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"Sports Quote of the Day"
"In terms of instilling the values of mental toughness and work ethic, discipline is the gift that keeps on giving." ~ William Baldwin, Actor, Producer and Writer
Trending: Corey Crawford, Blackhawks shut down Red Wings. (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates).
Trending: Hoiberg calling for Bulls to ride emotion for final stretch. (See the basketball section for Bulls updates).
Trending: With tampering period at hand, Bears have targets identified. See the football section for Bears updates).
Trending: Lovie Smith set to become the new head coach at Illinois. (See the college football section for NCAA football updates).
Trending: 11 days until the 2016 NCAA March Madness Tournament starts and 7 days before you can pick your brackets, Are you in? (See the college basketball section for NCAA Tournament updates).
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Corey Crawford, Blackhawks shut down Red Wings.
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Corey Crawford, Blackhawks shut down Red Wings.
The Blackhawks weren’t too thrilled with how they played through the middle minutes against the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday.
But they’ll take the start and finish.
Corey Crawford stopped 33 of 34 shots and Patrick Kane established a new season high in points as the Blackhawks beat the Red Wings 4-1 at the United Center. The Blackhawks remain in first place in the Central Division. The Dallas Stars beat the Ottawa Senators to equal the Blackhawks in points (87) but the Blackhawks have the regulation/overtime victory edge, 40-38.
Kane’s goal, which came 21 seconds into the game, gives him 89 points this season; that tops the previous career best of 88 he set during the 2009-10 season. His 38 goals are also a career high. Crawford’s 35th victory of the season is his new career best.
Artem Anisimov had a goal and an assist while Artemi Panarin had two assists for the Blackhawks. Duncan Keith and Jonathan Toews each had goals. For the Blackhawks, it’s always about playing as close to a 60-minute game as possible. That didn’t happen on Sunday, but they got great goaltending and two power-play goals to pace them.
“Kind of comparable in Detroit: I thought we had a good start, they get back in the game with a good second period,” coach Joel Quenneville said of the Blackhawks’ 5-2 victory there last week. “Crow was good again and our special teams were like we saw in Detroit: very good.”
Yes, the Blackhawks got good work out of their penalty kill and power play on Sunday, and they needed both of them. Keith and Anisimov had the power-play goals – Keith’s shot came from a distance while Anisimov redirected a Panarin shot. The power play was ranked third entering the game, a big difference from the last few seasons.
“It comes with confidence,” Toews said. “I think when you have a stretch where pucks are going in, it just adds to the rest of your power play, what you do with the puck, your breakouts, your entries, retrieving pucks especially off of initial shots that maybe don’t go in in their zone. I think it just trickles down when you’re scoring goals and you’re getting bounces.”
The Blackhawks’ kill nixed all three of the Red Wings’ power-play opportunities. A big part of that kill, as well as the entire second period, was Crawford. When the Blackhawks went quiet through the middle 20 minutes Crawford was stalwart, stopping all 13 shots he saw in the second. The Blackhawks had just three shots in that period.
“We didn’t get any shots any possession in their end at all,” Quenneville said of that second period. “We didn’t give up quality but Crow, I thought he moved the puck well on rebounds and dumps. He was very effective in a lot of ways.”
The Blackhawks have been looking for consistency in their game as they come down the stretch here. They didn’t get the desired amount of that on Sunday but they had exactly what they wanted at the start, and more of it at the finish.
“We want to get better every day and improve our team game and getting a four-line rotation where we’re keeping everyone in the game here. Tonight one group didn’t play as much as we’d like but going forward we’d like to see more balance in the ice time,” Quenneville said. “We want to finish as high as we can. That’s the motivation.”
Five Things: Blackhawks' Patrick Kane hits milestone.
By Tracey Myers
The Blackhawks were looking for the same type of game against Detroit here on Sunday as they got in Detroit on Wednesday. And for the first few minutes, they did. And then again for the last few minutes, they did.
So just forget about those middle minutes where the Red Wings outshot them.
The Blackhawks swept their two-game series with the Red Wings, beating them 4-1 on Sunday. The score was deceiving: the Blackhawks got two early goals that chased goaltender Petr Mrazek from the game and two late ones that made it look like a more lopsided victory than it actually was. But the Blackhawks will take the win, no matter how it came.
So before we head home and enjoy an evening – yes, a whole evening – let’s look at the Five Things to take from the Blackhawks’ victory over the Red Wings.
1. Corey Crawford does it again. The Blackhawks have relied on Crawford several times this season, and they did it again for a good portion of Sunday afternoon. Crawford was especially good in the second period, when the Red Wings outshot the Blackhawks 13-3. Crawford was recently named to Team Canada for his work. There’s no doubt he’s been a workhorse for the Blackhawks this season.
2. Patrick Kane establishes a new season high. Well, he’s done that every time he’s scored a goal since he surpassed his previous best of 30 established in the 2009-10 season. On Sunday he set another new mark, this for points, with 89. That previous best (88) was also set in 2009-10.
3. The net-front presence is back. The Blackhawks’ two third-period goals were an Artem Anisimov redirect (for a power play goal) and a shot that went off Jonathan Toews’ body. Both players were planted in front of the net, and when the Blackhawks do that they’re bound for more scoring success. Said Toews, “it’s just kind of under appreciated what that net-front guy means. And going back to what’s kind of made the difference in our power play, I guess you could say lately it’s definitely one of them.”
4. Artemi Panarin grabs a two-point night. Panarin seems to have replaced Patrick Sharp as the left wing who will try to rip one from the left circle. He’s done well there, his third-period snipe from there turning into Anisimov’s redirected power-play goal. In the second matchup of rookies Panarin and Dylan Larkin, Panarin was the one coming away with points again.
5. Staying atop the Central Division. The Blackhawks are doing it, albeit by the razor-thin margin of regulation/overtime victories. If they finish there, they’re thrilled. If they don’t, they’ll live. But there’s no doubt the race to the Central title is going to be a thrilling one between them, the Dallas Stars and the St. Louis Blues.
So just forget about those middle minutes where the Red Wings outshot them.
The Blackhawks swept their two-game series with the Red Wings, beating them 4-1 on Sunday. The score was deceiving: the Blackhawks got two early goals that chased goaltender Petr Mrazek from the game and two late ones that made it look like a more lopsided victory than it actually was. But the Blackhawks will take the win, no matter how it came.
So before we head home and enjoy an evening – yes, a whole evening – let’s look at the Five Things to take from the Blackhawks’ victory over the Red Wings.
1. Corey Crawford does it again. The Blackhawks have relied on Crawford several times this season, and they did it again for a good portion of Sunday afternoon. Crawford was especially good in the second period, when the Red Wings outshot the Blackhawks 13-3. Crawford was recently named to Team Canada for his work. There’s no doubt he’s been a workhorse for the Blackhawks this season.
2. Patrick Kane establishes a new season high. Well, he’s done that every time he’s scored a goal since he surpassed his previous best of 30 established in the 2009-10 season. On Sunday he set another new mark, this for points, with 89. That previous best (88) was also set in 2009-10.
3. The net-front presence is back. The Blackhawks’ two third-period goals were an Artem Anisimov redirect (for a power play goal) and a shot that went off Jonathan Toews’ body. Both players were planted in front of the net, and when the Blackhawks do that they’re bound for more scoring success. Said Toews, “it’s just kind of under appreciated what that net-front guy means. And going back to what’s kind of made the difference in our power play, I guess you could say lately it’s definitely one of them.”
4. Artemi Panarin grabs a two-point night. Panarin seems to have replaced Patrick Sharp as the left wing who will try to rip one from the left circle. He’s done well there, his third-period snipe from there turning into Anisimov’s redirected power-play goal. In the second matchup of rookies Panarin and Dylan Larkin, Panarin was the one coming away with points again.
5. Staying atop the Central Division. The Blackhawks are doing it, albeit by the razor-thin margin of regulation/overtime victories. If they finish there, they’re thrilled. If they don’t, they’ll live. But there’s no doubt the race to the Central title is going to be a thrilling one between them, the Dallas Stars and the St. Louis Blues.
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session... Milwaukee Bucks-Chicago Bulls Preview.
By KEVIN CHROUST
In 12 games without Jimmy Butler, Chicago fell out of the Eastern Conference playoff picture. In one with him back, it's returned to the No. 8 spot and started to ease some of the stress of the unnerving fall.
The climb back toward more comfortable ground continues Monday night as the Bulls host Milwaukee, and Butler's been particularly effective against the Bucks this season.
Butler's first game back from a sprained left knee was Saturday's 108-100 home win over Houston with the guard contributing 24 points and 11 rebounds. The 3-9 span without the defensive standout had the Bulls (31-30) allowing 109.7 points per game with teams shooting 39.7 percent from 3-point range.
"Obviously, you see the impact Jimmy has because of his ability to make life difficult for the elite wing players in this league," coach Fred Hoiberg told the team's official website. "... He gives you that great physical presence out there and stays in front of guys and bodies up. Offensively, he's a guy who can flat out get you a basket and get you to the free-throw line and get you some points."
It also marked the return of Nikola Mirotic, who had missed 16 games because of a complicated bout with appendicitis. Pau Gasol, who had 28 points and 17 rebounds, noted that there's plenty of time left to re-ascend the East, but it has to happen now with five games separating the Bulls from home-court advantage in the first round.
"We have 21 games to play, a quarter of the season," Gasol said. "It's a lot of games to play, but now our margin of error is gone. We've just got to play with a little more consistency that we did tonight with the same type of energy and competitiveness and go after every single win."
It should help that everyone is back who's coming back. When Butler was healthy, Mike Dunleavy wasn't, so the two played together for the first time this season Saturday. Joakim Noah is out for the season, so this is as close to a full roster as the Bulls will have.
It should help that everyone is back who's coming back. When Butler was healthy, Mike Dunleavy wasn't, so the two played together for the first time this season Saturday. Joakim Noah is out for the season, so this is as close to a full roster as the Bulls will have.
Perhaps diminished in Butler's return is the fact that backcourt mate Derrick Rose has shot at least 50 percent in six straight games interrupted by his own injury issues, averaging 21.3 points.
"I don't ever think we are going to lose," Butler said. "As long as we're confident in each other we'll be fine. It helped me a lot having Mike to space the floor and Doug (McDermott) as confident as he is now, I think it helps everybody. Offense is always there, but we need the defense and rebounding. We won. That's all I'm worried about."
That hasn't been a problem in Chicago against the Bucks (26-37). The teams have split two games thus far with the home team winning each, and the Bulls have won the last four meetings in Chicago while holding the Bucks to 88.5 points per game. Butler has reached 30 points in both games this season while totaling 16 assists.
Milwaukee ended a 2-3 homestand with Sunday's 104-96 loss to Oklahoma City while shooting 3 of 19 from 3-point range. However, the forward duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker each had 26 points.
Antetokounmpo notched a triple-double with 12 rebounds and 10 assists, and he's averaged 23.3 points, 10.8 rebounds and 9.0 assists in his last four games. All three of his career triple-doubles have come in his last seven games, and he scored 29 points on 10-of-14 shooting in a 106-101 home win over the Bulls on Jan. 12. Parker has averaged 24.0 points in his last four.
