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Sports Quote of the Day:
"The chip is never coming off my shoulder, regardless of what situation I'm in. I'm just a competitor." ~ Doug McDermott, Chicago Bulls 2014 First-Round Draft Pick
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!! How the Bears could go 10-6 and still miss the playoffs.
By John Mullin
Normally power rankings are interesting exercises and conversation-starters. Sometimes they’re worth a deeper look, though, for any number of reasons.
In this case, the Bears’ rank No. 12 on Pro Football Talk’s Preseason Power Rankings. The accompanying analysis was put together by Mike Wilkening, a member of Mike Florio’s outstanding staff that is plugged into pretty much everything NFL on an all-day basis.
PFT’s specific positioning of the Bears at 12th isn’t necessarily the point, whether they’re actually better than the Arizona Cardinals (11th) or really not as good as the Philadelphia Eagles (13th), who pasted them in Game 15 last season.
The bigger point is that the NFC is the dominant conference at this point in league history, and that is potentially ominous. One of the reasons (there were many others) the 1985 Bears reached and won just one Super Bowl was that the team had the timing misfortune to be in the mix of one of the great periods of NFC dominance: Bill Walsh’s 49ers, Bill Parcells’ Giants, Joe Gibbs’ Washington teams. The ’85 Bears didn’t need to slip very far to be set upon by true sharks.
An implication of the PFT rankings is that the current Bears are sitting on the edge of the playoffs in a hugely competitive NFC. That indeed is a precarious spot given the failures to get there in all but one year since 2006. Twelve teams do make the playoffs each season. But using the work of the PFT staff for discussion purposes, of the Top 13 in this ranking, eight are from the NFC.
That means the Bears, who have six of their 16 games against teams in PFT’s Top 10, could be quite good – 10-6 or better, for instance – and miss the NFC postseason, as they did in 2012, as Arizona did last year, as New York and Tampa Bay did in 2010.
Consider:
Year 10-6+* 10-6 P.O.’s*
2009 6 6
2010 7 5
2011 5 5
2012 7 6
2013 7 6
*Teams 10-6 or better for the season; that made the playoffs.
8 NFL Rules You Need To Know Before The 2014 Season.
Yahoo.com; Answers
1) Goal Post Lengthened. Goalpost uprights have been lengthened by five feet above the cross bar, making them 35 feet. This influences the kicking game. Officials voted this change into effect to help avoid having the football going above the goalposts. When this happens, referees have to make difficult judgment calls.
2) Trial Run for Extra Point Kicks at the 20. As a trial run, in the first two preseason games, extra point kicks will occur at the 20 yard line. This does not affect two-point conversions, which will not move from the 2-yard line. Moving the extra point placement to the 25-yard line has been discussed, but for now, it is not going into effect.
3) Roll-Up Blocks Banned. Officials banned roll-up blocks. Roll-up blocks to the backs of defenders' knees were previously banned. The new ban makes it illegal to block the sides of defenders' knees as well. The call will be unnecessary roughness, which carriers a 15-yard penalty.
4) Central Command Center for Replays. The replay system now has a central command center. It will be located in New York. It can confer with the officials on replays. By monitoring the games, it will reduce referees' making bad calls. However, this does not diminish the referees' authority. They will still make the final decision on the play.
5) Navorro Bowman Rule. The NaVorro Bowman rule is named for the 49ers linebacker, who recovered a fumble by Seahawks Jermaine Kearse. The officials ruled that Seattle recovered the ball. Officials could not review the play. Previously, once the ball was ruled dead, the play was no longer reviewable. Now, these plays can be reviewed.
6) Game Clock Will Run After Sacks. The game clock will continue running when the quarterback sacks before the two-minute mark. This is a minor change. Before the 2014 season, officials would blow their whistles when the quarterbacks sacked, stopping the clock. This gave receivers enough time to return to the huddle and for the quarterbacks to recover from the sack. The change aligns the NFL with college and high school rules.
7) Defensive Penalties. All defensive fouls occurring behind the line of scrimmage are to be enforced from the original line of scrimmage, not from the end of the run or the place where the foul happened. This affects where to mark the yardage. Previously, penalties were assessed where the foul happened.
8) Post-Touchdown Dunks Banned. Post-touchdown dunks over goal posts have been banned. It has been a favorite way to celebrate a touchdown in the past, but it is no longer permissible. This is not a new rule, and is more a specification regarding the pre-existing rule that makes it illegal for players to use the football as a prop.
NFL limiting underclassmen in draft.
The Sports Exchange
The NFL will limit how many college underclassmen it evaluates for the draft to five per school.
However, the league will allow special exceptions.
This year, 37 out of 107 underclassmen who applied for the draft were not selected, prompting the NFL's College Advisory Committee (CAC) to develop new guidelines for players who are considering leaving school early.
Greg Aiello, the NFL's vice president for public relations, wrote in an e-mail to the New Orleans Times Picayune on Thursday that the league will limit how many college football underclassmen it evaluates in future drafts.
According to Aiello, evaluations by the CAC will be limited to players projected as first- or second-round picks, or advised to stay in school.
The league will limit requests for evaluations to five per school. However, additional players may be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, subject to the CAC's approval.
Previously, the CAC informed players of their draft potential, graded as first round, second round, third round, post third round or none.
Five years ago, 53 underclassmen declared for the draft and that number has climbed each year since.
