CS&T/AllsportsAmerica Monday (Memorial Day) Sports News Update, 05/25/2015.

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“Memorial Day this year is especially important as we are reminded almost daily of the great sacrifices that the men and women of the Armed Services make to defend our way of life." ~ Robin Hayes, Politician and Businessman
 

Sports Quote of the Day:

"True satisfaction comes from getting the job done. The key to a successful leader is to earn respect - not because of rank or position, but because you are a leader of character." ~ Major Richard D. Winters, United States Army Officer and Decorated Veteran 

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Trending: Montoya edges Power to win 99th Indy 500. (See details in motorsports section below).

How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks-Ducks Preview.

By GREG BEACHAM

After 17 grueling periods crammed into just four games, the Anaheim Ducks have no doubt they can play at hockey's highest level with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Heading into a pivotal Game 5 on Monday in the Western Conference finals, the Ducks also realize their two gut-wrenching overtime losses were missed opportunities to take out their veteran, playoff-tested opponents - and they can't afford two more.

Chicago evened the series at two games apiece on Saturday night with Antoine Vermette's goal in double overtime. The 5-4 win was the Blackhawks' fourth OT victory of an increasingly charmed postseason.

Anaheim still hasn't lost in regulation in the entire Stanley Cup playoffs, but Chicago has a knack for big moments that the Ducks haven't matched in this series.

So the Ducks will keep hitting hard, skating well and hoping the late-game bounces - and a few more whistles - start going against Chicago.

''I think (the Blackhawks) know they're in a series,'' Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said Sunday. ''I mean, I don't think they think they've had it very easy. It's our job to continue to make them feel that way.''

Both teams spent Sunday flying to the West Coast and resting up for the next collision in an already draining series. The Ducks have followed through on their plan to batter the Blackhawks' short-staffed defense with relentless checking and hard hits, but Chicago is surviving so far.

''We're just going to keep with our game plan,'' said Ducks center Ryan Kesler, who has been matched against Chicago captain Jonathan Toews all series. ''I think it will wear them down. It's going to wear them down. No human can withstand that many hits. We're going to keep banging out there and going after them.''

The Blackhawks were credited with 52 hits of their own in Game 4, but that shaky defense also allowed three goals in 37 seconds in the third period, blowing a late two-goal lead. The defensemen playing heavy minutes don't acknowledge any damage from Anaheim's cumulative pressure: Brent Seabrook dismissed the idea with a shrug and a smile.

''I think it's both ways,'' Chicago winger Bryan Bickell said. ''They are wearing us down, but they're getting tired from wearing us down.''

And for all the entertainment value of the first four games, one other aspect of this series is clear from the franchises' first playoff meeting: These West powers have already learned to dislike each other.

Chicago goalie Corey Crawford exemplified the growing mutual distaste late in regulation of Game 4 when he delivered an un-penalized, two-handed slash to Matt Beleskey's chest, nearly letting in a winning goal in the process. Afterward, Beleskey said he is ''sick of'' the Blackhawks.

''This series is pretty amazing,'' Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said. ''Every game is very close, very competitive. The road to trying to win the Cup has some amazing swings and highs, lows and twists and turns. The deeper you get in series, it is all the more challenging. Our group's experience and know-how and the will to find ways, last night was a great demonstration of that.''

A five-goal performance in Game 4 was a boost to the Blackhawks, who managed just three even-strength goals in the first 14 periods of this series against Ducks goalie Frederik Andersen.

''I thought the last game was a big step to find the back of the net against Andersen,'' Bickell said. ''You see that he is kind of human, because he's been standing on his head as of late.''

The Blackhawks also have benefited from a distinct advantage in penalties, with just 22 minutes in the box compared to 38 for Anaheim. The Ducks are trying desperately not to criticize the officiating, hoping they'll be rewarded later.

The Ducks realize the stakes at Honda Center on Memorial Day, but Boudreau ordered his players to spend their Sunday thinking about anything but hockey. They hope their season-long knack for winning one-goal games will show up again late in a series being decided by thin margins in every aspect.

''It's about responding,'' Anaheim captain Ryan Getzlaf said. ''Everything that we designed this team around this year, I think, was our ability to put things past us and move on and keep playing, and not let things affect us outside the game, or from game to game. So I think we get right back at it again, anxious to get back on the ice after a disappointing loss. We've been able to do that so far.''

NOTES: Quenneville said lineup changes are ''not likely,'' while Boudreau is considering a shuffle in his forward lines. Tomas Fleischmann or Chris Wagner could get back into the lineup, Boudreau said.

Blackhawks show their championship mettle in Game 4 victory, 5-4.

By Scott Krinch

On every team's journey to a Stanley Cup they're going to have their championship mettle tested. For a battle-tested Blackhawks group that has their eyes set on a third Stanley Cup since 2010, that moment may have come in a span of 37 seconds in Game 4 against the Anaheim Ducks Saturday evening.

After a Brent Seabrook goal put the Blackhawks up 3-1 in the third period and sent the United Center crowd into a frenzy, the Ducks flexed their muscles by scoring three times in 37 seconds to give the visitors a brief lead. 

Just 64 seconds after Seabrook's tally, Ryan Kesler cut the lead in half for the visitors with a one-timer off a pass from Jakob Silfverberg. Only 23 seconds later, Matt Beleskey evened the game with a strip of Antoine Vermette and a shot that sailed past Corey Crawford. Sensing his team needed to regroup, Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville used a timeout, which he later proclaimed was the worst timeout he's ever called. The slight break in the action didn't stop Anaheim's onslaught as Corey Perry notched his ninth goal of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs just 14 seconds later to give the Ducks their only lead of the evening.

The three goals in 37 seconds by the Ducks set a franchise record and is the second-fastest in NHL history behind the 1978-79 Toronto Maple Leafs who scored three goals in 23 seconds against the Atlanta Flames with none other than Quenneville assisting on one of the goals. 

The shock and disbelief was felt by the 22,404 fans in attendance at the United Center, but it wasn't something the Blackhawks were going to let faze them.

"When it rains it pours in some moments, especially for us today in that third," Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews said. "A lot of teams wouldn’t feel too good about themselves but we did a good job of staying calm, knowing it is what it is. You can’t change that. You have to get yourself back in the game.

"It’s moments like that when things don’t go your way, they swing the other way for a minute it’s looking pretty good. We had the character and the poise to calm ourselves down, make a game of it and get ourselves back into it."

In desperate need of an equalizer, it was a man who is no stranger to postseason heroics that rose to the occasion with a streak-breaking power play goal.

After being held in check by the Ducks for 10 straight power plays, Patrick Kane snuck one past Ducks goaltender Frederik Andersen for his team-leading ninth goal of the postseason to help send the game into overtime.

"We've been in these situations before," Kane said. "Everyone is accustomed and used to playing in these types of games, whether it's going to overtime or tight games. It seems like we've been in this situation a lot. We just try to stay calm and try to do whatever we can to get the next one."

To survive in the postseason you need contributions from each man on the roster, and the depth that the Blackhawks bring to the table was at the forefront in Game 4.

With a roster full of All-Stars, Olympic gold medalists and Stanley Cup champions, the hero from the Blackhawks' 5-4 double overtime victory on Saturday evening would be a player who was watching Game 3 on television.

Back in the lineup after being a healthy scratch in Game 3, Vermette provided his biggest moment in a Hawks sweater since being acquired in a trade deadline deal back in March. 

