Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica
"America's Finest Sports Fan Travel Club, May We Plan An Event Or Sports Travel For You?"
We offer: Select opportunities, For your convenience, At "Very Rare but Super Fair" pricing,
Because it's all about you!!!
Sports Quote of the Day:
"With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt, Former First Lady, Politician, Diplomat and Activist. Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica thoughts about and advice to the Chicago Cubs.
Trending: Off to the NLCS..... Let's Go Cubs!!!!!
Go Cubs Go. Need we say more?
Trending: Chicago Blackhawks at Philadelphia Flyers tonight, Let the 2015-16 Cup chase continue... (See the hockey section for details).
Bring on the NLCS: Cubs slug their way past Cardinals
By Tony Andracki
He was right.
The Cubs powered their way to another victory over the Cardinals, hitting three more home runs en route to a NLDS-clinching 6-4 win in front of 42,411 fans at Wrigley Field in Game 4 Tuesday.
After Jason Hammel knocked in the Cubs' first run off John Lackey this postseason with a two-out base hit in the second inning, Javier Baez followed with a three-run opposite-field homer that nearly brought the house down at Wrigley Field.
The Cardinals tied things up in the top of the sixth, but Rizzo deposited a Kevin Siegrist pitch into the right-field bleachers for the second straight day to give the Cubs the lead again and they did not look back.
Kyle Schwarber added insurance with his third homer of the postseason, clearing the video board in right field to lead off the seventh inning.
Hammel allowed the first two batters of the game to score on a Stephen Piscotty homer and lasted just three innings.
The Cubs bullpen stepped up big again, keeping the Cardinals at bay for six innings.
The Cubs clinched their first postseason series at Wrigley Field ever and will advance to the NLCS for the first time since 2003. They await the winner of the Mets and Dodgers.
The Cubs are the team that can make October belong to baseball again.
By Jeff Passan
October used to be baseball's domain, the time when the rest of the sporting world understood its second-fiddle status. Football owns the month now, the vise grip of the NFL and the allure of college unrelenting, unbreakable save for the one trump card baseball can play.
"If the Chicago Cubs are participating in the playoffs, football can wait," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "With what we've been able to accomplish here … I'd like to believe we're putting baseball at the forefront right now."
Major League Baseball's fantasy continued unfolding at Wrigley Field on Tuesday night. Not only are these Chicago Cubs advancing to the National League Championship Series after dispatching their archrivals, the St. Louis Cardinals, they're doing so with the sort of young, lovable non-losers that even the most avuncular and grizzled fan can't help but embrace.
The 6-4 victory over the Cardinals to win the best-of-five division series in four games wasn't so much a coronation as a declaration: We're here, we're real and, even if the baby fat is still melting off the faces of half our team, we're a legitimate threat to win the World Series. For the first time ever, the Cubs clinched a postseason series victory at Wrigley Field, and the atmosphere was appropriately Chicago. Thousands of people jammed Addison Street, the only thing standing between them and their 102-year-old cathedral a few police barricades and officers atop horses. Beer flowed. Voices bellowed. Delight reigned.
And nobody cared that once the clock struck midnight and the calendar turned that it happened to be the 12-year anniversary of the night Steve Bartman inserted himself into Cubs lore alongside a billy goat. As they doused one another with beers and drenched each other with Champagne and basked in the glory of ousting baseball's best regular-season team, the Cubs did everything short of swearing this time was different, that 2015 will be theirs like 1908 was.
"We've got a couple stages to go, and we're ready for it, " said Jake Arrieta, the ace Chicago rode to a 97-win regular season. "Nothing's holding us back. We're a scary team to play. Nobody wants to play us right now. We're tough to beat."
Not only are they tough to beat, a fact they proved in battering the Cardinals with home run after big home run, they're an eminently enjoyable team, too, one so larded with young talent that a run to the NLCS this season feels more like the start of something with staying power than a one-off apparition.
Game 4 on Tuesday highlighted everything good about this team, from the absurd power of Kyle Schwarber and Anthony Rizzo and Javier Baez to Maddon's managerial wizardry to a stadium that shook more than once, its 42,411 fans refusing to bow to standard sentiment – the inevitability of the Cubs blowing important games – and screaming themselves increasingly hoarse as the night progressed.
It started in ugly fashion, starter Jason Hammel yielding a two-run home run four pitches into the game. Chicago answered with a four-run second inning, three of them coming from the 22-year-old Baez, a shortstop with spectacular opposite-field power. That Baez happens to back up the injured regular, 21-year-old Addison Russell, speaks to the team constructed by president Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer: young and overflowing with talent.
Precisely the sort of team America would embrace. Matching the enormity of the Cubs' story – a team championship-less since 1908 making a run in one of America's most historic stadiums – with such a likeable, diverse group would be baseball's biggest story since Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were chasing Roger Maris' home run record nearly 20 years ago.
The Cubs are white and black and Latino, from Nevada and Florida and Indiana and Puerto Rico and Cuba and Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. "With our young players," Maddon said, "I want to believe kids throughout the United States might be more attracted to us whether because of Kris Bryant or Addison Russell or Javy Baez or Kyle Schwarber. We're the map of the world, man."
Youth makes the Cubs that much more tantalizing. In Games 3 and 4, Rizzo (age 26), Starlin Castro (25), Bryant (23), Soler (23), Baez (22) and Schwarber (22) hit home runs. Rizzo's solo shot off Cardinals reliever Kevin Siegrist in Game 4 might've been the most important, pushing the Cubs ahead 5-4 in the bottom of the sixth inning after St. Louis tied the game in the top of the inning. The most impressive, by far – and we mean far – was what Schwarber launched off Siegrist an inning later.
Last year, the Cubs took Schwarber out of Indiana University with the fourth overall pick. The industry regarded it as a distinct overdraft. The Cubs, as has proven the case again and again under Epstein and Hoyer, knew something others didn't. He rocketed through the minors because of his left-handed power, and he turned an 82-mph curveball from Siegrist around with such ferocity that cameras and eyeballs and practically everyone at Wrigley lost track of it.
"It went too far," Bryant said.
"It may be in the lake out there," Cubs catcher David Ross said.
"It's just another home run," Schwarber said.
It was just another home run like this was just another series. The Cubs hadn't ever played the Cardinals in the postseason, and certainly never slayed them in one, and for a franchise that has played little brother for decades, this carried so much more meaning than a typical division series. To chase a night like Monday, when the Cubs hit a postseason-record six home runs, with one like Tuesday, when Schwarber's home run seemed to fly over the video board in right field and onto Sheffield Avenue, almost defied words.
The Cubs are everything to Chicago. Before the game, buskers strummed an acoustic version of "Go, Cubs, Go" and urged passersby to sing along. A Hasidic Jew urged people to let him wrap them in tefillin so he could say a blessing for the Cubs. The giant No. 14 behind home plate paid homage to the late Ernie Banks, the Cubs great who never did get to see a World Series at Wrigley, the last coming in 1945.
The city loves this team because it sees something worth loving. Inside the dugout, when Castro comes to the plate, his teammates join the sellout crowds in clapping along to the beat of "Ando En La Versace," his walkup song. Pearl Jam's "Alive" strains through the speakers every game, an homage to the Cubs' ability to survive trials and travails and a shout-out to superfan Eddie Vedder, the lead singer who spent the postgame celebration double-fisting a drink on the mound and taking pictures with anyone who asked.
It's the sort of atmosphere around which the country can rally with a clear conscience. The Cubs aren't just a good story because of their history. They're a good one because their present is well worth liking and their opponent – the winner of the do-or-die division series Game 5 on Thursday between the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers – more than worthy.
"Baseball is America's pastime for a reason," Bryant said. "You never know what can happen in October."
What has happened is it's mid-October and the Chicago Cubs are still alive. The city didn't just buzz Tuesday. It palpitated. They've felt that way here before, of course, felt it every time the Cubs played their way into the postseason, and perhaps this is the same one-way street to misery that they drove themselves so many other times, including 12 years ago.
The Cubs want to believe this is different, that the celebration won't be for naught, that the eight more wins they need will come as definitively as the wild-card victory over Pittsburgh and the division-series win against St. Louis. This is a city of hope that may soon be a nation of hope, baseball's ticket back to October supremacy, something earned by a bunch of kids who care not about what happened 100 years ago or a dozen years ago but the great thing happening today.
Stories of the six Cubs fans who caught six HRs on historic night.
#CUBSTALK
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
What didn't go as noticed were the fans who caught each home run.
Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan was able to catch up with the six Cubs fans who caught a piece of history:
The Wrigley Field bleachers were built for $200,000 in 1937, and they've lived a good 78 years. They witnessed plenty of wins and a few more losses, millions of beers slugged in elation and about half that spilled in frustration. The ivy grew and the bums sunbathed and the bleachers lived the same existence every year, absorbing each moment, soaking up history. They had seen everything except the Chicago Cubs win a World Series.
Or at least they thought so until Monday night.
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Bears Week 6 in-foe: A Motown mess.
By Chris Boden
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Can Ndamukong Suh mean so much? And the way things are going for both since their divorce, might they want to turn back the clock, take their chances, and continue the relationship?
