Sports Quote of the Day:
"If you have a dream or a vision, you set a goal and you truly believe in yourself and that goal, you stay strong, you keep the faith and you carry on, then nothing or anyone can stop you from achieving success ."
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!! Jay Cutler and the Bears claw down Roethlisberger and the Steelers on the road.
NBC Sports @ NBC on Yahoo Sports
One of the underlying tenets of the 2013 Bears – now the 3-0 Bears after their 40-23 win Sunday over the Pittsburgh Steelers – was that the offense would be good enough to, if needed, bail out the defense, which would be good enough to bail out the offense, and so on. Both were the case Sunday night.
Only the New Orleans Saints, who come to Soldier Field in two weeks, and the Seattle Seahawks remain undefeated in the NFC.
The 3-0 start matches the opening of the 2010 season that ended a touchdown short of the Super Bowl, and the 2006 season when they ended up in the Super Bowl. That year's 7-0 start will take some doing to match but the Bears are doing the things that winning teams do.
Caretakers: For the first time this season Jay Cutler did not throw an interception. The Bears recovered their only fumble. They took the ball away from the Steelers twice on interceptions, one of those for a Major Wright touchdown return, and three times on fumbles, one of those taken out of the air and returned 42 yards by Julius Peppers.
“We kind of got into a protect-the-football mode the way [the defense] was getting takeaways and setting us up,” Cutler said.
Bail outs: After the offense and defense combined to build a 24-3 lead against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night, both units effectively shut down and appeared to play not to lose, although they disagreed.
“The Steelers are a good team and they just started making plays,” said running back Matt Forte, whose 87 rushing and 24 receiving yards gave him a second straight 100-yard game.
The defense has allowed 21-30-23 points in the three games this season. All wins, but that is more than any three-game span all last season and well above the standard target of 17 points allowed per game.
The Pittsburgh offense outgained the Bears’ 459-258 with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger throwing for 406 and two touchdowns. Four different Steelers had at least one play 20 yards or longer, with wide receiver Antonio Brown finishing with 196 at the expense of virtually every member of the secondary.
Quarterback “wins”: Championship teams typically have quarterbacks who can take over and win games when the issue is in doubt. Cutler has directed two fourth-quarter comebacks this season and Sunday night was more the need of a “closer” when Pittsburgh threatened.
With the game at stake and the defense struggling to fend off Roethlisberger, Brown and the Steelers, it was Cutler directing a 74-yard touchdown drive for what were clinching points on a 17-yard touchdown pass to Earl Bennett. Prior to that he had scrambled 13 yards on a third-and-10 and thrown to Brandon Marshall 41 yards on a third-and-12 to sustain the drive.
“[Cutler] came through when we needed him,” Peppers said. “That’s something that Coach [Trestman] stresses and preaches. We need him there and he came through with some big throws. He’s been doing it all season and that’s who he’s become.”
“That was number one tonight,” Trestman said. “We wanted to make sure we had no pre-snap penalties in the noise with our young guys. It wasn’t easy to beat a great defensive team to the punch like we we did at times tonight.”
NFL resumes quiet push for 18 game schedule.
By Mike Florio
(Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
One of the underlying tenets of the 2013 Bears – now the 3-0 Bears after their 40-23 win Sunday over the Pittsburgh Steelers – was that the offense would be good enough to, if needed, bail out the defense, which would be good enough to bail out the offense, and so on. Both were the case Sunday night.
Only the New Orleans Saints, who come to Soldier Field in two weeks, and the Seattle Seahawks remain undefeated in the NFC.
The 3-0 start matches the opening of the 2010 season that ended a touchdown short of the Super Bowl, and the 2006 season when they ended up in the Super Bowl. That year's 7-0 start will take some doing to match but the Bears are doing the things that winning teams do.
