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"Sports Quote of the Day"
"When you look at people who are successful, you will find that they aren't the people who are motivated, but have consistency in their motivation." ~ Arsene Wenger, Professional Soccer Manager and Former Player
Trending: Blackhawks score twice in first period, hang on to beat Avalanche. (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates).
Trending: Blackhawks score twice in first period, hang on to beat Avalanche. (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates).
Trending: Panthers coach sees echoes of '85 Bears. (See the football section for Super Bowl and Bears updates).
Trending: Jake Arrieta plans to come back strong after Cy Young year. (See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).
Trending: Super Bowl prop bets 2016: Full list including national anthem, coin toss, MVP and more. (See the last article on this blog for details).
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks score twice in first period, hang on to beat Avalanche.
By Tracey Myers
Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson pokes the puck away from Dennis Rasmussen as Andrew Shaw tries to fend off Johnson during the third period on Tuesday in Denver.
They just wanted a simple game and a positive ending to erase some of the negative ones they had prior to the respite. Thanks to some early offense, they got it.
Artemi Panarin scored his 18th goal of the season and Richard Panik added his third as the Blackhawks beat the Colorado Avalanche 2-1 on Tuesday night. The Blackhawks remain atop the Central Division with 72 points; the Dallas Stars, which beat Winnipeg tonight, are three points back.
Corey Crawford stopped 22 of 23 for the victory. Calvin Pickard was great for the Avalanche, stopping 40 of 42 shots.
The Blackhawks were without Jonathan Toews, who was suspended this game after missing the All-Star weekend with an illness. Toews will meet the team in Arizona. In Toews’ absence, the Blackhawks pulled together in a collective effort to stave off the Avs, who came out strong in the third period.
“I thought we did a real good job,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “Good start, lot of safe plays, [we were] positionally aware, had the puck a lot and checked well. I liked the contribution. A lot of guys were stepping up in bigger roles. It was a nice response to that last game going into the break. We looked re-energized tonight.”
Teuvo Teravainen was one of those stepping up, centering the top line for Toews. But it was another change on that first line – at least in the first period – that got the Blackhawks offense going.
“I thought we had a really good first period and they were able to capitalize off a rush. But I thought it was a great game for us, especially we hadn’t been much together since the break,” Duncan Keith said. “We talked about having a good road game, and I think we did that.”
Panik, on his first shift with Andrew Shaw and Teravainen, scored to give the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead about three minutes into the game.Panik played most of the remaining game on the third line with Andrew Desjardins and Phillip Danault, but had a strong night on both lines.
“Very happy, very pleased. Tonight he was really good,” Quenneville said of Panik. “He was technically aware. Obviously scoring is nice and he had some jump. I liked his thought process in the game.”
Panarin then added his goal about four minutes later, taking a pass from Patrick Kane and beating Pickard on the backhand.
The Blackhawks were without Jonathan Toews, who was suspended this game after missing the All-Star weekend with an illness. Toews will meet the team in Arizona. In Toews’ absence, the Blackhawks pulled together in a collective effort to stave off the Avs, who came out strong in the third period.
“I thought we did a real good job,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “Good start, lot of safe plays, [we were] positionally aware, had the puck a lot and checked well. I liked the contribution. A lot of guys were stepping up in bigger roles. It was a nice response to that last game going into the break. We looked re-energized tonight.”
Teuvo Teravainen was one of those stepping up, centering the top line for Toews. But it was another change on that first line – at least in the first period – that got the Blackhawks offense going.
“I thought we had a really good first period and they were able to capitalize off a rush. But I thought it was a great game for us, especially we hadn’t been much together since the break,” Duncan Keith said. “We talked about having a good road game, and I think we did that.”
Panik, on his first shift with Andrew Shaw and Teravainen, scored to give the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead about three minutes into the game.Panik played most of the remaining game on the third line with Andrew Desjardins and Phillip Danault, but had a strong night on both lines.
“Very happy, very pleased. Tonight he was really good,” Quenneville said of Panik. “He was technically aware. Obviously scoring is nice and he had some jump. I liked his thought process in the game.”
Panarin then added his goal about four minutes later, taking a pass from Patrick Kane and beating Pickard on the backhand.
“It’s a natural chemistry,” Panarin said through his interpreter, regarding the connection he and Kane have. “[We] have the same style, good chemistry.”
The Blackhawks held the Avs to very little through the first two periods – Colorado managed just eight shots on goal through 40 minutes. Gabriel Landeskog cut the Blackhawks’ lead to 2-1 midway in the first period and the Avalanche picked up the pace, and the shot count, early in the third. Crawford had to be sharp in those opening third-period minutes and he was, stopping a multi-shot sequence early.
The Blackhawks didn’t need a fancy game on Tuesday. They were minus their captain and a veteran defenseman – Michal Rozsival was out with a lower-body injury and Viktor Svedberg, recalled this morning, had a good game in his place. They just needed to be smart and get a good outing out of that much-needed break.
“[The break] was definitely needed. We were definitely on fumes going into it,” Quenneville said. “But it’s nice to see us recapture the emotion and the pace and the strength.”
Blackhawks: Corey Crawford named No. 2 star of January.
By C. Roumeliotis
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Corey Crawford was named the NHL's second star of January after posting a 9-2-0 with a 1.64 goals against average, .952 save percentage and two shutouts in 11 starts during the month.
The Blackhawks net minder played a large role in the team's franchise record 12-game winning streak, allowing just two or fewer goals in nine of those 11 appearances. He also registered two more shutouts, adding to his league-best seven.
During the Blackhawks' historic winning streak, the 31-year-old Montreal native won eight consecutive decisions, which set a new personal best.
Crawford has a 28-12-2 record this season with a 2.14 goals against average (ninth in the league) and .931 save percentage, which ranks fourth among all goaltenders.
Washington's Evgeny Kuznetsov and Pittsburgh's Kris Letang were named the Nos. 1 and 3 stars of the month, respectively.
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session... Chicago Bulls-Sacramento Kings Preview, 03/03/2016.
By MATT BECKER
Although the losses continue to mount, the Chicago Bulls are trying to stay positive.
The Sacramento Kings are feeling confident after ending a four-game losing streak without their All-Star.
The slumping Bulls try to win in a venue in which they haven't played well lately when they visit a Kings team uncertain to have DeMarcus Cousins on Wednesday night.
After being three games out of first place in the Eastern Conference on Jan. 8, Chicago (26-21) is now just 3 1/2 games ahead of ninth-place Charlotte. The Bulls' 4-9 record since then is better than only Philadelphia, Brooklyn and Orlando in the East.
Their last two games were a study in contrasts, as they were blown out in Sunday's 120-93 defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers and let one slip away in a 105-96 overtime loss at Utah the next night. Jimmy Butler had his second 26-point effort in three games but the Bulls were disastrous in the extra period, with three points and three turnovers while going 3 of 6 from the foul line and 0 for 3 from the field.
Center Pau Gasol tried to put a positive spin on the result.
"At least we gave ourselves a chance, which was something more than we did last night," he told the team's official website. "I don't worry about the tough, close losses. I worry about the losses we should have won and played at a different level and kind of gave away and allowed opponents to win. Whenever you bring the competitiveness, the effort, the energy, the sense of urgency I am OK with that."
The Kings (21-27) brought the intensity Monday against Milwaukee, as Rudy Gay stepped up for the injured Cousins and Ben McLemore. Cousins exited Saturday's loss to Memphis with a sprained left ankle, but Sacramento received some good news as X-rays came back negative.
Gay filled the scoring void with 32 points while adding nine rebounds and six assists in a 111-104 win. The Kings improved to 2-7 without Cousins, with both victories coming against the Bucks.
''DeMarcus being out had a lot to do with it. Obviously, he's been carrying us for the most part of the season,'' Gay said. ''When guys go down - not just him, Ben is out - guys have to step up.''
Even without Cousins, their leading rebounder at 11.3 per game, the Kings outrebounded Milwaukee 53-37.
The Bucks, however, are one of the league's worst teams on the glass while the Bulls average an NBA-best 48.6 boards.
Chicago averages 101.3 points per game but has averaged 91.0 in three defeats in its last four contests. It has been significantly worse offensively while losing three straight at Sacramento, averaging 79.0 points while being outscored by 28.7.
The Bulls have lost five of six to West teams while the Kings are 7-3 against the East at home.
Though it's managed to shut down Chicago, Sacramento is known for its offense, averaging 111.6 points over the last five games with Gay at 24.3 in three games played in that span. Sacramento, which split two with the Bulls last season, is 6-3 when Gay scores at least 23.
Bulls collapse in final minutes against Jazz. (Monday night's game, 02/01/2016).
By Vincent Goodwill
Only the Bulls.
These Bulls would be the ones to turn a pretty gutsy effort on the road in a building that hasn’t been good to them in years and riddle it with last-minute mistakes and mishaps, spoiling what could’ve been a bounce-back win against the Utah Jazz.
Instead, they’ve lost their second in a row in as many nights, falling 105-96 at the Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, squandering a 3-point lead in regulation when it looked like they would have a thrilling win.
Gordon Hayward emerged from having a bad three quarters to finish with 25 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, but the Bulls will find plenty of reasons to kick themselves for literally throwing away a win they desperately needed.
They’ve now lost nine of 13, and since the start of December, the Bulls are 16-16.
“A tough way to lose that one. Felt we gave that one away,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. “We had our chances, they made the plays, they made the necessary plays to win. We missed some shots, we missed some free throws.”
The Bulls played through adversity for the better part of 48 minutes, when they held slim leads and took what they thought was a decisive lead with 18.5 seconds left on a Derrick Rose triple, but they didn’t account for the adversity they brought upon themselves.
They kept the Jazz players out of the lane after allowing a freeway of easy opportunities early, going on an 18-2 run at the end of the first half and seemingly took control until the fourth when the Bulls looked to choke the life from the Salt Lake City crowd.
But from there, things went haywire—or Hayward, one could say. After missing one of two free throws, the ball went off Taj Gibson, getting the Jazz up for a tie and Hayward delivered, driving unimpeded to the basket for a layup.
It was the start of the destruction, and it was many of the Bulls’ main players who didn’t come through. Butler scored 26 with six assists and seven rebounds, but will wonder about his missed free throws in overtime that could’ve made the deficit more manageable.
“Just being careless with the ball, not doing what we were supposed to do,” Butler said. “That’s how we’ve been playing lately. That’s the way it’s been going. The same outcome is what we’ve gotten every time.”
Rose, who scored 14 with three assists on a 6-for-21 night, had a couple turnovers late and let Raul Neto have a career-high 14 points on him, including a couple baskets late in regulation. They never fully got engaged in overtime, perhaps stinging from the shock of their inability to put the game away in the first 48.
Then they looked like candidates for “First 48”, bringing very little to the extra session.
Plenty of chance situations went against the Bulls. A tipped rebound here, a review that determined an inbounds pass went off Butler’s fingertips and general things that go against a club when its struggling.
“We trust those guys in that situation,” said Hoiberg, referring to Butler and Rose. “Too casual, too casual on the turnovers in overtime.”
“They were still playing hard,” said Rose of the Jazz. “The turnovers and everything, they were forcing them. Blocking shots, getting to the lane. Their inside presence was always there the entire game.”
Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors, two young bigs with athleticism, length and girth, gave the Bulls issues all night. Favors had four blocked shots to go with 13 points and eight rebounds, while Gobert had 16 and 12 rebounds in 43 minutes.
Pau Gasol scored 19 with eight rebounds but had his hands full with Gobert, and fouled out in overtime as proof of such a difficult go of it.
And more than anything, the Bulls, a supposed veteran team that shouldn’t get rattled in instances like these, got rattled.
And it showed.
Trying to solve the Pau Puzzle with Bulls.
By Mark Schanowski
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Pau Gasol is a proud athlete who has accomplished so many things over his career in basketball: Two NBA titles, five All-Star game appearances, plus a number of championships in international competition with Spain's national team.
So, it's understandable the Bulls are being very careful in what they say about the 35-year-old big man.
