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"
“The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.” ~ H. Jackson Brown Jr., Writer
Trending: Cutler injured as turnovers doom Bears in home-opening loss. (See the football section for Bears and NFL updates).
Trending: Team USA suffers disastrous loss to Team Canada at World Cup. (See the hockey section for Blackhawks and NHL updates).
Trending: Party Time is Over as Cubs Try To Get Locked Back in After Clinching Division. (See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).
Trending: Golf: Tour Championship: Preview. (See the golf section for Ryder Cup and PGA updates).
Trending: Cubs and White Sox road to the "World Series".
Cubs 2016 Record: 96-55, Clinched 09/15/2016
White Sox 2016 Record: 72-79
White Sox 2016 Record: 72-79
(See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).
NFL SCORES, Monday, 09/21/2016
Philadelphia Eagles 29
Chicago Bears 14
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Cutler injured as turnovers doom Bears in home-opening loss.
By Tony Andracki
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
It didn't take long for the boos to rain down from Soldier Field.
The Bears went into halftime trailing by just two points, but wound up turning the ball over three times in a 14-minute span, handing the Philadelphia Eagles a 29-14 win in the Chicago home opener.
Jay Cutler was responsible for two of those turnovers, losing a fumble on a sack on the Bears' first drive of the second half and then throwing an interception in the shadow of his own end zone.
The pick was Cutler's last play of the night as he entered the locker room with a hand injury.
The Eagles, meanwhile, shot themselves in the foot with a couple of ill-timed penalties and drops early as rookie quarterback Carson Wentz looked impressive, but Philadelphia had to settle for field goals early.
Once the Bears offense started getting sloppy with the ball, the Eagles took advantage, scoring touchdowns on each of the three ensuing possessions.
The Bears defense looked as if they provided a spark, stuffing the Eagles at the goal line on a fourth-down attempt in the fourth quarter, but Leonard Floyd was lined up offside, giving the Eagles another chance, which they promptly converted to put the game well out of reach.
John Fox and the Bears coaching staff said they were going to commit to the running game this week, but the offense came out with only 10 yards on the ground on seven first-half carries.
The tide turned briefly in the second half with 51 rushing yards in the third quarter, including a couple of nice runs from Jeremy Langford and rookie Jordan Howard before Cutler's fumble.
The Bears suffered a slew of injures beyond Cutler, with Eddie Goldman, Adrian Amos, Bryce Callahan, Lamarr Houston and Ka'Deem Carey all leaving the game with ailments and not returning.
Before he left the game, Cutler was 12-of-17 for 157 yards and one interception.
In Cutler's place, Brian Hoyer completed 9 passes on 12 attempts for 78 yards.
Langford finished with the Bears' only offensive touchdown - a one-yard scamper in the second quarter. He tallied just 2.5 yards per carry (28 yards on 11 carries) on the evening and also lost a fumble.
Eddie Royal provided the second Bears score when he took a punt 65 yards to the house late in the fourth quarter when the game was already well in hand.
The Bears defense held the Eagles to less than 300 yards of offense (280) and did tally seven deflected passes coupled with a pair of sacks.
But the turnovers gave the Eagles short fields to work with and they capitalized to push their record to 2-0 while the Bears fall to 0-2 to begin the 2016 campaign.
The Bears went into halftime trailing by just two points, but wound up turning the ball over three times in a 14-minute span, handing the Philadelphia Eagles a 29-14 win in the Chicago home opener.
Jay Cutler was responsible for two of those turnovers, losing a fumble on a sack on the Bears' first drive of the second half and then throwing an interception in the shadow of his own end zone.
The pick was Cutler's last play of the night as he entered the locker room with a hand injury.
The Eagles, meanwhile, shot themselves in the foot with a couple of ill-timed penalties and drops early as rookie quarterback Carson Wentz looked impressive, but Philadelphia had to settle for field goals early.
Once the Bears offense started getting sloppy with the ball, the Eagles took advantage, scoring touchdowns on each of the three ensuing possessions.
The Bears defense looked as if they provided a spark, stuffing the Eagles at the goal line on a fourth-down attempt in the fourth quarter, but Leonard Floyd was lined up offside, giving the Eagles another chance, which they promptly converted to put the game well out of reach.
John Fox and the Bears coaching staff said they were going to commit to the running game this week, but the offense came out with only 10 yards on the ground on seven first-half carries.
The tide turned briefly in the second half with 51 rushing yards in the third quarter, including a couple of nice runs from Jeremy Langford and rookie Jordan Howard before Cutler's fumble.
The Bears suffered a slew of injures beyond Cutler, with Eddie Goldman, Adrian Amos, Bryce Callahan, Lamarr Houston and Ka'Deem Carey all leaving the game with ailments and not returning.
Before he left the game, Cutler was 12-of-17 for 157 yards and one interception.
In Cutler's place, Brian Hoyer completed 9 passes on 12 attempts for 78 yards.
Langford finished with the Bears' only offensive touchdown - a one-yard scamper in the second quarter. He tallied just 2.5 yards per carry (28 yards on 11 carries) on the evening and also lost a fumble.
Eddie Royal provided the second Bears score when he took a punt 65 yards to the house late in the fourth quarter when the game was already well in hand.
The Bears defense held the Eagles to less than 300 yards of offense (280) and did tally seven deflected passes coupled with a pair of sacks.
But the turnovers gave the Eagles short fields to work with and they capitalized to push their record to 2-0 while the Bears fall to 0-2 to begin the 2016 campaign.
With Cutler injured, is it Brian Hoyer time for Bears?
By Tony Andracki
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The reaction among Bears fans was mixed as Jay Cutler walked off the field of play and into the locker room.
Of course, the reaction to Cutler is almost always mixed among Bears fans.
But Monday night, he vacated his position at the helm of the Bears' offense after committed two game-changing turnovers in the team's last three possessions.
Cutler did not return to the game and showed up to his media session with his right thumb in a cast/brace.
"I kind of aggravated it early on," he said. "My strength [limited me]; I couldn't really grip the ball. So, that was obviously a big issue for me."
Cutler and the Bears are waiting for more information on his hand/thumb. As of Monday's postgame sessions, the organization did not have the results of his X-rays to make public.
Cutler has a history of injury to his throwing hand, missing the final six games of the 2011 season after fracturing his thumb.
"I'm concerned," he said. "As a quarterback, you kind of need your right thumb. ... We'll see what it is."
Cutler didn't directly blame his hand injury for the interception he threw in the third quarter, but did say he felt he was hurting the team after that, so he needed to remove himself from the game.
Of course, at that point, it was too late.
Of course, the reaction to Cutler is almost always mixed among Bears fans.
But Monday night, he vacated his position at the helm of the Bears' offense after committed two game-changing turnovers in the team's last three possessions.
Cutler did not return to the game and showed up to his media session with his right thumb in a cast/brace.
"I kind of aggravated it early on," he said. "My strength [limited me]; I couldn't really grip the ball. So, that was obviously a big issue for me."
Cutler and the Bears are waiting for more information on his hand/thumb. As of Monday's postgame sessions, the organization did not have the results of his X-rays to make public.
Cutler has a history of injury to his throwing hand, missing the final six games of the 2011 season after fracturing his thumb.
"I'm concerned," he said. "As a quarterback, you kind of need your right thumb. ... We'll see what it is."
Cutler didn't directly blame his hand injury for the interception he threw in the third quarter, but did say he felt he was hurting the team after that, so he needed to remove himself from the game.
Of course, at that point, it was too late.
"I was next to him on the sideline and he didn't want to come out of the game," tight end Zack Miller said. "He couldn't produce and he knew it. It was just something where it was hard for him to do that."
Miller also expressed his confidence in Bears backup quarterback Brian Hoyer, who came in and threw for 78 yards in roughly a quarter of play, though couldn't get the Bears offense into the endzone.
"Just try to come out and complete passes and get into a rhythm and move the ball," Hoyer said of his approach. "Unfortunately, we weren't able to score. Just try to go out there and play your game and not do too much."
If Cutler is forced to miss any time, Hoyer would slide in as the starter with Matt Barkley as the No. 2 option.
Hoyer has been here before. The 30-year-old has appeared in 44 NFL games over the last eight seasons (including Monday night) and has gone 15-10 as a starter with the Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans from 2013-15.
Hoyer also has a rapport with Bears offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains from their time together in Cleveland.
"If I do have to play, I'm gonna put the work in this week," Hoyer said. "[Cutler's injury] is tough, but it's part of the game. That's the way the cookie crumbles, I guess.
"Injuries are a part of the game, unfortunately. You just gotta hope that the next man up is ready to go."
Bears Grades: Another OK first half, dismal second for struggling defense.
By John Mullin
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
For the second week in a row, what was supposed to be a revamped and beefed-up Bears defense failed to stifle a generally mediocre offense, getting no help from a moribund offense but in the end doing itself in with inept tackling and a lack of impact plays at pivotal times in a 29-14 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
“I feel like we started good,” said defensive lineman Akiem Hicks, as the Bears forced Philadelphia to settle for three field goals on deep drives in the first 30 minutes. “We had a great first half. Similar to last week [vs. Houston], we didn’t play to our capability in the second half.”
The Philadelphia offense was able to move the football with relative ease on those three scoring drives in the first half, all of which ended in field goals but each revealing vulnerability and a continuing inability to deliver stops in critical situations early in drives. To wit: The Eagles completed second-down passes for 14 and 18 yards in the final minute to ease into position for a go-ahead field goal at the end of the half.
The Eagles set something of a tone when Wentz and the offense methodically rolled off an opening drive that lasted 13 plays and 7 minutes 26 seconds, ending in a field goal because of a diving pass deflection by nickel back Bryce Callahan and a coverage sack by Sam Acho.
“I feel like we started good,” said defensive lineman Akiem Hicks, as the Bears forced Philadelphia to settle for three field goals on deep drives in the first 30 minutes. “We had a great first half. Similar to last week [vs. Houston], we didn’t play to our capability in the second half.”
The Philadelphia offense was able to move the football with relative ease on those three scoring drives in the first half, all of which ended in field goals but each revealing vulnerability and a continuing inability to deliver stops in critical situations early in drives. To wit: The Eagles completed second-down passes for 14 and 18 yards in the final minute to ease into position for a go-ahead field goal at the end of the half.
The Eagles set something of a tone when Wentz and the offense methodically rolled off an opening drive that lasted 13 plays and 7 minutes 26 seconds, ending in a field goal because of a diving pass deflection by nickel back Bryce Callahan and a coverage sack by Sam Acho.
Defensive line: D+
Willie Young, forced into playing primarily as an end as the Eagles schemed to keep the Bears in nickel, was a force, getting a sack early in the third quarter to force a third-and-long that the Eagles could not convert. The sack came off pressure from nose tackle Eddie Goldman. Young finished with seven tackles, two for losses.
Akiem Hicks broke up a pass to force a third-and-long that the Eagles could not convert in the third quarter. The Bears limited the Eagles to 3.1 yards per rush but could not get sufficient pressure on rookie quarterback Carson Wentz to make any impact.
Linebacker: D
Sam Acho worked his way into more playing time last week against the Texans and was involved in impact plays Monday. He pursued Carson Wentz for a sack in the first quarter and combined with Willie Young for a key third-down stop in the second.
Jerrell Freeman delivered a massive hit on Carson Wentz off a blitz, then drew a facemask flag on the Eagles on the next play while forcing an incompletion with an open-field hit against a screen pass. Freeman was initially credited with five tackles, three for losses.
Lamarr Houston suffered a knee injury in the second quarter and was out for the game.
But Danny Trevathan struggled badly in pass coverage, allowing completions for first-down conversions and not able to get home with blitzes on Wentz.
Secondary: C-
Bryce Callahan’s diving deflection of a Wentz pass in the end zone saved the Bears from a first-possession touchdown. Deiondre Hall broke up a second-quarter toss in the end zone with a textbook break on the ball.
