CS&T/AllsportsAmerica Friday Sports News Update and What's Your Take? 10/31/2014.

Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica

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Sports Quote of the Day:

"Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try." ~ Gail Devers, Three Time Olympic Gold Medalist

Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Opinion: The Bears have a bye this week. Anything is possible but very improbable. We hate to be the bearers of bad news and say, "The Bears season is over,"  however, We truly don't see the Bears in this year's NFL's playoff picture. We always advocate for Chicago's sports teams and try to remain the eternal optimist and this is no exception. We hope and pray that our Bears can turn the ship around. It's never too late and again, anything is possible. Below are two articles with different sports writers thoughts on our beloved Bears. Read them and if you so desire, go to the comments section at the bottom of the blog and express your views. We'd love to know how you feel!!!
 
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!! Analysts: Bears' problems are more than just Jay Cutler.
  
By Rich Campbell

Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski gets up after a reception against Bears linebacker Shea McClellin in the second quarter. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

Quarterback Jay Cutler’s inconsistency protecting the ball is a major reason why the Chicago Bears are a disappointing 3-5. But their list of problems is much longer than that, as Sunday’s 51-23 loss to the New England Patriots reminded us.

“Jay gets a lot of criticism, and that comes with the territory,” said Louis Riddick, former director of pro personnel for the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins and current ESPN analyst. “But as I much as I respect (general manager) Phil Emery, they’re just flawed in their construction. The people there, if they’re honest about it, they know that they are.”

Emery and coach Marc Trestman have acknowledged deficiencies in all three phases. Whether it be poor linebacker play or punt coverage, the issues amount to more than Cutler can overcome playing at his current level.

Riddick shared his thoughts about them in a recent phone interview, and former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher offered his perspective Tuesday on a teleconference involving several Thursday Night Football analysts from CBS and NFL Network.

“With Jay, they want him to be…the deodorant for everything else that’s wrong, and he’s just not,” Riddick said. “That’s what falls back on you as a team builder. You’ve got to make it all smell better by your ability to build it right and the coaches’ ability to adapt and make up the difference.

"It’ll be a total organizational collapse if it doesn’t turn out, and if they pull out of it, it’s going to because everyone pulls their weight.”

Cowher’s first focus was a defense the Patriots left in ruins. Yes, the unit has improved in several categories. Its yards allowed per play is down from a league-worst 6.2 in 2013 to 6.0 (25th in NFL) through eight games. But those strides seemed more insignificant with each touchdown the Patriots scored.

“That wasn’t Jay Cutler playing defense,” Cowher said. “That wasn’t him trying to cover a tackle and do those things. I still think he’s a good quarterback. I think he does have leadership -- it's not one of his strong suits. But at the same time, you can win with him, but he needs to have a better defense around him that gives that team a chance. They can’t rely on him not to keep throwing the ball like he does because he does get careless at times.”

Riddick was sharper and more specific with his critique.

“It’s easy to say, well, the reason why in Chicago we won’t win any Super Bowls is because of Jay Cutler,” he said. “That’s not true, either. Their defense is horrific. They’re not going to win any Super Bowls with that defense. I can tell you that.

“The defense is weak right down the middle. (Tackle Jeremiah) Ratliff is starting to look like the guy who they hoped he would be when they acquired him. They still don’t have the kind of production out of Will Sutton and Ego Ferguson that they need. They have no one, really, in the middle of the defense at the linebacker position as far as their production and/or from a leadership perspective, which is why Brandon Marshall now is the spokesman of the football team and none of the signal callers are -- the quarterback is not, the linebacker is not.

“(Safety) Ryan Mundy is an average football player. (Safety) Chris Conte is guy who they’ve been trying to replace, and Brock Vereen is just a young rookie. They’re kind of flawed from a composition perspective when you’re looking at leadership at those crucial signal-caller positions, and they’re deficient as far as their skill sets. So, yes, they have some nice individual pieces on the perimeter; football teams are built inside-out, down the middle. That’s where they’re flawed, defensively in particular.”

Riddick and Cowher each see deficiencies in the offensive line, which has suffered from injuries to four out of five starters since the regular season began.

“They keep talking about this great offensive line; I don’t think it’s a good offensive line,” Cowher said. “I mean, when you have to sit there and protect your tackle, and you’re playing at home, and you have to put two tight ends against the edges and you’re talking about an offense that throws the ball vertically down the field, so you’re holding the ball longer.

“They’re really kind of unconventional in today’s passing game. They don’t use a lot of screens. They got rid of Devin Hester, who gave them a little element of that. They’re a vertical passing team that doesn’t have a great offensive line, so (Cutler) is not holding the ball quickly. So at times, when he does have time, and people can’t generate a rush, the guy’s accurate. But he gets banged around a little bit. He gets rattled. I think they have some offensive line issues on offense.”

Besides the personnel around Cutler, Riddick’s and Cowher’s comments made it clear that at the national level, Cutler continues to fight perceptions about his leadership no matter how much Emery and Trestman praise his work ethic and investment in the organization.

Riddick questions the quality of Cutler’s situation play, and “that becomes even more magnified because when you watch him get up there during press conferences during the week or immediately following a game, you just want more,” he said.

Said Cowher: “I think he’s a good quarterback but a poor leader. And I think that’s the thing at times a quarterback, though -- at times -- may not have to be the greatest quarterback, but they need to be the leader and take control when the bullets start to fly. And sometimes I feel like when the bullets are starting to fly around Jay, he’s not at his best. And at times I think he’s a detriment; just his body language, his inability at times to take the moment and seize it and be a leader.

"All the great quarterbacks, and you watch them, it’s when the bullets start to fly, they take control of the situation, and that football team (Chicago) isn’t going to go where Jay goes.”

All of those issues are why Riddick, with his personnel background, considers Emery's evaluation of Cutler as most critical to the Bears' future.

"This is where your team-building chops are really put to the test as a general manager because what are you going to do?" Riddick said. "You’re in purgatory. Cutler is not a franchise guy that’s going to lift everyone else. So how can you build it around him to kind of lift him so he can take you where you want to go? If you don’t want to look at it that way, you’re going to constantly have this kind of narrative surrounding your football team."
                                                       
'Balance' remarks point to possible change in Bears offensive mindset.

By John Mullin

Chicago Bears Head Coach Marc Trestman (L) and General Manager Phil Emery (R)

Whether it is too late or not remains to play out over the next nine weeks or so. But in perhaps one of the few positives emerging from the disastrous first half of this season and from Monday’s comments by general manager Phil Emery and head coach Marc Trestman gave indications of learning a lesson that Mike Martz, among others, never quite grasped.

The “lesson” was balance, reaching an equilibrium on offense that made use of the run as both an end in itself and as an adjunct to slowing pass rushes and protecting a quarterback. And part of the lesson involves knowing what Jay Cutler is. And isn’t.

