Monday, June 17, 2013

CS&T/AllsportsAmerica Monday Sports News Update, 06/17/2013.

Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica
 
Sports Quote of the Day:
 
"Hockey players have fire in their hearts and ice in their veins." ~ Author Unknown
 
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Bruins beat the Blackhawks 2-1 in OT, even Cup series. We said it was going to be a roller coaster ride but in our hearts, mind and soul, we think the Blackhawks are going to win it all. Why? Because they never give up, give out or give in and when the going gets rough and tough, the rough and tough Blackhawks get going!!!
 
By JAY COHEN (AP Sports Writer)

The Boston Bruins were mad when they played poorly in the first period of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals. Then they went out and got even with the Chicago Blackhawks.

This group of Bruins is one resilient bunch.


Daniel Paille scored at 13:48 in overtime and Boston used another great performance by Tuukka Rask to overcome a sluggish start in a 2-1 victory over the Blackhawks on Saturday night, tying the series at a game apiece.

''We got rewarded because I thought from the second period on, we were a good team, a better team, and by the end I thought we had more chances,'' Bruins coach Claude Julien said.

Three days after a three-overtime thriller in the opener, Boston and Chicago once again were tied after regulation. The Bruins then turned up their play and finally cashed in after goaltender
Corey Crawford singlehandedly kept the Blackhawks in the game.

Brandon Bollig had a turnover in the Chicago end and Tyler Seguin passed it to Paille, who shot it under Crawford's glove and off the right post for his third goal of the playoffs. The slick shot sent the Bruins back to Boston with the momentum ahead of Game 3 on Monday night.

''We just kept the pressure on and Seggy threw the puck to me,'' Paille said. ''I just popped out and had to shoot the puck quick, get it off my stick. I was able to send it post low. He made a good play passing it over instead of shooting.''


Patrick Sharp scored for Chicago, which looked more and more gassed as the night wore on. Crawford made 26 saves.

''You've got to kind of swallow this one and move on,'' Sharp said. ''We know what's on the line in this series and going into Boston's going to be tough, but we're ready for the challenge. We'll find a way to be better for Game 3.''

Paille also had an assist on
Chris Kelly's tying goal in the second, and Rask made 18 of his 33 stops in the first period.

''That's kind of how our room is. On any given night, someone can step up,'' Kelly said. ''Paille showed that tonight.''

The first two games of last year's Stanley Cup also went to overtime, with Los Angeles taking a 2-0 lead at New Jersey before going on to defeat the Devils in six games. Before last season, it had been 61 years since the first two games of the finals needed an extra period to decide the winner. In that 1951 Stanley Cup, each of the five games went to overtime, with Toronto taking the series against Montreal.

The way Chicago and Boston are playing, a repeat is certainly possible.

It was the third consecutive overtime game for the Blackhawks, who eliminated Los Angeles with a 4-3 victory in two overtimes in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals, and then defeated Boston 4-3 in Wednesday night's marathon. Chicago dropped to 4-2 during OT games in this year's playoffs.

The Bruins lost the opener when Dave Bolland's tip went off Andrew Shaw's leg and past Rask for the winning score. They also blew a 3-1 third-period lead in that one, but seemed to have no problem putting the loss behind them that night.

After all, the same core group of Bruins dropped the first two games of the 2011 Stanley Cup finals against Vancouver and came back to win. They trailed 4-1 in the third period of Game 7 against Toronto in this postseason and came back to win.

It's a spirit that runs hand in hand with their home city these days. In the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings, the Bruins talked about wanting to do something for the city, and they took another step toward that goal in Game 2.

''We're excited to come away with a win. But it's only 1-1,'' defenseman Dennis Seidenberg said. ''It's a long series. We have to start focusing on the next game, and start better.''

The Bruins' final push was a stark contrast to the beginning of the game, with the Blackhawks looking refreshed during a dominant first period. The Bruins looked tired and slow, except for Rask, and he was enough to keep it close.