"When you look at Oklahoma City, they're veteran guys who have gone through the process that Giannis and Jabari are going through," coach Jason Kidd said. "We can take that path because those two are both pretty talented. I think Giannis and Jabari can do that."
Hoiberg calling for Bulls to ride emotion for final stretch.
By Vincent Goodwill
The United Center crowd was on its feet minutes before Saturday night’s game against the Houston Rockets, as the feeling in the building was part anxious excitement and the other, more dominant emotion was plain-old anxiety.
It had the feel of a Game 3 in the playoffs, where a team is coming back down 0-2 and knowing a loss in a seven-game series would essentially end their season.
In other words, the result was predictable as the Bulls rode the wave of emotion, and despite their own 26 turnovers, held on to beat the Rockets on national TV.
“Every game is a playoff game,” Derrick Rose said afterward, having limped into the locker room, playing through taking a hard fall on his tailbone courtesy of a charge from James Harden.
The Bulls surged with new life, buoyed by the returns of Jimmy Butler and Nikola Mirotic, as Saturday was as close to full strength as they’ve been all season — and as they’ll be for the remainder of it.
And make no mistake, how long the season has in it is entirely up to the players and Fred Hoiberg, as through the wave of disappointment this season has brought, there is still enough opportunity to salvage something of this.
Rose’s blow-by’s to the basket, still capable of being one of the few lead guards to go end-to-end in a moment’s notice, was evidenced by his forays and reverse layups, along with his lightning-quick passes to Mike Dunleavy and Pau Gasol for dunks and jumpers.
Gasol, playing as well as a 35-year old can at this stage, putting up numbers that don’t seem like it during the game, but his pinpoint passes and stand-still jumpers bring a dimension that’s necessary offensively when things do slow down.
Butler still has that extra lift in his jumper, which he displayed in going to get an alley-oop from a bad Gasol pass in the first quarter and crowding James Harden to make his life miserable despite Harden scoring 36 in a one-man show.
“It was great tonight, his energy was awesome,” said Dunleavy of Butler’s return. “He provided a huge boost for us, especially on the defensive end and dealing with Harden. We look forward to keeping him healthy and keeping him out there.”
At Sunday’s light practice, where Hoiberg was still impressed with the urgency his team displayed, he took the unexpected stance of saying this team will have to rely on emotion for the last 21 games — a dangerous proposition considering the stage of the season.
He shrugged off the notion of emotion wearing off at a certain point, once the return of Butler and Mirotic wears off.
“Well, it can't. We can't afford that,” Hoiberg said. “We're at a point in our season right now where every game has to be played with unbelievable urgency and unbelievable effort. That's got to be the constant for this team. Whether we're making shots or not, you've got to give effort, you've got to defend, you've got to give yourself an opportunity, and I thought we did that last night.”
Ironic the criticism of Tom Thibodeau was his so-called lack of ability in seeing the big picture, and belief he would sell his soul — and yours too — to win one meaningless basketball game in January.
Or March.
Now the Bulls have seemingly co-opted that mentality, and Hoiberg expects to see that type of emotion and desperation every night for as long as it takes.
“That was our focus last night, was going into that game with a playoff mentality,” Hoiberg said. “We felt that going home after the Florida trip, it was important to get back on track. Getting our guys back was a big part of that, and I thought they went out and competed from the beginning.”
Certainly the strong start, where the Bulls got after it in the first quarter, gave room for hope as they arose from their slumber that seemed to last for the better part of two months.
“We went out and jumped out to a good lead early in that game and set the tone and got the pace where we wanted it,” Hoiberg said. “We got an 18-point lead early in the fourth and hung on, but the right mentality coming out of the gate. We defended well for the most part.”
Defending is about executing, energy and yes, emotion, but it requires more of the first attribute than the latter. For the last several weeks the Bulls were sleepwalking on both ends of the floor, relying on their continuity and offensive know-how rather than choking the life from their opponent.
And when it came to crunch time — if it came to that — they didn’t have enough muscle memory or toughness to prevent opposing teams from imposing their will and making the Bulls fold.
It’s contributed to the Bulls’ losing nine fourth-quarter leads this season, third to only the talentless Philadelphia 76ers and confounding, confusing Oklahoma City Thunder, coached by fresh-from-college coach Billy Donovan, who lead with 10 each.
“It’s defense,” Rose said. “When we’re up, and we think the game is over with, teams are playing hard and that’s when they go to just shooting threes.”
That’s a sign of desperation and simply where the game is going, as the Bulls are struggling to find their way in this new NBA with their own set of unique circumstances.
On paper, they should beat out the Detroit Pistons, Washington Wizards and even leapfrog the likes of the Charlotte Hornets to obtain something other than a death-knell 1-8 matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
But paper hasn’t helped the Bulls be anything aside from mediocre, and the usual void-of-emotion Hoiberg is relying on the only thing he has left perhaps in this underachieving season: riding the emotional wave.
At some point, though, it does wear off and you show what you’re made of.
Game “3” was a success, but Game “4” is the litmus test.
Starting Monday at the United Center.
Jimmy Butler's return a successful one in Bulls' win over Rockets.
By Vincent Goodwill
An alley-oop dunk signaled a triumphant return for Jimmy Butler, and a one-night reprieve from the month-long misery for the Chicago Bulls.
It was a night of firsts or “first time in awhile” in their 108-100 win over the equally-floundering Houston Rockets at the United Center, as the Bulls ended their four-game losing streak.
Butler was in uniform for the first time in nearly a month and was greeted with one of the toughest covers in the game, Rockets guard James Harden, as his welcome back matchup.
Harden scored 36 but struggled with Butler on him, as each dealt with foul trouble all night with Butler fouling out with a little under three minutes left.
Butler scored 24 points with 11 rebounds and six assists, as the Bulls pulled ahead of the Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
“Obviously you see the impact Jimmy has with his ability to make things difficult for the elite wing players in this league,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. “He gives you great physical presence out there and stays in front of guys.”
Butler caught a one-handed alley-oop from Pau Gasol early in the first quarter, showing no ill effects from the left knee strain that cost him 11 games in the last month.
“It wasn’t as bad as I thought I would be,” said Butler of his conditioning, although he looked winded a couple times out there.
“My competitive spirit kicked in and I got to doing what I do best---fouling," he added laughing.
It was a nod to him fouling out for the first time this season, which almost signaled doom for the Bulls as they allowed the Rockets to make things interesting despite leading by as many as 17 points.
“It got a little stagnant in the fourth but we were able to protect the lead,” Hoiberg said.
It was a Nikola Mirotic sighting for the first time since January 25 as he’s recovering from hematoma surgery and an appendectomy, and he hit two triples early in the fourth quarter to push a close game to breathing distance.
Butler, Derrick Rose and Mike Dunleavy saw the floor together for the first time this season, and there were plenty of moments where the group worked together for backdoor cuts and transition triples, as Dunleavy kept moving and Rose and Butler kept looking for him, scoring 12 in 30 minutes.
“It was great tonight, his energy was awesome,” said Dunleavy of Butler’s return. “He provided a huge boost for us, especially on the defensive end and dealing with Harden. We look forward to keeping him healthy and keeping him out there.”
Derrick Rose had a spill early, taking a charge on Butler and falling on his side and looked a bit ginger in the second half, returning only after Butler fouled out and the Bulls leading by 12.
Rose committed six turnovers, but scored 17 with nine assists and had a spirited matchup with fellow Chicagoan and workout buddy Patrick Beverley, earning double technical fouls in the second quarter.
In another first, the Bulls had an early lead for the first time in awhile, jumping out front, buoyed by the energy from the Saturday night crowd, seemingly desperate for a positive showing and not ready for this team to fall under the .500 mark.
But it wasn’t all rosy, as they committed 26 turnovers, succumbing to the Rockets’ frenetic trapping pace, often forcing passes and plays that wound up in the expensive seats rather than the intended targets.
“We talked about making quick decisions and slipping through the double teams to let Pau play with more numbers on the other side,” Hoiberg said. “Too many carless passes and their hand pressure really bothered us.”
Luckily for them, the Rockets couldn’t hit much from the 3-point line until it was desperation time, or very well could’ve walked away winners in what would’ve been an unbelievably disappointing finish for the Bulls.
Gasol committed eight of those turnovers, bested only by Harden giving it away nine times of his own, but Gasol filled the stat sheet against former teammate Dwight Howard to make up for things.
Gasol scored 28 with 17 rebounds and six assists in 38 minutes, outplaying Howard, who fouled out with 12 rebounds to go along with just eight points as he didn’t look comfortable with the one-man show offense Harden was running.
The Bulls didn’t look comfortable for stretches either, getting reacclimated to Butler’s presence and unable to truly get ahold of the Rockets forcing them to play out of control.
But with the current state of affairs, the Bulls need it any way they can get it, and they hope to figure out the rest on the back end.
Derrick Rose shrugs off technical foul, hard fall in Bulls win.
By Vincent Goodwill
Derrick Rose walked with a slight limp through the Bulls’ locker room to meet with media, after a night that could be best described as “peculiar.”
He hit the floor early in the game while taking a charge on James Harden and appeared to bruise his tailbone in the process. At times it seemed to bother him, as he went to the locker room late in the first quarter but played through it, although the Bulls wanted to sit him late until Jimmy Butler fouled out with under three minutes remaining.
“He tightened up in his tailbone,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. “He battled his way through the end. We were hoping to rest him but when Jimmy fouled out they started making a run. We put him back in there and everyone responded.”
But nobody bothered him more than fellow Chicagoan Patrick Beverley, a man who makes a living of getting underneath opponents’ skin. He picked Rose’s pocket for a layup in the second quarter, and the two were playfully jawing at each other shortly thereafter.
Apparently the officials didn’t get the notice that competitive banter is OK in this league, so they were hit with double technical fouls, much to everyone’s chagrin. Rose actually laughed at it while it was being announced, considering the two are good friends and talk frequently, and Beverley even stays at Rose’s house during the summers when they work out.
“The league is not, I guess, used to that,” Rose said. “It wasn’t like we were cursing or yelling at each other or anything. Pat, he lived in my house a little bit in the summer. It’s nothing like that. We’ve been playing against each other since Marshall (high school, where Beverley attended). The rivalry goes back to high school, it’s just fun while we’re out there.”
It’s not usual to see Rose engage in any kind of trash talk, as he communicates to his teammates and sometimes to the officials when he gets knocked around without the reward of a whistle, so perhaps the refs wanted to keep the nationally-televised game above board and under control, not knowing the background.
“It’s funny,” Rose said. “It wasn’t like we were cursing at one another or saying foul stuff to one another. It’s basketball, I think, the league isn’t used to that.”
While that part about the league not being used to that nowadays, one thing Rose isn’t used to is having both Butler and Mike Dunleavy alongside him on the wings, as Saturday marked the first time those three played together this season.
Dunleavy was able to cut to the basket and spot up, while Butler’s return from a left knee strain presented another option as a shot creator and maker on the perimeter. Rose’s numbers was a mixed bag in the not-so-new but new setup, scoring 17 with nine assists on six of 10 shooting in 29 minutes with six turnovers against a super-aggressive Rockets defense—spearheaded by a pitbull at point guard named Beverley.