It would be unwise for the Bears, after two hard-fought, undermanned victories, to think they can walk into Motown, simply throw their pads on the field and beat the 0-5 Lions. The playoff team from last year is beaten down, and probably angry as the Bears eye their bye week with a potential (and improbable) 3-3 record. You can bet John Fox and his coaching staff will be emphasizing the need to be ready, and fight as hard as they have the past two weeks to avoid a two-week-long bad taste. We'll see if the pupils follow those orders in a game there for the taking, but one they'll need to earn — especially early against a desperate Detroit team. Things were just fine for the first quarter-and-a-half of their opener in San Diego, exploding to a 21-3 lead. Then they lost, 33-28. More recently, it's a team that played like the stunning disappointment of their Monday night loss-from-the-jaws-of-victory at Seattle a little more than a week ago lingered six days later.
OFFENSE
The "Hot Mess" starts with an offense that's averaging 49 yards rushing per game. That's 20 yards fewer than the NFL's second-worst unit on the ground, Suh's Dolphins. Over the past four drafts, the Lions have used two first-round picks and two third-rounders on their offensive line. The results on the ground thus far certainly haven't warranted the investment. After running for 860 yards and catching 34 passes last season, it seemed as if all Joique Bell needed was a change-of-pace sub. They seemingly got that in the second round last April in Ameer Abdullah. Bell has missed the last two games with an ankle injury after "gaining" 22 yards on 20 carries the first three weeks, and they haven't committed to Abdullah (40 carries, 132 yards). It got to the point in Sunday's blowout home loss to Arizona that they handed off ten times to undrafted free agent Zach Zenner of South Dakota State, compared to six for Abdullah.
One of the problems with finishing 0-16 (in 2008) without a franchise quarterback is whether you "reach" for one with the top overall pick. Detroit may have done that with Matthew Stafford. Things looked good in 2011, when he threw for over 5,000 yards. But that bar has been difficult to reach since, and has declined each of the past three years, to the point it seems Stafford's been standing in place since. This year's been a step back, for several reasons. But his eight interceptions (against six touchdown passes) leads the NFL, and his 74.8 passer rating ranks 33rd (albeit a notch above Andrew Luck). Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi thought his first year with Stafford was too conservative, and vowed to be more risky, taking shots downfield. It's shot them in the foot so far.
Calvin Johnson isn't battling the ankle problems that plagued him all of last season, but just one of his 32 catches have gone for a touchdown. Golden Tate caught 99 balls a year ago while Megatron limped around, and has 26 through five games (with no TD's) this season. 2014 first-round pick Eric Ebron disappointed as a rookie (25-248, TD in 13 games), and had 15 grabs through the first four games this season, but injured his knee two weeks ago at Seattle and that kept him out of the Cardinals game.
DEFENSE
Here's The Suh Factor: They've sunk from 2nd to 22nd in overall defense from a year ago. The top run defense (69 yards a game) is now 27th (126.6). The pass defense has dipped five spots to 18th so far this season.
Making matters worse, the unsung hero, weak-side linebacker DeAndre Levy could be done for the year. Head coach Jim Caldwell said Monday he'd leave that in doctors' hands after last season's second-leading tackler in the NFL (first in solos) missed the first four games with a hip injury. He tried coming back Sunday, then left after 17 snaps when he re-aggravated it. Josh Bynes has done his best attempting to fill Levy's shoes.
Suh wasn't the lone departure up front. Nick Fairley joined St. Louis' deep D-Line, while rotation guys C.J. Mosely and George Johnson were also allowed to leave. One of the replacements, former Saint Tyrunn Walker, is already done for the year due to injury. The bright spot up front has been 2013 first-rounder Ziggy Ansah (who concussed Jimmy Clausen in Week 16 last December), who's tied for the league lead with five sacks. He'll be Charles Leno Jr.'s next challenge. But Haloti Ngata (the five-time Pro Bowl nose tackle acquired from Baltimore to replace Suh), has had trouble staying on the field at age 31. After missing all of training camp with a hamstring pull, he sat out last weekend with a calf injury sustained six days earlier in Seattle.
The safety tandem of Pro Bowler Glover Quin and James Ihedigbo certainly benefited a year ago from that up-front dominance, combining for 11 interceptions. The entire secondary has three thus far (including a Quin pick-six), and, with the help of Sunday's six turnovers, is minus-five in that ratio.
SPECIAL TEAMS
While the Bears units settled down Sunday in Kansas City versus one of the elite overall units in the league run by Dave Toub (and actually "won," considering Pernell McPhee's blocked field goal), they'll need to be spot-on in kickoff coverage. That's where Abdullah's been his most dangerous thus far, ranking second with a 31.6 average. Amazingly, through five games, the Lions have attempted just three field goals, with Matt Prater connecting each time, the longest from 41 yards.
*Get the latest from Bears practice during the week with Dan Jiggetts and Chris Boden. Tune in Wednesday's at 4:30 p.m. for "Bears Huddle," when you'll hear from John Fox, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, special teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers and several players. Then come back Thursday at 4 p.m. this week for "Bears Blitz," with the latest from Fox, offensive coordinator Adam Gase, Jay Cutler and a handful of other players, previewing Sunday's matchup in Detroit*
How Adam Gase's 'plan' for Bears QB Jay Cutler is working.
By John Mullin
Just as an aside here: Not that it’s worth spending too much time pondering at this point, but as I’ve noted once before, this is quite possibly the only Chicago season that Jay Cutler will have to work with offensive coordinator Adam Gase.
If Cutler does poorly, he is unlikely to see another season as a Bear. If Cutler and the offense do well, Gase is unlikely to be passed over for head-coaching opportunities. Something in between good and bad could play out, but Gase was interviewed for top jobs last offseason and his appeal isn’t apt to decline with a year making over Cutler and an offense.
But that’s off in the future. The present is considerably more interesting at this point, particularly the zero-interception game Cutler just played. Here’s why:
One of the prime directives guiding Gase when he took the Bears job was eliminating or at least substantially reducing the turnovers that have defined Cutler’s career. After weeks of due diligence in the form of calls to Cutler former (fired) offensive coaches to gain insight into Cutler, Gase’s plan became to truncate, not the playbook, but rather Cutler’s flexibility options within it.
The result has been a more controlled Cutler, still capable of cataclysmic turnovers, but one with limited audible latitude (somewhere Aaron Kromer is smiling) and greater clarity of purpose, which typically translates into cleaner execution.
With an interception-less game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Cutler’s interception rate dropped to 2.3 percent, nearly to the career-low (2.2 percent) that he was logging in 2011 when he had the Bears at 7-3 before breaking his thumb. Not coincidentally, that was under Mike Martz, who similarly gave Cutler a very short leash on decision-making and who was one of those on Gase’s call list earlier this year.
One or two epic games do not a turnaround make. More than one or two “new” Jay Cutlers have materialized over the years. And Cutler has yet to post a turnover-free 2015 game, a four-game record that continued with his losing the football for a sack-fumble Kansas City touchdown.
But what Cutler has done is dial up his playmaking at crucial points when he does keep footballs in his team’s hands. If the interception arrow continues to trend downward as his leadership one is pointing upward.
“We're here to get players better and we expect our players to be receptive and do the things we ask,” said coach John Fox. “And from the very beginning as far as learning the offensive system, some of the accountability it takes at the quarterback position, [Cutler] has been all in and worked real hard with the offensive staff learning the system, putting in the time it takes to execute it and I think he's grown and he'll continue to grow.
“We’re six months into it from just a learning aspect, not even practicing aspect, but I like what I've seen and I expect him to get better moving forward.”
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks-Flyers Preview.
Patrick Kane and his new linemates on Chicago's second unit are doing their part to help the Blackhawks open strong in defense of their third Stanley Cup title in six years.
The trio will look to continue thriving and help the Blackhawks avoid a fourth consecutive loss in Philadelphia when they face the Flyers on Wednesday night.
Kane has been playing well with three goals and three assists for Chicago (2-1-0)following a tumultuous offseason during which he was accused of a sexual assault at his Buffalo-area offseason home. No charges have been filed in the case.
The situation hasn't seemed to be a distraction for the club, and Kane's linemates - Artem Anisimov and rookie Artemi Panarin - have been providing solid ice time so far.
Kane has been playing well with three goals and three assists for Chicago (2-1-0)following a tumultuous offseason during which he was accused of a sexual assault at his Buffalo-area offseason home. No charges have been filed in the case.
The situation hasn't seemed to be a distraction for the club, and Kane's linemates - Artem Anisimov and rookie Artemi Panarin - have been providing solid ice time so far.
Anisimov, acquired in the trade that sent Brandon Saad to Columbus, scored in Friday's 3-2 win at the New York Islanders in the opener of a home-and-home set. Panarin had a goal and two assists in Saturday's 4-1 home win over the Islanders after netting his first NHL goal in a season-opening 3-2 loss to the Rangers.
"(Our line) has had a lot of chances and made a lot of plays," said Kane, who scored and added two assists Saturday. "I try to stress to Anisimov and Panarin not to be satisfied where we're at right now. This could be a fun line to play on and we just need to stay together as a line and keep getting better."
While the second line appears set, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville continues tinkering with the spot on the top line next to Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa. Teuvo Teravainen started there but has since been moved to center, while Andrew Shaw and Ryan Garbutt also have taken turns. Garbutt practiced with the top line this week.
