CS&T/AllsportsAmerica Wednesday Sports News Update, 11/05/2014.

Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica

 

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Sports Quote of the Day:

"Don't ever permit the pressure to exceed the pleasure." ~ Joe Maddon, Chicago Cubs Manger; one of the many quotes at his introductory press conference 11/03/2014.   

Bear Down Chicago Bears!!! 10 Observations vs. Packers: Bears bringing ‘sense of urgency’.

By Mark Potash, Chicago Sun Times Staff Reporter

After a one-week respite where Joe Maddon and Nik Wallenda provided a nice diversion, the reality of the Bears disappointing season resumes center stage this week.

 

It’s like waking up and realizing your nightmare was real: the Bears are still 3-5, coming off a 51-23 loss to the Patriots, with a trip to Lambeau Field coming up Sunday.

 

The timing couldn’t be better. Marc Trestman promised the Bears would be better after a week of self-scouting, self-evaluation and a working vacation for the players. Facing the Packers at Lambeau is an ideal setting to see just how well the Bears have learned their lessons. They lost 38-17 at Soldier Field on Sept. 28 and looked like they had no idea who Jordy Nelson was.

 

How well are the Bears coached? How well do the Bears learn? We’ll see about that this week. After the Jared Allen-less Bears failed to put any pressure on Aaron Rodgers in the loss at Soldier Field, defensive coordinator Mel Tucker indicated the Bears might try a different tack the next time. Usually they just try to “execute better.”

 

“Obviously you’re always going to go back and review and see what you can do better. We’ve done that,” Tucker said. “We’ll look to make some adjustments the next time we play those guys.”

 

Allen is healthy and ready to go for this one. Lance Briggs, who has missed the last two games with a rib injury, could return. End Lamarr Houston is out for the season with a torn ACL. But Willie Young, his likely replacement, is having a much better season.

 

Marc Trestman insists no single game is more telling than the other. That won’t fly this week. The Bears have their faint playoff hopes on the line against the Packers in a prime-time game at Lambeau Field. It’s Marc Trestman vs. Dom Capers. Mel Tucker vs. Mike McCarthy. Jared Allen vs. Aaron Rodgers. Jay Cutler vs. Sam Shields. And Brandon Marshall vs. Brandon Marshall.

 

2. Is Trestman’s job on the line? Probably not. But any ­speculation about the Bears making a coaching change during or even after Trestman’s second season should include the proper perspective — the Bears aren’t ­being run by Theo ­Epstein. They’re ­virtually the polar ­opposite, among the least-prone teams to make quick changes.

 

Since Mike Ditka was fired after the 1992 season, the Bears have had four coaches in 21 seasons, including Trestman — despite making the playoffs just five times in that span. In fact, Abe Gibron is the only Bears coach to be fired in fewer than four seasons. He was dumped in 1975 and replaced by Jack Pardee.

3. The Packers (5-3) are coming off a 44-23 loss to the Saints in New Orleans, when they’re defense allowed 495 yards. But with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, the Packers are 17-2 coming off a loss, including 11-0 since 2011 — with three victories over the Bears.

 

4. Never underestimate the parity and mediocrity of the NFL. That’s not exactly how Trestman put it when he provided his players with examples of 3-5 teams that have made the playoffs in recent years — but that’s the reality of it.

 

Four teams in the previous three seasons have recovered from 3-5 starts to make the playoffs: the 2011 Broncos (8-8), the 2012 Bengals (10-6) and Redskins (10-6) and the 2013 Eagles (10-6). Prior to that, only 6-of-117 teams in the previous 20 years had made the playoffs after starting 3-5.

 

The Bears are in a tough spot. But the league is so volatile from top-to-bottom and from week-to-week, that it’s not quite the long shot it once was.

 

5. Be that as it may, that still makes the game against the Packers on Sunday night a virtual must-win scenario for the Bears. Only 1-of-75 teams to start 3-6 have made the playoffs. But again, it’s recent — the Redskins in 2012 won their final seven games to finish 10-6.

 

The common denominator in each of those recoveries was a manageable schedule. The 2013 Eagles played one playoff team on their road to the playoffs — and that was the Packers without Aaron Rodgers. The 2012 Redskins also played just one playoff team on their road to the playoffs. The 2012 Bengals beat six straight non-playoff teams to clinch a playoff berth.

 

The Bears? They have four games against teams currently in the playoffs — the Lions (6-2) home-and-away; the Cowboys (6-3) and the Saints (4-4, but leading the NFC South). And that doesn’t include the Packers (5-3), who figure to make the postseason.

 

6. Sometimes it’s just not your year. The Bears started the same five players on their offensive line for all 16 games last year. But the five starters from last season have already missed 10 starts this season. The Bears have started six combinations in eight games. Only Kyle Long (knock on wood) has started every game.

 

Guard Matt Slauson’s season-ending torn pectoral muscle epitomizes the change in fortune.

He suffered the injury going all out with the Bears losing 48-15 in the fourth quarter.

 

“It was a play where I really wanted to get a big-time shot on a guy and I gave it all my power. And it just blew,” Slauson said.

 

Slauson had started 64 consecutive games in the NFL since becoming a starter with the Jets in 2010. “Before this year I hadn’t had an injury hold me out of a game since high school,” he said.

 

7. If Trestman had decided to name team captains for the second half, Slauson would have been a good choice. So would Ryan Mundy, Tim Jennings, Matt Forte and Jermon Bushrod — all players who not coincidentally have experience with winning teams.

 

Mundy, Bushrod and Jennings have been a part of Super Bowl-winning teams, Forte played in Super Bowl XLI and Slauson was a part of Jets teams that went to the AFC Championship game in 2009 and 2010. It’s unfortunate that they are background voices with the Bears.

 

8. Slauson said he already has talked to offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer about having an active role with the team in the second half of the season.

 

“I said, ‘Look, I want to be as involved as you guys will let me.’ So I’m still going to participate in meetings. I’m going to help wherever I can,” Slauson said. “I don’t know if they’re going to let me out on the field during practice. I would like to be. But I think that’s an organizational call. I don’t think they like doing that.

 

“But I’d like to be out there. I feel with my knowledge and experience I can help a lot. So even if I’m [at Halas Hall] in the mornings for meetings, I think I can do a lot of good and Kromer was very supportive of that. I want to stay around. I want to help.”

 

9. Ex-Bears Player of the Week — More than likely, two-time winner Kyle Orton had a really good week during the Bills’ bye, but not on the field. So Henry Melton takes the honor with 1 1/2 sacks, a tackle-for-loss and three quarterback hurries in just 27 snaps during a 28-17 loss to the red-hot Arizona Cardinals.

 

Melton, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 3 against the Steelers last year with the Bears, is only a part-time player for the Cowboys, but Rod Marinelli is getting the most out of him.

 

Playing just 44 percent of the defensive snaps, Melton has five sacks, four quarterback hits and 14 hurries this season and ranks 11th among defensive tackles in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.

 

10. Packers cornerback Sam Shields, who has four interceptions in 10 games against the Bears — including one he returned 62 yards in Week 4 — is doubtful with a knee injury he suffered against the Saints. Davon House would replace him. … The Bears are 0-4 against teams with winning records this season — one of six teams without a victory over a winning team. … The Bears’ three victories are over teams with a combined record of 7-19 — the 49ers (4-4), Jets (1-8) and Falcons (2-6). … Julius Peppers, playing 71 percent of the Packers’ snaps, has four sacks, a forced fumble and an interception return for a touchdown. But Clay Matthews has just 2 1/2 sacks. … There have been 317 pick-sixes thrown in the NFL since Aaron Rodgers’ lone pick-six (in 3,523 career attempts) against the Buccaneers in 2009. Drew Brees and Matt Stafford have 12 in that span — the most in the NFL. Jay Cutler has eight.

