Young Harris College adds Men's Tennis to Athletic Program

Young Harris College, a two year Liberal Arts College located in North Georgia mountains, is proud to announce the addition of men's tennis to their athletic program for the 2009-2010 season. Young Harris expects to field a full team and hire a new head coach for the upcoming season.

The men's tennis team will become part of the Young Harris intercollegiate program as the college moves towards a four-year status both academically and athletically. Young Harris is currently a member of the NJCAA and plays in GJCAA Region XVII.

Men's Tennis will join the very successful Women's Tennis program. The Young Harris Lady Mountain Lions were GJCAA Region XVII champions in 1998, 2001, 2002, and 2004. They took second place in the region in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2005, and 2006.

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Warner Robins Selected as Site of New Little League Southeast Region Headquarters

The Little League International Board of Directors unanimously resolved today to select Warner Robins as the site of the new Southeast Region Headquarters.

“With back-to-back world champions and a strong passion for Little League, I cannot imagine a better place than Georgia for the Southeast Region Headquarters,” said Governor Perdue. “Little League is a great program that I was proud to be a part of during my youth, and we will be honored to host the regional playoffs each year as the Southeast representative to the Little League World Series is determined. Little League is a world-class organization and I am proud to welcome them to Georgia.”

The announcement was made today by Stephen D. Keener, President and Chief Executive Officer of Little League International.

“On behalf of the Board of Directors, I want to thank Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue, Mayor Donald S. Walker, and the leaders and citizens of Warner Robins, for their part in helping to bring the new home for the eight-state Little League Southeast Region to Central Georgia,” Keener said. “We trust our relationship will continue to grow, and that the people of the Warner Robins area will enjoy having this important center of Little League activity in their community. And we know that our volunteers in the Southeast Region will find that the new site will be convenient because of its more central location, and the facilities will be first-rate.”

The original field of 18 cities in six states was narrowed to Morganton, N.C., and Warner Robins in November. Both cities were represented by teams in the Little League Baseball World Series in recent years.

The next phase in the process will be to reach a contractual agreement with Warner Robins. Upon completion of that agreement, operations at the current Southeast Region Headquarters in Gulfport, Fla., a suburb of St. Petersburg, will begin transferring to Warner Robins.

The Southeast Region Headquarters serves as the administrative center for Little League Baseball and Softball activities in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. The annual Southeast Region Championship game (formerly the Southern Region Championship game) has been televised nationally on ESPN or ESPN2 every year since 1997.

As the site for the new Regional Headquarters is developed in Warner Robins, it will be necessary to play the 2009 Little League Baseball and Softball Regional Tournaments at an alternate location. That location, Ceredo-Kenova, W.Va., to be used only for one year, was announced on Monday.

Little League Baseball and Softball is the world’s largest organized youth sports program, with more than 2.6 million players and 1 million volunteers in every U.S. state and 75 other countries.
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First-Round Pairings Set for T-Mobile Invitational National High School Basketball Tournament

(BUSINESS WIRE)--The first-round pairings of boys and girls teams for the 2008 T-Mobile Invitational national high school basketball tournament have been announced by T-Mobile USA, Inc., and the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).

The tournament will be broadcast live by CBS College Sports Network and will be played Dec. 29-30 at Worthen Arena on the campus of Ball State University. Play-by-play announcer Jason Knapp teams with analyst Steve Wolf to call the boys games and analyst Tammy Blackburn to call the girls games. In addition, CBS Sports will air a one-hour “T-Mobile Invitational 2008 Tournament Highlight Show” on Jan. 18, 2009 (1 p.m. EST).

MaxPreps.com, the official online partner of the T-Mobile Invitational, will offer replays of the full broadcast of all tournament games, available on demand 48 hours after the conclusion of each contest. Maxpreps.com will also provide video features on all the competing teams, as well as comprehensive highlight packages following each game.

The T-Mobile Invitational is the only basketball tournament sponsored by the NFHS, and the field is composed only of schools from NFHS-member associations. The NFHS’ 51 member associations oversee and administer athletic and fine arts activities within those states. Only high schools that are members of those state associations are allowed to compete for their respective state titles.

Leading off the Dec. 29 first-round girls games is a matchup between Gentry High School (Indianola, Miss.) and Bob Jones High School (Madison, Ala.). Gentry has won back-to-back Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 4A state titles, while Bob Jones High School claimed the 2008 Alabama Class 6A title with no seniors in its starting line-up. The second girls game pits two-time defending New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Group 1 champion University High School (Newark, N.J.) against Washington High School (South Bend, Ind.), which has earned an Indiana High School Athletic Association Class 4A state title and two runner-up finishes the past three years.

The first boys game features Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas) High School, which began the season ranked No. 1 in multiple national preseason rankings, against South Atlanta High School (Atlanta). The second boys game features Garfield High School (Seattle) against Lawrence North High School (Indianapolis).

The winning teams will advance to the girls and boys championships on Dec. 30, with the consolation games to be played earlier that day.

