Greg Maddux Hall of Fame Induction moved to accommodate demand

The Atlanta Braves have moved their Braves Hall of Fame induction of Greg Maddux to the Omni Hotel at the CNN Center to accommodate the demand. The luncheon and induction was formerly scheduled for Turner Field's 755 Club.

The Braves will honor their former pitcher on Friday, July 17 by inducting him into the Braves Hall of Fame and retiring his uniform number. The induction will take place at the luncheon and the uniform number retirement will occur in a pre-game ceremony that night before the Braves take on the New York Mets.

Maddux's number 31 will be the sixth Braves uniform number to be retired, joining Hank Aaron (44), Eddie Mathews (41), Dale Murphy (3), Phil Niekro (35) and Warren Spahn (21). The Braves also retired the number 42 along with all teams in Major League Baseball to honor Jackie Robinson.

The recently retired Maddux spent 11 seasons with the Braves beginning in 1993, and was a member of the 1995 World Championship team. He was named the National League Cy Young Award winner four times, winning in four straight years from 1992-1995 - the first pitcher to win the award in four consecutive seasons.

With 355 career wins, Maddux ranks eighth on Major League Baseball's all-time wins list. He collected his 18th Gold Glove Award in 2008 - a Major League record. He will join Hank Aaron, Bill Bartholomay, Lew Burdette, Skip Caray, Del Crandall, Ralph Garr, Tommy Holmes, Ernie Johnson, David Justice, Herman Long, Bill Lucas, Eddie Mathews, Dale Murphy, Kid Nichols, Phil Niekro, John Sain, Paul Snyder, Warren Spahn, Ted Turner, and Pete Van Wieren in the Braves Hall of Fame.

Tickets are available for the July 17 game at Braves.com/tickets, the Braves ticket office at Turner Field, by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000, or at all Ticketmaster outlets.

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MLB, Atlanta Braves, and 'People' to recognize Atlanta-Area Community "All Star" at 2009 MLB All-Star Game

Major League Baseball, the Atlanta Braves and PEOPLE have launched a national campaign, "People All-Stars Among Us," which will recognize individuals who have served their communities in extraordinary ways. Fans are encouraged to nominate those from the Atlanta-area who are making a difference within the community. This initiative is part of the 2009 MLB All-Star Summer program dedicated to charitable initiatives and recognition of the important role of community service.

Braves fans can log on to www.PeopleAllStars.com through May 22 to nominate themselves as well as community "All-Stars" they would like to recognize within the Atlanta-area. Three finalists representing the Braves will be announced in June and the public will vote online for one winner among the finalists to represent the club at the 2009 MLB All-Star Game on July 14 in St. Louis.

All 30 winners will be integrated into the All-Star Week festivities in St. Louis and honored during the All-Star Game pre-game ceremony. One winning "All-Star Among Us" will be featured in PEOPLE editorial the week of the MLB All-Star Game.

Major League Baseball will dedicate 2009 All-Star Summer to raising funds and awareness for charitable initiatives and celebrating the importance of community service. The charity and community service initiatives, which will be themed "Going Beyond," will be the most extensive in Major League Baseball All-Star history and will complement the celebration of history and traditions of baseball and the St. Louis Cardinals. Major League Baseball will focus its efforts on three key pillars - Health, Youth Development and Community - by supporting healthcare organizations and education programs, increasing opportunities for young people to play baseball, acting in an environmentally-conscious manner and celebrating the community service accomplishments of everyday citizens.

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When Does Spring Begin?

When does spring begin? Well, it depends on whom you ask.

Most calendar makers list the first day of spring as the day of the vernal equinox, which occurs around March 20. This is referred to as astronomical spring.

Most atmospheric scientists, meteorologists and climatologists say it begins March 1. The National Weather Service uses March 1 as the beginning of spring for climate summary purposes. Dates for the beginning of the climatological seasons are March 1 for spring, June 1 for summer, September 1 for fall and December 1 for winter.

The dates for the beginning of the astronomical seasons are the vernal equinox (around March 20) for spring, the summer solstice (around June 21) for summer, the autumnal equinox (around September 22) for fall, and the winter solstice (around December 21) for winter.

Other ways of defining the seasons have been proposed. The one that is the most logical is to define the summer solstice as the midpoint of summer since the daylight is greatest then. The midpoint of winter is defined as the winter solstice since this is when the daylight is least. By this method, summer would be the six and half weeks before and after the summer solstice. Winter would be the six and half weeks before and after the winter solstice. The midpoint of spring would be the vernal equinox. For fall, it would be the autumnal equinox.

