Sports Quote of the Day:
"Here's what I tell anybody and this is what I believe. The greatest gift we have is the gift of life. We understand that. That comes from our Creator. We're given a body. Now you may not like it, but you can maximize that body the best it can be maximized." ~ Mike Ditka, NFL Player, Coach and Hall of Famer
Bear Down Chicago Bears!! Same Song, Different Album for This Chicago Bears Season?
By Billy Grayson
By Billy Grayson
COMMENTARY | It's an all too familiar tune for Chicago Bears fans everywhere -- a struggling offense that gains any sort of consistency with a defense that creates turnovers, produces good field position and makes plays everywhere.
Cutler looking to start 'planning' to help new offense.
But with all of the changes made this offseason, it wasn't supposed to be this way.
New head coach Marc Trestman, an offensive-minded and passing-game guru, was supposed to jell with strong-armed quarterback Jay Cutler. Cutler was supposed to utilize all of those offensive weapons, like WRs Alshon Jeffery, newly signed TE Martellus Bennett, and dual-threat RB Matt Forte, to create an offense so diverse that many Bears fans haven't ever seen.
I know it's early and the first-team offense had only three series together in its preseason opener on the road against the Carolina Panthers last Friday, a 24-17 loss that saw Cutler go 6-for-8 for 56 yards and 1 INT. The interception was strictly a miscommunication with Jeffery, and it was telling that Cutler went right back to him on the first offensive play the following series.
But it isn't unfair to expect more and wonder when this group will finally come together, and that includes the offensive line. Bears fans should be very concerned with the news coming out of Bourbonnais that RT J'Marcus Webb and RG James Brown were demoted to the second team, replaced by rookie Jordan Mills and Kyle Long, respectively.
This is now the third different offensive coordinator in three seasons to fall in love with the size and strength of Webb, but, eventually, he will need to prove he's more than just a physical specimen. Webb got beat badly on the outside in a sack of Cutler in the first quarter. He constantly looked over-matched, and the Bears are wise to start looking elsewhere in what is a critical season for their franchise going forward.
But it isn't unfair to expect more and wonder when this group will finally come together, and that includes the offensive line. Bears fans should be very concerned with the news coming out of Bourbonnais that RT J'Marcus Webb and RG James Brown were demoted to the second team, replaced by rookie Jordan Mills and Kyle Long, respectively.
This is now the third different offensive coordinator in three seasons to fall in love with the size and strength of Webb, but, eventually, he will need to prove he's more than just a physical specimen. Webb got beat badly on the outside in a sack of Cutler in the first quarter. He constantly looked over-matched, and the Bears are wise to start looking elsewhere in what is a critical season for their franchise going forward.
The bright side, obviously, would be the defense, which, led by new coordinator Mel Tucker, looked as if it hadn't come close to taking the step back many fans expected it would. Even without DEs Julius Peppers and Corey Wooton, the likely starters at the position, the first-team unit looked fast and in-sync. OLB Lance Briggs looked very comfortable calling plays, and both Tim Jennings and Charles Tillman, each fresh off his own Pro Bowl season, had pass breakups.
Rookie MLB Jon Bostic, starting in place of the injured D.J. Williams, showed phenomenal instincts defending in the passing game as well on his 51-yard INT returned for a touchdown. It will be interesting to see whether or not Bostic has done enough to supplant Williams as the starter. Whether he starts now or sometime in the future, he looked fantastic and was one of the most impressive guys in the game.
Despite the defense's strong showing, most fans probably would have rather seen things the other way around. It would be no surprise to see this defense return to being top five in the league. They return nine starters from a season ago, with only MLB Brian Urlacher and SLB Nick Roach gone, both of whom (despite Urlacher's valuable leadership) were viewed as replaceable parts.
Maybe the Bears are who we thought they were: a team led by a top-flight defense once again forced to carry a struggling and underachieving offense. That could be good enough for another winning record and 9-7 or 10-6 season.
But in order to take the next step and be the Super Bowl contenders many feel they can be, Cutler and the gang on offense need to play better. He needs to develop more chemistry with his receivers, and the offensive line needs to figure out who will play on the right side. If they don't, it could be another middling season for the Monsters of the Midway.
Cutler looking to start 'planning' to help new offense.
By John Mullin
Tim Jennings provided a highlight — or lowlight, depending on which side of the ball you’re on — in Tuesday’s final full practice by picking off a Jay Cutler red-zone pass, believed to be his first of training camp, and returning it the length of the field for a touchdown. The Pro Bowl cornerback then bowed appreciatively in a couple directions to acknowledge the crowd’s ovation.
It was not necessarily a failure for an offense that was working on its business without specific regard to the defense at the moment.
“We're just trying to get plays in,” Cutler said. “We're just trying to rep plays and see what they look like. We're not really worried about the defense that we're going against or trying to pair up a certain play with the defense. There are some plays out there that we're running that normally you wouldn't want to run against that coverage, or that defense, or that front.”
All that should change somewhat on Thursday against the San Diego Chargers.
The Bears and Cutler did change multiple plays last Friday against Carolina, and they did script the first 15 plays even though Cutler was out after 10. This week the offense will be doing more planning and hopefully getting out of plays that have a negative result like the Jennings interception.
The Bears and Cutler did change multiple plays last Friday against Carolina, and they did script the first 15 plays even though Cutler was out after 10. This week the offense will be doing more planning and hopefully getting out of plays that have a negative result like the Jennings interception.
“I hope so,” Cutler said. “We're going to get some game planning (Tuesday) afternoon, but still it's the preseason and we're still figuring out exactly what plays we like and what we're good at so we're not going to be game planning like your regular week.
“We'll do a little bit tonight, some tomorrow, then we'll strap it up and play and hopefully some of that stuff pairs up nicely for us.”
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Will Chicago repeat as champs?