NFL scouting consultant Chris Landry said the league's scouting system is flooded with evaluation requests and the new rules would weed out players with little or no chance of being drafted.
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks anticipate 'surreal' experience at Winter Classic.
By Nina Falcone
The Chicago Blackhawks are no strangers to outdoor games, and this upcoming season they'll be playing in the biggest one of all: the Winter Classic.
After hosting the Red Wings on New Year's Day back in 2009 at Wrigley Field and playing the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 2013-14 campaign at Soldier Field, the Blackhawks have had plenty of recent experiences in the great outdoors. Now they'll get ready to do it on the road when they face off against the Capitals in Washington, D.C.
And while the Blackhawks will have to brave the cold, outdoor elements, they're excited for what's to come.
"[The Stadium Series game] was exciting. We watched some of the prior games, obviously you watch the Winter Classic every year," Ben Smith said at the seventh annual Blackhawks Convention. "Personally, I played one outdoor game in college, so I had a little bit of experience playing at Fenway. It's something that you look forward to and you'll always remember. We're very fortunate to play in another one this year and work through the elements like we did this past March."
Throughout the Stadium Series game, Soldier Field looked like a snow globe as the weather didn't let up one bit during the duration of the game.
Luckily the Blackhawks got some practice time in the day before, and that helped them get a taste of the atmosphere for that outdoor game and their games to come.
"It was fantastic, just being out there. Just arriving at the stadium and realizing what kind of weather it was going to be," Niklas Hjalmarsson said. "During the game it was pretty funny actually, I thought it was hilarious to play like that. Tough to explain, but it's surreal. Coming out before the game, seeing all the people there and all the snow coming down. That was definitely one of the most fun games I've ever played.
"So I'm looking forward to next year, but I don't think it's going to be as fun as it was in Chicago. It's going to be pretty tough to beat, but I'm looking forward to it."
On Sunday morning, Smith and Hjalmarsson also reminisced about the dressing process that takes place for outdoor games.
"We walked into a room where they had all this gear laid out," Smith said. "All this outdoor game gear, so there were turtlenecks, spandex, long leggings, all kinds of stuff for us to choose. So we could pick and choose what we wanted and what we could feel comfortable with. It was nice to have that practice the day before to try things out. So by the time the game came around, we felt comfortable in what we were wearing -- not freezing, not too hot."
For some of the players, finding that comfort level took longer than others. Hjalmarsson admitted he immediately picked up all the gear he could, just to wind up ditching it before the game.
"When we practiced the day before, I pretty much took all the gear that I found in there," he said. "I realized pretty quickly at practice that it wasn't ideal for actually playing in. I pretty much wore what I usually wear, even when we played outside. You get pretty warm once the game starts. The benches we were sitting on were almost too warm. I got burn marks on my [behind] sitting on those benches."
Ouch.
Now as they head into the 2014-15 season, almost all of the Blackhawks' roster will have experienced playing in an outdoor game. They know what to expect from the weather and the additional elements that come along with it.
But at the end of the day, the players are excited. They've dreamt about getting that chance to play on an outdoor pond in the NHL, and this season they'll be doing it again on the biggest stage of all.
"You're really able to appreciate the atmosphere," Smith said. "Every few minutes we had a chance to really look around and see how cool it was playing at Soldier Field and how many people that were there even thought it was so cold."
Blackhawks Convention Review.
From SB Nation Fanpost; By Wolverine16
Since no one has posted so far, here are my thoughts on this past weekend's Blackhawks Convention, which was the 4th annual event and my 2nd time attending. It's definitely not for everyone, with long lines, lots of screaming kids and their even more annoying pushy parents, but for die-hard Hawks fans there is enough to whet your appetite until pre-season begins. While there are still a lot of annoyances, John McDonough & his staff deserve a lot of credit for making noticible changes from last year, including adding some of the bigger name players for autograph and photo opportunities (for those willing to waste most of Saturday for a glimpse of Sharp), using much larger rooms for panels so everyone could attend, and making the photo opportunities free through sponsorship of the event, as opposed to $20.
Probably the most worthwhile events for regular SCH readers are the player panels, featuring a great mix of current stars and Hawks alumni discussing various topics, which were much more accessible this year thanks to added capacity. Some of the highlights this year included: a goaltending panel with Corey Crawford, Tony Esposito and Glenn Hall, a two-way defenseman discussion with Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Pierre Pilote and Steve Konroyd, a top draft-picks discussion with Patrick Kane, Denis Savard, Eddie Olczyk and Dave Manson, plus a talk featuring top goal scorers over the years with Bobby Hull, Marian Hossa (who left early for a flight to Slovakia), Denis Savard and recent HOF inductee Michel Goulet. Additionally there were discussions involving the coaching staff, hockey ops, and some of the new Blackhawks members just obtained by Stan, which even got into discussion of Jamal Mayers'showdown with Daniel Carcillo (Dan did not attend due to a wedding).
Probably the most worthwhile events for regular SCH readers are the player panels, featuring a great mix of current stars and Hawks alumni discussing various topics, which were much more accessible this year thanks to added capacity. Some of the highlights this year included: a goaltending panel with Corey Crawford, Tony Esposito and Glenn Hall, a two-way defenseman discussion with Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Pierre Pilote and Steve Konroyd, a top draft-picks discussion with Patrick Kane, Denis Savard, Eddie Olczyk and Dave Manson, plus a talk featuring top goal scorers over the years with Bobby Hull, Marian Hossa (who left early for a flight to Slovakia), Denis Savard and recent HOF inductee Michel Goulet. Additionally there were discussions involving the coaching staff, hockey ops, and some of the new Blackhawks members just obtained by Stan, which even got into discussion of Jamal Mayers'showdown with Daniel Carcillo (Dan did not attend due to a wedding).
