Sports Quote of the Day:
"Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." ~ John Wooden, UCLA Legendary Basketball Coach
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!! Vikings vs. Bears 2013 results: Jay Cutler finds Martellus Bennett for the 31-30 win.
By Adam Jacobi
The Bears defense set the stage for Chicago's last-minute rally with a goal-line stand.
Jay Cutler led the Bears on a game-winning rally in the fourth quarter as the Chicago Bears eked out a 31-30 home victory over the Minnesota Vikings in a classic duel.
Cutler found new TE Martellus Bennett for the game-winning touchdown from 16 yards out, Bennett's second score of the day and his third of the season. The game-winning drive came after Chicago held Minnesota to a field goal after a first-and-goal at the 6-yard line to keep it at a one-possession game.
49ers’ Ian Williams lost for season to broken ankle, highlighting rules differences between offense and defense.
By Jay Busbee
Ian Williams was exactly three plays into his first game as a starter for the San Francisco 49ers when he got cut-blocked and crumpled to the CenturyLink turf in agony. Dirty play? In the bubble-wrap NFL of 2013, you'd think so, but no ... this was perfectly legal.
Williams was helped to the locker room, and the resulting diagnosis was not promising: he had broken an ankle and was out for the year.
Seahawks guard J.R. Sweazy blocked Williams low, his helmet driving into the back of Williams' left knee. It was a perfectly legal block, which illustrates a perfectly ridiculous problem in the NFL right now.
The Dallas Morning News' Rick Gosselin compiled some fascinating statistics along these lines. In 2012, the NFL served players with $3,016,275 in fines. Of that total, $2.415,025 went to defensive players and just $591,250 to offensive players. This year, the disparity is even more extreme: $324,000 in fines in Week 1, of which defenses took $309,000.
The rules on low blocks show how complicated and confusing the matter is. This is from the NFL rule book, Rule 12, Section 2, Article 5 (pay attention to the exception at the end):
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Should Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane Play on the Same Line in 2013-14?
Jay Cutler led the Bears on a game-winning rally in the fourth quarter as the Chicago Bears eked out a 31-30 home victory over the Minnesota Vikings in a classic duel.
Cutler found new TE Martellus Bennett for the game-winning touchdown from 16 yards out, Bennett's second score of the day and his third of the season. The game-winning drive came after Chicago held Minnesota to a field goal after a first-and-goal at the 6-yard line to keep it at a one-possession game.
Fantasy studs and duds
Jay Cutler's day was up-and-down but once the dust — okay, the mud — settled, Cutler had 290 yards and three scores to go with his two interceptions. He found WR Brandon Marshall seven times for 113 yards and a score, and RB Matt Forte added 161 total yards of offense.
On the other side of the field, Minnesota RB Adrian Peterson hit 100 yards exactly, but he was held out of the end zone and fumbled one ball away. If your league doesn't have a 100-yard bonus (most don't), Peterson didn't give you much.
Injury report
Bennett and SS Major Wright both left the game for the Bears, but both returned. The Vikings had no injury issues during the game.
Did they cover?
The Bears entered the game as 6-point favorites. So chin up, Vikings fans; your team covered!
49ers’ Ian Williams lost for season to broken ankle, highlighting rules differences between offense and defense.
By Jay Busbee
Ian Williams was exactly three plays into his first game as a starter for the San Francisco 49ers when he got cut-blocked and crumpled to the CenturyLink turf in agony. Dirty play? In the bubble-wrap NFL of 2013, you'd think so, but no ... this was perfectly legal.
Williams was helped to the locker room, and the resulting diagnosis was not promising: he had broken an ankle and was out for the year.
Seahawks guard J.R. Sweazy blocked Williams low, his helmet driving into the back of Williams' left knee. It was a perfectly legal block, which illustrates a perfectly ridiculous problem in the NFL right now.
While the effect on Williams' season is catastrophic, and the effect on the 49ers' defensive line is serious, this injury has implications for the entire league. It's a stark reminder of the baked-in bias against defensive players, or in favor of offensive players, concerning the administration of penalties and fines.
The Dallas Morning News' Rick Gosselin compiled some fascinating statistics along these lines. In 2012, the NFL served players with $3,016,275 in fines. Of that total, $2.415,025 went to defensive players and just $591,250 to offensive players. This year, the disparity is even more extreme: $324,000 in fines in Week 1, of which defenses took $309,000.
The reasons for the bias are obvious: offense is the marquee side of the ball; defense is a necessary but often thankless job. The NFL's fine and penalty structures protect offensive players at the expense of defensive ones. While not defending Ndamukong Suh's low block on Minnesota's John Sullivan, that play netted Suh a $100,000 fine, and Sullivan was only shaken up.
The rules on low blocks show how complicated and confusing the matter is. This is from the NFL rule book, Rule 12, Section 2, Article 5 (pay attention to the exception at the end):
Blocking Below the Waist on Kicks and Changes of Possession. Blocks below the waist are prohibited in the following situations:
(a) By players of either team after a change of possession; or
(b) By players of the kicking team after a Free Kick, Safety Kick, Fair Catch Kick, Punt, Field Goal Attempt, or Try Kick;
or
(c) By players of the receiving team during a down in which there is a Free Kick, Safety Kick, Fair Catch Kick, Punt, Field Goal Attempt, or Try Kick.
Exception: Immediately at the snap, players on the receiving team who are on the line of scrimmage and lined up on or inside the normal tight end position are permitted to block low during a Punt, Field Goal Attempt, or Try Kick.
Certainly, football players know the risks of playing defense. But if the NFL is going to continue to protect the offense, it shouldn't neglect the defense. Concussive and destructive forces travel in both directions across the ball.
