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"Sports Quote of the Day"

"The ultimate victory in competition is derived from the inner satisfaction of knowing that you have done your best and that you have gotten the most out of what you had to give." ~ Howard Cosell, American Sports Journalist

Trending: Twice is nice: Andrew Shaw scores two as Blackhawks win eighth straight. (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates).

Trending: Bears promote Dowell Loggains to offensive coordinator in continuity statement. (See the football section for Bears updates).

Trending: Alabama wins national title with fourth-quarter special teams magic. (See the college football section for details).

Trending: Rams return to Los Angeles. (See the last article in this blog for details).

How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Twice is nice: Andrew Shaw scores two as Blackhawks win eighth straight.

By Tracey Myers

Viktor Arvidsson #38 of the Nashville Predators tries to control the puck between Duncan Keith #2 (L) and Niklas Hjalmarsson #4 of the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center on January 12, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

An eight-game winning streak, a continuous rise in the standings and a milestone victory for their coach: not a bad Tuesday.

Andrew Shaw scored two goals and Brent Seabrook added another as the Blackhawks beat the Nashville Predators 3-2 on Tuesday night. The victory gave Joel Quenneville his 782nd victory, tying him with the late Al Arbour for second on the all-time coaching victories list. Even bigger, however, is that the Blackhawks have won eight in a row and are now just two points behind Dallas, which doesn’t play again until Friday.

Marian Hossa had two assists. Corey Crawford stopped 41 of 43 shots in the victory. Richard Panik was a late addition to the lineup after Artem Anisimov was a late scratch due to illness. Panik played on the Blackhawks’ third line with Phillip Danault and Andrew Desjardins while Teuvo Teravainen centered the second line with Artemi Panarin and Patrick Kane.

Quenneville, who signed a three-year extension earlier on Tuesday, was “honored” at tying Arbour.

“It took a little scariness there at the end; Crow had to make a big save in the dying seconds. But we did some good things to get the lead,” Quenneville said. “It’s happened very quickly. Al Arbour was a great coach in our game. Everybody always said good things, everybody has a lot of respect for what he accomplished. We always had a heck of a time beating trying to beat him, so very special and honored. I feel fortunate.”

The Blackhawks were feeling the same way in the waning seconds of this one. Crawford’s 41st stop was his most dramatic, a last-second one on Ryan Johansen, who was going for the tying goal.

“Yeah, I mean everyone’s feeling pretty good,” said Crawford, who has won six consecutive starts. “I think the chemistry is there and everyone is playing well together as a team, making the right plays. We’re not making too many mistakes out there in all three zones. I think your team is well rounded right now.”

The Blackhawks are rounding into form, and more balanced scoring has helped. For the second consecutive night the top line came up big. Shaw gave the Blackhawks the 1-0 when he knocked in Hossa’s wraparound attempt with 58 seconds remaining in the first period. He made it 2-0 when he caught and scored off Hossa’s pass through the slot about six minutes into the second.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever be comfortable [with the top-line spot]. I always have to compete for my ice,” Shaw said. “But it’s easy playing with those two guys [Hossa and Jonathan Toews]. They make it a lot easier. They slow the game down, they find you when you’re open and they get to the open areas for you as well.”

Seabrook made it 3-0 off a pass from Kane about 13 minutes into the second period. Just 18 seconds later, however, Mike Ribeiro got one back for the Predators, cutting the Blackhawks’ lead to 3-1.

Filip Forsberg got the Predators to within one goal with 36.3 seconds remaining in regulation before Crawford made that one last stop to deny the Predators a tie.

The Blackhawks are finding a great rhythm right now. They’re getting more offense from more players, solid defense and great goaltending. Things in the Central Division just keep getting more interesting.

“The team’s playing well, all lines are contributing,” Shaw said. “We’re playing our systems to a tee. We tighten up our defensive zone the offensive chances are going to come.”

Blackhawks lock up Joel Quenneville through 2019-20 season.

By Tracey Myers

It wasn’t so much if coach Joel Quenneville’s extension was going to get done. It was when.

Quenneville, coming off his third Stanley Cup in his past six seasons here, still has two years on his current contract. On Tuesday, that expected extension came through.

The Blackhawks signed Quenneville to a three-year extension that will take him through the 2019-20 season. The team did not release financial terms of the deal; Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reported the extension could be worth $18 million over those three years.

“Yeah, we’re happy,” said Quenneville, who is also one victory away from tying Al Arbor for the second-most coaching victories in NHL history (782).“We’re in a great spot here. It’s been a fun time and we have a fun situation going on here. We’ve having a good stretch here and look forward to try to continue on.”

General manager Stan Bowman talked in the offseason that a Quenneville extension as going to happen at some point.

“I think with any negotiation it takes a little bit of time, but I wouldn't say it was a really drawn-out thing,” he said. “We've got a great situation going here. We're fortunate to have Joel on board and he's been a huge part of what we've accomplished as a group, and there's no one more you'd want on the bench than Joel. So, we're looking for some continuity and we’ve had it here.

“I think it’s a testament to the job Joel's done in today's game,” Bowman continued. “It's tough for coaches to last, and I think certainly because of the accomplishments for the team, led by Joel, is a big part of it. We're excited for what's to come.”

The 57-year-old Quenneville took over the job on Oct. 16, 2008. The Blackhawks had a dynamic young team and the possibility to do something great. Still, there may not have been many who would have projected the Blackhawks to do what they’ve done these past few seasons. The core hasn’t changed much but the Blackhawks have otherwise gone through plenty of salary cap-related alterations. Yet they, and Quenneville, just keep winning.

“In your wildest dreams you wouldn’t have expected what happened to happen,” Quenneville said of when he first took over. “We improved as we were going through that year, got some good educations right off the bat and immediately won. It was a great beginning but [we have] a tremendous group to work with, knowing your leaders have that type of character you hope to have on your team. They send the right message and you couldn’t ask for a better situation to be in as a coach.”

Blackhawks players were happy to hear the news.

“First of all, he definitely deserves it with what he’s done with this franchise. He’s gotten the results and players like to play with him,” said Marian Hossa. “[He gives us] lots of days off; he’s really reasonable. But on the other hand he expects things. We’re happy for him and his new deal. I think it’s great for the city.”

Trevor van Riemsdyk, who entered last training camp relatively unknown and earned a job on the starting lineup, agreed.

“I’ve only been here a short period of time but you see instantaneously why he’s such a great coach and why he’s been so successful,” he said. “I’ll be forever grateful for that chance to play right away. He had nothing but positive things to say and it meant a lot, especially coming from someone like coach Q who’s been through so much, coached so many players and has been so successful. I’m really happy for him.”

Quenneville has had some great coaching seasons, especially here in Chicago. Will he ever catch Scotty Bowman’s record of 1,244 all-time coaching victories? As Quenneville said with a grin, “it’s a stretch.” Quenneville isn’t much for looking too far down the path anyway. Right now, life and coaching is good. So is the added few years of security.

“I felt fortunate when I started that I’ve been around really good players, teams and situations, and none better than here in Chicago,” he said. “I’ve been some healthy situations where we’ve had success. It makes the job that much more enjoyable. There are always some tough situations over the course of the years but for the most part, it’s gone by extremely quick an that’s why it’s been so much fun.”

Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Bears promote Dowell Loggains to offensive coordinator in continuity statement.

By John Mullin

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Bears coach John Fox said in his season-ending remarks last Monday that the team’s systems are in place and not dependent solely on coordinator Adam Gase as far as the offense is concerned. Fox was saying without saying it directly that not only the systems, but also the key coaching personnel were in place.

In a move that marks a clear statement of direction for the offense and makes a statement that continuity as well as talent will matter, the Bears promoted quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains to offensive coordinator to replace Gase, who took the job of head coach for the Miami Dolphins late last week.

“Dowell played a critical role on our offense last year,” said coach John Fox in a statement. “He’s an excellent coach with experience as a play-caller and a broad knowledge of offensive football.  He has earned the respect of our players because they know he can help them get better.

The Bears last season took a first step toward developing true continuity in their offense when the Fox coaching staff, including Loggains, took the quarterback abilities of Jay Cutler to another and sustainable level.

The next step came Monday when Loggains succeeded Gase.

“As I mentioned at the end of the season, our systems are in place,” Fox said. “We will always look to evolve because the NFL is fluid and adapting is key to good coaching.  Dowell will help us build on what we started as we head into the 2016 season.”

What the Bears under Fox started was a solid, consistent philosophy built on his mantra of running the football. Loggains was working with Gase and Cutler as the architects of game plans consistent with that philosophy, regardless of what personnel were available for the passing offense. The Bears under Gase ran the ball consistently (45.7 percent running even in games with a healthy Alshon Jeffery, for example) with or without their top receivers, and Loggains can be expected to continue in that direction.

The Bears typically ran at least 25 times per game and never threw more than 45 passes (once, at Kansas City) in a game. Loggains has maintained a simple grasp on that factor in the overall priority of ball security.

“The unfortunate thing is that if you throw the ball enough, if you’re calling 44-45 passes in a game, you are going to throw interceptions,” Loggains said during last season. “Nobody in the history of the game has gone without one.”