By Brian McNally, Capitals Correspondent
CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
2012-13 Record: 36-7-5, 77 points
Where they finished: 1st in the Central; 1st in the West; 1st in NHL
Coach: Joel Quenneville (6th season)
Key additions: G Nikolai Khabibulin
Key departures: C Dave Bolland, G Ray Emery, RW Michael Frolik, RW Viktor Stalberg
PROJECTED LINEUP
Forwards:
Bryan Bickell – Jonathan Toews – Patrick Kane
Patrick Sharp – Brandon Saad – Marian Hossa
Brandon Pirri – Andrew Shaw – Jeremy Morin
Brandon Bollig – Marcus Kruger – Michal Handzus
Defensemen:
Brent Seabrook – Duncan Keith
Niklas Hjalmarsson – Johnny Oduya
Nick Leddy – Michal Rozsival
Sheldon Brookbank
Goalies:
Corey Crawford
Nikolai Khabibulin
OUR TAKE
Don’t let the offseason grade fool you. The Blackhawks earn a “C” for their changes this summer – but they didn’t have to do much anyway. It was all tinkering at the margins of a team that has won two Stanley Cups in the last four years.
Joel Quenneville has a few options at center to replace Dave Bolland, who was traded to Toronto just weeks after scoring the winning goal in the Stanley Cup finals. That will be an adjustment for Saad or Pirri – or whomever Chicago goes with.
But the top line is dominant with the emergence of Bickell as a power forward to go with stars Toews and Kane. And the Blackhawks still have a deep group of young forwards.
Keith is annually among the game’s best defensemen and Crawford could start in goal for Canada at the Winter Olympics in Sochi. Chicago is loaded for its title defense.
Offseason Grade: C
Will they make the playoffs in 2013-14: Yes.
Predators looking to keep Blackhawks fans away. Chicago Fans are the best in the country for team support, bar none. (Just our opinion at CS&T/AA, no doubt about it!!!)
By CSN Staff
Blackhawks fans heading to catch the defending Stanley Cup champions in Nashville next season are going to have a hard time getting tickets.
At least the Predators hope so.
According to a report from Section 303, the Predators are instituting a few measures to ensure that the fans buying tickets aren't the ones planning a road trip from Chicago. Fans, regardless of their affiliation, won't be allowed to purchase single-game tickets to any of the three games between the Blackhawks and Predators in Nashville. They'll be forced to buy tickets to a second game. And, during the pre-sale period, zip-code restrictions will be implemented.
“For Blackhawks games, we want to make sure that we preserve this building as much as we can for those who live in Smashville,” said Predators president and chief operating officer Sean Henry.
"What it’s going to do by forcing another game is we’ll almost direct it toward people that live in the general area, for the most part. And (for the pre-sale) only those in the zip codes that we unlock can buy the Blackhawk game and a second game. So we’re breaking down every barrier we can to Keep the Red Out.”
Henry and the Predators seem hell bent on avoiding scenes from last season, when Bridgestone Arena was filled with red-sweatered Blackhawks fans. Of course, all their plans could crumble if Blackhawks fans remain persistent.
“They’re going to have to earn it,” Henry said. “And they’re going to help us continue to grow our roster by building our (revenue at the) gate. It’s that simple. In the end, we’re building something pretty special. If we have to do it off the backs of their fans a little bit, I’m not apologizing for it."
2012-13 Record: 36-7-5, 77 points
Where they finished: 1st in the Central; 1st in the West; 1st in NHL
Coach: Joel Quenneville (6th season)
Key additions: G Nikolai Khabibulin
Key departures: C Dave Bolland, G Ray Emery, RW Michael Frolik, RW Viktor Stalberg
PROJECTED LINEUP
Forwards:
Bryan Bickell – Jonathan Toews – Patrick Kane
Patrick Sharp – Brandon Saad – Marian Hossa
Brandon Pirri – Andrew Shaw – Jeremy Morin
Brandon Bollig – Marcus Kruger – Michal Handzus
Defensemen:
Brent Seabrook – Duncan Keith
Niklas Hjalmarsson – Johnny Oduya
Nick Leddy – Michal Rozsival
Sheldon Brookbank
Goalies:
Corey Crawford
Nikolai Khabibulin
OUR TAKE
Don’t let the offseason grade fool you. The Blackhawks earn a “C” for their changes this summer – but they didn’t have to do much anyway. It was all tinkering at the margins of a team that has won two Stanley Cups in the last four years.
Joel Quenneville has a few options at center to replace Dave Bolland, who was traded to Toronto just weeks after scoring the winning goal in the Stanley Cup finals. That will be an adjustment for Saad or Pirri – or whomever Chicago goes with.
But the top line is dominant with the emergence of Bickell as a power forward to go with stars Toews and Kane. And the Blackhawks still have a deep group of young forwards.
Keith is annually among the game’s best defensemen and Crawford could start in goal for Canada at the Winter Olympics in Sochi. Chicago is loaded for its title defense.
Offseason Grade: C
Will they make the playoffs in 2013-14: Yes.
Predators looking to keep Blackhawks fans away. Chicago Fans are the best in the country for team support, bar none. (Just our opinion at CS&T/AA, no doubt about it!!!)
By CSN Staff
Blackhawks fans heading to catch the defending Stanley Cup champions in Nashville next season are going to have a hard time getting tickets.
At least the Predators hope so.
According to a report from Section 303, the Predators are instituting a few measures to ensure that the fans buying tickets aren't the ones planning a road trip from Chicago. Fans, regardless of their affiliation, won't be allowed to purchase single-game tickets to any of the three games between the Blackhawks and Predators in Nashville. They'll be forced to buy tickets to a second game. And, during the pre-sale period, zip-code restrictions will be implemented.
“For Blackhawks games, we want to make sure that we preserve this building as much as we can for those who live in Smashville,” said Predators president and chief operating officer Sean Henry.
"What it’s going to do by forcing another game is we’ll almost direct it toward people that live in the general area, for the most part. And (for the pre-sale) only those in the zip codes that we unlock can buy the Blackhawk game and a second game. So we’re breaking down every barrier we can to Keep the Red Out.”
Henry and the Predators seem hell bent on avoiding scenes from last season, when Bridgestone Arena was filled with red-sweatered Blackhawks fans. Of course, all their plans could crumble if Blackhawks fans remain persistent.
“They’re going to have to earn it,” Henry said. “And they’re going to help us continue to grow our roster by building our (revenue at the) gate. It’s that simple. In the end, we’re building something pretty special. If we have to do it off the backs of their fans a little bit, I’m not apologizing for it."
