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Sports Quote of the Day:
Keys to success... Research your idea, Plan for success, Expect success and Just plain do it! It amazes me how many people skip the last step! Practice being a "doer" and success will follow you every step of the way! ~ Josh S. Hinds
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!! Ravens-Bears Capsule.
By The Associated Press
BALTIMORE (4-5) at CHICAGO (5-4)
RECORD VS. SPREAD - Baltimore 5-4, Chicago 2-6-1
SERIES RECORD - Series tied 2-2
LAST MEETING - Ravens beat Bears 31-7, Dec. 20, 2009
LAST WEEK - Ravens beat Bengals 20-17 in OT; Bears lost to Lions 21-19
AP PRO32 RANKING - Ravens No. 17, Bears No. 11
RAVENS OFFENSE - OVERALL (29), RUSH (30), PASS (17)
RAVENS DEFENSE - OVERALL (15), RUSH (10), PASS (18)
BEARS OFFENSE - OVERALL (10), RUSH (15), PASS (8)
BEARS DEFENSE - OVERALL (26), RUSH (31), PASS (23)
STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES - Ravens dropped three straight before beating Cincinnati. Defending champions blew 17-0 halftime lead but won in OT on Justin Tucker's 46-yard FG after Bengals' Andy Dalton threw desperation TD pass to A.J. Green at end of regulation. ... Baltimore 1-4 on road, 3-1 at home. .. Ravens' defense tied for third with St. Louis with 32 sacks. ... QB Joe Flacco has been sacked five times in three of Baltimore's past four games, bringing season total to 30. Sacked five times last week while throwing for 140 yards and two interceptions. Also lost fumble in pocket. Flacco has 12 TD passes and 11 INTs after getting $120.6 million contract. ... RB Ray Rice with just 289 yards - 2.5 per carry - after four straight 1,000-yard seasons. Missed Baltimore's third game with hip flexor strain, has run for 45 yards or less in five of six games since. ... RB Bernard Pierce dealing with hamstring issue in recent weeks. ... OLB Terrell Suggs tied for fifth with nine sacks. ... OLB Elvis Dumervil tied for seventh with 8 1/2 sacks. ... Tucker hit 16 straight FG conversions, third-longest active streak in league. ... Bears QB Jay Cutler week to week with high left ankle sprain and is out for this game. Was injured in second quarter against Detroit and left before game's final drive. Sat out previous game at Green Bay with torn groin muscle. ... CB Charles Tillman (torn right triceps muscle) will miss rest of regular season after being injured against Detroit. Zack Bowman replaces him. ... LB Lance Briggs (broken shoulder) ruled out. DT Henry Melton (torn anterior cruciate ligament), MLB D.J. Williams (torn pectoral muscle tendon) done for season. ... QB Josh McCown threw TD pass to Brandon Marshall on final drive last week but Matt Forte's 2-point conversion failed. McCown 42 of 70 for 538 yards with four TDs and no INTs in three games. ... Forte fourth in NFL with 1,023 yards from scrimmage (691 rushing, 332 receiving), tied for third in with seven TDs rushing.
Bears won't get Clowney, but still targeting impact defenders.
By John Mullin
Phil Emery was hired in large part to upgrade and return to building the Bears through the draft. A defense that for much of the past decade had been constructed through the draft – Lance Briggs, Chris Conte, Shea McClellin, Henry Melton, Charles Tillman, Brian Urlacher, Corey Wootton – is in need of immediate overhaul at myriad positions.
The Bears addressed linebacker in the 2013 draft with Jon Bostic and Khaseem Greene. But cornerback and defensive end, where Charles Tillman and Julius Peppers are at or close to the end of distinguished careers, are need areas.
The key for the Bears will be finding players with Day 1 starting ability, and longtime ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper believes there are more than a few of those that will be options for the Bears.
“It’s hard to say because you don’t know which of the juniors will be coming out,” Mel said, “but from the senior defensive-end group I would say Marcus Smith [6-3, 252] from Louisville has helped himself enormously this year. Michael Sam [6-3, 255], Missouri, same thing but he could be a 3-4 outside linebacker.
“Kareem Martin, North Carolina, is a decent pass rusher but more of a run stopper. Jackson Jeffcoat from Texas has come on of late.”
“As far as starting right away, after [Jadeveon] Clowney, [Notre Dame’s Stephon] Tuitt, [Oregon State’s Scott] Crichton, the underclassmen, I think Marcus Smith is going to be an interesting guy.”
The Bears won’t have a shot at South Carolina’s Clowney. Questions about his taking plays or games off have persisted as his production (two sacks) has been sluggish in 2013, but Clowney at 6-6, 274 pounds is still at the apex of the pyramid.
“It’s hard to go through a brick wall and that’s what teams are doing, walling him off,” Kiper said. “They’re saying, ‘OK, if you can beat one, let’s see you beat two. You beat two, let’s see you beat three.’ All the great players are targets.
