Homer Edition: Bears, Blackhawks & Bulls
Sports Quote of the Day:
"Choice, not chance, determines your destiny." Aristotle, The Great Philosopher
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!! Trestman confident Cutler will bounce back.
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!! Trestman confident Cutler will bounce back.
By Larry Mayer
After leading the Bears to three straight victories to open the season, quarterback Jay Cutler made some costly mistakes in Sunday's 40-32 loss to the Lions in Detroit.
But one day after Cutler threw three interceptions and lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown, Bears coach Marc Trestman expressed confidence that the quarterback will rebound.
"Obviously you don't want to make [mistakes]," Trestman said. "Those are key moments. There are plays just like that we've seen him make the last three weeks and they just didn't happen [Sunday]. I'm hopeful that we'll make the corrections and move forward, and I believe we will.
"It's Game 4. I looked around the league yesterday and a lot of quarterbacks made a lot of mistakes. It was one of those days. We don't want to make them. That doesn't put us in a position where we feel we can make them. That's not the case. But I'm encouraged. I see him do so many things in practice, moving his feet and doing the right things."
Cutler has a history of bouncing back from poor outings. Sunday marked the seventh time he has thrown three or more interceptions in a game with the Bears. On the previous six occasions, he has compiled a 5-1 record in his next game, throwing for nine TDs and four interceptions.
Trestman reiterated Monday that Cutler's turnovers against the Lions resulted more from fundamental breakdowns than poor decision-making. The quarterback didn't set his feet on two interceptions, underthrowingBrandon Marshall and overthrowing Alshon Jeffery .
"You have those days where it just didn't happen for him, where the plays were there or he was able to scramble and make some plays, and it just didn't happen," Trestman said.
"We sat in the meeting [Monday] and Jay expressed his sense of accountability. It all starts with me. I said there are some calls I'd like to have back and I want to take responsibility for that and as I did with the team. We're just going to work together. We've got to get back and work on fundamentals and techniques, not only at the quarterback position but throughout our team."
In the first three games of the season, Cutler completed 67.3 percent of his passes for 693 yards with six touchdowns, two interceptions and a 94.2 passer rating. On Sunday, he connected on 27 of 47 passes for 317 yards with two TDs, three interceptions and a 65.6 rating.
With the Bears trailing 40-16 late in the game, Cutler threw for touchdowns and two-point conversions on back-to-back possessions to close the gap to 40-32 before the Lions recoveredRobbie Gould 's onside kick with :42 remaining to seal the win.
"Jay didn't play the way he's capable of playing and he readily admits it," Trestman said. "But I thought he played tough and courageous and he played to the end and he made some tremendous throws that are going to get lost in all this because of the turnovers."
Bears add Cattouse, release Unga.
By Michael C. Wright
The Chicago Bears signed safety Sean Cattouse to the practice squad on Tuesday, and terminated the practice squad contract of running back Harvey Unga.
A Chicago native and Hubbard High School alum, Cattouse (6-foot-2, 210 pounds) came into the NFL last season with the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent out of the University of California, where he was a three-time All-Pac 12 selection.
Cattouse played in 49 games for Cal with 26 starts, collecting 185 tackles, seven interceptions and 17 pass breakups. Cattouse also contributed seven tackles for lost yardage, two sacks and a pair of fumble recoveries.
The Bears worked out Cattouse on Sept. 17, according to a league source.
Unga joined the Bears in 2010 as a supplemental draft pick out of Brigham Young University, but spent his rookie season on injured reserve. Then in 2011, Unga left the team for personal reasons, before spending all of last season on the practice squad.
In four seasons with the Bears, Unga never played in a regular-season game.
But one day after Cutler threw three interceptions and lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown, Bears coach Marc Trestman expressed confidence that the quarterback will rebound.
"Obviously you don't want to make [mistakes]," Trestman said. "Those are key moments. There are plays just like that we've seen him make the last three weeks and they just didn't happen [Sunday]. I'm hopeful that we'll make the corrections and move forward, and I believe we will.
"It's Game 4. I looked around the league yesterday and a lot of quarterbacks made a lot of mistakes. It was one of those days. We don't want to make them. That doesn't put us in a position where we feel we can make them. That's not the case. But I'm encouraged. I see him do so many things in practice, moving his feet and doing the right things."
Cutler has a history of bouncing back from poor outings. Sunday marked the seventh time he has thrown three or more interceptions in a game with the Bears. On the previous six occasions, he has compiled a 5-1 record in his next game, throwing for nine TDs and four interceptions.
Trestman reiterated Monday that Cutler's turnovers against the Lions resulted more from fundamental breakdowns than poor decision-making. The quarterback didn't set his feet on two interceptions, underthrowing
"You have those days where it just didn't happen for him, where the plays were there or he was able to scramble and make some plays, and it just didn't happen," Trestman said.
"We sat in the meeting [Monday] and Jay expressed his sense of accountability. It all starts with me. I said there are some calls I'd like to have back and I want to take responsibility for that and as I did with the team. We're just going to work together. We've got to get back and work on fundamentals and techniques, not only at the quarterback position but throughout our team."
In the first three games of the season, Cutler completed 67.3 percent of his passes for 693 yards with six touchdowns, two interceptions and a 94.2 passer rating. On Sunday, he connected on 27 of 47 passes for 317 yards with two TDs, three interceptions and a 65.6 rating.
With the Bears trailing 40-16 late in the game, Cutler threw for touchdowns and two-point conversions on back-to-back possessions to close the gap to 40-32 before the Lions recovered
"Jay didn't play the way he's capable of playing and he readily admits it," Trestman said. "But I thought he played tough and courageous and he played to the end and he made some tremendous throws that are going to get lost in all this because of the turnovers."
Bears add Cattouse, release Unga.
By Michael C. Wright
The Chicago Bears signed safety Sean Cattouse to the practice squad on Tuesday, and terminated the practice squad contract of running back Harvey Unga.
A Chicago native and Hubbard High School alum, Cattouse (6-foot-2, 210 pounds) came into the NFL last season with the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent out of the University of California, where he was a three-time All-Pac 12 selection.
Cattouse played in 49 games for Cal with 26 starts, collecting 185 tackles, seven interceptions and 17 pass breakups. Cattouse also contributed seven tackles for lost yardage, two sacks and a pair of fumble recoveries.
The Bears worked out Cattouse on Sept. 17, according to a league source.
