CS&T/AllsportsAmerica Monday Sports News Update, 04/27/2015.

Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica

"America's Finest Sports Fan Travel Club, May We Plan An Event Or Sports Travel For You?"

We offer: Select opportunities, For your convenience, At "Very Rare but Super Fair" pricing,

Because it's all about you!!!

Sports Quote of the Day:

"Discipline is based on pride, on meticulous attention to details, and on mutual respect and confidence. Discipline must be a habit so ingrained that it is stronger than the excitement of the goal or the fear of failure." ~ Gary Ryan Blair, Author, Consultant, Speaker and Client Coach

 

Trending: Blackhawks, Wild meet again in second round of playoffs.

By Tracey Myers

The Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild have met two consecutive postseasons. From one spring to the other the series got much tighter, with the Blackhawks fighting to eliminate the Wild in six games last season.

Now, it’s time to get ready for Round 3.

The Blackhawks, who eliminated the Nashville Predators on Saturday night, will meet the Minnesota Wild in their second-round series. Dates and times have yet to be determined. The Wild advance to the second round for the second consecutive season after it beat the St. Louis Blues 4-1 on Sunday afternoon. Zach Parise scored twice and Devan Dubnyk stopped 30 of 31 shots for the victory.

This current Minnesota squad is a far cry from the team in January that was way out of the playoffs. Questions arose at the time if coach Mike Yeo would be a casualty of what was looking like an underachieving season. Oh, how times have changed. The Wild have been tremendous since acquiring Dubnyk, who went 27-9-2 through the rest of Minnesota’s regular season. 

Trending: NFL clears Ray McDonald in domestic violence case.

By Michael David Smith

Ray McDonald and Greg Hardy were both accused of domestic violence last year. Both got the same results from the legal system, ultimately having their charges dropped. But the NFL’s brand of justice has been radically different.

Hardy was banished with pay by the Panthers for 15 games last season and has now been suspended an additional 10 games without pay this season. But McDonald was allowed to play for the 49ers amid the domestic violence accusation last year and will not be suspended at all this year.

The NFL has confirmed that it investigated McDonald, who is now with the Bears, and cleared him of any violation of the personal-conduct policy.

“We have completed that [domestic-violence] investigation,” NFL general counsel Jeff Pash told the Associated Press Sports Editors. ‘‘[Special counsel for investigations] Lisa [Friel] and her team completed that investigation [and] did not establish a violation of the personal-conduct policy. We informed the player and the [NFL] Players Association.’’

However, that doesn’t mean McDonald is totally out of the woods. He is also being investigated in connection with a sexual assault. McDonald has not been charged in that case and says he will sue the woman who accused him.

‘‘Just to be clear, Ray McDonald had two issues, as you may remember — one related to a domestic-violence incident and one related to an alleged sexual assault,’’ Friel said. ‘‘It’s the domestic-violence incident that we have finished investigating and didn’t find sufficient evidence to say that he violated the personal-conduct policy. The sexual-assault incident, that investigation is ongoing. That has not been completed, nor has the district attorney’s office in Santa Clara County completed their investigation into that matter.’’

The second accusation against McDonald led the 49ers to cut him. But as far as the NFL is concerned, he’s not in any trouble with the personal-conduct policy. At least not yet.

How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? The Blackhawks' talent rises above all.  

By Satchel Price

The Blackhawks may be flawed, but they're talented enough to overcome whatever might hold them back. (Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports)

The Chicago Blackhawks just won a playoff series in which they often benched talented players, made multiple goaltender changes and were ultimately outscored. If you combed minute-to-minute over the six games against the Nashville Predators and completely ignored the results, you'd be reasonable in believing the other team won.
 

This wasn't the Blackhawks' best series, or even a particularly good one. It was a winning series, though, because one constant over the past few years continues to ring true. Chicago, for all its warts on the ice and on the bench, is talented enough to overcome most hurdles.

Four different players scored goals for the Blackhawks in Game 6, and it's fair to consider each of those players an All-Star. Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp and Duncan Keith are some of the best in the world, and they put it on full display when it mattered.  

Most teams wouldn't have been able to weather what's plagued this team not just in the series, but all season. The lineups still haven't really been settled after nearly 90 games, and off-ice issues never got in the way even when they started popping up in the headlines. This hasn't been seven months of flowers and rainbows. Yet the Blackhawks keep punching with their backs against the ropes, and few teams look as dangerous when they're desperate. 

The Blackhawks finally found that urgency in the late stages Saturday night, and the result was an onslaught the Predators couldn't fight off. Before Keith scored the game-winning goal, there were several wild skirmishes around the net as Nashville frantically tried to clear the puck, but the Hawks kept swarming and connecting with passes. Eventually, Keith got his opening, and like we've seen countless times before, he didn't miss.

 

One of those previous times came just days ago, when the Blackhawks rallied from a 3-0 deficit in Game 1. That was the first of several impressive runs from the team, and it was concluded by Keith slapping in an overtime game-winner. The team would get run over in the next game, 6-2, but respond with back-to-back wins to put the series on the brink.

That's because the team's best players kept stepping up over and over, even though the power play couldn't do anything and the defense occasionally left the goalie hanging. Toews finished the series with eight points in six games. Keith, Kane and Sharp each finished with seven points. Everyone is playing huge minutes. 

Now Chicago is headed for a second-round matchup against the Minnesota Wild or St. Louis Blues, and there's no shortage of issues to consider. Who will be the goaltender, Corey Crawford or Scott Darling? Will Teuvo Teravainen really spend the rest of the spring in the press box? Can the team win with four good defensemen?

And yet, even while acknowledging the various things that could hold the Blackhawks back, the team's best players are so freaking good. Toews, Kane, Sharp, Keith and others have shown that they're talented enough to overcome some head-scratching lineup decisions and sketchy blue line depth. That was proven again in Game 6 as the team completed another come-from-behind victory, the likes of which we've become accustomed to seeing over the past few years.

The Blackhawks may not make it easy on themselves or us, but damn it, they keep winning. In a bracket full of flawed teams, I wouldn't dismiss one with stars like Chicago's. If this is the final run for this core as currently constructed, they're doing their best to go out in style.

Blackhawks: Corey Crawford gets his second chance in net.

By Tracey Myers

Chicago Blackhawks goalies Corey Crawford (L) and Scott Darling (R).

Corey Crawford dealt with the ups and downs of this series with the same demeanor. It’s probably what got him through it all.

“I’ve gone through a lot in my career,” he said. “Just being level headed helps, not to get too down. You just keep working hard and pretty much just wash away anything else that creeps into your mind.”

Coach Joel Quenneville always says “things change quickly in our business.” That quick-changing business saw Crawford back in net and stopping 13 shots for the victory in the Blackhawks’ 4-3 decision over Nashville in Game 6 of this first-round series. Crawford, who hadn’t played since giving up six goals in Game 2, watched Scott Darling come in for him in Game 1 and take over in net beginning with Game 3. It wasn’t easy for Crawford, but he handled the whole situation diplomatically and was one of the first to greet Darling after his victories.

When defensive breakdowns in front of Darling put the Blackhawks down 3-1, Crawford got another chance. With a tighter defense in front of him, Crawford didn’t have to face a barrage of shots. But he came up with the necessary stops.

“I mean, I got into it pretty quick,” Crawford said. “The first few minutes there was a little adjustment.”