Second half of Bears' schedule difficult due to rematch problems.

By John Mullin

The second half of the Bears’ 2014 schedule, the one on which playoffs and more than a few jobs will likely hinge, contains the built-in opportunity for the Bears to close with their NFC North rivals (all of whom they currently trail in the standings). They begin with a rematch against the Green Bay Packers and face the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions twice each over the span of the final seven games.

 

For the Bears under Marc Trestman, this is a looming problem. A very big one.

 

First of all, the Bears under Trestman have not done well against NFC North opponents, now standing 2-5 in Trestman’s first season-and-a-half. The Trestman Bears in fact have yet to defeat a team that has faced them previously.

 

This takes on added gravity because the second-half schedule also includes Dallas and New Orleans, rematches from the 2013 schedule.

 

Put another way, in the flow of questions whether Trestman’s offense has become either too predictable or simply figured out, teams that have seen the Bears before have had little trouble with them.

 

The Bears lost to the Packers, Lions and Vikings each of the second times they played their NFC North rivals. More to the Trestman point, the Bears averaged 30 points in the three first meetings with Green Bay, Detroit and Minnesota. They averaged 22.3 in the second meetings.

 

Only in the second Green Bay game did the Bears score more (one point; 27 vs. 28) in the second meeting than the first, and Green Bay II was with Jay Cutler at quarterback vs. Josh McCown for the first meeting.

 

This year, the point total vs. Green Bay was down to 17. And that was at home.

 

The Bears appear pleased to be getting the Green Bay Packers sooner rather than later in this second half of 2014.

 

“I do think it’s a good thing for this team,” safety Ryan Mundy said. “I definitely felt a sense of energy on the practice field, rejuvenated. Guys are re-committed to the cause and excited to get back to work and still play for our goals.”

 

The Bears are facing Green Bay when the Packers, like the Bears, have had the off week for recovery and more in-depth preparation. The Packers came to Soldier Field in September and thrashed the Bears.

 

Coaches, and presumably players, spent last week doing some self-examination.

 

“I think we went through a lot of different things last week and evolved into a plan,” Trestman said. “The first part of the plan was to educate the guys on some of the things that we found, which are in-house things that we think we can do better with and continue to work through the week, utilizing some of those things that we picked up along the way, very similar to last year in terms of trying to improve in certain areas and I think we did that. No. 1, we all know we’ve got to move the ball consistently and score on a higher level, and that was a big part of it.”

 

Last year the Bears defeated the Packers, in Green Bay, after the off week. But that was with Shea McClellin sacking Aaron Rodgers early in the first quarter, taking Rodgers out of that game and four more after it.

 

So that result warrants a bold-faced asterisk, particularly because even without Rodgers, the Bears still needed sacks of Seneca Wallace on the game’s final two plays to seal a 27-20 win. The Bears didn’t have Cutler, for that matter, but the offense under McCown put up 442 yards.

 

When the teams met again in Soldier Field, the offense was down nearly 100 yards (345).

 

The offense put up a Trestman-Era-high 496 yards in the first Green Bay game this year, including 235 rushing yards. The Bears' pattern under his regime makes a repeat of that problematic at a time when the Bears need that and more.

How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Crawford gets the shutout as Blackhawks offense comes alive.

By Tracey Myers

Max Pacioretty #67 of the Montreal Canadiens fights for the puck against Jonathan Toews #19 of the Chicago Blackhawks in the NHL game at the Bell Centre on November 4, 2014 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Francois Lacasse/NHLI via Getty Images)

Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Kris Versteeg (twice), Brad Richards: in convincing fashion, the Chicago Blackhawks got their offense back on Tuesday night.

Unfortunately, they may have lost a key teammate for a bit.

Toews tallied his 200th career goal and 250th assist, but Patrick Sharp suffered an apparent right leg injury and could be out “a bit” in the Blackhawks’ 5-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. It was a bittersweet game for the Blackhawks, whose offense outburst was a welcome sight; losing Sharp, however, wasn’t.

Quenneville said Sharp could be out “a bit,” but would know more in the next day or two. Quenneville used that term on Versteeg and Daniel Carcillo’s injuries earlier this season. Versteeg was out about two weeks and Carcillo’s sidelined for four.

“Those things can happen. It was one of those hits going into the puck area,” Quenneville said of defenseman Alexei Emelin’s hit on Sharp, after which Sharp put little weight on his right leg when helped to the locker room. “Tough break.”

 The injury also overshadowed a great outing for Corey Crawford, who collected his 11th career shutout in his hometown. Crawford was stellar early when the Canadiens pushed the pace; he stopped 28 shots for his first shutout of this season.

“It’s pretty special, growing up here and coming to watch games, loving the Canadiens when I was younger,” Crawford said with a smile. “I thought our game was pretty solid. It started with our (penalty kill) in the first. We got our touch offensively, moving quick in the offensive zone. It’s nice to see guys put some goals up.”

The first one to score was Toews, who was in front to redirect Duncan Keith’s power-play shot for what proved to be the game-winner. Toews, who would get his 250th career assist later when he set up Kane’s fourth goal of the season, wasn’t thinking about the goal milestone much entering this game.

“Someone mentioned to me the other day I was sneaking up there. Other than that I didn’t have a clue,” he said. “It’s nice to have the career I have so far. I’m part of a great team. Hopefully it’s the first step in a long journey. We’ll see where it goes.”

Toews was more focused on the team offense and how it needs to build off Tuesday’s outing.

“As we’ve been talking the last week or so, that’s what we’re looking for. It was nice to do it on the road, too, especially against this team. They’re good in their own building,” he said. “Whether we’re going through a losing streak or kind of a cold streak or whatever you want to call it, when we get up on a team we want to play harder as the game goes along. We did that tonight.”

The Blackhawks still had plenty of shots — they fired 32 at Montreal goaltender Carey Price. They also had the traffic that had been so elusive in previous games.

“All the lines were pretty much around the net, going to the net. An important part of trying to score goals in this league is getting to the front of the net and seeing what happens when you get there,” Kane said. “We played pretty well from the start of the second on; we had a lot of chances in the second that could’ve gone in, too. Hopefully it’s a sign of things to come.”

The Blackhawks needed to get their offense clicking again. Quenneville said prior to the game he didn’t need an explosion of goals. He got one anyway.

“I thought we played very well the last two periods. I liked the balance in our lines and we had the rotation of a four-line team the last two periods,” he said. “The puck going in tonight, that’s something we haven’t seen in some time. But we played the right way.”

Blackhawks: Patrick Sharp injured in game vs. Habs.

By Tracey Myers

Blackhawks forward Sharp sustains lower-body injury.

Patrick Sharp has been a big part of the Chicago Blackhawks’ offense these past few seasons. Even during the team’s scoring drought, he always fired plenty of shots.

Now it looks like he’ll be sidelined a while.

Sharp suffered what looked to be a right-leg injury and coach Joel Quenneville said the left wing could be out “a bit” after the Blackhawks’ 5-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. It was tough news for the Blackhawks, who were playing one of their best games of the season and were rekindling their offense. Sharp assisted on Brad Richards’ second goal of this season before getting hurt.

Sharp was hit by Montreal defenseman Alexei Emelin 6:55 into the third period. When he got up, he wasn’t putting much weight on his right leg. Sharp was also helped to the locker room. Quenneville, when asked if “a bit” could be a few weeks, added, “we’ll know more the next day or so.”