Unga joined the Bears in 2010 as a supplemental draft pick out of Brigham Young University, but spent his rookie season on injured reserve. Then in 2011, Unga left the team for personal reasons, before spending all of last season on the practice squad.
In four seasons with the Bears, Unga never played in a regular-season game.
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks score 3 in 3rd, beat Capitals in opener.
By Jay Cohen
Brandon Saad, Johnny Oduya and Marian Hossa scored in the third period, and the Chicago Blackhawks kicked off their Stanley Cup title defense with a 6-4 victory over Mikhail Grabovsky and the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night.
Patrick Kane, Brent Seabrook and Brandon Bollig also scored for Chicago, which won its first game for the second straight season. Corey Crawford made 28 saves, including a couple of huge stops when the Blackhawks killed off a late 5-on-3 power play.
Chicago ruined Los Angeles' title celebration with a 5-2 victory in last season's opener, and then set an NHL record by recording at least one point in its first 24 games. The fast start played a key role in the Blackhawks' run to the Stanley Cup title, and coach Joel Quenneville made it clear in training camp that another opening surge is a priority.
Grabovsky had three goals and an assist in his first game since he signed with Washington in August.
Alex Ovechkin had a goal and an assist, but the Capitals dropped their opener for the second straight season. Grabovsky had consecutive power-play goals in the third, lifting Washington to a 3-2 lead with 14:44 left. But Saad finished a beautiful give-and-go with Michal Handzus, and Oduya converted a long slap shot at 13:53 to put the Blackhawks ahead to stay. Oduya caught a fortunate break on his 32nd birthday when his fluttering shot went in off the glove of goalie Braden Holtby on its way to the net.
Hossa finished the scoring when he was dragged down from behind as he skated toward an empty net in the final seconds, prompting the officials to award him with an insurance goal.
Cheered on by a raucous crowd of 22,158, the Blackhawks staged one last celebration of the franchise's fifth title. The team handed out special wristbands that lit up during parts of the pregame ceremony, making the rows of seats at the United Center look like a clear night sky full of stars.
The wristband lights were joined by camera flashes as a group of youth hockey players presented the championship banner to the 19 returning players from last year's squad, who carried it to the spot for its trip to the rafters.
Front office staff and players posed for a picture with the banner hanging just over the ice. It was then raised to the top while the crowd roared. Chicago then brushed aside any concern of a letdown caused by the banner ceremony and grabbed the lead when Bollig stuffed home a rebound 4:06 in for his first career regular-season goal.
After Ovechkin tied it with a power-play goal, Kane sent a wrist shot past Holtby to make it 2-1 at 11:06. Kane won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP when the Blackhawks made their run to the championship.
Holtby finished with 29 saves in Washington's first game in Chicago since March 18, 2012. NHL teams played games strictly within their own conference last season after the lockout cut the campaign nearly in half.
NOTES: Chicago beat Washington twice during the preseason, including a 4-3 overtime win on Saturday. ... The teams will meet again in Washington on April 11. ... NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was booed repeatedly during the pregame ceremony.
NHL players approve hybrid icing.
The Associated Press
Hybrid icing will be in effect for the start of the NHL regular season after it was approved by the players.
The NHLPA gave the go-ahead for the rule change that makes icing a race to an imaginary line across the faceoff dots instead of the puck, which was given a trial run during the preseason.
The goal is to prevent serious injuries, such as the one that sidelined Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Joni Pitkanen for the entire season.
Pitkanen broke his left heel bone in eight places on an icing touch-up in April. It's a similar injury to the one suffered by former Washington Capitals forward Pat Peake, whose career ended not too long after.
"After testing hybrid icing during the preseason games, the players participated in a survey and a majority of teams supported this rule change in an effort to make the game safer," NHLPA special assistant to the executive director Mathieu Schneider said in a statement.
"We are hopeful that the implementation of the hybrid icing rule, which is a middle ground between the old rule and no-touch icing, will help minimize the incidence of player injuries on icing plays."
Some players seemed happy with the change.
"I think it's good. It kind of brings the race a little bit further away from the end boards," Toronto Maple Leafs winger James van Riemsdyk said. "Once they do blow it or decide what to do with it, it gives you more time to react."
Others expressed some doubts about hybrid icing, most notably hesitancy or unfamiliarity on the part of the linesman who has to make the call.
"The normal reaction is right away 'Oh, we don't like it,'" Calgary Flames coach Bob Hartley said. "If the hybrid icing saves one injury this year, it's worth it."
NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr said in an interview last week with the Canadian Press that he hopes hybrid icing represents "an obvious safety improvement (that is) not otherwise damaging to the game," but conceded that it's different from his vantage point and players'.
"It's going to require adjustment and while we've seen it ultimately work in college and in other leagues, it's not the same as playing in the NHL, and we're going to have to watch it very carefully because our game is played at a higher speed than anywhere else," commissioner Gary Bettman said.
The AHL experimented with it last season during the NHL lockout, and it came with mixed reviews from players. Hartley said AHL coaches hated it for the first two weeks and loved it by Christmas.
It's possible it takes time for NHL players and coaches to embrace it now.
"There's going to be some missed calls," Hartley said. "It's kind of a grey area. It's a judgment call and every time you create a judgment call, there's going to be some calls going your way or against you, calls you like and don't like."
Montreal Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty expressed concern about a missed call happening at the worst possible time.
"I know you want to protect the players and this is a step in the right direction, but I'm just scared that that Game 7, game-winning goal is going to come down to a hybrid icing non-call and there's going to be a big uproar about it," he said.
Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf prefers the traditional race to the puck over hybrid icing, but says he can live with the change.
"I think for me personally it's just what I've been used to how the game's been played for a long time, so obviously it's an adjustment," Phaneuf said. "You're going to adapt to either way."
Just another Chicago Bulls Session... Bulls' training camp a lesson in chemistry.
By Aggrey Sam
Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau, a disciplined man wedded to routine, can hardly be called a mad scientist when it comes to his strategies, but his team’s training camp includes a bit of advanced chemistry.
As Saturday’s preseason opener in Indianapolis approaches, the Bulls are in the process of mixing in one newcomer, veteran swingman Mike Dunleavy Jr.—rookies Tony Snell and Erik Murphy are unlikely to see major roles in the regular rotation—with a group of holdovers who proved what they could do without a superstar facilitator setting the table for them, then adding said star player, Derrick Rose, to the equation and seeing what the compound produces.