“He’s still No. 1,” Kiper said. “If you’re going to need a true 4-3 defensive end who’s going to get after the quarterback and wreak havoc, you take Clowney.”
As far as cornerbacks capable of starting right away, “I think Jason Verette, TCU, could start as a rookie. Very good player, very underrated. Justin Gilbert, Oklahoma State, has come on as well and could be one of those workout-warrior types as well.”
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Toews, Blackhawks beat Coyotes 5-4 in shootout.
By MATT CARLSON (Associated Press)
Jonathan Toews and rookie Brandon Pirri scored in a four-round shootout, and the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Phoenix Coyotes 5-4 on Thursday night for their fourth straight win.
Phoenix defenseman Michael Stone scored two goals for the first time in his career as the Coyotes overcame an early two-goal deficit to earn a point.
Shane Doan and Lauri Korpikoski also scored for Phoenix. At 13-4-3, the Coyotes are off to their best start since 1998-99 when they were 15-3-2 after 20 games.
Smith made 48 saves and Chicago's Corey Crawford had 26 in a wide-open, back-and-forth game.
The 52 shots allowed by the Coyotes through overtime also were a season high. Smith entered having faced an NHL-high 555 shots.
Phoenix defenseman Zbynek Michalek left after five shifts in the first period with a lower-body injury.
The Blackhawks jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the opening 6:22, but the Coyotes came back to tie it 2-all after the first period.
Saad opened the scoring 2:37 in when he popped in a rebound with Smith down on the ice and a scrum in the crease.Sharp made it 2-0 at 6:22 with a power-play goal, on a rising shot fired from the top of the slot and through a screen.
The 23-year-old Stone cut it to 2-1 just 41 seconds later when his shot from the right point deflected off Pirri's stick and past Crawford.
Doan's power-play goal, chipped in from the right side of the net with 5:56 left in the first, tied it at 2.
Keith Yandle's shot from the point missed the net, caromed off the back boards and straight to Doan.
Hossa put Chicago back ahead 3-2 at 5:05 of the second when he drove to the net unchecked and scored on a rebound of his own shot from left wing.
Then Korpikoski and Stone scored 2:11 apart late in the second to put Phoenix ahead for the first time, 4-3.
From the edge of the crease, Korpikoski wrapped in a rebound of Radim Vrbata's shot with 5:05 left in the period to knot it at 3. Stone's second goal, on a high drive from the top of the left circle, sailed past Crawford on the stick side and put the Coyotes in front.
After Pirri scored to tie it at 4, the Blackhawks took control and outshot the Coyotes 17-6 in the third. Smith stopped Hossa from point-blank range with a minute left in regulation.
Chicago dominated the overtime and outshot Phoenix 3-0.
NOTES: The Blackhawks recalled 20-year-old forward Alex Broadhurst from Rockford of the AHL and placed C Michael Handzus on injured reserve retroactive to Oct. 25. Handzus has missed the last eight games with an upper-body injury. Broadhurst, from the Chicago suburb of New Lenox, Ill., didn't play Thursday. ... Chicago D Michal Rozsival was a scratch. He was hit in the face with a puck on Sunday. ... Phoenix assigned forward Chris Brown to Portland of the American Hockey League. He had appeared in just four games.
Blackhawks reacquire forward Versteeg from Florida.
AP Sports
The Chicago Blackhawks acquired forwards Kris Versteeg and Philippe Lefebvre from the Florida Panthers for forward Jimmy Hayes and defenseman Dylan Olsen on Thursday night.
The trade was announced after Chicago's 5-4 shootout win over Phoenix.
The 27-year-old Versteeg, a member of the Blackhawks' 2010 Stanley Cup championship team, has two goals and five assists in 18 games this season with Florida.
Versteeg had 20 goals and 24 assists in 79 regular-season games with the Blackhawks in 2009-10, then added six goals and eight assists in 22 playoff games during the team's run to the Stanley Cup.
He had a career-high 22 goals and 53 points with Chicago in 2008-09.
''We are excited to bring Kris back to Chicago and are pleased to add a player with his experience and versatility to our lineup,'' Blackhawks president and general manager Stan Bowman said in a statement. ''This move strengthens our team depth and Kris' skill is a great complement to our current roster.''
By Blake Baxter
COMMENTARY | The NBA season is just two weeks old.
In the first week, they fell to the mighty Miami Heat, barely got by the New York Knicks and then fell to the not-so-mighty Philadelphia 76ers. The long-awaited return of superstar Derrick Rose didn't quite live up to the hype (though he definitely did have some superstar moments). As a team, they looked out of sync defensively, but, on the opposite end, the offense looked downright stagnant. The less than fantastic start caused some to wonder if the Bulls should be worried.
