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Sports Quote of the Day:
"When you feel like giving up, remember why you held on for so long in the first place." ~ Unknown
By The Sports Xchange
It would be a stretch to suggest losing quarterback Jay Cutler to injury gives the Chicago Bears offense its best chance for putting up points against the Green Bay Packers Monday night at Lambeau Field.
However, it isn't as far-fetched as it sounds to think backup Josh McCown can achieve some success -- or at least as much as Cutler has.
The Packers defense has owned the Bears offense since 2008, and in that time the Bears quarterback who led the offense to its most points was McCown in Week 16 of the 2011 season, during a 35-21 loss. Cutler has never had success against the Packers, with a 54.8 passer rating, eight touchdown passes and 17 interceptions in his eight Bears starts against them.
"We're in a very fortunate position," Bears coach Marc Trestman said about McCown. "We've got a guy who has started in this league, has played, has a great grasp of our offense. I think that is clear."
The 24 points McCown led the offense to against Washington in a 45-41 loss Oct. 20 came when he had virtually no snaps to prepare. The bye week and an extra day of practice, due to the Monday night contest, have added to confidence McCown can hold up against the pressure Green Bay's 3-4 defense usually brings to bear against Chicago while dominating the series in recent years.
The Bears did little to cut back on their offensive game plan when McCown had to come in against Washington in the second quarter, and they don't expect to change a lot Monday.
"When we walk about putting our offense together, putting the game plan together, we're not saying we have to minimize this or that because Josh doesn't have that skill set, or we can do more because Josh has that skill set," Trestman said. "We think we have a guy that can function as he did a week ago in the framework of the offense that we have."
Normally it could be expected the Bears could put the ball in Matt Forte's hands and run it to keep their defense off the field and protect their backup.
"We don't expect anybody to put the weight of the football team on their shoulders," Trestman said. "We've got plenty of guys to do that. Certainly Matt is part of that ball distribution. His touches are certainly important, he's getting a lot of them. We'd like him to be more productive, but we'd want to be more productive with everybody."
Besides, the Packers defense has never found Forte difficult to stop. In 10 career games against the Packers, including the NFC title game in 2010, he has averaged 46.2 yards per game with only one effort more than 73 yards.
"There are going to be people stepping up on the defensive side of the ball," McCown said. "I'll have to step up on the offensive side of the ball and we'll have to find a way to get it done."
With a defense missing injured linebacker Lance Briggs, and with cornerback Charles Tillman's knee injury still a question after two weeks off, the struggling defense appears sketchy at best. Stopping quarterback Aaron Rodgers might be impossible.
So the offense will have to find a way to outscore the Packers. With a backup at quarterback, it will be a test of whether the Trestman system can beat Green Bay.
"Especially in this league where the quarterback drives the ship, I don't know if you're ever ready to handle losing your starting quarterback," McCown said. "But I think the structure is in place and the emphasis has been put on individuals to do their job and do their part."
SERIES HISTORY: 185th regular-season meeting. Bears lead series, 91-87-6. The Packers have won the last five in the regular season and also the 2010 NFC Championship Game, and in the regular season have won eight of the last 10. The Bears haven't won at Lambeau Field since 2007.
NOTES, QUOTES
--The Bears defense may be on track to allow more points in franchise history than any team in a 16-game season, but it's not more blitzing or different personnel that they need to turn it around, according to cornerback Charles Tillman.
"I think one of the problems is guys are trying to do too much," Tillman said on NFL Network. "And it's something that our coaching staff, our defensive coaches have talked about over and over again. And I think really the blame goes on the players, not the coaches.
"I'm sure our D-coordinator will say that he'll take blame. But I think that blame starts with us as players, just not paying attention to the details, not being focused on yourself. Trying to do somebody else's job, getting out of your gap, playing man instead of zone. Things like that. Small things. It's just us shooting ourselves in the foot."
--Although the Bears have struggled running against Green Bay in the past, they know they'll have to get the ground game going to back quarterback Josh McCown. Against Washington, the passing game began to work only after Matt Forte broke off a touchdown run in the second half en route to a career-best three-touchdown game. Besides, McCown doesn't have the type of arm to allow him to get into a passing game shootout with Rodgers.
"That's the key to winning football games, being balanced and getting the running game going," center Roberto Garza said. "Obviously we have to do our job up front, we have to protect him and we have to create those running lanes for Matt and not put too much pressure on Josh's shoulders. You saw what he was able to do last week, take the offense up and down the field and score points."
It's not so much big plays the Bears need in the run game, but some consistency.
"We haven't really run the ball a whole lot like probably we're going to when we get at home when the weather changes," Forte said. "I expect the second half of the season that we are (going to be) efficient on first down, gaining positive yards. We have gotten a lot of big plays out of the running game. We've got three 50-yard runs, or something like that. I think we can continue to do that, but as well, continue to get those chunks of yardage in the running game as we go down the stretch."
--The Bears usually like a lot of cover-2 or different zones while combating Rodgers, and it doesn't figure to change much Monday even if they have blitzed more to make up for a pass rush that has produced a league-worst nine sacks. Having rookie linebackers Jonathan Bostic and Khaseem Greene on the field will make anything complicated scheme-wise a risk.