Other designations of spring include Good Friday or the start of the baseball season. My personal favorite is the Masters Tournament week in Augusta. Once the Masters is over, spring is usually here to stay in Georgia. Of course in Georgia, we can still have a dogwood or blackberry winter cold snap in late April or early May.

Regardless of which definition of the seasons one uses, spring in the Southeast is a season of transition. Early spring is characterized by wide swings in temperature with periods of very cold and very warm weather.

Freezes are common throughout Georgia during March. Freezes in late April do happen at times, especially in the northern half of Georgia. Snow and ice storms can happen in March, too, which has included a major blizzard in 1993 and an ice storm in the early 1970s.

By David Stooksbury
University of Georgia

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Braves Announce 2009 Spring Training Schedule

The Atlanta Braves released their 2009 Spring Training schedule yesterday. The 35-game slate begins on Wednesday, Feb. 25, with a road contest against the Detroit Tigers at Lakeland, Fla. The Braves open the home portion of their spring schedule on Thursday, Feb. 26, when they face the Houston Astros at Champion Stadium at Disney's Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Braves' pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to camp on Saturday, Feb. 14, with their first workout set for the following day. The rest of the Braves players are scheduled to report on Tuesday, Feb. 17, with the first full-squad workout slated for Feb. 18. This spring marks the 12th year that the Braves will train at the Disney complex, recently ranked as the one of the best Spring Training facilities in the country by Baseball America.

Atlanta will play a total of 18 home games at Disney and will play two games versus the Detroit Tigers at Turner Field in Atlanta on April 3 and April 4. In addition to its usual Major League opponents, Atlanta will face two World Baseball Classic teams at Champion Stadium for exhibition play when they host Panama on March 3 and Venezuela on March 5. The Braves will play three home games against the Houston Astros and two home games each against the 2008 World Champion Philadelphia Phillies, the New York Mets, New York Yankees and Tigers. Other opponents scheduled to play at Champion Stadium include the Toronto Blue Jays, Florida Marlins, Washington Nationals, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Boston Red Sox.

The Florida portion of the schedule includes three home night games, Tuesday, March 6 versus Houston, Thursday, March 19 against the Tigers and Tuesday, March 24 versus the Pirates.

Individual Spring Training game tickets will go on sale Saturday, Jan. 10, at 10 a.m., at the Disney's Wide World of Sports box office, through the Atlanta Braves' website (braves.com), and through Ticketmaster (407/839-3900). Spring Training ticket prices for 2009 range from $15.00 (general admission lawn seats) to $32.00 (lower level reserved seats). Tickets for the two exhibition games at Turner Field will also go on sale Jan. 10, at 10 a.m., at braves.com, through Ticketmaster (800/326-4000) and at any Publix Ticketmaster location.

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Braves Hall of Fame Member Pete Van Wieren Announces his Retirem

Pete Van Wieren, a member of the Braves Hall of Fame has announced his retirement, ending his 33 years as a play-by-play broadcaster for the Atlanta Braves. He spent this past season doing radio exclusively for 94.9 the Bull, 640 WGST and the Braves Radio Network, but had been a part of the Braves broadcasts on TBS for many of those 33 years.

"This is something my family and I have been thinking about the last couple of years," said Van Wieren. "It's simply a desire to live my life without the restrictions of a baseball schedule. I want to thank the Braves, my broadcast partners and especially the fans for their support over the years."

Since joining the Braves network in 1975, "The Professor" as he is known throughout baseball, has also covered the Atlanta Flames of the National Hockey League, the Hawks and the Atlanta Falcons NFL pre-season football. He also served as a sports reporter for CNN and served as a play-by-play announcer on TBS's Big Ten Conference college football games.

"This is a monumental moment in Braves history and a sad one for me personally," said Atlanta Braves President John Schuerholz. "Pete has been in our homes and in our lives as one of the great Braves voices, and we will sorely miss him. We wish him many years of good health and happiness in his retirement after 33 years as a beloved and admired voice of the Atlanta Braves."

In 2006, Van Wieren won the Georgia Sportscaster of the Year Award from the National Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association, marking the 10th time he won the honor (1980, 1988-95, 2006). He was dubbed Atlanta's Favorite Sportscaster in 1977 by the Atlanta Journal.

In 2004, he was inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame, along with fellow announcer Skip Caray, who passed away this past August. In 2000, Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell declared July 30th "Skip Caray and Pete Van Wieren Day" in honor of their 25 years of broadcasting Braves games.