Rask turned away numerous prime opportunities for Chicago, but Sharp managed to score while the goaltender contended with a pile of bodies in front of the net. It was his ninth playoff goal, breaking a tie with Bryan Bickell for the team lead and matching Boston center David Krejci for the NHL's best total.

A few minutes later, Marian Hossa pushed Rask's pads and the puck just over the red line in goal. But the officials ruled the play had been whistled dead before the score.

''I thought the whistle was a little quick, but that's the way it is,'' Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews said. ''It's frustrating when the bounces don't go your way, but it is what it is.''

When the first period was over, the Blackhawks had 19 shots on goal. Sharp (six) and Hossa (five) each had more shots than Boston had as a team (four).

It was not a pretty scene in the Bruins' locker room at intermission - Julien said there was ''a bit of a chat.'' Still, Chicago only had a 1-0 lead.

''I think we were angry,'' Seguin said. ''We were motivated. I think the guys just weren't happy in here. We knew we could be better. We were making mental mistakes.''

Boston began to control the action in the second, leading to the tying score.


Paille had a takeaway against Sharp behind the net and then made a nice move to get to the other side of the goal. Crawford turned him away, but Kelly was there to poke in the rebound at 14:58.

Kelly's first playoff goal since April 12, 2012, against Washington and No. 11 for his career ended Boston's scoreless stretch of 1 hour, 40 minutes and 57 seconds dating to the third period of the opener.

''It's like the second period, I thought we lost the pace of the game on that end of the rink,'' Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. ''We had the perfect start to the game, then we stopped doing what made us successful. We stood around. They countered.''


 
NOTES: Bruins F Nathan Horton played 21 1/2 minutes after leaving the series opener with an unspecified upper body injury. ... Toews received a standing ovation when he was recognized in the first period with a videoboard message honoring the center for winning this year's Frank J. Selke award, given to the NHL's best defensive forward. ... It was the first split of the first two games of the Stanley Cup finals since 2004, when Calgary won the first game on the road and Tampa Bay took Game 2. The Lightning won the series in seven games.

Rose wins US Open, more heartache for Mickelson.

By DOUG FERGUSON (AP Golf Writer)
 
Rose wins US Open, more heartache for Mickelson
Justin Rose, of England, poses with the trophy after winning the U.S. Open golf tournament at Merion Golf Club, Sunday, June 16, 2013, in Ardmore, Pa.
 
A steady hand gave Justin Rose the shiny U.S. Open Trophy. A wild ride gave Phil Mickelson yet another silver medal.
 
Rose captured his first major championship on Sunday with remarkable calm and three pure shots on the punishing closing holes at Merion. A par on the 18th hole gave him an even-par 70, and that was good enough to become the first Englishman in 43 years to win America's national championship.

Rose hit 5-iron to the first cut of rough, pin-high on the 17th for an easy par. He smashed the most important tee shot of his career down the middle on the final hole, about 10 yards short of the famous Ben Hogan plaque. And his approach rolled near the pin and settled against the collar of the green.

''When I came over the hill and saw my ball laying in the fairway, I thought, 'This is my moment.' It was me hitting from the middle of the fairway,'' Rose said.

As usual, someone's big moment in the U.S. Open came at Mickelson's expense.

Rose was in the scoring area a half-mile from the grandstands behind the 18th green where the fans began to chant, ''Let's go Phil!'' as Mickelson paced off a last-ditch effort to force a playoff. It was a long shot - the 18th hole didn't yield a single birdie all weekend. From about 40 yards away, Mickelson's chip for birdie raced by the cup, securing Rose's victory.

Mickelson, already in the U.S. Open record book with five second-place finishes, added another that will hurt as much any of them.

Sunday was his 43rd birthday. It was the first time he was equipped with the outright lead going into the last day. His week began with a cross-country trip home to San Diego to watch his oldest daughter graduate from the eighth grade, returning just three hours before his tee time on Thursday. This was the same daughter born the day after his first runner-up finish in 1999.