During the top draft picks discussion Denis Savard got a pitcher of ice water dumped on him by Eddie O. after joking he was cheap, causing Savard to have to change clothes before the next panel an hour later. The footage is on Blackhawks TV if you're interested. Aside from joking around and the always epic story-telling of Bobby Hull, the panels showed a lot of insight into the Blackhawks family, with Patrick Kane praising Denis Savard for helping him ease into the league as his coach during Kane's rookie year as well as Kane's reluctance to accept a leadership role in taking rookies under his wing now that he is going into his 5th season. Dave Manson discussed the injury to his vocal chord which took away much of his voice, Savard discussed avoiding a pass to former rival Dino Ciccarelli on a breakaway in an alumni game and even John Scott (no matter what you think of his play) was entertaining while interacting with Joey the Jr. reporter in-between Patrick Sharp prank stories on the Blackhawks TV panel. The hockey ops discussion with Stan Bowman was nowhere near full, but based on attendee reaction, it seemed like most were satisfied with a lot of the offseason moves, aside from the Carcillo signing. For longtime Blackhawks fans, the panels are where you get your money's worth from the Convention, as you get to see interaction between generations of Blackhawks greats, entertaining stories, and lots of subtle insights from behind the scenes.
Aside from panels, I most enjoyed the photo area, which was not too crowded outside of the clamor for Brent Seabrook and a huge line of teen girls hours before Viktor Stalberg wristbands were distributed. My girlfriend & I got pictures with Stan Mikita & Pierre Pilote together, Nick Leddy, Tony O, Eric Daze and Steve Montador without having to wait around too long. Montador in particular was a really nice guy and was very excited to have signed with the Hawks, along with that he looks like he's going to add some muscle we've been lacking on defense. The autograph lines vary between waiting in line for hours before wristbands are given out for players like Patrick Sharp or Corey Crawford to very accessable for alumni and lesser-known prospects. I got lucky this year and a relative that won a scratch card contest gave me the opportunity to meet Jonathan Toews, which was the highlight of my summer, but they didn't announce who it would be until the signing was about to start, so it's luck of the draw with autographs. The vendor area was mostly the same stands as last year, but the prices were more reasonable and there were great bargains on Stanley Cup merchandise. The locker room sale had used training camp jerseys for reasonable prices, so it was nice to get a few worn items from Hawks prospects and a Duncan Keith stick. There's also a room with the big NHL awards, aside from the Stanley Cup, on loan from the HOF and some games for kids to play and even Frank Pellico playing the organ while you grab lunch.
All-in-all, the convention is worth checking out if you've never gone, as long as you don't go expecting to rub elbows with Toews & Kane and don't mind waiting in lines. If you need a hockey fix for the summer and are a long-time Hawks fan (familiar with the players from the 90s and earlier) you'll honestly have more fun than recent fans, since the alumni are much more accessible and you'll hear lots of hilarious stories that will bring you back to the days of the old barn. If you've gone in years past, it also might be worth trying again next year, as it appears the Hawks really do pay attention to the opinion surveys and are making noticible improvements from year to year. Hope everyone is having a great summer and is ready for next season in a couple months!
Just another Chicago Bulls Session… Chicago Bulls Summer League: Grades and Biggest Takeaways from Las Vegas.
By Brian Mazique
On Saturday night, the Chicago Bulls were eliminated from the Las Vegas Summer League tournament with an 80-61 loss to the Sacramento Kings.
Bulls’ prized rookie Doug McDermott didn’t play as a precaution due to a sore left foot. Tony Snell continued his strong showing in Las Vegas with 20 points, but it wasn’t enough.
Here’s a look at the final summer league statistics and grades for all the Bulls players who played in Vegas.
| Player and Grade | G | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Doug McDermott – A- | 4 | 4 | 28.8 | 0.442 | 0.444 | 4.0 | 2.8 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 3.0 | 18.0 |
Kendall Williams – F | 5 | 1 | 12.0 | 0.231 | 0.500 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 2.0 |
Brandon Paul – N/A | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Lazeric Jones – B+ | 5 | 5 | 21.8 | 0.514 | 0.667 | 2.4 | 4.6 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 10.8 |
Billy Baron – D+ | 5 | 0 | 18.4 | 0.257 | 0.263 | 3.4 | 2.4 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 5.6 |
Tony Snell – A+ | 5 | 5 | 30.2 | 0.466 | 0.500 | 4.0 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 20.0 |
Austin Freeman – C- | 5 | 0 | 20.0 | 0.438 | 0.273 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 6.8 |
David Wear – C+ | 5 | 0 | 14.6 | 0.556 | 0.600 | 2.0 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 4.8 |
Chad Posthumus – C | 4 | 0 | 12.0 | 0.400 | 0.000 | 2.5 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 1.5 | 3.3 |
Cameron Bairstow – B | 5 | 5 | 26.2 | 0.531 | 1.000 | 7.0 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 10.2 |
Lance Thomas – C+ | 5 | 5 | 21.8 | 0.583 | 0.000 | 4.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 7.6 |
Davante Gardner – D | 4 | 0 | 3.3 | 0.556 | 0.400 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 3.0 |
Team Averages | 200 | 0.453 | 0.423 | 33.6 | 15.8 | 7.0 | 2.8 | 11.2 | 87.2 |
Stats per NBA.com, grades by Mazique.