The front office is still hoping this inconsistent group can come together in time to make a playoff run in an Eastern Conference that is decidedly mediocre once you get past the Cavaliers. And, in order to be at their best in the postseason, the Bulls will need Gasol functioning at a high level on the offensive end. Everyone knows he's a poor defender in pick & roll situations, but the Bulls will live with that to get what he provides offensively.
ESPN's Mark Stein reported last week he's hearing the Bulls would rather re-sign Gasol this summer than let him walk in free agency. And, I have no doubt Stein's sources are good. But to understand the Bulls' position in this situation, you have to look a little bit deeper.
Remember what happened during the 2012-13 season in L.A.? Then-head coach Mike D'Antoni wanted the Lakers to play at a faster pace, and one of his ideas was to bring Gasol off the bench. Gasol criticized the strategy immediately and found himself in constant conflict with D'Antoni, finishing that season with the lowest scoring average of his career.
When Pau became a free agent the following summer, the Lakers made him the best financial offer, and Kobe Bryant worked hard to convince his good friend to stay in Los Angeles, but Gasol refused to budge, saying it was all about principle and how the Lakers had insulted him by allowing his name to continually be thrown around in trade rumors. He wound up taking a team-friendly three-year deal with the Bulls that included a player option for the 2016-17 season.
And that's where we stand today.
Assuming Gasol opts out (which he's already indicated he will), the Bulls could have somewhere between $18-20 million in cap space this summer to pursue a free agent market that includes Kevin Durant, DeMar DeRozan, Al Horford, Mike Conley, Nic Batum, Chandler Parsons and Arron Afflalo, among many others.
With the influx of the new television money increasing the salary cap to close to $90 million per team, just about every franchise will have maneuverability to make deals this summer, which means possibly the most active trade market in league history as teams try to gain ground on the Warriors, Spurs and Cavs.
So, why would the Bulls be willing to commit $12-15 million per season (at least) to a player like Gasol who turns 36 in July, as Stein indicated?
The short answer is, they probably won't. But there is no advantage to be gained by saying that publicly now. Gasol is a proud athlete who wants to feel respected and valued. The business of summer free agency will come soon enough and the Bulls still have almost half a season to play.
When July 1 rolls around, you can count on the front office having multiple scenarios ready to go, starting with approaching Durant's agent about a possible meeting, all the way down to exploring whether Gasol or Joakim Noah would like to return on a short term, team-friendly deal.
The front office made a five-year contract commitment to Fred Hoiberg and John Paxson and Gar Forman are going to do whatever they can to give Hoiberg a roster that suits the offensive system he'd like to run. Gasol just isn't a good fit with the up-tempo system Hoiberg prefers. And it's not just Gasol. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see half the roster turned over this summer.
But until that time, there are games to be played and egos to manage. Making any declarations about Gasol's future with the franchise just isn't good business.
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Panthers coach sees echoes of '85 Bears.
AFP
Rivera blazed a trail three decades ago when he became the first player of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent to win a Super Bowl in a famed Chicago team featuring the likes of Walter Payton and William "The Refrigerator" Perry.
The 54-year-old would become only the second Latino coach to guide a team to the Super Bowl crown on Sunday if the Panthers defeat the Denver Broncos in the climax to the National Football League season at Levi's Stadium.
Rivera, a linebacker in the Bears' 46-10 demolition job of New England in Super Bowl XX, told reporters Tuesday he saw similarities between the team he played in and the Panthers side he now coaches.
"I've always shied away from comparing guys from different eras, but the similarities are there," Rivera said. "I think there are guys that play fast and play physical. Back in the day, Mike Singletary, Wilber Marshall, Otis Wilson, those guys played fast and played physical as well.
"Our guys are a great combination to have. Tremendous skill set very similar to those guys. They're aggressive guys, they play downhill, they play physical."
Rivera said meanwhile he has impressed upon his free-scoring team, which marched through the regular season with only one defeat, the need to stay focused for a game in which they will start as favorites.
Rivera said meanwhile he has impressed upon his free-scoring team, which marched through the regular season with only one defeat, the need to stay focused for a game in which they will start as favorites.
He has used the cautionary tale of the 1985 Bears' failure to build a dynasty as a warning to his team.
"I've tried to tell them this is an opportunity and you only get so many of them," Rivera said.
"When I played, we were the youngest team to win a Super Bowl and a lot of people thought 'They'll get a chance to come back'.
"When I played, we were the youngest team to win a Super Bowl and a lot of people thought 'They'll get a chance to come back'.
"Well, we never made it back. I'm trying to make sure our guys understand that this could be a once in a lifetime chance and we have the advantage of that now."
If the Panthers win on Sunday, Rivera would join former Oakland Raiders coach Tom Flores as the only Hispanic coach to win a Super Bowl.
Flores won two Super Bowls with the Raiders in 1981 and 1984.
"I saw coach Flores in the summer," Rivera said. "It was to see him and be around him."
Scorning Super Bowl Media Day circus misses the Mardi Gras point.
By John Mullin
The ESPN broadcast of Super Bowl “Media Day” from Santa Clara was ridiculous… .
Wasn’t it a kick?
Of COURSE it’s all absurd. That’s news? No. That's the idea.
All of this isn’t about the Carolina Panthers or Denver Broncos or even the game itself. It’s about the whole: The Super Bowl is America’s Sports Mardi Gras, nothing less, and it is part of a very, very savvy program of product placement that any number of media members will decry as over the top, but which is amusing. Enjoy it.
The NFL doesn’t or refuses to get it in too many situations: concussions, the catch rule, player discipline, relocation, (add yours here). Here, just as with the Scouting Combine later this month in Indianapolis, it does. And in this regard, it has a better grasp of what the public wants than the media itself.
For purposes of perspective: Media Day has been a tradition on Tuesday of Super Bowl week. It is typically mid-morning, held in the stadium where the game will be played, and is covered in hindsight – some highlights here and there, reported via websites, newspapers and spots on sports reports.
On Monday it was instead a three-hour television event that did more than just pile up ad revenue.
Tickets for the event were available to the public for $27.50 and they sold out. Along that line, tickets for the public to sit in at player testing at the NFL Scouting Combine inside Lucas Oil Stadium sell out.
The reason is that people want to hear or see it for themselves. Not to capture that interest and channel it into revenue-production would be just stupid.
When I first started covering NFL Scouting Combines, those running the thing didn’t really want media around, and said so. For the longest time, max of a couple dozen reporters hung out all day and then some in a small hotel lobby, interviewing players coming back from workouts, hoping that someone among us knew who the player was, since there were no identifiers.
Now the Combine is a national event, with some of the workouts, 40-yard-dashes, etc. televised. The players are brought to and announced at podiums or tables, with 900-1,000 media working and every team’s coach and general manager spending time in front of questions.
What all of that and Media Day do is push reporters to come up with stories and information beyond the mass sessions. That’s not easy to do. Much like a game itself, folks have already seen most of the highlights.
Very little about Super Bowl Week is the real world. That’s kind of the idea, actually. Media Day has always been one of the hood ornaments for the week of wretched excess. This was just taking it to a wider audience. And you know Cam Newton wasn’t the only one digging all of that.
Cubs: Jake Arrieta plans to come back strong after Cy Young year.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/chicagonow.com)
Jake Arrieta ended his victory lap by receiving the National League Cy Young Award from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s New York chapter, amid a blizzard that dropped 26.8 inches of snow on Central Park.
Record-setting and historic are words used to describe both Arrieta’s season and Winter Storm Jonas and maybe even his arbitration payday.
But the Cubs shouldn’t have to worry about Arrieta getting too comfortable or digging himself too much after a no-hitter at Dodger Stadium, an unbelievable second half (12-1, 0.75 ERA) and that complete-game wild-card shutout of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
To be honest, Arrieta talked like a No. 1 starter and carried himself as an ace even when he had to make a detour to Triple-A Iowa after getting traded from the Baltimore Orioles in the middle of the 2013 season.
Arrieta earned his reputation as a workout freak, doing yoga and Pilates, studying nutrition and kinetics and leaving no doubt he will report to Arizona in optimal physical shape.
“Pro NY weekend to finally conclude the ‘15 season,” Arrieta tweeted last week. “Time to turn the page! Ready to work on this 2016 campaign.”
The immediate question is whether Theo Epstein’s front office and Boras Corp. will settle on a one-year deal around the $10.25 million midpoint or push this to a salary arbitration hearing scheduled for the middle of February.
The Cubs filed at $7.5 million while Arrieta’s side countered at $13 million. Epstein has never taken an arbitration-eligible player to a hearing, either in his first four years running baseball operations on the North Side or his nine years as the Boston Red Sox general manager.
The bigger-picture question is how Arrieta responds to accounting for almost 250 innings during his breakthrough year, or 92 more than he threw in the big leagues in 2014.
“There’s unknown in pitching,” Epstein said. “There’s not too many certainties when you start thinking about pitching in general. So I think we’ll just be smart about it with how he goes about his spring training and how we try to manage his workload early in the season and ease him into it.
“But I think the fact that he was able to throw a ton of innings last year and stay healthy throughout the whole season is a really good sign for him handling a significant workload (again). We’ll just try to be really smart about it and keep him really fresh for the most important time of year.”
Arrieta made the Cubs feel invincible as they piled up 97 wins and made it through two playoff rounds, but 2016 will be about seeing what sort of price they will have to pay for that success.
“It was something that was uncharted for me,” Arrieta said. “To now be at that point, I feel like I know how to handle it. My body (should) respond very well to a similar workload this season. I’m just looking forward to getting close to that mark again this season.”
Speaking in general terms, Scott Boras also admitted this would have to be a concern during his media session at the general managers meetings in November, when the super-agent was feuding with the Miami Marlins about the Jose Fernandez situation and Matt Harvey’s innings-limit controversy was still fresh in the minds of New York writers and Mets fans.
“I’m not an orthopedic surgeon,” Boras said, not talking specifically about Arrieta, who unlike Fernandez and Harvey is not recovering from Tommy John surgery. “But when you talk to the doctors that do this, they’re always going to tell you that once you get 30 or 40 innings above where you were the year before – and you’ve never been there – there’s always a concern.
“The percentages of it are that some are just fine with it – and they weather it and they go through it – and some are effected by it. The exactness of those percentages vary from doctor to doctor, but that’s certainly what they tell us.”
Boras would also tell you that his data shows the hardest thing for a major-league pitcher to do is get beyond the fourth year. If you’re healthy and effective at that point, the agency’s numbers project a 10-year career.
Arrieta – who will turn 30 next month – is in the right place at the right time. He came across as someone who appreciated the journey to the top, giving credit to his teammates and taking the newfound fame in stride.
Now the Cubs will find out how many bullets are left in Arrieta’s right arm.
“It’s just kind of the unknown,” Arrieta said. “Not having gone over 200 innings before in my career…it is a significant jump. Regardless of how you prepare and how good a shape you’re in, there are certain things that are difficult to prepare for. But having that workload already under my belt, I think moving forward I’m going to be very capable of handling it.”
Cubs: Dexter Fowler plays the waiting game in free agency.
Record-setting and historic are words used to describe both Arrieta’s season and Winter Storm Jonas and maybe even his arbitration payday.
But the Cubs shouldn’t have to worry about Arrieta getting too comfortable or digging himself too much after a no-hitter at Dodger Stadium, an unbelievable second half (12-1, 0.75 ERA) and that complete-game wild-card shutout of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
To be honest, Arrieta talked like a No. 1 starter and carried himself as an ace even when he had to make a detour to Triple-A Iowa after getting traded from the Baltimore Orioles in the middle of the 2013 season.
Arrieta earned his reputation as a workout freak, doing yoga and Pilates, studying nutrition and kinetics and leaving no doubt he will report to Arizona in optimal physical shape.
“Pro NY weekend to finally conclude the ‘15 season,” Arrieta tweeted last week. “Time to turn the page! Ready to work on this 2016 campaign.”
The immediate question is whether Theo Epstein’s front office and Boras Corp. will settle on a one-year deal around the $10.25 million midpoint or push this to a salary arbitration hearing scheduled for the middle of February.