All the stars were aligned. None of the putts fell in.

What hurt Mickelson even more was a wedge from about 121 yards on the 15th hole. It should have given him a good look at birdie, but it came up so short that Mickelson's best chance was to use one of his five wedges to chip from the front of the green. He hit that one too far, 25 feet by the hole, and the bogey wound up costing him a chance at the major he covets.

Mickelson wound up with a bogey on the 18th for a 74 and tied for second with Jason Day, who closed with a 71.

''Heartbreak,'' Mickelson said. ''This is tough to swallow after coming so close. This was my best chance of all of them. I had a golf course I really liked. I felt this was as good an opportunity as you could ask for. It really hurts.''

Manu Ginobili, Spurs push Heat to the brink, win NBA Finals Game 5.

By Johnny Ludden

For two days, Manu Ginobili had heard all the doubts, including possibly, a few from within himself. He had labored in these NBA Finals. That much was true. Long one of the game's great clutch performers and an icon here in South Texas, he had played unsteady, looking every bit of his 35 years.

This was not the Manu the San Antonio Spurs knew, and even some of them likely wondered: Was the magic gone? Were all those big-game moments Ginobili had delivered for much of the past decade just memories? Moments to be treasured and remembered, but no longer duplicated?
 
So, Ginobili stood there on the day before Game 5 of the Finals, surrounded by reporters, peppered by question after question, each of them implying the same. Are you done?

Not yet, it appears.

Ginobili dug deep once again, and when he was done late Sunday, he had pushed the Spurs to a 114-104 victory over the Miami Heat, pushed them to the brink of another NBA championship. Ignited by his first start in more than a year, Ginobili delivered 24 points and 10 assists, lifting the Spurs to a 3-2 lead in the Finals.
 
Are you done?

The answer Ginobili gave on the court Sunday night rang louder than anything he had said the day before. With Tony Parker scoring 26 points and Danny Green making six more 3-pointers to break the record for most in the Finals – he has 25 in the series – the Spurs will have two opportunities, if needed, to dethrone the Heat in Miami.
 
Game 6 is Tuesday at American Airlines Arena. Game 7, if necessary, will be Thursday.

The Spurs can thank Ginobili and Green for ensuring their final home game of the season ended memorably. After trailing by as many as 17 points in the first half, the Heat drew within one with 3:05 left in the third quarter. Green answered with a 3-pointer. Ginobili took over from there. He bumped Ray Allen off him, drove along the baseline and tossed in a left-handed floater while picking up the foul. He followed with a floater then found Tiago Splitter for a reverse layup. Ginobili punctuated the flurry with another driving layup.
 
The quarter ended as the Spurs' lead ballooned to 12. As Ginobili walked off the court to the bench, the crowd responded with a chant heard off through the years here: "Ma-nu! Ma-nu! Ma-nu!"

One of the league's more versatile teams, the Spurs are accustomed to playing small or big, using a variety of personnel combinations to match up or down as they see fit.

This, however, was the first time their three stars had started together all season. Ginobili hadn't started since their season-ending loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6 of last year's Western Conference finals.

The Spurs didn't need to wait long to see if the move would give Ginobili some life.

On the game's opening possession, he stepped back for a foot-on-the-line 23-foot jump shot. For much of these Finals, he had looked like a player unsure of himself, forcing passes and contested shots. No more. Embracing the urgency of the situation – and taking advantage of the opportunity to play alongside Duncan and Parker – Ginobili found his shot and his teammates, ending the first quarter with seven points and four assists.
 
The Spurs took charge in the final few minutes of the opening quarter, scoring 12 unanswered points and 15 of the period's final 17. Parker ignited that burst, but he didn't lack for help. Of the Spurs' five starters, four of them scored seven points apiece in the quarter. Danny Green was the exception, and he heated up soon enough.

