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Point: Mike Ditka blames ‘political correct idiots’ for Redskins controversy. What's Your Take?
BY NATE SCOTT USA Today
Former Bears coach and ESPN analyst Mike Ditka has weighed in on the Washington Redskins nickname controversy, saying he finds it “so stupid it’s appalling.”
In an interview with RedskinsHistorian.com, Ditka made it clear he had no plans to refrain from using the team nickname during the season, as some NFL announcers have said they are considering.
From the interview:
“What’s all the stink over the Redskin name? It’s so much [expletive] it’s incredible. We’re going to let the liberals of the world run this world. It was said out of reverence, out of pride to the American Indian. Even though it was called a Redskin, what are you going to call them, a Brownskin? This is so stupid it’s appalling, and I hope that owner keeps fighting for it and never changes it, because the Redskins are part of an American football history, and it should never be anything but the Washington Redskins. That’s the way it is.”
Later on in the interview, Ditka identified what he saw causing the controversy:
“It’s all the political correct idiots in America, that’s all it is. It’s got nothing to do with anything else. We’re going to change something because we can. Hey listen, I went through it in the 60s, too. I mean, come on. Everybody lined up, did this. It’s fine to protest. That’s your right, if you don’t like it, protest. You have a right to do that, but to change the name, that’s ridiculous. Change the Constitution — we’ve got people trying to do that, too, and they’re doing a pretty good job.”
As for how he views Dan Snyder’s fight to keep the team’s name what it is? “I admire him for it,” Ditka said.
Counter Point: Mike Ditka can keep calling them ‘Redskins,’ but I won’t.
BY RICK MORRISSEY
If you saw a Native American walking across the street, would you yell out, “Hey, Redskin, you dropped your hat’’?
I don’t believe you would, no matter how strongly you feel that the Washington Redskins should be able to keep their nickname. And I don’t believe Mike Ditka would, either, even though he has come out strongly on the side of intolerance, whether he realizes it or not.
The say-anything coach went off on those of us who want to see the Redskins nickname go the way of medical bloodletting. In an interview with RedskinsHistorian.com — you always save up your best stuff for RedskinsHistorian.com — Ditka railed against the “political correct idiots’’ who find the nickname offensive and want team owner Daniel Snyder to come up with a replacement.
This isn’t about political correctness.This is about compassion for people who don’t have a voice.
This isn’t about whether you’re liberal or conservative, as Ditka seems to believe.
This is about whether you’re human.
The reason most of us, including Ditka, would never call a Native American “Redskin’’ to his or her face is because we know, at some level, that it’s disrespectful.
This is the last time you’ll see me use the term “Redskins’’ in one of my columns, unless it’s about the nickname controversy. It has been bothering me for a long time. I’ve written often about how wrong it is that we still have a sports franchise using a derogatory nickname for Native Americans.
But there I was last season, using “Redskins’’ over and over again in a column about the Bears’ 45-41 loss to Washington. Why? Laziness, mostly, an insidious thing. There’s not much worse than a lack of action in the face of a wrong.
But Ditka has woken me up, shaken me out of my stupor. And I would call on the Sun-Times to stop using the nickname, as well. Though I don’t pretend to speak for everyone at the newspaper, I’d simply ask whether it would be palatable if we inserted any other skin color into the nickname — the Washington Blackskins, the Washington Whiteskins, the Washington Yellowskins, etc. I think we know the answer.
Ironically, skin color is one of the issues Ditka brought up in his harangue.
“We’re going to let the liberals of the world run this world,’’ he said. “It was said out of reverence, out of pride to the American Indian. Even though it was called a Redskin, what are you going to call them, a Brownskin? This is so stupid it’s appalling, and I hope that owner keeps fighting for it and never changes it because the Redskins are part of an American football history, and it should never be anything but the Washington Redskins. That’s the way it is.
“It’s been the name of the team since the beginning of football. It has nothing to do with something that happened lately or something that somebody dreamed up. This was the name, period. Leave it alone. These people are silly — asinine, actually, in my opinion.”
The argument that the nickname shouldn’t be changed because the franchise has been around a long time is a head- shaker. We’ve changed lots of things that once were considered acceptable. Slavery comes to mind. We’ve evolved.
If Native Americans don’t like the term Redskins, that’s all anybody needs to know on the issue. If any Irish Americans are offended by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, then I’d suggest they speak up. I haven’t heard any complaints — perhaps because we of Irish heritage are not living in poverty on reservations.
I don’t think this is about a crazy old coot sounding off, as it’s being portrayed in some corners. Ditka is saying out loud what a lot of people, regardless of age, are thinking. (By the way, once you start making fun of someone’s advanced age, you’re not so different from the people making fun of Native Americans. You’re trafficking in an -ism, too.)
The U.S. Patent Court in June ruled that the Washington franchise’s federal trademarks should be canceled, meaning others can make money off the “Redskins’’ nickname. It was the first real shot across Snyder’s bow. The rest of it — Native Americans’ protests, columnists’ screeds, etc. — have done nothing to move the owner. Perhaps he’ll understand the loss of cold cash.
In all fairness, I don’t believe Snyder would say to a passing Native American, “Hey, Redskin, you dropped your hat.’’ I believe he’d say, “Hey, Redskin, you dropped your headdress.’’
Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Take: We've addressed this issue twice this year in previous What's Your Take? articles. The only thing that's constant in this wonderful world of ours is change. Believe it or not, the more things change, the more they remain the same. If it's not broken, don't fix it, well in this case, time has passed this name by. It's time for a change. We wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Morrissey's position in the counterpoint article above. The team's history and legacy does not have to be discounted, ignored or forgotten. The name change is just an evolutionary event. The Chicago Bears were originally the Decatur Staleys, they were the Chicago Staleys in 1921 and changed their name to the Chicago Bears in 1922. Granted the name was not changed because of any controversy, however, it hasn't hurt. The Houston Oilers moved to Nashville and became the Tennessee Titans. Houston was granted a new franchise and chose the name, the Texans. Cleveland retained the Brown's name when they were granted a new franchise after the Browns moved to Baltimore and became the Ravens. Indianapolis retained the Colts name when they moved from Baltimore and St. Louis retained the Rams name when they moved from Los Angeles. Who knows what the Raiders will do and where their next move will be? Texas is often mentioned as their next destination. My point is that names may change and teams may move, but Washington's fan base will support their team regardless of what they're called. Mr. Snyder will not miss a beat and he may end up selling more merchandise and making more money than he could have ever imagined with his new name once this issue is settled.
Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Take: We've addressed this issue twice this year in previous What's Your Take? articles. The only thing that's constant in this wonderful world of ours is change. Believe it or not, the more things change, the more they remain the same. If it's not broken, don't fix it, well in this case, time has passed this name by. It's time for a change. We wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Morrissey's position in the counterpoint article above. The team's history and legacy does not have to be discounted, ignored or forgotten. The name change is just an evolutionary event. The Chicago Bears were originally the Decatur Staleys, they were the Chicago Staleys in 1921 and changed their name to the Chicago Bears in 1922. Granted the name was not changed because of any controversy, however, it hasn't hurt. The Houston Oilers moved to Nashville and became the Tennessee Titans. Houston was granted a new franchise and chose the name, the Texans. Cleveland retained the Brown's name when they were granted a new franchise after the Browns moved to Baltimore and became the Ravens. Indianapolis retained the Colts name when they moved from Baltimore and St. Louis retained the Rams name when they moved from Los Angeles. Who knows what the Raiders will do and where their next move will be? Texas is often mentioned as their next destination. My point is that names may change and teams may move, but Washington's fan base will support their team regardless of what they're called. Mr. Snyder will not miss a beat and he may end up selling more merchandise and making more money than he could have ever imagined with his new name once this issue is settled.
Now you know what we think and how we feel, we'd love to know, what’s your take? Marion P. Jelks, Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Blog Editor. Please use the comment section below and have at it. Let us know your thoughts.
Bears' Jordan Mills not back, but run game shouldn’t be a worry.
Bears' Jordan Mills not back, but run game shouldn’t be a worry.
By John Mullin
The Bears’ starting offensive line hasn’t been together more than a few offseason snaps this year and for none of the preseason games. It won’t be together in Seattle, either, with right tackle Jordan Mills back practicing on a limited basis on his sore left foot but not expected to be cleared for full go until next Monday.