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Should Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane Play on the Same Line in 2013-14?
By Nicholas Goss
The turning point for the Chicago Blackhawks in last year's Stanley Cup Final came when head coach Joel Quenneville finally reunited superstars Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews on the top line for Game 4 with his team trailing 2-1 in the series.
"I like that line. Big picture getting reunited, they seem to have some chemistry," said Quenneville when describing Kane and Toews leading Chicago to a crucial Game 4 victory over the Boston Bruins.
"It's a nice combination."
As the Blackhawks prepare to defend their Stanley Cup title, a mission that hasn't been successfully completed by any team since 1997-98, figuring out which lines will develop the best chemistry is one of the priorities for Quenneville and his staff this preseason.
But in regard to the first line, the decision should be quite simple.
Toews and Kane must play together for the entire season, and unless injuries hurt the team's forward depth, there's no reason to ever break them up.
They are the most difficult duo in the league to stop, as evidenced in the Cup Final, when Boston's shutdown pairing of Dennis Seidenberg and the league's top defenseman Zdeno Chara were unable to prevent Toews and Kane from taking over the series starting with Game 4.
If the Blackhawks' dynamic duo played on the same line to start the series, it may not have lasted six games, given Toews and Kane's success after Game 3, which resulted in the 24-year-old winger taking home the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
Kane's creativity with the puck, ability to skate through traffic, speed and goal-scoring ability makes him a nightmare for opposing teams to defend.
As someone with extraordinary offensive talent, the best way to maximize Kane's production is to pair him with a center who has the vision, playmaking ability and hockey IQ needed to create high-quality chances on just about every shift.
The ideal center is Toews.
The captain is Chicago's best playmaker, and we have already seen over the last five years that his chemistry with Kane is fantastic. Putting Kane one the second line, which could be centered by a rookie with no NHL experience like Brandon Pirri, would be wasting Kane's talents.When you look at the league's best goal-scoring wingers, including James Neal, Alexander Ovechkin, Corey Perry, Daniel Sedin and Rick Nash, the common theme among all of them is the presence of an elite center on their line."I think Kane and I have played together over so many years now, and I think whenever we get the chance to get back together, we complement each other because we play very different games," Toews said during last year's Cup Final. "But we do a lot of good little things out there to help each other out."
Kane is the type of winger that wants the puck on his stick as much as possible. Not only is he a great goal scorer, but his playmaking ability allows him to create as many scoring chances each game as some of the top centers.
Toews does a wonderful job of giving Kane the puck in the neutral zone so he can attack opposing defensemen with speed as he crosses the blue line. Once in the attacking zone, Toews supports Kane very well, like all smart centers should.
Quenneville has broken up the Toews-Kane duo many times in the past, but on almost every one of those occasions he's ended up reuniting them, because it's obvious that the team is much more successful when these stars are on the top line.When the veteran coach put Toews and Kane together in last year's second-round series against the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago overcame a 3-1 deficit for the first time in franchise history. In the clinching Game 5 of the Western Conference Final versus the Los Angeles Kings, this duo combined for five points.
When the Blackhawks were facing a 2-1 deficit in the Cup Final and a must-win Game 4 on the road, Toews and Kane were reunited and combined for nine points over the next three games, all of which were wins.
Chicago enters next season with a tremendous chance to repeat as Stanley Cup champions, and two of the reasons why are the great depth and talent that the team has offensively.
Toews and Kane form the most unstoppable forward duo in the NHL. They excel in all three zones and produce consistently when the stakes are highest.
Putting them on the same line should never be a "safe option" for Quenneville like it has been in the past. This should be a normal part of the Blackhawks' game plan for the 2013-14 season.
Hockeyville offers quaint start to grand season.
Reuters; By Steve Keating
With the Sochi Olympics, return of the Winter Classic and a new Outdoor Series it is going to be a season of grand events for the NHL as it attempts to make up for last year's lockout-shortened campaign.
But the NHL's biggest, and perhaps most important season in decades, began on Saturday with a blast of nostalgia in small town Ontario as the Washington Capitals, Winnipeg Jets and the Stanley Cup all paid a visit to the rural community for an exhibition game.
The Winter Classic scheduled for Michigan Stadium is expected to attract an NHL record crowd of 110,000 on New Year's Day but the first action of the season was played out in a more intimate setting in front of a much smaller but no less enthusiastic audience of about 3,300 mostly dreamy-eyed young ice hockey players and their parents at the Yardmen Arena.
The sight of some of ice hockey's most famous names and highest paid players taking the ice of the local 'barn' that is the hub of every town and across ice hockey-mad Canada made for a magical scene as kids mobbed their heroes, who patiently signed autographs and paused for pictures.
It is in rinks just like Yardmen Arena where the dreams begin and for a few members of both the Capitals and Jets the Belleville ice is where they played their junior hockey.
"I think this is the perfect place to host an event like this," the Jets Eric Tangradi, who spent three seasons playing for the Belleville Bulls, told reporters after a morning skate.
"When you look at this town it's a hockey town for sure.
"There will be a lot of people packed in making a lot of noise; I think when we leave tonight a lot of the players will kind of leave with a big smiles on their faces."
MOST PASSIONATE
For seven seasons communities across Canada have competed for the title of Kraft Hockeyville and a treasure chest of ice hockey treats, including $100,000 in arena upgrades, a visit by the Stanley Cup and a pre-season game hosted by their community and televised nationally on the CBC.
Stirling-Rawdon beat out 761 other communities in the search to find Canada's "most passionate hockey town" and where the heart of the national game truly beats.
