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Sports Quote of the Day:

"All the people that come out and show their support and their pride for your accomplishments, I think it really reminds you that without people you don't ever to get to live that dream. To play in the NHL is one thing, but to win the Stanley Cup and come back and share it with everyone is another thing." ~ Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks Team Captain

Trending: Cavaliers hold off Warriors to take 2-1 lead. (See details in basketball section below).

Trending: Australian soccer website says the USWNT 'just aren't that good'. (See details in the soccer section below).

Trending: This is the spirit of our Blackhawks..........

By JAY COHEN

Jonathan Toews remembers his first postseason series in 2009, and the emotions that went along with each game. These days, the playoffs are a much different experience for the captain of the Chicago Blackhawks.

There was no panic for Toews and company on Tuesday, a day after a 3-2 loss to steady Tampa Bay shoved Chicago into a 2-1 deficit in the Stanley Cup Final. No outward display of frustration.

Trying for their third NHL title in six seasons, the Blackhawks expected a fight - and the skilled Lightning are delivering just that on every level.

''If you don't want that challenge, if you don't want that spotlight almost, then you shouldn't be here,'' Toews said. ''I think we all work for that. We want to play those important games.''

One of those important games is coming up on Wednesday night. The Lightning have clamped down on Toews and Patrick Kane, limiting the high-scoring duo to a single point in the series, and can grab control of the final with their fifth straight road win in Game 4.

''This is going to be a good test for this group,'' Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos said. ''Obviously they have the experience. But we're going through it. Like I said a couple minutes ago, you have to go through these situations to gain that experience. We seem to rise to the occasion every round.''

The Lightning jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second round against Montreal, and then dropped two in a row before eliminating the Canadiens with a 4-1 win in Game 6. They headed home with a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference finals against the New York Rangers, and then had to return to Madison Square Garden for a 2-0 victory in Game 7.

Tampa Bay's experience playing with the lead in its previous two playoff series could help in the final against Chicago.

''I truly believe we've grown as a team through some of our struggles,'' coach Jon Cooper said. ''You just think of last night's game. We're in a pretty hostile environment. It's a 1-1 game. We go down in the third. There was no hang the head. It was, 'OK, now we got to dig the heels in and go get this one.'''

The Lightning replied 13 seconds after the Blackhawks grabbed a 2-1 lead, with Ondrej Palat stuffing home a rebound for the tying goal. Cedric Paquette then scored with 3:11 remaining to put Tampa Bay in front for good.

Palat's goal continued a disturbing trend for the Blackhawks, who have allowed 10 goals within two minutes after they scored in the playoffs, including five inside of a minute, according to STATS.

''We got to be better in situations like that,'' defenseman Brent Seabrook said. ''It's happened a few times throughout the playoffs.''

The Blackhawks were hampered by an upper-body injury for Johnny Oduya, who missed the last part of the second period and played five minutes in the third. Any issue for Chicago's top four defensemen could have a major impact on the series, but coach Joel Quenneville said he thinks Oduya will be OK.

''He looked all right today,'' he said. ''We'll see how he is tomorrow.''

The same could be said of Quenneville's team, which is used to coming up with clutch postseason goals, not digging them out of its own net.

Since Quenneville took over in October 2008, the Blackhawks are 30-30 in Games 1-3 of playoff series. But they have a 40-14 record in Games 4-7, according to STATS.

''Well, we got a great core of leaders,'' Quenneville said when asked about the team's success late in playoff series. ''They're competitive as heck. They find a way to get better each and every game. They make guys around them better.''

They also have a history of rebounding from playoff disappointment.

Chicago dropped two of the first three games in the 2013 final against Boston and came back to win the series 4-2. It trailed 3-2 in this year's Western Conference finals after Anaheim's 5-4 overtime win in Game 5, and then outscored the Ducks 10-5 in the next two games.

''I don't think there's one thing you can put a finger on,'' Seabrook said. ''I think, you know, the guys in the room, we want to be out there and win. We want to be out there in those situations and play in big games. For whatever reason, I think we play our best games when our backs are up against the wall.''

Blackhawks' confidence grows as series progresses.

By Tracey Myers

The Blackhawks sat at Tuesday’s media session assessing their current situation, down a game to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Not great, for sure. But not new either.

“It's not necessarily a situation you want to be in. The fact [that] this group of players and this organization has been down that road a few times, has been able to persevere has been good for us,” Patrick Sharp said. “We're going to try to draw from that experience and play better games going forward.”

There’s a reason the Blackhawks are still confident heading into Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final: they get better as series continue. In Games 4-7 during coach Joel Quenneville’s tenure here, the Blackhawks are 40-14. It’s a nice number, one that shows how much the Blackhawks get better as a series progresses. Since the 2013 postseason began they’ve trailed in four series, including the 2013 Cup final, when they were down 2-1 to the Boston Bruins. They only failed to come back in one of those four series – last spring against the Los Angeles Kings, who they trailed 3-1 before losing in Game 7.

“I think maybe it's part knowing what we're up against, part just us raising our game, getting better and better as the series go along,” Jonathan Toews said. “Obviously we don't draw it up in some situations when we get down in a series; it's not part of the plan. But I think we have confidence when we get in those situations that we can take it one game at a time, focus on the next game and continue to put pressure on the other team.”

The Blackhawks have strung together some good moments and some good periods against the Lightning. Their two goals in two minutes during Game 1 was a reminder of how quickly this team can turn the tables in its favor. They were dominant in the first period of Game 3, battering an injured Ben Bishop with 19 shots. The problem is, they haven’t been consistent. They’ve had miscues, they’ve allowed opposing goals not long after they’ve scored and they’ve trailed early in each of the first three games.

