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"You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win." ~ Zig Ziglar, Author, Salesman and Motivational Speaker 

Trending: The Chicago Blackhawks returning to the NHL Final for the third time in six years in their quest for the Stanley Cup.

 

The Chicago Blackhawks pose in front of the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl after the Blackhawks 5-3 victory against the Anaheim Ducks in Game Seven of the Western Conference Finals during the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Honda Center on May 30, 2015, in Anaheim, California. (Photo/Harry How/Getty Images)   

The statement below is what got us here; Need we say more; don't stop Blackhawks fans, don't stop!!!!!

How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks-Lighting Stanley Cup Final to begin Wednesday.

Chicago Tribune Staff

The Stanley Cup Final between the Blackhawks and Lightning will begin Wednesday in Tampa, Fla., and could run as long as June 17.

The Blackhawks will play the first two games on the road at Amalie Arena, home of the Eastern Conference champions, with Game 2 set for Saturday.

The Hawks will host Game 3 on Monday, June 8 and Game 4 on Wednesday, June 10.

If necessary, they also will host Game 6 on Monday, June 15.

NBC will air five of the potential seven games, with Games 3 and 4 being carried by NBCSN.

Here's the schedule (all times CDT):

Game 1: at Lightning, 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 3, NBC-5

Game 2: at Lightning, 6:15 p.m. Saturday, June 6, NBC-5

Game 3: at Blackhawks, 7 p.m. Monday, June 8, NBCSN

Game 4: at Blackhawks, 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 10, NBCSN

Game 5: at Lightning, 7 p.m. Saturday, June 13, NBC-5-*

Game 6: at Blackhawks, 7 p.m. Monday, June 15, NBC-5-*

Game 7: at Lightning, 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 17, NBC-5-*

*-- If necessary

Blackhawks, Lightning to face off in Stanley Cup Final.

By Greg Beacham, AP Hockey Writer

 

Between the Chicago Blackhawks' veteran poise and the Tampa Bay Lightning's young stars, the Stanley Cup Final will have no shortage of dynamic offensive talent playing on hockey's biggest stage.

 

The Blackhawks begin the final series in their quest for a third NHL championship in six seasons when they visit Amalie Arena on Wednesday to face the Lightning, who are going for the second Stanley Cup title in franchise history after streaking through the Eastern Conference bracket with a series of gutsy victories.

 

Both teams got to the last round in dramatic fashion, winning Game 7 on the road in the conference finals. Both are surging with confidence after putting away the Anaheim Ducks and the New York Rangers, who finished with their conferences' best regular-season records.

 

And both the Blackhawks and the Lightning know how to entertain. Chicago stars Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane are in the midst of another spectacular postseason, while Tampa Bay boasts two-time NHL goal-scoring leader Steven Stamkos and the dynamic "Triplets" line featuring youngsters Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat and Nikita Kucherov.

 

"Certainly watching their series against the Rangers, they have a lot of options with their skill, how dangerous they can be with putting pucks in the net," Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said of the Lightning.

 

Here are some more reasons to watch these franchises' first postseason meeting:

 

ORIGINAL SIX: The Lightning are the first team in NHL history to play four Original Six teams in the postseason, staring down the history and tradition that comes with facing off against the oldest teams in hockey. Tampa Bay knocked off Detroit, Montreal and the New York Rangers, and the Lightning youngsters didn't flinch when they had to play Game 7 at Madison Square Garden against Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist. The Blackhawks will respect that old-school moxie.

 

EXPERIENCE COUNTS: The Lightning had just one playoff appearance in the previous three years before this spring, so this is still new to most of them. The Blackhawks have been among the NHL's top teams for seven seasons now, making five conference finals and winning three of them. Chicago has played in just about every big-game situation imaginable since 2009. One added bonus: the stands in Tampa are guaranteed to be filled with a healthy contingent of Blackhawks fans cheering through the anthem.

 

SPEED AND ENDURANCE: "I think the thing that stands out to me is their team speed and their skill level up front," Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith said of Tampa Bay. Keith knows how to handle speed after playing extraordinary minutes in the Blackhawks' seven-game victory over the fleet-footed Ducks. Chicago only used four defensemen extensively against Anaheim, but those four had little trouble keeping up. They've only got one series left to chase after Tampa Bay's Triplets line and Stamkos, and Keith only laughs when asked about his supernatural conditioning.

 

RICHARDS' RETURN: Brad Richards was a third-round pick by the Lightning in 1998, and the durable forward was a fixture in their lineup from 2000 until 2008. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2004 while leading Tampa Bay to the Stanley Cup title, scoring 26 points in 23 playoff games. He was traded to Dallas and went to the New York Rangers until he washed up last summer in Chicago, where he promptly resurrected his flagging career as a two-way forward. He is an important part of the Blackhawks' lineup heading back to Florida, and Richards also carries an 8-0 career record in Game 7, if it comes to that. "(Richards) got a little quicker as the season progressed, a little more jump in his stride," Quenneville said. "Noticeable as we got further in the playoffs, as well."

 

GOALIE CHALLENGE: Corey Crawford backstopped Chicago to the 2013 Stanley Cup, but he also got pulled from the lineup during the first round of this postseason. Tampa Bay's Ben Bishop has already played 20 games in the postseason, and his last five against the Rangers were either shutouts (two at Madison Square Garden) or five-goal disappointments (3). We'll soon know whether Crawford's experience trumps the 6-foot-7 Bishop's unusual matchup qualities.

 

Blackhawks' Patrick Kane: 'We haven’t done anything yet'.

 

By Tracey Myers

 

Jonathan Toews #19 celebrates with Patrick Kane #88 after Toews scores in the first period against the Anaheim Ducks in Game Seven of the Western Conference Finals during the 2015 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Honda Center on May 30, 2015 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

The Blackhawks’ recognition of their Western Conference Final victory was jovial but not overly celebratory.

It wasn’t so much a case of been here, done that. The appreciation was certainly there. At the same time, there was a realization: another Western Conference title, this one claimed with their 5-3 victory over the Anaheim Ducks in Game 7 on Saturday night, is great. But the Blackhawks aren’t here for conference crowns.

“We haven’t done anything yet,” said Patrick Kane of the Blackhawks, who will head to their third Stanley Cup Final in the past six seasons. “It’s a great step, especially from where we were last year. We were in this position last year, we didn’t get the job done and then we have another opportunity a year later. For that to come about, I think everyone just wanted to take advantage of the opportunity and not have the same feeling we had last year. We put ourselves in a position to start a new series. It’s going to be a fun one.”

That series, against the Tampa Bay Lightning, begins on Wednesday at Amalie Arena. The Blackhawks exit a very physical series against the Ducks and will likely enter a very speedy one against the Lightning, who eliminated in the New York Rangers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final on Friday night.

But right now back to the Blackhawks, many of whom talked of the bitter taste they had when they lost to the Los Angeles Kings in last year’s conference final. It left them wanting more and that mindset was evident against the Ducks, especially in the final two-plus games.

“It was a tough thing to visit, a real negative moment and a real hard thing to accomplish,” coach Joel Quenneville said of last spring. “Getting that far, it’s an amazing journey, a tough battle; there’s a lot of tough ones. Then you have to get ready in training camp and think, ‘Wow, you know how long it is to get to where we got?’ It’s an eternity. Commend the guys’ perseverance, finding different ways [through] different challenges.”

Some of those challenges happened during the regular season. Down the stretch, the Blackhawks weren’t playing their best hockey. They lost four in a row and were struggling to score. But as Toews said on Saturday night, the Blackhawks didn’t have to be the best team in the Western Conference. They needed to get into the postseason and go from there.

“We never really stopped believing in ourselves,” Patrick Sharp added. “We were hearing a lot of things about our team in the regular season. Seems like we put things back together at the right time and we're back in the finals with this group. We know what we have in this room, we believe in each other, we believe in the organization and it really doesn’t matter what other people say.”