NBA also excited about return of Bulls’ Rose.
By Sam Smith
Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls will tip off the 2013-14 season in Miami on Oct. 29 against the NBA Champion Miami Heat.
The NBA Tuesday unveiled its 2013-14 schedule, and most of the featured dates and games during the season involve the Bulls and Derrick Rose.
The season opens October 29 with the traditional ring ceremony for the champions, the Miami Heat. The Bulls will be the opponent in one of the three opening night games with the Magic playing the Pacers and the Lakers hosting the Clippers.
The NBA’s big regular season day is Christmas Day, December 25. The Bulls will begin the day in Brooklyn at 11 a.m. CT followed by the Thunder at the Knicks, the Heat at the Lakers, the Rockets at the Spurs and the Clippers at the Warriors.
Plus, once the NBA goes to its Sunday ABC national TV schedule January 26, the Bulls will be featured on five of the eight Sundays with games against the Lakers, Heat, Knicks, and then the Heat and Knicks again, the latter in the final ABC Sunday national game of the regular season April 13.
It seems the NBA is expecting big things of the Bulls, and likely so are the Bulls and Rose.
Every team complains about its schedule at some point. But the Bulls’ schedule for 2013-14 seems reasonably benign as these things go.
Sure, as usual, there is a difficult start for the Bulls with 10 of the first 15 games on the road because of the traditional Western Conference trip in November. And while that is for six games over 10 days, only four are in the Western Conference. Those are four in five nights, a challenging stretch. But two are against teams that failed to make the playoffs last season.
Actually, that four in five nights is probably the toughest stretch of back to back games all season.
The Bulls this season have just 17 sets of back-to-back games, an unusually low total for them. And after the Dec. 10 through 14 stretch of four in five nights, which involves two against the Bucks and one against Toronto, the Bulls don’t have a four in five nights the rest of the season. The Bulls also have a rare home and home back to back with Boston March 30 and 31.
Although there will be caution with Rose’s return after not playing for about 18 months, the Bulls under coach Tom Thibodeau generally are well prepared for the start of a season.
If the Bulls could get off to a reasonably good start, they could begin to ride momentum as in their final 11 games of the season they play just one game against a team considered sure to make the playoffs, the Knicks.
The Bulls will play four games against the defending champion Heat with the first United Center game Dec. 5, a TNT national late starting game. Because of the Bulls’ obvious appeal to the TV networks, they have six local late starts, at 8 p.m. or 8:30 p.m.
One of those late games is another featured December game, December 18 in Houston, where Dwight Howard went as a free agent.
The Bulls will see the Rockets in Chicago March 13. That game is in the midst of perhaps the most compelling and entertaining stretch of games of the season, all at home, as the Bulls face over 11 days the Grizzlies, Heat, Spurs, Rockets and Thunder.
Figure perhaps a Finals or conference finals preview in there somewhere. There’s also one game with the Kings.
But possibly the Bulls most competitive matchups of the season will be in the division against the Pacers, another title contender.
The Bulls are in Indiana the first week, November 6 and then host the Pacers 10 days later, November 16, at the United Center. The Central Division foes then don’t meet again until March 21 in Indiana and March 24 at the United Center with the division title and significant playoff seeding likely on the line then.
The highlight of the November road trip will be a Sunday afternoon game against the Clippers on the 24th with new coach Doc Rivers as the Clippers will be one of the top Western Contenders. The Bulls see probably their toughest back to back of the season when they face the Rockets and Thunder, whom many view as the West’s top two teams, Dec. 18 and 19, both on the road.
The other difficult back-to-back, though not on the level of the December games, is March 2 at home against the Knicks in a Sunday afternoon national TV game and then Monday night in Brooklyn.
As for holidays, the Bulls also will play at home New Year’s Eve, as they often do, 6 p.m. against Toronto, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, January 20, at home against the Lakers at 7 p.m.
The longest trip will be the February Western Conference road trip, January 29 beginning in San Antonio with six games over 12 days, though three of the teams weren’t in the playoffs last season. The Bulls conclude Sunday noon on national TV against the Lakers following two off days.
The Bulls will also face Miami, as lately is often the case, right after the All-Star break in Miami February 23 and then a final game back in the United Center noon Sunday, March 9 on national TV. That will be the second straight noon Sunday game as the Bulls host the Knicks March 2.
In addition to that late April Knicks game, the Bulls also see the Knicks in the first home game of the season, October 31 in Rose’s first game in the United Center since his knee injury in the playoffs last year. And then the Bulls are in Madison Square Garden December 11 for a late local start.
That Rose United Center re-debut is part of a competitive opening stretch playing the Heat, Knicks, 76ers and Pacers with three of those four on the road. It will be, as usual, a difficult start to the season. But if the Bulls can endure into December, they could be on track for a strong season.
Here’s a look at the top 10 games of the season:
1. October 29 in Miami: Derrick Rose’s first NBA game since his serious knee injury April 28, 2012. It is Miami’s ring ceremony with commissioner David Stern hosting the festivities for the final time in his last year as commissioner. It’s generally a long pregame presentation, though the bigger national story likely will be waiting for Rose.
2. October 31 in Chicago against the Knicks: It’s Halloween, but the Bulls don’t want any frights as Rose makes his first playing return to the United Center since his horrific injury. And as Tommy Edwards belts out, “And now, from Chicago…”
3. November 6 in Indiana: Not likely to be one of the more celebrated national games. But it will be a big early test for both teams as they jockey for who can overtake Miami. Being an early season game, the Pacers will want to make a statement in their arena. It figures to set the stage for a tough, physical rivalry all season and into the playoffs.
4. March 9 in Chicago against the Heat: The final meeting of the season between the two teams, a Sunday national TV early start game. Last season’s late March game between the teams was a classic as the Bulls broke Miami’s 27-game winning streak. There should be many questions by this point of whether the Heat is capable of another title run and the LeBron James free agency which will hang over them all season.
5. March 24 in Chicago against the Pacers: Perhaps the last big so called statement game of the season as the Bulls play their final game against Indiana. Only a game against the Knicks will be left on the schedule against supposedly certain playoff teams. There still will be seeding and positioning, so the teams aren’t about to be resting quite yet. This one could be vital for that home court edge in the playoffs.