But they went down this road against Anaheim, who was blocking a ton of Blackhawks shots through the first few games. Then the Blackhawks broke through, got big contributions from top players – Toews led with four goals in the last three games – and upended the Ducks on visiting ice.

Maybe it’s a feeling-out process through those first few games sometimes. But the response has nonetheless been there late.

“We always want to start off the series good. I don't know, I just think it's a thing we have on our team: when the game is on the line, it matters more, we usually find a way to elevate our game a little bit,” Niklas Hjalmarsson said. “Hopefully we can do the same thing here in the last couple games.”

The Blackhawks have starred in this movie before, the one that has that slow start, the buildup in the middle and the flourish at the end. Whether or not they manage the same script against the Lightning remains to be seen. The Blackhawks usually have an edge in how they’ve dealt with postseason pressure, but so far, the Lightning have done well in that department, too. Still, the Blackhawks have the confidence they can find a way as a series continues. They’ve got the great record to show for it, too.

“The guys in the room, we want to be out there and win. We want to be out there in those situations and play in big games,” Brent Seabrook said. “For whatever reason, I think we play our best games when our backs are up against the wall.”

UPDATES

Coach Joel Quenneville said Johnny Oduya, who missed some time with an upper-body injury in Game 3, “looked all right today. We'll see how he is tomorrow.”
Trevor van Riemsdyk had a solid outing in his first NHL game since November. Said Niklas Hjalmarsson, “he made some really, really nice plays and showed patience and calmness with the puck. To just come in like that in the Stanley Cup Finals, play the way he did, was nothing else than impressive.”
Quenneville said, “we’ll see” when asked if the Blackhawks will have any lineup changes in Game 4.

Ben Bishop holds off Blackhawks as Lightning take a 2-1 series lead.

By Tracey Myers

Chicago Blackhawks' Jonathan Toews, right, talks with referee Kevin Pollock after a penalty was called against the Blackhawks during the second period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday, June 8, 2015, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Something was bothering Ben Bishop. The Blackhawks could see it. The media could see it. Everyone watching from the United Center, from home or from a local establishment could see it.

For the first 20 minutes, the Blackhawks tried to exploit Bishop’s issue, the one that had him getting up slowly and moving gingerly. They got one. They missed on others. And by game’s end Bishop, injury be damned, was celebrating another road victory.

Brandon Saad scored his seventh goal of the postseason but the Lightning came with two in the third as they beat the Blackhawks 3-2 in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday night. The Blackhawks, who lost just their second game at home this postseason, trail 2-1 in the best-of-seven series heading into Game 4 on Wednesday night.

Johnny Oduya missed part of the second period and some of the third. Coach Joel Quenneville said he’ll see how the defenseman is doing on Tuesday. Trevor van Riemsdyk played in his first NHL game since Nov. 16, logging nine minutes.

The Lightning are now 8-3 on the road; their last loss away from home was Game 1 against the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final.

For the Blackhawks, it was missed opportunities coupled with defensive lapses at awful times. Saad’s goal gave them a 2-1 lead early, prompting a boisterous celebration from the crowd. But it was short-lived, as the Blackhawks’ propensity to give up goals too quickly after they’ve scored struck again. Ondrej Palat scored just 13 seconds after Saad, eliminating the Blackhawks’ lead and taking the life out of the United Center.

“Just a couple of bad habits that ended up hurting us. We’re all responsible for that,” Jonathan Toews said. “This game could’ve been similar to the way we stole Game 1 from them. We feel like we had a lot of chances, especially early in the game. Late in the game we gave up those odd-man rushes we’ve been talking about that end up in the back of our net.”

At the start, however, it was what the Blackhawks couldn’t put in the back of Bishop’s net. Bishop’s status was up in the air entering Game 3, given he left Game 2 with a mysterious injury. His pain was evident early; Bishop was favoring his left leg, stretching it out whenever he got the chance and getting up slowly after several plays. The Blackhawks fired 19 shots at him and Bishop gave up plenty of rebounds off them. There were the missed shots, too: Marian Hossa, on a play he was tripped, missed a wide-open net from the slot.

“The rebound came up to me and I tried to fake to the shot right away and cut in the middle,” Hossa said. “And as soon as I tried to finish it, I felt like I was tripped and I lost the balance a little bit and I didn’t shoot the puck the way I wanted to.”

Brad Richards broke through, his power-play shot glancing off Bishop’s glove and in to tie it 1-1 at the time. But whatever momentum the Blackhawks built up didn’t transition over to the second period.

“The second period we took a dip, got into some penalty trouble, gave them some momentum,” Richards said. “Play that first period over again and we might have a few more; couple open nets we missed. We played the game wewanted to in the first and then overall, a pretty good game, but they capitalized on a couple mistakes.”

Indeed, the Palat goal was deflating – “two games in a row we had the lead, short-lived two times, two tough losses in a row,” Quenneville said. The Blackhawks had better chances in the third but Bishop got everything before Paquette scored the game-winner.

Bishop was struggling early. The Blackhawks didn’t get to him as much as they could have. In a close series, a team has to take advantage of every opportunity, or every ailing goalie. The Blackhawks just didn’t do enough of that on Monday.

“This one hurts a little bit tonight,” Richards said. “But we’ll just focus on winning a game and making it a best-of-3. That’s all you can ever ask for.”

NBA Playoff update: NBA Finals Game 3: Cavaliers hold off Warriors to take 2-1 lead.

By Adi Joseph

Tristan Thompson. (Getty Images)

The city that hadn’t seen a championship-level victory in 18 years oohed, ahhed and gasped. But LeBron James can make even Cleveland sports fans breathe easy.