Quenneville used that same term to describe injuries to Kris Versteeg and Daniel Carcillo lower-body injuries earlier this season. Versteeg missed about two weeks and Carcillo was expected to miss four when he was hurt on Oct. 25.

As he’s also said in the past, Quenneville reiterated on Tuesday that one player’s injury is another player’s opportunity.

“We’ve got some guys who have some skill, who want more ice time, so we’ll see how that works out,” he said. “Certainly it’s lot of ice time, important ice time, and someone should take advantage of it.”

Jonathan Toews echoed that sentiment.

“It’s never easy, but we’ve been there before,” he said. “It’s unfortunate for Sharpie; he’s been playing well. He’s always a big part of our offense. He’s been great getting shots off and creating on the power play. Whenever you have an injury to a key player like a guy like Sharpie, in a way it’s an opportunity for other guys to get more ice time. I think guys will try to step in and make up for that as much as they can. But as a team, we have to be prepared to fill that void.”

Just Another Chicago Bulls Session… Without stars, Jimmy Butler helps Bulls prevail over Magic.

By Mike Singer

Taj Gibson connected on six of 12 from the field and finished with 16 points. (Bill Smith/Chicago Bulls)   

Despite injuries to their two biggest stars, the Bulls dug and scrapped their way to another victory, downing Orlando 98-90 on Tuesday night to improve to 3-1 overall. 

 

It was the second-straight game the Bulls were without Derrick Rose, who injured both his ankles last Friday against Cleveland, and they had to maintain without Joakim Noah, who was out with an illness.

 

The Bulls championed their depth all preseason, and on Tuesday it came to fruition. Jimmy Butler led the effort with 21 points and nine rebounds, and the frontcourt pairing of Pau Gasol and Taj Gibson each poured in 16 points. Gasol played a season-high 41 minutes in the effort.

 

Tobias Harris paced the Magic with 21 points, and Nikola Vucevic had 19. 

 

Down 77-75 with 10:03 left in the game, the Bulls went on a 12-2 run, punctuated by two 3-pointers from Nikola Mirotic. His unusual confidence, despite playing in just his fourth NBA game, built an 87-79 lead. 

 

The Magic cut the lead to 89-86 before super-sub Aaron Brooks buried a 3-pointer from the top of the arc. Then Butler finished at the rim off an alley-oop inbounds pass from Kirk Hinrich to stake a 94-86 lead with just under two minutes left. Another driving lay-in from Brooks effectively ended the game.

 

The season is just over a week old and already the Bulls are battling the injury bug. Four games into the season, Rose, Noah, Butler and Gibson have all missed at least a game, and it’s forced coach Tom Thibodeau into three different starting lineups and tested his bench substantially.

 

Rose, listed as probable following Tuesday’s morning shootaround, was ruled out for the second straight game after spraining both his ankles on Halloween against the Cavaliers. The former MVP has been snake-bitten with injuries, missing all-but 10 games of the past two seasons with separate knee injuries. At such an early stage of the season, there’s no need to push it with the team’s most vital component.

 

Tuesday’s game was a painful reminder of just how important Rose is to make the Bulls’ offense function. Without him healthy last season, the Bulls ranked dead last in scoring at 93.7 points per game, and they lacked his dynamic scoring ability vs. the Magic, winning by a piecemeal effort.

 

Rose’s and the team’s health in general is why Chicago was adamant about improving its depth this offseason.  

 

After a productive offensive first half, both teams couldn’t find any rhythm whatsoever in the third and missed numerous close-range chances. Despite shooting just 8-of-23, Orlando managed to outscore Chicago 17-15 as the Bulls were even worse after the break at 4 for 18 shooting. Hinrich and Brooks each hit a 3, but the highlight was a driving, no-look dish from Mirotic, who found Gasol for the easy dunk.

 

The Bulls entered halftime up 54-52, largely on the strength of their bench. Thibodeau went 10-deep in his rotation in the first half, and got 12 points from Doug McDermott and six assists from Brooks. They were paced by 15 from Butler, coming off a 24-point performance in his season opener against Minnesota on Saturday. Butler, himself, missed the first two games of the season and has since sported a brace to protect his sprained left thumb.

 

The Bulls also leaned heavily on Gasol, who had 12 points and six rebounds in 23 first-half minutes.

 

Without Rose or Noah, the Bulls searched for offensive continuity in the early going, routinely feeding the post where Chicago has an advantage over almost every team in the league. Gibson and Gasol combined for 14 first quarter points and the Bulls outrebounded Orlando 14-9.

 

Chicago travels to Milwaukee on Wednesday to face the 2-2 Bucks. 

Gibson: Bulls still 'real bothered' by loss to LeBron, Cavaliers.

By Mark Strotman

The Bulls' loss to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Halloween isn't sitting well with them. And they're doing something about it.

Speaking on the Bulls' determination to continue improving early in the season, Taj Gibson said at Monday's practice that the team is still watching film from their 107-98 loss to the Eastern Conference favorites.

"Guys are still real bothered by that game," he said. "It shows the makeup of our team. We’re only going to get better."

Though the Bulls were without Jimmy Butler and had Derrick Rose leave in the third quarter with a sprained ankle, they had a shot to win the game late in the fourth quarter after eight straight Kirk Hinrich points gave them a 98-93 lead with 47 seconds left.

But a Tony Snell foul led to two James free throws, and after Gibson missed a 16-footer he fouled Kyrie Irving on a layup try, with the Cavs point guard completing a three-point play with 27 seconds remaining. The Bulls then couldn't find an open look, committing a shot-clock violation on their last possession that sent the game to overtime, where James took over.

The Bulls were out-rebounded by a smaller Cavs team 52-42, including allowing Tristan Thompson 12 offensive rebounds that turned into 22 second-chance points for the visitors. The biggest came late in overtime, when Thompson grabbed a James missed jumper with 24 seconds left and finished with a dunk that gave the Cavs a 108-104 lead.

That hasn't sat well with Gibson, who was on the floor for Thompson's rebound, and the rest of the Bulls, and it's something they're looking to improve on when they face James and Co. on Jan. 19 in Cleveland.

"We felt like we blew the shot, a couple things we could have done a lot better, including myself," Gibson said. "Like good coaches say, you have to let those kinds of games bother you. It’s only going to make you a better player and better team. Just have to keep pushing."

Chicago Cubs introduce Joe Maddon as manager. (This is big, big, big!!!)

By JAY COHEN (AP Sports Writer)

Joe Maddon would have reportedly stayed in Tampa Bay and accepted less money than he's getting in Chicago. (AP)

Joe Maddon's unusual road to the manager's office at Wrigley Field included a job interview at an RV park in Pensacola, Florida. The first public stop was a bar across the street from the iconic ballpark, where Maddon offered to buy a beer and a shot for everyone in the room.

''The Hazleton way,'' he said in tribute to his Pennsylvania hometown.
 

If the beginning of Maddon's partnership with the Cubs is any indication, this is going to be one interesting ride.

Maddon brought his unconventional style to Chicago on Monday when he was introduced as the Cubs' fifth manager since the start of the 2010 season, replacing Rick Renteria after just one year on the job. Flanked by smiling executives Jed Hoyer and Theo Epstein, he slipped on a pinstriped No. 70 jersey and repeatedly said how he excited he was about his new job.
 

Perhaps more importantly, at least for a century's worth of frustrated Cubs fans, he talked about winning - right now.
 

