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"Sports Quote of the Day"
"All the people that come out and show their support and their pride for your accomplishments, I think it really reminds you that without people you don't ever to get to live that dream. To play in the NHL is one thing, but to win the Stanley Cup and come back and share it with everyone is another thing." ~ Jonathan Toews, Professional NHL Player and Captain of the Chicago Blackhawks
Trending: The 2015 Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks at The White House with The President Of The United States, 02/18/2016. What a great honor. (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates).
"All the people that come out and show their support and their pride for your accomplishments, I think it really reminds you that without people you don't ever to get to live that dream. To play in the NHL is one thing, but to win the Stanley Cup and come back and share it with everyone is another thing." ~ Jonathan Toews, Professional NHL Player and Captain of the Chicago Blackhawks
Trending: The 2015 Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks at The White House with The President Of The United States, 02/18/2016. What a great honor. (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates).
Trending: Cubs will open spring training with World Series-or-bust mindset. (See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).
Trending: Bulls trade deadline rule: Either Pau Gasol and others leave -- or John Paxson and Gar Forman do. What's Your Take? (See the last article on this blog for our take).
Trending: Bears still facing three major, difficult roster decisions. (See the football section for Bears updates).
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? President Barack Obama honors Blackhawks for Stanley Cup victory.
By Tracey Myers
President Barack Obama held up his latest gift from the Blackhawks, something that anyone who’s been around the construction-laden United Center lately could appreciate.
A United Center parking pass.
“This is really cool,” the president said to laughs. “I might sell this on eBay.”
The Blackhawks made their third visit to the White House in six years — all during Obama’s administration — to celebrate another Stanley Cup victory. This year’s ceremony was much like that in 2014, the president giving a 10-minute speech to honor the Blackhawks. Current Blackhawks who were not on the team last year also attended, sitting in the audience during the ceremony.
“I think this one was the best we’ve had so far, the representation; a really historic today,” Blackhawks president John McDonough said. “Just being around the president, his aura, how warm he is with everyone, and to see some of our players who weren’t with us last year experience this and the desire to be part of this going forward.”
The ceremony had its light moments, from that parking pass “gift” to Obama saying the Stanley Cup should probably stick around the White House for a certain upcoming event.
“We have a state dinner with Canada coming up,” he said. “So we may just leave it right in the middle of the room.”
Even Jonathan Toews had to grin at that one.
“Yeah, that’s one of those things I have to let slide,” Toews said after the ceremony. “I didn’t know if I can make a comeback to that one.”
The Blackhawks have enjoyed a remarkable run of success these last few years. It’s a far cry from where this organization was about 10 years ago.
“Maybe the two words that are the most impactful are when they say, ‘Welcome back.’ And now that we’ve been here three times it never gets old, never enough, and we’d love to come back one more time during President Obama’s regime,” McDonough said. “What a classy guy; just so incredibly smooth and easy with people. It’s a great tribute to all of our players, all of our coaches, everyone in our organization. This is just so inspiring to be a part of this today.”
And as for that parking pass, it was owner Rocky Wirtz’s idea.
“I thought it would be fun, keep it lighter,” Wirtz said. “Who else can give the president a parking pass for the United Center?”
Blackhawks rally to beat Rangers behind Panarin's hat trick. (Wednesday night's game, 02/17/2016).
By Tracey Myers
Artemi Panarin came up smiling, despite taking an unnecessary chop to the legs from Keith Yandle.
Scoring his first NHL hat trick apparently nixed any discomfort the Blackhawks forward may have been feeling.
Panarin scored two power-play goals – the second being the game-winner – and added an empty-net goal late for that hat trick as the Blackhawks beat the New York Rangers 5-3 on Wednesday night. The Blackhawks, who have won two in a row, regained first place in the Central Division. The Dallas Stars, who were idle tonight, are one point back; the Stars still have three games in hand.
Andrew Desjardins and Andrew Shaw also scored. Teuvo Teravainen had two assists. Corey Crawford stopped 31 of 34 shots for the victory.
Panarin is the first NHL rookie to 20 goals this season – he has 22 after this one. For his teammates, seeing what Panarin has done this season has been reason to smile; for Jonathan Toews, it’s also reason to rib Panarin’s line mate, Patrick Kane.
“I’ve been bugging Kaner about those two games that [Panarin] missed, that Kaner didn’t seem quite himself out there for those two games,” Toews said. “All kidding aside, Bread Man has been great for us this year, whether on that line or tonight with the second unit that went on for the power play. He wants to score, and when he gets a few here and there he plays with so much more confidence and energy. He can go out there and make things happen every single shift. You saw that again tonight.”
As big as Panarin’s night was, it was ultimately the Blackhawks’ power play that proved the difference for the second consecutive game. They scored three power-play goals – two from Panarin and one from Shaw – against the Rangers after scoring four against Toronto on Monday night.
So what gives with that?
“We’re moving the puck well, we’re shooting the puck and winning the battles,” Teravainen said. “Sometimes it just goes in.”
It’s been going in a lot these last two games. At the start of the third period, however, it was more about what the Blackhawks were allowing. Vinnie Hinostroza took a four-minute high-sticking at the end of the second period and the Rangers made the Blackhawks pay for it in the third. Derick Brassard scored the first goal just 24 seconds into the third and Dan Boyle added his power-play goal about two minutes later; just like that, the Blackhawks, up 3-2 entering the third, were down 4-3.
But the power play and Panarin had the final says in the third period. Shaw scored his power-play goal midway through the third period to tie the game 3-3. Panarin scored his second power-play goal with three minutes remaining in regulation, then added his empty-net effort with 1:11 remaining.
The chop that sent Panarin sliding into the boards late Wednesday probably would have angered the young forward if it had happened at another point in the game. Since it was after collecting that hat trick, he just greeted it with the same grin he’s displayed after each of his 22 goals this season.
“He’s been great for us, be it the consistency, the contribution to that line, the power play, puck possession game, our offense,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “From day 1 he’s been fun to watch. He’s enjoying himself here.”
President Obama recognizes Scott Darling, Kimmo Timonen,
By Tracey Myers
Scott Darling sheepishly waved to the East Room audience on Thursday morning, moments after President Barack Obama asked him to do so.
The Blackhawks backup goaltender performed a random act of kindness earlier this month in Arizona. Plenty read the story, which went viral online; on Thursday, Obama recognized Darling for it.
The president singled out Darling and former Blackhawks defenseman Kimmo Timonen during the team’s visit to the White House. Timonen, who hoisted his first Stanley Cup last June when the Blackhawks won their third in six seasons, was honored for overcoming the blood clots that almost cost him his final year. Obama then spoke of Darling helping a man in Arizona earlier this month; Darling set the man up in a hotel for a month, giving him time to get back on his feet.
“I couldn’t have more respect for Scott’s modesty, but now that it’s out there, I think it’s a good deed that bears repeating. A champion reached out to help somebody who needed a hand, even though he didn’t have to, even though nobody was looking, even though he wasn’t asking anybody for credit,” Obama said. “I’d like to think that reflects something about our city, about Chicago; it’s a very American thing to do. So Scott, I want to say thank you.”
Neither Darling nor Timonen were made available to the media following the Cup ceremony, but fellow Blackhawks talked of the moment.
“It’s awesome. That’s what it means to be a hockey player and, at the end of the day what makes winning a championship so special is that you’re surrounded by guys like that,” Jonathan Toews said. “The fact that the president highlighted that, I think, shows what type of leader he is; a lot of respect for that. It’s a cool thing for the two of those guys to get a little shout-out in that moment there.”
Obama asks for another Chicago championship, even the Cubs.
#HAWKSTALK
The reigning Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks visited the White House on Thursday morning and President Barack Obama had one request during his speech.
"Congratulations on your third title," Obama said with the Blackhawks standing behind him. "It'd be nice to just squeeze one more in there before I leave because then I definitely will take credit for this amazing championship run. I haven't given up hope on the Bulls or the White Sox or the Bears or, heck, I'd even take the Cubs."
Obama is a vocal White Sox fan, but wants at least one more Chicago championship before his second term as president concludes. His pleading for a Chicago team to win, even if it's the Cubs, drew a laugh from the crowd.
Earlier in his speech Obama joked that the Blackhawks had nearly 50 years between Stanley Cup titles and now have three during his presidency.
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session... Toronto Raptors-Chicago Bulls Preview.
By JEFF BARTL
The Toronto Raptors headed into last year's All-Star break with a nearly identical record as this season's mark and crumbled following the time off before losing in the first round of the playoffs.
They're determined not to let that happen again.
Toronto looks to avoid dropping an eighth straight meeting with Chicago when it visits the slumping Bulls on Friday night.
The Raptors (35-17) had a 14 1/2-game lead atop the Atlantic Division with a 36-17 record before the 2015 All-Star Game and seemed poised to make a deep playoff run. They dropped nine of their first 11 after the break, though, and were swept by Washington in the opening round of the postseason.
Toronto, which hosted this year's All-Star Game, is involved in a much tighter division race this season with Boston only 4 1/2 games back, and it knows it can't afford a similar slump that followed the break last year.
The Raptors had won three straight and 14 of 15 before falling 117-112 at Minnesota on Feb. 10.
"The guys understand what we need to do, especially the guys who were here last year," said DeMar DeRozan, who scored a season high-tying 35 points against the Timberwolves. "We're all playing for something. This time around, we're not letting none of our success get to our head. We still have a long way to go."
Toronto didn't make any moves prior to Thursday's trade deadline, something coach Dwane Casey said instills more confidence within the locker room. Former Bull James Johnson is set to return after missing the previous four, and DeMarre Carroll, who has sat out the last 17 with a knee injury, hopes to return soon.
"We understand what happened last year, but this is a new year and a new team," Casey said. "We can learn from last year, but we can't dwell over last year. We have to worry about Friday night, not even the process of making the playoffs. That'll all play itself out."
Toronto hasn't beaten Chicago since Dec. 31, 2013, and it blew a 12-point halftime lead in a 115-113 loss Jan. 3 in the most recent matchup. Jimmy Butler scored 40 of his 42 points in the second half, including a 3-pointer with 31 seconds left that put the Bulls ahead for good.
Butler, though, has been out the last four because of a sprained left knee and is expected to miss at least a couple more weeks. The Bulls (27-26) haven't won since he went down and have dropped five straight after falling 106-95 at Cleveland on Thursday.
Chicago's only move at the trade deadline was dealing Kirk Hinrich to Atlanta in a three-team deal despite rumors that it was shopping Pau Gasol. The veteran big man scored 14 points against the Cavs and Derrick Rose finished with 28 for the Bulls, who are tied with Charlotte for seventh in the East but are only a half-game up on ninth-place Detroit.
''We've just got to stay together through the good, the bad and the ugly - and it's the ugly right now,'' Rose said. ''I'm going to keep controlling what I can control. We're trying to fight to be in the playoffs.''
Rose sat out the last meeting because of right hamstring tendinitis but scored 20 in a 104-97 win over the Raptors on Dec. 28. Gasol finished with 22 in that contest to help overcome 28 from Kyle Lowry, who had 22 points and 10 assists against the Bulls last month.
Bulls come out of All-Star break and suffer fifth straight loss.
By Vincent Goodwill
The scene was familiar, LeBron James dancing and prancing in front of the home crowd like it’s 2009 again with the Bulls unable to do so much as breathe on the mighty Cleveland Cavaliers.
James had just caught an alley-oop from J.R. Smith, sending Quicken Loans Arena into a frenzy as the Bulls could only watch, falling behind by 20 in a 106-95 loss, continuing a trend that’s now become a part of their identity, dropping their fifth straight and 14th loss in 19 games.
James nearly posted a triple-double with 25 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, as the Cavaliers extended their lead over the next contender in the Eastern Conference to 3.5 games over Toronto.
Kevin Love, a man who had to endure more trade rumors on deadline day, contributed 15 points and 15 rebounds while Tristan Thompson ran the floor, played with energy and even got consecutive steals which resulted in fast break baskets while the Bulls lagged back on defense.
James had just caught an alley-oop from J.R. Smith, sending Quicken Loans Arena into a frenzy as the Bulls could only watch, falling behind by 20 in a 106-95 loss, continuing a trend that’s now become a part of their identity, dropping their fifth straight and 14th loss in 19 games.
James nearly posted a triple-double with 25 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, as the Cavaliers extended their lead over the next contender in the Eastern Conference to 3.5 games over Toronto.
Kevin Love, a man who had to endure more trade rumors on deadline day, contributed 15 points and 15 rebounds while Tristan Thompson ran the floor, played with energy and even got consecutive steals which resulted in fast break baskets while the Bulls lagged back on defense.
In short, the Cavaliers came at the Bulls in waves—waves of energy, talent and execution. The Bulls didn’t have enough of either, as it was clear from the outset that despite requisite moves that fall under “everybody makes a run," they posed no serious threat.
“I’m mad we’re losing these games. I can only control what I can control,” Derrick Rose said. “Defense got us back in the game but we let go of the rope.”
After using some guile to overcome a disastrous start, trailing only by six at the half, they couldn’t sustain much of anything to start the second half, putting up little resistance in the first few minutes to fall behind by 12, then 14, then 17 by the 7:52 mark.
“We gave ourselves a chance. Then coming out the break, it was our defense,” Hoiberg said. “That’s an excellent basketball team. They built that thing up pretty quickly.”
The familiar script of the Bulls doing just enough to compete but not nearly enough to win played out yet again, as they’re facing the prospect of falling to .500 with a loss to Toronto at home Friday.
“We gotta stay together, even though it’s hard times,” Rose said. “We got people waiting to come back. We gotta stay together, through the good, bad and ugly. It’s the ugly right now.”
Timofey Mozgov came off the bench to score 11 with six rebounds, countered only by Bobby Portis taking advantage of decent playing time, with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Rose had to feel like it was his first couple seasons in Chicago, when the Bulls had yet to fully establish an identity and his only recourse was to attack and attack until his body couldn’t go anymore.
When James took Smith’s feed for a flight, Rose had 22 points but nobody else wearing red had more than six. Unprompted, Hoiberg brought up Rose being winded and requesting to come out, sitting the remainder of the third before starting the fourth.
“He asked to come out. He was pretty winded,” Hoiberg said. “Some of our guys had good shots, they just didn’t go in. We gotta work it in to Pau, let him go to work on the block.”
Moments later, Tony Snell got a rare opening for a baseline dunk but was called for basket interference when he couldn’t get it down cleanly.
It was an illustration that even when the Bulls had openings, they couldn’t get out of their own way, leading to a sub-40 percent shooting evening, yet again.
“We missed a lot of shots, a lot of good ones and we forced some as well,” Hoiberg said.
It wasn’t until the 2:42 mark of the third quarter when two straight Pau Gasol baskets put a second Bull in double figures, with the Bulls trailing 71-58.
Rose finished with a game-high 28 points, seven rebounds and just two assists—the latter statistic showing the lack of shot-making on this team.
“You gotta work it around when Derrick beats his guy. I thought he had a couple times where he missed guys on the kickout when they sucked in on help,” Hoiberg said.
Doug McDermott missed five of his six shots. Aaron Brooks missed all three of his attempts in 15 minutes, as he looked robbed of his confidence before making a meaningless triple with seconds remaining.
Mike Dunleavy started and played 17 minutes, going two for nine from the field.
In other words, the misery continues and who knows if the end is in sight.
Gar Forman: Bulls were active going into deadline, but 'nothing made sense'.
By Vincent Goodwill
The Bulls were quiet at the trade deadline with the exception of lowering their luxury tax deal by trading veteran Kirk Hinrich and acquiring Justin Holiday.
No big time moves, no trading off Pau Gasol or adding a big name to stem the tide from a disappointing first 50-plus games of the season.
The Bulls will regroup in the offseason, general manager Gar Forman told CSNChicago.com in a phone interview shortly after the deadline passed.
“We were very active going into the trade deadline but nothing made sense today,” Forman said.
Forman called Gasol “very valuable” to the Bulls franchise and reiterated the team’s intentions to retain Gasol in free agency this summer when he opts out of his contract to hit the market for one last payday.
He did want to dispute the reports the Bulls were heavily shopping Gasol over the last couple days, which was corroborated by a league executive from another franchise yesterday afternoon in a text to CSNChicago.com, saying the Bulls “took calls” on Gasol.
“We were thrilled when he chose to come to Chicago,” Forman said. “He’s been good on the floor and off the floor with his leadership. We value him greatly. We made no calls to 'shop' Pau. Did we receive calls? Of course we did. It’s our job to listen to what calls are made and have a pulse. The rumors that he was being shopped are false.”
What Forman admitted is true is the Bulls’ lackluster season to date. Inconsistency has been the case across the board as several players counted on to step up haven’t filled expectations.
The likes of Tony Snell, Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic, players the Bulls drafted and invested in, have come up short or in some cases, have been completely nonexistent.
“It’s been a disappointment and we have underachieved,” Forman said. “We’re disappointed and our fans are. We’re accountable from front office to players to coaches.”
He disputed the belief the Bulls came into the season with championship expectations but there’s no doubt nobody expected falling to seventh in the East with their recent slide before the All-Star break.
