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Longtime Falcon Steve Bartkowski Gets His Due As A College Star

2012-05-16T13:01:38Z

The Atlanta Falcons all-time leader in passing yardage and touchdowns has received yet another honor, this time for his excellence at the collegiate level.

His future was as bright as it could be. In his senior season at Cal-Berkley, Steve Bartkowski led the Bears to an impressive 7-3-1 record. He led the league in passing with 2580 yards through the air, completed 56 percent of his passes and had a favorable 12:7 TD-INT ratio. His four 300 yard passing games was a school record at the time.

And the awards would soon follow: Bartkowski would be named team MVP, first team All-Pac-10 and most notably a consensus first team All-American. Finally, he's being inducted into the college football Hall of Fame as well.

Moreover, it was this success as a senior that paved the way for Bartkowski to join the Falcons as the No. 1 overall pick in the 1975 draft. At the time, he was easily considered the best quarterback out of the west and one of the top college products available in that draft class.

Though his production as a Falcon would wax and wane, Bartkowski certainly had his moments. He would top 3500 yards passing in both the 1980 and 1981 seasons and make the Pro Bowl both years, guiding the Falcons to a 12-4 record and one of their best seasons every in '80.

And of course, this was an era in football when throwing for 3000 yards in just one season actually meant something. His two consecutive seasons of 30+ touchdowns has also grown more impressive time, with only eight other quarterbacks sharing the feat.

But mostly, it's just another accolade that Barkowski certainly deserves. Soon, he'll be joining the ranks of guys like Art Monk, Jonathan Ogden and Phillip Fulmer. And while I don't think he'll ever get a shot at the other Hall of Fame, it's still nice to reflect on what was an impressive Falcons career in an otherwise dark, dismal era.

For more on the Falcons, visit The Falcoholic; for everything Cal Bears, check out California Golden Blogs.

Braves Vs. Marlins: Game 1 Preview, TV Info And More

2012-05-16T12:57:51Z

Mike Minor will try and continue righting his rough early season against the Marlins on Wednesday night. After taking the win against St. Louis on Friday, Minor and 6.59 ERA will look for back-to-back wins for the first time this year. The Braves enter the series with a half-game lead on the Nationals, and a 3.5 game lead on the Marlins, thanks to wins in four of their last five.

Freddie Freeman is officially listed as day-to-day with scratches in both eyes. Freeman sat out Tuesday and will be reevaluated on Wednesday.

Date / Time: Wednesday, May 16, 7:05 p.m. ET

Location: Turner Field, Atlanta, Georgia

TV: Sports South

Radio: WNNX 100.5, WCNN 680

Probable Starters: Mike Minor (2-2) vs. Mark Buehrle (2-4)

For more on the Atlanta Braves, check out Talking Chop. Miami Marlins news and info can be found at Fish Stripes, and all your MLB news and info is available at Baseball Nation.

Marlins Vs. Braves Preview: Giancarlo Stanton, Jose Reyes Arrive In Atlanta For Brief Series

2012-05-16T12:19:32Z

The Braves host their NL East foes for the first time in 2012 this week.

Despite already playing nearly 40 games this season the Atlanta Braves will take on the Miami Marlins for the first time in 2012. The Marlins were big spenders in the offseason, but their record of just 19-17 has left a few surprised about their lack of success thus far. Miami appears to be hitting their stride at the right time, though, and will provide the Braves with a very tough two-game series this week.

Omar Infante has been quite the story this season. Infante, who was one of the two players dealt to Miami two years ago for Dan Uggla, is hitting .325/.350/.598 (holy slugging percentage from a second baseman!) and has been their most consistent force offensively. Giancarlo Stanton was pretty awful in April but has really turned it on in May, hitting six homers and posting an OPS of 1.130 in 14 games thus far.

Jose Reyes was the biggest free agent addition for the club and he has struggled to this point, hitting to the tune of a wOBA (read more here; think of the numbers on a scale of on-base percentage) of just .336. Emilio Bonifacio leads all of baseball with 19 steals, which is seven (seven!) more than anyone else. Keeping him off the bases is an absolute must.

The Marlins rank 10th as a team in runs scored. This isn't a great lineup, but they've been hot recently and have some very talented hitters throughout.

Start Times & Pitching Matchups:

Wednesday, 7:10 p.m. - Mike Minor (2-2, 6.59 ERA, 4.40 FIP) vs. Mark Buehrle (2-4, 2.81 ERA, 4.16 FIP)

Thursday, 7:10 p.m. - Brandon Beachy (4-1, 1.60 ERA, 2.71 FIP) vs. Ricky Nolasco (4-1, 3.65 ERA, 3.99 FIP)

Team Sites: Check out Talking Chop for Braves coverage, Fish Stripes for the Marlins.

Braves vs. Marlins Preview: Giancarlo Stanton, Jose Reyes Arrive In Atlanta For Brief Series

2012-05-16T12:18:20Z

The Marlins rank 10th as a team in runs scored. This isn't a great lineup, but they've been hot recently and have some very talented hitters throughout.

Start Times & Pitching Matchups:

Wednesday, 7:10 p.m. - Mike Minor (2-2, 6.59 ERA, 4.40 FIP) vs. Mark Buehrle (2-4, 2.81 ERA, 4.16 FIP)

Thursday, 7:10 p.m. - Brandon Beachy (4-1, 1.60 ERA, 2.71 FIP) vs. Ricky Nolasco (4-1, 3.65 ERA, 3.99 FIP)

Team Sites: Check out Talking Chop for Braves coverage, Fish Stripes for the Marlins.