The Cubs filed at $7.5 million while Arrieta’s side countered at $13 million. Epstein has never taken an arbitration-eligible player to a hearing, either in his first four years running baseball operations on the North Side or his nine years as the Boston Red Sox general manager.
The bigger-picture question is how Arrieta responds to accounting for almost 250 innings during his breakthrough year, or 92 more than he threw in the big leagues in 2014.
“There’s unknown in pitching,” Epstein said. “There’s not too many certainties when you start thinking about pitching in general. So I think we’ll just be smart about it with how he goes about his spring training and how we try to manage his workload early in the season and ease him into it.
“But I think the fact that he was able to throw a ton of innings last year and stay healthy throughout the whole season is a really good sign for him handling a significant workload (again). We’ll just try to be really smart about it and keep him really fresh for the most important time of year.”
Arrieta made the Cubs feel invincible as they piled up 97 wins and made it through two playoff rounds, but 2016 will be about seeing what sort of price they will have to pay for that success.
“It was something that was uncharted for me,” Arrieta said. “To now be at that point, I feel like I know how to handle it. My body (should) respond very well to a similar workload this season. I’m just looking forward to getting close to that mark again this season.”
Speaking in general terms, Scott Boras also admitted this would have to be a concern during his media session at the general managers meetings in November, when the super-agent was feuding with the Miami Marlins about the Jose Fernandez situation and Matt Harvey’s innings-limit controversy was still fresh in the minds of New York writers and Mets fans.
“I’m not an orthopedic surgeon,” Boras said, not talking specifically about Arrieta, who unlike Fernandez and Harvey is not recovering from Tommy John surgery. “But when you talk to the doctors that do this, they’re always going to tell you that once you get 30 or 40 innings above where you were the year before – and you’ve never been there – there’s always a concern.
“The percentages of it are that some are just fine with it – and they weather it and they go through it – and some are effected by it. The exactness of those percentages vary from doctor to doctor, but that’s certainly what they tell us.”
Boras would also tell you that his data shows the hardest thing for a major-league pitcher to do is get beyond the fourth year. If you’re healthy and effective at that point, the agency’s numbers project a 10-year career.
Arrieta – who will turn 30 next month – is in the right place at the right time. He came across as someone who appreciated the journey to the top, giving credit to his teammates and taking the newfound fame in stride.
Now the Cubs will find out how many bullets are left in Arrieta’s right arm.
“It’s just kind of the unknown,” Arrieta said. “Not having gone over 200 innings before in my career…it is a significant jump. Regardless of how you prepare and how good a shape you’re in, there are certain things that are difficult to prepare for. But having that workload already under my belt, I think moving forward I’m going to be very capable of handling it.”
Cubs: Dexter Fowler plays the waiting game in free agency.
By Patrick Mooney
The sense is Dexter Fowler returning to Wrigley Field as Joe Maddon’s “You go, we go” leadoff guy is highly unlikely, but the Cubs won’t completely shut the door on that remote possibility until he signs somewhere else.
The White Sox didn’t turn Fowler into their SoxFest splash over the weekend, even though he would make a lot of sense on the South Side as a top-of-the-order complement to Adam Eaton.
The White Sox have already built a foundation with Cy Young/MVP award candidates Chris Sale and Jose Abreu, plus elite closer David Robertson and young starting pitchers Jose Quintana and Carlos Rodon.
After giving up five young players to get Todd Frazier and Brett Lawrie into their everyday lineup – at a time when the Cubs appear ready to dominate the Chicago summer for years to come – why stop now?
The draft pick attached to Fowler has clearly had a chilling effect on his market after he declined a one-year, $15.8 million qualifying offer from the Cubs. But back in November, no one was saying he should take that deal.
It’s now February and Fowler still hasn’t cashed in after a strong platform season on the North Side.
“I am a little shocked by that,” Cubs hitting coach John Mallee said Sunday in Tinley Park before receiving a coach of the year award from Chicago’s Pitch and Hit Club. “He was a big part of our offense. He was a big part of what we were doing. To (watch) him every day – and look at the (board now) and see he hasn’t gone yet – it is a little surprising. It’s actually really surprising.”
The White Sox didn’t turn Fowler into their SoxFest splash over the weekend, even though he would make a lot of sense on the South Side as a top-of-the-order complement to Adam Eaton.
The White Sox have already built a foundation with Cy Young/MVP award candidates Chris Sale and Jose Abreu, plus elite closer David Robertson and young starting pitchers Jose Quintana and Carlos Rodon.
After giving up five young players to get Todd Frazier and Brett Lawrie into their everyday lineup – at a time when the Cubs appear ready to dominate the Chicago summer for years to come – why stop now?
The draft pick attached to Fowler has clearly had a chilling effect on his market after he declined a one-year, $15.8 million qualifying offer from the Cubs. But back in November, no one was saying he should take that deal.
It’s now February and Fowler still hasn’t cashed in after a strong platform season on the North Side.
“I am a little shocked by that,” Cubs hitting coach John Mallee said Sunday in Tinley Park before receiving a coach of the year award from Chicago’s Pitch and Hit Club. “He was a big part of our offense. He was a big part of what we were doing. To (watch) him every day – and look at the (board now) and see he hasn’t gone yet – it is a little surprising. It’s actually really surprising.”
Theo Epstein’s front office doesn’t like to rule anything out, always trying to keep all options open. But in both public statements and private comments, the Cubs have repeatedly signaled that pretty much all of the heavy lifting for this team is done, not expecting another major move this winter.
The Cubs have a full 40-man roster and need to preserve some flexibility for in-season adjustments and trade-deadline deals after dropping more than $276 million on outfielder Jason Heyward, super-utility guy Ben Zobrist, pitcher John Lackey and swingman Trevor Cahill.
The Cubs have found the cost of acquiring a young starting pitcher to be outrageous, meaning it would be difficult to flip Jorge Soler in a worthwhile trade that would clear a spot in right field for Heyward. Plus, the Cubs understand Soler has untapped potential and Fowler is not a standout defender in center field.
The Cubs would also like to recoup a draft pick after giving up two selections – and the corresponding bonus-pool money – in signing Heyward and Lackey.
What’s a pick in the mid-60s range worth? Jason McLeod, the vice president of scouting and player development, has pointed to his first pick in his first draft with the Boston Red Sox in 2004, when they found an undersized Arizona State University infielder at No. 65 overall: Future American League MVP Dustin Pedroia.
Leading into Cubs Convention weekend in the middle of January, Maddon predicted Yoenis Cespedes making a decision would help clarify the market for Fowler.
“That just seems to be the last shoe to fall,” Maddon said. “I don’t know why. I’m sure he’s going to be fine, because he did have a good year and he’s young and he’s good. I don’t even know if there’s going to be like a pecking order with Cespedes and then him. I guess it depends on the financial (terms) – how they view what they’re worth or not probably matters.”
Fowler went into 2016 still looking for a four-year deal, but there aren’t many obvious fits left on paper.
The Seattle Mariners traded for Leonys Martin in the middle of November. The Cubs reached an eight-year, $184 million agreement with Heyward coming out of the winter meetings. The San Francisco Giants gave Denard Span three years and $31 million guaranteed in early January. The Washington Nationals then acquired Ben Revere.
Cespedes circled back to the New York Mets in late January, compromising on a three-year, $75 million contract that contains an opt-out after this season, which could make him a headliner in next winter’s weak class of free agents.
Maybe a pillow contract will be the blueprint for Fowler, who isn’t an elite centerfielder or a leader in the clubhouse or the most durable player.
But Fowler also won’t turn 30 until March 22. He’s a switch-hitter with a career .363 on-base percentage. He put up 17 homers and 20 stolen bases for a 97-win team last season.
“We had a great year with him,” general manager Jed Hoyer said recently, declining to say anything about Fowler’s future. “We really like him as a guy, as a player. He gets on base. He grinds his at-bats. He did a good job for us on the bases and in center field. He was a big part of what we did last year.”
It’s Super Bowl Week, but there are still two months left until Opening Day, and some team will find the right price point and see an opportunity to jumpstart a lineup and upgrade in the outfield.
Is @DexterFowler worried about it? Check out the video clip posted to his Twitter account on Sunday night: “Oh Dexter Fowler? He’s just dancing in the rain…”
The Cubs have a full 40-man roster and need to preserve some flexibility for in-season adjustments and trade-deadline deals after dropping more than $276 million on outfielder Jason Heyward, super-utility guy Ben Zobrist, pitcher John Lackey and swingman Trevor Cahill.
The Cubs have found the cost of acquiring a young starting pitcher to be outrageous, meaning it would be difficult to flip Jorge Soler in a worthwhile trade that would clear a spot in right field for Heyward. Plus, the Cubs understand Soler has untapped potential and Fowler is not a standout defender in center field.
The Cubs would also like to recoup a draft pick after giving up two selections – and the corresponding bonus-pool money – in signing Heyward and Lackey.
What’s a pick in the mid-60s range worth? Jason McLeod, the vice president of scouting and player development, has pointed to his first pick in his first draft with the Boston Red Sox in 2004, when they found an undersized Arizona State University infielder at No. 65 overall: Future American League MVP Dustin Pedroia.
Leading into Cubs Convention weekend in the middle of January, Maddon predicted Yoenis Cespedes making a decision would help clarify the market for Fowler.
“That just seems to be the last shoe to fall,” Maddon said. “I don’t know why. I’m sure he’s going to be fine, because he did have a good year and he’s young and he’s good. I don’t even know if there’s going to be like a pecking order with Cespedes and then him. I guess it depends on the financial (terms) – how they view what they’re worth or not probably matters.”
Fowler went into 2016 still looking for a four-year deal, but there aren’t many obvious fits left on paper.
The Seattle Mariners traded for Leonys Martin in the middle of November. The Cubs reached an eight-year, $184 million agreement with Heyward coming out of the winter meetings. The San Francisco Giants gave Denard Span three years and $31 million guaranteed in early January. The Washington Nationals then acquired Ben Revere.
Cespedes circled back to the New York Mets in late January, compromising on a three-year, $75 million contract that contains an opt-out after this season, which could make him a headliner in next winter’s weak class of free agents.
Maybe a pillow contract will be the blueprint for Fowler, who isn’t an elite centerfielder or a leader in the clubhouse or the most durable player.
But Fowler also won’t turn 30 until March 22. He’s a switch-hitter with a career .363 on-base percentage. He put up 17 homers and 20 stolen bases for a 97-win team last season.
“We had a great year with him,” general manager Jed Hoyer said recently, declining to say anything about Fowler’s future. “We really like him as a guy, as a player. He gets on base. He grinds his at-bats. He did a good job for us on the bases and in center field. He was a big part of what we did last year.”
It’s Super Bowl Week, but there are still two months left until Opening Day, and some team will find the right price point and see an opportunity to jumpstart a lineup and upgrade in the outfield.
Is @DexterFowler worried about it? Check out the video clip posted to his Twitter account on Sunday night: “Oh Dexter Fowler? He’s just dancing in the rain…”
Man behind the glasses: How Carson Fulmer will force White Sox hand.
By John Paschall
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Superman has his cape. Thor has his hammer. Iron Man has his suit.
Carson Fulmer? He has his glasses.
When the White Sox first-round pick from 2015 puts on his glasses before he dashes out to the mound, he transforms from a quiet kid from Lakeland, Fla. to a fiery competitor with a live fastball and an ace mentality.
Fulmer donned the glasses after a stretch band slipped off his foot while stretching before a game his freshman year and hit him in the eye. It didn’t cause any permanent damage to his eye but he keeps them on to protect himself during a game.
“A lot of guys say it's intimidating,” Fulmer said. “I have no intentions of making it like that. I just use it for protection. I've gotten used to it. I kind of like them though.”
Fulmer lives for the big moment and thrives when challenged. At Vanderbilt, Fulmer got the start in the Commodores’ biggest game in program history, Game 3 of the 2014 College World Series, and went 5 1/3 innings, giving up just one earned run, three hits and two walks along with five strikeouts against Virginia, a team that won 53 games that year. The win gave Vanderbilt its first men’s national championship ever. In any sport.
