Braves

ATLANTA - Cole Hamels wandered aimlessly around the infield grass Friday night after his $144 million arm failed once again. He peeked toward center field, and not yet knowing the ball's fate, started walking in a circle. Finally, when a fat 92 m.p.h. fastball landed as a three-run Brian McCann home run, Hamels paused and stared into the night. "It was a long week," Hamels said later. There is no explaining how a pitcher two days removed from signing one of the largest contracts in baseball history authored a first act as gruesome as the Phillies' 6-1 loss to the Braves at Turner Field.

David Ross, Atlanta's 35-year-old stocky backup catcher, stole second base standing up in the seventh inning Wednesday night for his first career steal, and another mutiny started in the stands at Citizens Bank Park. "We want our money back!" one fan yelled. "Yeah!" said another. The ballpark emptied, a 12-6 Phillies loss to the Braves the latest cause for consternation. It was a night when pitching systematically failed the Phillies, beginning with Kyle Kendrick's clunker of a start.

A week ago, Williamstown had one of the biggest wins in its football history. On Friday, the Braves settled for a defining victory, one that showed the program's staying power. Instead of suffering a letdown, the Braves never let up in a 41-17 win over visiting Moorestown in an interdivisional West Jersey Football League game. What this showed is that the Braves are not only talented enough to produce dramatic wins, but that the program can move on. And, of course, continue winning.

Take a few walks, a hit batter and numerous errors, and you have the ingredients for a tough game. That was situation Octorara found itself in in just the first inning Friday against visiting Pequea Valley, in the nonleague softball opener for both teams. "It was crazy," Braves coach Deb Feather said after she had watched Pequea score nine times in the first inning, then hold on for a 12-9 victory over her club. The cold and wind didn't help either team, but the first-inning jitters put the Braves in a hole they could not quite dig out of. "That first inning just broke us," Feather said.

With his first defensive play of last night's Tri-County Conference Royal Division showdown, Williamstown junior linebacker John Macaluso sent the Highland Regional offensive line a message. And it was loud and clear. Macaluso broke through and dragged down Tartans quarterback Todd Teschner for a sack and a 7-yard loss, whooping up the Braves' home crowd. "I was in a zone," said Macaluso, who finished with a pair of sacks. "I think I tapped one of my tackles and he hit the outside gap. I hit the inside gap with a killer instinct.

The Williamstown junior varsity basketball team finished at 16-5 last year while the varsity edition struggled to a 7-17 overall mark. This year, coach Grant Shivers has most of last year's JV squad up on the varsity level, which translates into a young, inexperienced team for the Braves - something Shivers thinks could work to their advantage. COACH. In his second year as head coach after serving for one season as an assistant, Shivers is looking to improve on last year's inaugural campaign, which didn't turn out as expected despite a senior-dominated team.

Tyrone White led Octorara's offense with a combined 56 points in the two- day Penn Manor Christmas Tournament as the Braves swept to the tourney title, eventually defeating host Penn Manor, 81-56, for the crown Saturday. White, the tournament MVP, scored 24 points against Penn Manor and 32 in Octorara's 73-57 first-round win over Red Lion Friday. In the championship game, Penn Manor tried to slow down the tempo and take Octorara out of its fastbreak offense. The strategy worked, and Octorara (6-3)

The Atlanta Braves aren't sure what hit them. Sunday, they were getting ready for the fourth game of the National League playoffs, leading Pittsburgh, two games to one, basking in the afterglow of their fairy tale season. Yesterday evening, as darkness fell menacingly over the stadium, they suddenly were down a game, one loss away from elimination. "It's going to be tough," Braves rightfielder David Justice said. "We know we can't afford another loss. So the pressure is definitely on us. " It hasn't been the losses, so much, as the way the Braves have accomplished them.

It was only a week ago, but for Penns Grove, last Saturday's upset of Delsea must have seemed like years ago. Yesterday, the Red Devils, unbeaten in four games, faced visiting Williamstown in a Tri-County League Royal Division contest. The Braves romped to a 32-8 victory over Penns Grove, which bore no resemblance to the team that had upset Delsea just seven days earlier. "I was thinking they might come out a little flat," said Bill Hunt, coach of Williamstown (3-2 overall, 2-1 league)

Now it's a rivalry. Now it's real. Now the rebels have scrambled over the top of the castle walls. Don't misunderstand. Williamstown's impressive 35-24 victory over Cherokee on a sloppy, slippery Friday night doesn't put the Braves on equal ground with the Chiefs. Williamstown can't hold a candle to Cherokee's past. The Braves just want to compete with the Chiefs in the present, and in the future. "This is where we belong," Williamstown coach Frank Fucetola said of the West Jersey American Division.