The party atmosphere was in sharp contrast to a year ago as owners and players squared off in a bitter labor dispute that was not settled until January with the NHL on the verge of canceling the entire season.
The wounds, however, seemed to have healed as Donald Fehr, executive director of the NHL Players Association, and NHL executive vice-president Colin Campbell walked the red carpet together to polite applause for the opening ceremonies.
But it was the players that fans had come to see and at the top of the list was Washington's Alexander Ovechkin, the NHL's most valuable player and leading goal scorer from last season.
The Capitals sniper grew up learning his trade in Russia but the small town roots of the sport run deep, stretching all the way to the former-Soviet Union.
"It's good for the fans," said Ovechkin. "People are excited right and we are just going to give them a good time tonight."
Playing an NHL game in rural Canada is like staging a Formula One race on a Go-kart track but the NHL, more than any of North America's big four professional leagues, has successfully traded on the romanticism of the sport's past to help push it forward.
The Winter Classic began as a one off tribute to ice hockey's outdoor roots but has quickly grown into a marketing colossus, a New Year's Day tradition that has brought the NHL unprecedented exposure.
In an effort to recoup some of the lost momentum and revenue from lockout the NHL has put in place an ambitious schedule of six outdoor games this season including one in Los Angeles and two at fabled Yankees Stadium in New York.
It is that same nostalgia that made the Kraft Hockeyville promotion a stroke of marketing genius.
"It does kind of have that atmosphere, once we got inside the building I had some flashbacks of playing junior in Saskatoon," said Washington defenseman Mike Green. "I think it's good, in Saskatoon where I played they never had the opportunity to have any NHL game there and I know they would have loved to see an exhibition game there so I know it's pretty special."
"I like that line. Big picture getting reunited, they seem to have some chemistry," said Quenneville when describing Kane and Toews leading Chicago to a crucial Game 4 victory over the Boston Bruins.
"It's a nice combination."
As the Blackhawks prepare to defend their Stanley Cup title, a mission that hasn't been successfully completed by any team since 1997-98, figuring out which lines will develop the best chemistry is one of the priorities for Quenneville and his staff this preseason.
But in regard to the first line, the decision should be quite simple.
Toews and Kane must play together for the entire season, and unless injuries hurt the team's forward depth, there's no reason to ever break them up.
They are the most difficult duo in the league to stop, as evidenced in the Cup Final, when Boston's shutdown pairing of Dennis Seidenberg and the league's top defenseman Zdeno Chara were unable to prevent Toews and Kane from taking over the series starting with Game 4.
| Player | Games 1-3 | Games 4-6 |
| Kane | 0G, 1A | 3G, 1A |
| Toews | 0G, 0A | 2G, 3A |
| Total | 0G, 1A | 5G, 4A |
Blackhawks.com
If the Blackhawks' dynamic duo played on the same line to start the series, it may not have lasted six games, given Toews and Kane's success after Game 3, which resulted in the 24-year-old winger taking home the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
Bruce Bennett/Getty Images Kane's creativity with the puck, ability to skate through traffic, speed and goal-scoring ability makes him a nightmare for opposing teams to defend.
As someone with extraordinary offensive talent, the best way to maximize Kane's production is to pair him with a center who has the vision, playmaking ability and hockey IQ needed to create high-quality chances on just about every shift.
The ideal center is Toews.
The captain is Chicago's best playmaker, and we have already seen over the last five years that his chemistry with Kane is fantastic. Putting Kane one the second line, which could be centered by a rookie with no NHL experience like Brandon Pirri, would be wasting Kane's talents.When you look at the league's best goal-scoring wingers, including James Neal, Alexander Ovechkin, Corey Perry, Daniel Sedin and Rick Nash, the common theme among all of them is the presence of an elite center on their line."I think Kane and I have played together over so many years now, and I think whenever we get the chance to get back together, we complement each other because we play very different games," Toews said during last year's Cup Final. "But we do a lot of good little things out there to help each other out."
Kane is the type of winger that wants the puck on his stick as much as possible. Not only is he a great goal scorer, but his playmaking ability allows him to create as many scoring chances each game as some of the top centers.
Toews does a wonderful job of giving Kane the puck in the neutral zone so he can attack opposing defensemen with speed as he crosses the blue line. Once in the attacking zone, Toews supports Kane very well, like all smart centers should.
Quenneville has broken up the Toews-Kane duo many times in the past, but on almost every one of those occasions he's ended up reuniting them, because it's obvious that the team is much more successful when these stars are on the top line.When the veteran coach put Toews and Kane together in last year's second-round series against the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago overcame a 3-1 deficit for the first time in franchise history. In the clinching Game 5 of the Western Conference Final versus the Los Angeles Kings, this duo combined for five points.
When the Blackhawks were facing a 2-1 deficit in the Cup Final and a must-win Game 4 on the road, Toews and Kane were reunited and combined for nine points over the next three games, all of which were wins.
Chicago enters next season with a tremendous chance to repeat as Stanley Cup champions, and two of the reasons why are the great depth and talent that the team has offensively.
Toews and Kane form the most unstoppable forward duo in the NHL. They excel in all three zones and produce consistently when the stakes are highest.
Putting them on the same line should never be a "safe option" for Quenneville like it has been in the past. This should be a normal part of the Blackhawks' game plan for the 2013-14 season.
Hockeyville offers quaint start to grand season.
Reuters; By Steve Keating
With the Sochi Olympics, return of the Winter Classic and a new Outdoor Series it is going to be a season of grand events for the NHL as it attempts to make up for last year's lockout-shortened campaign.