The Cavaliers dominated three quarters, then withstood another Warriors comeback attempt to win 96-91 Tuesday night at Quicken Loans Arena. And this injury-ravaged underdog suddenly has a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals.

James made sure of it. His run of jaw-dropping stat lines in this series continued, as he posted 40 points (on 14-for-34 shooting), 12 rebounds and eight assists. And he came up biggest as the game started falling apart for the Cavaliers, even after an injury scare of his own. James had eight points in the fourth quarter, including a crucial 3-pointer with 1 minute, 44 seconds left that grew the Cavs’ lead to seven. He also picked off a pass with 51 seconds, drawing a foul and making both free throws.

James pointed to his temple after that play. And the Cavaliers appear to be in the Warriors’ heads.

Matthew Dellavedova led that push. Replacing Kyrie Irving as the Cavs’ starting point guard again, he shut down NBA MVP Stephen Curry for the second game in a row. Curry scored three points in the entire first half and didn’t start finding a rhythm until the fourth quarter, when Dellavedova made clutch free throws and defensive plays to help close out the game and finished with 20 points, five rebounds and four assists.

The Warriors had to turn deep on their bench, to former All-Star David Lee, who hadn’t even played in the first two games, to help build their run. Lee came through with 11 points on 4-for-4 shooting and four rebounds, all in the fourth quarter. But he and Curry, who had 22 points in the final 15 minutes of game time, offered too little, too late.

For most of the game, veteran sixth man Andre Iguodala, who had 15 points and five rebounds, was the only Warrior in any sort of rhythm. This has been a recurring problem, lackadaisical efforts leading to potent comeback attempts. And while the Warriors cut the Cavs’ lead to one, they never led.

James made sure of that. And Cleveland watched the home team win a championship-level game for the first time since Game 4 of the 1997 World Series.

Just Another Chicago Bulls Session… Should Chicago Bulls Trade Their Pick in 2015 NBA Draft?

By Dave Daniels

Trade talks in the works for Chicago Bulls during 2015 NBA Draft?

The Chicago Bulls have a lot of options this summer. Should they trade up in the 2015 NBA Draft? It obviously changes based on who is available, but it remains an intriguing possibility for Chicago’s favorite basketball team and their No. 22 overall pick.

Should they trade down in the draft? I would not advise that since fans will already be a bit frazzled after the departure of Tom Thibodeau, but trading up is an interesting option. That depends on how much they would have to give up. If a team above them in order demands someone like Tony Snell then I would not mind the Bulls taking a gamble, but I would not give up a player like Joakim Noah unless Chicago is also getting back draft picks. Some players I would be down with the Bulls going after in the draft are D’Angelo Russell (probably out of their reach), Devin Booker or Kelly Oubre.

As far as free agent acquisitions, Pippen’s own Paul Steeno touched on why it might be hard to add someone like Wesley Matthews, but you never know what Chicago could shift around when it comes to cap room.

Jalen Rose spoke on Matthews recently in his Grantland podcast. It’s been quite an excellent show for basketball fanatics all year, and I highly recommend it to any fellow hoops junkies out there. In the end, I think it will be a quiet summer for the Bulls, and it seems likeliest that they will keep their core intact and see if new head coach Fred Hoiberg can infuse new life into the team.

I think a move should be made if there is legitimate trade value for someone like Snell or Taj Gibson, but otherwise the Bulls should stand pat.

Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!! Amid turnover, Bears leadership, chemistry emerging.

By John Mullin

The subject of Bears leadership would be tiresome if it were not so precipitous. The lack of leaders and leadership, from the huddle on up, was not the reason the Bears of the past two seasons were abysmal. But the absence of them ensured that once the wobbling started, on offense, defense and special teams, no one was possessed of the talent/personality combination to arrest the slide.

Ironically, the tidal wave of new faces and personalities may actually be contributing to the emergence of an internal cohesion, particularly on defense, so dramatically lacking since the exit of Brian Urlacher and injury truncated seasons for Lance Briggs and Charles Tillman in particular.

The stream of new players, coupled with the change to a new scheme, coaching staff and departures of longtime fixtures, means that the vast majority of players aren’t trying to fit in an established locker room and systems as they have been for more than a decade.
Consider it like the first day of high school for freshmen.

“It’s a little different coming from where you’ve been around guys for four years,” said linebacker Pernell McPhee, a transplant from the Baltimore Ravens. “You know everybody’s attitudes, personalities.

“Coming to a new team, you’ve got to feel things out, see who’s the leader, who’s not, figure out which guys you can sit down with and learn the game. But right now we’ve got a great group of guys. We talk to each other.”

That’s the real key. Minicamps and practices in shorts do not reveal a great deal but the interplay among players on the sideline is striking. McPhee has sought out Jared Allen on matters of pass rush. Notably perhaps, Allen has sought out McPhee on intricacies of the hybrid rusher/linebacker role that McPhee has played but which is new for Allen.

“You know Pernell the other day gave me a tip,” Allen said. “I thought, ‘Oh that makes so much sense,’ and things kind of clicked and then…it kind of slowed down for me.”

Restaffing/up-sizing Bears D continues with Tracy Porter signing.

By John Mullin

It is another sub-radar signing in the Bears’ 2015 but is also another that underscores the magnitude of possible changes coming to one of the NFL’s worst 2014 defenses.

The Bears signed veteran cornerback Tracy Porter to a one-year contract, bringing in another tall (5-foot-11) cornerback candidate for the job opposite Kyle Fuller (5-foot-11) in a defense that could have as many as eight new starters from the lineup that finished last season.