''Listen, for me, I'm going to be talking playoffs next year. OK, I'm going to tell you that right now,'' said Maddon, who got a $25 million, five-year contract - making him one of the highest paid managers in the game, ''because I can't go to spring training and say another thing. I'm just incapable of doing that. Why would you even report?''

The 60-year-old Maddon had a 754-705 record in nine seasons in Tampa Bay, leading the club to four playoff appearances, two AL East titles and a five-game loss to Philadelphia in the 2008 World Series. The two-time AL Manager of the Year also was the bench coach for six seasons under Angels manager Mike Scioscia before he was hired by Tampa Bay in November 2005.

The Rays went 77-85 this year, and Maddon opted out of his contract after Andrew Friedman left Tampa Bay's front office to take over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Oct. 14. The Cubs already had a manager in Renteria, but Epstein felt he had to act on Maddon's free agency.

''You wrestle with those things. As a person, I didn't want to do it,'' said Epstein, who also interviewed Maddon for the manager job with the Red Sox before he hired Terry Francona ahead of the 2004 season. ''I don't want to ever be unfair to someone else. But as an executive and as someone charged with winning a World Series here, I had no choice but to do it. It was clearly the right move for the Cubs.''

After Epstein confirmed with Major League Baseball that Maddon had opted out of his contract, Hoyer informed Renteria about what was going on. Then Epstein and Hoyer flew to Florida to meet with Maddon, who was traveling cross country with his wife, Jaye.

''We kind of sat behind the Cousin Eddie. That's our RV, the Cousin Eddie, a 43-foot Winnebago,'' Maddon said, ''and we sat back there and pretty much just talked philosophy about how this is all going to work. For me, that was the most important thing. That's what I needed to know, that we were philosophically aligned.''

Chicago finished 73-89 in Renteria's only season as a major league manager. The move puts the rest of Renteria's staff in jeopardy, but pitching coach Chris Bosio attended Maddon's introductory press conference and Epstein made it sound as if he thinks most of the coaches will be retained.

Maddon inherits an impressive group of prospects and a bigger payroll after his successful run with the small-market Rays. But he also gets a run of five consecutive losing seasons and a famous title drought that goes back to the Cubs' win in the 1908 World Series.

Chicago hasn't made it to the playoffs since it won the NL Central in 2008 with Lou Piniella in the dugout. Epstein was hired after the Cubs went 71-91 in 2011, beginning a rebuilding process that included 101 losses in his first year in charge.

But Epstein thinks the Cubs are ready to contend right now, especially after the bold move to put Maddon in the dugout. First baseman Anthony Rizzo and shortstop Starlin Castro each made the All-Star team this year, and young sluggers Javier Baez and Jorge Soler had some positive moments in their first major league action.

''We believe that we're transitioning away from a three-year period where we were essentially only accumulating young talent, and now we're competing,'' Epstein said.

Maddon's most pressing task is building on the development of Chicago's core group of young players, while paving the way for another wave of prospects that includes third baseman Kris Bryant and shortstop Addison Russell.

''Why would you not want to accept this challenge in this city in that ballpark under these circumstances with this talent?'' Maddon said. ''It's an extraordinary moment.''

Bovada: Cubs' World Series odds drop from 50/1 to 20/1. (And this because Joe Maddon was named the manager; my, my, my, he's either a miracle worker or a magician. If he breaks the 107 year WS losing streak, wonders will never cease!!!)

By Nina Falcone

The "Joe Maddon Era" is officially under way in Chicago.

Maddon took the podium for the first time as the new Cubs manager on Monday afternoon, outlining his plans for the team heading into the upcoming season and sharing why he wanted to call the Windy City his home.

His new managerial role has had Cubs fans ecstatic from the time the rumors began, and his arrival has already made a big impact on fans' opinion of the state of the Cubs franchise not only in Chicago, but across the league.

As his press conference came to a close, betting website Bovada adjusted their MLB odds, placing the Cubs now at 20/1 odds to win the World Series, rather than 50/1.

That's a heck of a gap.

Bovada sports book manager Kevin Bradley released a statement on the big drop.

"Even though the Cubs were rumored to name Joe Maddon their new baseball manager, we still opened them at 50-1 to win the World Series last Thursday morning," he said via a press release. "The media hype surrounding the Cubs hiring Joe Maddon and now them actually hiring Joe Maddon, has convinced the average bettor to bet them regardless of the odds forcing us to drop them all the way down to 20-1.

"While I think he's a tremendous manager and that the Cubs have a bright future with many young major leaguers and prospects, I was comfortable taking money on them at those 50-1 odds and wasn't going to over-adjust based on a manager, but the overwhelming amount of wagers on the Cubs to win the World Series forced our hand."

Check out the latest odds in the chart below:

Team	Odds
Los Angeles Dodgers	15/2
Washington Nationals	8/1
Detroit Tigers	10/1
Los Angeles Angels	12/1
San Francisco Giants	12/1
St. Louis Cardinals	12/1
Kansas City Royals	18/1
Seattle Mariners	18/1
Baltimore Orioles	20/1
Chicago Cubs	20/1
Oakland Athletics	20/1
Pittsburgh Pirates	20/1
Atlanta Braves	22/1
Boston Red Sox	22/1
New York Yankees	22/1
Cleveland Indians	25/1
Cincinnati Reds	33/1
Tampa Bay Rays	33/1
Texas Rangers	33/1
Toronto Blue Jays	33/1
Chicago White Sox	40/1
Milwaukee Brewers	40/1
New York Mets	40/1
Miami Marlins	50/1
Philadelphia Phillies	75/1
San Diego Padres	75/1
Arizona Diamondbacks	100/1
Colorado Rockies	100/1
Houston Astros	100/1
Minnesota Twins	100/1

Golf: I got a club for that; Donald goes back to his old swing coach.

By DOUG FERGUSON (AP Golf Writer)

Luke Donald has gone back to his old swing coach with no regrets from having tried something new.
 

Donald had spent just over a year working with Chuck Cook when he decided a few months ago that it wasn't working. More than a search for more length, Donald was trying to get his shoulders more open to consistently have the club more square at impact.
 

Whatever he was searching for didn't work.
 

''After 13 months, I really hadn't gotten better,'' Donald said Tuesday at the HSBC Champions. ''Either I physically couldn't do it or I just wasn't getting better. I was frustrated with the game the last three or four months. It was an amicable decision. I just thought it was time to do something different.''
 

Donald said he measured how open his shoulders were at impact when he started working with Cook, and after 13 months there was no change.
 

But there was a change in his play.
 

Donald won the Dunlop Phoenix late last year. He also finished one shot behind at Hilton Head when Matt Kuchar holed a bunker shot. He had only three other top 10s, failed to get past the second playoff event in the FedEx Cup and did not make the Ryder Cup team for the first time since 2008.
 

A year ago, he was at No. 14 in the world going into the HSBC. This year he is at No. 36.
 

Donald returned to Pat Goss, his coach at Northwestern. He said Goss had to work more on the fundamentals of short game than ever. Donald suspects that was because the mechanics he worked on with Cook on the long game had invariably crept into his wedge play.
 

''It has not been much fun on the golf course the last three or four months,'' Donald said. ''I haven't enjoyed it. I talked to Chuck and he was very open about what we wanted to do. He felt like his teaching was like keeping a Band-Aid on, and that's not the way he teaches. I was trying my hardest but wasn't able to do it. I had a choice to go back with Pat or try someone different. I had a lot of good years with Pat.''
 

Donald, who last was No. 1 in the world in early August 2012, doesn't feel the move was a failure because at least he got an answer, even if it didn't work.
 

