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Sports Quote of the Day:
"Always remember that striving and struggle precede success, even in the dictionary." ~ Sarah Ban Breathnach, Author
Trending: Jake Arrieta takes perfecto into seventh, hits HR as Cubs beat Pirates 4-0. Cardinals or Pirates? Cubs wild card opponent still uncertain. Maddon is getting the team ready for a playoff run. (See baseball section for details).
Bleacher fans catch a home run by Jake Arrieta in the second inning. (Photo/Brian Cassella, Chicago Tribune)
Trending: Blackhawks get names engraved on Stanley Cup. (See Hockey section for details).
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Shutout in Seattle: Bears offense flat in loss to Seahawks.
By Curtis Crabtree
Bears Coach John Fox (Photo/csnchicago.com)
Playing without Jay Cutler and Alshon Jeffery, the Bears were shutout for the first time since 2002 in a 26-0 loss to the Seahawks on Sunday.
Jimmy Clausen managed just 63 yards on 9-of-17 passing in place of Cutler as the Seahawks defense — playing with Kam Chancellor for the first time this season — shut down the Bears attack.
It was the first time the Bears have been shutout since a 15-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Dec. 29, 2002. Henry Burris and Cory Sauter were the quarterbacks that day for the Bears.
Special teams issues also hurt the Bears for a second straight week. After David Johnson returned the opening kickoff for a 108-yard touchdown last week for Arizona, Tyler Lockett returned the opening kickoff of the second half for a Seahawks’ record 105-yard touchdown to give Seattle a 13-0 lead.
Seattle also caught the Bears napping on a punt return as Lockett acted as a decoy and drew the coverage to one side of the field as Richard Sherman fielded the punt and returned it 64 yards to the Bears 19-yard line.
The Bears committed heavily to the running game with Clausen under center as the Bears managed to hang with Seattle through the first half. Matt Forte had 64 yards on 15 carries before halftime as the Bears held possession for 18 minutes.
The Bears entered the game with no sacks yet on the season through two games but managed to sack Russell Wilson four times on the day. Jarvis Jenkins and Pernell McPhee each sacked Wilson twice.
Will Sutton was lost for the game due to a biceps injury in the third quarter, and the Bears couldn’t keep the lid on Seattle any longer. After holding the Seahawks to just 125 yards in the first half, Seattle out-gained the Bears, 162-24, in the third quarter and began to pull away.
After two Steven Hauschka field goals give Seattle a 6-0 lead at the break, Lockett’s kick return broke the game open.
Wilson connected with Jimmy Graham for a 30-yard touchdown to cap a seven-play, 85-yard drive to give Seattle a 20-0 lead. Hauschka booted two more field goals for Seattle to finish with four on the day.
Forte was the lone offensive bright spot on the day, finishing with 74 yards on 20 carries.
Bears Coaches have the right game plan despite loss.
By John Mullin
The Bears’ overall game plans on offense and defense were effective, with special teams enduring one of the worst stretches in recent memory.
Offensive coordinator Adam Gase went right at the Seahawks running with Matt Forte and did not abandon the plan even with a failed first possession. Forte was given the ball on five straight snaps in the first quarter, testing Seattle safety Kam Chancellor’s conditioning and reactions in his first game back. Gase made repeated use of three-tight-end personnel, challenging the Seahawks to meet strength with strength.
Gase also unveiled a “wildcat” look with a direct snap to Forte in the first quarter, which didn’t pick up a first down but certainly expanded the realm of the possible in a game where the Bears needed to be creative. Despite Jimmy Clausen’s inexperience, Gase even rolled out some no-huddle to keep Seattle off balance.
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio threw creative packages at the Seahawks starting with the first possession and got pressure and containment of Wilson, at least in the first half before the defense burned out from spending so much time on the field. Fangio repeatedly brought defensive backs in blitzes and put players in optimal positions with recognitions of Seattle tendencies.
“This week we did a good job with Coach just getting into the film,” cornerback Alan Ball said, “and knowing just what they were going to do anytime they split (tight end Jimmy) Graham out with anybody pretty much that he’s bigger than, you know they’re going to take a shot. It’s something we worked on, something we kind of knew was coming. They put us in the right defense to play it.”
Special teams were victimized on a misdirection return of the second punt, with Pat O’Donnell punting left but the coverage unit following returner Tyler Lockett to the Bears’ right. O’Donnell’s punt went left, and Richard Sherman returned it largely untouched for 64 yards.
Teams got worse with a 105-yard kickoff return allowed to Lockett to start the third quarter. The runback was an emotion-killer, with the Bears keeping Seattle close through the first half but then falling two scores behind without a play from scrimmage in the third quarter.
Notably perhaps, given the environment, the Bears were flagged for just five penalties, one a false start by right tackle Kyle Long when Clausen kept the line waiting repeatedly deep into the play clock.
Credit the John Fox staff with a key challenge of a first-quarter apparent completion to Graham, reversing a play that would have been a first down but became a third down on which the Bears defense came up with a significant stop.
How 'bout them Chicago ? Blackhawks get names engraved on Stanley Cup.
CSN Staff
The 2014-15 Blackhawks are officially engraved in history.
Philip Pritchard, the keeper of the Stanley Cup, tweeted out early Sunday morning a picture of the Blackhawks' engraved names on Lord Stanley.
The Blackhawks will begin their defense of the Stanley Cup, as well as celebrate their magical season, on Oct. 7 at home against the New York Rangers.
Brent Seabrook agrees to long-term extension with Blackhawks.
By Tracey Myers
Brent Seabrook (Photo/blackhawks.nhl.com)
The Blackhawks have talked about how much Brent Seabrook has meant to them. Now they’ve made a long-term commitment to keep him.
The Blackhawks and Seabrook agreed to an eight-year extension worth $55 million on Saturday night. Seabrook, who’s in the final year of his current contract, was happy that the deal got done now.
“It’s a huge relief,” Seabrook said after the Blackhawks’ 3-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Saturday. “It was something I wanted to get done before the season started. I don’t know how the Blackhawks felt, but it shows [they had] a lot of confidence in me.”
Seabrook’s deal means the Blackhawks have their top defensive duo wrapped up for quite a while. Duncan Keith’s current deal expires at the end of the 2022-23 season, one season before Seabrook’s new extension will run out.
“Obviously I’ve played with Seabs for a long time. He’s been an unbelievable teammate and a great friend,” Keith said. “I’m happy to know we’ll play together for a long time.”
It also means the Blackhawks will probably be looking at cap issues again next season. But general manager Stan Bowman is willing to figure out the numbers to keep Seabrook long term.
“You can’t just go pick up a Brent Seabrook. If you don’t have someone like that, to be the performer that he is on the ice as well as the leader he is off the ice, if you don’t have Brent, you’re looking for the exact same player. We know what he’s all about,” Bowman said. “The salary cap is a puzzle that we all have to figure out. Every team faces those challenges. But I look at it as a great situation to be in.
"The hardest thing is to find talented players that are committed to winning. And when you have them, you do everything you can and then you make it work. There’ll be new challenges every year, but there was never a hesitation that we would bring Brent back.”
Seabrook will be 39 by the end of his new deal but Bowman wasn’t concerned with where the defenseman will be at that point in his career.
“You maybe could say that five to 10 years ago but if you watch these guys, a lot of these guys are in better condition at 30 than they were at 21 or 22. Just the commitment they have to training and to fitness and nutrition,” Bowman said. “I have no concerns with that. I’m very impressed with our guys and they show no signs of slowing down.”
Seabrook is the latest player who the Blackhawks have locked up long term. He could have tested the free-agent waters next summer but he wanted no part of that. He wanted to stay with the Blackhawks. Now he will.
“I liked the eight years. I want to finish my career here in Chicago. We’ve had a lot of success here. There’s no place I’d rather be and that’s what I expressed through my agent. I was very pleased when that happened,” Seabrook said. “I’d like to spend my whole career here. It’s up to me now to fulfill my end of the bargain and go from there, so I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
Ryan Garbutt impressing with speed during Blackhawks preseason.
By Tracey Myers
Ryan Garbutt hadn’t been at Blackhawks camp long when coach Joel Quenneville noticed what was most evident about his game.
“The thing that jumps out is his quickness, his speed,” Quenneville said of the forward.
It’s a good trait to have, especially joining this group.
Garbutt, who was acquired, along with defenseman Trevor Daley, when the Blackhawks traded Patrick Sharp to the Dallas Stars, has fit in well this preseason. He’s played with a variety of new teammates, as can be the habit in the preseason, and his speed has been evident. Garbutt scored two goals in his first two preseason games; he didn’t score against St. Louis, but he had some good opportunities and finished with a team-high six shots on goal.
“I think he’s had a real good camp and is very noticeable. He’s had a breakaway a game, at least, and that’s due to the explosiveness with his speed,” Quenneville said. “I think he’s a nice addition to our team, gives us a real intangible of having explosive speed. As he gets a lot more comfortable in how we move around the ice, I think that’ll enhance his game.”
“The thing that jumps out is his quickness, his speed,” Quenneville said of the forward.
It’s a good trait to have, especially joining this group.
Garbutt, who was acquired, along with defenseman Trevor Daley, when the Blackhawks traded Patrick Sharp to the Dallas Stars, has fit in well this preseason. He’s played with a variety of new teammates, as can be the habit in the preseason, and his speed has been evident. Garbutt scored two goals in his first two preseason games; he didn’t score against St. Louis, but he had some good opportunities and finished with a team-high six shots on goal.