“We felt had a chance to compete at a high level,” Forman said. “One of the biggest reasons why was continuity with your roster. We haven’t with our injuries. It’s not an excuse but it’s a fact. Starting unit hasn’t spent a single day in practice together. It’s a lot of reasons why we’re disappointed at where we are today.”
Mike Dunleavy’s back injury resulted in surgery before training camp, and Derrick Rose took an inadvertent elbow from Taj Gibson to the eye that resulted in double vision that’s affected him for the first two months of the season.
Joakim Noah’s shoulder injury has him out for the rest of the season and now, Jimmy Butler’s left knee strain has him out for 3-4 weeks, a critical blow as they go through a treacherous stretch for the franchise and new coach Fred Hoiberg.
Hoiberg’s new offense has had some highlights but it’s been spotty at best, while the defense has slipped markedly, an aspect that used to be a mainstay.
Hoiberg, a first-year coach, jumbled the situation involving Noah being removed from the starting lineup in training camp and was called out by Butler in the hopes of being tougher on the players in late December.
“I think Fred’s a very good basketball coach,” Forman said. “He’s extremely sharp, communicates well and an extremely hard worker. Dealt with a difficult situation well.”
“That said he knows he needs to continue to grow. There’s bumps in the road, and we knew there would be ups and downs. But we’re excited about the future.”
For his part, Forman said he wanted to see how this group could deal with a new system and new coach as opposed to making wholesale moves—that is, before things began falling apart.
“We understand the frustration. We’re very hard on ourselves. Up to this point, the ups and downs and not meeting expectations,” Forman said. “Everybody needs to take ownership and be accountable and continue to evaluate ourselves to get where we want to get.”
This summer, Forman said “we’ll hit the offseason and get better,” in reference to the Bulls having salary cap space as money from the new TV contracts will be infused to teams.
At that point, they’ll regroup in what should be a summer of change.
“We have to evaluate our entire team and we’ll have to make decisions,” Forman said. “Our hope (now) is we can get healthy and have rhythm, get into the playoffs and make some noise.”
Bulls trade Kirk Hinrich to Hawks in cost-cutting move.
By Vincent Goodwill
Right before the trade deadline buzzer, the Bulls traded veteran guard Kirk Hinrich to the Atlanta Hawks for a second-round pick, a source tells CSNChicago.com.
With the Bulls in luxury-tax territory, moving Hinrich’s $2.8 million will give them some luxury-tax relief, ending Hinrich’s second tour of duty with the Bulls and sending him to Atlanta, a place he played for two years from 2010 to 2012. Hinrich only appeared in 35 games for the Bulls this season, as he turned 35 in January and many believed he would finish his career as a Bull considering he was drafted by the franchise in 2003.
But as a trade involving backup point guard Aaron Brooks fizzled, which would’ve sent him to Orlando for backup point guard Shabazz Napier, the Bulls went another route.
Hinrich’s best years were behind him, as he was once a valuable piece of some winning Bulls’ teams in the middle part of last decade. His high-water mark was in 2007, when he averaged 16.3 points and 6.6 assists for a Bulls team that went to the second round of the playoffs.
In limited duty this season, the veteran shot 41 percent from 3-point range, ceding more playing time to E’Twaun Moore when there were openings in Fred Hoiberg’s rotation due to injury.
It clearly wasn’t the move to elevate the Bulls’ personnel, and wasn’t the dumping of Pau Gasol many believed the Bulls were in line for, as the Bulls stood relatively pat at the deadline. The Bulls were around $4.4 million over, so they're still around $2 million over the luxury tax with the deal.
“There's always a lot of last-minute deals. This is when people start getting serious about discussions,” Hoiberg said. “I know everybody's doing their jobs. All the discussions start to get serious at this point but no I haven't had any communication.”
As some in the East got better, particularly a couple teams breathing down the Bulls’ neck, the front office must have the belief they have enough to not only make the playoffs but make a run.
“I’m mad we’re losing these games. I can only control what I can control,” Derrick Rose said. “Defense got us back in the game but we let go of the rope.”
After using some guile to overcome a disastrous start, trailing only by six at the half, they couldn’t sustain much of anything to start the second half, putting up little resistance in the first few minutes to fall behind by 12, then 14, then 17 by the 7:52 mark.
“We gave ourselves a chance. Then coming out the break, it was our defense,” Hoiberg said. “That’s an excellent basketball team. They built that thing up pretty quickly.”
The familiar script of the Bulls doing just enough to compete but not nearly enough to win played out yet again, as they’re facing the prospect of falling to .500 with a loss to Toronto at home Friday.
“We gotta stay together, even though it’s hard times,” Rose said. “We got people waiting to come back. We gotta stay together, through the good, bad and ugly. It’s the ugly right now.”
Timofey Mozgov came off the bench to score 11 with six rebounds, countered only by Bobby Portis taking advantage of decent playing time, with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Rose had to feel like it was his first couple seasons in Chicago, when the Bulls had yet to fully establish an identity and his only recourse was to attack and attack until his body couldn’t go anymore.
When James took Smith’s feed for a flight, Rose had 22 points but nobody else wearing red had more than six. Unprompted, Hoiberg brought up Rose being winded and requesting to come out, sitting the remainder of the third before starting the fourth.
“He asked to come out. He was pretty winded,” Hoiberg said. “Some of our guys had good shots, they just didn’t go in. We gotta work it in to Pau, let him go to work on the block.”
Moments later, Tony Snell got a rare opening for a baseline dunk but was called for basket interference when he couldn’t get it down cleanly.
It was an illustration that even when the Bulls had openings, they couldn’t get out of their own way, leading to a sub-40 percent shooting evening, yet again.
“We missed a lot of shots, a lot of good ones and we forced some as well,” Hoiberg said.
It wasn’t until the 2:42 mark of the third quarter when two straight Pau Gasol baskets put a second Bull in double figures, with the Bulls trailing 71-58.
Rose finished with a game-high 28 points, seven rebounds and just two assists—the latter statistic showing the lack of shot-making on this team.
“You gotta work it around when Derrick beats his guy. I thought he had a couple times where he missed guys on the kickout when they sucked in on help,” Hoiberg said.
Doug McDermott missed five of his six shots. Aaron Brooks missed all three of his attempts in 15 minutes, as he looked robbed of his confidence before making a meaningless triple with seconds remaining.
Mike Dunleavy started and played 17 minutes, going two for nine from the field.
In other words, the misery continues and who knows if the end is in sight.
Gar Forman: Bulls were active going into deadline, but 'nothing made sense'.
By Vincent Goodwill
The Bulls were quiet at the trade deadline with the exception of lowering their luxury tax deal by trading veteran Kirk Hinrich and acquiring Justin Holiday.
No big time moves, no trading off Pau Gasol or adding a big name to stem the tide from a disappointing first 50-plus games of the season.
The Bulls will regroup in the offseason, general manager Gar Forman told CSNChicago.com in a phone interview shortly after the deadline passed.
“We were very active going into the trade deadline but nothing made sense today,” Forman said.
Forman called Gasol “very valuable” to the Bulls franchise and reiterated the team’s intentions to retain Gasol in free agency this summer when he opts out of his contract to hit the market for one last payday.
He did want to dispute the reports the Bulls were heavily shopping Gasol over the last couple days, which was corroborated by a league executive from another franchise yesterday afternoon in a text to CSNChicago.com, saying the Bulls “took calls” on Gasol.
“We were thrilled when he chose to come to Chicago,” Forman said. “He’s been good on the floor and off the floor with his leadership. We value him greatly. We made no calls to 'shop' Pau. Did we receive calls? Of course we did. It’s our job to listen to what calls are made and have a pulse. The rumors that he was being shopped are false.”
What Forman admitted is true is the Bulls’ lackluster season to date. Inconsistency has been the case across the board as several players counted on to step up haven’t filled expectations.
The likes of Tony Snell, Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic, players the Bulls drafted and invested in, have come up short or in some cases, have been completely nonexistent.
“It’s been a disappointment and we have underachieved,” Forman said. “We’re disappointed and our fans are. We’re accountable from front office to players to coaches.”
He disputed the belief the Bulls came into the season with championship expectations but there’s no doubt nobody expected falling to seventh in the East with their recent slide before the All-Star break.
“We felt had a chance to compete at a high level,” Forman said. “One of the biggest reasons why was continuity with your roster. We haven’t with our injuries. It’s not an excuse but it’s a fact. Starting unit hasn’t spent a single day in practice together. It’s a lot of reasons why we’re disappointed at where we are today.”
Mike Dunleavy’s back injury resulted in surgery before training camp, and Derrick Rose took an inadvertent elbow from Taj Gibson to the eye that resulted in double vision that’s affected him for the first two months of the season.
Joakim Noah’s shoulder injury has him out for the rest of the season and now, Jimmy Butler’s left knee strain has him out for 3-4 weeks, a critical blow as they go through a treacherous stretch for the franchise and new coach Fred Hoiberg.
Hoiberg’s new offense has had some highlights but it’s been spotty at best, while the defense has slipped markedly, an aspect that used to be a mainstay.
Hoiberg, a first-year coach, jumbled the situation involving Noah being removed from the starting lineup in training camp and was called out by Butler in the hopes of being tougher on the players in late December.
“I think Fred’s a very good basketball coach,” Forman said. “He’s extremely sharp, communicates well and an extremely hard worker. Dealt with a difficult situation well.”
“That said he knows he needs to continue to grow. There’s bumps in the road, and we knew there would be ups and downs. But we’re excited about the future.”
For his part, Forman said he wanted to see how this group could deal with a new system and new coach as opposed to making wholesale moves—that is, before things began falling apart.
“We understand the frustration. We’re very hard on ourselves. Up to this point, the ups and downs and not meeting expectations,” Forman said. “Everybody needs to take ownership and be accountable and continue to evaluate ourselves to get where we want to get.”
This summer, Forman said “we’ll hit the offseason and get better,” in reference to the Bulls having salary cap space as money from the new TV contracts will be infused to teams.
At that point, they’ll regroup in what should be a summer of change.
“We have to evaluate our entire team and we’ll have to make decisions,” Forman said. “Our hope (now) is we can get healthy and have rhythm, get into the playoffs and make some noise.”
Bulls trade Kirk Hinrich to Hawks in cost-cutting move.
By Vincent Goodwill
Right before the trade deadline buzzer, the Bulls traded veteran guard Kirk Hinrich to the Atlanta Hawks for a second-round pick, a source tells CSNChicago.com.
With the Bulls in luxury-tax territory, moving Hinrich’s $2.8 million will give them some luxury-tax relief, ending Hinrich’s second tour of duty with the Bulls and sending him to Atlanta, a place he played for two years from 2010 to 2012. Hinrich only appeared in 35 games for the Bulls this season, as he turned 35 in January and many believed he would finish his career as a Bull considering he was drafted by the franchise in 2003.
But as a trade involving backup point guard Aaron Brooks fizzled, which would’ve sent him to Orlando for backup point guard Shabazz Napier, the Bulls went another route.
Hinrich’s best years were behind him, as he was once a valuable piece of some winning Bulls’ teams in the middle part of last decade. His high-water mark was in 2007, when he averaged 16.3 points and 6.6 assists for a Bulls team that went to the second round of the playoffs.
In limited duty this season, the veteran shot 41 percent from 3-point range, ceding more playing time to E’Twaun Moore when there were openings in Fred Hoiberg’s rotation due to injury.
It clearly wasn’t the move to elevate the Bulls’ personnel, and wasn’t the dumping of Pau Gasol many believed the Bulls were in line for, as the Bulls stood relatively pat at the deadline. The Bulls were around $4.4 million over, so they're still around $2 million over the luxury tax with the deal.
“There's always a lot of last-minute deals. This is when people start getting serious about discussions,” Hoiberg said. “I know everybody's doing their jobs. All the discussions start to get serious at this point but no I haven't had any communication.”
As some in the East got better, particularly a couple teams breathing down the Bulls’ neck, the front office must have the belief they have enough to not only make the playoffs but make a run.
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Bears still facing three major, difficult roster decisions.
By John Mullin
Even the stepping away from Matt Forte was done at least with a promising understudy — Jeremy Langford — waiting in the wings.
Whether to pursue re-signing defensive lineman Jarvis Jenkins, linebacker Shea McClellin and cornerback Tracy Porter are issues. Those are impending free agents. The Bears also have several players under contract, however, that involve precipitous decisions because the roster does not have anyone capable of filling the potential voids that could result from those calls:
Martellus Bennett
Bennett followed his 90-catch Pro Bowl 2014 season with an offseason stay-away from Halas Hall, perceived unhappiness with his contract even in-season and then missing more games in one season (five) than in his previous seven seasons combined (four). Bennett has one year remaining on the four-year, $20.4 million contract he signed in 2013.
Bennett will be one of the most motivated players on the roster in 2016, with a chance at one more big contract there in free agency after this year. But a malcontent is rarely a positive in a locker room or huddle, and coaches and organizations seldom want an uncommitted player around.
The problem is that the Bears have zero real options after Bennett. Zach Miller had a breakout season with five touchdown catches, but he is a free agent hoping for a payday, and has never played 16 games in a season, making it for 15 weeks in 2015 but missing Week 16 in Tampa Bay with a toe injury.
So if not Bennett… ?
Lamarr Houston
The hybrid DE/LB rebounded from season-ending knee injury in 2014 to collect eight sacks and 10 tackles for loss last season. Significantly, seven of the sacks and nine of the TFL’s came over the final nine games as his playing time steadily increased, a strong indicator that Houston was well over his knee problem.
Houston will cost the Bears $6 million for 2016. For a productive pass rusher projecting to double-digit sacks, the money is manageable. Rush linebacker Pernell McPhee is on the books for $7.2 million.
Houston and DE/LB Willie Young were the Bears’ best pass rushers for the second half of 2015. Whether the Bears conclude that Houston is the right counterpoint opposite McPhee is one call.
The other is money, and the Bears may want Houston to take a pay cut or renegotiation. The problem: You don’t seriously propose a pay cut unless you’re willing to cut the player, and Houston could well refuse and take his case to the open market.
The Bears hold the 11th pick of the draft and edge-rusher options will be there. But with needs elsewhere, having Houston in place increases options.
So if not Houston… ?
Antrel Rolle
Safety has been a perennial trouble spot for the Bears, who thought they’d shored up the position last year with the drafting of Adrian Amos and signing Rolle for three years and $11.2 million. But Rolle, a solid influence on young players like cornerback Kyle Fuller, had performance breakdowns on the field and two concerning injuries (ankle, knee) that landed him on IR and limited him to only seven games after his missing just one game total over the previous nine seasons.
Rolle is due to cost the Bears $2.7 million for 2016, not a prohibitive salary alongside Amos’ rookie contract. The broader question for the Bears, however, is whether Rolle is an answer or a question at age 33. If Rolle is not an answer, neither Harold Jones-Quartey nor Chris Prosinski appeared to be either.
So if not Rolle… ?
Bears: Jared Allen announces retirement after remarkable 12-year career.
By Scott Krinch
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Jared Allen has ridden off into the sunset.
After a remarkable 12-year career, one of the best pass-rushers in NFL history has announced his retirement.
Allen took to Twitter Thursday morning to literally ride off into the sunset:
“Well, everyone, I just want to say thank you for an amazing 12-year career,” Allen said. “This was the part where I was going to ride off into the sunset, but seeing as how there’s no sunset, I’m just going to ride off.”
Allen, a fourth-round pick out of Idaho State by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2004, retires after a remarkable 12-year career with the Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, Bears and Carolina Panthers in which he garnered five Pro Bowl selections and four first-team All-Pro honors.
The 33-year-old Allen led the NFL in sacks with the Vikings in both 2007 and 2011 and was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2011.
Allen retires tied with Green Bay Packers linebacker Julius peppers for ninth in NFL history with 136-career sacks.
Cubs will open spring training with World Series-or-bust mindset.
By Patrick Mooney
Where the Cubs used to have to talk themselves into believing this might be the year — if this happens, if that happens, maybe we’ll surprise some people — now everyone is telling them how great they are.
There will be no escaping the hype when pitchers and catchers officially report on Friday in Arizona, with Mesa becoming a Cactus League hotspot for the national media and the TV networks trying to get a piece of a franchise desperate for its first World Series title since 1908.
FanGraphs projects the Cubs will be the best team in baseball and finish with a +122 run differential. The PECOTA system run through Baseball Prospectus predicts 92 victories and the Cubs winning their division by nine games.
Preseason power rankings for Sports Illustrated, Yahoo! Sports and ESPN all have the Cubs at No. 1. Websites like VegasInsider and OddsSharks that track sports books list the Cubs as the favorites to win the World Series.
Instead of resting on 97 wins, the Cubs responded with a full-throttle offseason, spending $272 million on outfielder Jason Heyward, second baseman Ben Zobrist and pitcher John Lackey, three All-Star level players who combined have been part of 28 playoff series.
“Last year is over with,” Anthony Rizzo said. “It’s time to gear up for 2016.
“Everyone knows what they need to do to be ready. And we have a really good group of guys that are accountable for everything.”
Rizzo knew it would go viral when he predicted the Cubs would win the division last year, changing the conversation and emerging as the leader/DJ in a relaxed clubhouse tricked out with disco lighting.