Not letting his brief one-game hiatus from the lineup and earlier turnover that led to an Anaheim goal bother him, Vermette came through in the clutch with his second goal of the postseason to even the Western Conference Final at 2-2. 

After being questioned ad nauseam for sitting Vermette in Game 3, Quenneville was finally able to let out a sigh of relief when talking about his veteran center following Game 4. 

"I was very happy for him," Quenneville said. "What a huge goal for him and for us. What makes our game so great is that players are so competitive, they want to play in the worst way and want more ice time as well. You can understand where he was at, very disappointed. But he’s a great pro, stayed with it, and that line had a couple of looks in overtime.

"I’m glad he finished it because that was a huge, huge goal. Huge."

Down 3-1 vs. tied 2-2 in the Western Conference Final? Huge may be an understatement. Even for this resilient bunch.

Just Another Chicago Bulls Session… In no hurry: Bulls typically deliberate in Tom Thibodeau deliberations.

By K. C. Johnson

In many ways, Tom Thibodeau and Bulls' management are operating in a business as usual mode this offseason.

Thibodeau made clear his stance in the direct aftermath of the season-ending loss to the Cavaliers by saying, "until they tell me I'm not, I expect to be here." And management has begun draft workouts and meetings at the Advocate Center while continuing player exit meetings.

Of course, this offseason is anything but business as usual. The frayed relationship between Thibodeau and management is public knowledge throughout the NBA. And management's annual evaluation process of Thibodeau is believed widely to be leading to a divorce despite the Bulls' regular-season success and two years remaining on Thibodeau's contract.

So what's taking so long?

This is where the business as usual model applies. Bulls' management historically has been a deliberate, process-oriented decision-maker, dating to the days of Jerry Krause. There's no deadline here, and management would be wise to see if the Pelicans or Magic show interest in Thibodeau, who sources said has an offset in his contract.

But this delay isn't some leverage ploy or negotiating tactic. If the Bulls, whose second-round pick coincidentally is headed to the Magic, wanted a second-round pick, they would buy one. This is, after all, a franchise that ponied up $3 million to move up and acquire Luol Deng's draft rights in 2004 and paid an undisclosed amount to do the same for Nikola Mirotic in 2011.

No, this decision is way above getting, say, a second-round pick from the Pelicans or Magic. Especially because sources indicate the Magic's interest in Thibodeau has been way overstated, if not nonexistent to this point. And Yahoo Sports reported the Pelicans' interest in Thibodeau lies more with team President Mickey Loomis than general manager Dell Demps, who, the website reported, fired strong-willed coach Monty Williams in part over internal battles.

The Pelicans have interviewed Warriors' assistant coach Alvin Gentry and ESPN.com reported Friday night they also are considering Jeff Van Gundy.

General manager Gar Forman has said consistently he and top basketball executive John Paxson make all decisions based on what's best for the franchise and the players. Forman has applied this even for unpopular decisions, like not renewing assistant coach Ron Adams' contract in 2013.

That's the same premise underlying the decision on Thibodeau, whose outside options appear to be drying up.

A few years ago, management changed its player exit meeting process. Instead of performing them in rushed, 10-minute chunks the day after a season-ending loss, which most teams do and the Bulls used to, they are spread out over time.

Emotions cool. Conversation is more relaxed. In this format, some meetings can stretch into hours, not minutes.

Here's guessing how players feel about Thibodeau got discussed with most if not all players, several of whom offered public support for Thibodeau after the season-ending loss. But multiple sources said Thibodeau also experienced more player pushback this season. Thibodeau's "who's in and who's out of the circle" postgame speech after a desultory January home loss still remains memorable.

The Bulls' coaching history has featured some wild twists and turns. Who can forget Scott Skiles' agent saying in June 2005 that "the way (Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf) does business is insulting" as he exasperatedly called off contract talks and then Skiles signing a three-year extension the next day? Or all signs pointing to Doug Collins returning for a second stint as coach until he and Reinsdorf, citing their friendship, nixed it and Vinny Del Negro arrived in 2008?

Things can change unexpectedly in the NBA, though signs continue to point to Thibodeau's exit. What won't change, whenever a conclusion on Thibodeau's future is reached, is Forman saying the decision was made with the best interests of the franchise in mind.

NBA exploring moving Finals up to June 2, but obstacles loom.

By Ken Berger

The NBA is exploring the possibility of moving up the start of the NBA Finals to June 2 if both conference finals series end in sweeps, league sources told CBSSports.com Sunday.

With the Warriors up 3-0 on the Rockets and the Cavaliers leading 2-0 heading into Game 3 against the Hawks Sunday night, the league faces the possibility of an eight-day gap between the end of the Eastern Conference Finals and the start of the NBA Finals, scheduled for June 4.

Were both series to go seven games, the West would've concluded May 31 and the East on June 1, resulting in a two-day turnaround into the Finals.

But with the Warriors and Cavs surprisingly dominating their respective series -- the Warriors can close out the Rockets Monday night, while the Cavs won the first two games of their series in Atlanta -- the league is exploring a contingency plan. It's complicated and unlikely, sources say, based on television commitments, hotel capacities, international media travel and other considerations. One person familiar with the discussions described them as being in the "very early exploration" stage.

One obvious potential issue would be arena conflicts, but there are no scheduled events at either Oracle Arena or Quicken Loans Arena that would make changing the start date of the Finals problematic from a building perspective. But network TV scheduling, hotel inventory in both cities and international travel loom large as obstacles to changing the scheduled start date.

Beyond the obvious problem of dousing the viewing public's enthusiasm for the Finals, an eight-day break would present a challenge to the players, who would need to stay sharp and in game shape during the layoff. For the injury-stricken Cavs, it would provide point guard Kyrie Irving (knee tendinitis) with two fewer days of treatment and recovery.

Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!! Tight ends quickly form strong bond.

By Larry Mayer

With eight tight ends on the Bears roster, one of the smaller position meeting rooms at Halas Hall is the most crowded. But that doesn’t mean it ever feels cramped.

While three tight ends were acquired this offseason and only three of the eight have appeared in a regular-season game for the Bears, they’ve quickly formed a strong bond.

“It’s good because we have a good group of guys,” said veteran Dante Rosario. “We all have the same type of mentality and the same sense of humor, so our meetings are really light. But at the same, because of that similar mentality, we know we’re here to work and we get a lot done in the allotted amount of time that we’re given right now.”

In addition to Rosario, the other Bears tight ends are Blake Annen, Martellus Bennett, Jacob Maxwell, Zach Miller, Chris Pantale, Bear Pascoe and Brian Vogler. All but Bennett have been regularly participating in the team’s voluntary offseason program.

“We work hard day-in and day-out,” Rosario said. “We push each other, and that’s what you need from a position group because if no one is pushing each other than no one is really getting better.”

More than two months before the start of training camp, the camaraderie is already evident.

“We have fun in our position meeting room,” Rosario said. “We joke about the same things. Everyone gets along. There’s not one guy in our room that doesn’t get what’s going on, doesn’t want to be successful here or doesn’t have fun doing what we’re doing right now.”

Last season Bennett set career highs with 90 receptions for 916 yards and six touchdowns. The 90 catches led all NFL tight ends and shattered Hall of Famer Mike Ditka’s single-season Bears record for receptions by a Bears tight end.