6. December 18 in Houston and December 19 in Oklahoma City: The first look at the new Rockets with Dwight Howard, and who knows if they’ll have dealt Omer Asik by then? The Bulls last season were overwhelmed by the running Rockets with Asik. But will they play that way with Howard? Houston’s play will be one of the big story lines of the season. The Bulls after the late start in Houston then travel north to see the somewhat forgotten about Thunder, whose trade of James Harden to Houston set the Rockets on the way to being a contender. It’s a big season for the Thunder after a short playoffs with Russell Westbrook’s injury. The Bulls won’t see a tougher 24 hours all season.
7. January 20 in Chicago against the Lakers: The Lakers with Kobe Bryant always are a big story as this also is the Martin Luther King Day game. Bryant should be well recovered from his Achilles injury by this time. But the question will be all season whether this is Bryant’s last season as a Laker. The Lakers do not figure to be a contender with the loss of Howard. And with the contracts of Bryant and Pau Gasol expiring and LeBron James a free agent there will be much speculation about the Lakers moving on without Bryant.
8. December 25 in Brooklyn: The Bulls have the Christmas Day tipoff game against the new look Nets with Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Presumably, this won’t be too early for the elderly duo to wake up. It is the first of just three games with the Nets this season as they come to Chicago just once, February 13 in the last game before the All-Star game, February 16 in New Orleans.
9. December 5 in Chicago against Miami: Of course, every game against the defending two time champion Heat is an event. But there also will be curiosity about whether Greg Oden can play. The one time heralded next great center is trying a comeback in Miami on a minimum salary. The Heat has said he won’t have to play early, but perhaps a month into the season he’ll be ready to go some and worth a look at whether the Heat pulled off a coup or an Eddy Curry redux.
10. November 11 in Chicago against the Cavs: Not that a lot is expected, but it will be interesting to see whether Andrew Bynum can play. And if he can along with Anderson Varejao and point guard Kyrie Irving, the Cavs have a chance to be a surprise team of the season. Plus, they have No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett.
Joe Morgan thinks Pete Rose should be in the Hall of Fame.
The season opens October 29 with the traditional ring ceremony for the champions, the Miami Heat. The Bulls will be the opponent in one of the three opening night games with the Magic playing the Pacers and the Lakers hosting the Clippers.
The NBA’s big regular season day is Christmas Day, December 25. The Bulls will begin the day in Brooklyn at 11 a.m. CT followed by the Thunder at the Knicks, the Heat at the Lakers, the Rockets at the Spurs and the Clippers at the Warriors.
Plus, once the NBA goes to its Sunday ABC national TV schedule January 26, the Bulls will be featured on five of the eight Sundays with games against the Lakers, Heat, Knicks, and then the Heat and Knicks again, the latter in the final ABC Sunday national game of the regular season April 13.
It seems the NBA is expecting big things of the Bulls, and likely so are the Bulls and Rose.
Every team complains about its schedule at some point. But the Bulls’ schedule for 2013-14 seems reasonably benign as these things go.
Sure, as usual, there is a difficult start for the Bulls with 10 of the first 15 games on the road because of the traditional Western Conference trip in November. And while that is for six games over 10 days, only four are in the Western Conference. Those are four in five nights, a challenging stretch. But two are against teams that failed to make the playoffs last season.
Actually, that four in five nights is probably the toughest stretch of back to back games all season.
The Bulls this season have just 17 sets of back-to-back games, an unusually low total for them. And after the Dec. 10 through 14 stretch of four in five nights, which involves two against the Bucks and one against Toronto, the Bulls don’t have a four in five nights the rest of the season. The Bulls also have a rare home and home back to back with Boston March 30 and 31.
Although there will be caution with Rose’s return after not playing for about 18 months, the Bulls under coach Tom Thibodeau generally are well prepared for the start of a season.
If the Bulls could get off to a reasonably good start, they could begin to ride momentum as in their final 11 games of the season they play just one game against a team considered sure to make the playoffs, the Knicks.
The Bulls will play four games against the defending champion Heat with the first United Center game Dec. 5, a TNT national late starting game. Because of the Bulls’ obvious appeal to the TV networks, they have six local late starts, at 8 p.m. or 8:30 p.m.
One of those late games is another featured December game, December 18 in Houston, where Dwight Howard went as a free agent.
The Bulls will see the Rockets in Chicago March 13. That game is in the midst of perhaps the most compelling and entertaining stretch of games of the season, all at home, as the Bulls face over 11 days the Grizzlies, Heat, Spurs, Rockets and Thunder.
Figure perhaps a Finals or conference finals preview in there somewhere. There’s also one game with the Kings.
But possibly the Bulls most competitive matchups of the season will be in the division against the Pacers, another title contender.
The Bulls are in Indiana the first week, November 6 and then host the Pacers 10 days later, November 16, at the United Center. The Central Division foes then don’t meet again until March 21 in Indiana and March 24 at the United Center with the division title and significant playoff seeding likely on the line then.
The highlight of the November road trip will be a Sunday afternoon game against the Clippers on the 24th with new coach Doc Rivers as the Clippers will be one of the top Western Contenders. The Bulls see probably their toughest back to back of the season when they face the Rockets and Thunder, whom many view as the West’s top two teams, Dec. 18 and 19, both on the road.
The other difficult back-to-back, though not on the level of the December games, is March 2 at home against the Knicks in a Sunday afternoon national TV game and then Monday night in Brooklyn.
As for holidays, the Bulls also will play at home New Year’s Eve, as they often do, 6 p.m. against Toronto, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, January 20, at home against the Lakers at 7 p.m.
The longest trip will be the February Western Conference road trip, January 29 beginning in San Antonio with six games over 12 days, though three of the teams weren’t in the playoffs last season. The Bulls conclude Sunday noon on national TV against the Lakers following two off days.
The Bulls will also face Miami, as lately is often the case, right after the All-Star break in Miami February 23 and then a final game back in the United Center noon Sunday, March 9 on national TV. That will be the second straight noon Sunday game as the Bulls host the Knicks March 2.