That does not bode well for a Bears rushing offense that has been abysmal through two preseason games and now faces a rushing defense (Seattle’s, No. 7 in 2013) in the class with that of the Philadelphia Eagles (No. 4) for average rush allowed.
But should there be a concern with the NFL’s only offensive line that had its team in the top 10 for both rushing average and sack percentage?
“The running game always takes a little bit longer to get jelled unless someone really makes a mistake on defense in these preseason games and then you break a big one,” said offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer.
And that “big one” hasn’t happened; no Bears back has had a run longer than Ka’Deem Carey’s 15-yarder against Jacksonville.
Neither Mills nor right guard Kyle Long (viral infection) played against Philadelphia. Mills was out for Jacksonville. Mills was nowhere close to the Bears’ best offensive lineman last season, but the Bears averaged 6.27 yards per play over right guard, No. 2 in the NFL last year, an indication of the significance of one starter from a group whose unit cohesion is vital to team success.
More significant in assigning any significance to the Bears’ dismal start to the rushing year: This is not the first preseason that the Bears might have gotten off the bus running but tripped. The offense over the last four years has only once rushed for a better average in the preseason than it did when it mattered:
| YEAR | PRESEASON | REGULAR SEASON |
| 2014 | 2.9 | TBD |
| 2013 | 4.4 | 4.5 |
| 2012 | 3.6 | 4.2 |
| 2011 | 3.8 | 4.4 |
| 2010 | 4.2 | 3.9 |
To a finer point, Matt Forte’s preseasons have been as wildly erratic as his regular seasons have been consistent:
| YEAR | PRESEASON | REGULAR SEASON |
| 2014 | -1.0 | TBD |
| 2013 | 9.9 | 4.6 |
| 2012 | 3.9 | 4.4 |
| 2011 | 3.9 | 4.9 |
| 2010 | 10.2 | 4.5 |
“We just have to do a better job of blocking and understanding the angles we’re trying to run,” Kromer said, “and I believe we’ll get that done as time goes.”
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It's NFL time, we want you in our office pool. It just wouldn't be the same without you. We hope you'll consider getting in. We're looking forward to sending you your winnings!!!!!
Attached is CS&T/AA first week's selection (Pick) sheet. "Competition breeds excellence" so you have to get in our office pool to test your skills and win some cash!!! What are you waiting for? If you don't want to go at it alone, get a partner, two heads are better than one. 15 days until kick-off, you don't want to be left out. Commit and sign up now!!! All of the pertinent information is listed below. It's a seventeen week pool and conducted over the internet. All pool information (stats, winners, info and news) are available 24/7. Good luck.
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BY MARK LAZERUS
Chicago Blackhawks left wing Patrick Sharp lines up against the Los Angeles Kings during Game 6 of the Western Conference finals of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs in Los Angeles, Friday, May 30, 2014. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
The speculation over which player (or players) would get traded this summer to get the Blackhawks under the $69 million salary cap reached a fever pitch at the NHL draft late last month. Every time general manager Stan Bowman picked up the phone or stood from his chair on the floor at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, everyone watching held their breath for just a moment.
Well, get used to that uncertainty. It might last awhile.
“We certainly have to be ready to go by October,” Bowman said Friday as the Hawks opened their fan convention at the Hilton Chicago. “A lot of things change between now and then. You have to display some patience.”
The Hawks are $1.3 million or $2.2 million over the salary cap, depending on whether Teuvo Teravainen makes the team out of training camp. Regardless, they have to move at least one player before the season opens. And while trades always pick up around draft time, Bowman said talks stir again every September.
“Everyone likes their team right now,” Bowman said. “But once training camp rolls around and you start playing some exhibition games, [sometimes] you realize maybe that the way you drew it up in June and July isn’t playing out the way you hoped. I’m not saying we’re waiting until training camp, but that is another time period when things do change more often.”
Patrick Sharp was at the center of much of the trade speculation, particularly around the draft. It got to the point where his agent, Rick Curran, went on the record to say that Bowman had assured him that Sharp wasn’t going to be traded, and that Sharp was bothered by the chatter. But Bowman declined to say as much publicly, fueling the rumors even more. Sharp is coming off his best season — 34 goals and 44 assists — but carries a $5.9 million cap hit each of the next three seasons.
Sharp, speaking Friday for the first time since the Hawks cleaned out their lockers, shrugged it all off.
“There’s going to be talk, discussion, rumors,” Sharp said. “It’s part of the business. But I think what my agent said was pretty self-explanatory.”
Johnny Oduya is another possible trade chip for Bowman. Oduya has one year left on his contract, worth $3.375 million. He’s hoping to stay, as well.
“I wouldn’t say I’m nervous, but you know the reality of the business,” he said. “And I’ve been around it for a couple of these situations. There’s not much you can do but realize the situation and prepare for the season the same way.”
Added Bryan Bickell: “There’s a couple of adjustments that need to take place to get through this cap thing, but I’m not hearing anything, which is good. Hopefully, it will work out for the best.”
Beyond this summer, the Hawks have to make the combined $21 million cap hit of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane fit under the cap starting in 2015-16. Kane pointed out Wednesday that the Hawks lost nearly half their roster because of cap problems after the 2010 Stanley Cup but managed to win another one in 2013.
The belief around the Hawks is that this time around, it won’t be nearly as painful. Even if the wait can be.
“We remember what it was like in 2009-10,” Sharp said. “If you start worrying about it and start paying attention to all the speculation and rumors, you’re going to drive yourself crazy. It’s my job to play hockey, and that’s what I’m going to do.”
NHL changes draft lottery rules, punishes worst teams.
By Greg Wyshynski
Tim Murray isn’t going to like this.
The Buffalo Sabres general manager already registered his dissatisfaction with the NHL’s changes to its draft lottery, which were approved by the Board of Governors earlier this year.
The issue? The immediacy: They were due to go into effect for 2015, when super-rookies Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel are available and when the Buffalo Sabres are expected to be abjectly terrible.
“You know who you’re affecting, that’s not fair,” said Murray.
The changes have now been approved by the NHLPA, and the NHL announced how the system will work for the most highly-hyped lottery since Sidney Crosby was the prize.
From the NHL on the 2015 Draft, with translation from our crack staff of decoders:
The odds of winning the first overall selection in the NHL Draft for the 14 non-Playoff teams will be adjusted to more appropriately reflect the current state of competitive balance in the League.
“Currently, teams aren’t tanking for the No. 1 and No. 2 picks. But they’re totally going to start next season.”
This will result in a more evenly-balanced allocation of odds, with the 10 highest-finishing non-Playoff qualifying teams receiving higher (better) Draft Lottery odds than they received previously.
“Ed Snider only has so much time left on this mortal plane, and this will provide ample cover when the Flyers miss the playoffs by a point and still win the lottery.”
and the four lowest-finishing teams receiving lower (worse) odds.
“Because we need Connor McDavid in Buffalo, Winnipeg, Calgary or Florida like we need an eye-worm infestation, you guys.”
The revised set of odds will remain in effect year-to-year in the future.
“Because if the Flyers or Bruins or Penguins ever have the worst record in hockey, we’re scrapping the lottery that year.”
Here are the revised odds:
So if this was applied to last season, the New Jersey Devils would have their draft lottery chances doubled despite missing the playoffs by just five points, while the Sabres and Panthers would see theirs dramatically decrease despite missing the playoffs some time around December.
The NHL also announced the draft lottery rules for 2016. OR SHOULD WE SAY DRAFT “LOTTERIES”?
So if this was applied to last season, the New Jersey Devils would have their draft lottery chances doubled despite missing the playoffs by just five points, while the Sabres and Panthers would see theirs dramatically decrease despite missing the playoffs some time around December.
The NHL also announced the draft lottery rules for 2016. OR SHOULD WE SAY DRAFT “LOTTERIES”?
Three draws will be held: the 1st Lottery draw will determine the Club selecting first overall, the 2nd Lottery draw will determine the Club selecting second overall and the 3rd Lottery draw will determine the club selecting third overall.