Besides Rizzo, a two-time All-Star first baseman and MVP candidate, the Cubs are stacked with players who will be 26 or younger on Opening Day. There’s Rookie of the Year Kris Bryant, franchise shortstop Addison Russell and Internet sensation Kyle Schwarber, who’s already broken a car windshield at Sloan Park. Plus, super-utility guy Javier Baez, Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler, Dartmouth-educated pitcher Kyle Hendricks and Heyward, a three-time Gold Glove winner.
“I feel like we’re going to win the division,” Schwarber said. “We showed what we could do when we’re all in it for the common goal.
“Now we know what to expect. There’s probably going to be more targets on our back. We’re going to have to come with our A-game every game.”
As a third-place team that trailed the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates during the regular season — and got swept out of the National League Championship Series by the New York Mets — the Cubs have unfinished business.
“Any time you don’t win a World Series, I don’t think you accomplish your goal,” Bryant said. “We’re playing this game to win a World Series, especially for the Chicago Cubs. Fans (want) that. And this year, we’re in a good position for it.”
Jake Arrieta gave this team a killer instinct and will front the rotation after his Cy Young Award season. Combined, Lackey and Jon Lester have won four World Series rings and thrown more than 4,500 innings in The Show. Joe Maddon — a three-time Manager of the Year — will be at the controls of a deep and versatile bullpen.
“I love expectations,” said Lester, who thought 2016 would be the all-in year when he signed a $155 million contract after the 2014 season. “You got to back up what you did the year before. It’s something I’ve always tried to take pride in — go out and worry about doing your job.
“That trickles down to everybody. All these young guys have good heads on their shoulders, and they all work hard. They all get it. They understand the game. It’s going to be an exciting year for us.”
It’s not going to be an in-between year for the Cubs. By the end, there will be either pure joy in Wrigleyville or October agony.
“There’s no doubt every player who had to watch the Mets celebrate on the field is extraordinarily hungry to win eight more games in October than we did last year,” team president Theo Epstein said.
“We’re unified by that common goal. It’s the most important thing in the lives of a lot of people — fans, players, front office alike. And we’re out to reach our goals this year and make a lot of people happy, knowing that there’s going to be a lot of ups and downs along the way.”
There will be no escaping the hype when pitchers and catchers officially report on Friday in Arizona, with Mesa becoming a Cactus League hotspot for the national media and the TV networks trying to get a piece of a franchise desperate for its first World Series title since 1908.
FanGraphs projects the Cubs will be the best team in baseball and finish with a +122 run differential. The PECOTA system run through Baseball Prospectus predicts 92 victories and the Cubs winning their division by nine games.
Preseason power rankings for Sports Illustrated, Yahoo! Sports and ESPN all have the Cubs at No. 1. Websites like VegasInsider and OddsSharks that track sports books list the Cubs as the favorites to win the World Series.
Instead of resting on 97 wins, the Cubs responded with a full-throttle offseason, spending $272 million on outfielder Jason Heyward, second baseman Ben Zobrist and pitcher John Lackey, three All-Star level players who combined have been part of 28 playoff series.
“Last year is over with,” Anthony Rizzo said. “It’s time to gear up for 2016.
“Everyone knows what they need to do to be ready. And we have a really good group of guys that are accountable for everything.”
Rizzo knew it would go viral when he predicted the Cubs would win the division last year, changing the conversation and emerging as the leader/DJ in a relaxed clubhouse tricked out with disco lighting.
Besides Rizzo, a two-time All-Star first baseman and MVP candidate, the Cubs are stacked with players who will be 26 or younger on Opening Day. There’s Rookie of the Year Kris Bryant, franchise shortstop Addison Russell and Internet sensation Kyle Schwarber, who’s already broken a car windshield at Sloan Park. Plus, super-utility guy Javier Baez, Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler, Dartmouth-educated pitcher Kyle Hendricks and Heyward, a three-time Gold Glove winner.
“I feel like we’re going to win the division,” Schwarber said. “We showed what we could do when we’re all in it for the common goal.
“Now we know what to expect. There’s probably going to be more targets on our back. We’re going to have to come with our A-game every game.”
As a third-place team that trailed the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates during the regular season — and got swept out of the National League Championship Series by the New York Mets — the Cubs have unfinished business.
“Any time you don’t win a World Series, I don’t think you accomplish your goal,” Bryant said. “We’re playing this game to win a World Series, especially for the Chicago Cubs. Fans (want) that. And this year, we’re in a good position for it.”
Jake Arrieta gave this team a killer instinct and will front the rotation after his Cy Young Award season. Combined, Lackey and Jon Lester have won four World Series rings and thrown more than 4,500 innings in The Show. Joe Maddon — a three-time Manager of the Year — will be at the controls of a deep and versatile bullpen.
“I love expectations,” said Lester, who thought 2016 would be the all-in year when he signed a $155 million contract after the 2014 season. “You got to back up what you did the year before. It’s something I’ve always tried to take pride in — go out and worry about doing your job.
“That trickles down to everybody. All these young guys have good heads on their shoulders, and they all work hard. They all get it. They understand the game. It’s going to be an exciting year for us.”
It’s not going to be an in-between year for the Cubs. By the end, there will be either pure joy in Wrigleyville or October agony.
“There’s no doubt every player who had to watch the Mets celebrate on the field is extraordinarily hungry to win eight more games in October than we did last year,” team president Theo Epstein said.
“We’re unified by that common goal. It’s the most important thing in the lives of a lot of people — fans, players, front office alike. And we’re out to reach our goals this year and make a lot of people happy, knowing that there’s going to be a lot of ups and downs along the way.”
Cubs: Five storylines for spring training.
By Patrick Mooney
By Patrick Mooney
Theo Epstein knows he doesn’t have anywhere else to go, at least not until the Cubs win their first World Series since 1908. There’s no better job to leverage and too much unfinished business. If this team is as good as advertised, why let someone else ride in the parade down Michigan Avenue?
Chairman Tom Ricketts understands he can’t afford to let his president of baseball operations walk out of the team’s Clark Street headquarters in a gorilla suit. It would be a PR nightmare for an image-conscious franchise still trying to finish the Wrigley Field renovations and potentially launch a new TV network.
Now in the fifth and final year of his contract, Epstein realizes his history with the Boston Red Sox will create suspicions. But despite the ugly ending in Boston – and the financial handcuffs in place at the start of the Wrigleyville teardown – don’t expect him to go on sabbatical and follow Pearl Jam to South America.
Ricketts is a long-term, big-picture thinker who lets people do their jobs and believes in building through the farm system. Epstein wants to take care of his department – general manager Jed Hoyer is also in the last year of his deal – and he should get paid after last year’s 97-win surge.
If the Los Angeles Dodgers set a baseline with Andrew Friedman – roughly five years and $35 million – what’s Epstein’s price with two World Series titles already on his resume?
Cubs pitchers and catchers formally report to Arizona on Friday and the boardroom intrigue will be one behind-the-scenes storyline during a camp where the focus will be on the field and a clubhouse that expects to pop champagne bottles again in October.
Jake the Snake
Jake Arrieta will channel his inner Texas cowboy and brush aside any concerns about the year-after effects from throwing almost 250 innings. But remember what he said on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America conference call after winning the National League Cy Young Award.
“You can train and you can prepare and you can be in top physical condition,” Arrieta said. “But without having a workload like that under your belt, it’s natural for your body at some point to wear down and let yourself know that: ‘Hey, we’re getting into an area where we haven’t necessarily been before.'
“The fatigue did set it in. I’ll be the first to tell you. But physically my body was in better shape than it’s ever been. There was nothing alarming to me. It was just something that is very comparable to 'dead arm.'"
Arrieta (22-6, 1.77 ERA) had one of the greatest individual seasons ever for a pitcher, and he did it in a way that included his teammates, with a sense of swagger that captivated fans, turning his starts into must-see TV.
But that’s still Arrieta’s only wire-to-wire season in The Show.
War of Attrition
The Cubs stayed remarkably healthy last season, with Arrieta, Jon Lester, Jason Hammel and Kyle Hendricks all making at least 31 starts. But they probably won’t be so lucky this year and will need swingmen Adam Warren, Trevor Cahill, Clayton Richard and Travis Wood to survive the marathon, especially since the farm system doesn’t have anyone close to stepping into a playoff-caliber rotation.
The Cubs are giving Hammel the benefit of the doubt, believing he’s over the leg issues that contributed to his second-half fade (5.10 ERA) last year. The expectation is a new-season outlook and a different strength-and-conditioning program will help him get back to what he was before the All-Star break (2.86 ERA).
Hendricks has a Dartmouth College degree and gets typecast as the thinker. But he’s tougher and more athletic than he gets credit for, putting up 180 innings, a 3.95 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP during a year where even he admitted he struggled to get a feel for his pitches and find a rhythm.
The Cubs also think Warren in particular could be sneaky good outside of the American League East after getting traded from the New York Yankees in the Starlin Castro deal.
“We know going into the year, however you dream up those 1,400 innings,” Epstein said, “it’s not going to come out exactly how you anticipate. You’re going to have injuries. You’re going to have underperformance. You’re going to have some guys pleasantly surprise you.
“You know you’re going to make a trade at some point. You’re going to sign a couple guys off the scrap heap. You’re going to have someone come up from Triple-A and impress. You’re going to have someone come up from Triple-A and disappoint.
“You just hope that you’re strong enough and healthy enough as an organization – and open-minded enough and talented enough – that through the course of the year you put a pretty good product out there and you answer the bell more often than not.
“I think we will.”
Jigsaw Puzzle
Joe Maddon isn’t the first guy to show up at the ballpark or the last one to leave at night. He won’t lock himself in the film room to break down swings and pitching mechanics. He won’t apologize for his outside interests or pretend he thinks about baseball 24/7.
Maddon’s job is managing people and he makes it look easy.
But beyond the mix-and-match pitching staff – Hammel will still probably be looking over his shoulder the third time through the lineup – Maddon will also have to juggle a versatile group of position players and massage all the egos.
Will there be enough at-bats to keep Miguel Montero and Chris Coghlan and everyone else happy? Is Kyle Schwarber an outfielder or a catcher or a designated hitter? Can Jorge Soler finally stay healthy? Will Jason Heyward’s Gold Glove defense translate in center field? Is Javier Baez really built for a super-utility role and ready to become the next Ben Zobrist?
Personality Test
Setting aside the $276 million spending spree during the offseason, this team has been years in the making. If everyone stays healthy, the Cubs might only be focusing on one or two roster spots during March Madness.
You will hear a lot about the Cubs playing with a target on their back now and getting everyone’s best shot and all the other clichés. Some of it will be talk-show formula and spring-training filler.
Chairman Tom Ricketts understands he can’t afford to let his president of baseball operations walk out of the team’s Clark Street headquarters in a gorilla suit. It would be a PR nightmare for an image-conscious franchise still trying to finish the Wrigley Field renovations and potentially launch a new TV network.
Now in the fifth and final year of his contract, Epstein realizes his history with the Boston Red Sox will create suspicions. But despite the ugly ending in Boston – and the financial handcuffs in place at the start of the Wrigleyville teardown – don’t expect him to go on sabbatical and follow Pearl Jam to South America.
Ricketts is a long-term, big-picture thinker who lets people do their jobs and believes in building through the farm system. Epstein wants to take care of his department – general manager Jed Hoyer is also in the last year of his deal – and he should get paid after last year’s 97-win surge.
If the Los Angeles Dodgers set a baseline with Andrew Friedman – roughly five years and $35 million – what’s Epstein’s price with two World Series titles already on his resume?
Cubs pitchers and catchers formally report to Arizona on Friday and the boardroom intrigue will be one behind-the-scenes storyline during a camp where the focus will be on the field and a clubhouse that expects to pop champagne bottles again in October.
Jake the Snake
Jake Arrieta will channel his inner Texas cowboy and brush aside any concerns about the year-after effects from throwing almost 250 innings. But remember what he said on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America conference call after winning the National League Cy Young Award.
“You can train and you can prepare and you can be in top physical condition,” Arrieta said. “But without having a workload like that under your belt, it’s natural for your body at some point to wear down and let yourself know that: ‘Hey, we’re getting into an area where we haven’t necessarily been before.'
“The fatigue did set it in. I’ll be the first to tell you. But physically my body was in better shape than it’s ever been. There was nothing alarming to me. It was just something that is very comparable to 'dead arm.'"
Arrieta (22-6, 1.77 ERA) had one of the greatest individual seasons ever for a pitcher, and he did it in a way that included his teammates, with a sense of swagger that captivated fans, turning his starts into must-see TV.
But that’s still Arrieta’s only wire-to-wire season in The Show.
War of Attrition
The Cubs stayed remarkably healthy last season, with Arrieta, Jon Lester, Jason Hammel and Kyle Hendricks all making at least 31 starts. But they probably won’t be so lucky this year and will need swingmen Adam Warren, Trevor Cahill, Clayton Richard and Travis Wood to survive the marathon, especially since the farm system doesn’t have anyone close to stepping into a playoff-caliber rotation.
The Cubs are giving Hammel the benefit of the doubt, believing he’s over the leg issues that contributed to his second-half fade (5.10 ERA) last year. The expectation is a new-season outlook and a different strength-and-conditioning program will help him get back to what he was before the All-Star break (2.86 ERA).
Hendricks has a Dartmouth College degree and gets typecast as the thinker. But he’s tougher and more athletic than he gets credit for, putting up 180 innings, a 3.95 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP during a year where even he admitted he struggled to get a feel for his pitches and find a rhythm.
The Cubs also think Warren in particular could be sneaky good outside of the American League East after getting traded from the New York Yankees in the Starlin Castro deal.
“We know going into the year, however you dream up those 1,400 innings,” Epstein said, “it’s not going to come out exactly how you anticipate. You’re going to have injuries. You’re going to have underperformance. You’re going to have some guys pleasantly surprise you.
“You know you’re going to make a trade at some point. You’re going to sign a couple guys off the scrap heap. You’re going to have someone come up from Triple-A and impress. You’re going to have someone come up from Triple-A and disappoint.
“You just hope that you’re strong enough and healthy enough as an organization – and open-minded enough and talented enough – that through the course of the year you put a pretty good product out there and you answer the bell more often than not.
“I think we will.”
Jigsaw Puzzle
Joe Maddon isn’t the first guy to show up at the ballpark or the last one to leave at night. He won’t lock himself in the film room to break down swings and pitching mechanics. He won’t apologize for his outside interests or pretend he thinks about baseball 24/7.
Maddon’s job is managing people and he makes it look easy.
But beyond the mix-and-match pitching staff – Hammel will still probably be looking over his shoulder the third time through the lineup – Maddon will also have to juggle a versatile group of position players and massage all the egos.
Will there be enough at-bats to keep Miguel Montero and Chris Coghlan and everyone else happy? Is Kyle Schwarber an outfielder or a catcher or a designated hitter? Can Jorge Soler finally stay healthy? Will Jason Heyward’s Gold Glove defense translate in center field? Is Javier Baez really built for a super-utility role and ready to become the next Ben Zobrist?
Personality Test
Setting aside the $276 million spending spree during the offseason, this team has been years in the making. If everyone stays healthy, the Cubs might only be focusing on one or two roster spots during March Madness.
You will hear a lot about the Cubs playing with a target on their back now and getting everyone’s best shot and all the other clichés. Some of it will be talk-show formula and spring-training filler.
But these are real issues, making sure the veterans accept their roles and the young guys don’t get too comfortable or start to feel untouchable while everyone keeps telling them how great they are.
Players aren’t robots or PECOTA projections. The Cubs had unbelievable dance-party chemistry in 2015. But last year is over, and this group will have to create a new identity.
“The sky’s the limit for us,” Schwarber said.
Seven burning spring training questions for the White Sox.
Starting Friday, the White Sox have six weeks to get it all together before the 2016 season begins.
With another group of new players, the White Sox have plenty of unresolved questions to which they’d like answers before Opening Day April 4 in Oakland, Calif.
The White Sox have been trying to fill a void at third base for about 10 years. This offseason, they acquired Todd Frazier and believe they have found their guy.
"That's a lot of pressure right there," Frazier told CSN's Siera Santos. "Ten years? Holy cow, that's a lot of years."
When Frazier found out about the trade, he was a bit surprised it was Chicago who had acquired him. A week before, the White Sox had traded for Brett Lawrie from the Oakland Athletics, who has played most of his career at third base.
But he's glad it was the White Sox who picked him up.
"I couldn't be happier," Frazier said. "Just being in a nice city and with the players we've got here, it should be a pretty exciting year."
With another group of new players, the White Sox have plenty of unresolved questions to which they’d like answers before Opening Day April 4 in Oakland, Calif.
Pitchers and catchers will report to camp and hold their first workout on Friday at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz.. The rest of the team joins them on Tuesday.
Here’s a look at some of the biggest issues facing the White Sox during spring training.
How long will the new infield take to get on the same page?
Todd Frazier appears set to take over at third, Tyler Saladino looks like the favorite to man shortstop and Brett Lawrie is earmarked for second base. While each player has spent enough time at their designated position to be comfortable, they first must find comfort with each other. Following last season’s slow start, manager Robin Ventura wants to combat another poor April and has suggested he may keep players in games longer during spring in order for them to get a feel for each other.
Who’s the fifth starter?