"I think the simpler you can keep it, the better it is for those guys," linebacker James Anderson said.
Anderson said ultimately the success of the defense will depend not on the rookies' understanding but production.
"You coach them up off the field, you try to give them tips when they're in the meetings and they go through practice," he said. "But when they're on the field as far as getting them lined up, I tell them basically what the alignment is and then they have to go play.
"Those guys have been doing a great job of learning their jobs and now we have to be able to trust that they can do their jobs."
--Brandon Marshall's optimistic forecast that Jay Cutler would be back for Green Bay or Detroit is probably not realistic, but Cutler said he is feeling better and hopes to return faster than the four weeks that were projected for his absence due to his torn groin muscle.
"Whenever they give me the green light, we're going to go in there rocking and we can't look back," Cutler said. "So whenever that happens, you'll see me out there."
Trestman said doctors will have the final word on when Cutler is back.
"They're not always right," he said. "It could happen faster. Jay's optimistic; we all are. But I'm not saying we're not bringing Jay back for four weeks. That's what the doctors have said and we'll work off that timeline. If it happens quicker, that'd be great."
BY THE NUMBERS: 13 - Number of wins by Josh McCown's teams in his 33 career starts at quarterback.
0 - Number of 100-yard rushing games by Matt Forte against Green Bay.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "It's just like eating Cheerios and having Corn Flakes. They're pretty much the same. They both get the job done. You've got to add sugar to both, though, which we (other players) are the sugar and the flavor of the offense." -- TE Martellus Bennett on the difference between Jay Cutler and Josh McCown.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
PLAYER NOTES
--SLB James Anderson will be the first choice for making defensive calls and aligning players on the field. It's not new to him, although it is new to him in Chicago.
"I called plays in Carolina, too, so that's not something that's new to me," the soft-spoken Anderson said. "It's just a matter of talking a little more."
INJURY IMPACT
--CB Charles Tillman remains on a day-to-day status with a sore knee and has not practiced this week despite a week and a half without football.
--LB Lance Briggs said his fractured shoulder feels better and he hopes to be back prior to the four-to-six weeks away originally announced after his injury.
GAME PLAN: Offensively, the Bears need to attack from all angles and at all depths. They need to move the launch point for passes so McCown isn't a sitting target for Packer blitzes. They need to throw to multiple spots and receivers. In particular, they must get it to TE Martellus Bennett and RB Matt Forte in the receiving game on early downs to stay in positive down-and-distance situations and set up easier third-down conversions. The Packers love to play two-man coverage on Brandon Marshall, bracketing him with a safety and cornerback. Last year, Forte couldn't be a counter to this because the old offense didn't use him enough in pass patterns. It's different now. And there was no tight end receiving threat, so the Packers could cheat on Marshall all they wanted. If Bennett is a factor in the receiving game, then Green Bay will have to play more honest in the secondary. Defensively, the Bears can't afford to get cute with blitzes. They'll have to get a better four-man pass rush than in the past seven games this season while allowing their secondary to sit back in zones. When they do blitz, it has to be from the inside with their speedy rookie linebackers, Jonathan Bostic and Khaseem Greene. They also need at least one big-impact special teams play to result in a score or set up one in order to assist an offense and defense already stretched to the limit.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH: Bears DE Julius Peppers, who has only one sack on the season, vs. Packers LT David Bakhtiari, who held Minnesota's Jared Allen without a sack or tackle last week -- Peppers has been a no-show, except for the win over Detroit. In the past he has been a big presence in Packers games. It's his first time running up against Bakhtiari, a fourth-round draft pick by the Packers this year who is 6-foot-4, 300 pounds. Peppers hasn't had to worry about a Packers running game in the past, but Eddie Lacy provides this and it's certain to make the Bears defensive ends stay at home more than in the past.
--Bears TE Martellus Bennett, who has 32 catches and four TDs, against Packers SS M.D. Jennings -- Bennett can be a wild card the Packers haven't had to contend with in the past against the Bears offense, and Jennings is an undrafted free agent without an interception. The Bears are likely to deploy Bennett much the way San Francisco did with Vernon Davis to burn the Packers defense in the season opener. Green Bay will be forced to cover him with Jennings or the nickel rather than a linebacker because he is quicker up the field than many other tight ends.
--Bear LB Khaseem Greene, in his first NFL start, against Packers RB Eddie Lacy -- Greene will be the linebacker on the side where Green Bay runs its weak-side lead play, the run which has always caused the Bears troubles. Nick Roach and Hunter Hillenmeyer, in the past, were victimized by lesser backs than Lacy, who averages 4.0 yards per carry and runs with power.
Bears' Tillman: You'll see 'changed team' Monday vs. Green Bay.
By Charlie Roumeliotis
A year ago, the Bears defense ranked third in the NFL in points allowed with 17.3. But through seven games this season, Chicago's D has given up an average of 29.4 points per game, which ranks 29th in the league.
Cornerback Charles Tillman appeared on ESPN First Take Wednesday morning to promote P&G's Breast Cancer Awareness campaign, but also addressed the struggles their defense is facing.
"We're in rebuilding mode right now," Tillman said. "No, I think we'll be okay. I think our bye week came at the right time, so it kind of gave us an extra week to focus on ourselves, to iron out some kinks that we got going on in our defense."
