CS&T/AllsportsAmerica Wednesday Sports News Update, 05/27/2015.

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Sports Quote of the Day:

"When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn." ~ Harriet Beecher Stowe, Abolitionist and Author 

Trending: Girls tackle football? Yeah, it's happening.

By Eric Adelson

The Utah Girls Tackle Football League consists of four teams. (Courtesy UGTFL)

On Saturday, 50 fifth- and sixth-graders came to an elementary school field in West Jordan, Utah, to play some football. Parents and coaches marked off a 60-yard-by-35-yard grid for them, and threw out some smaller footballs for them to throw around. It was hardly an abnormal scene, except for the fact that the players were all girls, and when the scrimmage started, they began tackling.

It was the launch of the first known girls tackle football league in America, it had the blessing of USA Football and the NFL, and there are even bigger possibilities in the distant future. 

"The ultimate goal is for women to get paid to play," said Sam Rapoport, the director of development for USA Football. "We'd love to see women's tackle football played at the pro level."
 

To the dozens of Utah families that showed immediate interest in the league, it has already been a great idea. But in an age of heightened concussion awareness and fear of allowing children to play football, is it a good idea?

The inspiration for the Utah Girls Tackle Football League came from a familiar place: Sam Gordon, the Utah girl wonder who became somewhat of a sensation in 2012 when her father, Brent, published a video of her outrunning boys on a football field.

In the days after the surge of attention for "Sweet Feet," the NFL reached out to Sam and began a relationship with the 9-year-old and her family. She even got to go to the Super Bowl and meet NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

Last March, Sam, now 12, was speaking at a school near her Utah home and asked for a show of hands: How many girls out there would want to play tackle football? Lots of hands shot up.

That convinced Brent to try it. He had already heard from several local parents who wanted to get their daughters into football but had worries about competition and safety.

"I thought, 'Let's do one division, 50 girls. Let's see what happens.' " Brent told Yahoo Sports. "By the time we got the website up, we only had five days to promote it and it still filled up in that time frame."

Gordon called Crystal Sacco, a former women's football player who had already taken steps to start a league, and Rapoport, who had previously worked for the NFL and played for the Montreal Blitz, an organization in the Independent Women's Football League.

They both loved the idea.

"Tackle football is the most popular sport," Rapoport said. "Boys want to play it and it's America's passion. Regardless of my gender, that's what I wanted to do. I wanted to be like Troy Aikman. That's what you want to do and experience."

Rapoport's support meant two things: credibility for the league, which has four teams, and better safety measures. She worked to ensure that the coaches on the field had training in proper tackling procedures, so that the girls would be practicing "heads-up" hitting.

But is any hitting too much hitting?

(Courtesy Utah Girls Tackle Football League)

 

All football brings the possibility of brain injuries, which can lead to serious life effects both in the short and longer term. Isn't that too much danger for a child? Even President Obama, who has two daughters, has said he would not let a son play pro football.

Now add the fact that studies have shown girls are diagnosed with concussions more often than boys. And in 2012, the New York Times reported "younger athletes and those who are female show more symptoms and take longer to recover from a concussion than athletes who are male or older." It's not known why, but possible theories include different strength in neck musculature and varying hormonal levels. (It's also possible that girls self-report more than boys.) Whatever the reason, there is heightened risk for children and perhaps even further risk for girls.

So the fact that Goodell has been "extremely supportive" of girls' football, in Rapoport's words, can seem both forward-looking and backward-thinking. On the one hand, lending support to a girls tackle league helps ensure it's done right. Yet there are viable questions about whether it should be done at all.

"There's no difference between girls playing and boys playing, and I feel strongly about that," Rapoport said. "There's the same risk. No sport is without risk."

She said a "player safety coach" will be assigned to the league, and insisted that "everyone will have eyes on the safety of the sport."

A lot of the onus falls on Brent Gordon, who has invested some of his own money into getting the proper equipment for Sam and the other players, including lighter helmets and better-fitting pads. (He also got financial help from Celtic Bank, based in Salt Lake City.) Just as Sam is the child star who has inspired many, Brent is going to absorb a good deal of the concern about the league.

"I have zero reservations," he said. "I had all four of my kids playing tackle last year. I haven't even heard of a kid who's gotten a concussion."

Still, part of the reason he wants this league to succeed is because he knows at some point Sam will be at a physical disadvantage if she continues playing football against the boys. Even in the video from when she was 9, Sam was one of the smallest players on the field. Sam is probably the most famous female preteen in football history, but she and her dad want there to be plenty more like her in the future. Rapoport built a career out of football, and she wants to help future generations do the same. There are already some women's leagues around the country – roughly 4,000 players overall – but she sees this as an important rung on a ladder for girls dreaming of playing at the highest level.

"Who knows?" she said. "I can see without a doubt a model similar to the WNBA."

 

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

By JAY COHEN

Anaheim stars Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler are drawing a lot of attention in the Western Conference finals. When the Ducks' defensemen join the attack, it presents a big problem for the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Ducks got four points from their defensemen in Monday night's 5-4 overtime win that moved them within one victory of the Stanley Cup finals. It was their best total since their defensemen accounted for six points in a 6-1 victory over Calgary in Game 1 of their second-round series on April 30, according to STATS.

''The main thing that we've had throughout the playoffs is we've had scoring from all four lines and we've also had people on the back end who can pitch in every once in a while,'' defenseman Cam Fowler said Tuesday before the Ducks departed Southern California for Game 6 in Chicago.

''I think it puts more pressure on other teams defensively when they know there's not just going to be three forwards they have to worry about; they have to worry about the second wave coming in, which might be a fourth defenseman. That changes things a little bit.''

Fowler and Sami Vatanen scored during Anaheim's fast start in Game 5. Vatanen also had an assist on Patrick Maroon's goal in the third. Anaheim leads the NHL with 42 points from defensemen in 14 playoff games, compared to 31 for Chicago in 15 games, according to STATS.

''It's been really essential. But it's happened all year,'' coach Bruce Boudreau said. ''No one knew about it all year because nobody knew who Sami Vatanen or Hampus Lindholm were. They had an inkling of who Cam Fowler was. None of these guys were really on the radar as far offensive defensemen.

''But they're good puck-moving guys and they create offense. If you look at their numbers, they're all up there. Five out of the six, anyway, are always up there in the scoring for defensemen.''

The performance in Game 5 ran their total for the series to 13 points. If Anaheim's defensemen fill up the scoresheet again on Wednesday night, that could spell the end for Chicago. But the seasoned Blackhawks are promising a fight to the finish.

''There's a lot of history here that we've collected over seven years. A lot of positive things,'' coach Joel Quenneville said. ''I think we all came out of last night's game with an anger and a real sour taste in our mouth. Sometimes that can be better than a history lesson.''

The Blackhawks trailed the Kings 3-1 in the Western Conference finals a year ago, and came all the way back to force a memorable Game 7 that ended on a deflected overtime goal by Los Angeles defenseman Alec Martinez. Chicago rallied from a 3-1 deficit against Detroit on its way to the 2013 Stanley Cup title.

''It's something we know we've done before,'' forward Brandon Saad said. ''When we're in tight situations like this, we have a veteran group that has been through it and we know how to win games. We got to take care of tomorrow.''

While the series has included three overtime games and alternating victories for each side, a big key on Wednesday night could be the start. The team that scored first has won each of the first five games.

The Ducks outscored the Blackhawks 3-0 in a dominant first period in Game 5. Chicago captain Jonathan Toews forced overtime with a pair of dramatic goals in the final two minutes of regulation, but Matt Beleskey got the win for Anaheim with his seventh goal of the playoffs just 45 seconds into the extra session.

The Blackhawks felt they had the Ducks on the run at the end of regulation, but overtime was over before they were able to get another crack at Frederik Andersen in a shaky stretch for the young goaltender.

''It seemed like, I don't know what it was, but like we were sleeping there at the start,'' Saad said. ''Their goals piled on. Mistake after mistake. They capitalized on it. That's what a good team is going to do. We know we got to start better tomorrow.''

Five Things from Game 5: Blackhawks season on the brink.