Since then, the Bulls have been a little bit of a mixed bag; their performance, not close to their preseason expectations, but noticeably better than they were in week one. Week two of the season produced news and storylines both positive and negative for Chicago.
Against red-hot Indiana, the Bulls stayed with the Pacers for most the game. Rose and the versatile and relentless Luol Deng led the Bulls with 17 points apiece, but the rest of the team struggled to contribute against Indiana's punishing physicality. The Pacers' defense so strong that it was reminiscent of the Bulls' when at its best.
The Bulls' defense, on the other hand, struggled to keep Indiana's balanced scoring attack in check. The Pacers ended up running away with it and winning by 17, but it's worth mentioning that the score didn't reflect the game in its totality. The Bulls responded by dominating the lowly Utah Jazz and pulling away from the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers to climb back to .500.
Bulls-Raptors Preview.
By JEFF MEZYDLO (STATS Senior Writer)
Though Derrick Rose's latest injury doesn't appear to be serious, the Chicago Bulls are taking a cautious approach with the former MVP as they try to continue their recent success during a stretch of three games in four days.
Rose hopes to be on the court against the Toronto Raptors on Friday night as the Bulls look to record a third straight victory and avoid their first 0-4 road start in five seasons.
While Rose's surgically repaired knee appears to be fine, he injured his right hamstring in the fourth quarter of a 96-81 win over Cleveland on Monday. Rose did not need an MRI for an injury he's labeled as minor and initially felt he could overcome it to play Friday.
The Bulls (3-3) are still proceeding slowly.
"We're going to see where he is," coach Tom Thibodeau told the team's official website. "If he can play, he'll play. If he can't, he'll sit. We're taking it day-by-day."
It's uncertain how the Bulls intend to use Rose during a stretch that also features a home date with undefeated Indiana on Saturday and a visit from Charlotte on Monday. The team expects the three days between games to benefit its star. "I think the fact that we have a three-day break, which is a little unusual, is good," Thibodeau said.
Rose has averaged 28.7 points and 10.3 assists in his last three games against the Raptors (4-5), but he's missed the last five meetings.
He's averaging 14.7 points and 33.3 percent shooting this season but believes he is making progress, having scored 16 with a season-high seven assists against the Cavaliers.
"My confidence is getting higher the more I play," said Rose, who did not have a turnover Monday after committing 25 in the first five contests.
Chicago has held opponents to averages of 78.3 points and 35.4 percent from the field while going undefeated at home, compared to the 103.7 and 47.1 it's yielded in losing all three road contests. The Bulls last went 0-4 on the road in 2008-09.
"We're a work in progress," forward Joakim Noah said.
Without Rose in 2012-13, the Bulls dropped two straight to Toronto after opening the season series with a 107-105 overtime victory at Air Canada Centre on Jan. 16.
Carlos Boozer is averaging a team-high 18.0 points along with 8.3 rebounds this season, and 24.5 and 11.3 in the last four games against the Raptors.
Despite going 11 for 37 from the floor at Houston on Monday, Rudy Gay scored 29 in a 110-104 double-overtime loss. He followed that with 23 and a 4-of-6 effort from 3-point range during Wednesday's 103-87 victory at Memphis, his first game there since the Grizzlies dealt him to Toronto in January.
"He's definitely one of our go-to guys, so no matter if we were playing anybody, we're going to get him the ball and make sure he gets going," teammate DeMar DeRozan said.
The Raptors have averaged 107.3 points while winning two of three after scoring 92.3 per contest in the first six.
Miguel Cabrera and Andrew McCutchen collect 2013 MVP awards, as expected.
By Mike Oz
Once again, this year's MLB postseason awards didn't offer much of a surprise.
Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers and Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates collected the MVP awards Thursday, as expected.
Miguel Cabrera won his second straight American League MVP award, capping another season of pulverizing baseballs and once again topping Mike Trout for the game's most prestigious individual award.
McCutchen meanwhile, won his first National League MVP after leading the Pittsburgh Pirates back to the postseason for the first time in 21 years. Not so coincidentally, he's the Pirates' first MVP winner since 1992 when Barry Bonds won it.
The MVP award is decided by votes from the Baseball Writers' Association of America, with two writers representing each city in the AL and NL. Some thought this year's ballots might be close, but it turned it neither really was.
On the AL side: Cabrera received 23 of 30 first-place votes, surpassing Trout (who earned five first-place votes) and Baltimore Orioles slugger Chris Davis, who finished third. The final points tally for the top three: Cabrera 385, Trout 282, Davis 232. Davis earned one first-place vote, as did Josh Donaldson of the Oakland Athletics.
On the NL side: McCutchen earned 28 of 30 first-place votes. Paul Goldschmidt finished second but didn't receive a first-place vote. Yadier Molina was third, and got the other two first-place votes. Final tally: McCutchen 409, Goldschmidt 242, Molina 219.
