Saturday's Report: Bacon, Mercer/FPD grad golfer, Joe DeFore obit; Braves, UGA/SEC/Kearis Jackson; MLB, college FB/SEC, golf, NASCAR, more
News and notes of interest to Central Georgia, compiled from staff reports, email reports, the web, and social media.
Coming Saturday: The Central Georgia Sports Report was your area home to the best - OK, really, any - media days coverage. Go back and check the several dozen SEC and ACC stories, and get ready for even more, coming Saturday afternoon.
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Coastal Plain
Savannah 4, Macon 2
Pro
MLB
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College Realignment
How the Big 12 can be No. 3 behind SEC and Big Ten
Memphis left out of realignment mess
Column: Pac-12/Big 12 merger was never in the cards
Swinney: ‘doesn’t matter what I think’ about realignment
Is ACC readying for its swan song?
UNC’s Brown worried about changing the game
WVU fans should be happy with ACC’s indecisions
Honor Roll
Georgia College adds to Peach Belt honor roll
Around/About Central Georgia
Services Saturday for Lanier grad, South Carolina standout DeFore
Joe DeFore, a two-sport standout in high school and college, died Wednesday.
Services are Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Chapel of Macon Memorial Park Funeral Home on Mercer University Drive.
DeFore, 89, was an all-state and all-Southern football player in 1951 at Lanier, playing on the line under legendary head coach Selby Buck. Lanier went 9-3 in DeFore’s junior season and reached the GHSA Class AA final, a year after going to the semifinals.
He helped the Poets to two state track titles with his performances in the shot, which included an individual championship in 1952.
He played football and competed in track at South Carolina, lettering twice in both sports.
DeFore was a longtime member of the Macon Touchdown Club, as well as 2007 inductee to the Macon Sports Hall of Fame. He is the brother of former Macon city councilman and Macon-Bibb commissioner and longtime Central Georgia sports booster Ed DeFore, a 2001 inductee to the Macon Sports Hall of Fame.
Savannah continues ownership of Macon
A three-run fifth put Savannah on top for good en route to a 4-2 win over visiting Macon.
West Laurens grad Nolan Daniel got the save with two shutout innings, after getting the win earlier this week against Macon.
Jake Larson had three of Macon’s hits with Cameron Crosby adding two hits.
The teams play Saturday in Macon, Wednesday in Savannah and Thursday in Macon, for the final time in the regular season. Macon hosts Lexington County on Sunday and Forest City on Friday.
Mercer golfer, FPD grad qualifies for U.S. Amateur
Around/About Georgia/Southeast
Morton sharp, Atlanta finally gets to Ohtani
Not too close, the SEC East picks
Obit: Former Brave Dwight Smith
Peach County’s Jackson among UGA’s All-SEC picks
College Sports
Future of college sports now at Texas Tech
Iowa hires two diversity-focused staffers
College Football/South
Alabama and Georgia top All-SEC teams, polls
And Alabama is predicted to do it again at the end
Tennessee gets notes of allegations from the Pruitt era, again
Jackson State star recruit in boot at media day
Column: A&M right to expect more from Fisher
MLB/Baseball
HOF ceremony a living history lesson on minorities in MLB
Inside-the-park slam lifts Toronto over Boston
MLB trying to get numbers back to pre-pandemic levels
Marlins ended 37-inning scoreless streak
Golf
Auto Racing
Kyle Busch contract talks not going well
Red Bull boss calls for zero tolerance in abuse from fans
Track & Field
Felix postpones retirement for relay at worlds
US men, women reach relay final
Around the nation/world