With Loggains as Bears quarterbacks coach, Cutler reached a career-high 92.3 passer rating, with 64.4 completion percentage (311-of-483), 2.3 interception percentage and 7.58 passing yards per attempt all second-bests in his NFL career. His 11 interceptions were the fewest in a season in which he appeared in at least 15 games.

“I think Adam and Dowell and all the coaches have been selective in our gameplans,” Cutler observed late last season, “and then on game day as far as me going through my reads and not trying to do too much and force the ball to guys and just letting them naturally make plays because we have some playmakers even if we’ve lost some of our other playmakers.”

Loggains has eight years NFL coaching experience including two seasons as offensive coordinator and five as a quarterbacks coach.

In 2014, Loggains was the quarterbacks coach for the Cleveland Browns. The Browns finished the 2014 season with 3,678 passing yards, 11^th-most in franchise history. Their 7.33 yards per attempt in 2014 was the highest for the franchise since 1992. Their 21 pass plays of 25 or more yards were tied for the second most by the franchise in the last 21 years and the most since 1995.

From 2008-13, Loggains was on the coaching staff of the Tennessee Titans, including serving as offensive coordinator in 2013 and during the final five games of the 2012 season. In 2013, the Titans were off to a 3-1 start as starting quarterback Jake Locker had a 99.0 passer rating, before injuries derailed his season. Locker finished with an 86.7 passer rating in seven starts (4-3 record).

From 2010-12, Loggains was the quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator of the Titans, working with Kerry Collins, Vince Young, Matt Hasselbeck and Locker. The Titans’ 4,113 passing yards and 84.4 passer rating in 2011 are sixth and seventh-highest in franchise single-season history, respectively. In 2010 he helped Collins post the third-best passer rating of his career (82.2) and Vince Young register the highest passer rating of his career (98.6).

Loggains joined the Titans in 2006, working as a coaching administrative assistant for two seasons before being named a quality control coach in 2008, a role he held for two years. Prior to his time in Tennessee, Loggains spent the 2005 season as a scouting assistant with the Dallas Cowboys. His duties included assisting with opponent film breakdown, self-scouting and statistical analysis to be used in game-plan preparation.

Loggains has worked with several successful NFL coordinators during his time in the NFL, including Gase, Sean Payton, Norm Chow, Mike Heimerdinger and Chris Palmer.

The Newport, Ark. native was a four-year letterman as a quarterback and holder at the University of Arkansas, where he appeared in 50 games. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science and master’s degree in education. He was a two-year starter at quarterback for Abilene Cooper (Texas) High School.

Moon: Thoughts for Bears after wild-card weekend.

By John Mullin

Takeaways are more than just things defenses crave and offenses abhor. They’re also are learning opportunities presented by events, and there were a few for the Bears in the first seven days following the end of their disappointing 6-10 season:

A history first

John Fox would be the first to agree that the Bears need to be far better than their historically bad 1-7 at home in 2015. But the Bears were a healthy 5-3 on the road, which doesn’t exactly make them as a playoff team, but all four of the winners from wild-card weekend won on the road.

First time that’s ever happened. Which is a little surprising, because “road” teams in wild-card round routinely have better records than the home teams, which are “home” teams only because they won weaker divisions. The Kansas City Chiefs were 11-5 to host AFC South champion Houston’s 9-7. And the Green Bay Packers at 10-6 were clearly better than NFC East winner Washington at 9-7.

And what was that “what’s wrong with the Packers?” business again?

For perspective purposes…

Blair Walsh’s far-wide-left miss of a field-goal try from 27 yards to cost the Minnesota Vikings advancing on to the NFC divisional playoffs doesn’t make Robbie Gould’s miss from 36 to win the San Francisco 49ers game any less gut-wrenching. But the Gould miss pales next to the Walsh head-shaker, from 10 yards closer, even if “the pressure of playoff football is real,” said former All-Pro safety Rodney Harrison on NBC’s post-game show.

Interestingly perhaps, Walsh was the only NFL kicker with more field goals made (34) than Gould (33). Gould missed six. Walsh missed four…. make that five.

Dump Gould? In six playoff games (’05, ’06, ’10) Gould has had six field goals to kick. He made all six.

Cause for concern?

One of the semi-constants in the NFC North is that the Detroit Lions will overcome elite talent and manage to self-destruct and under-achieve more often than not. That’s how you become an organization that has won exactly one playoff game since 1957.

But on Sunday the Lions officially hired Ernie Accorsi as special advisor to team president Rod Wood.

This is not good news for the Bears.

Accorsi was a key consultant in the search that produced Ryan Pace and John Fox, actual football people with successful backgrounds, for the Bears. Wood was CEO of Ford Estates and was the choice of owner Martha Firestone Ford, neither of whom have any connection to football, which you like to see if you are a competing football organization.

But Wood and the organization bringing in a football force, as the Bears did, rather than again rely on Chairman George McCaskey and President Ted Phillips, points to astute executives with the savvy to know what they don’t know. Accorsi already was involved in the Lions’ hiring last Friday of Bob Quinn from the New England Patriots.

The Lions making intelligent organizational decisions is not what the Bears, Packers and Vikings need. Better to have Detroit perennially having the high first-round draft choices that come to an organization with just two winning seasons since the turn of the century.

Coaching inanities...

Just when you think the NFL couldn’t get more dysfunctional come the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, owner Malcolm Glazer and GM Jason Licht firing coach Lovie Smith after a season in which Smith increased the team win total by four despite a rookie quarterback (Jameis Winston) starting. Smith was tasked with rebuilding a team in shambles after the inept tenures of Raheem Morris and Greg Schiano. Only twice in the seven seasons since Jon Gruden left after 2008 have the Buccaneers won more than the six games they netted with Smith in 2015.

Smith effectively restored some sort of equilibrium to a Bears franchise that had exactly one winning season in the eight years before his hiring and one playoff trip in nine years. Firing Smith despite his having one losing season in his final eight said something about GM Phil Emery; firing Smith after tripling the Tampa Bay win total in one year says even more about the Buccaneers organization, with Smith the linebackers coach for teams that had only one losing season in his tenure there (1996-2000). Call it class-lite.

It’s one thing to make a coaching change when the direction of things is all too clear, as it was with Marc Trestman. It’s another altogether when the rate of ascent just isn’t steep enough for someone.

Cleveland, hiring its fifth head coach since 2009. Miami, where Adam Gase is the fifth head coach since 2011 and which didn’t think Todd Bowles at 2-1 as an interim that year was worth a longer look. Now Tampa Bay.

Just Another Chicago Bulls Session... Derrick Rose injures knee in Bulls loss to Bucks.

By Vincent Goodwill

Jimmy Butler goes after a loose ball during the first half. (Photo/Darren Hauck/AP)

A few days ago, the Bulls’ biggest problem was they weren’t the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Twenty-four hours ago, the Bulls’ biggest problem was their lack of communication and subsequent slippage on defense, worrying about two straight losses turning to three.

After Tuesday, though, their biggest problem has become the health of Derrick Rose, who could only manage a few possessions into the second half of their 106-101 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, as he exited with left patella tendinitis.

Rose played 21 minutes and had a good start before missing a few layups in the second quarter, finishing with nine points and three assists, but appeared to get his left knee worked on by trainer Jeff Tanaka at the half.

“I felt something with my left knee, like jumper’s knee or something,” Rose said afterward. “Just didn’t feel right when I was out there. Just gotta be cautious with my body.”

Rose missed three games recently with a hamstring injury but emerged to continue some of his best basketball of the season in the games he did participate in, before Tuesday’s apparent setback. He admitted some frustration with the injury, although he said he doesn’t believe he’ll miss any time.

“Yeah, when you wanna continue to play and play consistent games,” Rose said. “The reality is, I felt something and all I can do is pay attention to it and listen to my body.”

At the start of the fourth quarter, Rose began riding a stationary bike on the sidelines near the Bulls’ bench and returned with 5:49 left but couldn’t move with any fluidity, removing himself with 3:25 left and the game tied at 93.

“It just felt weird out there,” Rose said. “It didn’t loosen up, tried to get out there a second time, still didn’t do anything. Really wasn’t any need for me to be in the game like that. Wasn’t able to move around like I wanted to.”

The Bulls seemed intent on ending their short losing streak to start things, but the inconsistency caught up with them, highlighted by Rose’s injury.

As the Bulls’ lead dwindled to start the third, Rose hobbled to the bench and tried walking off the injury on the sidelines as Fred Hoiberg called timeout to stop the bleeding.

The problems snowballed from there, as the Bucks’ speed took full advantage of the Bulls’ carelessness, forcing three turnovers in a 40-second span.

After falling behind by nine, the Bulls actually came back to take a five-point lead behind contributions from Nikola Mirotic and surprisingly, Tony Snell, who scored 17.

But they could only hold off the Bucks for so long, and it led to their demise.

“I thought our energy out of the gate was great,” Hoiberg said. “Then coming out in the third, we let them back in it. They got a big lead on us and we fought back. We talk about the consistency, that’s what we gotta do.”

Greg Monroe gave the Bucks a one-point lead with a 3-point play and Khris Middleton followed it right up with a corner triple of his own, giving the Bucks a 99-95 lead. After a Jimmy Butler turnover, his fourth of the night and 17^th for the Bulls, their offense seemed to continue trending downward as it had done from the first quarter on, noticeably with Rose on the bench.