Cabrera was unquestionably the most dangerous hitter in baseball this season and he might have actually been better than a year ago when he won the Triple Crown en route to the MVP. He hit .348/.442/.636 with 44 homers and 137 RBIs. Only Davis had more homers and RBIs than Cabrera. Miggy led the league in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, adjusted OPS and wOBA, with a nagging injury limiting him down the stretch. He also won the Players Choice award as the league's top player.
Just like last year, baseball pundits were divided on Cabrera vs. Trout — some even calling it "stupid" for Cabrera to be considered the MVP. It's old-school vs. new school, traditional stats vs. advanced stats. Cabrera had a better team and better numbers in the Triple Crown categories. Trout, meanwhile, had the sabermetic edge.
The 22-year-old outfielder had a league-leading 10.4 WAR. Trout was good across the board, playing stellar defense while batting .323/.432/.557 with a league-leading 109 runs scored, 39 doubles, nine triples, 27 homers, 97 RBIs, a league-leading 110 walks and 33 stolen bases. The main knock on Trout? His team finished 78-84, thus he didn't play in as many meaningful games as Cabrera.
Miggy, meanwhile, becomes the first player since Albert Pujols in 2008 and 2009 to win back-to-back MVPs. The last AL player to do so was Frank Thomas in 1993 and 1994.
There wasn't as much debate in the National League, though each finalist had a legitimate case for winning the MVP. At the end, it was McCutchen who ran away with the award.
McCutchen didn't have the dominating home run and RBI numbers often associated with this award. Rather, he was the best player on the team that was baseball's best story. His numbers were good, of course, but the narrative was even better.
McCutchen lead the NL with a 8.2 WAR. He batted .317/.404/.508 with 27 steals and 296 total bases. He hit 21 homers with 84 RBIs.
McCutchen is a plus centerfielder. With him patrolling the field and leading the team in the dugout, the Pirates finished 94-68, their first winning season since 1992. They went to the postseason as a wild card, then advanced to the NLDS where they lose to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Yes, Pete Rose has suffered enough. What's your take?
By Rob Neyer
If you haven't read anything substantial about Pete Rose in ... oh, let's say the last year or so, I will recommend that you read Joe Posnanski's latest essay about Pete Rose. The great majority of Joe's essay is simply about Pete Rose's personality and his career and the intertwined natures of those (while, it might be said, leaving out most of the uglier parts).
But it's Joe's conclusion that I'd like to mention:
We tend to believe as a country that, most of the time, even for dreadful wrongs, there’s a way back. There are second chances. And those second chances are not just given to people who apologize in a fulfilling way or have a gift for seeming contrite.
Pete Rose played baseball with an intensity and love that might be unmatched in the game’s history. He cracked more hits and reached base more times than anyone ever. He represented a way to play baseball that inspired millions of people. Then, he gambled on games, breaking one of baseball’s most cherished rules. Rose is 72 years old now, and I think it’s time to let him back into the game. I don’t think anyone should ask him to apologize again or come any cleaner than he has. I don’t think anyone should expect Pete Rose to be something that he is not. It has been almost 25 years. He has paid his debt.
I write about this every two or three years, I guess. I believed from the beginning that Rose did bet on baseball, and I believed that he deserved the permanent suspension that he got. But I later came to believe that while his crime merited a serious penalty, this penalty was too serious. I came to believe that 10- or a 15- or a 20-year suspension might do just as much to discourage gambling as the permanent suspension. And so I came to believe that the rule should be changed, with Rose being released from Bud Selig's Baseball Purgatory the very next moment.
At this point, it's abundantly clear that Selig isn't going to change his mind. So let's just add this to the long list of Good Things that should happen when Commissioner Bud finally gives up that Manhattan office in the sky that he's occupied for so bloody long.
After reading this article, we'd love to know what do you think? Should Pete Rose be removed from the permanently suspended list? What's your take?
Drug Testing on the PGA Tour: Is Ignorance Bliss?
By Adam Fonseca
COMMENTARY | Do you really care whether or not your favorite golfers on the PGA Tour use a banned substance? I mean, do you really care that much?
Nowadays, it seems that performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) and banned substances are as much a part of professional sports as bleachers and jersey sales.
Golf is quickly becoming no different, especially with the recent episodes of deer antler spray use, marijuana allegations and other stories previously only discussed in the locker room. No professional athlete is exempt from the skeptical (and often judgmental) eye of public opinion, especially those who are considered the best in their sport.
Let's be honest with each other for a second. Raise your hand if the thought that Tiger Woods may have used PEDs has never crossed your mind. I'd likely not see many hands raised.
That's OK to admit, folks. Thanks to current events in sports like Major League Baseball, professional football, the Olympic Games and now golf, that skepticism has become engrained into every sports fan. It's just a byproduct of the age in which we now live.