By Tracey Myers

 

It was looking like the Blackhawks were going to pull another rabbit out of the hat, wasn’t it?

We’ve seen this movie before: Blackhawks find a way to get to overtime, Blackhawks play extended overtimes and Blackhawks win in overtime. But on Monday, the script was flipped, and quickly. The Ducks got an odd-man rush and cashed in, with Matt Beleskey’s rebound goal giving them a 5-4 victory just 45 seconds into overtime.

Now the Blackhawks are up against it, facing elimination when they host Game 6 on Wednesday night. Will they stave it off and force a Game 7? Will they learn from their mistakes, especially all of those committed in the first period? We’ll find that out on Wednesday. Until then, let’s look at the Five Things to take from the Ducks’ Game 5 victory over the Blackhawks.

1. Have to start better than that. For all the talk of urgency and getting off to a strong start, the Blackhawks were absent in the first 20 minutes. It was awful. They were awful. All comebacks aside, the Blackhawks had no excuses for their start, in which they got just three shots — and those came in the final 3:37 of the period — and trailed 3-0. Said Patrick Sharp, “Crucial game in their building, we know they’re going to come out with some pace and put a lot of pucks on net. They certainly did that and we weren’t ready to start the game.”

2. Don’t doubt Jonathan Toews. Entering Game 4, Toews still didn’t have a goal in this series. In the final 1:50 on Monday night, he scored twice to force the game to overtime. That’s what your top players do: they find a way. While that second goal was a terrible one for Frederik Andersen to give up — bad angle, off his leg — full marks to Toews for giving the Blackhawks a chance.

3. Teuvo Teravainen providing a jolt. The forward shrugged off his Game 3 healthy scratch status, scoring a goal and an assist in Game 5. Teravainen could have been overwhelmed by the NHL playoff stage, this being his first time on it. Instead he’s been poised, and was part of a strong third line with Sharp and Antoine Vermette. “I’m confident. I’m a lot more confident out there [on the ice] than in the media right here,” Teravainen said to laughs. “That’s a good thing.”

4. Another three-goal period against the Blackhawks. The first period was the seventh — yes, seventh — time this postseason that the Blackhawks have given up three goals in a period. That’s not good. Again, good on the Blackhawks for coming back but they’re putting themselves in this position too often. Said Quenneville, “we have to kill that.”

5. [Post]season on the brink. Well, it comes to this: for all the times the Blackhawks call games “must-win,” Wednesday’s game truly is that. As Toews said, they’ve faced series deficits before and play their best when faced with critical situations. They need that on Wednesday, and they need it from the start this time.

Blackhawks rally falls short in Game 5 OT loss to Ducks 5-4.

By Tracey Myers

The Blackhawks have made it clear that no lead is safe against them.

They can come back from being down two or three goals, as they did to force overtime in Game 5 on Monday night. But the fact that they put themselves in that position in the first place was head scratching. And while they came close to pulling out a tremendous comeback victory, they’re instead on the brink of postseason elimination.

Jonathan Toews scored twice within the final 1:50 of regulation, but Matt Beleskey scored just 45 seconds into overtime as the Ducks took a 5-4 victory in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final. The Ducks take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series; Game 6 is Wednesday night in Chicago.

Teuvo Teravainen recorded a goal and an assist and Patrick Sharp had two assists for the Blackhawks.  

The end was dramatic and riveting. But it’s the beginning that loomed large. The Blackhawks were awful in the first 20 minutes unable to stop the Ducks in their end and unable to create anything in Ducks goalie Frederik Andersen’s end. When the Blackhawks finally got their first shot on goal — from Toews — more than 16 minutes had elapsed.

Meanwhile, the Ducks did whatever they wanted, scoring three goals — including Cam Fowler and Ryan Kesler’s within 32 seconds of each other — for a 3-0 edge.

“Certainly we didn’t start on time for the first time this series,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “They talked about being ready, and that might have been the differential. But great comeback.”

It was that. The Blackhawks were down 4-2 after Patrick Maroon scored with 5:15 remaining in regulation. But they pulled Corey Crawford twice in the final two minutes, and Toews scored both times. His first shot hit off the iron and in to cut the Ducks’ lead to 4-3. His second, from the side of the goal, went off Andersen’s left skate and in to tie it 4-4 and force overtime.

“Even though they score three goals early in the first, we knew there was a lot of time and we just had to find our game and get our four lines rolling,” Toews said. “I don’t think it matters who you’re playing at this stage of the playoffs. If we were up three goals, we would for sure expect that their team would come back hard and try to dominate the next two periods. So we did the best we could.”

But unlike previous overtime games, the Blackhawks couldn’t pull this one out. Bryan Bickell’s attempted dump-in shot went off Jakob Silfverberg, who tossed the puck to Ryan Kesler. While Corey Crawford stopped Kesler’s shot, Beleskey was there for the rebound and the victory.

The Blackhawks’ first period, arguably their worst 20-minute segment of the playoffs, was costly. Playing that poorly at any time is dangerous, especially against this Ducks team and especially at this juncture of the postseason. The Blackhawks almost got past it, thanks to Toews’ two late-regulation goals. Instead they return to the United Center having to win.

“We feel that we’re a tough team to get rid of. And now obviously the next game’s a must-win for us” Toews said. “A lot of guys, most guys, if not everybody in this room, definitely believe that that’s when we play our best when our backs are against the wall. So we’re ready for that challenge.

"As we say, it’s do-or-die. But we’ve got to move on, learn from the mistakes we made in this one. Really just throw everything we’ve got at them in the next game and try to keep this series alive.”

Just Another Chicago Bulls Session… Tom Thibodeau may be running out of options for new NBA coaching job.

By K. C. Johnson

Tom Thibodeau talks with members of the press before the Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)

As with most aspects regarding Tom Thibodeau and the Bulls, perception depends on the differing perspectives.

From Thibodeau's side, the fact that the Bulls have yet to publicly announce his status for next season is viewed as an impediment to his snagging the Pelicans or Magic job.

From Bulls management's view, if Thibodeau were as coveted as some have claimed him to be, surely a team would have no issue offering compensation for his services.

With so many agendas and points of view available, it can be tough separating fact from fiction. But this is indisputable: The Clippers gave the Celtics a future first-round pick for Doc Rivers' services in June 2013. And it's well-known throughout the NBA that if a team asked for permission to interview Thibodeau, who has two years left on his deal, the Bulls would grant it.

Thus, the fact no team has asked the Bulls to speak to Thibodeau suggests his outside options are dwindling.

Scott Skiles has emerged as the front-runner to land the Magic job, with an announcement possible this week. Thibodeau never has been linked to the Nuggets opening. That leaves the Pelicans, who have interviewed Warriors assistant coach Alvin Gentry and have Jeff Van Gundy on their radar.

The Tribune reported last week that the Magic's interest in Thibodeau had been overstated. This is despite Rivers calling the organization that gave him his first coaching job to promote Thibodeau, Rivers' former assistant with the Celtics.

Whether the Magic's lack of pursuit of Thibodeau centered on a refusal to offer the Bulls compensation or a split consensus among the team's decision makers is unknown. Assistant GM Matt Lloyd worked with Skiles with the Bulls.

Bulls management is conducting draft workouts and player exit meetings, the latter of which has produced dialogue on Thibodeau's coaching. The Tribune reported Sunday that Thibodeau experienced more player pushback than ever this season.

The Bulls haven't rushed their decision on Thibodeau's future, which suggests that eating the final two years of his contract, worth roughly $9 million, won't be an issue should they decide to make the expected change. Sources confirmed Thibodeau's contract contains offset language, meaning the Bulls' financial commitment would be "offset" by the amount he would make if hired by another team.

The wild card in this equation is Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, who once smoothed over a contentious negotiation with Skiles to produce a three-year extension just 24 hours after Skiles' agent blasted Reinsdorf.

Reinsdorf, according to several sources, was extremely upset with Thibodeau after Van Gundy criticized the organization during a January broadcast on ESPN for historically undermining coaches. Reinsdorf, who has served as an occasional oasis for Thibodeau during his rocky relationship with management, discussed the incident with Thibodeau.