"They're important players you're up there with, so you have to have some trust with that position," Quenneville said. "The other two guys are extremely responsible. That spot is flexible, but we don't want that player to have to change to fit in that spot."
Chicago hasn't won in Philadelphia since June 9, 2010, when Kane's overtime goal in Game 6 clinched the first of the team's three recent championships. The Blackhawks have gone 0-2-1 there since while allowing 12 goals - a stark contrast to the two goals they've allowed in a pair of home wins over the Flyers in the same span.
Michal Neuvirth has embraced his new role as the Flyers' starting goaltender with Steve Mason away from the club indefinitely because of a personal family matter.
Neuvirth relieved Mason in the first period of Saturday's 7-1 loss to Florida and allowed three goals, but he stopped 31 shots Monday and made Brayden Schenn's goal hold up in a 1-0 win over the Panthers.
"It's sad news but you've got business to do," Neuvirth said of Mason's situation. "The more I play, the better I play."
The Flyers (1-1-1) picked up their first win for new coach Dave Hakstol, who was hired after 11 years at North Dakota.
"I think the main focus is to make sure everybody stays together and stays tight," forward Claude Giroux said. "Obviously (Neuvirth) had a lot of big saves for us."
Neuvirth last faced the Blackhawks on March 17 with the Islanders and lost 4-1. He'll likely oppose Corey Crawford, who allowed five goals in the first two games before getting the night off Saturday.
Crawford lost 4-1 to the Flyers in the most recent meeting March 25.
Teuvo Teravainen playing his game again.
(Photo/Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Teuvo Teravainen was critical of his first two games.
He spent a majority of both on the Blackhawks’ top line, playing left with Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa. But Teravainen just wasn’t his usual puck-possessive self. Game 3, however, he was back at center on the third line. And in that game, a 4-1 victory over the New York Islanders, Teravainen looked more like the guy from late in the postseason.
“Yeah, I felt a little better,” he said. “Maybe I get pucks more and get my game going a little bit more. I felt better. I’m not that happy how I started the first couple of games so I try to improve my game.”
Teravainen was much improved on Saturday because he played his game. The wing-turned-center-turned-wing-turned-center again was skating with more confidence. He was holding the puck more, practicing patience, making passes at the right time and shooting more. His latest outing showed more of what the Blackhawks want from him.
“He was better the last game when he did go to center,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “Him with the puck is his strength. He can find it more and keep it more.”
Teravainen could be that guy with Toews and Hossa, too. But in his first game plus with the duo, Teravainen was more focused on getting it to his two veteran line mates more than keeping it for himself and playing his game.
“Yeah, maybe I was thinking a little too much,” said Teravainen. “I just have to be myself and don’t try to make too many plays. I have to hold onto the puck more and be myself more.”
Toews said he talked with Teravainen about holding onto the puck more – “I was jokingly, but mostly serious, [telling] him, like, ‘No, you’re the guy on the line. You want the puck.’”
Teravainen played that way during the Stanley Cup finals with two other veterans, Patrick Sharp and Antoine Vermette. Sure, he was on the wing with that line, but he was still effective on both sides of the puck and not afraid to hold onto it.
Now centering the third line again – with Bryan Bickell and Viktor Tikhonov – Teravainen is returning to his game.
“He’s very skilled. He has a lot of patience and makes a lot of moves, like that one [pass] he gave me for the one-timer that I missed the net, where I lost some sleep from,” Bickell said of his scoring chance from Teravainen. “You expect the puck when you don’t expect the puck, because he’s going to make plays out of nothing. He has a lot of vision, a lot of poise. He has a good shot. I always tell him to shoot more, and he creates havoc that way, too.”
The bottom line is Teravainen is at his best when he has the puck more. He could get a chance on that top line again and if he does, he’ll probably play his style more. But for now, Teravainen at center gives the Blackhawks a little more balance on their lines. It also gives him more confidence to play his game.
“I think I’m feeling good with any position I’m playing and any guy I play with, too. I just have to be myself, be around the puck, skate a lot and be active,” he said. “I think I’m getting better.”
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session... Bulls' Jimmy Butler calling for better defense, including his own.
They’ve certainly shown signs of growth offensively, the biggest thing Butler is impressed with as a whole, even though his own individual offense has been up and down. Scoring 115 points—as they did in Monday’s loss to the New Orleans Pelicans—is certainly enough to win most nights even in today’s offense-happy NBA.
But their defense, a staple in recent seasons, has taken a step back. Predictably it was bound to slip when a franchise replaces Tom Thibodeau with an offensive-minded coach like Fred Hoiberg, but Butler doesn’t care for the slippage.
“Everybody’s confident on offense that’s for sure,” Butler said. “Everybody knows their strengths and they go to it. We share the ball extremely well. We rebound extremely well. The only thing we lay down on defense at times and we recklessly foul.”
Fouling the Pelicans to the tune of 37 free-throw attempts is prime for the preseason, when everybody down to the clock operators is still getting adjusted.
“We can always play better to tell you the truth,” Butler said. “We rely too much on our offense than our defense. That can’t happen. It’s preseason, everybody’s learning. It’s all very new to us. That’s what practice is for.”
Asked to grade his own defense—a previous staple he vowed to return to this season—he believes there’s room for improvement, much like this Bulls team as a whole.
“Ehh, it’s alright. It’s not good. I’m not gonna say it’s bad by any means,” he said. “I have to start on that end. I have to let my defense lead to offense. We’ll pick that up on Wednesday.”
When it was suggested a “C” or “C-minus”, he wouldn’t wade into those waters:
“I was never a grade school teacher so I can’t give you pluses or minuses, but it’s ‘aiight’. You give me the grade.”
It looked as if the Bulls get into a comfort zone when scoring becomes too easy, and Butler didn’t wholeheartedly disagree.
“Maybe but I don’t think that’s the thing,” Butler said. “I think whenever we’re scoring the ball well in the first half, we think we’re gonna continue to make shots and we don’t have to guard. It happens. We take that foot off that pedal and stop guarding.
Then we’re not making shots, still not guarding, they’re making shots, still not guarding and before you know it, they got the lead.”
After a stellar start to the preseason, a 23-point, six-assist showing against the Milwaukee Bucks, Butler is shooting just 18 percent in the three games since. After a 2-for-13 game Monday, he was respectfully dismissive about the notion of being concerned with his own offense.
“Not at all. Continue to take the right shots. It’ll turn around, it happens all the time,” Butler said. “(It’ll) Probably happen during the regular season, to tell you the truth. I know I put in the work, taking the right shots. Keep getting to the paint. More than anything, Continue to make the right play. With the offense we have it’s so spread we have a lot of space. I’m not worried about scoring the ball at all.”
With the only real dud coming in Boulder, Colo. against the Denver Nuggets, he’s more encouraged than discouraged, especially with the number of players being out has limited getting a jump start on their continuity.
“Hell yeah. I like the way we’re moving,” he said. “Let’s just get this defense under way and figure out how to do that. Before you know it, we’ll be winning these preseason games.”
Derrick Rose return for opening night in jeopardy.
By Vincent Goodwill
The opening night projection for a Derrick Rose return is a bit murky at this point, as the Bulls are taking a cautious approach to his recovery with Fred Hoiberg essentially ruling him out for the rest of the preseason.
“Most likely (out for the preseason),” Hoiberg said.
Rose was at the Advocate Center, preparing to be fitted for a mask and even took a couple free throws, according to Hoiberg, but the Bulls aren’t rushing him back after he underwent orbital bone surgery Sept 30.
In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Rose sit out the first handful of games, as the Bulls start the season with a three-game in four-night stretch starting Oct. 27 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, which is in two weeks.
“That will be in consideration, sure,” Hoiberg said. “We gotta make sure, he really hasn’t done anything and that will be a good two or three weeks where he has total inactivity, so just to throw him back out there going 100 percent with his speed and everything, you just don’t want to take any risks, chances, where it could be a lingering issue.”
Getting back in basketball shape after his eye heals is the next step, which he hasn’t actually begun yet.
“They still want him to be a little bit careful just with the swelling, make sure that his vision is back to where it’s supposed to be, to where it was before he got hit,” Hoiberg said. “Before they want him to get anything going on with his blood pressure spiking is how I understand it. So he’s probably at least a week away from that happening to where he’s able to get out and work up a sweat, and then hopefully it’s full go from there to where we can get him out into some contact drills, get him back out there running our offense, and hopefully get him ready to play. So I think it’s still yet to be determined if we’re going to have him for the opener.
"But the good news is he’s progressing, he’s getting better. His vision is getting better, and hopefully we’ll get him back soon."
Hoiberg wasn’t completely ruling Rose out for the opener, but it definitely no longer appears to be a certainty his name will be announced for the NBA’s season opener against the team that put the Bulls out the playoffs last May.
It appears to be no different than Rose’s approach to his various injuries, but considering it’s his eyesight, taking a prudent approach could be best for everyone involved.
“It’s a long season, you know, 82 games and hopefully playoffs,” Hoiberg said. “You want to have Derrick there for the majority of that. Again, we will take a cautious approach with it, but if he’s ready, he feels good, and our trainers and doctors feel good then we’ll throw him out there.”
