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"Sports Quote of the Day"

"It is no use saying, 'We are doing our best.' You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary." ~ Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister, Officer and Writer

Trending: Ten thoughts on the Bears 23-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. (See the football section for Bears and NFL updates).

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Trending: The 25 games you don't want to miss in 2016-17. (See the basketball section for Bulls and NBA updates).

Trending: Maine-Endwell Little League from New York wins the 70th Little League Baseball World Series. (See the baseball section for Little League news and updates). 

Trending: 2016 U.S. Open: 5 storylines to watch for. (See the last article on this blog U.S. Open and Tennis news updates).

Trending: Cubs and White Sox road to the "World Series".   

                                                     
                                                        Cubs 2016 Record: 82-47

White Sox 2016 Record: 63-66

(See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).

Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Ten thoughts on the Bears 23-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

By Brad Biggs

Cornelius Edison calls out to the offensive line during the first half Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016, at Soldier Field. (Photo/Anthony Souffle/Chicago Tribune)

Ten thoughts after the Bears were defeated 23-7 by the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday at Soldier Field, dropping them to 0-3 in the preseason.

1. You're looking for positives that came out of what was an ugly preseason loss to the Chiefs, the second dud the Bears have offered up in preseason at Soldier Field. I'm here to tell you it's going to be interesting to see what unfolds for rookie fourth-round pick Deiondre' Hall in the next two weeks. Hall had some ups-and-downs and he didn't start, an assignment that instead went to Jacoby Glenn, an undrafted rookie from last year. But Hall has much more upside, and yes, the Bears could be in need of a fill-in come Sept. 11 when they open the season at Houston.

Tracy Porter was evaluated for a concussion and didn't return to the game, leaving us waiting until Monday to get more of an update on his status from coach John Fox. Kyle Fuller didn't play, still on the mend from arthroscopic knee surgery a little more than a week ago. The good news with Fuller is he's doing pretty well and could return to the practice field soon. Bryce Callahan, the nickel cornerback that the Bears like a good deal, remains sidelined with a hamstring injury.

Hall had two pass breakups in the preseason opener against the Broncos and his tremendous length -- he's 6-foot-2 with 34 3/8-inch arms -- was on display. You can't miss it. In casual chats with a couple scouts that were at the game, they both singled out Hall and left guard Cody Whitehair, the second-round pick from Kansas State, as players they liked.

"I think he has a shot as a press corner," one scout said. "He competes. He is not fast but his length makes up for it."

At the end of the third quarter, Hall showed good awareness too. Chiefs quarterback Aaron Murray fired high for wide receiver Demarcus Robinson, the nephew of former Bears deep ball great Marcus Robinson, and the ball went off his hands. Hall picked off the deflection, creating a turnover in the red zone.

Hall didn't look as good earlier as Chiefs rookie speedster Tyreek Hill motored past him. Nick Foles launched a bomb that turned out to be underthrown. Hill was able to adjust to the ball and Hall was not as fortunate as he was trailing. Hall got there and tipped the pass but Hill corralled it for a 58-yard gain, leading to a Chiefs touchdown.

Hall admitted it was a good reminder to make sure he maintains proper depth, especially against wide receivers that have a real advantage in speed. He's talked consistently about needing to play with more patience, and that's what he needs when he's playing off-man coverage. His strength right now, of course, is press where his frame gives him an advantage.

Eventually, Hall is going to discover his length is a real advantage when it comes to off-man. That is what assistant secondary coach Sam Garnes, a defensive back with great length during his playing days, said during training camp.

"I tell him sometimes, and it sounds funny, but sometimes you don't need to cover these guys," Garnes said. "Leave them at the line. His length should be such a strength of his that he should not be working so hard at the line. He can back up. They have to get vertical. Their goal is to get vertical. So if he just backs up sometimes and uses his arms to keep (the receiver) back, the quarterback is going to come off of him and you just have a down off. His arms are so long.

"I used that to my advantage. They said I was a 4.7 (40-yard dash). I knew I was a 4.4. I used to go against guys like Tiki Barber in practice and Warrick Dunn. I used to play them at the line because if you gave them too much space they’d make you look bad. But I could use my length."

Hall needs to cover wide receivers, and improving at off-man is probably the fastest way for him to get on the field in real games.

"I told him one time, 'When we bring you in here, we didn't bring you in here because we want to teach you how to play like a short-armed player,'" Garnes said. "'We bring you here because we like the way you use your arms. Now we've got to teach you how to use it at this level.'  And then we mix it up and do other things just to throw them off … I told him, 'I don't want this guy sleeping at night that's going to play one-on-one against you and know what he's going to do when he gets to the line.' You’ve got to mix it up."

It would not be surprising at this point if the Bears look at adding a veteran. They will certainly be closely monitoring cuts that are due by 3 p.m. Tuesday as teams must reduce their rosters to 75. We'll have to wait and see on the availability of Porter, Fuller and Callahan for the opener.

The only way for young players like Hall to get better is to play more. He should get a lot of action against the Browns on Thursday.

2. The offensive line didn't play great by any stretch of the imagination, but center Cornelius Edison, entering the lineup as Ted Larsen slid over to right guard to replace Kyle Long, certainly didn't look overmatched with his opportunity. The Bears worked hard in the past week to get Edison up to speed and for quarterback Jay Cutler to become comfortable with him.

No one is saying when Long will return from a labrum injury in one of his shoulders. Is he back for the season opener? Who knows. If he isn't, it sure looks like Edison is a Week 1 starter. If Long is back, it looks like the Bears have a young player to develop and bring along.

"It went good," Edison said. "It was good to get out there and see what we have to improve on for the regular season."

Edison said he was nervous before the game -- the first he has played in since his senior year at Portland State in 2014 -- but he's nervous before every game. Now, he's looking forward to getting into the film room and seeing what needs correcting first.

The Bears liked Edison before the draft last year and brought him to Halas Hall for a pre-draft visit. He didn't have any workouts but did get invited to a local prospects day for the Seahawks. He attended Curtis High School in University Place, Wash. It was in that workout that he tore the ACL in his left knee.

"We were doing a cone drill, I was transitioning from a shuffle to backpedal," he said. "On my second or third step, I must have planted wrong."

Pop.

There went Edison's chances of being a mid-round draft pick after he was named the top FCS center in the nation. The Seahawks could not even pick up the tab for Edison's rehab, which he did while living with his parents.

"It was definitely eye-opening," he said. "Thinking I am going to be joining an NFL team the next week and I end up at my parents' house rehabbing the whole summer. It was tough seeing training camps on NFL Network and everything. I envisioned myself always being there after college and things didn’t happen that way."

The Bears stayed in semi-regular contact with Edison and their message was simple: Let us know when you are healthy. When he could pass a physical, he was signed to the practice squad on Nov. 30 and finished the season with the team.

"I am grateful for the opportunity," he said.

Now, we'll see how large that opportunity is when the season begins. If the Bears hold Edison out of Thursday's game at Cleveland, it could be a small sign they think he will be needed to start against the Texans.

3. If there is an unheralded player who has really improved his stock since the spring, it has to be defensive end Cornelius Washington. After sitting out last week with an ankle injury suffered in what was a strong showing against the Broncos, Washington returned for limited action against the Chiefs and again looked good.

He could be right there with rookie third-round pick Jonathan Bullard as backups to starters Akiem Hicks and Mitch Unrein. He's certainly got to be ahead of Will Sutton and the quickly fading Ego Ferguson.

"Kind of up and down for me today," Washington said. "I didn't take too many reps so I wasn't too pleased about it, but it's good to be out there and just see where I'm at and I know where I am. I just know what I am doing."

The Bears moved Washington from outside linebacker to defensive end after the offseason program ended last summer. The move was fallout from the loss of Ray McDonald and it could be the best thing that has happened to Washington's career. A sixth-round pick in 2013, Washington was an athletic freak that had trouble finding a position beyond special teams.

So, he took his first reps at defensive end on the first day of training camp in 2015 and things were progressing nicely before he suffered a quad injury in the season opener. Washington completely tore the quad, sending him to injured reserve after one game.

When he went down against the Broncos and was carted off the field, his reaction was natural.

"I wasn’t necessarily, 'Oh fudge!'" he said. "But it was a little discouraging and I kind of felt like I was having déjà vu. It’s not as bad as we thought it was."

Now, he's working to get back in the rotation and prove he deserves playing time. He played defensive end in a 3-4 scheme as a senior at Georgia, but that was in 2012 and the scheme was very basic.

"I've just learned what I am doing," he said. "I had OTAs and a whole offseason to go through it and figure out the subtle little nuances of playing defensive end. Shoot, after that the light clicked on for me. It's very important. This is a contract year. They want me to have a nice year and they are expecting that from me. I owe it to them. They've given me my chances and despite little things here and there, I have to come out and prove it."

4. One lesson learned in preseason is the Bears need to be prepared to play without tight end Zach Miller, who will wind up not playing in a single exhibition. He came out of a training camp practice on Aug. 1 with a concussion and has not been fully cleared yet. He's been practicing for a while now with a red jersey signaling he's off limits for contact. Even if Miller was cleared, it's probably not a bad idea to keep him on the shelf in preseason considering his injury history. He can be a difficult player for defenses to account for because of his speed, size and length. He'll be a big boost when he returns.

Rob Housler looks like he's maximized his opportunities and probably figures to make the team. Housler was wide open and motored for a 52-yard gain against the Patriots and had another catch for 17 yards against the Chiefs. He's got good experience and had 84 catches in 2012 and 2013 for the Cardinals but he's not ready to pronounce camp and the preseason as smash success.

"You know, I kind of save that for the end of preseason and kind of just look back on everything," Housler said. "I think right now, I still have my head down. Still just chugging along. I've been doing my job. Just trying to do it the best I can and it's been our mantra as tight ends, Zach and Tony (Moeaki), 'everyday just do your job.' As far as looking back, haven't done it yet."

The Bears signed Housler late last season, and he appeared in four games after starting the season with the Browns. That brief experience proved to be a nice springboard to this year.