Caretakers: For the first time this season Jay Cutler did not throw an interception. The Bears recovered their only fumble. They took the ball away from the Steelers twice on interceptions, one of those for a Major Wright touchdown return, and three times on fumbles, one of those taken out of the air and returned 42 yards by Julius Peppers.
“We kind of got into a protect-the-football mode the way [the defense] was getting takeaways and setting us up,” Cutler said.
Bail outs: After the offense and defense combined to build a 24-3 lead against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night, both units effectively shut down and appeared to play not to lose, although they disagreed.
“The Steelers are a good team and they just started making plays,” said running back Matt Forte, whose 87 rushing and 24 receiving yards gave him a second straight 100-yard game.
The defense has allowed 21-30-23 points in the three games this season. All wins, but that is more than any three-game span all last season and well above the standard target of 17 points allowed per game.
The Pittsburgh offense outgained the Bears’ 459-258 with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger throwing for 406 and two touchdowns. Four different Steelers had at least one play 20 yards or longer, with wide receiver Antonio Brown finishing with 196 at the expense of virtually every member of the secondary.
Quarterback “wins”: Championship teams typically have quarterbacks who can take over and win games when the issue is in doubt. Cutler has directed two fourth-quarter comebacks this season and Sunday night was more the need of a “closer” when Pittsburgh threatened.
With the game at stake and the defense struggling to fend off Roethlisberger, Brown and the Steelers, it was Cutler directing a 74-yard touchdown drive for what were clinching points on a 17-yard touchdown pass to Earl Bennett. Prior to that he had scrambled 13 yards on a third-and-10 and thrown to Brandon Marshall 41 yards on a third-and-12 to sustain the drive.
“[Cutler] came through when we needed him,” Peppers said. “That’s something that Coach [Trestman] stresses and preaches. We need him there and he came through with some big throws. He’s been doing it all season and that’s who he’s become.”
Cutler was not spectacular: 159 yards on 30 attempts, one touchdown. But he was 20 for 30, completing 67 percent of his passes, including 8-for-12 passing in the second half.
Poise boys: Trestman praised his team for maintaining its poise in a renowned difficult venue for visitors. The Bears were assessed just four penalties for the third straight game.“That was number one tonight,” Trestman said. “We wanted to make sure we had no pre-snap penalties in the noise with our young guys. It wasn’t easy to beat a great defensive team to the punch like we we did at times tonight.”
NFL resumes quiet push for 18 game schedule.
(Getty Images)
For most teams, it’s three games down and 13 to go. If the NFL eventually gets its way, each team would still have 15 regular-season contests remaining.
Per a league source, the NFL quietly has resumed its push to persuade the NFLPA to expand the regular-season to 18 games.
The players consistently have declined to agree to an expanded regular season, even though the players would realize roughly half of the additional revenue. And while the NFL still has the ability to unilaterally slash the preseason in half, which at one point was viewed as the leverage necessary to persuade the NFLPA to agree to add those two games to the regular season, the league is unlikely to do that, for various reasons.
Apart from losing the revenue with no guarantee the NFLPA would take the bait for replacing the money (and then some) by adding a pair of regular-season games, stadium lease agreements typically require at least 10 games per year. So if the NFL opts to drop a pair of preseason games and the union calls the bluff, the NFL could end up in breach of multiple stadium deals.
If the players continue to refuse to play more than 16 games, the only way to add two games would be to expand the season while limiting each player’s participation to 16 per season. This would require coaches to make often difficult decisions about when to rest each player, twice.
Injuries would make those decisions easier. Lions running back Reggie Bush, for example, already would have one of his two games off in the bank after Sunday’s decision by the team to play it safe with his knee injury.
Likewise, exceptions could be made for specialists and quarterbacks, who already have greater in-game protections and compensation than other players.
The concept would cause strong reactions, in both directions. Though a union source has described the possibility of an 18-game season with a 16-game limit per player as “fascinating,” many fans would disagree. Loudly.
Millions of fantasy football owners wouldn’t be thrilled about it, either. Loudly.