Emery cited “the lack of consistency and working together to get it done in terms of being error-free and continuing to stay on time, so you can build a balance of what you're doing run-pass.”

 Trestman added: “And I’ve got to do a better job of that. I do have to do a better job with that and that comes with our first-down productivity has to be better. We have to get it where it was the year ago where we’re in continuity with the chains and we’re in second-and-manageable situations and so forth.”

“Balance” is never a goal, more an objective, a means to achieving the real goal – winning – but Trestman has appeared to some to have scant interest in that approach.

With some justification. The Bears were not especially run-pass balanced vs. the 49ers and Jets, yet won both games by eight points. And they ran 41 times vs. 37 pass plays in being crushed by the Green Bay Packers in the next game.

But one impression from Monday’s remarks by Trestman and Emery was that they have an increasing understanding of Cutler.

He is not a quarterback who can consistently win games with his arm, if only because he does not have ball security as his ultimate default setting. A recurrent theme from too many opposing defensive players is that the NFL knows that if Cutler is forced to settle for check-downs or work underneath, eventually he will make a game-altering mistake, either interception or fumble.

The Dallas “model”

The Dallas Cowboys came to a similar realization this season when a chronically underachieving offense tilted away from Tony Romo’s arm and toward a balance based on DeMarco Murray’s legs and not just Romo’s passing, which could too often be counted on to provide critical turnovers.

This year has been different, in multiple ways:

Year | Run:Pass % | Record

2011 | 40:60 | 8-8
2012 | 40:60 | 8-8
2013 | 35:65 | 8-8
2014 | 50:50 | 6-2

The Cowboys were 51-percent run before Monday, when they rushed 25 times (for 166 yards) vs. 39 pass plays, even with Romo missing part of the second half with a back injury. Romo was sacked five times and the Cowboys lost in overtime.

“You have to continue to keep a balance of sorts, understanding that you may not gain a lot of yards per carry,” offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer said. “But if you just drop back and pass it the whole game, they will get active and hit your quarterback.”

A suspect underlying mindset

The Bears have trailed by 10 or more at halftime in four of their eight games. They lost three of them.

“We gotta get ourselves in a position, score-wise, where we can [balance] from the get-go, and part of that is starting faster,” Emery said. “When you’re playing Miami and you’re down 14-0 at home, you’re going to have to pass the football.”

Actually, no.

While conventional wisdom – and Bears thinking – is that getting down by a couple scores means needing to throw to catch up, two things are wrong with that: One, the Bears are built to theoretically be able to out-score opponents (they scored 21 in the fourth quarter to defeat San Francisco) by either air or land; and two, Cutler’s turnover tendencies make putting the comeback solely on his arm a suspect strategy.

It worked in San Francisco, and it worked last year in Cleveland, where Cutler engineered the comeback that stamped him as “franchise” in Emery’s thinking. But Cutler is not Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers or other elite passers who are so ball-secure in their passing.

The Bears have enough in Matt Forte (with help from Ka’Deem Carey) that they do not need to continue relying on a quarterback whose tendencies have not, by Emery’s own assessment, fundamentally changed from his days at Vanderbilt, through Denver and through five-and-a-half seasons in Chicago.

How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks 5, Senators 4, (Shootout)

By Chris Kue
                                                                    

                                                   
The summary

Patrick Sharp scored the winner as the Blackhawks skated to a 5-4 shootout victory over the Senators Thursday night at Canadian Tire Centre. Jonathan Toews had two goals and Marian Hossa and Kris Versteeg each added a goal and an assist in regulation. Mark Stone, Clarke MacArthur, Bobby Ryan and Mika Zibanejad scored in regulation for Ottawa.

Key moment

With the game tied at 3-3 late in the third period, Hossa jumped on a loose puck deep in the Senators zone, spun and fired the puck past goaltender Craig Anderson for the winger's 1,000th career NHL point.

In the nets

Scott Darling started his third consecutive game for the Hawks and posted 28 saves in a relatively solid effort. Anderson had 35 saves.

Chicago Tribune's three stars

1. Hossa: Became the 80th player in NHL history to reach 1,000 points.

2. Toews: Scored two greasy goals to help lift the Hawks' offense out of its doldrums.

3. Duncan Keith, Hawks: Had assist, plus-3 rating and game-high four blocks in 28:12 of ice time.

The quote

"It was a pretty sloppy game, a lot of back-and-forth hockey. We're happy with the way we hung in there and dug it out in the shootout. But no question (it was) a night for Hossa. He not only played great … but to get 1,000 points in the NHL was pretty special and we're glad we can all be a part of it." — Sharp

Roster report
 
Scratches for the Hawks were goaltender Antti Raanta (healthy), defenseman David Rundblad (healthy) and winger Daniel Carcillo (right knee). Sitting for the Senators were Colin Greening, Erik Condra and Mark Borowiecki.

 

Up next

At Maple Leafs, 6 p.m. on Saturday.

Hossa becomes 80th player in NHL history to reach 1,000 points.
 
By CSN Staff

Marian Hossa had a night to remember Thursday in Ottawa.

The 35-year-old right wing recorded an assist and goal in the Blackhawks' , with the goal marking his 1,000th career point.

Hossa becomes the 80th player in NHL history to accomplish the feat, and the fifth to do so in a Blackhawks uniform.

Stan Mikita, Bobby Hull, Denis Savard and Michel Goulet all scored their 1,000th point in Chicago.

Just Another Chicago Bulls Session… Noah, Bulls 'excited' with LeBron, Cavaliers coming to town.

By Mark Strotman

One of Tom Thibodeau's mantras is learning something from each game. And if that's the case, they'll know exactly where they stand among the contenders in the Eastern Conference after Friday night's tilt against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

After knocking off the New York Knicks, 104-80, in their season opener, the Bulls were back at the Advocate Center preparing for their home opener on Halloween.

And though the even-keeled Thibodeau has reiterated that the game is simply 1 of 82 on the schedule, center Joakim Noah admitted that there's a buzz surrounding the team as they ready themselves to square off against the favorites in the East.

"It’s really exciting. A lot of excitement right now," he said. "We’re in a good place, playing against a very good team. So we’re real excited."

 It won't be the first time Noah and the Bulls have faced James' Cavaliers, having squared off against them in a preseason contest in Columbus, Ohio, two weeks ago. In that game, Derrick Rose scored 30 points on 12-for-18 shooting and was matched by Kyrie Irving's 28 points in a 108-97 victory for the Cavaliers.

The biggest headline heading into Friday night's affair, aside from the Bulls home opener, is James' return. After four seasons in Miami, the four-time league MVP made the decision in July to return home to where his NBA career began and where he played the first seven years of his career. At 29 years old, he's in the prime of the career, is the unquestioned greatest player on the planet and, in Chicago, is still public enemy No. 1.