“They pressured the ball great,” said Rose, as the Bulls had 26 turnovers overall, leading to 25 Rockets’ points. “We gotta make simple plays. We tried to hit a home run with every one of our plays but the simple plays, getting out of the double team and go from there.”
And as everyone in Chicago held their breath when Rose took his awkward fall, as it would seem appropriate to get two big pieces back only to lose the piece the franchise is used to being without, Rose was undaunted about the thought of missing Monday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks due to the fall.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m fine. I’m sure. I’m fine.”
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! With tampering period at hand, Bears have targets identified.
The NFL’s period of actual free agency starts this Wednesday, Mar. 9. But the “real” free agency opens at noon on Monday when teams may legally begin talking to prospective free agents still under contract to their current teams, according to this memo from the league to its teams and obtained by ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio. Here is the nub of the deal:
“During the two-day negotiating period, all clubs may negotiate all aspects of an NFL Player Contract with the certified agent of any prospective UFA. However, a new club may not execute an NFL Player Contract with a prospective UFA until 4:00 p.m., New York time, on March 9, when the player’s 2015 contract expires.”
Of course, myriad teams have already had exploratory talks with agents for players; that’s what the Scouting Combine and telephones are for. The talking time was cut from three days to two since everyone knew by two what the deals were going to be anyway.
Regardless of when the de facto window for talks and deals opens, and irrespective of how good or bad the pending market may be, the Bears have had their targets identified long ago. GM Ryan Pace is a veteran of the pro personnel side of the game (beginning with the New Orleans Saints), meaning it has long been his job to have scouted current NFL players for game-planning as well as free agency purposes.
Put another way: Pace, his staff and by extension the Bears coaching staff knew before the end of last season who would look very good in Bears uniforms.
But from the dozens of current NFL players poised to become available, several make more sense than others at the specific need areas within the Bears’ roster.
Note: Because of the Bears’ intent to reshape the roster down age-wise, free agent rankings stayed generally sub-30.
Inside linebacker
Pace and coaches believe Shea McClellin’s arrow is still pointing up but Christian Jones, others were not answers.
1. Brandon Marshall, Denver, restricted free agent: Broncos could match offer; No. 2 in Broncos tackles.
2. Jerrell Freeman, Indianapolis: No. 2-ranked ILB by ProFootballFocus.com.
3. Danny Trevathan, Denver: Led Broncos in tackles, got lineup break from John Fox.
LB/DE edge rusher
Bears have Lamarr Houston in place with hefty contract plus Pernell McPhee but want – and need – more from short list.
1. Oliver Vernon, Miami: Dolphins transitioned him so they can match offer, but 29 sacks over 4 years...
2. Bruce Irvin, Seattle: Bears targeted him in ’12 draft before Seattle picked; solid if unspectacular.
Defensive line
Eddie Goldman is youth at NT but the DE/5-technique role is wide open. Jarvis Jenkins would be a quality re-sign.
1. Jaye Howard, Kansas City: Mauled Bears early in ’15 meeting with Hroniss Grasu; low mileage, high upside.
2. Akiem Hicks, New England: Massive (6-foot-5, 345 pounds) anchor alongside Goldman; drafted by Saints while Pace in New Orleans
3. Malik Jackson, Denver: Do Bears really want to get into this bidding war?
Guard
Matt Slauson is a fixture now but RG suffered when Kyle Long moved and Slauson gives flexibility. Bears see Charles Leno at LT.
1. Kelechi Osemele, Baltimore: Best OL on market can play guard or tackle.
2. Alex Boone, San Francisco: Nobody looks too good after 49ers’ 2015 but Boone is a two-time Pro Bowl alternate who can play tackle.
3. Jeff Allen, Kansas City: Quality blocker with versatility at age 26.
4. Brandon Brooks, Houston: Huge (335 pounds) mauler has started 30 games.
Cornerback
Bears hit with Tracy Porter, missed with Alan Ball, need to settle a key spot opposite Kyle Fuller, whom Bears control for 3 more yrs.
1. Janoris Jenkins, Los Angeles: Elite corner money could cost Bears needs elsewhere; how aggressive will Pace be?
2. Sean Smith, Kansas City: At 6-3, 210, may be best UFA corner, and KC may need too much money for others on good defense.
3. Casey Hayward, Green Bay: Notches below top two but solid; luring a Packer of of Green Bay never bad thing.
Tight end
Martellus Bennett situation throws TE situation into turmoil. Zach Miller a good re-sign but injury history means more needed.
1. Dwayne Allen, Coby Fleener, Indianapolis: Colts not expected to have money to keep both. Both with upside, Allen better blocker but some injuries, Fleener a better receiver.
2. Ladarius Green, San Diego: Big upside to understudy to Antonio Gates, if Chargers let him walk.
Safety
Bears hit on Adrian Amos via draft but Antrel Rolle age, health now are issues.
1. Tashaun Gipson, Cleveland: Some ankle issues in ’15 but ball-hawk’er has 14 INT’s in 4 yrs., including 1 of Jay Cutler.
2. George Iloka, Cincinnati: Overshadowed by Reggie Nelson, has size (6-4, 225); out of Boise State with McClellin.
3. Rodney McLeod, Los Angeles: Smallish but a proven hitter from physical program.
“During the two-day negotiating period, all clubs may negotiate all aspects of an NFL Player Contract with the certified agent of any prospective UFA. However, a new club may not execute an NFL Player Contract with a prospective UFA until 4:00 p.m., New York time, on March 9, when the player’s 2015 contract expires.”
Of course, myriad teams have already had exploratory talks with agents for players; that’s what the Scouting Combine and telephones are for. The talking time was cut from three days to two since everyone knew by two what the deals were going to be anyway.
Regardless of when the de facto window for talks and deals opens, and irrespective of how good or bad the pending market may be, the Bears have had their targets identified long ago. GM Ryan Pace is a veteran of the pro personnel side of the game (beginning with the New Orleans Saints), meaning it has long been his job to have scouted current NFL players for game-planning as well as free agency purposes.
Put another way: Pace, his staff and by extension the Bears coaching staff knew before the end of last season who would look very good in Bears uniforms.
But from the dozens of current NFL players poised to become available, several make more sense than others at the specific need areas within the Bears’ roster.
Note: Because of the Bears’ intent to reshape the roster down age-wise, free agent rankings stayed generally sub-30.
Inside linebacker
Pace and coaches believe Shea McClellin’s arrow is still pointing up but Christian Jones, others were not answers.
1. Brandon Marshall, Denver, restricted free agent: Broncos could match offer; No. 2 in Broncos tackles.
2. Jerrell Freeman, Indianapolis: No. 2-ranked ILB by ProFootballFocus.com.
3. Danny Trevathan, Denver: Led Broncos in tackles, got lineup break from John Fox.
LB/DE edge rusher
Bears have Lamarr Houston in place with hefty contract plus Pernell McPhee but want – and need – more from short list.
1. Oliver Vernon, Miami: Dolphins transitioned him so they can match offer, but 29 sacks over 4 years...
2. Bruce Irvin, Seattle: Bears targeted him in ’12 draft before Seattle picked; solid if unspectacular.
Defensive line
Eddie Goldman is youth at NT but the DE/5-technique role is wide open. Jarvis Jenkins would be a quality re-sign.
1. Jaye Howard, Kansas City: Mauled Bears early in ’15 meeting with Hroniss Grasu; low mileage, high upside.
2. Akiem Hicks, New England: Massive (6-foot-5, 345 pounds) anchor alongside Goldman; drafted by Saints while Pace in New Orleans
3. Malik Jackson, Denver: Do Bears really want to get into this bidding war?
Guard
Matt Slauson is a fixture now but RG suffered when Kyle Long moved and Slauson gives flexibility. Bears see Charles Leno at LT.
1. Kelechi Osemele, Baltimore: Best OL on market can play guard or tackle.
2. Alex Boone, San Francisco: Nobody looks too good after 49ers’ 2015 but Boone is a two-time Pro Bowl alternate who can play tackle.
3. Jeff Allen, Kansas City: Quality blocker with versatility at age 26.
4. Brandon Brooks, Houston: Huge (335 pounds) mauler has started 30 games.
Cornerback
Bears hit with Tracy Porter, missed with Alan Ball, need to settle a key spot opposite Kyle Fuller, whom Bears control for 3 more yrs.
1. Janoris Jenkins, Los Angeles: Elite corner money could cost Bears needs elsewhere; how aggressive will Pace be?
2. Sean Smith, Kansas City: At 6-3, 210, may be best UFA corner, and KC may need too much money for others on good defense.
3. Casey Hayward, Green Bay: Notches below top two but solid; luring a Packer of of Green Bay never bad thing.
Tight end
Martellus Bennett situation throws TE situation into turmoil. Zach Miller a good re-sign but injury history means more needed.
1. Dwayne Allen, Coby Fleener, Indianapolis: Colts not expected to have money to keep both. Both with upside, Allen better blocker but some injuries, Fleener a better receiver.
2. Ladarius Green, San Diego: Big upside to understudy to Antonio Gates, if Chargers let him walk.
Safety
Bears hit on Adrian Amos via draft but Antrel Rolle age, health now are issues.
1. Tashaun Gipson, Cleveland: Some ankle issues in ’15 but ball-hawk’er has 14 INT’s in 4 yrs., including 1 of Jay Cutler.
2. George Iloka, Cincinnati: Overshadowed by Reggie Nelson, has size (6-4, 225); out of Boise State with McClellin.
3. Rodney McLeod, Los Angeles: Smallish but a proven hitter from physical program.
Martellus Bennett may have sabotaged options for Bears, himself.
By John Mullin
The Bears and Martellus Bennett are expected to be ending their association after the productive tight end successfully agitated for a chance for his agent to explore trades elsewhere.
But in the process, Bennett’s actions may boomerang and cost him both money and opportunity, making it harder for the Bears to trade him and for agent Kennard McGuire to find a taker.
Bennett refused to attend any of the Bears’ voluntary offseason programs last year. People noticed. Without saying so publicly, a handful of teams have removed Bennett from possible roster consideration.
A handful of case studies should have shown Bennett what can result from different actions intended to force a change.
Consider several recent Bears-specific examples:
Thomas Jones
After the 2005 season, concluding that the Bears were committing to Cedric Benson, running back Thomas Jones demanded a trade. Then-GM Jerry Angelo, with Jones agent Tom Condon facilitating, had one in place, one that would have sent Jones to a team that would be the AFC entry in a Super Bowl very shortly.
But Jones abruptly changed agents and was advised to boycott the Bears’ offseason program. The trade offer, from a prominent AFC team executive, evaporated immediately. Jones was traded to the New York Jets the next year.
Jared Allen
As last season opened, for all of the offseason effort put in attempting the transition, it was painfully clear to Jared Allen that he was not getting it done in the Bears’ 3-4 defensive scheme. After the Seattle game, Allen talked to the Bears and was open to agent Ken Harris working something out with a handful of teams acceptable to Allen.
