Tales from the Atlanta Falcons Sidelines

Someone offered money for this book so, after the Falcons' 2004 season, Matt Winkeljohn delayed training for his beloved offseason mountain bike races, and hatched the thing in your hands. There's no dough in racing, after all, for a home-trained, mid-pack amateur. A sports fan since given a Cowboys uniform for Christmas in 1970 (blue jersey, Walt Garrison's No. 32), Winkeljohn grew up in Columbus, Ohio, loving the Buckeyes, Reds, Cowboys, Lakers and Bruins. He's still passionate about Ohio State. The Falcons haven't been around as long as Winkeljohn, who'll turn 42 before the 2005 season. His history is comparatively simple. With the helmet, shoulder pads and pants from that uniform, he first played football for the Indian Springs Packers. Baseball, basketball, soccer and track followed. By high school he was down to football and baseball, adding wrestling on the advice of a twisted friend. His claims to fame were few, catching balls off the bat of prep tempest Paul O'Neill, later of the Reds and Yankees, and stealing home for Whetstone High in a district championship game against Worthington pitcher (and eventual Yankees AAA farm hand) Casey Close. Close makes big bucks as an agent representing the likes of Derek Jeter. Winkeljohn's covered the Falcons since '98 for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, joining the paper in '87 after a storied stay (and five majors) at Bowling Green State University. He's won awards, but can only remember one -- for a '96 story about the murder of Olympic and world champion Dave Schultz by wrestling benefactor John DuPont. Winkeljohn will probably have to wrestle his wife, son and twin daughters for any money from this book. No matter. It'll go toward afamily beach vacation.