Skiles went 165-172 over parts of five seasons with the Bulls, replacing Bill Cartwright as one of John Paxson's first major management decisions. That included three straight playoff appearances starting in 2005, the franchise's first since the championship years.

The Bulls have made five straight postseasons under Thibodeau, who is sticking to his post-elimination statement — "Until they tell me I'm not, I expect to be here" — by reviewing last season and preparing for next season.

Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!! Bears begin 'final approach' to 2015 season with start of OTAs.

By John Mullin

Up to this point a lot of the Bears’ offseason work – minicamps, strength and conditioning, etc. – has involved orientation with a new coaching staff, and evaluations by that staff. In the next several weeks the process moves to a different level, one that represents swinging onto the beginnings of final approach to the 2015 season.

Organized team activities for all but the St. Louis Rams start this week – the Bears hold their first three from Wednesday through Friday – and through the second week of June. The sessions, all at Halas Hall for the Bears, are not open to the public.

The orientation and evaluation processes will be continuing; they are in fact on going even into the season. But these will combine veterans and rookies for the first time and take on increasing importance as installations proceed on offense, defense and special teams.

And they are mandatory, making the attendance of Martellus Bennett and Matt Forte, two who did not attend the voluntary minicamp prior to the draft, more notable. Forte is expected for the sessions; Bennett’s attendance is less certain.

The April minicamp was optional but “[players] miss the installation, they miss the mental time, they miss the on-the-field work,” head coach John Fox said. “So we have a next-man-up approach here, so guys will get opportunities. When one door closes, another door opens for somebody else.”

Players work in helmets but no pads, and hitting is not permitted. Full-team drills are allowed under the collective bargaining agreement.

Rookies had their own minicamp after the draft. This represents the first coming together of the whole team, and with it an acceleration in the NFL learning process for new players.

“They’re going to be further down the depth chart,” Fox said. “But I don’t think there’s any better teacher than vet players, seeing it be done the right way. That’s why it’s important to have the right kind of guys that are your veterans to do it the right way and do it the right way every day.”

After this week, the Bears hold OTA’s June 1-3 and conclude with four sessions from June 8-11. Training camp commences in Bourbonnais on July 29. 

Bears release Ray McDonald in wake of arrest.

CSN Staff

Ray McDonald's chance with the Bears didn't even see him take the field in a uniform.

Hours after a report surfaced that McDonald was arrested Monday morning, a report later confirmed by the San Clara Police Department, the Bears announced that McDonald had been released.

“We believe in second chances, but when we signed Ray we were very clear what our expectations were if he was to remain a Bear,” Bears general manager Ryan Pace said in the team's announcement, sent out Monday afternoon. “He was not able to meet the standard, and the decision was made to release him.”

McDonald was arrested early Monday morning on charges of misdemeanor domestic assault and child endangerment. According to the arrest report, McDonald physically assaulted a woman while she was holding a baby.

The Bears' offseason signing of McDonald gained plenty of headlines as the team brought him aboard despite his recent string of legal troubles. In August, he was arrested for domestic violence, though he was never formally charged. In December, he was named a suspect in a sexual assault investigation, though he hasn't been charged in that investigation, either. However, it was enough for the San Francisco 49ers to cut ties with McDonald.

When the Bears front office suggested signing McDonald, chairman George McCaskey's first instinct was to say no, though after sitting with McDonald and talking with him, McCaskey gave the OK to Pace.

McCaskey had this to say back in March:

“Ray and I talked about this. I told him that my assessment was 'bad decision-making,' allowing himself to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, or not withdrawing from a situation at the appropriate time.

“And I told him, if he's to remain a Bear, that needs to improve. And he pledged to me that it would.”

Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica thoughts: We hope that someone in his family, an old teammate or a dear friend will be able to talk with Ray and convince him to get some mental health help. It's so disheartening to see a young man with so much talent waste a golden opportunity. He's blessed and the talent just gets wasted. There are just so many people that would relish the opportunity he just blew. Our prayers are with him and we truly hope that he finds himself and becomes a productive member of society.

Follow-up. Bears: McCaskey sends strongest possible 'accountability' message, again.

By John Mullin

The immediate focus of the past day has been Ray McDonald and the veteran defensive tackle’s third arrest in the past nine months. But the bigger spotlight has been squarely on Bears Chairman George McCaskey, and what that light has revealed is more than a little bit interesting.

McCaskey, who insiders say has something of a temper when he feels wronged, was exactly that by McDonald, and not just by McDonald.

For the second time in barely five months, the Bears chairman has paid much more than cursory lip service to the notion of “accountability.” In the process McCaskey exhibited the fortitude to acknowledge his own major mistake and to place his own ego a decided second to both doing the right thing and also doing the right thing for the Bears. This is no small matter.

In January it was McCaskey admitting a franchise-grade mistake when he fired Phil Emery after just two years as general manager. This was McCaskey’s first big hire, he got it wrong and did not compound the mistake by staying with the error.

The Bears made a mistake on McDonald. To their credit, they did not compound the mistake by hiding behind “waiting for matter to make its way through the courts.” The absence of a criminal conviction does not mean that the criminal act never happened. Far worse than a mistake is not fixing it. McCaskey did that.

McCaskey initially opposed the signing of McDonald, understandably not keen on the risk inherent with someone with a dubious past. He had that “no” vote irrespective of what McDonald represented, a quality football player intimately familiar with the coach (Vic Fangio) and the defense he would be working with.

McCaskey did some personal vetting of McDonald, meeting one-on-one with him, and changed the no to an “OK,” but a conditional one. McDonald signed for one year and was on hand for the veteran minicamp. He projected to be a linchpin at one end of the forming 3-4 Bears defense.

But with the latest action, McDonald made saps out of McCaskey, Fangio, GM Ryan Pace and coach John Fox, all of whom were called on for and gave public endorsements. And they cut their losses.

“We believe in second chances, but when we signed Ray we were very clear what our expectations were if he was to remain a Bear,” Pace said in a statement issued Monday. “He was not able to meet the standard and the decision was made to release him.”

A point here is that McDonald has never been convicted of anything in the recent spate of incidents. And he was not some inconsequential down-the-depth-chart player. This was a starting defensive lineman.

The fault here lies with Ray McDonald, not the people who gave him one more chance.

And some credit goes to a chief executive who twice in six months has sent significant accountability messages from the highest reaches of the organization. McCaskey addressed his own mistakes promptly and decisively. That is a message that resonates beyond just Ray McDonald.

Cubs walk off with thrilling victory over Nationals 3-2.

By Tony Andracki

Kris Bryant and the Cubs walked away winners from the Solo Homer Party at Wrigley Field.

Bryant crushed a ball off the new video board in left field to tie the game in the eighth inning and the Cubs walked it off in the ninth to beat the Nationals 3-2 in front of 30,440 fans at Wrigley Field.

Addison Russell delivered the big hit for the Cubs, a two-out double in the ninth to plate Jonathan Herrera, who was standing on second following a throwing error from Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond.

With the wind blowing out, the two teams combined for four solo homers, including Bryce Harper's wind-aided shot in the seventh inning, the only blemish on Kyle Hendricks' pitching line.

Hendricks was in a groove, running his shutout innings streak to 15 before Harper's blast to the left-field bleachers. The Cubs' right-hander allowed just the one run on four hits and two walks in seven innings, striking out four and throwing only 85 pitches.

Russell had three hits - two doubles - and made several slick plays in the field.

Hector Rondon picked up the win for the Cubs after hurling a scoreless ninth.

Donaldson's three-run walk-off sends White Sox to fourth straight loss 10-9.

By Dan Hayes

The White Sox have dealt with plenty of adversity lately but Tuesday night’s 10-9 loss to the Blue Jays has the harshest sting.

Not only had the White Sox rallied three times and taken a late lead, they had their outstanding closer on to protect a two-run advantage. With Jeff Samardzija starting Wednesday afternoon, they had visions of a series victory -- albeit a hard-fought one -- in their sights.

Three batters later, those good feelings were dashed when Josh Donaldson drove a three-run, opposite-field home run off David Robertson. Donaldson’s second homer sent the White Sox to their seventh loss in eight tries and fourth in a row.