“I think he’s had a real good camp and is very noticeable. He’s had a breakaway a game, at least, and that’s due to the explosiveness with his speed,” Quenneville said. “I think he’s a nice addition to our team, gives us a real intangible of having explosive speed. As he gets a lot more comfortable in how we move around the ice, I think that’ll enhance his game.”
Garbutt said the transition has gone pretty smooth thus far.
“I think I’m more comfortable every game,” he said. “It was nice getting on the road, playing in Montreal (on Friday), just being in the season, playing the back to back like this. So I think it was good for me.”
For Garbutt, it’s about fitting in on this team and into this lineup. As well as speed, Garbutt can also play with an edge; that’s something else the Blackhawks aren’t deprived of, with Andrew Shaw, Andrew Desjardins and (possibly) Kyle Baun.
“It’s always nice to have players who play like you around you, guys who like to play hard, play with grit,” he said. “I haven’t talked to the coaches about stuff like that (my role). I’m just trying to earn my spot on the team.”
So far, it looks like he’s doing that. Chicago isn’t completely new to Garbutt — he played for the Chicago Wolves during the 2010-11 season. Now he’s just getting more used to downtown as opposed to the suburbs. It’s been a pretty easy adjustment; the one on the ice has been, too.
“I’m just trying to learn from the guys who are building a winning tradition here,” Garbutt said. “Everything’s been just as I’ve expected so far.”
“I think I’m more comfortable every game,” he said. “It was nice getting on the road, playing in Montreal (on Friday), just being in the season, playing the back to back like this. So I think it was good for me.”
For Garbutt, it’s about fitting in on this team and into this lineup. As well as speed, Garbutt can also play with an edge; that’s something else the Blackhawks aren’t deprived of, with Andrew Shaw, Andrew Desjardins and (possibly) Kyle Baun.
“It’s always nice to have players who play like you around you, guys who like to play hard, play with grit,” he said. “I haven’t talked to the coaches about stuff like that (my role). I’m just trying to earn my spot on the team.”
So far, it looks like he’s doing that. Chicago isn’t completely new to Garbutt — he played for the Chicago Wolves during the 2010-11 season. Now he’s just getting more used to downtown as opposed to the suburbs. It’s been a pretty easy adjustment; the one on the ice has been, too.
“I’m just trying to learn from the guys who are building a winning tradition here,” Garbutt said. “Everything’s been just as I’ve expected so far.”
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session... Top Bulls storylines.
By Vincent Goodwill and Mark Strotman
Derrick Rose (#1, L) and Joakim Noah (#13, R) (Photo/csnchicago.com)
Vincent Goodwill: For me, the No. 1 storyline for the Bulls revolves around No. 1, Derrick Rose. He finished the season on his feet and on the floor for the first time since the 2010-11 season, his MVP year.
He had an up-and-down year but bounced back in the playoffs statistically, including giving Bulls fans some heart-stopping moments in the second-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
With Fred Hoiberg taking over as coach, one would assume Rose will be put in positions to attack the basket, or at least play in the midrange area as opposed to drifting to the 3-point line, a place his efficiency hasn’t improved much.
For anyone expecting him to be the player he was five years ago, consider this: No NBA player is the same in a five-year period. Take Michael Jordan. He wasn’t the same in 1988 (his first MVP year) as he was in 1993, the last before he took an 18-month sabbatical. Nor was he the same in 1993 as he was in 1998, his last as a Bull. LeBron James isn’t the player he was in 2011, neither is Kobe Bryant or Kevin Durant. So that Rose from that magical year will not return.
But it doesn’t mean he can’t be efficient, pick his spots offensively and return to some relevance in the league’s hierarchy. Surely he’s at least at the back end of the top-10 point guards. But if he finds a way to mesh with Jimmy Butler while finding that ever-elusive consistency, Rose could be a top-5 point guard again. If so, it makes Hoiberg’s job a lot easier and lowers the Bulls’ slim margin for error in the Eastern Conference.
Mark Strotman: Peak at the box score on any given night, look up Rose's numbers and you'll have a good idea how the Bulls fared. For as much talent as Gar Forman has surrounded him with, Rose is still the measuring stick for how far this team can and will go. His career splits have him averaging 21.4 points on 47 percent shooting in wins, compared to 18.6 points on 42 percent shooting in losses. His offensive rating in 213 wins is 113 and just 98 in 127 career losses. Fred Hoiberg's biggest task will be making sure Rose remains the focal point of the offense, if not in volume then pure efficiency.
Knee issues aside - I realize that's an enormous factor to push to the side - Rose must remain aggressive. We saw all too well the kind of player he becomes when he settles for 3-pointers (bad), and the kind of player he becomes when he's attacking defenses (really good). Jimmy Butler can remain a dominant scorer, Pau Gasol can be money from the elbow and Mike Dunleavy/Nikola Mirotic/Aaron Brooks can connect from deep all they want, but if Rose isn't on his game the Bulls are in trouble. It's the burden he carries in a superstar-driven league.
And if Rose is the barometer offensively, the team's second biggest storyline is how Joakim Noah responds after a forgetful 2015 campaign. We can debate all we want about whether he should be starting alongside Gasol - he shouldn't - but at its very core the 2014 Defensive Player of the Year's contributions will loom large. The Bulls will need to find out quickly whether last year's ineffectiveness was just the product of a troublesome knee or a 30-year-old whose style of play the last nine seasons means quicker wear and tear.
I wouldn't go as far to say the Bulls NEED 2013-14 Joakim Noah in order to be successful, but they need to know what they've got. Tom Thibodeau had a relationship with Noah that allowed him to look past the center's shortcomings; he'll have a shorter leash with Hoiberg. If Noah can't right the ship, it may be time to ramp up Taj Gibson's minutes and move on. I'm sure it's not what Bulls fans want to hear, but it's the reality of the situation. What Noah brings in energy, leadership and intangibles doesn't mean much when Tristan Thompson is running circles around him on the offensive glass in mid-May.
VG: Ahh, to the contrary about Noah. If he’s not effective, you can’t just ramp up Taj Gibson’s minutes. He’s coming off left ankle surgery where there was ligament damage from playing on it in the playoffs, and the Bulls want to bring him along slowly. Keep in mind, he’s 30 and has been playing heavy minutes, which equates to Thibs-miles on his body.
What are Thibs’ miles? They’re certainly not highway miles on your convertible you keep in your garage until the weather breaks. And a lot of players have the hard, grinding Thibs miles on their bodies. Which brings us to how new coach Fred Hoiberg handles the player combinations, one of the more interesting parts of his job.
The five-man unit of Pau Gasol, Nikola Mirotic, Mike Dunleavy, Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose played a total of zero minutes together last season, with respect to Thibodeau’s desire to have defense on the floor. Will we see more offensive-minded units on the floor, and if we do see that particular unit, will they retain some, if any, of Thibodeau’s defensive principles?
The Golden State Warriors didn’t get ahold of the Finals series until they sat defensive-minded center Andrew Bogut and went small, playing rugged but 6-foot-7 Draymond Green at center against 7-footer Timofey Mozgov. With the abundance of 3’s and 4’s on this squad, along with Noah and Gasol who can play the pivot but not necessarily together, will Hoiberg go to the Rubik’s cube to employ some exotic lineups that Bulls fans haven’t seen in years?
It’s no secret the Bulls have a lot invested in 2014 first-round pick Doug McDermott. And Tony Snell is going to be in line for more playing time as well. So if Hoiberg has to manage the minutes of Gasol, Noah and Gibson, it may put him in a position to use McDermott at the four or in an extreme case, Mirotic at center.
Gasol broke down at the end of last season with his hamstring injury, which could’ve altered the outcome of the series against Cleveland. He’s 35 and Noah didn’t look anything like himself for most of last year, having just turned 30. How Hoiberg deals with this will be critical to the Bulls’ success.
MS: Minute distribution will be crucial for a Bulls team that's no longer on the "younger" side, despite a backcourt with a pair of maxed-out 26-year-olds. Hoiberg can thank Thibodeau for that aspect of the job being put under the microscope on a nightly basis, and it just got more difficult with the announcement that Mike Dunleavy will miss 8-to-10 weeks after back surgery. Forman and the Bulls are well-prepared for this situation, having drafted Tony Snell and Doug McDermott with their last two first-round picks. Granted, they drafted both those guys to alleviate some burden and minutes off Jimmy Butler, but now it'll be about filling minutes on the wing opposite him.
The biggest beneficiary of all this may be Nikola Mirotic. Filling Dunleavy's absence means a "small forward" will start and log the 29.2 minutes per game Dunleavy averaged last season. But more important than filling the position is filling the role and numbers, which for Dunleavy meant a floor-spacer who connected on nearly 41 percent of his 3-pointers, tied for 14th in the NBA. His 107 3-pointers were second to Aaron Brooks (121), and especially in Hoiberg's up-tempo offense the Bulls will need to replicate his production the first month of the season. That could mean Mirotic, the Rookie of the Year runner-up who will have steep expectations and a lot to prove after last year's forgettable playoffs.
We simply haven't seen enough of Snell, and certainly not enough of McDermott to anoint either the role replacement for Dunleavy. Snell at least has 34 starts to his name, but he's shooting 35 percent from beyond the arc in those games and it's unclear how he'd be affected by averaging close to 30 minutes per night. That's why Hoiberg will need to get creative with his lineups, perhaps using Mirotic at small forward for spurts to open up the offense for Rose and Butler.