"It wasn't like I was coming in in April and so it was familiar faces and a great group of human beings here from upstairs to the locker room and everyone in between, been real friendly," he said. "So that definitely helps the learning process when you're not bogged down with trying to get to know everyone, trying to just fit in, it helps alleviate some of the pressures other than learning."

Housler is probably a better receiver than he is a blocker but he’s not deficient in run blocking and looks like he's carved out a spot for himself.

5. The return game remains a major question for the Bears. Deonte Thompson has a left ankle injury and it's probably not as bad as it looked when he was carted off the field last week at New England. He was a good kickoff returner last season. Marc Mariani is steady catching punts and will make good decisions but he's not the Pro Bowl threat he once was in Tennessee. I think the Bears should be on the lookout for help. The Chiefs could wind up cutting a good returner. They drafted Tyreek Hill and he will likely be their kickoff returner. Wide receiver D'Anthony Thomas could be on the roster bubble in Kansas City. He had a 31-yard punt return in the game. Thomas has averaged 28.3 yards on kickoff returns and 10 yards on punt returns in his two-year career. At the minimum, the Bears need to be aware of what players come available. No reason to think they can't use a significant upgrade in the return game.

6. Good showing for Illinois State's Cameron Meredith against the Chiefs. He had four catches for 64 yards, including the 16-yard touchdown on Connor Shaw's pass. They were the first catches of preseason for Meredith, who had a four-catch game at Kansas City last Oct. 11 as a rookie.

Meredith might be a better option for the final roster right now than seventh-round pick Daniel Braverman. He's got the size at 6-foot-3, 207 pounds to be a backup on the outside for Alshon Jeffery and Kevin White, especially with Marquess Wilson likely to begin the season on the physically unable to perform list.

"I was trying to stay mentally prepared, mentally focused the whole game so when I did go out there I was ready," Meredith said.

The roster battle for Meredith isn't just with wide receivers. When you're at the bottom of the depth chart, the battle for a spot on the 53 is with players at other positions too. Injuries can dictate how many players the team needs to keep at each position.

"There is definitely a battle all the time," Meredith said. "Everyone is vying for a job and there are a lot of good receivers in the room. Every play counts."

7. Bad news for quarterback David Fales that he did not get into the game. The Bears reinserted Brian Hoyer after the gruesome and likely season-ending left leg injury for Connor Shaw. Fales should get plenty of time to play on Thursday at Cleveland. The immediate question is whether or not the Bears need to sign another quarterback for this week to face the Browns. Maybe they play Hoyer and Fales. Or perhaps Fales gets the start and they sign a quarterback and give him a crash course on the offense. Dalyn Williams, an undrafted rookie from Dartmouth, has had two brief stints with the team. Fales, of course, could still stick on the practice squad. Matt Blanchard remains on the street, as well, but he is not practice squad-eligible.

8. NFL teams must reduce their rosters to 75 by 3 p.m. Tuesday. Would not be a surprise if the Bears have the bulk of their cuts (if not all of them) done before practice on Monday. The players launched in the first wave of cuts are not always ones the teams are done with. On occasion, teams will cut players in the first wave with the hope of bringing them back to the practice squad. Why cut them early? The thinking is if they cut them early, maybe they will fly under the radar with other teams. No kidding. Cuts will be tricky for the Bears because they have to play the Browns, they have a slew of injuries and they will want to rest their starters. The math will get complicated.

9. The game was the first time the Bears have hosted a noon kickoff in preseason since an exhibition against the Dolphins in 1996. In an utterly unscientific Twitter poll, I asked if fans preferred noon starts or the traditional 7 p.m. kickoff. The NFL Network requested the game be played at noon for national broadcasting purposes. The Bears also looked at it as an opportunity to create a family atmosphere for a game that sometimes fans aren't as inclined to attend.

The results? There were 1,764 votes cast and it was a 50/50 split. How about that?

10. Scouts from seven clubs were represented at the game. Buffalo, Green Bay, Houston (two), Jacksonville, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and San Diego were in attendance. The Eagles, Steelers and Texans have been at all three Bears preseason games. The Bears open at Houston and host the Eagles on Monday night in Week 2. The Montreal Alouettes of the CFL were also in attendance.

10a. The Bears close out preseason on Thursday at Cleveland. It will mark the 13th consecutive year they have faced each other in the fourth and final exhibition.

10b. Given the number of injuries, it will be interesting to see how many players get into the action at Cleveland. Last year, the Bears used 45 of the 75 players on the roster. The year before, they played an entire preseason game with only 35 players.

10c. Good observation by colleague Dan Wiederer via the Twitter Machine. Bears wide receiver Kevin White was targeted eight times in the first three preseason games. He has three catches for 12 yards. Growing pains, indeed, for a player that missed his rookie season.

10d. For those who believe preseason records don't matter, they didn't in 2010. Not for the Bears, anyway. They went 0-4 in preseason and wound up reaching the NFC Championship Game.

Best thing about Bears' preseason loss to Chiefs: 'It wasn’t all bad'.

By John Mullin

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

John Fox’s hopes for this preseason game No. 3 actually were fairly modest: show improvement. The Bears gave their coach pretty much the exact opposite in a dismal 23-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, which wasn’t really even as close as that score.

Tellingly perhaps, Fox was moderately damning with faint praise: “I don’t think it was all bad,” Fox said. “It might have looked like that but so do a lot of preseason games.”

And any presumed correlation between Saturday’s woeful performance and how the season may be a stretch. Five of the last six times the Bears have lost their third preseason game, they finished .500 or better, last year’s 34-6 drubbing at Cincinnati being the lone time the game-three result foreshadowed the course of the season.

But Fox was accurate in how the 2016 game-three loss looked. With quarterback Jay Cutler and the No. 1 one offense – or what was healthy of it – played into the third quarter, by which time the Chiefs were leading 20-0, had out-gained the Bears 331-94 and had allowed the Bears into plus-territory just once in seven possessions and with the Bears picking up zero first downs on five of the seven “drives.”

“It was good and bad, like anything else,” Cutler said.

Concerning perhaps, while not easily quantifiable from a distance, the play by too many players looked lethargic and disinterested, whether it was the cause or the result of repeated breakdowns that killed Chicago drives and extended Kansas City ones. Whether success grows out of confidence or confidence follows from success is a relevant question but one that really doesn’t matter until the Bears have at least one or the other.

“I’ve never had a problem, whether it was all of last year or this year, as far as effort,” Fox said. “Our guys try hard and work hard. Now it’s just crossing that gap to having it happen under pressure. I think with young people sometimes that’s the growing pains. We’ve got the talent to do it. Now we’ve just got to execute better."

Cutler appeared frustrated on more than one occasion, which in the past has been a source of problems. Some of it clearly was with teammates and failed assignments. But this is a young Bears team still in a molten state and frustration, even when justified, can be an accelerant for tension.

This is still only preseason, but the critical trust relationship between Cutler and offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains is still a work in progress. The No. 1 offense has done less than nothing – 29 total points from 12 quarters of work – other than a brief burst early in New England. History suggests that Cutler is among those who need success to believe in his chief architect, and if Cutler’s attitude is fraying even a little bit, the danger is that it spread without something positive.

“We’ve got a great attitude,” Cutler insisted. “We’ve got a good team. Coach Fox put together a heck of a staff. Dowell and his staff are doing everything possible. Vic [Fangio, defensive coordinator] is a proven vet… . It’s just up to the guys.”

The game was one of the poorer examples of complementary football, with no phase of the Bears – offense, defense, special teams – doing anything remotely setting up another in field position, momentum or whatever. That is unsettling, since it is unusual for a game to be marked by none of a team’s units performing well.

The offense went without a first down on its final four possessions going into halftime. That was capped off by an abysmal final three trips to the line of scrimmage that produced a false-start penalty, incomplete pass to a wide-open receiver and a sack.

The defense, which wasn’t getting much recovery time from those brief series, failed to stop any of the Chiefs’ possessions through three quarters without at least one first down. The Chiefs had six drives of 40 yards or longer and had the ball approaching 30 minutes to the Bears’ 15 through three quarters.

Special teams did the defense few favors. Kansas City punt returns of 18 and 15 yards put the ball at the KC 36 and the 50. The Bears did well to leave those possessions giving up only 3 points, but the Chiefs had three different punt returners with at least one runback of 10 yards or longer.

As far as what might be positive in all of that: “It IS preseason,” Fox stated.

Bears cut 10 players, trim roster to 80. 

By CSN Staff  

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

The Bears have until Tuesday to move their roster down to 75, and they began Sunday by cutting 10 players.

The following players were waived: DL Keith Browner, WR Kieran Duncan, WR Derek Keaton, OL John Kling, RB Senorise Perry, WR Darrin Peterson, DB Joel Ross, TE Gannon Sinclair, OL Martin Wallace, FB Darrell Young.

The Bears' roster currently sits at 80 players. After getting the roster down to 75 on Tuesday, the team will then cut down to 53 for the start of the regular season.

The Bears open their regular season on Sept. 4 in Houston against the Texans.

Connor Shaw suffers gruesome leg injury late in Bears' loss. 

By Dan Wiederer

     

Connor Shaw is carted off the field after injuring his left leg in the second half Saturday, August 27, 2016, at Soldier Field against the Chiefs. (Photo/John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

For a Bears offense that had been listless most of Saturday, Connor Shaw offered a much-needed spark. The third-string quarterback led the team's only touchdown drive, finishing it with a 16-yard pass to Cameron Meredith in the fourth quarter.

Shaw had the Bears moving on the next series as well. But his day and, most likely his season, came to an abrupt end when he suffered a gruesome left leg injury with 2 minutes, 30 seconds left in the Bears' 23-7 loss. Shaw had just completed an 18-yard pass to Josh Bellamy to convert fourth-and-7 when Chiefs defensive lineman Rakeem Nunez-Roches landed on Shaw's planted left foot.

The 24-year-old quarterback went down in obvious agony, was carted off the field and later left Soldier Field in an ambulance. The injury, which coach John Fox identified as "very serious" and is presumed to be a broken leg, left many of Shaw's teammates with a pit in their stomachs.

