CS&T/AllsportsAmerica Wednesday Sports News Update, 04/22/2015.

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:

"Many activities and team play participation will give you a training that will prove invaluable later on  in life." ~ Walter Annenberg, Publisher, Philanthropist and Diplomat 

Trending:
 

The Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers will continue the best rivalry in the NFL with the season's opener in Chicago and a showdown on Thanksgiving night in Green Bay.
 

In addition, the Packers will use Thanksgiving night to put former quarterback Brett Favre's retired number in their ring of honor at Lambeau Field. That was reported by Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Favre's number will be retired when he's inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame on July 18. 

This will be the Packers' first home Thanksgiving game since Nov. 29, 1923. The Packers beat the Hammond Pros 19-0 that day. Also on that Thanksgiving, the Canton Bulldogs shut out the Toledo Maroons 28-0.
 

The Packers have dominated the series recently, and in particular have caused quarterback Jay Cutler fits. The Bears are 1-10, counting playoffs, against the Packers in games Cutler has started. The last meeting was a 55-14 pounding at Lambeau Field. Even though the series has been one-sided lately, it's still Lambeau Field, two great traditional rivals, and Thanksgiving. Throw in the ceremony for Favre and there's a lot to like there.

In past years the NFL released select games before the regular-season schedule in full was announced. Bears-Packers was the first game to be released for the 2015 schedule. 
 

Please scroll down to the Bears section to view the schedule along with additional pertinent information. Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica is available to assist you with any of your Bears travel needs. Contact us at www.chicagosportsandtravel@yahoo.com. We're here for you!!!

 

How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks win triple-OT thriller over Predators in Game 4, 3-2.

By Tracey Myers

Brent Seabrook is surrounded by teammates after his winning goal in triple overtime. (Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune)

Brent Seabrook was asked on Monday afternoon about some of the biggest goals of his career. Not surprisingly, his Game 7 winner against the Detroit Red Wings two years ago was up there.

He added another one to the list early Wednesday morning.

Scott Darling stopped 50 shots and Seabrook scored the game winner one minute into triple overtime as the Blackhawks beat the Nashville Predators, 3-2, at United Center. The Blackhawks took a 3-1 lead in their first-round series, which continues at 8:30 p.m. Thursday in Nashville.

 For Seabrook, this was his third career postseason game-winning goal. Perhaps it was because he and his teammates were tired or maybe it was because it gave the Blackhawks a big lead in this series, but this one may have usurped the Detroit one.

“That might’ve been the biggest,” he said. “It was a long game, it’s a late night. It’s nice to be done with that one. They’ve done a great job all series long of getting in our lanes; I think I had four or five shots tonight hitting sticks and bouncing off knee pads and skates and whatnot. [Patrick Kane] made a great play coming up the boards and laid it in there for me and I just tried to get it on net as hard as I could.”

It was the third triple-overtime game the Blackhawks have played in the last three postseasons. This one featured more great play, more close-call shots and, of course, a lot of careful play as the minutes elapsed. Sixty seconds into that third overtime, with Bryan Bickell parked in front of Pekka Rinne, Seabrook fired.

“He’s had some big ones,” coach Joel Quenneville said of Seabrook’s winner. “Great play around. Bick nice play to Kaner, Kaner put it on a tee, Bick gets back to the net and I think that’s probably how everyone scripted it: shot, traffic, it goes in. Great shot, great traffic, great pass.”

Antoine Vermette scored his first postseason goal with the Blackhawks in the first period. Brandon Saad, off a drop pass from Marian Hossa, tied the game at 2-2 with about nine minutes remaining in regulation.

As with most lengthy overtime playoff games, the goaltenders had their incredible stops. Darling stopped 50 of 52 shots. Rinne, who denied Hossa on a point-blank shot at the end of regulation, stopped 45 of 48. For Darling, it was one more memorable night in a postseason that’s quickly accumulating several of them.

“Overtime’s crazy: every shot is do or die. Guys kept the chances outside in overtime and made it easy on me,” Darling said. “I’m thrilled we won. It was a real war, great hockey game, a classic. I’m a little tired but excited to get to bed.”

We’ve all watched these overtime games before. It usually comes down to a tip, or a shot with traffic. One way or another, someone comes through with a big shot at a critical time. It wasn’t a complete surprise that it was Seabrook.

“We were hoping for a hero,” Saad said. “Seabrook’s done it before. It was a big shot.”

Antoine Vermette happy to be back in Blackhawks' lineup.

By Tracey Myers

Antoine Vermette has been through the career ups and downs and went through both again over the last week.

 

Acquired to help the Blackhawks through the end of the regular season and playoffs, Vermette sat in Games 1 and 2, which the Blackhawks split with the Nashville Predators. Back for Game 3, however, Vermette is hoping to get his game going and start contributing.

 

Vermette will also play tonight when the Blackhawks host the Predators in Game 4 of their first-round series. For Vermette, who centered Bryan Bickell and Patrick Sharp on Sunday and looks to do the same tonight, playing at this time of year has been worth the wait.

 

“It’s different and in a good way,” Vermette said of playoff pace. “It’s fun, it’s intense, it’s physical and every play counts.”

 

Coach Joel Quenneville was happy with Vermette’s return.

 

“I think he did a good job catching up to Game 3,” he said. “Pace is a challenge and I thought he did well.”

 

Sitting the first two games of this series wasn’t fun. It was certainly an unexpected turn of events, given the fact that Vermette was brought in to bolster the Blackhawks’ depth at center and the team gave up quite a bit to get him. Vermette said he tried to maintain the right attitude throughout.

 

“It’s not the ideal situation, I’m not going to lie. As a competitor you want to be out there and make a difference but you have to deal with it. That’s the attitude you bring,” Vermette said. “How you conduct yourself is going to help your situation, your team, everything. I’ve been through situations throughout my career. It’s up and downs and how you manage to go through it. I believe a good attitude is gong to take you a long way. It’s been working for me since is started playing.”

 

Vermette is also working out the kinks with face-offs. He’s had several games in which his winning percentage is well below 50 percent. Coach Joel Quenneville said Vermette has talked with Blackhawks development coach Yanic Perreault.

 

The Blackhawks will go with this lineup as long as it wins. Vermette has stayed positive through the ups and downs, be it elsewhere or here.

 

“Your attitude is one thing you can control,” he said. “Being positive and having good energy around the guys, that’s the way to do it. That’s the approach.”

Just Another Chicago Bulls Session… Bucks heading home with confidence: 'Now it's our turn'. (Ya think!!!)

By Mark Strotman

The Milwaukee Bucks are 0-16 all-time in playoff series in which they lose the first two games. But these Bucks are determined to break that streak.

They find themselves in this situation after dropping Game 2 on Monday, two days after a 12-point loss in the series opener.

But despite returning to Milwaukee without a win, Jason Kidd's group is confident they can replicate the Bulls' home success in Games 3 and 4. "Hell yeah," said O.J. Mayo, when asked if they still believe they can stay competitive. "It’s a playoff series. (The Bulls) did what they were supposed to do. They got home court advantage, they won two games. Go back to Milwaukee and we’ve got to take care of business.

"We tried to come in here and steal one and they protected home. Now it’s our turn."

They still have obvious kinks to work out, specifically better ball movement, but they leave Chicago on somewhat of a high note, being within two possessions late in their Game 2 loss after playing even with the Bulls through a half in Game 1. In the first two games, they forced the Bulls into 34 turnovers, limited All-Star Pau Gasol with suffocating double-teams and, for a team with four core players making their playoff debuts, got their first taste of postseason basketball.