Rose being held out of the scrimmage portion of Monday’s practice at the Berto Center and the Bulls getting a day off Tuesday shouldn’t be an immediate cause for concern, as it was expected that extreme caution would be exercised when it came to the point guard’s comeback. But while expectations that the Bulls could be among the last teams standing at the end of the season are legitimate, that doesn’t mean believing Rose will instantly pick off right where he last left off or the squad will be cohesive right off the bat are reasonable.
If that occurs, and the Bulls are a well-oiled juggernaut from Saturday on, fantastic. More than likely, however, there will be some growing pains, as Rose regains his rhythm and his supporting cast, which learned to survive without his dynamic abilities last season, gauges when to step back to let the former league MVP do his thing, and when to take it upon themselves to carry more of the weight.
“There’s some ups, some downs. It’s not just him. That whole unit has to get used to playing together, playing to their strengths and covering up their weaknesses. It’s not only his timing but it’s everybody’s timing and spacing and execution. That’s on both ends,” Thibodeau explained. “Each year, we start from a zero base offensively and defensively. You have to put your foundation in first. You add things each day to your overall scheme and package. We’ll get there. It’s not only Derrick. It’s the entire team.
“There’s an adjustment. He’s been around, and obviously the core of the team has played with him before so that’s to me a big plus. But you have to re-establish your chemistry. We start from a zero base from last year and build from there, but the fact that these guys have been together for a while has been a plus,” he added. “It allows you to move along much quicker. Because we’ve been through it, and we’ve added a few things here and there, but the foundation, they have a pretty good feeling of.”
Rose seconded his coach’s thoughts on the work-in-progress.
“It’s a collective where the harder everyone works it makes everyone’s job easier.
Defensively, we’re fine. Offensively, we have to get in control of the game and have myself get comfortable making decisions again,” he said after the Bulls’ initial training-camp practice session. “Just getting adjusted, knowing everybody, knowing how they play and just getting my timing going to the hole. I was attacking but getting fouled, learning how to fall, all that stuff I’m learning.”
Teammate Carlos Boozer chimed in: “We’re getting comfortable every day. Getting comfortable with the new guys. The new guys are trying to catch on to what we’re doing. It’s been fun.”
While the floor general is the focus of the Bulls’ jelling, Rose understands, after a season of observing his teammates, that other players have emerged in his absence. For example, new backcourt mate Jimmy Butler, a seldom-used rookie when the Chicago-native last played.
“Man, he gives people hell on the court. He’s a guy where he has the same mentality I got. It’s like, ‘I don’t care.’ He’s going to go out and ball. He loves playing,” Rose explained. “Having him behind me and having Joakim and everybody else behind me, it’s going to be a team effort. That’s what we’re trying to build.”
“I think my IQ of the game has definitely grown. When you’re young, you’re so used to just sticking one player or being concerned with who you’re guarding,” he continued Saturday, spelling out his growth as a player during the layoff. “Today, we really went up some games against the other team by playing a team defense and knowing we have each other’s back.”
Thibodeau, the king of minimizing expectations, tempered any overly optimistic talk with a reminder of the gradual progress Rose must make coming off such a serious injury, even prior to the point guard’s day off of “planned rest” Monday.
“The thing for us going in was we knew he put a lot of work in over the last season and then the offseason. That was additional time. We just want to evaluate based on day-to-day and practices and making sure he doesn’t have any problems. He’s moving well. We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, just see how it unfolds. That’s normally what you would do with your starters anyway,” the coach said Sunday. “Once the game comes, we’ll see how he handles those minutes. The big thing is he has practiced two days and he’s fine. Then, he’ll play and we’ll see where he is after he plays. I don’t foresee any problems.”
Still, even the dour Thibodeau couldn’t resist, even in coach-speak, stating the obvious: Rose’s mere presence, the threat of his talent, will make things a lot easier for the Bulls, a team that struggled mightily to produce easy offense in his absence. Outside marksmanship, a clear weakness last season, should be greatly improved because of the playmaker’s driving ability.
“Anytime a player commands two [defenders] to be put on him, now you’re 4-on-3 away from him. They’re long closeouts. You’re forcing the defense to collapse, so you get rhythm threes,” he explained. “That’s a lot different. In transition, anytime you force the defense to collapse you hit the paint and now you’re kicking out and you’re walking into those threes, so it’s a much higher percentage.”
The Bulls’ nucleus of Rose, power forwards Boozer and Taj Gibson, and the All-Star duo of center Joakim Noah and Luol Deng have played together since 2010, giving the squad a sense of familiarity. Butler joined them the following season and Kirk Hinrich returned to Chicago last summer after a two-year stint in Washington and Atlanta, with hometown product Nazr Mohammed and youngster Marquis Teague also joining the group a year ago.
Not that the Bulls don’t have talent, but the sense of cohesiveness the team possesses should also go a long way toward easing Rose’s comfort level and ultimately, giving them an edge, both in coming out of the gates quickly and in the long run.
“We have a core that’s been together for a long time now. There’s a good understanding of how we’re going to work. We have high character guys. The attitude and approach has been very good thus far. We have to show we can sustain that throughout the course of the season. This is the beginning. We’ve established a baseline. You evaluate yourself whether it’s championship caliber in everything you’re doing from how you practice, how you conduct yourself in the meeting, how you concentrate in the film session, how you prepare in the weight room, how you take care of your body. There’s a lot that goes into winning,” Thibodeau said. “Hopefully we established that long ago. The thing is if you put everything you have into each day, you won’t feel any pressure. You’re building those habits. I’ve said this, whether it’s praise or criticism or expectations, none of that matters. The only thing that matters is what we think, not what outside people think.”
That goes for the assumption that the Bulls will be dismantled after the season, given Deng being in a contract year and set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer, as well as the notion that the front office will use the amnesty clause on Boozer to give them further flexibility heading into the offseason. But that won’t be a distraction, as the entire organization—up and down the roster, and extending over to the coaching staff and management—is focused on what they believe is the realistic goal of winning a championship.
“That’s not for us to worry about. For us, we’re excited for the moment. Everybody is finally healthy and if we can stay that way throughout the course of the season it will be an exciting year. Obviously we want to do something special and win it, but we’re doing the right thing. We’re not skipping steps, we’re taking it day-by-day in practice, which is important. Talking to [Scottie] Pippen, talking to some of the champs like ‘Pax’ [Bulls executive vice president John Paxson], [Bulls assistant general manager] Randy Brown, you know you just can’t skip any steps. Every day you’ve got to be better than the day before, and that’s what we’ve done so far,” Boozer explained. “The East is good, always good. Obviously with the guys going to Brooklyn, they were good last year and now they’ll be improved this year. Obviously Miami is at the top, Indiana is very good. For us we just have to be the best we can to be ready. We have a hell of a start, come out the gate with the champs [in Miami], we’ve got the Knicks [home opener], Indiana a couple times, and so on and so forth. So we’ve got to do a good job of preparing for this upcoming season.”
