The Atlanta Constitution from Atlanta, Georgia • D1

INSIDE Dale Earnhardt Jr. set a track record to earn the top spot for Protection 400 at Kansas Speedway but spent most of Friday talking about a concussion he suffered this season. D2 Record pole at Kansas ED ZURGA AP Consider this a minority report. Consensus holds that the Braves will be unable unwilling to re-sign Tom Glavine Greg Maddux. convinced keep both.

I know, I know. Because attendance has dropped, Stan Kasten says the team will cut its payroll. But how exactly will losing one (or two) Hall of Fame pitchers juice the gate? it have the opposite effect? And if there was $4 million to spend on Albie Lopez, one of the worst pitchers in baseball, AOL Time Warner find $20 million (or thereabouts) to reinvest in two of the best ever? one-fifth of that $20 million be found just by not giving Albie Lopez another year? We forget that the Braves are more than a team. also a TV show. 120 daily blocks of exclusive live programming for AOL Time Warner.

Yes, the corporate stock is in the tank Glavine, Maddux get away MARK BRADLEY Please see PREDICTING, D6 (The remaining schedule will be determined after the final playoff teams are decided.) TUESDAY Minnesota vs. Oakland, time and TV TBA St. Louis vs. NL West winner, time and TV TBA Anaheim N.Y. Yankees, 8 p.m., WAGA WEDNESDAY Wild card Atlanta, 1 p.m., WAGA, ABC Family Minnesota vs.

Oakland, time and TV TBA Anaheim N.Y. Yankees, 8 p.m., WAGA THURSDAY St. Louis vs. NL West winner, 4 p.m., ABC Family NL wild card Atlanta, 8 p.m., WAGA PARTIAL POSTSEASON TV SCHEDULE FSPTR0928OD1 Replate 1D 1D RR RR BlueRedYellowBlack BlueRedYellowBlack Kregg Lumpkin (left, with teammate T.J. Gartrell) used his 252 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns as the No.

4 Jaguars overcame Jake Freeman (right) and North Gwinnett 28-26. Story D7 HIGH SCHOOL COVERAGE INSIDE, D7-10 GAC 28, Wesleyan 14 Creekside 39, North Atlanta 16 Jonesboro 17, Mt. Zion 6 Centennial 21, Chattahoochee 7 (OT) SCORES ajc.com/highschools Go online today for: games Photo galleries Plus, check out our new football pages and our Tournament of Champions Jaguars hold on KENT D. JOHNSON Staff By MARK SCHLABACH An obscure NCAA rule could cost a dozen basketball players from Georgia, Georgia Tech and Georgia State at least one game in the upcoming season. Seven Georgia State players have been suspended by the NCAA for either one or two games for playing in an unsanctioned summer basketball league.

Two Georgia players face one-game suspensions. Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt on Friday acknowledged that three of his players are being similarly punished, but declined to say who they are. All three schools have filed appeals with the NCAA. Georgia will plead its case Tuesday, and the other schools will appeal at a later date. The suspended players participated in the Kenny Smith Pro-Amateur League at Morehouse College July 13-16.

The NCAA certified the league to allow college players to participate, but league organizers apparently submitted incorrect Dozen get suspended by NCAA Basketball players at state schools cited for summer-league play. Please see NCAA, D14 RSPT0928OD1 By MARK SCHLABACH Athens As marquee matchups go, game between No. 8 Georgia and New Mexico State rate highly. But to say it is meaningless would be far from the truth. In fact, the Bulldogs have much to gain today.

Things are beginning to shape up quite nicely for Georgia. South Carolina and Tennessee are 0-1 in the conference. Florida State, which at No. 4 is ranked ahead of the Bulldogs in each of the polls, lost to Louisville on Thursday night. Now, time for Georgia to do something to impress the pollsters.

The Bulldogs need to take care of business against the Aggies before starting a seven-game stretch against SEC foes with an Oct. 5 road trip to Alabama. The 11th-ranked Volunteers visit Athens the following week. early in the season, and we still have a lot of time to work on a lot of Georgia offensive tackle Jon Stinchcomb said. by the end of the year, live up to the expectations of some and far exceed the expectations of More than anything, Georgia needs to start erasing doubt.

No one is sure what to expect from the Bulldogs after Time for Bulldogs to make a move Please see OFFENSE, D12 SATURDAY, SEPT. 28, 2002 THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION CHECK FOR BREAKING NEWS UPDATES AT AJC.COM STEVE D2 D3 TV LISTINGS D15 COMING SUNDAY: LOCAL WOMEN BOXERS COMPETE FOR NATIONAL TITLES SPORTS GEORGIA TECH VS. NORTH CAROLINA When: 3:30 p.m. Where: Chapel Hill, N.C. TV; radio: WSB; WQXI-AM (790), WMGP-FM (98.1), WTSH-FM (107.1) Inside: Jackets desperate for some good news after a tough week, D11 ajc.com/gatech: Go online for full coverage and photo galleries THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION CHECK FOR BREAKING NEWS UPDATES AT AJC.COM COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAME DAY ACC, SEC and state previews, plus full TV schedule, D11-13 Reggie Brown Georgia Jonathan Smith GEORGIA VS.

NEW MEXICO STATE When: 1 p.m. Where: Sanford Stadium TV; radio: None; WSB-AM (750), WRFC-AM (960) Inside: Bulldogs will try to take advantage of speed at receiver, D12 ajc.com/uga: Go online for full coverage and photo galleries A game against Iowa State has never been bigger for Nebraska, D13 By DAVID New York On a night when the forecast called for thunderstorms and squalls, the weather never materialized. Instead, it was John Smoltz and the rest of Bobby Braves who rained on the Mets at Shea Stadium on Friday. Smoltz got his National League- record 54th save in the opener and the Braves used a barrage of home runs in the second game for a doubleheader sweep, making Cox the first NL manager with five 100-win seasons. The Braves got five strong innings from Greg Maddux in the 3-1 opening win, and they helped Kevin Millwood get his 18th win in the nightcap with homers by Chipper Jones, Darren Bragg and Javy Lopez in a 7-4 victory.

But Cox and his charges would agree the night belonged to Smoltz, who broke the NL single-season saves record in his first full season as a closer. done something very few guys are capable of Maddux said of his 10- year teammate, a former Cy Young Award- winning starter who was converted to the relief role after reconstructive elbow surgery. Smoltz gave up eight earned runs in two- thirds of an inning against the Mets on April 6 in his second appearance, and keeps that wound fresh. not stopped thinking about he said, calling it irony and not revenge that he broke the record against the Mets. rallied because of that said Smoltz.

has always been a characteristic of mine. never afraid and I never give The previous mark of 53 was set by the Randy Myers in 1993 and matched by Sweep gives Cox 100-win NL milestone NEXT Opponent: New York Mets When; where: 7:10 p.m. today; Shea Stadium, New York TV; radio: TBS; WSB-AM (750) Please see RECORDS, D6 ALSO: Chipper charges toward 100 RBIs, D5 Record 54 for Smoltz CHAD RACHMAN Associated Press Braves catcher Henry Blanco is the first to greet John Smoltz after his NL record-setting 54th save..