Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica
Happy Memorial Day America. Lend a thought and say a prayer for all of the people that have made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve the freedoms that we all love and enjoy so much in this great country of ours, The United States of America. As Arthur Ashe, American Tennis Great, so eloquently stated, “True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.” I can say, truer words have never been spoken. Again, Happy Memorial Day. CS&T/AllsportsAmerica Editor, Marion P. Jelks
Sports Quote of the Day:
"A winner is someone who recognizes his God given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills, and then uses these skills to accomplish his goals." Larry Bird, NBA Player, Coach and General Manager
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? One game at a time guys, one game at a time. Blackhawks beat Red Wings 4-1 to stay alive. We will get this done!!!
By
The power play returned in the second half of the second period. All it took was one brilliant tip by one of the youngest players on the ice and a well-placed shot by the captain of a team in trouble.
All that tinkering paid off when the Chicago Blackhawks needed it the most.Jonathan Toews and Andrew Shaw each had a timely power-play goal, and the Blackhawks avoided elimination with a 4-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night in Game 5 of the second-round playoff series.
''I've been saying it over and over the last couple of days: Stay positive and stick with it and things have to turn your away eventually, and they did tonight,'' Toews said.
The 21-year-old Shaw added his third career playoff goal in the third as the Blackhawks stopped the Red Wings' three-game winning streak by creating chaos in front of Jimmy Howard, who had shut down Chicago's attack while moving Detroit to the brink of the Western Conference finals.
With the sellout crowd chanting ''Ho-ward! Ho-ward!'' in an attempt to shake him, the standout goalie made 41 saves in another solid performance. But the Blackhawks created enough quality chances that he simply couldn't stop all of them.
''We knew it. We knew we were going to have to weather the storm early against them and I thought we did that,'' Howard said. ''We got it going there, but they just kept coming and coming.''
Bryan Bickell scored the first goal of the game and Corey Crawford had 25 stops for Chicago, which managed only two goals during its first three-game losing streak of the season.
Daniel Cleary scored for the second straight game for Detroit, which will have another chance to close out the top-seeded Blackhawks in Game 6 on Monday night. That will be at home, too, where the Red Wings are 4-1 in this postseason.
''We weren't good enough tonight as far as our plan we have to play to be successful,'' Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. ''There was too much space and they were just freewheeling around having fun. It just goes to show you how hard it is to win and you've got to compete and do things right in order to be successful.''
Detroit trailed 1-0 before Cleary completed a strong rush during a 4-on-4 stretch in the second period, beating Crawford from a tough angle on the left side for his fourth goal of the postseason. Henrik Zetterberg set up the score by throwing the puck across the crease while Brendan Smith was streaking toward the net.
Back came Chicago, which responded with two of its best power plays in weeks. The Blackhawks had converted only three of their first 25 chances in the postseason, and coach Joel Quenneville tried all sorts of combinations in practice to no avail.
He finally got what he wanted in Game 5.
First, Shaw had a perfect tip on Duncan Keith's slap shot to make it 2-1 at 13:08. Then Justin Abdelkader received his second penalty, this one for cross checking, and Toews wristed a shot off Howard's facemask and into the upper right corner.
''Good things come from shooting the puck,'' Shaw said. ''There's rebounds, there's loose pucks, and we had all guys converging to the net and we just kept picking them up and hemmed them in there and tired them out and we were rewarded.''
It was Toews' first playoff goal since April 21, 2012, at Phoenix, snapping a scoreless postseason drought of 10 games. It also came after he appeared frustrated while committing three penalties in the second period of Game 4.
The captain was mobbed by his teammates after he skated to the boards, and the crowd of 22,014 roared its approval.
''It is a relief. It's a confidence builder,'' Toews said. ''You know the way you're working is adding up to something. You want to keep that going now. If I keep shooting the puck there's a good chance it's going in. The goaltender has to make a stop.''
Chicago got off to a good start with a 4-1 victory in Game 1 of the series, but it had been all Detroit since that opening win. The Red Wings turned up the pressure on defense and Howard had an amazing 86 stops on 88 shots over three straight wins that pushed the Blackhawks to the edge of an early postseason exit.
Back at home after managing just one goal in a pair of losses in Detroit, the Blackhawks came out with a spirited opening period. Brent Seabrook, who played only 12 minutes in Game 4, and Bickell each delivered a huge hit in the opening minutes.
Bickell then plowed ahead to set up Chicago's first goal since the third period of Game 3. Howard turned away Bickell's first charge, but he skated around to the other side of the net and was right there to slam home on the rebound when Patrick Kane was denied.
Bickell pumped both his arms after he gave the Blackhawks their first lead in a week. It was the fourth goal of the season for physical forward, but his first since Game 4 of the first-round series against Minnesota.
The Red Wings then rushed down the ice, and Crawford turned away quality opportunities for Joakim Andersson and Gustav Nyquist. Crawford made 11 saves in the opening period.
''It's hard to match that when their backs were against the wall,'' Cleary said. ''But we have to be ready to go like our backs are against the wall on Monday.''
Tony Kanaan has finally won the Indianapolis 500.
Kanaan drove past Ryan Hunter-Reay on a restart Sunday with three laps to go, then coasted across the finish line under yellow when defending race winner Dario Franchitti crashed far back in the field.
It was a hugely popular victory at the speedway, where Kanaan had endured so much heartache. The Brazilian had led 221 laps coming into the race, more than any other non-winner besides Michael Andretti and Rex Mays, yet had never taken the checkered flag. He finished second in 2004 and twice finished third.
Now, his face will go on the Borg-Warner Trophy. Kanaan is an Indy 500 champion, coming through on a cool day of thrilling competition that smashed the record for most lead changes and most leaders. The crowd of some 200,000 roared when it realized that Kanaan had finally broken his Brickyard curse.
On the final lap, Kanaan lifted the visor on his helmet and appeared to dab at his eyes. When he pulled into Victory Lane, he planted a kiss on his wife, Lauren, and dunked an entire bottle of milk over his head.