Cornerback Jacoby Glenn was beaten deep by wideout Nelson Agholor but recovered to break up a potential TD catch. Glenn was credited with seven solo tackles and two passes deflected.
Special teams: C
The touchdown punt return by Eddie Royal was a major positive, but the overall performance of the unit otherwise was poor.
Kickoff coverage allowed the Eagles a 30-yard return after the Bears first score while the Bears saw Deonte Thompson field a kickoff five yards deep in the end zone and bring it out only to the 14. The Bears returned four kickoffs and brought none of them as far out as the 25-yard line.
Connor Barth’s first kick as a Bear was a disaster, clanking off the left upright from 31 yards to net nothing from a positive answering Bears drive after Philadelphia was stopped and forced to settle for a field goal the possession before.
Bears injury woes mount after loss to Eagles but Jay Cutler expected to avoid surgery.
By John Mullin
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Jay Cutler’s thumb injury, a ligament problem that was suffered in the loss to the Houston Texans, is expected to keep the quarterback out for as much as a month. Beyond that...
In the meantime the Bears need to make a change at inside linebacker to cover for the loss of Danny Trevathan, undergoing surgery for a thumb injury of his own that coach John Fox said will not be season-ending. And Lamarr Houston’s knee injury is still being described as serious, although the team is waiting on a more complete evaluation of his MRI before making the call on the outside linebacker’s season.
Eddie Goldman’s ankle injury becomes another ominous unknown, with Goldman developing into one of the NFL’s top young nose tackles before his injury in a goal-line situation Monday night in the 29-14 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The short term is expected to include moving Matt Barkley from practice squad to the regular roster, although Fox and the Bears remain conservative with predicting outcomes, except that Cutler is not expected to play next Sunday in Dallas.
“Not really,” Fox said. “We'll just take it day to day and Brian Hoyer stepped in, and I thought did a pretty good job. We'll evaluate that tomorrow and split up practice as need be.”
Where matters become most intriguing is going forward to the point of a Cutler return.
The situation vaults Hoyer into the starting lineup, installing a quarterback with a better career winning record than Cutler. And with the organization not committed financially or any other way to Cutler beyond this season, the prospects for both the short and long terms become more than a little intriguing.
By way of background: Overshadowed in the incident where then-coordinator Aaron Kromer in 2014 vented his frustrations with Cutler to a national reporter, was the fact that Kromer and Marc Trestman wanted to stay with Josh McCown when Cutler returned from an injury stint. McCown, not Cutler, was running the offense as drawn up.
The Bears are open to the prospect of moving on from Cutler in 2017, but the chronic issue with that position is that quality options are rare. Hoyer was signed this offseason as part of the win-now foundation of veterans, Hoyer representing a veteran fall-back if Cutler went down, rather than turn to a young pipeline prospect.
To not view this as a de facto audition for Hoyer would be to ignore the obvious, even if Hoyer is obviously not a long-term solution. Hoyer as a place-holder for a young quarterback is one organizational scenario, albeit one with a tinge of desperation.
The Bears have neglected the quarterback pipeline for too many years, picking three backup defensive players (linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski, defensive backs Deon Bush and Deiondre’ Hall) in the fourth round this draft while Dak Prescott was still on the board. The Bears will see Prescott first hand when they visit Dallas and the Cowboys next Sunday night. GM Ryan Pace hasn’t taken a quarterback with any of his 15 selections over the past two drafts.
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Marian Hossa feeling recharged after long summer.
By Tracey Myers
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Marian Hossa never welcomes a long summer but he’ll take the chance to get rejuvenated that comes from it.
“After so many years playing long in the playoffs, it’s definitely beneficial to recharge, not just because of injuries but also getting ready for the new season with a long summer program,” said Hossa, who’s made five Stanley Cup final appearances dating back to 2008. “And this is a great training camp for us, playing against the world’s best players. It’s unusual but it’s great.”
Yes, this normally wouldn’t be the way Hossa would ring in a new season but it’s a good way to see how rested and recovered he is. Winning doesn’t hurt either, as he and Team Europe beat Team Czech Republic 3-2 in overtime in their World Cup of Hockey matchup on Monday. Team Europe, comprised of players from eight different countries, wasn’t expected to do much in this tournament. But they’re now 2-0-0 in round-robin competition, including Sunday’s surprise 3-0 victory over Team USA. Speaking of Team USA: it’s in some trouble. A loss to Canada on Tuesday night, and Team USA will be eliminated from the tournament.
But back to Team Europe and, specifically, Hossa. The veteran forward didn’t have the best regular season but had a strong first-round series against the St. Louis Blues. Like several of the Blackhawks’ core players, the long break was disappointing but also needed. For Hossa, it was a chance to rest and then start a longer offseason training program.
So is he seeing different results with the longer time off?
“It’s still early, I would say,” Hossa said. “Also, you’re playing against top players so it’s hard to judge because you’re going full steam, 100 percent from the beginning. But for the first two exhibition games there were hard legs. Now they’re moving more and that’s a good sign.”
Hossa has enjoyed the tournament thus far with Team Europe. His squad didn’t get off to the best of starts in the preliminary games; their first opponent was Team North America. But as several teams are finding out, facing that young North American squad hasn’t been easy for anyone. Team Europe was also still getting used to each other’s habits and personalities, on the ice and off. Coach Ralph Krueger said earlier this week that the team just needed time to get to know each other. Now acquaintances are becoming friends, and it’s showing with success on the ice.
“Obviously everyone at the beginning wasn’t sure. At the first breakfast. Guys were walking in unsure where to sit, everyone kind of sat on their own. But then after practices we had times off we went together, team building groups, so we know each other more,” Hossa said. “All those little things kind of add up, and we’ve become more of a team right now. Everyone’s feeling really good.”
Team Europe will get its biggest test on Wednesday when it plays Team Canada. Hossa will get a true test of how much the long summer benefitted him within the next few weeks. But there’s no doubt he’s entering this season feeling much more refreshed.
Identity crisis: Team USA suffers disastrous loss to Team Canada at World Cup.
By Cam Tucker
(Photo/Getty Images)
Dean Lombardi wanted to build a Team USA that could beat Team Canada at the World Cup by means of gritty, grinding style. They had their shot Tuesday in Toronto.
And Canada came away victorious. Again.
All that talk about grit and physical play amounted to a 4-2 loss for Team USA, which is now officially eliminated from contention at the World Cup. The Americans have gone 0-2 through the opening two games of the round robin, after losing to Team Europe in a rather uninspiring — and equally concerning — display in the opener and failing to maintain a decent start against the Canadians.
They play the Czech Republic on Thursday. And then it is officially over for Team USA.
This one should sting. For a long time.
It’s completely fair to say this management group — with Lombardi as the GM and John Tortorella as its head coach — completely overvalued things like ‘grit’ and ‘intangibles.’
Phil Kessel would not have been able to play at this tournament due to hand surgery in the summer, a development that wasn’t revealed until the middle of July. But why was a prolific goal scorer left off the roster in the first place and others like Brandon Dubinsky penciled in ahead of him?
And then, there is this, just moments after Team USA lost. Game, set and match, Phil Kessel.
Further to that:
No Tyler Johnson.
No Bobby Ryan.
No Kevin Shattenkirk.
No Justin Faulk.
No Kyle Okposo.
All very notable snubs, especially after this showing, punctuated by the loss to the rival Canadians. And the result should open the floodgates to questions and criticism about why this roster was shaped this particular way.
Tortorella scratching Dustin Byfuglien — while dressing Jack Johnson — and Kyle Palmieri — and dressing Dubinsky — for his team’s tournament opener was questioned, especially after the final score.
The talent pool in the U.S. is there. They also have several up-and-coming stars — Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel or Johnny Gaudreau — but they played on the younger Team North America in this tournament.
But this management and coaching staff did have options. Better options, you can easily argue, for this competition. And it chose to venture down a path with a team that could bang and crash and block shots and, well, apparently not much else.
Team USA outhit the Canadians. By a wide margin (38-14), in fact. They won more faceoffs (62 per cent compared to 38 per cent) than the Canadians. Again, by a wide margin. But they couldn’t score like the Canadians could. Yes, they were unlucky, hitting three goal posts in the final period. But ultimately, they couldn’t match the skill and they couldn’t match the depth.
And now, they’re done.
Critics of this team, however, may only be getting started.
CUBS: Jon Lester survives line drive, looks like a Game 1 starter as Cubs top Reds.
And Canada came away victorious. Again.
All that talk about grit and physical play amounted to a 4-2 loss for Team USA, which is now officially eliminated from contention at the World Cup. The Americans have gone 0-2 through the opening two games of the round robin, after losing to Team Europe in a rather uninspiring — and equally concerning — display in the opener and failing to maintain a decent start against the Canadians.
They play the Czech Republic on Thursday. And then it is officially over for Team USA.
This one should sting. For a long time.
It’s completely fair to say this management group — with Lombardi as the GM and John Tortorella as its head coach — completely overvalued things like ‘grit’ and ‘intangibles.’
Phil Kessel would not have been able to play at this tournament due to hand surgery in the summer, a development that wasn’t revealed until the middle of July. But why was a prolific goal scorer left off the roster in the first place and others like Brandon Dubinsky penciled in ahead of him?
And then, there is this, just moments after Team USA lost. Game, set and match, Phil Kessel.
Further to that:
No Tyler Johnson.
No Bobby Ryan.
No Kevin Shattenkirk.
No Justin Faulk.
No Kyle Okposo.
All very notable snubs, especially after this showing, punctuated by the loss to the rival Canadians. And the result should open the floodgates to questions and criticism about why this roster was shaped this particular way.
Tortorella scratching Dustin Byfuglien — while dressing Jack Johnson — and Kyle Palmieri — and dressing Dubinsky — for his team’s tournament opener was questioned, especially after the final score.
The talent pool in the U.S. is there. They also have several up-and-coming stars — Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel or Johnny Gaudreau — but they played on the younger Team North America in this tournament.
But this management and coaching staff did have options. Better options, you can easily argue, for this competition. And it chose to venture down a path with a team that could bang and crash and block shots and, well, apparently not much else.
Team USA outhit the Canadians. By a wide margin (38-14), in fact. They won more faceoffs (62 per cent compared to 38 per cent) than the Canadians. Again, by a wide margin. But they couldn’t score like the Canadians could. Yes, they were unlucky, hitting three goal posts in the final period. But ultimately, they couldn’t match the skill and they couldn’t match the depth.
And now, they’re done.
Critics of this team, however, may only be getting started.
CUBS: Jon Lester survives line drive, looks like a Game 1 starter as Cubs top Reds.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Jon Lester views himself as a finisher, someone who gets stronger later in the season, when the games become bigger and bigger. That’s why the $155 million pitcher came to Chicago — to earn a third World Series ring and change this team’s entire identity.
That’s why Cubs fans might have seen their playoff hopes flash before their eyes when Joey Votto smashed a line drive that drilled Lester’s wrist as he tried to make the glove save, the ball ricocheting into shallow right field.
“It’s fine,” Lester said as soon as he sat down in the Wrigley Field interview room after Tuesday night’s 6-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds. “My right hand. I don’t need it.”
The lefty stayed in the game, faced seven more Reds after that scare leading off the sixth inning and finished the seventh, making a strong closing argument for the National League Cy Young Award voters and looking like the Game 1 starter when the Cubs face the wild-card survivor on Oct. 7.
This is a battle of attrition. The New York Mets are paying the price for last year’s World Series run, with Jacob deGrom (right elbow) scheduled for season-ending surgery, something Matt Harvey (thoracic outlet syndrome) already went through this summer.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are managing the herniated disc in Clayton Kershaw’s back and dealing with the blister on Rich Hill’s left middle finger. The Washington Nationals don’t know when Stephen Strasburg will return or if his right elbow will allow him to honor the seven-year, $175 million extension he signed four-plus months ago.
