790thezone

Picking the hometown team in your fantasy draft can be a mistake for the blind homer, but the Atlanta Falcons have a stacked offensive roster that will field legitimate fantasy starters. All rankings and breakdowns are in regards to standard scoring leagues and respective positions. Beginning his fourth season in the NFL, starting quarterback Matt Ryan has improved each season, both on the field and on the fantasy scoreboard. Last season he ranked ninth in top fantasy scorers with 238 points and was the eighth QB in points. Throwing for 3,705 yards and 28 touchdowns raked in some serious points. He may not be a first round pick in your draft, but he’s a strong selection when the top QB’s are no longer on the board. Fantasy Rankings: ESPN              11 SI                     7 NFL.com         9  Behind Ryan in the backfield is running back Michael Turner. In his eighth season and fourth ...

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Dropping the final series before the All-Star break to league leader and division rival Philadelphia Phillies, the Atlanta Braves sit 3.5 games back with the fourth best record in baseball. With two close games split and a blowout loss, the weekend series against the Phillies tells us what we have known all year, the Braves will continue to play second fiddle in their own division. Not that that is such a bad thing, however. At the midpoint of the season both teams are thundering through the National League with the top two records. Both teams are one win better than their Pythagorean Winning percentage. The two teams have split the season series so far, going 6-6, but Philly heads to the break with a 14-1 victory under their belt. It'll be a while before Atlanta can wipe the taste from their mouth as they won't see Philly until a 3-game ...

Should Jair Jurrjens start for the NL in next week's All-Star game? I think so. The best argument for Jurrjens' case to be named the National League starter is the most important stat for pitchers in baseball: Jurrjen's has the league-leading lowest ERA at 1.87. He is the only NL pitcher with a sub-2.00 ERA. If Jurrjens could sustain this ERA for the rest of the season, he would be tied with Phil Niekro for third lowest ERA in Braves history all-time, just behind Greg Maddux for his performances in '94 and '95. Jurrjens has allowed only 25 runs over 16 games this season, with 23 of them earned. Another reason Jurrjens should start for the NL next week, is his win-loss record. Jurrjens is 12-3, he is the first NL pitcher to 12 wins this season and is tied with CC Sabathia for most wins in the majors. He ...

After the highest Finals ratings in 11 years, the National Basketball Association and its players are now in a lockout. The largest issue at the forefront of the discussions is revenue sharing and player salaries. It is well documented the NBA has lost money, $300 million this year according to commissioner David Stern, and the two sides couldn't reach a conclusion before the June 30 midnight deadline. The latest proposal from the NBA asked for a 61-39 percent split to the owners of basketball related income. The last collective bargaining agreement allowed the players 57 percent of BRI, paying for their salaries. Owners are to blame for shelling out ridiculous contracts to under-performing personnel. For example; Eddie Curry, who has played 10 games in the last three seasons, made roughly $32 million in the process, according to salary figures from Basketball-Reference.com. In early June, deputy commissioner ...

1. That Reggie Bush sometimes gets overlooked because he in not an every-down back, but is a huge and incredibly important part of the what the Saints are trying to do every week. Without him, the Saints' offense has become rather ordinary. 2. That Mark Sanchez is still capable of the kind of day that could lose you a football game in the postseason. 3. That there has never been a worse day-to-day leader than Wade Phillips. 4. That Rich McKay made one of the greatest decisions in Falcons history when he drafted Roddy White with the 27th pick in 2005. 5. That Bill Belichick, who is his own offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator, is simply the finest coach in the sport. 6. That Adrian Petersen is overrated. 7. That Sam Bradford is one of the easiest people in the league to root for. 8. That Al Davis, dare I ...

There are no greater words for a sports talk radio host than the words "football season." No more mind-numbing baseball talk in the middle of June, we can stop hearing from the whole world on LeBron James and finally the end of the psychoanalysis of Tiger Woods. It's time to talk football, and I'll start with the NFL and some things I can be pretty sure are going to happen in the next six months. - Aaron Rodgers will be on the cover of Sports Illustrated as the NFL's brightest new star.   - Eric Mangini will be looking for work sooner rather than later, as the Browns will most certainly not be one of the NFL's surprise teams.   - Clinton Portis will be in danger of losing the No. 1 running back spot thanks to Willie Parker (former Steeler), Larry Johnson (former Chief) and the fact that Mike Shanahan could ...

I have always been kind of a glass half full kind of guy when thinking about the teams I root for but dare I say that this Fall may give me more reason for that than any Fall previously. Here then is my look at why the local teams may be giving us a three month stretch like few in recent memory: Atlanta Braves: How can you not be excited about a team with the biggest division lead in all of baseball? The Braves have the things that matter most, deep pitching and players having career years. Few teams can match Hudson, Jurrjens, Hanson, Lowe and Medlin when it comes to starting depth and how about a deep bullpen highlighted by three lefties including a Billy Wagner that has never been better. Toss in the rookie of the year, (Heyward) the leading hitter in the game, (Prado) and maybe the ...

1. Given the choice to play for the Mad Russian and Jay-Z in Brooklyn or play your home games in the mecca that is Madison Square Garden, which option would you choose? The Knicks vs. Nets discussion, all of a sudden, is a real one. 2. If Chipper Jones continues to contribute on a regular basis, do you really think he will hang up the cleats this season? 3. How can "Friday Night Lights" get 3 million viewers and "Wipe Out" get 17 million? Trust me, there has never been a finer acted show in TV history than that -- and no, I am not talking about "Wipe Out." 4. Why are the sandwiches and now the burger at Muss and Turner’s in Vinings so much better than anywhere else in town? Good news by the way: that same team just took over the recently closed Joel space over at I-75 and West Paces Ferry. Very ...