''I would have felt worse if I hadn't tried it,'' he said. ''Not many guys have changed their swing pretty radically and been successful. Tiger showed it can be done, but it's very hard.

There are countless examples of people who have tried and had it not work.''

-----

ON THE BAG: For the first time in nearly five years, the AT&T logo can be found on a golf bag on the PGA Tour.

It belongs to Jordan Spieth.

Spieth showed up at the HSBC Champions with a black-and-orange golf bag promoting AT&T. He signed an endorsement deal with the Texas-based telecommunications giant earlier this year, and this was the first evidence of the logo while he was on the golf course.

AT&T is one of the top supporters of the PGA Tour, with title sponsorship at Pebble Beach and the Byron Nelson on the PGA Tour, and a Champions Tour event in Texas.

The last player AT&T endorsed on the PGA Tour was Tiger Woods. He had an AT&T bag when he returned from knee surgery early in 2009. The company ended its endorsement deal a month after revelations that Woods had multiple extramarital affairs.

Spieth is playing for the first time since the Ryder Cup. He is headed back home to Dallas after the HSBC Champions, and then returning to Asia to play in the Dunlop Phoenix in Japan and then the Australian Open in Sydney before ending his year at the Hero World Challenge that Woods hosts in Florida.

-----

KOEPKA'S DILEMMA: Brooks Koepka is spending a much-needed week of vacation in Thailand before two final events on the European Tour that could shape his schedule next year.

Koepka began his career on the Challenge Tour in Europe, winning three times to earn an instant promotion to the European Tour. He did well enough in his limited starts on the PGA Tour last year - a tie for fourth in the U.S. Open and a tie for third in the Frys.com Open - to earn his U.S. card.
 

He would like to play both tours again next year, but that can only happen if he's entrenched in the top 50 in the world. That would make him eligible for the World Golf Championships and the majors, which means he would need only limited starts in Europe to keep both cards.
 

But right now, Koepka is at No. 60.
 

Even though he was a European Tour member first, PGA Tour regulations do not allow the Floridian to claim Europe as his home circuit, meaning he would need to get a release to play overseas. Players typically are granted three ''conflicting event releases'' when playing 15 PGA Tour events, with one more release for every five more PGA Tour events they play.
 

One caveat is for players to claim an alternative home circuit, but only if they have been a member of that tour at least five years and commit to playing at least 20 times on the PGA Tour. Frank Nobilo of New Zealand went that route when he joined the PGA Tour after several years in Europe.
 

Koepka finishes his year in Turkey and Dubai, both of which will have strong world ranking points.

 

-----

DUSTIN JOHNSON: That voluntarily leave by Dustin Johnson certainly isn't hurting his position in the world ranking.

Johnson was at No. 16 in the world after the Canadian Open when he announced he was stepping away from golf to seek professional help for ''personal challenges.'' He is No. 15 in the world now.
 

Johnson will start losing points, starting with the HSBC Champions. He won a year ago Sheshan International and is not back to defend.

His agent at Hambric Sports, David Winkle, said Tuesday that Johnson is not expected back until sometime early next year. Johnson's fiance, Paulina Gretzky, is expecting their first child and Johnson won't play again until the baby is born.

''They haven't announced when the baby is due yet,'' Winkle said.

-----

DIVOTS: Adam Scott is trying out another caddie this week at the HSBC Champions. He is using David Clark, who works for Cameron Tringale. ... Graeme McDowell says he will be joining a task force, only it has nothing to do with the Ryder Cup. McDowell says he has been asked by his alma mater, the University of Alabama-Birmingham, to be part of a group that studies the future of the football program. ... Tickets went on sale Tuesday for the British Open next year at St. Andrews. A daily ticket for adults will increase 5 pounds to 70 pounds (about $110) if bought before May 31, and to 80 pounds ($125) after that. Weekly tickets are available for 240 pounds ($380). A daily ticket went for 60 pounds ($95) in 2010 when The Open was last held at St. Andrews. ... Davis Love III tied for eighth in Malaysia, his first top 10 on the PGA Tour in two years.

-----

STAT OF THE WEEK: Graeme McDowell is the only player with top 10s in every World Golf Championship this year. He was a quarterfinalist at the Match Play Championship, tied for ninth at Doral and tied for eighth at Firestone.

-----

FINAL WORD: ''I know one thing for sure. We can't have more than 52 tournaments.'' - Henrik Stenson on what the golf calendar will look like in 10 years.

Ryder Cup players call Fred Couples, want him as 2016 captain.

By Ryan Ballengee

Tom Watson didn't work as Ryder Cup captain. Watson, an old-school player who apparently led more on resume than relatability, rubbed his charges the wrong way.

It's natural, then, that the players who didn't appreciate Watson's style would want to turn to a complete opposite in hopes of better luck in 2016 at Hazeltine National in Minnesota. And who would be that opposite? Why, of course, Fred Couples. 

Couple tells Golf World all of the players from the '14 squad and Tiger Woods, who didn't play on the team with a back injury hampering his season, messaged him soon after the week at Gleneagles to recruit his expertise.

"When they all got home, they said, 'We need you to do this,'" Couples said.

Were it offered to him, the 1992 Masters champion wouldn't come into the job cold. Couples led the U.S. to three straight Presidents Cup wins as captain, walking away after the '13 matches at Muirfield Village in Ohio. 

The question now isn't if the players want him; it's if the PGA of America will. Couples said last week at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship that he isn't a "PGA of America guy" and doesn't support the 11-man task force convened by the body, on which sit both Woods and Phil Mickelson, the most vocal dissenter against Watson in Scotland.

As it relates to Mickelson, Boom-Boom has loved having him on his teams, saying, "Phil Mickelson has been the best [team] guy on every team I've ever been on, by far."

Tiger Woods no longer necessary to draw fans, says sponsor rep.

By Ryan Ballengee

PGA golfer Tiger Woods during the second round of the 2014 PGA Championship golf tournament at Valhalla Golf Club. (Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports)

Giles Morgan is HSBC's global head of sponsorship, with control over the global bank's investments in a pair of big golf tournaments, including this week's WGC-HSBC Champions in China. 

Like a prudent investment banker, Morgan has evaluated the return HSBC was getting on paying Tiger Woods big bucks for its January event in Abu Dhabi and decided it's not worth the money.
 

Morgan will no longer cut a $3 million check to Woods just for showing up, saying golf, particularly in China, has moved beyond needing the 14-time major winner or any single marquee player to make a tournament a success.

"Every top player in the world is welcome to play this event if they qualify and we would be delighted to have them here," Morgan said to The Guardian newspaper. "But we have moved beyond the point where we just need ‘a player’ to turn up to boost PR, gratification and media coverage. We are not interested in that, we are interested in genuine growth of the sport and I think we are sitting on a fantastic new chapter.”

Morgan went on to say that having 40 of the world's top 50 in the field was a victory in his mind, which it is.

This isn't the first time Morgan has singled out Woods in public comments around this tournament. A year ago, Woods chose to take a large appearance fee to take on Rory McIlroy in an exhibition match in China just days before the WGC-HSBC Champions. Woods skipped Morgan's tournament despite already being in the region. For the $8 million price tag on sponsoring this event, Morgan demanded Woods' attention.

"I just feel that this tournament [WGC-HSBC Champions] has an important role to take golf into an entirely different part of the world. It builds off the Olympic story in China and all the top players in the world have a responsibility, to an extent, to support it," Morgan said. "Sponsors of our size deserve a modicum of respect for their investment.”

Power Rankings: Joey Logano's scramble keeps him atop the standings.