“Most likely (out for the preseason),” Hoiberg said.
Rose was at the Advocate Center, preparing to be fitted for a mask and even took a couple free throws, according to Hoiberg, but the Bulls aren’t rushing him back after he underwent orbital bone surgery Sept 30.
In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Rose sit out the first handful of games, as the Bulls start the season with a three-game in four-night stretch starting Oct. 27 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, which is in two weeks.
“That will be in consideration, sure,” Hoiberg said. “We gotta make sure, he really hasn’t done anything and that will be a good two or three weeks where he has total inactivity, so just to throw him back out there going 100 percent with his speed and everything, you just don’t want to take any risks, chances, where it could be a lingering issue.”
Getting back in basketball shape after his eye heals is the next step, which he hasn’t actually begun yet.
“They still want him to be a little bit careful just with the swelling, make sure that his vision is back to where it’s supposed to be, to where it was before he got hit,” Hoiberg said. “Before they want him to get anything going on with his blood pressure spiking is how I understand it. So he’s probably at least a week away from that happening to where he’s able to get out and work up a sweat, and then hopefully it’s full go from there to where we can get him out into some contact drills, get him back out there running our offense, and hopefully get him ready to play. So I think it’s still yet to be determined if we’re going to have him for the opener.
"But the good news is he’s progressing, he’s getting better. His vision is getting better, and hopefully we’ll get him back soon."
Hoiberg wasn’t completely ruling Rose out for the opener, but it definitely no longer appears to be a certainty his name will be announced for the NBA’s season opener against the team that put the Bulls out the playoffs last May.
It appears to be no different than Rose’s approach to his various injuries, but considering it’s his eyesight, taking a prudent approach could be best for everyone involved.
“It’s a long season, you know, 82 games and hopefully playoffs,” Hoiberg said. “You want to have Derrick there for the majority of that. Again, we will take a cautious approach with it, but if he’s ready, he feels good, and our trainers and doctors feel good then we’ll throw him out there.”
Rob Manfred on Chase Utley, aggressive slides: 'Important we protect players'.
By Joe Rodgers
Rob Manfred (Photo/sportingnews.com)
After Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada season was ended over the weekend by a controversial takeout slide by Chase Utley, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred hopes to implement a rule change in 2016 to eliminate unnecessary collisions at second base.
"We started talking to the union about this,’’ Manfred said, via USA Today Sports. “It is another example of the issue of player safety, which is really high on our radar screen. We’ve got a lot of money invested in ballplayers. The players themselves have tremendous playing opportunities in terms of what they can earn. And I think it’s important that we protect them.’’
"We started talking to the union about this,’’ Manfred said, via USA Today Sports. “It is another example of the issue of player safety, which is really high on our radar screen. We’ve got a lot of money invested in ballplayers. The players themselves have tremendous playing opportunities in terms of what they can earn. And I think it’s important that we protect them.’’
Manfred said the new rule would be a follow-up to the home plate change, which prohibits baserunners from intentionally running over catchers.
“I hate to admit this,’’ Manfred said, “but I think the way we had to work through the home-plate situation gives you a feel for how difficult it is to write that kind of rule, that involves in-game action and an important part of the game.
“This is one where, obviously, we’re going to be having a lot of conversations with the union about it. And making predictions about how those conversations go, and how it will be rolled out, I think is a bad idea for me. This is a topic we’re interested in and we want to talk about.’’
“I hate to admit this,’’ Manfred said, “but I think the way we had to work through the home-plate situation gives you a feel for how difficult it is to write that kind of rule, that involves in-game action and an important part of the game.
“This is one where, obviously, we’re going to be having a lot of conversations with the union about it. And making predictions about how those conversations go, and how it will be rolled out, I think is a bad idea for me. This is a topic we’re interested in and we want to talk about.’’
Kang and Tejada are both young players who are instrumental to their teams, but Manfred all players should be protected.
MLB will conduct the appeal hearing of Utley's two-game suspension on Monday.
Manfred also said MLB is looking to enhance fan safety in its ballparks. The first-year commissioner said he has discussed ways to expand the netting at ballparks to protect fans, but has yet to produce a resolution.
Golf: I got a club for that..... Power rankings: Frys.com Open.
By Ryan Ballengee
The PGA Tour is back! Who knew it was gone?!
Chamblee: Phil, Tiger shouldn't be Ryder Cup captains.
By Ryan Ballengee
The PGA Tour is back! Who knew it was gone?!
The 2015-16 season starts this week in California Wine Country with the Frys.com Open at the North Course at the Silverado Resort in Napa. Rory McIlroy headlines the field, which includes several top-name players, especially young guns like Hideki Matsuyama, Brooks Koepka and Justin Thomas. Newly minted PGA Tour players who survived the Web.com Tour Finals are also looking to get out to a hot start.
Here's a look at our top five for this week:
1. Rory McIlroy -- McIlroy should be ready to go, albeit on a course he is seeing for the first time. He looked solid at the BMW Championship, but seemed to be missing a gear at a rainy Tour Championship. Pin that on McIlroy's fickle relationship with the weather. Napa is beautiful, so he should score well.
2. Hideki Matsuyama -- Matsuyama didn't have the best week at the Presidents Cup, but that may have been the result of huge expectations. The Japanese star may be a bit tired from playing in South Korea, but his ballstriking is a huge asset at Silverado. He finished T-3 here last year.
3. Justin Rose -- Rose could arguably be the second or even top-ranked player this week, he's playing that well. He's finished outside of the top 16 just once (MC at the Deutsche Bank Championship) since mid-July. Not the best putter in the field, but putting well enough for his tee-to-green game to shine.
4. Daniel Berger -- Berger is ahead of Tony Finau here only because he's slightly less rusty in competition. Berger missed the cut here last year, but ended the year with a pair of T-12 finishes (Deutsche Bank Championship, Tour Championship) and a runner-up at the BMW Championship. One of the best on Tour last year in par-5 scoring because of his approach game. Mid-range putting is suspect.
5. Tony Finau -- Finau had a remarkable rookie campaign. He probably should've won Rookie of the Year over Berger. However, he crapped out in the playoffs while Berger eeked into East Lake. Finau was T-12 here last year and should crush the par 5s.
Chamblee: Phil, Tiger shouldn't be Ryder Cup captains.
By NBC Sports
It appears Tiger Woods is willing to help out the U.S. in future team events any way he can, even if he's not out there hitting the shots himself.
According to Golf Digest, during the four-ball session on Day 2 of the Presidents Cup in which Jay Haas' U.S. squad was watching the Internationals mount a comeback that would eventually fall just short, Woods called up assistant captain Fred Couples, and eventually asked to speak to the other assistant Davis Love III, who will be in charge when the Americans take on the Europeans at next year's Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National.
Tiger made it clear that he wanted to be part of the team, even if it is in the role of assistant captain.
"He [Woods] was watching at home and he just had to call," Love said. "He was talking about all the things he thought we needed to do, and he had a lot of ideas. We're already doing a lot of planning for next year, and it's great. It's part of the whole process that started after Gleneagles. Everybody is thinking about it, which is great."
It is a very real possibility Woods won't qualify for the Ryder Cup team and could be passed over as a captain's pick. The current 311th-ranked player in the world recently underwent another back operation and has said he will be out until early 2016.
Love has already named Tom Lehman as one of his assistants, but it sounds like Tiger will be in the running for one of the other spots.
"We've already been doing a lot of planning," Love added. "And Tiger is just as interested as the rest of us to get going."
By DOUG FERGUSON
Jordan Spieth poses with the trophies after winning the Tour Championship golf tournament and the FedEx Cup at East Lake Golf Club on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Amis)
Jordan Spieth was voted PGA Tour player of the year Friday, giving him a sweep of all the significant awards.
The PGA Tour does not disclose how many votes Spieth received from the players, though the 22-year-old Texan removed any suspense last week with his four-shot victory in the Tour Championship to win the Fed Ex Cup.
Spieth had five wins this year, including the Masters and U.S. Open. He is the youngest player since Tiger Woods (21) to win the Jack Nicklaus Award as player of the year. Spieth also won the Arnold Palmer Award by topping the money list with a record $12 million, and the Vardon Trophy for having the lowest adjusted scoring average.
''You don't recognize it, I guess, as the year goes on, and when you kind of look at it and review you can see exactly what we've done,'' Spieth said. ''It's an honor ... because it was our MVP of our league. And it's voted on by the players. And for them to recognize the hard work that we've put in and what we've been able to do with it is truly special, and I thank all the players I look up to.''
Daniel Berger was voted rookie of the year. He was the only rookie to qualify for the Tour Championship.
Since the FedEx Cup began in 2007, Woods is the only other player to sweep the awards, win a major and capture the FedEx Cup and its $10 million bonus.
Just two years ago, Woods received the Jack Nicklaus Award for a record 11th time. He was presented the trophy at Torrey Pines to start the 2014 season, and he shared the stage that day with Spieth who was the 2013 rookie of the year.
Spieth looked over at Woods' trophy and said, ''Now it's time to chase this other award.''
It didn't take long.