The leaders came to the finish line all bunched up around Kanaan, saluting the longtime IndyCar stalwart who had longed to add the one missing piece to his resume. That was about as slow as anyone had driven all day. The average speed was 187.433 mph, another Indy record.
Rookie Carlos Munoz finished second with a brilliant IndyCar debut, followed by series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay, Marco Andretti and Justin Wilson. Helio Castroneves, trying to become the fourth driver to win four Indy 500s, ran up front much of the day but settled for sixth.
Kanaan and Andretti charged to the front during a wild first half of the race.
Kanaan quickly moved through the field from the outside of the fourth row while Andretti started on the outside of the front row and spent the first 29 laps playing leapfrog with Kanaan as the standard-bearer for his family bids to end the ''Andretti Curse.'' The family hasn't captured the fabled Memorial Day weekend race since his grandfather, Mario, won in 1969. Michael Andretti has been to Victory Lane twice as a team owner with the late Dan Wheldon in 2005 and Dario Franchitti in 2007, but never won the race as a driver.
Marco Andretti was second in 2006 in the second-closest finish in the race's history.
Franchitti, the defending race winner, and Castroneves began the day in pursuit of their fourth victory. Only A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears and Al Unser have won the Indy 500 four times.
As the race reached the halfway mark, Team Penske roared to the front.
Will Power spent a stint in the lead before teammate A.J. Allmendinger, making his Indy 500 debut, picked his way through the field before falling back because of a problem with his safety belts. Allmendinger is a former open-wheel star who spent time in NASCAR before losing his ride after a failed drug test. He was given a second chance in the Indianapolis 500 by Roger Penske - the same Sprint Cup team owner who had fired him.
Allmendinger was cheered on by Sprint Cup champ Brad Keselowski, who was on hand to support his boss's teams before catching a quick flight to Charlotte for Sunday night's Coca-Cola 600.
''I want to experience the IndyCar life here and see what it's all about and how this race plays out,'' Keselowski said. ''I'm really excited to be here. This is my first Indy 500. I'm here soaking in one of the biggest races of the year with one of the best guys here, Roger Penske.''
The race began with a chill in the air - the temperature was 62 degrees, not much warmer than the coldest race in history (58, 1992). Thousands of fans who piled into the historic track were bundled up against a stiff breeze that swirled down the front straightaway, and many arrived late, some blaming new security measures put in place after the Boston Marathon bombings.
Several drivers said the colder weather could produce more speed - and more crashes. And it didn't take long for the first caution flag to come out.
J.R Hildebrand lost control in Turn 1 and slid into the outside wall. His car continued down the short chute before coming to a rest, where he climbed out of it without any injuries. It was Hildebrand who crashed on the final lap while leading two years ago.
''Just got a little loose in the middle of the corner, and I sort of got caught and spun around,'' Hildebrand said. ''We felt like we had a car that could run at the front.''
Most of the field had made its first pit stop when the second caution came out for Sebastian Saavedra, the 22-year-old Colombian driver for Dragon Racing.
The race resumed with pole sitter Ed Carpenter back at the front, though he also had a scare under caution. Carpenter was swerving back and forth to keep his tires warm when his car dived to the left, crossed through the grass in the corner and safely back onto the track.
Takuma Sato, who crashed while trying to pass for the lead on the final lap a year ago, also spun out exiting Turn 2. He managed to keep his A.J. Foyt Racing car out of the wall, though, and was able to stay on the lead lap when the race resumed.
Graham Rahal and teammate James Jakes were fined $10,000 for violating a rule that governs the way drivers blend back into the pack when they exit pit lane. Jakes was later assessed a drive-through penalty for a pit safety violation.
We Want Phil!... To Keep Doing More Interviews.
In other words, the Zen Master is dropping some serious knowledge.
The Purple-and-Gold faithful would do well to listen, too, as there were several things that hold true when it comes to their squad.
So in his honor, let's review his five best nuggets from the past week:
1. The Laughable Mike D'Antoni hire
This one is so good, and it came recently on Wednesday, May 22 when ESPN Radio's "Mike and Mike in the Morning" asked him what he thought of the Lakers' decision to spurn him and go with Mike D'Antoni to lead the team.
"I laughed," he said. "It was humorous to me when Mitch said that we think that Mike is a better coach for this group of guys."
Beautiful. Candid. Gold. Most fans, analysts and everyone in between shared his feelings on the matter. One could hear chants of "We want Phil!" on more than one occasion at Staples Center during the season -- even at Shaquille O'Neal's retirement ceremony.
2. Kobe Bryant meets Michael Jordan
On "The Dan Patrick Show" on Tuesday, May 21, Jackson shared his thoughts an the ever-polarizing debate regarding Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan, whose careers will be tied at the hip for eternity.
He spoke about several aspects of each player, but things got interesting when he talked about arranging a meeting between the two after Jordan was done playing and Bryant had the Lakers positioned to win their 16th title in 2010.
"Michael could sit back and watch other people perform and encourage them..," Jackson said. "I wanted (Kobe) to hear Michael talk about finishing a game, playing inside the offense, finishing the game at the end."
Lakers fans know about Bryant's tendency to shoot himself out of a slump, for better or worse from a team standpoint, early in the game.
"He can go over the edge sometimes and he's going to wait to get hot -- he will get hot at some point -- but hopefully it doesn't take a team down."
So basically, Jordan knew when to fold 'em, where Bryant has no conscience when it comes to shooting. He's gotten better at it in his later years, to his credit. Case in point was his facilitator role this season when his team needed him to do more.
But both players are assassin-like scorers and have a killer instinct. It's what makes each great, yet has caused Bryant to draw criticism at times throughout his career.
3. Mass confusion surrounding coaching the Lakers job
There were a lot of conflicting reports surrounding the facts of the Lakers' most recent head coaching hire. In the same interview, Jackson gave his account of what happened, and didn't hesitate when asked one of the most burning questions surrounding the matter.