With the league intent on adding regular-season games and the players intent on not exposing themselves to additional physical risks, the shift from 16 to 18 games will happen only if the NFLPA blinks or the two sides come up with something creative.
And the league will keep pressing until one of those two things happen.
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks reduce training camp roster to 28 players.
By Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks announced today they have assigned forwards Drew LeBlanc, Terry Broadhurst, Phillip Danault, Byron Froese and Kyle Beach and goaltender Antti Raanta to the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League.
The Blackhawks have also released forwards Brad Mills and Maxim Shalunov from training camp. Both players will report to Rockford; Mills on an AHL contract and Shalunov on a tryout agreement.
The team’s active roster now includes 16 forwards, 10 defensemen and two goaltenders.
The Blackhawks wrap up the 2013 preseason on Saturday, Sept. 28 at the United Center against the Washington Capitals at 7 p.m. CT. The game can be seen on CSN Chicago and heard on WGNRadio.com or on the WGN Radio mobile app.
Bettman says vast majority of NHL GM's favor hybrid icing.
By James O'Brien
The NHL’s Board of Governors meeting wrapped up on Monday, and while issues such as general player safety and the Olympics were covered, the most interesting discussion might be regarding hybrid icing. NHL.com reports that Gary Bettman said that, when it comes to the league’s GMs, most remain on board with the rule change.
Bettman said that the “vast majority” of GMs approve of hybrid icing (despite voicing some concerns). The players, meanwhile, need to get organized to vote on the rule before the preseason ends.
Whether the NHLPA votes to keep things the same or not, Bettman said that the league will stick with the same version of icing for the entirety of the 2013-14 campaign.
Update: TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that the NHLPA plans a full member vote on the issue. No word on the deadline for such polling.
Here’s a collection of viewpoints on the issue:
- Puckhandling wiz goalie Martin Brodeur thinks it’s “confusing” and would vote it down.
- Brodeur’s GM Lou Lamoriello isn’t thrilled about refs facing another judgment call.
- Boston Bruins head coach Claude Julien is conflicted about it.
- Los Angeles Kings bench boss Darryl Sutter makes no bones about his disapproval.
- Jason Chimera – a forechecking forward – hates it. (Shocking.)
- Marc Methot – a defenseman who often deals with forechecking forwards – would appreciate it. (Also stunning, right?)
So, if various reactions are any indication, players could be pretty mixed on this issue … assuming they get around to voting on it, in the first place.
Just another Chicago Bulls Session... Pro Basketball Talk 2013-2014 Preview: Chicago Bulls.
By Dan Feldman
Last season: The Bulls went 45-37, putting together an impressive regular season that included the victory that snapped the Heat’s 27-win streak. Joakim Noah, Luol Deng and Jimmy Butler each got Defensive Player of the Year votes as Tom Thibodeau continuously reinforces a culture in Chicago.
In the playoffs, the hard-nosed Bulls beat the more-talented Nets in a seven-game first-round series. As Chicago injuries took a toll, Nate Robinson emerged as quite the spark. Chicago ended the talk of Miami going undefeated throughout the playoffs, but otherwise, the Bulls ran out of gas in a 4-1 loss in the second round.
Anything else from the Bulls’ season worth mentioning? Any other key storylines? It seems like I’m missing something or someone, but I just checked all the Bulls’ 2012-13 box scores and every name is accounted for in the preview. I don’t know. It’s a mystery.
Signature highlight from last season:
No. 2: Evidence that the Bulls had a mental edge over the Nets in their playoff matchup:
Nate Robison left as a free agent, and though he could be a headache, he really brought an element the Bulls didn’t have. They might be better without him, but they’ll definitely be less fun. Marco Belininelli also left, and Richard Hamilton was waived.
Keys to the Bulls’ season:
1) How good is Derrick Rose? Rose took his time returning, but ACL tears are no joke. Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has completely ruined expectations for how long it should take a professional athlete to return to full health. Despite incredible medical advancements, it’s still possible Rose has lost some explosiveness.