Spieth set the 36-hole record at Augusta National and tie Woods' 72-hole mark at 18-under 270 with his wire-to-wire victory. He became only the fourth player since 1960 to win the first two legs of the Grand Slam when he won the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay. And he was tied for the lead at the British Open through 70 holes until a bogey on the 17th hole. He finished one shot out of a playoff and was runner-up to Jason Day at the PGA Championship.
Woods and Nicklaus are the only other players to not finish worse than fourth in all the majors.
Day got into the conversation late in the year by winning four out of six tournaments and reaching No. 1 in the world. He also had five victories, making it the first time in 42 years that the PGA Tour had two players with at least five wins.
The majors swung heavily in Spieth's favor, however, along with his scoring average and record earnings. He also led the tour with 15 finishes in the top 10.
Spieth won the award over Day, British Open champion Zach Johnson and Rory McIlroy, who won twice this year but was sidelined for two months with an ankle injury from playing soccer with friends a few weeks before the British Open.
Spieth previously won the PGA of America's points-based award for player of the year. Because of a bonus for winning two majors, Spieth clinched that award in August.
Berger had two runner-up finishes, losing in a playoff to Padraig Harrington at the Honda Classic and finishing six shots behind Day at the BMW Championship during the FedEx Cup playoffs. Because points are quadrupled in the FedEx Cup playoffs, that runner-up finish was enough to get Berger into the field for the Tour Championship.
He won the award over Justin Thomas, who finished at No. 32 in the FedEx Cup and missed the Tour Championship by five points; Tony Finau, who featured on the weekend at two majors; and Nick Taylor of Canada. Taylor was the only rookie to win this year, but that was at an opposite-field event last fall when the top players were in Shanghai. Taylor was No. 101 in the FedEx Cup.
NASCAR: Power Rankings: Harvick and Logano 1-2.
By Nick Bromberg
1. Kevin Harvick (LW: 1): We're not going to knock Harvick off the perch he obtained last week. His car seemed just as fast as Joey Logano's. But the damn clean air didn't let us have an opportunity to really find out. Both Harvick and Logano won the first two races of the second round in 2014, so this means Harvick is going to win Sunday at Kansas, right? He's got to be one of the favorites.
2. Joey Logano (LW: 7): This was a nice back-it-up win from Logano. He's been (rightfully) saying that his Penske cars can stay up with the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas and Harvick. He just didn't have the recent wins to show for it. And not only did he win Sunday afternoon, he led 227 laps. That's a way to make a statement, albeit "statements" aren't very loud when they come the week after a guy wins in a win-or-go-home scenario.
3. Carl Edwards (LW: 4): Edwards finished sixth on Sunday. Given how much of a fan he is of the low-downforce rules, this quote about the end of the race is not surprising (and also true). “Just really tough to pass at the end," Edwards said. "We did the best we could and I think if I would have got a better restart then there at the end I think we could have been top-three. It was an okay day for us, decent points day. We really wanted to win, but I feel like there at the end I tried everything I could and I could not catch Kurt (Busch) there in front of me.
4. Danny Hamlin (LW: 6): Hamlin finished two spots ahead of Edwards in fourth. If he can get a fourth-place finish at Kansas, simply surviving Talladega should be enough to move on. Hamlin also finished fourth despite running the wrong battery for most of the race. "I ran on the wrong battery all day so we have one battery I guess to run everything and then one to run the motor so I was draining both of them," Hamlin said. "My mistake, I usually start on one and run on the other and I just got switched.” Good thing the batteries didn't fail.
5. Kyle Busch (LW: 3): Busch had one of the race's best cars until he had that crazy pit road crash with Kyle Larson. It was a simple circumstance of both drivers changing their minds at the last minute, but we're not sure Larson was going to be able to make it to pit road had he not collided with Busch. And then Busch was one of the unfortunate drivers to hit the oil that was on the track. Well, accordng to the drivers, anyway. NASCAR said it wasn't there.
2. Joey Logano (LW: 7): This was a nice back-it-up win from Logano. He's been (rightfully) saying that his Penske cars can stay up with the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas and Harvick. He just didn't have the recent wins to show for it. And not only did he win Sunday afternoon, he led 227 laps. That's a way to make a statement, albeit "statements" aren't very loud when they come the week after a guy wins in a win-or-go-home scenario.
3. Carl Edwards (LW: 4): Edwards finished sixth on Sunday. Given how much of a fan he is of the low-downforce rules, this quote about the end of the race is not surprising (and also true). “Just really tough to pass at the end," Edwards said. "We did the best we could and I think if I would have got a better restart then there at the end I think we could have been top-three. It was an okay day for us, decent points day. We really wanted to win, but I feel like there at the end I tried everything I could and I could not catch Kurt (Busch) there in front of me.
4. Danny Hamlin (LW: 6): Hamlin finished two spots ahead of Edwards in fourth. If he can get a fourth-place finish at Kansas, simply surviving Talladega should be enough to move on. Hamlin also finished fourth despite running the wrong battery for most of the race. "I ran on the wrong battery all day so we have one battery I guess to run everything and then one to run the motor so I was draining both of them," Hamlin said. "My mistake, I usually start on one and run on the other and I just got switched.” Good thing the batteries didn't fail.
5. Kyle Busch (LW: 3): Busch had one of the race's best cars until he had that crazy pit road crash with Kyle Larson. It was a simple circumstance of both drivers changing their minds at the last minute, but we're not sure Larson was going to be able to make it to pit road had he not collided with Busch. And then Busch was one of the unfortunate drivers to hit the oil that was on the track. Well, accordng to the drivers, anyway. NASCAR said it wasn't there.
6. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: 11): Truex finished third, a nice boost after not running near the front for the first three races of the Chase. He's optimistic about his chances Sunday because Talladega is looming. And especially so because of the way his team recovered from a tough Thursday and Friday to finish third. "Honestly, I think going to Kansas, a win is huge. It would be so huge. It’s so critical to try to get that win out of the way. Logano is the only one that’s going to sleep for the next two weeks. You know what I mean? Kansas has been one of my best racetracks, and certainly one of my best since I went to Furniture Row. Honestly, we’re going there as hard as we can go with everything we have to try to win just because we know Talladega is that wild card."
7. Kurt Busch (LW: 8): Busch finished fifth. And apparently fifth was all he had. “It was an impressive day because we had to work on strategy and manage our car that was not quite performing well on restarts to gain the sports early in the run," Busch said. "Our State Water Heaters Chevy was good. It just didn’t do anything perfect. It didn’t do anything terrible so I’m real happy with this effort." He also said this after thanking his sponsors, which made us giggle. "It’s great to have them on board for a weekend and have them all come down and have a good time at the track and sell more water heaters. That’s what it’s all about.”
8. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 5): It's not Junior's fault that he slid into the ... oh that's right, NASCAR said there was no oil on the track. Junior's car just simply took off and hit the wall while riding along in the top lane. And that stuff that appeared on the camera on his car came from nowhere. Got it. Gotta give credit to Junior for the recovery after he and Carl Edwards made contact too. It just got washed away with that second run-in with the wall.
9. Matt Kenseth (LW: 3): Oh man, Kenseth is in quite a hole after Charlotte. He started first and then everything went horribly wrong after he slid outside his pit stall. He was back in the pack and hit Ryan Newman and the wall. The car was banged up after that and Kenseth hit the wall again, pancaking it for good this time. He finished 42nd. He's potentially in a win-and-in scenario for the next two weeks.
10. Brad Keselowski (LW: 9): Dropping Keselowski a spot after a ninth-place finish is tough. But given the ridiculousness of the circumstances that led to the demises of Junior and Kyle Busch, we're stuck with doing this to Brad. He had a top-10 car and is being plenty competitive enough to keep moving on even if it's not his preferred strategy. And Keselowski is like everyone else; he doesn't want to have to rely on winning (again) at Talladega to move on.
11. Jeff Gordon (LW: 10): Maybe Gordon could have won the race if he started up front? Gordon started 22nd and finished eighth. That was the second-biggest positional improvement of anyone who finished in the top 20 (Jamie McMurray finished 12th after starting 30th). With the inability of anyone to pass, those are some impressive accomplishments.
12. Ryan Newman (LW: 12): Hey Newman, we see what you're doing here. Oh, wait, we said that last week, didn't we? Still applies this week after Newman finished 15th. He was ninth of the 12 Chase drivers at Charlotte, but with the troubles of Kenseth and Earnhardt Jr., he has a cushion on those two, plus he's ahead of Kyle Busch. The Newman master plan is continuing...
The DNF: Damn, Jimmie Johnson
The Lucky Dog: Austin Dillon was the highest-finishing non-Chase driver.
Dropped Out: No one.
7. Kurt Busch (LW: 8): Busch finished fifth. And apparently fifth was all he had. “It was an impressive day because we had to work on strategy and manage our car that was not quite performing well on restarts to gain the sports early in the run," Busch said. "Our State Water Heaters Chevy was good. It just didn’t do anything perfect. It didn’t do anything terrible so I’m real happy with this effort." He also said this after thanking his sponsors, which made us giggle. "It’s great to have them on board for a weekend and have them all come down and have a good time at the track and sell more water heaters. That’s what it’s all about.”
8. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 5): It's not Junior's fault that he slid into the ... oh that's right, NASCAR said there was no oil on the track. Junior's car just simply took off and hit the wall while riding along in the top lane. And that stuff that appeared on the camera on his car came from nowhere. Got it. Gotta give credit to Junior for the recovery after he and Carl Edwards made contact too. It just got washed away with that second run-in with the wall.
9. Matt Kenseth (LW: 3): Oh man, Kenseth is in quite a hole after Charlotte. He started first and then everything went horribly wrong after he slid outside his pit stall. He was back in the pack and hit Ryan Newman and the wall. The car was banged up after that and Kenseth hit the wall again, pancaking it for good this time. He finished 42nd. He's potentially in a win-and-in scenario for the next two weeks.
10. Brad Keselowski (LW: 9): Dropping Keselowski a spot after a ninth-place finish is tough. But given the ridiculousness of the circumstances that led to the demises of Junior and Kyle Busch, we're stuck with doing this to Brad. He had a top-10 car and is being plenty competitive enough to keep moving on even if it's not his preferred strategy. And Keselowski is like everyone else; he doesn't want to have to rely on winning (again) at Talladega to move on.
11. Jeff Gordon (LW: 10): Maybe Gordon could have won the race if he started up front? Gordon started 22nd and finished eighth. That was the second-biggest positional improvement of anyone who finished in the top 20 (Jamie McMurray finished 12th after starting 30th). With the inability of anyone to pass, those are some impressive accomplishments.
12. Ryan Newman (LW: 12): Hey Newman, we see what you're doing here. Oh, wait, we said that last week, didn't we? Still applies this week after Newman finished 15th. He was ninth of the 12 Chase drivers at Charlotte, but with the troubles of Kenseth and Earnhardt Jr., he has a cushion on those two, plus he's ahead of Kyle Busch. The Newman master plan is continuing...
The DNF: Damn, Jimmie Johnson
The Lucky Dog: Austin Dillon was the highest-finishing non-Chase driver.
Dropped Out: No one.
SOCCER: Downward spiral for USMNT continues with 1-0 friendly loss to Costa Rica.
By Leander Schaerlaeckens
If the alarm bells weren't ringing after the United States men's national team's 3-2 extra-time loss to Mexico in a playoff for a spot in the 2017 Confederations Cup on Saturday, they are all blaring now.
On Tuesday, the Americans lost for the fifth time in six games, dropping a friendly to Costa Rica 1-0 on Joel Campbell's all-too-easy goal. Ever since the semifinal of the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup was unexpectedly lost to Jamaica, dethroning the Americans of their regional crown, things have spiraled into a deep and terrible soccer abyss. There was a half-hearted penalty loss to Panama in the third-place game, a win over Peru, and then a bad loss to Brazil before the disappointment against Mexico.
"The Saturday night clash with Mexico was still heavy in the air," Klinsmann said. "Heads were full. We were not able to shake this off within two days. It was too much a disappointment but also too much on their shoulders.
"There are not only sunshine days. We had a lot of sunshine 2012, 2013, 2014. Now it's raining a little bit and you've got to go through that. Maybe you've got to go trough a little bit of mud as well."
Not many who were partial to the USA had come out to Red Bull Arena to observe the drudgery. Those who were found themselves easily outnumbered by the Tico fans but did manage to voice some boos when embattled U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann was announced. And those who did show surely regretted their decision.
The paltry crowd of just 9,214 witnessed a poor game. The USA, preparing for the kickoff of a new World Cup qualifying campaign in exactly a month, showed nothing to inspire confidence that reaching an eighth straight edition of the world's biggest sporting event will be easy over the next two years.
In a flat first half, the two sides produced little of note. Costa Rica scampered off when Danny Williams committed a wretched turnover in midfield early on, but Michael Orozco bailed him out with a sharp challenge. And Brad Evans retained the stalemate just before halftime by blocking Johan Venegas's finish from just a few yards out on the line, seemingly with his backside.
At the other end, all the U.S. mustered was a Tim Ream header off a wide Brek Shea free kick which was no major issue for Keylor Navas, who starts in goal for Real Madrid. The Americans spent less time in the attacking third than they did shouting at each other while Klinsmann was seen stalking the sideline and shaking his head in dismay or sitting in his seat staring blankly.
After the break, the defensive errors were the only thing the U.S. was consistent in. Almost right away, a Shea turnover and a misread on a bounce by Orozco created a chance for Marcos Urena.
Yet another turnover in midfield, committed by Williams but enabled by a poor Evans ball, sent Campbell off just before the hour mark. However, veteran goalkeeper Tim Howard, back between the posts for the first time since the 2014 World Cup, made the save.
Costa Rica began creeping closer to the only goal it would need. Urena only just failed to redirect his finish on target from close range. And then, in the 70th, Campbell finally finished off a Costa Rican chance. Dave Myrie cut back into the Arsenal man's path, who had run away from Williams and stuck the ball past Howard. And were it not for a late save by the latter on Urena in stoppage time, the score would have been twice as bad.
But if a loss in a friendly isn't so problematic in its own right, the performance displayed by the Americans – or more like the malpractice – certainly was. Throughout the game, they lacked possession in midfield, presence on the flanks and service to the forwards. Whatever time and calm on the ball they managed all occurred in the back, where Costa Rica couldn't be bothered to pursue the U.S.
When the Yanks did manage to attack, it was that contemptible, not to mention ineffectual, route-one soccer straight to the strikers that Klinsmann was supposed to pull the U.S. away from upon his ballyhooed appointment four years ago. It was rudimentary stuff. And while this wasn't the American first string, exactly, it was a team that should have been able to do better against a Costa Rican side that was equally diluted.
Following the Mexico game, this was the first and only chance to figure some things out before World Cup qualifying. But as often in these scenarios in recent months, the USA posed more questions than it mustered answers.
There is really only one consolation in this sorry situation. That first qualifier, in St. Louis on Nov. 13, comes against Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, ranked 122nd in the world by FIFA and 167th by ELO.
US women's soccer to play China in victory tour finale.
AP
The U.S. women's team will play China in an exhibition at the Superdome in New Orleans on Dec. 16, the final game of the Americans' post-Word Cup victory tour.
The U.S. Soccer Federation said Tuesday the women's team will play three other matches in December that will be announced later.
The Americans have 33 wins, eight losses and 13 ties against China.
NCAAFB: Dantonio, Spartans must now deal with resurgent Michigan.
By NOAH TRISTER
From the moment Jim Harbaugh took over as Michigan's coach in December, this scenario was coming: At some point, the Wolverines would become a major threat to Michigan State's recent dominance of their in-state rivalry.
It just wasn't supposed to happen this quickly.
''I think every football team that goes out there, I don't care where they're at, they expect to win,'' Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said. ''The expectations are high at Michigan State, the expectations are high down the road.''
With Michigan beginning to meet expectations again, the pressure is actually on Dantonio and the Spartans. This was supposed to be Michigan State's year - a chance for this perpetually overlooked program to make a run at a national title while Harbaugh began the difficult challenge of restoring Michigan to its place among Big Ten title contenders.
Except the Wolverines have accelerated that process to the tune of three consecutive shutouts, and 12th-ranked Michigan is actually favored by about a touchdown at home against the seventh-ranked Spartans on Saturday.
So the national title talk in East Lansing can wait. This week is about something far more visceral - trying to hold off a resurgent Michigan team that already looks like a potential powerhouse after only half a season under Harbaugh.
''It's kind of crazy in this state,'' Michigan State linebacker Riley Bullough said. ''You literally identify yourself as part of the blue and maize or the green and white. That's your identity, that's your everything.''
It's hard to overstate how much it's meant to the Spartans to have finally taken control of a rivalry that Michigan used to dominate. Michigan State has gleefully won six of the last seven meetings, and Dantonio has built the Spartans into one of the top teams in the country. The Wolverines? They were floundering under Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke.
As expected, Harbaugh's arrival has boosted Michigan, and the obvious question now is whether these two teams will continue trading periods of dominance or if they can both field consistently excellent teams at the same time.
''What are you asking? Can we coexist?'' Dantonio said when this topic came up Tuesday. ''I think both teams can have good football teams, if that's what you're asking. It's been done before, and both teams have gone to big bowls in the past, at the same time, and things of that nature.''
Both programs have reasons to be optimistic about the future, but it would be difficult for the Spartans (6-0) to accept losing to Michigan this year, given everything that's at stake and how overmatched the Wolverines were just a season ago. Michigan State beat Michigan 35-11 last year, and in 2013, the Spartans won while holding the Wolverines to minus-48 yards rushing.
Now it's Michigan (5-1) that has been so impressive of late that its season-opening loss to Utah is easy to forget. The Wolverines have held their last three opponents - Northwestern, Maryland and BYU- scoreless.
''For them to pitch three straight shutouts, that's hard to do in college football, doesn't matter who you are, doesn't matter who you are playing,'' Spartans quarterback Connor Cook said. ''We're looking forward to going into there and playing against a defense like that, because you want to play against the best.''
Motivation is never a problem for Michigan State in this game. Whether it was a dismissive comment by Michigan running back Mike Hart in 2007 or the Wolverines planting a tent stake in the field before last year's matchup, the Spartans are always quick to seize on any perceived slight from their longtime rivals.
