The Atlanta Constitution from Atlanta, Georgia • 43

COMING TUESDAY: ANDRE AGASSI. THE WORLD'S NO. COMES TO TOWN PORT. SPORTS IS IN TWO SECTIONS TODAY TIM TUCKER, El FURMAN BISHER. EI TERENCE MOORE, E4 CURTIS BUNN, E4 STEVE HUMMER, E20 SUNDAY.

APRIL 22. 2001 INSIDE TODAY Supcrspeedways, super wrecks: Drivers have resigned themselves to the fact that The Big Wreck eventually will happen. 1 9 New heights: After a horrendous accident, Nick Fila returns to pole-vaulting. E2 SPOTLIGHT Inside Baseball: Malone's resignation should come as no surprise. EI4 TODAY ON TV Best bet Dodges start on the front row for the Talladega 500, 12:30 p.m..

Fox. Full listings, E2 CONTACT US Robert Mashburn Sports editor rmashbumajc.com 404-526-5853 i x. by ha mouth DRAFT THEIHFfc Maddux can't stop the slide far PRO BASKETBALL Indiana surprises Philadelphia Reggie Miller was winning 3-pointer with 2.9 seconds left to lift the Pacers over the Sixers. El 9 HOCKEY 11 7ZJ nr r1 Interested all along, Falcons made move 1 7 By Carroll Rogers crogersajc.com Philadelphia For as many ways as the Braves had found to be inconsistent this April, they'd won every game Greg Maddux pitched. They can't even do that anymore.

Maddux lost for the first time in four starts Saturday night as the Braves fell 4-1 WW lllll. '-zLj hi llhXl 1 1 to the Phillies. He jlJJJJr I gave up four runs, half of them unearned, but it was more than enough for his first loss in April since 1998. Robert Person returned the favor for a 2-0 shutout loss to Odalis Perez at Turner Field last Sunday by shutting out the Braves for six innings. He watched his bullpen Vf PHILLIES 4 BRAVES 1 Today's game: 1:35 urn: Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia TV; radio: (750) 1 Tit.

1 I' Sabres, Blues, Stars advance The Sabres eliminate the Flyers with 8-0 win; St. Louis scores twice in 52 seconds to oust the Sharks, and the Stars eliminate the Oilers. E8 GYMNASTICS Freshman Fritzinger wins title Georgia's Cory Fritzinger, a freshman, wins the national championship in the vault with a stunning upset EI9 TENNIS Rising star turning heads After defeating Pete Sampras on national TV, Andy Roddick is trying to maintain a low profile. E7 ByMattWinkeljohn mwinkeljohnajc.com When the Falcons began their pursuit of Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Vick, they were met first with silence. Atlanta general manager Harold Richardson and coach Dan Reeves began calling San Diego officials Tuesday to inquire about ON TV TODAY the possibu- II ity of trading ESPN; 1-6 p.m., into the ESPN2.

Chargers' No. lspot "We knew at the time maybe they were, not serious about signing Michael Vick," Reeves said. For roughly 48 hours, though, the Falcons couldn't be certain. San Diego officials didn't return any calls to Atlanta. The idea of Vick in a Falcons uniform seemed no more likely than when Atlanta officials first met him face to face two months ago.

Here's a timeline on Vick's journey to Atlanta: Saturday, Feb. 22, Indianapolis: At the NFL scouting combine, officials from San Diego, Chicago, New England Seattle and Atlanta interviewed Vick. At least there, even if conditions were somewhat rushed and awkward, Falcons vice president football operations Ron Hill could see Vick and talk to him. Earlier this week, the notion of acquiring Vick seemed more like a dream. "This isn't something even three days ago that we thought would happen," Reeves said.

Thursday, March 22, Blacksburg, Vick, who i -I STEVE HELBER Associated Press Atlanta (via San Diego) Michael Vick has a lot to smile about after Atlanta QB Michael Vick made him the first pick In the NFL draft after making (Virginia Tech) a trade with San Diego on Friday. NO. 1 save him from a bases-loaded jam in the seventh. The Braves dropped to 8-10 and have the most losses in a month of April since 1996 when they started 16-11. They've got eight more games in April and on this road trip to exceed that mark.

Three more losses and they'll have matched their worst opening month in a decade. The Phillies scored the first earned run on Maddux all season when Travis Lee belted a 3-1 fastball into the right field seats for a 1-0 lead with his first home run since last September. The Phillies added a second improbable run on a blown squeeze play when Chipper Jones pelted Marlon Anderson in the back with a throw as the runner sped home. A team on the brink of offensive extinction was in no place to overcome even a two-run deficit. Only once this season have the Braves come back from one and they wound up losing 6-4 to the Mets.