“It’s frustrating for me because the team played really well today,” said Robertson, who has converted nine of 11 saves. “They battled their butts off, got the lead back and for them to play as hard as they did today and for me to go in and give it up in the ninth is really tough. We needed this win.”

White Sox manager Robin Ventura made it pretty clear how badly he wanted the victory when he called upon Robertson with a two-run lead and two outs in the eighth inning and a man on third.

Robertson retired pinch hitter Russell Martin to strand the run. But he didn’t record any outs in the ninth as Josh Thole singled, Jose Reyes doubled him to third and Donaldson drove a 1-1 fastball out to right for the crushing defeat.

“Being a closer is an unforgiving position, especially if you don’t get it done,” Ventura said. “We trust him. We’re going to trust him again to go back out there and close it done. This is just one of those he didn’t get, but he’s the right guy to be in there. It’s a tough one.”

What makes it difficult is how the White Sox got to that position in the first place.

Unlike the previous eight games, when the offense produced 15 runs, the White Sox fought back all evening.

Trailing 7-6 in the eighth, Carlos Sanchez doubled and scored on Adam Eaton’s RBI single with Eaton advancing to second on the throw home. Melky Cabrera’s infield single put runners on the corners and Jose Abreu hit a slow chopper to the right side that -- after a challenged call showed he was safe -- put the White Sox ahead 8-7.

Adam LaRoche, who had two hits and reached four times, followed with a single to right and Alexei Ramirez singled in Abreu for a two-run lead.

Abreu’s eighth-inning RBI followed his first homer with a man on base since April 18. Trailing 3-2 in the fifth, Abreu ripped a 3-1 fastball from R.A. Dickey for a three-run homer. His last non-solo homer was April 18 in Detroit, a span of 138 plate appearances.

The White Sox scored twice in the second inning on four singles to take a 2-1 lead. Gordon Beckham had an RBI single and Sanchez had a sac fly. They also tied the score at 6 in the sixth inning on a Cabrera RBI fielder’s choice.

Their nine runs was the second-highest output of the season as the White Sox finished with 14 hits.

“Our guys fought back offensively, it’s a nice sign for us to do that,” Ventura said. “Not only against a knuckleballer but against everybody else. We got down and came back and you lose a tough one.”

White Sox starter John Danks was just as upset as Robertson after he surrendered the lead twice on two-run doubles by Jose Bautista.

Donaldson, who had a solo homer in the first, made the most of an extra out in the third. Abreu dropped a foul pop out after a long run and Donaldson doubled ahead of a two-out, two-run, ground-rule double by Bautista to make it 3-2.  

Thole’s RBI double in the fifth off Danks cut the White Sox lead to 5-4.

Danks -- who gave up six earned runs and seven hits in five innings -- walked Donaldson with one out and Bautista doubled in two more runs to give the Jays a 6-5 lead. Bautista also had a go-ahead RBI double in the seventh inning off Jake Petricka.

“Any loss is frustrating, but those guys scored nine runs for us,” Danks said. “We know we can get on a run, we can win games. We just have to go out there and do it. Unfortunately, the different phases of our team aren’t clicking all at the same time consistently. We just have to keep on working at it, and hopefully it will pay off.”

Golf: I got a club for that; Power rankings: AT&T Byron Nelson Championship.

By Ryan Ballengee

Jordan Spieth watches his tee shot on the sixth hole during the final round of the Colonial golf tournament, Sunday, May 24, 2015, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

The PGA Tour concludes its Texas portion of the schedule this week with the AT&T Byron Nelson Championship at TPC Four Seasons (formerly known as TPC Las Colinas) in the Dallas area. 
 

Brendon Todd is defending champion at an event that has a tendency in recent year to identify breakout performers as champions, including Jason Day, Jason Dufner and Jason -- I mean, Keegan -- Bradley. 

Jordan Spieth headlines the field again this week, looking to continue the momentum from yet another runner-up finish, this time at Colonial.

Take a look at our top five picks for the week.

1. Jordan Spieth -- He was T-2 last week and was one bad Friday hole away from winning. He hasn't contended here as a pro, but this was the tournament that got him truly into the public consciousness with his performance as a 17-year-old.  

2. Dustin Johnson -- Johnson has cooled off since coming hot out of the gate from his six months away from the PGA Tour. However, a T-7 here last year in a nice indicator, and he's been in the top seven in three of his last four Nelson starts dating back to 2010.  

3. Jason Day -- Day hasn't missed the cut in four Nelson starts, including a breakthrough win in 2010. He's been in a bit of a rut compared to his pace toward the end of last year, but this place lines up well for him.
 

4. Justin Thomas -- Thomas is on the verge of winning and has been in the top 12 in three of his last four PGA Tour starts. He's great through three rounds, then just can't get over the hump on Sunday.   

5. Marc Leishman -- The Aussie has cashed in his last four starts and his life has likely settled down some after his wife's health scare near the Masters. Has a very nice Nelson record: made five of six cuts and hasn't finished outside of the top 12 when he makes a check.

Jack Nicklaus looks to expand his empire.

CNBC

Legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus talks about growing his company and what golf could do to attract new players.

Legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus has long has his hand in business, leading The Nicklaus Cos. for decades.

However, his recent focus has been to expand the company so that it has a legacy that continues "long beyond me," Nicklaus said in an interview with CNBC's " Closing Bell ."

"The golf course design business ... it's been pretty dead in the United States," he noted.  

The company's services include golf-course design and real estate development, as well as the licensing of consumer goods and products.  

In February, Jack Nicklaus premium ice cream was launched in partnership with The Schwan Food Co. There are also Nicklaus golf balls, lemonade and apparel, among other things.  
 

"Jack's excellence on the golf course and all the things he's stood for in his life, including family and charitable activities, are all part of the DNA of this company," said Howard Milstein, who was brought in as co-chair of The Nicklaus Cos. eight years ago to help grow the business. "That's attractive to a certain part of the public, and they flock to us."

As for the golf business, it's had a "slow run," Nicklaus said. However, he noted there are a lot of young players right now, which is great for the game.

He also thinks there can be ways to bring new interest into the sport.

"The game of golf really needs to bring people into the game ... and golf is a tough game, so we need to keep them in the game," Nicklaus said. "The biggest problems we've got is golf is expensive, it takes too long, and it's too difficult."

To that end, he's "fiddled around with" making 12-hole courses instead of 18 and making holes larger.  

When asked about the biggest money mistake he's ever made, Nicklaus said there were "too many of them."

"But I must say, I've learned from every one of them."

NASCAR; Power Rankings: Harvick takes the top spot back.

By Nick Bromberg

1. Kevin Harvick (LW: 2): You know you're having a good season when you ascend to the top spot in Power Rankings after your worst finish of the season that doesn't involve an accident or mechanical issue. Here are Harvick's finishes to-date, outside of his 38th-place run at Bristol: 2, 2, 1, 1, 2, 8, 2, (38), 2, 8, 2, 9. Yes, the 9 is his Coca-Cola 600 result. Hopefully Harvick can bounce back at Dover.

2. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 1): If you were watching Fox's broadcast Sunday night, you might have had a headscratching moment when Darrell Waltrip mentioned how Jimmie Johnson's first spin was just like his early-race moment at Kansas. Because, you know, it wasn't. Johnson's bobble at Kansas was a great save, but he kept his car on the track, didn't lose a bunch of spots, and the race stayed green. His slide at Charlotte was almost a full-blown crash and it necessitated a yellow flag. They were not the same. And, speaking of differences, Johnson went on to win at Kansas. He went on to spin again (and hit the wall) at Charlotte.

3. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: 3): After the race, Truex said "Right now, we can’t get anything to go our way.” His comment was made in the context of fuel-mileage racing, as he would have finished in the top two had Carl Edwards and others not been able to stretch their fuel tanks to the end. However, fuel context or not, we're going to disagree with Truex. Yeah, we do understand his frustration. He's been incredibly close to a win, and his redemptive year isn't complete without a trip to victory lane. But he's second in the standings. He was 26th at this point in 2014.