So, does this mean Crawford’s the starting goaltender again when the Blackhawks face their second-round opponent?

“Well, we’ll let you know but I think you know who’s going to start the next game,” Quenneville said with a grin. “[Crawford] did everything we wanted him to do. He had a couple looks there when he first came in and got comfortable as the game went along. That was a big test right there. Great response.”

Teammates agreed.

“It’s great for him, considering the type of criticism he takes. Flip of a switch: if things go wrong for our team, especially in the playoffs, everyone wants to point the finger at the goaltender,” Jonathan Toews said. “He deserves credit.”

Crawford’s gone through plenty in his career, as he said. He was a supportive teammate as he watched Darling play well through this series. And, of course, he was very happy to get another chance.
 

Blackhawks vs. Predators Game 6 results: Chicago advances to second round with 4-3 win. (Saturday night's game, 04/25/2015).

By Erika Yaffe

Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith (2) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Nashville Predators during the third period in Game 6 of an NHL Western Conference hockey playoff series Saturday, April 25, 2015, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

The Chicago Blackhawks are heading to the second round after beating the Nashville Predators, 4-3, in Game 6 on Saturday night. The win clinched a 4-2 series victory for the Hawks, who will now go on to face either the Minnesota Wild or St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference semifinals.

With Game 6 on home ice, the Hawks knew a win would send the Predators home for the season; a loss and a Game 7 loomed large in Nashville. Chicago needed to come out flying, but instead came out flat with an almost exact repeat of the first period of Game 1. 

Scott Darling gave up three goals on 12 shots in 11 minutes and 16 seconds before being replaced in goal by Corey Crawford, who was pulled after giving up three goals on 12 shots in the first period of Game 1. Struggling on the fore-check and unable to clear the defensive zone, the Hawks scrambled and the Predators capitalized with quick goals from James Neal and Matt Cullen. 

Marian Hossa visited the penalty box on a hook to stop a Nashville breakaway and put the Hawks on their second penalty kill of the first period. The Hawks also had their chance on the power play in the first and capitalized on a goal by Jonathan Toews, which followed up a Patrick Sharp goal. Getting off the ice down one goal would've been a victory for the Hawks, but they weren't done yet. 

With only seconds left in the period Patrick Kane, off a faceoff win from Brad Richards and a nice pass from Duncan Keith, found the back of the net to draw even with the Predators, 3-3, as the period ended. After going down 2-0 and 3-1 in the period, the Blackhawks once again proved that they may be down, but they are never out. The Predators held the first period edge in shots on goal, 14-11, and Keith logged an unbelievable 10:16 of ice time. 

The Hawks came out with much greater focus as the second period got underway. More offensive zone presence, more chances, more defense. At 8:55, Brad Richards, infuriated by a tripping call, went to the box sending the Hawks on the penalty kill. Both teams settled in after a frantic first period and defense reigned, though the Hawks had some nice rushes and some good looks that did not get past Pekka Rinne. Toews continued to exhibit his great two-way play and had a couple of good looks, but came up empty. 

Keith had the best chance of the period for the Blackhawks with a blistering near miss that deflected off of Rinne's mask. Nashville had very few quality chances during the second period, with all of the shots being easily handled by Crawford. The period ended deadlocked, 3-3, with the Hawks holding a 23-21 edge in shots on goal. 

The Predators started the third period with a desperation reserved for teams that are one period removed from going home for the summer and, as in the first period, the Blackhawks looked just a bit behind on their pursuit. Nashville's Victor Bartley headed to the box at 8:57 for a hook on Marcus Kruger, giving the Hawks their first man advantage since the first period. The Hawks were unable to capitalize on the power play and the score remained tied at 3. The pace quickened by both teams as the clock ticked to under eight minutes and the United Center crowd, quiet for most of the period, came to life.

With five minutes left in the third period, the Hawks began to push the pace and the line of Hossa, Saad and Toews led an incredible rush resulting in a blistering slap shot from Keith off a Hossa screen to give the Hawks a 4-3 lead at 16:12 of the third.  Nashville went to the empty net with two minutes left in regulation and the race was on.  After several empty net misses and a lot of solid defense, the Blackhawks take Game 6 in regulation and await either Minnesota or St. Louis in the second round.

 

After a forgettable and difficult start to this game, the Blackhawks came together as a team and leaned on their extensive playoff experience to carry them past an opportunistic Nashville team that had matched them in intensity and play during this series. 

Just Another Chicago Bulls Session… Bucks-Bulls Preview.

By TAYLOR BECHTOLD (STATS Writer)

The Milwaukee Bucks believe a dose of intensity will help them steal another win in the series, though the Chicago Bulls are vowing not to repeat their Game 4 mistakes.

With hopes of again staving off elimination Monday night, the young Bucks are aiming to deal the Bulls their first home loss since mid-March and win at United Center for the first time since December 2013.

After it led the league in forced turnovers during the regular season at 17.4 per game, Milwaukee's length and athleticism on the defensive end have given Chicago fits during this Eastern Conference series.

The Bucks have forced the Bulls into 20.0 giveaways per game - 6.0 more than Chicago's season average. They finished with 20 steals and coaxed the Bulls into a season-high 28 turnovers in Saturday's 92-90 win.

"We are going to have to be a lot stronger with the ball," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau told the team's official website. "They are coming through us. We are going to have to hold our ground."

Milwaukee stripped the ball from Derrick Rose as Chicago looked to close out a sweep on its final possession. At the other end, Jerryd Bayless burned the star point guard on a backdoor cut to lay in the winner at the buzzer. 

The Bucks outscored the Bulls 39-25 on points off turnovers and have scored 96 off Chicago's 80 giveaways in four games.

 

"If we can run these guys off the line, and make them shoot tough, contested (2-pointers), we think we have a good chance," Bayless said. "We're still believing. We're not giving up on this series and we're going to keep going and see what happens."

Rose has been wildly inconsistent in the four contests, totaling 57 points on 21-of-39 shooting in Games 1 and 3 and scoring 29 while shooting 9 for 27 in Games 2 for 4. He finished with 14 points on 5-of-13 shooting Saturday and matched a playoff career high with eight turnovers - none more costly than in the final sequence.

"If this was the last game or Game 7, it would have been totally different," Rose said of his Game 4 struggles. "But we play again soon, so get this game out of my mind. We're going to come out and play hard. I can say that."

The Bulls should feel better about their chances back home, where they've won nine in a row by an average of 12.9 points. They also held the Bucks to an average of 86.0 points in winning the first two games there by a combined 21.

After snapping a nine-game playoff losing streak, Milwaukee now needs to halt a five-game skid at United Center to remain alive.

Although they're forcing turnovers, the Bucks haven't had an answer defensively for Jimmy Butler. The All-Star guard finished with a playoff career-high 33 points Saturday to go along with seven rebounds and three steals.

Butler, who also hit 5 of 7 from 3-point range, ranks among NBA leaders with 28.3 points per game this postseason.

"He's a great player playing at a high level and the rest of us have to be ready to make plays and make them pay for their commitment to certain players," said Pau Gasol, who has 33 points in the last two games after scoring 21 in the first two.

Milwaukee's O.J. Mayo had 18 points Saturday, Jared Dudley added 13 and five assists - including the pass to Bayless (10 points) on the winner - and the reserves outscored Chicago's 47-13 for a whopping 140-83 advantage in the series.