Green made three 3-pointers in a 99-second flurry in the second quarter, hiking the Spurs' lead to 17 with seven minutes left in the half. He buried the third three over the outstretched arms of Ray Allen, appropriate enough, given that it was Green's 22nd 3-pointer of the Finals, tying Allen's record for most in a championship series. He broke the record with No. 23 early in the third quarter.
 
C-USA female official working toward NFL job.
 
By JIM JOHNSON (Associated Press)

Indianapolis Colts linebacker Robert Mathis wasn't all that thrilled being called for an offside penalty on the final day of minicamp this week.

''I'm not exactly happy with that,'' Mathis said with a laugh.

The official that made the call? Sarah Thomas, who is on her way toward becoming the first permanent female official in the NFL. It could happen as early as the 2014 season.
 
''I'm certain I can't make everybody happy,'' Thomas said of that call on Mathis.

Thomas spent three days at the Colts minicamp as part of the NFL's officiating development program, and league officials say she would be the first woman to reach NFL fields through the program. She's expected to join the Colts in training camp next month and could call some preseason games this year.
 
Once completing the development program, Thomas could get a shot at the regular season if a spot becomes available. That wouldn't happen until a current official retires or leaves the league.

''It's just something that happened,'' said Dean Blandino, the NFL's vice president of officiating. ''She was in our pipeline for a while.''

Last year, Shannon Eastin became the first woman to be an official in both a preseason and regular-season NFL game. She was a line judge in the Rams-Lions season opener, among the replacements hired during the officials' lockout.
 
Eastin, who started officiating high school games before moving up to colleges, owns a company called SE Sports Officiating, which trains officials in football and basketball.

Last summer, the NFL Referees Association said Eastin shouldn't be allowed to work league games because she has been in the World Series of Poker. If Eastin is hired permanently, the NFL's gambling policy would bar her from participating in such events.

Thomas is an official with Conference USA and has been for the past eight seasons. She still has some steps to take before she can get to the NFL. There are interviews and background checks to be done, and she will be evaluated during any NFL camps and preseason games she handles - as well as during the upcoming college football season.
 
Just like a player, it's a big step for an official to go to the next level.

''It's similar from when a players jumps from college to the NFL,'' Blandino said.

''Getting used to that type of speed is important.''

Thomas noticed the speed right away at minicamp even when the players run with no pads. It will take some time to get used to. But she said she likes the challenge of officiating. That's what got her interested in the job of wearing the stripes during football games, even as a high school football official in Mississippi, where she's called state championship games.

''The speed, yes, is there,'' Thomas said. ''These are just phenomenal athletes on both sides of the ball. The game has a tendency to slow down the most snaps you get and repetition. So, hopefully, the more snaps I get, things will start slowing down a little bit.''
 
Thomas shows many of the qualities and traits the NFL looks for in an official. She's confident and shows a command of where to go and what to do at all times. Having a female involved and the NFL showing its diversity, well, that's just a bonus.

''It's always a positive when there's diversity,'' Blandino said.
 
Greg Biffle wins second consecutive Michigan race for Ford’s 1,000th win.
 
 
After a late tire-issue for Jimmie Johnson, Greg Biffle cruised to the checkered flag for his second Michigan win in a row on Sunday and first victory of the season.

Biffle was in command of the race after the final restart but was feeling pressure from Johnson, who was closing. Did he have enough time to catch Biffle? With two laps to go and Johnson trailing Biffle by under a second, he lost a tire in the middle of turns one and two and his car skated up towards the wall.

The right side of the car was pancaked. Johnson's chances at the win were toast, and Biffle finished more than four seconds ahead of Kevin Harvick.

"I love it when the 48 crashes trying to catch me. Love it," Biffle exclaimed over the radio after crossing the finish line.

He explained his comment on the radio later -- Johnson came through the field to the front numerous times Sunday and said he had to drive really hard over the last segment of the race to get near Biffle.

"Well, let me clarify that a little bit" Biffle said. "I don’t want to see anybody wreck; I should have said make a mistake. And that’s truly what he did is he made a mistake.