Prior to joining Turner, he began his broadcasting career working as the play-by-play man for the Tidewater Tides of the International League for two years. He has also broadcast hockey, college and professional basketball and college and professional football. He also has been a sportscaster for WDHO-TV, Toledo, Ohio; WNBF-AM/FM/TV and WINR-AM/TV, both in Binghamton, NY; WPRW-AM/FM, Manassas, Va.; and WEER-AM/FM, Warrenton, Va.

Van Wieren, who was born in Rochester, NY, attended Cornell University. He and his wife Elaine live in Alpharetta, Ga. They have two children, Steven and Jon.

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Caray Family Plans Open Service at Christ the King Cathedral

The Caray family has announced plans for an open service for all of Skip's friends and fans. The service will be on Monday, August 11 at Christ the King Cathedral at the corner of Peachtree St. and Peachtree Ave. just north of West Wesley St. Services will begin at 4:00 pm.

In lieu of flowers the family is asking that donations be made to one of the following in memory of Skip:

Camp Twin Lakes
www.camptwinlakes.org or
P.O. Box 933507
Atlanta, GA 31193-3507

Winship Cancer Institute
www.cancer.emory.edu or
Plaza 1000
762 Clifton Road
Atlanta, GA 30322-4001

Friends House (will only accept donations online)
www.smalldoghumane.org

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Power Arms Vie for Aflac's National Baseball Player of the Year Honors

GFP Note: Kudos to Donavan Tate of Cartersville, GA. We're pulling for you!

PRNewswire/ -- Pitchers with incredible talent dominate the finalists as four hurlers are among the five players nominated for the fifth annual Aflac National High School Player of the Year Award, given to the country's top prep baseball player. The Player of the Year recipient will be presented with the Jackie Robinson Award, a trophy named in honor of the late Hall of Famer. Sharon Robinson, Robinson's daughter, will present the award at the Aflac All-American Awards Dinner held at the Omni Hotel on Aug. 8, 2008, in Los Angeles. Also on hand for the ceremony will be Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith, who returns as honorary chairman for the 2008 Aflac All-American Baseball Game.

"We are extremely pleased to once again have Jackie Robinson's name associated with this prestigious award," said Sharon Robinson. "This award has gone to fine young men who exemplify what my father stood for, and gives recognition to the student athletes who strive for excellence and give back to the community."

  The Player of the Year nominees are:

 -- Mychal Givens, INF/RHP, Plant HS - Tampa, Fla.
 -- Austin Maddox, C/RHP, Eagle's View Academy - Jacksonville, Fla.
 -- Tyler Matzek, LHP, Capistrano Valley HS - Mission Viejo, Ca.
 -- Matthew Purke, LHP, Klein HS - Spring, Texas
 -- Donavan Tate, OF, Cartersville HS - Cartersville, Ga.
 -- Jacob Turner, RHP, Westminster Christian Academy - St. Charles, Mo.

The inaugural Jackie Robinson Award, presented in 2004, went to Aflac All-American alumnus Justin Upton, a shortstop from Great Bridge HS (Chesapeake, Va.). The Arizona Diamondbacks made Upton the No. 1 overall pick of the 2005 Major League Baseball June draft. Other winners were Cody Johnson, a first baseman/outfielder from Mosley HS (Panama City, Fla.) in 2005, Michael Burgess, an outfielder/pitcher from Hillsborough HS (Tampa, Fla.) in 2006 and Tim Melville, a pitcher/outfielder from Wentzville HS (Wentzville, Mo.), was honored last year.

The Jackie Robinson award, named after the first player to break the Major League Baseball color barrier, recognizes the nation's top rising senior who demonstrates outstanding character, exhibits leadership and embodies the values of being a student athlete. The player of the year nominees were determined by official Aflac All-American Baseball Game selection partner Perfect Game and media partner Baseball America.

The sixth annual Aflac All-American High School Baseball Game will be played Saturday, Aug. 9, at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The event is the nation's elite high school baseball showcase featuring the top 38 rising senior players in an East vs. West match-up. The game will be televised live nationally on Fox Sports Net at 3 p.m. Eastern time. Proceeds from the game will benefit ThinkCure, the official charity of the Dodgers, which supports critical cancer research at City of Hope and Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles. Since 2005, the game has generated nearly $525,000 for charity.

To learn more about the Aflac National High School Player of the Year nominees and the Aflac All-American High School Baseball Game, visit www.aflacallamerican.com

Ty Cobb Death Anniversary Sparks Effort to Improve His Image

PRNewswire -- Forty-seven years after the death of Ty Cobb, a Michigan author has launched an effort to resurrect the image of the "Georgia Peach."

"Ty Cobb is the most maligned sports figure in American history," said Tom Stanton, author of Ty and The Babe (2008, St. Martin's Griffin). "A fan from his era would not recognize Cobb based on how he is portrayed today. He has been reduced to a cliche -- as the Satan of baseball -- and it is absolutely inaccurate."