But the NHL's biggest, and perhaps most important season in decades, began on Saturday with a blast of nostalgia in small town Ontario as the Washington Capitals, Winnipeg Jets and the Stanley Cup all paid a visit to the rural community for an exhibition game.
The Winter Classic scheduled for Michigan Stadium is expected to attract an NHL record crowd of 110,000 on New Year's Day but the first action of the season was played out in a more intimate setting in front of a much smaller but no less enthusiastic audience of about 3,300 mostly dreamy-eyed young ice hockey players and their parents at the Yardmen Arena.
The sight of some of ice hockey's most famous names and highest paid players taking the ice of the local 'barn' that is the hub of every town and across ice hockey-mad Canada made for a magical scene as kids mobbed their heroes, who patiently signed autographs and paused for pictures.
"I think this is the perfect place to host an event like this," the Jets Eric Tangradi, who spent three seasons playing for the Belleville Bulls, told reporters after a morning skate.
"When you look at this town it's a hockey town for sure.
"There will be a lot of people packed in making a lot of noise; I think when we leave tonight a lot of the players will kind of leave with a big smiles on their faces."
MOST PASSIONATE
For seven seasons communities across Canada have competed for the title of Kraft Hockeyville and a treasure chest of ice hockey treats, including $100,000 in arena upgrades, a visit by the Stanley Cup and a pre-season game hosted by their community and televised nationally on the CBC.
Stirling-Rawdon beat out 761 other communities in the search to find Canada's "most passionate hockey town" and where the heart of the national game truly beats.
The party atmosphere was in sharp contrast to a year ago as owners and players squared off in a bitter labor dispute that was not settled until January with the NHL on the verge of canceling the entire season.
The wounds, however, seemed to have healed as Donald Fehr, executive director of the NHL Players Association, and NHL executive vice-president Colin Campbell walked the red carpet together to polite applause for the opening ceremonies.
But it was the players that fans had come to see and at the top of the list was Washington's Alexander Ovechkin, the NHL's most valuable player and leading goal scorer from last season.
The Capitals sniper grew up learning his trade in Russia but the small town roots of the sport run deep, stretching all the way to the former-Soviet Union.
"It's good for the fans," said Ovechkin. "People are excited right and we are just going to give them a good time tonight."
Playing an NHL game in rural Canada is like staging a Formula One race on a Go-kart track but the NHL, more than any of North America's big four professional leagues, has successfully traded on the romanticism of the sport's past to help push it forward.
The Winter Classic began as a one off tribute to ice hockey's outdoor roots but has quickly grown into a marketing colossus, a New Year's Day tradition that has brought the NHL unprecedented exposure.
In an effort to recoup some of the lost momentum and revenue from lockout the NHL has put in place an ambitious schedule of six outdoor games this season including one in Los Angeles and two at fabled Yankees Stadium in New York.
It is that same nostalgia that made the Kraft Hockeyville promotion a stroke of marketing genius.
"It does kind of have that atmosphere, once we got inside the building I had some flashbacks of playing junior in Saskatoon," said Washington defenseman Mike Green. "I think it's good, in Saskatoon where I played they never had the opportunity to have any NHL game there and I know they would have loved to see an exhibition game there so I know it's pretty special."
Just another Chicago Bulls
Session... Time is now for this Bulls core to make run.
By Nick Friedell
By Nick Friedell
Gar Forman has never wavered in his thinking.
The Chicago Bulls general manager has maintained over the past few years that his team is in the midst of a championship window because of its young talent and coach Tom Thibodeau, who meshes it all together. When Derrick Rose went down with a knee injury during the first game of the 2012 Eastern Conference playoffs, Forman and his staff understood that those championship aspirations may have taken a hit for a while, but they were always confident that the window, described by Forman as open for five to seven years, was not shut.
As the Bulls get set to begin this season, one in which they expect Rose to return to his old form, they would be wise to take another long look at that window and do everything they can to reach the mountaintop this year.
That's because the window, at least the one with the current Bulls core, will be closing after this season if they can't make it happen. Rose, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and Jimmy Butler are locked up for a few more years, but players such as Carlos Boozer, Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich could all be gone next summer.
With Rose in the fold, the Bulls will always be competitive, but the argument could be made that this roster, as constructed, gives the Bulls their best opportunity to win a title for the next few years. The Bulls don't have the second primary scorer to take the pressure off their superstar, but they do have a talented group that sees the financial writing on the wall. In all likelihood, the final year of Boozer's contract will have the amnesty clause used on it next summer.
Deng's status remains up in the air. The Bulls reportedly told his agent that they would table any extension talks until after the season, and Deng will explore free agency. There's been no indication that the two-time All-Star would be willing to accept a hometown discount, and there's little chance the Bulls would bring him back at his current salary of more than $14 million a year. According to ESPN's free-agent Big Board, he won't earn anywhere close to $14 million a season on the open market.
There's a much more likely scenario that Boozer and Deng won't be back next season, which would leave the Bulls with cap space and plenty of uncertainty.
While it's unclear how much the Bulls will have to spend next summer, even if Boozer and Deng leave, the organization still won't have enough space to sign a max-level free agent if it kept the rest of its current team in place.
Forman has talked about the assets the Bulls have in former first-round pick Nikola Mirotic and the Charlotte Bobcats' pick that could become unprotected in 2016. But as the Bulls look at their roster for the future, would they really be closer to a championship next season by losing Deng and Boozer and adding Mirotic, assuming he'll come over from Europe, and an unknown free agent?
If they decide to re-sign Deng, the Bulls might have enough cap space to also bring Mirotic over -- but any notion of signing another free agent would be gone. There wouldn't be any space left.