As a result of this change, the team earning the fewest points during the regular season will no longer be guaranteed, at worst, the second overall pick. That club could fall as low as fourth overall.
The allocation of odds for the 1st Lottery draw will be the same as outlined above for the 2015 NHL Draft Lottery. The odds for the remaining teams will increase on a proportionate basis for the 2nd Lottery draw, based on which Club wins the 1st Lottery draw, and again for the 3rd Lottery draw, based on which Club wins the 2nd Lottery draw.
The 11 Clubs not selected in the Draft Lottery will be assigned NHL Draft selections 4 through 14, in inverse order of regular-season points.
So, to be clear: The new format of the draft lottery doesn’t protect the worst team in the NHL from dropping all the way to fourth in the order.
Which is just idiotic.
Look, I know the draft lottery isn’t everyone’s brand of vodka, because some people will always find rewarding futility abhorrent. That goes for draft lottery odds, revenue sharing and the inexplicable continued employment of Randy Carlyle.
But top draft picks make terrible teams get better. Or at least gain assets to get better. Or at least get a player that can energize a moribund fan base.
The idea that any team in the bottom three in the league should have their odds reduced while teams that were in sniffing distance of a playoff berth see theirs increase runs counter to the entire concept of the draft.
Again, if the concern really is about teams intentionally losing to gain high draft selections, i.e. making sure teams worthy of the top pick actually get it, then scrap the entire concept of single-season influence and use the cumulative record from the last three seasons to set the lottery odds.
Just make sure you give Tim Murray ample time to adjust. Dude hates surprises.
Just another Chicago Bulls Session… Fraschilla: Bulls' Mirotic will be an above-average player. CSN Staff
After five years with Real Madrid, European forward Nikola Mirotic joined the Bulls on a three-year, $17 million contract earlier this offseason.
Mirotic, who was drafted by the Bulls in the first-round of the 2011 NBA Draft, comes to Chicago with some serious accolades. He was a two-time Euroleague Rising Star (2011, 2012), FIBA U-20 MVP (2011), two-time All-Euroleague Second Team member (2013, 2014), two-time All-ACB Team member (2013, 2014), Spanish League MVP (2013) and Spanish Cup MVP (2014). In 97 career games with Read Madrid, Mirotic averaged 10.8 PPG and 4.5 RPG. He was also a .402% three-point shooter.
Despite the impressive numbers in Europe, many people In NBA circles question whether or not Mirotic's game will translate to the next level.
But Mirotic has a firm believer in ESPN college basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla.
"I love him," Fraschilla said during an appearance on the Kap & Haugh Show on Tuesday morning. "I love him as a long-term NBA player. I think he's not necessarily going to be an All-Star. I think he's going to end up being an above-average NBA starter.
"The dilemma, and yet the blessing at the same time for Mirotic is that he's walking into a Bulls team that has a chance to win 60 games. He's going to have to be patient."
The Bulls have the luxury of being patient with Mirotic, considering they possess one of the deepest frontcourts in the league with reigning Defensive Player of the Year Joakim Noah, four-time All-Star Pau Gasol and Sixth Man of the Year candidate Taj Gibson.
Irving, Team USA cruise to easy victory over Dominican Republic.
By Mark Strotman
After battling with an experienced Brazil team with plenty of NBA frontcourt talent last week, Team USA faced a much easier test Wednesday night, defeating the Dominican Republic, 102-65, in front of 16,080 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Kyrie Irving, starting in place of Bulls point guard Derrick Rose, scored 12 points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting performance, James Harden added 12 more and four Americans scored in double-figures off the bench, led by a team-high 13 points from Rudy Gay and Andre Drummond.
Harden and Thompson helped paced Team USA in the first half with 10 points apiece, while the DR's only NBA player, Francisco Garcia, added nine points as USA jumped out to a 53-31 halftime lead.
The second half belonged to the bench, as Drummond, Gay and DeRozan -- three players considered to be on the bubble for the final cuts -- went to work with an array of jumpers, dunks and fast break points that the Dominican Republic couldn't contain. DeRozan led Team USA with six assists in a team-high 23 minutes, while Drummond grabbed four offensive rebounds (five total) and added a block and steal in 16 minutes.
Team USA shot 58 percent from the field, including 44 percent on threes, while forcing the Dominican Republic into 16 turnovers.
Wednesday also marked the return of DeMarcus Cousins, who had an injury scare in last week's practice in Chicago and was held out of the exhibition against Brazil at the United Center. Cousins came off the bench, played 16 minutes, made his only shot attempt and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
USA Basketball was without Derrick Rose, who had missed the first two days of practice in New York and received an extra day of rest on Wednesday; it also allowed the USA coaching staff to get a look at other guards before cutting the roster down later this week. Rose is expected to practice Thursday and play in USA's game Friday against Puerto Rico, the team's final tune-up before pool play begins in Spain.
That allowed additional playing time for Damian Lillard, who played 24 minutes and scored seven points to go with three rebounds and three assists. He also accounted for four of Team USA's 12 turnovers.
Krzyzewski also said he and director Jerry Colangelo will not cut the roster down to 12 until Friday at the earliest. There are still three cuts that must be made.
Veteran NBA referee Dick Bavetta retires after 39 years in league.
AP Sports
Referee Dick Bavetta worked 270 playoff games in his 39-year career. (Frank Franklin II / AP)
Bavetta officiated a record 2,635 consecutive regular-season games after starting his NBA career on Dec. 2, 1975. He also worked 270 playoff games, including 27 in the NBA Finals.
NBA president Rod Thorn says Tuesday in a statement that the league is ''grateful for his contributions to our league, and we wish him the best as he enjoys his well-earned retirement.''
Bavetta, 74, also worked the 1992 Olympics, the first involving NBA players, and has officiated in leagues in New York and New Jersey. He is most proud of his streak, which last season surpassed even the 2,632 consecutive games played by baseball ironman Cal Ripken Jr.
''It really has been a great run," Bavetta said.
Jackie Robinson West advances to U.S. Championship with 6-5 win.
BY SETH GRUEN
After Jackie Robinson West lost to Mountain Ridge on Sunday, manager Darold Butler called it a “blessing in disguise.”
Jackie Robinson West’s emotional center now had a carrot that would motivate his kids through the rest of the tournament: earning a rematch. It worked.
The Morgan Park-based team staved off elimination for the third time this week, beating Taney of Philadelphia 6-5 Thursday, to earn a spot in the U.S. championship game and another shot against Mountain Ridge from Las Vegas.
Since the Little League World Series went to a two-pool format — U.S. and international — this is the first time a team from Illinois has made it to the national championship.
In 1958, 1962 and 1967, teams from Illinois were World Series runners-up under the old format. The ’67 team, Roseland Little League, was from Chicago.
“A lot,” Butler said of how much he used the loss to Mountain Ridge as motivation this week. “Like I said, I really did feel like the game we lost was a blessing.
‘‘It woke us up. The kids, they’ve been more focused than they’ve ever been so far this year, and I think today’s game showed how focused we really were.”
Either Butler is a seer or maybe he just knows his team exceedingly well. Jackie Robinson West always has played its best under pressure.
Butler fell short of making an all-out prediction, but he said his team would see Mountain Ridge again.
The mood around the Jackie Robinson West team changed dramatically after its 13-2 mercy-rule loss against Mountain Ridge.
Onlookers seeking autographs were much less of a priority. When it came time to practice or hit in the batting cage, that was the focus.
Their popularity — albeit growing every day — was the furthest thing from their minds.
All that was on their mind was Mountain Ridge.
‘‘It’s hard to beat a team twice, and these guys here are so competitive, they want that shot,” Butler said. “We are blessed to have a chance to play them again, so I can’t see that game being exactly how it was the first time.”
Facing elimination again, Butler went with a surprising move, going with Marquis Jackson as the starting pitcher. Jackson is the team’s hardest thrower — he was clocked at 74 mph — but has been the closer throughout the tournament.
Jackie Robinson West scored all six of its runs in the first two innings, but that’s all it would need in fighting off a spirited comeback attempt by Taney.
After Jackson hit his 85-pitch limit in the top of the fourth inning, Butler looked to Cam Bufford to finish the game.
Though Bufford struggled, the always-calm Butler stayed with him.