“We turned the ball over, they got in the open floor and got a lot of easy baskets,” Butler said. “Trying to thread the needle (on passes), especially me. Trying to do too much instead of making the simple play.”

Butler missed the front end of three free throws with the Bulls trailing by four, and had a front row seat when Middleton, a swingman who’s been on fire recently, nailed a turnaround jumper with 16.7 seconds left to make it a two-possession game.

It didn’t matter they outrebounded the Bucks by a sizeable margin (57-40), considering the Bucks only turned the ball over five times and their long-armed athletic wingman Giannis Antetokounmpo gave the Bulls fits all over the floor, forcing turnovers and scoring in transition. The third year forward led the Bucks with 27 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in 32 minutes. Middelton scored 16 with nine assists and six rebounds while Monroe scored 15 with 11 rebounds.

Butler led the Bulls with 30, eight rebounds and six assists, but he left more than a few plays on the board when it counted most.

And now the Bulls are left wondering about their point guard’s immediate future.

Wizards storm lethargic Bulls for wire to wire win. (Monday night's game, 01/11/2016).

By Vincent Goodwill

All-Star John Wall pumped his fists, pounded his chest and yelled at the United Center crowd all throughout the fourth quarter, as his Washington Wizards completed a total dominating performance against the rival Chicago Bulls.

Despite being shorthanded, the Wizards took full advantage of their circumstances with shooting guard Bradley Beal out and center Marcin Gortat a late scratch with a knee injury.

Or more glaringly, they took advantage of a Bulls defense that had been showing noticeable signs of slippage in the past several games, slippage that had been overshadowed by an improving offensive awareness.

A Wall-to-Wall showing from the Wizards culminated in a 114-100 win Monday night, as the Bulls must’ve been eager for their fans to get home for the college football national title game, because the sellout crowd made its way out of the building nearly halfway through the fourth quarter.

They played from behind from the start, and couldn’t sustain a recovery. They pulled to 89-85 with 9:34 left, but three minutes later a bevy of turnovers and missed opportunities led to a 13-point spread.

“They continued on (defensive issues). Again, we didn’t come out the gate with the energy we needed to. It’s beyond me how that can happen,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. “It’s consecutive games, we go on a nice win streak. We hit a little adversity, put our heads down and lose our fight.”

Hoiberg and the rest of the Bulls were in agreement: the communication broke down, leading to an opponent scoring over 100 for the fourth time in five games.

“The guys on the bench talked more than the guys on the floor, for whatever reason,” Hoiberg said. “That’s huge focus going into every game and two games in a row we hadn’t done the job.”

Wall scored 17 with 10 assists and five rebounds, one of seven Wizards who scored in double figures. All 10 Wizards who played scored and all could claim a tangible piece of the dead carcass that was the Bulls, in what should’ve been an energetic start to a four-game in five-night stretch.

Instead, even with Joakim Noah returning from a nine-game shoulder-injury absence, he went scoreless in his seven shots during 19 minutes of run—which seemed to go right along with the rest of his team.

If not for Derrick Rose’s 23 points, the game would’ve gotten ugly quicker than it did, as the Wizards had a 15-point lead midway through the second quarter and after weathering a couple meager runs in the third and start of the fourth, pulled away quite easily to put it away with six minutes remaining.

Garrett Temple scored 14 and did an admirable job guarding Jimmy Butler, who struggled to score 19 points with seven assists. Butler committed a couple early turnovers while the Bulls fell behind in the first and was unable to catch a rhythm.

With the disadvantages presented by the Wizards, not even a 40-point night may not have done the trick, as the Bulls shot 42 percent and committed 16 turnovers, while giving up 60 first-half points for the fourth time in five games.

“You can see it, teams are doing whatever they want to do on the floor,” Butler said. “We’re not doing what we’re supposed to do coverage-wise. We’re not talking like we’re supposed to be talking. You can tell. We’re not the tougher, more physical team.”

It was a bad matchup for anybody in the frontcourt, as the Wizards set the Bulls up by spreading them out and then picking them apart, piece-by-piece. Nikola Mirotic and Taj Gibson were chasing around the likes of swingman-by-trade Otto Porter Jr. and Jared Dudley, far outside of their respective comfort zones.

It opened up the floor for more than drives to the basket, like open shots on the perimeter and open space on the Wizards’ offensive glass as they got every loose ball, resulting in 19 second-chance points.

Drew Gooden came off the bench to give the Bulls fits with 12 points and 10 rebounds, hitting open shots and retrieving more than his share of boards that should’ve belonged to the Bulls.

Mirotic, Gibson and Pau Gasol struggled with the Wizards’ speed, just like the Bulls did against the Atlanta Hawks over the weekend. Gasol scored 15 with 10 rebounds, but was often caught flat-footed on the glass and on defense for most of the night.

And it sends the Bulls, once a team that seemed like it righted itself a week ago, back to the drawing board as they play a crucial stretch away from home.

“If you wanna be a top team, you wanna be a contender, you can’t afford (this),” Gasol said. “Championship teams don’t do this, bottom line.”

How Joe Maddon’s blue-collar roots made him perfect fit for Cubs.

By Patrick Mooney

(Photo/USATSI)

If the 2016 Cubs are too big to fail, then Joe Maddon’s five-year contract is the $25 million insurance policy, money well spent for a World Series favorite on paper.

Maddon has the street smarts and the people skills to survive in an organization that historically has been sabotaged by ownership instability, corporate dysfunction and political infighting.

Maddon is fluent in analytics and has a scouting background, making him comfortable interpreting data and trusting young talent, the creative tension felt between his dugout and Theo Epstein’s front office.

Maddon doesn’t believe in clubhouse rules or pregame eyewash – viewing batting practice as a waste of time – and that loose structure appeals to veteran players who want to be treated like men.

Maddon can still connect with the rookies, staying hip as he nears his 62nd birthday, wearing a Lacoste hoodie and puffy North Face gear, gaining almost 280,000 followers on Twitter and streaming episodes of “The Office” through Netflix on his iPad.

Maddon doesn’t get defensive or show any signs of stress during his media sessions, enjoying the banter after all those nights spent inside working-class bars.

It all started in this blue-collar city, part of Pennsylvania’s faded coal-mining region, where he grew up in the apartment above his father’s shop: C. Maddon and Sons Plumbing and Heating.

Maddon introduced Cubs fans to “The Hazleton Way” – a shot and a beer – near the end of his first press conference at The Cubby Bear in November 2014.

But that spontaneous moment – offering to buy the first round at the bar opposite the Wrigley Field marquee – wasn’t just a throwaway sound bite. The breezy confidence and why-not? attitude would become essential parts of a team that took the baseball world by storm.

“I’m never offended by being second-guessed, because you have to print that kind of stuff for the people here,” he said while sitting at the bar inside Bottlenecks in West Hazleton, during a scene from the “Going Home: Joe Maddon” documentary that premieres Thursday night on Comcast SportsNet Chicago.

“People are into us. We had a nice year. The offseason’s been pretty fruitful, also. You can go back to the day where it was on WGN always (and everyone could watch the Cubs). There’s a good vibe among our group right now.

“These are legitimate baseball fans that like the game to be played properly, which would mean hard. It’s not an easy place to live (here), so the people are kind of tough. They appreciate hard-working – and they appreciate hustle.”

“That’s Joey”

Maddon doesn’t remember his father ever taking a vacation. Joe Sr. served in World War II and considered himself to be a rich man, even if this Italian-Polish family didn’t have a lot of money. The Maddons didn’t take summer trips to the Jersey Shore, making the neighborhood and local Catholic parish the center of their universe.

Steps away from that apartment, Maddon’s mother still works at Third Base Luncheonette, a soda-fountain joint that looks unchanged since it opened in 1949.

Albina – everyone calls her “Beanie” – adds up orders in her head and has a certain way to slice the tomatoes. The lunchtime crowd sits at the countertop on low-to-the-floor stools and eats hoagies. The walls are painted shades of pink. As a kid, Maddon used to mop the floors here.

“That’s Joey,” said Carmine Parlatore, Maddon’s sister. “He’ll talk to the person on the street that has nothing – and then he could talk to a CEO exactly the same. He doesn’t treat anybody any differently. That’s just the kind of guy he is.”

Maddon learned how to compete here on the football fields, basketball playgrounds and baseball diamonds. The lesson: Don’t back down from anyone.

The bottom line: Maddon couldn’t afford college – and get past Hazleton High School – without that athletic potential and a strong academic performance.

The quarterback threw footballs through the tire his father hung from a tree, drawing interest from Ivy League schools, getting a letter from Roger Staubach – the 1963 Heisman Trophy winner and future Hall of Famer – and taking the physical for the Naval Academy.

Maddon settled on Lafayette College, a private school more than an hour away in Easton, taking a financial-aid package – roughly $16,000 spread across four years – that would be cut in half once he decided to give up football and focus exclusively on baseball.

Maddon joined Zeta Psi and partied at a fraternity house that would make the National Register of Historic Places, never quite finishing that degree in economics, beginning a journey out West that would keep testing Joey from Our Lady of Grace.

The Zen Master

“I describe Joe as a little Joe Torre and a little Phil Jackson mixed together,” said Cubs catching/strategy coach Mike Borzello, who experienced four World Series celebrations with Torre’s New York Yankees teams. “Joe’s an outside-the-box thinker with a calm, cool attitude. That kind of sums it up: Phil Jackson and Joe Torre combined.”