This much is clear: Washington’s 1-0 loss to the Miami Marlins combined with Lester’s dominant performance made three the magic number for the Cubs (96-55) to clinch the league’s best record and home-field advantage through their first two playoff rounds.
“If I’m chosen for Game 1, awesome, it will be a great honor,” Lester said. “If I’m not, it’s still a great honor to pitch in the postseason for this team.”
Lester leads the NL with 18 wins and ranks first in the majors with 25 quality starts. His ERA is now 2.36 after his seventh straight start allowing zero runs or one run. He’s peaking at the right time — 9-0 with a 1.46 ERA through 12 starts since the All-Star break — and one of the most accomplished postseason pitchers of his generation.
“I’m along for the ride,” Lester said. “We have a really, really good staff, so if I’m the guy, it will definitely be a huge honor.
“If I’m not the guy, tell me when I’m going. I’ll be there. I’ll be ready. I’ll be prepared. I’ll give you everything I got.
“But obviously it would be nice to start a home game here, whether it’s (Game 1 or 2). This atmosphere’s been great all year. It’s been a playoff kind of atmosphere all year. They’ve expected a lot of us. We’ve given them a lot. And they give us a lot in return, as far as energy.”
The Cubs placed a huge bet on durability, and Lester has now made 30 starts for the ninth consecutive season. With two more starts to go, he’s only nine innings away from hitting 200 for the eighth time in his career. The Cubs also wanted someone who wouldn’t be satisfied with a division title or allow teammates to become complacent.
“I don’t care what the lead is,” Lester said. “My mentality’s the same going into every start: I want to win every start. I don’t take days off when it comes to that.
“When it’s my day to go, it’s my day to go. I’m going to show up with the same intensity as if it was Game 1 or if we’re fighting for a playoff spot right now. I feel like if I let off the gas mentally, then I’m doing a disservice to my team.”
With October in mind, Joe Maddon sends message to Cubs hitters.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
You didn’t see any mimes or magicians or zoo animals running around the Wrigley Field clubhouse. Joe Maddon found a different way to send a spring-training message to the Cubs, dropping in on Monday afternoon’s standard pre-series meeting and addressing the hitters, an atypical move for a hands-off manager.
But the Cubs are in an unusual spot, clinching the National League Central by Sept. 15, and celebrating a division title exactly three weeks out from their next meaningful game. There will now be a Cactus League focus on fundamentals, areas of improvement and the bigger picture.
“Let’s work on some things that we know we need to get better at between now and when the playoffs begin,” Maddon said. “We have to really get our minds right over the next couple weeks to really be prepared properly for that first game. And I wanted it to start today.”
Maddon also picked a good time to speak to the hitters in this sense: The last-place Cincinnati Reds had already been the other team in Jake Arrieta’s no-hitter and Kris Bryant’s three-homer game. And the Reds have now allowed a major-league record 242 home runs this season after Jason Heyward’s two-run shot in the eighth inning of a 5-2 win that showed the Cubs are too talented to tank in late September.
“Just keep pushing,” said Heyward, who hadn’t homered since Aug. 22, when he was coming off the mental break at Coors Field that was supposed to reset the worst offensive season of his career. “Keep trying to be the best version of ourselves we can be.
“That’s the same thing (Joe’s) been preaching since spring training, the same thing he preached right before the All-Star break, and the same thing now. Just continue to try and do the little things right.
“Make sure that you guys have fun. And don’t take this moment for granted.”
But the Cubs are in an unusual spot, clinching the National League Central by Sept. 15, and celebrating a division title exactly three weeks out from their next meaningful game. There will now be a Cactus League focus on fundamentals, areas of improvement and the bigger picture.
“Let’s work on some things that we know we need to get better at between now and when the playoffs begin,” Maddon said. “We have to really get our minds right over the next couple weeks to really be prepared properly for that first game. And I wanted it to start today.”
Maddon also picked a good time to speak to the hitters in this sense: The last-place Cincinnati Reds had already been the other team in Jake Arrieta’s no-hitter and Kris Bryant’s three-homer game. And the Reds have now allowed a major-league record 242 home runs this season after Jason Heyward’s two-run shot in the eighth inning of a 5-2 win that showed the Cubs are too talented to tank in late September.
“Just keep pushing,” said Heyward, who hadn’t homered since Aug. 22, when he was coming off the mental break at Coors Field that was supposed to reset the worst offensive season of his career. “Keep trying to be the best version of ourselves we can be.
“That’s the same thing (Joe’s) been preaching since spring training, the same thing he preached right before the All-Star break, and the same thing now. Just continue to try and do the little things right.
“Make sure that you guys have fun. And don’t take this moment for granted.”
Maddon doesn’t micromanage his hitting coaches or pretend he spent all night breaking down video or want his players obsessing about swing mechanics.
“Self-awareness,” Maddon said. “Honestly, that’s what it really comes down to. You get in moments, and there’s 40,000 people yelling and there’s guys on base and the guy’s got good stuff on the mound. Sometimes, you get caught up in all the emotion. I want us to be able to be self-aware: What’s required in that moment?”
The Cubs lead the NL in on-base percentage (.341), walks and pitches seen, ranking second in runs scored. What had been, at times, a boom-or-bust offense has cut down the strikeouts, ranking fifth after leading the NL in that category by a wide margin last season. That doesn’t guarantee anything in October, but the Cubs have diversified their lineup with switch-hitter Ben Zobrist, second-year leaps by Bryant and Addison Russell and enough mix-and-match pieces to surround Anthony Rizzo.
“Sometimes players get so caught up in the physical/mechanical component of the game that they forget to just purely compete, so I wanted to remind them,” Maddon said.
“You can talk about situations. You can talk about runner on third and less than two outs, runner on second and nobody out. You can talk about whatever game situation you want to talk about. But at the end of the day, you have to be self-aware in that moment: What is required of me right now? And how do I go about this? And then purely because he has another uniform on, we’re trying to beat him. That’s what it should really come down to.”
Party Time is Over as Cubs Try To Get Locked Back in After Clinching Division. (Monday night's game, 09/19/2016).
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
This felt more like spring training on Monday night at Wrigley Field than a pennant race. No buzz during batting practice, almost a celebrity-free zone around the dugouts, 84 degrees at first pitch and a last-place Cincinnati Reds team waiting for the future.
The NFL is king – or why Major League Baseball’s TV partners will be rooting for the Cubs to make a World Series run – and even a bad Bears team will command this city’s attention while getting destroyed by the Philadelphia Eagles on “Monday Night Football.”
But if it looked like the Cubs had fallen into a post-clinch lull, Addison Russell snapped them out of it in the seventh inning by blasting his 21st homer into the left-field bleachers, the 22-year-old shortstop nearly hitting the big video board. Two batters later, rookie Willson Contreras crushed a two-strike Tim Adelman changeup onto Waveland Avenue to tie the game 2-2, showing why the Cubs might make him their primary catcher in October.
Chris Coghlan – a left-handed hitter on the playoff-roster bubble – next drilled a double into the right-field corner off reliever Blake Wood and scored the go-ahead run when Dexter Fowler lined a single up the middle.
Just like that, the Cubs whipped together what became a 5-2 victory over the Reds in front of 39,251, surpassing the 3-million mark in attendance for the ninth time in franchise history and the first time since 2011. That win – combined with the Washington Nationals losing 4-3 to the Miami Marlins – made five the magic number to clinch the National League’s best record.
“We’re not done yet,” winning pitcher Jason Hammel said. “We still got to wrap up home-field advantage and continue to play good baseball. There’s really no reason to let up. I think the guys might have been a little tired from late festivities and whatever, having a fun time after the clinch. But it’s time to get locked mentally back in.”
Losing their edge? President of baseball operations Theo Epstein pointed out how the Cubs responded to the World Series-or-bust expectations coming out of spring training with a 25-6 burst out of the gate.
The NFL is king – or why Major League Baseball’s TV partners will be rooting for the Cubs to make a World Series run – and even a bad Bears team will command this city’s attention while getting destroyed by the Philadelphia Eagles on “Monday Night Football.”
But if it looked like the Cubs had fallen into a post-clinch lull, Addison Russell snapped them out of it in the seventh inning by blasting his 21st homer into the left-field bleachers, the 22-year-old shortstop nearly hitting the big video board. Two batters later, rookie Willson Contreras crushed a two-strike Tim Adelman changeup onto Waveland Avenue to tie the game 2-2, showing why the Cubs might make him their primary catcher in October.
Chris Coghlan – a left-handed hitter on the playoff-roster bubble – next drilled a double into the right-field corner off reliever Blake Wood and scored the go-ahead run when Dexter Fowler lined a single up the middle.
Just like that, the Cubs whipped together what became a 5-2 victory over the Reds in front of 39,251, surpassing the 3-million mark in attendance for the ninth time in franchise history and the first time since 2011. That win – combined with the Washington Nationals losing 4-3 to the Miami Marlins – made five the magic number to clinch the National League’s best record.
“We’re not done yet,” winning pitcher Jason Hammel said. “We still got to wrap up home-field advantage and continue to play good baseball. There’s really no reason to let up. I think the guys might have been a little tired from late festivities and whatever, having a fun time after the clinch. But it’s time to get locked mentally back in.”
Losing their edge? President of baseball operations Theo Epstein pointed out how the Cubs responded to the World Series-or-bust expectations coming out of spring training with a 25-6 burst out of the gate.
And how the Cubs hit the reset button after losing 15 of their last 21 games before the All-Star break, winning series against the Texas Rangers and New York Mets to start a dominant second half. The Cubs haven’t experienced a three-game losing streak since early July.
“This isn’t the type of team that’s just going to roll over and stagnate and get too rusty,” Epstein said.
The offensive fireworks helped Hammel (3.56 ERA) become the rotation’s fourth 15-game winner – something the Cubs haven’t had since 1935 – and get another confidence boost with seven strong innings (even though it won’t change the calculus for the playoff rotation). The last team with four 15-game winners was the 2004 St. Louis Cardinals, who got swept by Epstein’s Boston Red Sox in the World Series.
The Cubs have now put together their own “Band of Idiots” who want to be remembered forever.
“The way I look at it is there’s really no wrong choice,” Hammel said. “We’ve got 25 guys that are going to put up some wins for us. Whether it’s hitting, pitching, defense, we got a good collective group here and their decisions are going to be really hard, so we’re just going to continue to do what we do (and) then they’ll put the best team out there.
“I’m not trying out. I’m just doing what I do. You check your ego at the door. Whoever gets taken, gets taken and you cheer on from there.”
WHITE SOX: White Sox lose fourth straight in sloppy fashion, fall to Phillies
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The White Sox displayed plenty of desire on Tuesday night. It was the execution they lacked.
Facing the downtrodden Philadelphia Phillies, the White Sox nearly salvaged one of their worst games in weeks with a ninth-inning rally before falling 7-6 in front of 16,096 at Citizens Bank Park. James Shields dropped to 5-18 on the season as he surrendered seven runs and the White Sox lost their fourth straight and fell to 72-79.
“It was kind of on and off,” Shields said. “The first inning I thought the guy swung on the check swing. I ended up walking him and gave up a homer. I made some pretty good pitches that I thought actually were going to hit the dirt, and they just got some hits on me and strung together a couple hits when they needed to.
“But I have to do a better job of getting some outs there early.”
Aside from Melky Cabrera’s go-ahead, three-run home run in the third inning, little else went right for the White Sox until the ninth when they scored three times off Phillies closer Jeanmar Gomez. Adam Eaton’s two-out, two-run double brought the go-ahead run to the plate and knocked Gomez out of the game. Michael Mariot retired Tim Anderson on a grounder to shortstop to end the contest.
But the White Sox found themselves with a big hole that was just too much to overcome.
Coming off a pair of solid efforts, Shields struggled early and often against the fourth-place Phillies. He surrendered a two-run homer to Odubel Herrera in the first inning and allowed two more in the third inning to fall behind for good.