"Yes, I would say that would be yes to the answer of the question," Jackson said when asked whether or not he was offered the Lakers head coaching job. "It was proposed to me without any hesitation. I was not being sold the job, they wanted to hear me out. I wanted to hear them out as to what they were doing and what their rationale was."
No one will ever know the real motives behind the front office's decision-making process, but if Jackson's words are true, then it only adds more questions and doesn't provide any answers as to why things turned out the way they did.
4. Why should Dwight Howard stay?
Dwight Howard will be the NBA's most sought-after free-agent since LeBron James this summer. The Lakers are banking on re-signing him to build their franchise around him and make him the heir-apparent to Kobe Bryant -- the only trouble is that he wasn't featured this season, and doesn't see why he would stick around given that fact.
"Would you? If you felt like your game wasn't going to be featured?" he retorted on the Dan Patrick Show. "You have to play in to Dwight Howard. You have to get back and reestablish him as the center that he potentially was going to be," said Jackson.
Jackson is only stating the obvious. D'Antoni hasn't historically been a coach willing to pound the ball inside and play through his bigs. It was only until they'd tried everything else when he adapted and began to get Howard and Pau Gasol more touches in their comfort zones.
If Howard does indeed bolt for NBA glory elsewhere, this will likely be the primary reason. Tell it like it is, Phil!
5. The ultimate franchise-starter is not a Laker... or a Bull
When the "greatest of all-time" debate comes up, it takes on many forms. In an interview with Time, Jackson didn't mention Bryant or Jordan as the player he'd want to build around if he could have his pick among the game's greatest all-time legends.
"In my estimation, the guy that has to be there would be Bill Russell. He has won 11 championships as a player," Jackson said. "That's really the idea of what excellence is, when you win championships."
When talking about the best to ever play the great game of basketball, NBA championships are always the measuring stick. Just as Jackson pointed out, Russell has 11 titles, and no one can touch that.
The question moving forward for Lakers fans moving forward is simple: Will Bryant ever join the discussion by winning his sixth ring?
My Sunday Best: All-Time Middle Linebackers
The recent retirements of Brian Urlacher and Ray Lewis have people talking about the greatest middle linebackers of all-time. Here are my Sunday Best middle linebackers:
When the Sox host the Cubs this evening, the teams will be renewing something. Interleague play. Not a rivalry.
Rogers makes Galaxy debut as openly gay athlete.
Robbie Rogers became the first openly gay male athlete to play in a U.S. professional league on Sunday night, making his Major League Soccer debut with the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Rogers entered as a substitute in the 77th minute with the Galaxy leading the Seattle Sounders 4-0, which turned out to be the final score.
He received loud cheers from the crowd of 24,811 as he ran onto the pitch, with fans chanting his last name. Rogers ran by teammate Landon Donovan, who slapped his hand and patted him on the back as he took his position.
Rogers touched the ball a couple times in the closing minutes of the Galaxy's victory that ended Seattle's three-game winning streak.
Rogers' signing on Saturday was so recent that he wasn't listed in the game day program, which featured a picture of Mike Magee in the centerfold. Magee, the Galaxy's leading scorer and a fan favorite, was traded to his hometown Chicago Fire, which held Rogers' MLS rights.
Rogers spent the last two seasons in England. He trained with the Galaxy for a month while hoping to continue his career not far from his hometown of Huntington Beach.
The loudest chants of ''Robbie, Robbie'' were for Robbie Keene, who had his first career three-goal game in MLS. His three goals, including two on penalty kicks, and another by Sean Franklin gave the Galaxy a 4-0 lead at halftime.
Keane's hat trick in a 44-minute span was the second-fastest in Galaxy history. The fastest occurred in 43 minutes in 2004 by Alejandro Moreno.
Keane scored three consecutive goals 10 minutes apart. His first in the 24th minute came on a right-footed shot from the center of the box into the bottom right corner of the goal following a corner.
Keane followed in the 34th minute, burying a penalty shot in the bottom right corner.
He converted another penalty shot in the 44th minute, booting the ball into the bottom left corner.
The Galaxy's first goal came in the 12th minute when Franklin right-footed shot from close range into the center of the goal. Keene had the assist.
Baseball results, Sunday, 05/26/2013.
Reuters
Results from the MLB games on Sunday (home team in CAPS)
TORONTO 6 Baltimore 5
DETROIT 6 Minnesota 1
Chicago Cubs 5 CINCINNATI 4 (10 innings)
BOSTON 6 Cleveland 5
WASHINGTON 6 Philadelphia 1
TAMPA BAY 8 NY Yankees 3
CHICAGO WHITE SOX 5 Miami 3
LA Angels 5 KANSAS CITY 2
Pittsburgh 5 MILWAUKEE 4
Oakland 6 HOUSTON 2
SAN FRANCISCO 7 Colorado 3
SEATTLE 4 Texas 3 (13 innings)
St. Louis 5 LA DODGERS 3
ARIZONA 6 San Diego 5
NY METS 4 Atlanta 2
************************************************************
Sports Quote of the Day:
"A winner is someone who recognizes his God given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills, and then uses these skills to accomplish his goals." Larry Bird, NBA Player, Coach and General Manager
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? One game at a time guys, one game at a time. Blackhawks beat Red Wings 4-1 to stay alive. We will get this done!!!
By
The power play returned in the second half of the second period. All it took was one brilliant tip by one of the youngest players on the ice and a well-placed shot by the captain of a team in trouble.
All that tinkering paid off when the Chicago Blackhawks needed it the most.Jonathan Toews and Andrew Shaw each had a timely power-play goal, and the Blackhawks avoided elimination with a 4-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night in Game 5 of the second-round playoff series.
''I've been saying it over and over the last couple of days: Stay positive and stick with it and things have to turn your away eventually, and they did tonight,'' Toews said.
The 21-year-old Shaw added his third career playoff goal in the third as the Blackhawks stopped the Red Wings' three-game winning streak by creating chaos in front of Jimmy Howard, who had shut down Chicago's attack while moving Detroit to the brink of the Western Conference finals.