The title of Jackson’s autobiography says it all after his run with the Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers: “Eleven Rings.” All Maddon needs is one to set off the biggest party this city has ever seen.

“It’s funny because Joe’s a little bit of a contrast,” said Tampa Bay Rays pitching coach Jim Hickey, who grew up near Midway Airport and spent eight seasons working alongside Maddon. “He likes to promote himself as kind of the California cool, (but he’s more) the blue-collar, lunch-pail town of Hazleton, Pennsylvania.

“Of course, Chicago is ‘The City of Big Shoulders’ – and a very blue-collar city – so I think people really see that (in Joe). But you also know how Chicago is – I think any personality would play there as long as you won. It just makes it a lot easier when you win. It’s going to be really, really special when they end up winning the whole thing.”

Anything less this year will be considered a disappointment after the Cubs dropped $272 million on Jason Heyward, Ben Zobrist and John Lackey, adding three big-name free agents to a team that won 97 games and advanced to the National League Championship Series in Maddon’s first season. That 24-game improvement – which ended a streak of five straight fifth-place finishes on the North Side – earned Maddon his third Manager of the Year award.

“What’s great about Joe is whether he would be managing a Little League team or a Chicago Cubs season, it’s all the same,” Borzello said. “I don’t think he lets anything stand in his way. There’s nothing that is too big for him. He doesn’t look at things that way. It’s more of paying attention to the little things. He always talks about being prepared, and the team that makes the least amount of mistakes is going to win.

“No matter what level he manages, or how many cameras are on him, or how big the game is, it’s the same for him. Whether he’s managing in Tampa or he’s managing in Chicago, the market doesn’t matter. I just think Joe’s able to handle anything that comes his way.”

Joe Sr. died in 2002 – before Maddon helped the Anaheim Angels win the 2002 World Series as Mike Scioscia’s bench coach – and never got to see Joey work small-market miracles with the Rays. But all those old-school values the Cubs need now – the sense that nothing will ever be handed to you – are rooted in the concrete and asphalt of Hazleton.

Follow up: Joe Maddon’s long climb to the top prepared him for craziness of Cubs job.

By Patrick Mooney

Pressure? The stress of managing the Cubs, dealing with the 1908 baggage and handling the demands from the Chicago market is nothing compared to being stuck in the baseball wilderness.

That’s where Joe Maddon spent enough of his career to know how good he has it now. That’s why Maddon isn’t going to let you see him sweat, especially with a loaded roster that FanGraphs projects will win 95 games this year, an iconic stadium that feels like a computer-generated scene from “Gladiator” and everything a world-class city has to offer a star manager.

“Here’s the thing, and I can’t emphasize this enough: I am so happy that it took me so long to get here,” he said during filming for the “Going Home: Joe Maddon” documentary that premieres Thursday night on Comcast SportsNet Chicago.

“All those like ‘near-misses’ or ‘Should I really keep doing this?’ Or ‘Am I on the right path here? How do I get to the next level?’

“I cannot imagine doing this job without the history that I’ve had. I can’t even begin to imagine what that would be like.”

Thanks for playing

Maddon opened the letter from Mike Port – a California Angels executive who would help shape his career path – after the 1979 season. Maddon wasn’t drafted out of Lafayette College – and had spent parts of four seasons catching on the Class-A level – but the news still felt like a shock to his system.

“A horrible feeling,” Maddon said. “I’m not a college graduate. I’m hanging out in Salinas, California. I thought I was pretty good. And I get this letter I’m being released."

Maddon had been the first in his Italian-Polish immigrant family – the name had been shortened from Maddonini – to go to college. But he didn’t finish his degree in economics and he definitely wasn’t a silver-spoon kid.

Returning to Pennsylvania’s coal-mining region and taking over the family business in Hazleton – Joe Sr. ran C. Maddon and Sons Plumbing and Heating – was never an option.

“(When) I went to Lafayette,” Maddon said, “I was homesick the first couple days, and I called (my mother) from a pay phone at my dorm. I said: ‘Beanie, I want to come home. I want to be a plumber like Dad.’ She said: ‘No, you’re not.’

“That was the end of that. That was the first week of school. She was right.”

Maddon wound up playing for two independent teams in California – “My room was a closet – I’m not lying – I was living in a closet” – before coming back to Hazleton to work at a home for juvenile delinquents.

By 1981, the Angels had hired Maddon back as a scout and a minor-league manager. He drove all over the Rockies looking for players. He managed six seasons in places like Idaho Falls, Peoria and Midland, Texas. He worked as a roving hitting instructor from 1987 until 1993. He spent time as a minor-league field coordinator and a farm director before finally getting promoted to the big-league coaching staff in 1994.

“Joe had many, many jobs that no one that I knew envied,” said Bob Curry, a longtime friend who married Maddon’s cousin, Elaine, and is the founding president of their Hazleton Integration Project.

“No one was saying: ‘Gosh, I wish I was riding around in a school bus with a baseball bat being a hitting instructor for a (minor-league) team,’ or a scout where he’s going from city to city to city.

“People don’t realize how much you sacrifice. You sacrifice being with your family, watching your kids grow up, and we were always very conscious of that.

“But Joe was single-minded in his purpose. He always understood this is what he wanted to do. And in some ways, that’s a great fortune. There was never any question. This was it. This was his pathway.”

Waiting for the big break

A company man, Maddon took over when the Angels needed an interim manager in 1996 and 1999, raising his profile to the point where he interviewed for jobs with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Seattle Mariners and Boston Red Sox.

Future Cubs executives Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer met with the Angels bench coach at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix after the 2003 season, with Maddon finishing second to Terry Francona, who would guide the Red Sox to two World Series titles.

“I always thought I would be a big-league manager,” Maddon said. “I always did. I never lost hope with that. I didn’t know where, when or how. But I always thought, too, I would like to start out with an expansion club, so you could build.”

That’s essentially what the Tampa Bay Devil Rays still were when Maddon interviewed with Andrew Friedman and Matt Silverman – two young executives with Wall Street backgrounds – in October 2005. They met during the World Series at a hotel in Houston, where the White Sox would sweep the Astros, ending Chicago’s 88-year drought.

Tampa Bay had lost at least 91 games in each of the franchise’s first eight seasons, and Maddon would get two last-place finishes on his resume before the Rays shocked the baseball world and made it to the 2008 World Series.

Maddon didn’t get the Tampa Bay job until three months before his 52nd birthday, giving him the patience, emotional intelligence and scar tissue to handle a massive rebuilding project and the newfound fame.

“His personality (has) not changed at all,” Curry said. “I think had he achieved success at a very early age, that may have been an entirely different story.

“Because we all know people who do achieve success at an early age, and there’s no sense of perspective. With Joe, he’s always conscious of where he came from, who he is, and he’s always getting back to his roots.

“The Joe Maddon that you guys see on television is the same Joe Maddon that I see in my living room.”

“You think I do crazy things?”

Maddon developed the mad-scientist act throughout his long climb to the top. But at this point, Big Data has overtaken the industry, extreme defensive shifts are standard operating procedure and zoo animals and dress-up trips are all part of The Maddon Experience.

Five 90-win seasons with the Rays – and his easygoing nature in front of the cameras and the national media and on Twitter – turned Maddon into a brand name. 

“What I do in Chicago is what I’ve been doing for the last 25 or 30 years,” Maddon said. “I don’t do anything differently. I know what I think works on the field. I have my methods in regards to running a clubhouse, interacting with the front office, what I think about scouting. I could do anybody’s job there.”

Maddon says things like this in a matter-of-fact voice, without undermining Epstein, Hoyer and a scouting/player-development operation that did most of the heavy lifting before he ever got to Wrigley Field.

“They’re not just about fantasy baseball,” Maddon said. “Regardless of like the new wave or the sabermetrical components or the young guns, whatever, they understand and respect what happened before, purely good old-fashioned baseball and the way it was raised.

“There are dudes out there who are just about fantasy baseball. If you just follow the schematic, it’s going to work and it’s going to play. It’s almost (disregarding) personalities and feelings and feel and thought and what you see in somebodies’ eyes and what their heartbeat is like. 

“There’s that group that believes that has nothing to do with it. It has so much to do with it. When you can combine the forces of what had happened in the past – and what’s going on right now – you can be really successful.”

It’s one thing to sit around an RV park in Florida and drink beers and talk baseball – as they all did after Maddon opted out of his contract with the Rays in October 2014 – and another to follow up a trip to the National League Championship Series with a World Series title.

It’s the different dynamic between the dugout and the front office that this franchise needed to reach the next level, making Maddon’s five-year, $25 million deal a bargain, considering it’s roughly half of what the Cubs invested in Edwin Jackson, or annually about what a decent middle reliever would get as a free agent.

“My perspective is that Jed and Theo get it,” Maddon said. “When they ask me something, I believe they’re listening. It’s sincere. And they know I play good in the sandbox, because my job is to make it work with what they set up.

“The best line was (from) Colin Powell. He was talking about giving advice to the president: ‘I give him my best advice and then I give him my strongest loyalty.’”