The Blackhawks weren’t happy with how things ended last year. They cleared that conference-final hurdle but they’re not satisfied with just that, either. They appreciate what they’ve done thus far but they won’t be completely content until they get another Cup.

“It’s a great feeling to close out a series against a team like that and give ourselves a chance to go back to the Stanley Cup Final,” Toews said. “We’ll enjoy that [Saturday night], enjoy this win. But it won’t be long before we move on and be ready for the next task.”

Blackhawks cruise past Ducks 5-3, headed to Stanley Cup Final.

By Tracey Myers

Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews, left, and goalie Corey Crawford celebrate their win the Western Conference final during the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs in Anaheim, Calif. (Photo: Mark J. Terrill, AP)

There’s a belief system that’s been instilled in the Blackhawks’ core for some time now.

It’s the belief they’ll find a way to get through different situations, whether they’re down in a game or, in the case of the Western Conference Final, down in a series entering Game 6.

Couple that belief system with the appropriate drive and talent, and you have a team heading to the Stanley Cup Final for the third time in the past six seasons.

Jonathan Toews scored twice and Patrick Kane had three assists as the Blackhawks beat the Anaheim Ducks, 5-3, in Game 7 of the Western Conference Final on Saturday night. The Blackhawks will play Eastern Conference champion Tampa Bay beginning on Wednesday night.

Brandon Saad, Marian Hossa and Brent Seabrook also scored for the Blackhawks. Duncan Keith had two assists, and Corey Crawford stopped 35 of 38 shots for the victory.

For the Blackhawks, who are making this Stanley Cup trip for the third time since 2010, this series brought plenty of challenges. The Ducks were physical, determined to knock the Blackhawks off their game and through the boards, if need be. If that physicality took a toll on the Blackhawks, they weren’t showing it much. Two question marks remain: Bryan Bickell didn’t play past the early part of the second period, and Marcus Kruger — who took a big hit later — didn’t play over the final six minutes of regulation. Both remained on the bench, and coach Joel Quenneville said both “should be fine.”

As for the Blackhawks in general, they couldn’t have gotten off to a better start. Toews was the catalyst, scoring twice in the first period, his first giving the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead just 2:23 into the game. Toews’ power-play goal, which he scored about 10 minutes later, gave the Blackhawks a 2-0 lead and quieted the Honda Center.

“I don't know if one particular person made a difference. I think we played a good team game,” Seabrook said. “We came out of the gates hard. We wanted to play well to start the game. We knew how well they can start in this building, like (in) Game 5, so we wanted to come out and establish our game early.”

It didn’t dissipate in the second period. An odd bounce off the boards went right to Kane, who found a wide-open Saad, who found a wide-open net, for a 3-0 lead.

“That’s one of them, for sure,” said Saad, when asked if that was one of the easier goals of his career. “Being able to play with (Kane), there (have) been multiple times when things like that happen, but what a great pass backdoor.”

Hossa’s goal put the Blackhawks up 4-0 before Ryan Kesler scored late in the second period and Corey Perry scored midway through the third to make it 4-2. But Seabrook, who has come through with some big goals of his own this postseason, got his sixth of the playoffs to give the Blackhawks a 5-2 lead.

The Blackhawks got big performances throughout this series, from Keith’s ability to play nonstop (seemingly), to Toews scoring the last two goals in the Honda Center in Game 5 and the first two in Game 7 to Saad reminding everyone he’s going to get paid quite handsomely this offseason.

Now the young, fast, upstart Lightning wait. The Blackhawks will savor this for a day before focusing on Tampa Bay. The task isn’t complete yet for the Blackhawks, but once again, they’ve found a way to get where they want to be.

“We got ourselves to a seventh game, and we always say anything can happen,” Toews said. “Tonight we came out flying as a team and had contributions offensively across the board. I’d say it was our best game of the series, continuing with the pressure knowing they were going to respond as well.”

Just Another Chicago Bulls Session… Report: Fred Hoiberg already has a five-year deal in place to become Bulls next coach.

By Brett Pollakoff

Fred Hoiberg (Photo/Getty Images)

When the Bulls formally announced the firing of Tom Thibodeau from the head coaching position, the front office claimed that they would “begin the process” of searching for a replacement the moment the press conference was finished.

“We’ll be looking for someone who’s a leader, who has great communication skills, who’s got an excellent knowledge of the game of basketball, someone that’s an open and creative learner,” Bulls GM Gar Forman said. “We’re not going to address specific names today. There won’t be updates. We’ll begin that process here tonight and into the weekend.”

As it turns out, they had a candidate in mind all along, so those statements were disingenuous, at best.

From Frank Isola of the New York Daily News:

According to a source, Iowa State’s Fred Hoiberg already has a deal in place to become the Bulls’ next head coach. The parameters of the deal were discussed while Thibodeau was still employed by the Bulls. 

Hoiberg’s deal is believed to be in the $25 million range over five years. Hoiberg, who recently needed a second heart surgery, is merely waiting to be cleared by doctors before officially accepting the job.

The ties between Forman and Hoiberg go back several years.

From K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune:

It’s not like Bulls management and ownership don’t know Hoiberg, 42, well. He spent four seasons with the Bulls (1999-2003), played at Iowa State when general manager Gar Forman was an assistant to Tim Floyd his senior season and has guided his alma mater’s return to prominence with the front office scouting his teams — and him — along the way. 

Forman even purchased Hoiberg’s home when Hoiberg left the Bulls to play for the Timberwolves.

Look, it’s fine for Forman to run the Bulls how he sees fit, and for the organization to make decisions that it believes are best for the long-term health of the franchise.

But can we not pretend like this was a wide-open candidacy?

Thibodeau wasn’t well-liked by his bosses, which was ultimately the reason for his demise. No one knows yet whether or not Hoiberg can be successful coaching at the NBA level, but if nothing else, he comes into the job with the likability piece already firmly in place.

Pau Gasol comments on Bulls letting go of Tom Thibodeau.

#BULLSTALK

Pau Gasol shared his thoughts Sunday on the Bulls letting go of Tom Thibodeau on his blog.

In his only season with Thibodeau, Gasol averaged 18.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks, which helped him earn his fifth All-Star appearance.

Here's what the Bulls big man had to say about his former coach, which was translated by the Chicago Tribune.

"Coach Thibodeau, (I) want to thank your trust and support this season," Gasol wrote. "I am sure that his departure was a very difficult decision for the organization of the Bulls, but I am convinced that they have a solid plan for the success of the franchise. We all have high expectations for the coming season and will do anything to bring the ring to Chicago. Go Bulls!" 

Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!! Dumping Ray McDonald has Bears mulling their options on defensive line.

By Brad Biggs

Now that the Bears have weathered the Ray McDonald storm, they must sort out a defensive line in flux.

In the transition to a 3-4 defense under coach John Fox and coordinator Vic Fangio, there might have been two players in the front seven with established starting positions: free-agent addition Pernell McPhee at outside linebacker and McDonald at left end.

McDonald's familiarity with the scheme, having played for Fangio with the 49ers, and his record as a durable performer led the Bears to take the risk of signing a player with multiple police run-ins in the past year. It backfired.

The good thing is the team has two more weeks of organized team activities plus minicamp and training camp to solve the puzzle. General manager Ryan Pace's second-round selection of defensive tackle Eddie Goldman, a projected first-rounder by some, is looking better and better. The 6-foot-4, 336-pound Goldman not only has immense upside, but also has the skill to contribute soon.

But Goldman has a lot of work to do to prove he's ready to step in as a Week 1 starter. A true look at the options in the trenches won't materialize until the pads go on in Bourbonnais.