Rose is almost certainly good. The question is just how good.
2) Will Gar Forman keep the team together? Luol Deng has an expiring contract and could be major trade bait. Carlos Boozer, now so overrated he’s underrated, is overpaid for the next two seasons, so Chicago might want to dump him. Those moves could arguably make the Bulls better in the long-term. But both players are key this season.
3) Can Tom Thibodeau hold back just a little? Need to win one game, and there might not be a better coach than Tom Thibodeau. But need to have the most successful season, and Thibodeau slips in the rankings. He’s relentless, which makes his teams fun to watch (see below), but it also wears on his players. The Bulls are capable of making a deep playoff run, but not if all their players are fatigued and injured.
There’s no guarantee Thibodeau can instill toughness while still limiting minutes and allowing slightly reduced intensity on certain nights. But if he can, the Bulls would be better for it.
Why you should watch the Bulls: They play hard every game, and that often leads to a couple fun plays. Plus, if you enjoy defense, the Bulls play it as well as any team in the league. Joakim Noah is relentless on that end, a real throwback.
Offensively, the Bulls could be rough last season, but Derrick Rose should solve that. He’s the type of singular talent who really transforms the entire scheme. Chicago’s offense might not become elite overnight, but it will at least be passable while the defense excels.
Prediction: 55-27. If healthy, the Bulls should win a playoff series or two. With the right breaks, that could be three or maybe even four. Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah form a complete, talented and balanced lineup. But the Bulls’ bench has fallen off in recent years, which could prove costly (though I really like Taj Gibson). Unless Tom Thibodeau changes his hard-charging ways, it’s unlikely Chicago’s starting lineup holds all season.
Of course, none of this matters unless Derrick Rose looks like the player who won MVP. With that Rose, the Bulls’ ceiling is a championship. With a lesser version, every playoff series will be a scrap, and it’s tough to win many while going through that each round.
PGA Tour unveils schedule for 2013-2014 season, with 45 official events.
PGA Tour unveils schedule for 2013-2014 season, with 45 official events.
By PGA.com news services
2013-14 PGA Tour schedule:
Oct. 7-13 Frys.com Open
CordeValle Golf Club, San Martin, Calif.
Oct. 14-20 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open
TPC Summerlin, Las Vegas, Nev.
Oct. 28-Nov. 3 WGC-HSBC Champions
Jan. 20-26 Farmers Insurance Open
March 3-9 WGC-Cadillac Championship
March 3-9 Puerto Rico Open
March 24-30 Valero Texas Open
April 14-20 RBC Heritage
May 19-25 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial
May 26-June 1 The Memorial Tournament
June 2-8 FedEx St. Jude Classic
June 9-15 U.S. Open
June 16-22 Travelers Championship
June 23-29 AT&T National
July 14-20 The Open Championship
July 28-Aug. 3 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational
Aug. 18-24 The Barclays
* = unofficial event
Power Rankings: Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch are entrenched at the top.
Oct. 7-13 Frys.com Open
CordeValle Golf Club, San Martin, Calif.
Oct. 14-20 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open
TPC Summerlin, Las Vegas, Nev.
Oct. 21-27 CIMB Classic
Kuala Lumpur G&CC, Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaOct. 28-Nov. 3 WGC-HSBC Champions
Sheshan International GC, Shanghai, China
Nov. 4-10 The McGladrey Classic
Sea Island Resort, St. Simons Island, Ga.
Nov. 11-17 OHL Classic at Mayakoba
El Camaleon GC at Mayakoba Resort,
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
*Nov. 18-24 World Cup of Golf
Royal Melbourne GC, Victoria, Australia
*Dec. 5-8 World Challenge
Sherwood CC, Thousand Oaks, Calif.
*Dec. 13-15 Franklin Templeton Shootout
Tiburon GC, Naples, Fla.
