SI.com is reporting that longtime Braves GM John Schuerholz is stepping down and that Frank Wren, currently an assistant GM, would take over.

Schuerholz was the architect of the Braves success in the 90′s and 00′s and – despite only 1 World Series victory – is hailed by many as the best GM in MLB.

If the report is true, it’s been a great ride and we were lucky to have him. Schuerholz will reportedly stay on as team president (a post formerly held by Yankee-lover and Nationals president, Stan Kasten).

Discuss.

so you say you want to hear some good music this weekend, but you don’t feel like dropping $100+ to hang out with a bunch of smelly kids in a field in south fulton county?

do i have the solution for you or what?

i have written extensively about atlanta-based roots rock band the beggar’s guild because, well, i am a fan and i want more of you to become fans.

anyway, here is a chance to check them out on friday in a good, intimate venue. the guys will be opening up for the blue mountain reunion tour this friday at star community bar in little 5.

i talked to jon chalden, beggar’s guild drummer, and he tells me they have all sorts of new songs they have been working on for an upcoming lp, so the show promises to be a pretty good one, filled with new stuff.

tbg go on about 10 pm, so get there early so you don’t miss their set.

just in case you need more convincing, here are a couple of mp3′s to wet your whistle, including one live track –

the beggar’s guild – minnesota (always leaving)

the beggar’s guild – only gets better – live at vinyl

Anybody else notice the tent at the Southbound ramp to the connector at 10th Street?

Sorry I don’t have a photo, but it strikes me as a rather odd and conspicuous place to break ground for the evening.

The BET Hip Hop Awards are being held this Saturday at the Civic Center. I am out of town, which is kind of unfortunate, because I’m guessing there will be lots of great people-watching and famous peeps sightings to be had over the weekend.

Awards start at 4pm and end about 8 pm, but there will be street closings in the area throughout the day. Performers include Nelly, TI, Kanye West, and others. Notably missing in my mind? Female performers. (See the performers list here.)

More info on the awards and traffic.

okay, with baseball season over (at least for braves fans, and even for cubs fans like me – apologies bti) i thought i might take the opportunity to remind you that we also happen to have a professional hockey and basketball team in this town.

some good reading for those of you interested in following more closely the hawks and the thrashers are these two blogs, both writen by amateur, local fans who cover both teams with a tremendous passion.

for the thrashers, check out do the thrashers have large talons. not only does the author have an amazing passion for thrashers hockey, he digs into the statistics of hockey with a mind that would make bill james proud.

and for the hawks, check out atlanta hawks blog. author matt is back after a summer hiatus and does a great job of covering the ups and downs of the team. and let’s be honest, there really aren’t that many blogs about the hawks.

don’t forget both seth and myself have pledged to get on the hawks bandwagon, so point your browser that way and join us….

Metroblogging Atlanta has written about our love for the Beltline idea here and here and here.

The BeltLine Team hosts a quarterly city-wide meeting to provide an overview and update of BeltLine activities. The next meeting is Thursday, October 11, 2007.

Atlanta Public Schools Auditorium
130 Trinity Ave.
Atlanta, GA 30303
6-8 p.m.

Find tons of great information on the Beltline project here.

Can’t make the meeting, but wanna know what you can do to help? Here’s info on how you can get involved in bringing the Beltline to fruition.

Water Restrictions to Water RATIONING?

A report, (Oct 8th – AOL Video) on ABC News, illustrates the severity of the drought we’re actually in. I live on one of the two lakes that are important indicators for the water supply. Folks, “we ain’t got no water up here”.

AOL/ABC NEWS VIDEO BELOW

It’s interesting for me to see the extraordinary number of new home subdivisions going up around the multi-county Metro Atlanta area. I’ve always wondered and asked, “where are these people going to get their water from?”. I guess that’s a question to be elevated to a higher notch this year. Not to mention the number of high rise condo’s in construction, now, in midtown / buckhead.

ANY WATER STORIES???

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More information online:

U.S. Drought Monitor

Georgia Drought

NOAA Drought Information Center

Drought drives mosquito numbers high – West Nile Virus too.

TreesAtlanta.org

Photo: The AJC / Johnny Crawford

That’s right, my friends, Giraffa Camelopardalis is NOW at Zoo Atlanta.

Okay, no need to wear a mask, it’s just some totally, amazing, wonderful Giraffes.

“[...]Sunday evening when a truck and trailer from Disney’s Animal Kingdom pulled up to the rear of the enclosure where mammals stay [...] The truck driver opened the trailer door, and everyone waited for a pair of horned heads to emerge. They came out two hours later, necks craning in all directions. The giraffes clattered into a quarantine building with a sandy-floored holding pen adjacent to it. They’ll remain in the facility for about four weeks until zoo employees let them join Abu.” The AJC Full Story is Here.

Additional Information

ZOO ATLANTA

Rothschild Giraffes

American Association of Zoos and Aquariums

As if there wasn’t already enough fuel regarding the Chris Benoit murders/suicide from earlier this year, federal prosecutors have filed papers against Dr. Phil Astin claiming that the amount of testosterone prescribed to pro wrestler Chris Benoit far exceeded the normal amount for a hormone disorder he was purportedly being treated for.

The government says that even if Benoit had a hormone disorder as a lawyer for the doctor has claimed, the amounts of testosterone he was given “well exceeded normal dosages.”

Benoit’s dad claims head traumas sustained over the entirety of his wrestling career also played a role.

Just sad, really, but I thought it bore mentioning.

If we’re under a watering ban, why the hell were the sprinklers on at Piedmont Park this morning at 5:30? Do 501(c)3′s have some sort of exemption I’m not aware of? Kind of like women driving and talking on the phone do with turn signals?

Just askin’, b/c if they do then I’m goiong to [officially] become a charity too.