They posted a 23-18 home record in the regular season, including a 95-91 win over the Bulls on April 1. Derrick Rose hadn't yet returned from knee surgery in that contest, but the Bucks owned the glass in that game, got positive contributions from Michael Carter-Williams (21 points) and Mayo (13 points) and closed with a strong fourth quarter to earn the victory.

That win was a learning experience, as were Games 1 and 2 in this series. Leading scorer Khris Middleton said after the game that the Bucks were noticeably better on Monday than they were on Saturday, and that he expected that to continue in Game 3.

"We lost these two, but we're going to fight to get this series back," he said. "We're going to defend our home court on Thursday."

Bulls: Mirotic becomes a question mark for Game 3 in Milwaukee.

By Vincent Goodwill

If Game 3 was Tuesday, the strained left knee Nikola Mirotic suffered late in the fourth quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks would keep him sidelined, and it appears the Bulls are likely taking the cautious approach with their valuable reserve.

Mirotic was walking very gingerly through the Advocate Center with a wrap around his left knee after the Bulls’ film session, and coach Tom Thibodeau wasn’t ready to make any kind of declarations when speaking to the media.

The Bulls emerged with a 2-0 series lead but a couple unexpected bumps and bruises.

“We'll see. It's going to be a few days,” Thibodeau said.  “We want to see how he responds to treatment and then we'll go from there.”

With Game 3 on Thursday, it gives the Bulls a couple extra days to evaluate Mirotic, who sustained the injury when diving on the floor for a loose ball and actually wound up in a mini-altercation with Bucks center Zaza Pachulia, resulting in double technical and a Pachulia ejection.

But it wouldn’t be a safe bet to assume Mirotic will play in Milwaukee Thursday, and he hasn’t had his usual effect in his first two playoff games, totaling 13 points in 39 minutes on 35 percent shooting, as the length of the Bucks’ big men has given him problems — and the Bulls have relied more on Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler for scoring (the two account for 48.4 percent of the Bulls’ scoring through two games).

Mirotic underwent electric stimulation on the knee, and presumably was checked for a concussion after a collision during the same play. Thibodeau indicated Mirotic went through the league-mandated checkpoints and was cleared.

“I don't want to put a timetable on it,” Thibodeau said. “We don't know. It's a strain so you don't know how it'll respond. Just get treatment. He'll be in there two, three times a day. We'll just see how it feels.”

The altercation with Mirotic was the third one of the game, as both teams were unusually chippy throughout.

Bucks big man John Henson ran over Bulls guard Aaron Brooks running down court in the first quarter, which started the festivities and it carried on for the rest of the game.

Nobody would say the game was dirty, although you could get a sense from the Bulls players that the Bucks toed a little closer to that line than the Bulls would’ve liked. Pachulia was hit with a technical earlier in the second half when an elbow caught Mirotic in the top of the head while jostling for position on a rebound.

It wasn’t a surprise after Bucks coach Jason Kidd wanted his team to be more physical after their Game 1 loss.

“It’s a tough game to officiate,” Thibodeau said. “We have the best officials in the world. I can say that based on the international experience I have now. It’s not easy to officiate. For the most part, oftentimes you replay plays four and five times and you’re still not sure. These guys have to do it on the spot. They’ve done a good job. Playoffs are physical. A lot of it is judgment. We’ll see.”

Mirotic’s teammates were surprised at him being able to handle the increased physicality of the series, as it’ll only ramp up as the familiarity and thus the contempt, increases.

“It was rough. But actually, it’s more physical overseas a little bit,” said Rose of Mirotic. “I think that he’s used to it. It probably just took him by surprise that he (Pachulia) did it so blatant. He’ll be all right.”

Bulls go up 2-0 on Bucks thanks to big game from Jimmy Butler, 91-82. (Monday night's game, 04/20/2015).

By Vincent Goodwill

Jimmy Butler #21 of the Chicago Bulls celebrates in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Milwaukee Bucks during the NBA Playoffs on April 20, 2015 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images)

Jimmy Butler motioned for a posting Nikola Mirotic to get out of the way, giving the appearance he was headed to the basket when in reality, he just wanted a better view of the basket.

Perhaps feeling the energy in the building after he was cascaded with MVP chants midway through the fourth, he launched a classic “bad shot, good shot” that fell for three of his 14 fourth-quarter points.

What began as a classic letdown game ended with the Bulls surviving and putting themselves halfway to the second round with a 91-82 win at the United Center, taking a 2-0 series lead while holding serve at home.

What did they survive? Well, let’s see.

An 11-point first quarter, a game where Derrick Rose started 0-for-7 and Butler missed his first six three-point attempts.

There’s more.

They survived Taj Gibson, one of the unsung heroes in the opener, picking up three fouls in five minutes, rendering himself useless in the first half.

And of their 15 turnovers, seven occurred in the first quarter when they couldn’t get anything going.

All of that was forgotten when Rose, who rebounded to hit four of his last eight to score 15 with nine assists and seven rebounds in 38 minutes, hit a step-back contested jumper with 54.5 seconds remaining to finally close the door on a Bucks’ threat.

Butler led the way with 31, a new career-high in the playoffs after setting it initially in Game 1.

Bucks coach Jason Kidd intimated the game was too pretty, words that seemed to foreshadow what was to come, when he said the Bucks’ early scoring in Game 1 was “fool’s gold”, and aside from Khris Middleton scoring 22, offensive was hard to come by for the Bucks.

The Bucks challenged everything, getting up in the Bulls’ faces from the moment they crossed half court. And when the Bulls actually had the space to create or execute, they either saw ghosts or lost concentration, unable to take advantage of any opening.

Luckily, they dragged the Bucks in the muck with them, not allowing the inexperienced team to get too far ahead. There was plenty of muck, as both teams realized the pleasantries of the regular season were no longer necessary, as there were multiple skirmishes, the final one resulting in an ejection for Bucks irritant Zaza Pachulia.

It wasn’t going to last long, as the Bulls were due for some execution, and scored 60 points in the two middle quarters — with a lot of help from Mike Dunleavy, who helped loosen up the Bucks defense with four three-pointers, including two late in the first half as the Bulls were reeling a bit.

But reeling a bit only matters but so much if you have closers on your side to take care of things late — the Bulls were just fortunate things didn’t get too far out of their reach on this night.

Note: Since our last publication, Doug Buffone, #55, former Bears great and WSCR Bears Radio Analyst, passed Monday morning. He will be tremendously missed.

(Photo by Manny Rubio/US Presswire)

Dan Hampton on Doug Buffone: 'He was bigger than life'.

By John Mullin

Dan Hampton was a rookie in 1979, coming to the Bears in what would be Doug Buffone’s last year in the NFL. By that time, Buffone was no longer a starting linebacker and Hampton wasn’t seeing Buffone in anything near the latter’s prime.

But Hampton, inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002, saw the essential Doug Buffone, in more ways than one.

“When I got here in 1979, Doug was ‘The Dos Equis Man,’ Hampton said, laughing. “You know: ‘Stay thirsty, my friend.’ He had the nightclubs, all the stuff, and he was bigger than life.

“He was so great to play with. In the [1979] game against the New England Patriots, he was thrust into the starting middle linebacker position because of the illness to Tom Hicks.

“Doug’d been up night, and there he was in the locker room before the game, chain-smoking. He was in his 14th year and you don’t expect to be dropped into the middle-linebacker position all of a sudden.

“And New England had that running back, Sam ‘Bam’ Cunningham, who was a 300-pound running back. Not only did Doug play great – he ran a fake punt as captain of the punt team in that game, and he intercepted two passes, which broke Butkus’ all-time record for linebacker.

“He was the man. He was bigger than life.”

Hampton knew Buffone was dealing with some health concerns over the past couple years and his strongest feelings on Monday centered on those left behind.

“I feel just horrible for [Buffone’s wife] Dana and the kids,” Hampton said. “Doug was a big part of the world of the Chicago Bears.”