With the sellout crowd chanting ''Ho-ward! Ho-ward!'' in an attempt to shake him, the standout goalie made 41 saves in another solid performance. But the Blackhawks created enough quality chances that he simply couldn't stop all of them.
''We knew it. We knew we were going to have to weather the storm early against them and I thought we did that,'' Howard said. ''We got it going there, but they just kept coming and coming.''
Bryan Bickell scored the first goal of the game and Corey Crawford had 25 stops for Chicago, which managed only two goals during its first three-game losing streak of the season.
Daniel Cleary scored for the second straight game for Detroit, which will have another chance to close out the top-seeded Blackhawks in Game 6 on Monday night. That will be at home, too, where the Red Wings are 4-1 in this postseason.
''We weren't good enough tonight as far as our plan we have to play to be successful,'' Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. ''There was too much space and they were just freewheeling around having fun. It just goes to show you how hard it is to win and you've got to compete and do things right in order to be successful.''
Detroit trailed 1-0 before Cleary completed a strong rush during a 4-on-4 stretch in the second period, beating Crawford from a tough angle on the left side for his fourth goal of the postseason. Henrik Zetterberg set up the score by throwing the puck across the crease while Brendan Smith was streaking toward the net.
Back came Chicago, which responded with two of its best power plays in weeks. The Blackhawks had converted only three of their first 25 chances in the postseason, and coach Joel Quenneville tried all sorts of combinations in practice to no avail.
He finally got what he wanted in Game 5.
First, Shaw had a perfect tip on Duncan Keith's slap shot to make it 2-1 at 13:08. Then Justin Abdelkader received his second penalty, this one for cross checking, and Toews wristed a shot off Howard's facemask and into the upper right corner.
''Good things come from shooting the puck,'' Shaw said. ''There's rebounds, there's loose pucks, and we had all guys converging to the net and we just kept picking them up and hemmed them in there and tired them out and we were rewarded.''
It was Toews' first playoff goal since April 21, 2012, at Phoenix, snapping a scoreless postseason drought of 10 games. It also came after he appeared frustrated while committing three penalties in the second period of Game 4.
The captain was mobbed by his teammates after he skated to the boards, and the crowd of 22,014 roared its approval.
''It is a relief. It's a confidence builder,'' Toews said. ''You know the way you're working is adding up to something. You want to keep that going now. If I keep shooting the puck there's a good chance it's going in. The goaltender has to make a stop.''
Chicago got off to a good start with a 4-1 victory in Game 1 of the series, but it had been all Detroit since that opening win. The Red Wings turned up the pressure on defense and Howard had an amazing 86 stops on 88 shots over three straight wins that pushed the Blackhawks to the edge of an early postseason exit.
Back at home after managing just one goal in a pair of losses in Detroit, the Blackhawks came out with a spirited opening period. Brent Seabrook, who played only 12 minutes in Game 4, and Bickell each delivered a huge hit in the opening minutes.
Bickell then plowed ahead to set up Chicago's first goal since the third period of Game 3. Howard turned away Bickell's first charge, but he skated around to the other side of the net and was right there to slam home on the rebound when Patrick Kane was denied.
Bickell pumped both his arms after he gave the Blackhawks their first lead in a week. It was the fourth goal of the season for physical forward, but his first since Game 4 of the first-round series against Minnesota.
The Red Wings then rushed down the ice, and Crawford turned away quality opportunities for Joakim Andersson and Gustav Nyquist. Crawford made 11 saves in the opening period.
''It's hard to match that when their backs were against the wall,'' Cleary said. ''But we have to be ready to go like our backs are against the wall on Monday.''
NOTES: Chicago Blackhawks Charities donated their portion of the Split the Pot money from Game 5 to the OK Strong Disaster Relief Fund to benefit the victims of the deadly tornadoes in Oklahoma.
Tony Kanaan finally wins Indy 500, ends heartbreak
Tony Kanaan has finally won the Indianapolis 500.
Kanaan drove past Ryan Hunter-Reay on a restart Sunday with three laps to go, then coasted across the finish line under yellow when defending race winner Dario Franchitti crashed far back in the field.
It was a hugely popular victory at the speedway, where Kanaan had endured so much heartache. The Brazilian had led 221 laps coming into the race, more than any other non-winner besides Michael Andretti and Rex Mays, yet had never taken the checkered flag. He finished second in 2004 and twice finished third.
Now, his face will go on the Borg-Warner Trophy. Kanaan is an Indy 500 champion, coming through on a cool day of thrilling competition that smashed the record for most lead changes and most leaders. The crowd of some 200,000 roared when it realized that Kanaan had finally broken his Brickyard curse.
On the final lap, Kanaan lifted the visor on his helmet and appeared to dab at his eyes. When he pulled into Victory Lane, he planted a kiss on his wife, Lauren, and dunked an entire bottle of milk over his head.
The leaders came to the finish line all bunched up around Kanaan, saluting the longtime IndyCar stalwart who had longed to add the one missing piece to his resume. That was about as slow as anyone had driven all day. The average speed was 187.433 mph, another Indy record.
Rookie Carlos Munoz finished second with a brilliant IndyCar debut, followed by series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay, Marco Andretti and Justin Wilson. Helio Castroneves, trying to become the fourth driver to win four Indy 500s, ran up front much of the day but settled for sixth.
Kanaan and Andretti charged to the front during a wild first half of the race.
Kanaan quickly moved through the field from the outside of the fourth row while Andretti started on the outside of the front row and spent the first 29 laps playing leapfrog with Kanaan as the standard-bearer for his family bids to end the ''Andretti Curse.'' The family hasn't captured the fabled Memorial Day weekend race since his grandfather, Mario, won in 1969. Michael Andretti has been to Victory Lane twice as a team owner with the late Dan Wheldon in 2005 and Dario Franchitti in 2007, but never won the race as a driver.
Marco Andretti was second in 2006 in the second-closest finish in the race's history.
Franchitti, the defending race winner, and Castroneves began the day in pursuit of their fourth victory. Only A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears and Al Unser have won the Indy 500 four times.