The boys field features some of the top individual players in the country. South Atlanta’s Derrick Favors is the top-ranked big man in the country, according to nearly every expert’s list. The 6-foot-9 power forward averaged 23.7 points, 17.1 rebounds and 9.1 blocks as a junior. This year’s tourney also features the top-rated sophomore in the nation in Garfield’s 6-5 point guard Tony Wroten Jr. In addition to these two standouts, the 2008 T-Mobile Invitational field features at least eight other players who have committed to attend Division I universities including Louisville, Texas, Oklahoma State and Purdue.

The girls bracket also features some of the top players in the country. Leading the way is Washington High School’s Skylar Diggins, the top-rated point guard in the nation and a 2007–08 Parade Magazine first-team All-American performer. University High School’s Laurin Mincy brings equally impressive credentials to this year’s event. She was the first girl in New Jersey history to earn first-team all-state honors as a freshman and was named New Jersey Player of the Year as a sophomore.

“Once again, we have an outstanding field for the T-Mobile Invitational,” said Robert F. Kanaby, NFHS executive director. “We’re very pleased that the country will be able to see not only some of the nation’s best basketball players, but some of the top all-around student-athletes as well.”

“It just seems to get better every year,” said Mike Belcher, vice president of brand communications,

T-Mobile USA. “We’re excited about the quality of the teams, the quality of the individuals involved and being able to showcase it all for the fans watching in person in Muncie and those watching live around the country on CBS College Sports Network.”

In addition to the two days of games, all coaches and players of the participating schools will join together for a T-Mobile Huddle UpSM community service project on Dec. 28 designed to improve various elements of the Boys & Girls Club of Muncie (located at 1710 S. Madison St. in Muncie). T-Mobile Huddle Up is T-Mobile USA’s community outreach program connecting kids, primarily from single-parent families, in high-need urban communities to positive people, places and programs. T-Mobile Huddle Up focuses on addressing the critical need for safe, high-quality after-school programs for kids nationwide.

Here is the complete schedule of games (game times are approximate and subject to change). Game times are Eastern Standard Time:

Monday, Dec. 29


Girls:

Noon Gentry (Indianola, Miss.) vs. Bob Jones (Madison, Ala.)
3:30 p.m. University (Newark, N.J.) vs. Washington (South Bend, Ind.)


Boys:

1:45 p.m. South Atlanta (Atlanta) vs. Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas)
5:15 p.m. Garfield (Seattle) vs. Lawrence North (Indianapolis)


Tuesday, Dec. 30


Girls:

Noon Consolation game
3:30 p.m. Championship game


Boys:

1:45 p.m. Consolation game
5:15 p.m. Championship game

For ticket information, go to www.t-mobileinvitational.com.

The partnership between T-Mobile USA and the NFHS, the national leadership organization for high school sports and fine arts activities, strives to encourage student participation in interscholastic activities and emphasizes the importance of these programs in preparing students for life. In addition to the basketball tournament, the multiyear agreement between the NFHS and T-Mobile includes T-Mobile’s sponsorship of the NFHS annual student leadership conference, plus other initiatives and events. T-Mobile is the Official Telecommunications Partner of the NFHS.

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Five from Shorter's Hawks and Lady Hawks Soccer Named NAIA Scholar-Athletes

The 2008 Daktronics-NAIA Men's and Women's Soccer Scholar-Athletes have been announced with over 200 student-athletes receiving the honor from each sport. Over 100 schools are represented on each of prestigious lists, with Shorter College having five total athletes: Kyle Timberlake from the men's side, and Mallory Barnes, Renee Glenfield, Jessica Hoskinson and Sarah Locklear from the women's side.

In order to be a recipient of the NAIA-Daktronics Scholar-Athlete award, one must fulfill these requirements: the recipient must be a junior or above in academic standing; has been in attendance at the nominating institution a minimum of one full year of attendance; has a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.50 (on a 4.0 scale) at the time of nomination at the nominating institution; has been certified as eligible.

These student-athletes were officially submitted from individual schools to the NAIA-MSCA Scholar-Athlete Coordinator.

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Braves Agree to Terms with Catcher David Ross on Two-Year Contract

Atlanta Braves Executive Vice President and General Manager Frank Wren announced on December 5th, that the Braves have agreed to terms with free-agent catcher David Ross on a two-year contract for the upcoming 2009 and 2010 seasons. Financial terms of the deal were not announced.

Ross, 31, has appeared in 431 career games with five different clubs since 2002. He owns a .222 career batting average, with 60 home runs and 154 RBIs. Ross split the 2008 campaign between the Cincinnati Reds and Boston Red Sox, playing a total of 60 games.

Ross has clubbed 41 home runs over the last three seasons (2006-08), which ranks as the 11th-highest total among all Major League catchers in that span. His average of 17 at-bats per home run ranks as the second-best average among catchers over the last three years. Ross hit a career-high 21 home runs in 90 games with the Reds in 2006, followed by 17 homers in 112 games for the Reds in 2007.

For his career Ross has nailed 77 of 218 (35%) would-be base stealers - the fifth-highest caught stealing percentage in the majors since 2002 (minimum 375 games at catcher). He threw out 10 of 36 (28%) attempted base stealers in 2008.