Hampton shares the passion that Buffone, Ed O’Bradovich and others feel about their former team. “But with Doug, as much as he loved the Bears, you always knew it wasn’t a condemnation of the Bears,” Hampton said. “It was a desperate plea for them to find a way as a football team. It was never ill will.

“He was a fine, fine human being, and it was a joy to have been able to play even one year with Doug. He will sorely be missed. He was just a fine, fine man. He’s a Chicago icon. We’re all the richer for having known him.”

Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!! 2015 Chicago Bears Regular  Season Schedule.

WREX-TV Rockford
                                            

                                                     
2015 BEARS REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE

DATE OPPONENT TIME (CT) NETWORK / RADIO

Sunday, Sept. 13 GREEN BAY PACKERS Noon FOX / WBBM Radio

Sunday, Sept. 20 ARIZONA CARDINALS Noon FOX / WBBM Radio

Sunday, Sept. 27 at Seattle Seahawks 3:25pm CBS / WBBM Radio

Sunday, Oct. 4 OAKLAND RAIDERS Noon CBS / WBBM Radio

Sunday, Oct. 11 at Kansas City Chiefs Noon * FOX / WBBM Radio

Sunday, Oct. 18 at Detroit Lions Noon * FOX / WBBM Radio

Sunday, Oct. 25 BYE WEEK

Sunday, Nov. 1 MINNESOTA VIKINGS Noon * FOX / WBBM Radio

Monday, Nov. 9 at San Diego Chargers 7:30pm ESPN / WBBM Radio

Sunday, Nov. 15 at St. Louis Rams Noon * FOX / WBBM Radio

Sunday, Nov. 22 DENVER BRONCOS Noon * CBS / WBBM Radio

Thursday, Nov. 26 at Green Bay Packers 7:30pm NBC / WBBM Radio

Sunday, Dec. 6 SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS Noon * FOX / WBBM Radio

Sunday, Dec. 13 WASHINGTON REDSKINS Noon * FOX / WBBM Radio

Sunday, Dec. 20 at Minnesota Vikings Noon * FOX / WBBM Radio

Sunday, Dec. 27 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Noon * FOX / WBBM Radio

Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016 DETROIT LIONS Noon * FOX / WBBM Radio

* Game times tentative and subject to flexible scheduling

Additional Chicago Bears Schedule Information

BEARS OPEN AT HOME FOR SIXTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR: The Bears open the regular season schedule at home for the sixth straight year, hosting the Green Bay Packers. The contest marks the first time since the 1991-96 seasons that Chicago will open the season in front of their home fans in six-straight campaigns.

Of Chicago's last 22 season openers at home dating back to 1984, the Bears are 18-4 (.818).

BEARS OPEN SEASON VERSUS GREEN BAY AT SOLDIER FIELD: The Bears will open the regular season schedule against the Packers franchise for the 32nd time in team history. But this will be just the third time that the Bears are opening their regular season schedule against the Packers while at home. The Bears own a 17-12-2 record against Green Bay in season openers and are 1-1 in such games at home.

The only previous two season openers against the Packers that were played in Chicago came in 1979 (a 6-3 Bears victory) and 1981 (a 16-9 Green Bay win).

BEARS SCHEDULED TO PLAY TWO GAMES IN PRIMETIME: The Bears are scheduled to make two appearances on primetime television during the 2015 regular season, with both coming on the road.

In Week 9, the Bears will travel to San Diego to take on the Chargers on ESPN's Monday Night Football (Nov. 9). Three weeks later, Chicago will battle the Packers in Green Bay on Thanksgiving Night on NBC.

Chicago went 2-3 in primetime during the 2014 regular season on NFLN's Thursday Night Football (0-1), NBC's Sunday Night Football (1-1), ESPN's Monday Night Football (1-1).

The Bears are 28-36 all time on Monday Night Football (15-12 at home; 13-24 on the road); 15-21 on Sunday Night Football (5-9 at home; 10-12 on the road) and 5-5 on Thursday Night Football (2-1 at home; 3-4 on the road) during the regular season.

BEARS WILL PLAY ON THANKSGIVING FOR SECOND-STRAIGHT YEAR: The Chicago Bears will travel to Green Bay to take on the Packers on Thanksgiving (Thursday, November 26) this season. It marks the first time since 1980-81 that the Bears will play on Thanksgiving in back-to-back seasons. Chicago is 16-15-2 overall in contests played on Thanksgiving.

This will be the first time the Bears will play a team other than the Dallas Cowboys or Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving since facing the now defunct Dallas Texans in 1952 at the Rubber Bowl in Akron, Ohio.

2015 marks the 10th straight season the Bears and Packers will square off on primetime national television during the regular season with seven of those contests being played in Green Bay. It is the fifth straight year the teams will square off on primetime national television at Lambeau Field.

BEARS SET TO TRAVEL 12,576 MILES DURING 2015 SEASON: The Bears will travel approximately 12,576 miles during the 2015 season.

- Chicago's trips to Seattle (approximately 3,442 miles) and San Diego (3,446) account for approximately 54.8 percent of their miles traveled in 2015.

- Five of the Bears 10 road trips are less than 600 miles round-trip.

BEARS BATTLE TEAMS FROM NFC WEST & AFC WEST DIVISIONS: Chicago will square off against all four teams from the NFC West and AFC West this season.

The Bears are 146-105-7 all-time against teams for the NFC West. Chicago last faced all four teams from the NFC West in 2012, going 2-2 in those contests. This will be the ninth meeting in the last 10 years between the Bears and the Seahawks in the regular season or postseason.

Chicago is 25-24 (.500) all-time against teams from the AFC West. Chicago last faced all four teams from the AFC West in 2011, going 1-3 in those contests.

BEARS WELCOME RAIDERS TO SOLDIER FIELD FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2003: The Bears host Oakland on Sunday, October 4, welcoming back the Raiders to Soldier Field in the regular season for the first time since October 5, 2003. The previous regular season meeting between the teams marked the first win by the Bears at the then-newly renovated Soldier Field, a 24-21 victory on Paul Edinger's 48-yard field goal as time expired.

In 2015, the Bears also host San Francisco (Week 13) and Denver (Week 11), who hold the second and third longest droughts away from Soldier Field in the regular season. San Francisco last played in Chicago during the regular season on October 29, 2006 (a 41-10 Bears victory) and Denver last played at Soldier Field during the regular season on November 25, 2007 (a 37-34 overtime win for Chicago).

BEARS TRAVEL TO KANSAS CITY FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2005: The Bears travel to Kansas City to play the Chiefs on October 11, their first regular season trip to KC since December 28, 2003. That is the longest road drought for the Bears to any opponents home stadium.

In 2015, the Bears also travel to Tampa (Week 16) and San Diego (Week 9), the second and third longest road droughts away from their respective opponents' home stadium in the regular season. Note: The Bears were the road team against Tampa Bay in their 2011 contest at Wembley Stadium in London, England.

FLEX SCHEDULING: For the second-straight season, flexible scheduling may be applied in Weeks 5-10. During that period, flexible scheduling can be used in no more than two weeks by shifting a Sunday afternoon game into primetime and moving the Sunday night game to an afternoon start time. Also, a select number of games are being “cross-flexed,” moving between CBS and FOX to bring potentially under-distributed games to wider audiences.

The future is now for the Cubs and Addison Russell.

By Patrick Mooney

(Photo: Special to News Service)

Addison Russell became the overnight trending topic on Twitter, the latest mega-prospect dropped into what’s becoming a very interesting Cubs team.

Russell will play second base and bat ninth in his big-league debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night at PNC Park as the Cubs keep pushing the youth movement they believe will create a perennial contender.