The good news is, as the tired cliche goes, Dunleavy's injury may be a blessing in disguise. Thibodeau never really gave Snell a consistent look, and McDermott's defense wasn't anywhere close to ready for the NBA last year. Now those two will, at least in some fashion, be forced to produce. They'll undergo a trial by fire, and that could be good for them. Championships aren't won and lost in November, meaning those additional minutes for the young wings can only be a good omen for later in the year. Minutes distribution at that small forward spot - as well as Mirotic's minutes and role - will be something to keep an eye on, and with the start of practice just days away becomes an important storyline.
Bulls: Mike Dunleavy out 8-10 weeks after back surgery.
By Vincent Goodwill
In a surprise before training camp, the Bulls announce forward Mike Dunleavy will miss the next 8-10 weeks after undergoing lower back surgery.
Dunleavy, who signed a three-year deal with the Bulls this summer after spending the last two with the franchise, was experiencing discomfort in his back that apparently worsened and non-surgical treatment wasn’t satisfactory.
Dunleavy underwent what the Bulls called a “low back microdiscectomy” at Rush Medical Center. In the release from the team it stresses the medical staff took conservative measures before performing the surgery.
Regardless, it looks as if Dunleavy will miss a considerable amount of time to start the season, and if the timetable is correct, the 35-year old will be slated to return sometime between Nov. 20-Dec. 4.
Dunleavy was a critical component to the starting unit the last two years, shooting nearly 40 percent from three and averaging 10.5 points per game. It opens the door for 2014 first-round pick Doug McDermott to receive more playing time in the meantime, and perhaps Tony Snell will get more minutes in a trickle-down effect.
Either way, the Bulls have battled injuries over the past few years, with Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah being the notable players in the Tom Thibodeau era. Hopefully for their sake, this injury won’t signal the Fred Hoiberg era will have much of the same.
Jake Arrieta takes perfecto into seventh, hits HR as Cubs beat Pirates.
By Tony Andracki
Jake Arrieta (Photo/csnchicago.com)
We're running out of superlatives to describe Jake Arrieta right now.
The Cubs ace took a perfect game into the seventh inning Sunday night as the Cubs beat the Pirates, 4-0, in front of 40,617 fans at Wrigley Field.
Arrieta gave up a leadoff single to Gregory Polanco in the seventh and hit Andrew McCutchen with a pitch two batters later.
Those were the only two baserunners the Pirates had all night against Arrieta as he finished with 84 pitches in seven shutout innings, striking out nine and lowering his season ERA to 1.82 and WHIP to 0.88.
"I knew the situation I was in. Things were working well," Arrieta said. "All my pitches were pretty sharp. I knew going in it was going to be a pretty good night.
"I had a feel for everything from the get-go and it carried over. I knew there was a chance [at a no-hitter]."
It was Arrieta's league-leading 21st win of the season and 19th straight quality start. The Cubs are now 24-8 (a .750 winning percentage) in games he starts.
Arrieta has a 0.80 ERA since the All-Star Break, the best mark in MLB history.
"I talked about it earlier in the year - I thought there was another level to him," Joe Maddon said. "I think you're seeing that right now."
As if his pitching wasn't enough, Arrieta drilled a solo homer to right field in the second inning Sunday night and then sent another one to the wall in dead center in the sixth inning.
"I got two pitches in the one spot that you shouldn't throw me," he said. "Normally, anything outside of that tiny little area, I'm swinging and missing. I just put a couple good swings together."
Even with Sunday's win, the Cubs sit 4.5 games behind the Pirates in the wild-card race with only a week left, meaning the odds of hosting the one-game playoff in Chicago are very slim. These final seven games don't carry a lot of importance for the Cubs in terms of seeding.
Arrieta has blown past his career high in innings pitched in a season, but he's 29, in good shape and on an absolutely ridiculous run right now.
So it'd be awfully tough for manager Joe Maddon and the Cubs to scale back Arrieta's workload significantly right now before he starts the wild-card game in 10 days.
There is no plan for the Cubs to skip Arrieta's final start Friday in Milwaukee.
"He's in a nice little groove," Maddon said before Sunday's contest. "I don't want to interrupt his groove."
Maddon let Arrieta throw 123 pitches in a complete-game shutout against the Brewers last Tuesday.
Arrieta understands there's no need to overdo it right now, saying Saturday he didn't expect his pitch count to go over 100 come Sunday.
With the perfect game lost on his 77th pitch against the Pirates, there was no pressure to max out Arrieta, even though he had "no-hitter stuff."
"What's really setting him apart right now is what the ball's doing right in front of the plate into the catcher's mitt. It's very explosive," Maddon said.
"That's why he's been so successful. He's incredible."
The Cubs ace took a perfect game into the seventh inning Sunday night as the Cubs beat the Pirates, 4-0, in front of 40,617 fans at Wrigley Field.
Arrieta gave up a leadoff single to Gregory Polanco in the seventh and hit Andrew McCutchen with a pitch two batters later.
Those were the only two baserunners the Pirates had all night against Arrieta as he finished with 84 pitches in seven shutout innings, striking out nine and lowering his season ERA to 1.82 and WHIP to 0.88.
"I knew the situation I was in. Things were working well," Arrieta said. "All my pitches were pretty sharp. I knew going in it was going to be a pretty good night.
"I had a feel for everything from the get-go and it carried over. I knew there was a chance [at a no-hitter]."
It was Arrieta's league-leading 21st win of the season and 19th straight quality start. The Cubs are now 24-8 (a .750 winning percentage) in games he starts.
Arrieta has a 0.80 ERA since the All-Star Break, the best mark in MLB history.
"I talked about it earlier in the year - I thought there was another level to him," Joe Maddon said. "I think you're seeing that right now."
As if his pitching wasn't enough, Arrieta drilled a solo homer to right field in the second inning Sunday night and then sent another one to the wall in dead center in the sixth inning.
"I got two pitches in the one spot that you shouldn't throw me," he said. "Normally, anything outside of that tiny little area, I'm swinging and missing. I just put a couple good swings together."
Even with Sunday's win, the Cubs sit 4.5 games behind the Pirates in the wild-card race with only a week left, meaning the odds of hosting the one-game playoff in Chicago are very slim. These final seven games don't carry a lot of importance for the Cubs in terms of seeding.
Arrieta has blown past his career high in innings pitched in a season, but he's 29, in good shape and on an absolutely ridiculous run right now.
So it'd be awfully tough for manager Joe Maddon and the Cubs to scale back Arrieta's workload significantly right now before he starts the wild-card game in 10 days.
There is no plan for the Cubs to skip Arrieta's final start Friday in Milwaukee.
"He's in a nice little groove," Maddon said before Sunday's contest. "I don't want to interrupt his groove."
Maddon let Arrieta throw 123 pitches in a complete-game shutout against the Brewers last Tuesday.
Arrieta understands there's no need to overdo it right now, saying Saturday he didn't expect his pitch count to go over 100 come Sunday.
With the perfect game lost on his 77th pitch against the Pirates, there was no pressure to max out Arrieta, even though he had "no-hitter stuff."
"What's really setting him apart right now is what the ball's doing right in front of the plate into the catcher's mitt. It's very explosive," Maddon said.
"That's why he's been so successful. He's incredible."
Inconsistent offense continues to sink White Sox in loss.
By Dan Hayes
The offense fooled Robin Ventura once this season.
But aside from a seven-day stretch of gaudy production that will keep the White Sox from being one of the worst offenses in franchise history, the rest of the season has been filled with frustration.
One day after his club officially was eliminated from the postseason, the White Sox manager again pointed to his offense Sunday as the aspect most responsible for an underwhelming season on the South Side. Minus seven straight wins in late July when they scored 54 runs and gave Ventura hope of turnaround, the White Sox offense has averaged 3.7 runs per contest, including Sunday’s 6-1 loss to the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.
“You could see things turn around offensively,” Ventura said. “We kind of tweaked it a little bit roster wise and it started to work. We were pitching, playing some defense and getting some runs.
“We could never keep up that offensive production to that extent but you expected a little bit more out of that. When you are inconsistent offensively, and there will be games where you don’t do it, it just wasn’t consistent enough.”
Sunday was the 79th time this season the White Sox have scored three runs or fewer in 156 games (50.6 percent). It was also the 57th time they’ve scored two or fewer runs. And the White Sox -- who are guaranteed a sub-.500 finish in a third straight season and have missed the playoffs for the ninth time in 10 years -- have been shut out 11 times. They only avoided a 12th shutout Sunday when Avisail Garcia crushed a pinch-hit home run in the seventh inning.
This isn’t the kind of production the White Sox expected from their offense this season. Not with the way they invested in what they believed would be an upgraded roster this season.
While Melky Cabrera (three years, $42 million) has exceeded last year’s RBI total, he hasn’t quite been the on-base machine the White Sox hoped he would be. Adam LaRoche hasn’t offered the type of middle-of-the-order protection for Jose Abreu the White Sox believed he would when they signed him to a $25-million contract.
Alexei Ramirez has somewhat salvaged his season but is way down from when he was a Silver Slugger winner in 2014.
And Garcia hasn’t developed quickly enough to help the White Sox overcome their other issues -- namely minimal offense at catcher, second base and third.
But for those seven days in July, the White Sox put on quite a show as everyone throughout the lineup hit. The run got the White Sox within a game of the .500 mark, had them in the thick of the wild-card race and prevented general manager Rick Hahn from parting with Jeff Samardzija before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.
While the White Sox have been markedly better in the second half -- they have scored 4.52 runs per game since the All-Star break and averaged 3.4 prior to it -- it hasn’t been enough.