Porter will be among a group of cornerbacks competing to fill a spot for so many years set with Charles Tillman in place. Along with Porter, the Bears have signed Alan Ball (6-foot-2) and brought back Demontre Hurst (5-foot-10), Al Louis-Jean (6-foot-1) and Sherrick McManis (6-foot-1). One of the group rates a strong chance of pushing incumbent Tim Jennings (5-foot-8), whose future has been projected to lie inside as the nickel corner.

Porter, plagued in recent seasons with injuries, was a second-round draft choice of the New Orleans Saints in 2008 while Bears GM Ryan Pace was director of pro personnel for the Saints. Porter contributed an interception of Peyton Manning to the Saints’ Super Bowl victory over the Indianapolis Colts in 2009.

After four seasons in New Orleans, Porter signed a one-year deal for 2012 with the Denver Broncos, then coached by John Fox, but he suffered a concussion and played in only five games. Porter played 2013 with the Oakland Raiders and 2014 with the Washington Redskins, but finished last season on injured reserve after three games with a shoulder injury.

Washington signed Porter to a two-year contract worth $6 million but released the seven-year veteran earlier this offseason after he missed the start of organized team activities.

MLB: Chris Heston no hits Mets, Giants win 5-0.

By Alex Pavlovic

Chris Heston threw the 17th no-hitter in Giants franchise history on Tuesday night vs. the Mets. (Photo/USATSI)

As a minor leaguer, Chris Heston earned the nickname Hesto Presto because of his ability to escape innings with double-play grounders. What Heston accomplished Tuesday night at Citi Field was much more magical.

Heston became the first Giants rookie since Jeff Tesreau in 1912 to throw a no-hitter. The no-hitter was the 17th in franchise history and the fourth in the last four seasons, and came in a 5-0 win over the New York Mets.

Heston got 14 outs on the ground and struck out 11. He hit Anthony Recker to open the ninth but then struck out Danny Muno looking. Curtis Granderson stared at a nasty sinker on the inside corner and Heston was all of a sudden one out away from history. He got it when Ruben Tejada also went down looking.

Heston looked sharp from the outset, striking out Granderson to lead off the game and then throwing a nasty curveball that Lucas Duda swung through for the third out of the first inning. He used that curveball to get three more strikeouts over the next two innings and was through three perfect innings on just 38 pitches.

The Mets finally reached base a couple times in the fourth, but bats weren’t used. Heston hit Ruben Tejada and then grazed Lucas Duda, but he got out of the jam when Michael Cuddyer bounced into an inning-ending double play.

Heston got two groundouts and a strikeout to sail through the fifth and did the same in a nine-pitch sixth inning. At that point, he had thrown just 74 pitches. Heston opened the seventh with two more groundouts. When Cuddyer flied out weakly to right, Heston was six outs away from making history.

That was all the drama remaining on this night, as the lineup — including Heston — had jumped on fire-throwing rookie Noah Syndergaard and scored three runs in the first four innings. Matt Duffy added a solo homer in the sixth and Joe Panik padded Heston’s lead with a solo shot in the seventh.

If Heston was feeling any nerves, it didn’t show when he came to the plate in the eighth inning. He had earlier singled to left and this time he lined a single to right, matching Tim Lincecum’s two-hit performance in his 2014 no-hitter.

Heston continued to work quickly in the eighth, getting a grounder to first and one to third for the first two outs of the inning. Eric Campbell bounced Heston’s 96th pitch to the hole at short and Brandon Crawford made it look easy while backhanding the ball and firing to first to get Heston to the ninth.

The rest was as easy as what came before it. When Heston got the 27th out, he became the first pitcher since Kevin Brown in 2007 to throw a no-hitter that included a hit-by-pitch but no walks.

Starting pitching report: See above. Heston joined Matt Cain and Lincecum in giving the Giants a no-hitter in four consecutive seasons. Cain was perfect in 2012 and Lincecum no-hit the Padres each of the next two seasons.

Bullpen report: They were fans on this night.

At the plate: Heston often walks around with a bat in his hands, and he put his to good use when he pulled a 98 mph fastball between two infielders for a two-run single in the fourth inning. Heston had not driven in a run in 22 previous big league at-bats. He later added a single to right.

In the field: There were no Gregor Blanco catches on this night, but the infield was solid throughout.

Attendance: The buses from Finnerty’s come to Citi Field every season and make noise out in left. This time, they got to witness history.

Up next: The Giants will see another huge arm in Matt Harvey, the hard-throwing right-hander who is in his first year back from Tommy John surgery. Harvey is 6-3 with a 3.05 ERA this season. He’ll face Tim Hudson (3-5, 4.41), who has spent most of the last week icing his leg after he got hit by a liner in his last start.

Cubs: Jon Lester struggles in loss to Tigers.

By Patrick Mooney

Whether or not this is some grand plan, or just the random nature of opportunities in this business, the Cubs have been developing hitters and buying pitchers, using their eyes and their laptops to build a team their own way.

It’s not quite as simple as that, especially with so many financial complexities surrounding this franchise, but it’s a good bottom-line place to start after Tuesday night’s 6-0 loss to the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.

Head down, Jon Lester walked off the mound with the bases loaded and one out in the fifth inning, the Cubs already trailing 4-0 and $52 million reliever Edwin Jackson coming out of the bullpen.

The Cubs have spent first-round picks on position players in each of the last five drafts, beginning with Javier Baez in the final year of the Jim Hendry administration and leading up to Ian Happ, the University of Cincinnati outfielder/second baseman Theo Epstein’s front office grabbed with the No. 9 overall pick on Monday night.