4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 4): Junior was one of the others who pitted with 62 laps to go and made it to the end on gas. He finished third and kept his streak alive. If Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson are still the drivers to beat on 1.5-mile tracks (one race doesn't change a trend), Junior is right behind them in the No. 3 spot. His lowest finish at a 1.5-mile track this year is fourth.

5. Kurt Busch (LW; 5): Busch finished 10th, though he once again had a bunch of speed as he led 118 laps. However, his last lap led was on lap 260. Once he was passed by Martin Truex Jr., he never got back towards the front. But if you want to see how much of an improvement Busch's 2015 has been over his 2014, just look at his laps led. Busch has led 659 laps in nine races this season. He led 220 in all of 2014.

6. Matt Kenseth (LW: 7): Kenseth's run was temporarily derailed with a tire issue that necessitated a green flag pit stop late in the race. However, the pit stops edned up cycling through under green and Kenseth was able to get back to the front of the field. He finished fourth, the second of the Joe Gibbs Racing cars. And all of the JGR cars finished in the top 11.

7. Carl Edwards (LW: NR): Here's the first JGR car, and the first driver not-named Harvick or Johnson to win at a 1.5-mile track since Joey Logano at Kansas in October of 2014. We are quick to point out that a win doesn't make a season, especially for a driver who was expecting to do what Matt Kenseth did in 2013. And the win doesn't mean Edwards will automatically be faster over the next 14 races either. But if JGR has made strides on its 1.5-mile program, the summer can be a very important testing program for Edwards and crew chief Darian Grubb.

8. Joey Logano (LW: 6): Logano led 17 laps on Sunday after he started on the front row but he really wasn't a factor for the win. All of those laps led came in the first 100 and as the race transitioned into the evening hours, Logano was at the back end of the top 10. After the race, Logano said his team was "awful" at Charlotte. Yeah, he struggled with the handling of his car and he wasn't a factor for the win in the All-Star Race. But if awful is 13th, you're doing pretty well.

9. Ryan Newman (LW: 8): The lack of Luke Lambert hasn't been an issue so far for the No. 31 bunch. In the two points races without his crew chief, Newman has finished 10th and sixth. He's got four races to go until Lambert is back, but the early returns without him are quite promising. Newman is currently 11th in the standings. Without the 50-point penalty he'd be tied for fifth.

10. Brad Keselowski (LW: 11): Did Keselowski pass the most cars of anyone? After starting near the front, he was penalized after the fuel can bounced into another pit stall after his stop. The penalty put him at the back of the pack and he started working his way towards the front. He caught a caution to stay near the front after green flag pit stops and ended up seventh.

11. Kasey Kahne (LW: 10): If Keselowski didn't, Kahne did. He started 33rd thanks to a cut tire in qualifying. He started moving towards the front and then lost a lap after he sped on pit road under green. He got the lap back past the halfway point and moved back towards the top 10. Kahne was not one of the cars that tried to stretch his fuel to the end, so he ended up finishing 12th.

12. Jamie McMurray (LW: 9): It wasn't a stellar night for McMurray. He was mired in the back of the pack for most of the night and his 19th-place finish looks surprising if you were used to seeing McMurray stuck around 25th on the ticker. He finished six spots ahead of teammate Kyle Larson, who seemed abnormally slow at Charlotte. While McMurray ended the race a lap down, Larson finished two back.

Lucky Dog: Greg Biffle. Is his second-place finish a sign of things to come for Roush Fenway Racing?

The DNF: Ryan Blaney. Is Blaney's season so far the literal NASCAR equivalent of boom or bust?

Dropped Out: Aric Almirola

Montoya earns $2.4 million for Indy 500 win.

By JIM JOHNSON

 

Juan Pablo Montoya, of Colombia, poses with the Borg-Warner Trophy during the traditional winners photo session at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Monday, May 25, 2015. Montoya won the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500 auto race on Sunday. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Juan Pablo Montoya was all smiles at the victory banquet Monday night where he celebrated his second Indy 500 win in three tries.

Also, tribute was paid to team owner Roger Penske for winning a 16th race at Indy.

''You don't understand,'' the Colombian driver said. ''When you run for Team Penske, you're part of something bigger. When we win, we all win together.''

Montoya earned $2,449,055 for his win. His earnings were part of a $13,397,315 overall purse. The check amounts were announced at the annual victory dinner Monday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Runner-up Will Power earned $792,555, and Charlie Kimball, who finished third, earned $564,055.

Scott Dixon, who finished fourth after starting on the pole, earned $615,805.

Montoya's victory comes 15 years after his Indy 500 win in 2000. He left IndyCar for Formula One and later struggled in NASCAR for seven years before making a return to IndyCar in 2014.

Montoya, who also won the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg to start the season, leads the IndyCar series standings.

Before picking up his earnings, the 39-year old sat through a roasting by fellow drovers - mostly over his age.

Tony Kanaan, who is 40, joked about watching Montoya race while growing up.

''Juan, growing up watching you when I was a little kid in Brazil was awesome,'' he said.

Townsend Bell, who finished 14th on Sunday, said he had a ''Juan Pablo Montoya'' lunch box as a child. Marco Andretti and Graham Rahal, both in their 20s, recalled watching video of him and looking up to him when they spent time around racetracks.

Kimball, while being honest, pointed out that he was a freshman in high school and didn't have a driver's license when Montoya won his first Indianapolis 500 in 2000.

Montoya also received kudos for the way he won the race.

He had to work his way from the back of the field twice and led just nine laps before he became one of 11 drivers to help Penske get 16 Indianapolis 500 wins.

Team Penske has been dominant all season. Power won the pole and finished first in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis.

But teammate Helio Castroneves went airborne in a wreck early on in Indianapolis 500 practice - a crash that sparked concerns about the safety of the new oval aero kits.

There were no issues with the safety of the aero kits on Sunday and Montoya found a way to get the job done.

He slipped ahead of Power with three laps to go and held off his teammate for his second Indianapolis 500 win - a move that paid off for the 39-year old driver.

Montoya held off Power by 0.1046 of a second - the fourth-closest finish in race history.

And while many drivers poked fun at Montoya, Power, who is also second behind his teammate in the series standings, took a different approach.

''I'm definitely not going to rag on Juan,'' Power joked. ''The last time we all laughed at him at a dinner, he went out and won at St. Petersburg. I'm just going to say what a great driver he is.''

Power wants to slip by Montoya the next time.

''But I did watch him when I was in the junior categories,'' he added.

Breaking News: Swiss police detain soccer officials ahead of FIFA congress.

AP - Sports

Six soccer officials were arrested and detained by Swiss police on Wednesday pending extradition at the request of U.S. authorities after a raid at a luxury hotel in Zurich.

The case involves bribes ''totaling more than $100 million'' linked to commercial deals dating back to the 1990s for soccer tournaments in the United States and Latin America, the Swiss Federal Office of Justice said in a statement.

It was unclear if the probe was linked to the 1994 World Cup hosted by the United States.

The officials are in Switzerland for the FIFA congress and presidential election, where Sepp Blatter is widely expected to win a fifth term at the helm of the governing body of world soccer.

Blatter was not among the men arrested, FIFA spokesman Walter de Gregorio told The Associated Press.

''He is not involved at all,'' De Gregorio said.

Blatter is scheduled to attend a meeting of the Confederation of African Football at 10:30 a.m. (0830 GMT) in a different downtown Zurich hotel.

The arrests were made at the lakeside Baur au Lac Hotel in downtown Zurich, long favored as a place for senior FIFA officials to stay. It was the stage for intense lobbying for votes ahead of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosting decisions in December 2010.

Among the people arrested in Zurich was Costa Rica soccer federation president Eduardo Li, according to the New York Times. Li was elected to the FIFA executive committee in March and will formally join the Blatter-chaired panel on Friday.

The North American regional body, known as CONCACAF, reported itself to U.S. tax authorities in 2012. Then based in New York, the organization had not paid taxes over several years when its president was Jack Warner of Trinidad and Tobago and secretary general was Chuck Blazer of the United States.