Alshon Jeffery, who played with Shaw at South Carolina for three seasons, wished the quarterback well as he left the field.

"It's a tough break, man," Jeffery said. "He was having a hell of a camp. He was doing a hell of a job out there. … I told him 'Damn, I hate it for you. Just keep the faith. Just trust in the process with God.'"

Added backup quarterback Brian Hoyer: "It's especially (hard) with a guy like Connor, who always does the right thing. He brought some life out there. He's running around making plays and to see something like that, it's heartbreaking really."

First things first: Saturday wasn't a banner day for the Bears' most recent first-round picks. Leonard Floyd dressed but didn't play, held out after missing chunks of practice time last week with a hamstring issue. Kyle Fuller remains out after arthroscopic knee surgery earlier in the month. And Kevin White caught only one of the four passes thrown his way for 3 yards.

White dropped one Jay Cutler pass on a bubble screen early in the third quarter. On the next snap, he was the target on a Cutler incompletion deep down the field. Cutler showed his agitation after the pass, gesturing to indicate White was not on the same page on the route.

"There are going to be growing pains," Cutler said. "That's just kind of how it is. We're working with him and he's doing everything he possibly can to work through it and be where he's supposed to be."

White's stats after three exhibitions: eight targets, three catches, 12 yards.

No satisfaction: The Bears were met with a smattering of boos as they left the field at halftime. And it's no wonder why. Down 13-0 and taking over possession at the Chiefs 47 with 6 seconds left in the second quarter, the offense bumbled to the break. First, Jeffery committed a false start penalty. Then, Cutler short-hopped a pass to uncovered receiver Marc Mariani near the sideline. Finally, in a Hail Mary situation, Cutler was sacked and stripped at his own 42 as time ran out.

"We need to prepare more, obviously," Cutler said. "I'm sure we'll have that (situation) in practice next week again."

The Bears' offensive output in the first half: five possessions, 18 total yards, two first downs, four punts.

How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Who might be the next Artemi Panarin?

By James O'Brien

(Photo/Getty)

Even in an information age where boundless information lies a few clicks away, talented players slip through the cracks.

Jamie Benn won the Art Ross in 2014-15 and came in second place last season, yet 128 players were selected before him in 2007. No-brainer Vezina Trophy-winner Braden Holtby was selected in the fourth round.

We haven’t even covered quality players who weren’t even drafted.

Artemi Panarin stands as an especially mind-blowing example. He went from undrafted free agent to the 2016 Calder Trophy winner after developing – and eventually breaking through – overseas.

As we learned from Vladimir Tarasenko‘s recommendations to the Blues, Panarin was readily available in the summer of 2015, making his 30-goal, 77-point season burn plenty of executives and scouts.

While there are examples of players who fall through the cracks, Panarin feels pretty unusual. Still, NHL Tonight sets out to name a few international players who could make a Panarin-type impact … and, of course, one of those players could suit up for the Chicago Blackhawks:

https://www.nhl.com/video/embed/nhl-tonight-overseas-players/t-278910374/c-44591103?autostart=false#

Interesting stuff.

If you choose not to watch the video, two of the names highlighted were Michal Kempny of the Blackhawks and Nikita Zaitsev of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

As defensemen, both overseas signings aren’t likely to make a Panarin-type splash on the scoreboard, but they remain interesting names to watch.

Not quite a Panarin parallel, but …

Allow for a comparison that breaks the rules quite a bit: Alex Radulov stands as likely the biggest impact import of all.

As the 15th pick of the 2004 NHL Draft and with a very high profile, he won’t slip in under the radar like Panarin did last summer.

Still, this is a player who already has 102 points to his name at the NHL level (in 154 regular season games), and despite the playoff drama with Nashville, he also has 14 career playoff points in 18 NHL postseason games.

Honestly, the Radulov signing might be the best move Montreal made during a turbulent off-season.

If any other import can compare to Radulov or Panarin, that team should be very, very happy.

Chances are, we won’t know who to expect, but feel free to name your own choices.

Kevin Dineen to stay on Blackhawks' staff as Avalanche hire Jared Bednar.

By Charlie Roumeliotis

(Photo/csn.com)

The Blackhawks' coaching staff will be intact for the 2016-17 season.

Two weeks after Patrick Roy abruptly resigned as head coach, the Colorado Avalanche officially picked Jared Bednar to be his replacement over Blackhawks assistant Kevin Dineen, who was among the favorites for the coaching vacancy.

Bednar has no National Hockey League coaching experience, but did guide the Columbus Blue Jackets' American Hockey League affiliate to a 15-2 postseason record last season en route to the franchise's first Calder Cup championship.

Retaining Dineen is good news for the Blackhawks, who start training camp next month, but it goes without saying that Dineen is certainly deserving of a second crack at a head coaching position in the near future.

Dineen, Mike Kitchen and head coach Joel Quenneville will enter their third season together after helping the Blackhawks capture a Stanley Cup in their first year as a group in 2015.

CUBS: Cubs close out road trip with narrow loss to Dodgers.

By Patrick Mooney

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Joe Maddon watched John Lackey board the team bus on Sunday morning wearing a Team USA onesie. The Cubs manager later noticed Aroldis Chapman in pajamas in the clubhouse on his way out to the dugout for his pregame media session at Dodger Stadium.

“We’ve created our own little culture, our own little identity,” Maddon said. “I just love the fact that they buy into those moments. Your stars are buying into it.”

The Cubs are in their own world, followed like rock stars on the road, freed from baseball’s unwritten rules and checked out from the daily anxiety and scoreboard-watching stress during a normal pennant race. 

But this afternoon still had a playoff-type atmosphere, with a crowd of 44,745 watching a scoreless game finally pivot in the eighth inning. Cubs reliever Trevor Cahill hit Andrew Toles with a pitch, jammed Howie Kendrick and threw the soft groundball into right field. An intentional walk to Corey Seager loaded the bases, setting up a matchup between Carl Edwards Jr. and the heart of the Los Angeles lineup.

The rookie unleashed a 97-mph fastball and struck out Justin Turner on a foul tip. Edwards then went right back at Adrian Gonzalez, inducing a chopper toward third baseman Javier Baez, who threw the ball to second base. The Cubs missed escaping the jam by a split second, with Seager’s right foot sliding into second just before Ben Zobrist’s left foot touched the bag.

That would be the difference in a 1-0 loss that again showed the narrow margin between these two big-market, first-place teams. The Cubs needed 10 innings to secure a comeback win on Friday night before Los Angeles won one-run games on Saturday and Sunday at Dodger Stadium.  

The Cubs would still leave Los Angeles with a 14-game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals, their magic number to clinch the division now 20, ending a West Coast trip with a onesies theme almost exactly one year after Jake Arrieta threw a no-hitter at Dodger Stadium, showing this team would be a force in October.

With John Lackey ramping up for return, could Cubs go to six-man rotation?

By Patrick Mooney

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

John Lackey is ramping up for a return to the rotation and all those “Big Boy Games” the Cubs are supposed to play in October.

The Cubs expect Lackey to test his strained right shoulder and throw two bullpen sessions this week, manager Joe Maddon said Sunday at Dodger Stadium. If everything goes smoothly for the two-time World Series champion, the Cubs will tentatively schedule Lackey’s next start for either the Labor Day weekend showdown against the San Francisco Giants at Wrigley Field, or near the beginning of a three-city road trip in early September.  
  
Lackey (9-7, 3.41 ERA) has accounted for 158-plus innings, making 24 starts and stabilizing the rotation before going on the disabled list on Aug. 15. Jason Hammel should eventually cool off and will be “well-rested” after Maddon’s quick hook on Saturday afternoon at Dodger Stadium. The Cubs also like what they’ve seen from Mike Montgomery, believing the lefty can develop into a solid big-league starter.Could the Cubs go to a six-man rotation down the stretch?

“We haven’t planned that specifically yet,” Maddon said. “I’m not opposed, let me put it that way. We’ll see how it all plays out with Mikey the next time through. Again, to do anything we possibly can to conserve our arms for the end of the year is important. 

“It’s being proven throughout the industry right now. Moving forward, the biggest trick there is to get the sixth guy that you like. Most teams are clamoring to get (No.) 4 and 5. We got five that we like. Now we’re working on 6.”

It’s not like the Cubs are fighting for a wild-card spot or clinging to a one-game lead in the division. The best record in baseball allows them to look at the big picture and get creative in September. The counterargument to keeping starters fresh for October would be keeping creatures of habit like Jon Lester and Jake Arrieta in a rhythm. 

“Starting pitchers have always rallied to say that they need to stay on that particular plan,” Maddon said. “But I think it’s kind of been proven – just give them that extra day or two on occasion and it really benefits them. So I just think you’re fighting this old view of specifically how it needs to be done."

Why Kris Bryant wants to be like Jason Heyward and what it means for Cubs.

By Patrick Mooney

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

To get a better idea why Theo Epstein’s front office invested $184 million in Jason Heyward – and how Cubs manager Joe Maddon thinks through the lineup – just listen to Kris Bryant. 

The National League’s leading MVP candidate explained Heyward’s value to the best team in baseball late Friday night at Dodger Stadium after blasting his 34th and 35th home runs during a 10-inning comeback victory.

Bryant, a particularly gracious teammate, credited Heyward for sparking the ninth-inning rally against Los Angeles closer Kenley Jansen, hitting a leadoff double and taking advantage of a misplayed strike three and a wild pitch to score the game-tying run.   

“We all know what he can do at the plate,” Bryant said. “Everybody knows what he can do in the field. He’s a huge asset to this team. If it wasn’t for him getting us started there, we wouldn’t have won the game. Simple as that.

“Heads-up base-running (is) something that you really can’t teach. And he has it. It’s just awesome to see him come out and compete every day.

“It inspires me. It makes me want to be like him, always keeping your head up, always being a great teammate, being so positive. I can’t say enough about him.”

Maybe a road trip that began with Heyward getting a mental break and sitting through three games at Coors Field becomes a turning point in a poor offensive season (.229 average/.629 OPS). In his first game back after that reboot, Heyward homered against the San Diego Padres, hitting his first one in almost a month. 

