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Team Report - CHICAGO BEARS.
The Sports Xchange
Bears' Williams out; Bostic next man up.
Chicago Bears coach Marc Trestman keeps referring to the "next man up" philosophy in the NFL, but for his defense it has become next men up.
General manager Phil Emery and Trestman have several days to address the latest in a series of personnel losses suffered by the interior of the defense after middle linebacker D.J. Williams was lost for the season in Thursday night's 27-21 victory over the New York Giants.
It's highly unlikely they'll be searching for Brian Urlacher's phone number to talk him out of retirement, as they have rookie second-round pick Jonathan Bostic to step in for Williams, who suffered a ruptured left pectoral tendon against the Giants.
The Bears already had lost three-technique defensive tackle Henry Melton and his backup, Nate Collins, for the season, and nose tackle Stephen Paea is plagued by a painful toe injury that has kept him out of two straight games, and may even keep him out of the Oct. 20 game at Washington. So the middle of the Bears defense near the line of scrimmage has become extremely vulnerable.
Bostic, the former Florida star, displayed great athletic ability in preseason while Williams sat out with a calf injury throughout preseason. Trestman can't be certain how he'll do after playing the fourth quarter Thursday.
"I thought he was active. He was around the football," Trestman said, summing up the rookie's work. "It's the next-man-up mentality and I think he's mentally ready to take on playing that position.
"The experience that he had will certainly help him down the road."
The Bears did get three interceptions against a struggling Giants offense, but had a rough time stopping the run.
"I think the last two weeks we've been very good on defense," Trestman said. "In terms of our productivity on third down and in the red zone, we weren't (Thursday) night."
The third-down aspect of it, a 7-for-11 effort allowed by the defense, is in part due to a lack of pass rush. That is at least partially the result of losing Melton, Collins and Paea.
Players including David Bass, Zach Minter and Landon Cohen have had to take on roles in the defensive front, while Julius Peppers and Corey Wootton were moved at times to the inside.
And the depleted defensive front has now cast Emery's first draft pick, Shea McClellin, into the spotlight. McClellin contributed at times as a situational pass rusher last year. However, now his weakness against the run is obvious when the team moves him to end and slides Wootton or Peppers to tackle. It has many wondering if he can be the answer to a lack of pressure by the defensive front.
"I mean, Shea is a work in progress, but certainly there's evidence that he can be that guy," Trestman said. "We'll continue to try to do some things to move him around as well."
After Thursday's game, quarterback Jay Cutler was asked if the nature of the league has made it so 21 points may no longer be enough to win a game.
"You have to put up 30, sometimes more," he said.
The offense may find itself needing to put up more than 30 considering the manpower losses the defense is taking.
NOTES, QUOTES
--Defensive end Julius Peppers was held off the game-day stats sheet again, fueling the fire for those who think he is no longer the force he was even a year ago. Peppers had no tackles or sacks.
"I can't speak for previous years. I know that it's not just one guy," Trestman said.
"It's a combination of rushes and people inside and moving people around and how stunts are put together. I just don't think it's about one guy here.
"It's about us collectively continuing to find ways to get a pass rush going. We got close and Julius got close a couple times, too. We just didn't get close enough. We got close enough to redirect Eli (Manning) a couple times and push him out of the pocket. We just didn't hit him."
--Although Cutler found ways to get the ball to wide receiver Brandon Marshall nine times and to tight end Martellus Bennett six times against New York, there was dissatisfaction. The Bears offense scored just 20 points, not enough to win the game without a 48-yard interception return for a touchdown by cornerback Tim Jennings.
They had drives die at the Giants 44, 45 and 48 in the second half and turned it over on downs at the Giants 4 in the first half.
"I think we got better this week," Cutler said. "The first half we did well. I thought we got in the red zone and some plays, finished the game there on a four-minute situation. A lot of positives. ... Physical things we have to clean up.
"As long as we are getting better, we don't need a time table (for when the offense will be at peak efficiency)."