But he's not alone.

"He affects the game a lot of ways, we know that," said Noah, who had three point and six rebounds in 20 minutes against the Knicks. "But we’re focused on what we’re supposed to do right now. They have a lot of talent on their team, it’s not just LeBron. We gotta gameplan for a lot of guys."

Thibodeau, like all opposing coaches, has respect for James, and knows his greatest attribute may be what he does for his teammates.

"He has gotten better. I think experience teaches you a lot when you’re a guy that’s that driven and that smart, along obviously with his great talent," Thibodeau said. "When you put all of that together, those guys always get better. It’s what he’s doing for the rest of the team."

James didn't arrive in Cleveland empty-handed. After the team dealt a pair of No. 1 overall draft picks in Anthony Bennett and Anthony Wiggins for All-NBA forward Kevin Love, they signed veterans Mike Miller, Shawn Marion and James Jones to help complement a young nucleus led by Kyrie Irving.

It was a busy summer for the 22-year-old Irving, and Thibodeau had a front row seat to witness it. Irving became Team USA's starting point guard for the FIBA World Cup - Rose was his backup - and ultimately earned the tournament's MVP in addition to taking home gold for the Americans.

So what exactly did Thibodeau, an assistant for USA Basketball under Mike Krzyzewski, take from Irving's summer?

"You learn how good he is, how great he is. He was terrific, he was incredible. He’s everything I thought he would be. When you coach against him, you understand the pressure he puts on you. Then being around him in the summer and having the opportunity to watch him work, there’s nothing he can’t do," Thibodeau said. "He’s a great shooter, a great pick-and-roll player, he’s a great finisher. I think he sees the game well and came up with big plays when we needed them. He’s tough. He’s a great player. To characterize him as a young guy -- he’s a superstar."

Though the Bulls coasted to an easy win against the Knicks, leading by as many as 33 against a group still learning the triangle offense on the fly, Friday will be a much stiffer test. Even with James, Irving and Love missing time during the preseason with minor injuries, the Cavaliers averaged 104.8 points in seven preseason games. They'll enter Chicago on the second night of a back-to-back after opening their season in Cleveland Thursday against the Knicks.

And though James is the focal point, Thibodeau is preparing his team for a collective challenge that will act as an early-season barometer for where the Bulls stand in the East.

"I think if you do that (focus too much on James) you open it up to everyone else, where they can beat you with the 3, they can beat you with the second shot. LeBron can beat you with the pass, Kyrie’s an unselfish guy, and you can’t overlook a guy like (Dion) Waiters, he’s a really terrific talent who has found his way and whose very explosive," Thibodeau said. "Tristan Thompson’s a tough matchup, Love is a tough matchup."

"They’ve got a lot coming and we have to be ready for everyone."

Rose, Bulls overcome slow start to rout Carmelo, Knicks. Wednesday game, 10/29/2014.

Christian Arnold

The New York Knicks may have jumped to an early 8-2 lead to start the game, but by the end of the contest it was all Bulls.

In Derrick Rose's first game back since suffering a season-ending knee injury last November, he and the Bulls defeated the Knicks, 104-80, in the season opener at Madison Square Garden.

New York went on an 8-2 run through the first four minutes of Wednesday’s opener before the Bulls could settle down and start chipping away at the Knicks' lead. Aaron Brooks gave the Bulls their first lead of the night by hitting a 3-pointer with less than a minute left to make it 21-20 Chicago.

The quarter ended 24-20 and it would be the last time the Knicks would be that close to the Bulls on the scoreboard. By halftime the Bulls amassed a 10-point lead and by the end of three quarters the Bulls led by 24.

The Bulls shot 50 percent from the field and 29 percent (7-24) from beyond the arc, while the Knicks shot just 36 percent in the loss.

Taj Gibson led the Bulls with 22 points, making 10 of his 12 shots off the bench. Pau Gasol grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds, while adding 21 points, and Rose had 13 points, shooting 3-for-7 in the win.

The Bulls square off against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday in their home opener.

How Many Games Every NBA Team Is Projected To Win This Season.

By Cork Gaines

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors are projected to be the best teams during the regular season this year, at least according to Nate Silver's FiveThirtyEight.com projection model.

The model uses each player's projected value for the 2014-15 season and used that to simulate the NBA schedule 10,000 times. The numbers in the chart below represent the average number of wins for each team during the projections.
 

Once again we see just how deep the Western Conference is compared to the weaker East. The Phoenix Suns are projected to go 44-38 and miss the playoffs in the West. Meanwhile, the Charlotte Hornets would make the playoffs in the East with a 37-45 record based on these projections.

 

BusinessInsider.com

Giants win World Series as Bumgarner dominates in relief.

By Jesse Spector

Madison Bumgarner (Getty Images)

After Omar Infante singled to lead off the fifth inning against Bumgarner, Alcides Escobar bunted him over to second. That was the first of 14 straight outs recorded by Bumgarner, who finished the postseason with an incredible 1.03 ERA in 52 2/3 innings, and allowed only one run in 21 innings in the World Series.

Alex Gordon created some late drama with a two-out single in the ninth inning that center fielder Gregor Blanco turned into a virtual triple with a two-base error. Bumgarner responded by getting Salvador Perez to pop out to Pablo Sandoval in front of the third base dugout. Bumgarner was the winning pitcher in three of the Giants' four victories.

The Royals, who scored 10 runs in Game 6 to force the deciding game, got their runs in the second inning on a Gordon RBI double and a sacrifice fly by Infante.

Hudson, the oldest Game 7 starter in World Series history at 39, got only five outs before Bruce Bochy tabbed Affeldt to get out of the second. The 35-year-old former Royals left-hander got Nori Aoki to bounce into a forceout, then worked through the third and fourth innings without giving up a run.

While Affeldt was busy mowing down his old team, the Giants reclaimed the lead, starting the fourth inning with back-to-back singles by their two best hitters in the series, Sandoval and Hunter Pence, off starter Jeremy Guthrie. Both had scored in the second inning, and after Brandon Belt flied out and Ned Yost went to the bullpen for Kelvin Herrera, Sandoval carried home the go-ahead run on Morse’s single.

Morse’s second RBI of the night marked the first time that a National League designated hitter ever made such an impact in a Game 7. Aubrey Huff was the last Senior Circuit DH with two RBI in a World Series game, hitting a two-run homer for the Giants in their 4-0 win over the Rangers in Game 4 in 2010.

Sandoval’s double in the eighth inning made him 3-for-3 and gave him the major league record for hits in a single postseason, with 26.