What once seemed like an easy answer now is uncertain. Mat Latos is in the mix, meaning the White Sox potentially have seven pitchers competing for five spots. With the four left-handed pitchers all but shoe-ins, Latos is likely the favorite for a spot in a competition with fellow right-handers Erik Johnson and Jacob Turner.
Can Avisail Garcia get comfortable with his new stance?
It’s make-or-break time for the young outfielder, who will employ a new stance this spring. The idea is to help Garcia’s pitch selection. Though they’ve added other bats, the White Sox definitely are in need of better offensive production from Garcia. Outfielders are the one position the White Sox heavily pursued in the offseason and they could still look for a trade throughout the spring if they believe it would improve the club.
How far away from the majors is Tim Anderson?
The expectation is that the team’s top prospect — the guy everyone asked about this winter — starts the season at Triple-A Charlotte with Saladino in the bigs. But general manager Rick Hahn has also made it sound as if the opportunity for advancement is there. Were Anderson to make another strong impression in spring and follow it up with a strong start at Charlotte, he could be in the majors sooner rather than later.
Can they stay healthy?
The White Sox once again had the fewest disabled list days in the majors last season. But the team was hit with several injuries in spring training, including the loss of Chris Sale for all but 10 days at the end. An injury-free spring could play a big role in helping the White Sox get out to the quick start they believe is critical to their success.
What can they expect from Adam LaRoche?
The veteran first baseman/designated hitter needs to rebound from the worst season of his career in order to give the club a left-handed power bat for the middle of the lineup. Never one to get off to a quick start, Ventura said he hopes to see positive signs from LaRoche, who will have to earn his job. LaRoche hit .196 last spring and followed with a .191 in April. For his career, LaRoche is a .222 hitter in April.
Who fits in the bullpen?
With Matt Albers back, Tommy Kahnle acquired and the rest of the stable healthy, the White Sox have a plethora of relievers for what is likely a seven-man bullpen. David Robertson and Zach Duke are locks, as are Albers and Nate Jones. That leaves Zach Putnam, Jake Petricka, Kahnle, Dan Jennings, Turner, Daniel Webb and Scott Carroll competing for three spots.
Todd Frazier: 'I couldn't be happier' to be on White Sox.
#WHITESOXTALK
"That's a lot of pressure right there," Frazier told CSN's Siera Santos. "Ten years? Holy cow, that's a lot of years."
When Frazier found out about the trade, he was a bit surprised it was Chicago who had acquired him. A week before, the White Sox had traded for Brett Lawrie from the Oakland Athletics, who has played most of his career at third base.
"I couldn't be happier," Frazier said. "Just being in a nice city and with the players we've got here, it should be a pretty exciting year."
Golf: I got a club for that..... McIlroy opens with 67 at Riviera golf.
AFP; By Greg Heakes
Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy follows through on his shot on day one of the 2016 Northern Trust Open on February 18, 2016 at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California (AFP Photo/Frederic J. Brown)
Rory McIlroy's first taste of the historic Riviera Country Club course went off without a hitch Thursday as the world number three opened with a four-under-par 67 at the Northern Trust Open.
The 26-year-old Northern Irishman is switching up his pre-Masters schedule and that is why he decided to enter this week's $6.8 million USPGA Tour event.
Thursday's was the first time in his seven seasons that he has played a round on the US Tour's west coast swing.
"It is always nice to come to a historic golf course," McIlroy said. "I just wanted to get a good start, I didn't want to put myself behind the eight ball early."
McIlroy was one shot behind the early clubhouse leaders, Bubba Watson and Chez Reavie who both shot five-under-par 66s.
Spieth opens with 79; Villegas leads Riviera with 63.
AFP; By Greg Heakes
Rory McIlroy's first taste of the historic Riviera Country Club course went off without a hitch Thursday as the world number three opened with a four-under-par 67 at the Northern Trust Open.
The 26-year-old Northern Irishman is switching up his pre-Masters schedule and that is why he decided to enter this week's $6.8 million USPGA Tour event.
Thursday's was the first time in his seven seasons that he has played a round on the US Tour's west coast swing.
"It is always nice to come to a historic golf course," McIlroy said. "I just wanted to get a good start, I didn't want to put myself behind the eight ball early."
McIlroy was one shot behind the early clubhouse leaders, Bubba Watson and Chez Reavie who both shot five-under-par 66s.
South African's Retief Goosen and Charl Schwartzel and Argentina's Angel Cabrera also got off to strong starts and were part of a large group that shot three-under-par 68s.
Jordan Spieth, who had an afternoon tee-off time, is hoping to improve on his fourth place finish at Riviera last year.
McIlroy finished with five birdies, one bogey and 12 pars on the 7,349 yard, par-71 layout.
One of his best holes of the day was the par-four seventh where he stuck his approach shot from 143 yards to three feet from the hole, setting up birdie.
McIlroy said overnight rains in the Los Angeles region helped make the course easier to play on Thursday.
"I put myself out of position sometimes but with the way the golf course was playing it didn't punish you much," he said.
"It happens a handful of times a year that we get to play a historic course like this. You got Augusta and we had it last year with Royal County Downs in Ireland and you got this course."
American Spieth and McIlroy have met just twice since Spieth won the Tour Championship in October. Spieth finished seventh and McIlroy 11th in China and McIlroy was third and Spieth fifth in Abu Dhabi.
Spieth opens with 79; Villegas leads Riviera with 63.
By DOUG FERGUSON
Jordan Spieth was everywhere he wasn't supposed to be at Riviera and wound up with a 79 in the Northern Trust Open.
Spieth called it a day to forget. It was his worst score since an 80 in the 2014 Tour Championship.
For Camilo Villegas, it was a day to savor. The Colombian ran off four straight birdies late in his round and challenged the course record until a bogey on his final hole for a 63. He led by three shots over Bubba Watson, Chez Reavie and Luke List.
Spieth ended his round with a three-putt from 8 feet for a double bogey. And there's still a chance it could be worse. Spieth asked rules officials to look at video of his third shot on the ninth hole to make sure it didn't move.
NASCAR: NASCAR issues update to Sprint Cup Rule Book.
By Dustin Long
NASCAR issued a bulletin to teams with updates to the 2016 Sprint Cup Rule Book. Most are clarifications or updates as opposed to anything new.
Among the items listed:
— Teams may change the radiator during Speedweeks at Daytona. The radiator may be changed after completion of the 150-mile qualifying races and must be completed before the final practice for the Daytona 500.
— Teams must use the same rear end differential assembly at all events except: All road course events, events at Martinsville Speedway, the Daytona 500, the Sprint Showdown and the Sprint All-Star Race. If the rear end differential assembly is changed before a race at any other event, the team will have to start at the rear of the field.
— NASCAR listed how many sets of tires teams are permitted for races. Teams will be allowed one fewer set of tires than last year at seven venues, representing 11 races. Those events are Daytona 500 (nine sets of tires for race), Phoenix (nine), Bristol (nine), Richmond (10), Coca-Cola 600 (12), Charlotte fall race (10) and Michigan (eight). NASCAR is allowing teams to have an extra set of tires compared to last year for races at Atlanta (13 sets this year) and Kentucky (10 sets).
— NASCAR listed the tire codes for the first 12 Cup events this season. There will be new left- and right-side tire codes for races at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Phoenix International Raceway, Auto Club Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, Richmond International Raceway, Kansas Speedway and Dover International Speedway. The changes are related to the low downforce package that debuts this season. Tracks that will have the same tire code in Cup are Daytona International Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, Martinsville Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway. The tire codes for other tracks have not been set.
— NASCAR listed the pit road speed limit for each track. The pit road speed limits are:
Atlanta Motor Speedway (45 mph)
Auto Club Speedway (55 mph)
Bristol Motor Speedway (30 mph)
Charlotte Motor Speedway (45 mph)
Chicagoland Speedway (45 mph)
Darlington Raceway (45 mph)
Daytona International Speedway (55 mph)
Dover International Speedway (35 mph)
Homestead-Miami Speedway (45 mph)
Indianapolis Motor Speedway (55 mph)
Kansas Speedway (45 mph)
Kentucky Speedway (45 mph)
Las Vegas Motor Speedway (45 mph)
Martinsville Speedway (30 mph)
Michigan International Speedway (55 mph)
New Hampshire Motor Speedway (45 mph)
Phoenix International Raceway (45 mph)
Pocono Raceway (55 mph)
Richmond International Raceway (40 mph)
Sonoma Raceway (40 mph)
Talladega Superspeedway (55 mph)
Texas Motor Speedway (45 mph)
Watkins Glen International (40 mph)
NASCAR: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch win Daytona qualifying races.
By JENNA FRYER
Among the items listed:
— Teams may change the radiator during Speedweeks at Daytona. The radiator may be changed after completion of the 150-mile qualifying races and must be completed before the final practice for the Daytona 500.
— Teams must use the same rear end differential assembly at all events except: All road course events, events at Martinsville Speedway, the Daytona 500, the Sprint Showdown and the Sprint All-Star Race. If the rear end differential assembly is changed before a race at any other event, the team will have to start at the rear of the field.
— NASCAR listed how many sets of tires teams are permitted for races. Teams will be allowed one fewer set of tires than last year at seven venues, representing 11 races. Those events are Daytona 500 (nine sets of tires for race), Phoenix (nine), Bristol (nine), Richmond (10), Coca-Cola 600 (12), Charlotte fall race (10) and Michigan (eight). NASCAR is allowing teams to have an extra set of tires compared to last year for races at Atlanta (13 sets this year) and Kentucky (10 sets).
— NASCAR listed the tire codes for the first 12 Cup events this season. There will be new left- and right-side tire codes for races at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Phoenix International Raceway, Auto Club Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, Richmond International Raceway, Kansas Speedway and Dover International Speedway. The changes are related to the low downforce package that debuts this season. Tracks that will have the same tire code in Cup are Daytona International Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, Martinsville Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway. The tire codes for other tracks have not been set.
— NASCAR listed the pit road speed limit for each track. The pit road speed limits are:
Atlanta Motor Speedway (45 mph)
Auto Club Speedway (55 mph)
Bristol Motor Speedway (30 mph)
Charlotte Motor Speedway (45 mph)
Chicagoland Speedway (45 mph)
Darlington Raceway (45 mph)
Daytona International Speedway (55 mph)
Dover International Speedway (35 mph)
Homestead-Miami Speedway (45 mph)
Indianapolis Motor Speedway (55 mph)
Kansas Speedway (45 mph)
Kentucky Speedway (45 mph)
Las Vegas Motor Speedway (45 mph)
Martinsville Speedway (30 mph)
Michigan International Speedway (55 mph)
New Hampshire Motor Speedway (45 mph)
Phoenix International Raceway (45 mph)
Pocono Raceway (55 mph)
Richmond International Raceway (40 mph)
Sonoma Raceway (40 mph)
Talladega Superspeedway (55 mph)
Texas Motor Speedway (45 mph)
Watkins Glen International (40 mph)
NASCAR: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch win Daytona qualifying races.
By JENNA FRYER
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton) Kyle Busch (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
Driving a car he believes is unbeatable, Dale Earnhardt Jr. added to his family legacy at Daytona International Speedway on the anniversary of his father's death.
Earnhardt won the first qualifying race Thursday night for the Daytona 500 to earn a starting spot on the second row for NASCAR's biggest event.
It was Earnhardt's 17th career win at Daytona International Speedway. The late Dale Earnhardt leads all drivers with 34 career victories at Daytona. He was killed on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.
Earnhardt won the first qualifying race Thursday night for the Daytona 500 to earn a starting spot on the second row for NASCAR's biggest event.
It was Earnhardt's 17th career win at Daytona International Speedway. The late Dale Earnhardt leads all drivers with 34 career victories at Daytona. He was killed on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.
''It's another win at Daytona for the Earnhardts, adding to the legacy,'' Earnhardt said in victory lane. ''We're up here in the 50s now.''
The No. 88 Chevrolet that Hendrick Motorsports brought to Daytona won three times last year, and Earnhardt admitted after the qualifying race that he allowed himself to daydream about winning as a tribute to his father.
''I try not to make too big a deal - I told all you guys how much I like people to remember dad and talk about dad,'' he said. ''I'm guilty of daydreaming a little bit, about winning this race tonight because of the day. That's very special to me. I was glad that nothing bad happened and we didn't tear our car up because that would have been embarrassing on a day like this.''
Kyle Busch, the reigning Sprint Cup champion, won the second qualifying race, but several contenders wrecked their prized cars in a last-lap accident.
Busch was trying to hold off Jamie McMurray on the final lap and briefly blocked him. McMurray moved up the track for another try, but Jimmie Johnson was in the same space and Johnson bounced off the wall to trigger a multi-car accident.
Among those who wrecked strong race cars were Johnson, Matt Kenseth and Martin Truex Jr., who will all have to go to backup cars for the Daytona 500. Kenseth had earned a front row starting spot for Sunday's season-opener, but he'll now forfeit it because of the crash.
It wasn't clear how much damage Kurt Busch and McMurray sustained, but Stewart-Haas Racing said it would not go to a backup for Busch.
Only two spots were up for grabs in the 500 - one in each qualifying race. Michael McDowell earned the spot in the first race, while Robert Richardson Jr. earned the final transfer spot. Richardson only got the call two weeks ago from BK Racing to attempt the Daytona 500.
''I was at home working on my ranch,'' said Richardson, who added every dollar he earns this weekend will go into a college fund for his newborn son. Richardson manages hay production as his full-time job at a ranch in Pilot Point, Texas.
''The stress that I've been putting just on myself in general to make this race, I've been pacing the floor ever since I woke up this morning just eager to get this race underway, just eager to see how the outcome would happen.''
Failing to make the Daytona 500 were: Josh Wise, Cole Whitt, David Gilliland and Reed Sorenson.
Earnhardt dominated the 150-mile race and easily darted around leader Denny Hamlin with six laps remaining to cruise to the victory. Earnhardt led 43 of the 60 laps in his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, and Hamlin seemed to be the only driver with a car strong enough to challenge the No. 88.
Hamlin won last week's exhibition race, but his Toyota didn't have the help Hamlin needed when Earnhardt was ready to make a pass for the win. Hamlin finished fifth. Defending Daytona 500 winner Joey Logano was second and Ryan Blaney was third.
Blaney had early issues with a loose wheel, but had assured himself a spot in Sunday's Daytona 500 based on qualifying speed. Still, his Wood Brothers Racing team got him back on the lead lap and he was in position to work with Logano to make a late run at Earnhardt.
Instead, the order didn't change and Blaney's finish opened up a spot in the Daytona 500 for McDowell.
''It's so intense. When Blaney had a problem there, we were counting on him racing his way in,'' McDowell said. ''I can't tell you what it means to make the Daytona 500. We're racing Sunday and I can't wait to get going.''
It's the third time in seven years that McDowell has raced his way into the 500. He had to use a block on Whitt to preserve his position. The block led to Whitt spinning and bringing out the only caution of the first race.
Rising to the occasion: Daytona's overhaul ready for debut.By MARK LONG
The project was such a massive undertaking that architects had to account for the curvature of the Earth.
It included 31 million pounds of steel, 101,000 new seats, 40 escalators, 17 elevators and stretched nearly a mile. It took 2 1/2 years to complete and even had its own nickname: Daytona Rising.
It was a mammoth, $400 million makeover to NASCAR's most famous track, a ground-up restoration that turned some old, rickety grandstands into the world's finest motorsports stadium.
The Daytona International Speedway renovation is complete and ready for its official debut - at the season-opening Daytona 500 on Sunday.
''We want people to be blown away when they come to this property,'' track president Joie Chitwood III said. ''You think about the history and the heritage, the legends of our sport made their name here, and now this property really matches that.''
Daytona Rising has turned heads and left visitors in awe since its completion last month. It boasts vibrant colors, grandiose displays and unique exhibits - and that's just outside the stadium walls.
Inside, the finished product is home to more than 100,000 square feet of fan engagement space.
''It's like a football stadium, but taken to the next level and magnified 20 times,'' former Daytona 500 champion Jamie McMurray said.
Daytona Rising was designed to meet the ever-increasing demand to improve the fan experience. Twenty-year-old stadiums are considered outdated. Burgers, hot dogs, pretzels and beer are no longer enough at sporting events.
High-definition televisions have made it even tougher to convince people to get off their couches and pay for expensive tickets.
International Speedway Corp., NASCAR's sister company that owns a dozen tracks including Daytona, took all of those factors into account when it started planning the redesign.
''It doesn't make sense in this day and age to sell a subpar experience. And if you sell a subpar experience, you would expect the fan to not come back,'' Chitwood said.
''When you look at what it takes for a customer to come to Daytona - airfare, hotel, gas - they're making a big investment. I think we have a property now that justifies that investment. I think you can make a case we probably weren't making a good case for that investment in years past.''
The centerpieces of the redesign are the injectors, five fan entrances that showcase sponsors and include more than 20,000 square feet of educational and entertainment space. The injectors also include bigger and more bathroom locations and countless dining choices. Throw in more than 1,200 televisions, and fans can leave their seats without missing any on-track action.
Toyota got in first and appears to have spent the most money on its displays, which include an off-road ride-along experience, its entire lineup of current models and even a replica of the nose of the Space Shuttle Endeavor that a Toyota Tundra pulled across a California overpass in 2012.