The Braves were hitting .183 (21-for-115) with runners in scoring position entering the game and managed to keep it up. A perfect example came in the seventh inning with the bases were loaded with one out for Brian Jordan, who needed a flyball or a groundout up the middle or a walk to cut the Phillies' lead in half. Instead he struck out swinging at what would have been ball four from Wayne Gomes. By the time Wes Helms struck out to strand all three of those runners, the Braves had gone 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position and neither of those hits left the infield. Maddux saved the Braves a run in the third.

After a leadoff double by Bobby Abreu, Maddux coaxed a grounder to the mound from Lee and caught Abreu in a rundown from third base. ALSO INSIDE: Contract uncertainties adding to Lopez's struggles so far this season, 1 6 a I. in inn, ii NO. 5 HO. 2 NO.

3 HO. 4 Cincinnati DE Justin Smith (Missouri) Cleveland DT Gerard Warren San Diego (via Atl.) RB LaDainian Tomlinson (Texas Christian) Arizona OT Leonard Davis (Texas) (Florida) Hometown hero: Michael Vick's a popular pick back in Newport News.Va.EI2 PLEASE SEE Vick, 1 2 YOUR GUIDE TO THE DRAFT 1 in Mr' mi Local guys popular: Several Georgia connections among first-round selections. El 3 The Vick effect: Falcons feel a surge in ticket sales after getting No. I pick. El 2 Offense can wait: Teams emphasize defense as first round gets rolling.

EIO Beat opens first season with draw 'rr "St" 1 8 By Wendy Parker wparkerajc.com Everything was perfect for the inaugural game of the Women's United Soccer Association in Atlanta when high noon struck on Saturday. The weather was sunny and in the 70s, and nearly 2,000 children marched into Bobby Dodd Stadium in a pre-game parade. It had all the ingredients for a truly festive welcome for women's professional soccer. Except for a goal. The Beat's 0-0 draw with the New York Power had its close moments, especially when late substitution Sun Wen got the crowd of 20,170 on its feet twice in the last six minutes.

Two of the most potent attacks in the league were held down as much by determined defensive walls as they were by the narrow pitch and teammates playing together competitively for the first time. "There were times when New York had the better of the play but we created the best chances on goal," Atlanta coach Tom Stone. "That will be the positive thing that we take out of this." Atlanta outshot the Power 14-9, 6-3 on goal. But China's Gao Hong, one of the top goalies in the world, probably ensured a draw when she stuffed the Beat's Homare Sawa in the 69th minute. Sun, who came on for Sawa with 12 minutes to play, never got a shot on national team star.

"This is a momentous event. Even if you've played in the Olympics and the World Cup, you can't help but be nervous." Beat officials, opened part of the upper stands when the crowd exceeded its soccer capacity of 17,271. Getting enough of them to come back will be the trick over the course of the summer. Dozens of youth leagues postponed games Saturday to take part in the parade organized by the Georgia State Soccer Association, and many youngsters in full soccer kits stuck around to seek autographs afterward. "A lot of little kids now see they have a dream they can reach, and that's to play professional soccer," Parlow said.

goal, but got close twice. Nearly a year in planning, the WUSA is kicking off play in full force this weekend. After six weeks of training and getting to know one another, Atlanta players slipped into their powder blue uniforms with purple trim for the first time. Co-captain Cindy Parlow noticed a few wide eyes in the locker room beforehand. "The younger players were a little bit nervous, but Bri goalkeeper Briana Scurry and myself tried to get them to get ready to play out there," Parlow said.

But even veterans on the international stage felt a lump in their throats. "It ranks right up there," said New York forward Tiffeny Milbrett, a U.S. BEAT 0, POWER 0 Next opponent: Philadelphia Charge. When; where: 7:30 p.m. Saturday; Bobby Dodd Stadium.

TV: Fox Sports Net INSIDE Moore column: Beat, WUSA in general, win over crowd. E4 More goal-scoring will come in time. E4 IN LIVING Some of the Beat's players show off their fashion sense. Ml, M8 X. t.LF V- BRANT SANDERLIN Staff The Beat Cindy Parlow (left) and Homare Sawa leap for a header against Power's Gro Espeseth, AJC.COM EVERY SECTION, DAY THE ATLANTA JOURfjAL-CONSTITUTION.