Dec. 30-Jan. 6 Hyundai Tournament of Champions (Monday finish)
Kapalua Resort (Plantation), Kapalua, Hawaii
Jan. 6-12 Sony Open in Hawaii
Waialae CC, Honolulu, Hawaii
Jan. 13-19 Humana Challenge
PGA West; La Quinta CC, La Quinta, Calif.
Torrey Pines (South, North), San Diego
Jan. 27-Feb. 2 Waste Management Phoenix Open
TPC Scottsdale, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Feb. 3-9 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am
Pebble Beach GL, Pebble Beach, Calif.
Feb. 10-16 Northern Trust Open
Feb. 10-16 Northern Trust Open
Riviera CC, Pacific Palisades, Calif.
Feb. 17-23 WGC-Accenture Match Play Champ.
The Golf Club at Dove Mountain, Marana, Ariz.
Feb. 24-March 2 The Honda Classic
Feb. 24-March 2 The Honda Classic
PGA National, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
March 3-9 WGC-Cadillac Championship
Trump National Doral (Blue Monster), Doral, Fla.
March 3-9 Puerto Rico Open
Trump International GC, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico
March 10-16 Valspar Championship
Innisbrook Resort, Palm Harbor, Fla.
March 17-23 Arnold Palmer Invitational
March 17-23 Arnold Palmer Invitational
Bay Hill GC & Lodge, Orlando, Fla.
March 24-30 Valero Texas Open
TPC San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
March 31-April 6 Shell Houston Open
March 31-April 6 Shell Houston Open
Redstone GC, Humble, Texas
April 7-13 Masters Tournament
April 7-13 Masters Tournament
Augusta National GC, Augusta, Ga.
April 14-20 RBC Heritage
Harbour Town GL, Hilton Head Island, S.C.
April 21-27 Zurich Classic
TPC Louisiana, New Orleans, La.
April 28-May 4 Wells Fargo Championship
Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, N.C.
May 5-11 The Players Championship
TPC Sawgrass (Stadium Course), Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
May 12-18 HP Byron Nelson Championship
Four Seasons Resort, Irving, Texas
May 19-25 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial
Colonial CC, Fort Worth, Texas
May 26-June 1 The Memorial Tournament
Muirfield Village GC, Dublin, Ohio
June 2-8 FedEx St. Jude Classic
TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tenn.
June 9-15 U.S. Open
Pinehurst No. 2, Pinehurst, N.C.
June 16-22 Travelers Championship
TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Conn.
June 23-29 AT&T National
Congressional CC, Bethesda, Md.
June 30-July 6 The Greenbrier Classic
The Greenbrier Resort (The Old White TPC)
July 7-13 John Deere Classic
TPC Deere Run, Silvis, Ill.
July 14-20 The Open Championship
Royal Liverpool, Hoylake, U.K.
July 21-27 RBC Canadian Open
The Royal Montreal GC, Ile-Bizard, Quebec
July 28-Aug. 3 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational
Firestone CC (South), Akron, Ohio
July 28-Aug. 3 Reno-Tahoe Open
Montreux G&CC, Reno, Nev.
Aug. 4-10 PGA Championship
Aug. 4-10 PGA Championship
Valhalla GC, Louisville, Ky.
Aug. 11-17 Wyndham Championship
Sedgefield CC, Greensboro, N.C.
Aug. 18-24 The Barclays
Ridgewood CC, Paramus, N.J.
Aug. 25-Sept. 1 Deutsche Bank Championship (Monday finish)
TPC Boston, Norton, Mass.
Sept. 1-7 BMW Championship
Cherry Hills CC, Cherry Hills Village, Colo.
Sept. 8-14 Tour Championship by Coca-Cola
East Lake GC, Atlanta, Ga.
* = unofficial event
Power Rankings: Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch are entrenched at the top.