The Bears have spent years patching up their offense while their defense has carried the team in the past. But when Chicago transitioned from Lovie Smith's defensive-minded style to Marc Trestman's offensive system, that flip-flopped.
However, Tillman believes the Bears defense will find its way again.
"I definitely think guys are frustrated being ranked 29th in the league," he said.
"Since I've been here, that's probably the worst it's ever been, so there's a lot of soul searching. Guys are looking in the mirror and [are saying], 'What can I do to help this team be better?' I think you'll see a changed team Monday night."
Redskins safety Brandon Meriweather, who was suspended for an illegal hit on Brandon Marshall Oct. 20, stated that defensive players need to start tackling low and ending player's careers earlier this week.
His comments have heightened the conversation where defenders can hit an offensive player, and, as a cornerback, Tillman believes the new rules changes aren't sitting well with some of players.
"I'll say it is ticky-tack. I think guys are frustrated," he said. "The offensive players are too protected. ... I did a show earlier and we were talking about the rules about hitting guys with the helmet and, I agree, I don't think you should hit guys with the helmet.
But I also feel the right offensive player hasn't gotten hurt for them to change that rule. So when a defensive player hits [a high-caliber offensive player] in his knee ... and he does tear his ACL or MCL that puts him out for the rest of the season, I definitely think that rule will be revisited."
The Bears will return to action against the 5-2 Packers Monday night in Green Bay.
But they're also fighting for a spot in the division with the Lions, who are now 5-3 after pulling off an impressive comeback Sunday against the Cowboys.
So, are the Packers the bigger threat in the NFC North or is it the Lions?
"I think it's both," Tillman said. "I think if we overlook Detroit, they'll come back and bite us later. I think if we overlook [the Packers], Green Bay will sneak up the back road and get us. Both teams look good right now."
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? How Much Does Your NHL Team Really Matter? #1 out of 30 teams!!!
By Jonathan Willis, (NHL National Columnist)
Perhaps the best way to quickly summarize Chicago’s long history is this: Since the franchise’s inception in 1926, the team has never been as successful as it is right now.
In the span between the Blackhawks’ second Stanley Cup win in 1938 and the win in 2010, more than 70 years passed with only a single championship, the only one greats like Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita would celebrate in Chicago. The team has had great players over the years, but the last few years are as good as it’s ever been at the team level.
Fan engagement: 10/10
Chicago went through a period of fan unrest, but that had less to do with a loss of love for hockey than it did the inexplicably self-destructive policies of late owner Bill Wirtz. The team refused to locally televise home games on the grounds that it was unfair to fans, and it charged high ticket prices despite putting a second-rate product on the ice for most of a decade.
It got so bad that the AHL’s (highly successful) Chicago Wolves were capable of bringing more fans in at times than the NHL Blackhawks.
But all that is forgotten now. With the passing of the franchise to Rocky Wirtz, a return to more fan-friendly policies and success on the ice, the Blackhawks have restored their place in one of the United States’ foremost hockey markets.
Recent track record: 10/10
Total: 28/30, #1 out 0f 30 teams!!! Go Hawks!!!
President Obama to honor Blackhawks at the White House.
By White House Press Release
On Monday, November 4, President Obama will welcome the five-time Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks to the White House to honor the team and their 2013 Stanley Cup victory. While in Washington, the team will also visit the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to thank our veterans, wounded warriors, and their families for their courage and service to our country.
WHAT: President Obama to Honor 2013 Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks
WHEN: Monday, Nov. 4, 2:00 PM EST
Blackhawks notes: Offense has arrived, Pirri settling in.
By Tracey Myers
The Blackhawks kept saying it through those games where getting just two goals seemed like a chore: the offense will come. In their last few days, it has.
After trudging through most of October eking out 3-2 and 2-1 games, the Blackhawks’ offense has exploded as of late. Be it Jonathan Toews’ hat trick or the multi-point games several players have collected, the Blackhawks’ offense is back.
“It’s nice to see,” said Patrick Sharp, who has three points in the last two games. “It seems like this season we’ve had some good 5 on 5 play and poor special teams, then vice-versa. It’s good to have it all come together and score a few goals. Giving up five and six goals was a concern. But if we play our solid team game, our chances will come.”
Part of that could be the line combinations, which have shown more balance and more results. There seems to be a comfort level with everyone and their respective linemates. Also, it doesn’t hurt that individual and team confidence is growing in that scoring ability.
“We’re getting opportunities,” said Bryan Bickell, who had a four-goal streak recently. “The last couple games have been weird. We’ve been getting outshot. We’re giving up more opportunities but we’re also getting more. But if we’re winning by one goal or two goals and we’re still winning, and that’s all that matters.”
Pirri settling in
Brandon Pirri has fit in well on that second line, flanked by Brandon Saad and Patrick Kane. For Pirri, it’s all been a learning experience and he’s working to develop his all-around game.
“I want to be good in all three zones,” he said. “If I’m playing strong defensively, and if I find Kaner and Saader, then the offense will come.”
The offensive potential of that line is clearly there, and it’s shown itself in points recently. Coach Joel Quenneville said the true measuring stick of that line, however, is how it plays in its own zone, not the opposition’s.