Look out across the infield at this beautiful waterfront stadium and you will see Russell playing alongside Anthony Rizzo, Starlin Castro and Kris Bryant. No player is older than 25. Each one is under club control through at least the 2020 season.

The Pittsburgh skyline is the backdrop here, but the Cubs think this group can play together at Wrigley Field.

This doesn’t definitively answer the long-term questions about Castro, a three-time All-Star shortstop who wants to win a Gold Glove this year and looks energized by playing for a team that’s not already buried in April.

The Cubs have options. President of baseball operations Theo Epstein went into this season saying he had no agenda, wanting to see how it all shakes out first.

Russell might be the best defensive shortstop in the organization. But for now, the Cubs will get him acclimated at second base, where Arismendy Alcantara (2-for-26, zero extra-base hits) didn’t produce and Jonathan Herrera has been filling in with Tommy La Stella (rib cage) on the disabled list.  
     
Russell is 21 years old and has played only 14 career games at the Triple-A level. He hit .318 with four doubles, one homer and nine RBI in 11 games at Iowa this month. He entered this season as a consensus top-five prospect for Baseball Prospectus (No. 2), Baseball America (No. 3), ESPN (No. 4) and MLB.com (No. 5).

To make room for Russell, the Cubs optioned Alcantara to Iowa and transferred third baseman Mike Olt (wrist) to the 60-day disabled list. Whatever happens next, the Cubs have sent a clear message that the future is now.

Refurbished White Sox bullpen off to good start. 

By Dan Hayes

                                                                                          

It’s a relatively small sample size but the White Sox bullpen has made a strong first impression on the rest of the club.

Unlike last season, when a bullpen riddled with injuries to key arms instilled on confidence on players or the coaching staff, this season’s group has shown it can hold a lead of keep the White Sox within striking distance. On Monday night, the White Sox bullpen delivered three scoreless innings and afforded the offense additional time to get going. The team’s bats finally woke up during a four-run rally in the ninth inning of a 4-3 win over the Cleveland Indians at U.S. Cellular Field.

“It gives everybody confidence when your bullpen comes in and keeps it right there,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. “That was important last night to be able to just keep it right there.”

Led by new closer David Robertson, the White Sox bullpen has a 3.51 ERA this season. Robertson struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning and earned the win after the White Sox rallied. He has struck out 10 in five scoreless this season.

With Robertson in place, Ventura has been able to build from the ninth inning backwards with his relievers. Zach Duke and Dan Jennings have been consistent all season and Zach Putnam has produced 2 1/3 scoreless innings since a rough start. In their last eight games, White Sox relievers have a 1.25 ERA over 21 2/3 innings, the second-best mark in the majors.

The White Sox spent $61 million on Robertson and Duke and acquired Jennings from the Miami Marlins to address their bullpen after it blew 21 saves in 57 tries last season and finished with a 4.38 ERA. That group lost Nate Jones in the first series of the season and closer Matt Lindstrom in mid-May, which left the White Sox with no true anchor. Putnam and Jake Petricka converted 20 of 25 saves but the White Sox bullpen was short on trustworthy arms.

“When your bullpen’s doing that, you feel like you have a shot to come back late,” Ventura said. “If they don’t hold it down it’s like having a leak, it just keeps getting further away from you. So when your guys come in and they do what they’re supposed to do and keep it right there it just gives you one more chance to come back and get them.”

MLB sets attendance record in first two weeks of 2015 season.

By Mike Oz

(Photo/Getty Images)

While many people still like to moan and groan that baseball is dying, the numbers continue to tell the opposite story. And the latest data from MLB tell us that the start of the 2015 season further punctuates that.

In fact, the start of the new season was so popular it broke attendance records, according to these nuggets announced by the league Monday:

 

• Combined attendance from the first two weekends of the season was 3,093,382, the highest figure in history. And this isn't one of those gets-better-every-year numbers. The previous record was 2,978,303, set in 2005. So it's a 10-year high in addition to being a record.
• Both weekends have drawn 1.5 million fans, the first time in history the first two weekends of the season have brought out that many people.
• Only once in MLB history has combined attendance reached 1.5 million on two April weekends. That was 2012 (and it wasn't the first two weekends of the season). There have never been three April weekends in which 1.5 million fans have turned out, so we'll see if attendance can reach that mark again next weekend.

While MLB is enjoying record revenues and its teams are worth more money than ever, some pundits still insist that fan interest is dwindling. While your average Tuesday night in Cleveland might not sell out, people are still obviously coming out to games in record fashion in other parts of the week.

Working on pace-of-play issues and starting games earlier on weeknights are two ways MLB and its teams are trying to improve the product. Those should especially help on weeknights, when fans can't schedule their whole day around taking in a ballgame.

Golf: I got a club for that: Paula Creamer calls for women's Masters at Augusta National.

By JANIE McCAULEY (AP Sports Writer)

Paula Creamer hits her tee shot on the 12th hole during the final round of the LPGA Kia Classic golf tournament Sunday, March 29, 2015 in Carlsbad, Calif. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

Paula Creamer is calling for a women's Masters at Augusta National.

Creamer would love for organizers to at least listen to the idea of women playing a Masters in consecutive weeks with the men's tournament. She reiterated her thoughts Tuesday at Lake Merced Golf Club, where the Bay Area native is preparing for this week's Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic.

On April 14, Creamer posted on Twitter: ''I hope The Masters will consider a Women's Masters soon. They do so much to grow the game. Fastest area of golf growth is women! (hash)6Majors?''

''I've been there, I've played there,'' said Creamer, the 2010 U.S. Women's Open champion. ''I had an awesome time. I think the patrons and everybody would love to have two weeks there, two tournaments. Hopefully, we'll see something change and it can happen.''

While she hasn't heard from anyone official at Augusta, there has been plenty of positive feedback since she made the comments. She wants to be part of golf taking steps to recruit the next generation of young players.

''Augusta wants to grow the game so badly. There's no reason why we can't do that in women's golf,'' Creamer said. ''We're just as much a part of growing the game.''

When reminded that Augusta National Golf Club Chairman Billy Payne has referenced scheduling issues when it comes to adding an event such as a women's tournament, Creamer noted she believes it wouldn't be that hard and ''I think they could handle two weeks a year.''

''You could have two major tournaments back-to-back,'' she said.

She's open to participating in further discussion.

''There's no reason why you can't revisit things. I think somebody's got to speak up and somebody's got to say something,'' Creamer said. ''It's an idea, I don't think that people should be ashamed to talk about it. I'd like to know truthfully why we wouldn't be able to have a tournament there. Definitely women's golf deserves something like that.''

Watson and Faldo to play final British Open at St Andrews.

AFP

Golfers Sir Nick Faldo (L) and Tom Watson (R). (Photo/Getty Images)

 

Golfing greats Tom Watson and Nick Faldo are both set to make their final British Open appearance at this year's edition of the sport's oldest major at St Andrews, it was announced Monday.

Watson, a five-times British Open champion who came within a whisker of winning a sixth title at the age of 59 in 2009 before losing a play-off at Turnberry, has been granted a special exemption from organizers the Royal and Ancient to play in this year's edition of a tournament first staged in 1860.

The American's appearance at the 'home of golf' in July come 40 years after he won his first British Open title at Carnoustie, another Scottish course.

For Faldo, Britain's most successful golfer with six major titles to his name, the 2015 British Open also signals an anniversary as it will be 25 years since he won the second of his three Open titles on the celebrated Old Course at St Andrews, the R&A's base.

The Englishman also lifted the Claret Jug when the British Open was played at Muirfield, near Edinburgh, in 1987 and 1992.

Faldo, whose 58th birthday falls on the Saturday of this year's Championship in July, said he was looking forward to crossing St Andrews' famed Swilcan Bridge once again and celebrating his career in golf.