After sitting against Los Angeles lefty Julio Urias – with Maddon wanting to get Jorge Soler involved – Heyward came off the bench to deliver a pinch-hit RBI single off reliever Pedro Baez in the seventh inning of Saturday afternoon’s 3-2 loss at Dodger Stadium (and then get thrown out trying to steal second base).       

“He’s not hit to his level yet this year, but he plays a significant game on a nightly basis,” Maddon said. “He doesn’t cry about things. He doesn’t make excuses. He shows up and he plays. That’s why I say he’s a winner.

“The hitting’s going to be there. I’m telling you it’s going to be there. And it’s going to be there at the right time this year – and for years to come. 

“He’s just had a tough moment and he’s been digging himself out of a hole all year at the plate. But every place else, he’s among the best in the game right now.”

That’s why the Cubs can sacrifice a measure of offense in the playoffs and still thrive with Heyward’s Gold Glove defense, speed and instincts.   

“Jason does set a great example daily,” Maddon said. “Because a lot of guys going through that moment would not be the teammate that he is and pick up everybody else. 

“A lot of times when guys aren’t hitting, they go, ‘Oh, my self-worth goes down. Should I pop off? Should I say something?’ Guys who have carried their batting average on their sleeve and then react accordingly – that’s not good. Just be who you are. He has a lot to bring on a daily basis, even if he’s not 3-for-4.”   

The Cubs also remember Heyward as a tough out and a dynamic lineup presence for the St. Louis Cardinals during last year’s playoffs. And everyone will forget the numbers from the regular season if Heyward performs in the postseason. 

“Once October starts,” Heyward said, “you got to be on. That’s the way we’re trying to look at it.” 

WHITE SOX: Carlos Rodon, White Sox shut down Mariners in series finale.

By Paul Roumeliotis

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Carlos Rodon continued his best stretch of the season on Sunday afternoon.

The White Sox pitcher earned his fifth consecutive quality start in the team's 4-1 win over the Seattle Mariners at U.S. Cellular Field.

Rodon had another impressive day, finishing the game with six innings pitched while allowing one run on five hits and one walk. He also struck out six.

In his last five starts, Rodon is 3-0 and has only allowed six runs (five earned) tacking on 26 strikeouts. He lowered his season ERA to 3.91.

Though four runs were scored, it was mostly a quiet night for the White Sox offense, which finished the game with five hits. The team had two hits in the first seven innings and the remaining three came in the eighth.

The White Sox opened the scoring in the fourth inning with a single by Justin Morneau, which scored two.

Adam Eaton left the game in the fifth inning with a bruised right forearm. The White Sox outfielder was hit by a pitch in the fourth inning. X-rays were negative and he remains day-to-day. J.B. Shuck replaced him in center field.

The Mariners got on the board in the sixth from a solo homer by Robinson Cano, his 30th of the year, to cut the lead in half.

On his 100th pitch of the day, Rodon was removed in the seventh after allowing back-to-back singles to lead off the inning.

The White Sox bullpen shut down the Mariners the rest of the way in the final three innings. Chris Beck, Dan Jennings and Nate Jones combined for two scoreless innings.

In the eighth, Melky Cabrera legged out an RBI triple for the White Sox to pull ahead, 3-1. An RBI single from Jose Abreu, who was hit by a pitch twice, made it 4-1.

David Robertson closed out the ninth and earned his 33rd save of the season, which ranks third in the American League.

The White Sox are 63-66 on the season and have 33 games left.

All Things End Well: Mid-Atlantic Region Wins Little League Baseball® World Series Championship.

www.llbws.org

When the last out of the 70th Little League Baseball World Series was marked in the scorebook, and Maine-Endwell Little League from New York began to celebrate its 2-1 victory over South Korea's East Seoul Little League it had made its own history.

 A World Championship Game win was the first by a United States Champion since Huntington Beach, Calif., took the title in 2011. As a region, Mid-Atlantic became champ for the first time since 1998, when Toms River (N.J.) East Little League (from the East Region), powered by current Major Leaguer Todd Frazier, captured the banner. 

Ryan Harlost picked up the complete-game victory, scattering five hits, allowing one run, and one walk, while striking out eight Asia-Pacific batters on Sunday at Howard J. Lamade Stadium. Harlot also scored one his team's two fourth-inning runs after reaching safely with a base hit. Conner Rush, the coach's son, drove in the game's first run with a single to short left field.

"It's just the best," Harlot said of being world champions. "This was our goal the whole tournament season."

Moments after the game ended, Maine-Endwell Manager Scott Rush called the experience of winning the World Series, "Priceless." Of his opponent he said, “That is a great team, so we knew it wasn’t going to be easy.” 

The 2016 World Champs became the first New York team to win the World Series since the 1964 Mid-Island Little League from Staten Island; and just the third team from the Empire State to be crowned Little League Baseball champion, also joining the 1954 team from Schenectady.

“I couldn’t have asked for 11 better attitudes than I got from these kids,” said Mr. Rush. 

Asia-Pacific scored one run in the fifth on a solo homer by Yoomin Lee. The loss was the second of the tournament for the Asia-Pacific Region representatives, and the second all-time for South Korea in Little League Baseball World Series play.

Junho Jeong was the game's losing pitcher, despite giving up just three hits, not walking a batter, and fanning nine in four innings.

"Powered by Narrative Science and GameChanger Media. Copyright 2016. All rights reserved."

Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... The 25 games you don't want to miss in 2016-17.

By Fran Blinebury

Kevin Durant's first clash against his former Thunder teammates is Nov. 3 at Golden State. (Photo/nba.com)

With the full NBA schedule released, we have scanned the slate for 25 extra-special games you won't want to miss:

Oct. 25: New York Knicks at Cleveland Cavaliers -- A ring ceremony that was only 52 years in the making. Have they stopped dancing in the streets of Cleveland since last June? Just keep right on going, Ohio. (TNT, 8 p.m. ET)

Oct. 25: San Antonio Spurs at Golden State Warriors -- The new edition of the out-of-this-world 2016 playoff series that we never got to see. Clash of 73-and 67-win teams that would have been the winningest playoff series matchup of all time. (TNT, 10:30 p.m. ET)

Oct. 26: Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Lakers -- You might want to mark off history. It's the first Opening Night without Kobe Bryant since Bill Clinton was President (1995). (ESPN, 10:30 ET p.m.)

Oct. 27: Los Angeles Clippers at Portland Trail Blazers -- Chris Paul and Blake Griffin want to show that things would have been different if they'd played last spring. Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum still have that chip on their shoulders. (TNT, 10:30 p.m. ET)

Oct. 29: New Orleans Pelicans at San Antonio Spurs -- Will the Spurs even know what to do without the screaming and yelling, the brash antics and loud behavior of Tim Duncan? Oh, that's right. He did none of that. Still this is a new frontier with first Tim-less home opener since 1996. (NBA TV, 8 p.m. ET)

Nov. 3: Oklahoma City Thunder at Golden State Warriors -- The Blood Feud begins. The Betrayal Bowl. Russell's Revenge. This could be the start of the tastiest and nastiest rivalry since the Bad Boys were taking cheap shots at Michael Jordan. (TNT, 10:30 p.m. ET)

Nov. 4: New York Knicks at Chicago Bulls -- Has it really been five years since Derrick Rose was MVP and dreaming about having a statue built outside the United Center? Now he's back with his, ahem, super team. (ESPN, 8 p.m. ET)

Nov. 10: Chicago Bulls at Miami Heat -- Mutual respect. Warm memories. So much love. No hard feelings. Yeah, right. Maybe Dwyane Wade and Pat Riley should just mud wrestle at mid-court. (TNT, 8 p.m. ET)

Nov. 14: Orlando Magic at Indiana Pacers -- All Frank Vogel did was coach the Pacers to a 431-250 (.580) record and two trips to the conference finals in six years until boss Larry Bird chose to "not fire him." (NBA League Pass, 7 p.m. ET)

Nov. 15: Cleveland Cavaliers at Toronto Raptors -- Now that they got that first-round curse out of their system, it's time to see if the Olympics showed DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry how to go into Quicken Loans Arena and strike gold against the champs. (NBA TV, 7 p.m. ET)

Nov. 18: Memphis Grizzlies at Dallas Mavericks -- Remember those social media photos from just two years ago when Chandler Parsons and Mark Cuban were partying like BFFs after he signed with the Mavs? Well, Parsons was hurt and missed the playoffs two straight seasons and Cuban said not to let the door hit him on the way out. Now the Grizzlies' new $95 million man is back in Big D. (NBA League Pass, 8:30 p.m. ET)

Dec. 2: Cleveland Cavaliers at Chicago Bulls -- LeBron drops by with the newest bauble on his finger to rub it in and remind his good friend D-Wade that if he was going to leave Miami, it should have been for The Land. (NBA League Pass, 8 p.m. ET)

Dec. 7: Golden State Warriors at L.A. Clippers -- Every season needs some honest-to-goodness bad blood and this is the rivalry where it truly boils over. If only we could get them in a best-of-seven series. (ESPN, 10:30 p.m. ET)

Dec. 13: Minnesota Timberwolves at Chicago Bulls -- Darth Vader in the disguise of Tom Thibodeau returns to the United Center with his new band of young storm troopers to give Chicagoans a glimpse of the real future and a reminder that the force is no longer with them. (ESPN, 8 p.m. ET)

Dec. 16: Los Angeles Lakers at Philadelphia 76ers -- No. 1 Ben Simmons vs. No. 2 Brandon Ingram. We can only hope it's the start of a coast-to-coast rivalry that goes on for years and years. (ESPN, 8 p.m. ET)

Dec. 25: Golden State Warriors at Cleveland Cavaliers -- Here we go. The first of two sparring sessions until Round 3 of the heavyweight championship next June. With Draymond Green in town, sure hope Santa brings LeBron a brand new cup. (ABC, 2:30 p.m. ET)