The Takeaways
Defense
Even with the loss, the Bulls have to consider this year’s stay in Las Vegas a success. Although winning is secondary to player development in the summer league, the Bulls posted a 4-1 record. The 80 points they allowed Saturday night was the most the team gave up in all five games.
The translation of the Bulls’ approach to defending clearly carried over from the big club to the summer league. That’s a testament to the type of players the team brought in and the coaching staff. Adrian Griffin deserves most of the kudos for the way he ran the team.
It’s only a matter of time before a team with a vacancy tabs Griffin as it’s next head coach. He and Quin Snyder both received second interviews for the Utah Jazz vacancy, but Snyder ultimately got the nod.
As for the players, not one looked like a complete defensive liability—not even McDermott.
The Rookies Will Fit In
Obviously, most of the attention will be on McDermott from this group. The Bulls gave up two first-round picks to get him, so the pressure is on and the expectations are high.
In four games, McDermott looked like everything the Bulls should have expected him to be. He made 44 percent of his threes, 95 percent of his free throws and averaged 18 points in just 28.8 minutes of play.
The athletes will be bigger and faster in the NBA, but McDermott’s shooting stroke and basketball IQ will ensure he is effective. He should give the team scoring punch off the bench and push Mike Dunleavy Jr. for minutes at the 3.
Less-heralded but perhaps equally as important as McDermott is second-round banger Cameron Bairstow. He’s not the most athletic or fleet of foot, but he’s a tireless worker on the glass and he knows how to use his body defensively.
Offensively, he proved himself to be a very dependable mid-range shooter. Knocking down 53 percent of his shots was impressive considering a good number of them came from 12-15 feet away from the basket.
As it stands, Bairstow looks to be the only backup center on the roster. While Pau Gasol could slide over to center when Joakim Noah takes a rest, Bairstow figures to still play at least five to seven minutes a night.
If someone goes down, that number will increase significantly. The 23-year-old Aussie is mature enough to handle an increased workload should that situation present itself. Obviously, the Bulls hope to avoid the injury bug this season.
Tony Snell Looks Like a Different Player
Snell is different. It’s not just the fact that he cut off his cornrows; his confidence and demeanor have improved. Take this with a grain of salt considering we’re talking about summer league, but Snell’s ball-handling skills looked to have grown immensely.
While he did depend on his ability to knock down the three in Vegas, Snell also showed his comfortability taking the ball to the basket driving left or right.
That’s part of the reason he averaged 3.6 free-throw attempts per game. When you mix in that skill with his long-range attack, Snell has what it takes to be a solid bench contributor at the 2 or 3 spots for Tom Thibodeau.
It’s really early, but he showed flashes of being the poor man’s Kawhi Leonard, which is who he was most often compared to coming out of New Mexico.
Other Players Who Might Get a Call During the Season
When injuries occur, teams will often reach out to players who have played for them during summer league.
Lance Thomas has some NBA experience with the New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans, but he didn’t play particularly well in Vegas. In addition to that, the Bulls already have a ton of power forwards.
A more likely candidate to be a Bull at some point during the season is Lazeric Jones. The Chicago native was a high school teammate of Derrick Rose, and he spent two seasons at UCLA.
He started all five games for the Bulls in Vegas and averaged 10.8 points and 4.6 assists. His chances of making the season-opening roster were hurt significantly with a report from Marc Stein of ESPN that the Bulls were close to signing free-agent point guard Aaron Brooks.
If any of the Bulls point guards should go down with injury, Jones might get a look based on his solid play in Vegas.
Summer League: Doug McDermott looks like solid fit all around for Bulls.
MLB Scores, Sunday, July 20, 2012.
CBSsportsline.com
Cincinnati Reds 2
New York Yankees 3
San Francisco Giants 2
Miami Marlins 3
Texas Rangers 6
Toronto Blue Jays 9
Philadelphia Phillies 2
Atlanta Braves 8
Cleveland Indians 1
Detroit Tigers 5
Milwaukee Braves 4
Washington Nationals 5
Kansas City Royals 0
Boston Red Sox 6
Colorado Rockies 3
Pittsburgh Pirates 5
Houston Astros 11
Chicago White Sox 7
New York Mets 1
San Diego Padres 2
Tampa Bay Rays 5
Minnesota Twins 3
Chicago Cubs 2
Arizona Diamondbacks 3
Seattle Mariners 5
Los Angeles Angels 6
Los Angeles Dodgers 4
St. Louis Cardinals 3
Baltimore Orioles 2
Oakland Athletics 10
Golf: "I got a club for that..." Rory McIlroy wins British Open for 3rd major.
By Doug Ferguson, Assocoated Press
Rory McIlroy won the Open Championship to complete the third leg of his career Grand Slam. (USA Today Sports Images)
Walking off the 18th green as the British Open champion, Rory McIlroy kept gazing at all the greats on golf's oldest trophy.
On the claret jug, his name is etched in silver below Phil Mickelson.
In the record book, he is listed behind Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the youngest to get three legs of the career Grand Slam.
And over four days at Royal Liverpool, he had no equal.