One of those teams was the Carolina Panthers. The Bears received a sixth-round pick in this year’s draft. Allen retired with an NFC Championship ring and trip to a Super Bowl.
Jon Bostic
Like Allen, Bostic was not working out in the Bears’ 3-4, not stout enough to hold onto one of the inside-linebacker spots and not with pass-rush skills to compete on the outside. Despite back problems that started during the 2014 season and kept Bostic largely out of the 2015 offseason programs, Bostic was a regular around Halas Hall.
Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots traded a sixth-round pick to the Bears in September for Bostic, who didn’t get a ring, was inactive in the postseason, but did cash two playoff-round checks.
One note here: Simply because Bennett was/is under contract shouldn’t be held against him whatsoever. Public outcry is swift with, “But he’s under contract” when a player holds out. But as Brian Urlacher once put in clear, simple terms, nobody seems to mind when teams cut players with time still left on contracts. “Contract” is a very fluid term in the NFL.
But holdouts aren’t always good business.
Cubs embracing Joe Maddon's not-so-subtle motto: 'Try not to suck'.
By John Mullin
The Bears and Martellus Bennett are expected to be ending their association after the productive tight end successfully agitated for a chance for his agent to explore trades elsewhere.
But in the process, Bennett’s actions may boomerang and cost him both money and opportunity, making it harder for the Bears to trade him and for agent Kennard McGuire to find a taker.
Bennett refused to attend any of the Bears’ voluntary offseason programs last year. People noticed. Without saying so publicly, a handful of teams have removed Bennett from possible roster consideration.
A handful of case studies should have shown Bennett what can result from different actions intended to force a change.
Consider several recent Bears-specific examples:
Thomas Jones
After the 2005 season, concluding that the Bears were committing to Cedric Benson, running back Thomas Jones demanded a trade. Then-GM Jerry Angelo, with Jones agent Tom Condon facilitating, had one in place, one that would have sent Jones to a team that would be the AFC entry in a Super Bowl very shortly.
But Jones abruptly changed agents and was advised to boycott the Bears’ offseason program. The trade offer, from a prominent AFC team executive, evaporated immediately. Jones was traded to the New York Jets the next year.
Jared Allen
As last season opened, for all of the offseason effort put in attempting the transition, it was painfully clear to Jared Allen that he was not getting it done in the Bears’ 3-4 defensive scheme. After the Seattle game, Allen talked to the Bears and was open to agent Ken Harris working something out with a handful of teams acceptable to Allen.
One of those teams was the Carolina Panthers. The Bears received a sixth-round pick in this year’s draft. Allen retired with an NFC Championship ring and trip to a Super Bowl.
Jon Bostic
Like Allen, Bostic was not working out in the Bears’ 3-4, not stout enough to hold onto one of the inside-linebacker spots and not with pass-rush skills to compete on the outside. Despite back problems that started during the 2014 season and kept Bostic largely out of the 2015 offseason programs, Bostic was a regular around Halas Hall.
Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots traded a sixth-round pick to the Bears in September for Bostic, who didn’t get a ring, was inactive in the postseason, but did cash two playoff-round checks.
One note here: Simply because Bennett was/is under contract shouldn’t be held against him whatsoever. Public outcry is swift with, “But he’s under contract” when a player holds out. But as Brian Urlacher once put in clear, simple terms, nobody seems to mind when teams cut players with time still left on contracts. “Contract” is a very fluid term in the NFL.
But holdouts aren’t always good business.
Cubs embracing Joe Maddon's not-so-subtle motto: 'Try not to suck'.
By Tony Andracki
Sunday's iteration came in the form of T-shirts Cubs players and personnel wore for their workout at Sloan Park, though the exact slogan, "try not to suck" is actually from last season: Javy Baez first made the public aware of it back in Cubs Convention in January when he told fans the story of how Maddon used that phrase as advice for Baez's reintroduction to the big leagues.
But "try not to suck" was a popular motto in the Cubs' dugout last year, as guys like David Ross would shout it out a few times a game in an effort to have some fun and alleviate some of the pressure that comes with the game of baseball.
"It's the most positive negative you've ever heard in your life," Maddon joked with reporters Sunday morning.
Maddon and the Cubs are selling the shirts through Korked Baseball and all proceeds will go to Maddon's Respect 90 foundation.
He said he appreciates the authenticity of the phrase and hopes it's just the beginning of raising money for his foundation through selling T-shirts.
Albert Almora is playing with confidence for Cubs.
By Tony Andracki
It almost looked like Albert Almora was already running toward a spot before the ball was even hit.
The Cubs centerfield prospect made another highlight-reel catch in Sunday's 4-2 Cactus League loss to the Cincinnati Reds at Sloan Park.
Almora has a knack for making those big-time catches and the Cubs see the 21-year-old playing with a lot of confidence right now.
"That was amazing," Miguel Montero said of Almora's catch. "I saw him make one of those last year in Double-A. It was a phenomenal catch.
"He's a pretty good athlete. He's got so much talent. He's come with a pretty good presence [in camp] so far. He's playing hard.
"He's just a kid. Sometimes they have to mature, and right now, he looks a little bit more mature than last year."
If Montero's right, that would bode well for the Cubs.
Almora's baseball IQ and intangibles have always rated highly and his defense in center has probably been big-league ready for a while.
His spectacular catch Saturday wasn't just about athleticism or "being in the right spot at the right time" (which is how Almora tried to shrug it off).
Almora knew the hitter's tendencies, knew where he should be playing and also knew Cubs pitcher Ryan Williams, who is a ground ball pitcher but apparently has a knack for setting Almora up with highlight-reel plays during their time spent playing together.
"I'd definitely rather rob a homer than hit one," Almora said. "That's just the way I am.
"I take [defense] to heart. I want to help the team win and I know it's hard offensively at times, but defensively, I feel like I should be perfect.
"I'm not happy if I don't have a perfect season on defense, to be completely honest. I know it's a crazy thing to say, but that's just the way I am. ... I want to make pitchers happy."
Joe Maddon is all about mindset and the Cubs manager appreciates that approach.
"Obviously defense is the one part of your game that you should be able to bring and almost hit 1.000 at," Maddon said. "You can't hit 1.000 at the plate, but you can get close to 1.000 on defense if you're focused and your work's good.
"So I can understand to strive for perfection on defense. Maybe knowing that you can't be, but as an outfielder, you can be pretty darn close. I kinda like that. ... Guys that are really able to take the right mindset for defense on a daily basis wins games, man."
Almora struggled at the plate in 2014, hitting .270 with a .683 OPS, walking only 14 times in 125 games.
He was off to a slow start offensively last season before a torrid August (.352 average, .917 OPS) helped raise his overall numbers to a .272 average and .727 OPS.
That final month of the season wasn't the result of a mechanical adjustment, but more about approach and confidence.
"I'm just being more aggressive, swinging harder and trying to get my pitch to hit so I could drive it," Almora said. "That's basically it.
"I'm confident at the plate. If I strike out, I strike out, but I'm trying to hit the ball hard."
Trevor Cahill opted for comfort with Cubs over a guaranteed chance to start.
By Tony Andracki
Regardless of the length of the proposed deal, Trevor Cahill was offered a guaranteed chance to be a starting pitcher and turned it down to return to the Cubs.
After Cahill signed a one-year, $4.25 million deal with the Cubs, reports surfaced that he turned down a two-year offer from the Pittsburgh Pirates to be a full-time starter.
After making his Cactus League debut and tossing two shutout innings, Cahill said he was never aware of a two-year offer, but did confirm he passed on role as a starter for another team.
"I just felt more comfortable here," he said. "I think last year I pitched well because I just had fun and was comfortable. I felt like this would give me the best chance to succeed."
Cahill also said his wife's pregnancy was a factor, as she had the baby in mid-February and he wanted to ensure he was close to their home in Arizona (Pirates camp is in the Grapefruit League in Florida).
As far as starting goes, Cahill is fine with having at least an opportunity to get back to his roots as a guy who made 128 starts over his first four years in the big leagues.
Cahill didn't sign with the Cubs until Aug. 18 last year, but wound up finding success in a big way as a reliever.
In 11 games down the stretch, he was 1-0 with a 2.12 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 22 strikeouts in 17.2 innings. He also went 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 13.5 K/9 in six postseason games.
Cahill still envisions himself a starter, just like his peers down in the bullpen who are also looking like projected swingmen - Travis Wood, Adam Warren and Clayton Richard.
Those guys understand it's easier to get stretched out in the spring and then move to the bullpen than it is the other way around.
But if healthy, Jason Hammel and Kyle Hendricks are likely going to fill out the rest of the Cubs' rotation after Jake Arrieta, Jon Lester and John Lackey.
"We've got five quality arms already kinda slotted in," Cahill said. "But we're ready for anything. It's easier to transition from starting to relieving, so I think we're all gonna try to have the mindset that they might need us to start the year or here or there or whatever.
"We're just gonna try and go out there and pitch the best we can. That's all you can really do. All the other stuff is just not important."
For Cahill, it all comes back to the comfort level.
He likes playing with guys he knows, including Jake Arrieta and Dexter Fowler (whom he played with in the Olympics) and former Arizona Diamondbacks teammate Miguel Montero.
Cahill also likes the culture Joe Maddon and the Cubs have created.
"It's a fun atmosphere," Cahill said. "I think everybody wants to be a part of something special. It's different. It's fun coming to the ballpark.
"I'm not saying other teams are boring. I just think guys play here and they have a good time.
"The comfort level, too, as far as how you're gonna perform on the field and how comfortable you are off the field - I think that matters just as much."
Reports: White Sox add Austin Jackson to outfield mix.
By Dan Hayes
The White Sox made a nice addition if Austin Jackson is indeed on the way, a former teammate said Sunday.
The veteran outfielder reportedly has agreed to a one-year, $5-million deal with the White Sox, which is pending a physical. Jon Heyman first reported the signing and Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal confirmed it.
Jackson, who finished last season with the Cubs, has the ability to play all three outfield spots, including an excellent center field, according to White Sox catcher Alex Avila. The two played together with the Detroit Tigers from 2010-14.
“He’s a good player,” Avila said. “He’s a very good center fielder, covers a lot of ground. He’s the type of center fielder that you never see him dive because he’s getting to them.
“He’s just a really, really great athlete. There’s a lot of options for him as far as being able to run the ball down, play the outfield.”
Jackson’s presumed signing adds more depth to a thin roster.
With the expected offensive production of both Adam LaRoche and Avisail Garcia uncertain, Jackson gives White Sox manager Robin Ventura another option to mix into the lineup. Jackson also can spell Eaton in center and is a defensive upgrade over either Cabrera or Garcia in the corners. The move also comes at a time when Eaton is restricted to the designated hitter’s role because the team is being cautious with his throwing shoulder after he had nerve decompression surgery in October.
Eaton said he 100 percent expects to be ready for Opening Day and Ventura said he wouldn’t be concerned unless its the final week of the spring and Eaton hadn’t returned to the field. Eaton has continued to throw in morning workouts and said he’s progressing nicely.
“Right now Herm’s not alarmed by it too much,” Ventura said after Sunday’s victory over the San Diego Padres. “I know Adam’s not, either. He’s feeling a lot better today than he was yesterday. Hopefully it’ll continue to improve, but I don’t see it as anything structural.”