Rosario appeared in all 16 games, catching 16 passes for 116 yards. Annen played in five contests primarily on special teams. Miller was placed on injured reserve after an impressive preseason and training camp. And Maxwell spent part of the season on the practice squad.

This offseason the Bears signed Pascoe, who spent his first six NFL seasons with the Giants (2009-13) and Falcons (2014); claimed Pantale off waivers from the Jets; and inked Vogler, an undrafted rookie free agent from Alabama.

“Collectively, it’s just a bunch of good guys,” said Pantale, the latest addition to the group. “We all get along. It’s a welcoming group. There are a lot of commonalities with the tight ends. We all have similar personalities, so it’s not a tough adjustment.”
Rosario believes the nature of the position has something to do with that.

“Tight end historically in my career has been an easy group to come into” he said. “I think it’s because the tight ends—especially in the NFL—are asked to do so much. So there’s a certain type of player, a certain type of personality that fits along with the tight end position.

“You not only have to be an athletic player, you not only have to block, you not only have to run routes, you have to be smart. You have to know protections, you have to know the route tree, you have to know the run blocking scheme. So next to the quarterback, the tight end position on offense has to know the most.”

With a first-year coordinator in Adam Gase and first-year position coach in Frank Smith, all of the Bears tight ends are basically starting with the same clean slate.

“We can all learn from each other,” Miller said. “We kind of all lean on each other and help each other grasp the offense because we’re all learning from square one.”

The tight ends know that most NFL teams keep only three or four players at their position on the 53-man roster. But no one is presently dwelling on their chances of earning a job.

“Right now we’re just focusing on installing, getting better, really tightening up the little things, the fundamentals of our position,” Miller said. “Even when that time comes, that’s just kind of like an unspoken thing. Everybody knows what it is, so it’s not ever really an issue and it’s not really ever addressed.”

“It’s still early,” Pantale added. “That’s an aspect that none of us can really control. What I’ve come to do is just focus on myself and what I can control. You’ll go crazy if you starting thinking about [roster] numbers and stuff like that.”

All but one team will hold OTAs this week.

By Mike Wilkening

In less than four weeks, all NFL clubs will have wrapped up their organized offseason workouts.

Not surprisingly, then, the upcoming week will be a working one around the league.

Thirty-one of 32 NFL clubs will hold organized team practice activities (OTAs) between Tuesday, May 26 and Friday, May 29. Only the Rams will not be holding any club-overseen workouts this week.

OTAs are non-padded, non-hitting practices in which coaches can instruct players. Players can wear helmets, and full team drills are allowed, per the CBA between NFL teams and players.

The majority of clubs will have OTAs on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday before calling it a week. However, others will mix in a day off. The Patriots, for instance, are set to work on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

Here are the days in which teams will hold OTAs this week:

Arizona: Tuesday-Thursday.

Atlanta: Tuesday-Friday.

Baltimore: Tuesday-Thursday.

Buffalo: Tuesday-Wednesday; Friday.

Carolina: Tuesday-Thursday.

Chicago: Wednesday-Friday.

Cincinnati: Tuesday-Thursday.

Cleveland: Tuesday-Wednesday; Friday.

Dallas: Tuesday-Thursday.

Denver: Wednesday-Friday.

Detroit: Tuesday-Thursday.

Green Bay: Wednesday-Friday.

Houston: Tuesday-Thursday.

Indianapolis: Tuesday-Thursday.

Jacksonville: Tuesday-Thursday.

Kansas City: Tuesday-Thursday.

Miami: Tuesday-Wednesday; Friday.

Minnesota: Tuesday-Thursday.

New England: Tuesday; Thursday-Friday.

New Orleans: Tuesday-Thursday.

N.Y. Giants: Wednesday-Friday.

N.Y. Jets: Tuesday-Thursday.

Oakland: Tuesday-Thursday.

Philadelphia: Tuesday-Thursday.

Pittsburgh: Tuesday-Thursday.

St. Louis: None.

San Diego: Tuesday-Thursday.

San Francisco: Wednesday-Friday.

Seattle: Tuesday-Wednesday; Friday.

Tampa Bay: Tuesday-Thursday.

Tennessee: Tuesday-Thursday.

Washington: Tuesday-Thursday.

Former NFL players file lawsuit, claim teams 'conspired' to push painkillers.

By Associated Press   
      

 

Hundreds of former players have filed a lawsuit claiming all 32 NFL teams, their doctors, trainers and medical staffs obtained and provided painkillers to players — often illegally — as part of a decades-long conspiracy to keep them on the field without regard for their long-term health.

            

The lawsuit reprises some of the allegations made in a federal lawsuit last year on behalf of 1,300 former players against the NFL. That complaint was filed in May, 2014 and dismissed in December by Judge William Alsup of the U.S. Northern District in California. Alsup wrote that the collective bargaining agreement between the league and the NFL Players Association was the appropriate forum to resolve such claims. That decision is being appealed. 

The new lawsuit was filed Thursday in the U.S. Northern District of Maryland. It names each NFL team individually as a defendant and lists 13 plaintiffs, including Hall of Fame cornerback Mel Renfro of the Dallas Cowboys and Etopia Evans, the widow of Charles Evans, a running back who played eight years with the Minnesota Vikings and the Baltimore Ravens and retired after the 2000 season. Evans died of heart failure in October 2008 at age 41.

"This lawsuit alleges intentional activity by the teams, not negligence," said plaintiffs' attorney Steve Silverman. "It's another part of a unified effort to provide health care and compensation to the thousands of former players who have been permanently injured or died as a result of playing professional football."

Both lawsuits contend NFL teams and their medical staffs withheld information from players about the nature and seriousness of their injuries, while at the same time handing out prescription painkillers, anti-inflammatories and other dangerous drugs to mask pain and minimize lost playing time. Among other claims, the players contend prescriptions were filled out in their names without their knowledge.

The new lawsuit also claims that several former head coaches and assistants — among them, Don Shula, Howard Schnellenberger, Wayne Fontes, Mike Holmgren and Mike Tice — warned players they would be cut from their teams unless they took painkillers and returned to the field.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the league had not "had an opportunity to review the suit."

Montreal Alouettes sign openly gay defensive end Michael Sam.

AP - Sports

Michael Sam runs through a drill during the NFL Super Regional Combine football workout in Tempe, Ariz. The Montreal Alouettes have signed defensive end Michael Sam, the first openly gay player drafted in the NFL. The club says the free agent has agreed to a two-year deal. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri, File)

Michael Sam has found a pro football job. In Canada.

Sam, the first openly gay player drafted in the NFL, signed a two-year contract Friday with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football league.

General manager Jim Popp considered Sam's sexuality a nonissue.

''Michael Sam is a very good football player, and that's the reason we signed him,'' Popp said. ''He's an outstanding pass rusher.''

He also was unemployed after failing to stick with two NFL teams last season.

Sam came out before last year's NFL draft. He was selected in the seventh round by the St. Louis Rams and cut in training camp. The Dallas Cowboys signed him to their practice squad but released him in October. Sam then made another unsuccessful attempt at an NFL job at this year's veterans combine.

''I cannot wait to put on the pads, get back on the field and work hard each and every day with my teammates to bring a Grey Cup to the great fans here in Montreal,'' Sam said in a statement.

The 25-year-old defensive end will be introduced at a news conference Tuesday in Montreal and report to training camp the following day. The regular season opens June 25 when Montreal hosts Ottawa.