Shields gave up three straight hits and a run to start the fifth inning before he pitched out of the jam. And he yielded two more runs as he was knocked out of the game in the sixth.
Shields allowed nine hits, walked three and struck out four in 5 1/3 innings. It was the eighth time this season he has allowed at least seven runs, which is the most since Cory Lidle in 2003, according to ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark.
But Shields wasn’t alone.
One of his runs was unearned after Anderson misplayed a two-out grounder into an error in the third inning.
Jose Abreu's 'desire' comments spark varied reaction throughout White Sox clubhouse.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Jose Abreu and his manager both tried Tuesday to downplay the slugger’s earlier comments when he said the White Sox can’t match Kansas City’s desire to win.
Abreu, who met with White Sox manager Robin Ventura earlier in the day, quickly dismissed the topic Tuesday other than to note he only intended to question himself. Ventura also talked down the comments and suggested Abreu’s focus was himself.
But teammate Alex Avila said he was neither caught off guard, nor does he take umbrage at Abreu, who Monday identified the desire to win as the biggest difference between the Royals and White Sox. Asked if he thought the White Sox possessed the same desire, Abreu almost instantly said “no” twice before he added he doesn’t know how to fix the issue, either. Avila, who helped the Detroit Tigers to four straight American League Central titles from 2011 to 2014, said he understands exactly why Abreu said what he did.
“To be honest, it’s probably how most guys feel when you’re on a team that right now we’re out of contention,” Avila said. “It’s not surprising. He’s upset we didn’t play better this year, and that’s probably the same for most guys.
“I’m just as frustrated as he is, and I just see a guy that is frustrated with the fact we didn’t play better this year.”
While Abreu spent less than a minute rehashing the comments, he did admit to feeling the frustration of a third straight losing season. His disappointment is likely compounded by a seventh straight series loss to the Royals, who won 14 of 19 meetings between the teams this season, including victories in three of the previous four days.
“What we talked about yesterday was about me,” Abreu said through an interpreter. “I don’t have anything more to add. That’s it.
“It’s tough because that’s the position you want to be in and you’re not in that position and that’s tough to digest. Everybody knows baseball is a difficult sport. ... It’s a tough game and the only way that you can accomplish your goals is to work hard every single year.”
Perhaps trying to protect Abreu from looking as if he was pointing fingers, Ventura suggested the message was misinterpreted. He thinks Abreu is disappointed, frustrated and tired at the end of a trying season.
“What’s lost in it is he probably used the wrong word for describing what he’s feeling,” Ventura said. “That’s part of the challenge for him is he has to be translated what he’s feeling. He’s talking about himself. He’s not talking about his other teammates.
“We’re getting close to the end, and he’s grinding through it. I think that’s more of it than anything else.”
Ventura also disputed that desire or a lack of effort is the culprit when it comes to the Royals winning 39 of 57 meetings between the teams since 2014.
“They have our number,” Ventura said. “They beat us. And sometimes you have to tip your hat that they’re better. But by no means did they have more desire. I know guys come in here prepared and ready to play.”
Outfielder Adam Eaton said he agrees and disagrees with Abreu, though the latter might be related to whether his effort has been questioned. Eaton also thinks the Royals’ success has helped to create and improve that type of atmosphere.
“I think winning creates desire,” Eaton said. “We haven’t tasted that, as a team and a young unit. We haven’t had that type of success. That’s the success you want to get back to. There needs to be more desire here. There needs to be more ‘We’re going to reach our destination in any way, shape or form.’ It doesn’t matter what type of circumstances or players are here. Every team is trying to create that type of desire and atmosphere for their club. I don’t think he was out of line saying that.”
Avila doesn’t question where Abreu is coming from either and thinks these are the type of questions that need to be asked.
The veteran catcher realizes how much of an impact the injuries to Austin Jackson, Zach Putnam, Jake Petricka and himself have had on the White Sox as well as the retirement of Adam LaRoche, which affected the lineup until Justin Morneau arrived in July.
He had a sense the White Sox received some breaks during a 23-10 start to the season. But he also said they haven’t handled their downturns well. And when that happens, Avila said each aspect, from execution to preparation to talent and desire should be scrutinized.
“That’s something that should always come up on a team that doesn’t perform to expectations,” Avila said. “If it doesn’t, there’s something wrong there. Because obviously if you’re a team that is like we are, to where we’ve have spurts where it seems like things could come together, but obviously over the course of the whole season they haven’t played to that type of expectation.
“All those have to be looked at on a team that is expected to win but doesn’t. If it’s not, there’s something wrong there. That’s not a story or an issue — that’s reality.”
Abreu, who met with White Sox manager Robin Ventura earlier in the day, quickly dismissed the topic Tuesday other than to note he only intended to question himself. Ventura also talked down the comments and suggested Abreu’s focus was himself.
But teammate Alex Avila said he was neither caught off guard, nor does he take umbrage at Abreu, who Monday identified the desire to win as the biggest difference between the Royals and White Sox. Asked if he thought the White Sox possessed the same desire, Abreu almost instantly said “no” twice before he added he doesn’t know how to fix the issue, either. Avila, who helped the Detroit Tigers to four straight American League Central titles from 2011 to 2014, said he understands exactly why Abreu said what he did.
“To be honest, it’s probably how most guys feel when you’re on a team that right now we’re out of contention,” Avila said. “It’s not surprising. He’s upset we didn’t play better this year, and that’s probably the same for most guys.
“I’m just as frustrated as he is, and I just see a guy that is frustrated with the fact we didn’t play better this year.”
While Abreu spent less than a minute rehashing the comments, he did admit to feeling the frustration of a third straight losing season. His disappointment is likely compounded by a seventh straight series loss to the Royals, who won 14 of 19 meetings between the teams this season, including victories in three of the previous four days.
“What we talked about yesterday was about me,” Abreu said through an interpreter. “I don’t have anything more to add. That’s it.
“It’s tough because that’s the position you want to be in and you’re not in that position and that’s tough to digest. Everybody knows baseball is a difficult sport. ... It’s a tough game and the only way that you can accomplish your goals is to work hard every single year.”
Perhaps trying to protect Abreu from looking as if he was pointing fingers, Ventura suggested the message was misinterpreted. He thinks Abreu is disappointed, frustrated and tired at the end of a trying season.
“What’s lost in it is he probably used the wrong word for describing what he’s feeling,” Ventura said. “That’s part of the challenge for him is he has to be translated what he’s feeling. He’s talking about himself. He’s not talking about his other teammates.
“We’re getting close to the end, and he’s grinding through it. I think that’s more of it than anything else.”
Ventura also disputed that desire or a lack of effort is the culprit when it comes to the Royals winning 39 of 57 meetings between the teams since 2014.
“They have our number,” Ventura said. “They beat us. And sometimes you have to tip your hat that they’re better. But by no means did they have more desire. I know guys come in here prepared and ready to play.”
Outfielder Adam Eaton said he agrees and disagrees with Abreu, though the latter might be related to whether his effort has been questioned. Eaton also thinks the Royals’ success has helped to create and improve that type of atmosphere.
“I think winning creates desire,” Eaton said. “We haven’t tasted that, as a team and a young unit. We haven’t had that type of success. That’s the success you want to get back to. There needs to be more desire here. There needs to be more ‘We’re going to reach our destination in any way, shape or form.’ It doesn’t matter what type of circumstances or players are here. Every team is trying to create that type of desire and atmosphere for their club. I don’t think he was out of line saying that.”
Avila doesn’t question where Abreu is coming from either and thinks these are the type of questions that need to be asked.
The veteran catcher realizes how much of an impact the injuries to Austin Jackson, Zach Putnam, Jake Petricka and himself have had on the White Sox as well as the retirement of Adam LaRoche, which affected the lineup until Justin Morneau arrived in July.
He had a sense the White Sox received some breaks during a 23-10 start to the season. But he also said they haven’t handled their downturns well. And when that happens, Avila said each aspect, from execution to preparation to talent and desire should be scrutinized.
“That’s something that should always come up on a team that doesn’t perform to expectations,” Avila said. “If it doesn’t, there’s something wrong there. Because obviously if you’re a team that is like we are, to where we’ve have spurts where it seems like things could come together, but obviously over the course of the whole season they haven’t played to that type of expectation.
“All those have to be looked at on a team that is expected to win but doesn’t. If it’s not, there’s something wrong there. That’s not a story or an issue — that’s reality.”
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... 2016-17 Bulls player preview: Doug McDermott.
By Vincent Goodwill
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Player: Doug McDermott
Position: Small Forward
Experience: 3rd season
2015-16 Stats: 9.4 points, 2.5 rebounds
2016-17 Outlook: It’s been a steady progression for Doug McDermott from his rookie year to last season, as he’s symbolic of what Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg wants his system to be: A floor-spreading, free-wheeling wide open system, one that displays the new reality of the NBA.
McDermott, at times last season, showed his proficiency despite his limitations. Few were better from the 3-point line, as he shot 42.5 percent, ranking fifth in the NBA. In semi-transition, he was a sure bet to spot up from the left wing and position himself for a pass and quick release.
With Jimmy Butler, Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo all able to make plays, McDermott will be counted on more than he has before to make shots with space at a premium.
McDermott and Nikola Mirotic will have to provide the shooting to keep defenses honest, which could lead to McDermott being the first sub off the bench for a guy like Wade or Butler, leaving the latter to anchor the second unit in the second quarter.
His game opened up last season after the All-Star break, especially with his ability to create his own shot. It’s not a staple of his game and who knows how much he’ll have to use it with the ballhandlers on the floor, but he did have a reliable baseline fadeaway and one-legged runner he would go to every once in awhile.
The Bulls’ offense ran better with him on the floor, averaging 116 points per 100 possessions. February produced his best month as a pro, averaging nearly 15 a game on 52 percent shooting—splits that could be more common as his career progresses. But what he gives, he often gives away on the defensive end and it’ll be a battle to keep him on the floor with some of the concerns the team will have as a whole.
Keeping players in front of him with his lateral movement is an issue, and even being in the right place defensively off the ball isn’t a given. But a lot of that is scheme and the Bulls have to be better collectively.
Expecting him to take another step this season as he knows what to expect and gains more confidence in his own game isn’t unreasonable—and finding consistency will be important to his future in the league, as he’ll be eligible for an extension following his third season.
In other words, there’s plenty of tangible and intangible incentive to improve.
2016-17 Bulls player preview: Bobby Portis.
By Mark Strotman
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Player: Bobby Portis
Position: Power Forward
Experience: 2nd season
2015-16 Stats: 7.0 points, 5.4 rebounds,
2016-17 Outlook: The Bulls' bypassed selecting a point guard in last June's draft when the SEC Player of the Year was still available at No. 22, and at times in his rookie season Bobby Portis proved why he was one of the draft's biggest steals.
Playing behind one of the deepest frontcourts in basketball, Portis logged DNP-CD's in 19 of the Bulls' first 23 games. But after the quadruple-overtime marathon against the Pistons, Portis got his chance in New York when Pau Gasol (48 minutes against Detroit) stayed in Chicago to rest. Portis exploded in the first meaningful minutes of his young NBA career, scoring 20 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. He parlayed that into additional playing time when Joakim Noah injured his shoulder, and in a seven-game stretch he averaged 11.3 points and 6.9 rebounds on 49 percent shooting - and 50 percent from deep.
But the #FreeBobbyPortis campaign took a sharp turn when the calendar flipped to January. His field goal percentages dropped substantially, and his uncanny intensity on the floor couldn't make up for his lackluster defensive play. Portis put together a solid stretch in February shortly after Joakim Noah's season-ending shoulder surgery, averaging 10.6 points and 6.6 rebounds in 24 minutes in the month's first nine games.
Position: Power Forward
Experience: 2nd season
2015-16 Stats: 7.0 points, 5.4 rebounds,
2016-17 Outlook: The Bulls' bypassed selecting a point guard in last June's draft when the SEC Player of the Year was still available at No. 22, and at times in his rookie season Bobby Portis proved why he was one of the draft's biggest steals.