Nikola Mirotic had five points on 2-of-7 shooting in 20 minutes after missing Game 3 due to a bruised left knee and strained quadriceps. He's totaled 18 points in this series after averaging 17.7 over the last 23 of the regular season.

Minus turnovers, Bulls feel they're in good shape vs. Bucks.

By Vincent Goodwill

Milwaukee Bucks center Larry Sanders (8) grabs a rebound against Chicago Bulls forward Pau Gasol (16), center Joakim Noah (13) and guard Jimmy Butler (21) in the second quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. (Photo/Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports)

 

Mike Dunleavy opened his arms and jokingly looked to the heavens when the suggestion about solving the Milwaukee Bucks’ aggressive defense was presented in simple form at Sunday afternoon’s practice.

Take the double-team, move the ball twice and open shots will be plentiful.

“Ahhh, yes. Brilliant,” Dunleavy said. “That, in theory is what we're trying to do. Make that ball move, get it out of the double team and take advantage of 4-on-3 on the weak side.”

Dunleavy is clearly a recipient of crisp ball movement, as he’s shooting a torrid 57 percent from three in the four games this series, only making two two-pointers.

But getting those open shots is clearly easier said than done, as evidence by the Bulls’ comedy of errors, turning the ball over 28 times in their 92-90 Game 4 loss to the Bucks, where a win could’ve enabled the Bulls to get some much-needed rest before the second round.

Trying to force their individual offense led to a lot of the turnovers, as the Bucks want the Bulls to shoot perimeter jumpers, and have the long athletic wings to cover a lot of ground after double-teams.

“Well, in general, we looked at all our turnovers and some were their defense and some were not making the right read,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Usually, if you hold onto it too long or dance with the ball or try a risky pass, it will lead to a problem. Hit the first open man. Be sound with the ball. When we did that, we got good shots.”

How rare are 28 turnovers in a playoff game? It’s the third-highest amount in a playoff game in the last 25 years, trumped only by Indiana’s 33 in 1995 and Miami’s 32 in 1997 — the latter coming against the Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals.

If you didn’t cry about it, well, you sort of had to laugh. There was probably no snickering in the Bulls’ film session, where Thibodeau put every turnover on display for his team to see, but Dunleavy recognized how comical it could appear.

“When you turn it over 28 times, there's some pretty amazing ways to do it,” he said. “At some point you start becoming creative. It was pretty amazing the way we turned it over. Hopefully we fix it.”

When asked what he saw, Dunleavy voiced what everyone watching on TV witnessed as the Bulls struggled with the fundamental attribute of setting up their offense for good shots.

“Just a little of everything,” Dunleavy said. “One, let's say we want to get it in the post. We've had trouble getting it in there, had turnovers there. Then making that first pass out, had issues there. Then lastly when we get it out are we making the next pass or dribble into the paint and get caught in traffic? That sums it up.”

The Bulls certainly take their turnover issue seriously, as the Bucks’ high-risk, high-reward style of defense leaves plenty of holes for the Bulls to be effective. When you shoot 49 percent from the field and 56 from 3-point range, it usually births a sense of optimism that if they clean that up, they’ll be fine in Game 5.

After all, before Derrick Rose’s final turnover on the Bulls’ last possession, they were in position to win the game despite the errors. Rose had eight turnovers, while the Bucks have taken Pau Gasol (five turnovers, five field goals in Game 4) out of the series essentially from an offensive standpoint, not allowing the Bulls to run offense through him.

“I thought overall we've rebounded the ball well,” Dunleavy said. “When you turn it over 28 times you won't miss the shots to hit the glass. Our possessions it's either a good look, we're shooting close to 50 percent or it's a turnover. Hopefully like I said we can take care of the ball.”

They know the solution, it’s just up to them to implement their game plan to move onto the next round.

Bulls: Rose puts Game 4 loss on himself after defensive gaffe.

By Vincent Goodwill

Derrick Rose turned his head for a split second, which was all the time the Milwaukee Bucks and Jerryd Bayless needed to slip him underneath the rim, and give Rose 48 hours of kicking himself after 48 minutes of exhilarating but mishap-filled basketball.

The Milwaukee Bucks registered a win in their first-round series with a 92-90 win at the BMO Harris Bradley Center when Bayless slipped by the Bulls point guard for a layup at the buzzer off an inbounds pass with 1.3 seconds left.

“It was honestly trying to beat them backdoor,” said Bayless, a reserve guard who’s gotten into his share of physical scrums in this series, backing down from no one. “We were hoping he was going to bite, and he bit on it. (Jared Dudley) made a spectacular pass and luckily I was able to finish it.”

The misery immediately followed a Rose turnover where Bayless stopped Rose dead in his tracks, forcing the Bulls’ season-high 28^th turnover of the night—and although Bayless’ game-winner didn’t register as a turnover, it’s the kind of mental mistake the Bulls can’t afford to give up in this round—or any round.

“I put that all on me. I just wasn’t paying attention to it. Great call from J-Kidd. But if anything, it’s a learning experience,” Rose said. “Knowing we could’ve forced overtime. I missed things up.”

After early struggles, Rose had a sterling fourth-quarter before his last two mishaps, including a triple that cut the Bucks’ lead to 90-87 with 1:05 left, followed by feeding Pau Gasol the next possession for a layup and three-point play that tied the game with 38 seconds left. It was the kind of help Jimmy Butler had been begging for all night, as the fourth-leading scorer in the playoffs put up 33 points and grabbed seven rebounds in 40 minutes.

“Jimmy did a great job with holding us up and making sure we were comfortable throughout the game,” Rose said. “I tried to stay out the way here and there, and the times I did, I gotta cut down on my turnovers.”

 They often talk about taking what the “game” gives them, and by way of their carelessness for 48 minutes, the game delivered them a loss when they could’ve kicked their feet up for the next week to rest for Round 2.

“I just told the team this, I’m not going to put it on that last play,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. “There were a lot of other plays throughout the course of the game … we didn’t play well. When you turn the ball over like that you’re not going to have success.”

The Bulls treated the ball as if it were diseased, with the third-highest amount of turnovers in a playoff game in the last 25 years.  Their first-quarter turnover issues carried over to the final three, as Rose, Nikola Mirotic and Gasol took center stage for all the wrong reasons.

Rose gave it away eight times while Gasol had five turnovers of his own and Mirotic, who returned from missing Game 3 with a left knee strain, had three turnovers in 20 minutes, leading to 39 Bucks points.

While his teammates were listed as “missing” on a milk carton, Butler did the heavy lifting against a balanced and emotional Bucks team that wouldn’t give the Bulls an inch, literally or figuratively. The animosity from Game 2 returned after a one-game absence, with multiple technical fouls and physical confrontations.

Butler helped rally the Bulls from a 46-34 deficit in the second quarter, scoring or assisting in 18 of the Bulls’ final 20 points of the period. Scoring seven points in the last 28 seconds—including a ridiculous 3-point bank shot at the buzzer—tied the game at 50.

But the Bucks didn’t fold, behind their formidable bench of Bayless, Dudley, John Henson and OJ Mayo, who kept the Bulls at bay with four 3-point daggers and led the Bucks with18 points in 23 minutes.

 Their resolve was somewhat surprising, as Mayo had a 30-foot shot-clock triple called back by review that everyone thought put the Bucks up 90-84 with three minutes remaining.