''I'm immensely proud of myself,'' McIlroy said after his two-shot victory Sunday that was never really in doubt. ''To sit here, 25 years of age, and win my third major championship and be three-quarters of the way to a career Grand Slam ... yeah, I never dreamed of being at this point in my career so quickly.''
He had to work a little harder than he wanted for this one.
Staked to a six-shot lead going into the final round, McIlroy turned back every challenge. He made two key birdies around the turn, and delivered a majestic drive at just the right moment to close with a 1-under 71 and complete his wire-to-wire victory.
In another major lacking tension over the final hour, what brought The Open to life was the potential of its champion.
After nearly two years of turmoil, McIlroy looked like the kid who shattered scoring records to win the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional, and who won the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island by a record eight shots a year later.
Boy Wonder is back. Or maybe he's just getting started again.
McIlroy won by two shots over Sergio Garcia and Rickie Fowler to become the first start-to-finish winner since Woods at St. Andrews in 2005. Even with one major left this year, the Northern Irishman already is looking ahead to Augusta National next April for a shot at the slam.
''I've really found my passion again for golf,'' McIlroy said. ''Not that it ever dwindled, but it's what I think about when I get up in the morning. It's what I think about when I go to bed. I just want to be the best golfer that I can be. And I know if I can do that, then trophies like this are within my capability.''
McIlroy put an end to this major with a powerful drive down the fairway at the par-5 16th, setting up a two-putt birdie to restore his lead to three shots. He finished with two pars, tapping in for par on the 18th green.
The hard part was trying not to cry when his mother, Rosie, came onto the green with tears streaming down her face. She was not at the other two majors. Before leaving, McIlroy turned and applauded the fans in the horseshoe arena who were witness to another masterpiece.
This could have been another romp except for a shaky stretch early for McIlroy, and solid efforts from Garcia and Fowler.
Garcia pulled within two shots with four holes to play until he put his tee shot in a pot bunker just right of the 15th green. His first shot failed to get over the 4-foot sodden wall and rolled back into the sand. He made bogey, and two birdies over the final three holes were not enough. Garcia shot 66 and was runner-up in a major for the fourth time.
''I think that we gave it a good effort,'' Garcia said. ''And there was someone a little bit better.''
Fowler, playing in the final group for the second straight major, didn't do anything wrong. He just didn't do enough right to make up a six-shot deficit. Fowler played without a bogey, made three birdies on the last four holes and shot 67.
''He played awesome,'' Fowler said. ''And it was just kind of fun to throw a few shots at him coming. To see him win was pretty cool.''
It was the first time two straight majors were won wire to wire. Martin Kaymer did it last month at Pinehurst No. 2, taking the U.S. Open by eight shots.
McIlroy, who finished at 17-under 271, wasn't the only big winner Sunday. Ten years ago, his father and three of his friends each put up 100 pounds ($170) at 500-1 odds that McIlroy would win the British Open before he turned 26.
The kid made good on the best with a brand of golf that had him marked early as golf's next great player.
McIlroy moved up to No. 2 in the world, perhaps on his way to regaining the No. 1 ranking that once looked as if it would be his for years. He ended the 2012 season by winning his second major and capturing the money title on the PGA Tour and European Tour.
Since then, the road has been bumpier than some of the dunes at Hoylake.
McIlroy signed a megadeal with Nike and switched out all his equipment. He changed management for the second time, leading to lawsuits that are still to be decided. And after getting engaged to Caroline Wozniacki on New Year's Eve, he abruptly broke off the engagement in May with a telephone call.
His path to victory in The Open was much smoother.
McIlroy made back-to-back bogeys on the front nine and had to save par from a pot bunker to avoid a third. But he steadied himself with a birdie on the par-3ninth, and when Garcia made a 10-foot eagle ahead of him on the 10th to cut the lead to two, McIlroy answered with a two-putt birdie.
Garcia blinked when he could least afford it, leaving a shot in the bunker at No. 15 as McIlroy watched from the tee.
Jim Furyk was among four players who tied the course record with a 65 to finish fourth. Tiger Woods was long gone. He finished his 75 as McIlroy was still on the practice range. Woods finished 69th - his worst finish over 72 holes in any major - and wound up 23 shots behind, his largest deficit ever in a major.
McIlroys have double success at British Open.
AP Sports
Rory McIlroy was not the only winner at the British Open on Sunday.
The BBC said McIlroy's father, Gerry, and three of Gerry's friends placed a combined bet of 400 pounds (now $680) in 2004 on McIlroy winning the British Open before he turned 26.
McIlroy was 15 at the time of the wager and is now 25.
The odds were 500-1, so the syndicate looks to collect 200,000 pounds ($340,000) now that McIlroy has lifted the claret jug. He won by two strokes over Sergio Garcia and Rickie Fowler.
Elliott wins at Chicagoland, moves into points lead.
By Jerry Bonkowski, NASCAR Wire Service
Accomplishing feats uncharacteristic for a rookie, Chase Elliott won once again, leading 85 of 200 laps en route to his third win of the season in Saturday's NASCAR Nationwide Series EnjoyIllinois.com 300 at Chicagoland Speedway.
Elliott took the lead for the fourth and final time on Lap 177 and held on for the final 23 laps, winning by 1.7 seconds. The Nationwide Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year frontrunner ties Kyle Busch for most wins in the series thus far this season, each with three visits to Victory Lane in the first 19 races.