In 2015, Fulmer was named SEC Pitcher of the Year and a Golden Spikes Award finalist after going 14-2 with a 1.83 ERA and 167 strikeouts over 127 2/3 innings. Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin gave Fulmer the ball to start Game 1 of the 2015 College World Series, a rematch against Virginia. To nobody’s surprise, Fulmer rose to the occasion. He left to a standing ovation from the Commodore faithful in Omaha after going 7 2/3 innings, giving up just two hits and two walks while striking out eight. And most importantly: no runs.
The right-hander earned the nickname “Filthy Fulmer” during his time in Nashville and garnered some elite praise from Corbin, who has watched pitchers such as David Price and Sonny Gray come through the program.
"As a kid, we just haven't had many like him," Corbin said after Fulmer’s final start. "He's one of the most special kids that we've ever had on our campus. I mean, this kid's, like, a 4.0 student. His last term here, when everything -- the focus -- could be anywhere but on academics, he just does such a good job, like Dansby (Swanson), on centering themselves in the moment and containing whatever they have to do. But he's a special, special competitor, and he'll go down as one of the greatest pitchers to ever pitch at Vanderbilt. I don't want to say the (greatest), because we've had some good ones, but I'll tell you what, he's a special guy."
When the White Sox first-round pick from 2015 puts on his glasses before he dashes out to the mound, he transforms from a quiet kid from Lakeland, Fla. to a fiery competitor with a live fastball and an ace mentality.
Fulmer donned the glasses after a stretch band slipped off his foot while stretching before a game his freshman year and hit him in the eye. It didn’t cause any permanent damage to his eye but he keeps them on to protect himself during a game.
“A lot of guys say it's intimidating,” Fulmer said. “I have no intentions of making it like that. I just use it for protection. I've gotten used to it. I kind of like them though.”
Fulmer lives for the big moment and thrives when challenged. At Vanderbilt, Fulmer got the start in the Commodores’ biggest game in program history, Game 3 of the 2014 College World Series, and went 5 1/3 innings, giving up just one earned run, three hits and two walks along with five strikeouts against Virginia, a team that won 53 games that year. The win gave Vanderbilt its first men’s national championship ever. In any sport.
In 2015, Fulmer was named SEC Pitcher of the Year and a Golden Spikes Award finalist after going 14-2 with a 1.83 ERA and 167 strikeouts over 127 2/3 innings. Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin gave Fulmer the ball to start Game 1 of the 2015 College World Series, a rematch against Virginia. To nobody’s surprise, Fulmer rose to the occasion. He left to a standing ovation from the Commodore faithful in Omaha after going 7 2/3 innings, giving up just two hits and two walks while striking out eight. And most importantly: no runs.
The right-hander earned the nickname “Filthy Fulmer” during his time in Nashville and garnered some elite praise from Corbin, who has watched pitchers such as David Price and Sonny Gray come through the program.
"As a kid, we just haven't had many like him," Corbin said after Fulmer’s final start. "He's one of the most special kids that we've ever had on our campus. I mean, this kid's, like, a 4.0 student. His last term here, when everything -- the focus -- could be anywhere but on academics, he just does such a good job, like Dansby (Swanson), on centering themselves in the moment and containing whatever they have to do. But he's a special, special competitor, and he'll go down as one of the greatest pitchers to ever pitch at Vanderbilt. I don't want to say the (greatest), because we've had some good ones, but I'll tell you what, he's a special guy."
Fulmer, who finished his collegiate career with a 24-3 record in three years, heads to a franchise that has made a habit of moving established college pitchers through the minors quickly.
Chris Sale lasted 10 1/3 innings in the minors before packing his bags for U.S. Cellular Field. Carlos Rodon tossed 34 1/3 innings between Charlotte and Winston-Salem and then became a staple in the White Sox rotation. One national analyst envisions Fulmer getting the call sometime this summer. GM Rick Hahn is already getting questions surrounding Fulmer’s expected arrival time at 35th and Shields.
“The funny thing is that if Carson contributed to us in 2017 that would be an extremely quick developmental path,” Hahn said at SoxFest 2016. “I don't think that's an unreasonable expectation. Given how quickly Chris Sale came along and how quickly Carlos Rodon came along, I think there's this mild thought in the back of some people's heads that perhaps Carson will be on that same path given his talent and given his makeup and the fact that we've seen other guys do it.
“The good ones have a way of forcing that time frame and letting you know when they're ready. Once they do, we'll create the opportunity.”
Fulmer’s path to the majors may be expedited if the Sox see a spot in the bullpen open up. But the team still has a long term goal of making him a big piece of their starting rotation.
"I will not be the one to tell Carson Fulmer he won't start, because he's liable to punch you in the face,” White Sox scouting director Nick Hostetler said.
Sale, another Lakeland native, has been in Fulmer’s ear ever since he got drafted, helping him prepare for his big moment.
“We've actually spent quite a bit of time together,” Sale said. “I was up in Lakeland and he came over to the house a couple weeks ago. We played golf in my hometown. I've been able to spend some time with him and show him the ropes and get him prepared for what he's about to start.”
The question doesn’t seem to be will the six-foot future ace be good, it’s how good will he be. He’s already listed as the No. 38 overall prospect by MLBPipeline.com and is the ninth rated right-hander in all of the minors. With the arm, the makeup and those lethal glasses, Fulmer will force the White Sox hand in 2016.
“They have a plan," Fulmer said. "And I have to respect that. Obviously it's a huge dream of mine to make it to the big leagues. I just got to sit back and be patient with it. Wherever they send me is where they are going to send me.”
Golf: I got a club for that..... Power rankings: Waste Management Phoenix Open.
By Ryan Ballengee
Golf's biggest party starts Thursday at TPC Scottsdale with the start of the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The par-3 16th will be surrounded by thousands of fans as the PGA Tour's best make their way through the most raucous hole in golf.
Golf's biggest party starts Thursday at TPC Scottsdale with the start of the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The par-3 16th will be surrounded by thousands of fans as the PGA Tour's best make their way through the most raucous hole in golf.
Brooks Koepka is the defending champion here, while Bubba Watson, who has been runner-up each of the last two years, is the favorite.
Here are our top five players for this week:
1. Brandt Snedeker -- 3, 2, 1. That's how Sneds has started the year, winning with an incredible final round at Torrey. Snedeker is good in Phoenix, too. He has three top-10 finishes here in the last five years.
2. Bubba Watson -- Watson is a horse-for-course pick this week. He's been in the top 15 each of the last four years, including back-to-back runner-up finishes.
3. Jason Dufner -- Duff Daddy is a winner again, taking the title at the CareerBuilder. He has a runner-up here in 2011 and a T-8 the next year. Nada since.
4. Kevin Kisner -- Kisner has a win, a second and all top-10s in his last four starts. Nothing special here, but, after a short rest, we expect him to continue the hot play.
5. Brooks Koepka -- The defending champion is tailor-made for this course, which is why he won last year. He finished T-3 at Kapalua and has been off since.
By DOUG FERGUSON
With his glove tucked in his back pocket and a putter in his hand, Brandt Snedeker walked off the green pumping his arms to celebrate a six-shot comeback to win the Farmers Insurance Open. That was the only part of his victory that looked normal.
He was on the practice green, not the 18th green.
Snedeker never hit a shot Monday.
Having delivered one of the great closing rounds on the PGA Tour on Sunday, all he could do was wait to see if it was good enough when the wind-blown tournament concluded before no spectators because of safety concerns for all the debris on the South Course at Torrey Pines.
The jangled nerves came from watching the forecast, and then the telecast. Snedeker finally went to the putting green and figured the crowd's reaction would let him know if K.J. Choi had made birdie on the 18th to force a playoff. But then he realized there was no crowd.
''I can't tell you how excited I am to be a champion here again, how unbelievable the last 48 hours have been,'' said Snedeker, the first player in more than five years to make the cut on the number and win the tournament. ''Everything worked out perfectly for me. You cannot make up the extreme events that had to happen for me to have this chance, and they all fell in line perfectly.''
Snedeker never hit a shot Monday.
Having delivered one of the great closing rounds on the PGA Tour on Sunday, all he could do was wait to see if it was good enough when the wind-blown tournament concluded before no spectators because of safety concerns for all the debris on the South Course at Torrey Pines.
The jangled nerves came from watching the forecast, and then the telecast. Snedeker finally went to the putting green and figured the crowd's reaction would let him know if K.J. Choi had made birdie on the 18th to force a playoff. But then he realized there was no crowd.
''I can't tell you how excited I am to be a champion here again, how unbelievable the last 48 hours have been,'' said Snedeker, the first player in more than five years to make the cut on the number and win the tournament. ''Everything worked out perfectly for me. You cannot make up the extreme events that had to happen for me to have this chance, and they all fell in line perfectly.''
It started with Snedeker.
In gusts that consistently topped 40 mph and peaked at over 50 mph, he played the final 17 holes Sunday without a bogey and closed with a 3-under 69, which was nearly nine shots better than the field. The average score (77.9) was the highest for the fourth round at a regular PGA Tour event since the tour began keeping such statistics in 1983.
Snedeker won at 6-under 282, the highest winning scores at Torrey Pines since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979.
Shortly after he finished Sunday, play was stopped for the third and final time, and for good reason. The relentless wind toppled more than dozen trees across Torrey Pines, including a 60-foot eucalyptus that fell across the left edge of the 15th fairway some 40 yards short of the green.
The forecast was for 25 mph win out of the opposite direction. That was good for Snedeker.
When he woke up Monday morning to start the waiting game, there was hardly any wind at all. That was bad for Snedeker.
But after another two-hour delay to clean up debris, the wind showed up at just the right time and made the conditions just as tough - maybe even tougher for the final groups - as it was on Sunday.
Snedeker hit a wedge for his second shot on the 15th. Choi couldn't reach the green with a 3-wood.
With the final five holes playing into the wind, birdies were scarce.
With the final five holes playing into the wind, birdies were scarce.
Jimmy Walker, who was leading at 7-under par through 10 holes when play was halted on Sunday, made four bogeys over his eight holes and shot 77. Choi, who was at 6 under (and tied with Snedeker) made only one bogey, and it was enough to cost him. He couldn't reach the 14th with a fairway metal - another wedge hole on Sunday - and narrowly missed a 6-foot par putt. Choi closed with a 77 and was runner-up.
Kevin Streelman had a 74, with two late bogeys ending his hopes, and finished third.
''The way the wind blew and made those last five holes play so tough on those guys, I feel bad for them,'' Snedeker said. ''They got the raw end of the stick this morning. But that's just the way golf goes, and luckily enough, I played good enough yesterday to get the job done. So it's a special feeling to say the least.''
Kevin Streelman had a 74, with two late bogeys ending his hopes, and finished third.
''The way the wind blew and made those last five holes play so tough on those guys, I feel bad for them,'' Snedeker said. ''They got the raw end of the stick this morning. But that's just the way golf goes, and luckily enough, I played good enough yesterday to get the job done. So it's a special feeling to say the least.''
It was the second time Snedeker has won at Torrey Pines, and he needed help both times. Four years ago, he was in the media center as the runner-up until Kyle Stanley made a triple bogey from the fairway on the 18th hole, and Snedeker beat him in a playoff to complete a seven-shot comeback.
This time, he needed help from the elements.
Snedeker made the cut on the number Saturday and was tied for 27th going into the final round. The wicked weather produced 23 rounds in the 80s, including an 87 by Scott Brown, who shared the 54-hole lead with Choi and wound up in a tie for 49th.
''It's just one of those fluke things,'' Snedeker said. ''There's no way you can control the weather, no way you can predict how it's going to be. Sometimes you get the raw end and sometimes you get the better end, and I obviously got the better end this week.''
He did his part with a great closing round on Sunday. He was rewarded with a trophy on Monday.
NASCAR: Tony Stewart hospitalized with back injury in all-terrain vehicle accident.
NASCAR: Tony Stewart hospitalized with back injury in all-terrain vehicle accident.
Tony Stewart (Photo/AP)
Three-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart was hospitalized after injuring his back in a non-racing accident Sunday afternoon, his Stewart-Haas Racing team said in a statement Tuesday.