Home teams had won nine straight Game 7s in the World Series since the Pirates' victory in Baltimore in 1979. The 1982 Cardinals, 1985 Royals, 1986 Mets, 1987 Twins, 1991 Twins, 1997 Marlins, 2001 Diamondbacks, 2002 Angels, and 2011 Cardinals comprised that 35-year run of home dominance.

Home teams are now 1-1 in World Series Game 7s where the site was determined by the winner of the All-Star Game rather than yearly alternation.

Teams in winner-take-all World Series games are now 4-2 when their starting pitcher fails to make it through two innings. Hudson’s outing was the first time that happened since 1960, when Bob Turley lasted only one frame for the Yankees, who lost in Pittsburgh on Bill Mazeroski’s homer in the ninth.

Wednesday night was the second time in World Series history that neither Game 7 starter made it through four innings, joining the Yankees’ victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.

Maddon A No-Brainer For Cubs.

By Phil Rogers

Joe Maddon (Getty Images North America)

Is Joe Maddon coming to Chicago?

It sure looks like it, even if the Cubs are denying a report by CBS Sports' Jon Heyman on Wednesday that they had reached an agreement with him. One way or another, it shouldn't take too long to find out now.

When the final out is made in Game 7 of the World Series, the window opens to announce a marriage that would serve the needs of a franchise that hasn't won a championship in 106 years and a brilliant, people-first manager who has never had the chance to be supported by a big fan base and top-tier revenues.

Maddon and the Cubs? If it doesn't happen at this point, we might one day look back at the lost opportunity like the time Jim Hendry bypassed Bruce Bochy to hire Lou Piniella after the 2006 season.

Nothing against Piniella -- he got the Cubs into the postseason in back-to-back years (2007-2008), the first time that had happened since the day of Tinker to Evers to Chance -- but Piniella was near the end of his managerial career. Bochy was just hitting stride in his, as he's proven in taking the Giants to the World Series three times in the last five years.

Who will be the next National League team to do that?

The easy answers are the Cardinals or the Dodgers. But a lot of baseball people point to the Cubs having just as much potential in the second half of this decade, given the combination of young talent and immense financial flexibility that exists three years into the rebuilding project that Theo Epstein was given by Chairman Tom Ricketts after the Hendry era ended short of the goal line.

Finding the perfect fit

Epstein has hired two managers in his three years in Chicago. Maddon would make it three and would create a question of what to do with No. 2, Rick Renteria.

He's headed into the second year of a three-year deal he received a year ago, when he replaced Dale Sveum, who was fired with a year left on his contract. Joe Girardi was the manager Epstein initially targeted last offseason, but he signed an extension with the Yankees, leaving Epstein to run a search that culminated with Renteria.

He did solid work in 2014, especially in terms of helping Starlin Castro and Anthony Rizzo bounce back after periods of lackluster performance. His handling of Jeff Samardzija in a 126-pitch start in May got him in momentary hot water with his bosses, but he couldn't be blamed for a 73-win season considering the roster he was given. His handling of the team was solid, if not inspiring.

Maddon, on the other hand, can inspire. He's been doing it since his first day with the Rays. He and GM Andrew Friedman were the best management team in the Major Leagues, with an AL pennant in 2008 the crowning achievement, but hardly the only one. Tampa Bay reached the postseason four times in a span of six years before missing this season.

Before Maddon took up residence in the dugout, nobody would believe the lowly Rays could do that, not in the mighty AL East, with the Yankees and Red Sox hogging the playoff spots. And from Epstein's perspective, Maddon didn't just win, but he won the right way. That is, he worked alongside the Rays' analytic staff to brainstorm ways to play the game more efficiently, including his early, heavy use of defensive shifting and willingness to use versatile players all over the field, in what he called a super utility role.

There was no way that Epstein wasn't going to go into hyper-drive when Maddon exercised his opt-out clause to follow Friedman out the door in Tampa. Epstein, after all, almost hired him in Boston after the 2003 season.

Terry Francona got the chance to manage the Red Sox in part because he had managerial experience and Maddon did not. But Epstein and his cadre, including Jed Hoyer and Jason McLeod, watched with increasing admiration as Maddon won year after year in Tampa Bay despite the financial limitations of the market- and stadium-challenged franchise.

Epstein and Hoyer would be crazy not to wonder what Maddon could do with a collection of young talent and team revenues that allow the front office to build a consistent playoff team around Castro, Rizzo, top prospects Kris Bryant and Javier Baez, and the other talented players that have been acquired while the Cubs have been focusing on the construction of their farm system. And Maddon must wonder what it would be like to be in an organization that could trade for a David Price or a James Shields, rather than trade them away.

Maddon's hiring would speak loudly to free agents, including Jon Lester, James Shields, Russell Martin and any other top targets for 2015. His ability to construct bullpens and put his position players in position to maximize their skills could be just as important going forward.

Seizing the day

The way things have played out since Maddon left the Rays on the eve of the Series has been awkward, at the least, for all involved.

From an ethical standpoint, you can argue that it's wrong to pursue Maddon while Renteria is left twisting in the wind. But in terms of what's best for the franchise, it would have been far worse to ignore Maddon's availability.

Chances to hire managers who have proven themselves to be difference-makers, who have already succeeded in the exact task at hand -- winning in a place where you're not supposed to be able to win while demonstrating a philosophy the front office values -- don't come along that often.

Everything about this process stinks for Renteria, but the only thing really guaranteed in any contract is salary, not the job itself. He could be offered another position in the Cubs' organization if Maddon does replace him, including one that might sound far-fetched.

What if Renteria stays on as Maddon's bench coach? That might be the best result possible, if Renteria is willing to return to a coaching role and Maddon is secure enough to have his predecessor standing next to him in the dugout.

One of the great things about Maddon is that he's open-minded. He's a free-thinker. He's a great fit for the Cubs and they could be one for him.

We'll know soon if his imagination is vivid enough that he can picture himself sitting in the Wrigley Field dugout in late October. Not just one October, either. Epstein has given the Cubs a core that could lead to the kind of sustained success that the Giants have enjoyed. If Maddon says yes to Epstein, you'll know the fun is about to begin.

Golf: I got a club for that; Player: Hour spent with Woods could yield 'majors'.

By Will Gray

Tiger Woods and Gary Player at the 2009 Masters. (Getty)

Add Gary Player to the long list of folks who think that a few minutes advising Tiger Woods would yield results for the former world No. 1.

Speaking with Yahoo's Graham Bensinger, Player explained that after spending a short amount of time with Woods - who he described as "the most talented golfer that ever lived, without question" - the 38-year-old could turn things around in short order.

"I would love to sit down with him for one hour and give him a piece of my knowledge," Player said. "Then I think he could win majors."

Player didn't disclose specifics on how he would counsel Woods, but he did add that the two would spend time discussing swing mechanics following Woods' injury-plagued 2014 season that failed to yield a top-10 finish.