In addition to that late April Knicks game, the Bulls also see the Knicks in the first home game of the season, October 31 in Rose’s first game in the United Center since his knee injury in the playoffs last year. And then the Bulls are in Madison Square Garden December 11 for a late local start.
That Rose United Center re-debut is part of a competitive opening stretch playing the Heat, Knicks, 76ers and Pacers with three of those four on the road. It will be, as usual, a difficult start to the season. But if the Bulls can endure into December, they could be on track for a strong season.
Here’s a look at the top 10 games of the season:
1. October 29 in Miami: Derrick Rose’s first NBA game since his serious knee injury April 28, 2012. It is Miami’s ring ceremony with commissioner David Stern hosting the festivities for the final time in his last year as commissioner. It’s generally a long pregame presentation, though the bigger national story likely will be waiting for Rose.
2. October 31 in Chicago against the Knicks: It’s Halloween, but the Bulls don’t want any frights as Rose makes his first playing return to the United Center since his horrific injury. And as Tommy Edwards belts out, “And now, from Chicago…”
3. November 6 in Indiana: Not likely to be one of the more celebrated national games. But it will be a big early test for both teams as they jockey for who can overtake Miami. Being an early season game, the Pacers will want to make a statement in their arena. It figures to set the stage for a tough, physical rivalry all season and into the playoffs.
4. March 9 in Chicago against the Heat: The final meeting of the season between the two teams, a Sunday national TV early start game. Last season’s late March game between the teams was a classic as the Bulls broke Miami’s 27-game winning streak. There should be many questions by this point of whether the Heat is capable of another title run and the LeBron James free agency which will hang over them all season.
5. March 24 in Chicago against the Pacers: Perhaps the last big so called statement game of the season as the Bulls play their final game against Indiana. Only a game against the Knicks will be left on the schedule against supposedly certain playoff teams. There still will be seeding and positioning, so the teams aren’t about to be resting quite yet. This one could be vital for that home court edge in the playoffs.
6. December 18 in Houston and December 19 in Oklahoma City: The first look at the new Rockets with Dwight Howard, and who knows if they’ll have dealt Omer Asik by then? The Bulls last season were overwhelmed by the running Rockets with Asik. But will they play that way with Howard? Houston’s play will be one of the big story lines of the season. The Bulls after the late start in Houston then travel north to see the somewhat forgotten about Thunder, whose trade of James Harden to Houston set the Rockets on the way to being a contender. It’s a big season for the Thunder after a short playoffs with Russell Westbrook’s injury. The Bulls won’t see a tougher 24 hours all season.
7. January 20 in Chicago against the Lakers: The Lakers with Kobe Bryant always are a big story as this also is the Martin Luther King Day game. Bryant should be well recovered from his Achilles injury by this time. But the question will be all season whether this is Bryant’s last season as a Laker. The Lakers do not figure to be a contender with the loss of Howard. And with the contracts of Bryant and Pau Gasol expiring and LeBron James a free agent there will be much speculation about the Lakers moving on without Bryant.
8. December 25 in Brooklyn: The Bulls have the Christmas Day tipoff game against the new look Nets with Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Presumably, this won’t be too early for the elderly duo to wake up. It is the first of just three games with the Nets this season as they come to Chicago just once, February 13 in the last game before the All-Star game, February 16 in New Orleans.
9. December 5 in Chicago against Miami: Of course, every game against the defending two time champion Heat is an event. But there also will be curiosity about whether Greg Oden can play. The one time heralded next great center is trying a comeback in Miami on a minimum salary. The Heat has said he won’t have to play early, but perhaps a month into the season he’ll be ready to go some and worth a look at whether the Heat pulled off a coup or an Eddy Curry redux.
10. November 11 in Chicago against the Cavs: Not that a lot is expected, but it will be interesting to see whether Andrew Bynum can play. And if he can along with Anderson Varejao and point guard Kyrie Irving, the Cavs have a chance to be a surprise team of the season. Plus, they have No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett.
Joe Morgan thinks Pete Rose should be in the Hall of Fame.
By Craig Calcaterra
You’ll be shocked — shocked! — to hear that Joe Morgan thinks Pete Rose should be in the Hall of Fame. From Bob Nightengale’s latest:
Simply put, this year's battle for the final few spots in NASCAR's Chase has more plot twists than a cheesy afternoon soap opera.
Consider this:
With four races remaining, the 2013 Chase field is wide open. Pretty much the only drivers you could consider locks at this point are Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch. Everyone else is fair game.
By Zac Wassink
The American soccer revolution isn't coming sometime down the road. It's here.
FOX was always a loyal soldier when it came to broadcasting the EPL, but the truth is that it often felt as if the company was doing just enough in order to placate fans.
Sure, you'd have the opportunity to catch every Premier League game eventually and not live, but only if you coughed up the money for FOX Soccer Plus, a channel that, in some regions, still isn't available in HD. Customers were able to watch every non-ESPN Premier League game live via FOX Soccer 2 Go, a subscription-based application that was, for lack of a better description, consistently laggy.
Outside of actual Premier League games is other programming that will enable the most diehard of fans to watch over 12 hours of soccer content each and every Saturday of the European calendar. NBC Sports begins the morning with the Premier League Preview Show at 6 a.m. ET. EPL content will then air up until 12:30 p.m. ET, when the final live match of the day will begin on either NBC or NBCSN. From there, those with access to these channels can flip over to beIN Sport, Univision Deportes or GolTV for more live soccer action. Don't forget about live Major League Soccer games that will air on NBC/NBCSN and ESPN up through December. Those who can't get enough soccer can end their Saturdays and Sundays with NBC's late-night "Match of the Day" review shows.
Want more soccer on weekdays? ESPN, beIN Sport and the soon-to-come FOX Sports 1 will air daily soccer highlight/news shows. Midweek Champions League, Europa League, Championship matches and also cup tournaments will be featured on multiple stations.
If you're a fan of Premier League soccer, you have a better chance of seeing your game of choice here in America than you would … in England.
For the first time, every single one of the Premier League's 380 games will be available live to the U.S. audience, via NBC and its fledgling sports network, while certain games cannot be seen on television in the United Kingdom.