The team said Stewart, who is entering the final season of his NASCAR career, was transported to a hospital following the accident and currently is being evaluated. Per the SHR release, Stewart is awake and alert and able to move all extremities. Another update isn’t expected until Thursday afternoon.
A team spokesman said Stewart was injured in an all-terrain vehicle on the West Coast.
A broken right leg in a sprint car race sidelined Stewart, 44, from the final 15 races of the 2013 season, and he also missed three races in 2014 after a sprint car he was driving struck and killed Kevin Ward Jr. He started every race last season, which was the worst of his career with three top 10s and a 28th-place finish in the points standings.
NASCAR released a statement from Chairman Brian France about Stewart’s injury:
We have received word from Stewart-Haas Racing of Tony Stewart’s accident and injury. On behalf of everyone at NASCAR, I wish Tony a full recovery and look forward to seeing him back in our sport when he’s ready to return.
The full release from the team:
Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, sustained a back injury in a non-racing accident Sunday afternoon.
Stewart was transported to a local hospital following the accident and is currently being evaluated. Stewart is awake and alert, and able to move all extremities. An update will be provided Thursday afternoon when more information is known.
The team said Stewart, who is entering the final season of his NASCAR career, was transported to a hospital following the accident and currently is being evaluated. Per the SHR release, Stewart is awake and alert and able to move all extremities. Another update isn’t expected until Thursday afternoon.
A team spokesman said Stewart was injured in an all-terrain vehicle on the West Coast.
A broken right leg in a sprint car race sidelined Stewart, 44, from the final 15 races of the 2013 season, and he also missed three races in 2014 after a sprint car he was driving struck and killed Kevin Ward Jr. He started every race last season, which was the worst of his career with three top 10s and a 28th-place finish in the points standings.
NASCAR released a statement from Chairman Brian France about Stewart’s injury:
We have received word from Stewart-Haas Racing of Tony Stewart’s accident and injury. On behalf of everyone at NASCAR, I wish Tony a full recovery and look forward to seeing him back in our sport when he’s ready to return.
The full release from the team:
Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, sustained a back injury in a non-racing accident Sunday afternoon.
Stewart was transported to a local hospital following the accident and is currently being evaluated. Stewart is awake and alert, and able to move all extremities. An update will be provided Thursday afternoon when more information is known.
IndyCar puts safety at top of priority list entering 2016.
By MICHAEL MAROT
IndyCar officials are trying to make racing safer and more appealing in 2016.
After spending a busy offseason trying to stop cars from flipping and limiting the dangers of flying debris, Mark Miles spent Tuesday explaining how rules changes could help.
The most notable difference this season will be the addition of rear beam wing flaps, something similar to what NASCAR has been using on the roofs of its cars and that is designed to keep the lighter IndyCars from going airborne when they are rolling backward.
''I'm told ours are more heavy-duty and professionally engineered and cooler (than NASCAR's) and will be effective,'' joked Miles, the CEO of IndyCar's parent company, Hulman & Co. ''But time will tell.''
Inside series headquarters, this is serious business.
Last season was marred by a series of problems - expansive debris fields on race day, upside-down cars and the tragic accident that claimed the life of Justin Wilson one day after he was hit in the head by debris from another car at Pocono.
Canadian driver James Hinchcliffe, who was seriously injured during Indy 500 practice and missed the rest of the season even though his car stayed on the ground, said he believes protective canopies could be on the cars within three years. That's two years sooner than he anticipated last summer.
''Anything that adds protection to the head is good,'' Hinchcliffe said before noting the new addition to Formula One cars wouldn't work as well on the high-banked ovals at IndyCar venues. ''It's easy to throw a canopy on a car, but there's a hundred other things that you have to look at.''
When asked if the timeline had been pushed up, Miles acknowledged the series has been working extensively with an unidentified international company. He said there are still significant details to work out - how strong the materials must be, how much weight a canopy would add to the car, how it would affect visibility and whether it would be a complete enclosure.
''Anything that adds protection to the head is good,'' Hinchcliffe said before noting the new addition to Formula One cars wouldn't work as well on the high-banked ovals at IndyCar venues. ''It's easy to throw a canopy on a car, but there's a hundred other things that you have to look at.''
When asked if the timeline had been pushed up, Miles acknowledged the series has been working extensively with an unidentified international company. He said there are still significant details to work out - how strong the materials must be, how much weight a canopy would add to the car, how it would affect visibility and whether it would be a complete enclosure.
''It's not going to happen this year, for sure, and it's still too soon to say whether they'd be ready for 2017 or 2018,'' Miles said. ''But we're pretty confident that it can be developed.''
Until then, Miles and his executive team, including new competition and operations president Jay Frye, are taking more immediate measures to protect drivers.
In November, the series announced it would use tethers on the rear beam wing and rear wing guards at all races while the nose and front wing main plate on the three superspeedways the series uses. On Tuesday, Miles said an improved fuel probe sensor will prevent drivers from pulling out of the pits while the probe is still attached to the car. That's what happened to Graham Rahal at Fontana last season.
And unlike last season, when there were no oval races before the Indianapolis 500 and no testing of the new aero kits at IMS, the series has scheduled an April 6 test at Indy to make sure the new equipment works properly.
The other obligation, of course, is to expand the fan base.
Miles expects television ratings will continue to increase, thanks in part to a creative schedule that eliminates some of the overlap with NASCAR races and NFL games. He also remains confident that the Sept. 4 race on Boston's street course will be held on time.
Some residents have complained about the ''disruption'' caused by that race, but Miles said the promoters and Boston Mayor Martin Walsh are still on board. The promoters even announced Tuesday that Coors Light has signed on as a sponsor.
Former series champ Ryan Hunter-Reay, the 2014 Indy 500 winner, can't wait.
''Boston is the perfect market to be in. The track is amazing,'' he said. ''The site and where I saw it, how it's going to be, the plans for it, massive potential. I hope it's one of our cornerstone events.''
SOCCER: Paunovic says Fire need to improve through preseason.
By Dan Santaromita
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The usually very optimistic Veljko Paunovic had a slight tone change during Monday’s conference call with the media.
The Chicago Fire coach still maintained his upbeat words about the players and the upcoming season, but also emphasized how much improvement the team needs to make.
“I think it’s very good in pace, in how we control the game,” Paunovic said when asked about the team’s strengths. “I think that we still have to improve our mechanisms for getting in the final third, but it’s still early. We haven’t worked on that so it’s something that’s normal. In this point in the preseason we are still not working on merging it all together so those pieces are still missing. As I said, we are going to step up. Right now I think the good point is to understand the possession and the advantages of the possession and to improve the mechanisms of finishing and getting in the final third."
The Fire landed in Tampa on Sunday for the second phase of the preseason. The first preseason game will take place on Feb. 6 against the University of South Florida. The club announced that the South Florida game will be streamed on the Fire’s website.
Nick LaBrocca, whose free agent signing was finalized on Jan. 27, joined the team on Sunday. Winger Arturo Alvarez has also joined the team on trial. Alvarez, 30, played nine years in MLS before playing in Portugal and Hungary since 2012. Both players are behind in fitness, but will train with the team in technical and tactical training.
The most notable quote from Paunovic’s conference call was probably his take on Harry Shipp. When asked what Shipp’s best position was, Paunovic gave a somewhat deeper evaluation of Shipp.
“As an attacking midfielder, either behind the striker or on the wing,” Paunovic said of Shipp’s best role. “I think that he has that quality that he can switch positions with another teammate. I think his main quality is that he is very, very good on the ball. Good technique, but I think that he still needs to improve, especially improve that hunger to score goals, to assist, to create general space and impact in the game.”
Fitness was the main focus for week one of the preseason and that will still be true this week. The focus will shift to anaerobic work.
“We are working on improvement our anaerobic threshold, which is very important in order to play a high intensity style of play that we want to develop,” Paunovic said. “We are working on that on the physical level. On the technical and tactical, always continue to improve our technique and our understanding of the style of play which we want to be the team who controls the game.”
As for Saturday’s first preseason game, Paunovic said he plans to give as many players an opportunity as possible. The game will kickoff at 4 p.m. CT.
Fire announce signing of Dutch defender Kappelhof.
By Dan Santaromita
The Chicago Fire coach still maintained his upbeat words about the players and the upcoming season, but also emphasized how much improvement the team needs to make.
“I think it’s very good in pace, in how we control the game,” Paunovic said when asked about the team’s strengths. “I think that we still have to improve our mechanisms for getting in the final third, but it’s still early. We haven’t worked on that so it’s something that’s normal. In this point in the preseason we are still not working on merging it all together so those pieces are still missing. As I said, we are going to step up. Right now I think the good point is to understand the possession and the advantages of the possession and to improve the mechanisms of finishing and getting in the final third."
The Fire landed in Tampa on Sunday for the second phase of the preseason. The first preseason game will take place on Feb. 6 against the University of South Florida. The club announced that the South Florida game will be streamed on the Fire’s website.
Nick LaBrocca, whose free agent signing was finalized on Jan. 27, joined the team on Sunday. Winger Arturo Alvarez has also joined the team on trial. Alvarez, 30, played nine years in MLS before playing in Portugal and Hungary since 2012. Both players are behind in fitness, but will train with the team in technical and tactical training.
The most notable quote from Paunovic’s conference call was probably his take on Harry Shipp. When asked what Shipp’s best position was, Paunovic gave a somewhat deeper evaluation of Shipp.
“As an attacking midfielder, either behind the striker or on the wing,” Paunovic said of Shipp’s best role. “I think that he has that quality that he can switch positions with another teammate. I think his main quality is that he is very, very good on the ball. Good technique, but I think that he still needs to improve, especially improve that hunger to score goals, to assist, to create general space and impact in the game.”
Fitness was the main focus for week one of the preseason and that will still be true this week. The focus will shift to anaerobic work.
“We are working on improvement our anaerobic threshold, which is very important in order to play a high intensity style of play that we want to develop,” Paunovic said. “We are working on that on the physical level. On the technical and tactical, always continue to improve our technique and our understanding of the style of play which we want to be the team who controls the game.”
As for Saturday’s first preseason game, Paunovic said he plans to give as many players an opportunity as possible. The game will kickoff at 4 p.m. CT.
Fire announce signing of Dutch defender Kappelhof.
By Dan Santaromita
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The Chicago Fire’s revamped defense is starting to come together.
The club announced the signing of 25-year-old Dutch defender Johan Kappelhof on Tuesday, making official a move that a few days ago was reported on the website of Kappelhof's previous club, FC Groningen.
According to the Fire's announcement, Kappelhof signed a three-year contract and the Fire used Targeted Allocation Money to make the move. The Fire have stockpiled allocation money, both of the TAM variety and the general Allocation Money variety, through multiple offseason moves and this is the first reported use of either. Kappelhof was under contract through the summer of 2017 with Groningen so the Fire needed to give Groningen a transfer fee, which could be where the TAM comes into play.
Kappelhof, who is 5-foot-11, has spent the past five seasons with Groningen, which plays in the Dutch Eredivisie. He has 123 appearances in the league and 150 across all competitions with the club, including in European play.
Premier League roundup: Leicester, Man United roll; Spurs leap Arsenal.
By Nicholas Mendola
We know the managers don’t love the schedule congestion in the Premier League, but after a day like Tuesday we’re thrilled to have a midweek like this.
Manchester United looked like the Red Devils of old, Leicester City continued its incredible run, Arsenal continued its tumultuous table run and Spurs looked ready to the bright lights.
Those were just four of the teams toiling on Tuesday.
Manchester United 3-0 Stoke City — RECAP
The combination of Anthony Martial and Wayne Rooney will receive a lot of the accolades, but Juan Mata put forth an all-world effort in orchestrating the other two members of his power trio. United scored first half goals at home for the first time in 11 matches, and Old Trafford was, at least for a day, the Theater of Dreams.
Leicester City 2-0 Liverpool — RECAP
Jurgen Klopp won’t be pleased, but Jamie Vardy banged in a pair of goals to give the Foxes a three-point table lead heading into the weekend. England coach Roy Hodgson was in attendance, and it’s hard to imagine he isn’t salivating at the thought of in-form Vardy and Rooney in an attack with Raheem Sterling this summer in France.