He pushed the envelope, and we all do that. I almost did that; he almost busted me, and basically that’s what I was referring to was breaking him. We got him to make a mistake, we got him to falter, and we pushed the envelope, and that’s part of racing and part of running hard and being competitive, and it makes you feel good when you push the guy over the edge, and he made a mistake.

It was also the second straight Michigan race that Johnson had a problem while racing Biffle for the win. Last August, Johnson's engine started to wane while he was in the lead and Biffle passed him for the win shortly before it expired with five laps to go.

Biffle had the lead on that final restart thanks to a great break on pit road during a green flag pit stop cycle. As Biffle had just hit pit road on lap 167 of the 200 lap race, Jamie McMurray blew a tire and brought out a caution flag. But because he was in his pit stall when the caution waved, Biffle was able to exit the pits without going a lap down.

That meant that as the rest of the lead lap cars who hadn't pitted made their way in for service during the caution, Biffle inherited the lead and never gave it back. His teammate Carl Edwards, who started on the pole, had pitted just prior to Biffle. He wasn't so lucky. He was forced to take the wavearound and finished 8th.

"I was really worried about that 48, you know, he'd been pretty fast, but when this thing got in clean air it was all over," Biffle said.

The win was Ford's 1,000th race win across all of NASCAR's national series.

Last week, Biffle finished second to Johnson at Pocono. And it was possible the opposite would be true this week. But because of the tire issue Johnson ended up 28th, the highest finishing Hendrick Motorsports car after Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne also all had problems.

Johnson's points lead is now 31 over Edwards and Biffle is 8th in the standings. 
 

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List of Live Soccer Games on US TV for June 17 to June 20.
 

No European club competitions? That's no problem for soccer fans in the middle of June. International fixtures will air live on US TV every day this week beginning on Monday. Perhaps the best part is that all of the Confederations Cup contests that are airing on television will also be available via the ESPN3/Watch ESPN service. That means that those of you who can't escape work will still be able to catch all of the action of that particular tournament.

All times listed below are ET

Live soccer games on US TV for June 17


ESPN: ESPN's week of live soccer games begins with an afternoon Confederations Cup contest. Tahiti will play against Nigeria at 2:45 pm. This match will also air live on Univision Deportes

Live soccer games on US TV for June 18

beIN Sport/beIN en Español: A single World Cup Qualifier will air on these stations on Tuesday night. Costa Rica will host Panama at 9:45 pm.

ESPN: The United States will look to complete a sweep of their recent World Cup Qualifiers when they host Honduras. Coverage of that game will kick off at 8:30 pm. Both UniMas and Univision Deportes will air this match live. 
 
ESPN Deportes: The UEFA U-21 Championship wraps up on Tuesday when Italy face off with Spain. ESPN Deportes will begin coverage of that game at 11:43 am. 

Live soccer games on US TV for June 19

beIN Sport/beIN en Español: Girona will play against Almería in the first leg of the Spanish Segunda Playoff Final at 3:00 pm.

ESPN: The Confederations Cup will again be featured on ESPN on Wednesday. Brazil vs. Mexico begins things at 2:30 pm. Univision and Univision Deportes will also air this contest. Italy will play against Japan at 5:45 pm. This match will also be shown on UniMas and Univision Deportes.
 
TSN/RDS: Those with access to two stations from up north will be able to watch some Major League Soccer action on Wednesday. Montreal Impact will host Houston Dynamo at 8:00 pm. Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Chivas USA immediately follows at 10:00 pm. 

Live soccer games on US TV for June 20
 
ESPN: Two more Confederations Cup matches will occur on Thursday. Tahiti will look to pull off the upset when they play against Spain at 2:45 pm. Nigeria vs. Uruguay will begin at 5:45 pm. Both UniMas and Univision Deportes will also show these contests live.

As always, remember to check your local listings for channel availability and also to learn about all of the games that will air on the stations mentioned above via tape-delay and replay during the midweek.

John Force wins NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.
 