Before it was reviewed, Butler hit a three that seemed to shift the momentum before Mayo left no doubt the next time down, hitting a long triple with 12 seconds on the shot clock following two offensive rebounds.

Even when luck appeared to be on the Bulls’ side, the Bucks kept fighting it off, giving way for a miracle—as the Bulls will live in misery for 48 hours, starting with their illustrious point guard.

Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!! Bears QB Draft Preview: Beyond Jay Cutler...? 

By John Mullin

Bears pre-draft situation

Whether Jay Cutler is the franchise quarterback answer beyond 2015 is a matter for another time, presumably after offensive coordinator Adam Gase has an extended period of time with him. As in into the 2015 season.

Cutler could still exit Chicago in a trade. But the Bears weren’t actively shopping him and there were not serious queries relative to trading for him. The Bears did extensive checking with Cutler’s former coaches and were satisfied enough to put themselves on the hook for $15.5 million guaranteed this season and $10 million next.

Cutler has the highest career passer rating in franchise history, but consider that irrelevant. Coach John Fox has fashioned winning teams around better and worse, and after nine NFL seasons, the Cutler questions no longer involve vague allusions to “potential” or “talent.”

The real unknown is Jimmy Clausen, who stepped in when Cutler played himself onto the bench last season after 14 weeks. Clausen had a dismal rookie season with Fox in 2010 that cost both their jobs in Carolina.

Clausen did not win his one comeback start last season, but he played creditably against one of the elite NFL defenses (Detroit) after four years of no-play and coming in with a short practice week after the Monday night loss to New Orleans, further shortened by Marc Trestman cancelling the Wednesday practice before the Detroit game.

Fox, Gase and general manager Ryan Pace thought enough of Clausen to re-sign him while at the same time issuing zero ironclad statements about Cutler’s status as the starter.

“We’re a production-based business,” Fox said last month. “Like every position, how you practice usually leads to how you play and perform, and we’ll evaluate that at every position as we move forward.”

David Fales remains a prospect/project.

Bears draft priority: low

The Bears had both Marcus Mariota from Oregon and Florida State's Jameis Winston in for visits. No real expectation exists that the Bears would take either with their No. 7 pick, nor sacrifice picks to trade up for one.

“At ‘7’ I think it’s highly unlikely one of the two quarterbacks is there,” said ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay via conference call.” And I don’t hear serious rumblings about them looking to move up for one of those two.”

Pace echoed a common GM refrain that he ideally would like to select or pick up a quarterback prospect every year. “You can take a swing every year at it and increase your odds," Pace said at the NFL owners meetings in March.

That said, the Saints didn’t do that while Pace was with New Orleans, but then again, that was a team with Drew Brees in place for most of the past decade.

The 2015 draft class is considered quarterback-lite, with only Mariota and Winston widely graded as first-rounders. History says that one from among Garrett Grayson (Colorado State), Brett Hundley (UCLA), Bryce Petty (Baylor), Sean Mannion (Oregon State) and a handful of others will emerge as a winning NFL quarterback. There are enough Joe Montanas, Tom Bradys and other success stories to make a pick from a seemingly pedestrian group more than a little intriguing.

Keep an eye on...

Shane Carden, East Carolina: Huge production, particularly high completion percentage, 86 TD passes vs. 30 INT’s.

Brandon Bridge, South Alabama: Excellent size (6-4, 225) and athleticism (4.72 sec. “40”) for a late-round pick.

Bo Wallace, Mississippi: MVP of two bowl games, 63 percent completion rate in SEC.

Which NFL teams got unfair schedules? University at Buffalo engineers know.

By Frank Schwab

Washington Redskins fans, you might not want to hear this.

University at Buffalo engineers, who have done a study on imbalances in the NFL schedule and presented it at the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference earlier this year, have studied the 2015 NFL schedule that was released this week. One of the main imbalances they look at is which teams get the most games against "rested" opponents – those coming off Thursday night games or bye weeks.

Yep, Washington got the shortest stick in that area.  

Washington plays five games against opponents with extra rest this year, the UB engineers said. That's the most in the NFL. The Redskins have three games against teams coming off bye weeks and two games against teams coming off a Thursday game. That's a very high number; it's almost one-third of Washington's schedule.

Other teams shouldn't be too happy either. The Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks each have four games against opponents with extra rest. The New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills (who have frequently gotten imbalanced schedules the past few years), San Diego Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs are next at three each.

"We had a detailed look at the 2015, and we see again the imbalances are significant," said Murat Kurt, PhD, an assistant professor in UB’s Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering.
 

Some teams should be much happier with their draw. The Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bengals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals don't play any games against teams coming off a bye or a Thursday night game.

This all might not seem like much, but it is a disadvantage. In a 16-game season in which playoff spots are almost always determined by just one game or tiebreakers, it's worth noting. When the engineers studied the issue they found that from 2009-13 a team's average winning percentage decreased by 3.77 percent against rested teams. In 2013 it was a decrease of about seven percent. 
 

Rested opponents aren't the only factor UB engineers note. A cluster of divisional games in a row can be inequitable. The Green Bay Packers are the big losers there. From Nov. 15 to Dec. 3 the Packers play four divisional games in a row, something that is very rare.
 

"Playing four back-to-back divisional games – which are often your toughest because those opponents know you best, they're playing hard and it means the most – is difficult," said Mark Karwan, PhD, Praxair Professor of Operations Research and SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor. "They should be spread out." 
 

Another scheduling inequity the Buffalo engineers focused on was at least three road games in a row. Buffalo, Miami, Jacksonville and Atlanta got three road games in a row this season. The Bills have five road games in six weeks, a particularly tough stretch.
 

Travel itself can be unbalanced. Kurt provided the examples of Baltimore and Tennessee. The Ravens have back-to-back trips out west twice during the season; Weeks 1 and 2 at Denver and Oakland and Weeks 6 and 7 at San Francisco and Arizona. Compare that to the Titans. Their first two trips aren't too bad (at Tampa Bay and Cleveland) and then they have a five-week stretch in which they won't leave Nashville. From Week 3 to Week 7 they have four home games and a bye week. 
 

"They don’t leave their home for 5 weeks," Kurt said. "That’s kind of easy."
 

Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Seattle all have a four-week stretch that includes three home games and a bye.
 

The schedule will never be entirely fair, but the UB crew of Kurt, Karwan, Niraj Pandey (a PhD candidate in UB’s Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering), and Kyle Cunningham (earned a bachelor of science degree from UB in 2014), tried to figure out a solution. They came up with the study “Alleviating Competitive Imbalances in NFL Schedules: An Integer-Programming Approach,” and created a mathematical model called a mixed-integer linear program to produce the most fair schedule possible. They're Bills fans, and part of the reason for the study was that the Bills complained about playing many rested opponents. Sure enough, the engineers found that the Bills played more games against rested opponents (26) than any other team from 2002-2014. (For those curious the Bengals have been the most fortunate team in that regard; their 12 games against rested opponents are three fewer than any other NFL team.)

But the NFL has other considerations when making the schedule, most notably television partners and conflicts at stadiums. Even in the UB model, they're unable to eliminate all inequities; Karwan said their model will still have issues like three road games in a row. It's tough to fit a 256-piece puzzle together.