Arsenal 0-0 Southampton — RECAP
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is understandably frustrated that his side couldn’t find the back of the goal, but he’ll watch the tape and realize Saints goalkeeper Fraser Forster was guilty of robbery on so many occasions that he’d get a life sentence from any sensible judge.
Sunderland 0-1 Manchester City — RECAP
Sergio Aguero scored early, and that’s all the league’s No. 2 team needed to advance past Sam Allardyce‘s side, as the big English manager slumped back in the dugout, wondering what his team will look like once the transfer buys hits the pitch together.
West Browmich Albion 1-1 Swansea City — RECAP
Opinion here, but Tony Pulis spent another afternoon robbing soccer fans of entertainment before Gylfi Sigurdsson broke through and put Swans up top. Baggies striker Salomon Rondon snared a point late, but West Brom was unconvincing again and sits just a trio of points above Swansea.
Norwich City 0-3 Tottenham Hotspur — RECAP
The Canaries could be in real trouble, but Spurs sure have made a lot of teams feel that way. Dele Alli scored, won a penalty for Harry Kane to convert, and then watched as Kane added a second goal as the North London side ran through Carrow Road with ease. Spurs now have the best goal differential in the Premier League (25).
West Ham United 2-0 Aston Villa — RECAP
Poor Remi Garde. We’re sure he’s a better manager than this, and Jordan Ayew‘s needless and vicious elbow had the last-place Villans down a man for most of this one. Dmitri Payet was again a string-puller for the Irons, who got goals from Michail Antonio and Cheikhou Kouyate.
Crystal Palace 1-2 Bournemouth — RECAP
Alan Pardew‘s Eagles are struggling, and now sit closer to the drop zone than the Top Four after coughing up an early lead provided by Scott Dann and Wilfried Zaha teaming up. Selhurst Park watched in horror as Marc Pugh dizzied the Palace ‘D’ for one goal and Benik Afobe buried his third in three games for the eventual match winner. That’s five-straight losses for Pardew’s Palace.
NCAABKB: NCAA Top 25 Basketball Poll, February 20, 2016.
The club announced the signing of 25-year-old Dutch defender Johan Kappelhof on Tuesday, making official a move that a few days ago was reported on the website of Kappelhof's previous club, FC Groningen.
According to the Fire's announcement, Kappelhof signed a three-year contract and the Fire used Targeted Allocation Money to make the move. The Fire have stockpiled allocation money, both of the TAM variety and the general Allocation Money variety, through multiple offseason moves and this is the first reported use of either. Kappelhof was under contract through the summer of 2017 with Groningen so the Fire needed to give Groningen a transfer fee, which could be where the TAM comes into play.
Kappelhof, who is 5-foot-11, has spent the past five seasons with Groningen, which plays in the Dutch Eredivisie. He has 123 appearances in the league and 150 across all competitions with the club, including in European play.
The Fire's back line is starting to take shape with newcomers likely to start in every position. Kappelhof and fellow new signing Joao Meira could be the center back tandem with rookie Brandon Vincent playing at left back and free agent signing Michael Harrington at right back.
The Fire now have 21 players under contract while the club is training in Tampa for the second week of the preseason.
Premier League roundup: Leicester, Man United roll; Spurs leap Arsenal.
By Nicholas Mendola
(Photo by Stephen Pond/Getty Images)
We know the managers don’t love the schedule congestion in the Premier League, but after a day like Tuesday we’re thrilled to have a midweek like this.
Manchester United looked like the Red Devils of old, Leicester City continued its incredible run, Arsenal continued its tumultuous table run and Spurs looked ready to the bright lights.
Those were just four of the teams toiling on Tuesday.
Manchester United 3-0 Stoke City — RECAP
The combination of Anthony Martial and Wayne Rooney will receive a lot of the accolades, but Juan Mata put forth an all-world effort in orchestrating the other two members of his power trio. United scored first half goals at home for the first time in 11 matches, and Old Trafford was, at least for a day, the Theater of Dreams.
Leicester City 2-0 Liverpool — RECAP
Jurgen Klopp won’t be pleased, but Jamie Vardy banged in a pair of goals to give the Foxes a three-point table lead heading into the weekend. England coach Roy Hodgson was in attendance, and it’s hard to imagine he isn’t salivating at the thought of in-form Vardy and Rooney in an attack with Raheem Sterling this summer in France.
Arsenal 0-0 Southampton — RECAP
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is understandably frustrated that his side couldn’t find the back of the goal, but he’ll watch the tape and realize Saints goalkeeper Fraser Forster was guilty of robbery on so many occasions that he’d get a life sentence from any sensible judge.
Sunderland 0-1 Manchester City — RECAP
Sergio Aguero scored early, and that’s all the league’s No. 2 team needed to advance past Sam Allardyce‘s side, as the big English manager slumped back in the dugout, wondering what his team will look like once the transfer buys hits the pitch together.
West Browmich Albion 1-1 Swansea City — RECAP
Opinion here, but Tony Pulis spent another afternoon robbing soccer fans of entertainment before Gylfi Sigurdsson broke through and put Swans up top. Baggies striker Salomon Rondon snared a point late, but West Brom was unconvincing again and sits just a trio of points above Swansea.
Norwich City 0-3 Tottenham Hotspur — RECAP
The Canaries could be in real trouble, but Spurs sure have made a lot of teams feel that way. Dele Alli scored, won a penalty for Harry Kane to convert, and then watched as Kane added a second goal as the North London side ran through Carrow Road with ease. Spurs now have the best goal differential in the Premier League (25).
West Ham United 2-0 Aston Villa — RECAP
Poor Remi Garde. We’re sure he’s a better manager than this, and Jordan Ayew‘s needless and vicious elbow had the last-place Villans down a man for most of this one. Dmitri Payet was again a string-puller for the Irons, who got goals from Michail Antonio and Cheikhou Kouyate.
Crystal Palace 1-2 Bournemouth — RECAP
Alan Pardew‘s Eagles are struggling, and now sit closer to the drop zone than the Top Four after coughing up an early lead provided by Scott Dann and Wilfried Zaha teaming up. Selhurst Park watched in horror as Marc Pugh dizzied the Palace ‘D’ for one goal and Benik Afobe buried his third in three games for the eventual match winner. That’s five-straight losses for Pardew’s Palace.
Standings
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Home | Away | PTS | |||
| Leicester City | 24 | 14 | 8 | 2 | 44 | 26 | 18 | 7-4-1 | 7-4-1 | 50 | |||
| Manchester City | 24 | 14 | 5 | 5 | 46 | 23 | 23 | 9-1-2 | 5-4-3 | 47 | |||
| Tottenham Hotspur | 24 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 44 | 19 | 25 | 6-4-2 | 6-5-1 | 45 | |||
| Arsenal | 24 | 13 | 6 | 5 | 37 | 22 | 15 | 7-3-2 | 6-3-3 | 45 | |||
| Manchester United | 24 | 11 | 7 | 6 | 31 | 21 | 10 | 6-4-2 | 5-3-4 | 40 | |||
| West Ham United | 24 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 38 | 28 | 10 | 5-5-2 | 5-4-3 | 39 | |||
| Southampton | 24 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 32 | 24 | 8 | 6-2-4 | 3-5-4 | 34 | |||
| Liverpool | 24 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 30 | 34 | -4 | 4-4-3 | 5-3-5 | 34 | |||
| Stoke City | 24 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 24 | 28 | -4 | 5-2-4 | 4-4-5 | 33 | |||
| Watford | 23 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 27 | 26 | 1 | 5-2-5 | 4-3-4 | 32 | |||
| Crystal Palace | 24 | 9 | 4 | 11 | 25 | 29 | -4 | 4-2-7 | 5-2-4 | 31 | |||
| Everton | 23 | 6 | 11 | 6 | 40 | 34 | 6 | 3-4-5 | 3-7-1 | 29 | |||
| West Bromwich Albion | 24 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 23 | 31 | -8 | 4-4-5 | 3-4-4 | 29 | |||
| Chelsea | 23 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 32 | 34 | -2 | 4-4-4 | 3-3-5 | 28 | |||
| Bournemouth | 24 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 29 | 39 | -10 | 3-4-4 | 4-3-6 | 28 | |||
| Swansea City | 24 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 23 | 32 | -9 | 4-4-4 | 2-4-6 | 26 | |||
| Norwich City | 24 | 6 | 5 | 13 | 28 | 46 | -18 | 4-3-5 | 2-2-8 | 23 | |||
| Newcastle United | 23 | 5 | 6 | 12 | 25 | 41 | -16 | 3-5-4 | 2-1-8 | 21 | |||
| Sunderland | 24 | 5 | 4 | 15 | 28 | 47 | -19 | 3-3-6 | 2-1-9 | 19 | |||
| Aston Villa | 24 | 2 | 7 | 15 | 18 | 40 | -22 | 1-4-6 | 1-3-9 | 13 | |||
NCAABKB: NCAA Top 25 Basketball Poll, February 20, 2016.
AP
RANK
|
SCHOOL
|
RECORD
|
POINTS
|
PREVIOUS
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma (45) | 18-2 | 1605 | 1 |
| 2 | North Carolina (20) | 20-2 | 1578 | 2 |
| 3 | Villanova | 18-3 | 1384 | 6 |
| 4 | Maryland | 19-3 | 1366 | 8 |
| 5 | Iowa | 17-4 | 1362 | 3 |
| 6 | Xavier | 19-2 | 1344 | 7 |
| 7 | Kansas | 17-4 | 1233 | 4 |
| 8 | Texas A&M | 18-3 | 1169 | 5 |
| 9 | Virginia | 17-4 | 1086 | 11 |
| 10 | Michigan State | 19-4 | 1018 | 12 |
| 11 | Providence | 18-4 | 900 | 10 |
| 12 | SMU | 19-1 | 853 | 13 |
| 13 | Iowa State | 16-5 | 851 | 14 |
| 13 | West Virginia | 17-4 | 814 | 9 |
| 15 | Baylor | 17-4 | 728 | 17 |
| 16 | Oregon | 18-4 | 551 | 23 |
| 17 | Miami (Fla.) | 16-4 | 537 | 15 |
| 18 | Purdue | 19-4 | 511 | 21 |
| 19 | Louisville | 17-4 | 478 | 16 |
| 20 | Kentucky | 16-6 | 429 | 20 |
| 21 | Wichita State | 16-5 | 323 | 22 |
| 22 | Indiana | 18-4 | 270 | 19 |
| 23 | Arizona | 17-5 | 245 | 18 |
| 24 | Dayton | 18-3 | 168 | NR |
| 25 | South Carolina | 19-2 | 87 | NR |
Tennessee rallies from 21 down to stun No. 20 Kentucky 84-77.
By STEVE MEGARGEE
Tennessee forward Admiral Schofield (5) shakes hands with Kentucky guard Charles Matthews (4) after an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016, in Knoxville, Tenn. Tennessee won 84-77. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)
What started out as a potential blowout loss developed into one of the most monumental comebacks in Tennessee history.
Kevin Punter Jr. scored 27 points and Armani Moore added 18 points and 13 rebounds Tuesday night as Tennessee erased a 21-point deficit in an 84-77 upset of No. 20 Kentucky.
Tennessee's rally represented a stunning turn of events for a team that had lost its last two games despite leading by at least 14 points in the second half of each. The Volunteers (11-11, 4-5 Southeastern Conference) trailed 34-13 with less than 6 minutes left in the first half.
''We kind of joked around about it, we actually said we liked it better being down instead of being up at the half,'' Moore said. ''It kind of makes us a whole lot hungrier.''
Tennessee's media guide doesn't include a list of its biggest comebacks ever, but athletic department spokesman Tom Satkowiak said he believes the 21-point deficit was the largest margin the Vols have erased in a victory since at least December 2006. This matched the seventh-biggest comeback by any Division I team this season, according to STATS LLC.
This marked the second straight defeat for Kentucky (16-6, 6-3), which got 21 points from Jamal Murray and 20 from Tyler Ulis. The Wildcats fell 90-84 in overtime Saturday at No. 7 Kansas, which was ranked fourth at the time.