--The Bears conducted one of the slowest-moving two-minute drills prior to kicking a field goal to close the first half Thursday, and Trestman called it the result of circumstances. Jay Cutler had slid but didn't pick up a first down, so the team was somewhat slow in deciding what to do in a short-yardage situation with the clock running.
"I think the third-down slide hurt the tempo because we had to run the ball and get back on it," he said. "We had two throws but we wanted to make sure we got three points first."
--RB Matt Forte was held to 3.5 yards per carry, but Trestman didn't mind the effort on the ground Thursday by his starting back.
"He's just very, very steady," Trestman said. "I was shocked that he had 19 carries. I didn't realize he had that many carries."
QUOTE TO NOTE: "I've never talked about balance. I really never have. I don't think it's significant. I think what's most important - I've said it from the beginning - is scoring touchdowns and moving the football." --Bears coach Marc Trestman on the importance of balancing the offense with the running game.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
INJURY IMPACT
--MLB D.J. Williams' season ended with a torn pec tendon, and the ramifications could be more than losing a key playmaker. Williams hadn't been on the team's nickel defense early in the season, because he missed all preseason with a calf strain. However, he had just begun to work back into the nickel in James Anderson's place. Williams had been their other nickel linebacker alongside Lance Briggs in offseason work and early in training camp, and coaches thought the nickel would improve with his return.
--SLB James Anderson failed to finish the game with a back injury that isn't thought to be serious.
"I think he'll be OK," Trestman said. "And I did get the report on what it was, but there's nothing serious there."
--CB Charles Tillman did not play in the game due to knee soreness that has plagued him since the Bears win over Minnesota in Week 2, but Trestman said Tillman may have been ready to go if the game had been on Sunday and there were a few days more recovery time.
Tillman had played in 55 straight games. His last missed game had been the regular-season finale in 2009.
PLAYER NOTES
--K Robbie Gould has matched the NFL record of 12 consecutive 50-yard field goals made held by Minnesota Vikings kicker Blair Walsh. Both players currently have their streaks intact.
--KR Devin Hester became Chicago's all-time kick returner in terms of yardage with a 28-yard return against the Giants. He later had a 22-yard return, too, and it brought his record total to 4,643 yards. Glyn Milburn had the old record of 4,596. Hester already held the team record for punt return yardage (3,020).
REPORT CARD VS. GIANTS
PASSING OFFENSE: B -- An ability to move the ball without a turnover led to Jay Cutler's 106.5 passer rating, but the Bears left plenty of potential points on the field by failing once they got beyond midfield in the second half when they got greedy looking too far downfield. Brandon Marshall and Martellus Bennett got open repeatedly, but then again the Giants had no pass rush and there are string bikinis that cover more than they do.
RUSHING OFFENSE: C+ -- Matt Forte averaged only 3.5 yards a carry and Michael Bush 1.3 as the short-yardage back. The offensive line struggled to get a push in short-yardage or goal-line situations, leading to a reliance on the passing game in risky situations such as the failed fourth-down gamble on the opening drive. The Bears' most reliable rushing plays so far this season seem to be Alshon Jeffery on the end around and Jay Cutler scrambling up the middle.
PASS DEFENSE: B -- They held Eli Manning to a 58.5 passer rating despite getting virtually no pressure on him, which might speak more to Manning's problems than their pass coverage. The three interceptions told the story of the game. Pass coverage still could have been better considering the 7-for-11 third-down conversion rate the Giants achieved.
RUSH DEFENSE: D -- The Giants came in averaging 56.8 yards a carry and had a 31-year-old running back but they rushed for 123 yards and 4.7 per carry as a team. The makeshift defensive tackle got pushed around and it seemed safety Chris Conte was the only player who could tackle Brandon Jacobs. Even Lance Briggs struggled at times with stopping Jacobs.
SPECIAL TEAMS: B- -- Adam Podlesh helped keep pressure of the bend-and-break defense by dumping two punts inside the 10 in the fourth quarter, while Robbie Gould's 52-yard field goal proved critical at game's end. Gould had a sorry squib kickoff and the Bears kick coverage team, which has been effective, allowed a 46-yard return.
