Smith: Times have changed

Football teams across the country are preparing for the upcoming season.

Smith: Enjoying European sports

With the recent conclusion of the French Open, the second Grand Slam tournament of the tennis season, the sport's scene in Europe during June and July is a reminder of how captivating it is.In just a few days, Wimbledon will begin.

Smith: John Underwood

Lately, I have been remembering my longtime friend John Underwood, mainly because of a book he wrote, Death of an American Game.If you’re an old-timer who has kept up with sports with a serious bent, you are likely to have read some of John’s work.

Smith: Bobby Cox

Something is inspiring about a ballpark where those who professionally inhabit one of those big-league shrines can’t wait to start their day within its friendly confines.Tommy Lasorda, the colorful Dodgers manager, enjoyed pitching batting practice for exercise, but he also had a great affinity for...

Smith: Bertsch backyard

There was an informal gathering of UGA aficionados last weekend, some retired from the nation’s oldest chartered state university, and others were simply friends of the group. It took place in the charming backyard of Joan and Gary Bertsch on Henderson Avenue.

Smith: UGA HOF

The University of Georgia chapter of the National Football Foundation — the largest chapter in the country for more than 15 years — held its annual awards banquet last week, perhaps its most successful event in its 40-year history.The banquet was preceded by a golf outing that helps the chapter...

Smith: The Masters final

A four-inch putt is not so dramatic, unless it represents 4.5 million dollars cash on the barrelhead, and untold future currencies — dollars, pounds, and euros — a second Green Jacket, prominent status in the record books, and perks unlimited.

Smith: Facts about cotton

Having grown up on a farm where our principal cash crop was cotton, I am always interested in what is going on in our state regarding the agriculture sector.Agriculture is still Georgia’s leading industry, but there are always challenges in crop production — most often brought about by the...

Smith: The catch

As I sat in the Georgia dugout with Cole Johnson and reminisced about his game-saving catch last Sunday against Tennessee, I thought about how nice it would have been if Jimmy Dorsey’s rendition of his 1957 hit, “So Rare,” had been the musical backdrop to the glorious scene that brought about...

Smith: Catchings & Company

The last home game of the basketball season had something for everyone, including a malfunctioning clock and one or two negatives, each of which was blown away by Catchings & Company, a one-man firm if you peruse the stat sheet — but in actuality, a cog in the well-oiled team machine of one Coach...