"There will be inequities due to the TV considerations and stadium availability and special requests by teams," Karwan said. "But what they may be able to do is think about these competitive imbalances – and I’m sure they do because I’m sure everybody thinks they’re against them – but they can spread them out over the years." 

The NFL generates thousands of versions of the schedule through its computers to come up with the best one to satisfy everyone's desires. But in the end, there will always be a few teams that have a complaint.
 

"Eventually they have to come out with the schedule," Karwan said. "It’s a mathematical impossibility to make everyone happy." 

Cubs see things starting to come together after sweep of Reds.

By Tony Andracki

The Cubs can keep dancing all the way home.

The music was blasting in the clubhouse again Sunday afternoon after the Cubs' 5-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds to complete a rain-shortened, two-game sweep.

That finished up a 4-2 road trip with a stop in Pittsburgh for four games before Cincinnati.

"I love it," manager Joe Maddon said. "In the division, on the road, two tough venues, two tough teams and to come back with a 4-2 record is not a bad thing."

The 2015 Cubs have had plenty of reasons to dance and celebrate, as the good vibes keep rolling in. Maddon's squad is now 10-7 overall, including a 6-3 record on the road.

"We've done a nice job [on the road]," Maddon said. "I'm telling you, the energy pregame in the dugout is outstanding. The guys are definitely on top of things. They're ready to play. And as a manager, that's all you can ask for."

With a roster packed with young, inexperienced talent, it's been a different guy stepping up each game. Friday night, it was Jonathan Herrera in extra innings.

Sunday, it was rookie Addison Russell, who came up with the big hit — a two-out, three-run double in the fourth inning in what ended up as the game-winner.

It was only the third hit of Russell's career, overshadowing a tough stretch that saw him go 0-for-6 with five strikeouts to start off the series against the Reds.

This weekend, it was Herrera and Russell, but rookies Jorge Soler and Kris Bryant have been impressive as well while Anthony Rizzo and Starlin Castro have provided a steadying presence both in the field and at the plate.

Even the veteran catchers — Miguel Montero and David Ross — got in on the action this weekend, combining for four RBI against the Reds.

And that's not even touching on the pitching, as the bullpen combined for eight shutout innings behind starters Jon Lester and Jake Arrieta.

"It's just kind of a testament to the guys we have here, the young players — they're a little more advanced than most," Arrieta said. "And that kinda helps bridge the gap of the experience. They're going to take their lumps, just like we all will from time to time, but they're ahead of the curve.

"Soler, Bryant, Russell, these guys are polished. Polished to an extent that they can come here and contribute right away. And that's what each and every one of them have been able to do throughout their short time here. We all know it's just going to continue.

"The guys we have around the young players who know how to get the job done, regardless of the jam or whatever happens throughout the game. ... Rizzo's made huge strides, as a leader, as a player. Castro's come a long way.

"If everyone continues to take that step, we can win at a high clip on the road and at home. I think it's all starting to come together for us."

The season is only three weeks old, but the Cubs are gaining some swagger and starting to gel as a team, holding their celebrations/dance parties in the clubhouse after the game.

"It's good. It's loose," Lester said. "It's fun. It makes you forget about the grind and all that. It makes you have fun and smile and enjoy it. Sometimes people don't understand how hard it is to win a game in the big leagues.

"For us to come in here and celebrate each one of them like it's our last, it's a good feeling when we come in here and win. Even when we lose, guys are upbeat about it, like 'hey, we had our chances, but we didn't come through.'

"It's a good feeling to have when guys play loose, when guys enjoy it, when guys have fun. That gets everybody a chance to kind of relax and just play the game. At the end of the day, if we win, great, if we don't, hey we'll be back tomorrow and do it again."

White Sox: Sale, Samardzija suspended five games each.

By JJ Stankevitz

Chicago White Sox pitchers Jeff Samardzija (L) and Chris Sale (R)

Major League Baseball suspended White Sox starters Chris Sale and Jeff Samardzija five games each for their roles in Thursday night’s brawl with Kansas City.

Both players will appeal their suspensions and make their scheduled starts next week in Baltimore, White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said. Four Royals players were suspended as well: Right-hander Yordano Ventura (seven games), right-hander Edinson Volquez (five games), outfielder Lorenzo Cain (two games) and right-hander Kelvin Herrera (two games).

The White Sox haven’t determined a course of action in case Sale and/or Samardzija lose their appeals, though the club will skip right-hander Hector Noesi’s turn in the rotation — John Danks is scheduled to face Volquez in Sunday afternoon’s season finale following Saturday's rainout. Volquez would have to appeal his suspension to start Sunday.

Hahn said it’s “too early” for the club to make a decision on giving recently-promoted left-hander Carlos Rodon a spot start in place for Sale or Samardzija.

“Certainly Carlos is stretched out and does have the ability to start should he be needed,” Hahn said. “At the same time we need to balance that against keeping him on the current program as well as some of the other potential alternatives we have within the system to make a spot start should we get to that point.”

The fact the White Sox may have to look for alternatives for their two top starters — and right-hander Matt Albers, who will be placed on the 15-day disabled list with a finger injury sustained in the brawl — is part of why Hahn said he wished “the whole thing had not happened.” But the third-year general manager said he was pleased with the players involved in the brawl showing remorse and taking responsibility for their actions.

Hahn did say the brawl may foster team unity, though that appears to be more of a pyrrhic victory given the loss of Albers and potential losses of Sale and Samardzija. But Hahn doesn’t want to see Sale or Samardzija — especially Sale, who’s been involved in some dust-ups in the past — change who they are because of the repercussions of Thursday’s fight.

Hahn said he talked with Sale Friday and Saturday about attempting to confront Ventura in the visitor’s clubhouse at U.S. Cellular Field and, while keeping the details private, said the conversations were good.

“Part of what makes these guys good is the competitive fire,” Hahn said. “Part of what makes a guy a front-end starter is that fight, that passion and the desire to excel between the lines. Certainly that’s part of their makeup and sometimes that carries over outside of the lines. As they continue in their big league careers and mature, they realize how to ideally keep that between the lines.

"But in terms of Chris’ makeup or character, anything along those lines, no, there’s absolutely no concern. He has a special makeup and that’s part of what makes him great.”

Golf: I got a club for that: Rose wins weather-hit tournament in New Orleans.

Reuters; Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes, Editing by Gene Cherry

Justin Rose kisses the Zurich Classic championship trophy following his win in the final round of the Zurich Classic at TPC Louisiana. Photo/Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports)

England's Justin Rose held off a string of challengers with a clutch birdie-birdie finish to win his seventh PGA Tour title by one shot at the weather-disrupted Zurich Classic of New Orleans in Avondale, Louisiana on Sunday.

Tied for the lead when the delayed third round was completed earlier on a marathon day at the TPC Louisiana, Rose closed with a flawless six-under-par 66 on a receptive, rain-softened layout where preferred lies were permitted throughout the tournament.

The world number nine, a runner-up at this month's Masters, posted a 22-under total of 266, then waited for the last few groups to finish before he could celebrate his victory.

"It's an event I have played many times and I feel like, year-on-year, I've been getting closer and closer (to winning)," a smiling Rose, who is an official ambassador for the tournament sponsor, told CBS Sports.

"I always joke with the Zurich guys that this is my fifth major. Any win is sweet but when you get to share it with people that you are close to, it's fantastic."