COACHING: B- - It's easy to fry Marc Trestman over the fourth-and-2 gamble from the 4-yard line on the first drive. And he should be fried. His offensive line hasn't proven itself capable yet of holding up under such fire and with the game so early it was a needless failed gamble. On the other hand, the offense had a good concept of how to get receivers open and burned the Giants at their weakness in the secondary. The defense coped with injuries and only four days between games. Coaches used a no-practice, total walk-through approach each of the three days leading up to the game and it seemed to work.
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Crawford helps Blackhawks edge Sabres 2-1.
By MATT CARLSON
The Chicago Blackhawks dominated much of Saturday night's game against the Buffalo Sabres. When they got into a bit of trouble at the end, Corey Crawford was there to carry them to the finish.
Crawford made 28 saves to lead the Blackhawks to a 2-1 victory over the winless Sabres.
Ben Smith and Patrick Kane scored for the Blackhawks, who swept a pair of weekend home games, edging the Islanders 3-2 on Friday.
Drew Stafford connected with 8:11 left in the third, spoiling Crawford's bid for a shutout. The Sabres (0-5-1) put together several tough challenges in the second and third periods after a slow start.
''It's never an easy game,'' Crawford said. ''They kind of hung around there.
''Their goalie kept them in it, made some big stops. And they gave us a test there at the end.''
Ryan Miller had 38 saves for Buffalo, which has been outscored 16-6 in its worst start since 1999-2000, when it was 0-5-2.
Ben Smith and Patrick Kane scored for the Blackhawks, who swept a pair of weekend home games, edging the Islanders 3-2 on Friday.
Drew Stafford connected with 8:11 left in the third, spoiling Crawford's bid for a shutout. The Sabres (0-5-1) put together several tough challenges in the second and third periods after a slow start.
''It's never an easy game,'' Crawford said. ''They kind of hung around there.
''Their goalie kept them in it, made some big stops. And they gave us a test there at the end.''
Ryan Miller had 38 saves for Buffalo, which has been outscored 16-6 in its worst start since 1999-2000, when it was 0-5-2.
Miller's performance kept the Sabres in the game, but the Blackhawks were in position for a bigger night on offense.
''The finish, what it takes to score in this league, maybe we need to be a little greasier around the net,'' Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said. ''Hang around, put it in the back of the net.
''We've missed the net, which is our biggest problem scoring goals right now. The second chances are the ones that go in in our league.''
Buffalo's offensive futility is making life more difficult for Miller, the 2010 Vezina Trophy winner and a two-time U.S. Olympian.
The Blackhawks outshot the Sabres 20-6 in the first period, but only had a 1-0 lead at intermission.
Chicago's puck possession and territory dominance was aided by three power plays. But Smith's even-strength tip-in for his first goal of the season at 9:26 was the only score.
Brent Seabrook wristed a shot from just inside the blue line at the top of the slot. Smith, one of four players parked in front of the net, then deflected the puck over Miller's glove.
Despite continued pressure in the second period, the Blackhawks didn't get their second goal until Kane's power-play score with 24.9 seconds left.
Kane was open low in the right circle, and whipped Patrick Sharp's cross-ice feed past Miller before he could slide across the crease.
Chicago had plenty of chances early on. A quick reaction by Buffalo defenseman Tyler Myers prevented what appeared to be a sure goal.
Miller got a piece of a close-in shot by Marian Hossa, but the puck continued toward the upper left corner of the net. Myers swatted the puck out of midair with his stick before it crossed the goal line.
The Sabres finally began to test Crawford in the second with a flurry and several prime chances, but he stopped them all. His best stop came on a point-blank attempt by Steve Ott with 6:50 left in the period.
Stafford's goal completed a 3-on-2 rush. After taking Cody Hodgson's quick pass, Stafford slid a low shot past Crawford from the left circle.
The Sabres outshot Chicago 13-3 in the third and tested Crawford in the final minutes.
Crawford stopped Thomas Vanek's slap shot and then Hodgson's point-blank rebound attempt with just over four minutes left to preserve the lead.
''If you look at the chances, we were even or better 5-on-5,'' Sabres coach Ron Rolston said. ''We ran into some problems early with too many penalties.''