Taney had the potential tying run on third when Bufford got the last out.
“It gives me more confidence that I can do better and achieve more, so I can do better the next game,” Bufford said of Butler staying with him.
By Richard Babcock
Cubs backup catcher John Baker during a rain delay on Tuesday (Image/Associated Press)
The Cubs Are Trying Harder to Win, But Is That Hurting Attendance?On a Wednesday night in late July, the Chicago Cubs played the San Diego Padres at Wrigley Field in front of an announced crowd of 30,718. Er, make that in front of 30,718 sold seats. The number of people in those seats was considerably smaller—about 19,000 by one published estimate.
The evening was unusually chilly for midsummer, and the Cubs and Padres were (and are) both well out of the playoff race, but the lagging attendance fits a pattern for the Cubs of late—one that stands in contrast to the surging crowds of the previous three decades, when the team was often equally bad and the weather similarly unpredictable. Since 2009, ticket sales are down almost 6,500 a game. Where have all the Cub fans gone?
The answer may be that they've in effect awakened from a beer-soaked party.
The Cubs' former owner, Tribune Company, recognized the game it was in—entertainment—and relentlessly promoted the pleasures of visiting Wrigley. The new owner, the Ricketts family, has returned focus to the quaint notion that you play baseball to win. That has created a counterintuitive dynamic for the Cubs, who last won the World Series 106 years ago, the longest futility streak in major American sports: Now that the franchise is getting serious about winning, the stadium is emptier.
"The Ricketts didn't buy the party—they bought the hangover," said Julian Green, a spokesman for the ball club.
Teams almost always draw in line with their success—attendance goes up in good years, down in bad. This was true of the Cubs too during the 1950s, '60s and '70s, when they rarely contended. A midweek game might draw only a few thousand fans. Management often closed off the upper deck entirely.
Then in 1981, Tribune bought the Cubs for $20.5 million. For the next 28 years, the team spurted and sputtered, yet attendance surged. It went from an average of 15,423 a game in 1982, the first full year of Trib ownership, to a high of 40,743 in 2008, the year before it sold the team.
The success of Tribune (which owned Chicago magazine, where I was editor until 2011) reflected a series of smart marketing moves. Among them: The company turned Cubs games into programming fodder for superstation WGN, which introduced the team to a vast national audience. Tribune hired as announcer Harry Caray, a graceless blowhard who nonetheless aroused an enormous fan following. Under savvy marketing chief John McDonough, the club celebrated the glories of lovely but age-worn Wrigley and cycled through a variety of promotions designed to put people in the seats (Beanie Baby days!).
To declare yourself a Cubs fan was to place yourself in a vibrant community—people with the heart to embrace a loser. In the current language of marketing, the Chicago Cubs became a brand with soul, an entity that represented a portfolio of sympathetic qualities, including loyalty, perseverance, humility and tradition.
Businesses love brands with soul, and the lovable-loser Cubs showed why. Attendance climbed even as ticket prices skyrocketed. In 1984, a good box seat at Wrigley cost $8—about $18 in 2014 dollars. This year, the Cubs charge as much as $116 for the same seat at a game against a top team. Team Marketing Report, which tracks major-league ticket prices, says the Cubs this year average $44.16 per ticket, the third-highest rate in the majors, behind only the Red Sox and Yankees.
In 2008, Tribune fell into bankruptcy and in October 2009 sold 95% of the team to the Ricketts family for $845 million. Before completing the deal, Tom Ricketts told his father, Joe, the founder of TD Ameritrade, "They sell every ticket, every game, win or lose." Not anymore.
Over the first four years of Ricketts ownership, attendance sank 13.7%. It is flat so far this year versus 2013, but the figures don't include the legions of no-shows. "I have plenty of friends with tickets who can't get rid of them," said Jon Greenberg, executive editor of Team Marketing Report.
The Ricketts scored a coup by hiring as team president Theo Epstein, who in 2004 led the Boston Red Sox to their first World Series title in 86 years. The new Cubs management has continued to promote the glories of Wrigley, particularly this year, the stadium's 100th anniversary. But Epstein and the brainy cohort he has hired to help run the team have aggressively set out to build a winner by investing in the minor-league system and unabashedly letting the major-league team sink.
For three years running, the Cubs have traded several of their best players for prospects in midseason. The 2012 team was the fourth-worst (.377) in Cubs history, which is saying something. Tribune fielded some terrible teams but, with an eye toward attendance and TV ratings, rarely let the payroll fall below the middle of the pack. Though the Ricketts family has spent significantly on training facilities and in building the organization, the team's major-league payroll is dropping fast: At $89 million, the 2014 club came in 23rd out of 30 teams on opening day.
The Cubs talk regularly about patience—channeling funds toward some golden future, still years away. But every story about the future is a reminder that the current team woefully lacks talent. "By refocusing on winning, the Cubs are becoming just like every other team," said Al Yellon, who tracks the Cubs for the blog Bleed Cubbie Blue. "Draw when they win, not when they lose."
With the drop in attendance, it's fair to wonder whether even brands with soul have a lifespan—one that may be price-sensitive.
The people who run the Cubs recognize the risk. "The fans are certainly expecting more, but that's only because the Cubs organization is expecting more of itself," said the spokesman Green. "The requirement now is to win, not to hope."
The Cubs' new owners are placing their big bet on the team itself. On winning. It's a brave, honorable strategy. But they are betting on the Cubs.
Golf: I got a club for that… McIlroy stumbles to 74, worst start in 2 months.
By DOUG FERGUSON
Rory McIlroy took a week to celebrate his blockbuster summer and paid for it in The Barclays with his worst start in two months.
He could afford a day off.
That wasn't the case for players like Bo Van Pelt and Paul Casey, and they picked a good time to produce good scores.
With no guarantee of playing beyond this week, Van Pelt opened with three straight birdies Thursday and chipped in for eagle late in his round for a 6-under 65 that gave him a one-shot lead in the opener of the FedEx Cup playoffs.
Van Pelt is No. 104 in the FedEx Cup. Only the top 100 advance to the next tournament.
Casey is No. 118 with a lot on his mind — specifically the birth of his first child in two weeks — and played bogey-free at Ridgewood to join seven other players at 66. That group included Brendon Todd, who is trying to get Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson's attention as a possible wild-card pick; and Hunter Mahan, who at No. 62 is in danger of missing the Tour Championship for the first time since the FedEx Cup began in 2007.
Ridgewood featured some of the deepest rough of the year, though the greens were soft enough to allow for birdies if players could keep it in the fairway. The average score was 70.8, with 44 rounds in the 60s.
McIlroy was not among them.
The British Open and PGA champion went 13 holes before he made his first birdie and finished with a 74. That ended a streak of 14 straight rounds under par, and it was his highest score in the opening round since a 74 in the Irish Open in June.
"Fatigue isn't playing a part," he said. "It's I think just not putting the time in that I probably should have over the past week. And I think I allowed myself that and deserved that. But this is the consequence of it and I need to work hard this afternoon and go out tomorrow and shoot a good number."
McIlroy established himself anew as golf's No. 1 player with a wire-to-wire win at the British Open, a come-from-behind win at a World Golf Championship and a late charge at Valhalla to win the PGA Championship and become the third-youngest player with four majors.
"I wanted to enjoy it for a week," he said.
Van Pelt doesn't have that luxury. He started his year missing seven cuts in nine tournaments before it slowly started to come around over the last month. He felt he was heading in the right direction and received more confirmation Thursday. Van Pelt didn't make a bogey, and finished strong with a 10-foot birdie putt on the 16th and the eagle on the par-5 17th hole that put him in the lead.
"As poorly as I played at the start of the year, I'm just kind of glad to be here," Van Pelt said. "Things have been trending in a lot better direction. So I felt fortunate to be here with the position I was in three months ago. I just felt like if I kept doing what I was doing, hopefully I would at least get to next week and then kind of cross that bridge when I got there."
Jim Furyk, Charles Howell III, Brendon de Jonge, Ben Martin and Cameron Tringale also were in the group one shot behind.
Casey hasn't had a top 10 on the PGA Tour all season and didn't make it into the playoffs with much room to spare. He's not sure how long he'll be around, although a solid start was sure to help.