By Nick Bromberg

1. Joey Logano (LW: 1): Logano had the Chase flash before his eyes at Texas. Hell, with 40 laps to go, he was the biggest Chase story of the race. Instead, he was an afterthought. But don't let the fight cloud the recovery he made. Logano first fell back because of a slow pit stop caused by an extra set of tires. How? NASCAR gave all teams an extra set of tires, and since the No. 22 team had been pitting a lot, it used the tires on lap 295. However, the glue didn't have time to set and the lugnuts fell off the wheel. Then Logano cut a tire and spun, causing a caution. His team put scuffs on the car and thanks to the stop-and-start nature of the last 30 laps, fought back to finish 12th and end up tied for the points lead.

2. Ryan Newman (LW: 3): Speaking of comebacks, Newman had one too. He had to pit late because of contact with Matt Kenseth that caused a tire rub and he went from being one of the last cars on the lead lap to finishing 15th. It's an unfair finish for Newman, who had a top-10 car for most of the day and could unsurprisingly be the points leader if it wasn't for the run-in with Kenseth. With the exception of a crash in February 2013, Newman has finished 21st or better at Phoenix since the repave and was seventh earlier this season. Oh, we'd also be remiss to not mention Newman's quote about the debris cautions at Texas too. The first seven yellow flags were for debris.

"It’s kind of a sad situation when you run out of tires like that," Newman said. "I wish NASCAR had given us more tires. They gave us one set, but when they keep throwing cautions like that that were totally unnecessary, and there’s not debris on the race track and no reason to throw it. We need to keep racing. And it’s sad to see but that’s the way they’ve been playing it.”

 

3. Denny Hamlin (LW: 5): Denny Downer was straight and to the point after the race. "We had a bad car," Hamlin said. "We made the best of it. Other guys made mistakes. We weren’t really that good.  Luckily other guys had problems. That’s what happened.”

Lighten up, dude. you've got the freaking points lead! Sure, it could be more, but you've got the freaking points lead. You control your own destiny at Phoenix and as long as you finish 11th (with no laps led), you're moving on to Homestead with a shot at the title.

4. Jeff Gordon (LW: 2): As you know by now, Gordon's result was not reflective of the performance he put in on Sunday. The restart he had on lap 325 was incredible, pinching Jimmie Johnson down to the white line and powering ahead down the backstretch. The race was his if it wasn't for the crash of Clint Bowyer, which given the history between the two, may cause you to chuckle. It's also worth wondering if the flared sideskirts on the Cup cars had anything to do with Gordon's cut tire after bumping Keselowski. (Meaning that the sideskirt of Keselowski's car acted like a dagger into Gordon's tire) The contact looked innocuous, and in a perfect world, should be something that enhances competition instead of ruins it.

5. Kevin Harvick (LW: 6): Should we dock Harvick for inciting the fracas? If you thought that the kerfuffle between Kenseth and Keselowski at Charlotte was like professional wrestling, goodness, it was like a pay-per-view at Texas. Harvick serves as the guy to distract Keselowski and push him, giving Gordon the impetus to use his pent-up aggression and make a move because the first move had already been made. As far as the actual race goes, Harvick finished second, but he's still eighth in the points standings, 18 points back of first.

6. Brad Keselowski (LW: 7): We've said it before and we'll say it again. Keselowski did nothing wrong in going for the win like he did, even if Harvick claimed he couldn't race Gordon and Johnson like Keselowski did. Roger Penske's statement of support of Keselowski on Monday wasn't surprising in the slightest, and let's be honest, don't you want all NASCAR drivers to go for the win when the opportunity arises? It's also worth noting that the chances of any "payback" against Keselowski for events that have happened in the Chase seem slim until a driver is out of the Chase. There's little point risking your Chase chances to fulfill a vendetta.

7. Matt Kenseth (LW: 4): Kenseth had a fast car in clean air, but when he got back in traffic, all was lost. He had a hangup on a pit stop that dropped him back in traffic and he never really made it back up. He then had another setback with the contact with Newman and finished 25th after a late pit stop. Crazily, Kenseth is tied for fifth in the points standings, a point out of fourth.

8. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 8): After finishing sixth, there's no way Junior could have dropped in the rankings. So here he is. He was a top-15 car for most of the race but his car got faster at the end and he made his way towards the top five. If Junior wins at Homestead, where Hendrick tested recently, he'll be the first driver to win the Daytona 500 to start the year and at Homestead to end it.

9. Carl Edwards (LW: 9): The man Kenseth is tied with? This guy. Edwards was stinking slow all day long at Texas, but got his lap back on a lap 297 caution. From then, he moved his way in the general direction of the front as calamity kept ensuing and finished ninth. It's an incredibly surprising top 10, and while it's not romantic or movie-worthy, it's a comeback that will be a focus at Homestead media day if Edwards is in contention for the title.

10. Jimmie Johnson (LW: NR): From out of Power Rankings to back in the top 10 in a week. Chad Knaus said after the race that he and Johnson were set for 2015 together. Yes, there have been some rumors that the two could be parting ways, but we don't have to worry about what would happen to NASCAR's version of Captain and Tennille. And no, I don't know who is Captain and who is Tennille in this situation. That's for you to figure out.

11. Kyle Busch (LW: 10): Yes, we said that we couldn't drop Junior after finishing sixth, so we realize that it's patently unfair to drop Busch a spot after finishing fourth. But Johnson won the race, so we had to move him down. Should we just call it a tie for 10th? After losing a right-rear tire early in the race, Busch and team fought back incredibly well and he ended up in the top five. Not a bad closing effort for a car that Busch said was "a bag of everything" throughout the day.

12. Kyle Larson (LW: NR): Larson gets the final spot over Tony Stewart because he finished in the top 10. Stewart fell back to 11th on the final restart after fighting his car all day. So did Larson, but he ended up moving forward at the end. Larson's amusement during his post-race press conference was priceless. As the highest-finishing rookie, he was obligated to go to the media center, but he was mesmerized by the scenes unfolding on pit road on the media center TVs.

Lucky Dog: Jamie McMurray used the high line throughout the race and closed like a maniac to finish fifth.

The DNF: Man, the end of the race for Kasey Kahne was just brutal.

Dropped Out: Allmendinger, Stewart

Wenger slams sloppy Arsenal after Euro meltdown.

AFP; By Steven Griffiths

Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez, third from right, scores his side's second goal during a Champions League, Group D soccer match between Arsenal and Anderlecht, at the Emirates Stadium, in London, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

Arsene Wenger launched a scathing attack on his Arsenal flops after they blew a three-goal lead in a 3-3 draw against Anderlecht that left them still waiting to book their place in the Champions League last 16.

Wenger's side were on course to qualify for the knockout stages of Europe's elite club competition for the 15th successive season after Mikel Arteta's penalty and fine strikes from Alexis Sanchez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain put them in complete control by the 58th minute.

But the Gunners' creaky defence was brutally exposed by Anderlecht in a remarkable finale that saw the unheralded Belgians score three times in the last 29 minutes through Anthony vanden Borre's double and Aleksandar Mitrovic's stoppage-time header.

Wenger was furious with the way his players squandered their advantage and he said: "We had a poor defensive performance from the first until the last minute. We never looked comfortable and we got punished.

"There was a bit of bad luck because their first goal was clearly offside but we never looked good enough defensively. Across the pitch we were very poor.

"It was a combination of fatigue and switching off. We dropped off and were always open. We didn't stop the crosses or the long balls.

"It is very disappointing. Maybe subconsciously we underestimated Anderlecht at 3-0.