- 'Wonderful memories' -

"The Open and St Andrews will forever hold a significant place in my heart," he explained on Monday.

"My fondest moments on my journey with this great sport are woven with pictures and emotions in this setting. It all means a huge amount to me.

"I look forward to celebrating all that golf has given me as I cross that storied bridge and the wonderful memories I share with many people. I am grateful for it all and grateful to golf," Faldo, now mainly a television golf analyst rather than an active competitor, said.

R&A chief executive Peter Dawson added: "Sir Nick Faldo is an inspirational figure in British golf and has enjoyed a remarkable career in The Open.

"He has delighted the galleries over many years with his three victories and consistently outstanding performances. I'm sure there will be great anticipation among the galleries at St Andrews to see him play in The Open once again and he will receive a rousing ovation worthy of a great champion."

Eight-times major winner Watson, long highly regarded for his sportsmanship as well as the caliber of his golf, is a hugely popular figure in Scotland and can also be expected to draw huge crowds at St Andrews.

The 65-year-old, the losing US captain against Europe at last year's Ryder Cup at Scotland's Gleneagles course, became the oldest player to break par at the US Masters when he shot a one-under 71 in the opening round at Augusta National earlier this month.

Officials have increased spectator viewing areas, with 10,000 fans able to watch from seats on the first, 17th and 18th, with a two-tiered grandstand created.

 

Meanwhile the grandstand behind the infamous 17th, the Road Hole, will have a capacity of more than 4,000, with a total of 21,000 seats around the entire course.

Johnnie Cole-Hamilton, executive director of championships at the R&A, said: "There is always an incredible atmosphere at The Open and particularly when it is held in St Andrews.

"We want to make sure as many spectators as possible can experience that unique atmosphere and enjoy wonderful views of the play on the opening and closing holes at St Andrews."

PGA Championship Director Jason Mengel excited for future.

CSN Staff

Arguably the greatest championship course in the United States, the Straits at Whistling Straits® is the future site of the 2015 PGA Championship and 2020 Ryder Cup.                                    

No. 4 – Glory; Visually intimidating off the tee, the most difficult par 4 on the golf course is protected by length, undulations and, of course, pot bunkers.

No. 11 – Sand Box; The longest of the par 5s on the property, Sand Box gets its name from the well-placed railroad tie-lined bunker that hugs the left side of the fairway protecting it from wayward second shots.                             

 

No. 18 – Dyeabolical; One of the most glorious finishing holes in golf, a score of par is to be desired. 

After 21-year-old Jordan Spieth captured his first green jacket in a comprehensive victory at The Masters, the golf season is well and truly underway.

 

With the first of four major championship events on the 2015 calendar done and dusted, PGA Championship Director Jason Mengel is looking forward to the year ahead.

 

Mengel, with the Wanamaker Trophy in hand, dropped by the AT&T U-Verse Lounge to talk about all things golf as the sport ushers in a new era of players .

 

"It's an exciting time as a golf fan myself to see the transitional period," Mengel said. "You had guys like Tiger [Woods] and Phil [Mickelson] who were still right in the mix at Augusta a couple weeks ago. Then you have Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler and Rory McIlroy and that new wave coming up and challenging them. It's fascinating to watch."

 

As the business of golf profits and the sport develops an international reach, Mengel is already looking ahead to the 2015 PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup.

 

"It's really exciting to see great players on both sides of the Atlantic," he said. "Certainly the Ryder Cup is a great demonstration of that. We'll be hosting the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits as well."

 

This year will mark the third time in history that the Straits Course has hosted a PGA Championship, organized by the PGA of America. Designed by Pete Dye, the course is part of Destination Kohler, a five-star resort experience in Kohler, Wisc.

 

The tournament will take place from August 10-16.

 

NASCAR Power Rankings: Jimmie Johnson to the top spot.

By Nick Bromberg

1. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 2): What a recovery for the No. 48 team. After hitting the wall and sustaining some pretty heavy damage, Johnson was also in an accident after he got into Jeb Burton and was run into by David Ragan. The damage on the rear of the No. 48 wasn't crippling, and after a two-tire pit stop late in the race, Johnson had enough track position to be in position to sneak in for the win had Matt Kenseth bobbled. However, Kenseth didn't bobble.

2. Kevin Harvick (LW: 1): Harvick might have had the race's best car. He led the most laps, 184, and even that number is deceiving. Those 184 laps came in the first 312. He didn't lead again after he was in the accident that Johnson was in with Burton and Ragan. Harvick was behind the crash and when he went to lock the car down, he went into a heavy slide and slammed into Ragan. The damage was too significant to fix on pit road and Harvick ended up 38th, 32 laps down.

3. Matt Kenseth (LW: NR): From unranked to the top three? Well, who else is going to be in third? You'll see that there really aren't many other candidates, hence why we're going with Sunday's winner. Kenseth was emotional in victory lane, and we understand why the win serves as validation after a 51-race winless streak. However, it's important to remember that the No. 20 team hadn't suddenly become a non-factor. He tied for the second-most top-10 finishes in 2014.

4. Kurt Busch (LW: 10): Would Busch have won had he not pitted for tires? It's not guaranteed. Would he have won without the two late caution flags? It's not guaranteed either. But it's easy to wonder "what if?" on both. Busch pitted from the lead on lap 477 and restarted sixth. He then had two decent restarts but was collected in an accident after Carl Edwards crashed. He finished 15th and is still outside the top 20 in points though it's also easy to wonder just how soon he's going to win.

5. Joey Logano (LW: 3): Logano was our first instance of collateral damage on Sunday as he had nowhere to go when teammate Brad Keselowski lost control of his car from third place early in the race. Instead of packing up and going home, his team waited out the rain delay to log laps. The net result? Three positions, as Logano finished 40th. While the points payoff might not have been that great, you have to applaud the perseverance given how easy it would have been for the virtually-Chase-qualified team to simply move on to the next race.

6. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: 4): Goodbye top-10 finish streak, you were good to Truex. A loose wheel and, later, contact with the wall, meant unscheduled pit stops for the No. 78 bunch and Truex finished 29th, seven laps down. He's still third in the points standings, and actually gained points on Kevin Harvick. It's also his worst finish since Martinsville last year, where he finished 38th.

7. Jeff Gordon (LW: 9): Everyone from the Hendrick team had an eventful day. And like his double-number teammate, Gordon was able to make a decent-tasting salad out of it all and finished third. While he ultimately didn't run out of gas, Gordon was not a fan of the long caution period NASCAR ran near the end of the race to try to keep the track dry in the hope of finishing the race under green. While it worked out for him, it didn't for Austin Dillon, who was forced to pit from the top five because the race went so long and ended up 10th, though it was still his highest finish of the year.

8. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 6): Junior started the Hendrick chain of crazy events when he had an unscheduled pit stop early in the race for a flat right rear tire. At one point he was four laps down after another unscheduled stop. He got two of the laps back and finished 16th, the first car two laps down. Had Junior stayed on the lead lap, a top 10 would have been possible as his car was pretty damn fast. He just wasn't able to make up the track position.

9. Ryan Newman (LW: 11): Newman was another driver who had a nice recovery. He went a lap down early in the race and after getting the lap back, found himself in the top five. He had crew chief Luke Lambert atop the pit box too, as Richard Childress Racing is appealing the reduction of penalties to NASCAR's final appeals officer. A decision on the final appeal is likely this week. Will the penalties be reduced even further?

10. Brad Keselowski (LW: 5): Keselowski said after his accident that he wasn't sure how has car snapped around on him. Was a slick track to blame? Something else? It's possible it was the rain, but it's worth pointing out that no one else had issues. Well, except for Logano. And like his teammate, Keselowski's team fixed his car and he finished 22 laps down in 35th.

