Former Evans student becomes 'ultimate fighter' on reality show
Former Evans High School student Forrest Griffin seized his big moment Sunday night in front of millions of television viewers.
Griffin was fighting in the Light Heavyweight finals on Spike TV's surprise ratings hit, The Ultimate Fighter.
In this reality show, 16 prospective mixed martial arts fighters from across the country face off in a series of competitions culminating in a weekly elimination fight between two fighters.
The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Griffin, who now lives in Athens, Ga., survived the grueling ordeal to advance to Sunday's final.
Griffin squared off with Stephan Bonner, of Chicago. The two men battled through three bloody and brutal five-minute rounds, and despite a gaping cut to the bridge of his nose that left his upper body covered in blood, Griffin won a unanimous decision to be named "the ultimate fighter."
Color commentator Joe Rogan (of Fear Factor), who is an ultimate fighting expert, called the fight "the greatest match" he'd ever seen.
With the victory, Griffin was awarded a six-figure Ultimate Fighting Championship contract, a 2005 Toyota Scion and other prizes.
Griffin has terrific potential as an ultimate fighter. We have definitely not heard the last of this warrior.
Greene has hot start
Former Evans slugger Todd Greene is doing what he has done every time he has been given the opportunity - he is pounding the baseball.
Greene, who is in his second season with the Colorado Rockies, is off to a fast start in 2005. Sharing time with Rockies' prized catching prospect J.D. Closser, Greene is hitting .375 through his first two starts this season, including a two-out, three-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning with the Rockies down by two runs Friday night.
Closser, meanwhile, is hitting .200. He began the season 0-6, before going 2-for-4 Sunday.
In the spring, Greene showcased the hitting ability that made him one of baseball's top prospects in the mid-'90s. Greene hit .350 with six doubles and seven RBIs in 14 games. Closser hit only .178, going just 7-for-45 in 16 games during the spring.
It appears the Rockies will platoon the two players for now. In the off-season the Rockies told Greene he would serve as a backup for the youngster Closser, but Greene continues to pressure the Rockies to play him with the way he is hitting.
Hopefully he will keep it up.
County Pair to lead GC&SU into Peach Belt Tourney
Former Evans softball star Heather Jones and Greenbrier standout Nikki Smith will lead the Bobcats of Georgia College & State University into the Peach Belt Conference Tournament this week.
The event will be held at the University of South Carolina Aiken. The Lady Bobcats are 22-14 overall and 11-7 in conference play, which was good for a third-place conference finish.
Jones, a junior catcher-infielder, had a monster season. She leads the team in hitting with a .389 average.
She also paced the club in RBI (25), on-base percentage (.516) and walks (18), and she had two homers and 10 doubles.
While Jones provided the Bobcats power, Smith used her speed to help her team. The sophomore led the squad in stolen bases with 18 in just 36 games. She also hit .337 (third on the team) and led the team in runs scored with 28.