"This is an unbelievable night," Elliott said. "We were fortunate enough to be in contention on that last pit stop; the guys busted their butts for me and that was the deciding factor.
"We all, as a team, we completed our task tonight. And that was the difference."
"We got our car turning there at the end," Bayne said. "That's probably the strongest weekend we've had in a while. Had it stayed green for another 15, we might have had it, but that's 15 laps we'll never know about.
"I thought we had a real good car," Larson added. "I had some fun, just frustrating coming in third when I thought we had a real good chance to win."
As for Dillon, "I've got a feeling that we can keep doing this as the year goes on," he said. "The car was coming to me there at the end."
In addition to the race's winner, Kahne was the second JR Motorsports driver in the top five.
It almost didn't happen for Kahne, who brushed the wall late and sustained just enough damage to keep him from making a last-ditch run towards the front.
Polesitter Brian Scott earned $100,000 in the Nationwide Insurance Dash 4 Cash for finishing sixth, ahead of fellow D4C competitors Chris Buescher (eighth), Elliott Sadler (10th) and Regan Smith (16th).
Smith, who was the points leader coming into the race, struggled with a loose car and finished with a disappointing 16th showing.
Elliott's win also vaulted him from third to the top of the Nationwide points standings. He now leads Smith by seven points and Sadler by eight points.
A series of green-flag pit stops around Lap 161 shuffled the field, with teams hoping they could make it to the finish without it turning into a fuel-mileage race.
Bayne took the lead at Lap 161 when the leaders made stops for service and held on until he had to come in on Lap 176 for four tires and fuel. Elliott inherited the lead, and kept it for the remainder of the race.
Polesitter Scott led 20 laps early on before Blaney, Elliott and Larson took their turns ahead of the field.
Sam Hornish Jr., who started at the back of the field due to unapproved adjustments, quickly worked his way up to the middle of the pack only to have an uncharacteristic engine failure in his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota end his night just eight laps into the event, finishing 36th in the 40-car field.
"It felt like we were going to have a really good day and felt like this was going to be a race where we had opportunity to lead laps and potentially win," Hornish told ESPN.
Elliott holds off Bayne for Nationwide win.
By JAY COHEN (AP Sports Writer)
Chase Elliott is proving to be a quick study. A few questions for his teammates and a couple practice laps, and he was ready to roll in his first race at Chicagoland Speedway.
''We had an awesome race going,'' Elliott said. ''I try to make the most of my practice laps. They gave me a good car. That gives me time to learn the track in practice.''
Elliott had a strong car all day long for JR Motorsports, qualifying third and leading a race-high 85 laps. Bayne tried to chase him down on fresh tires in the final laps, but ran out of time.
''The gap was closing,'' Bayne said. ''Probably 10 more laps, but we'll never know.''
Elliott, the son of former NASCAR champion Bill Elliott, also won in his first trips to Texas and Darlington this year. He leads the standings by seven points over Regan Smith.
''I did have some questions that I asked, and I definitely think that helped tonight,'' he said. ''So thankful to have a couple great teammates and good to have something to lean back on with those guys.''
Kyle Larson was third, followed by Kahne and Ty Dillon to round out the top five.
Brian Scott, who started on the pole, finished sixth and earned $100,000 in the second event of the four-race ''Dash 4 Cash'' bonus program.
Kahne and Larson were the lone Sprint Cup regulars in the field on an off weekend for NASCAR's top series. Everyone comes back to Chicagoland in September on the same weekend that the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship begins at the 1.52-mile oval.
The night began with a pair of Richard Childress Racing teammates in front after Scott and Dillon had the best showing in qualifying. It was Scott's second pole of the season and No. 4 for his career.
He won his first Nationwide Series pole at Chicagoland on Sept. 17, 2011.
Scott led for 20 laps before Elliott moved in front.
Erik Jones finished seventh in his Nationwide debut, driving Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 20 Toyota. The 18-year-old Jones won the Truck Series race last week at Iowa in the No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota he shares with Busch. Jones also won a Truck race last year in Phoenix.
Jones is expected to make two more Nationwide starts in Matt Kenseth's car this season.
''It was definitely a learning experience for me and everybody involved,'' he said. ''I feel like I learned a lot the whole night and really picked up on some things that will help me through the next couple.''
Jones got some advice from Busch in preparation for his first run in the series.
''A lot of what we talked about was working through traffic and it definitely helped out,'' Jones said. ''It was something I was able to apply right away tonight and use to my advantage.''
Smith, who led the series standings by eight points over Elliott Sadler coming into the day, started 15th after a disappointing qualifying session, and it just got worse during the race. He never got into the mix on his way to 16th place.
It was similar to last year, when Smith was on top of the series heading into the first stop at Chicagoland, and then slid into the infield on Lap 129 and finished 13th. He had the same finish in the September race at the same track.
Dunga is man for "new" Brazil -- reports.
AFP
Rumors that Brazil will give former skipper Dunga a second stint as national coach reached deafening levels Sunday with Globo reporting he is about to be unveiled as Luiz Felipe Scolari's successor.
The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) had planed to unveil the new man at the top last week but instead Thursday unwrapped a new technical commission headed by former reserve goalkeeper Gilmar, saying the new coach would be named Tuesday.
After early speculation the CBF would turn to currently clubless former Corinthians boss Tite, Saturday saw a flurry of media reports saying the body which runs the Brazilian game would in fact turn to Dunga, sacked after the 2010 World Cup.