11. Kasey Kahne (LW: 7): Kahne stayed out of trouble and near the front of the field for most of the race on Sunday until he met Tony Stewart's front bumper. From there, he went spinning and into AJ Allmendinger. While he said his team was "nothing exceptional," before the crash, he was running in the top 15. Or, much better than 39th, which is where he ended up finishing.

12. Aric Almirola (LW: 12): Another close-to-a-top-10 keeps Almirola in the top 10 in the points standings. Come on Aric, we're cheering for you to continue to consistency your way towards the Chase. And if you do make the Chase without a top 10, does it mean there will be a massive Martinsville hot dog celebration? There should be. Maybe put some bacon on top of them.

Lucky Dog: Justin Allgaier snagged the first top-10 finish of his career.

The DNF: Man, Landon Cassill was simply in the way and got run over.

Dropped out: Denny Hamlin, though we completely understand why Hamlin and Joe Gibbs Racing did what they did. With a win, erring on the side of caution was smart.

President Obama honors Kevin Harvick on 2014 NASCAR Chase championship.

By Jerry Bonkowski

President Barack Obama shakes hands with NASCAR 2014 Sprint Cup Series champ Kevin Harvick during an event on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington honoring Harvick and his 2014 championship. (Photo/Susan Walsh — AP)

“It is always wonderful to have the NASCAR family here,” Obama said. “We’ve got huge fans in the White House and we’ve got some big fans, including some members of Congress, who are here.”

Among those in attendance were NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France and NASCAR President Mike Helton.

Here’s a major portion of Obama’s speech:

“We’re here to celebrate Kevin Harvick,” Obama said. “This was an exciting year for the 4 car. As the (2014) season started, Kevin had a new team, a new crew chief to adjust to. It usually takes a little time for a driver and crew chief to find a groove, but Kevin and Rodney seemed to figure out each other in a hurry – sorta like when (U.S. Vice President) Joe Biden joined my team. 

“They had instant chemistry. And as Kevin can tell you, when you have a trusted partner shouting world-class advice into your ear at every turn, you can’t lose. 

“It wasn’t long before Kevin and Rodney and the team behind the Budweiser Chevy were firing on all cylinders. But, the season was not without its ups and downs. 

“By the second race of the season, Kevin had picked up his first checkered flag with Stewart-Haas. And then came a tough stretch, the kind where most championship seasons are forged. 

“There were blown tires, engine failures, cut oil lines and a slew of obstacles that held the 4 car from finishing any higher than 36th in three out of four straight races. 

“But Kevin and Rodney stuck with it, and by the time the Chase rolled around, this team was ready. A win at Homestead capped a season where Kevin picked up five wins, led more laps than anybody on the grid, and picking up his first Sprint Cup championship. 

“And by the looks of it, with two quick wins and the points lead already in place, 2015 isn’t shaping up to be too much different.”

In conclusion, Obama also praised Harvick’s wife DeLana and the couple’s charitable endeavors, including the Kevin Harvick Foundation.

“Kevin, congratulations to you again on an outstanding season,” Obama said. “(To) the whole team at Stewart-Haas Racing, keep up the great work.

“And to NASCAR, I’m looking forward to more excitement on the track. Thank you so much.”

Obama interjected some levity at times.

When he tried to pronounce the last name of Greg Zipadelli, Stewart-Haas Racing vice president of competition, the President briefly stumbled but got it right.

“Almost messed it up there,” he joked. “It’s like Obama, too many vowels.”

Before he celebrated Harvick’s achievements, Obama took a moment to remember Fox Sports broadcaster Steve Byrnes, who passed away earlier in the day after a long bout with cancer.

“I also want to offer my condolences to everybody in the NASCAR community on the passing of a legendary reporter and broadcaster, Steve Byrnes. I know a lot of fans’ thoughts and prayers today are with his wife Karen and son Bryson.”

The whole ceremony, including some post-speech chit-chat between Obama, Harvick, Childers and Stewart, lasted just over six minutes.

“Tell your son I said ‘hi’ and I expect to meet him the next time you come by,” Obama said to Kevin Harvick about son Keelan, who did not attend the ceremony.

The elder Harvick replied, “I hope he gets another opportunity. I appreciate it.”

Jeff Gordon and his family visited Obama over the Easter holiday and the President suggested Harvick and his family should do so in the future.

“Bring him to the Easter Egg roll,” Obama said. “That was a lot of fun. It was a good time.”

Fire: Yallop stresses fitness during 20-day break from MLS play.

By Danny Michallik

    

Two weeks have elapsed since the Chicago Fire's last competitive fixture. A thrilling 3-2 comeback win over Easter weekend against Toronto FC earned the Men in Red their second consecutive victory over an Eastern Conference opponent, leaving the Men in Red five points adrift of league-leading New York Red Bulls.

Since April 4, Frank Yallop's side has been limited to training sessions and two intra-squad scrimmages after the deferral of the April 15 and April 18 league matches against the New England Revolution and Montreal Impact.

During Monday's weekly media conference call, Yallop revealed his thoughts on the 20-day hiatus, how his team is ramping up fitness levels and more ahead of Friday's encounter with New York City FC at Toyota Park.

Intra-squad Game (April 18)  

Despite tinkering with the notion of scheduling a friendly against an opposing side, the Fire were forced to settle with an intra-squad scrimmage over the weekend, which was closed to the public at the request of Yallop.

"It was 11 on 11," he said. "We did some coaching in the middle of it, stopped it. It's just like a normal training session, I wouldn't call it a proper game.

"We played about 80 minutes. We've worked very hard the last two weeks, so I didn't want to push them too much for a 90-minute game. The guys have really looked sharp, focused and they can't wait to play against a team other than themselves.

"It helps, but it's not the real game."

Dealing with consecutive bye weeks

Yallop continued to stress the fitness component and preparation prior to the intra-squad game, which was designed to mirror the typical cycle of the team's training regimen before MLS regular season matches.

"The guys are calling it a 'mini preseason,'" Yallop said. "We really pushed the guys fitness-wise.

"A lot of guys missed a lot of preseason: Jeff Larentowicz, [Shaun] Maloney, [David] Accam. You can go on and on. Kennedy [Igboananike] was injured, [Matt] Polster. It was good for us to get our fitness really, really amped up and we did. Just playing together has helped all our guys.

"Shaun's looked really sharp in training, and so has David. They're really coming along and in the end, you're going to see those guys really shine in the games real soon."

Injury updates

Quincy Amarikwa and Michael Stephens, both nurturing ankle injuries, are still recovering from the physical game against Toronto, which saw more than one Fire player emerge with a knock.  

"Both have been working with Adrian Lamb, our fitness coach," Yallop said. "Both did not participate in the scrimmage on Saturday. We expect Quincy to be back in training pretty soon and to be available for Friday, but he's been out 12 days so we'll see how he gets on.

"Mike Stephens is still a little bit tender. I expect him to not be available for the game."

Meanwhile, Razvan Cocis is working his way back into the squad and adds to a long list of midfielders for Yallop to consider for upcoming team selections.

"He's another one that's been out for a long time, but he's looked sharp when he came back. I thought he did well on the weekend in the game we had. He'll be pushing for a spot too.

"It's always good. It's never good for the players, but it's good for a coach to have options and pick the ones that you think are going to get it done in training and games when they get a chance.

"It's a good dilemma to have. Hopefully I'll pick the right guys that are going to get us a win."

Vying for spots

As noted above, it's been no secret that with this year's offseason acquisitions, the new blood is paving the way for competition for roster places, a missing component in Fire teams of late.

