The Atlanta Braves said funeral arrangements have been made for the wife of trainer Jeff Porter, after she was struck by a state trooper in the family’s SUV late Saturday afternoon.

The crash happened near Memorial Drive and Capitol Avenue in downtown Atlanta on Saturday around 4:30 p.m.

The Atlanta Braves released a statement saying they are deeply saddened and shocked to learn about the accident involving Porter and their thoughts and prayers are with his family.

Porter, his wife, Kathy, their-19 year-old son David and his friend, 18-year-old Courtney Ann Williams, who was also injured, were headed to the Peach Bowl on New Year’s Eve. Witnesses said the crash happened in an instant.

A spokesperson for the Georgia State Patrol said one of their own was trying to get to a police chase on Interstate 20 when he drove through the intersection of Memorial Drive and Capitol Avenue.

GSP said the trooper’s lights and sirens were warning those in his way, but witnesses said it wasn’t enough to avoid hitting the SUV driven by Porter, with his family inside. Some said they didn’t hear anything at all.

The truck slammed into a utility pole before coming to rest.

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Jeff Porter was rushed to the hospital with his 19-year-old son, David Porter, and another passenger, but his wife, Kathy Porter, was killed.

A private visitation will be held Tuesday for Porter’s family and friends and a private funeral will be held on Wednesday.

The family is asking in lieu of flowers, to please request a memorial be made to Children’s Health Care of Atlanta or First Baptist Church of Loganville. Their addresses are as follows:

Children’s Health Care of Atlanta
1687 Tullie Circle NE
Atlanta, GA 30329

First Baptist Church of Loganville
680 Tom Brewer Road
Loganville, GA 30052

GSP said it is investigating whether Trooper First Class Donald Crozier, a 10-year veteran, was at fault for the crash.

If you would like to offer you condolences you can also sign the online guest book for Kathy Porter.

The wife of Atlanta Braves trainer Jeff Porter was killed Saturday when a Georgia State Patrol car crashed into their sport utility vehicle as the family headed to the Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta.

The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s office confirmed the death of Kathy Porter, 54, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Braves issued a statement expressing their condolences.

“The Braves family is deeply saddened and shocked to learn about the tragic accident today involving the family of head Athletic Trainer Jeff Porter and the death of his wife Kathy. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jeff and Kathy’s family, their son David and all their friends and loved ones.”

The Porters and their 19-year-old son, David, were on their way to the game late Saturday afternoon. The patrol car was responding to a call for assistance on a chase at nearby I-20, according to Atlanta’s Channel 2 Action News.

At approximately 4:40 p.m., the patrol car struck the Porters’ Ford Expedition at Capitol Avenue and Memorial Drive, according to the newspaper.

The trooper who was driving the patrol car was treated and released at Grady Memorial Hospital, and his name was not revealed, the newspaper reported. Jeff Porter was driving the family’s vehicle, a police spokesperson told the paper.

A state patrol team in charge of investigating collisions examined the scene, according to the Journal-Constitution.

ATLANTA (AP)

The Atlanta Braves have offered condolences to head trainer Jeff Porter, saying team members were ”deeply saddened” after his wife was killed when an SUV driven by the trainer was hit by a Georgia State Patrol cruiser.

State Patrol spokesman Gordy Wright said the trooper was traveling in downtown Atlanta with lights and siren activated Saturday afternoon when the cruiser struck the SUV at an intersection. Wright says the trooper was trying to help another trooper stop a motorcyclist.

Authorities say Kathy Porter, a passenger in the SUV, died. Police say Jeff Porter and two other passengers, the couple’s 19-year-old son David and a friend, were taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries and later released.

The trooper was examined at the same hospital and released.

According to Disney news blog Stitch Kingdom, the Atlanta Braves aren’t big fans of upcoming animated film “Brave.”

This summer, the Atlanta National League Baseball Club (owners of the Atlanta Braves), reportedly filed an objection to Disney’s attempts to trademark the title “Brave.” The team claims that the upcoming animated film’s moniker is already being used by their organization.

Although the Braves don’t own any trademarks for the word “Brave” (only “Braves”), they insist that damages will occur as a result of the trademarks being approved.

The team claims that they’ve used the singular form of Braves on merchandise, and say that “Brave” is used when referring to a single player (as opposed to the whole team being the “Braves.”)

The Walt Disney Company and the Atlanta National League Ball Club are said to be currently involved in private negotiations.

The 3-D fantasy adventure movie – produced by Pixar and released by Disney – will hit theaters June 22. The kids flick follows a courageous girl from the Highlands of Scotland.

I have to say this is a story I never thought I would write. An American baseball team is taking on Disney and a princess. Yes, you heard me right. Apparently the new Disney Pixar film titled “Brave” about a princess that overcomes obstacles is too much for the Atlantic Braves to handle.

According to reports, the Atlanta National League Baseball Club (the owners of the Atlanta Braves) filed objections to Disney Pixar’s trademark applications for the film. Trademarks are specific when it comes to singular and plural forms of words and the Braves have only trademarked the plural. However, they argue that they have used the singular, Brave, in many endorsements and merchandising.

As a baseball fan, I can’t ever recall the Braves being referred to in the singular and I think I am intelligent enough to not get a Disney princess confused with a baseball team. Maybe the Atlanta Braves don’t think their fans are that intelligent?

Now I could understand if the Disney movie was about baseball. Then maybe I would give them some points on their argument. But a princess? Really? They can’t really be concerned about that. Maybe they are just worried about being called princesses by the other teams in MLB.

Now, to take this idea one step further, let’s look at another example of the use of “Brave” in a popular song. How about the “Star Spangled Banner?” Now, if I remember correctly, this song ends with the line, “O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.” America has always been known as the land of the free and the home of the brave.

So, according to the rationale behind the Atlanta Braves, this should either be changed because they hold the trademark, or America only exists in Atlanta? Oh no wait. This song was written before the Atlanta Braves even existed.

As a business owner, I understand the importance of trademarking but this is taking it to the extreme. Brave is a commonly used word in America to describe our soldiers, our police and our firefighters. It is a word that is not exclusive to a baseball team.

I have seen the movie trailer and I don’t see the title and immediately think of baseball, so I don’t think the Atlanta Braves have anything to worry about. Maybe they need to take their focus off of princesses and get their heads back into the game of baseball.

Deborah Braconnier is a former softball player and avid baseball fan. Working now as a freelance writer and Featured Contributor in NFL and Olympics, she brings her love of sports together with her writing. Follow her on Twitter @fwcdeborah.

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Well, it might be strike two on titling Pixar’s fairy tale film Brave (previously called The Bear and the Bow). It now sounds like the Atlanta Braves have a bone to pick with the upcoming animated feature.

According to Stitch Kingdom, the Atlanta National League Baseball Club, owners of the Braves, is now filing an objection to many of the film’s trademark applications. However, trademark disputes are always specific to singular and plural forms, and the Braves do not possess any trademarks for the word “Brave.” So, in theory, they aren’t really entitled to anything.

Nevertheless, the organization believes that damages will still occur since they have technically issued merchandise in the singular form and often use the word to describe their individual players. One out-of-print book in particular was found over at Stitch Kingdom called If I Were an Atlanta Brave, but no other discernible merchandise seems to exist in the singular form.

The Walt Disney Company and the Atlanta National League Ball Club are currently in private negotiations to settle any standing objections.