“I think if you’re going to allow guys with PEDs on the ballot,” Morgan told USA TODAY Sports, “then we have to allow him to be on the ballot. Let’s face it, he’s been punished for 24 years. I think they have to take a second look at Pete now that this has come out.”
Nowhere does Morgan explain what actual nexus there is between “this coming out” and Rose’s baseball disgrace, but after watching him do Sunday Night Baseball for so many years I’m aware that cause-and-effect are not his strong suits. For now let’s just chalk this up to one of the strongest baseball forces out there: “my generation was better/was not as bad as this younger generation”-ism. The greats were greater, in [insert player's] day and the bad guys were not nearly as bad as these new monsters. It’s the oldest thing around.
In other news, I’m pretty sure that Morgan would back Ted Bundy, D.B. Cooper and the Zodiac Killer for the Hall of Fame if they spent some time with the Reds in the 70s.
Because Morgan talking up Big Red Machine guys is an even stronger force than the generational thing.
In other news, I’m pretty sure that Morgan would back Ted Bundy, D.B. Cooper and the Zodiac Killer for the Hall of Fame if they spent some time with the Reds in the 70s.
Because Morgan talking up Big Red Machine guys is an even stronger force than the generational thing.
Ryder Cup appears headed to Bethpage Black.
By
PGA of America president Ted Bishop recalls a Ryder Cup practice round with Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler three years ago when the conversation turned to the best courses for the matches in America.
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It wasn't long before Bethpage Black was mentioned.
''Phil said, 'Would that not be the best to have the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black?''' Bishop said last week at the PGA Championship.
Turns out the PGA was way ahead of him.
''Bethpage Black is very much on our radar screen,'' Bishop said. ''The PGA is highly interested in having a Ryder Cup and a PGA Championship there. We feel it's a golf course that's worthy of both. We've been interested in Bethpage going back to 2009.''
Two of Mickelson's record six runner-up finishes in the U.S. Open were at the public course on Long Island, but it wasn't just about him. The 2002 U.S. Open, in which Tiger Woods outlasted Mickelson on the back nine, was among the most raucous.
The rain at the 2009 U.S. Open only slightly dampened the volume.
The rain at the 2009 U.S. Open only slightly dampened the volume.
New York is the biggest market in the U.S. and has plenty of connections with Europe. From an operations standpoint, there is ample space in the state park for hospitality and other structures that have turned the Ryder Cup into the biggest show in golf.
The PGA of America was founded in New York in 1916 and has an office there. It last year hired Pete Bevacqua as its chief executive. Bevacqua not only has strong New York ties, he was the USGA's chief business officer when the U.S. Open was last held at Bethpage Black.
''We've had a great relationship with the state of New York, and it's escalated this week,'' Bishop said at Oak Hill. ''New York is the greatest sports city in America, and the Ryder Cup is the greatest event in golf.''
Bethpage Black most recently hosted The Barclays last year, and it is scheduled to return in 2016.
The Ryder Cup is going to Scotland in 2014, Hazeltine in 2016, France in 2018 and Whistling Straits in 2020. The next available date for Bethpage Black would be 2024.
The next open venue for the PGA Championship is 2019.
Asked if the PGA of America was close to a deal with Bethpage Black, Bishop smiled and said, ''Very close.''The next open venue for the PGA Championship is 2019.
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END OF THE LINE: The Wyndham Championship is not just a last chance to get into the FedEx Cup playoffs.
It's a last chance to keep a PGA Tour card.
Because of the short year ahead of the wraparound 2013-14 season that starts in October, the top 125 in the FedEx Cup and the top 125 on the PGA Tour money list will keep their cards of the new season.
That's good news for Nicolas Colsaerts and Padraig Harrington. Both are outside the top 125 in the FedEx Cup (Colsaerts at No. 127, Harrington at No. 129) but are well within 125 on the money list. Harrington's exempt status from winning two majors in 2008 runs out this year.
Steve Bowditch is No. 125 in the FedEx Cup. Even if he gets bumped, at No. 114 his playing card is set for the 2013-14 season.
Peter Hanson of Sweden, who withdrew from the British Open with a back injury, returned to have two important weeks. He tied for 33rd and earned $68,000 at Firestone, and then closed with a 68 at Oak Hill and tied for 33rd at the PGA Championship to earn just over $38,000. He now is at No. 121 on the money list, and should at least keep his card for next season.
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HERE'S GREG?: Johnny Miller has one more year to call the U.S. Open before the USGA starts its new 12-year television contract with Fox Sports.
Golf Digest says the man replacing him could be another two-time major champion - Greg Norman.
Norman told the magazine's website that he already has been offered the lead analyst job when Fox broadcasts the U.S. Open in 2015 at Chambers Bay. The Shark said in an email to golfdigest.com that Hill ''has reached out to me, we have spoken and yes, they have offered me the job.''
He said he looked forward to having discussions with Hill, whom he described as a good friend. Hill, senior vice president for News Corp., ran Fox Sports Media Group before managing ''American Idol'' and ''X Factor.''
Norman and Fox were involved in an attempt 20 years ago to start a world tour. The PGA Tour fought it and rallied players to its side, and the World Golf Championships series began about five years later.
If he gets the job, viewers might not be spared stories about a 63 in a major. Norman did it twice. Just never in a final round. Not in the U.S. Open. And not at Oakmont.---
MAJOR PERFORMANCE: Adam Scott and Jason Day tied for lowest aggregate scores in the majors this year at a combined 2-over par.
The tiebreaker is easy - Scott won the Masters, Day hasn't won a major (he has only one PGA Tour event).
Scott and Day were among 13 players who made the cut in all four majors this year.
The others were Tiger Woods, Brandt Snedeker, Sergio Garcia, Matt Kuchar, Lee Westwood, Dustin Johnson, Henrik Stenson, Jason Dufner, Martin Kaymer, K.J. Choi and Phil Mickelson.