“Any time you see a run like that, you get guys that, we were young in certain spots,” Ventura said. “But once you see the guys that have a history and you expect them to go on a bit of a run just to kind of even it all back up and it just never got over the hump once we started going in the right direction. It never was sustainable. That’s probably the part you just sit there and look at and try to figure out.”
Golf: I got a club for that..... Jordan Spieth wins Tour Championship, FedEx Cup.
NBC Sports
Jordan Spieth of the United States celebrates on the 18th green after his four-stroke victory at the TOUR Championship By Coca-Cola on his way to also securing the FedExCup at East Lake Golf Club on September 27, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
On the strength of his putter, Jordan Spieth carded a final-round 1-under 69 Sunday to win the Tour Championship, claim the FedEx Cup and reclaim the No. 1 spot in the Official World Golf Ranking. Here's how the 2014-15 season wrapped up at East Lake.
Leaderboard: Spieth (-9), Henrik Stenson (-5), Danny Lee (-5), Justin Rose (-5)
What it means: This is Spieth’s sixth PGA Tour victory and fifth this year, tying him with Jason Day for the most in 2014-15. At 22, Spieth is the youngest-ever winner of both the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup. He is the youngest player to win five or more events in a season since Horton Smith in 1929. He is also the first player in history to win the Masters and the Tour Championship in the same year. With his $1.4 million winning share, Spieth set a record from Tour earnings in a year with $12,030,465, a figure that doesn't include his $10 million bonus for winning the FedEx Cup. With the victory, and with Day finishing outside the top five, Spieth is once again No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Round of the day: After playing his first three days at East Lake 2 over, Dustin Johnson fired the round of the week Sunday, a 6-under 64 that moved him into a tie for fifth at 4 under for the championship. After an early birdie at No. 3, DJ played his final 11 holes of the season 7 under.
Best of the rest: Danny Lee and Robert Streb both turned in 5-under 65s. Streb played the weekend 6 under after playing his first two rounds 10 over. Lee finished tied for second and will be a part of next month’s Presidents Cup.
Biggest disappointment: Stenson started the day one back and was tied with Spieth through six holes but failed to generate enough momentum to pass his playing partner. Three down in the 17th fairway, Stenson's hopes really met their end with an unexpected shank into the gallery, from where he made double bogey. A 57-foot birdie putt at the last got him into the clubhouse in a final-round 72 and pulled him back into second place for both the tournament and the FedEx Cup. He played the weekend at East Lake 4 over.
Shot of the day: Spieth’s 46-foot birdie bomb on the 11th hole put a damper on any hopes of a Stenson comeback. After Stenson stuffed his tee shot at the par 3 and looked in position to cut his deficit to just one, Spieth rolled in this putt to maintain his margin, prompting a fist bump from Stenson himself.
Spieth made birdie on Nos. 8, 9 and 11, holing 85 feet worth of putts in the process.
Quote of the day: “Boy, that putter sure paid off.” - Spieth, who just won $11.4 million.
Leaderboard: Spieth (-9), Henrik Stenson (-5), Danny Lee (-5), Justin Rose (-5)
What it means: This is Spieth’s sixth PGA Tour victory and fifth this year, tying him with Jason Day for the most in 2014-15. At 22, Spieth is the youngest-ever winner of both the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup. He is the youngest player to win five or more events in a season since Horton Smith in 1929. He is also the first player in history to win the Masters and the Tour Championship in the same year. With his $1.4 million winning share, Spieth set a record from Tour earnings in a year with $12,030,465, a figure that doesn't include his $10 million bonus for winning the FedEx Cup. With the victory, and with Day finishing outside the top five, Spieth is once again No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Round of the day: After playing his first three days at East Lake 2 over, Dustin Johnson fired the round of the week Sunday, a 6-under 64 that moved him into a tie for fifth at 4 under for the championship. After an early birdie at No. 3, DJ played his final 11 holes of the season 7 under.
Best of the rest: Danny Lee and Robert Streb both turned in 5-under 65s. Streb played the weekend 6 under after playing his first two rounds 10 over. Lee finished tied for second and will be a part of next month’s Presidents Cup.
Biggest disappointment: Stenson started the day one back and was tied with Spieth through six holes but failed to generate enough momentum to pass his playing partner. Three down in the 17th fairway, Stenson's hopes really met their end with an unexpected shank into the gallery, from where he made double bogey. A 57-foot birdie putt at the last got him into the clubhouse in a final-round 72 and pulled him back into second place for both the tournament and the FedEx Cup. He played the weekend at East Lake 4 over.
Shot of the day: Spieth’s 46-foot birdie bomb on the 11th hole put a damper on any hopes of a Stenson comeback. After Stenson stuffed his tee shot at the par 3 and looked in position to cut his deficit to just one, Spieth rolled in this putt to maintain his margin, prompting a fist bump from Stenson himself.
Spieth made birdie on Nos. 8, 9 and 11, holing 85 feet worth of putts in the process.
Quote of the day: “Boy, that putter sure paid off.” - Spieth, who just won $11.4 million.
Spieth says he won Tour Championship with his head.
Reuters; By Larry Fine, Editing by Andrew Both
Jordan Spieth identified his heart rather than his swing as the reason he was able to cap off a Player of the Year season by winning the Tour Championship and FedExCup playoffs jackpot on Sunday.
"I didn't feel comfortable striking the ball whatsoever, today or this week," Spieth told reporters after collecting $1.485 million for winning the tournament and $10 million for finishing on top of the FedExCup standings at East Lake.
"It was amazing that we competed with the way I felt over the ball."
Spieth, mature well beyond his 22 years, credited his double victory to his vaunted short game, a burning desire to finish the season on a high and a fresh mental approach underlined by his caddie.
"My short game was phenomenal this week," said the Texan, who in Saturday's third round missed nine greens but saved par each and every time, and bailed himself out with a series of pressure-packed, par-saving putts.
"We worked a lot on it from Monday morning, getting ready for any kind of position. We played the smart shot, struck them the right way, and hit good solid putts. It was incredible."
DOMINATED GOLF
Spieth dominated golf for most of the year, winning the Masters and U.S. Open for his first majors, finishing one shot out of a British Open playoff and being runner-up at the PGA Championship.
A form dip the past month coincided with a red-hot run by Australian Jason Day, who won four of six events, including the PGA Championship and two of the FedExCup playoff tournaments.
That stung the highly-competitive Spieth.
"I got frustrated. I missed two cuts in a row, had never done that, lost the number one ranking. I was watching Jason Day just dominate golf," he said.
A mental adjustment turned things around.
"I made some poor decisions earlier in the playoff stretch because mentally I wasn't in shape," he said. "I was approaching this number one in the world ranking, the end of the majors season, these expectations, I was managing them like a sprint."
Spieth said he put pressure on himself to do too much, instead of sticking with his game plan.
He briefly fell back into his old self-admonishing ways on Sunday, after back-to-back bogeys at five and six that dropped him level with Sweden's Henrik Stenson, when caddie Michael Greller snapped him back to attention.
"At that moment Michael kept me in it," Spieth said, revealing that he had been forbidden by Greller from talking about what had transpired.
The seeds to victory may have been planted six days earlier when Spieth and Greller arrived at East Lake on Monday ahead of most players, to work on getting comfortable on the Bermuda greens and rough.
"Compared to most other guys, they weren't out there on Monday morning," Spieth said. "I think it's important for getting to know a golf course, especially as you change grass types, change weather conditions.
"It was very, very lonely out here on that Monday, which was kind of nice."
NASCAR: Matt Kenseth steals win at New Hampshire as Harvick runs out of gas.
By Nick Bromberg
Matt Kenseth swiped his second fuel-mileage win of 2015 on Sunday at New Hampshire and is now guaranteed a berth in the second round of the Chase.
Kenseth wasn't in fuel conservation mode over the final laps of the race. He had pitted approximately 60 laps from the finish and had plenty of gas to make it. Kevin Harvick, the race's leader, was attempting to stretch his fuel. He ran out of gas with three laps to go to give Kenseth the win.
As Kenseth finished fifth at Chicago in the first race of the Chase, Harvick, the 2014 champion, was 42nd. He was going for the win and the automatic berth into the next round. But either he was pushed too hard by Kenseth to save enough fuel or his team simply miscalculated. And because of it, Harvick is in a win-and-in situation at Dover.
He's currently 15th in the points standings after finishing 21st and 23 points behind 12th. Not only does he have to make up the 23 points on Dale Earnhardt Jr. (or more on another driver), he has to leapfrog Kyle Busch and Paul Menard in the process.
Kenseth's win is the fourth-straight for Joe Gibbs Racing and the second time this season that the team has won four straight races. Not only are Kenseth and Denny Hamlin now in the second round of the Chase because of their wins, teammate Carl Edwards is tied with Joey Logano for the most points among drivers without wins.
Kenseth won at Pocono in August when the drivers ahead of him ran out of gas.
While the No. 4 team's fuel mismanagement will end up being the dominant storyline from Sunday's race, another one emerged that could potentially change the complexion of the Chase over the next eight races.
After being lenient regarding the tactics and games drivers play on restarts throughout the entirety of the 2015 season, the sanctioning body penalized Brad Keselowski for jumping the race's final restart. Here's a replay of the incident.
Greg Biffle, the car on the outside, was the leader. He maintained his speed, though given that the cars behind him stacked up, he might have spun his tires on the start. As Biffle stayed stagnant through the restart zone, Keselowski accelerated. Since Biffle was the leader and Keselowski went before him, the No. 2 car was penalized. He had to serve a drive-through penalty.