"I think today was probably a product of really not having really any expectations and just going out there and smashing it around and having fun," Casey said.
McIlroy had his fun last week, and he was headed to the range after his opening round to get his game back. He took an early double bogey by barely getting out of a bunker and chipping 15 feet by the hole on No. 12, and then going long into a bunker for a bogey on the par-5 13th.
"It's not a bad thing," he said. "A score like this would be tougher to take if I had not just come off the weeks that I had. But at the same time, I want to play well and I want to give myself chances to win tournaments."
Mahan is the only player to compete in every playoff event since the FedEx Cup began. He is assured of two tournaments, though he needs a good week somewhere to keep alive his hopes of reaching Atlanta for the Tour Championship. The top 70 advance to the third week, and the top 30 get to East Lake for the finale. Plus, he hopes to audition for one of the captain's picks for the Ryder Cup.
"It will be a bonus to make it to Atlanta and it will be a bonus right now to make the Ryder Cup team," Mahan said. "So I have nothing to be nervous about or get out there and doubt myself. I have to trust myself because everything I'm doing is good and everything else will kind of take care of itself."
Tony Stewart will not race at Bristol as Jeff Burton substitutes for him again.
By Nick Bromberg
Tony Stewart is not driving at Bristol.
The team announced Wednesday afternoon that Jeff Burton would substitute for Stewart again. Burton drove the No. 14 at Michigan. Stewart has not driven in a Sprint Cup Series race since he struck and killed Kevin Ward at a dirt track in upstate New York on August 9.
Just like with Burton's appearance in Stewart's car last week, the team said the decision only pertains to Bristol and that any decision on Atlanta, the next race on the Sprint Cup circuit, hasn't been made.
The investigation into Ward's death is still ongoing by the Ontario County (N.Y.) Sheriff's Department. Last week, Sheriff Philip Povero said the investigation could take two weeks. There are no criminal charges pending against Stewart at the current time and Povero said last week there was no evidence of criminal intent.
Burton's ride at Michigan was cut short because of a broken tailpipe on Sunday. The team said a crack in the tailpipe meant heat was catching the heat shields underneath the car on fire.
Burton has driven in three Cup Series races this year. He drove twice previously for Michael Waltrip Racing and is going to be an analyst for NBC's race coverage in 2015.
Top 100 Soccer Clubs in the United States and Canada - Rankings.
By unionoscopy, Eugene Rupinski, JCEscobar, Chad Hollingsworth, and Steve Fenn on Aug 20 2014
So the inaugural Top 100 Ranking is out, and the Seattle Sounders are top of the table. All of the ratings back to 2011 can be viewed on the chart below. Select the team(s) you are interested in on the lower right hand portion of the graph. (For the methodology associated with these rankings, see this article.)
With a 1494.6 rating, Seattle is the top team by a slight margin, holding only a 4.4 point lead over Sporting Kansas City, while the LA Galaxy are third with 1469.1. The highest rated non-MLS team is USL PRO's Orlando City, with a 1357.6 - good enough for fourteenth overall. NASL's top team are the New York Cosmos, who are in seventeenth place with 1304.2. Here's the complete top 100:
| Rank | Club | League | Current Score |
| 1 | Seattle Sounders | MLS | 1,494.6 |
| 2 | Sporting Kansas City | MLS | 1,490.2 |
| 3 | LA Galaxy | MLS | 1,469.1 |
| 4 | Real Salt Lake | MLS | 1,463.9 |
| 5 | FC Dallas | MLS | 1,448.6 |
| 6 | Portland Timbers | MLS | 1,434.1 |
| 7 | Vancouver Whitecaps | MLS | 1,432.5 |
| 8 | Philadelphia Union | MLS | 1,415.1 |
| 9 | New York Red Bulls | MLS | 1,388.3 |
| 10 | Chicago Fire | MLS | 1,382.4 |
| 11 | D.C. United | MLS | 1,373.8 |
| 12 | San Jose Earthquakes | MLS | 1,371.8 |
| 13 | Columbus Crew | MLS | 1,360.5 |
| 14 | Orlando City | USL PRO | 1,357.6 |
| 15 | Toronto FC | MLS | 1,348.5 |
| 16 | Colorado Rapids | MLS | 1,339.6 |
| 17 | New England Revolution | MLS | 1,337.7 |
| 18 | Houston Dynamo | MLS | 1,315.9 |
| 19 | New York Cosmos | NASL | 1,304.4 |
| 20 | Minnesota United | NASL | 1,281.9 |
| 21 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | NASL | 1,276.4 |
| 22 | Richmond Kickers | USL PRO | 1,267.8 |
| 23 | Chivas USA | MLS | 1,256.8 |
| 24 | Carolina RailHawks | NASL | 1,240.6 |
| 25 | San Antonio Scorpions | NASL | 1,233.3 |
| 26 | Montreal Impact | MLS | 1,229.4 |
| 27 | Atlanta Silverbacks | NASL | 1,211.2 |
| 28 | FC Edmonton | NASL | 1,192.2 |
| 29 | Sacramento Republic | USL PRO | 1,177.2 |
| 30 | Charleston Battery | USL PRO | 1,166.8 |
| 31 | Ottawa Fury | NASL | 1,166.7 |
| 32 | LA Galaxy II | USL PRO | 1,164.6 |
| 33 | Harrisburg City Islanders | USL PRO | 1,162.4 |
| 34 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | NASL | 1,160.7 |
| 35 | Charlotte Eagles | USL PRO | 1,150.4 |
| 36 | Wilmington Hammerheads | USL PRO | 1,141.0 |
| 37 | Indy Eleven | NASL | 1,134.6 |
| 38 | Montreal Impact Res. | MLS Reserve | 1,112.9 |
| 39 | Michigan Bucks | PDL | 1,110.5 |
| 40 | Chicago Fire Res. | MLS Reserve | 1,108.3 |
| 41 | Rochester Rhinos | USL PRO | 1,108.1 |
| 42 | Real Salt Lake Res. | MLS Reserve | 1,097.6 |
| 43 | Arizona United | USL PRO | 1,096.8 |
| 44 | Reading United | PDL | 1,096.6 |
| 45 | FC Dallas Res. | MLS Reserve | 1,093.7 |
| 46 | Kitsap Pumas | PDL | 1,091.5 |
| 47 | OKC Energy | USL PRO | 1,091.2 |
| 48 | Seattle Sounders Res. | MLS Reserve | 1,089.5 |
| 49 | New York RB Res. | MLS Reserve | 1,088.1 |
| 50 | Jersey Express | PDL | 1,087.0 |
| 51 | Austin Aztex | PDL | 1,086.1 |
| 52 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | USL PRO | 1,085.7 |
| 53 | Thunder Bay Chill | PDL | 1,080.8 |
| 54 | Colorado Rapids Res. | MLS Reserve | 1,078.7 |
| 55 | Des Moines Menace | PDL | 1,069.2 |
| 56 | Laredo Heat | PDL | 1,068.1 |
| 57 | Orange County Blues | USL PRO | 1,067.7 |
| 58 | Chivas USA Res. | MLS Reserve | 1,066.6 |
| 59 | Dayton Dutch Lions | USL PRO | 1,066.2 |
| 60 | Ocala Stampede | PDL | 1,064.1 |
| 61 | Forest City London | PDL | 1,062.2 |
| 62 | Tucson | PDL | 1,061.9 |
| 63 | Ventura County Fusion | PDL | 1,058.9 |
| 64 | Carolina Dynamo | PDL | 1,053.4 |
| 65 | Victoria Highlanders | PDL | 1,049.9 |
| 66 | Long Island Rough Riders | PDL | 1,049.0 |
| 67 | Ocean City Nor'easters | PDL | 1,046.2 |
| 68 | Fresno Fuego | PDL | 1,038.1 |
| 69 | Orlando City II | PDL | 1,035.0 |
| 70 | Portland Timbers II | PDL | 1,034.1 |
| 71 | Chicago Fire II | PDL | 1,022.1 |
| 72 | Western Mass Pioneers | PDL | 1,020.1 |
| 73 | Vancouver Whitecaps II | PDL | 1,014.7 |
| 74 | West Virginia Chaos | PDL | 1,013.9 |
| 75 | Orange County Blue Star | PDL | 1,013.5 |
| 76 | Seattle Sounders II | PDL | 1,013.3 |
| 77 | San Jose Earthquakes II | PDL | 1,010.5 |
| 78 | Baltimore Bohemians | PDL | 1,010.0 |
| 79 | CFC Azul | PDL | 1,005.0 |
| 80 | Academy Bradenton | PDL | 1,004.8 |
| 81 | Cincinnati Dutch Lions | PDL | 1,004.8 |
| 82 | Mississippi Brilla | PDL | 1,004.1 |
| 83 | Beach Pirates | PDL | 1,001.4 |
| 84 | Montreal Impact II | PDL | 1,000.7 |
| 85 | BYU Cougars | PDL | 997.4 |
| 86 | Los Angeles Misioneros | PDL | 995.8 |
| 87 | Albuquerque Sol | PDL | 995.6 |
| 88 | Seacoast United Phantoms | PDL | 994.8 |
| 89 | Las Vegas Mobsters | PDL | 991.2 |
| 90 | K-W United | PDL | 990.7 |
| 91 | SW Florida Adrenaline | PDL | 989.8 |
| 92 | Portland Phoenix | PDL | 988.7 |
| 93 | Northern Virginia Royals | PDL | 986.3 |
| 94 | Real Colorado Foxes | PDL | 983.9 |
| 95 | Lane United | PDL | 983.8 |
| 96 | Real Boston Rams | PDL | 980.0 |
| 97 | SWV King's Warriors | PDL | 979.4 |
| 98 | SC United Bantams | PDL | 978.4 |
| 99 | Midland / Odessa Sockers | PDL | 975.3 |
| 100 | Riverhounds II | PDL | 974.4 |
Move over, SEC: Why the Pac-12 will be the nation’s best football conference.