Born in Bainbridge, Ga., Ross graduated from Florida High School in Tallahassee, Fla., where he still resides. He was a teammate of Braves pitcher Tim Hudson at Auburn University for two years (1996-97) before transferring in 1998 to the University of Florida, where he helped the Gators advance to the College World Series. Ross was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the seventh round of the 1998 Draft.

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Braves acquire pitchers Javier Vazquez and Boone Logan from White Sox

The Atlanta Braves and Chicago White Sox announced yesterday that the two clubs have completed a six-player trade. The Braves acquired right-handed starting pitcher Javier Vazquez and left-handed relief pitcher Boone Logan from the White Sox in exchange for catcher Tyler Flowers, infielder Brent Lillibridge, Minor League infielder Jon Gilmore and Minor League pitcher Santos Rodriguez.

Vazquez, 32, is under contract through the 2010 season. He owns a career record of 127-129 with a 4.32 ERA in 11 Major League seasons and ranks ninth among all active pitchers in strikeouts (2,015), 14th in innings pitched (2,270.2) and 15th in games started (353). His career strikeout-to-walk ratio of 3.34 ranks sixth among all active pitchers (minimum 2,000 innings pitched).

Vazquez is the only Major League pitcher to post at least 10 wins, 30 starts and 150 strikeouts in each of the last nine seasons. In 2007 he notched a 15-8 record with a 3.73 ERA and 213 strikeouts in 216.2 innings pitched. Last season he went 12-16 with a 4.67 ERA and 200 strikeouts in 208.1 innings of work.

Vazquez has pitched at least 200 innings in eight of the last nine seasons (he had 198 IP in 2004) and has recorded 200 or more strikeouts four times in his career, including each of the last two campaigns. He has also finished in his league's top 10 in strikeouts in eight of the last nine seasons, including ranking fourth in the American League in each of the last three years (2006-08).

Originally selected by the Montreal Expos in the fifth round of the 1993 draft, Vazquez has pitched for four different clubs: Montreal (1998-2003), New York Yankees (2004), Arizona Diamondbacks (2005) and Chicago (2006-08).

Logan, 24, has appeared in 144 career games (all in relief) in three seasons. The 6-foot-5 left-hander was selected in the 20th round of the 2002 draft and made his Major League debut in 2006. Logan appeared in 55 games for the Sox in 2008, going 2-3 with a 5.95 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 42.1 innings pitched.

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Roddy Jones, Todd Reesing, Jeremiah Johnson and Sam Bradford Announced as Week Fourteen Nominees for the AT&T All-America Player of the Week Award

/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Four nominees for the AT&T All-America Player of the Week award have been announced after the fourteenth week of college football action, and now it's up to fans to determine the winner. Georgia Tech running back Roddy Jones, University of Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing, University of Oregon running back Jeremiah Jones and University of Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford have been selected by ESPN as this week's top candidates, based on the players' outstanding performances over the weekend. Fans can text VOTE to 51234 on their wireless phone to opt in for the chance to vote.

Jones rushed for a career-best 214 yards and two touchdowns in the Yellow Jackets' 45-42 upset over University of Georgia. Reesing went 37-51 for 375 yards and four touchdowns, including the game-winning score with 27 seconds left, in the Jayhawks' 40-37 upset over University of Missouri. Johnson rushed for 219 yards and a touchdown in the Ducks' 65-38 victory over Oregon State. Bradford went 30-44 for 370 yards and four touchdowns in the Sooners' 61-41 win over rival Oklahoma State.

"This was another great week in college football. These four players really helped to deliver their respective teams some exciting victories," said Tim McGhee, director of corporate sponsorships for AT&T. "We are excited to present the opportunity, but it is now all in the fans hands to pick the week fourteen recipient of the AT&T All-America Player of the Week Award."

Fans have until 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday to submit their votes. The winner will be announced during Thursday's ESPN College Football Primetime Presented by Applebee's. Standard text messaging rates apply.

There is no limit on fan voting, and each vote counts as one entry into a sweepstakes to win a trip to the 2009 Bowl Championship Series (BCS) National Championship game in Miami. Full sweepstakes rules can be found at www.espnallamerica.com/rules.aspx.

In December, four finalists for the AT&T All-America Player of the Year Award will be announced during a one-hour special on ESPN in conjunction with the announcement of the AT&T ESPN All-America Team as selected by the Football Writers Association of America. Fans will then get a chance to say who the best player in the nation is by voting for the AT&T All-America Player of the Year through the BCS. Voting ends at noon ET on Jan. 6, and the winner will be announced during the BCS National Championship game on FOX on Jan. 9.

Additionally, AT&T customers can view video highlights and photos of each week's candidates and track their favorite teams through AT&T's wireless NCAA Football Portal, which is accessible on AT&T handsets by launching AT&T MEdia(TM) Net and clicking through to the sports category. AT&T wireless customers with 3G handsets can also watch "Confessions of a College Football Junkie" video clips featuring Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit by accessing ESPN on AT&T CV.*

*AT&T CV requires a MEdia Max Unlimited or MEdia Net Unlimited bundle. Details on AT&T's MEdia Net bundles and other offers are available at http://www.att.com/wireless.

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