The Cubs understood they would eventually have to overpay for a No. 1 starter, and they saw an ideal fit in the left-handed, low-key Lester, who won two World Series rings with the Boston Red Sox and seems almost numb to big-market pressure/craziness after spending so much time at Fenway Park.

After an awful April (0-2, 6.23 ERA) and an excellent May (4-1, 1.76 ERA), Lester hasn’t looked sharp in June or lived up to that six-year, $155 million contract.

The Cubs couldn’t generate anything against Anibal Sanchez, who walked off the mound to a standing ovation in the eighth inning, saluting the crowd of 33,301.

The Cubs put a full-court press on Sanchez after the 2012 season – only to get played in the negotiations. Sanchez returned to Detroit for five years and $80 million guaranteed, which led the Cubs to sign Jackson as a Plan B.

Carlos Rodon finding his groove in White Sox rotation.

By JJ Stankevitz

Former GM 'Maverick Kenny Williams has rolle the dice on some big ...

Carlos Rodon continues to check off rookie benchmarks as he wades deeper into major league waters.

The 22-year-old left-hander threw a career high 116 pitches over six shutout innings as the White Sox beat the first-place Astros, 4-2, in front of 18,439 Tuesday night at U.S. Cellular Field. Rodon allowed four hits, issued two walks and struck out five in his first scoreless outing as a major league starter.

With those six shutout innings, Rodon’s season ERA dropped to 2.86. After a rocky, walk-filled introduction to the starting rotation, Rodon has issued five walks against 19 strikeouts in his last 18 1/3 innings, in which he’s allowed four runs (two earned) on 17 hits.

Manager Robin Ventura speculated before Tuesday’s game Rodon’s recent improvement has been partially due to him settling into the routine of being a starter after moving from the bullpen to rotation in early May. He went nine days between starts in late May, and his return from that hiatus coincided with his drop in walks.

“I think part of it is when we put him in there of being able for him to have the ability to go out every five days and the repetition that goes with pitching has been better for him,” Ventura said before Tuesday’s game. “I think it’s more of a natural thing and the command stuff has gotten better.”

Rodon was supported by Jose Abreu in the sixth, as the White Sox first baseman golfed a low Dallas Keuchel fastball over the right-center field wall for a two-run homer, his tenth of the season. In the eighth, Melky Cabrera added a bases-loaded double off Chad Qualls — who 10 years ago gave up that pivotal grand slam to Paul Konerko in the World Series here at U.S. Cellular Field — to double the White Sox lead.

The fourth inning brought around some trouble for Rodon, who loaded the bases on a single, hit batsman and walk with one out. But the No. 3 overall pick in 2014’s MLB Draft struck out Luis Valbuena and got Jake Marisnick to ground out to short to end the threat, though it took 31 pitches.

Rodon retired nine of the final 10 batters he faced after the fourth, allowing him to pitch through the sixth inning. Carlos Correa’s first career homer, a two-run shot off Zach Duke in the ninth, accounted for Houston’s only scoring on the evening.

Golf: I got a club for that: Power rankings: FedEx St. Jude Classic.

By Ryan Ballengee

The FedEx St. Jude Classic is the last PGA Tour stop ahead of the U.S. Open. TPC Southwind again hosts the tournament, which a number of top players use for their final major preparation. The field is top heavy, with the likes of Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johsnon clearly the best players in the field.

Here's a look at our top five for this week:

1. Dustin Johnson -- Johnson is a former winner in Memphis and has made all three career cuts at TPC Southwind. He's had top-13 finishes in his last two starts, and, while we're at it, he's probably a sneaky U.S. Open pick.

2. Billy Horschel -- The reigning FedEx Cup champion has been in the top 10 in Memphis in each of the last two years and been in the top 13 in his last two starts. He's rounding nicely into form.

3. Phil Mickelson -- It's a bit risky putting Mickelson so high at a non-major, but he does well in Memphis, including a runner-up finish in 2013.

4. Brooks Koepka -- Koepka has maintained a light PGA Tour scheduled since the start of May, so he lacks some starts. Consider this a hunch.

5. Ryan Palmer -- Palmer isn't playing consistent golf overall, but was T-10 at the Nelson. In two of his last three Memphis starts, Palmer has finished in the top four.

15-year-old Cole Hammer makes the U.S. Open field.

By Ryan Ballengee

15-year-old Cole Hammer will play in the U.S. Open.

Cole Hammer is:

1. Not a made up name.

2. A really great name.

3. The name of a 15-year-old kid who is going to play in his first U.S. Open next week at Chambers Bay in Washington.

Hammer earned his way into the field of the year's second major by getting through sectional qualifying on Monday in Dallas. Playing in a field at Northwood Club that included a number of pros, including several PGA Tour winners, Hammer shot 64-68 in the 36-hole qualifier to finish alone in second place and as one of six players to punch a U.S. Open ticket from that event. In that afternoon 68, Hammer birdied four of his final five holes.

Hammer will be the fourth-youngest U.S. Open contestant in the tournament's century-plus history.

“This means the world to me,” Hammer told the Dallas Morning News. “I’ve dreamed about it my whole life. It’s going to be awesome.”

The Dallas qualifier Hammer competed in was one of 10 held nationwide on Monday that determined 58 spots in the U.S. Open. Qualifying happened at just the right time for Hammer, who has grown 4 inches in the last 10 months. The growth spurt, which included packing on 15 pounds to get to a massive 125 lbs, helped him hit the ball further and keep up with the competition.

The teen not only knows what he's doing next week, but he also has already picked out a college. He has verbally committed to play golf at the University of Texas – just as Jordan Spieth did – when he gets out of high school in 2018.