''I thought we had more chances from more lines, not just our top line,'' he added.
''We haven't had that the last couple of games, so that's a positive for us.''
NOTES: Chicago C Brandon Pirri made his season debut following his recall from Rockford of the AHL. Pirri led the AHL in scoring last year with 75 points in 76 games. ... Veteran Blackhawks C Michal Handzus, who had the winning goal in the victory over the Islanders, got the night off. ... Sharp played in his 600th NHL game. ... Buffalo D Mike Weber was a healthy scratch after being minus-4 in the Sabres' 4-1 loss to Columbus on Thursday.
Just another Chicago Bulls Session... Instant analysis: Bulls 83, Wizards 81.
By J. Michael
Even without Derrick Rose (left knee) and Joakim Noah (groin), the Chicago Bulls have too much of everything for the Wizards, who lost their second consecutive preseason game.
Nene returned home to Brazil but didn't do much to entertain at HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro. He finished with five points on 1-for-6 shooting and six rebounds.
It didn't start out well for the Wizards, who were led by Bradley Beal's 16 points. They were disjointed on both ends of the floor which was in stark contrast of the Bulls, who had floor balance and attacked the rim behind Taj Gibson's game-high 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting.
Glen Rice sparked the reserves for Washington, scoring five points in a row in the fourth quarter to give his team their first lead at 79-77.
But turnovers plagued the Wizards down the stretch as they couldn't get open looks. Trailing 82-79, they had turnovers from Eric Maynor, Rice and Kevin Seraphin.
Best in show: Martell Webster came off the bench to contribute 15 points in 22 minutes. He made 3 of 6 three-point shots. Beal was the lone bright spot among the starting unit.
Worst in show: Gibson tipped in a missed jumper by Jimmy Butler to end the third quarter, getting to the glass cleanly despite being surrounded by four Wizards -- Jan Vesely, Seraphin, Webster and Maynor. The latter, two, of course, were the least responsible but overall an unacceptable play. Webster's reaction as he threw his arms in the air told the story. The Bulls led 73-62.
Problem area: The first unit of John Wall, Beal, Trevor Ariza, Vesely and Nene was rather awful. While Beal shot 3-for-6 with nine points in the first half, the rest of them combined to go 0-for-17. They contributed five points total, all coming on free throws.
Nine of the 10 turnovers the Wizards had in the first half came in the first quarter. Seven of them were from the starters, with Wall having four.
On the bright side: The second unit of Maynor, Rice, Webster, Trevor Booker and Seraphin sparked a comeback from a 10-point deficit. Al Harrington (left thigh) and Garrett Temple weren't in the rotation this time after playing with the second unit in the preseason opening loss to the Brooklyn Nets earlier in the week.
Talking points: 1). Where is the aggressiveness on the offensive end from Vesely? He's 2-for-9 in two preseason games. 2). Is Ariza a better fit with the starting lineup than Webster? 3). Although Rice hasn't shot the ball well in preseason (6-for-18), should the rookie get more minutes because good things happen with him on the floor? 4). Why so many stretches of careless turnovers? Forty-three total in two games.
Up next: The Wizards returned from Brazil after the game. Sunday will be an off-day but they'll likely practice Monday before taking on the Miami Heat at Verizon Center on Tuesday (NBATV,7).
Dodgers have bigger problems than payroll.
By Tim Brown
The National League Championship Series took a small break from its debate over the preferred method of team building, a conversation that had gone on for too long anyway. They need ballgames this time of year to break up the prattle, you know.
Besides, unless St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers base runners were assigned the weight of their clubs' payrolls, then had to wheelbarrow it ahead of them on the base paths, the details of how one's 25 came upon another's 25 at this time of year, including measuring the moral decency of it, seems rather pointless.
Granted, the Cardinals are what they've always been, and are what the Dodgers were.
And the Dodgers, for their brand and their market and their wealth, have paid through Guggenheim's nose to become what they were and what the Cardinals are, at least as far as standing here on this day with Game 3 of the NLCS ahead of them. Granted, now, two games back, their best hitter not sure he can swing a bat and their scheduled Game 3 starter – Hyun-Jin Ryu – quoted Sunday as saying, "Truthfully, if I'm out there for five innings I'd be more than happy."