As the race reached the halfway mark, Team Penske roared to the front.
Will Power spent a stint in the lead before teammate A.J. Allmendinger, making his Indy 500 debut, picked his way through the field before falling back because of a problem with his safety belts. Allmendinger is a former open-wheel star who spent time in NASCAR before losing his ride after a failed drug test. He was given a second chance in the Indianapolis 500 by Roger Penske - the same Sprint Cup team owner who had fired him.
Allmendinger was cheered on by Sprint Cup champ Brad Keselowski, who was on hand to support his boss's teams before catching a quick flight to Charlotte for Sunday night's Coca-Cola 600.
''I want to experience the IndyCar life here and see what it's all about and how this race plays out,'' Keselowski said. ''I'm really excited to be here. This is my first Indy 500. I'm here soaking in one of the biggest races of the year with one of the best guys here, Roger Penske.''
The race began with a chill in the air - the temperature was 62 degrees, not much warmer than the coldest race in history (58, 1992). Thousands of fans who piled into the historic track were bundled up against a stiff breeze that swirled down the front straightaway, and many arrived late, some blaming new security measures put in place after the Boston Marathon bombings.
Several drivers said the colder weather could produce more speed - and more crashes. And it didn't take long for the first caution flag to come out.
J.R Hildebrand lost control in Turn 1 and slid into the outside wall. His car continued down the short chute before coming to a rest, where he climbed out of it without any injuries. It was Hildebrand who crashed on the final lap while leading two years ago.
''Just got a little loose in the middle of the corner, and I sort of got caught and spun around,'' Hildebrand said. ''We felt like we had a car that could run at the front.''
Most of the field had made its first pit stop when the second caution came out for Sebastian Saavedra, the 22-year-old Colombian driver for Dragon Racing.
The race resumed with pole sitter Ed Carpenter back at the front, though he also had a scare under caution. Carpenter was swerving back and forth to keep his tires warm when his car dived to the left, crossed through the grass in the corner and safely back onto the track.
Takuma Sato, who crashed while trying to pass for the lead on the final lap a year ago, also spun out exiting Turn 2. He managed to keep his A.J. Foyt Racing car out of the wall, though, and was able to stay on the lead lap when the race resumed.
Graham Rahal and teammate James Jakes were fined $10,000 for violating a rule that governs the way drivers blend back into the pack when they exit pit lane. Jakes was later assessed a drive-through penalty for a pit safety violation.
Phil Jackson Gets Candid About the Lakers During Book Tour.
We Want Phil!... To Keep Doing More Interviews.
COMMENTARY | Phil Jackson is on the loose as he goes on a whirlwind radio tour to promote his new book, "11 Rings: The Soul of Success," and discuss all things NBA. The best thing about his commentary? He's got virtually no filter, and he's giving hoops fans all of the candor they could ask for as he divulges real insight into several aspects of the Los Angeles Lakers and recent developments related to the team.
In other words, the Zen Master is dropping some serious knowledge.
The Purple-and-Gold faithful would do well to listen, too, as there were several things that hold true when it comes to their squad.
So in his honor, let's review his five best nuggets from the past week:
1. The Laughable Mike D'Antoni hire
This one is so good, and it came recently on Wednesday, May 22 when ESPN Radio's "Mike and Mike in the Morning" asked him what he thought of the Lakers' decision to spurn him and go with Mike D'Antoni to lead the team.
"I laughed," he said. "It was humorous to me when Mitch said that we think that Mike is a better coach for this group of guys."
Beautiful. Candid. Gold. Most fans, analysts and everyone in between shared his feelings on the matter. One could hear chants of "We want Phil!" on more than one occasion at Staples Center during the season -- even at Shaquille O'Neal's retirement ceremony.
2. Kobe Bryant meets Michael Jordan
On "The Dan Patrick Show" on Tuesday, May 21, Jackson shared his thoughts an the ever-polarizing debate regarding Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan, whose careers will be tied at the hip for eternity.
He spoke about several aspects of each player, but things got interesting when he talked about arranging a meeting between the two after Jordan was done playing and Bryant had the Lakers positioned to win their 16th title in 2010.
"Michael could sit back and watch other people perform and encourage them..," Jackson said. "I wanted (Kobe) to hear Michael talk about finishing a game, playing inside the offense, finishing the game at the end."
Lakers fans know about Bryant's tendency to shoot himself out of a slump, for better or worse from a team standpoint, early in the game.
"He can go over the edge sometimes and he's going to wait to get hot -- he will get hot at some point -- but hopefully it doesn't take a team down."
So basically, Jordan knew when to fold 'em, where Bryant has no conscience when it comes to shooting. He's gotten better at it in his later years, to his credit. Case in point was his facilitator role this season when his team needed him to do more.
But both players are assassin-like scorers and have a killer instinct. It's what makes each great, yet has caused Bryant to draw criticism at times throughout his career.
3. Mass confusion surrounding coaching the Lakers job
There were a lot of conflicting reports surrounding the facts of the Lakers' most recent head coaching hire. In the same interview, Jackson gave his account of what happened, and didn't hesitate when asked one of the most burning questions surrounding the matter.
"Yes, I would say that would be yes to the answer of the question," Jackson said when asked whether or not he was offered the Lakers head coaching job. "It was proposed to me without any hesitation. I was not being sold the job, they wanted to hear me out. I wanted to hear them out as to what they were doing and what their rationale was."
No one will ever know the real motives behind the front office's decision-making process, but if Jackson's words are true, then it only adds more questions and doesn't provide any answers as to why things turned out the way they did.
4. Why should Dwight Howard stay?
Dwight Howard will be the NBA's most sought-after free-agent since LeBron James this summer. The Lakers are banking on re-signing him to build their franchise around him and make him the heir-apparent to Kobe Bryant -- the only trouble is that he wasn't featured this season, and doesn't see why he would stick around given that fact.
"Would you? If you felt like your game wasn't going to be featured?" he retorted on the Dan Patrick Show. "You have to play in to Dwight Howard. You have to get back and reestablish him as the center that he potentially was going to be," said Jackson.