NASCAR: O'Donnell: 2016 rules a 'big front-burner' item.

Staff Report, NASCAR.com

NASCAR executive addresses drivers' council timing, overseas races.

NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O'Donnell returned to America on Monday from a visit to a NASCAR Whelen Euro Series race in England, and he returned to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Tuesday to tackle hot topics, including the state of the 2016 rules package, the scheduling of drivers' council meetings and where in the world NASCAR wants to race.

O'Donnell addressed the goal of creating better racing with the 2016 package by referencing how NASCAR races every weekend with stars like Martin Truex Jr., and his popular win for Furniture Row Racing are like the NBA Finals between LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers and Stephen Curry's Golden State Warriors.

"It's a big front-burner," O'Donnell said of work on the 2016 rules. "A lot of conversations going on, not only from the driver council, but also with the teams, so you'll see us do some things here and ratchet up those conversations in the next 30 days. It's important though to really look at what we're all striving for.

"We talked about Martin Truex Jr. …. These guys are the best in the world so it's tough to continue to make it better. That's what we want to do. You've got, in our case, LeBron and Steph Curry are out on the race track every single race.

"So how do you continue to make that better? How do you continue to allow for more passing? That's the goal. Everybody understands that. The good news is that the entire industry is aligned for what makes the best racing and how do we get there. So I think you'll see some good things continue to develop in terms of what you see on the race track."

As NASCAR discusses the state of the sport with the best racers in the world, O'Donnell praised the initial get-together at Dover last month and looked ahead to future sessions.

"The drivers' council, the first one, I thought was terrific," O'Donnell said. "Again, we're not always going to agree, but you get some really good input. And you can decipher where you want to go and how that will affect certain teams.

"We'll probably have a pretty good cadence going forward. Obviously we talk to the drivers, owners or whomever every weekend, but kind of the more formal ones I'd say we'd look at more on a quarterly basis and see how that works because it is new, but I think that's the plan right now."The sanctioning body heads to Michigan International Speedway, the closest track to the auto manufacturers, and O'Donnell talked about the importance of racing in the region for all three companies supporting cars in NASCAR's national series. He also noted it could be a turnaround weekend for the Sprint Cup teams of Jack Roush, who leads all owners with 13 victories at the track.

"It's really important for us; it's a great facility," O'Donnell said. "… Chevy and Ford right there but certainly Toyota likes coming in and mixing it up a little bit on the track (near Detroit). From a competition standpoint for us, you look at the race, and Roush historically has been really strong at that race track."

As NASCAR considers places to race outside the United States, manufacturer growth areas come to mind for O'Donnell.

"Where we've been successful is really starting from a grassroots effort, like you've seen in Mexico, where we have a successful tour and we can see some drivers come up through the system similarly in Canada," O'Donnell said. "Now that's what's happening in Europe as well. I'd say maybe taking some of our national series drivers over from time to time to help seed those series and the growth would be important for us."

O'Donnell noted that national series driver Jeffrey Earnhardt traveled to last weekend's event at Brands Hatch in England to share some of his expertise behind the wheel at American Speedfest. He also mentioned other countries on NASCAR's radar going forward.

"South America is certainly an area where we'd like to emerge, China, India, not necessarily right away, but when you look at a lot of the partners and especially the OEMs, (those countries) are certainly growth areas so we'll take a look at those as well," O'Donnell said. "First and foremost for us, it's concentrating on the U.S. and making sure we've got the best thing going every Sunday here in the United States."

The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 celebrates its 100th race under the NASCAR umbrella on Saturday at Autodrome Chaudiere in Valle-Jonction, Quebec.

NASCAR looking at slight alteration with qualifying rule.

By Dustin Long

(Getty Images)

Could a tweak to NASCAR qualifying be coming? Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief operating officer, hinted so during his appearance Tuesday on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio’s “The Morning Drive” show.

Last weekend at Pocono Raceway, Denny Hamlin spun with less than a minute left in the final round. That prevented Hamlin and four other drivers from recording a time in the final round.

NASCAR’s rules state that if more than one driver is unable to complete a lap in a round, their position is determined based on who had the fastest lap in the previous round.

Hamlin had the second-fastest lap in the second round. That placed him ahead of the four other drivers who had yet to record a time in the final round even though Hamlin caused the caution. That policy could change.

“It’s something we are going to look at,’’ O’Donnell said. “In this case is it the right decision to have a driver, not on purpose, cause a caution and therefore they qualify ahead of … drivers who may have not been able to go out and qualify? Some folks could say that’s on them, they should have gone out earlier, but you also look at it if that is the right move. We’re taking a hard look at that this weekend. We’ve had some dialogue with some of the industry and we’ll make a decision here shortly.’’

In other areas:

O’Donnell, who was in the meeting with the drivers council at Dover, said he expects such meetings to take place quarterly. “The drivers council, the first one, I thought was terrific. We’re not always going to agree, but I think you can get some really good input and you can really decipher where you want to go and how that will affect certain teams.’’

O’Donnell again reiterated that talks continue on how to enhance the racing: “It’s a big front-burner (topic). A lot of conversations going on not only from the driver council but also with the teams. You’ll see us do some things here and ratchet up those conversations here in the next 30 days. I think it’s important, though, to really look at what we’re all striving for. These guys are the best in the world. It’s tough to continue to make it better – that’s what we want to do. How do you continue to make that better? How do you continue to allow for more passing? That’s the goal.

“I think everybody understands that. The good news is that entire industry is aligned for what makes the best racing and how do we get there. I think you’ll see some good things continue to develop in terms of what you see on the racetrack.’’