Atlanta Braves Split Brief Series With Reds, Prepare For Marlins

2012-05-16T12:01:18Z

The Braves have an odd schedule this week, playing two two-game series against different opponents. First up were the Cincinnati Reds, who entered Atlanta playing their best baseball of the season. The clubs split the two games, with the Braves winning the series finale on Tuesday night.

Game one was closely contested throughout. Homer Bailey and Randall Delgado both pitched well enough for a win, but it was not until the eighth inning when the Reds scratched across two runs against Jonny Venters on their way to a 3-1 win.

Game two was not close. Despite a perfect record of 4-0 entering the game, the Braves smacked around Johnny Cueto in the early innings and held the lead late on their way to a 6-2 victory. Catcher Brian McCann hit his first homer in nearly two weeks as Tim Hudson picked up his second win of the year.

The Braves now shift their focus to the Marlins for a two-game series that is set to begin Wednesday evening at 7:10 from Turner Field.

For more on the club, check out Talking Chop.

Atlanta Falcons Depth Chart Preview: Wide Receiver

2012-05-16T12:00:32Z

Is there a cost too steep to get a player you believe in? What if it's someone who you believe will be a focal point of your offense for the next decade? These are questions fans of the Washington Redskins will be asking in the years to come, and a question Falcons fans got to try and answer over the better part of a year.

The whole story of the 2011 draft may never come to light. Rumors that Atlanta had their sights set on A.J. Green still abound, causing some to speculate that the organization 'settled' on getting the second best WR in the draft in Julio Jones. There's no denying that Green is a stellar receiver in his own right, but when the dust settles it could be Jones who emerges as the best WR in the class.

Yes, I know Green had more receiving yards (98, to be precise), but it's important to remember that Julio Jones missed three games due to injury, while A.J. Green played fifteen games. Jones also had a higher yard per catch average, and more touchdowns. Granted, he had more talent around him and a QB with a better arm, but in terms of a pure receiver there were few who were more electrifying that Jones. In any other season he'd run away with the rookie of the year, but 2011 was no ordinary year.

The receiving corps for the Falcons in 2012 is likely to look much the same as last season. I wouldn't be surprised if Jones passes Roddy White as the team's #1 receiver, but in terms of keeping everyone happy I doubt the team will make any such announcement. Out of the gate the Falcons have one of the best tandems in the NFL- provided they can learn to compliment each other. Perhaps it was the shortened off-season, but there was a distinct air that White and Jones didn't quite know how to play together yet. If they can pull it together in 2012 they'll be fighting the newly forged duo of Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd as the class of the NFC.

At the 3rd WR spot Harry Douglas has always been criminally underrated. He's not a game changing player, and he's not often asked to do much- but he's always there and constantly contributing. In this offense Tony Gonzalez is the true third receiving option, with Douglas the forth and Kerry Meier a distant fifth. It's Meier who could be unseated by one of the team's UDFA players. Both James Rodgers and Cody Pearcy are small statured guys, but each have the ability to play on special teams, which gives them a shot. Ultimately I think only one makes the 53, and I'm going with Rodgers.

Projected Depth Chart

WR1: Roddy White/ Harry Douglas/ James Rodgers

WR2: Julio Jones/ Kerry Meier

2012 Falcons Offseason: Rookies Take Part In 'Falcons U'

2012-05-16T11:40:56Z

Rookie camp ended for the Falcons on Sunday but the transition from being a college player to a professional continues. Atlanta was the first team to begin its orientation process on Monday putting its rookies through what is being called "Falcons U".

The program will last three days and is designed to help rookies be successful on and off the field and deals with areas such as handling success and failure the right ways. Among the speakers on Monday were owner Arthur Blank and general manager Thomas Dimitroff as well as a presentation from Leadership Success International CEO Dr. Earl Sutter.

Sutter's presentation dealt with practicing positive thinking and also focused on making good decisions during their pro careers. Falcons U will continue on Tuesday and Wednesday with a focus on good financial practices as well as social media tips.

For more on the Atlanta Falcons check out The Falcoholic. For more NFL news and notes head over to SB Nation's NFL page.

Georgia Tech Football Recruting: Donovan Wilson Is Yellow Jackets' Second Commitment For 2013 Class

2012-05-16T11:26:15Z

Dublin Ohio's Donovon Wilson became Georgia Tech's second football commitment for its class of 2013 on Tuesday. Wilson is a 3-star running back and also had offers from Purdue, Boston College and Ohio.

Wilson had taken an unofficial visit to Tech earlier this month and was waiting for a scholarship offer. That offer finally came on Tuesday and it took Wilson a mere three hours to pledge his commitment.

"This was the offer I had been waiting on, I went through my practices, thought about it hard, talked to my parents, and made the decision to commit."

Both of Georgia Tech's commitments for the 2013 season are running backs with Wilson joining Lovejoy High's Travis Custus. Those worrying that the Yellow Jackets are way behind in recruiting this offseason should recognize that they are only expected to sign about 15 recruits this season due to roster limitations.

For more on Georgia Tech Football head over to From The Rumble Seat.