“They’re certainly threat off the rush; that line’s been dangerous,” Quenneville said. “They’re starting to get more familiar with where each other is in all zones. We just want them to keep improving in our own end. But (Pirri) will get better in each area. It’s a good start for him.”
As for Pirri potentially seeing a shootout opportunity in the future, Quenneville said, “yeah, he’s definitely on the radar, for sure. He has a heck of a shot.”
Next Game: Blackhawks @ Jets
LIVE ON CBC, NHLN-US, WGN Radio: WGN 720
Blackhawks Vs. Jets 
Saturday, 11/02/2013, 2:00 PM
Just another Chicago Bulls Session... Rose floater lifts Bulls to 82-81 win over Knicks.
By JAY COHEN
Forget about the neck stiffness that almost postponed Derrick Rose's homecoming. Forget about all those missed shots, too.
Rose made the only play that mattered Thursday night, and it was just like old times for the Chicago Bulls.
Rose connected on a baseline floater with 5.7 seconds left to lift Chicago to an 82-81 victory over the New York Knicks in his first home game since he injured his left knee 18 months ago.
"That's what builds your resume," Rose said. "Leaves a mark on your legacy."
The 2011 NBA MVP had 18 points on 7-of-23 shooting and committed four turnovers.
But there was no doubt who was getting the ball after Tyson Chandler went 1 for 2 at the line to give New York an 81-80 lead with 10.8 seconds remaining.
Rose, who was a game-time decision for Chicago's home opener due to an achy neck, got the ball on the wing, drove to the baseline and lofted a well-placed floater over the 7-foot Chandler and Raymond Felton for the go-ahead basket, drawing a standing ovation from the delirious crowd of 22,022.
"I was right there. He just made a big-time play," Chandler said. "I don't know if he saw the basket to be honest with you."
New York had one last chance but Carmelo Anthony missed a long jumper. Anthony then stood with his hands on his hips as the Bulls celebrated.
"I got the look I wanted," Anthony said.
Chicago had just two field goals in the final period — both by Rose — and committed six turnovers in the last 12 minutes. But it still managed to equal a franchise record with its sixth consecutive win in home openers.
Luol Deng had 17 points and Carlos Boozer finished with 14 as the Bulls beat the Knicks for the sixth straight time.
"It's tough when you go into a game and you don't know who you have," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "That's all part of it. It's the start of the season. As long as we are putting everything into each and every day and strive for improvement, it will work out."
New York coach Mike Woodson opted for a bigger look against Chicago, inserting 7-foot Andrea Bargnani into the starting lineup and using guard Pablo Prigioni as a reserve. But the Bulls still enjoyed a 46-24 advantage in points in the paint and a 48-42 rebounding edge, led by Joakim Noah's 15 boards.
"We competed tonight. It says a lot for our club," Woodson said. "Now I just need to do a better job getting us through down the stretch."
Amar'e Stoudemire made his season debut for the Knicks and had five points in 11 minutes. The power forward, who turns 31 on Nov. 16, is coming off minor knee surgery over the summer and looked as if the years of health problems had robbed him of much of his athleticism.
"Very pleased with how I felt tonight, as far as my body," he said. "Just going to continue to keep building and keep getting better."
New York trailed 76-66 with 7:53 remaining, but rookie Tim Hardaway Jr. made a 3-pointer to spark a 12-0 run for the Knicks. Felton connected from long range, Iman Shumpert had a dunk and Anthony closed out the spurt with a turnaround jumper that put New York in front with 4:10 remaining.
The last part of the game mostly consisted of turnovers and missed shots, but Chicago managed to survive behind Rose.
"He showed a lot of toughness," Thibodeau said. "It was a struggle early on in the game. He found his way at the start of the third, that got him a little lift."
Jimmy Butler finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds for Chicago, which lost 107-95 at NBA champion Miami in its season opener on Tuesday night. Anthony led New York with 22 points on 8-of-24 shooting. Chandler had 19 rebounds, but the Knicks were unable to open the season with consecutive victories on consecutive nights.
They were coming off a 90-83 victory against Milwaukee on Wednesday.
Wearing strips of black tape on either side of his achy neck, Rose received a thunderous ovation from the sellout crowd when he was the last player introduced during the pregame festivities. He showed no outward emotion as he ran out of the tunnel with fans waving glowing red sticks in celebration of the return of the Chicago native.
After Rose got on the court, chants of "M-V-P! M-V-P!" rang out from the seats at the United Center.
It was Rose's first real game at the Bulls' longtime home since he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee in the first game of the 2012 playoffs against Philadelphia. What followed was a long and arduous rehabilitation process that raised questions about Rose's toughness when he was unable to return last season.
That whole "Will he or won't he play" episode was long forgotten when he took the court against the Knicks, taking a quick moment to blow a kiss toward the luxury boxes before tipoff.
The speedy point guard was just 2 for 11 from the field in the first half, but Deng had 12 points to help Chicago to a 43-38 lead at the break.
"I'm not going to continue missing shots that I'm missing," Rose said, pointing to what he thinks will be even better days ahead. "I work too hard."