Playing behind one of the deepest frontcourts in basketball, Portis logged DNP-CD's in 19 of the Bulls' first 23 games. But after the quadruple-overtime marathon against the Pistons, Portis got his chance in New York when Pau Gasol (48 minutes against Detroit) stayed in Chicago to rest. Portis exploded in the first meaningful minutes of his young NBA career, scoring 20 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. He parlayed that into additional playing time when Joakim Noah injured his shoulder, and in a seven-game stretch he averaged 11.3 points and 6.9 rebounds on 49 percent shooting - and 50 percent from deep.
But the #FreeBobbyPortis campaign took a sharp turn when the calendar flipped to January. His field goal percentages dropped substantially, and his uncanny intensity on the floor couldn't make up for his lackluster defensive play. Portis put together a solid stretch in February shortly after Joakim Noah's season-ending shoulder surgery, averaging 10.6 points and 6.6 rebounds in 24 minutes in the month's first nine games.
Those small runs of positive play were both a reminder of what Portis can bring to the table. Now he'll need to do it in an increased role. The Bulls selected Portis in 2015 with an eye on 2016, when the front office knew the possibility of losing Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah was real. This past summer Noah wound up signing with the Knicks, while the Spurs added Gasol. And while the Bulls replaced the void in the middle by trading for Robin Lopez as part of the Derrick Rose deal, they're much shallower in the frontcourt than they were a year ago.
Assuming Nikola Mirotic starts to give the Bulls some floor spacing, and Taj Gibson is the first big off the bench, Portis likely will move into a role similar to the one Mirotic played a year ago: a main scorer on the second unit who could pair with Gibson to mask some of his defensive deficiencies. In terms of minutes, Portis played 20 or more minutes in 27 of the 62 games he appeared in. That 20-minute threshold should be a benchmark (Mirotic averaged 24.9 minutes last year) for Portis, who played well in his second Summer League stint, averaging 17.3 points and 9.4 rebounds.
A full year shaping his body to fit the NBA game will also do him some good entering his sophomore season. Portis was listed at 230 pounds, and while he played physical was limited in how much he could do around the rim on both ends of the floor. He averaged just 0.4 blocks and the Bulls were more than six points per 100 possessions worth with him on the floor. Opponents shot 59.5 percent at the rim against Portis, the worst mark among Bulls bigs last year and only a shade better than Aaron Brooks' mark (59.7 percent).
Portis also took more shots (156) from 10 feet to the 3-point line than he did at the rim (140). Portis' range will serve him well, and he showed the ability to hit from beyond the arc in his rookie season. But he'll need to find easier baskets if he's playing more minutes, and it'll help improve on his 1.1 free throw attempts per game.
Portis' unique demeanor also can't be overstated. The Bulls lost their enforcer in Noah midway through the year, and it showed. The Bulls have their blue-collar forward in Gibson, but Portis can be that young spark off the bench that jolts a second unit. There isn't a young player on this Bulls team with more upside, and if he can harness his talent with his attitude the Bulls could have a significant frontcourt player off the bench in 2016.
Golf: I got a club for that..... TOUR Championship: Preview.
Rotoworld
Jordan Spieth returns to defend his 2015 title in the TOUR Championship. He also owns a runner-up at East Lake. (Getty Images/Sam Greenwood)
The 2015-16 PGA TOUR marathon of a season concludes with the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola at East Lake Golf Club. Jordan Spieth leads a contingent of 30 hopefuls as he returns to defend his 2015 title.
It’s common knowledge, but bears mentioning, that the top 5 in the FedExCup standings entering the week would win the entire FEC Championship with a victory. The fruit of clinching the Cup is a check for a cool $10 million. For most gamers, that has little bearing on this week’s action other than the additional pressure it may put on some golfers.
East Lake is the familiar host, stretching out to 7,385 and playing to a par of 70. It should be noted that the nines have flipped, so the former par-3 18th hole is now the ninth. With that, the tournament will end on one of the two par 5s, potentially providing some additional drama down the stretch.
It’s common knowledge, but bears mentioning, that the top 5 in the FedExCup standings entering the week would win the entire FEC Championship with a victory. The fruit of clinching the Cup is a check for a cool $10 million. For most gamers, that has little bearing on this week’s action other than the additional pressure it may put on some golfers.
East Lake is the familiar host, stretching out to 7,385 and playing to a par of 70. It should be noted that the nines have flipped, so the former par-3 18th hole is now the ninth. With that, the tournament will end on one of the two par 5s, potentially providing some additional drama down the stretch.
Typically a course that tips out at close to 7,400 yards, with a par-70 scorecard, tends to favor bombers. That hasn’t necessarily been the case at East Lake. While ball-striking is awarded, it’s the accurate player that holds the advantage to the long ball. Past winners like Jim Furyk and Bill Haas exemplify that.
For a player to make it this far in the Playoffs, it goes without saying that their form is at least decent. Time is perhaps better spent on digging into the course history, as well as possible statistical fits among those that are lacking in a large sample of East Lake experience.
After flipping scouring the stats, burning through a spreadsheet and sorting all relevant metrics, here is the final power ranking of the season!
1. Jordan Spieth – In three trips to East Lake, he has a win and a runner-up to go with a forgettable 27th. If this is an every-other-year trend, he’s in big trouble. While he’s stayed out of the spotlight during the Playoffs, he’s put together two quiet top 10s. At seventh in the FEC standings, he would need some help to win the Cup.
2. Dustin Johnson – With top fives in his last two visits to East Lake, and top 10s in his last three, DJ offers a nice cocktail of current form, course history and statistical prowess. His win at Crooked Stick two weeks ago vaulted him back into first place in the FEC standings.
3. Paul Casey – He’s played East Lake twice, with both outings resulting in top-five finishes. With back-to-back runner-up finishes entering this tournament, the Brit could quite literally steal the FedExCup with a victory. If he does so, the Europeans will especially rue his inability to play in the Ryder Cup since he is not a member of the European Tour.
4. Jason Day – A player of his class can’t wait any longer than this. In addition to being awesome, the Aussie has three top 10s in five tries. This may not be his prototypical track, but he’ll more than hold his own.
5. Rory McIlroy – On the bright side, the winner at the Deutsche Bank was the runner-up in the TOUR Championship in 2014. It’s also one of his two top 10s in three appearances. On the not-so-bright side, he’s been a bit inconsistent this season. Sitting sixth in the FedExCup standings, it would be a very interesting ending to the season to see him win the FedExCup in what would otherwise be classified as a pretty bland season to date.
6. Adam Scott – The winner here way back in 2006 has been a top-10 machine at East Lake. It makes sense, as he’s an incredibly able ball-striker with a good combination of length and accuracy. Considering he’s finished fourth in each of the first three Playoff events, perhaps he’s slotted two-spots on the low side.
7. Bubba Watson – There may not be a bigger side story at East Lake this week than Bubba and the Ryder Cup. That story will only grow if he has a big week, and that’s not out of the question. In fact, he has top-five finishes in two of his last three TOUR Championships. Short of Bubba winning and practically forcing DL3’s hand, it’s hard to see him making the squad. Of course, Watson has a history of making waves in the Peach State, so we’ll see.
8. J.B. Holmes – Cracked a top 10 in his first and only trip to East Lake last year, Holmes should be brimming with confidence after being selected as a Ryder Cup captain’s picks. That, and a T4 at Crooked Stick paving the way for his entry into the field this week.
9. Roberto Castro – Home game for the Georgia Tech product, Castro placed ninth at East Lake in 2013. Back again, he’s been knocking on the door of a breakthrough win on multiple occasions this season. It would be a huge story if the ball-striker putted just well enough to seal the deal.
10. Ryan Moore – Two visits to the TOUR Championship have resulted in two top 10s, including a third in 2012. Scored top 10s in the first two Playoff events and is presumably on the radar for the final Ryder Cup pick. That could be motivation, or additional pressure he doesn’t need.
11. Phil Mickelson – Lefty is a past winner here, but it’s easy to forget that he hasn’t won on TOUR since his win at Muirfield in the Open Championship in 2013. At 46, he’s not getting any younger. It would be a huge statement if the stars aligned this week. He’ll need to control the ball off the tee if that is to have a chance of happening.
12. Daniel Berger – Earned his way here as a rookie last year, finishing a respectable 12th. A T10 at Crooked Stick re-ignited the chatter that he could be in the running for the final captain’s pick with a big week this week. That’s plenty of pressure, but he’s got the game to make a run.
13. Kevin Chappell – Has a history of playing long and hard golf courses well, including Congressional. This will be his first look at East Lake, so this is a bit of a gamble. He’s a bit hard to peg on a weekly basis, but he’s probably most dangerous if overlooked.
14. Emiliano Grillo – He won the first event of the year, so why not the last? He’s made the cut in all three Playoff events, including a runner-up at The Barclays. While 2015-16 qualifies as his coming out party, it would be an all-out bash if he picked up win number two.
15. Gary Woodland – Several people were in the running for this spot, but Woodland’s form over the last few months earns him the nod. In three previous TOUR Championships, his ninth in 2014 is the high-water mark.
Check back Tuesday night to see all of the Rotoworld Staff picks in Playing the Tips. It’s been a fun 2015-16, and our sights are already turning to draft prep for 2016-17 and the Ryder Cup. Here’s hoping your teams finish strong this week!
Best of luck to all!
Tour Championship Tee Times and Pairings.
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
How Will Changes at East Lake Impact the TOUR Championship? The GOLF LIVE panel of experts talks about the decision to flip the front and back nine at East Lake for the TOUR Championship. The Tour Championship is set to begin at East Lake Golf Club on Thursday, and the tee times and pairings for Round 1 have been released.
Dustin Johnson leads the FedEx Cup standings entering the event, but Paul Casey, Patrick Reed, Jason Day and Jordan Spieth are also lurking, among others, hoping to nab the title and a chance at the FedEx Cup bonus. Tune in on Thursday to watch the drama begin.
11:40 a.m. Jhonattan Vegas and Charl Schwartzel
11:50 a.m. Jason Dufner and J.B. Holmes
12 p.m. Sean O'Hair and Daniel Berger
11:40 a.m. Jhonattan Vegas and Charl Schwartzel
11:50 a.m. Jason Dufner and J.B. Holmes
12 p.m. Sean O'Hair and Daniel Berger
1 p.m. Phil Mickelson and Ryan Moore
1:30 p.m. Jordan Spieth and Russell Knox
1:40 p.m. Paul Casey and Rory McIlroy
2 p.m. Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed
NASCAR: Power Rankings: Truex goes from third to first with the win.
Martin Truex Jr. celebrates after winning Sunday. (Photo/Getty)
1. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: 3): Just how much does the miniscule amount that Truex’s car failed inspection by matter when it comes to winning a race? It can’t be much, right? And if NASCAR laser-inspected every car in the field, just how many would have the same result that Truex’s car did following the race? Should every Chase car be inspected following Chase races?
OK, enough with the questions. Regarding inspection, we’re thinking Truex’s spot on the race’s final restart played a bigger role than the rear of his car potentially being out of alignment. By starting on the high side, Truex was able to have plenty of open space in turns 1 and 2 to pass the three cars ahead that were on older tires.
2. Denny Hamlin (LW: 1): Hamlin thought he was having a problem with the motor of his car at one point during the race but the motor made it to the end and Hamlin finished sixth. Given that 15 of the Chase’s 16 drivers finished in the top 20, a blown engine would have been a huge punch to Hamlin’s chances of making it out of the first round.
3. Brad Keselowski (LW: 4): While Hamlin finished sixth, Keselowski was a spot ahead of him in fifth. Keselowski didn’t venture far from the top 10 all day even if he didn’t have a car that led a bunch of laps. Five cars led more laps than he did. He now heads to a track (New Hampshire) where he hasn’t finished lower than 15th since 2011. But his two lowest finishes in that 10-race span have come in the past two races.