"I would talk to him quite a bit about the swing, because he's got flaws. There's a reason why he's not the same Tiger Woods anymore, and I reckon I could get those things across to him that would make a massive change because I've had so much experience, which would take him at least another 40-50 years to get."

Woods' professional career has now spanned three swing coaches, and the 14-time major champ has yet to name a successor to Sean Foley, with whom he parted ways in August. According to Player, the biggest mistake Woods made was to continue tweaking his swing after winning the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach by 15 shots.

"Tiger was so good. He was so much better than anybody that plays today," he said. "If he never had another lesson (after 2000), just left what he had, he would have won 20, 22, 24 majors."

Couples: U.S. needs less task force, more fun.

By Will Gray

Fred Couples

The weeks following the American's Ryder Cup loss have sparked speculation on two fronts: what went wrong last month and who will be tapped to fix it in 2016?

Fred Couples' name has been discussed as a solution to the latter, and Wednesday at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship he offered a variety of opinions on the former.

Couples, 55, captained three straight victorious Presidents Cup squads, in 2009, '11 and '13. He also played on five Ryder Cup teams and served as an assistant captain to Davis Love III during the 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah. According to Couples, the creation of an 11-person task force in the wake of Gleneagles is a sign of overkill.

"I don't think anyone should panic. I don't think we need a task force. I don't think we need the PGA of America straining about this," he told reporters at the season's final Champions Tour stop. "What I really think they need is to get players that have been on a lot of these teams to get a feel for what kind of captain they need."

Tom Watson wasn't the right fit, as his hard-line stance alienated some players and his questionable lineup decisions led to a five-point defeat. Couples believes one of his best traits as a potential captain is relating to the 12 players in his team room, something he feels Watson failed to do.

"I just think by watching, he didn't cradle his boys enough, and that's what they need," he said.

Couples also believes that Watson made a critical error by sitting Phil Mickelson for both sessions during Saturday's play, when the Europeans stretched its lead from two points to four heading into Sunday's singles matches - and it's one that he would not repeat as captain.

"I know one thing, I will play Phil Mickelson on Saturday of the next Ryder Cup if he's on the team. That was the only thing I could see that maybe you could say that Tom, something happened there," Couples said. "Because we lost three and a half to a half (in the afternoon session), and I guarantee you it was because Phil wasn't out there playing. I guarantee it."

The task force assembled by the PGA of America has yet to meet, but Couples' track record as the Presidents Cup captain has made him a top candidate to lead the Americans at Hazeltine in 2016. He stated that he would welcome the nomination as captain, but added that the job may not be quite as difficult, or involved, as some contend.

"I think anyone would love to be the Ryder Cup captain. I particularly don't think it's really that hard to do, I really don't," he said. "I keep hearing it's a two-year process. Well, what would I do right now? I don't even know who's going to be on the Presidents Cup team, let alone the Ryder Cup team. So I could go have dinner with Rickie Fowler for two straight years and tell him everything, and then he might not make it.

"So I think it's all - it's just a little bit much. We need a little more fun and that comes with winning."

Couples noted that the Presidents Cup is "easier" to captain than the Ryder Cup because the Ryder Cup requires more difficult lineup decisions. Citing the successful partnership of Graeme McDowell and Victor Dubuisson that developed in the months leading up to Gleneagles, he believes that the Europeans currently have an edge because of their commitment to teams and lineup decisions regardless of individual match outcomes.

"I think the easiest part is just really not panicking," he said. "You've got to have your teams ready and just get points, and it's not easy to do. They make it look easy because they're winning and their formula, whatever it might be, is not because they're closer and they're friendlier to each other. That's the biggest crazy thing ever.

"Every team I've been on has been phenomenal, and I'm sure every team Europe's ever had has been phenomenal. They just win, so it looks easier."

Couples even offered the argument that the next U.S. Ryder Cup captain doesn't necessarily need to be a golfer.

"He doesn't need to know anything about golf," said Couples, who noted he received advice as Presidents Cup captain from former MLB manager Joe Torre and NBA star Michael Jordan. "They all have their teachers, they're all cooked food, they all have an incredible hotel room, they all have caddies, they all know the course and they go out and play. I can't tell them anything on the golf course. What am I going to tell them, it's a cut 5-iron or this putt breaks to the left?"

As the focus continues to shift away from 2014 and toward 2016, Couples' candidacy will likely only grow - and the main reason for that is clear, even to him.

"The one thing that I see personally with me is I don't intimidate any of the players," he said. "I don't make them nervous, I make them relaxed because I'm just another guy."

Nicklaus sees Woods still breaking record, had 40 majors to win 5.

By Ryan Ballengee

Jack Nicklaus (Getty Images)

Jack Nicklaus still believes in Tiger Woods. 

The 18-time major champion believes Woods, who has 14 majors to his credit, can still win another handful of majors and become the sport's all-time greatest major champion. In an interview with ESPN reporter Darren Rovell at his alma mater Ohio State University, Nicklaus said Tiger will have to win one-eighth of the majors he has left to get to the sought 19 major mark.

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darren rovell                                                                                      Follow
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Nicklaus says he thinks Tiger still has 40 more majors to play & thinks he can still win 5 to beat his record.

 

2:23 PM - 29 Oct 2014

                     

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Not too many people are making that argument these days, but, for Nicklaus, there's not much motivation to change his tune. The day Nicklaus publicly acknowledges Woods' window has closed is one of the most seminal in Woods' chase. 

Love hits the road and gets some tips.

By CHRIS LINES

At age 50, Davis Love III doesn't need much advice on how to approach golf tournaments. The tropical heat of Malaysia this week, and the expansion of the PGA Tour, will at least give him some new experiences and challenges.

Still on the comeback from neck surgery in 2013 that sapped the strength in his left arm, Love is ready to take on an international schedule and eager to get his game back to its best.

Two players familiar with the rigors of regularly crisscrossing the globe are Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood, who are also in the field for the CIMB Classic starting Thursday in Kuala Lumpur, and they had some advice for Love and other PGA Tour players who are getting accustomed to playing more regularly outside of the United States.

 

No. 4 Garcia, the highest-ranked player in the field, is making his first appearance since the Ryder Cup and will play in a group with Europe teammate Westwood and American Patrick Reed, who were also part of the contest at Gleneagles last month.

As a player skipping between the PGA and European tours, Garcia said the key to handling the travel is enjoyment and rest.

''It's just a matter of getting used to it and trying to take it with the best attitude possible,'' Garcia said Wednesday. ''The hardest thing is getting used to the jet lag and stuff like that.

''I go through stretches when I play but also through some stretches of maybe two, three or four weeks off like I just had, mainly because traveling is nice but it also takes energy out of you and sometimes you need to disconnect a little bit and recharge those batteries.''