Cameron Tringale, one of five players who held at least a share of the lead in the final round, eagled the par-five seventh on the way to a 65 and second place at 21 under, ending up a stroke in front of fellow American Boo Weekley (65).

Australian world number six Jason Day, the highest-ranked player in the field who shared the 54-hole lead with Rose, signed off with a 69 to tie for fourth at 19 under with American Jim Herman (65).

As expected, the final round turned out to be a slug-fest with conditions ideal for low scoring.

Rose edged one stroke clear of a tightly bunched leaderboard with a timely birdie at the par-three 17th where he struck a five-iron from 210 yards to 10 feet, then coolly sank the putt before pumping his right fist in celebration.

He then drained a 14-footer to birdie the par-five 18th and punched his right arm skywards in delight.

"The golf course is yielding birdies ... and when you do miss the odd birdie putt, you feel like you’re going backwards," said Rose.

"All week, I just kept trying to tell myself to stay patient. I missed a couple of shortish ones on 11 and 12 ... obviously to make those putts on the last two greens made up for everything."

Golf-FedEx Cup rankings.

Reuters

1. (1) Jordan Spieth (U.S.) 2072

2. (2) Jimmy Walker (U.S.) 1680

3. (3) J.B. Holmes (U.S.) 1233

4. (4) Patrick Reed (U.S.) 1173

 

5. (6) Dustin Johnson (U.S.) 1132

6. (5) Bubba Watson (U.S.) 1117

 

7. (9) Jason Day (Australia) 1063

8. (7) Charley Hoffman (U.S.) 1037

9. (8) Ryan Moore (U.S.) 952 

 

10. (10) Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) 939 

 

11. (11) Brandt Snedeker (U.S.) 934 

 

12. (12) Bae Sang-Moon (South Korea) 929 

 

13. (13) Robert Streb (U.S.) 927 

 

14. (14) Ben Martin (U.S.) 860 

 

15. (82) Justin Rose (Britain) 839 

 

16. (15) Brooks Koepka (U.S.) 826

17. (16) Bill Haas (U.S.) 811 

 

18. (22) Daniel Berger (U.S.) 797 

 

19. (20) Brendon De Jonge (Zimbabwe) 781

20. (17) Matt Kuchar (U.S.) 763 

 

21. (18) James Hahn (U.S.) 745 

 

22. (19) Jim Furyk (U.S.) 742 

 

23. (21) Shawn Stefani (U.S.) 734 

 

24. (63) Cameron Tringale (U.S.) 709 

 

25. (23) Matt Every (U.S.) 688

26. (24) Scott Piercy (U.S.) 686 

 

27. (25) Harris English (U.S.) 681

28. (26) Kevin Na (U.S.) 681 

 

29. (27) Paul Casey (Britain) 673

30. (28) Henrik Stenson (Sweden) 660

Golf - Woods commits to The Players Championship.

AFP

                                 

Tiger Woods of the US tees off on the 4th hole during Round 4 of the 79th Masters Golf Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 12, 2015, in Augusta, Georgia. (AFP Photo/JIM WATSON)

Tiger Woods will tee off at the Players Championship next month, the 14-time major champion confirmed. The former world number one, who came back from a two-month layoff to finish equal 17th at the Masters, hasn't played the US PGA Tour's flagship event on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass since he won it in 2013. "Looking forward to going back to THE PLAYERS this year, hoping for a repeat of 2013," Woods said on Twitter. Woods displayed a solid short game at Augusta National, but had some trouble off the tee. He found only two of 14 fairways in the final round. He said at Augusta that he would take a bit more time away from competition and "go back to the drawing board".

Kurt Busch dominates for win at Richmond.

By Nick Bromberg

Kurt Busch is likely going to be utilizing his waiver to get into the Chase.

Busch, who missed the first three races of the season because of an indefinite NASCAR suspension, won Sunday's rain-delayed race at Richmond, his first in over a season.

"It's an incredible feeling," Busch said in victory lane. "It's a total team effort. The way everything came together it just seemed like we were building and building and building toward a great finish like this ... It's an unbelievable feeling when you pull deep from within, you go through troubles. When you're accused of something and things go sideways, your personal life doesn't need to affect your business life and I'm here in victory lane."

The 2004 Sprint Cup Series champion was suspended two days before the season-opening Daytona 500 after a Delaware county commissioner ruled that it was more likely than not Busch committed an act of abuse against his girlfriend in September 2014 (you probably remember the hearing for its trained assassin accusations).

He was reinstated before the fourth race of the season at Phoenix following a decision not to press criminal charges by the Delaware attorney general's office. Upon his reinstatement, NASCAR waived the requirement for a driver to make an attempt to start every race to be eligible for the Chase.

As soon as he got in the car at Phoenix, he was fast, much like he was fast at Richmond. Busch took the lead for the first time in Sunday's race at lap 94 and stayed near the front the rest of the way, leading 291 of the race's 400 laps. Or, if you prefer, 291 of the race's 307 laps since he first took the lead.

Yeah, Busch had a damn good car.

His biggest threat for the win might have been Jamie McMurray, who briefly took the lead from him for four laps. However, McMurray, who made progress on Busch during long green-flag runs, never pulled in on Busch's bumper after the race's final restart with 27 laps to go and was passed by Kevin Harvick for second place.

When Busch was reinstated from his suspension, it seemed clear that he would have to get a win to make the Chase. The three missed races would likely prevent him from being able to qualify for the Chase on points alone. But Phoenix was a harbinger of Busch's 2015. He finished fifth there and had led laps in the four other races he's been in while finishing all in the top 15.

There's no doubt that Busch is a legitimate championship contender at this point in the season. He's shown speed to rival his teammate (and points leader) Harvick and has so far avoided the terrible finishes that plagued his 2014 campaign. If you're making a short list of drivers who can dethrone Harvick this year, Busch has to be on it, and it's now all-but guaranteed he'll be racing for the championship.

Yallop on Fire win over NYCFC: 'We were on our game tonight'. (Friday night's game, 04/24/2015).

By Danny Michallik

In front of a standing-room only crowd of 19,124 at Toyota Park on Friday night, the Chicago Fire held on against a 10-man New York City FC side to win 1-0 and claim their third consecutive victory.

David Accam pulverized Jason Kreis' side all night and got his reward in the 20th minute, capitalizing on some lackadaisical play from goalkeeper Ryan Meara to give the Fire all they needed to climb to fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings.

"It feels great to be on the scoresheet," Accam said. "For me, I know I should've scored maybe two or three, but we got three points today so that's what we'll keep working on."

Behind another sharp-witted performance from Harry Shipp in the midfield, the Men in Red took Frank Yallop's message of getting on the front foot early to heart, with Accam spearheading the Fire attack. 

The Homegrown midfielder threaded the needle and ignited most of the running in the early stages, while interchanging with the Ghanaian international on the flanks.

"For me, I love just showing up anywhere on the field and I think he's the same," Shipp said. "He likes testing both outside backs and it forces the defense to always be on their toes because they never know when either of us is going pop up. It's something we'll hopefully continue to do."
 

A slick surface gave way to some misplaced passes, leading to lapses in possession for both sides, one of which nearly gifted Accam his first MLS goal. In the 20th minute, after dazzling and dangling his way past stranded NYCFC defenders, his shot from inside the box clanked off the post, the Fire's first clear-cut chance of the match.

