Fresh Loaf

After 23 years of minor-league coaching in places such as Gastonia, N.C., and Daytona Beach, Fla., Chino Cadahia finally was called up to the big leagues last year as the Braves’ bench coach. The Havana, Cuba, native is a former minor-league catcher.

How did you find yourself being the Atlanta Braves’ bench coach? Well, 23 years of coaching, you know; I did it all in the minor leagues. I started off as a pitching coach, managed for 10 years.

In the minors? Yeah, all in the minors. Started in ‘84 as a pitching coach [at Salem for the Carolina League]. Started managing in 1986 [at Daytona Beach for the Florida State League]; managed for 10 years [in Gastonia for the South Atlantic League and for the Rangers' Gulf Coast League rookie squad in Port Charlotte, Fla.] and came to Atlanta as a [minor-league] catching instructor in 1996. ‘96 to ‘97 I did that, and then I became the minor-league field coordinator in ‘98, and did that until last year [2006].

In batting practice, what do you throw these guys? How do you approach batting-practice pitching? Well, most of the time the ways these guys like to do things is the first one or two rounds they like to work the ball the other way — so you try to throw the ball middle to the outside half of the plate. And then [after the first couple rounds] of working the ball the other way, then you just start trying to throw it as fat as you can down the middle of the plate, and let them decide what they want to do with it. Every hitter is different. At this level most of the hitters have been around, so they know exactly what they want to do. You know, [Edgar] Renteria for instance, he works the ball the other way consistently; every once in a while he’ll ask to throw him a few inside so he can turn on it. Chipper [Jones] likes to work the ball the other way for the first couple rounds and then he’ll start hitting the ball gap to gap. Andruw [Jones] is the same way, you know; [Brian] McCann likes it the same way. So you pretty much, in general … they’ll ask you where they want the ball according to what they want to work on during any specific round.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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Robert: Jeff Francoeur. I sit out in right field. Me and him have a thing we do before the game. I kind of point at him with both fingers and he kind of does a little head thing to me at every home game. It’s a pretty special thing. I talk to his mom and dad, too. I try to get the fans going in the right-field seats. They notice me. No one gives me problems with the dress, either.

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Miranda: Kelly Johnson. He’s hot. He’s a little bit under the radar, but I think he’s a stud. He goes up to bat and you see his arm muscles and he flexes them. That is hot! He has got some strong arms, and he’s got a very nice smile. Chipper is a good player, but he’s old. Kelly is young, and Chipper doesn’t have that charm that Kelly does. I’m a little bummed when he doesn’t play every day.

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Steve: Chipper Jones. I got to see him play when he was 16 years old. I coached legion ball and we played against his team. I witnessed him hitting a home run from both sides of the plate, throw 90 mph pitches and play shortstop. He was the dominating player on the field. He stood out because he just did everything right. When I watch him now, I don’t think much has changed. A lot of it looks the same.

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When I saw that Pete McEntegart’s 10 Spot blog on Sports Illustrated’s website had rated the 10 worst sports cities, I feared the worst. And there it was. No. 1 on his list was my hometown, Atlanta.

In sum, according to McEntegart Atlanta is the worst because the Falcons are mediocre, the Braves play to empty seats during the play-offs, the Thrashers were swept in their first-ever play-off appearance, and the Hawks are both bad and boring.

Ouch!

Are we really the worst sports town in America?

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Now that the MLB’s trade deadline has passed, here’s an overview of the Braves’ moves, in limerick form:

There once was a catcher named Salty
But his defense at first base was faulty
McCann is the future
And our lineup is sutured
By a first baseman whose numbers aren’t paltry

There once was a GM named Schuerholz
Whose trade-deadline cred was pure gold(z)
We needed a lefty
And a closer who’s not hefty
And now our roster has fewer holes

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The biggest concern for Michael Vick supporters was that one of his co-defendants would flip and turn prosecution witness. That has now happened. Tony Taylor, 34, entered a plea of guilty this morning in federal court in Virginia and will cooperate with the prosecution. This has major ramifications for Vick’s defense.

ESPN.com’s Lester Munson explains:

As the scheme grew, according to the indictment, Taylor played a central role. When it was time to build three large sheds to stage fights and to house dogs and equipment, Taylor obtained the necessary permits from the authorities in Surry County. He applied for the building permit for the sheds on May 2, 2003, according to records maintained by Wallace Mavin, the Surry County Building Official, and he paid the necessary fees even though Vick’s name was listed as the owner and the applicant. Taylor described himself as Vick’s “agent,” in the documents. The house and shed, according to applications filed in May 2003, cost $362,000.