In his time, Cobb was idolized by fans, respected by opponents, and viewed by sportswriters as the game's greatest player. Born and raised in Georgia, Cobb spent 22 of his 24 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, winning a record 12 batting titles and amassing an unparalleled .367 lifetime batting average.

"Ty Cobb died in 1961," said Stanton. "Obviously, he's not done anything to diminish his own reputation since then. But his image continues to spiral downward. Every time a scandal shakes baseball, someone offers up Cobb as evidence of baseball's dark side. It is unfair and unfortunate, because there was much more to the man than his fierce competitive nature."

Further, according to Stanton, many stories about Cobb are false or exaggerated. "He didn't sharpen his spikes, he never killed a man, and he had friends who cared about him," he said.

On Thursday, July 17 -- the anniversary of Cobb's 1961 death -- friends and family members will honor Cobb's philanthropy with a ceremony at the Royston, Georgia, cemetery where his tomb is located. (Cobb's wealth funded a hospital and more than a million dollars in scholarships.)

As part of his "Ty Cobb Reputation Reformation Campaign," Stanton is offering free "Ty Cobb -- Still a Peach" bumper stickers. If interested, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to P.O. Box 636, New Baltimore, MI 48047.

Stanton's book Ty and The Babe, a finalist for Publishers Weekly's Quill Award, explores the relationship between Cobb and Babe Ruth, baseball's two most famous legends. Though rivals on the ball field, they became friends late in life. In an ironic twist, the historic ballparks where they spent most of their careers -- Tiger Stadium and Yankee Stadium -- are being demolished this year.

Stanton is author of four baseball books, including the Tiger Stadium memoir The Final Season. He may be reached through his website, www.tomstanton.com.

Aflac Honors Nation's Best High School Baseball Players

PRNewswire -- Aflac announced today (July 1, 2008) during an on-field presentation held at Turner Field that OF/RHP Drew Steckenrider (Greater Atlanta Christian HS) of Lawrenceville, Ga.; OF Donovan Tate (Cartersville HS) of Cartersville, Ga.; C/3B Luke Bailey (Troup HS) of LaGrange, Ga.; RHP Zack Wheeler (East Paulding HS) of Dallas, Ga.; OF Braxton Lane (Sandy Creek HS) of Tyrone, Ga.; INF/RHP Richie Schaffer (Providence HS) of Charlotte; RHP/INF Daniel Tuttle (Randleman HS) of Randleman, N.C.; OF Brian Goodwin (Rocky Mount HS) of Rocky Mount, N.C.; RHP/OF Keyvius Sampson (Forest HS) of Ocala, Fla.; INF/OF Jacson Thompson (Germantown HS) of Germantown, Tenn.; and LHP Ian Krol (Neuqua Valley HS) of Naperville, Ill. have been selected to the 2008 Aflac All-American High School Baseball Game roster. The eleven stars were honored by Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith and Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones, who presented them with their official team jerseys.

The premier high school All-American game in the country, the Aflac All-American Game will take place Saturday, Aug. 9 in Dodger Stadium and will be broadcast live on FOX Sports Net at noon Pacific Time.

"We are thrilled to have such a great group of future stars added to the Aflac All-American roster," said Al Johnson, Vice President for Marketing Services for Aflac. "I am certain the kids are as excited as we are to take this game to the next level by hosting it at historic Dodger Stadium."

The annual Aflac All-American High School Baseball Game showcases 38 of the nation's top high school players in an East versus West matchup following their junior year. Aflac All-Americans are chosen by the experts at our official selection partner, Perfect Game USA, and in consultation with the staff at baseball's most influential magazine, Baseball America.

As part of Aflac's ongoing commitment to the fight against childhood cancer, all game proceeds from the 2008 Aflac All-American High School Baseball Game will benefit ThinkCure, the official charity of the Dodgers, which supports critical cancer research at City of Hope and Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles. Since 2005, the game has generated nearly $525,000 for charity.

Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith will return as this year's honorary chairman, and in addition to promoting the game, will be on-site in Los Angeles for game week activities. This is the second consecutive year that Smith has served as honorary chairman. Past honorary chairmen have included Hall of Famers Reggie Jackson (2006), Cal Ripken (2004-05) and Stan Musial (2003).

The Aflac All-American High School Baseball Game is considered the country's marquee prep All-American event. All participants must have just completed their junior year of high school, be in good academic standing and display redeeming qualities off the field that embody the ideals of the sport of baseball, including discipline, determination and hard work.