"It's a pretty basic understanding, it's an entertainment sport and not a fair sport," Keselowski said when asked by NBC of his understanding of the restart call. "We had a great car, the team on the No. 2 ... was really strong. I don't know if we would have beat [Kenseth] and [Denny Hamlin] it looked like they probably had four tires but like I said, heck of a rebound. Really proud of my guys today."
Was it an egregious penalty if it was a penalty at all? It's tough to tell. And that's the problem NASCAR is facing when it comes to clarity about its restarts. In the first race of the Chase at Chicago, Jeff Gordon appeared to have jumped the restart much more severely than Keselowski did. NASCAR didn't penalize him.
Why? who knows. The restart zone and those aforementioned tactics and the whole host of variables (tires spinning, a missed shift, etc.) open up restarts for a whole lot of interpretation for drivers, fans and the sanctioning body itself. Keselowski recovered to finish 15th and is still safely inside the top 12. But if NASCAR calls another restart penalty later in the Chase, there could be much more severe points consequences.
Here's how the Chase field looks heading into Dover:
Here's how the Chase field looks heading into Dover:
1. Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth
3. Carl Edwards, +33 points on 13th
3. Joey Logano, +33
5. Jimmie Johnson, +27
6. Ryan Newman, +18
7. Kurt Busch, +17
8. Brad Keselowski, +16
9. Martin Truex Jr., +15
10. Jeff Gordon, +12
11. Jamie McMurray, +2
12. Dale Earnhardt Jr., +1: Junior was another driver who tried to stretch his fuel supply. He was forced to pit and finished 25th.
13. Kyle Busch, -1
14. Paul Menard, -1
15. Kevin Harvick, -23
16. Clint Bowyer, -39
Report: Tony Stewart to retire after 2016.
By Nick Bromberg
Three-time Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart will reportedly retire after the 2016 season.
According to Motorsport.com, Stewart, 44, is set to vacate the No. 14 car and Clint Bowyer will take over in 2017. Stewart's retirement would come a year after another icon's departure. Jeff Gordon is retiring from driving full-time after the 2015 season.
Stewart, who won the 2002, 2005 and 2011 Sprint Cup titles, has struggled over the past two seasons. In 2013, he missed the last third of the Sprint Cup Series season after suffering a broken leg in a sprint car accident. In 2014, he missed three races after he struck and killed Kevin Ward Jr. in a sprint car accident in upstate New York. Stewart was not charged with a crime. Ward's family filed a civil wrongful death lawsuit against Stewart this August.
Stewart is currently 25th in the Sprint Cup standings. He finished 11th at New Hampshire on Sunday.
He came to the Cup Series in 1999 with Joe Gibbs Racing. He won two championships with the team and left after the 2008 season. He was given a 50 percent stake in Stewart-Haas Racing and became the first owner-driver in NASCAR since Alan Kulwicki to win the Cup Series title when he won in 2011. He beat Carl Edwards that season via tiebreaker. Stewart won the final race to tie Edwards on points and won the championship because he had more wins.
He came to the Cup Series in 1999 with Joe Gibbs Racing. He won two championships with the team and left after the 2008 season. He was given a 50 percent stake in Stewart-Haas Racing and became the first owner-driver in NASCAR since Alan Kulwicki to win the Cup Series title when he won in 2011. He beat Carl Edwards that season via tiebreaker. Stewart won the final race to tie Edwards on points and won the championship because he had more wins.
Stewart has 48 career Sprint Cup series victories and is also the 1997 IndyCar Series champion. He's also the owner of Eldora Speedway, a dirt track in Ohio where the Camping World Truck Series now hosts an annual race.
Bowyer has long been rumored to take over the No. 14 if Stewart decided to vacate it. He's leaving Michael Waltrip Racing at the end of the year as the team shuts down. According to Motorsport, Bowyer is expected to drive for HScott Motorsports in 2016. The team has an equipment affiliation with Stewart-Haas Racing.
Bowyer is currently 16th in the Cup standings after he was penalized 25 points for an inspection violation at Chicago. Stewart-Haas Racing fields cars for Stewart, 2014 champion Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch and Danica Patrick.
SOCCER: Gilberto brace not enough as Toronto FC rallies to beat Fire.
By Danny Michallik
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
For glimpses of Saturday's encounter between Toronto FC and the Chicago Fire, Brian Bliss' group appeared to show the endeavor necessary to procure the team's first away win from home since July 2014.
For large stretches of the first and second half, however, Greg Vanney's delegation showed why, amid a pressure-filled season, it is in contention to secure its first postseason berth in club history. A first-minute strike from Gilberto and another from the Brazilian on the other side of halftime was canceled out by tallies from Jonathan Osorio, Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore as the Fire (7-18-6, 27 points) fell, 3-2, to Toronto (13-13-4, 43 points) in front of 22,513 at BMO Field.
The defeat - the Fire's 18th of 2015 - leaves them rooted to the foot of the Eastern Conference table and officially eliminates them from playoff contention, while Toronto remains in fifth place, two points back of fourth-placed D.C. United and five points clear of the playoff red line with four games to play.
Bliss showed three changes from the side that lost to the Montreal Impact midweek, with Mike Magee earning his first MLS start since July 15 in place of Kennedy Igboananike. Daneil Cyrus and Michael Stephens rounded out the alterations, deputizing for Ty Harden and Razvan Cocis, respectively.
The visitors got off to a dream start, with Stephens making an immediate impact and supplying Patrick Nyarko for the Fire's first attacking sequence. Nyarko took a few touches before threading an inch-perfect pass behind the Toronto defense for Gilberto, who, making his first appearance against his old team, powered home a left-footed effort past goalkeeper Chris Konopka for an early 1-0 lead.
In the ensuing 44 minutes, the hosts heaped on the pressure, outshooting the Men in Red by a 10-1 margin and maintaining 67 percent of possession. Sebastian Giovinco was the crux of several of Toronto's attacking moves before finally breaking through a compact Fire back line a minute shy of the half-hour mark.
After muscling Cyrus off the ball to earn a corner kick, the Italian delivered a moment of magic, curling a cross with the outside of his boot for Osorio to meet at the back post, which was headed in from close range to send both sides into the halftime break level at 1-1.
Seven minutes into the second stanza, Gilberto came back to haunt Toronto once more. After Bradley overcommitted in the hosts' defensive half, Nyarko was allowed to turn and connect with Magee, who, with one touch, sprung the Brazilian down the middle. Gilberto made no mistake, burying a well-placed, right-footed shot off the inside of the post and in to help restore the Fire's lead in the 52nd minute.
Seven minutes later, following a chested clearance off the line from Marco Delgado and another goal-bound effort from Gilberto that creeped by Konopka's left post, Toronto pulled level at the other end. Bradley waltzed into the area and evaded challenges from multiple Fire defenders en route to dispatching a deflected shot past Busch.
Ten minutes from time, Toronto sealed all three points with a near post flick-on from Altidore.
With three matches in seven days in the books, the Fire will have a full week to gear up for their third and final meeting against the New England Revolution on Oct. 3.
Chicago Fire Starting XI (subs)
(4-4-1-1) - Jon Busch; Lovel Palmer, Jeff Larentowicz (C), Daneil Cyrus, Patrick Doody; Patrick Nyarko (Joevin Jones, 55'), Matt Polster (Razvan Cocis, 67'), Michael Stephens, David Accam; Mike Magee (Jason Johnson, 74'); Gilberto.
Premier League Game Summary, 09/27/2015.
SOCCERWAY
| Sat | 26/09/15 | Tottenham Hotspur | 4 - 1 | Manchester City | ||
| Leicester City | 2 - 5 | Arsenal | ||||
| Liverpool | 3 - 2 | Aston Villa | ||||
| Stoke City | 2 - 1 | AFC Bournemouth | ||||
| West Ham United | 2 - 2 | Norwich City | ||||
| Manchester United | 3 - 0 | Sunderland | ||||
| Southampton | 3 - 1 | Swansea City | ||||
| Newcastle United | 2 - 2 | Chelsea | ||||
Sun
|
27/09/15
|
Watford
|
0 - 1
|
Crystal Palace
| ||
Mon
|
28/09/15
|
West Bromwich …
|
14 : 00
|
Everton
|
Let's predict Jurgen Klinsmann's starting XI for the U.S. against Mexico.
By Leander Schaerlaeckens
Just two weeks remain until the United States men's national team faces archrivals/mortal enemies/blood-feud-antagonists Mexico in a playoff for CONCACAF's berth in the 2017 Confederations Cup. Since the head coaches were, for some unknowable reason, required to announce a 35-man preliminary roster on Sept. 15, almost a month ahead of the game, they had to make a few projections and judgment calls.
So let's try to predict how Jurgen Klinsmann will sort through the pile of names and put his team together for the Oct. 10 showdown at the Rose Bowl.
GOALKEEPERS
On the preliminary roster:
Bill Hamid (D.C. United)
By Leander Schaerlaeckens
Just two weeks remain until the United States men's national team faces archrivals/mortal enemies/blood-feud-antagonists Mexico in a playoff for CONCACAF's berth in the 2017 Confederations Cup. Since the head coaches were, for some unknowable reason, required to announce a 35-man preliminary roster on Sept. 15, almost a month ahead of the game, they had to make a few projections and judgment calls.
So let's try to predict how Jurgen Klinsmann will sort through the pile of names and put his team together for the Oct. 10 showdown at the Rose Bowl.