It's a quandary for Forman and the Bulls to ponder as they get set to start another season. Like most teams, the Bulls' roster still has some flaws, but are those easier to cover up now than they would be later? Rose will be just 25 once the season starts, but Noah will be 29 in February and has dealt with foot problems for several years. Butler continues to develop, but can he flourish the same way he did during last season's playoffs?
That's the issue for Forman to consider during a year with big expectations. At what point does the window start closing and the time start to run out?
The Chicago Bulls general manager has maintained over the past few years that his team is in the midst of a championship window because of its young talent and coach Tom Thibodeau, who meshes it all together. When Derrick Rose went down with a knee injury during the first game of the 2012 Eastern Conference playoffs, Forman and his staff understood that those championship aspirations may have taken a hit for a while, but they were always confident that the window, described by Forman as open for five to seven years, was not shut.
As the Bulls get set to begin this season, one in which they expect Rose to return to his old form, they would be wise to take another long look at that window and do everything they can to reach the mountaintop this year.
That's because the window, at least the one with the current Bulls core, will be closing after this season if they can't make it happen. Rose, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and Jimmy Butler are locked up for a few more years, but players such as Carlos Boozer, Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich could all be gone next summer.
With Rose in the fold, the Bulls will always be competitive, but the argument could be made that this roster, as constructed, gives the Bulls their best opportunity to win a title for the next few years. The Bulls don't have the second primary scorer to take the pressure off their superstar, but they do have a talented group that sees the financial writing on the wall. In all likelihood, the final year of Boozer's contract will have the amnesty clause used on it next summer.
Deng's status remains up in the air. The Bulls reportedly told his agent that they would table any extension talks until after the season, and Deng will explore free agency. There's been no indication that the two-time All-Star would be willing to accept a hometown discount, and there's little chance the Bulls would bring him back at his current salary of more than $14 million a year. According to ESPN's free-agent Big Board, he won't earn anywhere close to $14 million a season on the open market.
There's a much more likely scenario that Boozer and Deng won't be back next season, which would leave the Bulls with cap space and plenty of uncertainty.
While it's unclear how much the Bulls will have to spend next summer, even if Boozer and Deng leave, the organization still won't have enough space to sign a max-level free agent if it kept the rest of its current team in place.
Forman has talked about the assets the Bulls have in former first-round pick Nikola Mirotic and the Charlotte Bobcats' pick that could become unprotected in 2016. But as the Bulls look at their roster for the future, would they really be closer to a championship next season by losing Deng and Boozer and adding Mirotic, assuming he'll come over from Europe, and an unknown free agent?
If they decide to re-sign Deng, the Bulls might have enough cap space to also bring Mirotic over -- but any notion of signing another free agent would be gone. There wouldn't be any space left.
It's a quandary for Forman and the Bulls to ponder as they get set to start another season. Like most teams, the Bulls' roster still has some flaws, but are those easier to cover up now than they would be later? Rose will be just 25 once the season starts, but Noah will be 29 in February and has dealt with foot problems for several years. Butler continues to develop, but can he flourish the same way he did during last season's playoffs?
That's the issue for Forman to consider during a year with big expectations. At what point does the window start closing and the time start to run out?
Golf-Heavy rain at BMW Championship sets up Monday finish.
Reuters; By Mark Lamport-Stokes
* Downpour suspends competition at Conway Farms
* More than three-and-a-half hours of play wiped out
* Third unscheduled Monday finish on PGA Tour this year
Play was suspended for the day at the BMW Championship on Sunday after torrential downpours left the course water-logged, with the final round scheduled to resume at 8 a.m. CT (1300 GMT) on Monday.
Twenty-two players in the field of 70 were yet to tee off after three-and-a-half hours of action had been wiped out earlier in the day and at 4 p.m. officials abandoned a further resumption as steady rain kept the par-71 layout saturated.
Pools of water had formed on fairways and greens at Conway Farms Golf Club after almost an inch of rainfall on Sunday, forcing the PGA Tour's penultimate FedExCup playoff event to go into a fifth day.
Tournament leader Jim Furyk and second-placed Steve Stricker are scheduled to tee off in the final pairing at 9:40 a.m. on Monday.
"I guess there's good and bad news," Furyk told reporters after spending much of Sunday watching National Football League games in the clubhouse locker room.
"The bad news, obviously I'm anxious to get out there and play, as is everyone else.
"But the good news is no one wants to go out and play in this and slop it around in bad weather on a golf course where we're playing the ball down (no preferred lies) and it's probably a little too wet out there."
It will be the third unscheduled Monday finish on the PGA Tour this year, the most since 2010 when three tournaments spilled over into an extra day.
In all, 22 tournaments have been delayed by weather on the U.S. circuit this season, including the first three FedExCup playoff events.
AFTERNOON SUNSHINE
Conditions are expected to be cloudy on Monday morning, with a slight chance of showers, though sunshine is forecast for the afternoon.
"For the most part of the day, we feel pretty good that we might see some sunshine tomorrow, and it's going to be better as the day goes on," said Slugger White, the PGA Tour's vice president of rules and competition.
"We've had a pretty trying day. We did everything we possibly could to try to get this thing in, but it just wasn't going to happen, unfortunately. We didn't think we were going to have this accumulation of rain."
Six players managed to complete their rounds before play was abandoned, including defending champion Rory McIlroy who fired a second successive three-under-par 68 to finish at seven-over 291, having languished stone last after 36 holes.
That marked the end of McIlroy's 2013 PGA Tour campaign as he failed to qualify for the elite 30-man field for next week's Tour Championship in Atlanta, the final playoff event.
