Greene catches presidential pitch

Former Evans High School star Todd Greene has had a pretty good life. He has achieved the unthinkable by becoming a professional athlete, and his baseball career has featured some memorable moments, but none were bigger than Game 3 of the World Series on Tuesday in New York City.

With all eyes of the sports world watching (except for Michael Jordan fans), Greene crouched behind home plate and caught the ceremonial first pitch at Yankee Stadium.

Greene has caught plenty of baseball games in the major league; however, this occasion was special - the person throwing out the first pitch was President George W. Bush.

Secondly, it was a World Series game in a storied baseball venue.

And finally, it happened at a time when the entire country is galvanized after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

No doubt Tuesday was a night that Greene will one day proudly tell his grandchildren about.

Meaningless Poll

In Wednesday's updated high school football power rankings, done by the Georgia Varsity Sports Vent, the Harlem Bulldogs curiously are missing from not only the top 10, but from the top 30 teams in Class AAA.

The Dogs were coming off a fourth straight win but still were ranked 35th.

As if that wasn't aggravating enough, Harlem also was alone atop Region 3-AAA, yet Westside (9th), Laney (12th) and Washington County (18th) all outranked the Bulldogs.

Considering Harlem soundly whipped Laney this season, it's hard to take the poll seriously.

It seems that Harlem has become the Rodney Dangerfield of AAA football (for the players who don't know who Rodney Dangerfield is - ask your parents).

Great fall for Deacons

Wake Forest University has a rich tradition in college golf, but it's been a while since the Demon Deacons were the nation's top team.

But after an impressive start to the fall season, the squad topped the most recent Golf Week/Sagarin national rankings.

Former Augusta Preparatory Day Schools player Cortland Lowe is on the Wake Forest team, but he has struggled a bit this year.

Lowe appeared to be on the verge of stardom, but after a tie for 30th in the Carpet Capitol Collegiate (rounds of 74-74-76) and a 49th-place finish at the Fall Preview (75-77-73), he did not compete in Wake Forest's most recent tournament.

Hopefully, Lowe will get things worked out before the spring season.

Another Columbia County product, former Lakeside High School golfer Jay Mundy, now plays for the Auburn Tigers. Mundy had a slow start this season, but he played great at the Jerry Pate Intercollegiate in Birmingham, Ala., firing rounds of 69-73-74 (three over par), which was good for 18th-place.

Mundy also finished 38th (75-68-76) in Knoxville, Tenn., at the Tournament of Champions. Auburn finished the fall season ranked 17th nationally.

Ashley Brown's radio program can be heard from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday on News-Talk Sports 1630 AM. His e-mail address is AB@WRDWAM.com.