Sam starred at Missouri in college, earning SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2013. After he came out, his NFL jersey was an instant best-seller and President Barack Obama publicly congratulated Sam and the Rams.

CFL Commissioner Jeffrey Orridge did the same Friday.

''Congratulations to the Montreal Alouettes on the signing of Michael Sam,'' Orridge said in a statement. ''Our players come to us from different places, different walks of life and ultimately they take different paths to get to our fields.

''Today is another indication of how open and progressive the CFL is - consistent with our rich and storied history of great football tradition.''

Aware of Sam's celebrity, the team immediately put his No. 94 Alouettes jersey on sale on its website for $139.95.

The Alouettes had Sam on their negotiation list, and Popp said he was in contact with him all along. The 6-foot-2, 260-pound player finally accepted a contract after completing his commitment to ''Dancing With The Stars.''

''Each time he was let go, there were discussions,'' Popp said. ''He wanted to give it one last shot at the combine.''

Popp said Sam was considered a ''tweener'' by NFL clubs, not quite the right body type to be a defensive end or an outside linebacker for that league.

But he may fit perfectly in the CFL. Popp believes Sam can follow a path similar to that of Cam Wake, who was converted from linebacker to end when he joined the B.C. Lions in 2007. Wake was the CFL Defensive Player of the Year in each of his two seasons before signing with the Miami Dolphins, where he has had a successful NFL career.

''If he proves (NFL) people wrong it would be great for us, and I think he can do it,'' Popp said.

Cubs will see what they’re made of against Nationals.

By Patrick Mooney

 

Men vs. Boys.

That’s how Dale Sveum summed up the four-game beatdown the Cubs got from the Washington Nationals in D.C. in September 2012, when there appeared to be no light at the end of the tunnel.

The Plan won’t be something so far off in the distance when the Cubs return to Wrigley Field on Memorial Day as a wild-card leader, even after Sunday’s 4-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.

The Cubs didn’t clean up during this 3-3 road trip through San Diego and Phoenix. It again exposed the defense (eight errors). It led to questions about closer Hector Rondon and a shaky bullpen. It saw the end of an 0-for-31 streak while hitting with runners in scoring position. All these issues won’t disappear overnight.

But the buzz is still building. The national TV networks want a piece of the Cubs again. Sports Illustrated already did a feature on Kris Bryant. Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” star Jeff Garlin have been hanging around the team.

Now the Cubs can see how good they really are during this six-game homestand. The Nationals – a World Series team on paper – are coming to the North Side. The Kansas City Royals – the defending American League champs – will be the second act.

“Bring it on,” manager Joe Maddon said. “I’m sure the place will be raucous.”

Sveum, the ex-manager, will be there with the Royals as their hitting coach, and he must be wondering about the type of job he could have done in Wrigleyville with $155 million lefty Jon Lester fronting the rotation and All-Star first baseman Anthony Rizzo maturing into an MVP candidate.

Even Maddon admits a lot of the heavy lifting had been done before he left the Tampa Bay Rays, signed a five-year, $25 million contract and offered to buy everyone at The Cubby Bear a shot and a beer. The Cubs are 24-19 on Memorial Day weekend and you probably would have taken that back in spring training.

“We’ve been aware that we have a tough schedule coming up,” pitcher Jake Arrieta said. “But I think we approach games with equal importance, regardless of who the opponent is, because we know that at the end of the day, every one counts. We’ve seen several times how seasons can come down to that final four or five days determining who gets in and who’s going home.

“But it’s kind of a measuring stick with a team like Washington. Kansas City has continued to grow and get better as a team. It’s going to be an exciting couple series at home for us. We know what we have to do to win, and we’ll be ready.”

 A young lineup that leads the majors in strikeouts will have to face Washington’s nasty rotation – Tanner Roark, Jordan Zimmermann, Max Scherzer – before dealing with Kansas City’s nightmare bullpen.

“This will be a good test for us,” Bryant said. “It should be fun. It’s always good to see how you fare against the top guys in the league. I’m excited for the challenge and look forward to it.”

The Nationals notched 96 victories last season and then signed Scherzer, a Cy Young Award winner, to a seven-year, $210 million megadeal. Washington general manager Mike Rizzo, a Chicago guy, reshaped the franchise through the top of the draft, gutsy trades and targeted free-agent signings.

The Cubs are running a few years behind the Nationals in their rebuild, but that’s essentially how the Theo Epstein administration is trying to construct a sustainable 90-game winner at Clark and Addison.

“I always like playing good teams,” Maddon said. “I always believe that’s going to bring out the best in your team. That’s the part I’ve always enjoyed about playing good teams. And I also think with young teams that are getting better, they need to see that kind of competition to really get to that level you’re looking for them to get to.”

This week we’ll see just how close – or far away – the Cubs are from being real contenders.

At crossroads, White Sox hope to find answers on mega road trip.

By John Paschall

 

A dark cloud hung over U.S. Cellular Field after the White Sox 8-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Sunday.

 

Sheets of rain washed away any momentum the South Siders had after they returned home from a triumphant road stint. By early Sunday evening, however, they capped off a seven-game home stand with another loss, sending them limping to the buses wondering what had gone wrong. 

 

A series win in Milwaukee and a sweep in Oakland sent positive vibes through the clubhouse that winning on the road was no longer an issue. The White Sox were already 10-5 at home this year before this week so playing at home was thought to be a strength. Yet seven games of early deficits and insufficient offense now has the White Sox in the basement of the AL Central by way of percentage points.

 

The White Sox room for error continues to shrink as surprise teams like the Twins, who moved up into second place in the division with a win today and a Detroit Tigers' loss, show they aren’t going to be a pushover. The defending AL Champion Kansas City Royals are on a mission to get back to the Fall Classic. Eight games back of first place and five back of second isn’t where the South Siders wanted to be in late May. 

 

“We got two of the best records in baseball in our division,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said before the loss. “Everybody else isn’t bad either. There’s no rest playing in your own division by any means.” 

Luck certainly has played a factor in some of the losses. If outfielder Adam Eaton catches Joe Mauer’s line drive today, could that have changed the complexion of the game? What if Eaton’s eight-inning gapper yesterday actually hits the ground instead of falling into the glove of a diving Aaron Hicks when the White Sox trailed by one?

 

“We’re giving 110 percent here,” Eaton said. “We’re battling our butts off day in and day out. Sometimes the cards don’t fall our way.” 

 

There are, however, red flags that still need addressing. The defense continues to be an issue as errors have had a demoralizing effect on this group. Early deficits have proved costly. And the offense has shown very few signs of life, making those early runs the pitching staff has given up a monumental challenge to overcome.

 

If there were easy answers, the White Sox would love to know.

 

“If you can find that out tell me as soon as you can because if you could find that out that would be very helpful to us and we could use that,” Eaton said.

 

Maybe this 11-game road trip is the answer the White Sox are looking for. A set with the Toronto Blue Jays, the last place team in the AL East, might allow the bats to warm thanks to the Blue Jays' 4.67 team ERA. Waiting for them afterwards is a double-header with a lukewarm Baltimore Orioles, winners of seven of their last 18 games. The real test that nobody expected is the Houston Astros this coming weekend. Yes, those Astros. The ones with the most wins in baseball. Then, if the White Sox are still standing, the Texas Rangers, who have started playing some of their best ball lately, await in Arlington. 