That includes some training-camp science.
Pirates power past Reds for first postseason win since 1992.
As Saturday’s preseason opener in Indianapolis approaches, the Bulls are in the process of mixing in one newcomer, veteran swingman Mike Dunleavy Jr.—rookies Tony Snell and Erik Murphy are unlikely to see major roles in the regular rotation—with a group of holdovers who proved what they could do without a superstar facilitator setting the table for them, then adding said star player, Derrick Rose, to the equation and seeing what the compound produces.
Rose being held out of the scrimmage portion of Monday’s practice at the Berto Center and the Bulls getting a day off Tuesday shouldn’t be an immediate cause for concern, as it was expected that extreme caution would be exercised when it came to the point guard’s comeback. But while expectations that the Bulls could be among the last teams standing at the end of the season are legitimate, that doesn’t mean believing Rose will instantly pick off right where he last left off or the squad will be cohesive right off the bat are reasonable.
If that occurs, and the Bulls are a well-oiled juggernaut from Saturday on, fantastic. More than likely, however, there will be some growing pains, as Rose regains his rhythm and his supporting cast, which learned to survive without his dynamic abilities last season, gauges when to step back to let the former league MVP do his thing, and when to take it upon themselves to carry more of the weight.
“There’s some ups, some downs. It’s not just him. That whole unit has to get used to playing together, playing to their strengths and covering up their weaknesses. It’s not only his timing but it’s everybody’s timing and spacing and execution. That’s on both ends,” Thibodeau explained. “Each year, we start from a zero base offensively and defensively. You have to put your foundation in first. You add things each day to your overall scheme and package. We’ll get there. It’s not only Derrick. It’s the entire team.
“There’s an adjustment. He’s been around, and obviously the core of the team has played with him before so that’s to me a big plus. But you have to re-establish your chemistry. We start from a zero base from last year and build from there, but the fact that these guys have been together for a while has been a plus,” he added. “It allows you to move along much quicker. Because we’ve been through it, and we’ve added a few things here and there, but the foundation, they have a pretty good feeling of.”
Rose seconded his coach’s thoughts on the work-in-progress.
“It’s a collective where the harder everyone works it makes everyone’s job easier.
Defensively, we’re fine. Offensively, we have to get in control of the game and have myself get comfortable making decisions again,” he said after the Bulls’ initial training-camp practice session. “Just getting adjusted, knowing everybody, knowing how they play and just getting my timing going to the hole. I was attacking but getting fouled, learning how to fall, all that stuff I’m learning.”
Teammate Carlos Boozer chimed in: “We’re getting comfortable every day. Getting comfortable with the new guys. The new guys are trying to catch on to what we’re doing. It’s been fun.”
While the floor general is the focus of the Bulls’ jelling, Rose understands, after a season of observing his teammates, that other players have emerged in his absence. For example, new backcourt mate Jimmy Butler, a seldom-used rookie when the Chicago-native last played.
“Man, he gives people hell on the court. He’s a guy where he has the same mentality I got. It’s like, ‘I don’t care.’ He’s going to go out and ball. He loves playing,” Rose explained. “Having him behind me and having Joakim and everybody else behind me, it’s going to be a team effort. That’s what we’re trying to build.”
“I think my IQ of the game has definitely grown. When you’re young, you’re so used to just sticking one player or being concerned with who you’re guarding,” he continued Saturday, spelling out his growth as a player during the layoff. “Today, we really went up some games against the other team by playing a team defense and knowing we have each other’s back.”
Thibodeau, the king of minimizing expectations, tempered any overly optimistic talk with a reminder of the gradual progress Rose must make coming off such a serious injury, even prior to the point guard’s day off of “planned rest” Monday.
“The thing for us going in was we knew he put a lot of work in over the last season and then the offseason. That was additional time. We just want to evaluate based on day-to-day and practices and making sure he doesn’t have any problems. He’s moving well. We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, just see how it unfolds. That’s normally what you would do with your starters anyway,” the coach said Sunday. “Once the game comes, we’ll see how he handles those minutes. The big thing is he has practiced two days and he’s fine. Then, he’ll play and we’ll see where he is after he plays. I don’t foresee any problems.”
Still, even the dour Thibodeau couldn’t resist, even in coach-speak, stating the obvious: Rose’s mere presence, the threat of his talent, will make things a lot easier for the Bulls, a team that struggled mightily to produce easy offense in his absence. Outside marksmanship, a clear weakness last season, should be greatly improved because of the playmaker’s driving ability.
“Anytime a player commands two [defenders] to be put on him, now you’re 4-on-3 away from him. They’re long closeouts. You’re forcing the defense to collapse, so you get rhythm threes,” he explained. “That’s a lot different. In transition, anytime you force the defense to collapse you hit the paint and now you’re kicking out and you’re walking into those threes, so it’s a much higher percentage.”
The Bulls’ nucleus of Rose, power forwards Boozer and Taj Gibson, and the All-Star duo of center Joakim Noah and Luol Deng have played together since 2010, giving the squad a sense of familiarity. Butler joined them the following season and Kirk Hinrich returned to Chicago last summer after a two-year stint in Washington and Atlanta, with hometown product Nazr Mohammed and youngster Marquis Teague also joining the group a year ago.
Not that the Bulls don’t have talent, but the sense of cohesiveness the team possesses should also go a long way toward easing Rose’s comfort level and ultimately, giving them an edge, both in coming out of the gates quickly and in the long run.
“We have a core that’s been together for a long time now. There’s a good understanding of how we’re going to work. We have high character guys. The attitude and approach has been very good thus far. We have to show we can sustain that throughout the course of the season. This is the beginning. We’ve established a baseline. You evaluate yourself whether it’s championship caliber in everything you’re doing from how you practice, how you conduct yourself in the meeting, how you concentrate in the film session, how you prepare in the weight room, how you take care of your body. There’s a lot that goes into winning,” Thibodeau said. “Hopefully we established that long ago. The thing is if you put everything you have into each day, you won’t feel any pressure. You’re building those habits. I’ve said this, whether it’s praise or criticism or expectations, none of that matters. The only thing that matters is what we think, not what outside people think.”