Jackson is only stating the obvious. D'Antoni hasn't historically been a coach willing to pound the ball inside and play through his bigs. It was only until they'd tried everything else when he adapted and began to get Howard and Pau Gasol more touches in their comfort zones.
If Howard does indeed bolt for NBA glory elsewhere, this will likely be the primary reason. Tell it like it is, Phil!
5. The ultimate franchise-starter is not a Laker... or a Bull
When the "greatest of all-time" debate comes up, it takes on many forms. In an interview with Time, Jackson didn't mention Bryant or Jordan as the player he'd want to build around if he could have his pick among the game's greatest all-time legends.
"In my estimation, the guy that has to be there would be Bill Russell. He has won 11 championships as a player," Jackson said. "That's really the idea of what excellence is, when you win championships."
When talking about the best to ever play the great game of basketball, NBA championships are always the measuring stick. Just as Jackson pointed out, Russell has 11 titles, and no one can touch that.
The question moving forward for Lakers fans moving forward is simple: Will Bryant ever join the discussion by winning his sixth ring?
National Football Post Blitz.
By Dan Pompei
My Sunday Best: All-Time Middle Linebackers
The recent retirements of Brian Urlacher and Ray Lewis have people talking about the greatest middle linebackers of all-time. Here are my Sunday Best middle linebackers:
Anyone who said they enjoyed lining up against Dick Butkus is either untruthful or crazy.
1. Dick Butkus. No defensive player ever changed games more than Butkus. No defensive player ever intimidated more than Butkus. No defensive player ever hit harder than Butkus. And no defensive player ever had better instincts than Butkus.
2. Ray Lewis. His blend of speed, leadership, longevity and consistency was incredible. The NFL had not seen a player quite like him when he came along in 1996. No other middle linebacker may ever make it to 13 Pro Bowls, as Lewis did.
3. Bill George. He started out as a defensive tackle, and was moved to a new position two years into his career. He became the forefather of middle linebackers, and some will tell you he was the best. The Bears great was known for his ability to lead and diagnose plays. In an era with some great middle linebackers, George took a back seat to no one.
4. Jack Lambert. He succeeded wildly every way a linebacker can succeed. Defensive rookie of the year. Nine-time Pro Bowler. Two0time NFL defensive player of the year. Four-time Super Bowl captain. Eight-time captain for the Steel Curtain.
5. Joe Schmidt. When a reporter asked Bill George what he thought about a documentary being done called The Violent World of Sam Huff, his response was, “If they are going to do a documentary on that, they had better get Joe Schmidt to play the part.” The Lions great was highly respected by opponents and teammates alike.
6. Brian Urlacher. The former safety’s combination of size (6-4, 258) and speed (4.57 40 yard dash) is unheard of. He finished with 41 ½ sacks and 22 interceptions. Only one other middle linebacker in history, Lewis, has as many of each. He won defensive rookie of the year and defensive player of the year awards and made it to eight Pro Bowls. The only other players to do the same are Lambert, Mean Joe Greene, Lawrence Taylor and Charles Woodson.
7. Mike Singletary. Leaders do not come any finer than Mike Singletary, the man in the middle for one of the greatest defenses in NFL history. Rejected by many as too small and too slow, all he did was get selected to 10 Pro Bowls, win two defensive player of the year awards and crack a bunch of helmets.
8. Ray Nitschke. Known for leadership, toughness and athleticism, he was a key to the great Packers dynasty. The MVP of the 1962 championship game, Nitschke looked the part and played the part well.
9. Willie Lanier. He was the first African-American star middle linebacker, and he was a force against the run and pass for the Chiefs. Lanier was named all-AFL eight times.
10. Sam Huff. He was resented because he was a media darling, but Huff still was a great player. He played in six NFL title games and had 30 career interceptions.
2. Ray Lewis. His blend of speed, leadership, longevity and consistency was incredible. The NFL had not seen a player quite like him when he came along in 1996. No other middle linebacker may ever make it to 13 Pro Bowls, as Lewis did.
3. Bill George. He started out as a defensive tackle, and was moved to a new position two years into his career. He became the forefather of middle linebackers, and some will tell you he was the best. The Bears great was known for his ability to lead and diagnose plays. In an era with some great middle linebackers, George took a back seat to no one.
4. Jack Lambert. He succeeded wildly every way a linebacker can succeed. Defensive rookie of the year. Nine-time Pro Bowler. Two0time NFL defensive player of the year. Four-time Super Bowl captain. Eight-time captain for the Steel Curtain.
5. Joe Schmidt. When a reporter asked Bill George what he thought about a documentary being done called The Violent World of Sam Huff, his response was, “If they are going to do a documentary on that, they had better get Joe Schmidt to play the part.” The Lions great was highly respected by opponents and teammates alike.
6. Brian Urlacher. The former safety’s combination of size (6-4, 258) and speed (4.57 40 yard dash) is unheard of. He finished with 41 ½ sacks and 22 interceptions. Only one other middle linebacker in history, Lewis, has as many of each. He won defensive rookie of the year and defensive player of the year awards and made it to eight Pro Bowls. The only other players to do the same are Lambert, Mean Joe Greene, Lawrence Taylor and Charles Woodson.
7. Mike Singletary. Leaders do not come any finer than Mike Singletary, the man in the middle for one of the greatest defenses in NFL history. Rejected by many as too small and too slow, all he did was get selected to 10 Pro Bowls, win two defensive player of the year awards and crack a bunch of helmets.
8. Ray Nitschke. Known for leadership, toughness and athleticism, he was a key to the great Packers dynasty. The MVP of the 1962 championship game, Nitschke looked the part and played the part well.
9. Willie Lanier. He was the first African-American star middle linebacker, and he was a force against the run and pass for the Chiefs. Lanier was named all-AFL eight times.
10. Sam Huff. He was resented because he was a media darling, but Huff still was a great player. He played in six NFL title games and had 30 career interceptions.
Woods heads potent field for next week's Memorial.