Here's another question: How many of you would stop watching professional golf if a big-name player was found guilty of using PEDs? I'm willing to wager that there would be far fewer hands raised.
Did people stop watching baseball when Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa or the parade of other "possible" steroid users' names hit the news cycle? No.
Did the Tour de France become any less popular, worldwide, after multiple top-name cyclists were caught with their hand in the doctor's bag? Nope.
That's because, in general, sports fans really don't care that much about what their favorite athletes put in their bodies. Sure, they'll preach and complain about what these top-notch competitors "should" or "should not" do, but the money is still rolling in, folks. Viewing habits don't change. Stadiums are still being sold out.
The scary thought in all of this, of course, is that there may already be a golfer using PEDs and we just don't know it. How is that possible, you might ask?
According to the PGA Tour's Banned Substance Policy, commissioner Tim Finchem doesn't have to tell the general public anything if and when a player fails a drug test.
Nothing. Zilch. Nada.
The reasoning behind this clause is twofold: to protect the privacy of players and because the general public doesn't have a right to know.
In other words, golf fans may (technically) never know if their favorite players are "cheaters," even if those players fail a drug test. It's as if the PGA Tour is daring us to continue to not care about who is clean or not. They're not going to tell us anyway.
At the end of the day, even if we later learn that dozens of golfers have been duping us this whole time, the popularity of professional golf will remain unchanged for decades to come. So why worry?
IndyCar star Franchitti retires month after crash.
By JENNA FRYER (AP Auto Racing Writer)
Dario Franchitti kept racing after the death of best friend Greg Moore. He continued on following the death of former teammate Dan Wheldon. He was eager to drive into his early 40s.
He won't get the chance.
The three-time Indianapolis 500 winner and four-time IndyCar Series champion reluctantly and abruptly retired Thursday, saying doctors told him it would be too dangerous for him to continue racing because of injuries sustained in a harrowing crash last month.
''Racing has been my life for over 30 years, and it's really tough to think that the driving side is now over,'' Franchitti said.Franchitti fractured his spine, broke his right ankle and suffered a concussion in the Oct. 6 race at Houston, where his car made contact with Takuma Sato's car on the last lap and sailed into a fence. Debris from the accident injured 13 fans in the grandstands and one IndyCar official.
The 40-year-old Franchitti underwent two surgeries on his ankle and recently returned home to Scotland to recover.
''One month removed from the crash, and based upon the expert advice of the doctors who have treated and assessed my head and spinal injuries post-accident, it is their best medical opinion that I must stop racing,'' Franchitti said. ''They have made it very clear that the risks involved in further racing are too great and could be detrimental to my long term well-being. Based on this medical advice, I have no choice but to stop.''
He became the face of the series - Franchitti always had crossover appeal for IndyCar thanks to an 11-year marriage to actress Ashley Judd, which ended in January - because he was personable, well-spoken, popular in the paddock and passionate about the sport.
It resonated with fans and made Franchitti one of IndyCar's all-time greats. His 31 victories are tied for eighth on the all-time list, and his 33 poles are sixth.
Asked on Twitter if Franchitti had indeed retired, Judd replied: ''Yes, with an extraordinary career, legendary achievements, aplomb & style.''
Franchitti's last victory was the 2012 Indy 500, an emotional race that came seven months after defending winner Wheldon had been killed in a crash at Las Vegas.
Franchitti battled teammate Scott Dixon over the final third of the race, jockeyed with Sato in the closing laps until Sato spun to bring out a caution, and led Dixon and Tony Kanaan across the finish line as three of Wheldon's closest friends finished 1-2-3.
It was a poignant moment for Franchitti, who was too familiar with death in the sport he loved. Moore died in the 1999 season finale at Fontana, and Franchitti to this day remains deeply affected by the loss.
''I'll forever look back on my time racing in CART and the IndyCar Series with fond memories and the relationships I've forged in the sport will last a lifetime,'' he said.
''Hopefully in time, I'll be able to continue in some off-track capacity with the IndyCar Series. I love open-wheel racing and I want to see it succeed. I'll be working with Chip to see how I can stay involved with the team, and with all the amazing friends I've made over the years at Target.
Word of Franchitti's decision spread quickly and drivers who never raced against him reacted with sadness.
''I think to have him around and on the circuit is far better than him going an injuring himself again against doctor's advice,'' said Nigel Mansell, who was at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, for this weekend's Formula One race.
But those closest to Franchitti were most affected.
''Dario was a hell of a driver and will be missed - missed by everyone in racing around the world,'' said 1963 Indy 500 winner Parnelli Jones. ''He was my kind of guy.
He wasn't afraid to put his foot down and go. It is really hard to believe that he had to give up racing, I know would he would have won more races, and maybe Indy a couple more times, had he been able to continue driving.''
