[外電] A year to forget
A year to forget
Atlanta sports teams had disappointing 2005-06 seasons
Published on: 04/23/06
No sense in griping about 2006 yet; there's still eight months
left. The fiscal year? Hundred and sixty days to go. Chinese
calendar? We're not even three months into the Year of the Dog.
Ah, but the 2005-06 sports year. Not too soon to sample that
vintage. From upwind, perhaps. That time of judgment has arrived.
OK, there are some college spring sports still out on the field.
But they can't possibly crack this list of bummers and things
that went bump in the night.
And to think, they used to call this place Loserville.
——————————
The buck drops here
Joe Johnson just made $14 million in his first season as a Hawk,
the big-ticket free agent helping the club to a 100 percent
increase in victories. That would mean 26 wins instead of the
13 last year, or $1.08 million per win. That would also mean an
attendance bump of 593 fans per night. That would also mean seven
consecutive years of finishing out of the playoffs. That is not
good. Even the forsaken Los Angeles Clippers made it this year.
Mr. Paul, your table was ready
They really seemed to want Andrew Bogut, until Milwaukee took
him with the NBA's first overall pick. So then they really seemed
to want Marvin Williams, a 6-foot-9 forward with great upside but
who couldn't crack the starting lineup at North Carolina. But six
months later, the Hawks still really seem to lack a point guard.
The rest of the NBA thought enough of last summer's point guard
crop to make them the third, fourth and fifth selections of the
2005 draft. Chris Paul was the fourth and proceeded to legitimize
a dead Hornets franchise. And what do the Hawks really seem to
need now?
You say Blueland, I say, Wha?
It is one thing to promise a place in the playoffs. It is another
to come close enough that a city hung with that assurance until
the schedule's final minute. And it was indeed good theater. But
with the curtain down now, the Thrashers' revised resume still
reads like this — NHL seasons: six; playoff appearances: zero.
Try to Zamboni that one.
Psst, buddy. Need a venue?
The city that hosted the world just 10 years ago suddenly can't
even bum a light from NASCAR? Atlanta's two highest-profile venue
bids failed. The city came up with a $25 million offer (cash and
other contributions) for the 2009 Super Bowl but lost out to Tampa.
The city's bid to land NASCAR's Hall of Fame, finally upped to $92
million in mostly public funding, fell to Charlotte. "They decided
to marry the girl next door," Gov. Sonny Purdue said. Yeah, she's
the one hammering on the back right quarter-panel.
Bye-bye, Blackbirds
A legitimate goal of the Super Bowl wound up to be an 8-8 fan
dance, after which Falcons quarterback Michael Vick said he was
"lost." What is this? A TV reality show? In retrospect, the
Falcons were brought down by injury, a failure to rise to the
occasion, and by inconsistent tackling, which is only the first
thing teams work on from the first day in pads. That's how you
lose four of your last five.
Lock, stock and wigwam
On the market for some six months, the list of known potential
buyers for the Braves includes a Colorado holding company, a
local radio mogul, an Atlanta real estate magnate, and Sir Arthur
Blank, who already has dropped more than half a billion dollars
into the Falcons. Does anyone else have a funny feeling about
this one?
It's their party
So, lots of states got left out. Like 18 of them. Like Idaho and
Hawaii and Nebraska and Maine. But which of those sent a team to
the Final Four just two years before? None. Georgia — the whole
state — was overlooked by the NCAA men's selection committee,
and it wasn't a close call. Sure, it's happened before, but not
one year after a state school went to the title game the year
before. In the meantime, bow deep to the five states that border
Georgia. They sent 13 schools to the big dance, including a
national champion.
Fun on the Flats
Georgia Tech beat Auburn at Auburn, beat Miami at Miami and wound
up in the ACC's default bowl (the Emerald), where the Jackets
lost by four touchdowns to Utah, which then accused them of
quitting. Therein was included a big-time marijuana bust —
defensive back Reuben Houston got nine months' probation — and
curious comments by the athletics director about proper expectations
for the football program. After telling alumni they can't expect
10-win seasons every fall, AD Dave Braine shortly announced his
retirement, but not before giving coach Chan Gailey a contract
through 2010. Gailey's record at Tech is 28-21. The program is
about to go on NCAA probation for the first time in history. Is
everybody happy?
And in this corner, wearing the litigious trunks . . .
Has professional sport ever seen a more embarrassing saga than
Steve Belkin's suit against the Thrashers-Hawks ownership group?
Well, probably, yeah. But there isn't a pro league that isn't
keeping a scorecard on this one. While everyone made nice when
Atlanta Spirit LLC was formed to buy the franchises, the perils
of multi-member consortia have never been so fully displayed.
Picture of the year: Belkin's courtroom effort to shake Hawks GM
Billy Knight's hand; Knight looking at it like it's a dead opossum.
Everyone join hands
Perhaps the most noteworthy development to come from any of these
chapters is job security. Yes, the Falcons fired quarterbacks
coach Mike Johnson. At Tech, recruiting director David Wilson
and tight ends coach Tommie Robinson resigned. But that's about
it. Everybody else is being invited back to try it again. No
wonder people keep moving to Georgia.
資料來源
http://www.ajc.com/hawks/content/sports/stories/0423badyear.html
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc)
◆ From: 125.228.34.149
Hawks 近期熱門文章
PTT體育區 即時熱門文章