Prosecutors claim Taylor also allegedly helped purchase pit bulls and killed at least two dogs that fared poorly in test fights.

It will be powerful evidence against Vick, putting Vick and his money squarely in the middle of the scheme and its growth and development.

The charges in the indictment also show that Taylor can describe Vick as personally present at fights and at executions of dogs who did not perform well enough for Vick and his cohorts.

Taylor becomes the fifth prosecution witness, and possibly the most damning, who will finger Vick as a major figure in the dog fighting underworld.

Vick also faces a “superseding indictment,” which usually means additional witnesses and additional charges on top of what he’s already been charged with.

With each new revelation, it appears more and more likely that Vick is in serious jeopardy of spending what should be the prime of his career behind bars. And if that happens, he will become one of the most tragic figures in NFL history, brought down by his own stupidity and arrogance.

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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell finally weighed in on the Michael Vick situation late yesterday when he banned the Falcons star quarterback from attending training camp until the league has the chance to thoroughly investigate the allegations against him.

And with that, it is appearing more and more likely that Vick has played his last game in a Falcons uniform.

Goodell apparently beat Falcons owner Arthur Blank to the punch. Sports Illustrated’s Peter King reported yesterday that Blank would likely announce today that the organization would suspend Vick for the first four games of the season, and then might put him on a paid leave of absence thereafter.

Blank will talk about the federal indictment against Vick at 4 p.m. today. Vick, who is in Virginia preparing for his legal case and his arraignment in Richmond on Thursday, will not be at the press conference.

What Blank says will, of course, determine Vick’s fate as a Falcon. Blank made a $130 million investment in Michael Vick. He handed over the reins of his team to Vick. And one has to imagine that Blank feels severely betrayed.

As I’ve said before, can you imagine Tom Brady or Donovan McNabb or Peyton Manning getting themselves into such an unseemly mess?

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Sports Illustrated’s Peter King reports that Falcons owner Arthur Blank spent the weekend on his ranch in Montana mulling over what to do about his Michael Vick problem. He predicts a decision could be announced by the end of Tuesday.

Writes King:

And you can take this to the bank: If Vick does not play for any reason relating to the case, he will not earn all of the $6 million he’s owed this year in base salary. The Falcons will find a way to take some money away as part of their dissatisfaction with Vick for putting them in this position — a mess that has ruined any chance they had to be a contender this season. At the end of the day, Blank runs a football business. And imagine his bitterness knowing his franchise player, a player he committed $130 million to just 30 months ago, a player he personally wheeled around the sidelines when Vick broke his leg in 2003, got himself involved in something as distracting and hurtful as a federal dogfighting case.

King predicts the Falcons will suspend Vick for the first four games of the season — the longest suspension the franchise can assess — for conduct detrimental to the team. Even then, he may not play this season. The Falcons may do what Philadelphia did with Terrell Owens two years ago and what Tampa Bay did with Keyshawn Johnson in 2003 — give Vick a leave of absence and, essentially, pay him not to play.

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Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, aka “Ookie,” and three others were indicted by a Virginia federal grand jury for conspiracy related to dogfighting. If convicted of all counts, Vick could face six years in prison, and his professional football career is, for now, in limbo.

“In or about April 2007, Peace, Phillips, and Vick executed approximately 8 dogs that did not perform well in ‘testing’ sessions at 1915 Moonlight Road by various methods, including hanging, drowning, and slamming at least one dog’s body to the ground.”

— From the indictment handed up by the grand jury on July 17

“This is an emotionally charged and complicated matter. There are a wide range of interests and legal issues that need to be carefully considered as we move ahead. … Given the differing perspectives and strong feelings around this issue, we probably won’t make everyone happy, but we are committed to doing the right thing. As the owner of this club that’s, ultimately, my responsibility.”

– Statement by Arthur Blank, owner of the Atlanta Falcons

“Nike is concerned by the serious and highly disturbing allegations made against Michael Vick, and we consider any cruelty to animals inhumane and abhorrent. We do believe that Michael Vick should be afforded the same due process as any citizen; therefore, we have not terminated our relationship.”

— Statement by Nike, Inc. announcing it will not release the highly anticipated Air Zoom Vick V shoe this summer

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Has Michael Vick played his last down for the Atlanta Falcons?

The federal indictment handed up by a grand jury in Virginia yesterday for alleged dogfighting was bad enough, but buried in the indictment are some very disturbing images of animal cruelty.

The indictment alleges Vick purchased his house in Virginia a month after he was drafted by the Falcons expressly to raise pit bulls for fighting. The name of his company was “Bad Newz Kennels.”