With Jason Johnson's smooth transition bearing fruit and Víctor Perez steadily acclimating to the speed of MLS, the emergence of Yallop's midfield is drawing deserved attention and supplying the second-year head coach with some much-needed optimism.  

The praise is similarly being heaped onto defenders Patrick Doody, on loan to St. Louis, and Eric Gehrig. 

"[Patrick] Doody's done well," Yallop said. "We liked him a lot in preseason. It's great for him to go full-time to St. Louis to get a lot of playing time down there, and he's done well. He's one for the future for us.

"Eric Gehrig's slotted in nicely at right back. I played him a lot at center back in preseason because of the injuries we had.

"We're pretty healthy in those outside areas right now with JJ [Joevin Jones], Greg Cochrane, Doody, Lovel [Palmer] and Eric. It's pretty solid."

Champions League Wednesday Preview: Madrid up for grabs, Juventus looks to finish the job.

By Kyle Lynch

(Photo/Getty Images)

With Barcelona and Bayern Munich already punching their tickets to the semifinals, the remaining two spots will be determined tomorrow as the quarterfinals of Champions League play comes to a close.

Atletico Madrid will look to avenge it’s loss in the 2014 Champions League final as they head to the Bernabeu for a matchup with crosstown rival Real Madrid, while Juventus holds a slight edge over Monaco heading into their second leg clash.

Both matches kick off at 2:45 p.m. ET, and you can follow all the action right here.

Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid: Level on aggregate after a 0-0 draw in the first leg at Atletico — RECAP

Although tied on aggregate, Real Madrid is in trouble tomorrow. The reigning champions of Europe are walking wounded into the match, as Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Luka Modric have all been ruled out with injury. Left-back Marcelo will also be missing, serving a suspension for yellow card accumulation.

After defeating Atletico in the Champions League final last May, Real has failed to defeat Diego Simeone’s men in eight tries. With Barcelona already into the semifinals, getting eliminated at the hands of Atletico would surely be a nightmare for Carlo Ancelotti.

Atletico is actually in the better position, as a 1-1 draw would see the club through to the semis. Mario Mandzukic has a slight problem with his ankle but should be ready to go, as the big Croatian will be the focal point of Diego Simeone’s attack.

Monaco vs. Juventus: Juventus leads 1-0 on aggregate following a close win at home — RECAP  

Underdog-side Monaco will need a result at home as Leonardo Jardim's men find themselves a goal behind following a 1-0 loss at Jeventus in the first leg. While Jardim believes his side may have been unfortunate to lose in Turin through a controversial penalty kick, Monaco is just a goal down and very much still alive in this matchup.

Monaco is strong defensively, but will need the home supporters at Stade Louis ll to help them find the offense needed to erase the deficit. 

Juventus holds the slight one-goal advantage thanks to Arturo Vidal's penalty in the first leg, but will likely play without the Chilean as he is suffering from tonsillitis. With the Serie A title wrapped up, Massimiliano Allegri will have his boys focused on keeping their treble dreams alive in the Champions League. 

Ohio State's three-man QB battle rages on as coaches refuse to commit in spring.

By Pat Forde

Quarterbacks J.T. Barrett #16 of the Ohio State Buckeyes and Braxton Miller #5 of the Ohio State Buckeyes watch alongside Head Coach Urban Meyer of the Ohio State Buckeyes as Cardale Jones #12 of the Ohio State Buckeyes runs the offense for the Ohio State Buckeyes Gray team against the Scarlet team at Ohio Stadium on April 18, 2015 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

Ohio State offensive coordinator Ed Warinner sat at a round table Saturday, reporters ringing him two deep after the Buckeyes’ spring game.

Demand for information was high. Supply was low.

“The position you all want to talk about,” Warinner said, “there’s nothing else to talk about there.”

The position is quarterback, and with apologies to Warinner that’s what everyone wants to talk about until a 2015 starter is named. This is the most intriguing personnel competition in the nation. Maybe ever.

There have been plenty of two-man quarterback battles between worthy competitors. But how many three-man battles? On a team that won the national title last season and will enter August as the prohibitive title favorite?

The Buckeyes quite possibly have the most proven quarterback talent in college football history. They have a trio of players who have won, and won big, and played superbly in the process.

Braxton Miller is 22-2 as a starting quarterback under Urban Meyer, finished fifth in the 2012 Heisman Trophy voting and set the school record for single-season total offense. His shoulder injury last August was supposed to doom the Buckeyes’ national championship aspirations.

Instead it made room for J.T. Barrett. He is 11-1 as a starting quarterback, finished fifth in the 2014 Heisman voting and broke Miller’s record for single-season total offense. His broken leg in the regular-season finale last November was supposed to doom the Buckeyes’ national championship aspirations.

Instead it cleared the stage for Cardale Jones. He is 3-0 as a starting quarterback, with the three victories coming in the Big Ten championship game, the Sugar Bowl and the College Football Playoff national championship.

Three stars. One job. This is going to be fascinating.

Meyer’s task is to also make it fair. He said Saturday that the August camp competition will be graded on hard data.

“I'll come up with some kind of system throughout training camp that we're going to chart everything that everyone does,” he said. “And we've kind of done it, but not to the degree that we're going to do it this year. Because you have to be right on now. This can't be, ‘Well, I'm going with him because it's my gut feeling.’ It's got to be statistical analysis and data.

“There's going to be a lot of people interested. I know you guys [reporters], but the families and the players, much more. I want to be able to look those people in the eye and say, ‘This is where we're at,’ and not be a shocker when it happens.”

To date, nobody has turned pro and nobody has transferred to thin the field. Jones, who will be a fourth-year junior, thought about putting his name in the NFL draft after his sudden star turn, but opted to return. Miller, a fifth-year senior, could be immediately eligible as a graduate transfer and there has been plenty of speculation about that – especially with former Ohio State offensive coordinator Tom Herman now the head coach at Houston. But nothing has happened yet.

If Miller stays, it could be because his transfer options are limited. Teams might be leery of turning over their offense to a guy coming off two shoulder surgeries – a scope in February 2014 and a more involved procedure to repair a torn labrum in August 2014. Miller hasn’t yet been cleared for full-bore throwing, so it’s too early to know his progress back from the setback that cost him all of last season.

Barrett, who had surgery last December to repair the broken leg suffered against Michigan, joined Miller on the visor-and-shorts squad at the Ohio State spring game. They stood behind the offensive huddle with Meyer, both wearing headsets so they could hear the play calls.

That left the show to Jones, whose game performance was sporadic (19 of 42 for 304 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions). The most impressive thing he did was throw the ball 74 yards in a halftime distance-throwing contest with former Ohio State great Troy Smith and Barrett.

“That’s it?” Jones said, when told how far the throw went. “I was a little tired.”

Said Meyer: “That wasn't a Cardale day. He played behind a makeshift offensive line. I can give you a bunch of excuses, but he's got to be much sharper than that. For the spring, I'd give him a very good spring, though.”

Assuming all three quarterbacks enter fall camp healthy enough to compete, there are compelling cases for each.

The case for Miller: When all three QBs were 100 percent, he was clearly the choice. Miller has the most experience and is the most athletic. (He’s reportedly run a 4.32 40-yard dash, though all 40 times should be viewed with healthy skepticism.) He was expected to have his best year yet, and compete for the Heisman, before the August shoulder blowout.

The case for Barrett: He’s the closest thing to a Meyer soul mate among the three. Barrett is a Type-A worker and natural leader who fits the all-in commitment of his coaching staff. He also was ridiculously productive after being thrown into the fray last season with little August prep time as the starter.

The case for Jones: At 6-foot-5, 250 pounds and possessing a cannon of a right arm, he’s the biggest bundle of physical talent and the guy dilating NFL scouts’ pupils. “Sky’s the limit,” Warinner said. Last year the Ohio State staff didn’t think he took his craft seriously enough, but he rose to the extremely high occasion in last year’s postseason. Against three top-15 opponents in his first three college starts, Jones threw for more than 240 yards in each game and ran for 90 yards.