Four minutes later, Accam used his speed to carve through the City defense and run clean through on goal, leaving midfielder Andrew Jacobson no option but to take the Designated Player down from behind, earning a straight red card in the process.

Despite being reduced to 10 men before the half hour mark, Kreis' outfit didn't go into the halftime break quietly. After skipping through the Fire midfield and evading a few challenges, Mix Diskerud unleashed a knuckling shot in the 41st minute that stung the fingertips of Sean Johnson.

The halftime talk from Frank Yallop paid dividends as the Men in Red came out flying at the start of the second half, with Shipp belting a shot off the post in the 51st minute. For Yallop, a monumental aspect of the Fire's second half success was getting Shaun Maloney to retreat from his position higher up the field to cope with NYCFC's midfield setup.

"New York played well till the end of the half," Yallop said in his post-match press conference. "I just said, 'We've got the extra guy, we can't be sitting back.'

"I wanted Shaun to drop underneath a little bit more to get an extra guy in midfield because they do overload the midfield. They play a diamond, they play tight. I think Shaun did a good job in the second half of dropping in and creating a lot of play in possession for us to break on them.

"A halftime talk is always good when you're winning, but you're always looking for that extra goal to make a difference in the game to make it 2-0. Credit to New York, they kept going and didn't buckle under, but we were on our game tonight and that was pleasing to see."

With Guly do Prado playing his part despite a lack of playing time this season, an injection of pace and energy beckoned with the introduction of Quincy Amarikwa, who was released in behind the City defense, keeping the visitors on their toes.

"I thought he [do Prado] did well tonight," Yallop said. "He held the ball up and played a good role in our attack. Quincy had an ankle injury and missed 12 days of training.

"We're on top of that now where if guys don't train, they won't be able to last 90 minutes. Our fitness coach Adrian Lamb has done a fantastic job and it showed tonight."  

By the 83rd minute, Meara continued to make strides toward atoning for his costly mistake in setting up the lone goal of the match, parrying a diving header from Accam on the line and following up with a string of saves shortly after.

The Men in Red persisted in applying pressure as the rain poured down on the Toyota Park pitch in the waning moments, but Accam's 20th-minute tally proved to be the difference as Yallop's side ran out winners against the visiting expansion side.

The Fire return to action on Sunday, May 3 as they take on Sporting Kansas City at Sporting Park. Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m. 

Chicago Fire Starting XI (subs):

(4-4-1-1): Sean Johnson; Eric Gehrig, Jeff Larentowicz, Adailton, Joevin Jones; Harry Shipp, Matt Watson, Matt Polster, David Accam; Shaun Maloney; Guly do Prado (Quincy Amarikwa, 66')

Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea: Organized Blues defending effectively ends title race.

By Kyle Bonn

Chelsea marched towards a likely Premier League title by earning a point at the Emirates thanks to solid, organized defending in the final third. Arsenal maintained possession and an attacking mindset through much of the second half but couldn’t find a breakthrough.

Without a striker in the starting lineup, Oscar started as the man up front for Chelsea, and proved to be a presence. Chelsea had the first few chances, the best coming in the 16th minute when Oscar nearly latched onto a long ball before Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina pummeled the Brazilian. Michael Oliver did not call a foul, despite the heavy challenge, much to the ire of Jose Mourinho. Hector Bellerin was required to come back and make a goal-line clearance with his head, which he did.

As the game ticked towards the half-hour mark, the visitors remained the more creative side. Chelsea looked to be hard done by Michael Oliver again when he booked Cesc Fabregas for diving despite replays showing late contact from Santi Cazorla inside the corner of the penalty area.

Arsenal slowly built themselves into the game past the half-hour mark, and they then felt aggrieved by Michael Oliver as a shot from Santi Cazorla struck the outstretched arm of a lunging Gary Cahill, but again the referee waved play on. David Ospina then made a big save on Ramires minutes later, robbing him of a chance clear on goal. Despite all the penalty shouts, it remained goalless at the halftime break.

Oscar was substituted off at halftime and sent to the hospital after his clash with Ospina, and Didier Drogba came on. Arsenal held much of the possession following the break, but had little to offer in front of goal. The Blues caught a break when a high boot from Willian struck Laurent Koscielny in the face, but Michael Oliver only chose yellow for the Brazilian despite a relatively clear red card situation.

As the game progressed, neither side felt the need to take risks to earn all three points, and only one tactical substitution was made as the clock ticked past 83 minutes. There was little counter-attacking, and while the attacks proved sharp at times, the defending was sharper.

Arsene Wenger finally brought on the pacey Theo Walcott with six minutes to go, but it had little effect in breaking down Chelsea’s astute organization. The biggest chance of the half came in the first minute of stoppage time, but the Gunners couldn’t capitalize on a ball delivered across the zone dangerously. The home side predictably poured men forward in the final minutes, but there would be no winner.

The draw grew Chelsea’s lead at the top of the table to 10 points with a game in hand, all but confirming their title push and ending any kind of a race. Arsenal draw level with Manchester City on points, but remain in third place on goal differential. Jose Mourinho also remains unbeaten against Arsene Wenger, with seven wins and six draws.

LINEUPS

Arsenal: Ospina, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal; Coquelin (Welbeck 76′); Sanchez, Ramsey, Cazorla, Ozil; Giroud (Walcott 84′).

Chelsea: Courtois, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta, Matic, Fabregas (Zouma 90′), Ramires, Oscar (Drogba 46′), Willian (Cuadrado 90′), Hazard.
 

Ray Rice spoke to Rutgers before the team's spring game.

By Nick Bromberg

Ray Rice ( Photo/Getty Images)

Ray Rice, Rutgers' all-time leading rusher, spoke to the team before Saturday's spring game.

Having a program legend back for a spring game isn't usually incredibly notable. But for Rice it is given the events of the past year.

And those events were the subject of the comments he made.

From NJ.com:

"I had a chance to speak to the team, to give them some real life lessons, and hopefully, help them grow," Rice said.

"I just shot them straight. I'm sure if you speak to them, they'll give you a lot better explanation of what I told them, but I gave them the message to go out there and not make the mistakes that I made. If I can help them understand, then I've made an impact. It costs no money to give them a good message like that."

Rice punched his then-fiancee Janay in an Atlantic City hotel elevator 14 months ago. The incident, and whether or not NFL officials had the surveillance tape from it or took a look at it, became the defining topic of the 2014 NFL season.

The running back was initially suspended two games in July by commissioner Roger Goodell. But as the questions about the NFL's knowledge of the situation grew, his suspension also grew. He won an appeal of it in November, though didn't play in the 2014 season because he was released by the Baltimore Ravens in September. He's still currently without a team.

While it's easy to immediately wonder why Rutgers would want to be so closely associated with Rice given what's transpired recently, we don't think it's bad idea to have him speak to the team. The impact of horrible actions and their massive consequences is greater when the story is told by those involved, especially if it's sincere.

Rice played for Rutgers from 2005-2007 and has the school records for career yards, attempts, touchdowns and also has the two biggest rushing seasons in team history. He was a second-round pick of the Ravens in the 2008 NFL draft.

New Division I chief puts transfer rules on priority list.

By MICHAEL MAROT (AP Sports Writer)

Kevin Lennon is putting transfer rule changes near the top of his priority list.

The NCAA's new vice president for Division I governance told The Associated Press there are growing concerns among the division's 345 members over the surging number of students switching schools - and that the debate could come to a close sometime in the next year.