That goes for the assumption that the Bulls will be dismantled after the season, given Deng being in a contract year and set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer, as well as the notion that the front office will use the amnesty clause on Boozer to give them further flexibility heading into the offseason. But that won’t be a distraction, as the entire organization—up and down the roster, and extending over to the coaching staff and management—is focused on what they believe is the realistic goal of winning a championship.
“That’s not for us to worry about. For us, we’re excited for the moment. Everybody is finally healthy and if we can stay that way throughout the course of the season it will be an exciting year. Obviously we want to do something special and win it, but we’re doing the right thing. We’re not skipping steps, we’re taking it day-by-day in practice, which is important. Talking to [Scottie] Pippen, talking to some of the champs like ‘Pax’ [Bulls executive vice president John Paxson], [Bulls assistant general manager] Randy Brown, you know you just can’t skip any steps. Every day you’ve got to be better than the day before, and that’s what we’ve done so far,” Boozer explained. “The East is good, always good. Obviously with the guys going to Brooklyn, they were good last year and now they’ll be improved this year. Obviously Miami is at the top, Indiana is very good. For us we just have to be the best we can to be ready. We have a hell of a start, come out the gate with the champs [in Miami], we’ve got the Knicks [home opener], Indiana a couple times, and so on and so forth. So we’ve got to do a good job of preparing for this upcoming season.”
That includes some training-camp science.
Pirates power past Reds for first postseason win since 1992.
The Associated Press
The Pittsburgh Pirates went 21 years between playoff games. The wait will be significantly shorter this time around.
Russell Martin homered twice, Francisco Liriano was dominant for seven innings and the Pittsburgh Pirates roared past Cincinnati for a 6-2 victory in the NL wild-card game Tuesday night.
Russell Martin homered twice, Francisco Liriano was dominant for seven innings and the Pittsburgh Pirates roared past Cincinnati for a 6-2 victory in the NL wild-card game Tuesday night.
"We're for real," McCutchen said. "We're definitely for real."
Liriano scattered four hits for the Pirates, who will face St. Louis in Game 1 of the NL division series Thursday. Liriano struck out five and walked one to win the first playoff game of his career.
"We didn't talk about one and done, we talked about one and run," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "Win one and run to St. Louis."
Five Presidents Cup pairings we hope to see this week at Muirfield Village.
By Shane Bacon
The Presidents Cup kicks off on Thursday, with a veteran American team taking on an International team with seven rookies, and while we don't know exactly who will be paired together over the next three days, we have some teams we hope to see.
Here are five teams we really hope that both Fred Couples and Nick Price make happen at some point over this week at Muirfield Village.
Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth -- It's no surprise that almost every American players wants a shot at being paired with Tiger, but the one guy that we think will bring out the best in Woods is 20-year-old Jordan Spieth. The youngster who is playing some of the best golf of anyone in the world will probably bounce around between a few players this week, but we hope that he lands with Tiger at least for one match, and the two can go out and show the Internationals what a tough one-two punch you'll get with a veteran like Woods and a rookie like Spieth.
Adam Scott and Angel Cabrera -- The last time we saw these two playing alongside each other it was one of the most epic final rounds ever at Augusta National, so why not bring that Masters magic to the team? Scott will play fine next to anyone, and Cabrera is the type of "go for broke" player that might shine next to one of the most consistent players in the world right now in Scott.
Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley -- It was a great pairing at the Ryder Cup a year ago and it seems these two really, really enjoy playing with each other at these team events. I think anyone that wants to see shotmaking and excitement hopes that Fred Couples goes with a Mickelson-Bradley pairing a few times at Muirfield Village.
Jason Day and Hideki Matsuyama -- These two youngsters combine to be the same age as American Steve Stricker, and I think if the Internationals need an early boost, they should get these two talents out early and hope that they play off one another to earn a full point for the Internationals.
Jason Dufner and Keegan Bradley -- While the above pairing of Mickelson and Bradley makes the most sense (they went 3-0 as a team at the Ryder Cup in '12), I think a pairing I would really enjoy watching is buddies Dufner and Bradley playing together. The two seem to bring out the best in each other, and it appears Bradley is one of the few people that can pull a smile out of the usually relaxed Dufner while he's actually on the golf course. If the event becomes a blowout for the Americans, I hope Couples at least gives this one a look for entertainment reasons.
NASCAR fines Nelson Piquet $10,000 and orders sensitivity training after Instagram comment.
By Nick Bromberg
Nelson Piquet Jr. was fined $10,000 and required to complete sensitivity training after posting a homophobic remark to while commenting on a picture that fellow Nationwide Series driver Parker Kligerman posted.
“Nelson Piquet Jr. recently communicated an offensive and derogatory term that cannot be tolerated in our sport,” Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR senior vice president of racing operations said in a NASCAR statement. “NASCAR’s Code of Conduct explicitly spells out in the 2013 rule book our position regarding the use of disparaging terms. We expect our entire industry to abide by this Code.”
Kligerman had posted a self-taken picture and Piquet responded with the derogatory remark. According to USA Today, Piquet tweeted that the comment was just teasing between friends before deleting the tweet.
Piquet was also put on NASCAR probation. He was previously on probation for an incident that involved a failed kick towards the groin of Brian Scott.
Earlier in the season, Jeremy Clements, another Nationwide Series driver, was suspended for two weeks because of a racial slur in a conversation with a reporter at Daytona International Speedway. In the NASCAR statement about Clements' suspension, O'Donnell also referenced the NASCAR Code of Conduct.
If you're wondering why there's a difference in punishment for using a homophobic slur versus a racial slur, you're not alone. But again, this is NASCAR. Inconsistency is the sanctioning body's version of consistency. This is, after all, the sport that just added an extra driver to its playoffs because it could.
If both remarks are violations of the NASCAR codes of conduct, they deserve equal punishment. Plain and simple. There's no difference between using the word that Piquet did and the word that Clements did, except for the difference in groups that the words reference. It ends there. By issuing the punishment that was given for Piquet, the impression is given -- intended or not -- that NASCAR feels that a homophobic slur is not as offensive as a racial slur.
That's a horrible dichotomy to create.
The sanctioning body might have realized it overreacted in the punishment that was handed out to Clements. And that's a fine feeling to have. However, the precedent for punishment for an derogatory epithet was set in February. Without acknowledgement that the punishment was wrong or why this is different, it looks that NASCAR views the words used as ones of differing severities. Again, that's wrong.