On penalizing teams practice time or making them pick last in pit stall selection for issues in inspection, O’Donnell said: “I think when you look at it, there are certain things we can look at depending on what the warning is. When we look at the inspection process, we want it to relate as much as possible to either the event or the upcoming event. We do use and have used practice time as an element, so that is something that is in place. We elected to put pit selection in and this is the first year of that. We’ll see how that goes and review it at the end of the year. If we need to make some changes we will, but so far I think it’s working fairly well. We’ve got some things that we’ve learned along the way and we’ll adjust where we need to.’’

On the bumps in the tunnel turn at Pocono and the track planning to fix that area before the August race, O’Donnell said: “We’ll either have someone up there when they address it or very soon after and make sure we’re OK with the changes that are made prior to heading back for the weekend. Once we get there, I’m sure we’ll take some drivers out … ahead of time to look at it to make sure everything is in place.’’

SOCCER: Australian soccer website says the USWNT 'just aren't that good'.

By Graham Watson

USA v Australia: Group D - FIFA Women's World Cup 2015

The United States stands during the anthem before their FIFA Women's World Cup 2015 Group D match at Winnipeg Stadium on June 8, 2015 in Winnipeg, Canada. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

The U.S. women’s national team notched a World Cup-opening 3-1 win over Australia on Monday to climb to the top of Group D, but the victory wasn’t enough to earn the respect of the Australia Women’s Soccer website.

The site, which is sponsored by Football Federation Australia, posted a scathing review of U.S. Soccer in its recap called "Australia v USA: 4 things we learnt."

1: The USA, well, they just aren’t that good

The US certainly like to talk a good game. The reality is they play a fairly rudimentary, bog-standard 4-4-2, were short of ideas going forward and outmanoeuvred tactically. ‘Play it long and look for the head of Wambach’ seems the default game-plan for a team stuck in the past.

World football has moved, in case Jill Ellis hasn’t noticed. US were outplayed by a better, smarter footballing side – who were also without two certain starters in Polkinghorne and keeper Williams – before the Aussies ran out of gas.

US relied on the individual brilliance of Megan Rapinoe to win them this game. And Hope Solo in the US goal saved the Americans on numerous occasions in front of a vocal ‘home’ crowd in Canada. If it wasn’t for this world-class keeper, this could’ve been a different result.

Um, wow.

No one is going to dispute that the Americans' World Cup opener was not their best effort. The players even said as much during the postgame press conferences.

But to say they were outplayed would be incorrect.

The first half was a little dicey, but in the second half, the U.S. dominated. Say what you want about the U.S. women’s style of play — many people have during the past four years — but it was enough to get the job done.

Australia is a skilled squad, but it’s young and was bested by a more experienced, fitter side. All the talent in the world isn’t going to make up for being fatigued in the 65th minute.

Sure, Australia has to find some way to put a good face on a 3-1 defeat, but calling out the United States on a website sponsored by the Australian Football Federation is just poor form and sour grapes.

FIFA Women's World Cup Canada. 2015 Score Summary. 6 June - 5 July, 2015.

Monday 8 June 2015

Group C

Cameroon 6
Ecuador 0

Japan 1
Switzerland 0

Group D

Sweden 3
Nigeria 3

USA 3
Australia 1

Tuesday 9 June 2015

Group E

Spain 1
Costa Rica 1

Brazil 2
Korea Republic 0

Group F

France 1
England 0

Colombia 1
Mexico 1

USMNT Preview: Wednesday's match in Germany is a whole new animal.

By Nicholas Mendola

Germany's midfielder Mesut Ozil (C), US defender Omar Gonzalez (L) and US midfielder Kyle Beckerman (R) vie for the ball during a Group G football match between US and Germany at the Pernambuco Arena in Recife during the 2014 FIFA World Cup on June 26, 2014. AFP PHOTO / NELSON ALMEIDA (Photo credit should read NELSON ALMEIDA/AFP/Getty Images)

Jurgen Klinsmann says his United States men’s national team is going to “take the game” to Germany on Wednesday, where we’ll find out the veracity and repercussions of that idea.

Beating the Germans this time around will take quite a bit more than the 4-3 friendly triumph in the USMNT’s Centennial match at RFK in 2013. First off, there’s the obvious change in occasion and home field, but also the fact that neither Bayern Munich nor Borussia Dortmund players appeared in that game, and both Sami Khedira and Mesut Ozil were also absent.

The States got out of the “Group of Death” at the 2014 World Cup with just a 1-0 loss to Germany by hanging plenty back, and testing Die Mannschaft is a different animal altogether.

New Juventus man Khedira is going to give the USMNT one of their biggest tests, assuming he starts. The Yanks traversed the Netherlands midfield with relative ease at times in their 4-3 win last week, and doing the trick against Khedira and Daley Blind/Jordy Clasie in one week would be one heck of a sign.

Of course, you need the ball to get to Khedira and, even with Manuel Neuer, Thomas Muller and Toni Kroos out of the fold, Germany will present a world of threat to possession. Mesut Ozil, Ilkay Gundogan, Karim Bellarabi, Andre Schurrle, Bastian Schweinsteiger… I’ll stop now.

This is the third time the States have played on German soil. The other two? Blowouts by scores of 4-2 and 4-1.

You betting on four or less this time around? At least the U.S. lineup will have a better feel for the climate and opposition, as John Anthony Brooks, Fabian Johnson and even Michael Bradley know the lay of the Bundesliga land.

Really, though, there is no measuring stick. The World Cup was a different philosophy. The friendly win, despite being just two years ago, feels like an entirely different era and we’ve discussed the lineups. Here comes a special afternoon for U.S. fans, even if the result isn’t pivotal for any tournament.