 

A two-country, four-city road trip normally doesn’t sound too enticing to baseball players. But maybe it’s the getaway and the answer the White Sox so desperately need as they try and escape the dark skies above them and figure out what kind of team they will be in 2015.

 

“That can be a good thing,” first baseman Adam LaRoche said of the trip. “I don’t think anybody wants an off day right now.”

Moment finally arrives for Paul Konerko as White Sox retire No. 14.

By John Paschall

Chaos ensued at U.S. Cellular Field on Saturday when the White Sox retired Paul Konerko’s No. 14.

His microphone cut out during his speech and in the middle of one of the most important parts: his address to the fans. And who was the coolest, calmest and most collected person in the building?

Captain Paul Konerko, of course.

He brushed it off like a fastball to the face from Jeff Samardzija — a memory that the crowd, Konerko and, of course, Samardzija had a good laugh about during the ceremony — and displayed the lovable character that had everyone chanting “Paulie.”

“And that's how I learned about meaning of life,” Konerko said laughing when the microphone turned back on.

On a picture-perfect day, the beloved former first baseman was overcome by an emotional ceremony as the White Sox retired his number in front of a sold out crowd on the South Side.

Konerko admitted that speeches aren’t exactly within the realm of his comfort zone. Even White Sox manager Robin Ventura was intrigued to see how his former player’s speech would go. But in the only way he knows how, Konerko thanked everyone that showed up to his ceremony from first baseman Jim Thome to former manager Ozzie Guillen to the fans.

Guillen, who received a huge ovation from the fans, lauded Konerko’s well-known work ethic and said had an impact on everyone he was around.

“I think one to be here, the reason I am who I am is because of No. 14,” Guillen said. “That guy he was outstanding, he make everybody around him play better. He makes everybody around him be better. As long as I don’t have to work, I be here and this is a special day: not just for him but for me and my family also. This guy, he makes our life very happy.”

Two of the people Konerko thanked the most were his hitting coaches, Greg Walker and Mike Gellinger. Both made note of the slugger’s tremendous attitude, and Walker, who was with the White Sox from 2003 to 2011, said Konerko was a rare specimen in baseball because of his mental approach.

“He’s a perfectionist in a tough game to be a perfectionist,” Walker said. “He’s brilliant. I’ve been a hitting coach for a long time up until this year, and I never ran around anybody that could process information at game speed the way he could. If anybody else tried to copy, they had no chance.”

One element of the ceremony Konerko enjoyed the most was how soon this event took place from when he retired. The former first baseman discussed after the ceremony how often he sees successful players not get recognized for their achievements until years have passed.

“It’s just another class move by (White Sox chairman) Jerry (Reinsdorf) to say we know what it is and let’s just do it and get it over with,” Konerko said. “I hope that’s a trend to start with some other teams like what’s there to wait for?”

Reinsdorf said Konerko’s number being retired is “one of baseball’s highest honors” and that Konerko “deservedly belongs with all of the other White Sox greats who have starred over the many decades.”

Konerko had ample time to prepare for this moment, but the cool, calm and collected darling of the South Side confessed the sight of his name next to the likes of Harold Baines, Frank Thomas and Minnie Minoso, to name a few, got him emotional.

“You know it's going up there, and I had known it's been going up there for a while," he said. "But when you actually see it, a lot of things flash across your mind, a lot of work, a lot of things back when you're young in high school, in the minor leagues, you have those thoughts about stuff, a lot of the struggles to get to that. It was meaningful.”

Golf: I got a club for that: Kirk wins late shootout to capture PGA Colonial.

AFP

English golfer Chris Wood celebrates getting a hole-in-one on the 14th green during the final round of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Golf Club in Surrey, south west of London, England, on May 24, 2015 (AFP Photo/Glyn Kirk)

American Chris Kirk held his nerve to capture his fourth career US PGA title on Sunday, firing a four-under-par 66 to win the Crowne Plaza Invitational by one stroke.

Kirk finished on 12-under 268 to win the $1.17 million top prize from a $6.5-million purse with Jordan Spieth, the second-ranked reigning Masters champion, sharing second with fellow Americans Jason Bohn and Brandt Snedeker on 269.

Kirk, ranked 23rd in the world, had previously won the 2011 Viking Classic on the week opposite the British Open, the 2013 McGladrey Classic and last September's Deutsche Bank Championship during the season-ending tour playoffs.

"Didn't feel like I was swinging so good at the beginning of the week but somehow I was able to get it done," Kirk said.

Weekend rains that delayed Sunday's start produced lift, clean and place rules for the final round at Colonial.

There were 15 players within two strokes of leaders Snedeker, Bohn, Spieth and Kirk at one stage.

But Kirk pulled clear with a five-foot birdie putt at the 15th to reach 12-under, parred 16 and 17, but sent his tee shot into the left rough at 18 and needed a tense seven-footer to make par.

"I was as nervous as I've ever been for sure," Kirk said. "Those up and downs on the last couple holes and that last putt at 18 was especially sweet."

Bohn had lipped out a long birdie putt at 18 and tapped in for par to finish a round of 63 and grab the clubhouse lead.

Spieth lipped out for birdie at the par-three 16th from 48 feet but missed a seven-footer for par to fall back, so his closing 19-foot birdie left him only 11-under as well. "I'm really proud of the way I finished on 18 to give it a chance," Spieth said.

Spieth had birdied four of the first six holes to move into contention and added another with a 16-foot putt at the par-three 13th to reach 11-under.

Snedeker lamented not being able to bounce back down the stretch after his late bogey.

"Disappointed," Snedeker said. "I couldn't make the putts on the last three holes like you are supposed to do to win the golf tournament. Chris played some great golf."

England's Ian Poulter had the last chance to deny Kirk, but could not land an unlikely eagle from the fairway to force a playoff.

Poulter, one behind 54-hole leader Kevin Na when the day began, fired a 70 to share fifth on 270 with Canada's Adam Hadwin and Americans Pat Perez, Kevin Kisner and George McNeill.

Korean-American Na fired a 72 to share 10th.

Indy 500 brings Montoya's career full circle.

Reuters; By Steve Keating, Editing by Gene Cherry

Juan Pablo Montoya, 2015 Indianapolis 500 winner. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

A nomadic motor racing career went full circle when Juan Pablo Montoya returned to Victory Lane at the Brickyard on Sunday, 15 well-traveled years after the Colombian won his first Indianapolis 500.

Much has changed since a brash 24-year-old arrived at the sprawling oval in 2000 and won the Indy 500 in his debut.

"For me, I think '99, 2000 was the start of my career," said the graying racer who shared Sunday's victory with his wife Connie and three children. "I was really young. It was just the start of it. We came here, had a really good car, we dominated. 

 

"This one, when you have to work for it that hard, it's exciting."

The 15 years between victories and the contrasting way they unfolded revealed Montoya's evolution as a driver.

In his 2000 win, he dominated, leading 167 laps. On Sunday, he led just nine, the third fewest by a winner.

"It's just experience," shrugged Montoya. "You're older, you're wiser, you understand where the races are won, where they're lost."

Aggressive on the track, prickly off it, Montoya has put his cars in the winner’s circles wherever he has gone from Formula One and the Monaco Grand Prix to NASCAR and Sonoma.

He arrived on the North American racing scene in 1999 in spectacular fashion, winning seven races to become the youngest ever CART champion.