It has race cars hanging from the ceiling, interactive video games, personal stories about key employees and even a free Ferris wheel out front.
''We started developing long before anybody else, and because of the way we always worked, we always do things looking in our rear-view mirror, worried about what everybody else is doing and we try to do things better - only we had no benchmarks,'' said Keith Dahl, general manager for motorsports and asset management for Toyota Motor Sales, USA.
Chevrolet filled its space mostly with cars, even bringing in a refurbished 1970 Camaro and a 1971 Corvette. But since seeing Toyota's injector, the American automaker decided to add a surprise addition that will be unveiled Thursday.
The center injector remains without a sponsor. Some believe Daytona will give naming rights to NASCAR's next primary sponsor, which will replace Sprint at the end of this season. Chitwood insisted that's not the case.
Nonetheless, Daytona's transformation is sure to trickle down to other tracks. Lesa France Kennedy, CEO and vice chairperson of the ISC's board of directors, said recently that Richmond International Raceway and Phoenix International Raceway would be next to get overhauled.
It's doubtful those tracks would get the same redevelopment that Daytona did - the kind that needed to take into account the Earth's curve - but given how everyone has responded to Daytona's improvements, there's no telling where it ends.
''After 50 years, Daytona deserved this re-imagining,'' Chitwood said. ''We all want to have the brightest and the shiniest, with all the bells and whistles. Now, when fans drive down International Speedway Boulevard, I want them to catch their breath and say, 'I get why people are all worked up about Daytona and what this place means.'''
SOCCER: 12 games to go: Taking stock of all 20 Premier League teams.
By Joe Prince-Wright
With just under a third of the 2015-16 Premier League season to go, things are beginning to take shape in the table.
The title contenders look settled, the relegation battlers have been decided and plenty of teams ensconced in mid-table are pushing for a top 10 finish.
Below we take a look at each PL team and the story of their season so far, plus also look ahead to the final months of the season.
The title contenders look settled, the relegation battlers have been decided and plenty of teams ensconced in mid-table are pushing for a top 10 finish.
Below we take a look at each PL team and the story of their season so far, plus also look ahead to the final months of the season.
Arsenal
Best win: 3-0 win vs. Manchester United – Could be the big Leicester win but in terms of showcasing everything good about Arsenal, it was the opening 30 minutes of this game. Sublime.
Worst loss: 4-0 defeat at Southampton – Abysmal display for the Gunners and even though Wenger complained about no-calls it could’ve been more.
Star man: Mesut Ozil – Grabbing assists all over the place and is finally delivering consistently.
Toughest games remaining: Feb. 14 vs. Leicester City, Mar. 5 vs. Tottenham, May 7 at Man City,
Preseason hopes: Another top four finish expected, but title hopes were in the air.
Reality: The Gunners now have momentum and are the favorites to win the title. If they don’t, huge disappointment.
Aston Villa
Best win: 2-0 vs. Norwich – Well, there’s only been three so far and the latest gave them a smidgen of hope they could survive.
Worst loss: 6-0 vs. Liverpool – Just a week after beating Norwich they were stuffed. They gave up in the second half. A new low.
Star man: Idrissa Gueye has been the best of a bad bunch.
Toughest games remaining: Mar. 5 at Man City, Mar. 12 vs. Tottenham, May 15 at Arsenal.
Preseason hopes: With Tim Sherwood in charge there was talks of a mid-table finish or top 10 even.
Reality: Remi Garde has a huge job on his hands to keep Villa up. Eight points off safety with 12 games to go, Villa very likely to drop out of PL for first-ever time.
Bournemouth
Best win: 2-1 win vs. Man United – The Cherries dominated and it was a real David vs. Goliath moment.
Worst loss: 5-1 vs. Tottenham – Back-to-back 5-1 defeats at Man City and then against Spurs showed their defensive frailties.
Star man: Charlie Daniels – Flying left back has been a rock all season and whips in a mean cross.
Toughest games remaining: Mar. 19 at Tottenham, Apr. 2 vs. Man City, May 15 at Man United.
Preseason hopes: Everyone thought Eddie Howe‘s side would just avoid relegation and play some lovely stuff.
Reality: They have been fun to watch but big injuries to key players has hurt. Cherries hovering just above the bottom three. Relegation scrap is on.
Chelsea
Best win: 5-1 vs. Newcastle – Total demolition job of a poor Magpies side proved their resurgence is in full flow.
Worst loss: 3-0 at Man City – This was early in the season but it was when you realized Chelsea was way off the pace.
Star man: Diego Costa – A few lean spells this season but Costa has rebounded and found form to dig Chelsea out of trouble.
Toughest games remaining: Mar. 13 at Liverpool, Apr. 16 vs. Man City, Apr. 30 vs. Tottenham.
Preseason hopes: Well, everyone thought they’d win back-to-back titles but it has been a horrendous season.
Reality: Instead of title hopes, Jose Mourinho was fired and they were struggling above the drop zone. Guus Hiddink has steadied the ship. Top six isn’t out of the question.
Crystal Palace
Best win: 5-1 vs. Newcastle – A game where everything went right and the attacking talents clicked.
Worst loss: 2-1 vs. Bournemouth – Not the biggest defeat but it marked five losses on the spin. Rock bottom.
Star man: Scott Dann – The center back has chipped in with goals and looked as solid as ever.
Toughest games remaining: Mar. 12 at Man United, Mar. 19 vs. Leicester, Apr. 16 at Arsenal.
Preseason hopes: Hope was high that Alan Pardew‘s would qualify for the Europa League.
Reality: They have faded badly with only one point gained in 2016 so far but qualifying for Europe isn’t out of the question.
Everton
Best win: 3-1 vs. Chelsea – A Steven Naismith hat trick stunned the Blues and got Everton’s season going.
Worst loss: 3-0 vs. Man United – Louis Van Gaal‘s side dominated and the Toffees were in a sticky patch. There’s still concerns over their defense.
Star man: Romelu Lukaku – The big Belgian is banging in goals for fun this season.
Toughest games remaining: Mar. 19 vs. Arsenal, Apr. 2 at Man United, May 7 at Leicester.
Preseason hopes: The Toffees were expected to push for the top six this season after Roberto Martinez’s men stumbled in 2014-15.
Reality: A top six finish is well and truly on despite some struggles at the back.
Leicester City
Best win: 3-1 at Man City – So many stunning wins this season for Claudio Ranieri‘s men but this truly rubber-stamped their surprising title credentials.
Worst loss: 2-1 at Arsenal – Only three to pick from but the last-gasp loss at Arsenal seemed to be a pivotal moment. Can they recover.
Star man: Jamie Vardy – He leads the PL in goals and scored in 11-straight games to set a new record. Fairytale stuff. Riyad Mahrez a close second.
Toughest games remaining: Feb. 14 at Arsenal, Apr. 30 at Man United, May 15 at Chelsea.
Preseason hopes: Well, everyone thought they’d be relegated when Nigel Pearson left and Ranieri arrived.
Reality: They are two points clear at the top and are title contenders. Can they see it through? Even if they finish in the top four it will be a monumental achievement.
Liverpool
Best win: 4-1 at Man City – Jurgen Klopp‘s side ripped apart Man City away from home and provided plenty of promise.
Worst loss: 3-0 at Watford – Totally outplayed and outfought by the Hornets, Klopp saw how much work he had to do to rebuild things.
Star man: Roberto Firmino – He has really come into his own in recent weeks and is adding goals to his lively runs.
Toughest games remaining: Mar. 2 vs. Man City, Mar. 19 at Southampton, Apr. 2 vs. Tottenham.
Preseason hopes: Everyone through Brendan Rodgers‘ side could challenge for the top four. He was sacked a few months into the season.
Reality: Now that Klopp has everyone fit, a fifth-place finish will be the aim plus winning the League Cup and going far in the Europa League.
Manchester City
Best win: 3-0 win vs. Chelsea – They were flying at the start of the season and won five on the spin without conceding.
Worst loss: 4-1 at Tottenham – Awful defensive display as the absence of Vincent Kompany was crucial. A main theme of the season.
Star man: Sergio Aguero – Whenever City need him he pops up with vital goals. De Bruyne has been influential too before his injury.
Toughest games remaining: Mar. 2 at Liverpool, Mar. 20 vs. Man United, May 7 vs. Arsenal.
Preseason hopes: Manuel Pellegrini was expected to lead City to the title after a big summer of spending, but now he will leave and Pep Guardiola arrives this summer.
Reality: They are six points off the top with 12 games to go and fading after two defeat to Spurs and Leicester. History shows they can make a late charge, plus they can still four trophies.
Manchester United
Best win: 3-1 vs. Liverpool – Even in a season of struggled, beating your bitter rivals is key. A huge win for the Red Devils.
Worst loss: 2-0 at Stoke – On Boxing Day all of United’s flaws were exposed as they were totally dominated. Rumors around Louis van Gaal’s future began.
Star man: David De Gea – Despite starting the season on the bench due to a contract dispute he’s been sensational. Honorable mention for Anthony Martial too.
Toughest games remaining: Feb. 28 vs. Arsenal, Mar. 20 at Man City, Apr. 9 at Tottenham.
Preseason hopes: Van Gaal was expected to lead United towards a top two finish after spending plenty of cash. Yeah, about that.
Reality: Six points off the top four with 12 games left, it looks like LVG will leave this summer and be replaced by Mourinho. Another poor season.
Newcastle United
Best win: 2-0 vs. Liverpool – A solid display from Steve McClaren‘s side saw everything go to plan.
Worst loss: 5-1 at Chelsea – 3-0 down after 17 minutes, a shocking display from the Magpies which saw them drop into the bottom three.
Star man: Georginio Wijnaldum – Popped up with plenty of goals early in the season and remains Newcastle best hope of creating and scoring goals.
Toughest games remaining: Mar. 5 vs. Bournemouth, Mar. 20 vs. Sunderland, Apr. 2 at Norwich.
Preseason hopes: Everyone thought Newcastle would be in a relegation battle and they are.
Reality: Well, they are in the bottom three and despite plenty of money being spent they still seem woeful at the back. Expect a straight-battle with Sunderland for survival.
Norwich City
Best win: 2-1 at Man United – Historic victory for the Canaries away at United and everyone thought they’d be after this.
Worst loss: 5-4 vs. Liverpool – Okay, so they put up a heck of a fight but the fact they lost it with the last kick of the game was a sucker punch.
Star man: Dieumerci Mbokani – A real handful up front. Hasn’t scored that many goals but always an outlet.
Toughest games remaining:
Preseason hopes: Alex Neil‘s side were expecting a relegation battle and they are right in the thick of one.
Reality: So, in and out of the bottom three all season, five defeats on the spin recently has seen them drop like a stone.
Southampton
Best win: 4-0 vs. Arsenal – Everything clicked for Ronald Koeman‘s side and they were worthy winners.
Worst loss: 3-0 vs. Everton – First home game of the season resulted in a big defeat. The team took so long to gel.
Star man: Virgil Van Dijk – A rock at the heart of Saints’ defense, doesn’t get the plaudits but a big reason they recovered so well.
Toughest games remaining: Feb. 27 vs. Chelsea, Mar. 19 vs. Liverpool, May 7 at Tottenham.
Preseason hopes: Saints fans were hoping for another top eight finish and maybe to sneak into the top six.
Reality: They are sixth as things stand and Koeman is even talking about the top four. If they better last season’s seventh-place finish it would an even bigger achievement.
Stoke City
Best win: 2-0 vs. Man City – Total domination from Stoke as they showcased their talent with Bojan, Shaqiri and Arnautovic dominating.
Worst loss: 3-0 vs. Everton – They were outclassed throughout and the defeat was a third on the spin. Dark moment in the season.
Star man: Jack Butland – The young goalkeeper has been superb in his first full season in the PL. Pushing Joe Hart all the way for England.
Toughest games remaining: Apr. 9 at Liverpool, Apr. 16 vs. Tottenham, Apr. 23 at Man City.
Preseason hopes: Mark Hughes‘ men were looking to break into the top seven and do well in the cups.
Reality: Despite a recent wobble and losing on PKs in the League Cup semis, Stoke is on track to challenge for a top six finish.
Sunderland
Best win: 2-1 vs. Man United – A real momentum boost for Big Sam’s boys as they totally deserved the win.
Worst loss: 6-2 at Everton – Okay, so they looked dangerous going forward but the realization that new defenders were needed was painfully evident.
Star man: Jermain Defoe – Despite his age he is still banging in goals and has been a real threat this season.
Toughest games remaining: Mar. 20 at Newcastle, Apr 2. vs. West Brom, Apr. 16 at Norwich.
Preseason hopes: With Dick Advocaat in charge the Mackems were hoping to push into mid-table. Nope. He lost his job as another relegation battle occurs.
Reality: Allardyce will have to use all his nous to drag the Black Cats out of this mess but they can do this. They look very solid of late.
Swansea City
Best win: 2-1 vs. Man United – A big early season win saw Garry Monk‘s men tipped for big things. We all know how that worked out…
Worst loss: 4-2 vs. Sunderland – A defensive nightmare against a relegation rival showed that the Swans were all over the place.
Star man: Ashley Williams – The captain has had to stand up big, especially in recent weeks, as Swansea’s attackers have faltered.
Toughest games remaining: Mar. 12 at Bournemouth, Mar. 19 vs. Aston Villa, Apr. 16 at Newcastle.
Preseason hopes: Everybody thought the Swans would challenge for the top six under Monk but he was fired before Christmas.
Reality: Francesco Guidolin has a relegation battle on his hands. Swansea have shown signs of recovery but are right in the battle against the drop.
Tottenham Hotspur
Best win: 2-1 at Man City – This was a landmark moment for Spurs as they beat a title rival away from home and proved they’re the real deal.
Worst loss: 1-0 vs. Leicester – A game they should have won and lost late on after switching off at a set piece. Could be big down the stretch.
Star man: Dele Alli – The teenager has been a revelation and has knitted midfield and attack together superbly.
Toughest games remaining: Feb. 14 at Man City, Mar. 5 vs. Arsenal, Apr. 9 vs. Chelsea.
Preseason hopes: Hopes of a top four finish was high and they looks to have been achieved already.
Reality: They are the real deal and could win the title. Just two points off the top with 12 games to go, Mauricio Pochettino‘s has Spurs’ fans dreaming.
Watford
Best win: 3-0 vs. Liverpool – A marquee win where Watford got their tactics spot on. So many great victories for the Hornets this season.
Worst loss: 2-0 at Southampton – They just didn’t show up at St Mary’s and put in a dreadful display.
Star man: Odion Igloo – The Nigerian striker has been a beast this season scoring 15 times. Troy Deeney a close second for the newly-promoted club.
Toughest games remaining: Mar. 12 at West Ham, Apr. 9 vs. Everton, May 7 at Liverpool.
Preseason hopes: Everyone would have been expecting a relegation battle but Hornets fans have been pleasantly surprised.
Reality: They are comfortable in mid-table and a top 10 finish is easily attainable for Quique Sanchez Flores’ well-drilled outfit.
West Bromwich Albion
Best win: 2-1 vs. Arsenal – Baggies rallied from behind to beat the Gunners in dramatic fashion. Great grit to dig deep.
Worst loss: 3-0 at Southampton – Failed to turn up and ever really threaten Saints. Pulis almost apologetic afterwards.
Star man: Jonny Evans – After arriving from Man United he’s improved West Brom’s defense markedly.
Toughest games remaining: Mar. 19 vs. Norwich, Apr. 2 at Sunderland, May 7 at Bournemouth.
Preseason hopes: After surviving under Pulis last season the hope was to push into the top 10.
Reality: That hasn’t been achieved but the Baggies have picked up just enough wins. Inching towards the magic 40-point marker.
West Ham United
Best win: 3-0 at Liverpool – Early season away form was sensational and Slaven Bilic‘s side battered Liverpool.
Worst loss: 4-1 at Tottenham – Outclassed by their London rivals, that one will have hurt the fans.
Star man: Dimitri Payet – A classy playmaker who the fans adore, he’s at the heart of the Hammers’ top six push.
Toughest games remaining: Mar. 2 vs. Tottenham, Mar. 19 at Chelsea, Apr. 23 vs. Man United.
Preseason hopes: With Bilic coming in, a top 10 finish was acceptable despite lots of money being spent.
Reality: A superb season so far for West Ham as they look likely to finish in the top six if they can keep everyone fit.
Best win: 3-0 win vs. Manchester United – Could be the big Leicester win but in terms of showcasing everything good about Arsenal, it was the opening 30 minutes of this game. Sublime.
Worst loss: 4-0 defeat at Southampton – Abysmal display for the Gunners and even though Wenger complained about no-calls it could’ve been more.
Star man: Mesut Ozil – Grabbing assists all over the place and is finally delivering consistently.
Toughest games remaining: Feb. 14 vs. Leicester City, Mar. 5 vs. Tottenham, May 7 at Man City,
Preseason hopes: Another top four finish expected, but title hopes were in the air.
Reality: The Gunners now have momentum and are the favorites to win the title. If they don’t, huge disappointment.
Aston Villa
Best win: 2-0 vs. Norwich – Well, there’s only been three so far and the latest gave them a smidgen of hope they could survive.