"Right now we're trying to figure out where everybody fits in the mix," defensive line coach Jay Rodgers said. "You want to have your best five, six, seven guys and then how they fit because there's a lot of crossover between noses and ends. When you get into a game-day situation and people start getting a shoelace untied, you better have somebody else to put in."

Jeremiah Ratliff is the most experienced player on the line and was a four-time Pro Bowl selection as a 3-4 nose tackle for the Cowboys. In a perfect scenario with Goldman emerging, he was going to be asked to play end as well. Now he might be the first choice to fill the left end spot vacated when McDonald's contract was terminated.

"I am whatever they need me to be," Ratliff said Wednesday after the first OTA. "We play everywhere a little bit. It really doesn't matter if you play nose or end."

He said the scheme reminds him some of Wade Phillips' defense, featuring "a little bit of movement." Getting Ratliff up to speed outside will probably be one of the easier tasks. More challenging will be determining how the others fit.

There is Jarvis Jenkins, who started 33 games at end over the previous three seasons with the Redskins. Then there are Ego Ferguson and Will Sutton, the Bears' second- and third-round picks in 2014.

Ferguson figures to get a look at nose tackle and end. At 6 feet, 303 pounds, Sutton lacks the height and arm length necessary to play end. Brandon Dunn, an undrafted free agent a year ago, is also in the mix.

It's a new defense with new terminology, but the assignments won't be drastically different for the young players.

"As far as what we're asking them to do, very similar," Rodgers said. "What we're asking them to do is be tough, be rugged, knock people around and make plays on the ball."

The Bears must be stout up front in their base scheme to improve upon last year, when they allowed 112.7 rushing yards per game, 17th in the NFL. The development of Goldman is paramount because if he can get on the field early, it will allow Ratliff to plug McDonald's spot. The Bears haven't had a second-round pick make an impact as a rookie since running back Matt Forte in 2008.

"(Goldman) is a monster," Ratliff said. "He'll probably only get stronger and a little bigger. He is going to play in this league a long time." 

Another key will be keeping Ratliff healthy. He turns 34 in August and played in 11 games in 2014, appearing in 44.2 percent of the defensive snaps, after totaling 11 games in 2012 and 2013.

"He's obviously a savvy veteran," Rodgers said. "Has a lot of football left in him."

One other possibility could be bulking up Lamarr Houston to play end. But he has yet to be cleared to return from a torn ACL suffered in late October, and the initial plan was to try him at outside linebacker.

Players have already moved on from the fallout from McDonald's brief tenure.

"I'm not commenting on that," Ratliff said.

Work remains, but there appear to be ample options.

Cubs proving they have the right kind of fight.

By JJ Stankevitz

The Cubs may not have proved themselves to be playoff contenders yet, not with a team four games over .500 that’s still prone to mistakes.

But in playing close games against established contenders in Washington and Kansas City over the last week at Wrigley Field, they’ve proved something else — at least to themselves.

“Listen man, you have to love the fight,” manager Joe Maddon said after David Ross’ 11th inning walk-off bloop single earned the Cubs a 2-1 win over Kansas City Sunday. “If you’re standing or sitting in the captain’s chair and you have a bunch of guys who can fight like that, what else could you possibly want? We’re not going to be perfect every night, we’re going to mistakes, of course we are. But if you have that kind of fight, I’ll take it.”

The Cubs won two of those five games against the Nationals and Royals, but weren’t blown out in any of them. A 3-0 loss on May 27 to Washington was largely the doing of Max Scherzer’s mastery, while a four-run loss to Kansas City on Friday was close until Dexter Fowler misjudged a soft line drive in the eighth. And even in that loss Friday, the Cubs battled back from an early deficit and tied things up when Addison Russell homered off lights-out Royals righty Kelvin Herrera.

Maddon characterized the homestead as “not bad,” and it’s worth repeating the Cubs still lost more games than they won on it. But through two months, the Cubs have already played in 24 one-run games, more than any team in baseball.

And in those games, despite an often-suspect defense and inconsistent bullpen, the Cubs are 14-10. That’s helped grow the kind of mentality that the club hopes pays off as the pressure builds over the summer.

“Everyone’s believing more,” first baseman Anthony Rizzo said. “It’s nice. We stayed afloat through April and May, and now we can really take off and that’s what we want to do.”

On Sunday, the Cubs fell behind 1-0 and had to find a way to scratch across a run as Yordano Ventura’s 100 mile per hour fastball and electric arsenal of off-speed pitches cleaved through the batting order. But after a seemingly-innocuous one-out walk and a wild pitch in the seventh, Chris Coghlan — who had three of the Cubs’ four hits off Ventura — laced a game-tying single to left.

The Cubs were poised to break through in the ninth inning off Royals reliever Wade Davis, who hadn’t allowed a run all season. But with runners on the corners and one out, David Ross was unable to successfully lay down a safety squeeze, instead bunting into an out at first and ultimately stranding Rizzo at third as the game careened into extra innings.

But Ross came back in the 11th and blooped a Jason Frasor changeup between left fielder Alex Gordon and shortstop Alcides Escobar in left for a walk-off single.

“Luckily I drove that ball in the gap right there at the end,” Ross smiled.

“… This was a tough home stand as far as playing really good competition and I thought we were in every game,” he said. “We believe we have a good team here, guys have a lot of confidence and they don’t give up. That’s the one thing about this team that has been really great to see these guys compete night in and night out.”

While Maddon said after the Cubs’ loss Friday his team wasn’t ready to compete for a World Series — as the Royals did in 2014 — he has seen the kind of signs from his players that make him believe they could get to that point this season. The Cubs aren’t where they need to be in terms of the concepts Maddon wants them to have nailed down, but what he sees his team have team has is that nebulous fighting spirit that any playoff contender ultimately needs.

“Once you get that engrained in the fabric of your culture, all of a sudden it can become the fabric of the day,” Maddon said. “Obviously Kansas City has that, Tampa Bay had it, I believe we got it. It’s there to be nurtured. It’s right there.”

John Danks' shutout propels White Sox to 6-0 victory.

By Dan Hayes

It won’t always work this way for John Danks, but it looks pretty spectacular when it does.

With a Sunday game plan that called for keeping the ball down, throwing strikes and utilizing his defense, Danks accomplished something no White Sox pitcher has done in 41-plus years when he pitched a complete-game shutout despite giving up at least 10 hits.

Backed by a strong defensive effort, Danks became the first White Sox pitcher since Stan Bahnsen on June 21, 1973, to complete the feat as the left-hander led the White Sox to a 6-0 victory over the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park.

Danks, who made his longest start in 53 weeks, also became the club’s first pitcher since Chris Sale on May 12, 2013, to throw a complete-game shutout as the White Sox evened their record on the road trip at 4-4. The White Sox, who went 9-9 in 18 games played over 17 straight days, are off Monday.

“That’s how you draw it up,” said catcher Tyler Flowers, one of five White Sox hitters to drive in a run. “We got ahead of the majority of guys, executed some pitches, two out of the first three for strikes, put the pressure on them to put something in play.

Towards the later innings (Danks) started leaving some pitches up ... kind of hurt us a little bit. But we did a good job getting out of jams.”

Danks didn’t shy away from contact against a team that leads the major leagues with 68 home runs.

He induced three double-play balls and got 13 outs on the ground, including the final two with the shutout on the line.

White Sox manager Robin Ventura briefly visited Danks with one out in the ninth to give him a breather after a one-out double by Evan Gattis and a Chris Carter walk. Two pitches later, Danks got Luis Valbuena to swing at a 0-1 cutter that resulted in a nicely turned 4-3 double play by Carlos Sanchez.

Sanchez also stabbed a Jose Altuve liner with the bases loaded and one out in the third inning to start a 4-6-3 double play that ended with a spectacular diving stop by first baseman Adam LaRoche. And Gordon Beckham, who made three great plays at third, started a 5-4-3 double play off Gattis’ bat to end the sixth.