While the steps that NASCAR took Tuesday against Piquet can be seen as ones of progress after inaction in 2011, we shouldn't simply be satisfied about progress.
Perhaps that's a utopian point of view, but there should be no reason to think that the punishment standards for slurs is based on the audience degraded.
Klinsmann: Bradley to miss qualifiers, Dempsey and Jones to report to USA camp.
By Ives Galarcep
“Nelson Piquet Jr. recently communicated an offensive and derogatory term that cannot be tolerated in our sport,” Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR senior vice president of racing operations said in a NASCAR statement. “NASCAR’s Code of Conduct explicitly spells out in the 2013 rule book our position regarding the use of disparaging terms. We expect our entire industry to abide by this Code.”
Kligerman had posted a self-taken picture and Piquet responded with the derogatory remark. According to USA Today, Piquet tweeted that the comment was just teasing between friends before deleting the tweet.
Piquet was also put on NASCAR probation. He was previously on probation for an incident that involved a failed kick towards the groin of Brian Scott.
Earlier in the season, Jeremy Clements, another Nationwide Series driver, was suspended for two weeks because of a racial slur in a conversation with a reporter at Daytona International Speedway. In the NASCAR statement about Clements' suspension, O'Donnell also referenced the NASCAR Code of Conduct.
If you're wondering why there's a difference in punishment for using a homophobic slur versus a racial slur, you're not alone. But again, this is NASCAR. Inconsistency is the sanctioning body's version of consistency. This is, after all, the sport that just added an extra driver to its playoffs because it could.
If both remarks are violations of the NASCAR codes of conduct, they deserve equal punishment. Plain and simple. There's no difference between using the word that Piquet did and the word that Clements did, except for the difference in groups that the words reference. It ends there. By issuing the punishment that was given for Piquet, the impression is given -- intended or not -- that NASCAR feels that a homophobic slur is not as offensive as a racial slur.
That's a horrible dichotomy to create.
The sanctioning body might have realized it overreacted in the punishment that was handed out to Clements. And that's a fine feeling to have. However, the precedent for punishment for an derogatory epithet was set in February. Without acknowledgement that the punishment was wrong or why this is different, it looks that NASCAR views the words used as ones of differing severities. Again, that's wrong.
While the steps that NASCAR took Tuesday against Piquet can be seen as ones of progress after inaction in 2011, we shouldn't simply be satisfied about progress.
Perhaps that's a utopian point of view, but there should be no reason to think that the punishment standards for slurs is based on the audience degraded.
Klinsmann: Bradley to miss qualifiers, Dempsey and Jones to report to USA camp.
By Ives Galarcep
Jurgen Klinsmann has made no secret of his plans to bring a strong U.S. national team roster to the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Jamaica and Panama, even though the USA has already secured a place in the World Cup. Unfortunately for Klinsmann, he won’t be able to have a full-strength team for those matches.
Klinsmann revealed on Tuesday that Michael Bradley would not be taking part in the October qualifiers as he continues to recover from the severely sprained ankle he suffered in the USA’s last round of qualifiers in September.
Speaking to media at Rio Tinto Stadium prior to Tuesday’s U.S. Open Cup final, Klinsmann announced that neither Bradley or John Brooks would be taking part in the upcoming qualifiers.
“John Anthony Brooks with Hertha Berlin, he will be out. He’s not back with the team yet,” Klinsmann said. “I spoke to Michael Bradley this morning. He’s also trying to catch up. It’s not going to be in time for our two games because he’s still not in training with his team in Roma.”
Klinsmann did reveal that he does plan on having veterans Jermaine Jones and Clint Dempsey in camp with the national team when it convenes for the start of training camp on Sunday.
“I spoke to Sigi (Schmid) a couple of times and they expect (Clint Dempsey) back on the weekend, so therefore we’ll expect him in camp on Sunday and then we’ll see where he’s at,” Klinsmann said.
Klinsmann also addressed the fact that he was planning on calling in a best-available roster despite the fact MLS would be playing games during the international break.
“It’s absolutely no issue for us,” Klinsmann said when asked if he would consider the MLS schedule when deciding on his team. “Obviously we see the busy schedule MLS is going through, but we make that no difference. This is World Cup qualifying. We want to end it on a very high note, so we’re going to call in the guys we believe in.
“There are obviously a lot question marks,” Klinsmann added. “Eight or nine guys on yellow cards still, and some injuries happen so it might force you into some changes after the first game against Jamaica.
“If that’s going to be the case we’ll make some changes, but we’re not looking at the MLS schedule at all.”
In past World Cup cycles where the USA has qualified early, previous U.S. coaches have used the final qualifying matches to try out new players. Klinsmann is taking a far different approach. He wants as strong a team as possible, and sees the matches as an opportunity for players to make their cases for being on the 2014 World Cup team.
“There’s a World Cup waiting for you in Brazil. All you need to say is Brazil. The race is on,” said Klinsmann. “This about showing, especially the coaches, but everyone, that you deserve to go to Brazil. All these games, every training session, everything that goes on in the camp, has a meaning. They know that once they come in it’s about serious business. We want to do well. We want to improve as a team.
“We still have a long way to go,” Klinsmann said. “The benchmark was CONCACAF. We managed it. We qualified in advance, which was nice, but when you look towards Brazil, and you look at the nations that are going to qualify, and have already qualified, this is a whole different ballgame so we have to start preparing for that.”
Klinsmann revealed on Tuesday that Michael Bradley would not be taking part in the October qualifiers as he continues to recover from the severely sprained ankle he suffered in the USA’s last round of qualifiers in September.
Speaking to media at Rio Tinto Stadium prior to Tuesday’s U.S. Open Cup final, Klinsmann announced that neither Bradley or John Brooks would be taking part in the upcoming qualifiers.
“John Anthony Brooks with Hertha Berlin, he will be out. He’s not back with the team yet,” Klinsmann said. “I spoke to Michael Bradley this morning. He’s also trying to catch up. It’s not going to be in time for our two games because he’s still not in training with his team in Roma.”
Klinsmann did reveal that he does plan on having veterans Jermaine Jones and Clint Dempsey in camp with the national team when it convenes for the start of training camp on Sunday.
“I spoke to Sigi (Schmid) a couple of times and they expect (Clint Dempsey) back on the weekend, so therefore we’ll expect him in camp on Sunday and then we’ll see where he’s at,” Klinsmann said.
Klinsmann also addressed the fact that he was planning on calling in a best-available roster despite the fact MLS would be playing games during the international break.