4. Kevin Harvick (LW: 2): There ain’t no way we’re penalizing Harvick more than two places in these incredibly impactful rankings because of a fluke. Harvick’s dash through the field at the beginning of the race was one of the most entertaining things of the day. It’s a shame that he wasn’t able to get his lap back because another charge to the front would have been even more entertaining.
5. Chase Elliott (LW: 11): While Truex got to restart on the top side of the track for the final restart, Elliott was a row behind him and on the inside. As Truex sped to second after the first two corners, Elliott was forced to go four-wide in his attempt to get to the front and was pinched to the bottom of the track.
A faster pit stop puts Elliott in the position Truex was in and given how equal their cars were, we can’t help but wonder if Elliott would have gotten the win had he been the first car off pit road.
6. Joey Logano (LW: 7): Logano showed why he’s one of the best in the Cup Series on restarts in that final two-lap dash. He was able to get past Elliott and Ryan Blaney (on old tires) to get to second by the checkered flag. He probably didn’t have anything for Truex had the race gone for five laps and not two, but if we’re ranking the field on speed shown throughout the day, Logano’s second-place finish was an overachievement.
7. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 8): And if Logano overachieved with second, Johnson’s 12th was an underachievement. Six-time led 118 laps, the most of anyone. Combined with Chase Elliott’s 75 laps led, Hendrick Motorsports led over two-thirds of Sunday’s race.
Johnson finished 12th because of a speeding penalty on the last set of green-flag pit stops. Hopefully he knows just how much he was speeding by now. Given his reaction, it couldn’t have been by much.
8. Kyle Busch (LW: 6): Dropping Busch two spots for finishing eighth feels a bit insulting, but who ahead of him would you rank behind? The only driver in the top seven that finished behind Busch was Johnson and he led the most laps by far. Busch led 21 laps … the first 21 of the race. After he was passed by Truex he never led again.
9. Kyle Larson (LW: 5): Larson had a flat right-front tire near the end of the race and was forced to hit pit road under green. Given that the tire was busted, it was a fantastic call. Yes, Larson finished 17th, but a wrecked car and 35th-place finish would have been especially crippling. Better safe than sorry when it comes to tire issues, no matter if it’s lap 5 or 265.
10. Matt Kenseth (LW: 12): Kenseth finished ninth, a spot behind Busch and third of four Joe Gibbs Racing cars. A couple more top 10s will get Kenseth safely into the second round. Though we’re guessing the ceiling is a bit higher than that. The next two races in the first round are the places where Kenseth has won this season.
11. Jamie McMurray (LW: 9): McMurray finished 11th, or 8th of 16 Chase drivers. But he’s 11th in the points standings because he started without any bonus points. If you believe McMurray needs to beat Austin Dillon, Tony Stewart and Chris Buescher to get out of the first round he’s ahead of all of them. But who will the fourth driver be?
12. Kurt Busch (LW: 10): Busch is a point ahead of McMurray after finishing 13th, meaning he has three top-10 finishes in the past 11 races. Two more 13ths is good enough to get Busch into the second round, but he’s going to need to rediscover his early-season form pretty quickly.
Lucky Dog: Ryan Blaney. Heck of a job by Blaney to fight like he did on old tires on the final restart. The strategy move paid off for a fourth-place finish.
The DNF: It was another brutal day for Richard Petty Motorsports. Aric Almirola was 31st while Brian Scott finished 32nd.
Who is hot and cold entering the second Chase race at New Hampshire.
By Daniel McFadin
(Photo/nbcsports.com)
If you’re Kevin Harvick, you probably think the “Magic Mile” is anything but.
The magic has been with Kenseth since 2013. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has won at the 1.058-mile track three times since then, including the past two visits.
To get his second win there a year ago, he had to pass Kevin Harvick as the No. 4 ran out of gas with three laps left.
Harvick, who won at Loudon in 2006, has been passed for the win at NHMS in three of the past four visits. Harvick has led 379 laps in the last four visits, with none in July.
“I don’t think Loudon is really any different than any other racetrack,” Harvick said in a team release. “It’s just circumstances that can crop up at really any racetrack throughout the Chase. Any track can be a problem, and I don’t think Loudon is any different than the rest of them. If you’re having a bad day, you know it can result in a bad day. You just have to overcome that and try to get yourself out of the hole.”
Kenseth has led 206 laps beginning with his 2013 win.
Here’s a look at who’s hot and cold entering this weekend’s Bad Boy Off Road 300.
Who’s Hot
Denny Hamlin: Finished sixth at Chicagoland for his ninth consecutive top 10, the longest streak of his career. Two-time winner at New Hampshire, last came in this race in 2012. Finished second in this race last year and ninth in July.
Martin Truex Jr: Won at Chicagoland to advance to second round of Chase.
Chicagoland win was his third straight top-three finish and second win in the last three races.
Brad Keselowski: Finished fifth at Chicagoland. Has finished in the top 10 in 14 of the last 18 races, including three wins. Top-five finishes in five of the last seven races. One win at New Hampshire (2014). Top-15 finishes in the last 10 races at New Hampshire, including seven top 10s. Finished 15th in July.
Joey Logano: Finished in the top 10 in 13 of the last 15 races, including top 10s in the last six. Won at Michigan in June. Two-time winner at New Hampshire, including September race in 2014. Finished top four in the last four races at New Hampshire.
Who’s Cold
Carl Edwards: Finished 15th at Chicagoland, his third straight finish of 15th or worse. Finished top 10 in only seven of last 18 races after having eight top 10s and two wins in the first nine races Last top five was second at Kentucky. Finished fifth at New Hampshire in this race last year for only top five there in the last 15 races.
Tony Stewart: Finished 16th at Chicagoland for best finish in the last five races. Five top fives this season, only had three total in the previous two seasons. Three time New Hampshire winner, last came in this race in 2011 on way to championship. Finished runner-up at New Hampshire in July.
Jimmie Johnson: Finished 12th at Chicagoland after suffering a speeding penalty while running second. Led 118 laps at Chicagoland, the most he has led in a race all season. Only four top-10 finishes in the last 18 races of 2016. Last New Hampshire win was July 2010.
Kurt Busch: Finished 13th at Chicagoland, only one top 10 in the last six races. Finished top 10 in 14 of the first 16 races. Last top-five finish was fourth at Kentucky. Three time New Hampshire winner but last was in 2008. Last finish better than 10th at New Hampshire came in 2010.
Other notes of interest ahead of the Bad Boy Off Road 300
- Chevrolet has 18 New Hampshire wins, but is winless in the last eight races at the track.
- The driver who led the most laps failed to win seven of the last 10 NHMS races, including the last four.
- The eventual winner didn’t lead for the first time until after Lap 100 in seven of the last 10 races at New
Hampshire. - Only one of the last eight races at New Hampshire was won from a top five starting position.
SOCCER: EFL Cup wrap: Chelsea, Arsenal score four; Everton, Leicester ousted.
By Nicholas Mendola
(Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
The EFL Cup — formerly known as the League Cup — is into the third round, with eight of 16 fixtures played Tuesday around the United Kingdom.
It was a day for new boys at Arsenal, and a celebration of veterans at Chelsea, while Everton was stung by a longtime Toffee now wearing yellow.
Nottingham Forest 0-4 Arsenal
Granit Xhaka gave Arsenal a halftime lead when he sent this wrecking ball towards the Forest goal. Lucas Perez added a second half brace, as the Gunners cruised to a win despite the Forest debut of ex-Gunner Nicklas Bendtner.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain nabbed the fourth, and USMNT talent Gedion Zelalem subbed into the match for the final 7 minutes.
The second Perez goal was class grunt work with a deft finish.
Leicester City 2-4 (aet) Chelsea
When you’re eye level with the keeper and so is the ball, just do what Shinji Okazaki did and nudge it over the line. Poor Asmir Begovic was outfoxed by Leicester’s Japanese striker, and again later when Okazaki bounded the ball off the ground from close range to make it 2-0.
Gary Cahill forced a ball across the Leicester line before halftime to halve the deficit, and Cesar Azpilicueta volleyed a 49th minute clearance home to level things at 2.
Sitting on yellow, Marcin Wasilewski put Leicester in an awful spot with a high elbow to Diego Costa during second half stoppage. The Foxes would need to play with only 10 men in extra time.
Cesc Fabregas only needed two minutes of the first frame of extra time to belt home a winner, as Hazard teed him up with a back heel straight from the playground. He added another soon after to dust this one up.
From 2-0 to 4-2, and having to contend extra time? Claudio Ranieri will not be pleased.
Newcastle United 2-0 Wolverhampton
DeAndre Yedlin proved playmaker on Matt Ritchie‘s opener, while Yoan Gouffran added a second, and Newcastle avenged its league upset from the weekend.
Derby County 0-3 Liverpool
Ragnar Klavan was the unlikely opening goal scorer, Philippe Coutinho the more likely second Red to tally. Divock Origi added the third Liverpool goal in the 54th minute, as Jurgen Klopp‘s bunch cruised.
Bournemouth 2-3 (aet) Preston North End
The Cherries went down 1-0 after 10 minutes, but avoid an upset at the Vitality Stadium when Lewis Grabban converted a 53rd minute penalty and Dan Gosling gave Bournemouth its first lead with under 15 minutes to play.
Simon Makienok leveled things with his second goal of the night, and we were off to extra time where — wouldn’t you know it? — the Dane completed his hat trick to send the Cherries out of the EFL Cup.
Everton 0-2 Norwich City
Ghosts of Goodison past haunting Everton, as Steven Naismith had the Canaries up at the break. Josh Murphy tore into this shot in the 74th minute to insure the lead (and, as it turns out, ensure the win).
EFL Cup Wednesday preview: Three all-PL matches including Swans-Man City.
By Nicholas Mendola
(Photo/Tom Dulat / Getty Images Sport)
Three all-Premier League matches highlight Wednesday’s final day of qualifying for the quarterfinals of the EFL Cup (formerly known as the League Cup).
The day only guarantees one lower league club — either Fulham or Bristol City — will advance to the quarters, where it and seven others will join Arsenal, Newcastle, Preston North End, Chelsea, Leeds United, Norwich City, Liverpool, and Reading.
The day only guarantees one lower league club — either Fulham or Bristol City — will advance to the quarters, where it and seven others will join Arsenal, Newcastle, Preston North End, Chelsea, Leeds United, Norwich City, Liverpool, and Reading.
The highlight, in our mind, is the match-up of two of the last three clubs to win the tournament: Swansea City and Manchester City. It’s another chance to check out Pep Guardiola‘s high-flying Man City, and Swans would be thrilled to find a bit of momentum after being blanked by Southampton this weekend.
Saints will host Crystal Palace, hoping to engineer more momentum after winning in the Europa League and then again against Swans, snapping out of a slow start to the season.
Stoke City will hope to find some swagger — and defense — when Hull City visits, while Manchester United, West Ham, and Spurs aim to avoid upsets from Northampton Town, Accrington Stanley, and Gillingham. Also, QPR will host struggling Sunderland.
Wednesday’s EFL Cup matches
Swansea City-Man City — 2:45 p.m. ET
Northampton Town-Manchester United — 2:45 p.m. ET
Southampton-Crystal Palace — 2:45 p.m. ET
QPR-Sunderland — 2:45 p.m. ET
West Ham United-Accrington Stanley — 2:45 p.m. ET
Fulham-Bristol City — 2:45 p.m. ET
Stoke City-Hull City — 3 p.m. ET
Tottenham Hotspur-Gillingham — 3 p.m. ET
NCAAFB: Forde-Yard Dash: Coaches in a dream situation living a nightmare.
By Pat Forde
(Yahoo Sports Illustration)
Forty names, games, teams and minutiae making news in college football, where Lamar Jackson just scored again on Florida State:
After a weekend in which the Nos. 3, 4, 10 and 11 teams in the preseason AP poll were all but eliminated from the College Football Playoff – that’s Oklahoma, Florida State, Notre Dame and Mississippi – it’s time to freshly appraise the new landscape.