The next year he won three times while jumping to the rival Indy Racing League (now IndyCar) for a shot at the Indy 500 and took America's biggest race.

Having caught the eye of Formula One, Montoya would spend six seasons on the glamour circuit with Williams and McLaren, collecting seven wins and 30 podiums.

After wearing out his F1 welcome, Montoya's career took a dramatic turn when he moved to NASCAR where he was twice a winner on the stock car circuit.

Needing to feed his hunger for wins, Montoya returned to IndyCar last year after being offered the chance to join the sport’s most successful team.

Ready to celebrate his 40th birthday in September and nearing the end of the racing road, Montoya hopes Penske is team where he can put down permanent roots.

"I told Roger, as long as you want me, I'll be here," said Montoya. "He has a passion of winning and being the best out of everything he does.

"For me I've been over the moon here.”

NASCAR: Carl Edwards stretches fuel for Coca-Cola 600 win.

By Nick Bromberg

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Carl Edwards (19) celebrates after winning the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

The best day in auto racing ended with a little fuel stretching.

Carl Edwards took the lead with 18 laps to go thanks to a late pit stop and made it over 60 laps on his last tank of gas to win Sunday night's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Edwards was not a factor near the front of the field late in the race but he and crew chief Darian Grubb made the decision to pit for fuel on lap 338 during the race's final caution flag for Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s brush with the wall.

Most of the cars in the top 10 stayed out during the yellow flag, meaning they'd have to pit once more before the race was over. If there was another caution flag, the cars that didn't pit would be in good shape. Likely everyone else would head to pit road for fresh tires too, meaning the entire field would be back on the same pit cycle.

But the race stayed green. As the laps wound down, the top cars that stayed out were forced to pit. Edwards was the first of the cars that tried to stretch their tanks of gas and he beat Greg Biffle and Dale Earnhardt Jr. to the finish line easily.

"Well I mean, that's what made the race for us," Edwards said of the decision to pit under yellow. "Darian does such a good job and ever since Tony [Stewart] and I battled for that championship, I've wanted to work with him. And now I can. That's what he does on the box, he takes a mediocre day like that and he puts us in a good position."

When Edwards lost the 2011 Sprint Cup Series title to Tony Stewart via a tiebreaker, Grubb was Stewart's crew chief. He parted ways with Stewart at the end of that season and went to Joe Gibbs Racing, where he was paired with Denny Hamlin. When Edwards joined JGR before the 2015 season, a crew chief switch among three of JGR's teams put Edwards and Grubb together.

Edwards' former Roush teammate Matt Kenseth joined JGR in 2013 and won seven races in his first season with the team. Unlike what happened with Edwards' gas supply, it's not a stretch to say that Kenseth's immediate success inflated expectations for Edwards in his first year with the team.

And until Sunday, Edwards hadn't been exceptional. Through the first 11 races he was 18th in the points standings and had one top-10 finish. His 20.5 average finish entering the 600 was his worst career average finish.

Now, he's all but guaranteed a berth in NASCAR's Chase. A Chase berth doesn't automatically make a season a success; especially for a driver with championship ambitions like Edwards. But with a goal likely achieved during what's otherwise been a disappointing season, Edwards and the No. 19 team can now prep for the postseason rather than worry about simply qualifying for it.

SOCCER: Yallop’s second half substitutions pay dividends in Fire’s draw with Crew SC 2-2.

By Danny Michallik

In its second consecutive fixture against an Eastern Conference opponent, the Chicago Fire snatched a late equalizer to earn a vital 2-2 draw against Columbus Crew SC Friday night.

Kei Kamara’s strikes in the eighth and 55th minutes - his eighth and ninth of 2015 - catapulted him above Clint Dempsey to the top of the MLS goal scoring chart, but goals from David Accam and Jason Johnson capped off a late surge from the Men in Red.

"Any time you can come back in a game like this is huge, against a very good team too," said head coach Frank Yallop after the match. "So, you got something out of the game and you come back, and I think the boys are really happy. I felt we, to be honest, we could’ve won it. We had the chances I thought late, but Columbus had a few as well so it was a pretty even game."

The brute, attacking force of Justin Meram, Federico Higuain, Ethan Finlay and Kei Kamara was felt early on as the latter’s nonstop running kept the Fire’s back four on its toes. And it didn’t take long before the Sierra Leonean’s persistence paid off.

Following some skillful interplay, Meram was able to find a hint of space to thread a ball to Finlay, who unselfishly squared the ball to Kamara only for the in-form striker to tap in to give Crew SC an early 1-0 advantage.

For the remainder of the first half, it was Crew SC who piled on the pressure while complacency began to set in just before the halftime whistle. Spurned opportunities and key saves from Jon Busch - who became the fourth player in MLS history to hit a 300-game milestone - left a pedestrian Fire somewhat relieved as Frank Yallop’s side went into the break still within arm’s reach.

Despite showing more gumption at the start of the second half, the Fire fell victim to Kamara yet again. In the 55th minute, an Higuain corner kick found the head of Kevan George, whose redirected effort landed at Busch’s back post for Kamara to nod home for his third brace of the season and give Crew SC a comfortable 2-0 lead.

The 35 minutes that ensued demonstrated flashes of the Men in Red’s collapse at the hands of New York City FC last week, when Yallop’s outfit succumbed to a late rally from the expansion side to only come away with a 2-2 draw. Only against Gregg Berhalter’s delegation, it was the Fire who took on the role of the aggressor and seized control of the match.

Three minutes after Kamara found the back of the net, Accam got on the end of a Kennedy Igboananike cross to nod home from close range, pulling the Fire back within a goal.

With sustained pressure, second half substitutions from Yallop proved to be the difference on the night. As Crew SC sat back in their defensive half, Quincy Amarikwa and Jason Johnson provided the spark that perhaps went missing in a lax first half outing.

Just as it appeared as if luck was not on the Fire’s side - as Amarikwa ringed shots off the post and woodwork - it was Johnson who came to the Men in Red’s rescue. The former Houston Dynamo forward latched onto a cross from Eric Gehrig to head past a stranded Steve Clark in the fourth minute of second half stoppage time to give Yallop’s outfit a deserved point from Columbus.

"[I’m] very happy," Yallop said. "You put them on for a reason ... I said to the guys, well done to the team that started, but well done to the subs. They really made a difference in the match, seeing them sort through and could’ve won the game. So very happy with the all-around squad today."

It wasn’t pretty, but the Fire likely won’t be too bothered. After last week’s 2-2 draw elicited feelings of disappointment and regret, Friday’s 2-2 draw at MAPFRE Stadium will feel more like a win as the Men in Red return to Toyota Park next week to face the Montreal Impact.

Chicago Fire Starting XI (subs)

(4-2-3-1): Jon Busch; Eric Gehrig, Jeff Larentowicz (C), Adailton, Joevin Jones; Matt Polster, Razvan Cocis (Quincy Amarikwa, 71'); Harry Shipp (Jason Johnson, 67'), Shaun Maloney, David Accam; Kennedy Igboananike (Guly do Prado, 83')

Premier League final day roundup: 2014-15 season finishes with a flourish.

By Joe Prince-Wright

The 2014-15 Premier League season is in the books, as the finale did not disappoint.

We saw 29 goals across 10 games on Sunday as Hull City were relegated, Newcastle saved themselves, Tottenham finished fifth, two PL legends finished off on the scoresheet and there were huge wins for Leicester, Stoke and Arsenal.