Globo reported Dunga would likely choose Jorginho, who like him and Gilmar was in the World Cup-winning USA 1994 squad, as his right-hand man.
The Brazilian media conglomerate added that Dunga, 50, had been mulling a big-money offer from Venezuela as the latter, buoyed by a strong run at the 2011 Copa America, chase a first World Cup qualification for Russia 2018.
Globo added that on learning the Brazil job was once again in the offing, Dunga had decided to focus on that instead rather that chase a reported $5 million Venezuelan bonus in the event of finals qualification.
The former Fiorentina and Stuttgart midfielder replaced 1994 coach Carlos Alberto Parreira, who gave way to Gilmar last week as techical coordinator, in the top job after the 2006 World Cup.
He then led Brazil to Copa America success in 2007 and the 2009 Confederations Cup.
But the CBF wielded the axe after Dunga's Brazil side, seen by many fans as over-cautious, lost their 2010 World Cup quarter-final to Holland.
After their 2014 World Cup semi-final humiliation on home soil at the hands of champions Germany, Brazil are now seeking to overhaul their domestic game as well as their five-times world champions national side.
But attempts at very incremental reform in recent years have foundered.
Since Dunga was fired, Mano Menezes has likewise been tried and found wanting while Scolari has come back and proved unable to repeat his 2002 World Cup success -- though he did lead Brazil to last year's Confederations Cup.
Dunga is now seemingly poised to follow Parreira and Scolari in having a second bite at the Selecao cherry.
In his first spell at the helm he oversaw 42 wins in 60 games for 12 draws and six losses.
Manchester United adds Hernandez for US tour.
AP Sports
Manchester United has added Javier Hernandez to its roster for the team's preseason tour of the U.S.
Relegated to a reserve role for much of last season, Chicharito will join the Red Devils before their exhibition against the Los Angeles Galaxy on Wednesday at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, the team's first match under new manager Louis van Gaal.
Hernandez played for Mexico in the World Cup, appearing in all four of El Tri's games and scoring against Croatia. The 26-year-old forward has 59 goals in four seasons at United.
United is missing Robin van Persie, Marouane Fellaini and Adnan Januzaj following the World Cup, and Michael Carrick is expected to be sidelined for the first two months of the season following left ankle surgery Thursday.
Manchester United also plays Roma on July 26 at Denver; Inter Milan three days later at Landover, Md.; and European champion Real Madrid on Aug. 2 at Ann Arbor, Mich.
Norway's Kristoff wins Tour stage; Nibali leads.
By JAMEY KEATEN (Associated Press)
Almost at the line, Jack Bauer and Martin Elmiger were exhausted but could see it coming - their first Tour de France stage victory. Those last 50 meters, however, got in the way.
A bunch of sprinters leading the pack came speeding like a runaway train and plowed past the huffing breakaway duo in the final milliseconds. Stage 15 belonged to Norwegian speedster Alexander Kristoff, his second stage victory in this Tour.
The 138-mile (222-kilometer) stage went smoothly for overall leader Vincenzo Nibali of Italy. He made sure his main rivals couldn't claw back any time, and he kept his yellow jersey by finishing in the trailing pack.
After two days in the Alps, Sunday's stage offered some relief over a flat course from Tallard, southeast France's parachuting capital, toward Nimes, known for its Roman arena and bullfighting. More relief comes Monday - a second rest day.
This ride showed yet again on the Tour how mighty efforts so often go unrewarded.
Bauer is a New Zealander who had a better shot of holding off the sprinters than Swiss champion Elmiger. Bauer dropped his bike after the finish line, sat on the ground and cupped his face in his hands, crying. They had led nearly from the starter's gun.
''It's a fantasy for any cyclist to win a stage at the Tour and especially for a Kiwi cyclist, not many of us turn professional and not many of us get a chance to start the Tour de France,'' Bauer said.
The 29-year-old rider came to the Tour to help Garmin-Sharp leader Andrew Talansky, who dropped out before Stage 12 because of injuries from an earlier crash.
The pack perfectly timed its move on the breakaway duo and proved too strong. Bauer was pedaling with his last remaining strength, and when he looked back a last time they were already zooming by. He finished in 10th place, with Elmiger 16th.
''I really gave it absolutely everything, and as you can see from my meltdown at the finish I was pretty disappointed to come away empty-handed,'' Bauer added, noting he's usually a support rider. ''I thought I had it, but then I realized in the last 50 meters that I had nothing.''
The Swiss rider with IAM Cycling took it more in stride. This, after all, wasn't the first breakaway to fail in this Tour.
''I am not disappointed because I actually did not have the best legs today,'' Elmiger said. ''Being caught by the pack is not so bad when you are convinced you have given everything. As I have already said three times this Tour after breaks have failed, one of these days the wheels will turn in my favor.''
Kristoff, a Katusha rider who also won Stage 12, sighed in relief.
''It was a little bit late for comfort. It was very close,'' he said. ''I thought I would be second. ... We turned on the gas.''
''Of course, that's a pity for them, but I don't feel sorry for them,'' he said. ''Normally, the break should never have had a chance, but they did. They were really strong guys. ... That must have been really hard.''
With about 12 miles (20 kilometers) left, rain briefly doused the riders, though skies brightened by the end. A series of roundabouts and leg fatigue among the sprinters after the Alpine stages gave an advantage to the breakaway pair until the final seconds.