Pressure? Maddon already did all the grunt work, throwing countless hours of batting practice, sitting through the 11-hour bus rides to Medicine Hat and waiting for a chance like this.

“I love this stuff,” Maddon said. “That’s how you become who you are. So you think I do crazy things? You think I think outside the box? Because I could try different things in Midland or in Salem or in Idaho Falls or in the back fields at Gene Autry Park in Mesa, Arizona.

“Five-man infields, whatever you want to do – done it – back then. All these things that I do now are rooted in the fact that I pretty much had free rein to make mistakes back then, but nobody could see them. And that’s how you get to this point.”

New coach Greg Sparks starts over with White Sox.

CSN Staff

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Greg Sparks used last week’s White Sox mini-camp to begin to familiarize himself with his new team.

The club’s new assistant hitting coach joined the coaching staff and a dozen young hitters (mostly minor leaguers) at Camelback Ranch for the three-day camp. Sparks -- who spent the previous 19 seasons in a variety of roles with the Oakland A’s -- said the event was important as he tries to get acquainted with new players and other members of the coaching staff.

“It’s huge for just to get a feel for how it goes over here and getting used to seeing what these guys do and putting a face on a name,” Sparks said. “It’s huge for me. It’s a big part of me getting acclimated to the White Sox system.”

Sparks already is acquainted with hitting coach Todd Steverson. Sparks hired Steverson as a minor-league hitting coach when he was Oakland’s hitting coordinator and they worked together for 10 seasons until Steverson joined the White Sox in October 2013.
But nearly every hitter in the system is new. A professional ballplayer from 1984-96, Sparks has done some work this offseason but knows the best way to get comfortable with hitters is to work in the cage.

“I did a little (video homework),” Sparks said. “Just starting to look and formulate a plan with these guys, but just getting to know the hitters first and then go from there. This is a big part of being a new guy in the organization.

“They’re new to me and I’m new to them and getting to know them and looking forward to spring training and building that relationship and starting the season.”

Sparks looks forward to working again with Steverson. Their relationship should mean hitters hear get the same type of information from both coaches.

“We go way back,” Sparks said. “We’ve always fed off each other, worked well together. Butted heads at times, but that’s OK. Again looking forward to being back with Trick.”

Brett Lawrie is one of four White Sox players to file for arbitration.

By Dan Hayes

New infielder Brett Lawrie is one of four White Sox players who filed for arbitration on Tuesday.

Lawrie, who was acquired from the Oakland A’s last month for two minor-leaguers, could earn up to $3.9 million this season, according to Mlbtraderumors.com. Players and teams will exchange arbitration figures on Friday.

Zach Putnam, Avisail Garcia and Dan Jennings also filed for arbitration on Tuesday.

Garcia -- who hit .257/.309/.365 with 13 homers and 59 RBIs in 601 plate appearances -- is projected to earn $2.3 million. Putnam, who had 64 strikeouts and a 4.07 ERA in 48 2/3 innings -- could fetch $800,000 while Jennings’ estimation is for $700,000.

Jennings finished with 3.99 ERA in 56 1/3 innings, but only allowed five earned runs in his final 33 1/3 frames (1.35 ERA).

Under team control for the next two seasons, Lawrie hit .260/.299/.407 with 16 homers and 60 RBIs in 602 plate appearances for Oakland last season. The White Sox acquired him during the Winter Meetings and intend to start him at second base after they acquired Todd Frazier later in the month.

Reliever Nate Jones avoided arbitration when he signed a three-year, $8 million contract last month, a deal that includes three option years. The White Sox also signed pitcher Jacob Turner to a one-year deal for $1.5 million after they claimed him off waivers.

Rather than head to arbitration, the White Sox chose not to offer Tyler Flowers a contract, making him a free agent. He signed with the Atlanta Braves last month.

The payroll for the White Sox 25-man roster would sit in the neighborhood of $115 million if each arbitration-eligible player were to meet their projections.

Golf: I got a club for that..... Spieth uses Tiger comparisons to stay grounded.

By DOUG FERGUSON

Jordan Spieth smiles as he acknowledges the crowd as he walks up the 18th fairway during the final round of the Tournament of Champions golf tournament, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2016, at Kapalua Plantation Course on Kapalua, Hawaii. Spieth finished 30 under par for the tournament win. (AP Photo/Matt York)

To compare Jordan Spieth with Tiger Woods is not a mistake because Spieth does it all the time.

That's what keeps him grounded.

And don't be shy about throwing Phil Mickelson into that conversation. Spieth thinks a lot about Lefty, too.

As he walked toward a Maui sunset with a lei around his neck and the silver trophy in his hand from an eight-shot victory in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, Spieth was asked what kept him from getting a big head.

It would be hard to fault him. In the last 10 months, the 22-year-old Texan has won the Masters and the U.S. Open, pursued the calendar Grand Slam like no one before, crossed $20 million in career PGA Tour earnings and established himself as No. 1 in the world.

He has the golf world at his feet.

He keeps Woods and Mickelson on a pedestal.

''The more you look at Tiger, you look at Phil, you start realizing how far away you are from one of the best players to ever play the game,'' Spieth said. ''And if you look at that, it keeps your head small.

''Now hopefully, you have a chance to ask me that when there's a possibility of it getting big,'' he added. ''But for now, I think the more I look at, 'What have they done?' and 'What are they thinking about how I'm talking?' when they're sitting there with 45 and 79 wins and major championships ... you look at guys I come in contact with, my peers on the golf course who are just so much more accomplished, and it keeps me a little smaller.''

The comparisons with Woods are largely about age.

Since 1970 when the PGA Tour began keeping more thorough records, Spieth and Woods are the only players with seven victories at age 22. Woods was about a month younger when he picked up his seventh tour victory, and he had not quite completed two full years as a pro. Spieth is in his fourth PGA Tour season.

Woods won seven of his first 38 starts. Spieth won seven of his first 77 starts.

Spieth wasn't doing the math when he walked off the 18th green at Kapalua and was asked about comparisons with Woods. He heard ''Tiger'' and thought about a decade of dominance and numbers that will be tough for anyone to match.

''Nowhere near,'' he said. ''I don't think there's any reason to compare. It's awfully early. We're excited about where we're at to start our career. What Tiger's done I can't image ever being done. But it's nice to be in that company.''

Spieth isn't the first player to be compared with Woods.

Just over four years ago, Rory McIlroy was 22 when he won his first major at Congressional by smashing the U.S. Open scoring record in an eight-shot victory. One major, and the comparisons with Woods had already begun.

Padraig Harrington led the charge that week, saying that McIlroy might be in better position to break Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 majors because he had at least 20 more years of prime golf. Woods had been stuck on 14 majors and missed the U.S. Open that week for the first time because of leg injuries.

''If you're going to talk about someone challenging Jack's record, there's your man,'' Harrington said. McIlroy responded then like Spieth does now. He lowered his head and said quietly, ''Paddy, Paddy, Paddy.''

There's another reason to consider McIlroy while being in awe of Spieth.

At this time a year ago, McIlroy was No. 1 by an even greater margin than Spieth is now. McIlroy had come off a year in which he won the British Open and PGA Championship, and he was headed to the Masters with a shot at the career Grand Slam. He started the year with a runner-up in Abu Dhabi and a victory in Dubai.

And by the end of the year, McIlroy was No. 3.

Woods paid Spieth the ultimate compliment in the Bahamas last month when watching from a cart. ''This kid is so smart,'' Woods said.

Spieth shows that on and off the golf course, particularly when it involves his place in history.

For all his success, for the magic of his wedges and the pureness of his putting, comparing Spieth with Woods is based on projections and predictions while the kid is preaching patience.

''I just think it's premature, but I'll say that probably my entire career,'' Spieth said. ''There's just such an age gap that I understand the comparisons are going to be there. I hope they continue to be there. That means I'm still being in the same ballpark as he is.''

For now, that's not a bad place to be.

Europeans using EurAsia Cup to prepare for Ryder Cup.

By STEVE DOUGLAS

Europe captain Darren Clarke was keen to stress that the Ryder Cup in September wasn't in his thoughts heading into the second edition of the EurAsia Cup this week.

''There's no Ryder Cup stuff going on in the back of my mind,'' Clarke said on Tuesday.

It seems his players see it differently.

''One of the main reasons I wanted to play the EurAsia Cup so much was to get invaluable team experience in a Ryder Cup year,'' said Irish player Shane Lowry, making it clear where his priorities lay going into the match against Asia starting in Kuala Lumpur on Friday.

''A lot of the lads on our team next week are looking to qualify for the Ryder Cup this year and (this week) gives us a great chance to show Darren what we are capable of and hopefully impress him.''

Lowry is one of a number of Europe's new breed looking to take their opportunity this week in the absence of the continent's star names - Rory McIlroy, Henrik Stenson, Justin Rose, Sergio Garcia, Martin Kaymer, and Graeme McDowell.

Jamie Donaldson, Victor Dubuisson, and Stephen Gallacher all played in the first EurAsia Cup, which finished tied at 10-10 in 2014, and went on to make their Ryder Cup debuts later that year in Gleneagles.

For maybe half of the 2016 team, the same reward is there.

Three days of competition in the sweltering heat at Glenmarie Golf & Country Club - temperatures reached 39 degrees Celsius (102 F) on Tuesday - will help Clarke discover if the likes of Andy Sullivan, Kristoffer Broberg, Danny Willett, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Bernd Wiesberger can be relied on when the stakes are raised at Hazeltine from Sept. 30-Oct. 2.

