Sports for Wednesday 9-8-10

Smokies Host West Tenn Thursday...  Just a day away now from the opening of the Southern League Divisional Series with the Tennessee Smokies hosting the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx in games one and two Thursday and Friday nights at Smokies Park. Game three will be played on Saturday in Jackson and if games four and five are needed it’s back to Kodak and Smokies Park. First pitch tomorrow night is set for 7:15PM. For tickets or to listen online log on to smokiesbaseball.com.

Braves Fall To Second In NL East...After being in sole possession of the NL East lead every day for more than three months, they're now the second-place Atlanta Braves. They don't like the sound of it at all. James McDonald pitched seven innings, Ronny Cedeno's triple keyed a five-run seventh and the last-place Pittsburgh Pirates knocked the Braves out of first place, winning 5-0 on Tuesday night for their second victory over Atlanta in as many days. The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Florida Marlins8-7 to take the lead that Atlanta had held every day since May 31. It's easy to find a culprit -- the Braves have scored only 12 runs while losing five of six, a slump that followed a five-game winning streak.

Boise Bandwagon Grows...More AP Top 25 voters are buying into Boise State as the No. 1 team in the country. Boise State gained seven first-place votes and closed in on No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Ohio State as the top three teams in the first regular-season Associated Press football poll held their spots from the preseason. The Broncos remained third after a thrilling 33-30 victory against Virginia Tech on Monday night, receiving eight first-place votes and 1,399 points from the media panel, 13 points behind the Buckeyes. TCU and Texas round out the top five. Tennessee’s next opponent, the Oregon Ducks are ranked seventh, wedged between Nebraska and Florida at numbers six and eight respectively. Iowa and Oklahoma are at the nine and ten spots. Other SEC schools in the AP 25 include LSU at 19, Auburn at 21, georgia at 22 and South Carolina is currently ranked twenty fourth.

Haynesworth To Be Back In TN?...Exhausted by the distraction and lack of effort from Albert Haynesworth, the Washington Redskins have once again gauged trade interest in the defensive tackle from his former team, the Tennessee Titans, according to team sources. It is at least the second occasion the Redskins have had discussions regarding Haynesworth with the Titans since Mike Shanahan was named Washington's coach in January. The Titans definitely would welcome back Haynesworth, a team source said, but maintained that the Redskins' asking price was still too high. The Redskins are believed to want at least two draft picks for Haynesworth.

Yahoo Sports Says Bush’s Heisman To be Stripped ...The Heisman Trophy Trust is expected to strip former University of Southern California star running back Reggie Bush of college football’s top honor by the end of September, sources told Yahoo! Sports. Bush would become the first player in the 75-year history of the award to have the trophy taken away. The NCAA found major violations in the Trojans’ football program in June and levied serious sanctions against the school. Two sources close to the Heisman trust said the body’s investigation is coming to a close, and will ultimately concur with the NCAA’s determination that Bush was ineligible during his Heisman-winning season in 2005. Because of that independent conclusion, sources said the trust will relieve Bush of the award and leave the honor for that season vacant. The sources said Bush met with Heisman representatives last month at the New York law offices of Emmet, Marvin & Martin. The sources would not reveal details of that meeting.

Quick Hits...The Washington Nationals have recalled right-handed pitcher Yunesky Maya from Triple-A Syracuse. Maya, a Cuban defector who signed with the Nationals last month, was set to make his major league debut Tuesday night against the New York Mets.

Fire Up The Grill...Join us at TGI Fridays in Sevierville Thursday night at seven for The Grid Iron Grill. We’ll take a look at the upcoming action for our area high school football teams and get you ready for Friday night’s action. It’s the TGI Fridays Grid Iron Grill, Thursday night at 7:00 on Tennessee’s Mix 105.5.

Friday Night Lights...This Friday all four area teams are in high school football action. We’ll bring you the Smoky Bears game and keep you updated on Pigeon Forge, Seymour, and lots of other teams in east Tennessee right here on Tennessee’s Mix 105.5.

Join us for the Mix Morning Show, Monday through Friday from six to ten AM on Tennessee’s New Mix 105.5. We check sports each morning at about 6:50. Next update on mixx1055.com tomorrow morning.