Greene has no trouble finding a new home

Less than a week after former Evans star Todd Greene requested to be released by the San Diego Padres, the veteran catcher has a new home.

The 5-10, 210-pound Greene has inked a minor league deal with the San Francisco Giants. Greene will battle with Justin Knoedler, Eliezer Alfonzo and nonroster player Yamid Haad for the back-up catcher job behind starter Mike Matheny.

The 34-year-old Greene has averaged one homer for every 17 at bats in three of the past four seasons. That power, along with his experience, is something that was very attractive to the Giants.

"Todd brings a veteran presence to the team," Giants General Manager Brian Sabean said.

So be sure to keep a close eye on the Giants during spring training and join me in pulling for Greene to earn a roster spot for opening day.

Evans boys, Greenbrier girls gear up for state

The Evans Knights are enjoying the finest season in school history. The Knights will begin state tournament action at home on Friday vs. Lee County.

Evans stands at 23-5 after a hard-fought loss in the Region 2-AAAA Championship game to Wayne Co. 67-64. The Knights got to the finals with a thrilling 45-42 win over Statesboro.

Senior guard Glenn Miller's fade-away 3-pointer at the buzzer propelled the Knights past Statesboro and into the title game. Now, the eighth-ranked team in Georgia (it is about time they got some respect) will begin their quest to capture the school's first-ever state basketball crown.

At Greenbrier, the talk is about the Lady Wolfpack basketball team. Head Coach Garrett Black's squad will try to make another state playoff run beginning Saturday night when they play host to Bainbridge.

Last season Greenbrier made school history by advancing to the Elite 8. Hopefully they can make it all the way to the Final Four this season.

Scott flourishing in new role for Jags

Former Lakeside standout Matt Scott has had a terrific freshman campaign for the Augusta State basketball team. After a red-shirt year at Georgia Southern, Scott came in at ASU and immediately became one of the squad's go-to scorers and one of the top 3-point threats in the Peach Belt Conference.

A couple of weeks ago Scott went through a tough stretch of games causing ASU Coach Dip Metress to take him out of the starting lineup. Many freshmen would have sulked at their demotion, but Scott certainly did not. The 6-3 guard has helped lead the Jags to an impressive three-game winning streak including two victories over nationally ranked opponents.

Scott poured in a career high 23 points, including five 3-pointers, as Augusta State knocked off arch rival USC Aiken. Next, in a 66-56 victory over No. 20 Clayton State, Scott nailed several key buckets as he scored 12 points (three 3-pointers). Finally, against perennial Peach Belt power Columbus State, Scott scored all nine of his points from 3-point land as ASU won 73-70.

For the season, Scott is second on the team averaging 12 points per game. He has also nailed 69 three-pointers in 170 attempts (41 percent) and is 36-for-42 from the free-throw line (86 percent). He leads the Peach Belt Conference in 3-pointers made per game (3.14) and he is eighth in 3-point percentage.