What helps Clarke and his European side is that Asia has put up an even stronger team this time round.

Anirban Lahiri and Byeong-Hun An, two rising stars in Asian golf, are in the team captained by Jeev Milkha Singh. Thongchai Jaidee is also there, backing up his appearance for Team International in last year's Presidents Cup against the United States in Incheon, South Korea.

That contest counted as Ryder Cup practice for the Americans, who will be looking to prevent an unprecedented fourth straight victory for Europe in Hazeltine. Now it's the Europeans' turn.

It is also a shop window for Asia's players.

''They know that they are playing on the big stage and the world stage, and from there, they can move on and follow their dream, whether it's the European Tour or the U.S. (PGA) tour,'' Singh said.

''Having an event like this, I think, it's a big boost for golf worldwide.''

There will be six fourball matches on Friday, six foursomes on Saturday, and then 12 singles on Sunday.

In 2014, Asia came from 7-3 down to salvage an unlikely tie, and Clarke is predicting another close-run thing, which would be a good experience for the Europeans.

''Hopefully, it will be every bit as exciting,'' Clarke said. ''I don't know how our nerves will be at the end of the week.''

The Queen of Malaysia, Tuanku Hajah Haminah, is set to play in Thursday's pro-am. She will strike a ceremonial opening tee shot before joining the players on the course.

Lineups:

Asia: Byeong-Hun An, Anirban Lahiri, Thongchai Jaidee, Wu Ashun, Kiradech Aphibarnrat, SSP Chawrasia, Danny Chia, Nicholas Fung, KT Kim, Shingo Katayama, Prayad Marksaeng, Jeunghun Wang.

Europe: Shane Lowry, Andy Sullivan, Chris Wood, Kristoffer Broberg, Danny Willett, Soren Kjeldsen, Matt Fitzpatrick, Bernd Wiesberger, Victor Dubuisson, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Ross Fisher.

NASCAR: Changes await field of Sprint Unlimited?

By Nate Ryan

The eligibility list for the Sprint Unlimited was unveiled Monday by NASCAR, which likely will replace at least one of the 25 drivers for the exhibition opener at Daytona.

The 75-lap event, which will be split into two segments of 25 and 50 laps for the second consecutive season, will include 2015 pole position winners, past Sprint Unlimited winners, former Daytona 500 pole winners and last season’s Chase field.

That means Jeff Gordon, who started his final Daytona 500 from the pole last year, and David Gilliland, who qualified first for the Great American Race in 2007, are eligible. Gordon retired after the 2015 season, and Gilliland hasn’t confirmed if he has a full-time ride in NASCAR’s premier series for 2016.

If Gordon, Gilliland or any other eligible driver doesn’t race in the Sprint Unlimited, NASCAR would fill any voids through the 2015 points standings. The first five alternates are Casey Mears, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Sam Hornish Jr., David Ragan and Trevor Bayne.

There were four drivers who withdrew from last year’s race: AJ Allmendinger, Brian Vickers, Brian Scott and Gilliland.

Starting position and pit selections will be chosen in the Daytona International Speedway Fanzone on Friday, Feb. 12 at 3:30 p.m. in a random drawing in which crew chiefs are paired with fans.

Here is the list of eligible drivers (and their qualifications) for the Sprint Unlimited:

2015 pole winners:

AJ Allmendinger
Kurt Busch
Kyle Busch
Carl Edwards
Denny Hamlin
Kevin Harvick
Jimmie Johnson
Kasey Kahne
Matt Kenseth
Brad Keselowski
Jeff Gordon
Joey Logano

Sprint Unlimited winners:

Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Tony Stewart

Daytona 500 pole winners:

Greg Biffle
Austin Dillon
David Gilliland
Danica Patrick
Martin Truex Jr.

Chase for the Sprint Cup, 2015:

Clint Bowyer
Jamie McMurray
Paul Menard
Ryan Newman

Remaining slots filled by Sprint Cup driver points:

Aric Almirola
Kyle Larson

Ford unveils new body look for Fusion Sprint Cup car.

By Dustin Long

Ford unveiled its updated Fusion for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series on Monday at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

The Ford Fusion that will race this season has been reshaped to mirror the 2017 Ford Fusion production car. The latest adjustment marks the third major body change for Fusion with NASCAR allowing manufacturers to include more brand-specific characteristics with their stock cars.

The car makes its public debut on the track Tuesday in a Goodyear tire test at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Brad Keselowski will drive the car for Team Penske.

“There’s no mistaking we’re here to win races and championships,” Dave Pericak, global director of Ford Performance, said in a statement from the manufacturer. “And we believe the new NASCAR Fusion will be a powerful tool in the hands of our teams and drivers.

“Aerodynamics are more important than ever at the speeds these cars run, so we used some of the best wind tunnel and computational fluid dynamics technology available to create this new Fusion. Fortunately, the Ford design team gave us a great car with which to start.”

Ford describes the Fusion, entering its 11th season in NASCAR, as appearing more aggressive. The Fusion has won 71 Sprint Cup races since debuting in 2006, including four of the last seven Daytona 500s.

Ford also notes among the changes this year is that NASCAR is requiring all teams to use a digital dashboard, which can switch between as many as 16 preset screens to display information that can be shown either in bar graph, numbers format or the standard gauge and needle.

Ford also notes it has refined its technological program with the Ford Performance Technical Center, which opened in 2014 and features a state-of-the-art full-motion simulator.

“The technical center and the full-motion simulator have been great tools for our teams and engineers,” Pericak said. “As important as aerodynamics are in NASCAR, it’s also imperative the computer simulations that assist the teams in arriving at the track with a proper setup are best-in-class as well. We’ve worked very hard the past year to refine our simulation tools to create a real benefit to our race drivers, as well as the drivers of our new passenger vehicles.”

Here’s a look at the new car:

SOCCER: Newcastle United 3-3 Manchester United: Red Devils no longer boring.

By Joe Prince-Wright

(Photo/nbcsports.com)

Newcastle United drew 3-3 with Manchester United at St James’ Park on Tuesday with the Magpies pegging back United in injury time to grab a point in a six-goal thriller.

Wayne Rooney put United 1-0 up and Jesse Lingard made it 2-0 but Georginio Wijnaldum made it 2-1 before the break and a Aleksandar Mitrovic penalty after half time made it 2-2 then a stunning last 10 minutes played out.

First Rooney curled in a magnificent strike to make it 3-2 but Paul Dummett hammered home via a deflection as the clock ticked to 90 to grab Newcastle a deserved point and send the home fans wild.

With the point United moved to 34 points, while Newcastle move to 19 points.

Rooney gave United the lead after nine minutes with a penalty kick following a handball from Chancel Mbemba in the box as his hands were in an unnatural position despite his back being turned. United’s skipper slotted home the kick with ease to make it 1-0 and Newcastle had shot themselves in the foot.

Rooney had another chance to make it 2-0 but when clean through put his effort straight at Rob Elliot and then Newcastle had a big penalty appeal turned down as Lingard looked to have fouled Daryl Janmaat in the box but the referee waved away the appeals.

In the 38th minute United made it 2-0 as they launched a lightning-quick counter which saw Rooney delicately play in Lingard who overlapped and slotted home to double the Red Devils’ lead.

Before the break Fabricio Coloccini drilled a shot just over the bar and then the Magpies pulled a goal back as Coloccini’s clipped ball into the box towards Mitrovic was deflected off Marouane Fellaini‘s head and the onrushing Wijnaldum swept home. 2-1. Game on.

In the second half Newcastle came flying out of the traps and Moussa Sissoko turned Ashley Young inside out before forcing a good save from David De Gea at his near post as the Spaniard stood his ground well.

United continued to look dangerous on the counter and after a sweeping move Lingard popped up at the back post but sent his curling effort over the bar with the goal gaping.

They were made to rue that missed opportunity as a corner from the right saw Chris Smalling inexplicably pull Mitrovic’s shirt up over his head and a penalty was awarded which the Serbian striker slotted home. 2-2.

Wijnaldum had a goal disallowed after straying offside following a stray pass from Matteo Darmian being picked off. In the closing stages, despite Rooney breaking away and Coloccini denying him, Newcastle looked more likely to grab all three points but the game-winning moment arrived from their skipper.

Substitute Memphis Depay cut in from the left flank and his blocked shot found Rooney who curled home an unstoppable shot into the top corner for his second and United’s third of the game.

Late on Fellaini should have wrapped up the win but Elliot saved his header at point-blank range at the back post and then Newcastle equalized in the final minute of regulation as a cross found its way to Dummet on the edge of the box and his shot deflected off Smalling and flew into the corner. 3-3 and a breathtaking game ended with the points shared at St. James’ Park.

Rodriguez teases news of pending Fire signings, potential trade of top pick.

By Dan Santaromita

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Chicago Fire general manager Nelson Rodriguez spoke to the media in a conference call Tuesday afternoon and revealed key details about the rest of the offseason.

The highlights were the promise of one or two European center backs to join the squad, at least two MLS free agent signings to be announced in less than a week and an update on the status of the No. 1 pick in Thursday’s MLS SuperDraft.