“I feel like I didn’t give in at any point,” Danks said. “I was able to throw pitches for strikes any time. Kept the ball in the ballpark. That’s a big thing for me this season: walks and home runs. Limited both, and it worked out.”  
   
Danks also had some good fortune, too.

With his team trailing 4-0 and no outs in the fifth, Houston’s Jonathan Villar tripled over Adam Eaton, who broke in, only to be thrown out at home trying to stretch it into an inside-the-park-home run. In the seventh, Villar overran third as Sanchez kept Jason Castro’s single from leaving the infield, which led to an inning-ending rundown.

“We played good defense today behind him,” Ventura said. “You get (Beckham) over there, and we have a little more range when he’s over there, and even Sanchy, some of the plays. We turned a double play with the bases loaded. Rochie over there with the nice pick, keeping his foot on the bag. That’s just limiting the other team to do that.”

All of it added up to a much-needed victory for Danks, who has recently struggled. After a pair of strong starts earlier this month, Danks had allowed 11 earned runs in his last 10 1/3 innings. The victory in front of 15 to 20 friends and family members is also the first for Danks in five starts against the Astros. It also marked Danks’ first shutout since Aug. 27, 2011.  
   
A Jose Abreu-less offense put him in good position to beat Houston.

Flowers’ two-out RBI single in the second put the White Sox ahead for good. Conor Gillaspie singled in two in the third inning, and Alexei Ramirez made it 4-0 with an RBI fielder’s choice.

Sanchez had a two-out RBI single in the sixth, and LaRoche homered in the seventh inning.

“I’ve been saying for the last five days that I need a good one,” Danks said. “It’s just the last couple I’ve struggled. Hopefully, this will jumpstart a nice little run. That’s the goal every time out. Go as deep as possible and give us a chance to win. These guys scored plenty of runs, enough to kind of let us relax.”

Golf: I got a club for that: Wedding bells turn to victory bell for Bowditch at PGA Byron Nelson.

AFP

Steven Bowditch of Australia and his wife Amanda pose with the trophy after his four-stroke victory at the AT&T Byron Nelson, at the TPC Four Seasons Resort Las Colinas, in Irving, Texas, on May 31, 2015 (AFP Photo/Tom Pennington)

Steven Bowditch cruised to a four-shot win at the Byron Nelson Championship by closing with a 64 at Las Colinas, the same resort where he celebrated his wedding in 2011.

The 31-year-old Aussie on Sunday distanced himself from the rest of the field by posting four birdies on the back nine in the final round to go wire-to-wire and finish at 18-under 259 overall.

This was his second win on the USPGA Tour, and his second victory in the state of Texas after claiming the Texas Open in San Antonio in 2014.

"We took some wedding pictures here at TPC so it is a special place and I get to take some more pictures here," said Bowditch, who was married at the Dallas area golf resort in 2011.

Americans Charley Hoffman (65), Jimmy Walker (66) and Scott Pinckney (66) shared second place at 14-under. Both Hoffman and Walker tried to catch Bowditch but Walker posted two bogeys early on the back nine and Hoffman simply ran out of steam.

Bowditch started the day with a two-stroke lead. He birdied the first hole and parred the last to seal the win.

"It was great to be patient out there and wait for my time. I had to go shot-for-shot," he said.

Bowditch's struggles over the years with severe depression has been well documented. The Newcastle native is an avid spokesman for beyondblue, an Australian non-profit group that promotes awareness of mental illness and depression.

But two of his happiest moments have taken place on the TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas grounds where he posed for wedding pictures with his wife, Amanda, in September 2011.

"It's such a special place to me and I just wanted to stay patient out there," Bowditch said.

Zach Johnson fired a six-under 63 to seize fifth place at 13-under-par 264. Brandt Snedeker (64) and Jon Curran (68) tied for sixth at 12-under.

Dustin Johnson grabbed a share of the lead with a pair of early birdies, but he stumbled to a quadruple-bogey at the sixth which dropped him four back.

Johnson closed with an even-par 69 to end in a share of eighth at 11-under-par 266. He was joined there by 2012 champion Jason Dufner (66).

Husband, wife make consecutive aces on the same hole.

By Ryan Ballengee

Tony Blundy had just made a hole-in-one on the 16th hole at Ledge Meadows Golf Course in Grand Ledge, Mich.

Naturally, his wife, Janet, was happy about her husband's first-ever ace. However, the celebration had to be short-lived, as Janet still had to play.

"You're gonna be really mad at me when I put mine in," Janet said to Tony as she walked up to the forward tee box.

She did, but he wasn't. 

That's right, at the par-3 16th, Tony, 53, first sank his 135-yard shot with a 7-iron. Then, right after his hole-in-one, Janet, 43, did the same thing with a pitching wedge from 110 yards a tee box forward. The two were playing by themselves, but the commotion they raised -- and deservedly so -- at their feat attracted a couple of players from another hole to verify what they had just done. 

So what are the odds of something this outrageous happening? The National Hole-in-One Association once calculated that the odds of two people in a foursome making an ace on same hole was in the range of 26 million-to-1. However, when contacted by the Lansing State Journal, the association said the odds would easily be double for a twosome.

In other words, it's a good thing the Blundys had some witnesses.

"If nobody would have been around, nobody would ever believe us," Tony Blundy said. "We've been laughing about it every time we think about it. It's so unbelievable that it could happen."

NASCAR: Jimmie Johnson gets his 10th Dover win.

By Nick Bromberg

Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe's Pro Services Chevrolet, is cheered by his team while celebrating with a burnout after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks at Dover International Speedway on May 31, 2015 in Dover, Delaware. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

Jimmie Johnson now has 10 wins at Dover and the latest came with a familiar strategy.

Much like he did at Kansas earlier in May, Johnson opted for track position instead of tires during a late-race caution. He subsequently took the lead and held on through two more restarts for the win.

Until he took the lead on lap 384, Johnson wasn't having a bad day unless you judge him by his Dover standards. After staying out when Kyle Busch and Brian Scott crashed, he restarted second next to Kevin Harvick. He took the lead from Harvick immediately after the restart and no one really came close to catching Johnson the rest of the way.

"Gosh, just driving hard, working that track bar adjuster as much as I could," Johnson said of how he got the win by staying out. "Trying to be smart with my line and I guess guys with two tires weren't all that fast. Chad said something to me about that on the radio and they never really came. [Harvick] and I did just fine on our old tires and held those guys off."

Harvick had the best chance on a green-white-checkered restart after a crash involving Casey Mears and AJ Allmendinger. He stormed to the outside but wasn't able to get alongside Johnson exiting turn two on the penultimate lap. Johnson cleared him and cruised the rest of the way.

"Restarts were bad," Harvick, who was leading before the caution came out for Busch and Scott, said. "We just struggled with really, really tight on restarts. We didn't need to see the caution."

The win makes Johnson just the fifth driver to have 10 or more wins at a track. The other four are Richard Petty (Daytona, Martinsville, North Wilkesboro, Richmond, Rockingham), Darrell Waltrip (Bristol, North Wilkesboro, Martinsville), Dale Earnhardt (Talladega) and David Pearson (Darlington). Johnson's first career win at Dover came in 2002 and Martin Truex Jr. once again had one of the race's fastest cars but late-race strategy didn't play into his hands. While Johnson and Harvick stayed out during the caution for the Busch-Scott crash, Truex took two tires and restarted in the second row. He never challenged for the lead (thanks to a well-timed block by Kasey Kahne on the last restart) and finished sixth.