By Pat Forde
The programming pom-pom wavers at CBS and ESPN don’t want to hear it. Paul Finebaum’s collection of crazies doesn’t want to hear it. The “SEC! SEC! SEC!” chanters don’t want to hear it.
But hear this: The Pac-12 should be the premier conference in college football in 2014. To quote Jim Morrison, the West is the best.
In a watershed year when access to the national title is broader than ever, Larry Scott’s league has three important things going for it:
• The deepest pool of proven coaches it has ever had.
• The finest collection of quarterbacks in the nation. By a wide margin.
• The toughest schedules anywhere, in a year when strength of schedule (allegedly) will matter more than ever.
The combination may not yield a national champion, but it almost certainly will yield a College Football Playoff participant – and if things break right, possibly even two. Which could cause some folks south of the Mason-Dixon Line to threaten secession once again.
“The Pac-12 is probably better than it's ever been,” said Arizona’s Rich Rodriguez, “and it's not going backwards.”
Rodriguez is one of 10 league coaches who have had at least one 10-win season in their careers – in fact, he’s had three of those. He’s also one of four league coaches to have won a BCS bowl. With the addition of Boise State mastermind Chris Petersen (seven 10-win seasons and two BCS bowl wins) and the deletion of Lane Kiffin, no conference had a bigger year-over-year sideline upgrade than the Pac-12.
This is also Year Three for Rodriguez at Arizona, Todd Graham at Arizona State, Jim Mora at UCLA and Mike Leach at Washington State. All four immediately improved their programs, and the recruiting and strategic imprints should be indelible by now. They have helped elevate the middle and lower class of the league in a substantive way.
“I think our coaching and our conference has been phenomenal, continues to be phenomenal,” said Stanford’s David Shaw. “Our coaching roster, I'd put it up against anybody.”
What the Pac-12 must prove now is that it has a championship-caliber coach. Pete Carroll was that guy at USC (despite all those vacated wins). Chip Kelly was close to being that guy at Oregon (until the NFL and NCAA Enforcement both came calling). Jim Harbaugh could have been that guy at Stanford.
USC blew its first chance at succeeding Carroll by hiring Kiffin; now it will try again with another former Carroll assistant in Steve Sarkisian. Oregon promoted from within with Mark Helfrich, who won 11 games his first season as a head coach and still had people wondering if he’s the right man for the job. Shaw has done an excellent job of maintaining Harbaugh’s momentum at Stanford, taking the Cardinal to three straight BCS bowls.
If anyone appears poised to become the straw boss of the league, it’s Mora. He’s repurposed previously soft UCLA as a tougher team, and ramped up recruiting in a hurry.
“I think you can make a case of what Jim Mora has done in the last two years at UCLA is as good as what anybody's done in the nation,” Shaw said. “As far as rebuilding a program or given a program an identity or recruiting-wise, as far as what they've done and style of play, they've become a physical, get-after-you football team. … He's built something in UCLA that was not there before.”
Of course, Mora also has an absolute stud at quarterback in Brett Hundley, who surprised a lot of people by turning down the NFL draft. But UCLA hardly has the Pac-12 market cornered on great quarterback play.
Ten of the 12 teams have a returning starter. Six of them threw for more than 3,000 yards in 2013.
Five of them accounted for 34 or more touchdowns. Of the top 20 national returnees in pass efficiency, five are from the Pac-12.
“I don't think there is a conference that's close in terms of the quality of quarterbacks,” Mora said.
Marcus Mariota of Oregon is the headliner and will start the season as Jameis Winston’s strongest competition for the Heisman Trophy. Hundley is not far behind. Stanford’s Kevin Hogan doesn’t sling it a lot, but he has led the Cardinal to consecutive Pac-12 titles and Rose Bowl berths. Cody Kessler flourished in the second half of last season at USC. Taylor Kelly of Arizona State has amassed nearly 7,800 yards of total offense in two years as the starter. Sean Mannion of Oregon State (4,662 yards) and Connor Halliday of Washington State (4,597) are the top two returnees in the nation in 2013 passing yardage. Utah, California and Colorado form the league’s basement, but all have hopes for a rebound behind proven QBs.
“It's not like you have 10 returning quarterbacks and some of them can't play dead in a Western or something like that,” Rodriguez said. “I mean, they're all good.”
Something else that’s nearly all good: the Pac-12 schedules. This could be a huge factor in the College Football Playoff race if the selection committee practices what it has preached.
At present, no other power-five conference plays nine league games and a league championship game. The divisional champions will endure a 10-game gauntlet.
And then there is the non-conference slate. This is not a league full of teams looking to exclusively schedule FCS and low-end FBS softies. Among the non-conference games: UCLA against Texas in Arlington; Utah at Michigan; Michigan State at Oregon; and three Pac-12 teams (USC, Stanford and Arizona State) take on Notre Dame.
All total, 29.7 percent of the league’s non-conference games are against teams from power-five conferences or Notre Dame. The SEC, by comparison, plays 19.6 percent of its non-league games against power-five opponents.
So between the ninth conference game and the willingness to play a 10th quality opponent, the Pac-12 has set the bar in terms of strength of schedule.
"I know the SEC and rightfully so, they should claim themselves as the best league in the country because they've earned it and they've done it,” Rodriguez said. “But to go through the Pac-12 and win a national championship may be the most difficult thing to do. … So a lot of teams have a championship game, but they don't have non-conference games. We have both. So I think it makes us unique. That on top of the fact that every program in our league, I think, has gotten better, or getting better than they've ever been before, makes our league a pretty good spot.”
It makes the Pac-12 the best spot – at least on paper – in 2014.
NCAA files intent to appeal O'Bannon decision.
By MICHAEL MAROT (AP Sports Writer)
The NCAA has notified the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that it intends to appeal a judge's ruling in the Ed O'Bannon case that it violated antitrust laws.
Austin Hatch, who twice survived plane crashes, plays for Michigan.
NCAA files intent to appeal O'Bannon decision.
By MICHAEL MAROT (AP Sports Writer)
In this July 9, 2014, file photo, NCAA President Mark Emmert scratches his forehead as he testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation hearing on the NCAA's treatment of athletes. At left is Dr. Richard M. Southall, Associate Professor, Department of Sport and Entertainment Management. The NCAA faces an awkward challenge when it appeals the Ed O'Bannon ruling. Antitrust attorneys believe the governing body's strongest argument may be attacking the monetary cap imposed by the federal judge in her decision _ a cap many schools would need to keep their sports alive. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)
The NCAA has notified the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that it intends to appeal a judge's ruling in the Ed O'Bannon case that it violated antitrust laws.