Stricker was a further stroke back in second, having soared into contention with a 64, ahead of fellow Americans Brandt Snedeker (71), at 11 under, and Zach Johnson (69), at 10 under.
American world number one Tiger Woods, still smarting after being docked two strokes for a rules violation during Friday's second round, was a further shot back in fifth after returning a third-round 66.
* More than three-and-a-half hours of play wiped out
* Third unscheduled Monday finish on PGA Tour this year
Play was suspended for the day at the BMW Championship on Sunday after torrential downpours left the course water-logged, with the final round scheduled to resume at 8 a.m. CT (1300 GMT) on Monday.
Twenty-two players in the field of 70 were yet to tee off after three-and-a-half hours of action had been wiped out earlier in the day and at 4 p.m. officials abandoned a further resumption as steady rain kept the par-71 layout saturated.
Pools of water had formed on fairways and greens at Conway Farms Golf Club after almost an inch of rainfall on Sunday, forcing the PGA Tour's penultimate FedExCup playoff event to go into a fifth day.
Tournament leader Jim Furyk and second-placed Steve Stricker are scheduled to tee off in the final pairing at 9:40 a.m. on Monday.
"I guess there's good and bad news," Furyk told reporters after spending much of Sunday watching National Football League games in the clubhouse locker room.
"The bad news, obviously I'm anxious to get out there and play, as is everyone else.
"But the good news is no one wants to go out and play in this and slop it around in bad weather on a golf course where we're playing the ball down (no preferred lies) and it's probably a little too wet out there."
In all, 22 tournaments have been delayed by weather on the U.S. circuit this season, including the first three FedExCup playoff events.
AFTERNOON SUNSHINE
Conditions are expected to be cloudy on Monday morning, with a slight chance of showers, though sunshine is forecast for the afternoon.
"For the most part of the day, we feel pretty good that we might see some sunshine tomorrow, and it's going to be better as the day goes on," said Slugger White, the PGA Tour's vice president of rules and competition.
"We've had a pretty trying day. We did everything we possibly could to try to get this thing in, but it just wasn't going to happen, unfortunately. We didn't think we were going to have this accumulation of rain."
Six players managed to complete their rounds before play was abandoned, including defending champion Rory McIlroy who fired a second successive three-under-par 68 to finish at seven-over 291, having languished stone last after 36 holes.
That marked the end of McIlroy's 2013 PGA Tour campaign as he failed to qualify for the elite 30-man field for next week's Tour Championship in Atlanta, the final playoff event.
American Furyk, seeking his first PGA Tour victory since the Tour Championship in 2010 when he also landed FedExCup honours, was at 13-under 200 overnight after carding a 69 in Saturday's third round.
Stricker was a further stroke back in second, having soared into contention with a 64, ahead of fellow Americans Brandt Snedeker (71), at 11 under, and Zach Johnson (69), at 10 under.
American world number one Tiger Woods, still smarting after being docked two strokes for a rules violation during Friday's second round, was a further shot back in fifth after returning a third-round 66.
Matt Kenseth wins rain-delayed first Chase race at Chicago.
By Nick Bromberg
Matt Kenseth entered the first race of the Chase at Chicagoland Speedway first in the points standings. When rain interrupted the race on lap 109, he was in first place. And when the Geico 400 finally concluded under the lights and just past midnight eastern time Monday morning, Kenseth was at the front once again.
Kenseth took the lead from teammate Kyle Busch immediately following a restart with 23 laps to go and drove away for his sixth win of the season in a race that was originally delayed by rain and then postponed for over five hours before resuming at 10 p.m. eastern time.
Busch was the leader on the restart, but Kenseth got a huge shove from Kevin Harvick into turn one and cleared Busch as the drivers hurtled through the corner. And that was all for the race for the lead. Kenseth wasn't challenged again.
Of course, the "get out front late and stay there" strategy is something that is easier said than done and, hell, really isn't even a strategy to begin with. But Sunday was Kenseth's fourth win of the season on a 1.5 mile track and in each of them he's held the lead on a late race restart and driven away from the field. And while he had to pass Busch, at least cursorily, on Sunday night, it was the same formula.
Oh, and it should also be pointed out that the winner at Chicago the past two seasons -- Tony Stewart in 2011 and Brad Keselowski in 2012 -- has gone on to win the Chase.
For Busch, it was a bitter way to lose out on the chance for his second weekend three-race sweep. He won Friday night's Camping World Truck Series race and Saturday's Nationwide Series race and had the car to beat before the caution flew for Justin Allgaier's second spin.
Eight Chase drivers finished in the top 10. Kevin Harvick was third, Kurt Busch was fourth and Jimmie Johnson was fifth. Jeff Gordon finished sixth, Clint Bowyer was ninth and Ryan Newman was 10th.
Soccer-Europe's big three ready for opening night.
Kenseth took the lead from teammate Kyle Busch immediately following a restart with 23 laps to go and drove away for his sixth win of the season in a race that was originally delayed by rain and then postponed for over five hours before resuming at 10 p.m. eastern time.
Busch was the leader on the restart, but Kenseth got a huge shove from Kevin Harvick into turn one and cleared Busch as the drivers hurtled through the corner. And that was all for the race for the lead. Kenseth wasn't challenged again.
Of course, the "get out front late and stay there" strategy is something that is easier said than done and, hell, really isn't even a strategy to begin with. But Sunday was Kenseth's fourth win of the season on a 1.5 mile track and in each of them he's held the lead on a late race restart and driven away from the field. And while he had to pass Busch, at least cursorily, on Sunday night, it was the same formula.