Nibali kept his main rivals for the Tour title at bay. He leads Spain's Alejandro Valverde by 4:37 while Romain Bardet of France is third, 4:50 behind. American Tejay van Garderen is fifth, 5:49 back.
Nibali, the leader of Kazakh team Astana, is in good shape to take the yellow jersey when the three-week race ends next Sunday in Paris. Some of his closest rivals have already said the race is now for second place.
The Italian has shown savvy - gaining time on cobblestone patches in Stage 2 - and nearly insurmountable dominance on high climbs. He won Stage 13's entree into the Alps and was second a day later, also in the snow-capped mountains.
On Sunday, Nibali showed he wasn't leaving any chances to his rivals. With about 39 miles (65 kilometers) left, he sped out of the pack and briefly took the lead.
''At that moment, there was a lot of side wind,'' he said. ''I really didn't want to miss the good opportunity and try to move up into position ... because when there's wind, you have to be at the front.''
More grueling climbs loom in the Pyrenees this week before the only individual time trial of this Tour on Saturday.
NCAA denies use of helmet cams.
By The Sports Xchange
The NCAA will not allow the ACC to use helmet cams and coach-quarterback communications systems this season, according to CBSSports.com.
The NCAA's rules committee rejected the conference's request to experiment with the communication devices, partly due to timing. The committee said the June request did not allow for enough time to formally discuss it.
University of Miami linebacker Denzel Perryman wore a helmet cam during a spring game.
However, the ACC will be allowed to use biometric systems. The most common one is the Catapult system, a biofeedback vest that Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher credits for helping the Seminoles win the BCS championship last season.
ACC commissioner John Swofford is expected to address the rules issues when he gives his state of the conference address Sunday during the first day of the ACC media days.
The intent of the devices is to record, document and measure data on head contacts. The Catapult system measures even more data. Fisher uses the data in practices to measure the health of individual players.
The NCAA allows the use of biometric vests for one-way communication and the data only for health and safety.
"It's allowed (by the NCAA in games) anyway," said Doug Rhodes, ACC coordinator of officials. "It's never been formalized. You can use it in practice all along. It's always been fuzzy about the game."
Helmet cams can be used to track head impact and trauma issues but Rhodes said such cameras could also be safety hazards.
In-helmet communication between coaches and quarterbacks have been used in the NFL for several years.
How they are used in the college game is what the NCAA wants to discuss.
"This has been something we've talked about at a national coordinator discussion," said Steve Shaw, the SEC coordinator of officials. "We think it could help clean up sidelines because coaches don't have to come out and signal plays. What's the cost of it? Could every team purchase it?
"But it's become a topic."
By Jon Solomon
College athletes who break the law and violate university policies should be treated like all students within the university's judicial body, not by the athletic department, SEC commissioner Mike Slive said Thursday.
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) released a report last week that included a statistic that said more than 20 percent of universities allow their athletic departments to oversee sexual assault cases. McCaskill called the finding from a survey to be "borderline outrageous." McCaskill and other senators prodded NCAA president Mark Emmert into assuring he would raise the issue with NCAA leadership to correct.
Slive, who said he had not seen the survey, said: "When students -- and that means all students -- break the law, they ought to be held accountable by legal authorities. If you have violations of institutional rules, that should be handled by the institution's judicial body."
Slive said it's difficult to think of how a conference could play a role.
"We don't investigate any kind of cases," he said. "An institution knows its students and that's the appropriate place for it. What role the conference can play is when we have a new coaches' orientation, they come in and we talk about those issues and try to be of some assistance. But that's a secondary role."
McCaskill's report looked at whether universities in general are fairly handling sexual assault cases as more student victims come forward. The American Council on Education, the main lobbying group for higher education, called McCaskill's report unfair and incomplete.
Ada Meloy, ACE's general counsel, told Inside Higher Ed that colleges were "greatly disappointed" by the report. Meloy described the report as "a blanket indictment that draws unwarranted conclusions and ignores how hard colleges and universities are working to address this serious and complex societal issue."
The US Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights recently released a list of 64 colleges and universities being investigated for possible violations of federal law over the handling of sexual violence and harassment complaints. The list does not mean any college or university is violating or has violated the law. Vanderbilt is the lone SEC school on the list.
The Tennesseean reported in May that the Vanderbilt federal filing included a reference to the rape of an unconscious female student that led to the arrest of four football players. The players were expelled by the university.
Documents filed in the case in April alleged that former Vanderbilt coach James Franklin and then-director of performance enhancement Dwight Galt contacted the victim. The records state they "cared about her because she assisted them with recruiting" as part of a team of "pretty girls" designed for that purpose. Franklin, now Penn State's coach, has denied doing anything wrong.
On This Date in Sports History: Today is Monday, July 21, 2014.
MemoriesofHistory.com
1931 - The Reno Race Track inaugurated the daily double in the U.S.
1957 - Althea Gibson became the first black woman to win a major U.S. tennis title when she won the Women’s National clay-court singles competition.
1968 - Arnold Palmer became the first golfer to make a million dollars in career earnings after he tied for second place at the PGA Championship.
1998 - Chinese gymnast Sang Lan, 17, was paralyzed after a fall while practicing for the women's vault competition at the Goodwill Games in New York. Spinal surgery 4 days later failed to restore sensation below her upper chest.
2006 - Alex Rodriguez (New York Yankees) collected his 2,000th career hit and became the youngest player to reach the 450 home run mark.
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