U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken ruled Aug. 8 that the NCAA broke the law by restricting schools from providing money beyond current scholarship limits to athletes. She said schools should be allowed to place up to $5,000 per athlete per year of competition into a trust fund for football players and men's basketball players, which they could collect after leaving school.
A formal appeal has not yet been submitted, but NCAA chief legal officer Donald Remy issued a statement Thursday.
"We are appealing the Court's decision because we do not believe the NCAA has violated the antitrust laws,'' he said. ''In its decision, the Court acknowledged that changes to the rules that govern college athletics would be better achieved outside the courtroom, and the NCAA continues to believe that the association and its members are best positioned to evolve its rules and processes to better serve student-athletes.''
Remy also noted that the NCAA has been discussing ways to improve the ''student-athlete experience'' even before the lawsuit was filed, and through the recent decision to give the five richest football conferences more power over the rule-making process.
What's unclear is how the NCAA's legal team will attack Wilken's ruling in a court that has traditionally been more favorable to labor, or in this case the athletes. A recent study from the University of Illinois shows the NCAA wins about 71 percent in the second and third rounds in court, and some believe this case could be headed the U.S. Supreme Court. Remy has promised to take it there, if necessary.
Earlier this week, NCAA officials declined an interview request with The Associated Press to discuss the case. But antitrust and labor attorneys believe the NCAA's strongest argument might be against the financial cap, a part of the decision the NCAA initially lauded.
''If she's right that these restrictions are an unreasonable restraint of trade then the cap doesn't make any sense,'' said Robert McTamaney, an antitrust lawyer with the firm of Carter, Ledyard & Milburn. ''Then student-athletes should be able to negotiate for whatever they can get.''
Labor attorney Joseph Farelli, who works for the New York-based law firm of Pitta & Giblin, said the NCAA had to file the appeal.
Otherwise, he noted, it could open the NCAA or its member schools to more potential litigation for athletes who are not receiving additional money, including women's athletes who could cite Title IX law.
''I would expect them to appeal it because now you're going to have a permanent injunction that says the NCAA can't regulate what colleges do with their student-athletes,'' Farelli said. ''If they don't appeal now you have federal court precedent.''
Austin Hatch, who twice survived plane crashes, plays for Michigan.
By Rob Dauster
It’s hard to imagine a kid going through more in his life than what Michigan freshman Austin Hatch has been through.
In 2011, nine days after he committed to Michigan, Hatch was in a plane crash that left him in a medically-induced coma and killed his father, who was piloting the plane, and stepmother. It was the second time that he had lost family members in a crash involving his father. When Hatch was eight, he survived a crash that killed his mother, sister and brother.
Hatch couldn’t walk or talk when he awoke from that coma back in 2011. On Sunday, he played basketball for Michigan, checking in with three minutes remaining in the Wolverine’s first game on their Italian tour.
“It was a special moment,” Beilein said of Hatch’s appearance on the court. “Austin even led us in the fight song after the game was over. It’s something he has worked very hard for. It was a great moment for our team; however, it was truly special for Austin and his grandfather, Jim, who was here in the stands.”
Hatch didn’t do much in those three minutes, as he didn’t score, shoot, grab a rebound or do anything that showed up in the box score, but he didn’t have to.
He played.
And the simple fact that he is still here — alive and able to attend college, let alone play Big Ten basketball — is what makes him the single-best story in the country. We talk a lot about survival, and perseverance, and toughness, and resiliency when it comes to college basketball. Sports in general, really. Normally, it doesn’t mean much more than a team winning a game after they were trailing early on. With Hatch, those words are quite literal.
After the game, Hatch led the Wolverines in The Victors.
“It was unreal,” he told MLive.com. “To lead the team in the fight song after the game is a big tradition. I learned that early on in the recruiting process and watched U-M sing it a lot on my visits. I always thought to myself, ‘I hope someday I am in position to be able to do that.’ Just like everything else that happened today, it was just unreal to be able to do that.”
U.S. Open men's singles draw - analysis.
By Stephanie Myles
It's not as though Rafael Nadal is a slam-dunk to win in New York. Far from it, even if the last three times he has played it he has reached the final once and won it twice, including a year ago.
So his not-surprising decision to miss it leaves a hole and none of the top contenders, from a tennis point of view, would be too upset to see his name missing from the draw.
On summer form, this is a wide-open event. Top seed Novak Djokovic was sort of a newlywed ghost during his two rather brief appearances in tune-up events in Toronto and Cincinnati. No. 3 seed Stan Wawrinka still seems to be suffering some late Australian Open reverb, because he's not anywhere close to the player he was in January when he became the first outside the "top group" to pull off a major.
In form? No. 2 seed Roger Federer. And Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the No. 9 seed, who won the Canadian event in Toronto and defeated four top-10 players to do it.
Canadian Milos Raonic also is in good form despite a lopsided loss to Federer in Cincinnati. He won the ATP 500 event in Washington, D.C., reached the quarter-finals in Toronto and the semi-finals in Cincinnati. That was good enough to win the "U.S. Open Series" crown. And he does not have Federer, against whom he is now 0-6, in his half.
Here are the paths to the final four for some of the contenders; we grade them from A to D (A being the relatively easier draw, D being a tough one).
Paths to the final four
[1] Novak Djokovic
Diego Schwartzman (ARG) -----> Gilles Muller (LUX) -----> [28] Garcia-Lopez / Querrey -----> [13] John Isner -----> [8] Murray / [9] Tsonga -----> [3] Wawrinka / [5] Raonic.
Draw grade: C-. Potentially three big servers in a row in Muller, Querrey, Isner. Then possibly the winner of Murray and Tsonga. Big challenge.
[2] Roger Federer (SUI)
Marinko Matosevic (AUS) -----> Sam Groth (AUS) -----> [25] Ivo Karlovic (CRO) -----> [15] Fognini / [17] Bautista-Agut -----> [7] Dimitrov / [20] Monfils -----> [4] Ferrer / [6] Berdych
Draw grade: A. We're not handing him the trophy just yet. But no Djokovic in his half, no Tsonga, no Murray, and a potential quarter-final opponent against him he has a crazy-good record either way. And we know he can handle the big servers. It's all there for him.
[3] Stan Wawrinka (SUI)
Jiri Vesely (CZE) -----> Nicolas Mahut (FRA) -----> [30] Jérémy Chardy (FRA) -----> [16] Robredo / [21] Youzhny (or Kyrgios or Pospisil) -----> [5] Milos Raonic (CAN) -----> [1] Novak Djokovic (SRB)
Draw grade: B. It doesn't seem quite as potentially routine as Federer's draw, and it can't ever be an "A" simply because Wawrinka isn't playing that well. But it's not bad.
[5] Milos Raonic (CAN)
Qualifier -----> Benjamin Becker (GER) -----> [29] Lukas Rosol (CZE) -----> [10] Kei Nishikori (JPN) -----> [3] Stan Wawrinka -----> [1] Novak Djokovic (SRB)
Draw grade: B+. A healthy Nishikori – and that's a question mark – is the type of player who could give him fits in the round of 16.
Draw grade: B+. A healthy Nishikori – and that's a question mark – is the type of player who could give him fits in the round of 16.
[8] Andy Murray (GBR)
Robin Haase (NED) -----> Radek Stepanek (CZE) -----> [31] Fernando Verdasco (ESP) -----> [9] Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) -----> [1] Novak Djokovic (SRB) -----> [3] Wawrinka / [5] Raonic
Draw grade: D. Worse than Djokovic's, with some talented, tricky customers in every single round. Just about the worst-case scenario.
[9] Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA)
Juan Mónaco (ARG) -----> Aleksandr Nedovyesov (KAZ) -----> [24] Julien Benneteau (FRA) -----> [8] Andy Murray (GBR) -----> [1] Novak Djokovic (SRB) -----> [3] Wawrinka / [5] Raonic.
Draw grade: B. Tsonga looks good until the matchup with Murray which, on current form, has to have him as the favorite.
First-round matches to watch
[17] Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) vs. Juan Mónaco (ARG): One for the ladies; no doubt some of the gents, too.