NOTES: Chicago improved to 27-21 in home openers, including a 12-8 record at the United Center. ... Hardaway provided a spark as a reserve, finishing with 10 points.
Red Sox win 6-1, 1st WS title at home since 1918.
By RONALD BLUM (AP Sports Writer)
More than an hour after the final out, players lingered on the field and fans stood by their seats, cheering, singing and applauding.
A celebration nearly a century in the making was unfolding at the old ballpark, a long-awaited moment generations of New Englanders had never been able to witness.
Turmoil to triumph. Worst to first. A clincher at Fenway Park.
David Ortiz and the Boston Red Sox, baseball's bearded wonders, capped their remarkable turnaround by beating the St. Louis Cardinals 6-1 in Game 6 on Wednesday night to win their third World Series championship in 10 seasons.
When it was over, Ortiz took a microphone on the field and addressed the city, just as he did a week after the marathon bombings last April.
''This is for you, Boston. You guys deserve it,'' the Series MVP said. ''We've been through a lot this year and this is for all of you and all those families who struggled.''
And the Red Sox didn't even have to fly the trophy home. For the first time since Babe Ruth's team back in 1918, Boston won the title at Fenway. The 101-year-old stadium, oldest in the majors, was jammed with 38,447 singing, shouting fans anticipating a party that had been building for more than nine decades.
''Maybe they won't have to go another 95 years,'' said John Farrell, a champion in his first season as Boston's manager.
Shane Victorino, symbolic of these resilient Sox, returned from a stiff back and got Boston rolling with a three-run double off the Green Monster against rookie sensation Michael Wacha. Pumped with emotion, Victorino pounded his chest with both fists three times.
John Lackey became the first pitcher to start and win a Series clincher for two different teams, allowing one run over 6 2-3 innings 11 years after his Game 7 victory as an Angels rookie in 2002.
With fans roaring on every pitch and cameras flashing, Koji Uehara struck out Matt Carpenter for the final out. The Japanese pitcher jumped into the arms of catcher David Ross while Red Sox players rushed from the dugout and bullpen as the Boston theme ''Dirty Water'' played on the public-address system.
There wasn't the ''Cowboy Up!'' comeback charm of ''The Idiots'' from 2004, who swept St. Louis to end an 86-year title drought. There wasn't that cool efficiency of the 2007 team that swept Colorado.
With the World Series over, Alex Rodriguez resumed his criticism of Major League Baseball and Commissioner Bud Selig for its investigation that led to a 211-game suspension that the New York Yankees third baseman is trying to overturn.
In addition to a grievance filed by the players' union, Rodriguez filed a lawsuit against Selig and MLB that accused them of engaging in a ''witch hunt.''
''I am deeply troubled by my team's investigative findings with respect to MLB's conduct,'' Rodriguez said in a statement Thursday. ''How can the gross, ongoing misconduct of the MLB investigations division not be relevant to my suspension, when my suspension supposedly results directly from that division's work?''
MLB suspended Rodriguez on Aug. 5 for violations of its drug agreement and labor contract and was allowed to keep playing pending a determination of the grievance.
Arbitrator Fredric Horowitz has heard eight days of hearings, and the next session is Nov. 18.
Speaking last weekend at the World Series, Selig praised MLB's investigative team, saying ''I'm very comfortable with what they did and how they did it.''
''I've been in baseball now for 50 years,'' he said. ''I thought I'd seen everything, but I hadn't.
Rodriguez waited to respond until after the World Series had ended.
''It is sad that commissioner Selig once again is turning a blind eye, knowing that crimes are being committed under his regime,'' the three-time AL MVP said. ''I have 100 percent faith in my legal team. To be sure, this fight is necessary to protect me, but it also serves the interests of the next 18-year-old coming into the league, to be sure he doesn't step into the house of horrors that I am being forced to walk through.''
Rodriguez and MLB have publicly assailed each other for months. MLB accused Rodriguez of ''possession of numerous forms of prohibited performance-enhancing substances, including testosterone and human growth hormone, over the course of multiple years.''
''This latest, sad chapter in Mr. Rodriguez's tarnished career is yet another example of this player trying to avoid taking responsibility for his poor choices. Given the disappointing acts that Mr. Rodriguez has repeatedly made throughout his career, his expressed concern for young people rings very hollow,'' MLB chief operating officer Rob Manfred said in a statement.
''Mr. Rodriguez's use of PEDs was longer and more pervasive than any other player, and when this process is complete, the facts will prove that it is Mr. Rodriguez and his representatives who have engaged in ongoing, gross misconduct.''
After reading this article, we'd like to know, what's you take? Is the commissioner or Mr. Rodriguez right? We know HGHs and PEDs have been banned, will this be baseball's Lance Armstrong's moment? What do you think?
McIlroy makes eight birdies to lead WGC-HSBC.
By Doug Ferguson
The graceful combination of power and balance. The bounce in his step after every birdie. His name at the top of the leaderboard. For at least one round, Rory McIlroy finally looked like the former No. 1 player in the world instead of a guy who hasn't won a tournament all year.
With eight birdies and hardly any stress, McIlroy opened the HSBC Champions on Thursday with a 7-under 65 for a two-shot lead over Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and
Jamie Donaldson. It was the first time since he won in Dubai last November that McIlroy has been in the outright lead after any round.