If the quarterbacks play up to their previously demonstrated form, Meyer really can’t make a bad choice. And truth be told, job one for whoever is the starting quarterback is going to be handing off to blossoming superstar running back Ezekiel Elliott, the true hero of the 2014 postseason.

But there figure to be times when Ohio State will need its best quarterback, in order to be the best team it can be. The process of figuring out who that is will get underway in earnest in August.

“We’ve got to wait until the time comes,” Warinner said.

Until that time comes, the intrigue in Columbus will be immense.

The NCAA's new policy on transfers has one bad unintended consequence.

By Gary Parrish

The NCAA's new transfer rule doesn't protect players who are run off. (USATSI)

Every morning, afternoon and night, basically without exception these days, some transfer announces he's either coming or going, and the numbers are staggering without context.

475!

The sport of college basketball is approaching that figure this offseason.

It's a huge deal, according to some.

But, in reality, it's not a huge deal at all because it's really just an average of 1.4 players per Division I program, and the overwhelming majority of those 475 don't matter much to anybody. I mean, with all due respect, they just DO NOT MATTER.

Go look at this transfer list.

The guy ranked as the 10th-best prospect on the entire list came off the bench and averaged 7.2 points this season for a team that couldn't even make the NIT. And I bet you don't recognize more than five of the names listed below him. So ... whatever.

I just can't make myself care enough.

College basketball has lots of problems. Transfers are not one of them.

Either way, the issue of transfers is quite clearly perceived as a problem, and in a presumed effort to make it less of a problem the NCAA will no longer allow men's basketball players who transfer from one Division I institution to another to apply for a waiver and become eligible immediately (unless they're graduate transfers). That's over. And though I recognize most folks -- especially coaches -- believe this is a step in the proper direction, I'm categorically against it because it's fundamentally wrong to restrict the options of unpaid amateur athletes. I do not care how difficult a system without transfer restrictions might make the jobs of coaches. I do not care where such a system could theoretically lead. All I care about is what's fair to the so-called student-athlete, and I've never been able to grasp how anybody could intelligently argue that restricting the options of student-athletes is fair.

That said, I'm not here to argue that point today -- if only because I've done that before.

(If you're interested, you can read that column here.)

The point I'd rather make today is one I think we can all agree on, and that's how there's a pretty terrible unintended consequence to the NCAA no longer allowing waivers for transfers to play immediately, and that pretty terrible unintended consequence is this: Players who are run off by their coaches are now basically screwed.

"It's wrong," said one college coach who requested anonymity because he didn't want to speak out publicly against policy. "You're telling me I can sign a kid, keep him for a year or two, decide I misevaluated him and pull his scholarship, and then that kid has to sit a year no matter what? That's [expletive] up, man. That's just [expletive] up."

**********

One of college basketball's dirty little realities is that coaches run off players.

I don't want to suggest all coaches do it.

Or that it happens all the time.

But some coaches do it. And it does happen often. And it's happening right now.

There's a player out there who is perfectly happy with his college experience and doesn't want to move. But his coach has pulled his scholarship strictly for athletic reasons and given it to somebody who can help more. And now that player is on that transfer list.

He's not transferring because he wants to transfer.

He's transferring because his coach decided he's unworthy of a scholarship.

Under the old guidelines, that player could have appealed to the NCAA for immediate eligibility by essentially saying, "Hey, I didn't want to transfer. I was forced to transfer. Why should I be penalized a year of competition when my coach pushed me out the door?"

But now?

Now that player has no real recourse.

That player must relocate and sit a season.

And can't we all agree that's a fairly lousy byproduct of the rule change?

In fairness, it should be noted that some schools do actually offer multiyear scholarships, and that, beginning in August, the 65 autonomous schools -- i.e., the Power 5 schools -- will no longer be allowed to not renew a scholarship for athletic reasons. So that's good. But that won't save anybody now, and it won't help the overwhelming majority of Division I players going forward, and that's why this is a topic that should again be revisited.

Simply put, the without-context number of transfers at the Division I level isn't a big deal.

But a player being forced out and then being forced to sit out is a massive deal.

And I just find it hard to believe college basketball can't do better.

Boston Marathon winner wins by four seconds.

By Jay Busbee

It would take far more than just a few rain showers and gusting winds to dent the spirits of Boston and its runners at the Boston Marathon.

About 30,000 runners set out early Monday morning to compete in one of the world's most prestigious races. The marathon covers more than 26 miles of Boston's hilly terrain, and this year's runners faced rain and 20-mph headwinds almost every step of the way.

In the end, the men's race came down to Lelisa Desisa and Yemane Adhane Tsegay, both of Ethiopia. With about a mile remaining, Desisa pulled out to a seven-second lead. He would go on to win with a time of 2:09:17; this marked his second Boston Marathon victory, after 2013. Meb Keflezighi, last year's winner, crossed at 2:12:42. Keflezighi had been a pre-race favorite, but a hamstring pull late in the race ended his chances. He ran the final steps holding hands with a woman he pulled from the crowd.

Here's Desisa celebrating just after the finish: 

The women's race featured Mare Dibaba of Ethiopia and Caroline Rotich of Kenya battling stride for stride until the finish. Rotich made her move with 500 feet to go, kicking past Dibaba, and ended up winning with a time of 2:24:55, just four seconds ahead of Dibaba. This marked Rotich's first Boston Marathon victory.

Much of the race featured packs pacing one another for the lead, like this nine-man crew shortly after fabled Heartbreak Hill:

Earlier, Marcel Hug won the men's wheelchair division in a time of 1:29:53. Here's a shot of Tatyana McFadden winning the women's wheelchair division in 1:52:54:

This year's race, like last year's, ran under the shadow of 2013, when bombs at the finish line killed three and injured 260. But 2014's race was both a show of defiance and a time of inspiration, as Keflezighi became the first American to win the Boston Marathon since 1983.

Even as this year's race unites the city of Boston on Patriot's Day, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, one of the 2013 bombers, is now in the punishment phase of his trial. Having been found guilty on all 30 counts related to the bombing, Tsarnaev faces the death penalty. However, several of those impacted by the bombs have said they do not wish for Tsarnaev to be put to death, but rather to be imprisoned for life without the possibility of parole.

The Boston Marathon requires qualification, which means it doesn't have the usual high celebrity contingent of other marathons. This year's race included actors Uzo Aduba of "Orange Is The New Black" and Sean Astin, who should be used to trekking long distances having walked hundreds of miles as Sam in "Lord of the Rings."

Not competing this year: two-time women's defending champion Rita Jeptoo, who has tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. While she has retained her two Boston titles, she was stripped of both her Chicago Marathon win and a $500,000 World Marathon Majors bonus. Kenya has won the last seven women's races, including this one, and 19 of the last 25 men's races.

On This Date in Sports History: Today is Wednesday, April 22, 2015.

Memoriesofhistory.com

1876 - Eight baseball teams began the inaugural season of the National League. In the first game Boston beat Philadelphia 6-5.

1914 - Babe Ruth made his pitching debut with the Baltimore Orioles.

1915 - The New York Yankees wore pinstripes and the hat-in-the-ring logo for the first time.

1945 - The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Detroit Red Wings, 2-1 in Game Seven of the Stanley Cup finals.

1982 - The Atlanta Braves ended their 13-game winning streak to start the season. It was the longest streak of wins at the beginning of the season in major league baseball history.

1994 - Michael Moorer became the first left-handed heavyweight champion.

2010 - The NFL Draft was aired in prime time for the first time.

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

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!!!!!