Warner left FIFA and CONCACAF in 2011 to avoid sanctions in a bribery case. Blazer left in 2013 and is reported by the New York Daily News to be cooperating with the FBI in a probe of corruption in soccer.

Warner's successor as CONCACAF leader and FIFA vice president, Jeffery Webb of the Cayman Islands, was staying at the Baur au Lac this week. It was unclear if he was detained.

The Swiss Federal Office of Justice said in its statement that U.S. authorities suspect the six arrested officials of having received or paid bribes totaling millions of dollars and that the crimes were agreed to and prepared in the U.S., and payments carried out via U.S. banks.

The FOJ said the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York is investigating the individuals on suspicion of the acceptance of bribes and kick-backs between the early 1990s and now.

''The bribery suspects - representatives of sports media and sports promotion firms - are alleged to have been involved in schemes to make payments to the soccer functionaries (FIFA delegates) and other functionaries of FIFA sub-organizations - totaling more than USD 100 million,'' the FOJ statement said. ''In return, it is believed that they received media, marketing, and sponsorship rights in connection with soccer tournaments in Latin America.''

A statement in German added that the probe involved tournaments in the United States.

The Zurich Cantonal Police were questioning the detainees.

Premier League Grades: How did each team fare in 2014-15?

By Joe Prince-Wright

[ ARCHIVE: Premier League season review ]

For the full archive of our review content, just hit the link above. Now, the marks are in and it is time to dish out the grades for each team in 2014-15.

GRADE
		A	Swansea City: Nobody expected Monk’s men to get a record points tally. Superb season which deserved a top six finish. Sustainability is the key for the Swans going forward and this could only be the start.
		A	Southampton: Same could be said for Koeman’s Saints. After the mass exodus last summer the Dutchman worked miracles. So many highlights including 8-0 and 6-1 wins. A Europa League campaign next season would be a great reward.
		A –	Chelsea: Mourinho’s men marched to the title with four games to go and Hazard led a sublime team. In the second half of the season they lost their attacking panache. That’s the only reason they don’t get full marks.
		B+	Arsenal: Wenger is progressing this side. A third-place finish proves that and if they can keep everyone fit next season and add 1/2 star players this summer… Watch out.
		B+	Stoke City:  Mark Hughes is doing a great job at the Brit. A record points tally for Stoke and when they are on form and  firing on all cylinders, few can match them.
		B+	Crystal Palace: What a second half of the season it was. As soon as Alan Pardew replaced Neil Warnock, Selhurst believed again. A top 10 finish is the stuff of dreams for Pards and Palace.
		B	Leicester City: Just four wins in the first 29 matches and then… BOOM! Nigel Pearson is unorthodox but got his boys playing late on as seven wins from their last nine suggests. One of the greatest “great escapes” in PL history.
		B	West Brom: Alan Irvine was fired in January and Tony Pulis arrived to do his best Harry Houdini impression once again. The Baggies survived comfortably in the end and bagged big wins vs. Man United and Chelsea.
		B	Tottenham: An up and down year for Spurs as Pochettino will be happy enough with his first season in charge at the Lane. Harry Kane‘s emergence was a pleasant surprise and fifth place shows progress.
		B	Manchester United:  The Red Devils made hard work of making the top four, didn’t they? Louis van Gaal had mixed results to start with but a strong Spring carried them through. Now, time to spend the big bucks wisely and assemble a title-winning squad. Slow progress so far.
		B	Manchester City: The Citizens had a down year but still finished second behind Chelsea. If Manuel Pellegrini remains he will likely make plenty of changes this summer. Fresh legs are needed but City aren’t far off. Some of the stuff they play is sublime.
		C	West Ham:  Fourth in December, a potentially special season unraveled as the Hammers finished 12th. Sam Allardyce has now left as a new era begins in east London.
		C-	Everton:  A season to forget for the Toffees who suffered from their Europa League exploits and injuries to key man Lukaku and Barkley. Roberto Martinez knows Everton must do better.
		D	Newcastle: They stayed up by the skin of their teeth. John Carver took over on an interim basis in January when Pardew left and the Magpies lost eight-straight, only saving themselves on the final day. Surely they’ll be better next year?
		D	Burnley: Yes, they were relegated. But Sean Dyche can be extremely proud of his players. That stuck in close in so many games and had Danny Ings found his goalscoring touch after Christmas, it may well have been a different story. Down, but their heads held high.
		D-	Aston Villa: Paul Lambert was fired and his replacement Tim Sherwood saved Villa after restoring some attacking intent. They’re in the FA Cup final too but a rebuild is badly needed.
		D-	Sunderland: Dick Advocaat took over from Gus Poyet and saved the Black Cats but it was far from vintage stuff. Another team who needs a huge rebuild, but on their day they can give anyone a game. Season to forget.
		D-	Liverpool: This may seem a little harsh, but the drop-off from the Reds was alarming this season. After spending $150 million in the summer, it’s hard to see where that went. Losing Suarez hurt. Plus Sturridge being injured. But Rodgers is walking on thin ice after a sixth-place finish.
		F	Hull City:  The Tigers went down on the final day and a severe lack of goals (just 33) haunted Steve Bruce’s side. Expect plenty of players to leave this summer. From an FA Cup final to relegation in 12 months. Ouch.
		F	QPR: The less said about this season the better. After Harry Redknapp left in Feb. the reins were handed to Chris Ramsey and he did his best but the defense was shocking. Can QPR keep their yo-yo club status going and bounce back?

SOCCER; FIFA VP Webb says don't risk World Cup for political reasons.

By ROB HARRIS and GRAHAM DUNBAR

 

The future of the $5 billion World Cup has become a key battleground in the pursuit of votes in Friday's FIFA presidential election.

Sepp Blatter, whose grip on power since 1998 has been fortified by the success of soccer's showpiece tournament, has pledged to stick with 32 teams.

But challenger Prince Ali bin al-Hussein, facing a tough task to unseat Blatter, is courting the 209 FIFA member federations by offering an immediate expansion of the World Cup to 36 teams if elected to power.

FIFA Vice President Jeffrey Webb, though, delivered a blunt warning on Tuesday: don't risk ruining the World Cup in the pursuit of votes.

''The World Cup is a jewel of football and, for me, you shouldn't increase the spaces in a World Cup for political reasons,'' Webb said. ''You should increase the spaces in the World Cup because of the development of the game. Are we going to dilute the World Cup to appease various associations?''

Webb, who is also president of CONCACAF, was speaking after Blatter and Prince Ali addressed a private meeting of his North American confederation in a Zurich hotel.

CONCACAF currently has three guaranteed places and can earn another via a playoff - as Mexico did beating by New Zealand to qualify for the 2014 World Cup.

''Thirty-two (finalists) is great,'' Webb said. ''If you look at the standard, you look at the television ratings, it's tremendous. Every single game.''

If Prince Ali's ends Blatter's 17-year presidency, CONCACAF would get a guaranteed extra place. But Blatter is heavily favored to win a fifth, four-year term and that means the status quo will prevail at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, which will earn FIFA more than $5 billion in revenue.

''We should remain with the system we have had and this system is the best one and it's 32 teams,'' Blatter said recently. ''There shall not be a revolution. The contracts we have done for the next World Cups they are for 32 teams.''

But the smaller nations with little hope of making the World Cup finals are wooed by bonus payments and development projects.

That is ''exactly'' why Cuba will back Blatter's re-election bid, said Yero Rodriguez, secretary general of the Caribbean island's soccer association.

''For us Blatter is a good president, for Cuba's it's nice,'' Rodriguez said.

Neither Blatter nor Prince Ali would comment on what they revealed in the closed-door meeting with CONCACAF, the first group of voters to gather in Zurich ahead of Friday's ballot.

Voters said neither made detailed pitches, saving their main campaigning for the 15 minutes of stage time both are allowed Friday by election rules.

''(Prince Ali) was kind of diplomatic in his speech,'' said Barbados federation president Randy Harris, adding he was ''definitely impressed'' that the challenger had also traveled to his Caribbean island.

''I would say that he seemed to be a good person,'' Harris added of the prince. ''He seemed to understand the vagaries of our countries in CONCACAF, of the needs of our country.''