Dec. 30: Dallas Mavericks at Golden State Warriors -- The NBA's version of Homecoming. Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut get to renew old acquaintances with their buddies who threw them under the bus for Kevin Durant. (NBA League Pass, 10:30 p.m. ET)

Jan. 13: Boston Celtics at Atlanta Hawks -- Al Horford returns to his old stomping grounds, if anybody bothers to show up, to apologize for his father's comments about Hawks fans. (ESPN, 8 p.m. ET)

Jan. 16: Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors -- The defending champs return to the scene for a re-enactment of their greatest triumph. Can Kyrie Irving make the clinching 3 again? Is there still the smell of champagne in the air? (TNT, 8 p.m. ET)

Feb. 2: Atlanta Hawks at Houston Rockets -- The list of teams and recrimination that Dwight Howard has left in his wake is growing longer than his sleeve. The Broken Promises Tour, Part III. (TNT, 8 p.m. ET)

Feb. 3: L.A. Lakers at Boston Celtics -- The NBA and the world are more fun places when the Celtics and Lakers are playing for championships. So we have to check in for nostalgia and to see how far Brad Stevens and Al Horford have lifted the Celts. (ESPN, 8 p.m. ET)

Feb. 11: Golden State Warriors at Oklahoma City Thunder -- Let's face it. This one is so big it could take up the first five spaces on this list. Kevin Who? There will be enough energy in the arena to light up the entire state of Oklahoma, aka, Russell Westbrook's Home. The return date is March 20. (ABC, 8:30 p.m. ET)

Mar. 9: San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma City Thunder -- It's a perfect rematch between identical teams that have met three times in the playoffs in five years. Well, except for Kevin Durant and Tim Duncan, who played his last game on this court. (TNT, 8 p.m. ET)

Apr. 5: Toronto Raptors at Detroit Pistons -- Dwane Casey and Stan Van Gundy will be sharpening the claws of their East contenders as they get close to the playoffs. (NBA League Pass, 7:30 p.m. ET)

Apr. 8: L.A. Clippers at San Antonio Spurs -- The regular playoff foes have a late season showdown in the Alamo City that could determine Western Conference seeding or home-court advantage for a meeting down the line. (ABC, 8:30 p.m. ET)

Golf: I got a club for that..... Reed snaps winless drought with Barclays win.

By Nick Menta

(Photo/The Golf Channel)

He needed every stroke available down the stretch, but Patrick Reed finally snapped his winless drought, winning The Barclays by one over Sean O’Hair and Emiliano Grillo on Sunday. Here’s how things shook out at Bethpage Black, where Zach Johnson secured an automatic Ryder Cup berth when Rickie Fowler collapsed:

Leaderboard: Reed (-9), O’Hair (-8), Grillo (-8), Jason Day (-7), Gary Woodland (-7), Adam Scott (-7)

What it means: This is Reed’s fifth PGA Tour win and his first since the Tournament of Champions in January of last year, nearly 21 months ago. One back to start the day, Reed took a step back with a bogey at the third before three quick birdies at 4, 5 and 7. He took the lead outright when Fowler finally dropped a shot at 11 and went up by two with a birdie at 12. He closed with bogeys 16 and 18 to shoot even-par 70 and win by one. With the victory, Reed moved to No. 1 in the FedEx Cup points list.

Biggest disappointment: Fowler (74) lost out on both a victory and an automatic berth to the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Tied for the lead at 10 under, he made his first bogey in 56 holes at the par-4 11^th and missed putts for birdie at 12, 13 and 14. Then he came unraveled. A bogey at 15 and a double bogey at 16 cost him both the tournament and a spot in the top eight of the U.S. points list (Fowler needed to finish solo third or better to play his way to Hazeltine). After a bounceback birdie at 17 gave him hope, Fowler ended the suspense with a wayward drive at 18 and one last bogey, ceding the final autobid to Johnson.

Round of the day: Sung Kang and Johnson Wagner tied for the round of the week with 7-under 64s. Kang moved from 122^nd in the standings at the start of the week to 88^th, advancing to TPC Boston.

Best of the rest: O’Hair and Bubba Watson turned in rounds of 5-under 66. A testament to the swings of the FedEx Cup point system, O’Hair in one week vaulted from 108^th to 18^th with his tie for second.

Shot of the day: Although he didn’t factor in the finish, Day deserves credit for this incredible birdie make from 71 feet at 15:

Quote of the day: “I’m glad to finally be able to close one off.” - Reed

Ryder Cup 2016: Get to Know the U.S. Team's 8 Automatic Qualifiers.

Golf.com Staff

(Photo/Golf.com)

And finally, we have eight.

The eight automatic qualifying spots for the 2016 U.S. Ryder Cup team were finalized on Sunday at The Barclays, and we now know two-thirds of the team that will represent the red, white and blue at Hazeltine National in Chaska, Minnesota, on Sept. 30 to Oct. 2.

Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson, Jimmy Walker and Brooks Koepka all had spots locked up prior to The Barclays, but Brandt Snedeker, Zach Johnson and Barclays winner Patrick Reed all had to wait until Sunday to see if their spots were secure.

U.S. captain Davis Love III will make three captain's picks on Sept. 12, the day after the BMW Championship, and make his final pick on Sept. 25 at the conclusion of the Tour Championship.

The European Ryder Cup team already had its nine automatic qualifiers set, and captain Darren Clarke will make his three captain's picks this week.

Dustin Johnson

Rank: 1

World Rank: 2

Ryder Cup Record: (4-3-0)

Jordan Spieth

Rank: 2

World Rank: 3

Ryder Cup Record: (2-1-1)

Phil Mickelson

Rank: 3

World Rank: 13

Ryder Cup Record: (16-19-6)

Patrick Reed

Rank: 4

World Rank: 14

Ryder Cup Record: (3-0-1)

Jimmy Walker

Rank: 5

World Rank: 19

Ryder Cup Record: (1-1-3)

Brooks Koepka

Rank: 6

World Rank: 18

Ryder Cup Record: (0-0-0)

Brandt Snedeker

Rank: 7

World Rank: 23

Ryder Cup Record: (1-2-0)

Zach Johnson

Rank: 8

World Rank: 24

Ryder Cup Record: (6-6-2)

NASCAR: Kyle Larson earns first Sprint Cup win after battle with Chase Elliott.

By Daniel McFadin

(Photo/nbcsports.com)

One start shy of his 100th Sprint Cup race, Kyle Larson capitalized on a late caution and a bad Chase Elliott restart to win the Pure Michigan 400 for his first Sprint Cup Series win.

Larson led 41 laps, including the final 10, to give Chip Ganassi Racing its first Sprint Cup win in 99 starts.

The top five was Larson, Elliott, Brad Keselowski, Ryan Blaney and Kevin Harvick. In his excitement, Larson conducted part of his victory burnout with his steering wheel stuck out the window.

“I was tearing up that whole last few laps, I could just feel it, it was finally going to be it,” Larson told NBCSN in victory lane. “I wasn’t going to have a caution.”

The 24-year old driver, emotionally drained, paused before dedicating the win to the family of Bryan Clauson, his friend and fellow driver who was killed in a midget car race earlier this month.

“We really miss Bryan, we love you guys,” Larson said. “We’re going to miss him. We parked it for him. So that’s really cool. We had a lot of work to do for the first third of the race and got it done.”

Larson’s visit to victory lane is Ganassi’s first since Jamie McMurray won at Talladega in Oct. 2013, one race after Larson made his Sprint Cup debut at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

It was able to happen after Elliott, who led 31 laps, spun his tires on the final restart while sitting in the lane outside of Larson.

“We both spun our tires really bad,” Larson admitted. “(Keselowski) he could have probably pulled underneath me and went by, but he stayed with me and got me the lead.”

Nine laps later, Larson was qualified for the Chase for the Sprint Cup, a prospect the third-year driver didn’t think was possible three weeks ago after a last-lap wreck at Watkins Glen International. But Larson thought his race hopes were dashed after a slow final pit stop sent the No. 42 from the lead to fourth.

“I thought we were done,” Larson said. “I’m at a lost for words right now. I feel like I need to sit down, my adrenaline is going crazy right now.”

WHO HAD A GOOD RACE: Jimmie Johnson led 37 laps, but after a slow pit stop midway through the race, finished sixth for consecutive top-10 finishes for the first time since April … Ryan Blaney finished fourth for his second top five of the season … Brad Keselowski’s third-place finish is his fifth top five and second runner-up finish at his home track … Jamie McMurray finished eighth for his eighth top 10 of the season.

WHO HAD A BAD RACE: Chris Buescher experienced an underpowered engine during the first green-flag run. Work on the No. 34 caused the rookie to finish 35th, seven laps down … Alex Bowman, driving in place of Dale Earnhardt Jr., finished 30th, five laps down after falling victim to an ignition issue about 40 laps into the race … Pole-sitter Joey Logano led 24 laps but slowly fell back in the pack to finish 10th … In his final Sprint Cup start at Michigan, Tony Stewart finished  21st, two laps down.

NOTABLE: Kyle Larson is the first driver to earn his first Sprint Cup win at Michigan since Dale Jarrett in 1991 …  First time winner swept all three national NASCAR series races … Chase Elliott has finished twice in both Michigan races this season.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Only one person wins in this sport. It’s like golf. There’s only one winner. And we’re just proud to be here right now.” – Team owner Chip Ganassi after Kyle Larson gave him his first Sprint Cup win in 99 starts.

Next: The Bojangles Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, Sept. 4 at 6 p.m. ET on NBC.

Bubble Watch: Larson's win changes complexion of race for final Chase spots.

By Nick Bromberg

Ryan Newman is now outside of the Chase with two races to go before it begins (Photo/Getty Images)

The fight for the final few Chase spots looks a whole hell of a lot different after Kyle Larson’s victory Sunday at Michigan than it did entering the race.

Larson, who was outside of the Chase via points standings before the race began, became the 13th Sprint Cup winner in 2016. Drivers who win a race in the first 26 races of the season (and are in the top 30 in points) are automatically guaranteed a berth in the 16-driver playoff that starts in three weeks at Chicago.