Scott, Dufner and Woods were the only players to make the cut in all four majors for 2012 and 2013. Scott has the longest active streak in making cuts at the majors at 10, dating to the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional.The others were Tiger Woods, Brandt Snedeker, Sergio Garcia, Matt Kuchar, Lee Westwood, Dustin Johnson, Henrik Stenson, Jason Dufner, Martin Kaymer, K.J. Choi and Phil Mickelson.
The flip side was Hiroyuki Fujita of Japan, who had the wrong kind of Grand Slam. He was the only player to miss the cut in all four majors this year.
And the most underrated performance?
That would go to Hideki Matsuyama, who this week rose to No. 29 in the world. Matsuyama made the cut both times he played the Masters as a teenage amateur (two-time Asia Pacific Amateur champion). He didn't make it to Augusta this year, but did quite nicely in the rest of the majors. He tied for 10th in the U.S. Open, tied for sixth in the British Open and tied for 19th in the PGA Championship.
''I played far better than my expectations, but I have a lot of work to do and a lot of things I've got to practice and make my game a little stronger to be able to compete,'' Matsuyama said Sunday at Oak Hill.
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DIVOTS: The PGA Tour has hired Greg Gilligan as the managing director of its affiliate in China to help with the tour's relationships and business development. Gilligan, a former McDonald's executive in China, speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese and is chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China. ... The Solheim Cup is missing five of the top 10 players are the LPGA Tour money list. Four of them are from South Korea, the other is Karrie Webb of Australia. ... Tiger Woods earned $676,623 from the four majors this year, his smallest amount in 10 years.
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STAT OF THE WEEK: In the last five years, only five players with at least a share of the 54-hole lead in the majors went on to win - Rory McIlroy (2012 PGA, 2011 U.S. Open), Darren Clarke (2011 British Open), Louis Oosthuizen (2010 British Open) and Angel Cabrera (2009 Masters).
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FINAL WORD: ''With the standard there is and the competition there is now? No.'' - Colin Montgomerie, when asked if Tiger Woods will break Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 professional majors.
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Link: http://allsportsamerica.blogspot.com/2013/07/are-you-ready-for-some-football-no.html
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Remember, (1) Competition breeds excellence, (2) You can't win ($$$) if you aren't in and (3) The odds are better than the Lottery!!!
The Soap Opera That Is the 2013 Chase for the Sprint Cup.
By L.A. Crum
With Four Races Remaining, Anything Goes in the Race for the Chase.
COMMENTARY | Now this is going to be fun.
If you like drama, if you like excitement, and if you like having no clue what is going to happen next, then the 2013 countdown to the Chase for the Sprint Cup is for you.
Simply put, this year's battle for the final few spots in NASCAR's Chase has more plot twists than a cheesy afternoon soap opera.
Consider this:
This year's Chase countdown has catfights. Kasey Kahne/Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer/Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch/Ryan Newman, Kyle Busch and, well, pretty much anyone else. Some of these run-ins are older and some are much fresher, but with so much on the line, any of these high-profile confrontations could flair up at any moment under the right circumstances.
This year's Chase countdown has romance. If you can believe it, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is actually in the top 20 in points following the race at Watkins Glen. If he was to suddenly put together a little mini-run, like, say, a surprising win or two, who knows, Danica Patrick's love interest could find himself in contention. Maybe she could even slow a few cars down while being lapped and help him to victory. Stranger things have happened.
This year's Chase countdown has characters being killed off. OK, so he wasn't killed off, but who would have thought that Tony Stewart would be cut from the show so early? Stewart's injury has taken him from a virtual lock for the Chase by some to opening the field wide open with four races remaining.
This year's Chase countdown has secondary subplots to add to the drama. Can Kurt Busch's Furniture Row Racing Team be the first single-car team to make the Chase?
Will Jeff Gordon miss the Chase altogether? How about lame-duck Ryan Newman or hard-charging Jamie McMurray? And don't even get me started on what happens if winless Dale Earnhardt Jr. starts to slide. If Junior Nation sees the No. 88 on the bubble, watch out.
This year's Chase has memorable characters. The jokester (Carl Edwards), the consummate professional (Jimmie Johnson), the bad boy (Kyle Busch), the pretty boy (Kasey Kahne), and a man out for revenge (Brad Keselowski).
And this year's Chase countdown most definitely has cliffhangers. I mean, who knows what is going to happen next?
With four races remaining, the 2013 Chase field is wide open. Pretty much the only drivers you could consider locks at this point are Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch. Everyone else is fair game.
Just last week, Martin Truex Jr. was 14th in the standings, praying his one win would get him in. This week? He is in 10th. The same goes for Brad Keselowski, a non-winner in 2013 who jumped from the bubble up into eighth following his runner-up finish at Watkins Glen.
And Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne? Both gone from the top 10 after being "safely" in and now left praying for another win, a good points day -- something to push them back up the standings.
The bottom half of the field is so volatile at this point that one race can take you from safely in the top 10 to well outside of it. From seventh-place Matt Kenseth to 16th-place Joey Lagano is a separation of only 61 points. Heck, not even Clint Bowyer (second) and Earnhardt (sixth) are safe at this point with big goose eggs in the win column.
The only real given at this point is that everyone is once again chasing the No. 48.
And trying to topple the Jimmie Johnson regime is a soap opera all its own.
And trying to topple the Jimmie Johnson regime is a soap opera all its own.
The Great American Soccer Revolution Is Upon Us.
By Zac Wassink
COMMENTARY | Soccer fans living in the United States haven't had it all that bad over the past several years.
We have, depending on the amount of money those of us in this community have been willing to spend per month, had the ability to access no fewer than three soccer-specific television channels, and watching live top-flight matches that are taking place just about anywhere on earth is as easy as is clicking a link that's found on a proper website (ad-blocker recommended). Things are set to get even better for US fans of the world's most-watched league come August 17 thanks to a deal that first went public last October.
We have, depending on the amount of money those of us in this community have been willing to spend per month, had the ability to access no fewer than three soccer-specific television channels, and watching live top-flight matches that are taking place just about anywhere on earth is as easy as is clicking a link that's found on a proper website (ad-blocker recommended). Things are set to get even better for US fans of the world's most-watched league come August 17 thanks to a deal that first went public last October.
The American soccer revolution isn't coming sometime down the road. It's here.