"In the Champions League you need to be at your best mentally and we weren't today."

The woeful meltdown leaves Arsenal with virtually no chance of finishing top of Group D -- which was Wenger's original target -- and instead they face a fraught fight just to reach the knockout stages.

They hold a five point lead over third placed Anderlecht, but host group leaders Borussia Dortmund on November 26 knowing a defeat against the Germans would send them to Galatasaray needing a result in a notoriously hostile environment.

"We have very little chance of winning the group," said Wenger, whose team are five points behind Dortmund.

"The luck we have is with the qualification, we still have a chance. If we had lost tonight we would have been in a very bad situation with qualification."

- Arteta woe -

To make the evening extra frustrating for Wenger, he is likely to be without captain Arteta for several weeks after the Spanish midfielder was forced off with a hamstring injury.

"Arteta has done a hamstring. I don't know for how long he will be out," Wenger added.

While Wenger refused to single out any of his players for public criticism, he will be alarmed at the ease with which Anderlecht troubled full-backs Calum Chambers and Kieran Gibbs, while neither Per Mertesacker or Nacho Monreal looked comfortable at the heart of a defence given little protection by the Arsenal manager's decision to send out an attacking line-up including only one holding midfielder in Arteta.

"Our aim now is to come back with a better defensive display against Swansea at the weekend," Wenger added.

Wenger's angst was perhaps behind his failure to shake hands with Anderlecht boss Besnik Hasi at full-time.

But Hasi refused to dwell on that, preferring to salute his players for a herculean effort that kept alive his team's slender hopes of reaching the last 16.

"I didn't get a hand (from Wenger) but I don't know (why). I was running with my players to celebrate," Hasi said.

"I don't think we were lucky. I don't know if the first goal was offside. I really don't care.

"I'm very satisfied with the spirit of my young team. In difficult moments they showed their character and quality.

"At 3-0 you can say the game is over, but we made a few changes and at 3-1 we grew in confidence. You could see Arsenal have a few doubts.

"I'm a young coach and I hope I'm going to stay here for a long time, but this is going to stay in my memory for sure."

Soccer-Real down Liverpool 1-0 to reach knockout round.

Reuters; Reporting by Iain Rogers, editing by Toby Davis and Ken Ferris

Holders Real Madrid breezed into the last 16 of the Champions League with two games to spare when a Karim Benzema strike secured a 1-0 win in their Group B match at home to a toothless Liverpool on Tuesday.

Benzema clipped a Marcelo cross high into the net from close range in the 27th minute, the France forward's fifth goal in this season's ompetition, to maintain Real's perfect record in the section with 12 points from four games.

It was the record 10-times European champions' 12th win in a row in all competitions and followed their 3-0 success against Liverpool at Anfield last month.

"We have done our homework and we can now focus on La Liga, the King's Cup and the Club World Cup," Real captain and goalkeeper Iker Casillas said in an interview with Spanish television.

"We are very pleased," added the Spain international, who was making a record 144th Champions League appearance.

"We have had some very tough and difficult matches recently and once we went 1-0 ahead we controlled the game."

A major surprise was the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo failed to get on the scoresheet and he remains one goal short of the Champions League scoring record of 71 set by former Real and Schalke 04 forward Raul.

FC Basel are well placed to join Real in the knockout round after they beat Ludogorets 4-0 to move onto six points, with Liverpool and the Bulgarian champions on three each.

BREEZY BERNABEU

Real were close to full strength for the clash at a chilly and breezy Bernabeu, while Liverpool coach Brendan Rodgers made a host of changes from the team that lost to Newcastle United in the Premier League at the weekend.

Captain Steven Gerrard, Coutinho, Raheem Sterling, Jordan Henderson and Mario Balotelli were all on the bench, while Gareth Bale, who is coming back from injury, was among the Real substitutes.

Real had an early chance when James Rodriguez forced a good save from Simon Mignolet in the fourth minute before the visitors settled and started to play some neat football without threatening the home goal.

A mistake by Liverpool captain Martin Skrtel in the 10th minute gifted possession to Benzema and he set up Ronaldo, but Mignolet pulled off another fine stop to deny the Portuguese.

A well worked move yielded Real's opening goal. Isco sent Marcelo clear on the left and his pinpoint cross was turned high into the net by Benzema as the Liverpool players appealed for a non-existent offside.

Liverpool failed to muster a shot in the first half to Real's 13 and the European champions continued in the second period where they had left off with Ronaldo going close in the 49th minute.

Alberto Moreno had Liverpool's first effort when he forced Casillas into a save in the 56th minute and Adam Lallana fired wide two minutes later.

Bale, who had replaced Rodriguez nine minutes earlier, turned a Marcelo cross onto the bar in the 71st and although the introduction of Sterling with about 20 minutes left gave Liverpool extra zip they did not come close to an equalizer.

"I knew what I was doing with the team selection and we are disappointed with the result but it was a good performance," Liverpool coach Brendan Rogers, whose side host Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday, said on UEFA.com.

"We showed great composure and a courage to want to play," he added.

FIFA moves closer to winter World Cup in Qatar.

By GRAHAM DUNBAR (AP Sports Writer)

FIFA is targeting two options for holding the 2022 World Cup in the winter in Qatar, and organizers think that is ''ideal'' for the Middle East.

''We are getting closer to narrowing the dates for the FIFA World Cup to two options -- January-February 2022 or November-December 2022,'' Valcke said in a FIFA statement.

Qatar's organizing committee leader, Hassan Al Thawadi, said for the first time that hosting the tournament in the searing heat of June and July, as originally scheduled, might not be the best solution.

''(Al Thawadi) outlined that, for the Middle East, the ideal situation and circumstances for an all-inclusive World Cup would be for it to be held in the winter,'' according to the FIFA statement.

Still, FIFA noted that Qatar ''remained fully committed to delivering what was promised in its bid'' - including stadium cooling technology to combat 40 degree C (104 degree F) temperatures during the traditional World Cup calendar dates.

The January-February option is favored by FIFA's confederations. At that time, many European countries are in mid-season breaks or in their offseason. Asia and Africa are used to playing their continental championships at the start of a year.

A January 2022 kickoff remains in play although it seems designed to fail. FIFA President Sepp Blatter, who is an IOC member, has assured IOC President Thomas Bach that the World Cup will not clash with the 2022 Winter Olympics.

The IOC is currently evaluating candidate cities Beijing and Almaty, Kazakhstan, to host a Winter Games expected to be held in February 2022.

The 214-member European Club Association has suggested the Olympics move its dates, and also proposed a World Cup from April 28-May 29.

That option has long been rejected by Valcke, who reiterated that the start of month-long Ramadan fasting on April 2, 2022, must also be considered.

The players' union, FIFPro, also opposes the clubs' spring plan because of the heat.

''The health and safety of the players is non-negotiable,'' FIFPro said in a statement. ''Staging a World Cup in and around the oppressive summer months of Qatar is simply not an option.''

European leagues suggested a compromise May-June tournament.

FIFA said the panel will meet early next year, likely in February, to assess reports from Valcke and Asian Football Confederation President Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa of Bahrain on proposals made at Monday's meeting.

''We are pleased with the level of detail provided by the participants and with the productive discussions that took place today,'' Sheik Salman said.

FIFA's executive committee could decide on the World Cup dates in March.

Alabama outside of top four, but could be No. 1 when dust settles.

By Graham Watson

Alabama is on the outside looking in at the top four of the College Football Playoff, ranked No. 5 in Tuesday’s rankings, but when it’s all said and done, the Tide could be in the No. 1 spot.