By Nick Bromberg
Best picture ever? (Getty)
1. Matt Kenseth (LW: 1): Not much you can do when the guy who was atop the standings last week wins again this week. We tossed out the stat last night but it bears repeating; last year through two races, 11 drivers were within 35 points of the lead. This year, three are. It's fitting that those three are Kenseth, Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson though, because they've been our best three all season.
12. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: NR): Welcome back Junior, though you're still at the Chase kids' table. Sorry about that, but it's no fault of your own. Blame your engine. Expect Junior to remain at the periphery for the final eight races, and he's not going to come into focus without a win or two. And do you see that happening?
Lucky Dog: How about a shout to Brian Vickers, who finished seventh after starting last? Yeah, he won at New Hampshire in the spring, but moving up 36 spots there is tough.
The DNF: Kasey Kahne gave us our second Great Clips craziest moment of the weekend. Good sponsor exposure I guess.
Dropped out: Kahne, Brad Keselowski, Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
By Nick Sabetti
The Montreal Impact were officially eliminated from the Champions League Tuesday as a 2-0 win against Guatemalan side CD Heredia didn’t suffice to keep their hopes of continuing in the competition alive. After a 3-0 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes last week in California, the Impact needed to win by more than six goals to give themselves any chance of progression.
Daniele Paponi gave the Impact an early lead in the fourth minute with a header from close range and Andrew Wenger closed the game off in the 53rd minute with his first goal since May. The Impact could very easily have won by a much larger margin but squandered a mountain of opportunities.
Daniele Paponi gave the Impact an early lead in the fourth minute with a header from close range and Andrew Wenger closed the game off in the 53rd minute with his first goal since May. The Impact could very easily have won by a much larger margin but squandered a mountain of opportunities.
Coach Marco Schallibaum, who had already conceded in the lead up to the game that the Impact had “no chance” of qualifying to the next round, was happy with the tenacity the team exhibited in the game.
“The important thing was that the players battled hard until the end,” Schallibaum said. “They played with a lot of character tonight.”
With the Impact recently coming off a three game losing skid, Schallibaum explained that he hopes the win against Heredia will provide his players with an important confidence booster, especially as only one month remains in the MLS season and the Impact haven’t yet been able to secure a place in the postseason.
The Guatemalans will travel to San Jose next month in the final match of Group 5, which will decide who will advance to the quarter-finals. Heredia will only need a point to progress whereas San Jose will need to win by a two goal margin.
Heredia coach Juan Carlos Elias admitted after the game that the odds of his team obtaining a draw in San Jose are slim, but said that both he and his side are simply content with the fact of being able to lock horns with much bigger clubs like Montreal and San Jose.
NCAA to restore Penn State football scholarships.
MARK SCOLFORO (Associated Press)
Penn State will gradually get back football scholarships taken away over the Jerry Sandusky child molestation scandal, the NCAA announced Tuesday, crediting the university for making significant improvements to its athletics programs.
Five scholarships will be restored next year and 15 more will be phased in until the school reaches the limit of 85 in 2016-17, a season earlier than the school had agreed to, college sports' governing body said. The NCAA said the unanimous decision by its executive committee was based on the recommendation of former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell, who has been serving as Penn State's athletics integrity monitor.
''This action provides an opportunity to recognize Penn State's significant momentum, while also providing additional opportunities for student-athletes,'' said Wake Forest University president Nathan Hatch, chair of the NCAA's Division I board of directors, which endorsed the decision.
The penalties came amid heavy criticism of university leaders' response to complaints about Sandusky. Penn State and the NCAA agreed to the penalties by entering into a consent decree more than a year ago, shortly after Sandusky was convicted of 45 counts of sexual abuse. They also require the school to pay a $60 million fine and serve a four-year ban on postseason play. The NCAA also eliminated 112 wins by the football program.
Penn State president Rodney Erickson called the restoration of scholarships particularly welcome news for student-athletes who want to attend Penn State.
''As we promised throughout this process, we are committed to improving all our policies, procedures and actions,'' Erickson said.