Some of the ideas bandied about would have a dramatic impact on graduate transfer students. The proposals include giving schools the ability to restrict where ex-players can go and requiring the athletes to sit out one year before becoming eligible.

Undergrads already are required to sit out one year, but the current rules allow players with bachelor's degrees to transfer to another school and become eligible immediately if they attend grad school.

''If you're transferring to be in a graduate program, the NCAA wants you to be working in earnest toward that degree rather than just using up your last year of eligibility,'' Lennon said during a 40-minute interview last week, noting there are no formal proposals yet.

Lennon has spent the past several weeks reaching out to school leaders and fine-tuning his vision for the future. The Harvard and Ohio University graduate replaced longtime NCAA executive David Berst on April 6 after Berst announced he would retire this summer.

One of the hottest topics is transfers. According to an NCAA report based on statistics from ESPN, 604 Division I men's basketball players changed schools in 2014 compared with 455 in 2013.

Lennon said finding a consensus about potential solutions has been tricky.

''You have one line of thinking that says when a student has earned their undergraduate degree they've earned the right to go wherever they want without any kind of NCAA restrictions,'' Lennon said. ''I think, unfortunately, what the data has shown is that people are transferring and they are not completing their graduate degrees because the vast majority of those degrees are two years.''

Coaches from big and small schools are already jumping on board.

Belmont coach Rick Byrd, the basketball rules committee chairman, believes the transfer issue would clear up if players took more time to contemplate their college choices. Byrd has 711 career wins and said he hasn't had a player leave his program in over a decade. Still, he supports the NCAA's move to get rid of special waivers and agrees with the concept for grad students.

So does Kentucky's John Calipari.

''You need two years in grad school anyway, so it makes sense,'' Calipari said.
 

Eliminating waivers and making grad students sit out a year would ''cut this thing by two-thirds,'' he added. 
 

With data showing transfers lose, on average, about nine months of academic credit, Lennon said concern among university leaders is high. The NCAA also is considering options to stem the tidal wave of transfers among undergrads, but nothing has worked.  ''No one is happy with the transfer rate, particularly in the sport of men's basketball,'' Lennon said. ''When 40 percent of your students are leaving after their second year, that's a signal something's wrong.''

 

Transfer rules are only part of Lennon's broad, ambitious agenda for the next 12 months.
 

He wants the NCAA to help schools implement cost-of-attendance measures that have already been approved by the five power conferences and some other leagues, advise schools about how to deal with any ramifications from the Ed O'Bannon case involving player likenesses, and tackle academic misconduct.
 

Lennon also believes it's time for school leaders to contemplate more academic reforms and cost containment for the increasingly expensive Division I championships. According to NCAA documents, expenses for Division I championships jumped from $68.8 million in 2011-12 to $92.1 million in 2012-13 and $98.1 million in 2013-14.
 

''It's like anyone balancing their checkbook. They need to make sure that what's most important is attended to and that's that our student-athletes continue to have championship experiences that they'll remember the rest of their life,'' he said. ''As increased costs come up and revenues don't match those expenses, then you've got to make some decisions.''
 

Lennon said the pilot program that helped some family members travel to the men's and women's Final Fours was not responsible for the increased costs. Price hikes for air travel and baggage fees were the primary culprits.
 

Lennon said he would like university leaders to consider reductions in the size of travel parties and whether schools should pick up more of the tab.

2015 Kentucky Derby Contenders: 5 Horses to Watch.

By Doc Moseman

(Photo/Francois Nel/Getty Images)

 

The Kentucky Derby prep race schedule is in full swing as the field for this year’s Run for the Roses on Saturday, May 2 starts to take shape. Doc’s Sports has gotten an early jump on handicapping the brand-new crop of three-year-old thoroughbreds that are expected to compete for a spot in the Derby field, and we have narrowed things down to the following five horses to keep an eye on over the next five weeks leading up to this year’s Kentucky Derby at storied Churchill Downs in Louisville.

American Pharoah

This Bob Baffert-trained colt made his much-anticipated three-year-old debut a few weeks ago in the Grade 2 $750,000 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park, and he did not disappoint with a first-place finish by a comfortable margin of 6¼ lengths. It was his first outing since winning last year’s Grade 1 Front Runner Stakes as a two-year-old on his way to being named the champion juvenile of the year.

He currently is listed as a 4/1 early favorite to win this year’s Kentucky Derby on Odds Shark’s futures odds. Ridden by Victor Espinosa, the only knock on his performance in the Rebel was the fact it was not considered one of the strongest fields for some of the big prep races in the month of March. He still looked pretty good to us to earn a place at the top of this list.

Carpe Diem

One of the bigger stakes races in early March was the Grade 2 $350,000 Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs. This was another highly anticipated three-year-old debut for Carpe Diem, who was last seen taking second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. He first made a name for himself as a potential Kentucky Derby contender by winning the Breeders' Futurity last fall at Keeneland.

Trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by John Velazquez, Carpe Diem made short work of the eight-horse field to win the Tampa Bay Derby by a full five lengths. His current odds to win the Kentucky Derby are the third-best on the board at 10/1.

Materiality

This past Saturday’s slate was jam-packed with three key Kentucky Derby prep races, including the Grade 1 $1 million Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park. This race had a strong field of nine horses, but the one that crossed the finish line first was Materiality.

He is also trained by Pletcher, and he was ridden by Velazquez in this race. Materiality is not even listed on the current list of betting odds to win the Kentucky Derby, but that should change in the coming weeks. History may not be on his side. The last time a horse won the Kentucky Derby after not racing as a two-year-old was all the way back in 1882. Nonetheless, with an impressive run this past Saturday at Gulfstream he deserves to be on this list.

Upstart

This Rick Violette-trained colt has been busy as a three-year-old with three starts in a prep races starting with a victory in the $400,000 Holy Bull at Gulfstream Park in late January. Upstart went on to win the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream on Feb. 24 by 2¾ lengths, but he was later disqualified for impeding Its-a--knockout and demoted to second place.

This past Saturday, Upstart gave Materiality all he could handle by finishing second in the Florida Derby while the rest of the field trailed by 12½ lengths. His futures odds to win the Kentucky Derby currently stand at 20/1.

International Star

Another important prep race this past Saturday was the Grade 2 $750,000 Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds Racetrack. International Star had already claimed victories at this track in the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes in January and the Grade 2 Risen Star in February, and he made it a clean sweep by squeezing out a victory on Saturday over Stanford, who led this race for most of the way.

International Star is trained by Mike Maker and ridden by Miguel Mena. His best performance in his three victories was in the Louisiana Derby. His future odds to win at Churchill Downs on May 2 currently stand at 20/1.

On This Date in Sports History: Today is Monday, April 27, 2015.

Memoriesofhistory.com

1899 - The Western Golf Association was founded in Chicago, IL.

1903 - Jamaica Race Track opened in Long Island, NY.

1938 - A colored baseball was used for the first time in any baseball game. The ball was yellow and was used between Columbia and Fordham Universities in New York City.

1947 - "Babe Ruth Day" was celebrated at Yankee Stadium.

1963 - Brian Sternberg set the pole vault record 16 feet, 5 inches.

1983 - Nolan Ryan (Houston Astros) broke a 55-year-old major league baseball record when he struck out the 3,509th batter of his career. 
 

******************************************************************
 

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!!!!!