Pole-sitter Denny Hamlin was also fast, but he was involved in the next-to-last caution flag. He spun off the bumper of Clint Bowyer on the backstretch and clipped Kurt Busch before slamming head-on into a, you guessed it, outside backstretch wall that wasn't covered in SAFER barrier. Thankfully the impact wasn't incredibly severe and Hamlin drove his car to pit road.

Johnson now leads the series with four wins in 2015. Harvick, with two, is the only other driver to have multiple victories.

Council of drivers, including Denny Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. meet with NASCAR.

By Dustin Long

In a first of its kind, NASCAR met with a group of Sprint Cup drivers for about two hours Saturday night, discussing safety, competition, attendance and more.

Denny Hamlin, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Kevin Harvick confirmed they were among about eight drivers in the meeting, which was held in the Kent Room at the Dover Downs Hotel & Casino. It marked the first time that a council of drivers – selected by their peers – had met with NASCAR in such a formal setting.

“The drivers got together and organized a vote and all the drivers voted for the guys they wanted on this council,’’ Earnhardt said before Sunday’s race at Dover International Speedway. “ NASCAR asked us to do that so we could get together and just have a better ability to communicate. It’s just a better way to have discussions.

A source told NBC Sports that NASCAR was represented by Mike Helton, vice chairman, and Steve O’Donnell, executive vice president and chief racing development officer, and Steve Phelps, executive vice president and chief marketing officer.

“The drivers, we always talk amongst ourselves anyway, but having that open line of communication to NASCAR has never been this open before,’’ Hamlin said before Sunday’s race at Dover International Speedway. “You look around the room and you’re like, ‘Wow, this is a monumental time to where you’ve got the powers that be and some of the greatest drivers talking about how we can make this sport better.’’

“The first process to making our sport better is to have open dialogue. You’ve got to get all the ideas out there as to what could make our sport better and safer.’’

The meeting comes after a recent spat of complaints from drivers about the rules and racing.

“Everybody wants the same thing,’’ Earnhardt said. “We’re just trying to work together. There’s better dialogue and communication that way. They tell us why they make the decisions they make and we can understand why they make them when we’re sitting with them talking to them.’’

So what was discussed?

“There was talk of competition,” Earnhardt said. “What we think about the new package and the direction that they want to go and what we’re doing with tires and testing.”

NASCAR recently came out with a rules update eliminating the 2016 tire testing at all Goodyear tire tests until October.

Hamlin said safety was a big topic discussed.

“We talked about a lot of safety issues we want to see changed at various racetracks,” Hamlin said. “We went racetrack by racetrack, and I feel like we’re going to make our sport better.”

When mentioning attendance Earnhardt said it was discussed “anything drivers can do to do things better to help the sport.”

NASCAR did not offer details of the meeting.

Brett Jewkes, NASCAR senior vice president and chief communications officer, issued a statement:

“NASCAR meets with drivers frequently on a wide range of topics. As part of our ongoing commitment to foster dialogue between all stakeholders, we’ve met formally with drivers on several occasions this season, including here at Dover.  We’ll meet with them again later in the season as normal course of business. The meetings have been productive and we find the dialogue very valuable.”

Hamlin said he’s unsure how often the group will meet but expected it would be “at least a few times a year.’’

Fire crush 10-man Impact, remain unbeaten against Eastern Conference.

By Danny Michallik

As the rain pummeled Toyota Park on Saturday night, the Fire produced a laudable home performance in front of a mettlesome crowd of 15,256.

Behind an upper-90 strike from Harry Shipp in the 13th minute, a Jeff Larentowicz penalty kick on the stroke of halftime and Kennedy Igboananike’s first Fire goal, the Men in Red cogently beat 10-man Montreal Impact, 3-0, to grab their fourth win of the season.

“From our side of things, a very good home win,” head coach Frank Yallop said in his post-match press conference. “It’s always good to get three points out of a game like this when we dominated the match. I thought we just did a good job of everything tonight — the spirit, the will to win."

The onslaught was catalyzed early on as David Accam’s speed set the tempo. The designated player took matters into his own hands and ran at a rickety Impact back four, forcing converted right back and captain Nigel Reo-Coker into a mistimed tackle and a third-minute yellow card from referee Allen Chapman to match it.

With Joevin Jones’s tenacious running from his left back position causing problems early on, the Trinidadian joined Kennedy Igboananike, Accam and Shipp in the attack as the Impact were left chasing shadows.

“I was going to throw a lifejacket over to the left side in the first half,” Yallop said. “It was really wet, and the water was spraying up (from the grass).

“I think JJ has been excellent. David is electric; he’s still got a little bit of an ankle problem and his hamstrings are a bit tight, that’s the reason I took him out to rest him for Wednesday. They’ve got a good combination between them." 

The Fire, who did well to keep Montreal’s attack at bay, applied relentless pressure that eventually paid off. In the 13th minute, Igboananike stripped former Fire defender Bakary Soumare and threaded a ball into the path of an onrushing Shipp, who buried a left-footed effort into the upper-90 to give Yallop’s side a deserved advantage.

In the 37th minute, the Impact were reduced to 10 men following a pair of late tackles from Impact midfielder Marco Donadel on Eric Gehrig and rookie Matt Polster, both of which were deemed bookable offenses.

The Impact’s defensive lapses were compounded a minute before halftime, with Soumare at fault once more. The Malian took Accam’s legs out in the penalty area, leaving Chapman no choice but to award a spot kick. Another coolly dispatched Larentowicz effort gave the Men in Red a favorable halftime lead.

After emerging from the break following a one-sided first half, the second half was a much more muffled affair as Frank Klopas’ outfit looked to quell the damage sustained in the opening 45 minutes.

That damage was only made worse as a knifing through ball from Razvan Cocis to a galloping Igboananike left the Nigerian through on goal with only ‘keeper Evan Bush to beat. A collected finish, however, put the icing on top of the cake on an impeccable home showing.

The victory moved the Fire up to eighth place in the Eastern Conference on 14 points, a vital step as the Men in Red turn the page and look forward to a midweek fixture against D.C. United.

Chicago Fire Starting XI (subs)

(4-2-3-1): Jon Busch; Eric Gehrig, Jeff Larentowicz (C), Adailton, Joevin Jones; Matt Polster (Guly do Prado, 80'), Razvan Cocis; Harry Shipp, Shaun Maloney, David Accam (Quincy Amarikwa, 66'); Kennedy Igboananike (Jason Johnson, 75').

Klinsmann names United States' 22-man roster for friendlies vs. Netherlands, Germany.

By Duncan Day

Leading up to friendlies against the Netherlands and 2014 World Cup winner Germany, United States head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has named the national team’s 22-man roster.

The former Bayern Munich striker had to go without the prominent trio of Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey and Alejandro Bedoya.

Altidore is nursing a hamstring injury that will keep him out of MLS play for weeks, and Bedoya  is treating a knee problem picked up near the end of his season with French club Nantes.

Dempsey is prepping for the birth of his fourth child.

Other notable absences include midfielder Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City–MLS), defenders Geoff Cameron (Stoke City–Premier League), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City) and Omar Gonzalez (L.A. Galaxy–MLS).

Young players such as the New England Revolution’s Juan Agudelo and LA Galaxy forward Gyasi Zardes will have the opportunity to present their talents known prior to the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup starting on July 7.

Meanwhile, World Cup standout Jermaine Jones and Aston Villa goalkeeper Brad Guzan are back in the mix.

“Our time since the World Cup has been a transition period which now winds down before the Gold Cup,” said Klinsmann in a statement from U.S. soccer.

“Playing against top teams like Germany and the Netherlands provides valuable experience, especially for the younger players here. More and more they must understand we come to meet these opponents eye to eye…..It’s a bit tricky when we are without some of our core players, but that creates a huge opportunity for the guys here to benchmark themselves against some of the best players in the world. ”

The Stars and Stripes will take on Oranje this Friday in Amsterdam and Germany on June 10 in Cologne.