NOT EXACTLY LIVING THE DREAM
Coaches with dream jobs that have developed some nightmarish qualities recently:
Bob Stoops (1), Oklahoma. There are a couple of ways to view the Sooners’ 1-2 start. The first is that they lost to a pair of quality teams in Ohio State and Houston and still might be the best team in the Big 12 and go 10-2 and earn a big-time bowl bid. The second is this: if Oklahoma wants to be what it so often has been in its history – a national championship-caliber program – then it has fallen far short. Again. Oklahoma operating on a high level doesn’t lose by double digits to Houston, no matter how good Houston is. And Oklahoma operating on a high level doesn’t lose by three touchdowns at home to an Ohio State team replacing 16 starters. The 45-24 loss to the Buckeyes shows that Stoops and his staff simply are not operating on the same level as Urban Meyer and his staff – not in recruiting, not in player development, not in game-planning, not in play-calling. In a league that has wandered way out of contention in 2016, Stoops is the leader of the lost brigade.
Mark Helfrich (2), Oregon. Had the very difficult task of following Chip Kelly into the job, and for two years the results were fine – 11-2 followed by 13-2 and a loss in the first CFP championship game. But then Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota left, and the standard started slipping. In 2015 the Ducks lost four games for the first time since 2007, and they’ve started ’16 an unimpressive 2-1. The victories don’t register (FCS-level UC Davis and winless Virginia), and the loss to Nebraska left ample room to second-guess the coaching. Helfrich went for two after every touchdown and went 1-for-5, in a game Oregon lost by three points. The two-point thing has become part of Oregon’s DNA, but it’s only smart if it works. Oregon lost star running back Royce Freeman, offensive tackle Tyrell Crosby and Olympian wide receiver Devon Allen to injury in the game – major deletions from the arsenal – but nobody in the Pac-12 will feel sorry for the school with the biggest facility bankroll. Circle Oct. 8 as a big game for Helfrich: unbeaten Washington comes to Eugene, and the Ducks haven’t lost to the Huskies since 2003. Helfrich would do well to keep that Mike Bellotti-Chip Kelly streak alive.
Gus Malzahn (3), Auburn. His Tigers racked up 700 yards and 51 points in an empty-calorie victory over Arkansas State. On either side of that, Auburn lost to Clemson and Texas A&M and averaged 14.5 points and 330.5 yards. Going back to last year, the one-time offensive genius coach has overseen an attack that has failed to score more than 16 points in its last four games against Power 5 opponents. Malzahn also has lost seven straight home games against Power 5 opposition, with LSU coming to The Plains on Saturday. That game could be vital for both coaches, and only one will win.
Les Miles (4), LSU. The good news: the Tigers scored more than 20 points against an SEC opponent last weekend, the first time that’s happened since last October. The bad news: for the third straight game, LSU recorded at least two scoreless quarters. The offense, now firmly in the hands of Purdue transfer Danny Etling, remains a stop-and-start operation. Miles’ continued tenure in Baton Rouge could go as far as a former loser of the Purdue QB derby will take it. Think about that.
Charlie Strong (5), Texas. After giving up 50 points to California – and 47 to Notre Dame in the opener – the head coach with a defensive pedigree said Monday that “each coach will be evaluated” during the Longhorns’ bye week. Last year in September, Strong demoted offensive coordinator Shawn Watson. This year it’s the defensive staff’s fault. Eventually, Strong will run out of fall guys. Consider the greater schedule context as well: the stirring victory over the Fighting Irish was diminished by Notre Dame’s home loss to Michigan State; and Cal already had lost this year to San Diego State. An extremely soft Big 12 might be Strong’s saving grace.
James Franklin (6), Penn State. The biggest issue is off the field, and it may be more a case of Franklin being worn out by it than Penn State being worn out with him. (Though at 16-13, nobody in Happy Valley is turning cartwheels.) The ongoing obsession in some quarters with attempting to restore honor to Joe Paterno simply serves to keep an uncomfortable storyline alive during a time when Franklin is desperately trying to move the football program forward. For the faction that wants Paterno deity status returned at the expense of the present-day team, congratulations. It’s working.
Clay Helton (7), USC. With 10 returning offensive starters, the Trojans have punted 17 times and scored seven touchdowns. That’s not an ideal ratio. Granted, USC has played two heavyweights already – Alabama and Stanford – but ranking last in the Pac-12 in scoring and total offense probably isn’t what Pat Haden envisioned last year when he kept it in the Trojan family by promoting Helton from interim coach to the boss. USC is 1-4 in the full-time Helton Era and heading to Salt Lake City this weekend to take on unbeaten Utah.
Jimbo Fisher (8), Florida State. No, he’s not on anything remotely resembling the hot seat – not after consecutive seasons of 12-2, 14-0, 13-1 and 10-3. But that 43-point crushing at Louisville will leave a mark on this team’s psyche, one that might be hard to erase in time for a road game Saturday against a 3-0 South Florida team that might be sneaky good. Three other current unbeaten are on the schedule as well: Miami, Clemson and Florida.
DO WE BELIEVE? OR ARE WE BEING DECEIVED?
There are six matchups of undefeated teams this week, and all of the participants bring some doubt to the table. The Dash decides who might be legit and who might be counterfeit.
Clemson at Georgia Tech (9). Thursday night game matches a team struggling to live up to 2016 expectations against an opponent that knows the feeling from 2015. The Tigers are the defending national runner-up and struggled for two weeks before steamrolling FCS South Carolina State. The Yellow Jackets were a complete bust last year, going 3-9 after starting the season ranked No. 16. This time around Tech is 3-0 with nobody watching – which generally seems to be coach Paul Johnson’s preferred mode of operation. Clemson hasn’t won at Georgia Tech since 2003, but The Dash still believes much more strongly in the Tigers than in the Jackets. Prediction: Clemson 31, Georgia Tech 17.
Arkansas vs. Texas A&M (10). Pair of SEC West teams each has a stirring non-conference victory that they tried to give away late – Razorbacks over TCU, Aggies over UCLA. But A&M also has a conference road win over Auburn to its credit. Kevin Sumlin has been Mr. September, winning his last 13 games in that month. Bret Bielema has not, going 9-5 in September as coach at Arkansas. A&M will still have to prove it can sustain another hot season start, but for now it looks like the more complete team. Prediction: Texas A&M 34, Arkansas 27.
Florida at Tennessee (11). The Volunteers were a plus-four turnovers against Virginia Tech and won easily. They were a combined minus-two turnovers against Appalachian State and Ohio and struggled to win. Tennessee’s passing-game playmaker has been Josh Malone (four of the Vols’ six touchdown receptions), but Florida’s No. 1-ranked defense likely will make quarterback Josh Dobbs find an alternative target. If the Gators weren’t starting Purdue transfer Austin Appleby (19 career TD passes, 19 career interceptions), The Dash would take Florida. But after the injury to Luke Del Rio he is starting, so: Tennessee 16, Florida 14.
Wisconsin at Michigan State (12). The Badgers reportedly are making a change at quarterback, going with backup Alex Hornibrook after he led a comeback to avert an embarrassing defeat against Georgia State. The Spartans looked spectacular for most of the game against Notre Dame before needing to hang on at the end. These are the top two rushing defenses in the Big Ten to date, which makes it likely that the offenses will have to pass to win. Michigan State has gotten off to a good start in that department. It doesn’t have the luxury of attacking Notre Dame’s depleted secondary this week, but should be able to make enough plays. Prediction: Michigan State 24, Wisconsin 17.
Wake Forest at Indiana (13). Neither is likely legit, but the game has gotten at least a small boost in intrigue thanks to Wake’s first 3-0 start since 2008. The Demon Deacons have a pretty good defense to match up against the Hoosiers’ pretty good offense. Wake’s offense has gotten better each game, but still isn’t anything to sing about. Indiana’s defense appears much improved from last year’s dreadful unit. Prediction: Indiana 28, Wake Forest 21.
Don’t beat yourself (15). Army, Western Michigan and Maryland are the final three teams without a turnover on the season. They’re also all 3-0, which is hardly business as usual at those schools.
Wake Forest at Indiana (13). Neither is likely legit, but the game has gotten at least a small boost in intrigue thanks to Wake’s first 3-0 start since 2008. The Demon Deacons have a pretty good defense to match up against the Hoosiers’ pretty good offense. Wake’s offense has gotten better each game, but still isn’t anything to sing about. Indiana’s defense appears much improved from last year’s dreadful unit. Prediction: Indiana 28, Wake Forest 21.
Don’t beat yourself (15). Army, Western Michigan and Maryland are the final three teams without a turnover on the season. They’re also all 3-0, which is hardly business as usual at those schools.
Defense wins (16). It doesn’t just work in the NFL for the Denver Broncos; it works in college, too. The top 17 teams nationally in scoring defense are all undefeated.
Stop the run, and stop it early (17). The top nine teams in rushing defense, 12 of the top 13, and 17 of the top 19 are all undefeated. Six teams are holding opponents to fewer than two yards per carry on first down, and they’re all undefeated: Air Force, Central Michigan, Wake Forest, Miami, Washington and Houston.
Score in multiple ways (18). Alabama has five touchdowns via defense and special teams. Ohio State and Michigan have four. Washington has three. Houston, Indiana, Arkansas, Maryland and San Diego State all have two. What do they have in common? All undefeated.
Win third down (19). The top four in percentage of third-down conversions to keep drives alive: Toledo, Air Force, Florida and Army. All undefeated. So are 10 of the top 14. Defensively, the top four in stopping third-down conversions are Michigan, Central Michigan, Toledo and Clemson. All undefeated. So are 13 of the top 18.
TO THE BALL DROPPERS: THINK OF THOSE LESS FORTUNATE
It keeps happening. Players speeding unmolested toward the end zone keep dropping the ball short of the goal line – because there is simply nothing cooler in football than giving away a touchdown for no good reason. It has become the dumbest play in the game, yet instead of watching others do it and swearing, “That will never be me,” at least three guys have committed the same sin against ball security in just three weeks.
In an effort to educate and not condemn, The Dash is here to instruct the Ball Dropping Four on how hard times can be at a school that cannot find the end zone nearly as easily.
For California running back Vic Enwere (20), whose drop against Texas could have given the Longhorns a chance to win the game had officials realized that a defender pounced on it quickly: think of Boston College (21). The Eagles have scored just five touchdowns this season, and three of those came on one-play “drives.” They didn’t score at all last Saturday against Virginia Tech, and haven’t scored more than 17 points in their last 10 Atlantic Coast Conference games. Think of the Eagles, Vic, and how desperately they would love to have a clear path to the end zone. Ever again.
For Oklahoma running back/return man Joe Mixon (22), whose ball drop before the end zone against Ohio State on Saturday night went undetected by officials on the field and the replay booth – thus keeping the Sooners from losing a touchdown and looking even worse against the Buckeyes – think of Florida International (23). The Panthers have four touchdowns in three games, and scored only half as much against vaunted Massachusetts (13 points) as the aforementioned Boston College (26 points). When BC is twice as explosive as you against a common opponent, you need an offensive intervention.
For Clemson return man Ray-Ray McCloud (24), who gave away six on a punt runback against Troy on Sept. 10, think about Buffalo (25). The Bulls have managed three touchdowns in two games – one in an opening loss to Albany, and two in a 24-point drubbing at Nevada. Buffalo has scored one punt-return touchdown in the last 14 years – you think they’d love to have the chance you dropped against Troy?
That doesn’t even include Florida State running back Dalvin Cook (26) dropping the ball accidentally on the way to score against Mississippi, when he inexplicably shifted it away from his body inside the 5-yard line. (Cook’s Heisman Trophy candidacy has been dropped as well, with just 228 rushing yards in three games.)