GOALKEEPERS
On the preliminary roster:
Bill Hamid (D.C. United)
Tim Howard (Everton)
Brad Guzan (Aston Villa)
Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
There's little doubt that Guzan, Howard and Rimando will form the trio of goalkeepers – in that order. Klinsmann has said the job is Guzan's to lose through this playoff, in spite of carrying the ball outside the area in the Gold Cup semifinals, whereupon Jamaica scored the free kick that knocked the Americans out of the tournament prematurely. Howard is back from his year-long national team sabbatical but probably won't slip into whatever time-sharing arrangement Klinsmann devises for his goalkeepers until after this game.
Because while Howard may be in fine form for Everton, Guzan has won his starting job back with Villa and done nothing to relinquish it. Hamid has put in some stellar performances, even as DC United has collapsed down the stretch in the MLS season, but Rimando remains the tried and true understudy for now.
CENTRAL DEFENDERS
On the preliminary roster:
Ventura Alvarado (America)
Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City)Brad Guzan (Aston Villa)
Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
There's little doubt that Guzan, Howard and Rimando will form the trio of goalkeepers – in that order. Klinsmann has said the job is Guzan's to lose through this playoff, in spite of carrying the ball outside the area in the Gold Cup semifinals, whereupon Jamaica scored the free kick that knocked the Americans out of the tournament prematurely. Howard is back from his year-long national team sabbatical but probably won't slip into whatever time-sharing arrangement Klinsmann devises for his goalkeepers until after this game.
Because while Howard may be in fine form for Everton, Guzan has won his starting job back with Villa and done nothing to relinquish it. Hamid has put in some stellar performances, even as DC United has collapsed down the stretch in the MLS season, but Rimando remains the tried and true understudy for now.
CENTRAL DEFENDERS
On the preliminary roster:
Ventura Alvarado (America)
John Brooks (Hertha Berlin)
Geoff Cameron (Stoke City)
Omar Gonzalez (Los Angeles Galaxy)
Michael Orozco (Tijuana)
Tim Ream (Fulham)
Jonathan Spector (Birmingham City)
Alvarado and Brooks continue to play regularly for major clubs. And despite their poor performance at the Gold Cup – frankly, we can quite comfortably call their tournament a failure – Klinsmann seems committed to the young pairing. Certainly, both men are plenty talented. But they are raw as well. All the same, don't be surprised to see them in the lineup on Oct. 10.
What's odd about all of this, however, is that Klinsmann already had a pairing of young center backs that not only survived the many pitfalls of World Cup qualifying, but showed pretty well at the World Cup. And while Gonzalez's form with the Galaxy has been mixed, Besler has been solid as ever for Kansas City. Given that they are 26 and 28, respectively, there's no good reason for them not to form the heart of the back line through the World Cup in Russia in 2018 – if not longer. But then Klinsmann's ways are unknowable.
Which brings us to Cameron, who has shifted into central defense from right back at Stoke City and has looked good there. Klinsmann talks endlessly about playing at the highest possible level. So there's just no explaining why the only American to fashion himself into a consistent Premier League starter since Clint Dempsey with Fulham in 2011-12 can't seem to land a fulltime job with the national team. All the same, Cameron once again appears to be on the outside looking in. Literally, perhaps, since it's more likely that he'll play at right back – in spite of his attacking deficiencies on the flank – than in the middle.
Ream and Spector might just make the cut for their versatility – Ream can also play left back while Spector can play every defensive position as well as holding midfielder. Orozco is looking like the odd man out here, having never quite convinced at the international level.
OUTSIDE BACKS
On the preliminary roster:
Damarcus Beasley (Houston Dynamo)
Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders)
Greg Garza (Atlas)
Fabian Johnson (Borussia Moenchengladbach)
DeAndre Yedlin (Sunderland)
Geoff Cameron (Stoke City)
Tim Ream (Fulham)
Jonathan Spector (Birmingham City)
The news here is good. The dearth of depth in the outside back positions, which is dragging into its second decade now, reared its ugly head again in the early September friendlies against Peru and Brazil. But Beasley and Johnson have returned from injury, with the latter scoring five minutes into his Bundesliga return. Both are imperfect as defenders, but they're better than the alternatives. Yedlin, meanwhile, listed as a defender for this camp in spite of his more regular appearances as a winger for the USA, has made his debut for Sunderland and did well enough.
Don't be surprised to see Cameron at right back, or to see Johnson moved into the midfield again. Ream did nicely at left back in September. It's unlikely that Evans gets a look, though.
Curiously, Brek Shea wasn't on the preliminary roster, even though he shows promise at left back and was close to a return from injury. Garza, meanwhile, has a hip injury and will miss the game.
DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS
Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake)
Michael Bradley (Toronto FC)
Jermaine Jones (New England Revolution)
Alfredo Morales (Ingolstadt)
Danny Williams (Reading)
Here's where the guesswork begins. Because there's really no telling what sort of formation Klinsmann will deploy. While numbers like 4-4-2, 4-5-1, 4-3-3 and 4-1-2-1-2 are increasingly just that – numbers – it's hard to predict how many central midfielders he'll field, how many of them will be defensive, how many attacking and how many two-way.
Whatever the case may be, expect Bradley and Jones to be in the lineup. They are the midfield stalwarts. Their partnership is well-established, even if the results won't always blow you away.
Bradley has played in a more advanced role a lot lately for Klinsmann. Jones is typically a two-way player. And if they are both deployed under that remit, expect Beckerman out there as the holding midfielder to shield the back line.
It's unlikely that we'll seen anybody else in the middle of the park. Morales hasn't established himself in the team yet and Williams is essentially a Jermaine Jones starter kit who hasn't seen much national team action of late.
ATTACKING MIDFIELDERS
Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes)
Michael Bradley (Toronto FC)
Joe Corona (Veracruz)
Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders)
Mix Diskerud (New York City FC)
Lee Nguyen (New England Revolution)
Again, we're kind of reading tea leaves here. Because the very notion of an attacking midfielder in Klinsmann's ever-changing system is a bit nebulous. As mentioned, Bradley has played up field a lot but his defensive instincts are such that he tends to drop back. Dempsey is sometimes posted there but acts as more of a second striker playing off the target man. And Diskerud sometimes enters the fray late in games to try to unlock the defense.
It's most likely that it will be Bradley or Dempsey playing in some kind of attacking midfielder role, if anybody is deployed there at all. Klinsmann doesn't seem to regard Diskerud as a starter while Nguyen and Corona are backups. And the German head coach tried Bedoya as a defensive midfielder – with predictably poor outcomes – before he gave him a chance as a number 10.
WINGERS
Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes)
Joe Corona (Veracruz)
Fabian Johnson (Borussia Moenchengladbach)
DeAndre Yedlin (Sunderland)
Gyasi Zardes (Los Angeles Galaxy)
Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)
There have been few constants in Klinsmann's time in charge, but he has almost always played with wingers. In a few games, he has chosen a narrow midfield diamond, but for the most part he plays with real wide men. Zardes has been a bright spot there for the Americans, consistently showing well in a breakout 2015. Expect him to start.
In the other side, it's a guessing game. Zusi has receded from the picture since the World Cup as his club form has meandered. And while Bedoya is a natural winger – even if Nantes plays him in the middle a lot – Klinsmann would seemingly rather shoehorn him into central roles he isn't as well suited for. Yedlin has been brought into games as a winger late on to bring energy and trouble tired defenders with his pace, but he's been listed as a defender for this camp, suggesting another role.
Corona, again, doesn't look to really be in the picture here either, especially now that his playing time with Veracruz has dwindled.
Johnson has had good games out wide – as well as plenty of forgettable ones. And while he's badly needed in the back, he's probably the most likely option to start on one of the flanks.
STRIKERS
Greg Garza (Atlas)
Fabian Johnson (Borussia Moenchengladbach)
DeAndre Yedlin (Sunderland)
Geoff Cameron (Stoke City)
Tim Ream (Fulham)
Jonathan Spector (Birmingham City)
The news here is good. The dearth of depth in the outside back positions, which is dragging into its second decade now, reared its ugly head again in the early September friendlies against Peru and Brazil. But Beasley and Johnson have returned from injury, with the latter scoring five minutes into his Bundesliga return. Both are imperfect as defenders, but they're better than the alternatives. Yedlin, meanwhile, listed as a defender for this camp in spite of his more regular appearances as a winger for the USA, has made his debut for Sunderland and did well enough.
Don't be surprised to see Cameron at right back, or to see Johnson moved into the midfield again. Ream did nicely at left back in September. It's unlikely that Evans gets a look, though.
Curiously, Brek Shea wasn't on the preliminary roster, even though he shows promise at left back and was close to a return from injury. Garza, meanwhile, has a hip injury and will miss the game.
DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS
Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake)
Michael Bradley (Toronto FC)
Jermaine Jones (New England Revolution)
Alfredo Morales (Ingolstadt)
Danny Williams (Reading)
Here's where the guesswork begins. Because there's really no telling what sort of formation Klinsmann will deploy. While numbers like 4-4-2, 4-5-1, 4-3-3 and 4-1-2-1-2 are increasingly just that – numbers – it's hard to predict how many central midfielders he'll field, how many of them will be defensive, how many attacking and how many two-way.
Whatever the case may be, expect Bradley and Jones to be in the lineup. They are the midfield stalwarts. Their partnership is well-established, even if the results won't always blow you away.
Bradley has played in a more advanced role a lot lately for Klinsmann. Jones is typically a two-way player. And if they are both deployed under that remit, expect Beckerman out there as the holding midfielder to shield the back line.
It's unlikely that we'll seen anybody else in the middle of the park. Morales hasn't established himself in the team yet and Williams is essentially a Jermaine Jones starter kit who hasn't seen much national team action of late.