''I thought he had one good year left in him, and I know he wanted to race beyond IndyCar,'' Andretti said. ''So that's what I feel most bad about - he's being parked by a doctor. He's not going to be able to race the sports car stuff he had talked about. He won't race with his brother (Marino), Le Mans, all the things he wanted to fulfill.''
Dixon, who won the 2008 championship while Franchitti was in NASCAR, called his teammate a motorsports legend.
''More importantly, I can call him a best friend,'' Dixon said. ''There are very few people that have achieved as much in auto racing and knowing Dario, he won't go far as IndyCar racing is in his blood and I am sure he will stay involved somehow.''
Franchitti had lured good friend and former Andretti teammate Kanaan to the Ganassi stable for 2014, an announcement that was made at Houston two days before Franchitti's accident. Kanaan said he was counting the days ''to be his teammate again,'' but is grateful Franchitti will still be in the IndyCar paddock next season.
Franchitti defeated Will Power three consecutive years to win the IndyCar championship and the two developed a rare rivalry for the series.
''We had some real battles out on the track over the last few years and I appreciated how fierce of a competitor he was,'' Power said. ''His accomplishments in IndyCar are incredible and the sport will definitely miss him.''
His retirement leaves Helio Castroneves as the only active three-time Indy 500 winner trying to join A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears and Al Unser Sr. as a four-time winner.
''I know he will continue to be a great ambassador for our sport and I'm sure Dario has a lot more to contribute to racing, it will just be in a different way than driving an IndyCar,'' Castroneves said.
Franchitti could find a role with the Ganassi organization, or perhaps land in the television booth. Andretti suggested Franchitti would be a good fit as a consultant to a manufacturer.
For now, everyone was still trying to adjust to the idea of racing without Franchitti on the track.
''You pinch yourself everyday as firsthand you are witness to the talent, ability, work ethic and start-versus-win ratio of Dario Franchitti,'' Ganassi team manager Mike Hull said.
''Having Dario represent all of us is what's right about motorsports. His representation of the integrity of a true champion is what sets him apart.''
International Friendly Preview: Scotland - USA.
By Ives Galarcep
There was a time not too long ago that the prospects of sending the U.S. national team to Europe for some friendlies without Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey might have been seen as crazy, and an exercise in futlility.
Times are changing though.
Just to show you how much things have changed, you could make the argument that the absence of the two most accomplished players in the national team pool is actually a good thing this time around.
How can that be so? The answer lies with the presence of a pair of promising young players who have U.S. fans eager to see them do their thing in starting roles in Jurgen Klinsmann's attack.
Aron Johannsson and Mix Diskerud have been brought along relatively slowly by Klinsmann since breaking into the senior team on a regular basis in the second half of 2013, but we have only seen them deployed together as starters once, in the USA's qualifying win against Jamaica in October.
On that day, Klinsmann trotted out an attack-minded squad at home, but the results were far from impressive in the first half. Johannsson moved well and put himself in positions to score, but couldn't finish as he let first-start jitters get the best of him.
Diskerud showed Klinsmann enough to earn another start in the qualifying finale against Panama, but that effort was a forgettable one, while it was Johannsson who finally showed he was capable of finishing a national team chance, delivering an impressive finish to seal Panama's fate.
Klinsmann has shown an affinity for being prudent on the road, fielding lineups that are a bit more defensive-minded, but against a Scotland team that should be vulnerable to a strong attack there isn't any reason for Klinsmann to hold back. He has the weapons to attack, and Friday's friendly could offer him a chance to see just what his Scandinavian connection can do.
The real question is just how would Johannsson and Diskerud best fit together in a starting lineup? With Jozy Altidore looking a safe bet to start, we might need to see Klinsmann trot out a 4-2-3-1 with Johannsson playing on the right wing and Diskerud playing underneath the striker in a playmaking role.
Diskerud may be less of a sure bet to start given the competition for midfield roles, but with Clint Dempsey and Fabian Johnson pulling out of camp, Diskerud's chances of earning a start on Friday have increased.
Johannsson seems like a safer bet, and the chance to finally pair the AZ striker with his former club teammate Altidore could be too tough for Klinsmann to pass up. Johannsson offers the type of mobility that the current roster just doesn't offer due to injuries (Dempsey, Donovan and Fabian Johnson) and lack of availability (Graham Zusi, Brad Davis), which makes him the best option to play alongside Altidore.
Terrence Body has been in good club form as well, but he doesn't seem to be a good fit to partner with Altidore due to too much similarity in their styles. He seems a safer bet to start against Austria in a friendly that will be played in the country where he plays his club soccer.
Klinsmann will have his chance to look at Boyd and Sacha Kljestan against the Austrians next week. On Friday, against a defense that should surrender chances, Klinsmann will have another opportunity to get a good look at Johannsson in an international match, with Altidore to combine with and potentially Diskerud to provide him with some incisive passes.