Reuters; (Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Frank Pingue)
The Memorial tournament at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio will feature one of the season's strongest fields with the world's top six players all taking part in the PGA Tour event hosted by Jack Nicklaus.
Top-ranked Tiger Woods will be back to defend the title he claimed by two shots last year while Rory McIlroy (second), Adam Scott (third), 2010 champion Justin Rose (fourth), Brandt Snedeker (fifth) and Luke Donald (sixth) will also be competing.
Apart from five-times winner Woods and Rose, seven other former champions will be returning - K.J. Choi (2007), Fred Couples (1998), Ernie Els (2004), Jim Furyk (2002), Kenny Perry (2008), Carl Pettersson (2006) and Vijay Singh (1997).
"We are always extremely proud of the fields we are able to assemble ... and this year's stands as one of our finest," tournament founder Nicklaus said in a statement on Friday after the 120-strong field was set for the May 30-June 2 event.
"We have the top five players in the world, and almost the entire top 10 from the FedEx Cup and money lists. We are delighted that world No. 1 Tiger Woods is returning to defend his victory from 2012, and that recent world No. 1s Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald and Lee Westwood have joined him."
Also taking part next week will be Chinese sensation Guan Tianlang who became the youngest player to make the cut in a major championship at the Masters last month.
The surprisingly mature 14-year-old will make his fourth start in a PGA Tour event when he tees off in Thursday's opening round, having been given a sponsor's exemption for the Memorial tournament.
"It is Jack Nicklaus' event, and the same as all the golf fans out there I have very high respect to Mr. Nicklaus, not just as a golf legend, but also as a great person," Guan said in a statement.
"He has been actively involved in the development of golf in China, and junior golf development worldwide, and as a junior golfer myself I appreciate what he has done to help us grow.
"My parents and I got the chance to meet him in person at the Masters, and that was one of the highlights of my week at Augusta National."
The Memorial tournament at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio will feature one of the season's strongest fields with the world's top six players all taking part in the PGA Tour event hosted by Jack Nicklaus.
Top-ranked Tiger Woods will be back to defend the title he claimed by two shots last year while Rory McIlroy (second), Adam Scott (third), 2010 champion Justin Rose (fourth), Brandt Snedeker (fifth) and Luke Donald (sixth) will also be competing.
Apart from five-times winner Woods and Rose, seven other former champions will be returning - K.J. Choi (2007), Fred Couples (1998), Ernie Els (2004), Jim Furyk (2002), Kenny Perry (2008), Carl Pettersson (2006) and Vijay Singh (1997).
"We are always extremely proud of the fields we are able to assemble ... and this year's stands as one of our finest," tournament founder Nicklaus said in a statement on Friday after the 120-strong field was set for the May 30-June 2 event.
"We have the top five players in the world, and almost the entire top 10 from the FedEx Cup and money lists. We are delighted that world No. 1 Tiger Woods is returning to defend his victory from 2012, and that recent world No. 1s Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald and Lee Westwood have joined him."
Also taking part next week will be Chinese sensation Guan Tianlang who became the youngest player to make the cut in a major championship at the Masters last month.
The surprisingly mature 14-year-old will make his fourth start in a PGA Tour event when he tees off in Thursday's opening round, having been given a sponsor's exemption for the Memorial tournament.
"It is Jack Nicklaus' event, and the same as all the golf fans out there I have very high respect to Mr. Nicklaus, not just as a golf legend, but also as a great person," Guan said in a statement.
"He has been actively involved in the development of golf in China, and junior golf development worldwide, and as a junior golfer myself I appreciate what he has done to help us grow.
"My parents and I got the chance to meet him in person at the Masters, and that was one of the highlights of my week at Augusta National."
Time to start thinking about golfing in Chicago; a true hidden gem of diverse courses.
Chicago Sports & Travel/AllsportsAmerica wants you. Golf season is upon us and for you diehard golfers that want to try something different, come golf in Chicago. Our group at CS&T/AA, Golf Options Illinois Forever, is ready to accommodate you with some of the most diverse golf courses in one location. Regardless of your golfing ability, we have a group of courses for you to play. We arrange your transportation, lodging, tee times and any miscellaneous request that you might have. There is so much to see and do when you’re not on the golf course. Chicago has wonderful architecture, excellent museums, very good ethnic food, a great night life, remarkable professional sports teams, a diverse population with unlimited potential that has earned it several nicknames such as, “The city that works”, The city of big shoulders”, “The windy city”, “The second city” and “A true world class city.” It all works for us and we want to share it with you. Come golf in Chicago. Email us at chicagosportsandtravel@yahoo.com and let us see what we can do for you. We guarantee you that all of our packages are very rare but priced super fair. Try us, we’re sure you’ll like us. We sincerely look forward to hearing from you. In the meantime, “Have a great sports day!!!!!"
Chicago Sports & Travel/AllsportsAmerica wants you. Golf season is upon us and for you diehard golfers that want to try something different, come golf in Chicago. Our group at CS&T/AA, Golf Options Illinois Forever, is ready to accommodate you with some of the most diverse golf courses in one location. Regardless of your golfing ability, we have a group of courses for you to play. We arrange your transportation, lodging, tee times and any miscellaneous request that you might have. There is so much to see and do when you’re not on the golf course. Chicago has wonderful architecture, excellent museums, very good ethnic food, a great night life, remarkable professional sports teams, a diverse population with unlimited potential that has earned it several nicknames such as, “The city that works”, The city of big shoulders”, “The windy city”, “The second city” and “A true world class city.” It all works for us and we want to share it with you. Come golf in Chicago. Email us at chicagosportsandtravel@yahoo.com and let us see what we can do for you. We guarantee you that all of our packages are very rare but priced super fair. Try us, we’re sure you’ll like us. We sincerely look forward to hearing from you. In the meantime, “Have a great sports day!!!!!"
The Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs Are Not Rivals.
By Kevin Chroust
COMMENTARY | The last game the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs played that was worth more than 0.6 percent of the regular season was in 1906. It was played at a place called South Side Park. 19,249 people were there, and they're all dead.