Since we’re confident you can subtract properly, we don’t need to tell you that the win now means there are just three Chase spots currently available to drivers who haven’t won a race this season.

Sunday’s biggest loser was Ryan Newman. Had Larson finished, say, 10th, Newman would still be provisionally in the Chase. Now, he’s the first driver on the outside looking in and is 15 points behind Jamie McMurray.

This is how the points standings look among drivers without wins:

11. Chase Elliott, 628 points
12. Austin Dillon, 622
13. Jamie McMurray, 616
14. Ryan Newman, 601
16. Kasey Kahne, 564
17. Trevor Bayne, 545
18. Ryan Blaney, 544

While Newman has to look to make up points on McMurray, Dillon and Elliott, he can also get into the Chase another way. Chris Buescher, who won at Pocono, had an early engine issue at Michigan and finished 35th. He’s now 30th in the standings and seven points ahead of David Ragan and 25 points ahead of Regan Smith.

If Buescher falls out of the top 30 in the standings over the next two races, another spot would open up in the Chase for a driver to make it on points. Assuming, of course, that another winless driver doesn’t win at Darlington or Richmond. If someone like Kahne, Blaney or even Ricky Stenhouse Jr. or another driver behind McMurray in the standings wins next week, the cut line on points moves up ahead of 13th and narrows the Chase avenues even further.

SOCCER: Defensive mistakes, red card cost Fire in ugly loss at D.C.

By Dan Santaromita

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

RFK Stadium hosted one of the stranger games of the Chicago Fire’s season on Saturday.

It also may end up being a killer blow to the Fire’s playoff hopes.

The Fire lost 6-2 to the host D.C. United, falling nine points out of the playoffs with nine matches remaining.

Patrick Mullins had a hat trick and former Fire midfielder Patrick Nyarko played a role in three of D.C.’s goals. The six goals were the most the Fire have allowed this season.

Fire midfielder Khaly Thiam received a red card in the 34th minute in a match-changing moment. Thiam fouled Nyarko then argued with the ref and dropped the ball on Nyarko’s face while Nyarko was still on the ground.

Nyarko keyed the opening goal in the 25th minute with a backheel in the box to Marcelo, whose low cross was finished off by Mullins.

Michael de Leeuw answered for the Fire (5-12-8, 23 points) by tucking away a big rebound from goalkeeper Bill Hamid after Matt Polster hit a half-volley at Hamid. The relief was short-lived for the Fire because Thiam was sent off a few minutes later.

Nyarko set up Mullins for a goal in the 40th minute and then Luciano Acosta did the same for Mullins in first half added time to make it 3-1 D.C. (7-8-11, 32 points). Razvan Cocis got the Fire back within one on the final kick of the half with a long shot that took a big deflection, lofting the ball perfectly over Hamid and into the net.

However, Nyarko quickly restored D.C.’s two-goal lead out of halftime with a goal in the 51st minute. Mullins finished off his hat trick in the 76th minute and Nick DeLeon finished the scoring in the 89th.

David Accam, who was favoring and icing his left leg after Wednesday’s draw with LA, did not start the match. He subbed on at halftime. He and David Arshakyan, who made his Fire debut off the bench, will both leave for international duty and miss next weekend’s match against Philadelphia.

Who made Jurgen Klinsmann’s roster for U.S. World Cup qualifiers? The list is out.

By Steven Goff

Jurgen Klinsmann selected 26 players for matches against St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Friday and Trinidad and Tobago on Sept. 6. (Mark Ralston/AFP-Getty Images)

In constructing his U.S. national team roster for the approaching World Cup qualifiers, Jurgen Klinsmann retained most of the group that propelled the squad to the Copa America Centenario semifinals this summer.

He also had to make adjustments because of injuries to two regulars – Clint Dempsey and Gyasi Zardes – and invited three young players to gain training camp experience.

The Americans will close the CONCACAF semifinal round at St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Friday and against Trinidad and Tobago on Sept. 6 in Jacksonville, Fla.

“We definitely think the group that got fourth in the Copa America deserves a certain priority going on to the next World Cup qualifiers,” Klinsmann said, “because they did tremendously well.”

With a 2-1-1 record in the qualifiers, the Americans are three points behind T&T (3-0-1) and one ahead of Guatemala (2-2-0). St. Vincent (0-4-0) has been eliminated from contention. Two teams will advance to the six-nation final round this fall.

The only scenario for the Americans to secure passage Friday is if both they and Trinidad win. T&T will host Guatemala. Otherwise, the Sept. 6 games will decide the group order and seeds for final-round scheduling purposes.

Dempsey, who is five goals behind Landon Donovan for the U.S. career record, is sidelined indefinitely with an irregular heartbeat. Zardes is scheduled to undergo an MRI exam after suffering an undisclosed injury in the Los Angeles Galaxy’s 0-0 draw with the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday.

The other Copa omissions were midfielder Perry Kitchen and injured defender Edgar Castillo. In all, Klinsmann selected 26 players. Midfielder Michael Bradley and defender Michael Orozco are ineligible for Friday’s match because of a yellow card and red card suspension, respectively.

Midfielders Paul Arriola (Tijuana) and Caleb Stanko (Swiss club Vaduz on loan from Freiburg) and forward Rubio Rubin (Utrecht) were named to the squad for long-term integration purposes and are very unlikely to play. Their average age is 22.

“They are players that are knocking at the door and are doing well in their club environment,” Klinsmann said.

FC Dallas’s Kellyn Acosta, 21, was also chosen, but because he plays a position without a lot of depth (left back), he might see time.

New York Red Bulls midfielder Sacha Kljestan, the MLS assists leader, was passed over but not at the expense of young call-ups. Kljestan, who turns 31 next month, is in the category of experienced players, but with most of the Copa squad kept intact, Klinsmann didn’t find a spot for him.

World Cup center back Omar Gonzalez returns after being left off the Copa roster.

Bayern Munich attacker Julian Green, who enjoyed a preseason resurgence with the Bundesliga champions, was left out.

World Cup midfielder Jermaine Jones did receive a spot, despite being sidelined since July 4 with a knee injury. Klinsmann wants to evaluate him first hand. “We will take it one day at a time with him,” Klinsmann said.

The corps of forwards includes Jozy Altidore, who missed Copa America with a hamstring injury but has scored five goals in his past seven Toronto FC appearances; Bobby Wood, who scored in his Bundesliga debut for Hamburg on Saturday; and Jordan Morris, 21, Dempsey’s Seattle Sounders teammate with eight goals in his MLS rookie campaign.

Training camp will begin Monday morning in Jacksonville. The delegation will travel to St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Wednesday, but the trip is complicated.

Typically, the Americans charter to the site of World Cup qualifiers. But because the runway in Kingstown cannot accommodate its large jet, the team will fly a charter to Barbados and then board several 19-passenger planes. One is needed exclusively for team gear, though much of the belongings and equipment will remain behind in Jacksonville awaiting the team’s return for the second match.

U.S. roster

Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Middlesbrough), Ethan Horvath (Molde, Norway), Tim Howard (Colorado Rapids).

Defenders: Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Omar Gonzalez (Pachuca), Fabian Johnson (Moenchengladbach), Michael Orozco (Tijuana), DeAndre Yedlin (Newcastle).

Midfielders: Paul Arriola (Tijuana), Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Alejandro Bedoya (Philadelphia Union), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Jermaine Jnes (Colorado Rapids), Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers), Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund), Caleb Stanko (Vaduz, Switzerland), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City).

Forwards: Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders), Rubio Rubin (Utrecht), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes), Bobby Wood (Hamburg).

Premier League Saturday Roundup: Chelsea, Arsenal cruise, United snatches three points.

By Matt Reed

                                                  (Photo/Michael Regan/Getty Images)

New managers have quickly brought the attention back to the Premier League’s traditional powerhouses, but one newcomer continues to impress in its return to top-flight football.

Hull City couldn’t pull out a draw against unbeaten PL favorites Manchester United, but the Tigers still looked impressive at times. Meanwhile, Chelsea, Leicester and Arsenal all won on the day, with the Blues keeping their winning ways up as well.

Hull City 0-0 Manchester United – RECAP

The points were surely going to be split between two of the better sides during the opening month of the season, but Marcus Rashford stole all three out from under Hull City. Despite a clever defensive effort from the Tigers, United remained unbeaten through three games after the second-half substitute smashed home Wayne Rooney‘s cross in the 92nd minute of play.

Chelsea 3-0 Burnley – RECAP

It was easily Chelsea’s best performance of the young season, and Eden Hazard looks to be back to his old ways after kicking off the day with a goal. The Clarets were held throughout the match at Stamford Bridge, limited to zero shots on target.

Tottenham 1-1 Liverpool — RECAP

Philippe Coutinho continues to present challenges for opposing defenses but luckily for Spurs the Brazilian was off with his finishing on the day. A James Milner penalty kick gave Liverpool the lead at White Hart Lane before Danny Rose leveled things up for the home side. Spurs remain unbeaten in their start to the new campaign but like many other PL sides, Mauricio Pochettino‘s men are still fine-tuning in the early portion of the season.

Watford 1-3 Arsenal – RECAP

A brutal schedule to open the season forced the Gunners to wait three weeks to find their opening win, but Saturday’s performance was a reminder of just how dangerous Arsene Wenger‘s group can be when firing on all cylinders. Alexis Sanchez looked like a menace from the opening kickoff, working his way into dangerous areas on the field and troubling the Watford backline.

Leicester 2-1 Swansea City – RECAP

The Foxes don’t look dominating like they were a season ago, but the most important thing about Saturday’s performance was that they won. Jamie Vardy got back on track with a much needed finish off of a routine long ball, before captain Wes Morgan powered home a close-range strike.

Crystal Palace 1-1 Bournemouth – RECAP

It looked as though Josh King‘s first-half finish would be enough for Bournemouth to earn its first win of the season, but Scott Dann‘s late effort ensured that Palace would take a share of the points at home. Neither side looked dominant after the opener from the visitors, but it was a valiant effort from Alan Pardew‘s side to pick up a draw.