Avila felt pretty good about the current roster before the reported signing of Jackson.
He signed a one-year contract with the White Sox in late November, well ahead of a series of other moves that has included trades for Todd Frazier and Brett Lawrie and the signings of Jimmy Rollins, Mat Latos, Matt Albers and Dioner Navarro.
“Obviously, you could tell the front office has been busy trying to put together a group of guys that they feel is going to win some of those extra balls games, get you to that mark where you need to get to get to the playoffs,” Avila said. “It’s exciting for players. For players, you should be excited about that because you know you’ve got a backing there from the top as far as we’re committed to win. Now it’s our job to be able to go out there and perform and win and get those W’s. That’ll be a long process over the course of the season. But as a player, it’s exciting when you’re on a team that is committing itself to wanting to win. There’s nothing more you can ask for.”
White Sox get good news on Adam LaRoche's back.
By Dan Hayes
Adam LaRoche’s back has gone from hurting to significantly improved.
Though the White Sox first baseman had already gone home Sunday, a team official said LaRoche has made good progress after he left the previous day’s game early with back spasms.
LaRoche was scheduled to miss Sunday’s game anyway after he played games on Friday and Saturday.
But an injury that had him on the training table by the fourth inning Saturday won’t require an MRI and he has no nerve damage, either, according to club officials. LaRoche will be re-evaluated on Monday.
LaRoche suffered the injury during a third-inning at-bat in the team’s 7-6 win over the Kansas City Royals. He headed to the clubhouse in the bottom of the inning and later told MLB.com “it hurts.”
LaRoche homered in Friday’s game, his first appearance of the spring.
White Sox top Padres as Alexei Ramirez has emotional return.
By Dan Hayes
Veterans only occasionally are asked to go on road trips in spring training.
Alexei Ramirez requested this one.
The former White Sox and now San Diego Padres shortstop caught up with former teammates and coaches and received a warm welcome from the Camelback Ranch crowd on Sunday after he made the easy 18-minute drive over from Peoria, Ariz.
Ramirez went 1-for-2 with a walk on what he described as an emotional day.
Jose Abreu and Todd Frazier homered and Carlos Rodon spun three scoreless innings in an 8-1 White Sox victory.
“Really emotional,” Ramirez said through an interpreter. “There were eight years of defending, 100 percent energy, eight years of being the first to show up and work hard every day. Going out and seeing all my teammates, seeing (bullpen coach Mark Salas), seeing Robin Ventura, seeing everyone. Yeah, it was emotional.”
Ramirez experienced ups and downs throughout a long offseason.
First came the bad news — the White Sox declined their $10 million club option on Ramirez in November. Then they made no attempts to sign him. Ramirez said the Padres’ one-year, $4-million offer was the only one he received this offseason.
Parting with the White Sox after eight seasons wasn’t easy.
“I was at my home when they called and said, ‘Thanks, but they weren't going to pick up my option,’” Ramirez said. “It hurt because I spent so much time in Chicago and formed somewhat of a family. At the same time, that's baseball. I'm in San Diego now and ready for that opportunity and am ready to go.”
But Ramirez had a chance to travel back home to Cuba twice in between his departure from the White Sox and joining the Padres in January. He had the chance to see family he hadn’t for eight years since he left. The second trip was part of Major League Baseball’s goodwill tour in December.
“It was really great,” Ramirez said. “After eight years, you can imagine.”
It’s just as easy to understand why Ramirez wanted to come see his old teammates in Glendale on Sunday. Ramirez headed to shallow center field about 45 minutes before first pitch to talk to Avisail Garcia and Jose Abreu. Infielder Carlos Sanchez then raced over from the home dugout to join the conversation. Ramirez also received a nice round of applause from the announced crowd of more than 8,000 when he batted in the first inning. The shortstop briefly paused before he stepped in and waved to the crowd.
“There are too many memories to count, especially when I first got there in (2008) against Cleveland,” Ramirez said. “There are too many memories to mention. If I had to pick one, it wouldn’t do it justice.
“I’m extremely thankful, not just for me, but my family as well. Again, I want to say thanks. But in the end I’m just very thankful.”
Golf: I got a club for that..... Scott wins at Doral for second straight victory.
The veteran outfielder reportedly has agreed to a one-year, $5-million deal with the White Sox, which is pending a physical. Jon Heyman first reported the signing and Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal confirmed it.
Jackson, who finished last season with the Cubs, has the ability to play all three outfield spots, including an excellent center field, according to White Sox catcher Alex Avila. The two played together with the Detroit Tigers from 2010-14.
“He’s a good player,” Avila said. “He’s a very good center fielder, covers a lot of ground. He’s the type of center fielder that you never see him dive because he’s getting to them.
“He’s just a really, really great athlete. There’s a lot of options for him as far as being able to run the ball down, play the outfield.”
Jackson’s presumed signing adds more depth to a thin roster.
With the expected offensive production of both Adam LaRoche and Avisail Garcia uncertain, Jackson gives White Sox manager Robin Ventura another option to mix into the lineup. Jackson also can spell Eaton in center and is a defensive upgrade over either Cabrera or Garcia in the corners. The move also comes at a time when Eaton is restricted to the designated hitter’s role because the team is being cautious with his throwing shoulder after he had nerve decompression surgery in October.
Eaton said he 100 percent expects to be ready for Opening Day and Ventura said he wouldn’t be concerned unless its the final week of the spring and Eaton hadn’t returned to the field. Eaton has continued to throw in morning workouts and said he’s progressing nicely.
“Right now Herm’s not alarmed by it too much,” Ventura said after Sunday’s victory over the San Diego Padres. “I know Adam’s not, either. He’s feeling a lot better today than he was yesterday. Hopefully it’ll continue to improve, but I don’t see it as anything structural.”
Avila felt pretty good about the current roster before the reported signing of Jackson.
He signed a one-year contract with the White Sox in late November, well ahead of a series of other moves that has included trades for Todd Frazier and Brett Lawrie and the signings of Jimmy Rollins, Mat Latos, Matt Albers and Dioner Navarro.
“Obviously, you could tell the front office has been busy trying to put together a group of guys that they feel is going to win some of those extra balls games, get you to that mark where you need to get to get to the playoffs,” Avila said. “It’s exciting for players. For players, you should be excited about that because you know you’ve got a backing there from the top as far as we’re committed to win. Now it’s our job to be able to go out there and perform and win and get those W’s. That’ll be a long process over the course of the season. But as a player, it’s exciting when you’re on a team that is committing itself to wanting to win. There’s nothing more you can ask for.”
White Sox get good news on Adam LaRoche's back.
By Dan Hayes
Adam LaRoche’s back has gone from hurting to significantly improved.
Though the White Sox first baseman had already gone home Sunday, a team official said LaRoche has made good progress after he left the previous day’s game early with back spasms.
LaRoche was scheduled to miss Sunday’s game anyway after he played games on Friday and Saturday.
But an injury that had him on the training table by the fourth inning Saturday won’t require an MRI and he has no nerve damage, either, according to club officials. LaRoche will be re-evaluated on Monday.
LaRoche suffered the injury during a third-inning at-bat in the team’s 7-6 win over the Kansas City Royals. He headed to the clubhouse in the bottom of the inning and later told MLB.com “it hurts.”
LaRoche homered in Friday’s game, his first appearance of the spring.
White Sox top Padres as Alexei Ramirez has emotional return.
By Dan Hayes
Veterans only occasionally are asked to go on road trips in spring training.
Alexei Ramirez requested this one.
The former White Sox and now San Diego Padres shortstop caught up with former teammates and coaches and received a warm welcome from the Camelback Ranch crowd on Sunday after he made the easy 18-minute drive over from Peoria, Ariz.
Ramirez went 1-for-2 with a walk on what he described as an emotional day.
Jose Abreu and Todd Frazier homered and Carlos Rodon spun three scoreless innings in an 8-1 White Sox victory.
“Really emotional,” Ramirez said through an interpreter. “There were eight years of defending, 100 percent energy, eight years of being the first to show up and work hard every day. Going out and seeing all my teammates, seeing (bullpen coach Mark Salas), seeing Robin Ventura, seeing everyone. Yeah, it was emotional.”
Ramirez experienced ups and downs throughout a long offseason.
First came the bad news — the White Sox declined their $10 million club option on Ramirez in November. Then they made no attempts to sign him. Ramirez said the Padres’ one-year, $4-million offer was the only one he received this offseason.
Parting with the White Sox after eight seasons wasn’t easy.
“I was at my home when they called and said, ‘Thanks, but they weren't going to pick up my option,’” Ramirez said. “It hurt because I spent so much time in Chicago and formed somewhat of a family. At the same time, that's baseball. I'm in San Diego now and ready for that opportunity and am ready to go.”
But Ramirez had a chance to travel back home to Cuba twice in between his departure from the White Sox and joining the Padres in January. He had the chance to see family he hadn’t for eight years since he left. The second trip was part of Major League Baseball’s goodwill tour in December.
“It was really great,” Ramirez said. “After eight years, you can imagine.”
It’s just as easy to understand why Ramirez wanted to come see his old teammates in Glendale on Sunday. Ramirez headed to shallow center field about 45 minutes before first pitch to talk to Avisail Garcia and Jose Abreu. Infielder Carlos Sanchez then raced over from the home dugout to join the conversation. Ramirez also received a nice round of applause from the announced crowd of more than 8,000 when he batted in the first inning. The shortstop briefly paused before he stepped in and waved to the crowd.
“There are too many memories to count, especially when I first got there in (2008) against Cleveland,” Ramirez said. “There are too many memories to mention. If I had to pick one, it wouldn’t do it justice.
“I’m extremely thankful, not just for me, but my family as well. Again, I want to say thanks. But in the end I’m just very thankful.”
Golf: I got a club for that..... Scott wins at Doral for second straight victory.
By Will Gray
(Photo/John David Mercer/USA TODAY Sports)
Momentum, thy name is Adam Scott. Here's how things ended up at Trump National Doral, where Scott overcame an early deficit - and a late sweat - to win the WGC-Cadillac Championship for his second win in as many weeks:
Leaderboard: Adam Scott (-12), Bubba Watson (-11), Danny Willett (-10), Rory McIlroy (-10), Phil Mickelson (-9)
What it means: Scott started the day three shots behind McIlroy, and he appeared out of the running after a pair of double bogeys over his first five holes. But the Aussie steeled his nerve and rattled off a string of accurate approach shots, including a run of four birdies on Nos. 10-14 to take the lead. After surviving a shanked bunker shot on No. 16, Scott nearly put his approach on No. 18 into the water but managed to save par for the win, reversing the results at Riviera where he finished one shot behind Watson.
Round of the day: Jimmy Walker was well off the pace to begin the final round, but the American ended up inside the top 10 after a 6-under 66. Walker closed his round with a flourish, playing Nos. 15-17 in 4 under after holing out from 83 yards for eagle on No. 17. After playing his first 54 holes in 2 under, Walker finished the week at 8 under and alone in sixth place.