The biggest reveal was that the Fire have agreed to terms with a European center back. Rodriguez said the contract is not yet signed, but they expect it to go through. In addition, the Fire have made a “competitive offer” for a second European center back, who also has Champions League teams interested in him.

“Our priority has always been and remains to some degree the center back position,” Rodriguez said. “We have agreed to terms with a European center back. That contract is not yet signed, but we have no reason to believe that there will be any hangups. We have an outstanding offer out to a second European center back. In that instance we are competing with Champions League teams for him and we’re hopeful.”

Rodriguez also detailed that the second European center back would not be a designated player, but rather a player that the team would use the new targeted allocation money.

“We would be very excited to acquire this player, but obviously it’s a challenge and it’s a global market,” Rodriguez said. “We’re competing against that global market. I know that our offer is competitive and I know that our project of where we are taking Chicago Fire is competitive. I know that because the representative of that player has contacted us each of the last two days to say ‘We remain interested in the Fire, can you give us a few more days?’ Being that we don’t feel the need to impose a deadline we are also targeting other center backs alternatives to that one. We have contingencies in play and we will continue to work that. The second one would be another good one to go with the one we’ve agreed to terms.”

In news that sounds more imminent, the Fire have agreed to terms with two Major League Soccer free agents.

“In less than a week’s time we will announce two MLS free agents with whom we’ve reached terms,” Rodriguez said. “We are simply waiting on the requisite paperwork from the league.”

Rodriguez also noted that the Fire’s first round pick in Thursday’s draft, which is the No. 1 overall selection, could potentially be traded. According to Rodriguez, the Fire received two offers on Tuesday, which was the last day of the MLS Combine, and have already rejected an offer they received about a month ago. The two offers the Fire received were “extremely similar.” In addition, three or four other teams have “inquired about the pick.”

Rodriguez detailed what it would take for the Fire to trade the pick, although he added that the team has not decided whether the pick will be traded or not.

“If we’re going to trade the No. 1 choice overall we need what we call an accelerator,” Rodriguez said. “That would be a player that we believe is a starter at a more advanced or even a better level than what the No. 1 pick may project to be. Or we need a multiplier, and that would be some combination of assets that allows us to secure at least two players, whether that’s a starter and a pick, a player and an allocation or TAM money, two picks, whatever the case may be.”

Rodriguez spoke to the media for about 35 minutes and some other highlights are listed below. Stick with CSNChicago.com for a more in-depth preview ahead of Thursday’s draft.

- The coaching staff is nearly complete and that announcement is coming soon:

“We will look to make an announcement on the full coaching staff in about a week’s time. We are still finalizing one position, but the staff has been working together and dutifully so and we feel good about that.”

- On the lack of announcements with only 14 players on the current roster:

“I know announcements haven’t been publicized yet, but I wouldn’t want that to be misconstrued as there hasn’t been work conducted or results achieved.

“For sure, in an ideal situation you have 95 percent of your team in place by the first day of training camp, and oh by the way we may still be there. I don’t mean to suggest that we can’t get there or won’t get there, but we won’t use Jan. 25 [the first day of the Fire’s preseason] as the deadline.

“I don’t think the fans are frustrated. I think the fans are smart. We don’t conduct our business to win a day of positive PR. We conduct our business to win a championship. It’s more important to me that we remained disciplined with our process and we remain focused against our plan, and that we remain nimble as you react to some unforeseen circumstances or some opportunities that may arise. I think fans appreciate that. They appreciate it better when it all comes together. The process can be viewed as either boring or slow, but in the end no one is going to remember that we didn’t make an announcement on Jan. 11. They’re going to remember what our record was and how we performed so that’s what drives us.”

NCAAFB: Alabama wins national title with fourth-quarter special teams magic.

By Dan Wetzel

Alabama head coach Nick Saban, center, holds up the championship trophy with players after the NCAA college football playoff championship game against Clemson Monday in Glendale, Ariz. Alabama won 45-40. (The Associated Press)

Alabama coach Nick Saban has built a powerhouse that takes prides in being prepared to overcome anything and everything.

Maybe the greatest testament to that came Monday, when it managed to even get the better of Clemson and Deshaun Watson.

Alabama (14-1) captured its fourth national title under Saban, beating Clemson and its brilliant quarterback 45-40 using the third phase of the game, special teams, to assure itself status as a truly special team.

"I am so proud of our players, the way they competed, especially in the second half," Saban said after the game. "… This is my – I hate to say – favorite team, because I love 'em all, but these guys have come so far and done so much. Their will, their spirit, to compete and do the kind of things they needed to do to be the kind of team they could be, I'm happy for them. This is all about winning a game for them."

The momentum of the game changed dramatically with the score tied and 10:34 remaining. That’s when the often-conservative Saban called for an onside kick, which the Tide executed perfectly against an unprepared Tiger defense. It was enough for the Alabama coach to crack a rare sideline smile.

Two plays later quarterback Jake Coker hit a wide-open O.J. Howard for a 51-yard touchdown, Alabama’s third big-play score in the game.

The next time Alabama touched the ball, leading 31-27, its gifted return man Kenyan Drake ripped off an outrageous 95-yard kick return touchdown, diving for the pylon at the end to break the game open.

The championship gives Saban five career titles, including one at LSU. He is second all-time for the most national championships, trailing just Alabama legend Paul "Bear" Bryant, who has six.

Rather than a slow grind-'em-out and ride-the-defense win, this one came courtesy of big plays.

In the third quarter, Coker hit an uncovered Howard on a 51-yard touchdown pass. He later got Howard for a 63-yard gain in a critical late-game drive that salted away the victory. Meanwhile, Derrick Henry opened the scoring with a 50-yard touchdown.

The big plays helped offset what was actually often a frustrating night offensively for Alabama, which struggled to deal with Clemson’s stout defensive front. Coker was sacked five times and, despite the big plays, Henry was often stuffed.

For much of the game it was the Deshaun Watson Show, the sophomore quarterback displaying a magical combination of running and throwing. The vaunted Alabama defense was incapable of containing him, whether it was on a designed run, a bullet pass or a scramble to avoid the rush.

Watson twice hit wide receiver Hunter Renfrow for first-half touchdowns, one a 31-yard dime and another, an 11-yard rip, both perfectly placed. Renfrow, who is a redshirt walk-on from Myrtle Beach, spent much of the regular season as a third receiving option. He broke out in the semifinal game against Oklahoma and then became a legend in the first half against 'Bama.

Watson regrouped the Tigers in the fourth quarter after Drake's touchdown return, leading them on an eight-play, 75-yard drive and scoring on a 15-yard pass to Artavis Scott with 4:40 remaining.

Alabama responded in kind with a back-breaking eight-play drive of its own to take a 45-33 lead with just 1:07 left. Watson and the Tigers needed only 50 seconds to drive the length of the field and cut the deficit to five points, but the ensuing onside kick bounced harmlessly out of bounds to end the game.

Watson finished with 405 yards and four touchdowns passing and another 73 yards rushing as he tried to deliver Clemson (14-1) its first national title since 1981. In the end, he fell just short.

"He really is [a special player]," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said about Watson after the game. "...That's one of the things [Nick] Saban was talking to me about after the game. This guy, he's special. Again, he's got great toughness, great heart, a great mind for the game, and just made some huge plays all the way to the end."

Saban likes to remind anybody who will listen that there are three phases of game: offense, defense and special teams. It was the last one that won it for Alabama this time.

"We weren't playing very well on defense and it was a tie game and I thought we needed to do something that was going to change the momentum," Saban said. "That certainly did and then the kickoff return was big, too, so special teams was what did it for us."

NCAA Final 2016 College Football Poll.

CBS

Associated Press Top 25 1. Alabama 2. Clemson 3. Stanford 4. Ohio State 5. Oklahoma 6. Michigan State 7. TCU 8. Houston 9. Iowa 10. Ole Miss 11. Notre Dame 12. Michigan 13. Baylor 14. Florida State 15. North Carolina 16. LSU 17. Utah 18. Navy 19. Oregon 20. Oklahoma State 21. Wisconsin 22. Tennessee 23. Northwestern 24. Western Kentucky 25. Florida Complete details 01/12/2016

Coaches Poll 1. Alabama 2. Clemson 3. Stanford 4. Ohio State 5. Oklahoma 6. Michigan State 7. TCU 8. Houston 9. Ole Miss 10. Iowa 11. Michigan 12. Notre Dame 13. Baylor 14. Florida State 15. North Carolina 16. Utah 17. LSU 18. Navy 19. Oklahoma State 20. Oregon 21. Wisconsin 22. Northwestern 23. Tennessee 24. Georgia 25. Florida Complete details 01/12/2016

CBS Sports 128 1. Alabama Crimson Tide 2. Clemson Tigers 3. Stanford Cardinal 4. Oklahoma Sooners 5. Ohio State Buckeyes 6. Michigan State Spartans 7. Houston Cougars 8. TCU Horned Frogs 9. Iowa Hawkeyes 10. Ole Miss Rebels 11. Notre Dame Fighting Irish 12. Michigan Wolverines 13. Baylor Bears 14. North Carolina Tar Heels 15. Florida State Seminoles 16. Oklahoma State Cowboys 17. LSU Tigers 18. Navy Midshipmen 19. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 20. Utah Utes 21. Oregon Ducks 22. Florida Gators 23. Wisconsin Badgers 24. Tennessee Volunteers 25. Toledo Rockets Rankings: 1-25 · 26-128 01/12/2016

Playoff Rankings 1. Clemson 2. Alabama 3. Michigan State 4. Oklahoma 5. Iowa 6. Stanford 7. Ohio State 8. Notre Dame 9. Florida State 10. North Carolina 11. TCU 12. Ole Miss 13. Northwestern 14. Michigan 15. Oregon 16. Oklahoma State 17. Baylor 18. Houston 19. Florida 20. LSU 21. Navy 22. Utah 23. Tennessee 24. Temple 25. Southern California Complete details

NCAABKB: No. 11 West Virginia upsets No. 1 Kansas.