Easy there, tiger.
Pick your right and wrong, your means of finesse or sledgehammer. One may be America's baseball franchise, the other an evil Yankees knockoff. Everybody plays his part around here. The end result is a best-of-seven, go-to-the-World-Series, your-guy-against-their-guy thing in which there are no whip-out-your-paycheck tiebreakers, which meant the Dodgers would need Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw to pitch well and maybe even that wouldn't be enough. Besides, the Cardinals were one phone call from being on the hook for something like $200 million to Albert Pujols, so let's not get ourselves too carried away.
When all of that fell away this weekend, and the people of St. Louis waved their white towels, and the Cardinals started running those young, live arms to the mound and scoring just enough to hold off the wheezing Dodgers, well, this was less about what the Cardinals had done yesterday – impressive as it is – than their uncanny ability to execute today.
The venue changes for Game 3, to Dodger Stadium, before a crowd that might not recognize the club it sent off to St. Louis less than a week before. The Dodgers spent the aforementioned aces on two one-run losses, had their best hitter – Hanley Ramirez – fall out with a possible rib fracture (he'll play Monday night if able, but optimism for that was difficult to find on Sunday), saw the rookie Yasiel Puig submit to the emotional rigors of October and the entire offense contribute a single hit with a runner in scoring position. The Dodgers haven't scored in their last 19 innings, it having submitted to the tactical rigors of Cardinals pitchers and their catching muse, Yadier Molina.
The series turns in Game 3 to what appears to be a pitching mismatch, that being Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright against Dodgers left-hander Ryu, whose proficient rookie season flattened in the season's final weeks, including a less-than-efficient start in the division series. He allowed four runs in three innings to the Atlanta Braves and bungled a couple defensive plays, all while ignoring suspicions he could be hurt or plain wrung out. Wainwright, on the other hand, is an undisputed ace with the heart and stuff to nudge the Dodgers toward a quick elimination. In 48 2/3 career postseason innings over 15 appearances, his ERA is 2.03. The Pirates scored two runs on him in two starts, both of which Wainwright won. His complete-game eight-hitter beat them in Game 5.
"He's our guy," third baseman David Freese said. "Our ace. Adam Wainwright is who you want on the mound."
In a series thus far defined by its pitching – the Dodgers are batting .184, the Cardinals .134 – the Cardinals have done just enough to win, the Dodgers just enough to lose. Unless the Dodgers find a way back to their aces, or choose to pitch one or both on three days' rest, the NLCS feels like it is rolling downhill for the Cardinals. Kershaw was brilliant on short rest in the division series and perhaps better on his scheduled turn Saturday. Greinke could go Game 4 in place of Ricky Nolasco, who was skipped in the division series and hasn't pitched in two weeks, but that has not been decided. By late Monday night, Game 4 could be an elimination game.
"We haven't talked about anybody on three days' rest," Mattingly said. "It always makes sense any time you mention those two guys' names. But it's something, as I said, we haven't talked about at this point."
So, they wait on Ramirez's diagnostics, and Andre Ethier's health, and Ryu's disposition, and a conversation about who may or may not pitch Game 4, and then what the continuation of an ugly series for them might mean for Mattingly's future on that top step. So at least the Dodgers are no longer forced to defend the methods by which they built their team. Now they're asked how, overnight, they managed to build all this tension.
Red Sox mount improbable comeback, walk off winners in Game 2 to even ALCS at 1-1.
By Bill Baer
Has the sleeping giant risen from his slumber? The Red Sox led the American League in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and (of course) OPS during the regular season, but between Game 1 and the fifth inning of Game 2, they looked more like the Miami Marlins. They were no-hit through eight and two-thirds innings in Game 1 and didn’t get their first hit until the sixth inning in Game 2. It was rough to watch for Sox fans.
Behind 5-1, the Red Sox pushed across one run in the sixth inning on Dustin Pedroia‘s RBI double off of the Green Monster, but down four runs, it looked like it was too little, too late, especially with the way Scherzer was pitching.