Best of the rest: Watson remains a near-constant contender at the Blue Monster, and he finished second for the third time in the last five years after a final-round 67. Watson's round was sparked by an eagle bomb on No. 8, but he rolled in more than 122 feet worth of putts from Nos. 7-13 to briefly take the lead. Watson made only one bogey, and he remains hot in his first start since winning in Los Angeles.
Biggest disappointment: This spot is shared by the final pairing, as McIlroy and Dustin Johnson both failed to deliver under the spotlight. McIlroy was four shots clear at one point during the final round, but he failed to make a birdie until No. 16 and was passed first by Watson, then by Scott. Johnson appeared in great shape to defend his title before imploding on the back nine, playing Nos. 10-13 in 7 over en route to a 79.
Shot of the day: Scott's final approach was perilously close to the water, and it left him with a tricky pitch. But Scott flopped it just 6 feet past the pin and made the subsequent putt for par and the win.
Quote of the day: "I was so lucky for it to stay up inside the hazard line like that. When you're that lucky, you'd better get it up and down." - Scott
PGA Tour, LPGA announce 'strategic alliance agreement'.
By Randall Mell
The PGA Tour and LPGA announced a “strategic alliance agreement” Friday that could lead to joint events.
The tours said in a news release that they are merely “formalizing their longstanding cooperative relationship” to promote the growth of golf and there is no transfer of ownership or control and there is no formal financial investment involved in the new agreement.
“Both parties remain wholly separate and independent organizations,” the release said.
The tours report the alliance will help with coordinating schedules and with joint marketing, domestic television and digital media strategies.
The PGA Tour and LPGA also will be “exploring the potential development of joint events.” The European Tour and Ladies European Tour announced last fall that they will stage events together in May of this year at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam in Morocco, with the women playing the Lalla Meryem Cup on the Blue Course and the men playing the Trophee Hassan II on the Red Course.
“We believe the PGA Tour has significant expertise in the areas that we will focus on together and working more closely with them carries with it the very real potential of positively impacting our members, our tournaments and our ability to grow our sport around the world,” LPGA commissioner Mike Whan said in a statement.
PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said: “From our collaboration in bringing golf back as an Olympic sport as joint members of the International Golf Federation to our cooperation in helping to grow the game of golf as part of the World Golf Foundation, our two organizations have had a long history of working together for the common good of our sport. Extending our relationship with the LPGA into these new areas is a natural extension of this work and collaboration.”
NASCAR: Brad Keselowski wins at Las Vegas.
By Nick Bromberg
(Photo/Getty Images)
Brad Keselowski drove from third to first in the last 20 laps to win for the second time in three years at Las Vegas on Sunday.
Keselowski didn't pit during a caution flag with 51 laps to go along with teammate Joey Logano and Austin Dillon. He restarted on the front row with Logano but the two were quickly passed by Kyle Busch, who sailed off towards the lead.
Busch kept the lead as the race trudged on through cautions, sandstorms, a little bit of rain and a bunch of wind over the last 50 laps. If you were watching, you might have had to look away because the cameras were so shaky due to the wind speeds.
But Busch couldn't hold off Keselowski, who had enough fuel to make it to the end because of the rash of late race yellows. On lap 259 of the 267 lap race, Keselowski passed teammate Joey Logano for second. Then, with six laps to go, he got Busch and the race was essentially over.
"We had awesome speed at the end of every run," Keselowski, who rebounded from a pit-road speeding penalty earlier in the race, said. "It just seemed like we could never put it together with the way the cautions kept falling."
While Keselowski's car was best on the long runs, he needed the caution in the late stages of the race to make it to the end on fuel. Not long after the restart where the Team Penske guys stayed out, Matt Kenseth got loose in front of a pack of cars.
Kenseth saved his car, but was run into by Chase Elliott. Meanwhile, as Kenseth spun ahead of them, Kurt Busch and Carl Edwards got together.
The yellow flag laps allowed Keselowski to not have to worry about fuel mileage.
"I didn't figure any way we'd make it," Keselowski said. "We kept getting those yellows, there were a couple wrecks – we were able to save plenty of fuel under those."
Logano ended up finishing second while Busch fell to fourth behind Jimmie Johnson. Dillon finished fifth. It's the first time Keselowski and Logano have finished 1-2 since Logano won and Keselowski finished second at Bristol in August of 2014.
Keselowski's first Las Vegas win came in 2014 when he beat Dale Earnhardt Jr. in a thrilling finish. Junior was leading when he ran out of gas on the final lap, handing the win to Keselowski.
What drivers said after Sunday’s Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas.
By Jerry Bonkowski
(Photo/Getty Images)
Here’s what several drivers and one crew chief had to say after Sunday’s Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
Brad Keselowski, finished 1st: “This is really, really great. It seemed like there were plenty of challenges, whether it was pit road or the weather or cautions. They threw everything they had at us today but this Miller Lite Ford team was too strong and we were able to fight them off and get to victory lane.”
Joey Logano, 2nd: “Congratulations to Brad and also for Team Penske getting a 1-2 finish. That is what we set out to do every week. I am proud of what we did. Gosh, we finished second so many times, Daytona and qualifying. You are so close and want it so bad but I am so proud of the Pennzoil boys here with everything they did all week. We will go get them next week. … I know we are only three races in but I am getting antsy (for a win). We have good speed in our cars, we will be alright.”
Jimmie Johnson, 3rd: “Track position was pretty important. The series of events leading up to that last restart kind of had us deeper in track position than we needed to be for the win. We still got a third, which is good, but those top three or four cars were pretty equal. It was just real hard to get there and get inside of somebody. I was impressed the No. 2 (Keselowski) was able to sit behind the No. 22 that long and finally get by and not wear his stuff out in the process. But, decent day for us all-in-all.”
Kyle Busch, 4th: “We struggled really, really bad all weekend, we were horrible. That’s not at all where we should have finished considering how it started. It was a good day. It wasn’t a win, but we were doing a good job doing what we need to do to keep top-fiving it and the wins will come. … If I were to grade our weekend, for progress it’s an A-plus, but for being as bad as we were and ending up right there it would probably be a B or B-minus.”
Austin Dillon, 5th: “We killed ourselves today. To come back to a fifth, I’m blessed and the good Lord was looking out for us. The cautions fell right. We really have to pick it up as a group, me included, on pit road. It was disappointing because we had such a fast race car. At one point in time we were way faster than the leader. We just put ourselves behind. But, we had a shot there at the end and if we were good enough to win we would have done it. We have a little more work to do. I think a win is in the future, though.”
Ryan Blaney, 6th: “This was really satisfying. It was a good day for us. We needed a good finish after last week and it is nice to go out here and we all had fast cars. Congrats to the 2 team, they did a great job coming back from that speeding penalty and made a great call at the end. Good job by them and good job by our team.”
Rodney Childers, crew chief for Kevin Harvick, 7th: “We had a good car overall. Everybody did a good job most of the day. We had a bad pit stop and got us behind and then kind of turned our whole day around from there. … We couldn’t come close to making it on fuel there at the end like the No. 2 and No. 22, so we didn’t have any option, but to come down and top it off again and put tires on it. Just got to get better. We have given them away the past two weeks and just have to do a better job.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr., 8th: “The one thing that I really like (about the new low downforce package) is I can drive up to guys with that little spoiler on the back, I’m not really stuck behind people like we used to be. I lot of the drivers are wanting to keep going in this direction and even further. I wasn’t really so sure about that, but now I feel like that might be a good move to go even less downforce. I don’t know if the blade needs to get shorter, but these things are sealed off on the ground. There’s a lot we could do to the bodies and stuff to take some downforce out of them. I’m sure NASCAR is looking at that. We can’t just keep taking the blade off, but we could probably take a little of an inch off and not really tell the difference.”
Kurt Busch, 9th: “We fought hard. Driver made a couple of mistakes on a restart and speeding on pit road. We just had to battle, battle, battle and just never got into a good rhythm. We just felt like we were battling from behind.”
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 12th: “I put my guys behind when I sped on pit road with only 100 to go. That was tough to battle back from and Nick made a great pit call and took the wave around and we ended up catching a caution and we fought back really hard there. I thought we were a 10-12th place car all day so to come home 12th after a mistake by me, I am really happy with that. We have to make sure we don’t make those mistakes so we have shots at top-five finishes. If not for that mistake we could have been really good there at the end. All in all I am really happy.”
Martin Truex Jr., 11th: “We just didn’t have it today. We had some good runs, but at the end of the race the handling of our Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Toyota wasn’t what we needed to bring home a strong top-10 finish. We could have used another caution close to the end. The car wasn’t right and it was sure disappointing to see those other cars get by me. An 11th place finish is nothing to brag about or nothing to get depressed about. It just wasn’t our day. We’ll move on to Phoenix and hopefully be more competitive.”
AJ Allmendinger, 14th: “Hard fought day. … At the end there I thought we were decent, the best we had been all day, just nowhere to go. We took what could have been a really bad day and really put us way behind to start the year and salvaged a decent day out of it. Not totally happy, but I think we are making gains. The car has speed in it, just a little bit off…. It’s just frustrating. I just got us behind. I didn’t want to get us behind early in the race. We weren’t great, but we had gotten the gap to kind of get in that safe zone where we could make our own day out of it and I put us behind. (Crew chief Randall Burnett) kept me calm. Some of those runs weren’t very fun but he kept his head in and made me better.”
Carl Edwards, 18th: “Our day was okay. I still don’t know exactly what happened (with his accident). They said Kurt (Busch) drove in four-wide and lost it and lost it? I don’t know what happened. I got hit and it would have been alright I think if I would have stayed out instead of come in and I thought the car was more damaged so I came and had to start in the back. Overall I thought we recovered really well. My guys, for as big of a debacle that was, my ARRIS Camry ran pretty well after it.”
Matt Kenseth, 37th: “I have no idea, honestly. I went into turn one and I wasn’t really hardly turning yet and just spun out before I had any idea what happened. I don’t know, after that I was just trying to save our DeWalt Toyota and got ran into from behind.”
Chase Elliott, 38th: “Just disappointed (due to his wreck). What a fast race car, I appreciate everybody working hard. I feel like we made a lot of gains this weekend. Just a terrible job on my behalf. That is pitiful. We have run three races and finished one. Just a bad job on my end. I ought to know better to miss a wreck like that.”
SOCCER: Paunovic era starts slowly as Fire drop opener to NYCFC.
By Dan Santaromita
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The Veljko Paunovic era started with a thud on Sunday, but it was a thrilling thud if there is such a thing.
New York City FC beat the Chicago Fire 4-3 in a season opener that kept producing goals.
The Fire's new-look defense struggled to prevent chances and New York capitalized. All four defenders and goalkeeper Matt Lampson were making their Fire debuts and that unit didn't start well.
Even before kickoff Paunovic made his mark by choosing Lampson in goal ahead of Sean Johnson. Lampson struggled with NYCFC's press and there were some miscommunication errors in defense. Some of that should be expected with all new players, but it still wasn't a good debut by any definition.
"I think he did his best," Paunovic said of Lampson. "I think he worked for the team. He tried to develop the plan that we prepared. We are happy with him."