Associated Press

John Force ended a 31-event winless streak Sunday in the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, beating Cruz Pedregon in the final round.

The 64-year-old Force raced to his record 135th career victory and fourth at Bristol Dragway. He powered his Ford Mustang to 4.148-second run at 305.29 mph, while Pedregon's Toyota Camry shut off approaching the finish.
 
"If you can't compete you are just mentally out of it," Force said. "This is great to come back here and win. So many fans wanted me to win on Father's Day. It's just a great day for the Force family and to do it on Father's Day is just awesome."

Force outran daughter Courtney Force, points leader Matt Hagan and rising star Blake Alexander to advance to the final round.
 
Steve Torrence won the Top Fuel event, and Rodger Brogdon topped the Pro Stock field.
 
Torrence raced to his first win of the season and fourth overall, beating top qualifier Spencer Massey with a 3.871 at 320.13. Massey had a 3.894 at 317.19.
 
Brogdon claimed his first Pro Stock victory, outrunning Erica Enders-Stevens with a 6.745 at 205.38 in a Chevy Camaro. Enders-Stevens had a 6.752 at 205.66.
 
Lindsey Vonn: ‘I’m not just Tiger’s girlfriend … I have my own career and my own life’.
 
By Kevin Kaduk
 
It seems almost strange to say, but Lindsey Vonn has become a fixture on the PGA Tour. Since announcing her relationship with Tiger Woods back in March, the Olympic skier has been spotted at several events, including The Masters, The Players Championship, The Memorial and this week's U.S. Open.
 
Vonn has gone largely unbothered at the Merion Golf Club as she's followed Woods around the course. Bill Pennington of the New York Times, however, caught up with the 28-year-old to talk about what it's like to be involved with one of the most famous men in the world.
 
You can read about Pennington's walk with Vonn in its entirety here, but the one quote that really stood out was one that made you think Vonn is struggling a bit with her whole identity right now.

And if the relationship continues, you can be sure Woods is seen as "Lindsey's boyfriend" when the Winter Olympics roll around in 2014. She says she expects him to attend.
 
(In other words, Tiger better make sure to pack warm for a winter stay in Russia, just like Vonn has made sure to pack her Red Bull golf caps for her stays in the gallery this spring.)
“Some people seem to forget that I’m not just Tiger’s girlfriend," Vonn told the Times. “I’m actually a successful athlete. I’m Lindsey. I have my own career and my own life.”
Vonn said her recovery from ACL surgery is going well and that Woods has been helpful in dispensing advice for her comeback. She expects to be back on skis by September, which would be about a month ahead of schedule.

Here's a few more quotes from the piece:

Vonn watches Friday's second-round action. (Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

On their relationship: "I'm very happy, things are great."

On whether she is committed to Woods: "“I’m at a golf tournament, aren’t I? When was I ever at golf tournaments before? I kind of like him; can you tell?”
 
On how her life has changed: "Most things are very normal, but something like going out to dinner is next to impossible. Unless he wore a wig, I think he’d be recognized anywhere."
 
On being in the tabloids: “I won’t lie, I picked up the occasional gossip magazine in the past because I thought that maybe 5 to 10 percent of it was true. Now I think it’s zero percent.”
 
Baseball results, Sunday, June 16, 2013.
 
Reuters

Results from the MLB games on Sunday (home team in CAPS)

CLEVELAND 2 Washington 0
CINCINNATI 5 Milwaukee 1
MIAMI 7 St. Louis 2
NY METS 4
Chicago Cubs 3
BALTIMORE 6 Boston 3
PITTSBURGH 6 LA Dodgers 3
Kansas City 5 TAMPA BAY 3
Detroit 5 MINNESOTA 2
HOUSTON 5
Chicago White Sox 4
Toronto 7 TEXAS 2
NY Yankees 6 LA ANGELS 5
OAKLAND 10 Seattle 2
SAN DIEGO 4 Arizona 1
COLORADO 5 Philadelphia 2
ATLANTA 3 San Francisco 0

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