Prediction: Germany 2, United States 1.

NCAAFB: 2015-16 COLLEGE FOOTBALL BOWL SCHEDULE

By Chance Linton

The complete bowl schedule for the 2015-16 college football season was revealed Tuesday by the Football Bowl Association, featuring 41 games for 80 teams, an increase from 39 games a season ago.

The Cotton Bowl and Orange Bowl will host the national semifinal games for the second annual College Football Playoff, which will be played at 4 and 8 p.m. ET on New Year's Eve, though the order of the games has yet to be determined. The National Championship will follow on January 11 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

Here's a look at the complete bowl schedule for 2015-16 season, including date, time and television information.

Key: Time (ET) | Bowl | Location | Matchup | TV

TBA | Arizona Bowl | Tucson, Ariz. | Mountain West vs. C-USA | TBA

(Getty Images)

The NCAA announced important rule changes for the 2015-16 on Monday.

Men’s basketball will go from 35 to 30 seconds for the shot clock, a three-foot restricted-area arc is now four feet and five timeouts per team per game has been changed to four (with no more than three timeouts carrying over to the second half from the first).

The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel, which is chaired by Belmont head coach Rick Byrd, also decided the 10-second backcourt clock will not reset when a timeout is called and they eliminated a coaches’ ability to call live-ball timeouts.

The shot clock moving to 30 seconds is obviously the biggest change to the game for fans and it’s meant to give each team’s offense more possessions and scoring opportunities. The reduction of timeouts also makes the game more watchable towards the end since it will mean more game action instead of a ton of stoppages and commercial breaks.

With the move to the four-foot restricted-area arc the hope is that it will reduce the number of collisions under the hoop that can at-times frequently stop play.

Also of note, women’s college basketball on Monday elected to go to four 10-minute quarters. Could that be the next movement that starts to hit men’s college basketball?

Owner: Plans in works for American Pharoah's next start.

ESPN.com news services

The owner of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah says plans are underway for his champion to race again this year.

Which race the horse will compete in next is still up in the air.

Ahmed Zayat said Sunday morning that he wants the fans "to still enjoy something," and he's leaving it up to trainer Bob Baffert to map out a schedule.

Zayat pledged to keep racing's newest superstar in training, at least through the end of the year. Before the Belmont, Zayat sold breeding rights to American Pharoah for an undisclosed amount to Coolmore Ashford Stud near Versailles, Kentucky.

"They have zero say until he retires,'' Zayat said. "We owe it to the sport to do the right thing. Money plays an important factor in this game. I've already sold the breeding rights, but it is my genuine desire, as a fan, as someone who loves horses, to race him as long as I possibly can.''

"I've already sold the breeding rights, but it is my genuine desire, as a fan, as someone who loves horses, to race him as long as I possibly can." ~ Ahmed Zayat

Among the races under consideration are the Jim Dandy at Saratoga in upstate New York on Aug. 1; the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth in New Jersey on Aug. 2; the Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Aug. 22; and the Travers at Saratoga on Aug. 29.

The Haskell might have an edge because Baffert has won it a record seven times and Zayat lives in Teaneck, New Jersey.

"He's an athlete. We have to keep him moving,'' Baffert said. "He's so happy when he's on that track.''

The ultimate goal would be the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic, to be run Oct. 31 at Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky, the cradle of American racing and breeding and near where American Pharoah will serve stud duty.

Baffert vowed to have American Pharoah properly prepared for his next race, saying, "He'll tell me.''

Should anything happen to the colt in future races, Zayat is covered by an insurance policy for which the rates are "incredibly high,'' Baffert said recently.

Zayat, who has invested tens of millions of dollars into his breeding, buying and racing operation, believes it's not always about money when you're passionate about something.

"We are not thinking here of value or money,'' he said. "When the horse is ready, we will not be scared of running him to lose or not. It's all about the fans and this belongs to history.''

American Pharoah led all the way to win the Belmont Stakes by 5½ lengths Saturday, becoming the first horse in 37 years to sweep the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes -- one of the sporting world's rarest feats.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

On This Date in Sports History: Today is Wednesday, June 10, 2015.

Memoriesofhistory.com

1921 - Babe Ruth became baseball's all-time home run leader with 120.

1944 - The youngest pitcher in major league baseball pitched his first game. Joe Nuxhall was 15 years old (and 10 months and 11 days).

1948 - Chuck Yeager exceeded the speed of sound in the Bell XS-1.

1959 - Rocky Colavito (Cleveland) hit home runs in four straight at-bats.

1975 - Pele signed a three-year contract with the U.S. based Cosmos.

1981 - Pete Rose got his 3,630th career hit. The feat tied Stan Musial's National League record.

1983 - Johnny Bench announced his plans to retire. He was a catcher in the major leagues for 16 years.
1989 - Wayne Gretzky won the NHL's MVP award for the ninth time.

1996 - The Colorado Avalanche defeated the Florida Panthers in a 1-0 triple overtime game. The win ended a four-game sweep for the Stanley Cup.

1997 - Kevin Brown (Florida Marlins) threw his first no hitter. It was the second no-hitter in Marlins history.

2002 - Brett Hull (Detroit Red Wings) scored his 100th career playoff goal.

2005 - Babe Ruth's 1919 contract that moved him from Boston to the Yankees sold at auction for $996,000.

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Wednesday, June 10, 2015

CS&T/AllsportsAmerica Wednesday Sports News Update, 06/10/2015.

TBA | Arizona Bowl | Tucson, Ariz. | Mountain West vs. C-USA | TBA

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