Now that summer is officially here, lets take a quick look around the media world as I see it. Watching Rick Reilly this past weekend on ESPN’s U.S. Open golf coverage reiterated what I have said for some time -- Reilly is a writer and is not a TV personality. Though he has been gone from the back page of Sports Illustrated for a couple of years now, it still feels forced and uncomfortable every time I see him on the tube.   And speaking of the U.S. Open, I can honestly say that I've changed the channel every time Chris Berman came on. I’m so sick of seeing him places he doesn’t belong, like baseball play-by-play, golf analysis, etc. I know Scott Van Pelt can’t work every minute of their coverage, but we can hope, can’t we?   I was already a World Cup fan, and my love for the event has ...

One of the most entertaining parts of the NBA Finals are the postgame Phil Jackson press conferences. He is relaxed, edgy, funny and almost totally candid. You get a chance to see his competitive nature, how he might interact with his players and what really and truly agitates him. When you have 10 NBA titles, you don’t have worries about who you might be offending and will say pretty much whatever is on your mind. I love the way he is forced to describe what he just saw that night from Ron Artest -- fascinating TV.   I just watched the movie “Bruno” for the first time and I will tell you -- that movie has some outright hysterical parts. The sequences with the adopted baby O.J. are simply priceless.   There have been few things as tough to watch in recent Atlanta sports history as the 2010 Chipper Jones season.   Of all ...

1. Paul Pierce will have a moment where he is fouled going to the basket, and he will go down like there is a sniper who took him out in the upper deck. After a dramatic four minutes on the floor, he will gingerly get up and drill two foul shots. What a hero. 2. Pau Gasol will get banged around by Kedrick Perkins and Rasheed Wallace and give that whiny European face to the referee, begging for a call. 3. Marc Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy and Mike Breen will be thoroughly entertaining on the ABC broadcast. On a similar note, Magic Johnson will look like he is forcing it when trying to be critical of the Lakers, and will give us virtually zero insight that we could not have gotten from the guy at the next cubicle. 4. Rajon Rondo will be as entertaining to watch as any Celtic ...

Erin Andrews’ prolific run on “Dancing with the Stars” finally came to an end last week with her third place finish on the highly successful ABC show. Word is that she is now ready to get back to work in the Fall, manning the college football sidelines for ESPN. I’m surprised to hear this and must admit that I’m actually glad! I certainly fall in the camp of those who have gotten quite sick of Andrews, and that started for me before DWTS. She lost me with the way she handled the aftermath of the peep-hole video fiasco with too much “woe is me” and bringing it up with every public appearance she made. Don’t get me wrong, what happened to her was absolutely wrong and that SOB who did it should be hung up by his thumbs, but let it go at some point sister! I thought this stint of high-profile ...

I will be left scratching my head at the series finale of "Lost" and saying, "Is that really all there is?" This, by the way, is less of an indictment on the program and more of an indictment of the fans of the show, like myself. We all have this incredibly unrealistic expectation regarding how one should feel when this series ends. Think "The Sopranos" five years ago and the uproar that little final scene in the diner caused. We wanted Tony whacked, Carmela decapitated, Meadow to marry an FBI agent, whatever. Likewise, we need this Lost finale to be legendary, leave our mouth agape, change the way we look at the universe and interact with the world. What do we want, Jack to be God, Locke to represent Dante's Inferno, Hurley to actually be the Greek God Dionnysus? Whatever. Let's enjoy the show for what it was -- wonderfully written, ...

Let me say this right up front -- the following opinions have nothing to do with the fact that I write for 790TheZone.com and that one of our competitors carries the games. The Atlanta Braves have been pretty average on the field this season as we approach Memorial Day weekend. Whether or not they will make a run this summer is debatable. What’s not debatable is that the Braves radio broadcasts from the pregame through the postgame are terrible! What once was a must-listen with the likes of Skip Caray and Pete Van Wieren is now a mish-mash of untalented, unpolished talking heads. This is not a personal attack -- I’m sure all the gentlemen involved are terrific people. Heck, I know several of them personally. But personal feelings aside, it is a tough listen from start to finish. Let’s look at the pregame: * Buck Belue is dull and boring. Going down ...

Atlanta has a multitude of great restaurants in this town, here is my little journey through town grabbing some of the tastiest bites at some of those spots......keep in mind this is in no particular order……… 1. Fried chicken at Colonade Restaurant- While JCT over on Howell Mill boasts they have the best fried chicken in town, I will take a night at the Colonade on Cheshire Bridge over a place that runs out of chicken by 7:00. 2. Rigatoni D at Maggiano’s- Yes this is a chain restaurant but this is as consistent a pasta dish as there is in the city, chicken, mushrooms and cream sauce, what’s not to love? 3. Veal Parmesan Sliders at the Palm- These may be the tastiest bar bites in history, between 5-7 and 7-9 they are half price, crazy bargain. 4. Fried Dumplings at Canton Cooks- The city’s most consistent Chinese restaurant ...

1. Josh Smith and Dwight Howard will compete neck and neck in the "I can't believe they called a foul on me" contest. Dwight Howard will lead early in the series but get bested late by Josh Smith as the series starts to unravel. 2. I will have to hear from countless callers and fellow co-hosts that Mike Bibby can't guard anyone, and in particular, Jameer Nelson. OK, OK I get it. Guess what? If he hits 7 of 8 jumpers on a consistent basis like he has a few times in the playoffs, then I ain't worried about it. 3. Stan Van Gundy will lose his voice, look completely exasperated and chastise his stars on a consistent basis. He will also coach his rear end off and push mostly all the right buttons. 4. Jamal Crawford will continue to build off of his performances in Games 6 and 7 of the ...