Southampton 1-1 Sunderland – RECAP

Chances were limited until the latter stages of the match but some clever play from Jermain Defoe to earn a penalty kick handed the Black Cats the lead with 10 minutes to play before the home side equalized in the dying minutes. Jay Rodriguez was the savior for Southampton, after scoring with five minutes to play for the Saints.

Everton 1-0 Stoke City – RECAP

The Toffees have quietly gone about their business this season but Ronald Koeman‘s side have taken seven out of nine points in their first three matches. Leighton Baines‘ penalty kick secured the team’s second win of the new PL season on Saturday, and Everton will be certainly pleased with the start.

Manchester City 3-1 West Ham: Sterling shines with double.

Matt Reed

(Photo/Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

West Ham gave Manchester City a bit of a scare early in the second half, but Raheem Sterling‘s second goal of the afternoon provided the home side with all three points at the Etihad Stadium.

The Citizens held on for a 3-1 win on Sunday after Sterling found the back of the net twice, with the second coming in the dying minutes from a close-range tap in.

In the 18th minute, Kevin De Bruyne hit a superb free kick directly into the path of Fernandinho, who smashed home a header to give the hosts a 2-0 advantage.

Without a host of players for the visitors, City took it to their opposition early on when David Silva started a strong attack down the center of the West Ham defense. The Spaniard played the ball out wide to Nolito before finding an open Raheem Sterling, who calmly slotted his effort into the corner for the lead after seven minutes. Michael Antonio provided West Ham with a lifeline following halftime, however, it wasn’t enough for the visitors to complete the comeback. Antonio headed home at the far post just prior to the hour mark after Arthur Masuaku beat his man and found the attacker.

La Liga roundup: Barcelona squeaks out win, Villarreal and Sevilla ends scoreless.

By Kyle Bonn

(Photo/nbcsports.com)

Barcelona rode a first-half header by Ivan Rakitic the whole way to their second win in two league matches with a 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao.

Arda Turan delivered the all-important assist, lofting the ball in from the left as Rakitic came streaking in to trail the play and climb high to meet the ball. Marc-Andre ter Stegen stood tall in goal for the visitors to San Mames, making four saves including one off his face to keep a powerful shot by Benat out of net following an embarrassing mistake from the German that opened up the chance.

Sevilla failed to keep pace with Barcelona and the rest of the teams at the top, slumping to a 0-0 draw at Villarreal. The Rojiblancos couldn’t even muster a shot on target, weathering five from the hosts among 12 overall attempts on net. Both sides wasted chances with sloppy crosses and missed shots, with Villarreal coming closest on a goal called back for offsides just before halftime. A Mateo Musacchio header found substitute Rafael Borre at the back post but the young Colombian was just past his defender.

Nabil El Zhar scored a double and Kevin-Prince Boateng found the scoresheet as well as Las Palmas hammered Granada 5-1 at Estadio Gran Canaria. The newly promoted side has now won two games in two after their return to the Spanish top flight.

Deportivo Alaves and Sporting Gijon played to a 0-0 draw at Estadio Mendizorrotza in a match that featured just three combined shots on target.

NCAAFB: Unlike most schools, Illinois banks on Smith's NFL approach.

By David Mercer

(Photo/Associated Press/yahoosports.com)

Since he was hired at Illinois in March, football coach Lovie Smith's calendar has been full.

He's been busy coaching, recruiting and, every chance he gets, preaching the power of possibility to a team and fan base hungry for wins after years of mediocrity on the field and turmoil off of it.

Smith insists that, so far, it has not been much different than what he grew accustomed to as coach of the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

But a coach's path to college from the NFL isn't always straightforward. Some who have made that move say coaching college teams is like being a general manager, with a hand in every aspect of the program. Coaching pro football, they say, is almost purely football.

''So it's almost like a college coach taking a sabbatical and just dealing with football rather than fundraising and recruiting and discipline,'' says Rich Brooks, who went from the top job at Oregon to coaching the St. Louis Rams in 1995 before eventually taking over at Kentucky.

While big-name coaches such as Nick Saban and Pete Carroll who have moved from the NFL to university campuses have set the standard for winning in college, pro experience is relatively rare. And while coaches with experience as NFL coaches tend to win in college, many of those who have only been pro assistants do not.

Smith is one of six head coaches at the 128 Football Bowl Subdivision schools who have been in charge of NFL teams, along with Alabama's Saban, Jim Mora at UCLA, Bobby Petrino at Louisville, and Smith's fellow Big Ten coaches Jim Harbaugh at Michigan and Mike Riley at Nebraska. Their combined college record is 466-226-1, a 67 percent winning percentage.

Another 18 FBS coaches have been NFL assistants. They have won 54 percent of their college games. But take away Kirk Ferentz at Iowa, David Shaw at Stanford and LSU's Les Miles, and that drops to 46 percent.

Smith took over after Illinois fired two coaches in less than a year. Tim Beckman, who was fired a week before the 2015 season started after an investigation concluded he interfered in player medical decisions, and his replacement, Bill Cubit, was let go when Smith came to the Illini.

Hiring Smith, who took the Bears to a Super Bowl in 2007, was a bid to score big after four straight losing seasons and the embarrassing collapse of the Beckman era.

Smith insists that, recruiting aside, what he is doing so far is not significantly different than what he did during his 11 seasons as an NFL coach. That includes an emphasis on creating turnovers that Bears fans would recognize. It also means Smith, just as in his pro days, never yells or screams.

''Not even once,'' quarterback Wes Lunt said. ''But when he does raise his voice just a little bit over just talking, it's powerful.''

On the practice field, Smith appears comfortable delegating most of the communicating to his coordinators and position coaches. He stands back, watching, sometimes at a distance, and only occasionally coming in close to address something he's seen.

''I've run a lot of NFL practices, and this is no different from that,'' Smith said. ''So I think that's kind of appealing to them, too.''

Part of that appeal is who Smith draws to campus: more NFL scouts and former players such as longtime Bears cornerback Charles Tillman.

But Smith has also filled his agenda with tasks it is difficult to picture some NFL coaches (think Bill Belichick) handling.

He welcomed the incoming freshman class, 6,000 students, on a warm August night at Memorial Stadium, and has posed smiling with countless fans at events on campus and elsewhere.

This is where a program like Illinois, long losing more games than it wins, might need more than an NFL coach is required to provide.

Brooks emphasizes that NFL players are in every way pros: they're paid; if they break rules they're fined or cut; and they generally aren't looking for fatherly direction.

College coaches, Nebraska's Riley says, have to want to play that last role, one Smith says is important to him.

''I'm thankful for that. The older I get, the more humbling it is,'' said Riley, who led the San Diego Chargers for three seasons between stops as head coach at Oregon State. ''You realize this is a big deal and you better do it right.''

Gil Brandt has closely watched both the NFL and college football for a long time. He spent almost 30 years as Dallas Cowboys vice president of player personnel and is now a draft consultant for the league. He calls the transition from the NFL back to college tough.

But as he thinks about Smith's odds, Brandt recalls spotting Smith and his wife, MaryAnne, at a Texas-Oklahoma game a few years ago. They weren't sitting in a box, schmoozing. They were in the stands, watching.

If fans show some patience, Brandt said, he thinks Smith could succeed.

''I think he loves college football.''

Five reasons to be optimistic about Northwestern football.

By Ian McCafferty

(Photo/Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports)

The offseason is always the best time to get excited for football.

Here are five reasons to be optimistic about the 2016 campaign.

1. Anthony Walker, Tyler Lancaster

There are a lot of worries about the amount of turnover that Northwestern’s top five defense will face in 2016 and for the most part it’s justified. The team loses five seniors and that will be difficult to overcome if their replacements don’t produce. However, let’s focus on what Northwestern brings back. Honestly, not much, just AN ALL-AMERICAN LINEBACKER and a 300-pound beast of a man who can run down wide receivers.

Walker is one of the best linebackers in the Big Ten (it’s either him or Raekwon McMillan) and a legitimate first round draft pick if he plays well this year. He can do it all: stop running backs at the line, run down quarterbacks, lead the defense, the list goes on. He’s The Franchise for a reason. But enough about Walker; let’s talk about Tyler Lancaster.

Lancaster is an absolute beast. He can bench 225 pounds 32 times and still probably runs a sub 5.0 40-yard dash. You might not hear a lot about Lancaster in season, and that’s the way he likes it. He started all 13 games last year, recorded 33 tackles and 5.5 TFLs, and was overshadowed by guys like Walker and Dean Lowry. Lancaster will be one of the best lineman in the nation this season; lock it down.

And that’s not even to mention Matt Harris and Godwin Igwebuike in the secondary. We just had to give some love specifically to the All-American and the big man up front.

2. The team hit the weight room hard

In all three of Northwestern’s losses last season, it got absolutely dominated at the line of scrimmage. The Wildcats lost those games because they weren’t physical enough. Well, the team took that to heart this offseason and have been absolutely dominating the weight room. According to Pat Fitzgerald, about 400 personal records have been set this offseason. The Big Ten Media Day attendees were even setting PRs in the hotel workout room the night before Media Days opened. That’s how committed they were. This is going to be one of the strongest teams in Northwestern history, and the quality of play will benefit from it.

3. Clayton Thorson will be better

This truly is the point on which the entire season will hinge, but Clayton Thorson will absolutely be better in 2016. As successful as last season was, it wasn’t a great environment to develop a quarterback in. Due to the amount of close games and the pressure of having big bowl aspirations, any mistake Thorson made was magnified 100 times. He had a great defense and a great running back, so his entire job just turned into not making a mistake. That’s a lot of pressure to put on a freshman quarterback.

However, Thorson has now had a full offseason of being the starting quarterback, and there are plethora of ways in which he will improve. He’ll be more accurate, more confident, and smarter in the pocket. We don’t know how much Thorson will actually improve, and expecting too much of him would be ill advised, but we do know that Northwestern will have a better quarterback in 2016 than they did in 2015. 

