Sports

For all the fickleness of its flight, R. A. Dickey’s knuckleball had been producing remarkably steady results for its owner. Starting last summer, Dickey churned out 14 consecutive quality starts — outings in which he pitched at least six innings and allowed no more than three runs — and in the process became a pillar of consistency in the Mets’ rotation. More >

Rickey Gadson, the most recognized face in motorcycle drag racing, will be on-hand April 20-22, 2012 when M1 PowerSports and AMA Pro Road Racing return to Braselton, Georgia’s Road Atlanta for the Triumph Big Kahuna Atlanta presented by Dunlop Tire and LeoVince. To give fans a sense of the straight-line power of the 2012 Kawasaki ZX-14R, Gadson will take out his eye-catching green machine for a series of drag demos to ring in the event weekend.

“The Big Kahuna was built on bringing out the best of the best in the motorcycle world and having Rickey in attendance will make a lot of fans happy,” said Cameron Gray, CEO of M1 PowerSports.

A four-game losing streak has dropped Milwaukee two games below .500 and has manager Ron Roenicke looking for better pitching and hitting. Chris Narveson gave up five runs in four innings and the Brewers managed only one run through the first eight innings while falling to Atlanta 7-4 on Sunday. More >

The perception is that not much has changed with the Braves’ roster since they coughed up that 10-game lead last September. Especially since they’ve been offensively challenged in spring training games.

General manager Frank Wren saw no need to blow up the team because the collapse could be traced to injuries to right-handers Jair Jurrjens (knee) and Tommy Hanson (shoulder), and to catcher Brian McCann (oblique), and to the heavy use of the bullpen’s back-end pitchers, left-hander Jonny Venters and right-hander Craig Kimbrel.

Rainy weather didn’t put a damper on the spirits of diehard Tar Heels that made the trek to Atlanta for the 2012 ACC Tournament. Just during a quick walk down Marietta Street to game one at the Philips Arena Friday morning, there were floods of light blue shirts, pants, well even hair, to be seen.

But that’s the beauty of tournaments — in addition to the Carolina colors, there were just as many reds, oranges, and even a darker shade of blue all waiting anxiously to get in and see some hoops.

“The diversity of the fans is the best part about coming to the ACC Tournament every year,” Tar Heel supporter Erik Corney said. “You can’t go anywhere without seeing the clash of all the teams, and all under one roof.”

Fueled by the Braves’ late-season collapse and the Thrashers leaving town, Atlanta has reclaimed the top spot on Forbes’ annual list of most miserable sports cities. Last year’s “winner,” Seattle, came in second on the list, followed by Phoenix, Buffalo and San Diego. More >

Atlanta Hawks guard Joe Johnson will miss the team’s next two games because of a knee injury. The Hawks had initially stated Tuesday that Johnson would be listed as doubtful for Wednesday’s game at New York because of tendinitis in his left knee, an injury that forced him to leave Monday’s contest against Chicago. More >

The Charlotte Bobcats look to Atlanta to help stop a four game losing streak. And why not, the Bobcats have more wins than losses against the Hawks, 16-13 all time in the series. The 8-year-old franchise also has five wins in their history here in Atlanta against the Hawks. More >

A week after manhandling Jacksonville rookie Blaine Gabbert, the Falcons must defend the NFL’s hottest quarterback. Nothing comes easily for Atlanta against Drew Brees. More >