Westwood won the Malaysian Open on the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club course in April, winning the co-sanctioned European Tour and Asian Tour event by six strokes. He shared some thoughts on how to approach the energy-sapping conditions in Southeast Asia.

''I don't think there's any real way to get over jet lag, certainly I can testify to it,'' Westwood said. ''I would imagine if you don't travel much, then it comes as a bit of a shock with a 12-hour time change from the East Coast of America.

''It's really important to stay fueled and well-hydrated first and foremost. You're not to going to function if you get dehydrated out there and lose energy. Your brain is going to stop working.''

It's all noted by Love, who plans to broaden his horizons.

Love is now eligible for the Champions Tour and plans on playing some tournaments on the 50-and-over circuit through the year, but the former U.S. Ryder Cup captain will concentrate principally on the PGA Tour to earn some FedEx Cup points and target tournaments where he does not get an exemption for his 20 tour victories.

''The British Open is the only real trip I've made,'' Love said. ''Now family and business will allow me to expand my horizons a little bit, so I'm going to try to play a little bit more all around the world, try to play in some of these events that I'm invited to.''

''At 50 years old, now I can start my world travels I guess.''

Doctors had told Love he will need another six to eight months to get back to his peak strength, but he is eager to get his game up to speed quickly and recapture the form that saw him win the PGA Championship and finish runner-up in three other majors during the late 1990s.

''I seriously want to play a lot of PGA Tour golf the next few years and see if I can get my game back,'' Love said. ''Now I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I know my time in the game will eventually fade away, but I want to take advantage of that for as long as I can and continue to compete.''

NASCAR: New Chase proves predictions wrong.

By Kenny Bruce
                                                                          

Those who expected a Hendrick/Penske Chase find new format had other plans.

Remember concerns that the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway might consist of four teams from a single organization?

Or the ones who predicted it would be a showdown between Hendrick Motorsports and Team Penske teams in the season's final race?

It was easy enough to wonder "what if," and heading into the Chase it wasn't all that far-fetched to think either of those two possibilities would unfold. Both seemed much more plausible at the time than, say, a driver without a victory in the first 26 races advancing deep into the Chase. Or a six-time champion getting booted out with two rounds remaining.

Neither of the first two predictions took place while both of the last two have come to pass.

What happened? Well, to sum it up, the Chase happened.

Things have certainly changed since the green flag dropped at Chicagoland in September. Today, as the Sprint Cup Series heads to Texas Motor Speedway for the second race of the Eliminator round, it appears more likely that next month's finale will consist of four teams from four separate organizations.

With three races remaining, I'm no so sure that will be the case either, but the potential for such a scenario is building.

That all-Hendrick Motorsports line of thinking went by the boards two weeks ago at Talladega, when three of the four drivers (Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne) fell by the wayside, leaving only Jeff Gordon to soldier on.

 

The Talladega fallout also slammed the door shut on the suggestion of the Hendrick/Penske tag-team, losers-leave-the-country showdown. Both may be represented, but if that's the case, the best they can do is fill three of the four slots.

Penske can still send both Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski to the final, but the latter suddenly finds himself playing catch-up for the second time since the 10-race playoff got underway.

One round earlier, Keselowski need a victory to advance. Now seventh in points and 26 behind fourth-place Matt Kenseth, the driver of the No. 22 Ford will likely need a similar result this time around.

Gordon, Logano and Kenseth, along with Ryan Newman, make up the top four heading into Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at TMS (ESPN, 3 p.m. ET). Four drivers from four different organizations. The gap between Kenseth (fourth) and Denny Hamlin (fifth) isn't tremendous by any means -- only two points. But Carl Edwards, Keselowski and Kevin Harvick all sit 15 points or more behind the cutoff line.

That might not sound like much, but from a points standpoint, it’s enough to keep a crew chief up at night.

For those three, points are going to be helpful only if one or more of those up top have a bad race, either this weekend or next week when the series heads to Phoenix. The better solution remains the same as it has all season: Win a race, and let the others sort themselves out.

Keselowski and Harvick have demonstrated the ability to do just that, winning a combined nine times this year. Edwards has won twice, but not since Sonoma and has advanced by simply outlasting the competition.

For all eight, Texas represents the land of opportunity. With a non-Chase winner surfacing at Martinsville, who will advance is no more settled than before the round began. Everyone still has a shot and, at the same time, no one is truly safe. Gordon? Don't count on it. If someone such as Kyle Busch can tumble from second to "better luck next time" in the span of a single race, then Gordon, the points leader, and everyone else are just as vulnerable.

 

Forget domination by one organization. Nice try HMS. Forget the Hendrick/Penske invitation-only affair. Maybe next year.

With just three races remaining, this one's still wide open.

 

FIFA: Men's World Cup could be on artificial turf.

 

Associated Press

 

Team Canada's Emily Zurrer, left, and Kadeisha Buchanan, center, celebrate teammate Sophie Schmidt's goal as Japan's Saki Kumagai looks on during second half of International friendly soccer action Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014 in Vancouver, British Columbia. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jonathan Hayward)

 

The men's World Cup could be played "sooner rather than later" on artificial turf, FIFA said Wednesday in the latest defense of its decision not to stage the 2015 women's tournament in Canada on grass.

 

World football's governing body is on the defensive after a discrimination case was launched by some female players, who claim that men would never be asked to play matches at the sport's biggest event on anything but real grass.

But FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke maintains that the Canadian climate - and not gender - was behind the decision on the playing surface.

"It would be very difficult to ensure solid natural-grass pitches at all venues," Valcke said in an interview with FIFA's website. "This is not a question of money, or of differences between men's and women's events, but it is a matter of the natural conditions in Canada: we want to guarantee consistent top-level playing conditions for all 24 teams during the event."

Valcke pointed to the FIFA rules permitting any tournament to be played on artificial grass if it is of the "highest quality" and used at every venue.

"It could well be that sooner rather than later the men's World Cup will also be played on artificial pitches," Valcke said.

FIFA turf consultant Eric Harrison said the severe Canadian winter made artificial turf more suitable to that climate.

"During the long winter months, the natural turf is dormant and only can begin the recovery process after winter is over," Harrison said on FIFA's website.

"The effects of frost ... can leave many natural turf surfaces uneven, requiring extensive re-leveling," he added. "Often, it is not until July/August that the natural turf has recovered sufficiently to be deemed to be in optimum condition."

Hampton Dellinger, the attorney for the female players who filed the gender-equity case in Canadian court, pointed out that the next two World Cups - Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022 - will be played on natural grass.

He said that Valcke's climate argument "is astounding given that Russia and Qatar boast their own equally, or even more, difficult weather conditions. The natural grass pitch at BMO Field in Toronto certainly appears to do just fine during the summer months when the World Cup is staged."