Roster below:

Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake), William Yarbrough (Leon).

Defenders: Ventura Alvarado (Club America), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders), Michael Orozco (Puebla), Brek Shea (Orlando City), DeAndre Yedlin (Tottenham Hotspur).

Midfielders: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Mix Diskerud (New York City FC), Miguel Ibarra (Minnesota United), Fabian Johnson (Moenchengladbach), Jermaine Jones (New England Revolution), Alfredo Morales (Ingolstadt), Danny Williams (Reading).

Forwards: Juan Agudelo (New England Revolution), Aron Johannsson (AZ Alkmaar), Bobby Wood (1860 Munich), Gyasi Zardes (Los Angeles Galaxy).

SOCCER: What would happen if Western powers boycotted World Cup?

By RONALD BLUM

FIFA President Sepp Blatter speaks during a news conference following the FIFA Executive Committee meeting in Zurich, Switzerland, on Saturday, May 30, 2015. (Ennio Leanza/Keystone via AP)

What would happen if Sepp Blatter hosts a World Cup and most of Europe, several South American powers and the United States don't show up?

Blatter was voted to a fifth term as FIFA president on Friday, but the governing bodies of soccer's wealthiest region, the world's biggest economy and several nations in soccer-crazed South America opposed him following a string of scandals.

As the 79-year-old was celebrating defeating Jordan's Prince Ali bin al-Hussein 133-73 for another four-year term, his opposition was figuring out how to pressure him for change.

The Union of European Football Associations could threaten what's become known as soccer's nuclear option: prominent nations breaking away and holding their own tournament, call it a Clean Cup. At FIFA's World Cup qualifying draw on July 25 in St. Petersburg, Russia, there could be scores of empty seats in the Constantine Palace.

"Blatter's supporters are Vladimir Putin, the invader; the Qatari government and their supposed slave employees to build the facilities; and about 80 or 90 tiny countries that he has given each one a vote and a ton of money to," said Marc Ganis, president of Chicago-based consulting firm SportsCorp.

"He needs to be careful not to overplay his hand," Ganis said. "He was given an opportunity to do what he said, which is reform FIFA. If he uses that opportunity to extract retribution against those who are opposed to him, he's setting up a confrontation that if it goes all the way to the end, he can't win. He's never demonstrated that level of ignorance, so I don't expect that he will do so."

With a one-nation, one-vote system, Blatter has support of a majority of FIFA's 209 nations. But most of the world's best clubs, the strongest economies and the most lucrative television audiences are in countries that want Blatter out.

FIFA's $5.72 billion in revenue from 2011-14 included $4.83 billion from last year's World Cup in Brazil — of which $2.43 billion was generated by television rights sales, $1.58 billion from marketing agreements and $527 million in tickets.

The majority of FIFA's money came from deals in Europe and the United States, where governments — other than Russia — are pressing for reform.

Visa has threatened to "reassess our sponsorship" if changes are not made. The Coca-Cola Co. expressed concern, saying the controversy "tarnished the mission and ideals" of the World Cup.

"They do have tremendous leverage, but it remains to be seen whether they have legal grounds to abrogate their deals," said former CBS Sports President Neal Pilson, who runs a media consulting firm.

UEFA President Michel Platini, the former French national team star, did not applaud Blatter after the election. He said before the vote UEFA would be "open to all options" if Blatter gained re-election, and UEFA will meet in Berlin ahead of the Champions League final on June 6.

Europe supplies 13 of the 32 teams for the World Cup (plus Russia as the host in 2018), and UEFA holds eight of the 25 voting seats on FIFA's executive committee. Blatter said after his victory that FIFA "must have a better representation of the confederations and the number of members" on the executive committee. "We need more respect for the Oceanian confederation," he added.

"The Solomon Islands are going to have a spot? But Germany, nah, not so much?" Ganis said. "Sepp Blatter can get 140 votes from the Trinidad and Tobagos of the world, these island nations whose FIFA representative is one of the wealthiest persons on the island in part because he's the FIFA representative. And he'll be able to hold onto power as long as he wants in part because of the voting process."

FIFA could be headed toward an internal fight, much as college sports in the United States went through last year when the NCAA — the body that oversees competition — agreed to give its five biggest conferences greater autonomy.

"FIFA World Cup" is trademarked, but if UEFA boycotts the tournament or breaks away from FIFA, and it is backed by the United States and South America's top powers, the World Cup would be about as interesting as the African Cup of Nations or the Asian Cup.

Blatter downplayed the possibility.

"They need FIFA, and FIFA needs UEFA," he said Saturday.

But would television networks and sponsors pay all that money for an audience to watch 97th-ranked Malawi play No. 99 Qatar?

What if UEFA told European clubs — which have the best players from around the world — to ignore FIFA's regulations and refuse to release players to national teams for World Cup qualifiers?

"This isn't over by any means," England Football Association chairman Greg Dyke said.

NCAAFB: NCAA D-I board chair doesn't want O'Bannon appealed to Supreme Court.

By Jon Solomon

NCAA Division I board of directors chairman Harris Pastides said he is not inclined to have the NCAA try to get the US Supreme Court to hear the Ed O'Bannon case if the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals rules unfavorably against the association. Pastides, president of the University of South Carolina, said that an NCAA committee is currently working on creating new NCAA bylaws allowing football and men's basketball players to be paid if the O'Bannon injunction goes into effect. Depending on the outcome of the NCAA's appeal, schools could begin offering players deferred payments for use of their names, images and likenesses (NILs) beginning Aug. 1. The payments would go into effect in the 2016-17 academic year.

Pastides said he thinks the NCAA made a good case in its appeal and described the O'Bannon decision as a "hybrid ruling" that at least would allow the NCAA to limit how much money could flow to athletes. The NCAA could cap the amount of money for NILs at no less than $5,000 per year.

"My hope would be that we'd get beyond this," Pastides said in an interview with CBSSports.com from the SEC spring meetings. "You ask me if I'd like to see it appealed to the Supreme Court. I'm one member of the board. I'm eager to see us turn the page on that and start working within whatever framework we have to start working in."

Here are excerpts of the interview with Pastides, who in January was elected chair of the NCAA board of directors.

CBSSports.com: Aug. 1 is the date when schools would be allowed to start offering payments to players for use of their names, images and likenesses. Are bylaws being created now if needed?

Pastides: There is a committee that is working on preparing for that eventuality if this rolls forward and we've got to implement it. We'll be prepared. Let me say, $5,000 is not that different from the numbers we're all declaring relative to cost of attendance. Some of us said $2,500, $3,000, $3,500, $4,000. But it's not like (US District Judge Claudia Wilken) said $20,000. It's not like she said $100,000. It's not like big business can come in and pay a hundred grand to one, two, three or 10 or 20 high-profile basketball and football players and say that's the new model. I think her decision, although not exactly what we would have hoped, is somewhere in the middle."

CBSSports.com: Wilken did include cost of attendance in the O'Bannon injunction in addition to the allowance of money for NILs. So is it your understanding that it would be $5,000 plus cost of attendance, or it would be a combination?

Pastides: I thought it would be a combination. I really do. That's why I think (the dollar amount is) not that far away. ... I think her decision would be just a bump up to five grand. But there are details that would have to be figured out. In fairness to us, if it goes through unobstructed by appeal, there would be some clarification. The NCAA would immediately have questions back: What did you mean by that? How does that get adjudicated? Literally, if we wanted to implement that ruling, it's not clear. Just like the questions you had for me."

CBSSports.com: My understanding was the O'Bannon injunction was cost of attendance plus NILs, not a combination.