By Scott Phillips

(AP Photo/Raymond Thompson)

West Virginia pressed and physically beat down No. 1 Kansas on Tuesday night as the No. 11 Mountaineers pulled off the 74-63 upset at home. Always a tough matchup for the Jayhawks, West Virginia now owns three consecutive wins over Kansas in Morgantown.

Jumping out to an early lead and never relenting, West Virginia was simply the more aggressive team on both ends of the floor. The Mountaineers crashed the offensive glass for a 15-7 advantage in that category and forced 21 Kansas turnovers. As the No. 1 team in the country, the Jayhawks were thought to have a strong backcourt with veteran leadership but Frank Mason and Wayne Selden combined for 13 turnovers and looked shaky against West Virginia’s guards.

West Virginia (15-1, 4-0) had a strong efforts from Jaysean Paige (24 points, four rebounds, four steals) and Devin Williams (17 points, 12 rebounds) as they looked like a potential threat in the Big 12. Their press is obviously difficult to handle, but this team really plays well together and has a tremendous attitude at all times.

Early in the game, the Mountaineers set the tone by constantly attacking the basket and drawing fouls. It helped West Virginia win the free-throw battle, as they were 32-for-46 from the charity stripe while Kansas was only 13-for-21.

Perry Ellis was the leader for Kansas, as he finished with 21 points and seven rebounds. But credit has to go to West Virginia’s defense with making it difficult for Ellis to get touches so the Kansas offense could not go through him. With guards like Mason and Selden forced to make plays off the dribble, it made it difficult for the Jayhawks offense to function and they looked disoriented. Mason finished with 12 points while Selden added 11 points.

The Jayhawks (14-2, 3-1) still have plenty of time to fix their press break and re-tool their offense to face a pressure-oriented defense, but this loss was still a bit concerning. Their veteran guards looked flustered, and although Kansas has barely seen any press situations this year, they should have handled it better.

West Virginia has a chance to make another statement later this week when they take a trip to No. 2 Oklahoma. They’re already at 4-0 in the Big 12 with two road wins and a win over Kansas, so that’s certainly as good of a start as Bob Huggins could have hoped for. Paige is a major sparkplug off the bench and Williams continues to be one of the more underrated big men in the country on a national level.

Michigan upsets No. 3 Maryland.

By Scott Phillips

(AP Photo/Tony Ding)

Michigan hit enough perimeter shots and held on when Maryland made a second-half push as the Wolverines upset the No. 3 Terrapins, 70-67, on Tuesday night. With a chance to tie the game with under 10 seconds left, Maryland senior Rasheed Sulaimon missed a contested, game-tying 3-pointer.

Playing without senior Caris LeVert, Michigan (13-4, 3-1) played an inspired home game with Zak Irvin going for 22 points and Duncan Robinson spacing the floor in the front court with 17 points and five 3-pointers. The Wolverines also did a tremendous job of slowing down Melo Trimble, as the All-American candidate only finished with two points on 1-for-7 shooting. Trimble had three assists and four turnovers. Derrick Walton can take some credit on the defensive end as he also went for 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Maryland (15-2, 4-1) stayed in the game thanks to a big second half from freshman center Diamond Stone, who finished with 22 points. Jake Layman also played one of his better games of the season, going for 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting while Sulaimon got hot late and tallied eight points. Robert Carter added 15 points.

The Wolverines were able to space the floor and fire 3-pointers when Maryland went to a bigger lineup and they finished 12-for-29 (41 percent) from deep with Robinson getting a lot of good looks. Defending the 3-pointer was also key for Michigan as the Terps struggled to 6-for-24 shooting from there, including Trimble going 0-for-3.

For Michigan to earn this win without LeVert is huge for their NCAA tournament possibilities because it gives them a strong Big Ten win over a potential top-5 team.

This game showed Maryland how important Melo Trimble is for their success as he was slow out of the gate and never got going in the second half. It’s important that others like Stone and Layman stepped up, but Trimble is the guy who steps up and makes plays at the end of games and can get shots for others.

NCAABKB: NCAA Top 25 Basketball Poll, January 11, 2016. (There will be big changes in next week's Poll).

AP

RANK	SCHOOL	RECORD	POINTS	PREVIOUS
1	Kansas (63)	14-1	1,621	1
2	Oklahoma (1)	13-1	1,551	2
3	Maryland	15-1	1,472	3
4	Michigan State (1)	16-1	1,446	5
5	North Carolina	15-2	1,371	6
6	Villanova	14-2	1,246	11
7	Xavier	14-1	1,200	10
8	Miami (Fla.)	13-1	1,139	12
9	Duke	14-2	1,100	14
10	SMU	15-0	1,040	15
11	West Virginia	14-1	867	17
12	Providence	14-2	862	8
13	Virginia	12-3	818	4
14	Kentucky	12-3	698	9
15	Texas A&M	13-2	668	21
16	Iowa	12-3	656	19
17	Iowa State	12-3	555	13
18	Arizona	13-3	537	7
19	South Carolina	15-0	527	22
20	Pittsburgh	14-1	334	24
21	Louisville	13-3	330	16
22	Baylor	12-3	325	NR
23	Butler	12-4	302	18
24	Purdue	14-3	145	20
25	Gonzaga	13-3	101	26

Dropped out: Connecticut 23, Dayton 25.

Others receiving votes: Southern Cal 79, Indiana 59, UCLA 21, Texas Tech 10, Utah 10, Saint Mary's (Cal) 8, Wichita St. 7, Oregon 6, Valparaiso 6, Hawaii 4, Akron 1, Dayton 1, Oregon St. 1, St. Bonaventure 1.

NFL: Rams return to Los Angeles.

By Mike Florio

(Photo/AP)

St. Louis was willing to contribute millions to a new stadium for the Rams. Ultimately, it wasn’t nearly enough.

Owner Stan Kroenke, named for Cardinals legends Stan Musial and Enos Slaughter, has become a villain in his home state, thanks to an NFL vote that authorized on Tuesday night his relocation of the Rams to Los Angeles.

Per multiple reports, the final tally was 30 votes in favor of the move, and two against.

The Chargers now have until January 2017 to join the Rams in Inglewood, if they so desire. It provides them with maximum leverage to try on last time to stay put in San Diego. If the Chargers work out a stadium deal in their hometown since 1961, the Raiders then will have a chance to join the Rams in Inglewood.

The Chargers strongly opposed partnering with the Rams in Inglewood, so now owner Dean Spanos must decide between staying put or accepting a partnership in a facility deemed by the Chargers to be inferior to the proposed location in Carson, where the Chargers and Raiders hoped to share a venue. In Inglewood, Kroenke is essentially the landlord, and the Chargers would be the tenant.

The decision represents a not-so-minor slap in the face to Disney CEO Robert Iger, whose ESPN subsidiary gives the NFL $2 billion per year for the right to televise Monday Night Football. Iger personally attended the ownership meeting in Houston and lobbied the league to adopt the Carson plan. Iger would have been directly involved in the stadium construction and marketing process, with the right to become a minority owner of the Chargers or Raiders.

Ultimately, Kroenke overcame Iger, Carson, and a majority of the L.A. Committee, several members of which resented Kroenke’s aggressive effort to abandon St. Louis and the efforts of local politicians to expend significant political capital to cobble together $350 million in public money — which is $350 million more than most communities currently are willing to devote to the effort to subsidize billionaire sports owners.

On This Date in Sports History: Today is Wednesday, January 13, 2016.

Memoriesofhistory.com

1962 - Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia Warriors) scored 73 points against the Chicago Packers.

1968 - Bill Masterson (Minnesota North Stars) was injured when he was checked into the boards. He died two days later. He was the first casualty in the NHL.

1983 - The Quebec Nordiques played their 251st NHL game without being shutout.

1984 - Wayne Gretzky extended his NHL consecutive scoring streak to 45 games.

1986 - The NCAA adopted the controversial "Proposal 48," which set standards for Division 1 freshman eligibility.

1995 - A collective bargaining agreement was ratified by NHL players.

1998 - The NFL completed a $9.2 billion deal to keep "Monday Night Football" on ABC and the entire Sunday night cable package for ESPN.

1999 - Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) announced his retirement from the NBA.

2003 - The NHL's Buffalo Sabres filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

2005 - Major League Baseball adopted a steroid-testing program that suspended first-time offenders for 10 days and randomly tested players year-round.

2005 - The NFL fined Randy Moss (Minnesota Vikings) $10,000 for pretending to pull down his pants and moon the Green Bay Packer crowd during a playoff win the previous weekend.

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