Scherzer was lifted after seven innings and 108 pitches, giving way to the same bullpen that very nearly preserved Anibal Sanchez‘s no-hitter in Game 1. But the combination of Jose Veras, Drew Smyly, Al Alburquerque, and Joaquin Benoit could not halt a Red Sox comeback. David Ortiz struck the big blow against Benoit, sending a game-tying grand slam into the Red Sox bullpen in right-center with two outs.
After Koji Uehara mowed down the Tigers in the top of the ninth, Tigers manager Jim Leyland gave Rick Porcello the gargantuan task of shutting down a reinvigorated Red Sox lineup to get the Tigers into extra innings. He could not do that. Jonny Gomes led off with a ground ball deep in the hole to shortstop Jose Iglesias. Rather than pocket the ball, Iglesias fired the ball to first base, but it skipped wide of Prince Fielder into the stands, allowing Gomes to go to second base with nobody out. Porcello then uncorked a wild pitch, giving Gomes the privilege of casually strolling into third base, giving him plenty of ways to score the winning run with Jarrod Saltalamacchia at the dish. Saltalamacchia went ahead 3-1 against Porcello, then hit a 94 MPH fastball on the ground to left field. Gomes touched home as the Red Sox dugout excitedly poured onto the field in jubilation. Porcello walked off the field to a shell shocked Tiger dugout wondering how they let this one slip away.
To put this in context: Per FanGraphs, the Red Sox had a four percent chance to win when Victorino struck out against Alburquerque for the second out in the eighth inning. They were 53 percent to win after Ortiz’s grand slam. They were 81 percent when Gomes singled and advanced to second on the error, and 93 percent when Gomes reached third base on the wild pitch.
Baseball is a funny game, isn’t it?
Kenyans Kimetto, Jeptoo win Chicago Marathon.
By ANDREW SELIGMAN
Just a few years ago, Dennis Kimetto was a farmer, tending corn and cattle in Kenya. Now, he's shattering marathon records.
Six weeks removed from a bout of malaria, Kimetto broke the course mark Sunday in capturing the Chicago Marathon. Compatriot Rita Jeptoo was the women's winner in the first major marathon in the United States since the Boston bombings.
Kimetto finished in 2 hours, 3 minutes, 45 seconds, leading a 1-2-3 finish for Kenyan men. He beat the mark of 2:04:38 set by Ethiopia's Tsegaye Kebede last year. He pulled away from Emannuel Mutai over the last few miles and was alone with both arms raised as he crossed the line.
It was his second major victory this year to go with a win at Tokyo in February — not bad for someone who not long ago was working the land in the west Kenyan town of Eldoret.
He said through an interpreter that he had been running on his own when he had a chance meeting with Geoffrey Mutai, a star marathoner and fellow Kenyan. Mutai asked Kimetto to join his camp near Eldoret and train with him.Kimetto finished second in his marathon debut in Berlin last year, won Tokyo and added to his status as one of the world's best on Sunday.
Before the race, there was a 30-second moment of silence to honor the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings.
Mutai (2:03:52), the 2011 London winner, also beat Kebede's time but finished seven seconds off the lead. Sammy Kitwara (2:05:16) was third.
Jeptoo followed her victory at Boston by easily taking her race, finishing in 2:19:57 after losing in a sprint a year ago. There was no one near Jeptoo as she turned into Grant Park, wearing a wide grin and waving to the crowd.
Jemima Sumgong Jelegat of Kenya (2:20:48) was second, followed by Maria Konovalova of Russia (2:22:46).
The winners each earned $100,000. Kimetto gets an additional $75,000 for the course record, while Jeptoo gets another $40,000 for finishing under 2:20:00.
"It's a testimony to what the marathon is about and what the people who participate in the marathon are about," executive race director Carey Pinkowski said. "They're dedicated and focused and committed. The marathon's a celebration of humanity.
This is an example of that."