Pastides: I'm not sure. (Note: Wilken's opinion supports the conclusion that she's saying NILs ands and cost of attendance are two separate numbers. Wilken wrote "the injunction will not preclude the NCAA from implementing rules capping the amount of compensation that may be paid to student athletes while they are enrolled in school; however, the NCAA will not be permitted to set this cap below the cost of attendance, as the term is defined in its current bylaws. The injunction will also prohibit the NCAA from enforcing any rules to prevent its member schools and conferences from offering to deposit a limited share of licensing revenue in trust for their FBS football and Division I basketball recruits, payable when they leave school or their eligibility expires.")

CBSSports.com: Is the Jeffrey Kessler case that seeks a free market for players the biggest lawsuit you're worried about?

Pastides: It's a big one. We of course talk about it. I am hopeful there will be an agreement there of all parties. Of course, the devil's in the details. I understand that the former players say that we were close to implementing something like full cost of attendance several years ago and there was an override. Now the courts are saying you need to do that, so the players want some of that money retroactively. I understand that point of view.

On the other hand, how far back do you go? Do you go to ancient times? That's something we're going to let the lawyers figure out. But we don't want the players and former players to be against us. I know where money is involved it's a contentious thing. But the NCAA can't be seen as anti-player or anti-former player. We don't want that.

CBSSports.com: Do you think there could be a way to create group licensing for athletes?

Pastides: Maybe. I think when you think about a jersey, just to use that as an example, and when there's a very popular player whose name is on the jersey and they're flying like hotcakes but the university's name is on the jersey too, I could see something where that player benefits later on. Maybe a group license is the way to do it.

We also at the NCAA care deeply about the players whose names aren't on the jersey being bought. I'm one of those people who was strongly in favor of cost of attendance sharing more money with the players to help college become more affordable. ... What I'm equally vehement in opposition is that we allow a small number of elite athletes to benefit egregiously because of their talent financially while they're still college students. But if you were to ask me might there be some way where those students who are directly contributing to the financial gain of the university because they are so good, shouldn't they benefit a little more? I think that's something we can continue to work on.

CBSSports.com: Playing devil's advocate, you've got regular students who are actors, musicians, writers and can get paid while being a student in college. When I was in college, I could work at the student newspaper and get paid and also get paid professionally as a freelancer.

Pastides: But you did that on your own.

CBSSports.com: Right. So that's another model that has been suggested. Couldn't you say athletes could receive sponsorship money they're able to obtain from the outside and universities wouldn't be on the hook to directly pay for it?

Pastides: Well, a track and field athlete arguably has that opportunity. But how does that happen for a football player or basketball player who has no value until they become a pro other than they're part of the university team? If the benefits to accrue are moderate, I'm always going to want to talk about it. If the path forward is like remove all control, you know, then I'm not [in favor of it].

I know we have a student [at South Carolina] who used to be a Disney actor and made a lot. We understood it. How could she not have her big payday? But she took a leave of absence, she made money, she put the money in the bank. I don't know how much. She didn't have to tell me how much. The studios paid her money. She comes back to school at the right time. She has ample time to pay her tuition. That's a good story.

It's a little different in athletics when you're playing a team sport. And by the way, I realize that young woman was different than other students. She came back, she was a little bit of a celebrity, just like athletes can be a celebrity. I'm one of those forces in the NCAA who wants to talk about these things. We'll talk about them with Congress, we'll talk about them with business interests. I just think the courts, plaintiffs, defendants, probably are not the best way to get the right thing done.

CBSSports.com: But change probably wouldn't get done without pressure, right?

Pastides: Well, it's the American way. I think people would understand that we can't just cave and roll over and say well, you're applying pressure so here's the treasury. ... Then people say take the money away from the coaches' salaries. But our hands are restricted there because of federal antitrust and you can't restrict competitiveness.

CBSSports.com: To be fair, that's what the players are saying. They're saying they've been restricted and their value is capped at zero after a scholarship.

Pastides: I know, but I would say 90 percent or more of NCAA members -- even the 65 universities in the five autonomy conferences -- are not going to find it easy to find the extra money because you can't divert it from the coaches. The only thing you really can do is either in the best case defer projects that are of value to the university and the players themselves, or increase tuition or take state appropriations away in order to pay the athletes more. There's not a huge treasury that allows us to do that. We're fortunate with the [SEC] Network we have some new income. That's where we're going to get the money.

CBSSports.com: Some members of Congress want to create a presidential commission to examine issues in college sports. Do you think that is going to happen and what do you believe Congress' role should be in college sports?

Pastides: I don't think it's going to happen. I think there will be a constant din. There will probably be a minority of people wanting this anytime there is a flagrant problem [in college sports], because there will be these problems, I'm sure, every year. Congress' role ought to be inquiring, to be interested, to be observant, but not to be managing or legislating because I think we've done very well all these years."   

NCAABKB: Coaches blast new NCAA eligibility standards.

By JON KRAWCZYNSKI

Georgetown coach John Thompson III speaks during a news conference at the NCAA college basketball tournament in Portland, Ore. The National Association For Coaching Equity and Development, a group led by Texas Tech coach Tubby Smith, Georgetown coach John Thompson III and former Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt, issued a statement to The Associated Press on Friday, May 29, 2015, saying it applauds the NCAA's effort to better prepare students for the rigors of college but feels the changes disproportionately target minority and less affluent students. (AP Photo/Don Ryan, File)

A new organization of minority coaches on Friday sharply criticized NCAA eligibility standards set to take effect next year for incoming freshmen, saying they will deny too many athletes the opportunity to go to college.
 

The National Association for Coaching Equity and Development, a group led by Texas Tech coach Tubby Smith, Georgetown coach John Thompson III and former Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt, issued a statement to The Associated Press said the standards disproportionately target minority and less affluent students in ''an unintended consequence beyond acceptability.''

The new rules require high school athletes to have a grade-point average of at least 2.3 in 16 core courses (up from 2.0 in 13 courses). And 10 of those courses must be completed in the first three years of school in order to be eligible to compete as a freshman. Once a student completes a core course in his or her first three years, it cannot be retaken for a better grade.

The NAFCED group said they fear the bar has been raised too high for some athletes hoping to play college sports.

''That dream could be taken away after six semesters in high school,'' Thompson said. ''So for someone that's a late bloomer, someone that the light bulb doesn't go on until later, now it's too late. And just the disproportionate number of minorities that's going to affect, the number of people in general that's going to affect, is not good.''

The changes, coupled with a 2007 rule that allows for only one course from prep school to be applied to an athlete's transcript, could have a major impact on the number of athletes that will be eligible to compete as freshman, especially in the NCAA's two biggest moneymakers: football and men's basketball.

 

A recent NCAA report found that 43 percent of men's college basketball players, 35 percent of football players and 15 percent of Division I athletes overall who were competing as freshmen in 2009-10 would not have qualified under the new standards.
 

''Those are two rules that are basically discouraging kids from trying to rebound from a bad start,'' Hewitt said.

Hewitt was among dozens of minority coaches who gathered in Atlanta last week for NAFCED's first annual meeting. He is among the founders of a group that also includes Thompson, Smith, Texas coach Shaka Smart and California coach Cuonzo Martin. They say they are determined to bring a new voice to issues facing minority athletes and coaches in college, including student welfare and the dwindling numbers of minorities in the NCAA coaching ranks.

The new requirements were put into place during a time when the NCAA and its member schools are wrestling with the notion of amateurism. One of the concerns from some schools is ''alternative admissions,'' where students admitted to college to play sports otherwise would not have gained entrance based on their academic performance from high school.

''Our concern is that we want students to be successful academically and in life,'' Ohio President Roderick McDavis, the chairman of the NCAA's committee on academic performance, told The AP. ''We think if they come to a university or a college better prepared academically as high school students, that this will help them to succeed academically and better in life after college because they will be much better prepared to take on the rigor of a college curriculum.''