Worst loss: 6-0 vs. Liverpool – Just a week after beating Norwich they were stuffed. They gave up in the second half. A new low.
Star man: Idrissa Gueye has been the best of a bad bunch.
Toughest games remaining: Mar. 5 at Man City, Mar. 12 vs. Tottenham, May 15 at Arsenal.
Preseason hopes: With Tim Sherwood in charge there was talks of a mid-table finish or top 10 even.
Reality: Remi Garde has a huge job on his hands to keep Villa up. Eight points off safety with 12 games to go, Villa very likely to drop out of PL for first-ever time.
Bournemouth
Best win: 2-1 win vs. Man United – The Cherries dominated and it was a real David vs. Goliath moment.
Worst loss: 5-1 vs. Tottenham – Back-to-back 5-1 defeats at Man City and then against Spurs showed their defensive frailties.
Star man: Charlie Daniels – Flying left back has been a rock all season and whips in a mean cross.
Toughest games remaining: Mar. 19 at Tottenham, Apr. 2 vs. Man City, May 15 at Man United.
Preseason hopes: Everyone thought Eddie Howe‘s side would just avoid relegation and play some lovely stuff.
Reality: They have been fun to watch but big injuries to key players has hurt. Cherries hovering just above the bottom three. Relegation scrap is on.
Chelsea
Best win: 5-1 vs. Newcastle – Total demolition job of a poor Magpies side proved their resurgence is in full flow.
Worst loss: 3-0 at Man City – This was early in the season but it was when you realized Chelsea was way off the pace.
Star man: Diego Costa – A few lean spells this season but Costa has rebounded and found form to dig Chelsea out of trouble.
Toughest games remaining: Mar. 13 at Liverpool, Apr. 16 vs. Man City, Apr. 30 vs. Tottenham.
Preseason hopes: Well, everyone thought they’d win back-to-back titles but it has been a horrendous season.
Reality: Instead of title hopes, Jose Mourinho was fired and they were struggling above the drop zone. Guus Hiddink has steadied the ship. Top six isn’t out of the question.
Crystal Palace
Best win: 5-1 vs. Newcastle – A game where everything went right and the attacking talents clicked.
Worst loss: 2-1 vs. Bournemouth – Not the biggest defeat but it marked five losses on the spin. Rock bottom.
Star man: Scott Dann – The center back has chipped in with goals and looked as solid as ever.
Toughest games remaining: Mar. 12 at Man United, Mar. 19 vs. Leicester, Apr. 16 at Arsenal.
Preseason hopes: Hope was high that Alan Pardew‘s would qualify for the Europa League.
Reality: They have faded badly with only one point gained in 2016 so far but qualifying for Europe isn’t out of the question.
Everton
Best win: 3-1 vs. Chelsea – A Steven Naismith hat trick stunned the Blues and got Everton’s season going.
Worst loss: 3-0 vs. Man United – Louis Van Gaal‘s side dominated and the Toffees were in a sticky patch. There’s still concerns over their defense.
Star man: Romelu Lukaku – The big Belgian is banging in goals for fun this season.
Toughest games remaining: Mar. 19 vs. Arsenal, Apr. 2 at Man United, May 7 at Leicester.
Preseason hopes: The Toffees were expected to push for the top six this season after Roberto Martinez’s men stumbled in 2014-15.
Reality: A top six finish is well and truly on despite some struggles at the back.
Leicester City
Best win: 3-1 at Man City – So many stunning wins this season for Claudio Ranieri‘s men but this truly rubber-stamped their surprising title credentials.
Worst loss: 2-1 at Arsenal – Only three to pick from but the last-gasp loss at Arsenal seemed to be a pivotal moment. Can they recover.
Star man: Jamie Vardy – He leads the PL in goals and scored in 11-straight games to set a new record. Fairytale stuff. Riyad Mahrez a close second.
Toughest games remaining: Feb. 14 at Arsenal, Apr. 30 at Man United, May 15 at Chelsea.
Preseason hopes: Well, everyone thought they’d be relegated when Nigel Pearson left and Ranieri arrived.
Reality: They are two points clear at the top and are title contenders. Can they see it through? Even if they finish in the top four it will be a monumental achievement.
Liverpool
Best win: 4-1 at Man City – Jurgen Klopp‘s side ripped apart Man City away from home and provided plenty of promise.
Worst loss: 3-0 at Watford – Totally outplayed and outfought by the Hornets, Klopp saw how much work he had to do to rebuild things.
Star man: Roberto Firmino – He has really come into his own in recent weeks and is adding goals to his lively runs.
Toughest games remaining: Mar. 2 vs. Man City, Mar. 19 at Southampton, Apr. 2 vs. Tottenham.
Preseason hopes: Everyone through Brendan Rodgers‘ side could challenge for the top four. He was sacked a few months into the season.
Reality: Now that Klopp has everyone fit, a fifth-place finish will be the aim plus winning the League Cup and going far in the Europa League.
Manchester City
Best win: 3-0 win vs. Chelsea – They were flying at the start of the season and won five on the spin without conceding.
Worst loss: 4-1 at Tottenham – Awful defensive display as the absence of Vincent Kompany was crucial. A main theme of the season.
Star man: Sergio Aguero – Whenever City need him he pops up with vital goals. De Bruyne has been influential too before his injury.
Toughest games remaining: Mar. 2 at Liverpool, Mar. 20 vs. Man United, May 7 vs. Arsenal.
Preseason hopes: Manuel Pellegrini was expected to lead City to the title after a big summer of spending, but now he will leave and Pep Guardiola arrives this summer.
Reality: They are six points off the top with 12 games to go and fading after two defeat to Spurs and Leicester. History shows they can make a late charge, plus they can still four trophies.
Manchester United
Best win: 3-1 vs. Liverpool – Even in a season of struggled, beating your bitter rivals is key. A huge win for the Red Devils.
Worst loss: 2-0 at Stoke – On Boxing Day all of United’s flaws were exposed as they were totally dominated. Rumors around Louis van Gaal’s future began.
Star man: David De Gea – Despite starting the season on the bench due to a contract dispute he’s been sensational. Honorable mention for Anthony Martial too.
Toughest games remaining: Feb. 28 vs. Arsenal, Mar. 20 at Man City, Apr. 9 at Tottenham.
Preseason hopes: Van Gaal was expected to lead United towards a top two finish after spending plenty of cash. Yeah, about that.
Reality: Six points off the top four with 12 games left, it looks like LVG will leave this summer and be replaced by Mourinho. Another poor season.
Newcastle United
Best win: 2-0 vs. Liverpool – A solid display from Steve McClaren‘s side saw everything go to plan.
Worst loss: 5-1 at Chelsea – 3-0 down after 17 minutes, a shocking display from the Magpies which saw them drop into the bottom three.
Star man: Georginio Wijnaldum – Popped up with plenty of goals early in the season and remains Newcastle best hope of creating and scoring goals.
Toughest games remaining: Mar. 5 vs. Bournemouth, Mar. 20 vs. Sunderland, Apr. 2 at Norwich.
Preseason hopes: Everyone thought Newcastle would be in a relegation battle and they are.
Reality: Well, they are in the bottom three and despite plenty of money being spent they still seem woeful at the back. Expect a straight-battle with Sunderland for survival.
Norwich City
Best win: 2-1 at Man United – Historic victory for the Canaries away at United and everyone thought they’d be after this.
Worst loss: 5-4 vs. Liverpool – Okay, so they put up a heck of a fight but the fact they lost it with the last kick of the game was a sucker punch.
Star man: Dieumerci Mbokani – A real handful up front. Hasn’t scored that many goals but always an outlet.
Toughest games remaining:
Preseason hopes: Alex Neil‘s side were expecting a relegation battle and they are right in the thick of one.
Reality: So, in and out of the bottom three all season, five defeats on the spin recently has seen them drop like a stone.
Southampton
Best win: 4-0 vs. Arsenal – Everything clicked for Ronald Koeman‘s side and they were worthy winners.
Worst loss: 3-0 vs. Everton – First home game of the season resulted in a big defeat. The team took so long to gel.
Star man: Virgil Van Dijk – A rock at the heart of Saints’ defense, doesn’t get the plaudits but a big reason they recovered so well.
Toughest games remaining: Feb. 27 vs. Chelsea, Mar. 19 vs. Liverpool, May 7 at Tottenham.
Preseason hopes: Saints fans were hoping for another top eight finish and maybe to sneak into the top six.
Reality: They are sixth as things stand and Koeman is even talking about the top four. If they better last season’s seventh-place finish it would an even bigger achievement.
Stoke City
Best win: 2-0 vs. Man City – Total domination from Stoke as they showcased their talent with Bojan, Shaqiri and Arnautovic dominating.
Worst loss: 3-0 vs. Everton – They were outclassed throughout and the defeat was a third on the spin. Dark moment in the season.
Star man: Jack Butland – The young goalkeeper has been superb in his first full season in the PL. Pushing Joe Hart all the way for England.
Toughest games remaining: Apr. 9 at Liverpool, Apr. 16 vs. Tottenham, Apr. 23 at Man City.
Preseason hopes: Mark Hughes‘ men were looking to break into the top seven and do well in the cups.
Reality: Despite a recent wobble and losing on PKs in the League Cup semis, Stoke is on track to challenge for a top six finish.
Sunderland
Best win: 2-1 vs. Man United – A real momentum boost for Big Sam’s boys as they totally deserved the win.
Worst loss: 6-2 at Everton – Okay, so they looked dangerous going forward but the realization that new defenders were needed was painfully evident.
Star man: Jermain Defoe – Despite his age he is still banging in goals and has been a real threat this season.
Toughest games remaining: Mar. 20 at Newcastle, Apr 2. vs. West Brom, Apr. 16 at Norwich.
Preseason hopes: With Dick Advocaat in charge the Mackems were hoping to push into mid-table. Nope. He lost his job as another relegation battle occurs.
Reality: Allardyce will have to use all his nous to drag the Black Cats out of this mess but they can do this. They look very solid of late.
Swansea City
Best win: 2-1 vs. Man United – A big early season win saw Garry Monk‘s men tipped for big things. We all know how that worked out…
Worst loss: 4-2 vs. Sunderland – A defensive nightmare against a relegation rival showed that the Swans were all over the place.
Star man: Ashley Williams – The captain has had to stand up big, especially in recent weeks, as Swansea’s attackers have faltered.
Toughest games remaining: Mar. 12 at Bournemouth, Mar. 19 vs. Aston Villa, Apr. 16 at Newcastle.
Preseason hopes: Everybody thought the Swans would challenge for the top six under Monk but he was fired before Christmas.
Reality: Francesco Guidolin has a relegation battle on his hands. Swansea have shown signs of recovery but are right in the battle against the drop.
Tottenham Hotspur
Best win: 2-1 at Man City – This was a landmark moment for Spurs as they beat a title rival away from home and proved they’re the real deal.
Worst loss: 1-0 vs. Leicester – A game they should have won and lost late on after switching off at a set piece. Could be big down the stretch.
Star man: Dele Alli – The teenager has been a revelation and has knitted midfield and attack together superbly.
Toughest games remaining: Feb. 14 at Man City, Mar. 5 vs. Arsenal, Apr. 9 vs. Chelsea.
Preseason hopes: Hopes of a top four finish was high and they looks to have been achieved already.
Reality: They are the real deal and could win the title. Just two points off the top with 12 games to go, Mauricio Pochettino‘s has Spurs’ fans dreaming.
Watford
Best win: 3-0 vs. Liverpool – A marquee win where Watford got their tactics spot on. So many great victories for the Hornets this season.
Worst loss: 2-0 at Southampton – They just didn’t show up at St Mary’s and put in a dreadful display.
Star man: Odion Igloo – The Nigerian striker has been a beast this season scoring 15 times. Troy Deeney a close second for the newly-promoted club.
Toughest games remaining: Mar. 12 at West Ham, Apr. 9 vs. Everton, May 7 at Liverpool.
Preseason hopes: Everyone would have been expecting a relegation battle but Hornets fans have been pleasantly surprised.
Reality: They are comfortable in mid-table and a top 10 finish is easily attainable for Quique Sanchez Flores’ well-drilled outfit.
West Bromwich Albion
Best win: 2-1 vs. Arsenal – Baggies rallied from behind to beat the Gunners in dramatic fashion. Great grit to dig deep.
Worst loss: 3-0 at Southampton – Failed to turn up and ever really threaten Saints. Pulis almost apologetic afterwards.
Star man: Jonny Evans – After arriving from Man United he’s improved West Brom’s defense markedly.
Toughest games remaining: Mar. 19 vs. Norwich, Apr. 2 at Sunderland, May 7 at Bournemouth.
Preseason hopes: After surviving under Pulis last season the hope was to push into the top 10.
Reality: That hasn’t been achieved but the Baggies have picked up just enough wins. Inching towards the magic 40-point marker.
West Ham United
Best win: 3-0 at Liverpool – Early season away form was sensational and Slaven Bilic‘s side battered Liverpool.
Worst loss: 4-1 at Tottenham – Outclassed by their London rivals, that one will have hurt the fans.
Star man: Dimitri Payet – A classy playmaker who the fans adore, he’s at the heart of the Hammers’ top six push.
Toughest games remaining: Mar. 2 vs. Tottenham, Mar. 19 at Chelsea, Apr. 23 vs. Man United.
Preseason hopes: With Bilic coming in, a top 10 finish was acceptable despite lots of money being spent.
Reality: A superb season so far for West Ham as they look likely to finish in the top six if they can keep everyone fit.
By Dan Santaromita
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Representing your country is one of the highest honors in sports.
Matt Polster had that chance while training with the U.S. National Team during the annual January camp. Now the Fire’s second-year midfielder is hoping to improve upon his positive debut season.
Polster didn’t get to play during the two friendlies the U.S. played to conclude the training camp, but he still figures to be a part of the U-23 squad that hopes to qualify for the Olympics via a two-leg playoff against Colombia in March.
“It was a great experience being with all those players,” Polster said. “I think the caliber of coaches made the experience very good obviously. I was able to learn a lot. I picked up some things from veteran players like Michael Bradley and how they prepare themselves before training and games.
“I picked up some things on how they prepared, how they work during training and how mentally engaged they were through everything.”
Polster initially received an email saying he was being considered for the camp. He later got the call from manager Jurgen Klinsmann to make it official that he would be a part of the group. Polster said he immediately called his parents and some friends to share the news.
Despite not playing in a match, training with a select group of players was something that Polster, who had not represented the U.S. at any other youth level, was honored by.
“That’s the highest thing you can do is play for your national team so to get that opportunity to play for the national team and put the shirt on and represent the country I think is a huge step for my career,” Polster said. “I think I did well in camp, which is a little bit of a confidence booster as well. I think each part of camp was slowly building confidence, getting a rhythm and building up for Chicago.”
Polster was joined by Fire teammates Sean Johnson and Brandon Vincent at the training camp. The trio joined the Fire midway through the club’s stay in Tampa for the preseason.
Upon arriving in Tampa, Polster noticed changes under first-year coach Veljko Paunovic.
“He’s very hands on,” Polster said of Paunovic. “He’s always engaged. He likes to stop sessions, let us know what we’re doing wrong, what we can do better or even sometimes stop and say that was good. I think he’s tactically very smart. I think we’re going to have an idea of how we want to go forward, how we want to defend, how we want to build out of the back.”
Individually, Polster admitted he has some things to sharpen up. On the team side, Polster said the returning Fire players have something to prove after a disappointing season last year.
Polster’s desire to improve is something that stood out to Paunovic.
By Brad Evans
DA BULLS (MOVING UP)
Wisconsin Badgers (16-9, RPI: 49, SOS: 14, Current Seed: 8)
Beer, cheese, the Packers, corrupt sheriffs, busted fantasy running backs and Badger tourney appearances – that's what Wisconsin is known for. Thought to be six-feet under when the ball dropped on 2016, the Badgers are very much alive for an at-large. Credit Greg Gard. When Bo Ryan shockingly stepped down in December, Wisconsin had the look of a basement-bound team. Horrendous downfalls to Milwaukee and Marquette had it teetering on .500. A 1-4 start in Big Ten play only complicated matters. But Gard's commitment, timely tweaks and overall execution have the Badgers, winners of seven in a row, on pace to secure their 18th-straight NCAA Tournament bid. Considering how far they've come, their rebound is nothing short of remarkable. The reasons for the turnaround: 1) Tough halfcourt defense. Wisky has forced turnovers on 20.4 percent of opponent possessions in B1G play. 2) Outside touch. Since early January, the Badgers have tickled the twine netting 38.8 percent of their three-point attempts. During that stretch arc assassin Bronson Koenig drained at least three treys in a contest six times. 3) Vitto Brown. The junior forward has added a much-needed third scorer which has taken pressure off Nigel Hayes and Koenig. He's scored a combined 51 points in his past three games. Though coursing an encouraging path, Bucky isn't quite out of the woods. Brutal road matchups at Michigan St., Iowa and Purdue could run it through the ringer. Still, play .500 ball the rest of the way and an invitation to the Dance is a foregone conclusion.