The NCAA said it also may reduce the postseason play ban, depending on the university's future progress. Mitchell said it was premature to say which other sanctions might be changed.
''This was a positive response to positive action, and as to the future, we'll have to make judgments in the future,'' Mitchell told reporters in a conference call. He said the decision was particularly warranted by the actions of Erickson and other university leaders ''in the face of considerable opposition within the Penn State community.''
''Over time, their actions led to a circumstance where it became clear to me that their response was positive in the face of difficult circumstances,'' Mitchell said.
Mitchell said he recommended the restoration of scholarships, but the specific elements were decided by the NCAA and Big Ten Conference.
''It is the mechanism most directly targeted to students, student-athletes,'' Mitchell said. ''I felt it was an appropriate place to provide the relief.''
Earlier this month, Mitchell issued a report on the first year of his service as monitor, crediting Penn State for notable progress that included implementation of 119 recommendations made last summer by former FBI director Louis Freeh, who directed the school's investigation into the scandal.
The family of former coach Joe Paterno issued a statement calling the decision welcome news. Paterno died from lung cancer in January 2012, weeks after the arrest of Sandusky on abuse charges and two administrators on allegations of a criminal cover-up. A lawsuit by his surviving family members and others against the NCAA is pending in county court near State College.
Sandusky is serving a 30- to 60-year state prison sentence for sexual abuse of 10 boys, including incidents inside Penn State athletics facilities. A state appeals court recently heard oral argument in his quest for a new trial.
The Nittany Lions are 3-1 and do not play this week. In response to the NCAA announcement, coach Bill O'Brien said his staff was pleased for the players, who, he said, have ''proven themselves to be a resilient group of young men who are able to look ahead, focus and overcome adversity.''
Emmert says change coming for NCAA.
Five scholarships will be restored next year and 15 more will be phased in until the school reaches the limit of 85 in 2016-17, a season earlier than the school had agreed to, college sports' governing body said. The NCAA said the unanimous decision by its executive committee was based on the recommendation of former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell, who has been serving as Penn State's athletics integrity monitor.
''This action provides an opportunity to recognize Penn State's significant momentum, while also providing additional opportunities for student-athletes,'' said Wake Forest University president Nathan Hatch, chair of the NCAA's Division I board of directors, which endorsed the decision.
The penalties came amid heavy criticism of university leaders' response to complaints about Sandusky. Penn State and the NCAA agreed to the penalties by entering into a consent decree more than a year ago, shortly after Sandusky was convicted of 45 counts of sexual abuse. They also require the school to pay a $60 million fine and serve a four-year ban on postseason play. The NCAA also eliminated 112 wins by the football program.
Penn State president Rodney Erickson called the restoration of scholarships particularly welcome news for student-athletes who want to attend Penn State.
''As we promised throughout this process, we are committed to improving all our policies, procedures and actions,'' Erickson said.
The NCAA said it also may reduce the postseason play ban, depending on the university's future progress. Mitchell said it was premature to say which other sanctions might be changed.
''This was a positive response to positive action, and as to the future, we'll have to make judgments in the future,'' Mitchell told reporters in a conference call. He said the decision was particularly warranted by the actions of Erickson and other university leaders ''in the face of considerable opposition within the Penn State community.''
''Over time, their actions led to a circumstance where it became clear to me that their response was positive in the face of difficult circumstances,'' Mitchell said.
Mitchell said he recommended the restoration of scholarships, but the specific elements were decided by the NCAA and Big Ten Conference.
''It is the mechanism most directly targeted to students, student-athletes,'' Mitchell said. ''I felt it was an appropriate place to provide the relief.''
Earlier this month, Mitchell issued a report on the first year of his service as monitor, crediting Penn State for notable progress that included implementation of 119 recommendations made last summer by former FBI director Louis Freeh, who directed the school's investigation into the scandal.