Oh, and it should also be pointed out that the winner at Chicago the past two seasons -- Tony Stewart in 2011 and Brad Keselowski in 2012 -- has gone on to win the Chase.
For Busch, it was a bitter way to lose out on the chance for his second weekend three-race sweep. He won Friday night's Camping World Truck Series race and Saturday's Nationwide Series race and had the car to beat before the caution flew for Justin Allgaier's second spin.
Eight Chase drivers finished in the top 10. Kevin Harvick was third, Kurt Busch was fourth and Jimmie Johnson was fifth. Jeff Gordon finished sixth, Clint Bowyer was ninth and Ryan Newman was 10th.
Soccer-Europe's big three ready for opening night.
Reuters: By Martyn Herman
Experienced as they are there will still be a few first-night nerves this week as Pep Guardiola, Carlo Ancelotti and Jose Mourinho set off on new Champions League journeys with plenty to prove and reputations to polish.
Each with two Champions League triumphs on their managerial CVs, two of them are attempting to work their European magic in new surroundings while the third has returned to the club at which the continent's biggest club prize proved elusive.
After a year-long sabbatical, having twice taken Barcelona to European glory in a glittering reign, Guardiola has arrived at Bayern Munich tasked with retaining the trophy won in such style by Jupp Heynckes in May.
Ancelotti, after his brief stay at Paris St Germain, will be expected to deliver Real Madrid's 10th European Cup without delay, having twice led Milan to the summit.
Mourinho, who Ancelotti has replaced in the Spanish capital, will seek to steer Chelsea all the way to the final in Lisbon having returned to London determined to win club football's biggest prize with a third club.
Guardiola's Bayern open the defence of their crown at home to CSKA Moscow, Real Madrid will unleash Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale in Turkey against Galatasaray while Chelsea face Swiss side FC Basel at Stamford Bridge.
Rafa Benitez, another manager with a proven Champions League pedigree, will have to hit the ground running as his Napoli side host last season's runners-up Borussia Dortmund in what looks like being a devilishly difficult Group F.
With so many Champions League masterminds among the 32 coaches setting off this week, Manchester United's David Moyes and Barcelona's new coach Gerardo Martino look like rookies in comparison as they prepare for their first ventures in the groups stages of the tournament.
Moyes will need all his steely calm and self belief as he plots United's first Champions League campaign in the post-Alex Fergsuon era.
The Scot will have a tough baptism with Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen first up on Tuesday in a group that also contains Real Sociedad and Ukraine champions Shakhtar Donetsk.
A good start in Europe will go a long way to helping Moyes establish himself but the Champions League, as even Fergsuon would testify to, can be an unforgiving place.
"(Ferguson) said he thinks this is one of the hardest draws United have had in the Champions League," Moyes, whose only flirtation with the competition was a final qualifying round defeat while in charge at Everton, said.
"If that's coming from him it must be tough."
Martino has started life confidently at the Nou Camp and with Lionel Messi already having scored six league goals and with Brazilian Neymar about to make his Champions League bow, Barca will again start as one of the favourites.
The Catalans are in Group H - the only section comprised of all former winners - with Celtic, Milan and Ajax Amsterdam who they begin against on Wednesday in one of the ties of the week.
While Moyes may be a novice at this level, albeit with a team containing the likes of Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney, rivals Manchester City have recruited a vastly-experienced European coach in Manuel Pellegrini.
City's away tie against Group D minnows Viktoria Plzen on Tuesday will be the Chilean's 45th in the Champions League and the club's owners will be expecting a vast improvement on the previous two seasons in which they have managed only three wins in 12 group games.
Bayern are also in City's group, but Pellegrini, who steered Malaga to the quarter-finals last season, has warned against taking Czech side Plzen or CSKA Moscow lightly.
"If we think we are going to qualify for the last 16 because the other teams are weak we will be making a mistake," he said.
Mourinho, who announced himself as a coaching heavyweight by taking Porto all the way and repeated the feat with Inter Milan, will be taking charge of his 108th Champions League game when Chelsea host Basel on Tuesday.
The Portuguese's last Champions League game in charge of Chelsea was a 1-1 draw against Rosenborg in 2007 - a result that signalled the end of his first spell in charge of the club.
Chelsea bowed out of the Champions League at the group stage last season when they were the holders, but with Mourinho back at the helm and a kind group which also includes Steaua Bucharest and Schalke a strong run is expected.
Ancelotti, who like Mourinho suffered Champions League disappointment while at Chelsea, has a mouthwatering array of talent at his disposal but finding the best system to incorporate the likes of Ronaldo, Bale, Luka Modric and Isco will be key to his chances of succeeding where others failed.
An away match at Galatasaray will offer some early clues.
The Italian clubs are not being touted as potential champions this year but Napoli, Juventus and Milan will all bring plenty to the party in the coming months.
Paris St Germain, one of only two French clubs in the group phase, begin away to Olympiakos on Tuesday while Marseille host English regulars Arsenal on Wednesday.
The Associated Press Top 25 NCAA Football Teams Week #3.
Each with two Champions League triumphs on their managerial CVs, two of them are attempting to work their European magic in new surroundings while the third has returned to the club at which the continent's biggest club prize proved elusive.
After a year-long sabbatical, having twice taken Barcelona to European glory in a glittering reign, Guardiola has arrived at Bayern Munich tasked with retaining the trophy won in such style by Jupp Heynckes in May.
Ancelotti, after his brief stay at Paris St Germain, will be expected to deliver Real Madrid's 10th European Cup without delay, having twice led Milan to the summit.