Here are recaps, videos, reaction and more from all 10 games on the final day of the season…

Newcastle United 2-0 West Ham United – RECAP

The Magpies survived on the final day of the season as goals from Moussa Sissoko and Jonas Gutierrez sealed the win for John Carver’s side. Relief was the overriding emotion for Newcastle, as they can now rebuild over the summer and put this nightmare few months behind them.

Hull City 0-0 Manchester United – RECAP

Hull were relegated to the Championship after their two-year stay in the PL. The Tigers squandered several chances against 10-man United, with Marouane Fellaini sent off after a terrible lunging tackle. Steve Bruce’s Hull must now regroup and try for an immediate return but after scoring just 33 times this season it was clear that their lack of goals is what sent them down.

Chelsea 3-1 Sunderland – RECAP

The Blues hoisted the Premier League trophy in west London on Sunday, as Steven Fletcher put Sunderland ahead but Diego Costa‘s penalty kick leveled things up. Two second half goals from Loic Remy sealed the victory as Chelsea said goodbye to legendary forward Didier Drogba and finished the season on 87 points to win their first title in five years.

Stoke City 6-1 Liverpool – RECAP

What a way to finish a record-breaking season for the Potters. Stoke slammed home five first half goals to stun Liverpool, as Mame Diouf, Jonathan Walters, Charlie Adam and Steven N’Zonzi set them on their way to the clubs biggest-ever PL victory. Steven Gerrard, making his final appearance for the Reds, pulled one back but Peter Crouch headed home late on as Liverpool were embarrassed at the Britannia.

Arsenal 4-1 West Bromwich Albion – RECAP

The Gunners blitzed West Brom in the first half after Theo Walcott scored a hat trick and Jack Wilshere smashed in a stunning volley to make it 4-0. Chris Brunt made it 4-1, but the Gunners prepare for the FA Cup final next weekend in style and sealed third-place in the PL.

Manchester City 2-0 Southampton – RECAP

Goals in either half from Frank Lampard and Sergio Aguero gave City a final day win as Lampard ended his PL career on a high before he moves to MLS. Saints finished in seventh and must now wait on the FA Cup final next weekend to see if they have qualified for Europe. If Arsenal win then Ronald Koeman’s side will be in the Europa League.

Leicester City 5-1 Queens Park Rangers – RECAP

Wow. What a way to finish things off as the Foxes battered already relegated QPR and the fans inside the King Power (who were given free beer by the owners!) were treated to Leicester’s biggest win of the season. First half goals from Jamie Vardy and Marc Albrighton put Leicester 2-0 up and then Leonardo Ulloa and Esteban Cambiasso made it 4-0. Charlie Austin pulled one back, his 18th of the season, but Andrej Kramaric finished things off.

Everton 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur – RECAP

Spurs sealed fifth-place in the PL thanks to Harry Kane‘s diving header in the first half. That means Mauricio Pochettino‘s men will compete in the Europa League next season, while Roberto Martinez and Everton will want to forget this campaign as the Toffees finished in 11th spot.

Crystal Palace 1-0 Swansea City – RECAP

Alan Pardew‘s incredible job at Palace continued as the Eagles won back-to-back games to finish the season and secured their first top 10 finish in the PL. Marouane Chamakh‘s goal was the difference, as a friendly atmosphere played out at Selhurst Park with Swansea also having a record-setting season under Garry Monk.

Aston Villa 0-1 Burnley – RECAP

Villa didn’t prepare well for their FA Cup final against Arsenal next week, as Tim Sherwood’s lost 1-0 at home to already relegated Burnley. Danny Ings popped up with the winner early on, as the Clarets finished the season on 33 points and will head back down to the Championship with their heads held high. As for Villa, they finished just three points and one spot above the relegation zone.

NCAAFB: SEC agenda includes graduate transfers, satellite camps.

By JOHN ZENOR

Southeastern Conference commissioner Mike Slive sits in his office during an interview Friday, May 22, 2015, in Birmingham, Ala. The Southeastern Conference agenda for its spring meetings leans heavily toward ensuring other leagues don't have any competitive advantages, whether it's satellite camps or rules restricting graduate transfers. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

The Southeastern Conference agenda for spring meetings leans heavily toward ensuring other leagues don't have any competitive advantage, either from satellite camps or graduate transfers.

Coaches have grumbled about outside competitors like Penn State's James Franklin and Michigan's Jim Harbaugh holding football camps as guest coaches in the SEC's fertile recruiting territory.

It's something the league doesn't allow its own coaches to do elsewhere, though that's subject to change if the SEC fails to get the practice banned. Satellite camps will be a hot topic when the retiring Slive presides over his final spring meetings next week in Destin, Florida.

''We prefer our current legislation,'' Commissioner Mike Slive said Friday in an interview with The Associated Press. ''It gets complex when that legislation is not national legislation, so we would like to see our rule become national legislation. The real question is if it doesn't, what are we going to do? That'll be basically one of the primary subjects. I don't have an answer, but we hope an answer will emerge out of Destin.''

NCAA rules allow football programs to hold camps on their campus, inside their state or within a 50-mile radius of campus, but coaches can guest coach at another school's camp all the way down to the high school level.

The SEC doesn't want to concede a recruiting edge with a practice also employed by Notre Dame and Ohio State.

''We've tried to have a rule that we think is sane and doesn't make it more intense than it already is,'' Slive said. ''If the rest of the country sees it differently, we're going to pay attention to that.''

Also on the agenda will be the SEC's rule requiring schools to seek waivers before accepting graduate transfers for athletes who have had significant off-the-field troubles.

It's a subject that surfaced when ex-Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson, who is from South Carolina, was searching for a new school. He considered several SEC schools before choosing Florida State. The ACC has no such restrictions.

''We had some general discussions with some of our institutions but we never had any formal action taken by the league,'' Slive said of Golson's recruitment.

Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs believes the policy on graduate transfers needs to change. He notes that no such rule exists for undergraduates with at least two years of eligibility remaining, even when they've had discipline problems.

''That doesn't make any sense,'' Jacobs said. ''It's a double standard. We're holding a group that has proven that they can compete academically at a high level (to a higher standard) than a group that we're not sure about.''

Jacobs and Auburn will also propose a rule counting state-funded scholarships against athletic totals for sports like baseball and softball which typically have to divvy up dollars to offer partial scholarships.

''This is an unfair competitive advantage,'' Jacobs said.

Other topics Slive addressed include:

-Paying full cost of attendance.

Alabama football coach Nick Saban recently said that the method could be ''a nightmare'' where some schools manipulate the numbers. Slive notes the numbers are based on a federal formula stemming from the Ed O'Bannon lawsuit.

''We're in an evolutionary period and the end result is that everything isn't necessarily going to be the same for everybody,'' Slive said. ''That's a difficult concept for them and it flies in the face of the experience of our coaches and our institutions for decades.

''The days of everything and every rule being grounded in a level playing field are gone.''

-His health after undergoing treatment for prostate cancer as well as back surgery.

''I'm feeling better than I've felt in a very long time,'' said Slive. He is in ''a quiet period'' for treatment before his next doctor's visit.

-New rules in college basketball reducing the shot clock from 35 to 30 seconds and expanding the arc for block and charge calls from 3 to 4 feet. The changes still must be approved by the NCAA's Playing Rules Oversight Committee.