4. Pat Fitzgerald is the head coach

Here are some fun facts about Northwestern under Pat Fitzgerald. Since he took over as head coach in 2006, Northwestern is 70-56 (.556) and has appeared in six bowl games, winning one. In the previous 130 years of Northwestern football, the team is 433-586-44 (.425) and appeared in six bowl games, winning one. Think about that for a second. Many people seem to take Fitzgerald for granted, especially after the lull of 2013-2014, but he’s actually a really good coach and is still the coach of Northwestern in 2016. He gets the most out of his players and wins close games at an absurd rate. There’s a reason to be excited right there.

5. They Won 10 Games Last Year!

Finally, here’s the kicker: no matter what happened in the Outback Bowl, and no matter what the national media might say, the Wildcats won 10 games last season. For only the fourth time ever! The analytics say they shouldn’t have, but they did, and we like wins, no matter how they come about! They’re taking that momentum with them into 2016. Sure 2013 wasn’t the follow up everyone hoped for after 2012, but this isn’t 2013. It’s a new season with new players and no unionization efforts. This will be a good team, maybe even one of the better ones in Northwestern history. It just has to hope that the win column reflects that. It’s still the offseason for another week, so before we all start tearing our hair out analyzing this team, let’s just sit back and enjoy the fact that Northwestern won 10 games last season.

And one HAT.

NCAABKB: North Carolina shouldn't give up on series vs. Kentucky due to ACC adding games.

By Matt Norlander

The days of the Kentucky-UNC series are nearing an end, it seems. (Photo/USATSI)

Kentucky and North Carolina represent the pinnacle of college basketball and the rivalry between the Wildcats and the Tar Heels is so well-worn, there is an extensive Wikipedia page dedicated to its history.

It is undeniably beneficial to college basketball to have these two juggernauts clash on annual basis. UNC and UK played each other every season for the first 15 years of this century and have gone head-to-head a total of 37 times dating back to the 1920s.

They'll meet up again on Dec. 17 at the CBS Sports Classic in Las Vegas. It's a neutral-site game, which isn't as good as an on-campus one, but at least the series is continuing.

But not for long, unfortunately. When it comes to optimal non-conference scheduling, college basketball can't help but punch itself in the neck all the time.

Why does this have to be? Blame the ACC and the powers-that-be building up the ESPN-owned ACC Network. In an effort to maximize content, television advertising revenue and inventory, the ACC has made the business decision to go to 20 conference games beginning in 2019-2020, when the ACC Network is slated to roll out. Going to 20 intra-league tilts means two more than the current construction, meaning it's two less non-conference games UNC has to worry about.

Roy Williams went on an ESPN podcast earlier this week and said because of this, the UK-UNC series is almost certainly going to end come 2019-2020.

"My feeling right now, and it could change by '19, heck I could be fired by '19," Williams said, "but my feeling right now is to play our conference schedule, play one exempt event where you have really good teams, and other than that play home games to help out your revenue and help out your budget. My business manager, she drives me crazy because we play 15 or 16 home games, and she sees some other teams playing 20 or 21 or 22. That's what she wants. She wants more revenue coming in. So right now that's my thinking. ... We have the ACC/Big Ten (Challenge) and that is not going to go away. So it's 21 already scheduled and play one exempt event."

Williams is right that he might not be coaching at UNC come 2019-2020. It would not surprise me at all if that happened to be the case. But playing 20 conference games is not his decision anyway. He said the league made the decision without even consulting the coaches in the league.

And when asked specifically if this 20-game authorization would put an end to UNC's series with Kentucky, Williams said, "Oh yeah. ... Why would I need to do that?"

There's no "need," so to speak, but let's break this down really quickly. North Carolina already plays games annually against Duke and NC State. Because of its stature, it will also be guaranteed at least a home game -- and a road game -- against two of the league's best on a yearly basis, whether those teams are Louisville, Syracuse, Virginia, Notre Dame, you name it.

So UNC will get another home game and another road game. Those games could come against average-or-below teams in a given season. If a home-and-home was to be scheduled between UK and UNC going forward, both programs -- and college basketball on the whole -- would still benefit. Is it necessary for Carolina's profile to continue the series? No, it's not.

But having a 20-game schedule shouldn't automatically take games like that off the table. If it's about revenue, UNC will still get it if it wants to hold a home-and-home in perpetuity with UK. That shouldn't be hard to pull off, and in most years that game would be a top-10 non-conference game in the sport, easily.

Williams has made a habit of scheduling relatively difficult slates, being unafraid to go on the road. It's one of his best traits as a coach. He's never run from that stuff. The ACC going to 20 games gives all those coaches an easy out on scheduling tougher opponents. Carolina's on a different level, though. It can still schedule four or five lesser opponents and home and still make room for UK.

UNC, by the by, leads the series 23-14. Why give up when you're ahead?

The Champions Classic renewed through 2019.

By Rob Dauster

(Photo/Ed Zurga/Getty Images)

The Champions Classic is back, baby!!!

On Wednesday, the four schools that participate in the event — Kentucky, Duke, Kansas and Michigan State — announced that they have signed deals to extend the life of the doubleheader for another three years.

This is terrific news. The Champions Classic is always the best early-season event of the season, an annual double-header that always ends up putting together two of the best non-conference games in packed NBA arenas. This year, it features Duke, the consensus preseason No. 1 team in the country, squaring off with Kansas, who is a consensus top three team with the No. 1 freshman in the class, Josh Jackson, on their roster, in one game.

The other game? Kentucky, the third consensus top three team nationally, going up against Tom Izzo and Michigan State, who will be, at worst, a top 15 team in the preseason polls.

So yeah, we’re going to get a pair of sensational basketball games in Madison Square Garden on Nov. 15th. MSG also just so happens to be the best arena to watch a great neutral site basketball game.

It’s going to be awesome.

There’s only one possible way to make it better: turn it into a two-day event, with the winners squaring off for the Champions Classic title the following night.

Make it happen.

Anyway, here’s the schedule:

Nov. 14, 2017 (United Center, Chicago)

Kansas vs. Kentucky
Duke vs. Michigan State

Nov. 13, 2018 (Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis)

Michigan State vs. Kansas
Duke vs. Kentucky

Nov. 12, 2019 (Madison Square Garden, New York)

Kansas vs. Duke
Michigan State vs. Kentucky

2016 U.S. Open: 5 storylines to watch for

By Jackie Bamberger

The new retractable roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium will prevent a finals rain delay. (Photo/Getty)

The end of summer brings about the final Grand Slam of the year, the U.S. Open. Starting Monday, all eyes will be fixated on Queens, N.Y., as tennis’ best take to Flushing Meadows.

As recent results this summer showed us, no one, not even Novak Djokovic, is untouchable, setting up for an exciting fortnight of tennis, even if Roger Federer won’t be there.

Here’s what to watch for in New York:

Djokovic’s summer slump

Two months ago, Djokovic looked more tennis-playing machine than human.

Now, after a shocking third-round exit at Wimbledon and a disappointing Olympics, the world No. 1 might not even be the favorite to win in Flushing Meadows. Though he did prevail at last month’s Rogers Cup in Montreal, there’s no doubt Djokovic’s star has fallen this summer. The defending U.S. Open champion needs a strong showing to regain his hold over the rest of the field.

Red-hot Murray

No one has benefitted more from Djokovic’s stumble than Andy Murray. The Scotsman stormed to his second Wimbledon title and followed it up by defending his Olympic singles gold in Rio. With Djokovic looking more and more human and Federer missing his first U.S. Open since 1999, don’t be surprised if Murray ends his summer on a high note.

This time, it’s personal

Like Djokovic, Serena Williams is aiming for a rebound. After a world-class performance at Wimbledon, Williams struggled in Rio. Chalk it up to illness, fatigue or injury, but the four-time gold medalist looked uninspired in Brazil, crashing out in the third round in singles and in the opening doubles round.

Now, she returns to New York, the same place where she was deprived of the calendar Grand Slam a year ago. Not only will Williams want to erase that loss, a win would move her past Steffi Graf for most Grand Slam singles titles with 23.

And if that pressure wasn’t enough, Williams also must have a top performance to stay atop the WTA rankings. Should she slip up, 2016 Australian Open champion and Wimbledon runner-up Angelique Kerber could move past Williams to become the new world No. 1.

Olympic momentum

Juan Martin del Potro has been the feel-good story of summer, as the Argentinian took silver in Rio and finally looks to be in top form following three wrist surgeries and a prolonged tour absence. The former world No. 4 has a 2009 U.S. Open championship to his name, but enters this year’s tournament unseeded. Look for him to make some noise in Queens.

On the women’s side, Monica Puig is also hoping to ride the momentum from a stellar Olympic showing. Puig, with a world ranking of No. 35, shocked 2016 French Open champion Garbine Muguruza, Petra Kvitova and Kerber to win Puerto Rico’s first-ever gold medal. The celebrations are over, though, and it’s up to Puig to prove her performance in Rio was no fluke.

One last sister showdown?

The two Williams sisters are in the same half of the singles draw, with the elder Venus Williams seeded sixth. This means we could be set up for another Williams vs. Williams match-up in the semifinals.

The sisters have defied history by continuing to perform at a high level well into their thirties, but one has to wonder how many more chances they’ll have to face off against each other in a major.

On This Date in Sports History: Today is Monday, August 29, 2016.

Memoriesofhistory.com

1885 - The first prizefight under the Marquis of Queensberry Rules was held in Cincinnati, OH. John L. Sullivan defeated Dominick McCaffery in six rounds.

1892 - Pop (Billy) Shriver (Chicago Cubs) caught a ball that was dropped from the top of the Washington Monument in Washington, DC.

1971 - Hank Aaron became the first baseball player in the National League to hit 100 or more runs in each of 11 seasons.

1977 - Lou Brock brought his total of stolen bases to 893. The record he beat was held by Ty Cobb for 49 years.

1994 - Mario Lemieux announced that he would be taking a medical leave of absence due to fatigue, an aftereffect of his 1993 radiation treatments. He would sit out the National Hockey Leagues (NHL) 1994-95 season.

1995 - At the O.J. Simpson trial, tapes of Mark Fuhrman were played. The recordings were of Fuhrman making racial comments. 

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