In March 2003, the indictment alleges, one of Vick’s co-defendants — after consulting with Vick — executed a fighting dog that had lost a fight by wetting the dog and then electrocuting it.

Earlier this year, the indictment states, Vick helped test dogs at his kennel to see if they were fighters. Eight of the dogs didn’t fight and they were allegedly put to death in very gruesome ways: Some were hung, some were drowned and one was killed by slamming it to the ground, the indictment alleges.

According to the indictment, the feds already have four cooperating witnesses, and experts suspect at least one of Vick’s co-defendants will be convinced to turn state’s evidence.

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Falcons’ Vick indicted by grand jury in dogfighting probe

Michael Vick has been indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with the dogfighting probe of his property in Virginia.

The Falcons quarterback was indicted for conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District in Richmond, Va. Three others — Purnell Peace, Quanis Phillips and Tony Taylor — also were indicted by the grand jury on the same charges.

Damn it. And don’t Google “Vick” and “indicted” unless you enjoy this kind of emotional roller coaster:

Well, this question just got a lot more relevant: Harrington or Shockley?

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ROBOCUP 2007 AT GEORGIA TECH: “The iPhone? Yeah, I fucked her.”

In 2025, when robots take over the world, enslave the human race and force me to work 15 hours daily in a silicon mine, I will look back on last week’s RoboCup 2007 research robotics competition with regret. In the meantime, I will marvel at the thought of robotics engineers from 37 countries staging a robot soccer competition on Georgia Tech’s campus.

RoboCup’s goal is to field by 2050 a robot soccer team that can beat a human soccer team. I think they’re well on their way. I’m pretty sure Team Osaka Kid, winner of RoboCup’s “Best Humanoid Robot” prize, can already beat me.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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SOAP BOX DERBY CHALLENGE AT STARLIGHT SIX DRIVE-IN: Cheating was apparently rampant.

(Photo by Lauren Grundhoefer)

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BLIND JAVELIN TOSS: Less dangerous than it sounds.

On Saturday, we stopped by Marietta High School for the U.S. Paralympics Track & Field National Championships. The event features hundreds of athletes with a variety of disabilities including amputations, paralysis and cerebral palsy competing in classic track and field events including, believe it or not, blind javelin throwers. Among the weekend’s competitors was Scott Winkler of Grovetown, Ga., whose 10.01-meter throw set a new world record in the men’s F54 shot put. Winkler became paraplegic in 2003 after he was injured while serving in the U.S. Army in Iraq.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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Barry Bonds had a good weekend. He hit his 750th home run to pull to within five home runs of Hank Aaron’s record. And he was voted to start in the All-Star game, which will be played on his home field in San Francisco.

It will be interesting to watch how the media and Major League Baseball treat Bonds breaking baseball’s most hallowed record. Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig has already said he won’t be there, and Aaron has said the same thing.

To get a head start on the final chase, here’s one we all remember: Aaron breaking Babe Ruth’s record April 8, 1974 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. It’s one of the most iconic moments in the city’s sports history.

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Of course, it’ll be years before we really know whether the Hawks made the right decision with power forward Al Horford and point guard Acie Law. Will they regret not taking point guard Mike Conley with their No. 3 pick? Will Acie Law turn out to be another shooting guard playing the point? Will Al Horford turn out to be another Shelden Williams?

ESPN.com’s Chad Ford is lukewarm on the Hawks’ decision to draft Horford and Law. On the Horford pick:

He’s the third best player in the draft, so you can’t fault the Hawks here. He’s better than any other power forward they have. He could be a poor man’s Karl Malone. The Hawks did need a point guard, and I think Mike Conley was worth the No. 3 pick in the draft, so I would’ve taken Conley. But — unlike Shelden Williams last year — this isn’t a bad pick.

And on Law:

The Hawks finally select a point guard. Law is fearless and ready to play now. I don’t think he’ll be a star, but he’ll be an important part of this team … unless the team trades this pick. The Hawks have spoken with several teams about trading for a veteran. So we’ll see.

I share Ford’s caution. I want Horford to be the dynamo that people say he might become in the NBA. But I also share Ford’s enthusiasm for Mike Conley; I saw Conley play in high school, and we all saw him march Ohio State to the NCAA championship game as a freshman. I think he has a chance to be a very special player.

The one thing about drafting Horford: The Hawks now have a severe logjam at the 3, 4, and 5 spots, without a true center in the bunch. Is there a trade on the horizon?

What do you think? Did the Hawks make the right moves with Horford and Law? Or should they have picked Conley? How will this year’s draft shake out for the team?

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