The family of former coach Joe Paterno issued a statement calling the decision welcome news. Paterno died from lung cancer in January 2012, weeks after the arrest of Sandusky on abuse charges and two administrators on allegations of a criminal cover-up. A lawsuit by his surviving family members and others against the NCAA is pending in county court near State College.
Sandusky is serving a 30- to 60-year state prison sentence for sexual abuse of 10 boys, including incidents inside Penn State athletics facilities. A state appeals court recently heard oral argument in his quest for a new trial.
The Nittany Lions are 3-1 and do not play this week. In response to the NCAA announcement, coach Bill O'Brien said his staff was pleased for the players, who, he said, have ''proven themselves to be a resilient group of young men who are able to look ahead, focus and overcome adversity.''
Emmert says change coming for NCAA.
TOMMY MAGELSSEN (Associated Press)
President Mark Emmert said Monday he expects ''a lot of change'' for the governance structure of Division I sports over the next year.
''I've said publicly on a number of occasions the only thing everybody agrees on with Division I governance is that it doesn't work,'' Emmert said during his opening remarks at a meeting of more than 100 Division I faculty athletics representatives. He later said NCAA directors are looking at the next six to eight months in particular.
''I think the board anticipates a lot of change,'' he said. ''They're going into their October and January meetings expecting to look at a whole different governance model for Division I. So it will be significantly different.''
The NCAA's annual convention is in January. The board hopes to adopt proposals at its meeting next April, and then have a special meeting for the full membership next summer.
The discussion focused on transparency and the public perception of the NCAA.
Emmert has received sharp criticism for months, for everything from the unprecedented sanctions handed to Penn State for the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal to the botched investigation of alleged misconduct in University of Miami athletics. He, and the NCAA in general, have been singled out by conference commissioners, professional athletes and even current college football players.
Houston Texans running back Arian Foster, who says in an upcoming documentary he accepted money while at Tennessee, recently called the NCAA a bully. Some college players wore patches Saturday with the letters APU, standing for All Players United, to call for NCAA reform.
Additionally, SEC Commissioner Mike Slive suggested last week that the NCAA's rules on governing agents are part of the problem amid reports of possible problems at Alabama and Tennessee.
''I haven't talked to Mike about it, so I can't speak for him,'' Emmert said Monday.
The third-year president is fully aware of the public's perception of the NCAA.
Emmert said the board and other NCAA officials have concerns about that. The public sees him as more of a commissioner of a professional sport, which Emmert said is not the case.
He said getting people to understand the NCAA is more than just him or the board of directors - decisions are driven by the hundreds of member schools - is a difficult task.
''To think that the president of the NCAA has ever been anything like the commissioner of baseball is ludicrous,'' Emmert said, ''but yet that would be the most popular perception I suspect that people have of what my job is.''
The discussion did touch briefly on whether the NCAA would consider creating a new big-school Bowl Division - in essence, splitting up the current Division I. A packet distributed at the session called ''Principles and Model for New Governance Structure'' suggests that FBS institutions and conferences that are more closely aligned in issues and athletics resources form a new division.
''The simpler the governance structure, the better,'' the packet states.
Baseball Results, Tuesday, September 24, 2013.
Reuters
(Home team in CAPS)
Toronto 3 BALTIMORE 2 (10 innings)
CLEVELAND 5 Chicago White Sox 4
Tampa Bay 7 NY YANKEES 0
ATLANTA 3 Milwaukee 2
NY Mets 4 CINCINNATI 2
Philadelphia 2 MIAMI 1
TEXAS 3 Houston 2
Pittsburgh 8 CHICAGO CUBS 2
Detroit 4 MINNESOTA 2
ST. LOUIS 2 Washington 0
COLORADO 8 Boston 3
LA ANGELS 3 Oakland 0
SEATTLE 4 Kansas City 0
LA Dodgers 2 SAN FRANCISCO 1
Arizona 2 SAN DIEGO 1
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