ATTACKING MIDFIELDERS
Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes)
Michael Bradley (Toronto FC)
Joe Corona (Veracruz)
Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders)
Mix Diskerud (New York City FC)
Lee Nguyen (New England Revolution)
Again, we're kind of reading tea leaves here. Because the very notion of an attacking midfielder in Klinsmann's ever-changing system is a bit nebulous. As mentioned, Bradley has played up field a lot but his defensive instincts are such that he tends to drop back. Dempsey is sometimes posted there but acts as more of a second striker playing off the target man. And Diskerud sometimes enters the fray late in games to try to unlock the defense.
It's most likely that it will be Bradley or Dempsey playing in some kind of attacking midfielder role, if anybody is deployed there at all. Klinsmann doesn't seem to regard Diskerud as a starter while Nguyen and Corona are backups. And the German head coach tried Bedoya as a defensive midfielder – with predictably poor outcomes – before he gave him a chance as a number 10.
WINGERS
Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes)
Joe Corona (Veracruz)
Fabian Johnson (Borussia Moenchengladbach)
DeAndre Yedlin (Sunderland)
Gyasi Zardes (Los Angeles Galaxy)
Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)
There have been few constants in Klinsmann's time in charge, but he has almost always played with wingers. In a few games, he has chosen a narrow midfield diamond, but for the most part he plays with real wide men. Zardes has been a bright spot there for the Americans, consistently showing well in a breakout 2015. Expect him to start.
In the other side, it's a guessing game. Zusi has receded from the picture since the World Cup as his club form has meandered. And while Bedoya is a natural winger – even if Nantes plays him in the middle a lot – Klinsmann would seemingly rather shoehorn him into central roles he isn't as well suited for. Yedlin has been brought into games as a winger late on to bring energy and trouble tired defenders with his pace, but he's been listed as a defender for this camp, suggesting another role.
Corona, again, doesn't look to really be in the picture here either, especially now that his playing time with Veracruz has dwindled.
Johnson has had good games out wide – as well as plenty of forgettable ones. And while he's badly needed in the back, he's probably the most likely option to start on one of the flanks.
STRIKERS
Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC)
Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders)
Alan Gordon (Los Angeles Galaxy)
Aron Johannsson (Werder Bremen)
Jordan Morris (Stanford University)
Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)
Bobby Wood (Union Berlin)
The question here really is: Who starts beside or behind Altidore – if anybody? Klinsmann has been totally unambiguous about his preference up front. If Altidore is fit and in form, he plays as the hold-up striker that the attack revolves around. If Klinsmann opts for a second forward in the hole behind him, that job likely falls to Dempsey. Should he choose for someone besides Altidore – which tends to yield better results by far – Johannsson will probably be the guy.
Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders)
Alan Gordon (Los Angeles Galaxy)
Aron Johannsson (Werder Bremen)
Jordan Morris (Stanford University)
Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)
Bobby Wood (Union Berlin)
The question here really is: Who starts beside or behind Altidore – if anybody? Klinsmann has been totally unambiguous about his preference up front. If Altidore is fit and in form, he plays as the hold-up striker that the attack revolves around. If Klinsmann opts for a second forward in the hole behind him, that job likely falls to Dempsey. Should he choose for someone besides Altidore – which tends to yield better results by far – Johannsson will probably be the guy.
Look for either Wondolowski or Wood to make the roster to give the Americans options off the bench. Gordon could fulfill that same role in a game where the USA needs another aerial presence. Morris has been called up to the Under-23 team that will likely play in the make-or-break semifinal of the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament on the same day.
NCAAFB: AP Top 25 Ranking, 09/27/2015.
| Rank | Team | Record | Pts |
Last Week
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
1.
|
Ohio St. (45)
|
4-0
|
1482
|
1
|
| 2. | Michigan St. (5) | 4-0 | 1397 | 2 |
| 3. | Mississippi (10) | 4-0 | 1349 | 3 |
| 4. | TCU | 4-0 | 1254 | 3 |
| 5. | Baylor | 3-0 | 1196 | 5 |
| 6. | Notre Dame | 4-0 | 1163 | 6 |
| 7. | UCLA | 4-0 | 1156 | 9 |
| 8. | Georgia | 4-0 | 1147 | 7 |
| 9. | LSU | 3-0 | 1075 | 8 |
| 10. | Utah (1) | 4-0 | 1034 | 18 |
| 11. | Florida St. | 3-0 | 888 | 10 |
| 12. | Clemson | 3-0 | 853 | 11 |
| 13. | Alabama | 3-1 | 850 | 12 |
| 14. | Texas A&M | 4-0 | 776 | 14 |
| 15. | Oklahoma | 3-0 | 747 | 15 |
| 16. | Northwestern | 4-0 | 566 | 17 |
| 17. | USC | 3-1 | 509 | 19 |
| 18. | Stanford | 3-1 | 486 | 21 |
| 19. | Wisconsin | 3-1 | 309 | 22 |
| 20. | Oklahoma St. | 4-0 | 281 | 24 |
| 21. | Mississippi St. | 3-1 | 211 | NR |
| 22. | Michigan | 3-1 | 209 | NR |
| 23. | West Virginia | 3-0 | 179 | NR |
| 24. | California | 4-0 | 149 | NR |
| 25. | Florida | 4-0 | 140 | NR |
Others Receiving Votes:
- Toledo 68
- Oregon 64
- Arizona 48
- Boise St. 38
- Iowa 37
- Texas Tech 36
- Houston 23
- Duke 18
- Temple 17
- Miami (FL) 14
- Kansas St. 12
- Memphis 11
- N.C. State 10
- Navy 9
- Minnesota 5
- BYU 5
- Tennessee 4
Alabama listed as underdog at Georgia for first time since 2009.
By Nick Bromberg
Georgia is breaking a streak.
Alabama opened as an underdog to the Bulldogs for the teams' Week 5 clash on Saturday. It's the first time Alabama has opened as an underdog to an opponent since 2009. It's a streak of 72 straight games. The Dogs opened as two-point favorites according to BetOnline.ag and SportsBetting.ag.
Georgia, led by sophomore running back Nick Chubb, is 4-0 and ranked in the top 10. Alabama, 3-1, is a week removed from its home loss to Ole Miss. The Tide handily beat Louisiana-Monroe in Week 4 but the offense still didn't look incredibly sharp. Georgia easily dispatched FCS opponent Southern.
According to Al.com, Alabama had been at least a 2.5-point favorite in those 72 games and has only been a single-digit favorite in 17 of them. The last time Alabama was an underdog was the 2009 SEC Championship Game against Florida. Alabama won that game 32-13 and went on to win the BCS Championship over Texas.
Alabama's record straight up during the streak was 62-10.
The Bulldogs are currently the favorites in the SEC East after the rest of the division has looked vulnerable through the first four weeks of the season. A loss for Georgia wouldn't be as devastating as a loss would be for Alabama. With a second loss in three weeks, Alabama would likely be in a position to win out to not only win the SEC West but to have any shot of sniffing a berth in the College Football Playoff.
The game kicks at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
No. 8 LSU holds off Syracuse 34-24.
By John Kekis
Leonard Fournette posed for a photo with former Syracuse great Floyd Little after leading LSU to another victory, a fitting end to another stellar day for the Heisman Trophy hopeful.
Fournette ran for a career-high 244 yards and two touchdowns, Tre'Davious White returned a punt 69 yards for another score, and No. 8 LSU held off fired-up Syracuse 34-24 on Saturday.
''He told me I did a great job,'' Fournette said of Little, a three-time All-American at Syracuse in the mid-1960s. My job is to make one man miss, and that's what I did.''
It was the second straight 200-yard game and fifth straight 100-yard game for Fournette, and it was a fitting place for him to shine again.
Syracuse's tradition is based on its stellar running backs from the past, the great Jim Brown, Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis and Little, among them. The Carrier Dome field is named in honor of Davis, the first black player to win the coveted trophy (1961).
Fournette gained 48 yards to set up his 14-yard scoring run in the first quarter, breaking alone into the secondary after quarterback Brandon Harris flipped him the ball at the last second on a scramble.
''I was blocking, it was second-and-long, and when he was going down I said, 'Brandon, Brandon,' and he tossed me the ball,'' Fournette said. ''I almost dropped it. I just wanted to put our team in a good situation.''
He did, and then added a 62-yard TD run that gave LSU a 24-10 lead late in the third quarter.
Fournette also had an 87-yard scoring run nullified by a false start, but in the end it didn't matter.
''Too many big plays,'' Syracuse coach Scott Shafer said. ''We were just about there. A couple of plays here and there was the difference. We left a lot of plays on the field. We could have beat this team.''
Fournette entered the game with six touchdowns, three in each of the Tigers' season-opening victories over Mississippi State and Auburn, and was averaging 193.5 yards rushing per game. He boosted his season total to 621 yards.
White found a seam up the middle and raced untouched into the end zone to give LSU a 17-3 lead in the third.
LSU (3-0), which beat Southeastern Conference rivals Mississippi State and Auburn to start the season, used big plays to hand Syracuse (3-1) its first loss despite being called for 14 penalties for 120 yards.
''We weren't a dominant team today,'' LSU coach Les Miles said. ''We have characteristics of a dominant team, but we didn't dominate this opponent.''
No play was bigger than Travin Dural's 51-yard catch on a third-and-5 play in the fourth quarter after the Orange moved within a touchdown. Harris hit Malachi Dupre with an 11-yard TD with 9:14 left to seal it.