Police promised heightened security. More than a thousand uniformed and undercover officers as well as bomb-sniffing dogs were to mix with the crowd along a course winding through 29 neighborhoods. Officers inside a command post monitored pictures from helicopters and the city's 22,000 cameras, the most extensive surveillance system in the nation.
The Department of Homeland Security designated the marathon a "level two" event, a notch below massive gatherings such as the Super Bowl. That meant more federal agents with high-tech monitoring equipment.
Runners could use only clear plastic bags issued by organizers to store their belongings near the finish line. They had to pick up their own packets, with race bibs and tracking devices, rather than friends or family.
"I thought everything went really, really smooth," Pinkowski said. "I think the key to that was the messaging to our participants, to our volunteers. We asked our participants to get there a little bit earlier."
Ernst Van Dyk of South Africa won the men's wheelchair division race in 1:30:37. Tatyana McFadden of Champaign, Ill., won the women's division in a course record 1:42:35.
McFadden, who also won the Boston and London marathons this year, will attempt a Grand Slam in wheelchair racing at the New York City Marathon next month.
Kimetto and Mutai started to surge ahead around the 19th mile, only to have fellow Kenyans Sammy Kitwara and Micah Kogo stay with them. Those two faded after the group passed through Chinatown.The gap between Kimetto and Mutai started to widen after Mutai missed his bottle at a water station around the 24-mile mark, although Mutai said that was a not an issue. Kimetto wasn't aware it happened.
Either way, he took control over the last few miles. The world record of 2:03:23 was in sight, set by Wilson Kipsang of Kenya in Berlin two weeks ago. But Kimetto had to settle for the course mark.
Jeptoo had an easier finish. Last year, she traded leads with Atsede Baysa of Ethiopia down the stretch and lost a step. Six months later, Jeptoo won her second Boston Marathon, a victory overshadowed by tragedy.
This time, she had a big smile and waved to the crowd on her way to the finish.
"In 2006, I won in Boston and after that, I (did not) do well," Jeptoo said. "Last year and this year, I'm really doing well. When I ran Boston again, I saw my dream is coming. This is my happiness."
Walker wins on PGA Tour and gets trip to Masters.
By DOUG FERGUSON (AP Golf Writer)
On his 188th try, Jimmy Walker won his first PGA Tour title Sunday in the Frys.com Open and earned his first trip to the Masters.
It took some help from Brooks Koepka, who was playing in his first PGA Tour event.
Walker took the lead for good with a birdie on the 15th hole at CordeValle, and three pars for a 5-under 66 was all it took. Koepka led by four shots on the front nine. He collapsed on the last four holes, losing all hope when his tee shot on the par-4 17th came up a yard short into the water.
This is Walker's eighth full season on the PGA Tour. The win means he will crack the top 50 in the world ranking for the first time.
Brad Keselowski passes Kasey Kahne late for win at Charlotte.
By Nick Bromberg
Last year's champion finally made it to victory lane this year.
After going winless for over a year, Brad Keselowski won Saturday night's Bank of America 500 at Charlotte after passing Kasey Kahne with eight laps to go and pulling away from the win.
With the win, Keselowski became the first non-Chase driver to win a Chase race since Kahne's win with Red Bull Racing in 2011. After winning the title last year, Keselowski missed the Chase this season, largely because that winless streak hurt his chances for the Wild Card.
The racing throughout Saturday evening's affair was, well, let's say a tad snooze-inducing. Clean air was once the name of the game and cars simply couldn't run side-by-side for an extended period of time.
However, when Kahne and Keselowski were together late, they produced the night's most riveting racing, even if it was just for a few brief moments.
"I love hard racing, and there are a handful of guys you can't race hard with in this deal because they freak out, Kasey's not one of them. He's an excellent driver and he ran me hard but he ran me clean and that's great racing," Keselowski said after the race in victory lane, perhaps taking a swipe at a certain driver he crashed while racing with last week.
Kahne had the lead on the race's final restart after taking two tires, and Keselowski restarted sixth with four tires. He quickly moved past Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth for second, and set his sights on Kahne and closed in on the Hendrick driver's bumper.
"I tried everything to keep him behind me," Kahne said. "He cleared me once and I got back by him, we just battled really hard and he did a really good job, he had a fast car at the end."
