*Sigh* No more Richmond Braves…

From the Richmond Times-Dispatch: Atlanta Braves confirm move of Richmond team:

This year will the Richmond Braves’ last.

The Atlanta Braves will move their triple-A Richmond team to Gwinnett County, Ga., for the start of the 2009 baseball season, executive vice president Mike Plant said today.

Plant said a “lack of clarity” over how to finance a new Richmond stadium and delays in reaching any definitive plan were key factors in the decision to leave.

He said the opportunity to move to Gwinnett came suddenly, in October, and that discussions over the past few moths quickly nailed down questions of financing and a site.

Uh-oh, they’re not being politically correct…

From NBC 4 in Washington, D.C.: Despite Ban, Va. Tech Fans Shout Out Chant [emphasis mine:

In a year of profound sadness, perhaps fans of Virginia Tech football can be excused for a playful protest.

Despite a ban by the administration, thousands of fans Saturday yelled out a cheer deemed offensive by some.

By whom? Can you provide some names, please, instead of using weasel words? “Many claim that NBC 4’s stories are written by morons.” See my point?

As the players neared the end zone, thousands of Tech students moved their hips and yelled three times, “Stick it in.”

Then the rest of the stadium cheered.

School officials have been promoting “Hokie Respect” and sportsmanship in recent years. The ban on the suggestive chant is part of that effort.

But after the April 16 massacre on campus, some said it was time to get silly.

Tech won, by the way. The score over Ohio was 28-7.

Wake Forest basketball coach dies

From the Richmond Times-Dispatch [photo credit: Wake Forest Sports]: Wake Forest basketball coach dies:

Skip ProsserWake Forest basketball coach Skip Prosser died on Thursday morning of an apparent heart attack shortly after jogging.

Prosser was rushed to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. Prosser, 56, was one of the most well-liked coaches in the industry and known for his witty and sarcastic sense of humor.

He grew up in Pittsburgh and went to high school at Carnegie before attending the United States Merchant Marine Academy.

Prosser has spent the past seven seasons at Wake Forest after spending one year at Loyola (Md.) and seven at Xavier. He has a career record of 291-146.

Prosser led Wake Forest to the NCAA Tournament in each of his first four seasons and the Demon Deacons won the ACC regular-season in 2003. The Demon Deacons have struggled recently — missing the tournament in each of the past two years.

Prosser and his staff were in high spirits recently after learning that two of the nation’s top high school players — Al Farouq Aminu and Tony Woods — committed to Wake Forest earlier this month. The staff already had a commitment from another one of the nation’s top players, Ty Walker.

Obviously, Prosser’s peers were stunned to hear the news.

“It’s so sad. I feel so bad for his wife, Nancy,” said Arizona State Herb Sendek, who coached against Prosser when he was with N.C. State. “Skip was a gentleman and someone who represented what was good about our profession. He was the kind of person you wanted your son to play for.”

“I’m shocked, shocked to find that there is dog fighting going on here!”

From the Richmond Times-Dispatch: Vick indicted in dogfighting case:

NFL quarterback Michael Vick and three others were indicted this afternoon by a federal grand jury in Richmond on charges of interstate conspiracy to sponsor a dogfighting venture, authorities said.

The others named in the indictment are Purnell A. Peace, Quanis L. Phillips and Tony Taylor.

The indictment comes as part of a federal investigation into alleged dogfighting activities at a property owned by Vick in Surry County.

The investigation began more than two months ago when a cousin of Vick’s was arrested on a drug charge in Hampton. The cousin gave as his address a house owned by Vick in rural Surry.

Well, obviously it is just because he’s black as Vick’s attorney has previously pointed out. Or maybe because you can get a grand jury to “indict a ham sandwich”?