“It’s absolutely no issue for us,” Klinsmann said when asked if he would consider the MLS schedule when deciding on his team. “Obviously we see the busy schedule MLS is going through, but we make that no difference. This is World Cup qualifying. We want to end it on a very high note, so we’re going to call in the guys we believe in.
“There are obviously a lot question marks,” Klinsmann added. “Eight or nine guys on yellow cards still, and some injuries happen so it might force you into some changes after the first game against Jamaica.
“If that’s going to be the case we’ll make some changes, but we’re not looking at the MLS schedule at all.”
In past World Cup cycles where the USA has qualified early, previous U.S. coaches have used the final qualifying matches to try out new players. Klinsmann is taking a far different approach. He wants as strong a team as possible, and sees the matches as an opportunity for players to make their cases for being on the 2014 World Cup team.
“There’s a World Cup waiting for you in Brazil. All you need to say is Brazil. The race is on,” said Klinsmann. “This about showing, especially the coaches, but everyone, that you deserve to go to Brazil. All these games, every training session, everything that goes on in the camp, has a meaning. They know that once they come in it’s about serious business. We want to do well. We want to improve as a team.
“We still have a long way to go,” Klinsmann said. “The benchmark was CONCACAF. We managed it. We qualified in advance, which was nice, but when you look towards Brazil, and you look at the nations that are going to qualify, and have already qualified, this is a whole different ballgame so we have to start preparing for that.”
Ohio St.-Northwestern (Chicago's Big 10 Football Team) Preview.
By Jeff Bartl
Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald knows all the story lines.
Ohio State has won 28 of the last 29 meetings, it's riding a nation-best 17-game winning streak and, more personally, Fitzgerald watched his teams get outscored by 130 points in the three times he's faced the Buckeyes.
Fitzgerald, though, isn't letting his 16th-ranked Wildcats get caught up in the past, nor in the fact that ESPN's College GameDay will be broadcasting from Evanston prior to their highly anticipated, nationally televised showdown with No. 4 Ohio State on Saturday night.
"You embrace whatever comes along with college football," Fitzgerald said. "Nothing changes for us this week. Our routine is our routine. It's an embrace-the-improvement mentality."
Northwestern is on the verge of starting 5-0 in two straight seasons for the first time since 1904-05. Doing so again, however, means defeating Ohio State (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten), led by two-time national championship coach Urban Meyer who guided a team on a one-year postseason ban to a 12-0 mark in his first season in Columbus in 2012.
Ohio State has won 28 of the last 29 meetings, it's riding a nation-best 17-game winning streak and, more personally, Fitzgerald watched his teams get outscored by 130 points in the three times he's faced the Buckeyes.
Fitzgerald, though, isn't letting his 16th-ranked Wildcats get caught up in the past, nor in the fact that ESPN's College GameDay will be broadcasting from Evanston prior to their highly anticipated, nationally televised showdown with No. 4 Ohio State on Saturday night.
"You embrace whatever comes along with college football," Fitzgerald said. "Nothing changes for us this week. Our routine is our routine. It's an embrace-the-improvement mentality."
Northwestern is on the verge of starting 5-0 in two straight seasons for the first time since 1904-05. Doing so again, however, means defeating Ohio State (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten), led by two-time national championship coach Urban Meyer who guided a team on a one-year postseason ban to a 12-0 mark in his first season in Columbus in 2012.
The Buckeyes beat the Wildcats 54-10 in 2006, 58-7 in '07 and 45-10 in the most recent meeting in '08 during Fitzgerald's tenure as coach.
Ohio State started fast in a 31-24 win over then-No. 23 Wisconsin last week, and Northwestern may have to hold off another early surge in this contest. The Buckeyes have outscored opponents 216-21 in the first quarter.
The Wildcats don't sound intimidated.
"This is why you come to play Big Ten football and Division I football," defensive lineman Tyler Scott said. "This where we want our program to be at - to have this hype for this game."
Starting quarterback Kain Colter, a dual threat who will split time with pocket passer Trevor Siemian, said Northwestern also needs to control its emotions on the big stage.
The Wildcats don't sound intimidated.
"This is why you come to play Big Ten football and Division I football," defensive lineman Tyler Scott said. "This where we want our program to be at - to have this hype for this game."
Starting quarterback Kain Colter, a dual threat who will split time with pocket passer Trevor Siemian, said Northwestern also needs to control its emotions on the big stage.
"At the same time, we don't want to overhype it," said Colter, who threw for a touchdown and ran for another in a 35-21 win over FCS opponent Maine last week.
"We don't need to play out of this world. We just need to play our game to be able to win."
Whether that will be enough to knock off the vaunted Buckeyes remains to be seen. Northwestern is averaging 249.5 rushing yards, but Ohio State ranks eighth nationally in run defense at 84.6 per game.
The Buckeyes limited the Badgers, who average more then 300 yards on the ground, to a season-low 104.
The Wildcats hope their solid rushing attack will get a boost from the return of Venric Mark, who has missed the last three games with a leg injury. Treyvon Green averaged 7.0 yards per carry while rushing for five touchdowns in Mark's absence.
Ohio State's defense took a hit Saturday when star safety Christian Bryant was lost for the season with a broken ankle. Corey "Pitt'' Brown, redshirt freshman Tyvis Powell and freshman Vonn Bell will be tasked with helping fill the void.
"The sign of a good team is always that someone must step up in his place,'' Meyer said.
The Buckeyes got a lift last week from the return of quarterback Braxton Miller, who missed the previous two games with a knee sprain. He went 17 of 25 for 198 yards and four touchdowns while adding 83 yards rushing.
"Braxton is a dynamic athlete," Northwestern linebacker Damien Proby said. "Anyone who watches the game of football knows he can do things with the ball in his hands and when he's in space. We're just looking to minimize the ground he's able to cover in any given play."
The Wildcats are tied for third in the country with 10 interceptions, four of which have been returned for touchdowns.
"It's hard to score on very sound defenses because at some point, they are going to force you to make up a mistake," Meyer said. "They are not going to give up the big one and are going to force you to make a mistake."
Still, Meyer again plans to have Miller throw the deep ball. The Buckeyes' 19 TD passes are second most in the country, and Northwestern ranks 117th out of 123 FBS teams with an average of 308.8 passing yards allowed per game.
"This Saturday, we are going to try the same thing," Meyer said. "That's a big part of who we are."
Ohio State has won four meetings in a row since Northwestern's last victory in the series, 33-27 at home Oct. 2, 2004.