Canada's bid for the event stipulated that the final be played at Vancouver's BC Place, which seats 55,000 and has an artificial turf. Every match at the June 6-July 5 tournament has to be played on the same surface.

The Canadian Soccer Association on Tuesday denied allegations that it pressured players to drop their lawsuit. Dellinger has accused the CSA of relegating the world's best female players to "game-changing, dangerous and demeaning conditions."

The group of players who filed a human rights complaint against FIFA and the CSA includes Germany's Nadine Angerer, Japan's Yuki Ogimi and Americans Shannon Boxx, Sydney Leroux, Alex Morgan and Abby Wambach.

 

Magic Johnson, Mia Hamm, Vincent Tan all part owners of new MLS club in LA.

By Brooks Peck

All of these people (minus Don Garber) are owners of one club! (@MLS)

With the lifeless carcass of Chivas USA still warm, the massive, 22-person ownership group of the new MLS club in Los Angeles that will take their place in 2017 was unveiled at a press conference on Thursday. Perhaps fitting for a club based in Hollywood, the list of names reads like the cast list of a bizarre new reality show.

Basketball legend and LA Dodgers investor Magic Johnson, two-time FIFA World Player of the Year and recently appointed AS Roma board member Mia Hamm, her husband and former Boston Red Sox player Nomar Garciaparra, motivational speaker Tony Robbins, and Cardiff City/ex-Premier League super villain owner Vincent Tan are some of the more notable members of the group.

Vietnamese entrepreneur Henry Nguyen will serve as executive chairman, ESPN NBA analyst Tom Penn will be president and Hollywood producer/Golden State Warriors owner Peter Guber will be managing partner. But that's just scratching the surface. Look at all of these people (note: the shadow person isn't the faceless presence of evil, but a placeholder for yet to be determined partners)...

 

(LAFC)

The LAFC name is just a placeholder, though. That, the crest, and the kits will be decided by fans, according to the club's new Twitter account. Meanwhile, ESPN's Taylor Twellman says the team could play at the LA Coliseum until a new stadium is built. Unlike Chivas USA, it seems they will not share a stadium with MLS's more established local presence, the LA Galaxy.
                                 

LAFC                                                                            Follow
            ✔ @LAFC                                                            

 

This is your team. You decide its future. Logo, team name, kits - we want to hear from you. #LAFC2017

 

1:20 PM - 30 Oct 2014

                    

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As much potential for having too many cooks in the kitchen as this group presents, the one name that raises the most red flags is that of Vincent Tan. Though he says he is still negotiating his position in the club, he tells the BBC, "I believe the MLS will be a good investment."

"I enjoy investing in a football club and I believe that you can make money in a football club," Tan said.

"I didn't really start off well investing in football, I wasn't that lucky.

"But there are a lot of clever owners who make money every year so I now understand the business so much better.

"I joked that I invested so much money in Cardiff and it is my tuition fees to learn the football business."

Luckily, Tan and the rest of the group have a few more years to study up.

The First College Football Playoff Ranking Is Out And There's Still One Huge Mystery.

By Cork Gaines

Mississippi State Quarterback Dak Prescott (15) and Florida State Quarterback Jameis Winston (5) are in position to be in the playoff. (Getty Images)

The first College Football Playoff rankings have been released and if the season ended today, Mississippi State, Florida State, Auburn, and Ole Miss would be competing for the national championship and Oregon (no. 5) and Alabama (no. 6) would be the two teams that just missed out.

The first ranking does give us some insight into what the committee deems important such as the weight of big wins versus so-called "big losses" (losses to good teams).

For example, Alabama has one loss and is no. 3 in the AP poll while fellow 1-loss team Ole Miss is no. 7. However, in the Playoff ranking, Ole Miss is in the top four (no. 4) and Alabama is not (no. 6). This suggests that Ole Miss' head-to-head win over Alabama was more important than Ole Miss' loss to 4th-ranked (AP) Auburn.

ESPN.com 

Meanwhile, Notre Dame (no. 6 in the AP) is way down at no. 10 in the Playoff ranking despite their only loss being a nail-biter to second-ranked Florida State. This implies that the Playoff committee placed more emphasis on Notre Dame's lack of big wins and less emphasis on their big loss.

But what we learned still pales in comparison to what we don't know.

We still have no idea how the Playoff committee is going to handle conference champions.

If the season ended today, three teams from the SEC would be in the playoff. Would the committee take a team from the SEC that didn't even play in their conference championship game over potential Pac-12 champion Oregon (no. 5 in Playoff ranking) or a potential Big 12 champion Kansas State (no. 9) or a potential Big Ten champion Michigan State (no. 8)?

And how will the committee weigh the Big 12 champion, whether it is Kansas State or TCU (no. 7) considering they won't have to play in a conference championship game?
 

A lot of people are wondering why the playoff committee is releasing a ranking this early in the season, noting that the college basketball selection committee doesn't need to rank teams mid-season. But while we did learn some things, we still don't know how they will handle conference champions.
 

In other words, we still don't know anything.

Indiana changes attitude to change course.

By MICHAEL MAROT
                                                                     

In this March 8, 2014, file photo, Indiana head coach Tom Crean claps his hands courtside in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Michigan at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Mich. Nearly eight months after the stunning conclusion to a mediocre season, the Hoosiers have made an attitude adjustment that could change everything.(AP Photo/Tony Ding, File)

Indiana coach Tom Crean could spend all season preaching the intricate details of college basketball. He may never have a more captive audience.

Eight months after a stunning conclusion to a mediocre season, the Hoosiers have opened their minds and ears to playing basketball a different way this season.

''I felt like last year, sometimes it was in the heat of the moment where people didn't want to hear things from some people,'' sophomore guard Stanford Robinson said without divulging names. ''This year, I feel like everyone is listening.''

 A year ago, many expected Robinson and Indiana's highly-regarded freshman class to replace four 1,000-point scorers and keep the defending Big Ten champs in title contention.

But the young Hoosiers had only one consistent perimeter shooter, point guard Kevin ''Yogi'' Ferrell. And because they never quite developed the tight bond that their predecessors had, it showed at the most inopportune times - late in games, late in the season and too late to revive their postseason plans.

So the Hoosiers (17-15, 7-11) used their unexpected extra weeks off in March to ponder what went wrong and figure out how to make it right in 2014-15.

''Last year, we were a team but if felt like we were just a team on the court. We didn't really hang out together,'' Robinson said. ''This year, if you see one guy go out, there's usually three or four more around.''

That's not the only big change this season.

Crean lost 11 players from last season's roster - three to graduation, three via transfer, one to the NBA and four who opted not to return - and replaced them with nine new faces. The seven-player freshman class includes high-scoring guards James Blackmon Jr. and Robert Johnson. Guard Nick Zeisloft, a grad student who is immediately eligible after leaving Illinois State, adds a 3-point specialist to the rotation.