''It felt good to be out there and in control of my golf ball,'' McIlroy said.
Maybe it was just a coincidence that McIlroy's only win of any variety was earlier this week at Mission Hills when he rallied to beat Tiger Woods in an 18-hole exhibition.
That didn't hurt his confidence, though the 24-year-old from Northern Ireland pointed to other factors that have been leading him in this direction.
He took a four-week break, spending most of that time in Northern Ireland with swing coach Michael Bannon and ''getting back to what we used to do.'' He has a new driver and a golf ball that is softer, giving him more spin around the greens.
And perhaps most importantly, he hasn't lost his mind or his patience during the most difficult season of his young career.
''It's obviously frustrating when you've had a couple of seasons previous where you've had success, and not being able to emulate that,'' he said. ''The way I look at it, if I have a 25-year career, nine months isn't actually that long. I wouldn't say 'restless,' but obviously there's a point in time where you're thinking to yourself, 'Right, come on, let's get this back on track.' But I've tried to stay as patient as possible.''
More patience is required against a strong field at Sheshan International for this World Golf Championship.
Fernandez-Castano is coming off his first win of the year last week at the BMW Masters. The group at 4-under 68 included U.S. Open champion Justin Rose, former Masters champion Bubba Watson and 20-year-old Jordan Spieth, playing as though last season never ended. Another shot behind were Dustin Johnson, Paul Casey and Graeme McDowell, who remains second on the European Tour money list with hopes of catching Henrik Stenson.
The timing was crucial for McIlroy.
Not only has he failed to win a tournament, he is at No. 62 in the Race to Dubai with only two tournaments remaining to get into the top 60 and qualify for the season-ending World Tour Championship in Dubai. McIlroy won the money title a year ago.
''It's only 18 holes. It's only one round of golf,'' McIlroy said. ''But it's definitely the way I wanted and needed to start, keeping in mind that I obviously want to play myself into Dubai and try to pick up my first win of the season, as well.''
British Open champion Phil Mickelson had a chance to join McIlroy in the lead until it all went wrong. One shot behind with two holes to play, Mickelson hit two wedges into the water fronting the par-5 eighth green and took a quadruple-bogey 9. His second wedge landed some 30 feet beyond the pin and had so much spin that it raced off the green and down the bank into the water.
He hit another shot into the water on No. 9, and followed that with a brave shot to 2 feet to escape with only a bogey. He fell back to a 71.
Spieth, who went from no status at the start of the year to a spot in the Presidents Cup and No. 20 in the world, didn't arrive until Monday and has been battling jet lag this week after his first trip to China. He was 2-over through eight holes, and then played 6-under the rest of the way, as if last season never ended.
''I didn't really know what to expect out of the game this week, traveling over here and limited practice,'' he said. ''But maybe it was good for me. My caddie helped me stay calm and stay positive, and once the putts started going in, we were just in our normal routine.''
But this day ultimately was about McIlroy.
McIlroy hit a 3-wood just over the back of the par-4 16th hole and chipped to 3 feet for birdie. His 3-iron from light rough was about 20 yards short of the green on the par-5 18th, and he chipped to 5 feet for birdie. And on the par-5 second hole, another 3-iron from the rough left him 30 yards short, and he pitched that to 6 feet for birdie. The other birdie during that stretch was on No. 1, his only tee shot off line. From the rough, his 9-iron from 160 yards covered the flag and settled about 7 feet away.
''It's just learning from each week and just trying to put the pieces together,'' McIlroy said. ''A little bit of confidence from Monday, of course, but I think it was these two previous weeks just getting back into competitive play and learning what I needed to do to improve and sort of work on those things coming into this week.''
Tim Burke wins long drive title at 427 yards.
By W.G. RAMIREZ (Associated Press)
Tim Burke won the Re/Max World Long Drive Championship on Wednesday night at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, hitting his fourth shot in the final round 427 yards.
England's Joe Miller was second.
The two advanced from the final field of eight who began the night, battling chilly weather conditions, and hitting the ball toward the bright lights of the famed-Las Vegas Strip in the distance.
Both Burke and Miller each got six drives, over two rounds of three shots apiece, with the longest shot that stayed within a 50-yard wide grid counting toward their final score. Burke, who was second to Ryan Winther in the 2012 event, earned $250,000.
Moments after drilling the 427-yarder, Burke said he couldn't help but look straight into the sky and think about his father.
Burke's father died 13 years ago, when the long-hitter was a freshman in high school, but the 27-year-old Orlando, Fla., resident said it was the first thought that crossed his mind after winning.
''I just looked up and thought to myself, and said to him, 'Wow, I can't believe I did it.' It was surreal,'' Burke said. ''I waited a year for this. I took one week off last year, and I just decided I'm going to start from the foundation up. I got a little better golf swing and gained a lot of speed.''
Burke was a standout pitcher for the University of Miami, where he appeared in two College World Series. He works as a financial wholesaler for CNL Securities Corp.
''I've never hit a ball better in my life,'' said Burke, who flipped his club as if he had just stroked a walk-off home run. ''I knew I was going to end it there. That was my goal with that Krank driver. (Miller's) 405 was not that big of a number, especially in these conditions. I knew he could clearly beat that.''