''Really doesn't take much to have a chip on our shoulder,'' Cook said. ''Doesn't matter if we're the favorite, if we're the underdog, if we're favored by three touchdowns or we're underestimated by three touchdowns.''
Now the Spartans actually are listed as the underdogs, during a season in which they were expected to keep the Wolverines at arm's length. Michigan State has been beset by injuries on both sides of the ball, and the Spartans have struggled to beat Big Ten afterthoughts like Purdue and Rutgers.
Another win over Michigan would make a lot of those concerns go away. Dantonio needs one victory to reach 100 in his head coaching career at Cincinnati and Michigan State, but right now that milestone is one of the last things on his mind.
''Getting one means something this week,'' he said. ''That's all.''
Iowa-Northwestern Preview.
AP - Sports
Iowa is one of the nation's most surprising teams after answering nearly all of its preseason questions.
Now the No. 17 Hawkeyes have a new uncertainty to deal with: Can they keep winning while they keep losing guys?
Iowa (6-0, 2-0 Big Ten) is down five opening-day starters ahead of Saturday's West Division showdown at No. 20 Northwestern (5-1, 1-1).
The biggest blow came Tuesday, when coach Kirk Ferentz confirmed that star defensive end Drew Ott was lost for the season with a torn ACL in his right knee.
''It's a big void. But this team has done a good job of handling adversity,'' Ferentz said.
The Hawkeyes will have to do so again this weekend.
Ott, wide receiver Tevaun Smith (knee), running back LeShun Daniels (ankle), left tackle Boone Myers (neck stinger) and right tackle Ike Boettger (left ankle) were left off Monday's depth chart. Ferentz said it's doubtful any of them will play this week.
Even quarterback C.J. Beathard alluded to some extra soreness this week - he was seen with ice wrapped around his hip and groin after last week's 29-20 win over Illinois - but he said he'll play against the Wildcats.
''It's nothing serious,'' Beathard said.
Ott is Iowa's best pass rusher and arguably its best player. He is sixth in the Big Ten with 7 1/2 tackles for loss and five sacks despite being slowed by an elbow injury earlier this season.
Parker Hesse, a 240-pound freshman who played quarterback in high school and was a linebacker as a redshirt last season, will get the start in place of Ott.
''It's not on me or anyone else to fill everything that he brings. It's the entire defense. We're losing a lot,'' Hesse said.
The Hawkeyes' line struggled at times without their bookend tackles against Illinois. Iowa was forced to use a true freshman guard, James Daniels, at tackle. He'll likely be the first rookie to start there in Ferentz's 17 seasons this weekend.
But Iowa has had a much easier time replacing Tevaun Smith and LeShun Daniels.
That's because another Smith, freshman wideout Jerminic Smith, emerged as a potential star against the Illini - and Jordan Canzeri has shouldered the workload like no running back in school history.
Smith's first four career catches came against the Illini. He finished with 118 yards, highlighted by acrobatic grabs of 49 and 46 yards on third downs. Canzeri broke the school record with 43 carries for 256 yards, including 11 rushes in a row on Iowa's most crucial drive in the fourth quarter.
Daniels was supposed to be Iowa's workhorse back, with the smaller Canzeri as the change of pace guy. But Canzeri has proved to be the kind of lead back the Hawkeyes desperately need.
Still, Canzeri and the rest of the Hawkeyes could be forgiven for looking forward to next week, which will be Iowa's lone bye.
''When we get to the bye week it'll be nice to recover and rest a little bit. But right now we've just got Northwestern on our mind,'' Beathard said.
And the Wildcats will have bouncing back on their minds after losing 38-0 at then-No. 18 Michigan last week. Northwestern's unbeaten start, which began with a 16-6 win over then-No. 21 Stanford on Sept. 5, came to an end in ugly fashion.
''We just couldn't get out of our own way, offensively,'' coach Pat Fitzgerald said after his team allowed a 96-yard touchdown on the opening kickoff and trailed by four touchdowns by halftime. ''We'd put something together, we'd get a penalty, we'd get a drop, we'd get a missed assignment. So that's disappointing, obviously. It starts and ends with me.''
The Wildcats came in allowing a nation-best 7.0 points per game but allowed a season-high 21 in the first quarter. They weren't any better offensively, as Justin Jackson was held to a career-low 25 yards rushing on 12 carries for a Wildcats team that was averaging a Big Ten-best 248.8 yards on the ground. Northwestern managed 38 against the Wolverines.
"Not physical enough up front. ... Up front, we couldn't get any movement on our one-on-ones," Fitzgerald told the school's official website. "That made it tough sledding for Justin. We've got to get our run game going. That's our bread-and-butter. We've got to be able to run the football."
Northwestern will be without Matthew Harris for the foreseeable future after the cornerback suffered broken bones in his face on an apparent hit to the head by the knee of a running back last week.
Iowa has won the past two meetings, taking the latest 48-7 at home Nov. 1, 2014, despite Jackson rushing for 96 yards and a score.
The Wildcats have won the last two matchups at Ryan Field, the most recent in 2012.
"I think there's extra motivation because (Iowa is) in the driver's seat in the Big Ten West. That's the bottom line," Fitzgerald said.
NCAABKB: Notre Dame looks to try to build on last season's NCAA run.
By TOM COYNE
Notre Dame coach Mike Brey wants the Fighting Irish approaching the season as though they are coming off a losing season, not that they're the defending Atlantic Coast Conference tournament champions.
Chris Mullin hires former backcourt partner Mitch Richmond.
By TOM COYNE
Notre Dame coach Mike Brey wants the Fighting Irish approaching the season as though they are coming off a losing season, not that they're the defending Atlantic Coast Conference tournament champions.
''One of our themes has been to be poor again, to be hungry,'' Brey said at media day Tuesday. ''We're doing the same breakdown drills when we were really poor a year ago coming off a 15-17 season. I've made that a point every day.''
Jerian Grant and Pat Connaughton led the Fighting Irish to a 32-6 record and their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament round of eight since 1979. Those two have graduated, but Notre Dame returns starters Demetrius Jacskon (11.3 points a game, 3.1 assists), Steve Vasturia (9.6 ppg) and Zach Auguste (11.3 ppg, 6.5 rebounds) and key contributors Bonzie Colson and V.J. Beachem.
Brey said the Irish are eager to show they can have similar success this season.
''They want to show they're pretty good even though everybody talks about it may be almost impossible to replace Grant and Connaughton,'' Brey said. ''They'd like to do that March thing again.''
The Irish came within a last-second shot of beating Kentucky in the NCAA tournament, leading much of the second half before losing 68-66 when Grant missed on a 3-pointer. Brey said he believes Notre Dame gained respect in the ACC last season after finishing 6-12 in its first year in the league.
Brey expects Jackson to lead the Irish offensively, defensively and being the voice on the floor.
''No question, it's Demetrius Jackson's team, it's his voice,'' Brey said. ''He loves it, he welcomes it and I'm thrilled he's so confident in that position.''
Jackson said the Irish believe they can be better.
''We have our nucleus back, so we kind of have the recipe. We know what it feels like,'' he said. ''Now we just want to take it to the next level.''
Brey said Notre Dame knew early last year what kind of team they would be because of Grant and Connaughton. This year the Irish will be developing throughout the year, Brey said. He said he doesn't yet know who the sixth and seventh players are.
''But certainly we have a lot of candidates,'' he said.
The Irish know that this season will be tougher because of expectations, Auguste said.
''Last year seemed kind of easy. We didn't have any expectations. Everybody thought we were going to be a regular team. Now, coming in this year, we have a target on our backs,'' he said. ''We're looking to be as good or even better.''
Chris Mullin hires former backcourt partner Mitch Richmond.
By Mike DeCourcy
Mitch Richmond (L) and Chris Mullin (R). (Photo/sportingnews.com)
St. John’s is two-thirds of the way to reuniting Run TMC on its coaching staff.
You already knew Chris Mullin had become the Red Storm’s new head coach, returning to his alma mater following time spent in the NBA as a Hall of Fame player and also as a team executive. Now Mullin has hired former Golden State Warriors teammate Mitch Richmond – himself a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame – to serve the program as a special assistant.
Hey, Tim Hardaway is out there too, is all we’re saying. Yes, he’s got a job as an assistant coach with the Detroit Pistons, but the idea of reconstituting one of the most entertaining trios in basketball history is just so alluring.
"Mitch is committed to helping us build this program and develop an environment for sustained success at St. John's," Mullin said in the school’s release. "He has tremendous basketball insight, a vision for the game and a passion to share his knowledge. Obviously, his experience in different roles throughout his career as a player, scout and mentor will have an impact in many areas."
Richmond was an All-American at Kansas State and became the fifth overall selection in the 1988 NBA Draft. He went on to join the 20,000-point club in a career spent primarily with the Warriors, Sacramento Kings and Washington Wizards. He was a six-time all-star and won a championship ring with the 2002 Lakers.
In 1990-91, Richmond, Mullin and Hardaway averaged a combined 72.5 points, the second-best output by three players on one team in the league’s history. After one more year together, they were broken up by a trade designed to increase the Warriors’ size that sent Richmond to Sacramento in exchange for 6-9 Billy Owens. A magnificent high school player and excellent in college, Owens was not a Hall of Famer as a pro.