California Golden Bears (17-8, RPI: 27, SOS: 16, Current Seed: 7)
The Golden Bears, doing their best 'Revenant' impersonation, are starting to maul the competition. In back-to-back home games, they turned Beaver State reps Oregon and Oregon St. into pelts, winning by 20 and 12 points respectively. Cuonzo Martin has assembled a potentially lethal team. Paired with talented upperclassman Tyrone Wallace, Jordan Matthews and Jabari Bird, freshmen Jaylen Brown and Ivan Rabb, both projected NBA lottery picks, have proven indispensable. Brown has scored double-figures in 10 consecutive games. Rabb, meanwhile, has developed into a paint enforcer functioning as the club's premier rebounder/shot blocker. Opponent threes have bit the Bears at times, but they deny down low and possess the athleticism, length and balance indicative of at Sweet Sixteen contender. And don't judge them harshly for their January swoon. Wallace's five-game absence due to a broken hand explains the underachievement. With only one true road win to Cal's name (Wyoming), it must thicken away from Haas, especially down the stretch. Four of its last six games are on the road. Split in those contests and handle UCLA and USC at home, and the Bears have a reasonable chance at a No. 6 seed. Regardless of their tourney slotting, this is a squad with bracket-wrecking qualities. Remember the name when filling out your brackets.
Texas Tech Red Raiders (16-9, RPI: 27, SOS: 3, Current Seed: 10)
Bellied up to a bar watching highlights of Texas Tech's latest top-25 toppling Wednesday night and a fellow patron blurted out "Is that Tubby?" Yes, believe it or not, the 64-year-old Smith, in his fifth head gig, is showing he still owns the coaching chops. Other than Wisconsin, no team has rocketed up the Big Board over the past week than the fine technical institution in Lubbock. During that stretch its registered wins against some of the Big 12's elites, undercutting Iowa St., Baylor and, most recently, Oklahoma. Wednesday's heart-stopper over the Sooners wasn't without controversy. Toddrick Gotcher's overly jubilant sprint up the court, with ball in hand and ticks remaining on the clock, should've given Buddy Hield one last shot. However, it was as a win and, most importantly for tourney selection exercises, a triumph over a top-10 RPI team. Match that with 'Tech's shiny No. 3 strength of schedule and it has a healthy argument for an at-large bid. Keep in mind it possesses more RPI top-50 wins than Duke, Purdue and Arizona. Punctual contributions from swingman Aaron Ross and Keenan Evans has the Red Raiders offense humming. As a team, they've totaled a blistering 1.22 points per possession in their last three games. Difficult road tilts at Kansas and West Virginia remain, but if TTU goes 3-2 rest of the way, the Selection Committee will be hard-pressed to leave it out of the field.
DA BEARS (MOVING DOWN)
Oregon Ducks (20-6, RPI: 3, SOS: 2, Current Seed: 3)
Less than 10 days ago there were few ripples on the pond. With a top-three strength of schedule and RPI and numerous signature wins, the Ducks were in position to compete for a No. 1 seed. But one road trashing in Berkeley and unexpected slide at Stanford later, and the former Pac-12 pacesetter is on the verge of becoming foie gras. Tied atop the league pecking order with Arizona, and with Utah, Colorado, USC and Cal nipping at their heels, Oregon is no longer a lock even for a top-three overall seed. Make no mistake, despite its recent slide, this is still a club capable of stringing together multiple postseason wins. Equipped with bouncy bigs and smooth, speedy guards, the Ducks present ample matchup problems. Dillion Brooks and Elgin Cooks, who combined average 30.5 points per game, are established scorers. Their contributions along with Tyler Dorsey's outside accuracy (40.2 3PT%), Travis Benjamin's versatility and Chris Boucher's shot-blocking ability make the Quackers balanced. Lapses on D are responsible for their recent decline, but if Dana Altman can reverse the trend, they should sprint to the finish line. Their next three, against Oregon St. and the Washington schools, are at the Knight Center. A pair of road bouts in LA round out the regular season. Assuming Oregon can go at least 4-1 over that span and show respectably in the Pac-12 tourney, it should seal a No. 3 or a No. 2 seed.
Wichita St. Shockers (19-7, RPI: 49, SOS: 91, Current Seed: 8)
Unable to dodge the scythe, the Wheat Shockers, a near at-large lock just two weeks ago, have themselves in a perilous position. Crippling losses to Illinois St. and Northern Iowa, a pair of 100-plus RPI black eyes, leaves Wichita with zero margin for error. Secondary measurements, like KenPom.com, view the Missouri Valley rep fondly (Rank No. 11), but a meatless resume should have Shocker Nation feeling squeamish. A 17-point take down of Utah in non-conference action is its only top-85 KenPom win. Stumble again, and reputation alone won't save it. To prevent another catastrophe, engine-drivers Fred VanVleet and Ron Baker must shoot the rock better. Against the Redbirds and Panthers they were a hideous 4-for-29 from three. Wichita regained its legs versus New Mexico St., and the Selection Committee will surely take into account its myriad early-season injuries, but securing the Valley's auto bid is almost a necessity. Similar to a St. Joe's or St. Mary's, the quality wins just aren't there. Still, if they can sneak into the field, watch out. Baker and VanVleet's experience and the Shockers' rigid defense (No. 2 in D efficiency nationally) could threaten a big boy if they land on the 8/9 line.
South Carolina Gamecocks (21-5, RPI: 34, SOS: 117, Current Seed: 8)
Sliced and diced by the competition, the Gamecocks were turned into a nacho topping versus Kentucky and, unbelievably, Missouri. Though spanked by the Wildcats on their home floor, the lopsided loss wasn't completely unexpected. Big Blue's rich talent and stalwart D completely overwhelmed them. Whether in zone or man, they simply couldn't slow down Tyler Ulis and Jamaal Murray. In that contest South Carolina yielded a season-worst 1.25 points per possession. Equally deplorable on offense, it doesn't take a brainiac to understand why it suffered the 27-point defeat. What's most puzzling, and potentially troubling, was USC's downfall to Mizzou, which prior to delivering the shocker special was 2-10 in SEC action. Frank Martin's club did coax 17 turnovers in the game, but once again failed miserably on the offensive end, netting 0.89 points per possession. When at their best, the Gamecocks put up a wall defensively. They generate tons of offensive boards, draw contact and get to the line. However, on the other end, they often fall asleep at the wheel. Duane Notice and Michael Carrera are the only true outside threats on roster and Sindarius Threadwell is wildly inconsistent. Because of their horrid non-conference strength of schedule and with only one quality opponent left on the schedule (Florida), an unfavorable seed, presumably in the No. 7-9 range, awaits.
DA BULLS (MOVING UP)
Wisconsin Badgers (16-9, RPI: 49, SOS: 14, Current Seed: 8)
Beer, cheese, the Packers, corrupt sheriffs, busted fantasy running backs and Badger tourney appearances – that's what Wisconsin is known for. Thought to be six-feet under when the ball dropped on 2016, the Badgers are very much alive for an at-large. Credit Greg Gard. When Bo Ryan shockingly stepped down in December, Wisconsin had the look of a basement-bound team. Horrendous downfalls to Milwaukee and Marquette had it teetering on .500. A 1-4 start in Big Ten play only complicated matters. But Gard's commitment, timely tweaks and overall execution have the Badgers, winners of seven in a row, on pace to secure their 18th-straight NCAA Tournament bid. Considering how far they've come, their rebound is nothing short of remarkable. The reasons for the turnaround: 1) Tough halfcourt defense. Wisky has forced turnovers on 20.4 percent of opponent possessions in B1G play. 2) Outside touch. Since early January, the Badgers have tickled the twine netting 38.8 percent of their three-point attempts. During that stretch arc assassin Bronson Koenig drained at least three treys in a contest six times. 3) Vitto Brown. The junior forward has added a much-needed third scorer which has taken pressure off Nigel Hayes and Koenig. He's scored a combined 51 points in his past three games. Though coursing an encouraging path, Bucky isn't quite out of the woods. Brutal road matchups at Michigan St., Iowa and Purdue could run it through the ringer. Still, play .500 ball the rest of the way and an invitation to the Dance is a foregone conclusion.
California Golden Bears (17-8, RPI: 27, SOS: 16, Current Seed: 7)
The Golden Bears, doing their best 'Revenant' impersonation, are starting to maul the competition. In back-to-back home games, they turned Beaver State reps Oregon and Oregon St. into pelts, winning by 20 and 12 points respectively. Cuonzo Martin has assembled a potentially lethal team. Paired with talented upperclassman Tyrone Wallace, Jordan Matthews and Jabari Bird, freshmen Jaylen Brown and Ivan Rabb, both projected NBA lottery picks, have proven indispensable. Brown has scored double-figures in 10 consecutive games. Rabb, meanwhile, has developed into a paint enforcer functioning as the club's premier rebounder/shot blocker. Opponent threes have bit the Bears at times, but they deny down low and possess the athleticism, length and balance indicative of at Sweet Sixteen contender. And don't judge them harshly for their January swoon. Wallace's five-game absence due to a broken hand explains the underachievement. With only one true road win to Cal's name (Wyoming), it must thicken away from Haas, especially down the stretch. Four of its last six games are on the road. Split in those contests and handle UCLA and USC at home, and the Bears have a reasonable chance at a No. 6 seed. Regardless of their tourney slotting, this is a squad with bracket-wrecking qualities. Remember the name when filling out your brackets.
Texas Tech Red Raiders (16-9, RPI: 27, SOS: 3, Current Seed: 10)
Bellied up to a bar watching highlights of Texas Tech's latest top-25 toppling Wednesday night and a fellow patron blurted out "Is that Tubby?" Yes, believe it or not, the 64-year-old Smith, in his fifth head gig, is showing he still owns the coaching chops. Other than Wisconsin, no team has rocketed up the Big Board over the past week than the fine technical institution in Lubbock. During that stretch its registered wins against some of the Big 12's elites, undercutting Iowa St., Baylor and, most recently, Oklahoma. Wednesday's heart-stopper over the Sooners wasn't without controversy. Toddrick Gotcher's overly jubilant sprint up the court, with ball in hand and ticks remaining on the clock, should've given Buddy Hield one last shot. However, it was as a win and, most importantly for tourney selection exercises, a triumph over a top-10 RPI team. Match that with 'Tech's shiny No. 3 strength of schedule and it has a healthy argument for an at-large bid. Keep in mind it possesses more RPI top-50 wins than Duke, Purdue and Arizona. Punctual contributions from swingman Aaron Ross and Keenan Evans has the Red Raiders offense humming. As a team, they've totaled a blistering 1.22 points per possession in their last three games. Difficult road tilts at Kansas and West Virginia remain, but if TTU goes 3-2 rest of the way, the Selection Committee will be hard-pressed to leave it out of the field.
DA BEARS (MOVING DOWN)
Oregon Ducks (20-6, RPI: 3, SOS: 2, Current Seed: 3)
Less than 10 days ago there were few ripples on the pond. With a top-three strength of schedule and RPI and numerous signature wins, the Ducks were in position to compete for a No. 1 seed. But one road trashing in Berkeley and unexpected slide at Stanford later, and the former Pac-12 pacesetter is on the verge of becoming foie gras. Tied atop the league pecking order with Arizona, and with Utah, Colorado, USC and Cal nipping at their heels, Oregon is no longer a lock even for a top-three overall seed. Make no mistake, despite its recent slide, this is still a club capable of stringing together multiple postseason wins. Equipped with bouncy bigs and smooth, speedy guards, the Ducks present ample matchup problems. Dillion Brooks and Elgin Cooks, who combined average 30.5 points per game, are established scorers. Their contributions along with Tyler Dorsey's outside accuracy (40.2 3PT%), Travis Benjamin's versatility and Chris Boucher's shot-blocking ability make the Quackers balanced. Lapses on D are responsible for their recent decline, but if Dana Altman can reverse the trend, they should sprint to the finish line. Their next three, against Oregon St. and the Washington schools, are at the Knight Center. A pair of road bouts in LA round out the regular season. Assuming Oregon can go at least 4-1 over that span and show respectably in the Pac-12 tourney, it should seal a No. 3 or a No. 2 seed.
Wichita St. Shockers (19-7, RPI: 49, SOS: 91, Current Seed: 8)
Unable to dodge the scythe, the Wheat Shockers, a near at-large lock just two weeks ago, have themselves in a perilous position. Crippling losses to Illinois St. and Northern Iowa, a pair of 100-plus RPI black eyes, leaves Wichita with zero margin for error. Secondary measurements, like KenPom.com, view the Missouri Valley rep fondly (Rank No. 11), but a meatless resume should have Shocker Nation feeling squeamish. A 17-point take down of Utah in non-conference action is its only top-85 KenPom win. Stumble again, and reputation alone won't save it. To prevent another catastrophe, engine-drivers Fred VanVleet and Ron Baker must shoot the rock better. Against the Redbirds and Panthers they were a hideous 4-for-29 from three. Wichita regained its legs versus New Mexico St., and the Selection Committee will surely take into account its myriad early-season injuries, but securing the Valley's auto bid is almost a necessity. Similar to a St. Joe's or St. Mary's, the quality wins just aren't there. Still, if they can sneak into the field, watch out. Baker and VanVleet's experience and the Shockers' rigid defense (No. 2 in D efficiency nationally) could threaten a big boy if they land on the 8/9 line.
South Carolina Gamecocks (21-5, RPI: 34, SOS: 117, Current Seed: 8)
Sliced and diced by the competition, the Gamecocks were turned into a nacho topping versus Kentucky and, unbelievably, Missouri. Though spanked by the Wildcats on their home floor, the lopsided loss wasn't completely unexpected. Big Blue's rich talent and stalwart D completely overwhelmed them. Whether in zone or man, they simply couldn't slow down Tyler Ulis and Jamaal Murray. In that contest South Carolina yielded a season-worst 1.25 points per possession. Equally deplorable on offense, it doesn't take a brainiac to understand why it suffered the 27-point defeat. What's most puzzling, and potentially troubling, was USC's downfall to Mizzou, which prior to delivering the shocker special was 2-10 in SEC action. Frank Martin's club did coax 17 turnovers in the game, but once again failed miserably on the offensive end, netting 0.89 points per possession. When at their best, the Gamecocks put up a wall defensively. They generate tons of offensive boards, draw contact and get to the line. However, on the other end, they often fall asleep at the wheel. Duane Notice and Michael Carrera are the only true outside threats on roster and Sindarius Threadwell is wildly inconsistent. Because of their horrid non-conference strength of schedule and with only one quality opponent left on the schedule (Florida), an unfavorable seed, presumably in the No. 7-9 range, awaits.
By STEVEN WINE
The Hurricanes pledge to take it one showdown at a time.
No. 11 Miami faces four consecutive league games against ranked teams over a 12-day span beginning Saturday at No. 5 North Carolina. The Hurricanes and Tar Heels are tied for first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference at 10-3, with Virginia third at 10-4.
''Our game Saturday is for first place,'' Larranaga said Thursday. ''Our game on Monday could be for first place. Then the game the following Saturday could be for first place. And then the game the next Wednesday could be for first place. But only if you win.
''These are very challenging games, but ones you look forward to.''
The Hurricanes (21-4 overall) forged a tie for first Wednesday night, when they beat Virginia Tech and North Carolina lost to Duke.
''It feels good, but not great,'' senior guard Angel Rodriguez said. ''There are a lot of games left, a lot of tough games for us and for everybody in the conference. We can be in first place now, but if we don't do what we're supposed to do, we can finish in fifth place, literally. It's that close.''
The Hurricanes have won five in a row, have a 5-3 road record in the league and aren't inclined to make too much of their first trip to Chapel Hill in two years.
''It's sort of just another game,'' Rodriguez said. ''I know we're tied for first place, but we've got to treat it like any other game and not let anything else get in our heads. You've got to play defense and put the ball in the basket.''
Miami expects to benefit from the return of sixth man Ja'Quan Newton, who missed Wednesday's game because of an unspecified medical issue. He was cleared to practice Thursday.
The Hurricanes were 2-16 against North Carolina before Larranaga became coach in 2011. He has gone 4-3 against the Tar Heels, and won the past two visits to Chapel Hill - two and three years ago.
But Rodriguez has never played there, and leading scorer Sheldon McClellan is 0-1 at Carolina, losing in 2011 when he was a freshman with Texas.''The year I played there they had Harrison Barnes,'' McClellan said. ''We lost pretty bad, so the crowd wasn't really into it. I guess they thought it was a boring game. But the fans know what is at stake Saturday. We've got to be ready.''
Larranaga has been going against the Tar Heels since the 1970s, when he was an assistant coach. He's 5-4 against them as a head coach but has probably lost more than he has won competing with them in recruiting.
One example: Tar Heels starting guard Joel Berry II. He was a high school junior in Apopka, Florida, when he decided to attend North Carolina.
''Joel Berry was our primary target,'' Larranaga said. ''We started recruiting him when he was in the 10th grade, and we worked very, very hard for the next two years. I was happy at least he made an early decision, and we didn't have to spend another year and half recruiting him to find out he was still going to Carolina.''
Alabama's surprise hire of Avery Johnson is paying off; other SEC hires, not so much.
By Pat Forde
Avery Johnson directs his team during a win over Norfolk State. (Photo/AP)
Of the three new basketball coaching hires in the Southeastern Conference last spring, Alabama’s was the least celebrated.