Thomas McNamara scored the first goal of the Major League Soccer season with a beautiful curling effort from outside the box in the 10th minute. It was a great shot that left Lampson no chance, but McNamara was given plenty of space by the Fire midfield in a good position.
"I thought when we were able to switch the ball we were able to expose them a little bit and give us a little bit of an advantage," McNamara said.
The Fire almost answered immediately with David Accam springing Gilberto behind the NYCFC defense, but Gilberto went down in the box and didn't draw a call.
In the 19th minute the Fire did get their equalizer through Razvan Cocis. Arturo Alvarez hit a chipped pass over the defense and Cocis made a deep run to find himself all alone in the box. He took his time and finished to level the match at 1-1.
The goals just kept coming with Tony Taylor putting the visitors back on top in the
29th minute. He scored with a nice turn and finish in the box after Michael Harrington and Joao Meira collided while trying to clear the ball.
Khiry Shelton doubled the New York City lead by burning Brandon Vincent on the right wing and dancing past Lampson in the 36th minute.
Paunovic made another key decision at halftime, taking off Gilberto for Jonathan Campbell. On paper, taking off a forward and putting in a central defender while down two goals at halftime seems like a strange move. However, it seemed to work initially.
From the start of the half Accam and Kennedy Igboananike created all kinds of problems for the New York City defense. In the 49th minute, Accam forced a turnover and fed the ball across to Igboananike, who scored to get the Fire back in it and re-energize the crowd.
Then Mix Diskerud volleyed home the sixth goal of the match in the 63rd minute off a cross from McNamara.
Accam got the Fire back within one with a penalty kick in the 71st after a corner kick resulted in a handball in the box. That would be the end to the goals though.
"This is just the beginning of our philosophy," Accam said. "We have young players and they'll learn and we'll try to improve for the next games."
In all, nine players debuted for the Fire. Six starters, Lampson, all four defenders (Joao Meira, Johan Kappelhof, Michael Harrington and Brandon Vincent) and Arturo Alvarez, and subs Campbell and Rodrigo Ramos and Joey Calistri.
As an additional note, John Goossens was unavailable while still awaiting his visa. On the pregame show on CSN, Fire general manager Nelson Rodriguez said Goossens is flying back to the Netherlands this week to finish the process, but Rodriguez said he wasn't certain Goossens would be available for Friday's match at Orlando City.
West Brom 1-0 Manchester United: Rondon strike sinks ten-man visitors.
By Kyle Lynch
(Photo/Getty Images)
Juan Mata‘s early sending off cost Manchester United on Sunday as the Red Devils fell to West Bromwich Albion, 1-0. The Baggies have won ten matches this season, with seven coming by a 1-0 scoreline.
It was West Brom’s first league win at The Hawthorns over Manchester United since 1984, snapping a historic streak as Tony Pulis‘ side is now unbeaten in four Premier League matches and up to 11th on the table.
A terrible three-minute stretch for Juan Mata early in the match saw United forced to ten-men as the Spaniard was sent off after two quick yellow cards. Mata received a foolish card for intentionally blocking a quick free kick from West Brom, and just two-and-a-half minutes later earned his marching orders after a mistimed challenge on former teammate Darren Fletcher. Away from home, United were a man down with more than an hour to play.
With the match still scoreless at halftime, Louis Van Gaal chose not to make any changes during the break, leaving the attacking trio of Martial, Rashford, and Lingard in favor of putting on a more defensive-minded player.
The decision seemed to be paying off as United controlled the opening stages of the second half, holding comfortable possession despite playing a man-down.
However, United couldn’t hold as West Brom finally broke the deadlock in the 66th minute. Sebastien Pocognoli whipped in a cross from the left wing which found Salomon Rondon at the back post, who did well to settle and fire the Baggies ahead.
United would bring on Memphis Depay in an effort to find an equalizer, but they were unable to break down the stiff Baggies’ defense. The loss snaps United’s four match win streak in all competitions.
Crystal Palace 1-2 Liverpool: Benteke scores stoppage-time winner for ten-man Reds.
By Kyle Lynch
(Photo/Getty Images)
Up a goal and up a man, Crystal Palace couldn’t hold on for a win as Christian Benteke‘s penalty kick at the death gave Liverpool a 2-1 win at Selhurst Park.
Crystal Palace are now winless in 12 Premier League matches, a run dating back to December.
Liverpool controlled the play in the opening minutes and held more possession throughout the first half, although Crystal Palace always looked dangerous on the counter.
Palace’s best chance of the first half came in the 11th minute through Emmanuel Adebayor, but the big striker saw his header rattle off the crossbar as the match remained scoreless.
Coming out of the break Palace got off to a dream start to the second half, grabbing the opening goal just three minutes in. Liverpool had trouble clearing a corner kick that rolled out to Joe Ledley, with the Welshman smashing a low shot into the bottom corner.
Already down a goal, Liverpool then went down a man when James Milner was sent off in the 62nd minute. On a yellow card, Milner made a rash challenge on Wilfried Zaha from behind, leaving referee Andre Marriner an easy decision to show a second yellow and subsequent red.
With their back to the wall, Liverpool was gifted an equalizer from Palace goalkeeper Alex McCarthy in the 72nd minute. Making his first Premier League start since September in place of the injured Wayne Hennessey, McCarthy slipped on an attempted clearance as his failed kick fell right to Roberto Firmino. All Firmino had to do was pass the ball into the net as the Reds drew level with less than 20 minutes to play.
Even with ten-men, Liverpool looked the better side in the closing stages of the match, and Alberto Moreno nearly won it with less than five minutes to play with a booming strike that was rejected by the woodwork.
When it looked like the match would end a draw, Christian Benteke went down after a challenge in the box from Damien Delaney in the 94th minute. The referee signaled for a penalty kick, and Benteke finished it off to give Liverpool a win with the final kick of the ball.
NCAABKB: No. 8 UNC wins ACC title on No. 17 Duke’s home floor in hideous fashion.
By Rob Dauster
(AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
The last time North Carolina and Duke got together changed the narrative of this Tar Heels team.
Instead of being thought of as one of the nation’s best teams, a sleeping giant just waiting to be woken up, the Tar Heels were suddenly the team that couldn’t handle the moment. They were soft, physically. They didn’t have the mental fortitude to be able to win big games and execute in the clutch. Their guards were too shot happy and unwilling to pound the ball inside to what may be the nation’s best front line.
And while we won’t know whether UNC has shaken their bad habit of losing big
games until their season comes to an end, what we can say is that the Tar Heels have figured out that they need to embrace the fact that they’re a team that plays inside-out. Brice Johnson had 18 points and 21 boards and Kennedy Meeks added 12 points and 14 boards as the No. 8 Tar Heels absolutely abused No. 17 Duke in the paint on Saturday en route to a 76-72 win in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
It was the first win in that building for anyone on UNC’s roster, and it happened to come on a night where the Tar Heels sealed up the outright ACC regular season title.
“With three losses in a row here, with a chance to win the outright ACC championship, we couldn’t be more proud of this,” Marcus Paige said on the broadcast after the game.
“We finally won one,” Johnson added.
North Carolina made it interesting, probably more interesting that the final score should have been. The Tar Heels outrebounded Duke 64-29. 64-29!!! That’s a 35-board advantage, and while I know that rebounding margin is not all that valuable of a stat … 35!!! North Carolina had 27 offensive rebounds. Duke had 21 defensive rebounds.
The problem was that those 27 offensive rebounds only led to 20 second chance points, as Duke was able to make their run in the second half because the Tar Heels couldn’t actually finish anything around the rim.
It wasn’t pretty.
UNC shot 35.6 percent from the floor, and Paige, who has been mired in a brutal shooting slump, shot 3-for-10 from the floor and 1-for-8 from three.
But they get the win they needed and they closed their season with a league title that they earn on Duke’s home floor.
There haven’t been many days better than this in Chapel Hill. in recent years.
No. 12 Indiana finishes regular season with a flourish.
By Raphielle Johnson
(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Having already clinched the outright Big Ten regular season title, the question for No. 12 Indiana was whether or not they’d win it by multiple games. No. 14 Maryland represented a worthy challenge, but after getting off to a slow start the Hoosiers found their rhythm as the first half progressed. And in the second half Tom Crean’s team grabbed the game by its throat, going on to win by the final score of 80-62 to win the Big Ten title by two games.
It’s been said before but it bears repeating: the turnaround made by Tom Crean’s team since non-conference play has been highly impressive, regardless of what some say about the strength of Indiana’s conference schedule (KenPom rates Michigan State’s league slate as being slightly weaker, in fact).
The Hoosiers limited Maryland to 41.4 percent shooting from the field and 8-for-24 from three on the day, and they also converted 14 Terrapin turnovers into 20 points. Indiana’s improved effort on the defensive end has been a key in their transformation from struggling team with an embattled head coach during non-conference play to the Big Ten regular season champion. If there was one play in Sunday’s win that can be used as a good example of this, it would be Yogi Ferrell’s diving for a Maryland attempt to roll the ball inbounds late in the second half to save time.
Ferrell could have easily allowed Maryland to pull this off, or even fake an attempt to go after the ball so Maryland would pick up the ball prematurely. Instead he sold out, and that kind of effort has been present throughout Big Ten play. The senior point guard has been the leader for Indiana, but Ferrell’s had plenty of help in pushing the Hoosiers to the top of the Big Ten. Ferrell finished Sunday’s game with 17 points and four assists, and wing Troy Williams led the way with a game-high 23 points to go along with five boards.
Ferrell is undoubtedly Indiana’s most important player. But if the Hoosiers are to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament, they’re also going to need an engaged Williams. He was that kind of player against Maryland, playing with an energy that makes him a very difficult matchup for many opponents. This comes on the heels of a solid 15-point, seven-rebound outing in the win at Iowa Tuesday night, and over Indiana’s final five regular season games the junior averaged 16.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per contest.
If Williams can continue on this path in the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments, Indiana will be a tough out. They’ve received contributions across the board, from stars and role players alike, resulting in the program’s second Big Ten title in four years. And as they showed for most of Sunday’s regular season finale, Indiana has the tools needed to accomplish even more over the next month.
BUBBLE BANTER: Cincinnati’s critical win may be enough to get a bid.
By Rob Dauster
(AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Cincinnati (KenPom: 31, RPI: 52, CBT Bracketology Seed: Play-in Game) picked up a critical win on Sunday afternoon, knocking off No. 24 SMU in Fifth-Third Arena to land their best win of the season, without question. The Bearcats entered the weekend sitting squarely on the bubble — they were in the play-in game in the most recent NBC Sports Bracketology — and with everyone else around them losing games, this is unquestionably huge for the Bearcats.
Does it put them into lock status?
I’m not so sure. They still only have two top 50 wins, and if they lose in the first round of the AAC tournament they’ll most likely have two sub-100 losses; the bottom of their conference is not good. But what this win does is mean that they may actually have the breathing room to take an early loss and survive.
WINNERS
UConn (KP: 32, RPI: 53, CBT: 11): UConn didn’t lose on Sunday to UCF, which would have been the kind of damaging loss that they would not be able to overcome. I still think the Huskies have some work to do to ensure they get into the field, as is the case with every single team in the American.
