a crowd gathered for the “First Pitch Classic” and to hear the Braves star speak. On Tuesday, Francoeur’s goodwill was matched by teammates Brian McCann, Blaine Boyer, Tommy Hanson, former Braves reliever Brad Clontz, hitting coach Terry Pendleton, and general manager Frank Wren, as the large group stopped by the downtown Macon Children’s Hospital. The Braves players, coaches and personnel in attendance visited many different rooms, talking with the children, taking pictures, signing autographs, and even playing Nintendo’s Wii.
HONORING THE BIRDS
The Atlanta Falcons added to their long list of postseason awards last week when the Sporting News named Thomas Dimitroff their 2008 Executive of the Year. Dimitroff was chosen for the annual Sporting News award by a panel of 40 coaches, general managers and personnel directors from around the NFL for his part in turning a 4-12 Falcon team of 2007 into the 11-5 playoff team it was in 2008. In winning the award, Dimitroff becomes only the third man in the last 15 years to win the honor in his first year with a new team. Among his many important decisions were going with Matt Ryan in the 2008 Draft and signing free agent running back Michael Turner to a long-term deal.
Nationally syndicated 790 The Zone radio personalities Ryan and Doug Stewart, best known for work on the radio show the “2 Live Stews,” are in the process of launching a national radio campaign calling on black men to become better mentors. Specifically, the Stewart brothers are focused on getting their listeners, particularly male members of the African American community, to support Big Brothers and Big Sisters. Doug and Ryan have served as Big Brothers for several years with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Atlanta. The effort itself, which is known as “Mentoring Brothers,” is phase II of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America’s Campaign for Men.
While some fringe sports have been scared into silence by the struggling economy, the same cannot be said for the Atlanta Rollergirls, who will be holding a season opening double-header on February 28. For 2009, the ARG’s fifth season, the girls are promising a season of “more action and more brutal fun”, a little something everyone needs in their life. The action will feature Atlanta’s All-Star inter-league team, the Dirty South Derby Girls, against Pittsburgh’s own Steel City Derby Demons.
A second match will include two local teams, the Apocalypstix and the Toxic Shocks. The event will take place at the Yaraab Shrine Center Auditorium and more information can be found at southernfriedsmackdown.com.
Janovitz can be reached at sjanovitz@scoreatl.com.
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