Still, the prince will find it difficult persuading voters to switch their long-term loyalty from Blatter - particularly after losing two chances to address voters.

The 11-nation Oceania group and his own Asian Football Confederation of 46 FIFA members canceled their meetings which were scheduled on Wednesday.

The 54-voter Confederation of African Football meets Wednesday morning, hours before the 10-member South American body CONMEBOL.

UEFA, the only continent formally asking its members to support Prince Ali, meets on Thursday - a week after Dutch football federation president Michael van Praag and Portugal great Luis Figo withdrew their candidacies.

Figo said FIFA was ''living under a dictatorship'' with Blatter - an accusation the 79-year-old Swiss rejected on Tuesday.

''I have received so many titles, I am still the president until Friday, let's say six o'clock in the afternoon,'' Blatter said.

NCAAFB: If student-athletes must be recognized as employees, Notre Dame prepared for drastic changes.

By Kevin McGuire

Big changes could be on the horizon for college sports, and that has some concerned about the future. With the National Labor Relations Board still going through a review focused on Northwestern players’ union movement and various court cases taking the NCAA to task regarding how student-athletes are allegedly exploited, Notre Dame Athletics Director Jack Swarbrick says Notre Dame is prepared to abandon ship entirely if it has to begin recognizing student-athletes as employees.

“Notre Dame’s just not prepared to participate in any model where the athlete isn’t a student first and foremost — that’s the hallmark for us,” Swarbrick said in a story by USA Today. “If the entire model were to move toward athletes as employees, we’d head in a different direction. Our president has been clear about that. I’m not articulating a unique position.”

Yeah. OK. Suuuuuure.

We know that Notre Dame tends to operate in a bit of a different way than a god number of institutions. Notre Dame takes tremendous pride in its history, tradition and identity. This is not to be seen as a criticism. Despite an ever changing shift in college sports, things have worked out well for Notre Dame as the university has somehow strong-armed its way into remaining among the powerful and elite college sports programs and even managed to get a deal worked out with the ACC to receive the benefits of conference membership in a power conference without having to give up its coveted football independence. Notre Dame has its own TV deal (with NBC) and gets the benefits of playing in the ACC in sports like basketball. It’s a pretty sweet deal Notre Dame has.

If you think the school is just going to pack it all up and leave if asked to treat student-athletes as employees, think again. Sure, there will be some added costs to the university, as would be the case at every university, but the school would still more than likely be throwing away a tremendous amount of revenue if it were shut down its athletics programs in search of another option more focused on education. As scary as some leaders want you to think this can be, I’ll take Swarbrick’s bluff if he thinks Notre Dame is going to drop down to Division 2 or Divison 3.

Notre Dame and other schools can focus as much on academics as they wish, as they should. But let’s be real. Athletics brings in a tremendous amount of money, and giving that up is going to be received well.

SEC wants 'level playing field' regarding camps, transfers.

By MARK LONG

University of Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban

The Southeastern Conference wants a level playing field.

Yep, the league that boasts seven consecutive football national championships, resides in some of the country's most fertile recruiting grounds and has loads of history and fan support is complaining about being at a competitive disadvantage.
 

SEC coaches and administrators gathered in a lush, beachside resort hotel for their annual spring meetings and the agenda included discussion about evening things out by potentially tweaking rules regarding satellite camps and graduate transfers.
 

''If we're going to compete for the championship, and everybody's going to play in the playoff system and everybody's going to compete for that, then we need to get our rules in alignment so we're all on a level playing field,'' Alabama coach Nick Saban said.
 

The league acted quickly on it, too.

The SEC announced Tuesday that it will propose national legislation that would limit ''institutional staff members to participating in camps and clinics on their own campus.''

The proposal comes a year after Penn State coach James Franklin and his staff appeared at a Georgia State football camp in Atlanta. SEC coaches bristled back then because league rules prohibit them from doing the same. And those camps are becoming more widespread. Michigan's Jim Harbaugh is going on a nine-day, nine-city tour starting June 4 in Indianapolis and ending June 12 in Detroit. The one-day camps across the country include stops in Florida, Texas, California and Alabama.  

And Ohio State's Urban Meyer will attend a camp in Boca Raton on June 17.
 

''We want it to be done nationally, but there was a lot of conversation among our football coaches that we don't want to be on the sidelines any longer if there's not going to be a change more rapidly,'' incoming SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said. ''If that's going to be the competitive landscape, they want to be fully engaged if the rule doesn't change nationally.''
 

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 - whether it's another Football Bowl Subdivision school, a Division III school or even a high school.
 

The SEC and Atlantic Coast Conference have league-wide rules against guest coaching, in part because they don't want their coaches treading on each other's turf.
 

For programs such as Penn State and Michigan, satellite camps are a way to expand their reach into the fertile recruiting territory of the southeast.
 

''All of us are against it obviously, but there comes a point where we need to start doing it to keep up with Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State - the northern schools that are coming into the south,'' South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said. ''Whether or not we need to allow some of our schools to do it will be discussed later.''
 

It seems naive or maybe even arrogant that the SEC would be publicly campaigning for anything to level the playing field.

After all, most of the league has built-in recruiting advantages with weather, facilities and rabid fan bases.
 

''Selfishly, I'd like to keep (camps) out of the state of Florida,'' new Florida coach Jim McElwain said. ''But at the same time, right now, that's what we're dealing with as a conference. Where others are taking advantage of us is one of those camp issues.''

It's not just camps, either.
 

Coaches also complained about the league's graduate transfer rule. The SEC rule requires transfers to have two years of eligibility remaining in order to enroll. If not, those players must get a waiver. The league also requires a waiver for any player trying to transfer who was disciplined at his previous school.
 

''It's a disadvantage not to be able to do something in one league and be able to do it in another,'' Saban said. ''It's a disadvantage to be able to recruit a player in one league and not be able to do it in another. And it's also a disadvantage if you start bringing up things like if a player gets suspended or whatever from one school, he can't transfer to another. Well, these things need to be global. Otherwise, we're going to become a farm system for all the other leagues.
 

''And then the first question we're going to get asked is we won seven national championships in a row, win a national championship for seven years or whatever, and the first question I get asked is 'What's the state of the SEC, you haven't been in the championship game the last two years?'''

NCAABKB; Looking ahead: Northwestern Wildcats

By Eamonn Brennan

Wins come slowly. Charm has its limits. If there's one surefire way to generate immediate optimism in a new college hoops hire, it is for that coach to succeed on the recruiting trail in his first spring and summer at the helm. We see it fairly often with schools and coaches of all stripes: One big commitment gets folks fired up.

Northwestern coach Chris Collins got his big recruiting boost just a couple of months into his first offseason in Evanston, Illinois. That's when top-100-ranked South Holland, Illinois, native wing Vic Law called Collins and told him he would be a Wildcat. Law was a major get by any standard, a player who could have chosen to play for a handful of more successful basketball programs, and a player who was turned off by Northwestern when former coach Bill Carmody slow-played the team's interest. As SI's Luke Winn detailed at the time, Collins resurrected that relationship and sold Law on his necessity. The payoff was Collins' first real win as a head coach -- the textbook catalyst for new-coach optimism at a program whose fans very much needed it.

But this wasn't just any program. This was Northwestern. And Law's decision was much bigger than textbook.

At a normal Big Ten school, earning commitments from top-100 players is the baseline recruiting requirement. At Northwestern, it ended a streak: Law was first the top-100 prospect since Evan Eschmeyer in 1993 to make his collegiate hoops home on the North Shore. Twenty years!

The majority of those 20 years passed on Bill Carmody's watch. Some seasons were better than others. After just one winning season in his first seven, in the late aughts Carmody's teams flirted with the NCAA tournament bubble just often enough to make his job status a matter of ongoing debate. The Carmody years drove fans insane, and the reasons were varied in scope.

In the obvious macro sense, all of those John Shurna 3s and Juice Thompson heroics still didn't get Northwestern into the tournament for the first time in program history; the Wildcats have been playing college basketball since 1905 and are still the only power conference program never to dance.

