Where are they now

Jason Varitek and Nomar Garciaparra will be added to the GT Hall-of-Fame. Track stars Derek Mills and Natasha Alleyne-Gibson will also be added.......... By the way, Varitek got a 4-game suspension for his altercation with A-Rod. A-Rod also got cut for 4 games, along with a $2000 fine. I'm sorry... WHAT??? That's like you or I getting a speeding ticket and being fined a nickel.

Daryl Smith signs a 4-year deal with the Jags:

Smith, 22, was the 39th overall selection in the draft. The 6-2, 234-pound linebacker started 44 of his 46 career games at Georgia Tech with 383 tackles (207 solo), 48 tackles for a loss, 15 sacks, three interceptions and three forced fumbles. The Albany, Ga. native earned All-Conference honorable mention honors as a senior and was the second-highest linebacker drafted by the Jaguars.

Jay Payton:

Another name to keep in mind is Padres outfielder Jay Payton (.242, four homers, 38 RBI), who played at Georgia Tech with Garciaparra and Jason Varitek and remains Garciaparra’s best friend in baseball. However, Payton and his .306 on-base percentage aren’t good fits for the Sox’ organizational beliefs

The Fridge:
On the fraternity that is ACC coaching.

Wes Durham:
The voice of the Jackets will be moonlighting int he fall. Wes Durham has accepted the job as the radio play-by-play announcer for the ATL Falcons - link here.

Mike Nickeas:

Catcher Michael Nickeas is trying to hit his way out of the Northwest League, much like Thomas Diamond pitched his way out.

Here's the catch: For now, the Rangers like having Nickeas where he is.

They like that Spokane manager Darryl Kennedy is a former catcher. They think that facing the quality pitching in the Northwest League won't hurt this year's fifth-round draft pick, even if his numbers suggest he's ready to join Diamond at Clinton, Iowa, in the higher Class A Midwest League.

"Right now, we like where he is," said John Lombardo, the Rangers' director of minor league operations. "Mike won't suffer from spending more time there."

His numbers certainly suggest that. Nickeas had a 13-game hitting streak earlier this month. He has hit .336 with seven home runs and 27 RBIs since the Northwest League season started in mid-June.

Nickeas gets a strong endorsement from Rangers first baseman Mark Teixeira, a fellow Georgia Tech product who followed the catcher's college career along with that of outfielder Brandon Boggs, the Rangers' fourth-round draft pick.

Boggs, also from Georgia Tech, has struggled in Spokane, batting .213 in 89 at-bats through Thursday.

Nickeas, who got a $200,000 signing bonus, is considered to be a hitting talent with a good feel for working with pitchers. He was scouted thoroughly by Ron Hopkins, the organization's new director of scouting.

"We had a good feel for this guy," Lombardo said. "Ron and his staff stayed on Mike all the way."