Crean also has asked his three most experienced returnees - Ferrell, Robinson and forward Troy Williams - to become better leaders starting with the Nov. 14 season opener against Mississippi Valley State. And even though they've heard the talk about low expectations and seen predictions of second-division finishes in league play, this Indiana team has decided to focus more on what's being said inside the locker room -- and less outside of it.

''The more that people question us, that's just more motivation for us,'' Williams said.

Here are some other things to watch this coming season:

CHANGE UP: Crean isn't exactly changing the offense even though he doesn't have a lottery-ready post player like Noah Vonleh or Cody Zeller. But he is changing the emphasis. Crean believes he can make up for a lack of size with speed, ball movement, perimeter shooting and rebounding.

FINISHING TOUCH: The key to having a turnaround this season will be finishing games. Indiana lost five games by five or fewer points last season, including a 59-58 loss to eventual national champ Connecticut. Fix that problem, and the Hoosiers could be a 20-win team.

SURPRISE: Opponents could be in for a real surprise when it comes to Robinson. A year ago, the 6-foot-4 guard shot primarily left-handed. This year, he's shooting right-handed. Robinson acknowledged that his shot looked ragged last season, and after coaches noticed he looked more natural as a righty, they helped him make the conversion.

YOGI'S ROLE: Indiana believes fewer responsibilities will make Ferrell a better overall player and the Hoosiers a stronger overall team. So after leading the Hoosiers in scoring (17.3 points), 3-pointers made (88) and assists (125) last season, the coaches are asking Ferrell to focus more on running the point.

STRONGER SCHEDULE: Part of the reason the Hoosiers missed the postseason in March was a soft schedule. This year, the Hoosiers upgraded their non-league schedule. They'll face SMU, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Butler and Georgetown before opening conference play on New Year's Eve.

ACC to experiment with shorter shot clock.

By Colleen Thomas

With meetings among the Power 5 conferences planned for December and January, debating pay-for-play can wait. The first change may pertain to men’s basketball.

The ACC will experiment with a 30-second shot clock during exhibition games this season, as they announced in May. Much like the changes made to fouling and charging last season, this potential change is to test the impact a shorter shot clock could have on scoring and game speed. 

Commissioner John Swofford explained the rationale behind the decision at ACC Media Day on Wednesday in Charlotte:

“The goal of the recommendation, which came from our coaches and was ratified by our athletic directors, was to see if this had the potential to increase the number of possessions and ultimately speed up the game.  And we look forward to sharing whatever experiences we have with that with the men's basketball rules committee at the end of the season.”

Men’s college basketball currently has the longest shot clock of any form of basketball — women’s college basketball has always used a 30-second shot clock, while the NBA and WNBA have 24-second shot clocks — and many coaches weren’t shy about the potential change. 

Coaches tossed around sentiments like “If the women can do it, why can’t the men?” (Wake Forest’s Danny Manning) and “It’s embarrassing that our women could have that and our guys can’t” (Louisville’s Rick Pitino), and the push for equality between the two makes sense. 

Last season, women’s college basketball introduced the 10-second violation — the last form of basketball in the world to do so — and now, men’s college basketball has a chance to join the rest of the world. That’s how Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski sees it, at least.

“I love it,” said Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski. “I think at the level of play that we play, the more we should do things to enhance the game. I think it should have it from youth basketball on. 

“A kid playing in Italy plays with a 24-second clock. They learn how to play basketball; they don’t learn how to hold the ball. The fact that we don’t have a shot clock in high school basketball throughout our country, I think that’s wrong. I’m a big proponent of at least a 30-second clock.”

A change may not come any time soon, but discussions will at least begin in a few months.

Tommy Bowden doesn't think Condoleezza Rice belongs on the selection committee.
What's Your Take?

By Jasmine Watkins

Condoleezza Rice (Getty Images)

Tommy Bowden doesn't think Condoleezza Rice belongs on the College Football Playoff selection committee because she hasn't played the game.

"If the selection committee wants to get it right, and find the most knowledgeable people about the sport of football, go get people who played the game and preferably coached the game," Bowden said to knoxnews.com. "But just because she likes to watch football doesn't necessarily mean she knows anything about football."

Rice served as Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under former President George Bush and is the only woman on the selection committee.

"I'm a big Condoleezza Rice fan," Bowden said. "I'm Christian Conservative. I'd vote for her for President. I don't necessarily agree that she should be on the committee."
Bowden isn't the only person to speak out about Rice's position. Last year former Auburn coach Pat Dye said that he didn't think she was qualified to do the job.

"I admire Condoleezza Rice as a smart football fan — and her father was a football coach in Birmingham, Ala.," Dye said. "She went to Stanford and she was a big football fan. Well, I'm a horse racing fan, but that doesn't mean I should run it."

Dye has also said that the only thing Rice knew about football was "what somebody told her about it." 

Would it be different if she played in high school as some girls have been known to do? How much does a person have to play or watch for them to be qualified?

Dye hasn't coached since 1992 and Bowden since 2008 when he was fired from Clemson. Times have changed.

Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Take: These two gentlemen and I'm sure that there are many more feel that Ms. Rice should not be on the selection committee, why? Because she didn't actually play? She is an ardent football fan, her father was a football coach just as Tommy Bowden's father was; have either of these gentlemen had any type of conversation with her to find out what she really knows about football? They really may be intrigued with her knowledge of the game and different strategies she is aware of. Don't judge a book by the cover, ask her about her qualifications, she'll answer any question(s) that you may have and you'll be surprised at how qualified she really is. She can't be any worse than any of  these self professed prognosticators, (coaches, reporters, statisticians, gamblers, etc.), who proclaim themselves football experts that don't have any history to substantiate their qualifications.

Now that you know how we feel, we'd love to know what you think, what's your take?

On This Date in Sports History: Today is Friday, October 31, 2014.

MemoriesofHistory.com

1968 - The Milwaukee Bucks won their first game. They beat Detroit 138-118.

1995 - The NHL's New Jersey Devils announced that they would stay in New Jersey.

1999 - Bryan White sang the National Anthem at the Adelphia Coliseum in Nashville prior to the game between the Tennessee Titans and the St. Louis Rams. Following the game, White gave his second annual Howl-O-Ween concert at the north end of the coliseum.

2001 - In Miami Beach, FL, Jose Canseco was involved in a nightclub brawl. Canseco later violated his probation and was sentenced to two years of house arrest and three years probation.

2010 - For the first time in major league history, two former presidents attended the same World Series Game. George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush both attended Game 4 at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, TX.

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Please let us hear your opinion on the above articles and pass them on to any other diehard fans that you think might be interested. But most of all, remember, Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica wants you!!!!!