Slive was ''very much in favor'' of both rules. ''I think we need some more offense in college basketball,'' he said. ''I think these rules are good for the game. I'm glad that the rules makers are paying attention to the game. These two steps are in the right direction.''

NCAABKB: North Carolina has received Notice of Allegations from NCAA.

By Jeff Eisenberg

North Carolina coach Roy Williams insists he was not involved in any academic impropriety. (AP)

In a wide-ranging interview with the Asheville Citizen-Times earlier this week, North Carolina coach Roy Williams explained his greatest frustration with the NCAA's investigation into the academic fraud that took place at the school.

"It would help if the NCAA would just tell us what the allegations are," Williams said.
 

Williams apparently got his wish soon afterward. North Carolina announced Friday it has received a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA, but chancellor Carol L. Folt and athletic director Bubba Cunningham said the school will not release the details of the report until a later date.
 

“We take these allegations very seriously, and we will carefully evaluate them to respond within the NCAA’s 90-day deadline,” Folt and Cunningham said in a joint statement. “The University will publicly release the NCAA’s notice as soon as possible.
 

"The notice is lengthy and must be prepared for public dissemination to ensure we protect privacy rights as required by federal and state law. When that review for redactions is complete, the University will post the notice on the Carolina Commitment website and notify the news media. When we respond to the NCAA’s allegations, we will follow this same release process."
 

The NCAA announced last June that it was reopening its investigation into academic irregularities at North Carolina when some people of interest who previously wouldn't speak with investigators agreed to cooperate. Enforcement staffers cannot force anyone to speak with them since they do not have subpoena power. 

The decision to reopen the investigation came soon after Kenneth Wainstein uncovered new information about the irregularities in North Carolina's African-American Studies department. His report revealed that more than 3,100 students were involved during an 18-year span and that student-athletes accounted for nearly half the course enrollments.

Another factor in the NCAA's decision to reopen its investigation was surely the explosive allegations made by Rashad McCants, a member of North Carolina's 2005 national championship team. McCants alleged that his academic advisers at North Carolina steered him to take sham classes in the school's African-American Studies department in order to ensure that he remained eligible. He also accused tutors of writing some of his term papers and said he passed classes in which he only seldom showed up.

Both North Carolina coach Roy Williams and many former Tar Heels players have since refuted McCants' allegations. In a statement released last June, the other members of the 2005 national title team insisted they "attended class and did our own academic work."

"We want to state that our personal academic experiences are not consistent with Rashad's claims," they said in a statement. "We know that Coach Williams did not have any knowledge of any academic impropriety."

It's difficult to predict the severity of North Carolina's punishment without knowing the details of the Notice of Allegations, but anything from a postseason ban, to scholarship reductions, to the vacating of past wins is certainly possible.

That uncertainty has hurt North Carolina on the recruiting trail already. Negative recruiting by rival coaches has contributed to the Tar Heels swinging and missing on a handful of recent high-profile recruits including Class of 2015 stars Jaylen Brown and Brandon Ingram.

Serena's bid for 20, other things to know about French Open.

Associated Press

The very day that Serena Williams won this year's Australian Open for her 19th Grand Slam championship, she was thinking ahead.

"I would love," Williams said then, "to get to 22."

Her next chance to move closer to that goal - equaling Steffi Graf's Open era record for major singles titles - comes at the French Open, which begins Sunday.

Another trophy at Roland Garros would allow the 33-year-old Williams to become the third player in the history of tennis to reach a total of 20 majors. Margaret Smith Court holds the all-time record of 24.

First things first, though.

It takes seven consecutive match victories to take home a Grand Slam title. In two of Williams' past three appearances at the French Open, she didn't even manage to win two in a row.

Last year, in wind and rain, Williams absorbed the most lopsided loss of her Grand Slam career - 6-2, 6-2 in the second round against 35th-ranked Garbine Muguruza. And in 2012, Williams' unbeaten streak of 46-match first-round wins at majors ended with a three-set loss to 111th-ranked Virginie Razzano.

Then again, in between those early exits, Williams won the 2013 championship.

"You just don't know with her," 18-time major title winner Chris Evert said in a telephone interview. "She lost to players that I don't want to say she had no right losing to, but she had bad losses for her. ... She can't win because of her power on clay. She has to be patient. She has to be a little bit of a grinder out there. And she can."

Here are other things to know about the French Open:

SHARAPOVA AND CO.: Who other than the No. 1-ranked Williams has a shot at the title? A good place to start would be No. 2 Maria Sharapova, who has appeared in the past three finals, winning twice and losing to Williams once. "I have respect for Maria, if she's on top of her game," Evert said. Other possible contenders: No. 3 Simona Halep, who pushed Sharapova to three sets in last year's title match, and No. 8 Carla Suarez Navarro, never past the quarterfinals at a major but terrific on clay and 17-4 in three-set matches this year.

NADAL'S SLUMP: A year ago, Rafael Nadal lost clay-court quarterfinals at Monte Carlo (to David Ferrer) and at Barcelona (to Nicolas Almagro), and plenty of folks figured he had lost his way on his favorite surface. Then he showed up in Paris and complained about a bad back. And then, just like in nine of the past 10 years, he won the French Open. So maybe he'll turn things around in time at Roland Garros again, even though he comes in this year with his most losses on clay since 2003. He's ranked No. 7, out of the top five for the first time in a decade.

DJOKOVIC'S STREAK: No. 1 Novak Djokovic has won 22 consecutive matches heading into the only major tournament he hasn't won. If he finally breaks through in Paris - where six of his 10 losses have come against Nadal, including in the 2012 and 2014 finals - Djokovic would become the eighth man with a career Grand Slam.

YOUNG BLOOD: There's a new generation on the way in the men's game, and the four teenagers ranked in the ATP top 100 are the most in eight years. Keep an eye on Croatia's 18-year-old Borna Coric and Australia's 19-year-old Thanasi Kokkinakis. Also of note: Another Australian, 20-year-old Nick Kyrgios, who beat Nadal at Wimbledon last year and Federer at Madrid Open this month. And then there's Frances Tiafoe, a 17-year-old from Maryland who earned a U.S. Tennis Association wild-card berth. The last time an American that age played in the men's main draw in Paris was 1989, when Michael Chang won the title (after beating Pete Sampras in the second round).

On This Date in Sports History: Today is Friday, May 25, 2015.

Memoriesofhistory.com

1922 - Babe Ruth was suspended for one day and fined $200 for throwing dirt on an umpire.

1935 - Babe Ruth hit his final homerun, his 714th, and set a record that would stand for 39 years. He hit three home runs in the game.

1935 - Jesse Owens tied the world record for the 100-yard dash. He ran it in 9.4 seconds. He also broke three other world track records.

1963 - Early Wynn won his 300th baseball game.

1981 - Al Unser became the first Indianapolis 500 winner to be disqualified.

1982 - Ferguson Jenkins became the 7th pitcher to strike out 3,000 batters.

1989 - The Calgary Flames won their first NHL Stanley Cup by defeating the Montreal Canadiens.

1995 - The NHL announced the sale of the Quebec Nordiques to COMSAT, who moved the team to Colorado.

1997 - The Minnesota Twins retired Kirby Puckett's number.

1997 - Todd and Mel Stottlemyre became the first father and son to win 100 baseball games.

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