Avery Johnson was the choice, and it was a bit of a deflating one for Crimson Tide fans who had gotten their hopes up for Wichita State’s Gregg Marshall. He left Alabama standing at the altar, and ex-NBA coach Johnson was a scrambling, underwhelming contingency plan.
Avery Johnson was the choice, and it was a bit of a deflating one for Crimson Tide fans who had gotten their hopes up for Wichita State’s Gregg Marshall. He left Alabama standing at the altar, and ex-NBA coach Johnson was a scrambling, underwhelming contingency plan.
Meanwhile, Mississippi State was buzzing after hiring three-time Final Four coach Ben Howland. And Tennessee quickly grabbed one-time Final Four coach Rick Barnes on the rebound after his firing at Texas.
Johnson? Let’s just say expectations were kept in check.
Today, Johnson would be the first pick of the Second-Chance Derby that gripped the SEC. Throwing Bruce Pearl (Auburn hire in 2014) into the mix, only one has his fan base excited about the present, as opposed to a non-specific enthusiasm about an unguaranteed future.
In October, the SEC media picked Alabama to finish 13th in the 14-team league. Mississippi State was picked eighth, Auburn 10th, Tennessee 12th. Today, the Crimson Tide is tied for sixth at 16-9 overall, 7-6 in league play. The Volunteers (12-13, 5-7) are in 10th, while the Bulldogs (11-14, 4-9) and Tigers (10-15, 4-9) are tied for 12th.
Of the four, Alabama is the only NCAA tournament prospect – its current five-game winning streak, highlighted by road wins over Florida and LSU within the last week, have catapulted the Tide into most mock brackets. With victories away from Tuscaloosa over Notre Dame, Wichita State and Clemson in non-conference play, ‘Bama would have to screw it up down the stretch to miss the tourney this year.
Which can happen. The Tide isn't talented enough to guarantee it won't lose its newfound momentum. But for a program that last crashed the Big Dance in 2012 and has just one bid since 2006, this is big. Unexpectedly big.
“We’ve come a long way,” Johnson said Wednesday night, after the win at LSU. “We don’t have four pros on our team.”
That might have been some shade thrown on well-shaded LSU coach Johnny Jones, who has turned likely 2016 No. 1 pick Ben Simmons & Co. into a bubble team. But it’s also the truth. Upon taking over for Anthony Grant, there was some question of whether Alabama had four SEC-caliber players on its roster.
Alabama had three players average double figures last season, and all of them departed the program. Nobody returned who averaged more than 5.2 rebounds or 1.4 assists in 2015-16. The leading returning scorer was Shannon Hale, at 8.2 points per game, and he’s scored just 22 total points during this five-game winning streak while missing two of the games.
The key player for the Tide has been senior guard Retin Obasohan, a 6.2 points-per-game guy last year who is now leading the team at 16.7 per, punctuated by a career-high 35 at LSU.
Yet here ‘Bama is, rising through the SEC’s sprawling middle class, making its presence known.
“When we win, it’s a celebration,” Johnson said. “Because coming into this season, we didn’t know what we were dealing with.”
Neither did Alabama know what it was getting in Johnson. There were no guarantees that the school had hired the right guy.
He had an NBA résumé, but it had lost its luster over the years. He had winning records at Dallas from 2005-08, but was 60-116 in two-plus seasons with the Nets before being fired in December 2012. After spending time working as a TV analyst, Avery Johnson had become a cold name in NBA coaching circles – and a non-existent one on the collegiate level.
But every indication is that Johnson has thrown himself into this new challenge. He’s not just here collecting a paycheck. People who have been to practice say Johnson is coaching with the same drive that pushed him from an undrafted free agent to a 16-year NBA player.
So Johnson has paid the fastest dividends of the SEC second-chance coaches. The question is, when will the other moves pay off? Or will they?
All three have had at least one rally-the-base victory this season: Pearl shocked Kentucky and beat Alabama in back-to-back mid-January games; Barnes rallied from 21 down to Kentucky for a stunning upset Feb. 2; and Howland’s Bulldogs overcame a 17-point deficit Tuesday night to beat Vanderbilt at the buzzer.
But has the base really rallied at those schools? Not according to attendance figures.
Mississippi State, despite landing five-star recruit Malik Newman from Jackson, Miss., has seen a very minor fan increase – attendance is up 180 per game from last year. Auburn attendance is up less than 600 per game – a bump that might be solely attributable to playing Kentucky at home, after not getting the Wildcats in Auburn last season, and having already hosted Alabama. Tennessee’s attendance is down nearly 1,300 per game.
At Alabama? The fans are demonstrably more engaged. Average attendance has shot up from 10,177 last year to 12,863 this season. Coleman Coliseum, capacity 15,316, is sold out for Saturday’s visit from Mississippi State. That’s the fifth sellout of the year, the first time the Tide has sold out that many games in a season since 2006-07.
Avery Johnson is the difference. The underwhelming backup plan might have been the least-exciting hire in the SEC last year, but he’s having the fastest impact.
NCAAFB: Illini name one of their own as athletics director,
By Zach Barnett
(Photo/Getty Images)
A three-month search beginning with the firing of Mike Thomas has finally come to an end as Illinois announced Josh Whitman as athletics director on Wednesday.
Whitman, 37, is a four-year Illini starting tight end, and an Academic All-American that played parts of four seasons for the San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks (pictured) and Buffalo Bills. On top of his bachelor’s degree in finance, Whitman graduated summa cum laude from Illinois’ law school in 2008. After law school he served as a judicial law clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals, in a Washington, D.C., law firms with a client list including Microsoft and the NFL and, most recently, as the athletics director at Wisconsin-La Crosse and Washington University in St. Louis.
He’s the type of candidate that makes you wonder why Illinois’ eight-person search committee and the Korn Ferry search firm needed three months to find.
“It is a dream come true for me to return to my alma mater as the next director of athletics,” Whitman said in a statement. “With strong leadership, a bold vision, daring integrity and an unparalleled commitment from a unified and active Illini Nation, together we can build an athletics program befitting our great institution. I would like to thank the Board of Trustees, President Killeen, Chancellor Wilson and Illini everywhere for their trust and faith in me. I will work tirelessly to achieve our goals. The future is bright for the Illini.”
Whitman’s appointment as Illinois’ 14th full-time AD places him between interim chancellor Barbara Wilson and full-time interim head football coach Bill Cubit, who turned a pinch hit at bat for Tim Beckman into a two-year contract earlier this winter.
“He understands the business of modern college athletics, but he hasn’t lost any of the sense of fun and joy that should be part of amateur sports,” Wilson said. “At Illinois we want to compete hard, act with integrity and give our student-athletes the kind of positive experiences that stay with them throughout their lives and careers. If you want to see what that looks like, you just have to look at the leadership and accomplishments of Josh Whitman.”
Whitman was introduced Thursday morning in Champaign.
John Swofford: NCAA needs to look at Jim Harbaugh’s spring break plans.
By Kevin McGuire
Whitman, 37, is a four-year Illini starting tight end, and an Academic All-American that played parts of four seasons for the San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks (pictured) and Buffalo Bills. On top of his bachelor’s degree in finance, Whitman graduated summa cum laude from Illinois’ law school in 2008. After law school he served as a judicial law clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals, in a Washington, D.C., law firms with a client list including Microsoft and the NFL and, most recently, as the athletics director at Wisconsin-La Crosse and Washington University in St. Louis.
He’s the type of candidate that makes you wonder why Illinois’ eight-person search committee and the Korn Ferry search firm needed three months to find.
“It is a dream come true for me to return to my alma mater as the next director of athletics,” Whitman said in a statement. “With strong leadership, a bold vision, daring integrity and an unparalleled commitment from a unified and active Illini Nation, together we can build an athletics program befitting our great institution. I would like to thank the Board of Trustees, President Killeen, Chancellor Wilson and Illini everywhere for their trust and faith in me. I will work tirelessly to achieve our goals. The future is bright for the Illini.”
Whitman’s appointment as Illinois’ 14th full-time AD places him between interim chancellor Barbara Wilson and full-time interim head football coach Bill Cubit, who turned a pinch hit at bat for Tim Beckman into a two-year contract earlier this winter.
“He understands the business of modern college athletics, but he hasn’t lost any of the sense of fun and joy that should be part of amateur sports,” Wilson said. “At Illinois we want to compete hard, act with integrity and give our student-athletes the kind of positive experiences that stay with them throughout their lives and careers. If you want to see what that looks like, you just have to look at the leadership and accomplishments of Josh Whitman.”
Whitman was introduced Thursday morning in Champaign.
John Swofford: NCAA needs to look at Jim Harbaugh’s spring break plans.
By Kevin McGuire
(Photo/AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
It seems there is another voice sharing his displeasure over the plans Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh has to moving spring football practices down south during spring break. Enter ACC commissioner John Swofford.
“I think the NCAA needs to look at that, yes,” Swofford said in a story posted on ESPN.com by Andrea Adelson. “I’m not sure I’ve ever even heard that brought up before. So that’s a new twist.”
Swofford is right. It has never been brought up before. That is because Harbaugh is looking for new ways to run and build his program. Moving spring football practices to another location is currently allowed under the current NCAA rules and bylaws, but it was expected it would receive some pushback from the SEC and ACC just as Harbaugh and others received from taking advantage of satellite camp rules last summer (don’t worry, this will surely be a hot topic once again this summer). Last week the SEC made a request to the NCAA to amend the current rules so spring football practices could not be held over that school’s spring break (which is when Harbaugh wanted to take the Wolverines to Florida this spring).
Swofford’s comments will be hidden behind the veil of concern over time demands for student-athletes, but it should not take a rocket scientist to realize the greater concern those around the ACC and SEC will have. They are worried programs from the north will transplant spring practices to the south and generate buzz and build stronger recruiting relationships on their soil. Everything is about competitive advantages, deep down inside. Swofford, the ACC and SEC are not specifically concerned over Michigan’s spring practice schedule. They are more focused on how it could open the doors to others following Michigan’s lead and what it could potentially do for the ACC and SEC brands. If the Big Ten is OK with Michigan moving south, and so far there has been no indication suggesting it is not, then maybe the SEC and ACC should continue to focus on their own members and stop expressing concern over what Harbaugh does at Michigan.
If Harbaugh’s plans are put on ice, so be it. That will not stop him from finding another avenue to travel within the NCAA rules to build his program.
“I think the NCAA needs to look at that, yes,” Swofford said in a story posted on ESPN.com by Andrea Adelson. “I’m not sure I’ve ever even heard that brought up before. So that’s a new twist.”
Swofford is right. It has never been brought up before. That is because Harbaugh is looking for new ways to run and build his program. Moving spring football practices to another location is currently allowed under the current NCAA rules and bylaws, but it was expected it would receive some pushback from the SEC and ACC just as Harbaugh and others received from taking advantage of satellite camp rules last summer (don’t worry, this will surely be a hot topic once again this summer). Last week the SEC made a request to the NCAA to amend the current rules so spring football practices could not be held over that school’s spring break (which is when Harbaugh wanted to take the Wolverines to Florida this spring).
Swofford’s comments will be hidden behind the veil of concern over time demands for student-athletes, but it should not take a rocket scientist to realize the greater concern those around the ACC and SEC will have. They are worried programs from the north will transplant spring practices to the south and generate buzz and build stronger recruiting relationships on their soil. Everything is about competitive advantages, deep down inside. Swofford, the ACC and SEC are not specifically concerned over Michigan’s spring practice schedule. They are more focused on how it could open the doors to others following Michigan’s lead and what it could potentially do for the ACC and SEC brands. If the Big Ten is OK with Michigan moving south, and so far there has been no indication suggesting it is not, then maybe the SEC and ACC should continue to focus on their own members and stop expressing concern over what Harbaugh does at Michigan.
If Harbaugh’s plans are put on ice, so be it. That will not stop him from finding another avenue to travel within the NCAA rules to build his program.
Bulls trade deadline rule: Either Pau Gasol and others leave -- or John Paxson and Gar Forman do. What's Your Take?
By Steve Rosenbloom
Bulls Coach Fred Hoiberg (Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
The Bulls reportedly were "aggressively shopping" Pau Gasol. Presumably that means more aggressively than Gasol plays the pick and roll.
It had better mean that. No. Wait. It had better mean more than that, and here’s why:
If Gasol is still a Bull by today's 2 p.m. CT trade deadline, then Bulls management wonks will have handled the trade deadline as badly as it mangled the coaching change, and hasn't that been special?
It feels like today comes down to this: Either Gasol leaves the Bulls or Gar Forman and John Paxson do.
None of them appear to be worth saving, much like this season.
Any deal that dumps Gasol and anything else from the roster -- anything else --works for me. Gasol is going to opt out of his contract this summer anyway. Help him opt out now.
Not surprisingly, the Bulls seem to be overplaying this one. Our Bulls Bigfoot K.C. Johnson reports they are asking for a first-round pick and a rotation player for Gasol, who apparently became Andre Drummond over the All-Star break.
The Bulls should take half of that and offer to pay for Gasol’s flight.
The Bulls are also reportedly talking with the Kings, but apparently not to acquire DeMarcus Cousins. Of course not. Because that would be franchise changing. Wouldn’t want that to happen, would we, GarPax?
One rumor has Gasol and Tony Snell going to Sacramento for Kosta Koufos, Ben McLemore and a draft pick the Bulls already own but would then have greater lottery opportunities.
The more draft picks, the better. The more athletic the Bulls can become, the better.
If they trade Gasol while Jimmy Butler is out for another three weeks or so, they could end up with two lottery picks because the Bulls team that has descended to seventh in the Eastern Conference probably would miss the playoffs.
And missing the playoffs is fine with me. That’s actually progress. That will force progress. That will force Bulls management wonks to admit the reality that they blew it.
They can blame injuries, and that’s part of it. But it’s a bigger issue when your new coach isn’t really coaching, when your new max player won’t run the coach’s game after calling out the coach, when your former max player is only an average player, and when all those first-round draft picks look clueless on the court.
If Fred Hoiberg did nothing else, he should’ve made Doug McDermott, Niko Mirotic, Tony Snell and Bobby Portis better. Still waiting for that. Waiting. Wait. Ing.
If Butler wants to run his own offense, then that apparently is out of the substitute teacher’s control.
If Gasol isn’t going to guard anybody, then he apparently doesn’t have to and there are no consequences to his playing time.
If Derrick Rose is going to play the game at whatever speed he wants, no matter what the substitute teacher wants and no matter that Rose is an average player now, then he’ll do exactly that.
But, geez, the younger players shouldn’t look like D-Leaguers.
For those of you keeping score at home, Tom Thibodeau didn’t want to play kids, and Hoiberg apparently doesn’t know how to make them better. Super.
Management wonks told us the only thing this team needed was to change the coach, so the professional coach was shown the door and the latest inadequate substitute teacher from Iowa State was brought in.
The offense hasn’t looked like it’s supposed to look. The defense specializes in allowing 38 points a quarter. The arrow is pointing down. So the least the Bulls can do is point up to the lottery.
But here’s the problem:
The people who will be making those draft picks are the same people who told you everything would be all better because SuperFred was here and the same people who used first-round picks on Snell and Portis and traded up to draft McDermott.
So the Bulls look like they’ve already lost the offseason, too.
Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Take: We don't know where to start, the Bulls are in such a state of flux right now. Injuries, dissention, loss of confidence, inmates trying to run the asylum and on and on. This team needs a strong take charge coach. Coach Hoiberg may be a terrific coach but he need to be more in control of this team. Granted, injuries are a part of the problem but there is more to it than that. The team doesn't seem to be playing with all of their capability and effort. They seem to have lost their desire, drive and purpose. They're losing to teams that they have no business losing to. It's like a rudderless ship just floating along. The Bulls made the playoffs five years in a row under Coach Thibodeau; we stated previously when the coaching change was announced that we didn't think the team would make the playoffs this year. And we don't think we're too far off. The front office and coaching staff in-fighting last year also impacted this club. The front office and ownership are going to have to make a good long hard assessment of the current situation and decide where to go from here. One thing that should be noted is that Coach Hoiberg is going to have to get control of this team or they're going to have to get someone that can. You can't keep changing players to fit a coach, you must take the talent that you have and get it to adapt to the coaches plan. Finally, the front office must hire a coach, provide him with talented players, stop interfering with his coaching technique and let him win. Seems like we had that here a short while ago. Boy, I hope we can get it back. Where we go from here remains to be seen. But being diehard Bulls fans, we always hope and pray for the best!!!
Our feelings are stated here, what do you think and what's your take? Please go to the comment section at the bottom of this blog and share your thoughts with us. We value your opinion and truly love to hear from you. So please, have at it.
The Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Editorial Staff.
On
Memoriesofhistory.com
1942 - The New York Yankees announced that they would admit 5,000 uniformed servicemen free to each of their home ball games during the coming season.
1946 - Danny Gardella became the first major league player to go to the Mexican League.
1965 - The NFL began using six officials during games.
1977 - Rod Gilbert (New York Rangers) scored his 1,000th point.
1996 - Charles Barkley (Phoenix Suns) got his 10,000th career rebound. He became only the 10th NBA player to reach 20,000 points and 10,000 rebounds in a career.
1996 - Patrick Roy (Colorado Avalanche) became the second youngest NHL goaltender and 12th overall to reach 300 career victories.
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