Archive By Section - Sports Columnists

It's time to dance once again

It's that time of year again, March Madness. The brackets are set and the bubbles have been burst. The NCAA Division 1 basketball tournament starts tomorrow. The No. 1 seeds were really no surprise, as No. 1 ranked Ohio State (East Region), last year's national champs Duke (West), powerhouse Kansas (Southwest), and Big East power Pittsburgh (Southeast) are the teams to beat. However, there was plenty of controversy ...

Thanks Jeff for leaving your mark

Anyone who has ever been given an opportunity to do what they love knows how valuable that can be. Going to work knowing you're getting paid to do something you'd probably do for free is something we all strive for.

Sometimes righting a wrong takes longer than it should

In 1964, Covington residents embraced Ron Bradley and his freshly crowned state champion Newton County basketball team. Droves of Newton County residents poured out to honor him and the team on the square downtown. The team was showered with love and Bradley was presented with a brand new Plymouth station wagon. He and the Rams were on top of the world.

Time to learn the lost art of trash talk

So high school basketball has officially had its fundamental roots replaced with street ball - at least in Georgia. Great. I guess it's been happening for quite a while and maybe I'm just some old guy who doesn't get it. But after watching the Rockdale-Newton game Saturday, I can't help to wonder what basketball will look like in 20 years.

Teens: High risk, high rewards

In the latest episode of what the heck is going on with society, Mason Holland of DeSoto County High School in Florida managed to turn a high school basketball game into an episode of WWE Smackdown. If you don't know what I'm talking about, type his name in an Internet search and check out the disturbing video.

Sometimes we need to think before we write

By now, you have probably read the column I wrote on deer hunting as a sport last week. It sparked a lot of debate. And while that was its sole intention, it went beyond the casual discussion I had hoped it would generate. That's my fault, and I apologize. When I wrote it, it was intended to question the practice of hunting itself, not the need. It was mindless banter when thought was required. To ...

It's time to get a clue about deer hunting

Sports Editor Josh Briggs ignited a firestorm on Wednesday with his column on deer hunting. In case you missed it, Briggs questioned the need and the motivations of hunting deer as a sport.

What if the hunted was the hunter?

Imagine if you were sitting in your car in the drive thru at McDonald's and all of a sudden, you get shot in the neck. How bad would that suck? With about 15-30 seconds of life left in your body, you manage to look over to your right and see a whitetail deer holding a rifle.

Final Stand

Seldom does real life have a Hollywood ending. Not in sunny California. Not in Atlanta. The Braves' 3-2 loss in Game 4 of the National League Divisional Series Monday could have set one up, had it gone the other way. Instead it was yet another painful playoff series loss. But for baseball fans, this one hurts more.

From one Final Four to another; it's time to fire up the NCAA

Fresh off his team's Final Four run in the Class 5A state tournament, Newton head coach Rick Rasmussen offers his take on the next three weeks of March Madness.

Not every Tom, Dick and Harry should be an official

Editor's note: Bumpkin Stew is twisted look at the truth. Where truth cannot be told, there is sarcastic speculation. If you do not agree with what's written, you may deny the truth in it's simplest form. That, my friends, is on you. Take it for what it's worth. That's all I ask.

Local football teams face tough region tests

Successful night bodes well for AMS

The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race under the lights at Atlanta Motor Speedway was a success. The stands were full and the racing was better than it has been in quite some time.

Prep Football 2009

Here we are, in late August, school is back in session -- the days are getting shorter and the sounds of marching bands can be heard off in the distance. Pretty soon the days will become shorter still, the leaves will turn color and before you know it, the heat will give way to cool evenings. Most importantly though, football season is less than a week away.

Stewart's Cup stock at an all-time high

Do you remember who won the last Sprint Cup championship not named Jimmie Johnson? It's been a while -- three years and some change. I'll give you a hint. It's the same guy who is going to win it this year.