Tyson accused of poaching fighters by USA Boxing.
TIM DAHLBERG (AP Boxing Writer)
It didn't take Mike Tyson very long to get involved in controversy in his new role as a boxing promoter.
The head of USA Boxing came out swinging Tuesday with an open letter to Tyson - a former Olympic hopeful himself - that accuses the former heavyweight champion of trying to poach fighters who might be candidates for the U.S. Olympic team in 2016.
Dr. Charles Butler said in the letter that recently formed Iron Mike Productions has been offering money to the best amateur fighters to turn pro, in particular an 18-year-old who some in amateur boxing believe to be the country's best hope for a gold medal at the Rio games. He says the money being offered is ''pennies on the dollar'' of what the prospects could be worth with an Olympic medal.
''Mike, USA Boxing does not have the funds to compete with your offers,'' the letter said. ''If you have money and would like to assist these young athletes and the sport, you should donate for athlete stipends to support the training of these boxers and help your country regain its prominence on the medal stand. Please do not take them from us. If they win a medal for their country, you can always sign them to professional contracts at that time.''
Tyson did not immediately return a phone call, and publicist Joann Mignano said he would not be commenting. Mignano confirmed, though, that Iron Mike Promotions signed Florida fighter Erickson Lubin on Tuesday, his 18th birthday.
Lubin is a two-time Junior Olympic national champion and won the 152-pound division at the National Golden Gloves this year. In his USA Boxing bio he said his goals were to win a gold medal at the Olympics, turn pro and win every title possible.
''We want to be competitive and we want to increase our overall performance in the Olympic games,'' said USA Boxing executive director Anthony Bartkowski. ''This is a new strategy of trying to make sure our Olympic-aged athletes are not poached by promoters. In the past, USA Boxing was passive and just accepted it.''
Tyson isn't the only promoter trying to lure amateurs to the pros. Last month, DiBella Entertainment said it signed highly touted 17-year-old Junior ''Sugar Boy'' Younan from New York to a contract and said he would make his pro debut in late October or early November, after he turned 18.
Boxing promoters have long trolled the amateur ranks looking for talent, especially in recent years as the lure of Olympics gold has faded for many fighters. Winning the Olympics was once a guaranteed way to make millions, but as the U.S. Olympic boxing teams have faded so have the prospects for Olympic fighters.
The last American man to win an Olympic gold in boxing was Andre Ward in 2004, and last year's team in London didn't win a medal of any color. USA Boxing, meanwhile, has undergone a series of shakeups and its funding has been cut by the U.S. Olympic Committee.
The executive director of the USOC said Tuesday that boxing - which was once dominated by Americans - is still trying to find a way to replicate earlier successes.
''Boxing is one of those sports that I think we have a very rich tradition in, but not a lot of current performance,'' Scott Blackmun said. ''I think the recent reorganization of USA Boxing ... is going to be very, very beneficial because it brings some very independent thinkers to the board. But I don't think you can take away the choices our athletes have. They have to weigh the importance of an Olympic medal and the impact an Olympic medal could have on their lifetime earning capabilities, and weigh that versus the short-term benefits of turning professional.''
Tyson is somewhat of an unlikely target of an amateur program he used to compete in, making it to within one fight of the Olympics in 1984. He began working as a promoter just recently, joining up with a promotion company called Acquinity Sports to host his first card last month in Verona, N.Y.
The head of USA Boxing came out swinging Tuesday with an open letter to Tyson - a former Olympic hopeful himself - that accuses the former heavyweight champion of trying to poach fighters who might be candidates for the U.S. Olympic team in 2016.
Dr. Charles Butler said in the letter that recently formed Iron Mike Productions has been offering money to the best amateur fighters to turn pro, in particular an 18-year-old who some in amateur boxing believe to be the country's best hope for a gold medal at the Rio games. He says the money being offered is ''pennies on the dollar'' of what the prospects could be worth with an Olympic medal.
''Mike, USA Boxing does not have the funds to compete with your offers,'' the letter said. ''If you have money and would like to assist these young athletes and the sport, you should donate for athlete stipends to support the training of these boxers and help your country regain its prominence on the medal stand. Please do not take them from us. If they win a medal for their country, you can always sign them to professional contracts at that time.''
Tyson did not immediately return a phone call, and publicist Joann Mignano said he would not be commenting. Mignano confirmed, though, that Iron Mike Promotions signed Florida fighter Erickson Lubin on Tuesday, his 18th birthday.
Lubin is a two-time Junior Olympic national champion and won the 152-pound division at the National Golden Gloves this year. In his USA Boxing bio he said his goals were to win a gold medal at the Olympics, turn pro and win every title possible.
''We want to be competitive and we want to increase our overall performance in the Olympic games,'' said USA Boxing executive director Anthony Bartkowski. ''This is a new strategy of trying to make sure our Olympic-aged athletes are not poached by promoters. In the past, USA Boxing was passive and just accepted it.''
Tyson isn't the only promoter trying to lure amateurs to the pros. Last month, DiBella Entertainment said it signed highly touted 17-year-old Junior ''Sugar Boy'' Younan from New York to a contract and said he would make his pro debut in late October or early November, after he turned 18.
Boxing promoters have long trolled the amateur ranks looking for talent, especially in recent years as the lure of Olympics gold has faded for many fighters. Winning the Olympics was once a guaranteed way to make millions, but as the U.S. Olympic boxing teams have faded so have the prospects for Olympic fighters.
The last American man to win an Olympic gold in boxing was Andre Ward in 2004, and last year's team in London didn't win a medal of any color. USA Boxing, meanwhile, has undergone a series of shakeups and its funding has been cut by the U.S. Olympic Committee.
The executive director of the USOC said Tuesday that boxing - which was once dominated by Americans - is still trying to find a way to replicate earlier successes.
''Boxing is one of those sports that I think we have a very rich tradition in, but not a lot of current performance,'' Scott Blackmun said. ''I think the recent reorganization of USA Boxing ... is going to be very, very beneficial because it brings some very independent thinkers to the board. But I don't think you can take away the choices our athletes have. They have to weigh the importance of an Olympic medal and the impact an Olympic medal could have on their lifetime earning capabilities, and weigh that versus the short-term benefits of turning professional.''
Tyson is somewhat of an unlikely target of an amateur program he used to compete in, making it to within one fight of the Olympics in 1984. He began working as a promoter just recently, joining up with a promotion company called Acquinity Sports to host his first card last month in Verona, N.Y.
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