FOX was always a loyal soldier when it came to broadcasting the EPL, but the truth is that it often felt as if the company was doing just enough in order to placate fans.
Sure, you'd have the opportunity to catch every Premier League game eventually and not live, but only if you coughed up the money for FOX Soccer Plus, a channel that, in some regions, still isn't available in HD. Customers were able to watch every non-ESPN Premier League game live via FOX Soccer 2 Go, a subscription-based application that was, for lack of a better description, consistently laggy.
NBC is taking everything good that FOX provided for fans and going that one extra step. Rather than making customers pay for a NBC Sports Network Plus, the company will roll out Premier League Extra Time, a group of EPL match-day stations that will be available to millions of viewers across the US. The days of searching for potentially dodgy Premier League streams becomes a thing of the past this coming Saturday thanks to NBC Sports Live Extra.
As usual in life, it's not sunshine and roses for all soccer fans. Premier League Extra Time is only available in "select markets" heading into the first weekend of the 2013-14 season. The same can be said about the NBC Sports Live Extra service. Our utopia isn't yet completed, but the signs of a true US soccer heaven being on the horizon are visible and are real.
Outside of actual Premier League games is other programming that will enable the most diehard of fans to watch over 12 hours of soccer content each and every Saturday of the European calendar. NBC Sports begins the morning with the Premier League Preview Show at 6 a.m. ET. EPL content will then air up until 12:30 p.m. ET, when the final live match of the day will begin on either NBC or NBCSN. From there, those with access to these channels can flip over to beIN Sport, Univision Deportes or GolTV for more live soccer action. Don't forget about live Major League Soccer games that will air on NBC/NBCSN and ESPN up through December. Those who can't get enough soccer can end their Saturdays and Sundays with NBC's late-night "Match of the Day" review shows.
Want more soccer on weekdays? ESPN, beIN Sport and the soon-to-come FOX Sports 1 will air daily soccer highlight/news shows. Midweek Champions League, Europa League, Championship matches and also cup tournaments will be featured on multiple stations.
There remain serious questions about the future of soccer on US TV before the first Premier League contest of the upcoming season kicks off. Will MLS be the odd-man out, an organization searching for a television home in this country next summer if NBC decides that the US domestic league that continues to draw in lousy ratings isn't worth it anymore? What will the backlash be if NBC fails to meet what are admittedly very high expectations about the company's Premier League programming? How will ESPN, which recently invested in both the Mexican national team and Liga MX, react to not having the TV rights for a major European league?
What we know for sure in the middle of August 2013 is that several companies who aren't running soccer charities are spending loads of money banking on the fact that more American viewers will want to follow the sport than at any other time in history.
Such a notion would have been a fairytale dream only a decade ago. Considering that the trend has only been onward and upward for US soccer fans, I can't help but wonder:
Such a notion would have been a fairytale dream only a decade ago. Considering that the trend has only been onward and upward for US soccer fans, I can't help but wonder:
How great will things be one decade from today?
Americans' access to Premier League trumps Brits'.
By Martin Rogers
A billboard promoting NBC's coverage of Premier League soccer lights up in Times Square. (Getty Images)
For the first time, every single one of the Premier League's 380 games will be available live to the U.S. audience, via NBC and its fledgling sports network, while certain games cannot be seen on television in the United Kingdom.
This reality has left many English fans distinctly unimpressed and pushing for change, while for the long-suffering U.S. soccer community it represents the final step in a transformation from the dark old days of virtually zero coverage.
It wasn't so long ago that American soccer fans had to conduct frustrating searches for box scores in the fine print of newspapers to find out what was going on in big leagues such as England, Spain and Italy, plus an occasional treat of delayed highlights from random European games.
"When I was in college in the 1980s I would go to the library once a week and catch up on the soccer reports in the London Times," said Nick Green, soccer columnist and blogger for the L.A. Daily News. "There was virtually no television coverage of it whatsoever so that was what you had to do. It started to change when Fox Soccer World arrived in the late '90s and since then it has just taken off."
The blanket coverage in the United States comes as a result of a three-year, $250 million deal brokered between the PL and NBC, which will split games between the new NBC Sports Network and its online platform.
Both the size of the investment and the depth of the coverage have raised eyebrows, both stateside and even in the UK, where fans have been made well aware that the NBC package offers more choice than anything they are able to purchase.
Blackout restrictions impact certain games in the UK, primarily those kicking off at the traditional start time of 3 p.m. local time (10 a.m. ET) and even those that are covered require a complex combination of television packages to see.
"The concept that [English] people won't go to matches if they are televised at those times is out of date now," said London-based Liverpool supporter Chris Prodromou. "It is time we had the same options as people in other countries, especially as most games involving the big teams are sold out anyway."
Blackout restrictions impact certain games in the UK, primarily those kicking off at the traditional start time of 3 p.m. local time (10 a.m. ET) and even those that are covered require a complex combination of television packages to see.
"The concept that [English] people won't go to matches if they are televised at those times is out of date now," said London-based Liverpool supporter Chris Prodromou. "It is time we had the same options as people in other countries, especially as most games involving the big teams are sold out anyway."
In England, 116 games are shown on Sky Sports, plus 38 more on BT Sport, with each service requiring a separate subscription or a specific Internet package. Many Internet-savvy fans have resorted to tapping into illegal streams from foreign broadcasters, according to Charlie Wyett, football correspondent for The Sun newspaper.
"People have grasped the fact that these other games are now available if you know where to look," Wyett said. "But television rights continue to be a big issue over here and big revenue too."
Lucrative rights packages such as these are part of why the PL is so flush with money and why heavyweight investment groups, many from the U.S., have so eagerly bought into English soccer.
NBC sees the PL as an ideal platform upon which to build the brand of its new sports network. The key question will surround the extent of the American appetite for the product.
Even non-soccer fans can be persuaded to take a look at a contest like Manchester United vs. Chelsea – one of the most mouth-watering matchups of the early season on August 26. But will there be much demand for Stoke vs. Hull or Cardiff vs. Sunderland, even among the hardcore fans?
Time will tell, but NBC's investment can only be seen as a positive for the game and a sign that at least one check-wielding American network believes strongly in soccer's future.
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