- Created on 03 April 2013
Zaza Pachulia Surgery Update
Hawks forward/center Zaza Pachulia had surgery today to repair his sore right Achilles at Mercy Hospital in Charlotte, N.C. The surgery was performed by surgeon Dr. Robert Anderson of OrthoCarolina with Hawks Team Physician Dr. Michael Bernot of Peachtree Orthopaedic Clinic attending.
Pachulia will now undergo a period of rest, treatment and rehabilitation. The expected recovery time is approximately six months and his status will be updated as appropriate throughout his recovery.
Pachulia, plagued by a sore right Achilles for two months, will undergo a surgical procedure and miss the remainder of the year.
“After thoroughly reviewing the possible options with Zaza, we all felt this was the best decision to ensure Zaza's complete recovery so that he can be at 100 percent going forward,” Hawks President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Danny Ferry said following Pachulia's injury. “Zaza is a professional with a strong work ethic. The Hawks will continue to be completely supportive as he tackles the return to play process.”
Pachulia had not played since a March 3 loss to the Lakers in Los Angeles, missing 15 games before deciding on surgery. He has visited multiple doctors seeking information about his injury. Hawks starting center, Al Horford, missed the team's previous game with an illness.
Pachulia averaged 5.9 points and 6.5 rebounds in 52 games this season for the Hawks. His absence will likely lead to more playing time for Johann Petro, who is third on the team's depth chart at center.
- Created on 03 April 2013
Falcons Sign Wrongly Imprisoned High School Star Brian Banks
The Atlanta Falcons announced today that they have signed linebacker Brian Banks, a 27-year-old linebacker who was convicted in high school of raping and kidnapping a high school classmate in 2002. Banks served five years in jail for the crime as well as four years of probation before finally being exonerated last year.
He was sentenced to jail after high school before he could play a single down at USC, where he had verbally committed.
The Falcons released a statement on the team's website announcing Banks' signing earlier today.
"We are pleased to have Brian join our team," said general manager Thomas Dimitroff. "We had a chance to work him out last year and have been monitoring his progress since then. He has worked extremely hard for this chance over the last year and he has shown us that he is prepared for this opportunity. We are happy that Brian will have a chance to live out his dream of playing in the NFL and we look forward to seeing him on the field."
Banks, 6-2, 250 pounds, spent the 2012 season with Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League (UFL) where he appeared in two games and posted one tackle. The UFL season was cut short, reportedly because of financial issues.
Banks previously received tryouts with Kansas City, San Diego, and San Francisco, and attended minicamp with the Seattle Seahawks prior to signing with the Locomotives.
Fox News reporter Jay Glazer first reported the news on Twitter.
"Gang, I'm reporting the best scoop I could ever report: my man FINALLY has his dream back: Falcons have just signed @brianbanksfree!!!!"
CBS newsmagazine 60 Minutes also did a profile of the young man a few weeks ago.
- Created on 03 April 2013
Braves Looking To Upgrade Turner Field
The Atlanta Braves are seeking to make enhancements to the 17-year-old stadium with the team currently in discussion about their lease with the City of Atlanta.
"We're happy staying here," said Mike Plant, Executive Vice President of Business Operations for the Braves. "We certainly need to do some renovation work here. When you look at this stadium and compare it to your house and my house, I mean, eventually you need a new roof and windows need to be painted."
The Braves Organization is seeking funds for Turner Field's redevelopment from tax incentive programs of the city, state and federal government.
Turner Field has been home to the baseball franchise since 1997 after originally being built as Centennial Olympic Stadium in 1996 to serve as the main event site during the 1996 Summer Olympics.
The Braves have reportedly hired the same team that wrote the Atlanta Falcons economic impact report for their stadium to do the same for them.
- Created on 03 April 2013
The Final Four in Atlanta an Economic Boon? Maybe Not
There will be nearly 100,000 out-of-town visitors to Atlanta this week partaking in basketball and music events. An economic impact of $70 million is expected to hit the city, but what about the surrounding neighborhoods?
With the Final Four of the NCAA basketball tournament kicking off this weekend at the Georgia Dome, it has been questioned if local communities benefit from the expected economic surplus the event brings to the city. According to Professors Robert A. Baade and Victor A. Matheson of the College of the Holy Cross, there is none.
From 1970 to 1999, Baade and Matheson discovered that the average economic impact of a city hosting the Final Four was negative.
Cities expect money spent by patrons to outnumber the money spent in the production of such an occasion. Big events such as the Final Four attract out of town fans, but veer away local fans who seek to avoid crowds
Baade and Matheson have also analyzed the exact same occurrence with cities that host the Summer Olympics.
Atlanta may receive millions in new economic activity from the Final Four, but the two professors say the overall net gain will be low to none.
- Created on 02 April 2013
Vitamin D Deficiency May Have Caused Kevin Ware’s Injury
University of Louisville’s sophomore guard Kevin Ware’s shocking injury in a freak accident on Sunday during an NCAA game against Duke University has many wondering how such a horrific injury could have occurred. Ware suffered a compound fracture in his leg. Many experts are lending their speculations on what caused this injury.
The injury occurred during Ware’s attempt to block a three-point shot by Duke’s Tyler Thornton. Teammates and his coach were horrified after witnessing his “gruesome” injury which occurred near the Louisville bench.
After a successful two-hour surgical procedure, Ware is being aggressively treated with antibiotics to prevent post-surgical infections.
According to Dr. Dave Hnida from Denver’s CBS affiliate KCNC-TV, it is extremely rare it was to sustain a double-compound fracture of the lower leg in a basketball game. In fact, he has only seen injuries like this occur as a result of a car accident or war.
A former New York Jets physician backed Hnida stating that Ware must have had pre-existing stress fractures for such an injury to occur on the basketball court.
Tim Hewett, director of sports medicine research at Ohio State University, says that Ware’s injury can be attributed to a diet deficient in vitamin D and calcium. A lack of these nutrients can lead to more porous bones.
Combining that deficiency with the wear and tear the body endures from playing basketball may have caused small stress fractures in the tibia and fibula bones in his lower leg which ultimately could have caused his bone to snap when he took a bad step.
As revealed by NHANES III data on southern U.S. individuals, most African Americans have a deficiency in vitamin D in comparison to non-Hispanic Whites.