In the micro, Carmody almost seemed determined to make his own life more difficult. His teams ran devout Princeton offense -- complete with 1950s-era dribble spin moves on ball reversals to initiate passes to the wing -- and 1-3-1 zone defense. Undying loyalty to one of the greatest systems ever concocted on a court is totally fine ... if the system is populated with actual Division I college basketball players. Carmody seemed to have a distaste for even the most cursory glance at recruiting. Instead, he populated his rosters with obscure names. Even as Northwestern's football program proved the school's academic restrictions needn't limit its competitive ability, those years without a top-100 player, or an NCAA tournament bid, kept piling up.

Which brings us back to Law, the academically inclined top-100 player who was at one point more interested in Northwestern than Carmody was in him. That Collins was able to immediately break one ignominious Wildcats streak by merely doing what coaches are supposed to do -- actually asking good players if they maybe want to play for you -- bodes well for the imminent downfall of that other, more infamous, record.

What the immediate future holds: Though the wins and losses (15-17, after a 14-19 finish in 2013-14) might not show it, strides were taken toward that goal last season. Law was on the floor, and while offensively raw, his athleticism immediately made him a valuable defensive rebounder while hinting at greater things to come. Three-star classmate Bryant McIntosh was even better, forming a solid ballhandling (and perimeter shooting) duo with junior guard Tre Demps.

In 2013-14, Collins scrapped most of the Princeton stuff outright, to mostly disastrous results. Last season, he reinstated some of the vaunted scheme's more universal concepts, and the Wildcats jumped from 309th in adjusted offensive efficiency to 94th. Unfortunately, the Wildcats' underrated 2013-14 defense regressed almost as much as the offense improved, allowing a Big Ten-worst 1.11 points per trip in conference play. Even so, Northwestern undeniably improved, as its huge number of close losses and 5-3 finish after Feb. 15 displayed.

It would be reasonable, thanks to sheer experience and stylistic cohesion alone, to expect more improvement from Northwestern in Collins' third season. That the coach is bringing in a top-100-ranked freshman -- four-star power forward Aaron Falzon -- is another obvious reason to expect the Wildcats to take a step forward.

Anyway, in two seasons, Collins has done twice what his predecessors failed to do in the preceding 20. The talent level is rising accordingly. The need for quirky systems is receding. The macro is no longer so maddening. Slowly but surely, Northwestern basketball is becoming the one thing it has never been able to call itself: normal.

Turner rooting for Baffert and Pharoah.

By Bob Ehalt

Billy Turner holds a unique position in this grand old world.

At age 75, he's the only person on Earth who can say he has trained a Triple Crown winner. It happened 38 years ago, when Turner swept the 1977 Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes with the undefeated Seattle Slew.

He wasn't all that surprised when, a year later, trainer Laz Barrera, who died in 1991, duplicated his feat with Affirmed. Yet after being part of a glorious period that produced three Triple Crown winners in six tries, he never even imagined that in 2015 he would be discussing a 37-year Triple Crown drought.

"I could see 10 years going by without a Triple Crown winner," Turner said Monday between races at Belmont Park. "But 37? Never. I never dreamed it would be that long."

With some racing luck, though, Turner could have some company in his one-man fraternity in less than two weeks. Trainer Bob Baffert will take his fourth crack at saddling the sport's long-awaited 12th Triple Crown champion when he sends out owner Ahmed Zayat's American Pharoah in the June 6 Belmont Stakes, and hopes across the industry are rampant that the reigning 2-year-old champion is the right one to end the long spell of disappointment.

After he followed up his one-length victory in the Kentucky Derby with a seven-length score in the Preakness, American Pharoah figures to be an odds-on choice in the mile-and-a-half Test of the Champion. That puts Baffert in a prime position to join Turner's "club," and the Rochester, New York, native chuckles at the prospect of finally opening the door to let someone in.

"Can you see me and Bob Baffert sitting around smoking cigars in the Triple Crown club?" Turner said with a laugh. "That would be quite a scene.

"Bob's a fine guy and great trainer who is focused on [the] Triple Crown, and I'd be happy if he did it. Over the years, there have been a few horses that came close that I didn't want to see win the Triple Crown. But this is really a good, good horse. In the Preakness, he was the only one who ran like a racehorse."

 Turner calls American Pharoah the "dominant horse" among this year's 3-year-old crop, but he stopped well short of saying the homebred son of Pioneerof the Nile will complete the famed sweep. After witnessing 13 near misses with Derby and Preakness winners since 1978, Turner knows how difficult the final leg of the three can be and how imposing of a roadblock it can pose -- even for runners bound for the Hall of Fame.

"The best horse doesn't always win the Belmont," Turner says. "What happened last year [with California Chrome] was a classic example of that. He was the best 3-year-old back then, no question about it."

As impressive as American Pharoah has looked to Turner, he's troubled by Baffert's decision to train his Triple Crown candidate at Churchill Downs as opposed to Belmont Park.

"It puzzles me a little bit that they went from Pimlico to Kentucky and then will come up here. That doesn't sit well with me at all," said Turner, who still trains a small string of horses in New York. "[Trainer] Woody Stephens [who won five straight runnings of the Belmont from 1982 to 1986] proved you don't have to have the best horse to win the Belmont Stakes, all you have to do is train here. He was the proof in the pudding. He won the Belmont with two or three real good horses and then with two others who were ordinary. Why did those two win? Because they trained here around this mile-and-a-half track. If you're going out and galloping around this track every day, you don't need a race over it. When you train on that big track, horses feel at home on it."

Yet regardless of whether American Pharoah wins or loses in his upcoming date with destiny, Turner is adamant that the Triple Crown does not need tinkering. He bristles at the notion of changing the race dates or distances, and says it would be "ridiculous" to alter anything.

"If you want to make it easy, no one will get excited about it," Turner said. "It will not be the Triple Crown anymore."

Aside from the specifics about this year's race that can create a problem for American Pharoah, Turner says that over the years he has witnessed industrywide changes in training and breeding that have played a major role in the 37-year Triple Crown drought.

"Breeding has changed. The way we race and train our horses has changed," said Turner, who owns 531 career wins and recorded his last Grade 1 victory in 2000 with Gaviola in the Garden City Breeders' Cup Handicap. "The breeding is now oriented for the sales market rather than racing. Years ago, when the big families controlled breeding, they did it very well. They never bred a mare that had infirmities. Anything that bled was eliminated from the breed. Now if the pedigree is there, people will say we won't race it much, but we'll breed it, people will buy it for a lot of money and good luck to them.

"Horses don't race much at 2 and even at 3 much anymore. They are not trained that hard, and it's not that the trainers don't want to do it, the horses can't take it.

"The one that comes around and can stand the training, you won't beat him."

Perhaps that special colt that possesses both brilliant speed and hickory toughness has finally arrived and will prove his greatness at Belmont Park, just like Affirmed, Seattle Slew, Secretariat, Citation and seven other legendary runners. On June 6 we'll find out. Yet for the last living trainer of a Triple Crown winner, the time to give the fans in the 2010s the same Triple Crown euphoria fans in the 1970s experienced is long overdue.

"It's got to happen," he said. "It would give the sport such a boost, and you hate to see that on hold for so long."

At 37 years -- and perhaps counting -- the wait is indeed frustrating for anyone. Being all alone, like Billy Turner, only adds to it.

On This Date in Sports History: Today is Wednesday, May 27, 2015.

Memoriesofhistory.com

1873 - The first Preakness Stakes was won by Survivor.

1904 - Dennis McGann set a major league record when he stole five bases.

1955 - Norm Zauchin (Boston Red Sox) got 10 RBIs against the Senators.

1968 - After 48 years as coach of the Chicago Bears, George Halas retired.

1968 - It was announced that baseball franchises had been awarded to Montreal and San Diego.

1982 - Three New Jersey businessmen bought the NHL's Colorado Rockies. They got approval to move the team to New Jersey and become the Devils.

1987 - Phil Niekro (New York Yankees) became the third pitcher to make 700 starts.

2003 - It was reported that Patrick Roy (Colorado Avalanche) would announce his retirement from the NHL the following day.

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