The Wright brothers were still trying to convince the government of airplane practicality.
The Chicago Transit Authority's Red Line, which connects the two current Chicago ballparks and is often referenced when the two teams play--the Red Line Series--was six years old and didn't venture south of the Loop.
The pitchers of record were named Doc and Mordecai, and one of them had three fingers.
COMMENTARY | The last game the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs played that was worth more than 0.6 percent of the regular season was in 1906. It was played at a place called South Side Park. 19,249 people were there, and they're all dead.
The Wright brothers were still trying to convince the government of airplane practicality.
The Chicago Transit Authority's Red Line, which connects the two current Chicago ballparks and is often referenced when the two teams play--the Red Line Series--was six years old and didn't venture south of the Loop.
The pitchers of record were named Doc and Mordecai, and one of them had three fingers.
When the Sox host the Cubs this evening, the teams will be renewing something. Interleague play. Not a rivalry.
It could be the least-watched game between the two since interleague play started in 1997. Why? For one, baseball enthusiasm isn't exactly at an all-time high in Chicago. But more importantly, there's a rivalry to watch. The Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings drop the puck for Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals an hour after the baseball game begins.
The fact that players from both teams get to sleep in their own beds is a matter of convenience, not distinguished athletic competition.
Geographically fabricated sports rivalries are for people who know little about sports and need a reason to watch, and Major League Baseball was smart enough to begin taking full advantage of that in 1997. That's exactly what the Sox-Cubs series is--a mess of forced enthusiasm on often-mediocre baseball teams and beaten-to-death insults about Sox fans being poor and Cubs fans being drunk coming from Cubs fans who are likely poor and Sox fans who are likely drunk.
Rivals are teams that play important games against each other, not teams that fill out similar tax forms. If they fill out similar tax forms, all the better, but athletic relevance is not an unessential part of the formula.
The only shared memory anyone has from the last 15 years of Cubs-Sox interleague play is more of a criminal act than an act of baseball--former Cubs catcher Michael Barrett popping former Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski in the jaw. No one remembers if Pierzynski scored. No one remembers who won.
The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are rivals because everyone remembers who won when Curt Schilling bled all over himself, not because blood was drawn.
The Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche were rivals because they were the two best teams in the NHL's Western Conference for a prolonged stretch of time, not because Patrick Roy once pretended like he beat the sense out of Chris Osgood in that sweet goalie fight.
There has to be an important athletic element for teams to be rivals. There has to be something happening in the game to make Cubs play-by-play announcer Len Kasper stop talking about American Idol and Sox play-by-play announcer Ken Harrelson start putting it on the board, yes.
These teams don't play in the same division. They don't play in the same league. They never play in the heat of a late-September playoff push. A win is worth the same as any other regular-season win, but a Sox loss does nothing to help the Cubs. A Cubs loss does nothing to help the Sox. And because of that, these games are actually worth less than any game each team plays against any of the teams in their respective leagues.
That doesn't mean they shouldn't play or people shouldn't pay attention. It makes perfect sense for these teams to play--from a business standpoint and an entertainment standpoint. Whenever a league can pack a stadium or arena with a large number of fans from both teams, a different environment is created. It's unique.
But that's it. A unique day at U.S. Cellular Field. Not illustrious, heightened athletic opposition.
So enjoy it all you want. Call each other what you want--anything but rivals.
Rogers makes Galaxy debut as openly gay athlete.
By
Robbie Rogers became the first openly gay male athlete to play in a U.S. professional league on Sunday night, making his Major League Soccer debut with the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Rogers entered as a substitute in the 77th minute with the Galaxy leading the Seattle Sounders 4-0, which turned out to be the final score.
He received loud cheers from the crowd of 24,811 as he ran onto the pitch, with fans chanting his last name. Rogers ran by teammate Landon Donovan, who slapped his hand and patted him on the back as he took his position.
Rogers touched the ball a couple times in the closing minutes of the Galaxy's victory that ended Seattle's three-game winning streak.
Rogers' signing on Saturday was so recent that he wasn't listed in the game day program, which featured a picture of Mike Magee in the centerfold. Magee, the Galaxy's leading scorer and a fan favorite, was traded to his hometown Chicago Fire, which held Rogers' MLS rights.
Rogers spent the last two seasons in England. He trained with the Galaxy for a month while hoping to continue his career not far from his hometown of Huntington Beach.
The loudest chants of ''Robbie, Robbie'' were for Robbie Keene, who had his first career three-goal game in MLS. His three goals, including two on penalty kicks, and another by Sean Franklin gave the Galaxy a 4-0 lead at halftime.
Keane's hat trick in a 44-minute span was the second-fastest in Galaxy history. The fastest occurred in 43 minutes in 2004 by Alejandro Moreno.
Keane scored three consecutive goals 10 minutes apart. His first in the 24th minute came on a right-footed shot from the center of the box into the bottom right corner of the goal following a corner.
Keane followed in the 34th minute, burying a penalty shot in the bottom right corner.
He converted another penalty shot in the 44th minute, booting the ball into the bottom left corner.
The Galaxy's first goal came in the 12th minute when Franklin right-footed shot from close range into the center of the goal. Keene had the assist.
Baseball results, Sunday, 05/26/2013.
Reuters
Results from the MLB games on Sunday (home team in CAPS)
TORONTO 6 Baltimore 5
DETROIT 6 Minnesota 1
Chicago Cubs 5 CINCINNATI 4 (10 innings)
BOSTON 6 Cleveland 5
WASHINGTON 6 Philadelphia 1
TAMPA BAY 8 NY Yankees 3
CHICAGO WHITE SOX 5 Miami 3
LA Angels 5 KANSAS CITY 2
Pittsburgh 5 MILWAUKEE 4
Oakland 6 HOUSTON 2
SAN FRANCISCO 7 Colorado 3
SEATTLE 4 Texas 3 (13 innings)
St. Louis 5 LA DODGERS 3
ARIZONA 6 San Diego 5
NY METS 4 Atlanta 2
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