Nor did it include this gaffe by South Carolina State’s Ahmad Harris (27), who flipped the ball to the official without taking a knee on a kickoff into the end zone against Clemson Saturday. That led to a touchdown for the Tigers, balancing out the bonehead play McCloud committed the week before.
BIG-PLAY BALLERS
The five players who have The Dash’s attention every time they’re on the field:
Lamar Jackson (28), Louisville. Averaging 10.5 yards per play, Jackson is tied for the national lead in touchdowns accounted for (18) and leads in rushing yards for a quarterback (464). He’s had nine plays of 25 yards or longer already. The hurdle at Syracuse looked like a Heisman moment – until he flowed through Florida State 47 yards for a touchdown a week later.
Jabrill Peppers (29), Michigan. Has there ever been a skill set like this guy’s? He leads the nation in tackles for loss with 9.5, yet he somehow also ranks fourth nationally in punt return yardage at 21.7 per return. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound linebacker/safety/running back/kick returner is simply a football player – plug him in anywhere and watch him go. He’s following the Charles Woodson tradition of all-around studs at Michigan, but with even a few more twists.
Isaiah McKenzie (30), Georgia. Role seems to be expanding by the week. The little man (5-foot-8) has had four receiving touchdowns and one rushing thus far, in addition to yardage as a kick returner. He crushed Missouri Saturday with three TDs, including the game-winner on fourth-and-10 from the 20 with less than two minutes remaining. (Everyone in the stadium knew Georgia was throwing to McKenzie on that play, and Missouri made sure it was easy for the Bulldogs by single-covering him and giving him a free inside release. One of many Mizzou late-game errors that made Georgia’s comeback possible.)
Janarion Grant (31), Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights have a long way to go to be good, but they do have a dynamic talent in Grant. He returned a punt for a touchdown and threw a TD against New Mexico; returned a kickoff for a score and rushed for 100 yards against Howard; and had 160 all-purpose yards against Washington. Which makes him a poor man’s version of this guy …
Christian McCaffrey (32), Stanford. The reigning king of all-purpose running remains at the top of the national statistics, averaging 235 yards per game – and that’s despite having a 97-yard kickoff return touchdown called back in week one. Opponents are reticent to kick to McCaffrey, and with good reason. When he gets a few more opportunities for runbacks he will add some more spectacular plays in that area soon enough.
HOSTING THE TIDE
Some fans may not know it, but even home games usually come with hotel stays in football. Coaches want their players rested and focused heading into a game, and the best way to ensure that is to remove them from the Friday night dorm/apartment environment and sequester them in a local hotel.
In Tuscaloosa, Alabama (33) has been hunkered down the night before home games for a quarter century at the Hotel Capstone (34), which is just a few Jalen Hurts spirals from the stadium. What does it take to house the Crimson Tide for a home game?
Forty-two cases of sports drinks, because hydration matters. Fourteen pounds of food prepared per player, with 56 hours of kitchen prep spread over three days, because they are large and hungry. And 1,890 dishes washed, because all that food leaves a lot of mess behind.
“We put together a pretty massive amount of food,” said the Capstone’s Ashley Russell.
Russell has become so familiar with Alabama’s pregame rhythms and schedule that she now accompanies the team on the road to help make the road trips function as smoothly as the home games.
“The road games are a much bigger undertaking,” she said.
Those call for 120 rooms. The Capstone generally holds 60 rooms for a player group that numbers about 85, plus additional rooms for coaches and support staff. (Not all coaches stay at the hotel the night before games; it usually depends on how late they are preparing on Friday and how early kickoff is on Saturday.) Player floors are monitored by security throughout their stay to keep fans or other thrill-seekers away.
The hotel’s meeting rooms are devoted to offense, defense and special teams, plus one that is used as a makeshift training room for players to receive treatment. Most of the meals are next door at the Bryant Conference Center, and fans have been known to line up on the walkway through the courtyard between the buildings just to get a glimpse of the Tide. Then they line up – along with the hotel staff – to see the players off to the buses for the short drive to Bryant-Denny Stadium.
The atmosphere is cordial but buttoned-down and businesslike. Just the way a certain head coach prefers it.
“He’s here to prepare for a game so he’s very focused,” said Capstone general manager Barry Carden. “By choice, we try not to interrupt his thought process.”
Said Russell: “He’s obviously very focused, but he smiles, says hello. He nods a little. He operates on a very strict, fast-paced schedule. He doesn’t slow down.”
Hotel staff does make sure to have some of Saban’s snack of choice, Little Debbies, on hand. However, they told The Dash they do not place them on his pillow before bedtime.
Speaking of Alabama: This guy (35) had the best recap of SEC football over the weekend:
YOU THINK THE OFFICIATING IN YOUR LEAGUE IS BAD … ?
Everyone is convinced that the refs in the conference they watch closest are the worst. Just like people are convinced that the drivers in their hometown are the worst. Try getting out more and seeing more football, because when you do, you find calls like this one from the Tennessee Tech-Mercer (36) game:
The Dash realizes that officiating staff probably isn’t getting paid a ton to call a game on the weekends after selling life insurance during the week, but c’mon.
COACH WHO EARNED HIS COMP CAR THIS WEEK
COACH WHO EARNED HIS COMP CAR THIS WEEK
Mike Riley (37), Nebraska. Fourteen times as the coach at Oregon State, Riley had the unenviable task of taking on the richer in-state rival, Oregon. He lost 10 of those. As the Ducks’ Nike-funded machine hit high gear, he lost the last seven in a row. Then Riley surprisingly departed for Nebraska after the 2014 season, and the future schedule offered a payback chance: Oregon in Lincoln in ’16. Riley got the chance and made the most of it Saturday, with a 35-32 victory that ranks as his biggest to date as coach of the Cornhuskers. (Yes, upsetting Michigan State late last season was important, but it wasn’t going to salvage a season that already had six losses. This time around, Nebraska is 3-0 heading into Big Ten play). Riley was asked a lot last week about finally having a fighting chance against the Ducks, and he mostly downplayed the topic. But as Portland Oregonian columnist John Canzano tweeted Saturday, “Mike Riley got the Duck off his back.”
COACH WHO SHOULD TAKE THE BUS TO WORK
Jim Grobe (38), Baylor. After the latest forehead-slapping, they-don’t-get-it moment at scandal-ridden Baylor on Saturday, The Placeholder Coach said he doesn’t know what Shawn Oakman looks like. That was after Oakman, the former Baylor player who was indicted on a sexual assault charge that is still being adjudicated, visited the Bears’ locker room after their victory at Rice. Coach, here’s a clue: he’s 6-foot-8, 290 pounds. Guys that size stand out, even in a football locker room. Actually, the fact that Oakman strolled into the locker room is more an issue for the assistants and support staff who generally are charged with policing who can enter a team’s inner sanctum before or after a game. At virtually every school, they do take that job seriously – paranoid secrecy is part of the college football culture. But in this case, there was an absence of that at a time when it actually was needed. Certainly, it would have been awkward to tell a former star player he could not come in the locker room – but just as certainly, Oakman’s presence is exactly what Baylor does not need as it struggles to at least appear like it is distancing itself from the myriad sexual-assault problems that led to massive leadership changes during the spring and summer. So, here’s a suggestion for Grobe: familiarize yourself with the people who caused all the problems at Baylor, and tell them they need to maintain their distance from the program. It’s not like he has much else to do, because the Briles holdover assistant coaches are handling most of the actual coaching.
POINT AFTER
When hungry and thirsty in the sudden football town of Louisville, The Dash recommends a meal at Seviche (39) — get the blistered shishito peppers and empanadas for appetizers, then the Argentinian skirt steak entrée. Keep it local with a Goodwood Louisville Lager (40) and thank The Dash later.
NCAABKB: South Carolina AD: School considers bidding on NCAA tourney
Associated Press
South Carolina Athletic Director Ray tanner speaks during a news conference held to announce the resignation of South Carolina head football coach Steve Spurrier, Oct. 13, 2015, at the University Of South Carolina, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro)
South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner says the university is considering a bid for the NCAA Tournament men's basketball first- and second-round games the NCAA has removed from North Carolina over a state law limiting protections for LGBT people.
Tanner said South Carolina has until Sept. 27 to submit its bid. If successful, the men's tournament would supersede holding a potential women's NCAA Tournament at the Colonial Life Arena.
The Gamecocks have hosted NCAA women's tournament games the past two seasons.
The state of South Carolina has not hosted a men's NCAA Tournament regional since 2002 because of the NCAA ban over flying the Confederate flag on Statehouse grounds.
The flag was removed in July 2015 after nine people were killed at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston a month earlier.
NCAA Regional highlights MSG college hoops schedule.
Associated Press
(Photo/yahoosports.com/Associated Press).
The State Farm Champions Classic featuring Duke, Kansas, Kentucky and Michigan State opens Madison Square Garden’s 2016-17 college basketball schedule in November and the NCAA East Regional will help close it in March.
Two days later, the first round of the 2K Classic Benefiting the Wounded Warrior Project begins with Pittsburgh playing SMU and Marquette facing Michigan. The winners and losers meet the next night.
In addition to six St. John’s Big East home games, the Garden will also have Syracuse against Connecticut on Dec. 5; and the Jimmy V Classic with Purdue against Arizona State and Florida against Duke on Dec. 6.
The Big East Tournament will be held at the Garden for a 35th consecutive season. The East Regional will decide one of the Final Four teams and the schedule ends March 30 with the championship game of the 80th NIT.
Jesse Owens’ family to present award to Muhammad Ali’s wife at Team USA Awards.
By Nick Zaccardi
(Photo/yahoosports.com)
One of Jesse Owens‘ granddaughters will present an award to Muhammad Ali‘s wife, Lonnie Ali, at the Team USA Awards in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 28.
The U.S. Olympic Committee announced the inaugural Jesse Owens Spirit Award that will be posthumously bestowed to Ali at the event.
The annual award “will recognize an individual(s) who has served as a powerful force for good in society, inspiring others by contributing to a better world, uniting people or leading a cause,” the U.S. Olympic Committee said in a press release.
“Our father believed in the power of the Olympic spirit, and felt that its capacity to spread goodness throughout the world has no boundaries,” Marlene Owens-Rankin, one of Owens’ three daughters, said in a press release. “We are honored that the USOC has created this new award in his name to recognize individuals for the positive impact they make on society. We greatly appreciate the USOC for recognizing our father with the initiation of this award.”
Ali died at age 74 on June 3. He won Olympic light heavyweight gold in 1960 and lit the Olympic cauldron in 1996.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of Owens’ triumph at the Berlin Olympics — four gold medals in the face of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany.
“Muhammad believed with his whole heart in service to others and in advocating for those in need, and he was always proud of how the Olympic Movement could ignite that flame and unite the world in so many ways,” Lonnie Ali said in a press release. “I am honored to accept the Jesse Owens Olympic Spirit Award on his behalf, and to encourage young people everywhere to harness that spirit and compassion to make their own impact on the world and to leave it a better place for future generations.”
On This Date in Sports History: Today is Wednesday, September 21, 2016.
emoriesofhistory.com
1970 - "NFL Monday Night Football" made its debut on ABC-TV. The game was between the Cleveland Browns and the New York Jets. The Browns won 31-21.
1971 - The American League approved the move of the Washington Senators to Arlington, TX.
1982 - National Football League (NFL) players began a 57-day strike. It was their first regular-season walkout.
2008 - The New York Yankees played their last game at Yankee Stadium. The new Yankee Stadium opened across the street in 2009.
1971 - The American League approved the move of the Washington Senators to Arlington, TX.
1982 - National Football League (NFL) players began a 57-day strike. It was their first regular-season walkout.
2008 - The New York Yankees played their last game at Yankee Stadium. The new Yankee Stadium opened across the street in 2009.
*****************************************************************
Please let us hear your opinion on the above articles and pass them on to any other diehard fans that you think might be interested. But most of all, remember, Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica wants you.
No comments:
Post a Comment