The Vols pulled ahead on Detrick Mostella's 3-pointer with 14:09 left. Kentucky regained the lead when Ulis and Derek Willis hit 3-pointers on the next two possessions, but Tennessee kept clawing back and regained the lead at 65-63 on Hubbs' basket with 9:41 remaining.
Kentucky: The Wildcats are 151-68 in this series. Kentucky has lost to Tennessee more than any other team.
NCAAFB: Reborn UAB has something to celebrate this signing day.
By STEVE MEGARGEE
What started out as a potential blowout loss developed into one of the most monumental comebacks in Tennessee history.
Kevin Punter Jr. scored 27 points and Armani Moore added 18 points and 13 rebounds Tuesday night as Tennessee erased a 21-point deficit in an 84-77 upset of No. 20 Kentucky.
Tennessee's rally represented a stunning turn of events for a team that had lost its last two games despite leading by at least 14 points in the second half of each. The Volunteers (11-11, 4-5 Southeastern Conference) trailed 34-13 with less than 6 minutes left in the first half.
''We kind of joked around about it, we actually said we liked it better being down instead of being up at the half,'' Moore said. ''It kind of makes us a whole lot hungrier.''
Tennessee's media guide doesn't include a list of its biggest comebacks ever, but athletic department spokesman Tom Satkowiak said he believes the 21-point deficit was the largest margin the Vols have erased in a victory since at least December 2006. This matched the seventh-biggest comeback by any Division I team this season, according to STATS LLC.
This marked the second straight defeat for Kentucky (16-6, 6-3), which got 21 points from Jamal Murray and 20 from Tyler Ulis. The Wildcats fell 90-84 in overtime Saturday at No. 7 Kansas, which was ranked fourth at the time.
''We had them down by 21 - and they came back and beat our brains in,'' Kentucky coach John Calipari said. ''They ended up beating us by 30 in about 25 minutes - and it could have been 50. We've got a ways to go.''
The score was tied 70-all until Robert Hubbs III made a free throw with 5:04 left to start a 7-0 run that put Tennessee ahead for good. Kentucky couldn't cut the margin below three points the rest of the way.
The score was tied 70-all until Robert Hubbs III made a free throw with 5:04 left to start a 7-0 run that put Tennessee ahead for good. Kentucky couldn't cut the margin below three points the rest of the way.
Kentucky seemed on the verge of putting this game out of reach early. But after trailing by 21, Tennessee used a 10-0 run to get within striking distance and cut Kentucky's lead to 42-36 by halftime.
''I kept glancing over at the scoreboard and I kept looking up there and we were cutting into it, cutting into it,'' Punter said. ''We hit a few shots and got going, and we were down like six.''
The Vols pulled ahead on Detrick Mostella's 3-pointer with 14:09 left. Kentucky regained the lead when Ulis and Derek Willis hit 3-pointers on the next two possessions, but Tennessee kept clawing back and regained the lead at 65-63 on Hubbs' basket with 9:41 remaining.
Although Kentucky tied the score at 70-all, the Wildcats wouldn't lead again.
''I just thought our guys really deserve all the credit in the world, the way they hung in,'' Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said. ''Obviously we weren't playing very well early, but they stayed with it. They really did. There wasn't one person who played that game who didn't help us some way, somehow.''
''I just thought our guys really deserve all the credit in the world, the way they hung in,'' Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said. ''Obviously we weren't playing very well early, but they stayed with it. They really did. There wasn't one person who played that game who didn't help us some way, somehow.''
Mostella had 13 points and Admiral Schofield added 11 points and eight rebounds for Tennessee. Alex Poythress had 12 of his 14 points in the first half for Kentucky.
TIP-INS
Kentucky: The Wildcats are 151-68 in this series. Kentucky has lost to Tennessee more than any other team.
Tennessee: Kyle Alexander, a 6-foot-9 freshman forward, made his third career start as Hubbs moved to the bench. Alexander started for the first time since Dec. 29. Tennessee had been using a starting lineup with nobody taller than 6-5.
QUOTABLE
''I never did get worried,'' Moore said of the 21-point deficit. ''I just wanted us to step it up on defense. Obviously we're a whole lot better than that. It's a game of runs.''
QUOTABLE
''I never did get worried,'' Moore said of the 21-point deficit. ''I just wanted us to step it up on defense. Obviously we're a whole lot better than that. It's a game of runs.''
KEY STATS
Tennessee went 30 of 34 from the free throw line and made its first 21 attempts. ... This marked the 18th time an unranked Tennessee team has beaten a ranked Kentucky squad.
NEXT UP
Kentucky: hosts Florida on Saturday.
Tennessee: is at Arkansas on Saturday.
Kentucky: hosts Florida on Saturday.
Tennessee: is at Arkansas on Saturday.
NCAAFB: Reborn UAB has something to celebrate this signing day.
By JOHN ZENOR
UAB coach Bill Clark watches from the sideline during an NCAA college football game against Middle Tennessee in Murfreesboro, Tenn. UAB's recruiting class won't be highly ranked but it figures to be huge, literally and figuratively, for a program that was eliminated and reinstated over the past 14 months. The Blazers could have nearly 50 signees, including 19 mid-year enrollees. The Blazers will resume playing in the 2017 season. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)
The UAB Blazers will have just as much to celebrate on Wednesday as all the programs collecting five-star recruits and gaudy national rankings.
The UAB Blazers will have just as much to celebrate on Wednesday as all the programs collecting five-star recruits and gaudy national rankings.
The Blazers are back in the recruiting business, and in a big way.
UAB, which had eliminated football, might end up with a class of up to 45 players by the end of the annual signing day. Coach Bill Clark and his staff are rebuilding almost from scratch.
''These last few weeks are the most important in the history of UAB football,'' Clark said. ''That's easy for me sitting here but just by sheer numbers, you're setting the tone.''
Indeed, UAB had more than 20 mid-year signees - not all of them have enrolled - and expects to land another 23 on Wednesday. The NCAA cleared the Blazers to sign 20 extra players this offseason to help accelerate their return to a level playing field.
In Clark's debut season, UAB eliminated the football program - along with rifle and bowling - in December 2014 after the Blazers were bowl eligible for the first time in a decade. Then an outpouring of financial and emotional support prompted university President Ray Watts to bring all three sports back last June.
Clark's team will take the field again in 2017, led by a number of the players joining the fold this offseason plus others who have returned or stuck it out.
UAB didn't have the big carrot dangled by other programs. There won't be immediate playing time for any of them.
So Clark shared his vision for the Blazers - including improved facilities and possibly a new stadium - and preached patience. It was no easy sell to teenagers eager to play.
''I think there were guys that got it and then there were guys that 100 percent didn't, but they loved making history and having a chance to come in and be a guy that really has a chance to be a starter,'' Clark said. ''The sitting out a year, we've lost a few guys just on that alone.''
The biggest name in this signing class is former Notre Dame running back Greg Bryant, who got a chance to start over much like the program. He spent last season living out of a hotel room in Miami with friends while attending classes at ASA College, playing in only one game.
Initially he wasn't really interested in UAB or even taking the coaches' calls with more prominent programs like Louisville, Auburn and Utah expressing interest. UAB could offer something they couldn't: Early enrollment.
''I bought into that vision of coach Clark's and bringing all these JUCO guys together and bringing the program back, and really make history,'' said Bryant, who left Notre Dame after he was ruled academically ineligible for the 2015 season. ''Nobody really knows what we do behind the scenes and nobody really knows behind the scenes how many players we've got, how many good players we have. It's all coming together perfectly.''
The once-prized prospect wasn't sure he could have afforded to stay in school after starting the fall crammed into a hotel room with four others. The number of roommates dwindled but he was still stuck living out of hotels through the season.
At UAB, he was allowed to enroll in January 2016 instead of having to wait possibly an extra year to get eligible elsewhere.
''Coach Clark, he really did me a favor, because I was living in hotels in Miami,'' Bryant said. ''He said I could come in as soon as the semester was over. Any other school I would have had to wait another semester and probably be enrolled by December. I just bought into what coach Clark was saying and I got in with a 2.0'' GPA.
Bryant did not meet NCAA standards for immediate eligibility on the field but can compete after spending an academic year at UAB.
The Blazers have already lined up some 65 players, including about 30 walk-ons.
When they return they'll face a full Conference USA schedule and a road game against Florida.
''We want to at least come out there and be competitive,'' Clark said. ''In our mind, that's the only goal, to come out there and have a chance to win.''
Super Bowl prop bets 2016: Full list including national anthem, coin toss, MVP and more.
Super Bowl 50 will feature a broad array of prop bets, covering everything from the length of the national anthem, to which team will score the first touchdown. We have a full rundown courtesy of Odds Shark. You can wager on them at Bovada.lv.
Super Bowl 50 is less than a week away, which means the opportunities to wager on the game will soon be closing. Plenty of people will be on who will win or lose, and offices will have "Super Bowl squares" contests. However, one of the more entertaining forms of Super Bowl wagering comes in the form of prop bets.
Super Bowl 50 is less than a week away, which means the opportunities to wager on the game will soon be closing. Plenty of people will be on who will win or lose, and offices will have "Super Bowl squares" contests. However, one of the more entertaining forms of Super Bowl wagering comes in the form of prop bets.
The Super Bowl is well known for the numerous prop bets one can wager on. A prop bet takes individual events within or connected to the game and allows you to bet on them. They can be connected to the on-field action, meaning you can bet on things like total passing yards for Cam Newton or Peyton Manning, total receiving yards for Demaryius Thomas or Ted Ginn Jr., or total rushing yards for C.J. Anderson or Jonathan Stewart. However, for the Super Bowl, prop bets will also be incredibly random. You can bet on things like how long the national anthem will last, how many times "dab" or "dabbing" will be said by announcers or even whether the coin toss will come up heads or tails.
The first official prop bet was whether or not Chicago Bears defensive lineman William "Refrigerator" Perry would score a touchdown in Super Bowl XX. The on-field prop bets don't change much from year-to-year, aside from the occasional player addition. However, the "off-field" entertainment prop bets can get particularly crazy. This year, Peyton Manning's potential retirement is prominent. Additionally, a year removed from Left Shark's notable performance in Katy Perry's halftime show, you can bet on whether he will make a guest appearance during the Super Bowl 50 halftime show.
Here is a full rundown of Bovada.lv's Super Bowl 50 prop bets.
ENTERTAINMENT ODDS AND ENDS
Will Peyton Manning announce his retirement in the postgame interview?
Yes +500 (5/1)
No -1000 (1/10)
(Note: Must be on live broadcast.)
The first official prop bet was whether or not Chicago Bears defensive lineman William "Refrigerator" Perry would score a touchdown in Super Bowl XX. The on-field prop bets don't change much from year-to-year, aside from the occasional player addition. However, the "off-field" entertainment prop bets can get particularly crazy. This year, Peyton Manning's potential retirement is prominent. Additionally, a year removed from Left Shark's notable performance in Katy Perry's halftime show, you can bet on whether he will make a guest appearance during the Super Bowl 50 halftime show.
Here is a full rundown of Bovada.lv's Super Bowl 50 prop bets.
ENTERTAINMENT ODDS AND ENDS
Will Peyton Manning announce his retirement in the postgame interview?
Yes +500 (5/1)
No -1000 (1/10)
(Note: Must be on live broadcast.)
Will Peyton Manning be seen crying at any point during the entire broadcast?
Yes +600 (6/1)
No -1200 (1/12)
(Note: Live pictures only, must clearly see a tear.)
How many times will "dab" or "dabbing" be said by the announcers during the broadcast?
Over 2 (EVEN, 1/1)
Under 2 (-140, 5/7)
(Note: From kickoff to final whistle, halftime does not count.)
How many times will Cam Newton do the Open Shirt Superman motion during the game?
Over 2.5 (EVEN, 1/1)
Under 2.5 (-140, 5/7)
(Note: From kickoff to final whistle, halftime does not count.)
If Steph Curry is shown on TV during the broadcast what will he be wearing?
Personalized Carolina Steph Curry Jersey 1/1
No Jersey
Cam Newton Jersey
Any Other Carolina Jersey
Will Mike Carey be wrong about a challenge?
Yes +110 (11/10)
No -150 (2/3)
(Note: He must be consulted on live broadcast and must clearly take a stance on his position. If not consulted wagers will be No Action.)
Will there be an earthquake during the game?
Yes 10/1
(Note: Announcer must indicate there was during live broadcast from kickoff until final whistle.)
Will the Panthers player who scores their first TD give the football to a boy or girl?
Boy -200 (1/2)
Girl +150 (3/2)
How many times will the Golden Gate Bridge be shown during the broadcast?
Over 0.5 -300 (1/3)
Under 0.5 +200 (2/1)
(Note: From kickoff to final whistle, halftime does not count.)
How many times will "John Fox" be said during the broadcast?
Over 1 (-140, 5/7)
Under 1 (EVEN, 1/1)
(Note: From kickoff to final whistle, halftime does not count.)
How many times will Archie Manning be shown on TV during the broadcast?
Over 1.5 EVEN (1/1)
Under 1.5 -140 (5/7)
(Note: From kickoff to final whistle, halftime does not count.)
How many times will John Elway be shown on TV during broadcast?
Over 2.5 EVEN (1/1)
Under 2.5 -140 (5/7)
(Note: From kickoff to final whistle, halftime does not count.)
Will the announcers mention that Kubiak was Elway's backup during the broadcast?
Yes +120 (6/5)
No -160 (5/8)
(Note: From kickoff to final whistle, halftime does not count.)
What color will the liquid be that is poured on the winning coach?
Orange 5/4
Blue 3/1
Clear 4/1
Yellow 4/1
Red 6/1
Green 10/1
Purple 10/1
Who will the Super Bowl MVP mention first?
God
Team
City/Fans
Coach
Family
Does not Mention Anyone above 9/4
Which song will Coldplay play first during the halftime show?
Adventure of a Lifetime 2/1
Fix You
A Sky Full of Stars 9/2
Viva la Vida
Clocks
Speed of Sound 9/1
Head Full of Dreams 10/1
Paradise
What color will Beyonce's footwear be when she comes on stage for the halftime show?
Black
Gold/Brown 5/2
White
Silver/Grey 19/4
Any Other Color 7/1
(Note: Predominant color will be graded winner.)
Will "Left Shark" make an appearance on stage during the Super Bowl halftime show?
Yes 15/1
How many million viewers will Super Bowl 50 have?
Over/Under 117 million
What will the Nielsen Rating be for Super Bowl 50?
Over/Under 48.5
Which region will have a higher Nielsen Rating?
Denver -140 (5/7)
Charlotte EVEN (1/1)
How many wings will Buffalo Wild Wings sell on Super Bowl Day?
Over/Under 12 million
TEAM/GAME PROPS
Coin Toss
Heads -105 (20/21)
Tails -105 (20/21)
Will the referee redo the coin toss?
Yes 20/1
Will the team that chooses heads or tails in the coin toss be correct?
Yes -105 (20/21)
No -105 (20/21)
Team to win the coin toss
Carolina Panthers -105 (20/21)
Denver Broncos -105 (20/21)
Will the team that wins the coin toss win the game?
Yes -105 (20/21)
No -105 (20/21)
Team to score first in the game
Carolina Panthers -150 (2/3)
Denver Broncos +120 (6/5)
Will the team that scores first win the game?
Yes -160 (5/8)
No +130 (13/10)
Total Team Points - Carolina Panthers
Over/Under 24½
Total Team Points - Carolina Panthers - First Half
Over/Under 11½
Total Team Points - Denver Broncos
Over/Under 20
Total Team Points - Denver Broncos - First Half
Over/Under 9½
Will there be a score in the first 7m30s of the 1st quarter?
Yes -160 (5/8)
No +130 (13/10)
Will there be a score in the first 1m30s of the 1st quarter?
Yes +1000 (10/1)
No -2500 (1/25)
Which will be the highest scoring quarter?
1st Quarter 5/1
2nd Quarter 8/5
3rd Quarter 9/2
4th Quarter 5/2
Will either team score 3 unanswered times in the game?
Yes -220 (5/11)
No +175 (7/4)
Will there be a score in the final 2 minutes of the 1st half?
Yes -280 (5/14)
No +220 (11/5)
Longest touchdown yardage in the game
Over/Under 44½
Will there be a penalty for excessive celebration?
Yes +250 (5/2)
No -400 (1/4)
Will either backup QB take a snap in the game?
Yes +200 (2/1)
No -300 (1/3)
Total successful field goals
Over/Under 3½
Longest successful field goal in the game
Over/Under 44.5 Yards
Will there be a missed extra point?
Yes +325 (13/4)
No -450 (2/9)
Total QB sacks (Both teams combined)
Over/Under 5½
Will a special teams or defensive TD be scored?
Yes +150 (3/2)
No -180 (5/9)
Will the Panthers rush for a 100 Yards or more for a 32nd straight game?
Yes -500 (1/5)
No +300 (3/1)
Total number of penalties made in the game by both teams
Over/Under 12½
Total number of penalties assessed on the Carolina Panthers
Over/Under 6
Total number of penalties assessed on the Denver Broncos
Over/Under 6½
Margin of Victory
Panthers by 1-6 points
Panthers by 7-12 points 4/1
Panthers by 13-18 points 11/2
Panthers by 19-24 points 9/1
Panthers by 25-30 points 16/1
Panthers by 31-36 points 25/1
Panthers by 37-42 points 40/1
Panthers by 43+ points
Broncos by 1-6 points
Broncos by 7-12 points 8/1
Broncos by 13-18 points 12/1
Broncos by 19-24 points 25/1
Broncos by 25-30 points 50/1
Broncos by 31-36 points 75/1
Broncos by 37-42 points 100/1
Broncos by 43+ points
MVP AND FIRST TO SCORE A TOUCHDOWN ODDS
Super Bowl 50 - Odds to Win MVP
Cam Newton
Peyton Manning 11/4
Luke Kuechly 14/1
C.J. Anderson
Ted Ginn Jr. 20/1
Von Miller
Greg Olsen
Emmanuel Sanders 22/1
Jonathan Stewart 22/1
Demaryius Thomas 22/1
Josh Norman
Aqib Talib
DeMarcus Ware 33/1
Corey Brown
Owen Daniels
Graham Gano
Ronnie Hillman
Brandon McManus 66/1
Darian Stewart
Danny Trevathan
Chris Harris Jr. 75/1
Devin Funchess
Brandon Marshall 100/1
Derek Wolfe 100/1
Kurt Coleman
Mike Tolbert
Field
First Touchdown Scorer
Cam Newton (CAR) 7/1
Greg Olsen (CAR) 15/2
Jonathan Stewart (CAR) 8/1
C.J. Anderson (DEN) 9/1
Emmanuel Sanders (DEN) 9/1
Demaryius Thomas (DEN) 9/1
Ted Ginn Jr. (CAR) 10/1
Corey Brown (CAR) 14/1
Owen Daniels (DEN) 14/1
Ronnie Hillman (DEN) 14/1
Mike Tolbert (CAR) 16/1
Jerricho Cotchery (CAR) 20/1
Devin Funchess (CAR) 20/1
Andre Caldwell (DEN) 25/1
Jordan Norwood (DEN) 25/1
Ed Dickson (CAR) 33/1
Peyton Manning (DEN) 50/1
No touchdown scorer 66/1
Field
PLAYER PROPS
Will Peyton Manning throw a Pick 6 in the game?
Yes +300 (3/1)
No -500 (1/5)
Will Cam Newton break the Super Bowl record of most rushing yards by a QB?
Yes +275 (11/4)
No -450 (2/9)
(Note: The record is 64 by Steve McNair in Super Bowl XXXIV.)
Total Passing Yards - Peyton Manning (DEN)
Over/Under 235½
Total Passing Yards - Cam Newton (CAR)
Over/Under 240½
Total Touchdown Passes - Cam Newton (CAR)
Over 1½ (-180, 5/9)
Under 1½ (+150, 3/2)
Total Touchdown Passes - Peyton Manning (DEN)
Over 1½ (-135, 20/27)
Under 1½ (+105, 21/20)
Cam Netwon and Peyton Manning Specials
Cam Newton records 300 or more Passing Yards 7/2
Cam Newton records 350 or more Passing Yards 9/1
Cam Newton records 50 or more Rushing Yards 3/2
Cam Newton records 100 or more Rushing Yards 12/1
Cam Newton records 25 or more Completions
Cam Newton scores a Rushing TD and Carolina win the game 2/1
Peyton Manning records 300 or more Passing Yards 7/4
Peyton Manning records 350 or more Passing Yards 5/1
Peyton Manning records 30 or more Completions
Total Rushing Yards - Cam Newton (CAR)
Over/Under 39½
Total Rushing Yards - Ted Ginn Jr. (CAR)
Over/Under 5½
Will Luke Kuechly record a pick 6 in the game?
Yes +600 (6/1)
No -1200 (1/12)
(Note: Kuechly had a pick 6 in both playoff games this year.)
Total Sacks - Von Miller (DEN)
Over ½ (-225, 4/9)
Under ½ (+180, 9/5)
CROSS-SPORTS PROPS
Cross Sport Props - What will be higher?
Trump % Points in the New Hampshire Primary -200 (1/2)
Total Points scored by the winning Super Bowl team +150 (3/2)
Cross Sport Props - Exact Outcome
Carolina wins Super Bowl - Trump Wins 2016 Presidential Election 13/4
Carolina wins Super Bowl - Cinton Wins 2016 Presidential Election 7/4
Carolina wins Super Bowl - Sanders Wins 2016 Presidential Election 5/1
Denver wins Super Bowl - Trump Wins 2016 Presidential Election
Denver wins Super Bowl - Clinton Wins 2016 Presidential Election 9/2
Denver wins Super Bowl - Sanders Wins 2016 Presidential Election 10/1
Cross Sport Props - What are the odds the Carolina Panthers win the 2016 Super Bowl and the Golden State Warriors win the 2015-2016 NBA Title?
Yes 2/1
Will Denver win Super Bowl, Peyton Manning Retires, San Antonio wins NBA Championship, Tim Duncan Retires?
Yes 20/1
Cross Sport Props - What will be higher?
DeMarcus Cousins Points and Rebounds Feb. 7
Cam Newton Rushing Yards
Cross Sport Props - What will be higher?
Total Goals in the Montreal vs Carolina NHL game on Feb. 7
Total Receptions by Greg Olsen
Cross Sport Props - What will be higher?
Tiger Woods 1st Round score at 2016 Masters
Emmanuel Sanders Receiving Yards
Cross Sport Props - What will be higher?
Arsenal Total Goals on Feb. 7
Peyton Manning TD Passes
On
emoriesofhistory.com
1912 - In the U.S., professional football set some new rules. The field was shortened to 100 yards, touchdowns were to be worth six points instead of five, four downs would be allowed instead of three and the kickoff was moved from midfield to the 40 yard line.
1944 - Syd Howe (Detroit Red Wings) scored six goals in a 12-6 win over the New York Rangers.
1951 - Dick Button won the U.S. figure skating title for the sixth time.
1972 - The first Winter Olympics in Asia were held at Sapporo, Japan.
1979 - The Minnesota Twins traded Rod Carew to California for four players.
1984 - At Madison Square Garden in New York City Carl Lewis beat his own world record in the long jump by 9-1/4 inches.
1990 - Darryl Strawberry (New York Mets) voluntarily entered an Alcohol rehab center.
1998 - Dino Ciccarelli (Florida Panthers) became the 9th NHL player to score 600 career goals.
2001 - The XFL debuted. The Las Vegas Outlaws beat the New York/New Jersey Hitman 19-0 and the Orlando Rage beat the Chicago Enforcers 33-29.
2002 - The New England Patriots won Super Bowl XXXVI 20-17 over the Los Angeles Rams. It was the first Super Bowl win for the Patriots. The game ended with a last second field goal. Britney Spears performed the national anthem.
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