After Kahne got back by, Keselowski hung on his left rear quarter panel entering turn one and cleared him. It was smooth sailing ahead for his 10th career Sprint Cup Series win.
Ives Galarcep: Two years after Mexican reign supposedly began, it is the USA wearing CONCACAF's crown.
By Ives Galarcep
Two years ago, the Mexican national team had the look of a powerhouse ready to dominate the CONCACAF region for years to come, but Tim Howard wasn’t buying it. Even after being on the losing end of the 2011 Gold Cup final, Howard was never willing to concede that there was a gap between Mexico and the U.S. national team.
So perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Howard made a point to remind people who finished at the top of the Hexagonal round of World Cup qualifying.
“We’re proud (of topping the Hexagonal) because, depending on who you asked, we were a million miles away from Mexico, and we never believed that,” Howard said. “When you talk about the semifinal round and the Hex, doing it over a long period of time shows that we’re once again the best team in CONCACAF. That’s not lip service, that’s what the standings tell us, so we’re proud of that.
“Over the last two years all we’ve been hearing about is how dominant Mexico’s been, and look, that’s what happens at the top, there’s going to be that ebb and flow.”
In 2011, after Mexico handed the USA a 4-2 loss in the Gold Cup final, it looked as though Mexico was set up for a run of dominating form. The gold medal in the 2012 Olympics only boosted El Tri’s credentials, and with the USA not even qualifying for that tournament, it gave the feeling that Mexico was leaving the Americans in the dust.
Things started to really change from the start of 2013, when Mexico’s own struggles began. El Tri failed to win any of its first five qualifiers, while the USA shook off a Hex-opening loss to Honduras to eventually take over the group.
“For us, it wasn’t a shaky start,” Howard said. “It was a tough loss on a hot day in Honduras, and it was only one game. After that match we still had nine to go and we hadn’t played a home game yet. It was all part of the process.”
The U.S. team hit its stride this summer, eventually taking control of the qualifying group while Mexico’s struggles continued. The capper for Howard and the USA was the latest 2-0 victory over El Tri, which came last month.
Friday’s win versus Jamaica didn't just help the USA clinch first place in the group on a night Mexico needed a dream bicycle kick from Raul Jimenez just to take fourth place, and have a chance to qualify for the World Cup via a playoff. The U.S. win also marked the Americans' fifth qualifying shutout in a row for a perfect 5-0 Hex at home.
“For me, and for Brad (Guzan) and the rest of the boys in the back, that stat means more than anything,” Howard said. “Without that foundation you can’t move forward, and we’ve set the bar real high. I don’t know if it’s done before, but it feels real good and it’s tough to do.”
The U.S. team’s outstanding run through the final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying, coupled with its dominant run to win the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup, has left little doubt which is the best team in CONCACAF. After having to hear for a while how Mexico was king, you can't really blame Howard and the USA if they want it made clear just which team is on top now.WHAT ROSTER CHANGES WILL MEAN TO LINEUP
With Tim Howard, Landon Donovan, Jermaine Jones and Matt Besler sent home after Friday’s win versus Jamaica, Jurgen Klinsmann will have several changes to make to the lineup that takes on Panama on Tuesday.
Some of the changes have already been laid out, with Klinsmann making it clear he wants Brad Guzan and Clarence Goodson to get games against Panama. That leaves two other spots up for grabs.
Graham Zusi looks like the easy pick to replace Donovan in the starting lineup, while Kyle Beckerman should ease into the slot left open by Jones’ departure.
Sacha Kljestan and Terrence Boyd are other options at Klinsmann’s disposal, but Zusi and Beckerman look like better bets based on recent national team form.
The Associated Press NCAA Football Top 25 Poll.
Associated Press
3.Clemson
4.Ohio St.
6.LSU
9.UCLA
10.Miami (FL)
12.Baylor
13.Stanford
14.Missouri
15.Georgia
16.Texas Tech
17.Fresno St.
18.Oklahoma
20.Washington
21.Oklahoma St.
22.Florida
24.Auburn
25.Wisconsin
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