Mourinho, who Ancelotti has replaced in the Spanish capital, will seek to steer Chelsea all the way to the final in Lisbon having returned to London determined to win club football's biggest prize with a third club.
Guardiola's Bayern open the defence of their crown at home to CSKA Moscow, Real Madrid will unleash Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale in Turkey against Galatasaray while Chelsea face Swiss side FC Basel at Stamford Bridge.
Rafa Benitez, another manager with a proven Champions League pedigree, will have to hit the ground running as his Napoli side host last season's runners-up Borussia Dortmund in what looks like being a devilishly difficult Group F.
With so many Champions League masterminds among the 32 coaches setting off this week, Manchester United's David Moyes and Barcelona's new coach Gerardo Martino look like rookies in comparison as they prepare for their first ventures in the groups stages of the tournament.
Moyes will need all his steely calm and self belief as he plots United's first Champions League campaign in the post-Alex Fergsuon era.
The Scot will have a tough baptism with Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen first up on Tuesday in a group that also contains Real Sociedad and Ukraine champions Shakhtar Donetsk.
A good start in Europe will go a long way to helping Moyes establish himself but the Champions League, as even Fergsuon would testify to, can be an unforgiving place.
"(Ferguson) said he thinks this is one of the hardest draws United have had in the Champions League," Moyes, whose only flirtation with the competition was a final qualifying round defeat while in charge at Everton, said.
"If that's coming from him it must be tough."
Martino has started life confidently at the Nou Camp and with Lionel Messi already having scored six league goals and with Brazilian Neymar about to make his Champions League bow, Barca will again start as one of the favourites.
The Catalans are in Group H - the only section comprised of all former winners - with Celtic, Milan and Ajax Amsterdam who they begin against on Wednesday in one of the ties of the week.
While Moyes may be a novice at this level, albeit with a team containing the likes of Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney, rivals Manchester City have recruited a vastly-experienced European coach in Manuel Pellegrini.
City's away tie against Group D minnows Viktoria Plzen on Tuesday will be the Chilean's 45th in the Champions League and the club's owners will be expecting a vast improvement on the previous two seasons in which they have managed only three wins in 12 group games.
Bayern are also in City's group, but Pellegrini, who steered Malaga to the quarter-finals last season, has warned against taking Czech side Plzen or CSKA Moscow lightly.
"If we think we are going to qualify for the last 16 because the other teams are weak we will be making a mistake," he said.
Mourinho, who announced himself as a coaching heavyweight by taking Porto all the way and repeated the feat with Inter Milan, will be taking charge of his 108th Champions League game when Chelsea host Basel on Tuesday.
The Portuguese's last Champions League game in charge of Chelsea was a 1-1 draw against Rosenborg in 2007 - a result that signalled the end of his first spell in charge of the club.
Chelsea bowed out of the Champions League at the group stage last season when they were the holders, but with Mourinho back at the helm and a kind group which also includes Steaua Bucharest and Schalke a strong run is expected.
Ancelotti, who like Mourinho suffered Champions League disappointment while at Chelsea, has a mouthwatering array of talent at his disposal but finding the best system to incorporate the likes of Ronaldo, Bale, Luka Modric and Isco will be key to his chances of succeeding where others failed.
An away match at Galatasaray will offer some early clues.
The Italian clubs are not being touted as potential champions this year but Napoli, Juventus and Milan will all bring plenty to the party in the coming months.
Paris St Germain, one of only two French clubs in the group phase, begin away to Olympiakos on Tuesday while Marseille host English regulars Arsenal on Wednesday.
The Associated Press Top 25 NCAA Football Teams Week #3.
Associated Press
The Top Twenty Five teams in The Associated Press' expanded college football poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Sept. 14:
1. Alabama (59) 2-0
2. Oregon (1) 3-0
3. Clemson 2-0
4. Ohio St. 3-0
5. Stanford 2-0
6. LSU 3-0
7. Louisville 3-0
8. Florida St. 2-0
9. Georgia 1-1
10. Texas A&M 2-1
11. Oklahoma St. 3-0
12. South Carolina 2-1
13. UCLA 2-0
14. Oklahoma 3-0
15. Michigan 3-0
16. Miami 2-0
17. Washington 2-0
18. Northwestern 3-0
19. Florida 1-1
20. Baylor 2-0
21. Mississippi 3-0
22. Notre Dame 2-1
23. Arizona St. 2-0
24. Wisconsin 2-1
25. Texas Tech 3-0
Baseball results, Sunday, September 15, 2013.
Reuters
(Home team in CAPS)
Baltimore 3 TORONTO 1
DETROIT 3 Kansas City 2
NY METS 1 Miami 0 (12 innings)
San Diego 4 ATLANTA 0
WASHINGTON 11 Philadelphia 2
MILWAUKEE 6 Cincinnati 5
ST. LOUIS 12 Seattle 2
Oakland 5 TEXAS 1
ARIZONA 8 Colorado 2
San Francisco 4 LA DODGERS 3
BOSTON 9 NY Yankees 2
DETROIT 3 Kansas City 2
NY METS 1 Miami 0 (12 innings)
San Diego 4 ATLANTA 0
WASHINGTON 11 Philadelphia 2
PITTSBURGH 3 Chicago Cubs 2
Cleveland 7 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 1
MINNESOTA 6 Tampa Bay 4
LA Angels 2 HOUSTON 1 MILWAUKEE 6 Cincinnati 5
ST. LOUIS 12 Seattle 2
Oakland 5 TEXAS 1
ARIZONA 8 Colorado 2
San Francisco 4 LA DODGERS 3
BOSTON 9 NY Yankees 2
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