Will Hogue and Tyler Kellett dropped out in the semifinals. Aaron Mansfield, Patrick Hopper, Jamie Sadlowski and Matt Hanger also competed.
Gordon hopes to close in on Chase co-leaders.
By Zack Albert
With three races left in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, time might not entirely be on Jeff Gordon's side. But to the best of his calculations, good old-fashioned math certainly is.
And if the intangible qualities of momentum are to be believed in, the four-time champion has more than a puncher's chance of catching co-leaders Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth to thicken the title hunt down the stretch, starting this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway.
"Well, of course we're in it. Until we're mathematically out of it, we're in it," Gordon said after notching his first victory of the season last weekend at Martinsville Speedway, a place he's won at eight times, but not since 2005 before Sunday's triumph.
"This was certainly a big moment, big day for us, and like I said, we tested at Texas. I'm excited about Texas. I think it's a great track for us, but it's pretty darned great for both those guys, as well. They performed very, very well again today. It's going to be tough to catch them."
Gordon made at least a dent with his Martinsville victory, rising from 35 points back in fifth place to a 27-point deficit in third. Still, he sees the potential for taking a bigger swipe at the gap in Sunday's AAA Texas 500 (3 p.m. ET, ESPN), the eighth of 10 races in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup postseason.
"There's no better time to win races than right now, and to be able to carry that momentum ?? I'm so proud to be third in the points," Gordon said. "We all want to win the championship, but I mean, from where we started early in the season, heck, where we started in this Chase, to be third in points right now, I'm very proud of that.
We can't get the cart ahead of the horse; we've got to appreciate that but also take advantage of this momentum and confidence that we do have, and I can't wait to get to Texas."
Momentum and confidence? Not bad for a 42-year-old veteran who wasn't in the Chase from the get-go. Gordon was added to create a 13-driver field after the results of the regular-season finale were manipulated, originally leaving him as one of the odd men out at Richmond.
Whether the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team's postseason inclusion merits an asterisk has been the subject of debate, but Gordon has simply gone about the business of proving he belongs.
"I mean, I feel like we deserve to be in it," Gordon said. "I don't like how we got in it, being an added 13th team. You can dispute that all you want, but we're certainly not going to say no, we won't take it. We wanted to be in it. We feel like we were in a position to earn our way into it, and I think that this team would have performed like this whether we were in it or not."
Since then, Gordon has made the most of his second chance, posting top-10 finishes in five of the seven Chase races to move his way up the pecking order. Making extreme headway against the lead pair, however, has been no easy task; even as Gordon was taking the checkered flag Sunday, Kenseth was close behind in second place with Johnson not so far back in fifth.
Three more races like Sunday would not be enough for Gordon to overcome the deficit, but the team hopes to keep applying pressure to the leaders while employing its own no-pressure approach.
"I'm hoping to go to Texas and get a little bit closer and then we'll have this conversation again," said Alan Gustafson, Gordon's crew chief. "I think the closer we get, really ?? I don't want to say that we're playing with house money, but of all the cars that are competing with it, I think we are. For us the best thing we can do is just go out there and try to win and get closer and closer and have a chance at Homestead. That really was my goal going into the Chase. (It's) still my goal now to go into Homestead with a shot."
That mission starts with Texas, a track that hasn't always been kind to Gordon with an average finish of 17.0 and six DNFs in 25 starts. But the lackluster results are balanced by a win in 2009, eight career top-five finishes and a three pole positions at the Fort Worth track.
Gordon will need more of the latter than the former come Sunday to keep the title race from becoming a two-car breakaway.
"Let's be honest. We're all alive, but right now there's two that are in it," Gordon said. "Our job is to go to Texas and make it three."
Football strike on as France says won't drop 75% tax.
AFP
French football clubs said Thursday they will push ahead with a historic strike after President Francois Hollande rejected their demands to be exempt from a 75 percent tax on high-earners.
The strike -- planned for the last weekend of November and including clubs from France's Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 first and second divisions -- will be the first for French football since 1972.
Club chiefs met with Hollande on Thursday in a desperate bid to push for their exemption, but left empty-handed.
The tax on incomes over one million euros ($1.4 million) must apply to "all companies concerned", Hollande was quoted in a statement as telling the clubs.
"The need to rebalance public accounts fully justifies this effort asked of companies that have made the choice of paying annual salaries at such a level," Hollande said.
He also invited clubs to work with the government on developing a "durable and balanced economic model" for the industry.
Football chiefs said they now had no choice but to push ahead with the strike.
"The president listened attentively but absolutely did not hear us," said Frederic Thiriez, the head of the French Football League.
"No solution was found tonight, so the mobilization is going ahead," he said.
The tax, one of the Socialist leader's main electoral promises, is part of next year's budget but has not yet been approved by parliament.
The proposed levy is temporary and will affect income earned this year and in 2014. It is aimed at helping the eurozone's second-largest economy reduce a huge budget deficit.
Hollande's initial proposal to tax the rich on individual incomes over one million euros was shot down as unconstitutional by the country's top court.
But the government came back with a modified proposal that now makes companies liable to pay the 75 percent tax rate for the portion of employees' salaries above the million-euro ceiling.