There aren't many more chances to impress Klinsmann between now and May, when he will decide on his final World Cup squad, but for Johannsson and Diskerud, their best chance before Brazil could come on Friday. And they have the absences of Dempsey and Donovan to thank for that.
Drew Brees thinks Johnny Manziel could ‘absolutely’ be an NFL starter.
By Graham Watson
Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel has established himself as one of the most exciting players in college football, but many have wondered whether his frenetic style of play would translate in the NFL.
One NFL quarterback thinks it will.
Drew Brees, a quarterback known for defying odd and become one of the league’s best passers despite his 6-foot frame, told FoxSports.com that he thought Manziel would succeed at the next level.
“He is a heckuva player,” Brees said in a telephone interview. “He’s fun to watch. He makes all kinds of plays.
“He’s got all the playmaking ability to be a great player. [There are] guys like [Manziel] in this league. Russell Wilson and his ability to run the football and extend plays outside the pocket and throw the ball down the field. Intermediate [routes], I mean he can do it all.”
Brees noted that being an NFL quarterback isn’t necessarily about having the perfect measurable – Manziel is 6-foot-1 – but being able to make plays and give his team the best chance for victory.
“There’s way too much weight put into physical stature as opposed to can you find the open guy,” Brees said. “Can you deliver it accurately? Can you make plays? Can you lead your team to victory? Can you lead them? Period.
“I think the physical qualities are not nearly as important as the psychological qualities of playing the quarterback position. Certainly you have to have some level of throwing ability and fundamentals and that kind of thing. But speed, height, arm strength those things are way overrated when playing the quarterback position.”
Manziel, last year’s Heisman Trophy winner, is arguably having a better season this year. Even though he’s lost some tough games and he’s thrown more interceptions, pundits would argue his accuracy is better and his arm strength has improved. His work in the offseason with notable quarterbacking coach George Whitfield Jr. is well documented.
There’s no doubt someone will give Manziel a shot in the NFL – he’s too much of a playmaker not to – but when he’ll get drafted is the question, especially with a deep quarterbacking class this year.
Still, having a player like Brees in your corner is quite the compliment.
Opposing fans are buying 40-0 T-shirts to mock Kentucky’s failed quest for perfection.
By Jeff Eisenberg
When Michigan State ended Kentucky's quest for an undefeated record on Tuesday night, the founders of the Wildcats-themed website 40and0.com feared their burgeoning t-shirt business was obsolete only three games into the season.
Much to their surprise, they were wrong.
More than 25,000 people visited the site in the 36 hours since Kentucky's loss, by far the biggest spike in the site's month-long history. So many orders have come in for t-shirts with "40-0" emblazoned on the chest that the site's creators are considering whether or not to have another batch printed in order to meet the demand.
"It's absolutely mind-boggling," founder David Son said Thursday afternoon. "We're selling more T-shirts than we were before, and the crazy thing is we aren't doing anything to promote the site. Some of the guys I'm working with do social media for all kinds of companies, a dentist, a law firm, everything. They're like, 'This is insane.
We don't get this kind of traffic.'"
The explanation for the sudden sales surge lies in the shipping addresses of the customers who have purchased shirts since Tuesday night. There have been an unusually high rate of purchases from residents of Louisville, Michigan, Kansas and North Carolina, suggesting that the T-shirts are going to rival fans interested in poking fun at Kentucky's quest for a 40-0 season ending 38 victories short.
"I think they're Louisville fans, I think they're Michigan State fans, I think they're North Carolina fans," Son said. "People love to hate the evil empire. If you're not a UK fan and you're not from the state of Kentucky, you hate Kentucky. And if you're a Kentucky fan, you love being hated."
The idea to launch the site and create the T-shirts struck Son after he heard John Calipari say that a 40-0 season was one of his goals. Though no college basketball team has gone undefeated since Indiana's 1976 national title team went 32-0, Calipari mentioned taking aim at 40-0 after winning the 2012 national championship and again after wrapping up his ultra-talented recruiting class last spring.
"We’re chasing perfection," Calipari said in May. "We’re chasing greatness. We’re chasing things that have never been done in the history of our game. What I like about that, people say, ‘Pressure!’ Man, pressure brings out the best.
"Now, I’m not sitting there saying, ‘If we lose a game, it’s not a successful season.’ No. But you’re chasing greatness. What’s wrong with that?"
For Son, the purpose of launching 40and0.com was to create something fun for his fellow Kentucky fans and make enough money to pay for him and his buddies to attend the Final Four in Dallas this April. Son and his partners sold hundreds of shirts during the past month for $14.95 apiece, hawking them outside Kentucky football games, at Big Blue Madness or in Lexington-area bars during games.
Many of Son's friends asked if he was worried an early loss would turn his side business into a drain on his savings, but he said he was careful never to have too large an inventory of shirts. Plus, he and his friends planned to change the site to SeeYouInDallas.com just before Christmas in order to begin selling "See You in Dallas" shirts.