Temple (KP: 90, RPI: 56, CBT: 12): The Owls picked off Tulane on Sunday, meaning they avoided a landmine loss. Like UConn, Temple cannot afford an early loss in the AAC tournament.
11 days until the 2016 NCAA March Madness Tournament starts and 7 days before you can pick your brackets, Are you in?
The 2016 NCAA March Madness Tournament is just around the corner, you ready?
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It's going to be a great tournament this year because there is so much parity in college basketball today. Anyone can win. The small and intermediate size colleges have just as much talent as the big guys. Their teams have played together longer as the big schools recruit with the policy of one and done, off to the NBA. There seems to be a new #1 every week and then they get beat. Usually the winner of our pool needs 75% skill and 25% luck. This year it's going to be the other way around, 25% skill and 75% luck. Four weeks until the tournament starts; now is the time to get serious and start following the college teams and preparing for the conference tournaments. The precursor to the big dance. It's really going be a great tournament with plenty of upsets. For those of you that have played before, you know how much fun it is. For those of you that haven't, play for the first time and enjoy the "thrill of victory or the agony of defeat."
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NCAAFB: New Illinois AD fires football coach Cubit after 1 season.
By Graham Watson
Illinois has parted ways with football coach Bill Cubit.
Cubit was hired at the beginning last season on an interim basis and when new athletic director Josh Whitman came on for his first official day on Saturday, one of his first duties was to let Cubit go.
“I appreciate the leadership that Bill Cubit provided our football program during what has been, unquestionably, a very tumultuous time,” Whitman said in a statement. “He accepted the challenge on an interim basis under incredibly difficult and unusual circumstances, and he has continued to work diligently for the betterment of our student-athletes. Through his efforts, he has kept the program moving forward. Bill is a good man and a good football coach. All of us in the Illini Nation owe him a debt of gratitude for his work leading our team these last months. At this juncture, however, I think it is most important that we position our program for long-term success by creating a more stable environment for the coaches, players, and prospective student-athletes.”
Stability is definitely something that has eluded this Illini program in the past year. Former coach Tim Beckman was fired on August 28, 2015, following an internal investigation into verbal abuse and injury reporting of players. Cubit led the Illini to a 5-7 record, which was good enough to have his interim tag removed on Nov. 29. At the time, Cubit was given a two-year extension. Illinois will pay him the $985,000 balance of his contract.
Cubit’s son Ryan, who was the team’s offensive coordinator, also was fired. He will receive the $361,000 remaining on his contract. All other assistant coaches will have an opportunity to interview for their jobs.
Illinois spring practice was slated to begin on March 11, but that date will be pushed back to a time when the school can bring in a new head coach, which Whitman said would be done immediately. The April 16 spring game also is in flux.
UPDATE: Lovie Smith set to become the new head coach at Illinois.
By John Taylor
(Photo/Getty Images)
In firing his head football coach on his first day on the job as the athletic director at Illinois, Josh Whitman put the onus on himself to land a home-run hire. In the end, that appears to be just what he has done.
A source has confirmed to CFT that Smith is set to replace Bill Cubit as the Illini’s head coach. Smith’s hiring is expected to be announced to be formally announced at some point this coming week, after the paperwork clears the university’s human resources department.
If the hiring comes to fruition, Smith’s first Illini coaching staff could have a familiar feel, with Bruce Feldman of FOXSports.com writing that Smith “could also bring two of his sons who were on his staff in Tampa Bay with him.” It’s believed all of Cubit’s former assistants have been give permission to seek other jobs, ostensibly because they will not be retained by the new head coach.
The move to the Illini would be his first at the college level since working as the defensive backs coach at Ohio State in 1995. He’s also had collegiate coaching stints at Tennessee (1993-94), Kentucky (1992), Arizona State (1988-91) and Wisconsin (1987).
Smith, though, is more known in the coaching profession for his time in the NFL.
The 57-year-old Smith was a head coach in the NFL for the last 11 years, with the Chicago Bears from 2004-2012 and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2014-15.
Peyton Manning: best QB ever? That’s asking a wrong question.
By John Mullin
(Photo/sopitas.com)
The much-anticipated retirement end of Peyton Manning’s career was the start — actually, the continuation — of another one of those greatest-ever discussions/debates/arguments. In Manning’s case the conversation has been ongoing as the numbers piled up.
Stop it. Pull the camera back and look at a bigger picture for a moment.
Greatest composer of all time? Beethoven or Mozart? Or what about Brahms? But hey, I mean, if you’re a lullaby guy, c’mon, man, gotta be the Big Brahm’ster. (And no, I loved “Beautiful” but I don’t see Carole King in this discussion. Sorry.)
Greatest artist of all time? You say Monet, I say Michaelangelo. Then some guy over in another booth pipes in with how great were the ones who just had sharp stones to work with and did frescoes on cave walls? (Michaelangelo was good, sure, but does he nail that chapel gig if he has to be looking around for saber-toothed tigers all the time?)
Fact is, if we’re playing a pickup game, you take Manning, I’ll take Tom Brady/Otto Graham/Brett Favre, and let’s play. OK, you take Brady, I’ll take Manning, or Graham.
The beauty of all this is that there is really no wrong answer. Ask the players who played with Brady and guess who they say. Or ’06 Colts who beat the Bears with Manning in Super Bowl XLI. Think the ‘70s Steelers would trade anybody for Terry Bradshaw? Not a chance.
The numbers aren’t really much help, since the tectonic plates of the NFL are always shifting so much. Brady won Super Bowls in three of his first four years starting and never threw more than 28 TD passes in any of those seasons. Manning threw fewer than 28 TD passes in just five of his 16 full seasons.
Is Manning really better than Brady based on TD passes? Or Brady than Manning because of rings?
None of which is really the point. The beauty really is in the eye of the beholder, and just as in any beauty pageant, is Miss USA really, really prettier than Miss Zambia? Really? C’mon, man.
“Best ever” always makes for fun banter. But sometimes it’s just nice to lean back, nod, and say, “Glad you came our way.”
Stop it. Pull the camera back and look at a bigger picture for a moment.
Greatest composer of all time? Beethoven or Mozart? Or what about Brahms? But hey, I mean, if you’re a lullaby guy, c’mon, man, gotta be the Big Brahm’ster. (And no, I loved “Beautiful” but I don’t see Carole King in this discussion. Sorry.)
Greatest artist of all time? You say Monet, I say Michaelangelo. Then some guy over in another booth pipes in with how great were the ones who just had sharp stones to work with and did frescoes on cave walls? (Michaelangelo was good, sure, but does he nail that chapel gig if he has to be looking around for saber-toothed tigers all the time?)
Fact is, if we’re playing a pickup game, you take Manning, I’ll take Tom Brady/Otto Graham/Brett Favre, and let’s play. OK, you take Brady, I’ll take Manning, or Graham.
The beauty of all this is that there is really no wrong answer. Ask the players who played with Brady and guess who they say. Or ’06 Colts who beat the Bears with Manning in Super Bowl XLI. Think the ‘70s Steelers would trade anybody for Terry Bradshaw? Not a chance.
The numbers aren’t really much help, since the tectonic plates of the NFL are always shifting so much. Brady won Super Bowls in three of his first four years starting and never threw more than 28 TD passes in any of those seasons. Manning threw fewer than 28 TD passes in just five of his 16 full seasons.
Is Manning really better than Brady based on TD passes? Or Brady than Manning because of rings?
None of which is really the point. The beauty really is in the eye of the beholder, and just as in any beauty pageant, is Miss USA really, really prettier than Miss Zambia? Really? C’mon, man.
“Best ever” always makes for fun banter. But sometimes it’s just nice to lean back, nod, and say, “Glad you came our way.”
On
emoriesofhistory.com
1939 - The Boston Bruins won the Prince Wales Trophy when they clinched the NHL regular season championship. This marked the first time the Prince of Wales Trophy was awarded for this reason.
1951 - Ezzard Charles won a 15-round decision over Jersey Joe Walcott. It was Charles' eighth heavyweight title defense.
1954 - The NBA raised the baskets from 10 feet to 12 feet for an exhibition game between the Minneapolis Lakers and Milwaukee Hawks.
1954 - The Soviet Union defeated Canada in the first international ice hockey competition.
1955 - Baseball commissioner Ford Frick said that he was in favor of legalizing the spitball.
1970 - Austin Carr (Notre Dame) scored 61 points against Ohio University. The feat was an NCAA tournament record.
1974 - New Orleans became the 18th NBA franchise. The team was bought by nine people for $6.15 million.
1982 - The NCAA college basketball tournament selections were televised for the first time.
1983 - Phil Marhe won the Alpine World Cup championship for the third straight year.
1983 - ESPN televised the first live professional football game on cable. The game was between the USFL's Birmingham Stallions and the Michigan Panthers.
1987 - Mike Tyson became the youngest heavyweight titlist when he beat James Smith in a decision during a 12-round fight in Las Vegas, NV.
1989 - Tom Jordan rolled an 899 in a three-game series. It was the best three-game series to be recognized by the ABC in league play.
1995 - Dominique Wilkins (Boston Celtics) became the ninth NBA player to achieve 25,000 career points.
1996 - Magic Johnson (Los Angeles Lakers) became the second player to reach 10,000 assists.
1997 - Wilson Kipketer of Kenya set the world indoor 800-meter record at 1 minute, 43.96 seconds at the World Indoor Championships in Paris.
1998 - Wayne Gretzky (New York Rangers) scored his 1,000th NHL goal. He had scored 878 regular season goals and 122 goals in the playoffs.
1951 - Ezzard Charles won a 15-round decision over Jersey Joe Walcott. It was Charles' eighth heavyweight title defense.
1954 - The NBA raised the baskets from 10 feet to 12 feet for an exhibition game between the Minneapolis Lakers and Milwaukee Hawks.
1954 - The Soviet Union defeated Canada in the first international ice hockey competition.
1955 - Baseball commissioner Ford Frick said that he was in favor of legalizing the spitball.
1970 - Austin Carr (Notre Dame) scored 61 points against Ohio University. The feat was an NCAA tournament record.
1974 - New Orleans became the 18th NBA franchise. The team was bought by nine people for $6.15 million.
1982 - The NCAA college basketball tournament selections were televised for the first time.
1983 - Phil Marhe won the Alpine World Cup championship for the third straight year.
1983 - ESPN televised the first live professional football game on cable. The game was between the USFL's Birmingham Stallions and the Michigan Panthers.
1987 - Mike Tyson became the youngest heavyweight titlist when he beat James Smith in a decision during a 12-round fight in Las Vegas, NV.
1989 - Tom Jordan rolled an 899 in a three-game series. It was the best three-game series to be recognized by the ABC in league play.
1995 - Dominique Wilkins (Boston Celtics) became the ninth NBA player to achieve 25,000 career points.
1996 - Magic Johnson (Los Angeles Lakers) became the second player to reach 10,000 assists.
1997 - Wilson Kipketer of Kenya set the world indoor 800-meter record at 1 minute, 43.96 seconds at the World Indoor Championships in Paris.
1998 - Wayne Gretzky (New York Rangers) scored his 1,000th NHL goal. He had scored 878 regular season goals and 122 goals in the playoffs.
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