Football clubs complain that the move will hit them especially hard because they sign players on short-term contracts. They say the tax will make it impossible to attract top-flight talent.
In protest at the tax, clubs in Ligue 1 and 2 have said they will not take part in fixtures from November 29 to December 2 in what has been described as a "historic protest".
Football clubs argue that the measure will cost Ligue 1 about 44 million euros, given the high salaries earned by about 120 players from 14 clubs.
Qatari-owned Paris Saint-Germain, France's richest club, counts more than 10 players whose pay exceeds the one-million bracket, including Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Although the tax proposal has been criticized by the opposition, there has been overwhelming agreement across the political spectrum that high-earning footballers should not be let off the hook.
"I don't weep for them," said Dominique Bussereau, a former minister from ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy's centre-right UMP party. "I have no particular sympathy for professional football."
Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far-right National Front, added: "It's indecent to see football clubs who are paying goalkeepers 120,000 euros per month come and complain, while millions of French have fallen victim to austerity."
Saying no to football paid off for one small Texas college thanks in part to the Cowboys.
By Eric Adelson
Six years ago, Michael Sorrell made a decision that threatened his reputation and maybe his job.
His tenure as president of Paul Quinn College started in 2007 and, shortly thereafter, he opted to cut football in an effort to save money.
The response on campus was not pleasant.
"Predictably, we had folks who were, I guess, the reaction was loud," Sorrell says.
This was in football-nuts Dallas, only seven miles from the heart of the city. Sorrell was not anti-sports, either. He played basketball and loved football. He just felt the sport was "something economically we could not justify."
Sorrell made an offer to the angry defenders of the sport: Raise $2 million to save football, and he would match it.
"To date," Sorrell says, "no one has raised a dollar."
College football is dealing with an emerging financial crisis. It's plaguing programs as large as the University of Tennessee, which was a reported $200 million in debt over the summer, and as small as Grambling, which is begging alums for donations after poor facilities led to a player mutiny earlier this month. Escalating coaches' salaries and declining attendance have led to real concern that the entire college football complex will become insolvent, leaving only a few schools with thriving programs.
"We are standing on the precipice of an economic day of reckoning in higher education," Sorrell says. "I think there will be more schools to do this. I think we're just early."
Football was eating $600,000 of Sorrell's budget, and Paul Quinn is a tiny school of only 250 students. How could he continue to educate when so much funding was going to something that wasn't building an academic reputation?
He simply couldn't. So the field sat vacant.
Sorrell moved on to a much bigger issue: his school is located in a food desert with neither a restaurant nor a grocery store nearby, and many of the students at the oldest historically black college west of the Mississippi are poor. Eighty percent of the students at Paul Quinn are Pell Grant-eligible. (There's a "clothes closet" on campus where students can get business casualwear for free, and money had to be raised so students could afford eyeglasses to read.)
A year after the end of football, Sorrell was meeting with a real estate investor named Trammell Crow. They bandied about the idea of devoting a tract of land to producing food for the community. But where?
Sorrell joked that they should just build a farm on the football field.
The jest quickly turned into a reality, and the school's future was changed for the better.
Some of the produce grown in full view of the scoreboard would go to local food banks and the surrounding community. Some of it, eventually, could be sold.Crow helped fund the farm, and slowly crops began to yield produce: kale, sweet potatoes, herbs, cilantro. In 2009, two years removed from the end of Paul Quinn College's football life, a rather famous client struck a deal with the school for its food.
Cowboys Stadium.
Legends Hospitality is now Paul Quinn College's largest buyer for the "WE over Me Farm," and the school has run a surplus of six or seven figures in four of the past five years. The money budgeted for football now goes to academic scholarships. This is a school that had one month's worth of cash when Sorrell took over in 2007.
A potential disaster has turned into one of the most inspired decisions made at the college level. It's not like Paul Quinn is SMU – the NAIA school is smaller than a lot of Dallas high schools – but it shows life after football isn't necessarily bleak.
"We turned our football field into an organic farm," Sorrell says. "It's made us a national leader on this issue. There are no regrets. We didn't have the resources necessary to change and really build a football program in the way we wanted to do it. This is what was right for us."
Students who work on the farm are paid $10 an hour for overseeing the project, which will produce 17,500 lbs. of food for Cowboys fans this season.
"I'm in love with what we're doing with the field," says Shon Griggs, Jr., a legal-studies major who played football at his Atlanta high school. "It's exciting and I've learned so much. I've personally gotten more out of the farm than the football field."
Griggs spends 12 hours a week on the farm, and he considers it "a workout" that has benefits beyond sports.
"When I played football, I was able to strengthen my body," he says. "Here, we're impacting community, changing lives, teaching kids, and learning about nature."
Griggs says the only downside is the coyotes that come around at night and try to break into the chicken coop.
"We would have a problem," he says. "There would be a revolt. This is big."
It is big. Those who work on the farm not only have experience and some take-home pay, but a built-in connection to one of the most famous buildings in America. The director of food and beverage at Legends Hospitality at Cowboys Stadium is George Wasai, who went to Paul Quinn College. He played football there.
We all know about fields of dreams and if you build it, they will come.
Sometimes tearing it down works just as well.
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