Now, Son is considering moving up the order date on the "See You in Dallas' shirts in order to capitalize on the traffic surge the site is experiencing. He has even had Louisville and Michigan State fans ask if they could order the "40-0" shirts in red or green.
"I've got some people on my team who were like, 'Should we do this?'" Son said. "I said no. I'm not going to do this to sell a few t-shirts to some Cardinals fans."
The requests still drew a chuckle out of Son just because they were so unexpected.
He knows the spike in interest in his site is probably temporary, but it's a far better outcome than he anticipated from Tuesday's loss.
Baseball moving ahead with expanded replay.
Associated Press Staff Report
Another baseball tradition is about to largely disappear: a manager, with a crazed look in his eyes, charging the field and getting into a face-to-face shouting match with an umpire.
Instead, most calls on the field next season will be subject to video review by umpires in New York.
Major League Baseball took the first vote in a two-step process Thursday, unanimously approving funding for expanded instant replay in 2014. They plan to approve the new rules when they meet Jan. 16 in Paradise Valley, Ariz., after agreements with the unions for umpires and players.
"We made a gigantic move today," Commissioner Bud Selig said. "This is quite historic."
Selig long opposed replay and watched from afar as it was first used by the NFL in 1986, the NHL in 1991, the NBA in 2002 and Wimbledon in 2006. Even the Little League World Series put replay in place for 2008.
MLB allowed it starting August 2008 but in a limited manner: to determine whether potential home runs were fair or cleared fences.
Now, virtually every decision likely will be subject to review, except balls and strikes, checked swings and some foul tips.
"Tag plays, out/safe at first, fair/foul past the bags, those are all going to be included," said Rob Manfred, MLB's chief operating officer.
So no more blown calls, like Don Denkinger's at first base that turned Game 6 of the 1985 World Series or Jim Joyce's bad decision at first base that cost Detroit's Armando Galarraga a perfect game in 2010.
"We want to get more plays right, the ones that matter," Manfred said.
Manfred said when a manager wants to challenge a call, he will notify an umpire, triggering a review in New York by what are likely to be present or retired big league umps. A headset would be brought to the crew chief, who would be notified of the decision.
There will be a maximum of two challenges per manager in each game - "it could be less," Manfred said - and if the challenge is upheld it would not be counted against the manager's limit. If a manager is out of challenges, umpires probably will be allowed request a review on their own.
"Getting more plays right can only enhance the game," St. Louis Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said.
Manfred appeared to indicate that the video being reviewed in New York could be show to fans in stadiums or possibly on television broadcasts.
"I think you can expect that there will be as part of this package expanded use of in-stadium video boards," he said.
Selig has emphasized that he doesn't want replay to slow games, whose increased length in recent decades has been targeted for criticism.
"The current thinking is that if a manager comes out and argues, once he argues, he can't challenge that play," Manfred said. "One way to control the timing of challenges is to use the natural flow of the game, that is the next pitch cuts off your right to challenge."
But MLB doesn't want managers to tell players to stall to give team employees time to review video on their own and instruct the dugout whether to use a challenge.
In tests last week at the Arizona Fall League, most reviews averaged 1 minute, 40 seconds.
Former manager Tony La Russa, now an MLB special adviser, said managers will have to "rely on their integrity" and not cause delays.
"This is an historic opportunity," he said. "We're going to monitor it. If somebody plays around with it, they're going to get called on the carpet."
Manfred said the initial rules likely won't be the final ones.
"The system will see some continuing evolution until we get to a point of stability, similar to what you saw in the NFL," he said.
In other news from the meeting:
- Ray Davis was unanimously approved to succeed Nolan Ryan as controlling owner of the Texas Rangers.
- MLB withdrew its proposal for a new bidding system with Japan, making it uncertain whether prized pitcher Masahiro Tanaka will be on the market this offseason.
- Selig said while he is pleased Toronto and the New York Mets will play spring training games in Montreal, there should not be expectations of a permanent return to that city. "We don't have any clubs moving and we certainly don't have any expansion plans."
- Following accusations of harassment in the Miami Dolphins' locker room, Selig said he isn't worried about a similar issue in MLB clubhouses. "I'm proud of our players. I'm proud of the way that they've acted, and I don't have any concerns on that subject."
- Home plate collisions are not yet a big topic from his point of view: "They don't seem to be overly concerned about it at this point, but we have had ongoing discussion."
- He is annoyed about the length of games. The average for nine-inning games was 2:59 this year, an increase of three minutes from 2012, and it was 3:17 in the postseason, up six minutes. "The length of some of the games all year but particularly in the playoffs and the World Series was - I didn't like it. I was unhappy about it . . . There are things we can do and there are things we will do - we're going to have to do."
- While MLB wants the Tampa Bay Rays to get a new ballpark, negotiations by the club to get out of its lease at Tropicana Field is a team matter for now.
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