'Bama is one of the teams in the top 10 of the CFP rankings that seemingly controls its own destiny and the Tide certainly has the strength of schedule to turn those rankings around.
 

That is, of course, if they can win out.

 The Tide will play three ranked games in their final four contests (the other is Western Carolina), starting with this weekend’s game at No. 16 LSU. The Tide also have games against No. 1 Mississippi State and No. 3 Auburn remaining.

Win all of those games — and Western Carolina – and the committee would have a hard time not declaring the Tide the No. 1 team in the country.

Now before Florida State fans start crying foul, think about this: TCU, which is ranked No. 6, has wins against teams that at the time were ranked No. 4, No. 15 and No. 20 in the AP rankings, more quality wins than Alabama to date. (Not to mention a razor-thin loss to a then-No. 5 Baylor.) Yet, Jeff Long, chairman of the College Football Playoff selection committee, said when the committee compared the tape of TCU and the tape of Alabama, Alabama looked like the better team.

“The committee members compared those teams and at the end of the day we felt like Alabama, at this point thus far in the season, is a better team and deserves a higher ranking,” Long said.

Now add in assumed wins against three ranked teams, including two in the top three (Auburn and Mississippi State), and the Tide have the résumé of a championship team.

But Alabama isn’t the only team that controls its destiny, the Pac-12 has an interesting conundrum with Oregon and Arizona State. Both teams should be in if they win out. Oregon is already No. 4 with games against Utah, Colorado and Oregon State remaining. Arizona State ascended five spots from last week with a win against Utah and now has games against No. 10 Notre Dame, Oregon State, Washington State and No. 19 Arizona. If both teams win out, they’ll play in the Pac-12 title game and it will be almost impossible to keep the winner out.

That spells bad news for a team like TCU, which has just one quality game remaining — this weekend’s contest against No. 7 Kansas State. If Alabama doesn’t win out, the Horned Frogs could move into No. 5, but it would be difficult for it to supplant any of the teams in front of them without a little help. The best-case scenario for TCU is Alabama losing to either LSU or Mississippi State (or both) and beating Auburn.

Of course, all of this is conjecture with four weeks remaining in the regular season and a slew of scenarios available. There are 12 one-loss teams remaining within the Power Five conferences (counting Notre Dame) and six play each other this weekend.

So the chances of these rankings being the same next week are very slim.

 

Week 2 of the College Football Playoff bracket

Selecting five preseason All-Americans is harder than ever this year.

By Jeff Eisenberg

These are 2014 photos showing, from left: Montrezl Harrell, Louisville; Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin; Jahlil Okafor, Duke; Marcus Paige, North Carolina and Fred VanVleet, Wichita State. Harrell, Kaminsky, Okafor, Paige and VanVleet were selected to The Associated Press preseason All-America NCAA college basketball team Monday, Nov. 3, 2014.(AP Photo/File)

The most telling aspect of the preseason All-American team the Associated Press unveiled Monday afternoon wasn't which five players were selected.

It was that a total of 29 players received votes, eight more than last year, seven more than 2012 and 11 more than 2011.

The closest the 65-member panel came to a consensus was North Carolina combo guard Marcus Paige and Louisville power forward Montrezl Harrell, who appeared on 58 and 56 ballots, respectively. Wichita State point guard Fred VanVleet, Wisconsin forward Frank Kaminsky and Duke center Jahlil Okafor rounded out the rest of the preseason All-American team.

While all five of those players are certainly worthy candidates for All-American honors, what makes this year unusual is that none of them are clear-cut, can't-miss choices. In fact, it would be easy to concoct an equally reasonable five-man All-American team that included none of the AP panel's choices.

Would anyone complain about a preseason All-American team featuring Michigan's Caris Levert, Arizona's Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Iowa State's Georges Niang and Kentucky's Aaron Harrison and Karl Towns? Or what about one that included Wichita State's Ron Baker, Arizona's Stanley Johnson, Utah's Delon Wright, Wisconsin's Sam Dekker and Kansas' Cliff Alexander?

You can quibble with a few of those selections or omissions, I'm sure, but the point is there's no can't-miss choice this season. That differs from last year when Marcus Smart was a unanimous selection and Doug McDermott appeared on all but two ballots. Or the year before when Cody Zeller was one vote shy of being a unanimous pick and McDermott appeared on 62 of 65 ballots. Or 2011 when Ohio State's Jared Sullinger was a unanimous selection entering his sophomore season.

What that suggests is this year should feature a wide-open race both for national player of the year and to emerge as the potential No. 1 pick in next year's draft. One of the freshmen could take the latter on potential alone, but it wouldn't be shocking to see a veteran candidate or two emerge.

For the record, my preseason All-American picks are as follows: Marcus Paige, Aaron Harrison, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Montrezl Harrell and Jahlil Okafor.

Go ahead and craft your counter-arguments in the comments. I'll certainly understand. The beauty of this season is there are at least a dozen players equally worthy of consideration.

Agent: Griner cut but OK in knife attack in China,

By DOUG FEINBERG (AP Basketball Writer)

Brittney Griner #42 of the Phoenix Mercury celebrates during the game against the Los Angeles Sparks at Staples Center on July 6, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images)

WNBA star Brittney Griner was cut on the elbow by a man in a knife attack in China but didn't need to go to the hospital, her agent told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Agent Lindsay Kagawa Colas said Griner sustained a small cut as her team was boarding a bus after practice Monday in what she called a random attack. Colas said the 6-foot-8 player was wearing a winter coat and that the knife barely cut her skin. Griner didn't require stitches.
 

The agent said the man also stabbed one of Griner's teammates, but that she was wearing two jackets and the knife didn't go through.
 

Colas said the man was yelling as he chased the players onto the bus. She said he left the scene, then returned covered in blood and was apprehended by Chinese authorities. It was not immediately clear in which city this happened.
 

Griner plays in the WNBA with the Phoenix Mercury. This is her second season in China and first with the Beijing Great Wall. The team was preparing for a road game against Liaoning Hengye.
 

Griner, who led Baylor to a 40-0 season and the 2012 NCAA title, came out as a lesbian in 2013 after her senior season. She was the No. 1 pick by the Mercury in the 2013 draft.

On This Date in Sports History: Today is Wednesday, November 5, 2014.

MemoriesofHistory.com

1946 - A glass backboard broke shattered for the first time in an NBA game. Chuck Connors of the Boston Celtics was the man that broke it.

1955 - Jean Beliveau (Canadiens) scored the 2nd fastest hat trick. He did it in 44 seconds.

1959 - The American Football League was formed.

1971 - The Los Angeles Lakers began a winning streak of 33 consecutive games.

1981 - Mercury Morris (former Miami Dolphin) was sentenced to 20 years for drug trafficking, conspiracy, and possession of cocaine.

1984 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the NFL had exceeded antitrust limits in attempting to stop the Oakland Raiders from moving to Los Angeles.

1994 - George Foreman, 45, became boxing's oldest heavyweight champion when he knocked out Michael Moorer in the 10th round of their WBA fight in Las Vegas, NV.

1995 - Warren Moon (Minnesota Vikings) became the 6th player in NFL history to pass for 40,000 career yards.

1995 - John Elway (Denver Broncos) became the 7th player in NFL history to pass for 40,000 career yards.

1997 - The Milwaukee Brewers became the first major league baseball team to switch leagues during the 20th century. They moved from the American League to the National League.

1999 - Dennis Rodman (NBA) and Carmen Electra were both arrested and charged with battery and domestic violence in a Miami Beach, FL, hotel.  
 

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