 

The new standards were adopted in 2012 but implementation was delayed until 2016 to give students, teachers, counselors and coaches time to adjust, McDavis said.

 

''It was sort of like fair warning that four years down the line, we are going to implement new standards,'' McDavis said. ''It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that we're implementing the standards because that's when we said we were going to do it.''
 

Hewitt and Thompson are among the coaches who believe the new rules unfairly target the young minority athletes that they often recruit, many of whom come from low-income homes and underperforming school systems that lack the resources to properly prepare students for college.
 

''If there's anything we can do to provide a more prepared student as they come to a college campus, we're all in favor of that,'' Hewitt said. ''This is not about reducing standards. This is about, this isn't fair. Why are you telling a kid after his junior year of high school that you are less desirable to get a college scholarship? Or if the light comes on late, why can't I go to prep school?''
 

NAFCED is in its formative stages, only just beginning to amass the numbers needed to become an agent for change. But it aims to replicate the influence the now-defunct Black Coaches Association once had in the days when George Raveling, John Thompson and John Chaney were outspoken crusaders for minority coaches and athletes.
 

''Changes are going to be inevitable, whether it's academic changes or the changes that the NCAA has implemented as far as giving players cost of living (stipends),'' Smith said. ''All those things are for the welfare of the student-athletes. We have to make sure we keep those things in the forefront.''

SEC adopts 'serious misconduct' rule for transfers.

AP - Sports

The Southeastern Conference has adopted a rule prohibiting its schools from enrolling student-athletes with ''serious misconduct'' issues at previous colleges.

Call it the Jonathan Taylor statute.

The league defined serious misconduct as ''sexual assault, domestic violence or other forms of sexual violence.

''No other conference has a similar conduct rule.

Georgia proposed the new legislation in the wake of Taylor's troubles. The Bulldogs dismissed Taylor last July after he was arrested on a charge of felony aggravated assault and family violence. Police said he struck his girlfriend with a closed fist and choked her during an argument at Taylor's dormitory room.

Taylor spent last fall at Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Mississippi and enrolled at Alabama in January, which raised eyebrows. The Tide dismissed him two months later after he was arrested again on domestic violence charges in Tuscaloosa.

92-year-old becomes oldest woman to finish marathon.

AP - Sports

Harriette Thompson, then 91, crosses the finish line in the 2014 Suja Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in San Diego. Thompson is scheduled to compete in the 2015 edition in San Diego on Sunday, May 31, 2015. If she completes the race she would become, at age 92, the oldest woman to ever complete a marathon. (Paul Nestor/Competitor Group via AP)

A 92-year-old cancer survivor rocked her way into the record books Sunday, becoming the oldest woman to finish a marathon.

Harriette Thompson of Charlotte, North Carolina, completed Sunday's Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in San Diego in 7 hours, 24 minutes, 36 seconds. She was mobbed by well-wishers as she crossed the finish line.

''I'm fine, they're really pampering me here,'' Thompson said in a firm, joyful voice as people all around her shouted congratulations.

This was her 16th Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and, by far, the hardest.

''It's always harder but this year has been a bad year for me,'' she said, adding her husband died in January following a lingering illness and she battled a staph infection in one of her legs.

''I couldn't train very well because my husband was very ill and I had to be with him for some time and then when he died in January I had some treatments on my leg,'' she said. ''I was just really thrilled that I could finish today.'' 

The oldest woman to previously complete a marathon was Gladys Burrill, who was 92 years and 19 days old when she completed the 2010 Honolulu Marathon.

Thompson is 92 years, 65 days old, according to race organizers.

Despite her training woes, she nearly matched her finish time of last year, which was 7 hours, 7 minutes, 42 seconds. That set a record for a woman 90 or older, shattering the old one by more than an hour and a half.

A classically trained pianist who played three times at Carnegie Hall, Thompson says she mentally plays old piano pieces she had performed to help her get through the 26 miles, 385 yards.

She didn't begin running marathons until she was in her 70s, after a member of her church approached her about being one of her sponsors in the marathon to raise money to fight leukemia and lymphoma.

''At that time I had lost several people in my family to cancer and I said, 'Oh, maybe I should do that,'' she recalled. ''When I got out there the first year I just planned to walk it, but everybody else was running so I started to run with them.''

She isn't sure if she'll run again next year. But after last year's race she wasn't sure she'd run this one either.

She added she enjoys raising money for cancer research and figures the competition has helped keep her healthy.

''I don't think I'd be living today if I didn't do this running,'' the cancer survivor said. ''I'm helping them and they're kind of helping me.''

Belmont shrinks crowd to ease race day chaos.

By Frank Eltman

Big changes are coming to Belmont for American Pharoah's attempt to break a 37-year Triple Crown losing streak.

One of them: a smaller crowd.

Track managers put an attendance cap of 90,000 on the event after a chaotic experience last year. The 102,000 spectators who came to see California Chrome's triple try suffered through long lines at betting windows and bathrooms. Concession stands ran out of refreshments. Many spent hours jockeying for space on commuter trains or in jammed parking lots going home.

"It was brutal; close to a little dangerous," recalled Frank Bellizzi, a San Francisco entrepreneur who owns a Napa Valley winery and attended last year's race. "I would not come back. I have not been to a major sporting event with that level of ineptitude."

The New York Racing Association has also hired a former FBI official to coordinate security, added more concession stands and staff, reconfigured parking lots and scheduled a post-race rock concert to slow the exodus. The Long Island Rail Road is also pouring $4 million to upgrade the Belmont Park station.

Christopher Kay, NYRA's chief executive officer and president, said complaints after last year's race "broke my heart."

"We looked at the experience last year and realized there were too many people on the property," he said.

Because of the attendance cap, Kay said he expects tickets to be sold out days in advance of the June 6 race. The prospect of a Triple Crown winner has traditionally spiked attendance at Belmont. The record for a Belmont Stakes race was set in 2004, when 120,139 people jammed the park to see Smarty Jones's try for the Triple Crown.

Earlier this year, NYRA hired George Venizelos, who ran the FBI's New York office, as head of security. Kay noted Venizelos has experience with large events like the 2014 Super Bowl at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, and the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City. The NYPD, the Nassau County Police, New York State Police will all be under Venizelos's direction on race day.

To address food shortages, Kay said NYRA is adding two food truck "villages," with 15 trucks at each location, and increasing concession stands by 30 percent and supervisors and wait staff by 60 percent.

Parking lots are also being repainted and reconfigured and efforts are being made to increase the number of temporary bathrooms, though Kay conceded long lines were still likely.

NYRA has booked the Goo Goo Dolls to perform a post-race concert at the track in an effort to ease the crunch of 90,000 people attempting to leave all at once.

At the train station, a new, longer platform constructed by race day will allow 10-car trains to stop there instead of the eight-car trains used in the past. Also, officials have devised a new routing system for trains that will allow for faster entry and exit.

"There will be some delays, just like when you leave Yankee Stadium," Kay said. "But we're doing everything in our power to make this a great event for our fans. People should plan to come early and stay late."

On This Date in Sports History: Today is Monday, June 1, 2015.

Memoriesofhistory.com

1923 - The New York Giants beat the Philadelphia Phillies 22-8. The Giants scored in every inning of the game.

1925 - Lou Gehrig began a streak of playing in 2,130 consecutive baseball games. The streak ended on May 2, 1939.

1938 - Baseball helmets were worn for the first time.

1941 - Mel Ott hit the 400th home run of his career. He also drove in his 1,500th career run.

1975 - Nolan Ryan pitched his fourth career no-hitter in his 100th career victory.

1980 - Steve Garvey hit the 7,000th home run for the Dodgers.

2014 - The Los Angeles Kings beat the Chicago Blackhawks to advance to the Stanley Cup Final. It was the first time in NHL history that a team won a series in Game 7 on the road for the third consecutive series.

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