Junior college transfer Zack Mahoney, the fifth-string quarterback in preseason, made his first start for the injury-plagued Orange and found his touch late. He brought Syracuse to 17-10 with a play-action 40-yard TD pass over the middle to Brisly Estime at 6:02 of the third and hit Ben Lewis on a 2-yard toss early in the fourth.
That score came after Fournette's long TD run was nullified by a false start. Syracuse took advantage of facemask and pass-interference penalties against the Tigers on the 56-yard drive.
''I feel like I played OK,'' said Mahoney, who admitted he was nervous at the start. ''I missed a lot of open throws in the beginning. It just sucks that we lost.''
Mahoney got the start after keying last week's 30-27 overtime victory over Central Michigan with a timely third-down completion in extra time. He finished 16 of 38 for 154 yards and three touchdowns against LSU in a game that did not have a turnover until Mahoney's pass was deflected and intercepted by linebacker Deion Jones midway through the fourth.
Mahoney hit Dontae Strickland for a 5-yard TD strike with 1:53 left, but LSU recovered the onside kick.
Fournette made defenders pay on most of his 26 carries against Syracuse's gang-tackling defense, which entered the game ranked third in the country, allowing under 50 yards a game. He ran over 308-pound defensive lineman John Raymon early in the third quarter two plays before Harris completed a perfectly thrown 42-yard pass down the right side to Malachi Dupre.
NCAABKB; Q&A: Providence coach Ed Cooley on Kris Dunn, USA Basketball and more.
By Jon Rothstein
Ed Cooley has led Providence to back-to-back NCAA Tourney appearances. (Photo/USATSI)
Ed Cooley has made Providence a perennial contender for the NCAA Tournament. The former Boston College assistant has led the Friars to consecutive trips to the field of 68 and is eyeing a third in 2016. CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein sat down with Cooley in Providence, R.I. to discuss his experience during this past summer with USA Basketball, Kris Dunn, and what it's going to take for the Friars to again hear their names called on Selection Sunday.
Jon Rothstein, CBS Sports: So how frustrating was it to make the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year and have to play a team like Dayton literally down the road from their campus in Columbus?
Ed Cooley: I don't know if it was frustrating, but it's a fair question. I don't think we played well. I think our fan base was a little frustrated to play Dayton in Columbus, but the game still has to be played on the floor. Did they have a big crowd? Yes. But we didn't play well. I don't know if the crowd was ever a factor. Dayton was playing its sixth or seventh game in 10 days so they had some adversity as well. It wasn't frustrating, but that was the draw. We were happy to be in the tournament. We just didn't play well. That's the best way I can answer that. Archie (Miller) does a great job with his team and you've got to play the game. It's a 94-foot opportunity and we didn't take advantage of it.
CBS Sports: Now you worked with Dayton's Archie Miller this past Summer with USA Basketball as well as his brother, Sean. What specifically from that experience will you draw upon and implement within your own program at Providence?
Cooley: The pace and the tempo because we have to play differently because we're not the tallest team. Last year in the Big East were the tallest and longest team in the league. This year we're not. We could be the shortest team in the Big East with respect to height. I think we have good size across the board -- Kris Dunn is 6-foot-4, Junior Lomomba is 6-3, Rodney Bullock is 6-8 or so, Jalen Lindsey is 6-7 -- we're just not as long at the rim as we're accustomed to. We'll have to adjust differently and I think the whole USA Basketball experience will help with that.
CBS Sports: You've secured the services of a number of elite players here at Providence and for different reasons some of those players haven't withstood the test of time. Now that this program is on solid footing, would you prefer to take quality four-year players like you had when you were an assistant at Boston College under Al Skinner instead of highly-rated kids who may not be here for the long term?
Cooley: Tough question, because at the end of the day you want someone who wants you. If it's a one or two year guy, none of us are going to say no. But if you can find a really good player who winds up being a pro after four years, I think all of us would take them as well. At the end of the day, the marriage comes with who loves you and do you love them. And whenever they're ready to go to the next level, you build them up to do so.
CBS Sports: Now obviously one of the best players you've had here at Providence is Kris Dunn, who will likely be a first-team All-American this season. What elements of his game do you think we'll see the biggest difference in this year versus last?
Cooley: I think his ability to shoot the ball has improved. I think his court awareness -- he won't have as many turnovers as he did last year. We'll play at a little faster pace than we did last year, but I don't think he'll turn the ball over as much. A lot of people don't understand that Kris didn't play for almost a year and a half to two years. He's still had a lot of rust in him, but at the end of the year he wasn't having all the silly turnovers he had early on. Another factor you have keep an eye out for is his ability to defend off the ball even better than he did last year. I think he's stronger, quicker, and faster. I think his court awareness is better just because he's played more. I would say those things will stand out more as well as his ability to score the basketball. I think we'll lean on him a little bit more to score the ball this year.
CBS Sports: There were stretches at the end of last season where you could see that Ben Bentil was taking the steps he needed to take to be an All-Big East caliber player. How pivotal is he in the grand makeup of things for your team this season?
Cooley: I think he is the pivotal piece. I think you know what you're going to get out Kris (Dunn) and you probably know what you're going to get out of Rodney (Bullock) -- who a lot of people haven't seen play yet. But I think Ben is another person who's made a big, big jump. He's really in great shape. He's worked on his perimeter skills. We know he's really good around the basket, but I think he's really good at the four or five because he can go off the bounce a little bit. Ben's thing is all going to be confidence. The more confident he becomes and the more disciplined he becomes -- not falling in love too much with shooting the ball from the perimeter, but having a good dynamic and balance the way LaDontae Henton did -- if that happens I think Ben could have a breakout season.
CBS Sports: There hasn't been a month go by where one member of your staff hasn't raved about Rodney Bullock's potential, but he's still yet to play in a college game. What can people expect from him this season and moving forward?
Cooley: There's been a lot of hype behind him. I'm pretty sure he'll struggle early a little bit as he learns the game -- staying out of foul trouble, learning the plays -- stuff like that. He's in a little bit of a learning phase similar to what Kris (Dunn) went through last year. But I think he has a high ceiling because he has a nose for the ball and hopefully he just continues to improve. We're really excited about him and we're really high on him. Hopefully he becomes the player we envision him to be.
CBS Sports: You've been to two straight NCAA Tournaments here at Providence and now that feels like the annual expectation for your program. What has to happen between now and March for that to happen for the third consecutive season?
Cooley: Our young kids have to get better. Our freshman have to play. Kyron (Cartwright) has to make another jump. He's somebody who we're going to put in a lot of different positions. We're not just going to say he's a point guard because he's not. Kyron is going to be someone who's going to come into the game and we're going to play him at the one, the two, or the three. With our pace of play, we're going to have multiple ball handlers on the floor. We're going to need Ryan Fazekas and Ricky Council and Drew Edwards to be shot makers and shot takers. They can't get out there and be nervous. They're roles are to come in and make shots -- to space the floor and give Kris and Kyron some room to operate.
Triple Crown winner American Pharoah works at Santa Anita.
AP - Sports
Triple Crown winner American Pharoah worked out at Santa Anita in preparation for the final start of his career in the Breeders' Cup next month.
With jockey Martin Garcia aboard, American Pharoah was timed in 1 minute for five furlongs Sunday.
Trainer Bob Baffert says the 3-year-old colt was moving well, which is the most important thing.
American Pharoah is scheduled to end his racing career in the $5 million BC Classic at Keeneland on Oct. 31.
Triple Crown winner American Pharoah worked out at Santa Anita in preparation for the final start of his career in the Breeders' Cup next month.
With jockey Martin Garcia aboard, American Pharoah was timed in 1 minute for five furlongs Sunday.
Trainer Bob Baffert says the 3-year-old colt was moving well, which is the most important thing.
American Pharoah is scheduled to end his racing career in the $5 million BC Classic at Keeneland on Oct. 31.
Memoriesofhistory.com
1892 - The first nighttime football game in the U.S. took place under electric lights. The game was between the Mansfield State Normal School and the Wyoming Seminary.
1919 - The New York Giants beat Philadelphia Phillies 6-1 in a day game that lasted 51 minutes. The time set a National League record.
1941 - Ted Williams (Boston Red Sox) hit .400 for the season. He was the last major league player of the century to achieve this statistic.
1955 - The World Series was televised in color for the first time. The game was between the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers.
1968 - The Atlanta Chiefs won the first North American Soccer League Championship.
1978 - Don Sherman, editor of Car & Driver, set a new Class E record in Utah. Driving the Mazda RX7 he reached a speed of 183.904 mph.
1991 - Michael Jordan was a guest on "Saturday Night Live."
1995 - Randy Myers (Chicago Cubs) was charged by a 27-year-old man while standing in the outfield. Myers saw him coming, dropped his glove and knocked the man down with his forearm.
1919 - The New York Giants beat Philadelphia Phillies 6-1 in a day game that lasted 51 minutes. The time set a National League record.
1941 - Ted Williams (Boston Red Sox) hit .400 for the season. He was the last major league player of the century to achieve this statistic.
1955 - The World Series was televised in color for the first time. The game was between the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers.
1968 - The Atlanta Chiefs won the first North American Soccer League Championship.
1978 - Don Sherman, editor of Car & Driver, set a new Class E record in Utah. Driving the Mazda RX7 he reached a speed of 183.904 mph.
1991 - Michael Jordan was a guest on "Saturday Night Live."
1995 - Randy Myers (Chicago Cubs) was charged by a 27-year-old man while standing in the outfield. Myers saw him coming, dropped his glove and knocked the man down with his forearm.
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