[24] Julien Benneteau (FRA) vs. Benoît Paire (FRA): The great thing about the French players is that they're all so ... different from one another. There's no cookie-cutter at the French Tennis Federation. And this is one of those "opposites attract" matchups between the workmanlike Benneteau and the mercurial Paire, a matchup in which the backhands will trump the forehands.
[6] Tomas Berdych (CZE) vs. Lleyton Hewitt (AUS): Every Grand Slam Hewitt plays could conceivable be his last time through that city, although he's given no indication he's wrapping it up. Berdych isn't in peak form; this one could be a battle.
[8] Andy Murray (GBR) vs. Robin Haase (NED): Haase has never lived up to his promise, really. But the last time he played Murray at the U.S. Open, in the second round in 2011, Murray had to come back from an 0-2 set deficit to win in five.
[21] Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) vs. Nick Kyrgios (AUS): Youzhny, who seems to be winding it down, has shown only occasional signs of life this year. Kyrgios, the 19-year-old Wimbedon sensation (he upset Rafael Nadal there), went back home to Australia for a break after Wimbledon. He lost in the second round in Toronto to Murray, and pulled out of the Cincinnati qualifying because of "bone stress in his left arm." He's probably fine, but he's short on matches, it's best-of-five sets, and Youzhny has a lot of experience.
Bernard Tomic (AUS) vs. Dustin Brown (GER): A terrific clash of game styles and on-court personalities here. Call it "Dreddy vs. Bernie".
U.S. Open women's singles draw - analysis.
By Stephanie Myles
As with the men, the absence of the No. 2 seed, in this case Li Na of China, throws everything a little out of whack.
But there still is a nice balance among the top four seeds, split between the heavy hitters – Serena Williams and Petra Kvitova – and the great movers with more finesse in Simona Halep and Agnieszka Radwanska.
The heavy hitters are in the top half; the "finessers" are in the bottom half.
Arguably the two most dangerous players outside the top 10, health permitting, could prove to be big obstacles at the beginning of the second week as No. 16 Victoria Azarenka (last year's runner-up to Serena Williams) stands in Kvitova's way, and No. 19 seed Venus Williams in Halep's way as early as the fourth round.
Of course, they all have to get there.
Here's how the draws could shake out for the top contenders. We grade the difficulty of their respective draws from A to D (A being the relatively easiest, D the biggest challenge with possible early roadblocks).
Path to the semis
[1] Serena Williams
Taylor Townsend (USA) ----> Francesca Schiavone (ITA) ----> [32] Zhang/Barthel ----> [15] Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP) / [24] Samantha Stosur (AUS) ----> [8] Ana Ivanovic ----> [3] Kvitova / [7] Bouchard / [16] Azarenka.
Draw grade: A. Assuming Serena is on form, it's difficult to see big red flags before the semi-final even if Ivanovic does have some confidence in that matchup.
[2] Simona Halep
[WC] Danielle Collins (USA) ----> Jana Cepelova (SVK) ----> [25] Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP) ----> [19] Venus Williams ----> [5] Maria Sharapova ----> [4] Radwanska / [6] Kerber (maybe Safarova in there with a shot).
Draw grade: D. An in-form Venus is a major challenge as early as the fourth round, and then there is Sharapova. And, possibly, even Muguruza in the third round.
[3] Petra Kvitova
Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) ----> Klara Koulakova (CZE) ----> [27] Madison Keys (USA) ----> [16] Victoria Azarenka ----> [7] Bouchard / [17] Makarova ----> [1] Serena Williams
Draw grade: B. Azarenka is a potential issue but if Kvitova is playing her game, she should make the final four.
[5] Maria Sharapova
Maria Kirileno (RUS) ----> Kristyna Pliskova (CZE) ----> [26] Sabine Lisicki (GER) ----> [10] Wozniacki / [18] Petkovic ----> [2] Halep / [19] Venus ----> [4] Radwanska / [6] Kerber (maybe Safarova in there with a shot).
Draw grade: B. Lisicki can beat anyone on a given day. IF that day is in the third round, there could be trouble.
[7] Genie Bouchard
Olga Govortsova (BLR) ----> Heather Watson (GBR) ----> [30] Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (CZE) ----> [12] Cibulkova / [17] Makarova ----> [3] Petra Kvitova ----> [1] Serena Williams
Draw grade: A. The short-on-confidence Bouchard had the draw gods smile upon her. Good players, all. But the path is there to make it to the quarter-finals which, given her summer, would be a good result.
First-round matches to watch
They're African-American, but the resemblance ends there as the teenager Townsend's net-rushing style and lefty guile makes her unique. Townsend likes the spotlight; she'll get the brightest one against this generation's tennis queen, in an American vs. American matchup at American's Grand Slam.
There are 14 years, 17 years as professionals, and about $56 million in on-court earnings separating them.
[19] Venus Williams (USA) vs. Kimiko Date-Krumm (JPN)
One of the best women's matches in recent memory was a second-round encounter between the two, under the Centre Court roof at Wimbledon in 2011. Venus won, 8-6 in the third set.
This one likely won't come close to matching it. But every match the immortal Date-Krumm plays – she'll turn 44 next month – is a victory.
Want some perspective? Here's Date-Krumm in the Wimbedon semi-finals against Steffi Graf, back in ... 1996.
During Sharapova's long career, compatriot Kirilenko is the only player who has even been mentioned in the same paragraph with "friends on Tour". But we've not heard that mentioned in awhile as they've gone their own way. Kirilenko hasn't beaten Sharapova in a long time, and she has barely played this year between knee problems and the broken engagement with hockey superstar Alex Ovechkin. But it will be interesting to see if there's any warmth at all between the two on court.
Donna Vekic (CRO) vs. Coco Vandeweghe (USA)
After an initial splash, the 18-year-old Croat has settled in at No. 79 and is experiencing the ups and downs most young players go through on Tour. Vandeweghe seems to be just coming into her own now at 22. A hard-hitting match, and a first-time meeting.
[3] Petra Kvitova vs. Kristina Mladenovic (FRA)
Mladenovic, just 21, seems to have everything she needs to get to the top - including a terrific serve and a love for the spotlight. What she's missing is the consistency from week to week, the willingness to grind it out when the spotlight isn't shining as brightly. She already has two Grand Slam titles, in mixed doubles with Canadian Daniel Nestor. And she does have a win over Kvitova, albeit at home in Paris where she tends to play her best.
[12] Dominika Cibulkova vs. [WC] Catherine (CiCi) Bellis (USA)
Cibulkova, the Australian Open finalist, is really struggling to put together wins. She'll face a 15-year-old American from San Francisco who is the No. 2 ranked junior in the world and has nothing to lose in her major debut.
Bellis's ITF ranking is a little misleading, since it's a combined ranking with doubles (in which she has done very well) and while she has dominated in the U.S. tournaments, she "only" made the third round at the junior French Open and lost in the first round at Wimbledon. But Bellis is only 15; many of her junior opponents are 2-3 years older. She has played just four pro events in her career, none higher than a $25,000, and earned her wild card by winning the USTA girls' 18-and-under championship two weeks ago.
[9] Jelena Jankovic (SRB) vs Bojana Jovanovski (SRB)
The younger Serbs seem generally to have bonded with Jankovic, who was a Fed Cup stalwart for several years before wrapping it up in 2012. She will be the quiet one while Jovanovski will be the squeaky, noisy one, in case you can't tell them apart.
Just out of the seeds with a ranking of No. 35, Jovanovski has a win in three matches against Jankovic, in Beijing back in 2010.
On This Date in Sports History: Today is Friday, August 22, 2014.
MemoriesofHistory.com
1950 - Althea Gibson became the first black tennis player to be accepted into a national competition.
1951 - 75,052 people watched the Harlem Globetrotters perform. It was the largest crowd to see a basketball game.
1972 - Due to its racial policies, Rhodesia was asked to withdraw from the 20th Olympic Summer Games.
1989 - Nolan Ryan became the first major league pitcher to strike out 5,000 batters.
2001 - Brett Hull signed a 2 year deal for $9 million with the Detroit Redwings.
2003 - Albert Pujols (St. Louis Cardinals) went 0-5 to end a 30-game hitting streak.
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