“Mully and I were always coaches on the floor,” Richmond said, “so I am thrilled to join him for this new venture.”
Legends of Coaching award to be given to Tubby Smith.
AP - Sports
Texas Tech's Tubby Smith will receive the John R. Wooden Award's Legends of Coaching honor in April.
The annual award recognizes coaches who exemplify Wooden's standards of coaching success and personal integrity.
Smith will receive the award at the ESPN College Basketball Awards show in Los Angeles on April 8.
He is 538-263 in 24 years as a head coach at Texas Tech, Minnesota, Kentucky, Georgia and Tulsa. He won a national championship at Kentucky in 1998, and has made four Elite Eight appearances, had nine Sweet 16 berths and posted 20 or more wins in 19 seasons while making 17 NCAA Tournament appearances.
Among previous winners of the award are Tara VanDerveer of Stanford, Roy Williams of Kansas, Mike Krzyzewski of Duke and Dean Smith of North Carolina.
Seven predictions for the 2015-16 PGA Tour season.
By Kyle Porter
Finally, the Presidents Cup is over and we can enjoy the golf offseason... for three days, at least. The 2015-16 PGA Tour season gets underway Thursday with the Frys.com Open.
Regardless, I need to get some predictions down on paper so you guys have something to hold me to when literally every single one of them is proven incorrect over the next 11 months.
I will break down the majors at the start of the new calendar year and make some longer-term picks at that time. For now, let's look at seven general predictions I have about the upcoming season.
1. Jordan Spieth will win a major. I'm really going out on a limb there. His sense of the rhythm of a PGA Tour season is too good. He has almost trained his inner clock to sense major weeks and elevate everything he is as a golfer during those times. Of all his incredible traits, that one might be the most impressive.
2. Rory McIlroy will take a revenge tour. You know how the New England Patriots are sweeping through the NFL and taking no prisoners? That's how I feel 2016 is going to go for Rory McIlroy.
All things being equal, he's this generation's Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods. His issue, which he has admitted, is motivation. He's got it in spades these days in the form of a 22-year-old Texan and a 27-year-old Australian. Game on next season. McIlroy will end up being your Player of the Year.
3. The Olympics will be a mess. An international competition that will include Ricardo Gouveia but not Open winner Zach Johnson.
Regardless, I need to get some predictions down on paper so you guys have something to hold me to when literally every single one of them is proven incorrect over the next 11 months.
I will break down the majors at the start of the new calendar year and make some longer-term picks at that time. For now, let's look at seven general predictions I have about the upcoming season.
1. Jordan Spieth will win a major. I'm really going out on a limb there. His sense of the rhythm of a PGA Tour season is too good. He has almost trained his inner clock to sense major weeks and elevate everything he is as a golfer during those times. Of all his incredible traits, that one might be the most impressive.
2. Rory McIlroy will take a revenge tour. You know how the New England Patriots are sweeping through the NFL and taking no prisoners? That's how I feel 2016 is going to go for Rory McIlroy.
All things being equal, he's this generation's Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods. His issue, which he has admitted, is motivation. He's got it in spades these days in the form of a 22-year-old Texan and a 27-year-old Australian. Game on next season. McIlroy will end up being your Player of the Year.
3. The Olympics will be a mess. An international competition that will include Ricardo Gouveia but not Open winner Zach Johnson.
Not to mention, the course isn't exactly Augusta National South. The fact that this is going to force the US Open, British Open and PGA Championship to be played within a seven-week timeframe is absolutely insane. This will not go over well with anyone.
4. Tiger Woods will finally embrace mentoring. We will look back on 2016 as the year when Woods finally accepted his fate as a golfer and took, say, Patrick Rodgers (Stanford!) and Tony Finau (bomber!) under his wing.
He'll try to do what Phil Mickelson has been so good at, which is remain relevent and push the game forward to the younger generation. He will end up being a vice-captain at the Ryder Cup and more father figure on tour than legitimate contender. All of this will be incredibly awkward and weird.
5. The biggest equipment story won't be the anchored putter. The anchored putter ban goes into effect on Jan. 1, but that won't be the story of the year. The golf ball will be.
Should there be a standard ball that everyone has to play with? Should the specifications on balls that can be played be reined in? When you have Bubba Watson and Jason Day banging balls off tents in actual tournaments, it's time to have a sit-down.
6. Justin Thomas or Patrick Rodgers will win a tournament. Is that a hedge? Yes it is. But tournaments are impossible to predict. I feel confident at least one of these guys, if not both, will be in the mix for a trophy really late on a Sunday afternoon at some point.
I'd be surprised if we saw another season in which Fabian Gomez and David Lingmerth took home hardware, and neither of these guys did.
7. Tony Finau will make the Ryder Cup team and the US will win. Lots to digest here. Finau is an absolute stud. He's currently ranked No. 22 in the Ryder Cup points race, but he's 10 times closer to making it than, say, No. 2 Dustin Johnson is to being No. 1 (Jordan Spieth).
The US team is going to be a reflection of the state of golf. It's going to have young thoroughbreds like Spieth, Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Rickie Fowler and the tantalizing possibility of Finau, Thomas and Rodgers. It's going to be an immensely likeable team and, for the first time in nearly a decade, it's going to win at Hazeltine.
4. Tiger Woods will finally embrace mentoring. We will look back on 2016 as the year when Woods finally accepted his fate as a golfer and took, say, Patrick Rodgers (Stanford!) and Tony Finau (bomber!) under his wing.
He'll try to do what Phil Mickelson has been so good at, which is remain relevent and push the game forward to the younger generation. He will end up being a vice-captain at the Ryder Cup and more father figure on tour than legitimate contender. All of this will be incredibly awkward and weird.
5. The biggest equipment story won't be the anchored putter. The anchored putter ban goes into effect on Jan. 1, but that won't be the story of the year. The golf ball will be.
Should there be a standard ball that everyone has to play with? Should the specifications on balls that can be played be reined in? When you have Bubba Watson and Jason Day banging balls off tents in actual tournaments, it's time to have a sit-down.
6. Justin Thomas or Patrick Rodgers will win a tournament. Is that a hedge? Yes it is. But tournaments are impossible to predict. I feel confident at least one of these guys, if not both, will be in the mix for a trophy really late on a Sunday afternoon at some point.
I'd be surprised if we saw another season in which Fabian Gomez and David Lingmerth took home hardware, and neither of these guys did.
7. Tony Finau will make the Ryder Cup team and the US will win. Lots to digest here. Finau is an absolute stud. He's currently ranked No. 22 in the Ryder Cup points race, but he's 10 times closer to making it than, say, No. 2 Dustin Johnson is to being No. 1 (Jordan Spieth).
The US team is going to be a reflection of the state of golf. It's going to have young thoroughbreds like Spieth, Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Rickie Fowler and the tantalizing possibility of Finau, Thomas and Rodgers. It's going to be an immensely likeable team and, for the first time in nearly a decade, it's going to win at Hazeltine.
Memoriesofhistory.com
1945 - The Chicago Cardinals ended the longest losing streak in NFL history. The team had lost 29 consecutive games.
1951 - Jack Christiansen (Detroit Lions) ran back two punts for touchdowns.
1962 - George Blanda (Houston Oilers) threw six touchdown passes against the New York Titans.
1973 - Jackie Stewart announced his retirement from auto racing.
1976 - The New York Yankees won their first AL pennant since 1964.
1978 - Darryl Sittler (Toronto Maple Leafs) registered seven assists in a 10-7 win over the New York Islanders.
1984 - George ‘Sparky’ Anderson became the first baseball manager to win 100 games and a World Series in both leagues.
1990 - Joe Montana (San Francisco 49ers) passed for 476 yards and six touchdowns. Five of the touchdowns were thrown to Jerry Rice.
1998 - The San Diego Padres beat the Atlanta Braves 5-0 to advance to their first World Series in 14 years.
2000 - Neil Parry had his right leg severely broken while playing on kickoff coverage during a game at UTEP. Nine days later his lower leg was amputated. Three years later he returned to football on one play with a prosthetic leg.
1951 - Jack Christiansen (Detroit Lions) ran back two punts for touchdowns.
1962 - George Blanda (Houston Oilers) threw six touchdown passes against the New York Titans.
1973 - Jackie Stewart announced his retirement from auto racing.
1976 - The New York Yankees won their first AL pennant since 1964.
1978 - Darryl Sittler (Toronto Maple Leafs) registered seven assists in a 10-7 win over the New York Islanders.
1984 - George ‘Sparky’ Anderson became the first baseball manager to win 100 games and a World Series in both leagues.
1990 - Joe Montana (San Francisco 49ers) passed for 476 yards and six touchdowns. Five of the touchdowns were thrown to Jerry Rice.
1998 - The San Diego Padres beat the Atlanta Braves 5-0 to advance to their first World Series in 14 years.
2000 - Neil Parry had his right leg severely broken while playing on kickoff coverage during a game at UTEP. Nine days later his lower leg was amputated. Three years later he returned to football on one play with a prosthetic leg.
************************************************************************
Please let us hear your opinion on the above articles and pass them on to any other diehard fans that you think might be interested. But most of all, remember, Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica wants you!!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment