Chicago Sports & Travel Inc./AllsportsAmerica
"America's Finest Sports Fan Travel Club, May We Plan An Event Or Sports Travel For You?"
We offer: Select opportunities, For your convenience, At "Very Rare but Super Fair" pricing
Because it's all about you!!!
"Sports Quote of the Day"
"If you align expectations with reality, you will never be disappointed." ~ Terrell Owens, Former Wide Receiver and Six Time Pro-Bowler in the NFL
By Colin Ward-Henniger
The ceremony will include traditional Olympic features like the oath and the parade of nations, along with unique celebrations highlighting Brazilian culture and accomplishments.
While the person who lights the cauldron during the opening ceremony is a closely guarded secret, the odds-on favorite is Brazilian soccer legend Pelé.
While the person who lights the cauldron during the opening ceremony is a closely guarded secret, the odds-on favorite is Brazilian soccer legend Pelé.
NBC has announced it will broadcast the opening ceremony on a one-hour delay in the Eastern time zone (two hours for Central Time, four hours for Pacific Time) in order to "curate" the coverage. The live stream will also be delayed.
Come back for our live blog, which will be updated throughout the ceremony.
When: Friday, Aug. 5 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, 7 p.m. CT
Where: Maracana Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
TV: NBC
Stream: NBCOlympics.com
Trending: 1) Noteworthy patterns emerging in Bears' roster moves, 2) If he's not too edgy, Dowell Loggains could provide Bears offense an edge and 3) Bears sign fullback Darrel Young, waive Joe Sommers. (See the football section for Bears and NFL updates).
Trending: Gary Player wants format overhaul for Olympic golf. (See the golf section for Olympic, tournament and PGA updates).
Trending: North Carolina wants NCAA to stay out of academic matters and it's not alone. What's Your Take? (See the last article on this blog for our thoughts. It's a must read and we'd love to hear your position on this issue. We can't wait to hear from you!!!)
Trending: Cubs and White Sox road to the "World Series".
Cubs 2016 Record: 66-41
Cubs 2016 Record: 66-41
White Sox 2016 Record: 52-56
(See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Noteworthy patterns emerging in Bears' roster moves.
By John Mullin
Coach John Fox noted this week that the Bears have gone from having one of the NFL’s older rosters in 2015 to one of the younger ones currently. Against that backdrop, several Bears’ recent roster moves become particularly interesting.
In some position groups where the Bears are young, like the current starting offensive line, the Bears have staffed the camp roster with experience. Camp pickups are routinely young prospects; the Bears already have those starting at myriad positions and have instead fortified certain positions with veterans.
After adding three defensive backs in this year’s draft, the Bears also signed cornerback Brandon Boykin last Wednesday. Boykin had played in 64 games over four seasons spread between the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers. Boykin’s Bears time came to an untimely close when he suffered a pectoral injury the second day of practice and went on injured reserve.
Thursday’s practice was the first for Amini Silatolu, a 6-4, 320-pound guard who’d been a second-round draft choice of the Carolina Panthers in 2012. Silatolu started 15 games as a rookie before dislocating a wrist. Over the next three years, marred by injuries including tearing each ACL, he started 13 more games. Silatolu signed with the Bears on July 20, joining a mix that already includes veteran Ted Larsen, signed Mar. 20 after time as the Arizona Cardinals’ starting right guard.
On Wednesday the Bears signed fullback Darrel Young, a converted linebacker who’d played 90 games with 36 starts over seven years with the Washington Redskins. Young immediately becomes the favorite over inexperienced Paul Lasike to land the reconstituted fullback job in the run-based plans of coordinator Dowell Loggains, although “as an offensive staff we haven’t decided how much of that we’re going to use, if we use any at all,” Loggains said.
Young’s experience was a tipping point. Fox noted, “[Young] is a guy that's played fullback in the league, somebody we're familiar with.”
The latest roster tweak came Thursday when the Bears waived a couple of young linemen – Marquis Jackson on defense, tackle Adrian Bellard on offense with an injury settlement – and signed linebacker Danny Mason, back from time on the Bears’ practice squad last year and on into this spring before being waived.
The other signing is Garry Williams, 6-3, 315, a tackle who made Fox’s Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2009, started 11 games for Carolina in 2010, and was expected to start for Ron Rivera in 2011 before breaking an ankle and missing the year. He was beset by injuries the next couple of years and was not re-signed by the Panthers and was out of the NFL last year.
But Williams comes to the Bears with 21 NFL starts, spread between guard and tackle.
If he's not too edgy, Dowell Loggains could provide Bears offense an edge.
By John Mullin
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Coach John Fox noted this week that the Bears have gone from having one of the NFL’s older rosters in 2015 to one of the younger ones currently. Against that backdrop, several Bears’ recent roster moves become particularly interesting.
In some position groups where the Bears are young, like the current starting offensive line, the Bears have staffed the camp roster with experience. Camp pickups are routinely young prospects; the Bears already have those starting at myriad positions and have instead fortified certain positions with veterans.
After adding three defensive backs in this year’s draft, the Bears also signed cornerback Brandon Boykin last Wednesday. Boykin had played in 64 games over four seasons spread between the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers. Boykin’s Bears time came to an untimely close when he suffered a pectoral injury the second day of practice and went on injured reserve.
Thursday’s practice was the first for Amini Silatolu, a 6-4, 320-pound guard who’d been a second-round draft choice of the Carolina Panthers in 2012. Silatolu started 15 games as a rookie before dislocating a wrist. Over the next three years, marred by injuries including tearing each ACL, he started 13 more games. Silatolu signed with the Bears on July 20, joining a mix that already includes veteran Ted Larsen, signed Mar. 20 after time as the Arizona Cardinals’ starting right guard.
On Wednesday the Bears signed fullback Darrel Young, a converted linebacker who’d played 90 games with 36 starts over seven years with the Washington Redskins. Young immediately becomes the favorite over inexperienced Paul Lasike to land the reconstituted fullback job in the run-based plans of coordinator Dowell Loggains, although “as an offensive staff we haven’t decided how much of that we’re going to use, if we use any at all,” Loggains said.
Young’s experience was a tipping point. Fox noted, “[Young] is a guy that's played fullback in the league, somebody we're familiar with.”
The latest roster tweak came Thursday when the Bears waived a couple of young linemen – Marquis Jackson on defense, tackle Adrian Bellard on offense with an injury settlement – and signed linebacker Danny Mason, back from time on the Bears’ practice squad last year and on into this spring before being waived.
The other signing is Garry Williams, 6-3, 315, a tackle who made Fox’s Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2009, started 11 games for Carolina in 2010, and was expected to start for Ron Rivera in 2011 before breaking an ankle and missing the year. He was beset by injuries the next couple of years and was not re-signed by the Panthers and was out of the NFL last year.
But Williams comes to the Bears with 21 NFL starts, spread between guard and tackle.
If he's not too edgy, Dowell Loggains could provide Bears offense an edge.
By David Haugh
Before Adam Gase turned the job of Bears offensive coordinator into a steppingstone, it traditionally was more of a trapdoor.
Through it fell the careers of a long and cringe-worthy list of assistant coaches: Aaron Kromer, Mike Tice, Mike Martz, Ron Turner, John Shoop, etc. After leaving the Bears, most play-callers write that line on their resumes in invisible ink.
Dowell Loggains, the latest occupant of what can be the hottest seat in Chicago sports, seems confident bordering on cocky, focused and feisty, promising if not yet proven, and talks faster than any Bears receivers run. He also appears oblivious that skeptical Chicagoans might refer to him as Doubtful Loggains, out of habit, because Bears fans instinctively have little faith in who calls the play on third-and-2.
"We've called plays before,'' Loggains assured the masses Wednesday. "It's not our first time."
Indeed, Loggains has called plays before — two seasons for the Titans with below-average results — but more on that later. Does Loggains feel pressure succeeding Gase, the Dolphins coach and the toughest man for the Bears to replace in 2016? He never flinched answering.
"We were fortunate to be here when it started," Loggains said. "As an offensive staff, we know the pillars have been built, the structure of the offense is in place. I was lucky to work with a good friend and colleague in Adam."
The unlikely NFL rise of Loggains, just 35, makes him easy to support. An overachieving walk-on quarterback at Arkansas at 5 feet 6, Loggains was the holder for the Razorbacks but essentially spent his career as a player-coach. He talked his way into a job as a Cowboys scout in 2004 and began an ascent that eventually landed him as the Titans offensive coordinator in 2012-2013 — his only stint in the role until now. He left Nashville without his offense ever qualifying as a hit; peaking at 19th in the league.
But when Bears coach John Fox needed to replace Gase, and placed a priority on continuity for quarterback Jay Cutler, Loggains became the most convenient option. He was already there. Even Loggains acknowledged Wednesday having a desk at Halas Hall — and a relationship with Cutler — helped him get the job as much as anything.
"I was very fortunate to be here the year before … that was probably the biggest advantage," Loggains said.
Fox gushed about Loggains, saying he has been terrific and ranks "way down on my list of worries.'' But is that good or bad news? How long is that list?
A cynic also might wonder if Fox sensed a young play-caller just happy to have escaped the Browns experience would welcome his input into run-oriented game plans more than an established offensive coordinator more likely to challenge a head coach. Not that Loggains agrees with the notion that Fox prefers a safe offensive approach built around the Bears defense. Loggains took exception when asked how comfortable he would be calling plays as part of a scheme labeled a "conservative John Fox-offense."
"I don't know what that means," Loggains snapped. "You'll have to define that. I've never heard Coach Fox say anything other than let's play the game how we have to win."
History says edginess is advised in Bears offensive coordinators and, now, everybody knows what Loggains meant when he kidded about becoming more like Cutler — who is two years younger.
"I hate saying this, but I think we're a little more similar than I'd like to be," Loggains said.
In one of the strangest sentences you will read about the Bears in preseason, Cutler actually could have a calming effect on Loggains. Consider, for example, the quarterback's mature take on former Bears and current Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett telling ESPN Magazine, "I'd be open and he'd throw into double coverage."
"Most receivers and tight ends are always open — hopefully Tom (Brady) can do a better job of finding (him) than I did," Cutler said, smirking. "I could say something clever or smart but I'll just pass.''
Clearly, the high road is one bookmarked on Cutler's personal GPS. And something tells me the quarterback will travel it frequently this season explaining away an incomplete offense and an inexperienced offensive coordinator. When the most consistently exciting offensive player one week into camp is the Western Michigan wide receiver drafted in the seventh round — Daniel Braverman — it says much work remains.
On Wednesday, right guard Kyle Long returned from a calf injury but wide receiver Alshon Jeffery left practice early with some sort of muscle malady. Jeffery rejoined tight end Zach Miller, out with a concussion, on the list of Bears players who need to stay healthy. Wide receiver Kevin White, also among the iffy, gave fans a glimpse of what he can do if he stays on the field with an amazing deep sideline grab.
Asked about individuals making strides, Loggains lapsed into coach speak.
"Everything we do here is us," Loggains said.
That's what an offensive coordinator says when there are no stars in the huddle. Gase schemed his way around those shortcomings, becoming the exception to the rule among Bears play-callers. And that will be the standard used to measure his confident successor.
Bears sign fullback Darrel Young, waive Joe Sommers.
By Scott Krinch
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Fullback may be a dying breed in the NFL, but the Bears still believe in the importance of the position.
The Bears proved that on Thursday by signing veteran fullback Darrel Young and waiving rookie tight end Joe Sommers.
Young, 29, spent the first seven years of his career with the Washington Redskins after going undrafted out of Villanova. In 69 career games, Young has compiled 185 rushing yards and 432 receiving yards with 13 total touchdowns. Young served as the lead blocker for three of Alfred Morris' 1000-yard plus rushing seasons.
The Bears proved that on Thursday by signing veteran fullback Darrel Young and waiving rookie tight end Joe Sommers.
Young, 29, spent the first seven years of his career with the Washington Redskins after going undrafted out of Villanova. In 69 career games, Young has compiled 185 rushing yards and 432 receiving yards with 13 total touchdowns. Young served as the lead blocker for three of Alfred Morris' 1000-yard plus rushing seasons.
Young was released by the Redskins this past offseason and served as production assistant with CSN Mid-Atlantic.
Sommers originally joined the Bears as an undrafted free agent after a standout career out of UW-Oshkosh.
The Bears also announced that offensive lineman Amini Silatolu, who signed with the team on July 20, has passed his physical.
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks management team pulling out all of the stops to chase the Stanley Cup for the 2016-17 NHL season.
By Marion P. Jelks
Right now, all is quiet in Blackhawks nation. The front office is reviewing contracts, evaluating players, scrutinizing the organization from top to bottom and preparing for training camp. The Blackhawks will be seriously pursuing the Stanley Cup again this year. Their goal: to win the Stanley Cup every two years. Stay tuned, when Blackhawks information breaks, we will be right here to pass it on to you. In the meantime, relax. Training camp is just around the corner and before you know it, we'll be chasing the Cup again..... Let's go Hawks!!!
CUBS: John Lackey thinking World Series after wild comeback win for Cubs: ‘I came here for jewelry’.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
John Lackey screamed and stomped around Wrigley Field on Wednesday afternoon, with Cubs catcher Miguel Montero even having to step in to separate the veteran pitcher from home-plate umpire Marty Foster on his way back to the dugout in the middle of the sixth inning.
This had all the makings of a frustrating loss to the Miami Marlins. A tense, clipped, awkward postgame press conference with Lackey seemed inevitable. Until the Cubs staged a wild comeback that had reporters laughing hysterically and Lackey leaving the interview room on a high note. A 5-4 walk-off win in front of 41,147 fans will do that.
“Fair expectations?” Lackey said, repeating back part of a question. “We’re trying to win the World Series. I didn’t come here for a haircut. You know what I mean? We’re trying to get it on. I came here for jewelry.”
This ended in bizarre fashion, with Ben Zobrist drawing a bases-loaded walk with two outs in the ninth inning, forcing in the game-tying run because Marlins closer A.J. Ramos had intentionally walked Anthony Rizzo. With Willson Contreras at the plate, Ramos fired his next pitch into an advertisement on the backstop, allowing Matt Szczur to sprint home and start the celebration.
“We just never quit,” Zobrist said. “All good teams have to believe that when they’re down late in the game, they can come back and win games. This series was huge for us, to be able to believe it for ourselves.”
Dexter Fowler had already scored on a wild pitch from arrow-shooting ex-Cub Fernando Rodney in the eighth inning. Montero – who’s still hitting under .200 – started the ninth-inning rally with a leadoff double off Ramos. The Cubs won a one-run game without using top relievers Pedro Strop, Hector Rondon and Aroldis Chapman – while going 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position and watching Lackey (two doubles) do most of the damage against Miami starter Tom Koehler (one run allowed in six innings).
“We got a group that keeps fighting and keeps competing until the last out,” Lackey said. “Those kind of crazy games can roll over into some positive energy.”
Lackey had the negative body language after serving up the go-ahead, two-run homer to a light-hitting backup catcher/ex-teammate (Jeff Mathis) that snapped a 1-1 tie in the seventh inning. And a pitcher the Cubs wanted for his edgy personality wouldn’t get into what he was jawing about with the umpire.
“I was minding my own business walking off the field,” Lackey said. “He said something to me first. I’m not really one to back down if you want to challenge me.”
That’s why the Cubs spent almost $290 million on free agents like Lackey and Zobrist, to buy their World Series experience, and influence a team now playing with a sense of urgency again.
“It’s August,” Rizzo said. “We know that we only have pretty much a sprint left. It’s not a marathon to get to the playoffs."
The Cubs (66-41) have won five series since the All-Star break, splitting their four crosstown games against the White Sox and leaving for their West Coast flight with almost a double-digit lead over the St. Louis Cardinals in the division.
The Cubs will enjoy a day off in the Bay Area and begin a three-game series against the Oakland A’s on Friday night at the Coliseum, knowing that there are no fair or unfair expectations. It’s only World Series or bust.
“I don’t think anybody would be satisfied with anything less,” Zobrist said. “I don’t think the Chicago Cub fans would be satisfied with anything else, either. We know the end goal and we’re a long way from there. We just have to keep playing good baseball and get ourselves in a good position."
How Oakland helped redirect Jon Lester and turn Cubs into contenders.
By Patrick Mooney
This had all the makings of a frustrating loss to the Miami Marlins. A tense, clipped, awkward postgame press conference with Lackey seemed inevitable. Until the Cubs staged a wild comeback that had reporters laughing hysterically and Lackey leaving the interview room on a high note. A 5-4 walk-off win in front of 41,147 fans will do that.
“Fair expectations?” Lackey said, repeating back part of a question. “We’re trying to win the World Series. I didn’t come here for a haircut. You know what I mean? We’re trying to get it on. I came here for jewelry.”
This ended in bizarre fashion, with Ben Zobrist drawing a bases-loaded walk with two outs in the ninth inning, forcing in the game-tying run because Marlins closer A.J. Ramos had intentionally walked Anthony Rizzo. With Willson Contreras at the plate, Ramos fired his next pitch into an advertisement on the backstop, allowing Matt Szczur to sprint home and start the celebration.
“We just never quit,” Zobrist said. “All good teams have to believe that when they’re down late in the game, they can come back and win games. This series was huge for us, to be able to believe it for ourselves.”
Dexter Fowler had already scored on a wild pitch from arrow-shooting ex-Cub Fernando Rodney in the eighth inning. Montero – who’s still hitting under .200 – started the ninth-inning rally with a leadoff double off Ramos. The Cubs won a one-run game without using top relievers Pedro Strop, Hector Rondon and Aroldis Chapman – while going 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position and watching Lackey (two doubles) do most of the damage against Miami starter Tom Koehler (one run allowed in six innings).
“We got a group that keeps fighting and keeps competing until the last out,” Lackey said. “Those kind of crazy games can roll over into some positive energy.”
Lackey had the negative body language after serving up the go-ahead, two-run homer to a light-hitting backup catcher/ex-teammate (Jeff Mathis) that snapped a 1-1 tie in the seventh inning. And a pitcher the Cubs wanted for his edgy personality wouldn’t get into what he was jawing about with the umpire.
“I was minding my own business walking off the field,” Lackey said. “He said something to me first. I’m not really one to back down if you want to challenge me.”
That’s why the Cubs spent almost $290 million on free agents like Lackey and Zobrist, to buy their World Series experience, and influence a team now playing with a sense of urgency again.
“It’s August,” Rizzo said. “We know that we only have pretty much a sprint left. It’s not a marathon to get to the playoffs."
The Cubs (66-41) have won five series since the All-Star break, splitting their four crosstown games against the White Sox and leaving for their West Coast flight with almost a double-digit lead over the St. Louis Cardinals in the division.
The Cubs will enjoy a day off in the Bay Area and begin a three-game series against the Oakland A’s on Friday night at the Coliseum, knowing that there are no fair or unfair expectations. It’s only World Series or bust.
“I don’t think anybody would be satisfied with anything less,” Zobrist said. “I don’t think the Chicago Cub fans would be satisfied with anything else, either. We know the end goal and we’re a long way from there. We just have to keep playing good baseball and get ourselves in a good position."
How Oakland helped redirect Jon Lester and turn Cubs into contenders.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Maybe institutional arrogance would have inevitably driven Jon Lester out of Fenway Park. The Boston Red Sox lowballed their homegrown ace – really their only consistently reliable drafted-and-developed starting pitcher in a generation – with a no-chance spring-training extension offer in 2014.
But Oakland A’s baseball czar Billy Beane gave the Cubs another assist at that trade deadline – four weeks after the Jeff Samardzija/Addison Russell deal – by shipping out Yoenis Cespedes and acquiring Lester in a move that shocked the industry.
That meant Lester – a creature of habit comfortable in Boston – would get an eye-opening experience outside Red Sox Nation and broaden his horizons a little bit. The Red Sox couldn’t seriously play the loyalty card anymore, while the A’s couldn’t tag Lester with a qualifying offer after his no-decision in an American League wild-card loss to the Kansas City Royals.
The Oakland Coliseum doesn’t have a reputation for being family-friendly, and the Cubs played up all the planned amenities at a renovated Wrigley Field during Lester’s recruiting visit to Chicago, paving the way to a six-year, $155 million megadeal with a last-place team that needed to show the franchise would be serious about winning.
The butterfly effect is a fascinating concept while looking back on how Theo Epstein’s baseball-operations group built the team with the best record in baseball. Seeing Lester (11-4, 2.95 ERA) pitch against a green-and-gold backdrop on Friday night on the same lot where the Golden State Warriors built a Super Team will be another reminder.“It was a big surprise,” Lester said. “I didn’t actually think I would get traded. I knew that was a possibility. But I was just thinking if things didn’t work out, they would want that draft pick, knowing those guys (in Boston). It ended up working out.”
Lester will always remember July 31, because it’s his oldest son’s birthday. Hudson turned four the day Lester got traded from the organization that drafted him out of high school in 2002 and gave him two World Series rings.
“We were having a party,” Lester said, at the family’s house in suburban Boston. “I had found out that morning. I went and got some stuff from the (clubhouse). We all sat around and we were watching MLB (Network). Somebody would get up and take a phone call and we’d be like: ‘Oh, OK.’
“And then Andrew Miller would come (back) in and (say): ‘Yeah, I’m going to Baltimore.’ It would come up on the screen: ‘Andrew Miller traded to Baltimore.’ And then Stephen Drew got traded to the Yankees, who we were playing at the time. ‘Lack’ (John Lackey) got traded (to St. Louis).
“We were all sitting around just watching MLB (Network) while the kids were going crazy. And paused for some cake and went back to watching MLB.
“It was just a really weird day that will definitely go down as a lasting memory for my family.”
The Cubs focused most of their energy on upgrading the bullpen before this week’s non-waiver deadline, getting game-over closer Aroldis Chapman and a few more complementary pieces. While supply-and-demand dynamics, long-range planning and intradivision/crosstown politics factored into those decisions, the bottom line is the Cubs already made their biggest moves.
“We’re all kids here in the toy aisle,” Lester said. “We’re all trying to play GM and say: ‘Why don’t you get this guy?’ There’s always logistics that we don’t understand, (things) that we don’t see. ‘Just get this guy and give him $10 million bucks next year’ – we don’t understand the ramifications of that.
“It’s still fun to sit back and say: ‘What if? What if we get this guy? What it we get that guy?’ You’re definitely paying attention to it. (But) I pay less attention to it now that I don’t have to worry about it.”
Epstein’s front office ignored the rule already broken for Lester and gave no-trade protection – and $240 million combined – to Ben Zobrist and Jason Heyward with October power pitching in mind. How much is enough? A lineup anchored by MVP candidates Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant – with All-Star leadoff guy Dexter Fowler at the top – is either good enough or it’s not.
Jake Arrieta must perform at a Cy Young Award winner-level in the playoffs. Lackey will show up for the Big Boy Games or he won’t. And the Cubs aren’t going very far in October without Lester living up to his reputation as one of the best big-game pitchers of his generation.
The 2008 U.S. Olympic baseball team featured some Cubs players you might recognize.
By CSN Staff
But Oakland A’s baseball czar Billy Beane gave the Cubs another assist at that trade deadline – four weeks after the Jeff Samardzija/Addison Russell deal – by shipping out Yoenis Cespedes and acquiring Lester in a move that shocked the industry.
That meant Lester – a creature of habit comfortable in Boston – would get an eye-opening experience outside Red Sox Nation and broaden his horizons a little bit. The Red Sox couldn’t seriously play the loyalty card anymore, while the A’s couldn’t tag Lester with a qualifying offer after his no-decision in an American League wild-card loss to the Kansas City Royals.
The Oakland Coliseum doesn’t have a reputation for being family-friendly, and the Cubs played up all the planned amenities at a renovated Wrigley Field during Lester’s recruiting visit to Chicago, paving the way to a six-year, $155 million megadeal with a last-place team that needed to show the franchise would be serious about winning.
The butterfly effect is a fascinating concept while looking back on how Theo Epstein’s baseball-operations group built the team with the best record in baseball. Seeing Lester (11-4, 2.95 ERA) pitch against a green-and-gold backdrop on Friday night on the same lot where the Golden State Warriors built a Super Team will be another reminder.“It was a big surprise,” Lester said. “I didn’t actually think I would get traded. I knew that was a possibility. But I was just thinking if things didn’t work out, they would want that draft pick, knowing those guys (in Boston). It ended up working out.”
Lester will always remember July 31, because it’s his oldest son’s birthday. Hudson turned four the day Lester got traded from the organization that drafted him out of high school in 2002 and gave him two World Series rings.
“We were having a party,” Lester said, at the family’s house in suburban Boston. “I had found out that morning. I went and got some stuff from the (clubhouse). We all sat around and we were watching MLB (Network). Somebody would get up and take a phone call and we’d be like: ‘Oh, OK.’
“And then Andrew Miller would come (back) in and (say): ‘Yeah, I’m going to Baltimore.’ It would come up on the screen: ‘Andrew Miller traded to Baltimore.’ And then Stephen Drew got traded to the Yankees, who we were playing at the time. ‘Lack’ (John Lackey) got traded (to St. Louis).
“We were all sitting around just watching MLB (Network) while the kids were going crazy. And paused for some cake and went back to watching MLB.
“It was just a really weird day that will definitely go down as a lasting memory for my family.”
The Cubs focused most of their energy on upgrading the bullpen before this week’s non-waiver deadline, getting game-over closer Aroldis Chapman and a few more complementary pieces. While supply-and-demand dynamics, long-range planning and intradivision/crosstown politics factored into those decisions, the bottom line is the Cubs already made their biggest moves.
“We’re all kids here in the toy aisle,” Lester said. “We’re all trying to play GM and say: ‘Why don’t you get this guy?’ There’s always logistics that we don’t understand, (things) that we don’t see. ‘Just get this guy and give him $10 million bucks next year’ – we don’t understand the ramifications of that.
“It’s still fun to sit back and say: ‘What if? What if we get this guy? What it we get that guy?’ You’re definitely paying attention to it. (But) I pay less attention to it now that I don’t have to worry about it.”
Epstein’s front office ignored the rule already broken for Lester and gave no-trade protection – and $240 million combined – to Ben Zobrist and Jason Heyward with October power pitching in mind. How much is enough? A lineup anchored by MVP candidates Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant – with All-Star leadoff guy Dexter Fowler at the top – is either good enough or it’s not.
Jake Arrieta must perform at a Cy Young Award winner-level in the playoffs. Lackey will show up for the Big Boy Games or he won’t. And the Cubs aren’t going very far in October without Lester living up to his reputation as one of the best big-game pitchers of his generation.
The 2008 U.S. Olympic baseball team featured some Cubs players you might recognize.
By CSN Staff
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The International Olympic Committee announced Wednesday that baseball will return to the Olympics for the 2020 games in Tokyo.
It's exciting news for the sport, since it was taken off the Olympic slate following the 2008 games in Beijing.
In celebration of America's pastime returning to the Olympic games, here's a fun throwback for Chicago fans. Recognize these guys?
It's exciting news for the sport, since it was taken off the Olympic slate following the 2008 games in Beijing.
In celebration of America's pastime returning to the Olympic games, here's a fun throwback for Chicago fans. Recognize these guys?
(Photo/Pinterest)
"Last time baseball was an Olympic sport (08) these guys won bronze. Strasburg, Fowler, Cahill, Arrieta. #mlb #Wbsc
John Blundell
@JBMLBPR
12:53 PM - 3 Aug 2016 "
The last time the Olympics featured baseball (Beijing 2008), future Chicago Cubs teammates Jake Arrieta, Dexter Fowler and Trevor Cahill were teammates on the U.S. team that took home the bronze medal.
Who would've guessed?
The trio was part of a team that featured several future MLB stars, such as Stephen Strasburg (who is also featured in the picture above), Brett Anderson, Nate Schierholtz (who played for the Cubs from 2013-2014) and Jayson Nix (who played for the White Sox from 2008-2010).
Considering how many players on the 2008 roster wound up having relatively successful careers in the majors, be sure to pay attention to the names on the 2020 team.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
At long last, Jose Quintana’s record is back to above .500.
Finally supported by his offense and bullpen, Quintana helped the White Sox snap a three-game losing streak with a 6-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers in front of 33,023 at Comerica Park. Avisail Garcia and Jose Abreu both homered, and the White Sox won their first road game of the season against the Tigers, Cleveland Indians and Kansas City Royals. They had lost each of their first 11 before Thursday.
Quintana, who began the season with wins in five of six decisions, improved to 9-8 with 7 1/3 strong innings. David Robertson pitched a scoreless ninth for his 26th save in 30 tries.
The White Sox offense didn’t waste any time against Tigers starter Jordan Zimmerman, who last only 1 2/3 innings. They scored a run in the first inning on Justin Morneau’s bases-loaded sac fly to capitalize on Zimmerman’s wild streak. He hit Tim Anderson to start the game and later walked Abreu on 10 pitches. Anderson scored on Morneau’s sac fly to left on an 0-2 pitch and left the game with a bruised left hand. X-rays were negative, and the White Sox rookie shortstop is listed as day to day.
An inning later, Avisail Garcia continued to make Comerica Park look small when he put the White Sox back ahead 2-1 with a 430-foot solo home run to center.
Zimmerman never recovered as he allowed an Omar Narvaez single and walked Tyler Saladino. One out later, Melky Cabrera singled in a run to make it 3-1, and Adam Eaton put the White Sox up three with a sacrifice fly. Abreu then launched an 0-1 fastball for a two-run homer, his first round-tripper since June 23 at Boston. The first baseman’s 12th homer of the season snapped a 32-game stretch in which he didn’t go deep, a span of 137 plate appearances. It also provided Quintana with a season-high of six runs of support.
But the White Sox offense didn’t do anything after Zimmerman exited as three relievers limited them to six base runners over 7 1/3 scoreless innings.
Quintana made the most of his big lead.
Though he allowed three hits, including a game-tying homer to Ian Kinsler in a shaky first inning, Quintana settled down. He attacked the strike zone all game, throwing strikes on 69 of 93 pitches. An aggressive Tigers approach led to a number of quick innings for Quintana, who had thrown 57 pitches through five frames. After a rough first inning, which ended with a fantastic relay from Cabrera to Saladino to Narvaez to throw Nick Castellanos out at home, Quintana retired 15 of the next 17 he faced.
The All-Star ran into some difficulty in the seventh inning when he allowed three straight singles for Detroit to get within 6-2. But Quintana retired the next three batters, including Kinsler, to prevent further damage.
Quintana allowed three earned runs and eight hits in 7 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out three.
White Sox rookie Charlie Tilson tears hamstring, set for season-ending surgery.
By Dan Hayes
Finally supported by his offense and bullpen, Quintana helped the White Sox snap a three-game losing streak with a 6-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers in front of 33,023 at Comerica Park. Avisail Garcia and Jose Abreu both homered, and the White Sox won their first road game of the season against the Tigers, Cleveland Indians and Kansas City Royals. They had lost each of their first 11 before Thursday.
Quintana, who began the season with wins in five of six decisions, improved to 9-8 with 7 1/3 strong innings. David Robertson pitched a scoreless ninth for his 26th save in 30 tries.
The White Sox offense didn’t waste any time against Tigers starter Jordan Zimmerman, who last only 1 2/3 innings. They scored a run in the first inning on Justin Morneau’s bases-loaded sac fly to capitalize on Zimmerman’s wild streak. He hit Tim Anderson to start the game and later walked Abreu on 10 pitches. Anderson scored on Morneau’s sac fly to left on an 0-2 pitch and left the game with a bruised left hand. X-rays were negative, and the White Sox rookie shortstop is listed as day to day.
An inning later, Avisail Garcia continued to make Comerica Park look small when he put the White Sox back ahead 2-1 with a 430-foot solo home run to center.
Zimmerman never recovered as he allowed an Omar Narvaez single and walked Tyler Saladino. One out later, Melky Cabrera singled in a run to make it 3-1, and Adam Eaton put the White Sox up three with a sacrifice fly. Abreu then launched an 0-1 fastball for a two-run homer, his first round-tripper since June 23 at Boston. The first baseman’s 12th homer of the season snapped a 32-game stretch in which he didn’t go deep, a span of 137 plate appearances. It also provided Quintana with a season-high of six runs of support.
But the White Sox offense didn’t do anything after Zimmerman exited as three relievers limited them to six base runners over 7 1/3 scoreless innings.
Quintana made the most of his big lead.
Though he allowed three hits, including a game-tying homer to Ian Kinsler in a shaky first inning, Quintana settled down. He attacked the strike zone all game, throwing strikes on 69 of 93 pitches. An aggressive Tigers approach led to a number of quick innings for Quintana, who had thrown 57 pitches through five frames. After a rough first inning, which ended with a fantastic relay from Cabrera to Saladino to Narvaez to throw Nick Castellanos out at home, Quintana retired 15 of the next 17 he faced.
The All-Star ran into some difficulty in the seventh inning when he allowed three straight singles for Detroit to get within 6-2. But Quintana retired the next three batters, including Kinsler, to prevent further damage.
Quintana allowed three earned runs and eight hits in 7 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out three.
White Sox rookie Charlie Tilson tears hamstring, set for season-ending surgery.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
If you saw the replay, the news Wednesday that Charlie Tilson is out for the season with a torn left hamstring shouldn’t come as a surprise.
The White Sox placed their rookie outfielder on the disabled list and announced he’s set to have season-ending surgery on his hamstring on Thursday. Tilson injured himself Tuesday in an attempt to run down a fly ball in the fifth inning of his major league debut. He became the fourth White Sox rookie to suffer a major injury on or before his first game this season. The White Sox recalled J.B. Shuck from Triple-A Charlotte to take Tilson’s spot.
“I can’t even imagine,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. “This is a dream. He gets called up, gets a hit in his first at-bat and after that it all gets taken away from you for a while. It’s tough. All the guys on the team, as much as you want to put it out of your mind, you feel for the kid.”
Acquired on Sunday, the New Trier High School product and former St. Louis Cardinals farmhand barely hand a chance to meet his new teammates. He arrived in Detroit on Tuesday and met the team on the bus from the hotel.
Tilson’s debut was off to a fantastic start on Tuesday night as he singled in his first at-bat in the third inning and shared a conversation at the bag with Miguel Cabrera, who handed him the ball from his base hit. Seated behind home plate, Tilson’s family roared in delight.
Two innings later, Tilson was sprawled across the outfield grass after his leg buckled in pursuit of Cabrera’s drive to right center. Adam Eaton was the first one over to Tilson and immediately had a sense his injury was serious.
“You could tell he was kind of in shock with what just happened,” Eaton said. “Tough go for him. It’s not how you pictured your debut to go. By the same token, he left us with a good impression. He ran really well, got the hit there in his first at-bat. Hopefully he can heal up and be ready for spring training.”
The White Sox should have more information on how long Tilson will be out later in the week.
Ventura is hopeful Tilson will be back for spring training. But he didn’t know much beyond the next two months.
“He’s got enough tears in it that he’s going to have surgery, so the chances of us having him back this year aren’t going to happen,” Ventura said. “It’s crazy, it’s unfortunate. You feel for the kid that he gets an opportunity to come up here and something like that happens.”
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... Dollars say Dwyane Wade a better investment for Bulls than Derrick Rose.
By Adam Grossman
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The NBA offseason has been a bull market for free agency. The league's massive new television agreement virtually triples the amount of money the NBA makes from rights fees, compared to its previous deal. With a higher salary cap, teams could spend millions of dollars on new players during the free agency period. The question for all teams became: how could it most effectively spend this new money on players that would have the greatest overall impact on their organization.
The Bulls made several notable free agent moves this summer. The biggest transactions involved a trade between the Bulls and New York Knicks headlined by Derrick Rose and Robin Lopez, the signings of Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo, and not re-signing Joakim Noah or Pau Gasol. Many fans are still debating whether these moves will help the Bulls return to their winning ways and enable them to once again make the playoffs.
However, Block Six Analytics Revenue Above Replacement (RAR) model shows that the Bulls should be a clear winner in acquiring new players that can generate more potential revenue for the team. RAR evaluates how an individual player’s on-court and off-court performance impacts a team’s ability to make money. Why on-court and off-court factors? While winning is important, NBA teams don't only generate revenue based on their on-court performance. For example, the Bulls had the highest overall attendance this year despite not reaching the postseason. Therefore, players should not be judged solely by their on-court performance.
To evaluate both factors, RAR uses regression analysis to determine what percentage of a team’s revenue is generated by its on-court and off-court performances. For on-court performance, RAR uses one of the most common on-court analytics called win shares to determine an individual player’s impact on a team’s ability to win games. According to Basketball-Reference.com, a “win share” is a “way to divvy up credit for a team’s success” to each individual player based on how his offensive and defensive production — essentially his points produced – points allowed — compare to league averages. For off-court performance, we examine a player’s individual revenue contributions via jersey sales, media exposure, social media presence, and fan engagement. We then apply a player’s on-court and off-court impact to his team’s revenue streams to determine his overall value.
The Bulls added $8.6 million in value through the players they signed based on 2015-16 results. Gasol generated the most of the three major players no longer with the Bulls at $31.4 million last season. Rose was second at $23.5 million and Noah was third at $7.8 million. This means that these players contributed a combined total of $62.7 million for the Bulls. In contrast, Wade generated $29.3 million for the Miami Heat, Rajon Rondo generated $22.4 million for the Sacramento Kings and Lopez generated $19.6 million for the Knicks for a total of $71.3 million.
We also used RAR to examine how the new and old Bulls should perform next season. What we discovered is that our 2016-17 projections create an even larger gap. Wade, Rondo, and Lopez are projected to generate a combined $104.3 million for the Bulls. Rose, Noah, and Gasol are projected to generate a $63.2 million combined for their respective teams. Part of the increase in value is due to the NBA’s new television deal, however, each team receives an equal share of this revenue. That means the increase in television rights fees does not explain the difference in value. It is Wade and Co.’s ability to generate interest, excitement, and engagement among fans, media, and sponsors that is the primary driver of the Bulls projected revenue success.
The no. 1 priority for the Bulls is to have a winning team. However, the Bulls are also business, and the team’s business does not rely solely on how it performs on the court. The players should also not be solely measured by how they perform on the court. By taking on-court and off-court factors into account, the Bulls maximized the team’s likelihood of business success through offseason moves.
LeBron's motivation is chasing Jordan; Imrem: LeBron's been chasing MJ all along.
By Mike Imrem
A good guess is that every journalist has questions he or she wanted to ask but never did.
Something threw the interviews off track … like the subject matter going in another direction or a roomful of inquiries taking precedent or time running out.
Among mine is one for LeBron James.
Opportunities came during the several NBA playoff series his teams -- the Cavaliers, then the Heat, then the Cavs again -- played against the Bulls.
This is the question in its long form:
"Here in Chicago, we have had two players, Walter Payton in football and Michael Jordan in basketball, who were among the best to ever play their sports.
"Throughout their careers it seemed that they were chasing more than championships. They were chasing the greatest players that came before them.
"Is that what you're doing? Are you not only pursuing NBA titles but also aiming to become the best basketball player? And how do you feel you're sizing up at this point?"
You see, that's another reason I never asked the question. Before I could figure out how to shorten it up, the postgame news conference was over and James was headed out of the United Center.
I suspected what the truth was but wanted to see whether James would admit it.
Finally, however Lee Jenkins phrased the question, this is how he quoted James in this week's Sports Illustrated: "My motivation is this ghost I'm chasing. The ghost played in Chicago."
James might not have provided me with that response back then, even as recently as 2015 as the Cavs were beating the Bulls, but he's older now and at a personal place where he's willing to reflect on this subject.
"My career is totally different than Michael Jordan's," he says in SI. "What I've gone through is totally different than what he went through. What he did was unbelievable, and I watched it unfold. I looked up to him so much. I think it's cool to put myself in position to be one of those great players, but if I can ever put myself in position to be the greatest player, that would be something extraordinary."
James put himself in that position from the start of his NBA career -- actually all the way back to early in his high school career.
For much of his pro career I wrote, to the dismay of Bulls fans, that LeBron James is the kind of player who could threaten Michael Jordan as the best ever.
Kobe Bryant couldn't because his game was too much like Jordan's was, and nobody was going to beat His Airness at his own game.
James was different. He was bigger and stronger, able to play a power game one minute and a finesse game the next minute.
Ah, but then James' teams lost too many times in the NBA Finals and talk of him challenging Jordan quieted down.
Now it's heating up again after James' spectacular performances led the Cavaliers to Cleveland's first title in 52 years this spring.
James said that was his goal in returning to his home area, and he reached it, which is something Jordan might have said and done.
Jordan still has a big edge in NBA titles, six to three, so maybe it's impossible for James to surpass him if that tops the list of criteria to catch the ghost from Chicago.
Which we now know for sure has been his motivation all along.
Golf: I got a club for that..... Hometown favorite Kelly shares Travelers lead.
By Associated Press
(Photo/Golf Channel)
Jerry Kelly played off the emotion of what he considers a home crowd Thursday in the Travelers Championship, shooting a 6-under 64 for a share of the first-round lead with Vaughn Taylor and Andrew Loupe.
The 49-year-old Kelly played at the nearby University of Hartford. Headed to the PGA Tour Champions after this season, Kelly won the last of his three PGA Tour titles in 2009.
''I'm not that man who has people constantly yelling wherever I go,'' Kelly said. ''I kind of take those good vibes and run with it. It's fun.''
Kelly started his afternoon on the back nine, sinking a 45-foot putt for eagle on his sixth hole of the day, the course's signature par-4 15th. The green was redesigned as part of a $3.5 million course renovation project this year and the front left pin placement was new.
''It was a question mark, how fast it was going to be and I judged it correctly, apparently,'' he said.
Loupe and Taylor went out early, when relatively soft greens and little wind helped the scoring.
Taylor, the 40-year-old who won for the first time since 2005 at Pebble Beach this year, strung together five consecutive birdies starting on the 12th hole and shot a 30 on the back nine.
''That was a nice little run and I needed that,'' Taylor said. ''I was playing well and just needed something to kind of get me going.''
Loupe, who at 27 is looking for his first PGA Tour win, had seven birdies and a bogey on the day. He pulled into a tie for the lead after a 128-yard approach shot on 18 gave him a 2-foot birdie putt.
Jon Rahm, the 21-year-old Spaniard who turned pro in June, eagled the par-5 13th hole and was a stroke back along with Ben Martin and Marc Leishman.
Ninety-three players shot par or better, including U.S. Olympians Bubba Watson (67), Matt Kuchar (69), and Patrick Reed (70).
They are playing the first two rounds as a trio, and fans stood four and five deep at times to watch them, chanting ''USA! USA!'' as they arrived at the 18th tee.
Reed was using the red, white and blue golf bag he received this week as part of his Olympic team gear
''All three of us are very excited and eager to get over there,'' said Watson, the tournament's defending champion. ''We hear all the USA chants. But at the same time, you want to play well here.''
Besides the Americans, three other Olympians are playing in Cromwell.
Denmark's Soren Kjeldsen and Germany's Alex Cejka each shot 68, and Ireland's Padraig Harrington came in at an even-par 70.
The tournament was moved from its traditional spot in June, a week after the U.S. Open, as the PGA Tour shuffled its schedule to accommodate the Olympics.
But the schedule didn't affect the quality of the field, which includes 10 players ranked in the top 30 in the world, led by Watson, who came into the week ranked sixth.
South Korea's Si Woo Kim had the shot of the day. The 21-year-old aced the 215-yard fifth hole on his way to a 69.
Nike to get out of golf equipment business.
By DOUG FERGUSON
Nike is getting out of the golf equipment business, a surprising announcement sure to send Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and other players searching for new clubs and golf balls next season.
Nike said late Wednesday it would stop making clubs, golf balls and golf bags, instead devoting its resources to shoes and apparel, longs its strength in the golf marketplace.
"We're committed to being the undisputed leader in golf footwear and apparel," said Trevor Edwards, president of Nike Brand. "We will achieve this by investing in performance innovation for athletes and delivering sustainable profitable growth for Nike Golf."
Woods has been with Nike since he turned pro in 1996 with that "Hello, World" advertisement, and he remains the most famous figure among Nike golfers. The Beaverton, Ore.-based company also signed Rory McIlroy in a splashy announcement in Abu Dhabi to start the 2013 season.
Woods has gone more than a year without playing because of back surgeries, though his agent at Excel Sports Management said he would remain "the iconic ambassador" for Nike Golf, just with a smaller group of products.
"He's been the most loyal ambassador and longest standing for Nike Golf. That doesn't change," agent Mark Steinberg said. "It just means he'll likely have some different equipment in the bag, whether that's tomorrow, next month or a year from now. Tiger and I have been talking about this the last couple of days. We have a very sophisticated, legitimate plan in place and we're going to see it through."
Brooks Koepka is another Nike client. He tied for fourth in the PGA Championship on Sunday and is in position to make his first Ryder Cup team. His agent, Blake Smith at Hambric Sports Management, said Koepka is happy with his equipment.
"I don't think he'll be in any rush at all to jump ship," Smith said. "He's got a bunch of tournaments coming up that are very important."
Nike also has Suzann Pettersen and Michelle Wie on the LPGA Tour.
Woods began promoting the shoes and apparel when he turned pro, and he made a switch to the Nike golf ball (which Bridgestone manufactured) in 2000 in Germany, winning the U.S. Open by 15 shots a month later. No other Nike golf ball moment was more vivid than when Woods won the 2005 Masters with a chip-in for birdie on the 16th hole, in which the ball rolled down a slope and hung on the edge of the cup for a full second — the Nike swoosh aimed at TV screens around the world — before falling.
He changed to the Nike irons at the American Express Championship in Ireland in 2002, one week before the Ryder Cup, and then gradually added the fairway metal, the driver and, finally, the putter in 2010.
During those changes, Phil Mickelson caused a stir when he said in a Golf Magazine interview that Woods had "inferior" clubs and then tried to pay Woods a compliment by saying he was the only player good enough to "overcome the equipment he's stuck with."
David Duval was the first player to win a major with Nike equipment at the 2001 British Open.
Through it all, Nike never took command of any aspect of the golf market, succeeding mainly in shoes and clothing.
Daric Ashford, president of Nike Golf, said in the brief announcement that Woods, McIlroy and Wie "drive tremendous energy for the game and inspire consumers worldwide," and then he went on to mention various apparel and footwear that have "connected strongly with golfers."
"We'll continue to ignite excitement with our athletes and deliver the best of Nike for the game," he said.
Nike did not say how the move would affect its golf equipment staff, either the representatives on tour or at the "Oven" in Fort Worth, Texas, where the clubs were made.
Steinberg said the news was too fresh to get an idea how this would affect Woods or other golfers when it comes to their contracts.
"We have a long-term contract with Nike, and that likely will not change," Steinberg said. "I'm sure we'll have a conversation into what exactly the future looks like with less product."
Gary Player wants format overhaul for Olympic golf.
AFP
South African legend Gary Player believes golf chiefs blundered by opting for a stroke-play format for the sport's return to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Player, a nine-time major winner and captain of the South Africa team, described the decision as a "grave mistake", arguing that a match-play format would have been better suited for audiences.
"All sports in the Olympics are fast, you don't want medal rounds that are slow, you want match-play or foursomes, something you can play in under four hours," said Player. "It is essential."
Golf is back in the Olympics after a 112-year absence but its status is not guaranteed beyond the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Player, who won 165 tournaments during his professional career, is dismayed by the number of top male golfers including Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Jason Day who have opted to skip the games, citing the mosquito-borne Zika virus as a concern.
"They don't want to promote golf, they don't realize how lucky they are, they don't realize what the Olympic Games mean to the sport," Player said.
"I would have given anything to play. I would have rowed over to play."
South Africa's hopes of striking golf gold in Rio have also suffered from withdrawals, with Branden Grace and Charl Schwartzel both pulling out over Zika.
Louis Oosthuizen pulled out over "family and scheduling" issues.
Player is unimpressed by players citing Zika as a reason not to play -- noting also a recent outbreak in Florida where many golfers are based.
"You have more chance of getting killed in a motorcar accident or by a gun than by Zika," he said.
"I see there are 10 cases of Zika in Miami, does that mean all the pros are going to move out of Florida and go live somewhere else?"
NASCAR: 5 Drivers who can win at Watkins Glen.
By Chase Wilhelm
(Photo/Jared C. Tilton)
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to the southern tip of the New York Finger Lakes for Sunday’s Cheez-It 355 at Watkins Glen International. After Chris Buescher’s shocking victory in a fog-shortened race at Pocono Raceway, there have been 12 different winners in 21 races this season. Here are five drivers who could roll into Victory Lane at The Glen on Sunday.
AJ Allmendinger
After a disappointing and lack-luster season so far, Watkins Glen could be Allmendinger’s last legitimate shot to grab a win and make the Chase. “The Dinger” scored his lone Cup Series victory at the road course in 2014. Allmendinger also has two top fives, four top 10’s and one pole there. He currently sits 21st in the points standings.
Jeff Gordon
The four-time champion is NASCAR’s all-time leader in most career road-course victories with nine. Gordon has four victories at Watkins Glen, with the last coming in 2001. In his 800th career start, Gordon has a chance to get back to his winning ways at The Glen one more time.
Tony Stewart
“Smoke” has the opportunity to sweep both road-course races after winning at Sonoma Raceway, earning a spot for the Chase in his final season. We are witnessing the Tony Stewart of old this summer, and that could mean another victory at Watkins Glen. Stewart holds the record for all-time wins at The Glen with five.
Joey Logano
After an incident with rookie Chase Elliott knocked him out of contention in a fog-shortened race at Pocono, Logano comes to Watkins Glen looking to rebound. The Team Penske driver is the defending winner of Sunday’s race. Along with his one victory, Logano also has two top fives and four top 10s at the road course.
Kyle Busch
“Rowdy” has a pair of victories at Watkins Glen, as well as five top fives, nine top 10s, and one pole. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver is tied with Brad Keselowski with the most series win this year with four. He could very well make earn his fifth victory this Sunday.
Watkins Glen schedules, times, TV info for Cheez-Its 355 at the Glen.
The Sporting News
When is the Cheez-It 355 at The Glen?
The Cheez-It 355 at The Glen will be run at Watkins Glen International on Aug. 7. The track is in Watkins Glen, N.Y.
What time is the Cheez-It 355 at The Glen?
The Cheez-It 355 at The Glen will start just after 2:30 p.m. ET at Watkins Glen International. TV coverage begins at 2 p.m. ET on USA.
What is the schedule of NASCAR events at Watkins Glen?
Friday, Aug. 5:
— 10 a.m.: Xfinity Series final practice, NBCSN
— 12:30 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series first practice, NBCSN
— 3 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series final practice, NBCSN
— 4:45 p.m.: Xfinity Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN
Saturday, Aug. 6:
— 12:15 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, CNBC
— 2 p.m.: Xfinity Series Zippo 200 at The Glen (82 laps, 200.9 miles), CNBC
Sunday, Aug. 7:
— 2:30 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Cheez-It 355 at The Glen (90 laps, 220.5 miles), USA
Richard Petty: Team owners want to know ‘who’s running NASCAR?’
By Kelly Crandall
Richard Petty says team owners have a few questions for NASCAR Chairman and CEO, Brian France.
In a candid Q&A with Autoweek published earlier this week, the NASCAR Hall of Famer spoke on numerous topics within the sport as well as the upcoming presidential election. But it was Petty’s thoughts on France, who is not as visible in the garage as his grandfather Bill France Sr. and father Bill France Jr. were, that stood out when it comes to France’s current standing with team owners.
When asked if it matters that France works more behind the scenes, Petty responded, “the question from the owners is, ‘Who’s running NASCAR?’ I think everyone questions, ‘Where does the buck stop?’ His granddad and dad were there every (race weekend). They looked at it like, ‘We have to take care of the racers, but we have to take care of the fans, too.’
“I think Brian looks at it like, ‘What can we do to expand NASCAR? Not with the racecars, but with all the electronic crap and the social media stuff that’s going on.’ That’s not bad because we need to generate new fans, but I don’t know if racing – pure racing by itself – will generate that many new fans. Brian’s probably doing what he needs to do while we’re over in the garage wondering if he’s even paying attention to the racing. We know what we’re after, but we don’t know what he’s after.”
The seven-time NASCAR champion also spoke about Stewart-Haas Racing’s Danica Patrick, who he has criticized in the past. In 2014, Petty told reporters the only way Patrick would ever win a Sprint Cup Series race was if “everybody else stayed home.” He went on to say that her being a female is what makes fans pay attention, which is good PR.
Has his opinion of her changed?
“Yes,” Petty told Autoweek. “She’s marginally better. Because of her experience, she doesn’t get in as much trouble. But, no, she hasn’t made any drastic improvements.”
The full Q&A with Richard Petty can be found here.
SOCCER: GM Nelson Rodriguez explains Fire's deadline moves.
Joey Logano
After an incident with rookie Chase Elliott knocked him out of contention in a fog-shortened race at Pocono, Logano comes to Watkins Glen looking to rebound. The Team Penske driver is the defending winner of Sunday’s race. Along with his one victory, Logano also has two top fives and four top 10s at the road course.
Kyle Busch
“Rowdy” has a pair of victories at Watkins Glen, as well as five top fives, nine top 10s, and one pole. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver is tied with Brad Keselowski with the most series win this year with four. He could very well make earn his fifth victory this Sunday.
Watkins Glen schedules, times, TV info for Cheez-Its 355 at the Glen.
The Sporting News
When is the Cheez-It 355 at The Glen?
The Cheez-It 355 at The Glen will be run at Watkins Glen International on Aug. 7. The track is in Watkins Glen, N.Y.
What time is the Cheez-It 355 at The Glen?
The Cheez-It 355 at The Glen will start just after 2:30 p.m. ET at Watkins Glen International. TV coverage begins at 2 p.m. ET on USA.
What is the schedule of NASCAR events at Watkins Glen?
Friday, Aug. 5:
— 10 a.m.: Xfinity Series final practice, NBCSN
— 12:30 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series first practice, NBCSN
— 3 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series final practice, NBCSN
— 4:45 p.m.: Xfinity Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN
Saturday, Aug. 6:
— 12:15 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, CNBC
— 2 p.m.: Xfinity Series Zippo 200 at The Glen (82 laps, 200.9 miles), CNBC
Sunday, Aug. 7:
— 2:30 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Cheez-It 355 at The Glen (90 laps, 220.5 miles), USA
Richard Petty: Team owners want to know ‘who’s running NASCAR?’
By Kelly Crandall
(Photo/Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Richard Petty says team owners have a few questions for NASCAR Chairman and CEO, Brian France.
In a candid Q&A with Autoweek published earlier this week, the NASCAR Hall of Famer spoke on numerous topics within the sport as well as the upcoming presidential election. But it was Petty’s thoughts on France, who is not as visible in the garage as his grandfather Bill France Sr. and father Bill France Jr. were, that stood out when it comes to France’s current standing with team owners.
When asked if it matters that France works more behind the scenes, Petty responded, “the question from the owners is, ‘Who’s running NASCAR?’ I think everyone questions, ‘Where does the buck stop?’ His granddad and dad were there every (race weekend). They looked at it like, ‘We have to take care of the racers, but we have to take care of the fans, too.’
“I think Brian looks at it like, ‘What can we do to expand NASCAR? Not with the racecars, but with all the electronic crap and the social media stuff that’s going on.’ That’s not bad because we need to generate new fans, but I don’t know if racing – pure racing by itself – will generate that many new fans. Brian’s probably doing what he needs to do while we’re over in the garage wondering if he’s even paying attention to the racing. We know what we’re after, but we don’t know what he’s after.”
The seven-time NASCAR champion also spoke about Stewart-Haas Racing’s Danica Patrick, who he has criticized in the past. In 2014, Petty told reporters the only way Patrick would ever win a Sprint Cup Series race was if “everybody else stayed home.” He went on to say that her being a female is what makes fans pay attention, which is good PR.
Has his opinion of her changed?
“Yes,” Petty told Autoweek. “She’s marginally better. Because of her experience, she doesn’t get in as much trouble. But, no, she hasn’t made any drastic improvements.”
The full Q&A with Richard Petty can be found here.
SOCCER: GM Nelson Rodriguez explains Fire's deadline moves.
By Dan Santaromita
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The Chicago Fire had a busy transfer deadline day on Wednesday.
Once all the dust settled, the Fire made three moves, including playing a part in the biggest one of the day, and added two players in David Arshakyan and Luis Solignac.
General manager Nelson Rodriguez talked about the busy day with reporters on Thursday. He opened by saying the team had two primary objectives this transfer window.
“One was to find a target forward, someone who could play in a more advanced position to Michael de Leeuw and another was just to overall improve our attacking depth,” Rodriguez said. “In terms of specific targets we hit both objectives with top choices.”
At 6-foot-4, Arshakyan could be that target forward and both players provide much-needed depth. Rodriguez said he thinks both fit well with de Leeuw, the only other true forward on the Fire roster.
Arshakyan was identified by coach Veljko Paunovic. After Paunovic identified Arshakyan through video, the Fire scouted him in person and he scored a hat trick in that game, according to Rodriguez. He comes from the Lithuanian league, which is not a very well-known or well-regarded league.
“You always make judgment as to whether you think a guy is ready or will fit or not fit,” Rodriguez said. “We feel really good about this one. It has a higher degree of risk, yes, but we also think we might have a higher degree of reward.”
The Fire had been after both players for a while. Solignac was viewed as a player that the Rapids would be willing to part with since he hadn’t been playing as much. Solignac, who has a club option on his contract for 2017, made no starts and four substitute appearances in the Rapids’ last six games.
“His goal-scoring productivity hasn’t been great for Colorado and this is not a criticism of Colorado, but he has never settled into a regular role there,” Rodriguez said. “That’s something that hopefully we can provide. Hopefully this change will energize him.”
Solignac is flying to Salt Lake to meet the Fire there for Saturday’s game at Real Salt Lake. Rodriguez said he expects him to play. Arshakyan will join the team once he gets his visa.
The bigger national news was Alejandro Bedoya signing with the Union. The Fire played a role in the move, acquiring allocation money and a first round pick from the Union for the top spot in the allocation order.
The allocation order is part of the long list of complicated and often confusing league rules. Rodriguez explained the Fire’s involvement in the transaction and how close they were to adding Bedoya.
“We considered adding Alejandro’s services very strongly and Pauno had a conversation with him and it went very well,” Rodriguez said. “Following that conversation, Alejandro through his representation suggested that ‘Hey you know what, Chicago does have something. I wouldn’t mind going there.’”
During the All-Star break last week, before the Fire had talked to Bedoya, the Union came to the Fire with the possibility of swapping spots in the allocation order. Two other teams also made offers to the Fire, but those were rejected.
“In the end, Philadelphia made a fair offer,” Rodriguez said. “Clearly an offer they were comfortable with and we made the decision that we felt was in our best interest.”
When asked about what team needs going forward, Rodriguez said “a dominant central midfielder” and more depth on the wing. Considering the Fire had a chance to get Bedoya, but ultimately did not land the U.S. national team midfielder that need remains, which raises the question of what type of player the team can acquire in the winter.
“I believe that we’re in a position, should we choose to do so or should we find the right player, that we can look to make another high-quality impact acquisition for next year,” Rodriguez said. “All of these moves through this window were done in such a way that we also didn’t need to use any general allocation money in this window to fit our roster budget together, which I think is a good sign.”
10-man South Africa somehow holds Neymar, Brazil in incredible Olympic draw.
By Nicholas Mendola
(Photo by Celso Junior/Getty Images)
Breathlessly, Brazil fans waited for their dominant home side to find a way past 10-man South Africa in the opener for both teams at the Olympics.
They are still waiting.
South Africa held Brazil to a 0-0 score, even after Mothobi Mvala took a 60th minute red card to set the hosts up for a win that would ultimately evade them.
It’s a massive point for South Africa, as Iraq and Denmark also drew 0-0 to put the African nation in the driver’s seat for the second spot in the knockout rounds.
They are still waiting.
South Africa held Brazil to a 0-0 score, even after Mothobi Mvala took a 60th minute red card to set the hosts up for a win that would ultimately evade them.
It’s a massive point for South Africa, as Iraq and Denmark also drew 0-0 to put the African nation in the driver’s seat for the second spot in the knockout rounds.
Despite an energetic start filled with possession, it was South Africa counter that almost led to the first goal. Lebo Mothiba lunged to get his shot off, which was muffled by Brazil goalkeeper Weverton.
Brazil found itself in control for most the first half, but would seemingly finish every clever build-up with a big cross. South Africa was prepared for this, and just cleared the ball out of the box in any direction.
Weverton was far busier than Brazil would’ve expected, as South Africa was well prepared to counter and the officials sometimes unprepared to whistle fouls.
Felipe Anderson belted a volley of a South Africa defender. Neymar saw a 20-yard flash tipped over the goal. Brazil was knocking, but couldn’t enter.
South Africa found some moments through the midfield after halftime, and Weverton was forced to collect a flying header on the goal line.
Mvala took his second yellow when he hockey hip-checked the rampant Zeca minutes after his first, yellow, and Brazil would set for a half-hour with a man advantage.
A left back for club, Zeca forced Itumeleng Khune into a palm-stinging save before an even better chance for Brazil. Luan flipped a creative pass far post to Gabriel Jesus, but the new Man City man couldn’t get around the ball to slap it into the open net.
Then Neymar curled a hard shot just over the far corner, but Brazil could not chase down the opening goal. It was the 73rd minute, and still scoreless.
Neymar worked a great give-and-go with Gabriel Barbosa, but “Gabigol” was stopped by a splayed leg save from Khune (having an earlier overhead kick chance go just over the bar).
The goalkeeper was stop Neymar after a twice-deflected shot grounded to his hands deep into stoppage.
Colombia, Sweden play to 2-2 draw in Manaus.
By Raphielle Johnson
(Photo/Bruno Zanardo/Getty Images)
Four matches played in the first day of competition in the Olympic men’s soccer tournament, and each managed to end in a draw. The latest to do so was the match between Colombia and Sweden, with the Group B sides playing to a 2-2 draw in Manaus.
Colombia carried the run of play early in the first half, and their pressure yielded the first scoring opportunity of the match. Captain Teo Gutierrez, who scored a goal in Colombia’s 3-0 win over Greece in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, calmly put a shot past the Swedish keeper to put the South Americans on the board in the 17th minute. Sweden would slowly work their way back into the match, pulling even in the 43rd minute in what may have been the best strike of the first day of the competition.
Mikael Ishak’s shot from outside of the 18 yard box whistled past Colombian keeper Cristian Bonilla to tie the match at one goal apiece, with the two teams combining to play some entertaining soccer in the first 45 minutes. It took Colombia and Sweden some time to get back into the flow of things in the second half, with the U-23 European champions being the first to do so. Astrit Adjarevic pounced on a rebound given up by Bonilla and put the resulting shot into the back of the net, giving Sweden a 2-1 lead in the 62nd minute. Sweden would hold off Colombia for the next 13 minutes, until defender Joakim Nilsson was called for handball inside the penalty area.
That gave Dorlan Pabon, who assisted on Colombia’s first goal, the opportunity to tie things up and the Monterrey forward took full advantage. Colombia threatened to grab the lead in the 87th minute, but Andreas Linde’s save of a Harold Preciado shot from point blank range kept the score knotted at two goals apiece. Sweden would have one final shot at all three points three minutes later, but Bonilla was up to the challenge and made sure to not allow for a rebound.
Both teams return to the pitch Sunday, with Colombia taking on Japan and Sweden facing Nigeria.
Colombia carried the run of play early in the first half, and their pressure yielded the first scoring opportunity of the match. Captain Teo Gutierrez, who scored a goal in Colombia’s 3-0 win over Greece in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, calmly put a shot past the Swedish keeper to put the South Americans on the board in the 17th minute. Sweden would slowly work their way back into the match, pulling even in the 43rd minute in what may have been the best strike of the first day of the competition.
Mikael Ishak’s shot from outside of the 18 yard box whistled past Colombian keeper Cristian Bonilla to tie the match at one goal apiece, with the two teams combining to play some entertaining soccer in the first 45 minutes. It took Colombia and Sweden some time to get back into the flow of things in the second half, with the U-23 European champions being the first to do so. Astrit Adjarevic pounced on a rebound given up by Bonilla and put the resulting shot into the back of the net, giving Sweden a 2-1 lead in the 62nd minute. Sweden would hold off Colombia for the next 13 minutes, until defender Joakim Nilsson was called for handball inside the penalty area.
That gave Dorlan Pabon, who assisted on Colombia’s first goal, the opportunity to tie things up and the Monterrey forward took full advantage. Colombia threatened to grab the lead in the 87th minute, but Andreas Linde’s save of a Harold Preciado shot from point blank range kept the score knotted at two goals apiece. Sweden would have one final shot at all three points three minutes later, but Bonilla was up to the challenge and made sure to not allow for a rebound.
Both teams return to the pitch Sunday, with Colombia taking on Japan and Sweden facing Nigeria.
By Nick Bromberg
(Photo/Getty Images)
The first preseason poll of 2016 is out.
The preseason coaches poll was released Thursday and the defending national champions are No. 1. Alabama topped the rankings with Clemson, the team the Tide beat in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, is No. 2.
Here’s the full list of 25 teams. Clemson (7), Florida State (1) and Tennessee – yes, UT – (1), were the only other teams to get first place votes.
1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Oklahoma
4. Florida State
5. Ohio State
6. LSU
7. Stanford
8. Michigan
9. Notre Dame
10. Tennessee
11. Michigan State
12. Ole Miss
13. Houston
14. TCU
15. Iowa
16. Georgia
17. Southern Cal
18. Washington
19. Oklahoma State
20. North Carolina
21. Baylor
22. Oregon
23. Louisville
24. UCLA
25. Florida
Rather than going through the poll and disagreeing with where it has some teams ranked, we’ll use this paragraph to tease our own top 25 which is coming later this month. In the weeks before the season begins we’ll outline who we think the top 25 teams are plus preview each Power Five conference and more.
If last year is your guide, don’t look at the poll as a guide for how the College Football Playoff will stack up at the end of the season. Ohio State was the No. 1 team in the coaches poll entering 2015 and TCU and Baylor were also in the top four. Alabama (at No. 3), was the only team in the top four that made the CFP.
Report: No school has votes necessary for Big 12 expansion yet.
By Zach Barnett
(Photo/Getty Images)
Remember, folks, just because they’ve agreed to expand doesn’t mean they’ve agreed to expand. Allow me to explain.
The Big 12 announced last month plans to pursue expansion, all that really means is that league presidents have authorized commissioner Bob Bowlsby to speak with prospective candidates about joining the conference. However, any new member still has to receive eight votes to join the conference, and a report Wednesday night from Chuck Carlton of the Dallas Morning News says no one is at that point yet.
However, Carlton adds, “In-depth discussions and inevitable horse trading haven’t really begun yet.”
Texas has publicly backed Houston, with Texas Tech and leadership at the Capitol in Austin following suit, which leads one to believe the Coogs have an early lead for one spot. (Unless, that is, Texas is just putting up a front because it knows Houston has no shot at eight votes.) Assuming that’s real, and Carlton’s sources say it is, he writes Oklahoma, whose president David Boren has been the bus driver of this entire process, may get to push for a school. The lead candidates appear to be Cincinnati and BYU but, as Carlton writes, “recent reports about BYU’s honor code in regard to sexual assault victims and its stance on LGBT issues may raise questions with Big 12 presidents, two sources said.”
After that’s, it’s an evolving list with “Who Knows” and “Anybody’s Guess” alternating top positions.
Additionally, Carlton writes that football-only membership doesn’t seem to be on the table — “Nobody wants it,” a source said — and the feeling in the board room is that Texas and Oklahoma are very much biding their time until the Big 12’s Grant of Rights expires in the middle of the next decade and the Red River rivals will be free to evaluate their options.
NCAABKB: North Carolina challenges NCAA jurisdiction.
The Big 12 announced last month plans to pursue expansion, all that really means is that league presidents have authorized commissioner Bob Bowlsby to speak with prospective candidates about joining the conference. However, any new member still has to receive eight votes to join the conference, and a report Wednesday night from Chuck Carlton of the Dallas Morning News says no one is at that point yet.
However, Carlton adds, “In-depth discussions and inevitable horse trading haven’t really begun yet.”
Texas has publicly backed Houston, with Texas Tech and leadership at the Capitol in Austin following suit, which leads one to believe the Coogs have an early lead for one spot. (Unless, that is, Texas is just putting up a front because it knows Houston has no shot at eight votes.) Assuming that’s real, and Carlton’s sources say it is, he writes Oklahoma, whose president David Boren has been the bus driver of this entire process, may get to push for a school. The lead candidates appear to be Cincinnati and BYU but, as Carlton writes, “recent reports about BYU’s honor code in regard to sexual assault victims and its stance on LGBT issues may raise questions with Big 12 presidents, two sources said.”
After that’s, it’s an evolving list with “Who Knows” and “Anybody’s Guess” alternating top positions.
Additionally, Carlton writes that football-only membership doesn’t seem to be on the table — “Nobody wants it,” a source said — and the feeling in the board room is that Texas and Oklahoma are very much biding their time until the Big 12’s Grant of Rights expires in the middle of the next decade and the Red River rivals will be free to evaluate their options.
NCAABKB: North Carolina challenges NCAA jurisdiction.
By Travis Hines
(Photo/nbcsports.com)
North Carolina is challenging the NCAA’s jurisdiction in regards to the school’s six-year-long probe into its academic scandal.
“The Amended Notice of Allegations refer to core academic issues of course structure, content, and administrative oversight that are beyond the scope of authority granted to the NCAA by its members,” UNC’s response said. “Such matters concern fundamental issues of institutional and academic integrity, not athletics compliance, and the University has addressed them with its accreditor. They are not the proper subject of an NCAA enforcement action.”
Essentially, UNC is claiming that its academic misconduct issues fall outside the purview of NCAA enforcement because the problems extended beyond just student-athletes.
North Carolina also asserts that the NCAA knew many of the facts of the case when it sanctioned the school’s football program in 2012. It also raises issue regarding a four-year statute of limitations.
“The NCAA considered and resolved most of that alleged conduct in 2012,” the school said, “and the remainder should have been raised in that proceeding.”
The case centers on courses in the African and Afro-American Studies department which largely proved to be paper classes.
The NCAA has 60 days to respond to North Carolina.
Tennessee State coach Dana Ford signs contract extension.
Associated Press
(Photo/Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
Tennessee State coach Dana Ford has signed a contract extension through the 2020-21 season.
Ford, 32, owns a 25-37 record in two seasons at Tennessee State. After going 5-26 in his first year on the job, Ford led Tennessee State to a 20-11 mark last season.
Tennessee State’s 20 wins matched its highest total since the program reached Division I status in 1977-78. Ford was named the Ohio Valley Conference coach of the year.
Ford was Illinois State’s associate head coach for two seasons before coming to Tennessee State.
Continuation of above article: North Carolina wants NCAA to stay out of academic matters and it's not alone. What's Your Take?
By Jon Solomon
Note: Last week we stated we would publish our position on "The pros and cons of NCAA satellite football camps." We're going to delay our position again and address this issue on college basketball with regards to academics and scholarships. Thank you for bearing with us.
Note: Last week we stated we would publish our position on "The pros and cons of NCAA satellite football camps." We're going to delay our position again and address this issue on college basketball with regards to academics and scholarships. Thank you for bearing with us.
The NCAA's botched handling of North Carolina's academic investigation is validating the viewpoint of UNC and its lawyers.
The NCAA has mishandled this case so thoroughly and for so long that North Carolina can argue with a straight face that the worst academic fraud case in college sports history isn't subject to NCAA jurisdiction. If that's true, why is the NCAA even involved in academics at all?
"As a lawyer, I have great admiration for really creative lawyering," said retired North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr, co-counsel in a lawsuit against the NCAA and North Carolina over the school's fake classes that disproportionately involved athletes. "Rick and his team have made a huge amount of money and done a really good job."
UNC's response this week to the NCAA's second notice of allegations argued that the charges of lack of institutional control and failure to monitor are without merit. UNC said the NCAA knew years ago that the African and Afro-American Studies courses in question had irregular class meeting times, lacked professor oversight and included grading irregularities; and yet, the NCAA chose in the past to do nothing about them.
"Ultimately, the NCAA concluded that it had conducted a sufficient investigation, that no NCAA bylaws had been violated by academic irregularities in the Department, and that the Notice of Allegations did not need to be amended," UNC's lawyers wrote.
This is clever lawyering with some legitimate points about the NCAA process. Keep in mind, North Carolina and NCAA are co-defendants in a lawsuit in which the NCAA argues it has no legal responsibility for the academic fraud at UNC. The case has been waiting for months for a North Carolina federal judge to rule on the defendants' motions to dismiss.
Who knows what negotiations have occurred behind the scenes between UNC and the NCAA? The NCAA made an unusual decision a couple months ago to issue a second notice of allegations (football and men's basketball were removed entirely by name as beneficiaries of the classes). Forget about UNC suggesting self-imposed penalties this week. UNC's response skipped right over that and included the bold step of challenging the dreaded "lack of institutional control" label.
"Rick is pretty smart and he's been doing this for a long time," said David Ridpath, a former Marshall compliance officer who closely follows the NCAA as a sports administration professor at Ohio University. "I think there's a lot of talk behind the scenes. North Carolina likely doesn't go forward with that response unless they're reasonably sure they're going to get most of what they're asking for. He has put forth, sadly, a pretty decent strategy."
The NCAA hasn't talked about this process since the case is pending. What it looks like is the NCAA wants to punish UNC just enough to show it knows this was bad while agreeing with UNC that it doesn't really have oversight of academics at universities.
"They all know the argument that the NCAA has no jurisdiction over academics flies completely against everything that's in their bylaws," Orr said.
If, as North Carolina argues, the NCAA has no jurisdiction over academic irregularities in college courses, it begs the question: Why can the NCAA Clearinghouse withhold initial eligibility for players based on their high school transcript and curriculum? If the NCAA has the authority to require a prep school to send a player's syllabus and class attendance information, is the NCAA going to agree with UNC that it has no authority over widespread irregular classes once the recruit goes to college?
"My main issue is either you're in or you're out with academics," Ridpath said. "This case speaks squarely to extra benefits and academic fraud to keep athletes eligible. This is as bad a case as there has ever been. The NCAA has to make a decision. You can't say we're going to dictate admission policies and satisfactory progress toward a degree but pass on what may or may not be fraudulent activity.
"I'm fine if the NCAA gets out of academics entirely. The NCAA does a really good job running championships. This is where I agree with (ESPN analyst) Jay Bilas' argument: They need to get completely out of academics and let the chips fall where they may. If the institution says we're going to bring everyone in that we can in order win and boost revenue, and if their boosters and accrediting institutions don't have a problem with it, at the end of the day, why should we care?"
"Why should we care?" That's the question the NCAA fears in the UNC case because the answer is frightening to the NCAA. The NCAA's entire enterprise is designed around the notion that providing access to an education is sufficient payment to players for their participation in a multi-billion dollar industry. To be clear: Many college athletes do get a fine education and a scholarship does have value (although not always as much value to certain players as they could make if they were allowed to be paid).
Terrific reporting through the years by the Raleigh News & Observer uncovered fraudulent classes taken by star UNC basketball players, among others. Sure, no one wants college athletes to receive a bogus education. But no one exactly stopped watching Tar Heels hoops games once they found out, did they?
"It's really a brash position UNC is taking (in its response to the NCAA), and it's a great question whether the NCAA should get out (of academics entirely)," Orr said. "Here's the thing: Nobody has any confidence that the schools will do their jobs so that's why they've thrown it on the NCAA for years to police academics. Maybe we've just reached the point where if a university is going to cheat academically, the public needs to look to the university and university leadership and say, 'Does winning mean that much to you?' Instead, they turn to this outside organization with inconsistent standards and limited resources."
Let's not forget what Kenneth Wainstein concluded about UNC in his 2014 report, which, unlike the NCAA investigation, included interviews with the key people who organized these fake classes. Federal indictments made people talk to Wainstein; NCAA investigations didn't do the same. Among the findings by Wainstein, a former top U.S. Justice Department official:
- UNC athletes made up 47.4 percent of the more than 3,100 students who took the fake classes over 18 years. Athletes comprised 4 percent of the university student body.
- Ten of the 15 players on UNC's 2005 national championship men's basketball team were majors in the Department of African and Afro-American Studies. Wayne Walden, the basketball team's academic counselor who came from Kansas with Roy Williams, told investigators he knew of the class irregularities.
- A number of athletes were "steered" to the fake classes by academic counselors in North Carolina's athletic department because they saw the courses as "GPA boosters" to stay eligible under NCAA and UNC rules. Some counselors suggested what specific grades should be awarded to players.
- There was even a PowerPoint presentation in 2009 by two football academic counselors to UNC's football staff warning them of what retirement of Debbie Crowder, the student services manager of the African-American Studies department, would mean for some players. One slide explicitly said the counselors put players in courses in which they didn't go to class, didn't take notes or have to stay awake, didn't have to meet with professors, and didn't have to "pay attention or necessarily engage with the material."
North Carolina continues to acknowledge this scandal was bad -- really bad -- but argues it's for the university to deal with regarding its reputation and accreditation. Essentially, one of the finest institutions of higher education in America is telling the NCAA to stay out of its academic business (or, at least, this type of academic business).
And UNC isn't alone. Because of membership concerns, the NCAA recently rewrote its bylaws regarding academic misconduct that both broadens and narrows the scope to go after schools. It's now possible for the NCAA to make a charge of impermissible academic assistance by a university staff member even if a player's eligibility isn't affected. But the bar to bring an impermissible academic assistance charge became very high.
Universities basically want it both ways. They want to control what's defined as academic fraud on their campuses and they expect the NCAA to make a violation charge if the school's investigation produced an absurd result. The schools don't truly want the NCAA to dig into how some athletes are getting educated. Finding too many academic fraud cases isn't good for business and schools never know when it's their turn to call Rick Evrard for help.
Some conference commissioners have even voiced consideration about eliminating NCAA initial eligibility standards. While very few people seem interested in this idea, Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby laid out a suggestion in January of tying initial scholarships available to a team to graduation rates. The idea would be to incentivize graduation.
Meanwhile, UNC's lawyers are expertly reminding the NCAA infractions committee of the dangers of moving the goal posts for penalties.
"There have been statements made, numerous articles written, and intense and widespread speculation about this case during the past five years," UNC's lawyers wrote to the NCAA this week. "The temptation to use public speculation and other unverified information is a very real part of this case. The University believes that it is vital that only information that is in the record, as defined in the (committee on infraction's) internal operating procedures ... be used to evaluate the conduct, behavior, and institutional responsibility related to this case."
Translation to the NCAA: "Remember the Penn State penalties you rolled back after getting sued? We do."
Ultimately, the NCAA infractions committee will decide UNC's penalties, likely sometime in 2017. The Tar Heels' women's basketball team will likely get slammed since it's the only program identified by name in the notice of allegations.
The NCAA gave UNC breathing room with its second notice of allegations. UNC ran with it to start a victory lap that raises more questions of why the NCAA even tries to race in this academic world.
Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Take: It's very simple, the NCAA was set up as a governing body for collegiate sports for a common purpose of regulating and keeping the competition at an equal advantage of all collegiate members. Now that UNC has been caught with their hands in the till, they want to handle it themselves and have the NCAA get out of their academic requirements. If that's the case, why do you even need the NCAA? Why do they have standards for student-athletes to maintain to be eligible to compete in college sports? What made this country great was our rules and laws and everyone followed them. Our society breaks down when no one follows them and that is slowly what's happening to our country right now. However, that's another story for another day.
Without the NCAA, college will be just another professional basketball league. Will the players have agents? Will the players be paid by alumni members that want to win at all cost? How long will the player be able to play representing his college or university? Now that they're getting paid, they aren't amateur athletes anymore, what happens when they're let go by their school for a younger or better player? Since there's no more college scholarships for education, how do these guys/girls support themselves and what do they have to fall back on when they finish playing? These whole premise of the college experience will be gone and that's sad because college is a wonderful time to mature socially, meet and exchange ideas and philosophies with different cultures and adjust from adolescence to adulthood. Again greed is stepping in and ruining a good thing.
Now, the larger institutions will control everything and the smaller institutions will be left out. That's just as sad because in this age of parity, the smaller schools have started competing with the larger schools in the NCAA basketball tournament and have had some success in upsetting them. In the long run, this policy of dictating to the NCAA that they should get out of the academic side is just wrong. The NCAA should not set up the classes, however, they should be able to monitor and verify that a class is legitimate, it meets on a regular basis, has a class plan that is accredited and holds the students accountable.
If it ain't broken, don't fix it!!!!!!!!!! If it improves a situation, I'm for it, but to lower a standard for no apparent reason except to say that you won...... wrong answer. "Competition does in fact breed excellence" and elevates the program. When we take away the opportunity to better and improve ourselves, all is lost.
Again, we've shared our position with you. Some will agree and some will not but that's the way we see it. Just take a minute and let us know what you think and how you feel about this issue. Please go to the comment section at the bottom of this blog and tell us how you really feel. Believe it or not, we anxiously await your response and even more so, we truly value it.
Marion P. Jelks, Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Editorial Director.
On
emoriesofhistory.com
1921 - The first play-by-play broadcast of a baseball game was done by Harold Arlin. KDKA Radio in Pittsburgh, PA described the action between the Pirates and Philadelphia.
1960 - For the first time two major league baseball clubs traded managers. Detroit traded Jimmy Dykes for Cleveland's Joe Gordon.
1984 - Toronto’s Cliff Johnson set a major league baseball record by hitting the 19th pinch-hit home run in his career.
1999 - Mark McGwire (St. Louis Cardinals) hit his 500th career homerun. He also set a record for the fewest at-bats to hit the 500 homerun mark.
2013 - It was announced that 13 players had accepted 50-game suspensions for violation of MLB drug policies.
2013 - Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig issued a 211-game suspension to Alex Rodriguez (New York Yankees) for possession of banned performance-enhancing drugs. The number of games was reduced to 162 by an arbitrator in January 2014.
1960 - For the first time two major league baseball clubs traded managers. Detroit traded Jimmy Dykes for Cleveland's Joe Gordon.
1984 - Toronto’s Cliff Johnson set a major league baseball record by hitting the 19th pinch-hit home run in his career.
1999 - Mark McGwire (St. Louis Cardinals) hit his 500th career homerun. He also set a record for the fewest at-bats to hit the 500 homerun mark.
2013 - It was announced that 13 players had accepted 50-game suspensions for violation of MLB drug policies.
2013 - Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig issued a 211-game suspension to Alex Rodriguez (New York Yankees) for possession of banned performance-enhancing drugs. The number of games was reduced to 162 by an arbitrator in January 2014.
*****************************************************************
No comments:
Post a Comment