CS&T/AllsportsAmerica Friday Sports News Update and What's Your Take? 11/11/2016.

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"Sports Quote of the Day"

  “Let me define a leader. He must have vision and passion and not be afraid of any problem. Instead, he should know how to defeat it. Most importantly, he must work with integrity.” ~ A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, The 11th President of India

Trending: NFLPA will study marijuana as a pain-management tool for players. (What's Your Take? (See the last article on this blog for our thoughts and we look forward to hearing, what's your take?)

Trending: Blackhawks host Ovechkin-led Capitals on Veterans Day. (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates and NHL news).

Trending: Bears going beyond the cliche, injuries to flirt with top-10 defense and major attitude change. (See the football section for Bears News an NFL updates).

Trending: Bulls gut out win in Dwyane Wade's return to Miami. (See the basketball section for Bulls news and NBA updates).

Trending: Theo Epstein shrewdly planned ahead, so Cubs wouldn’t have to make a splash this winter. (See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).

Trending: MLB execs agree: White Sox in ‘perfect market’ if they decide to rebuild in 2017. (See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).

How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks host Ovechkin-led Capitals on Veterans Day.

By Emerald Gao

(Photo/chicagoblackhawk.com)

If the Blackhawks want to stretch their win streak to double digits, they'll have to get through two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference this weekend in Washington and Montreal. The Capitals, Friday's opponent, sit in third place in the Metropolitan Division and fourth in the conference, and entered the season as one of the potential juggernauts in the East after winning the Presidents' Trophy in 2015-16.

Although the Caps have strong underlying numbers and sit in favorable position, they haven't looked quite as dominant as they were last year, due in large part to a faltering power play. While Washington had the league's fifth-ranked power play last season, they're clicking at 13.2 percent through 12 games this year, 24th in the league.

Overall, the Caps offense is currently sitting in the middle of the league, although they certainly have the firepower to change that in a hurry. And they have already started, to some extent: After averaging 2.33 goals per game in their first six games of the season, that number has improved to 3.17 over the next six, even counting Tuesday's shutout loss.

Chicago's 2-1 victory in St. Louis on Wednesday was more of the same: a spectacular outing by goaltender Corey Crawford, who allowed just one goal on 28 shots, a team effort to kill three minor penalties and timely goals from top forwards. Marian Hossa tallied his seventh goal of the season (and fourth in four games) in the second period, and Artemi Panarin added the overtime game-winner to secure both points. Meanwhile, the Capitals had a five-game win streak snapped on Tuesday, when they were shut out 3-0 by San Jose.

RUSSIAN ALONG

Panarin's game-winner capped off an unlikely Gordie Howe hat trick after the 25-year-old had picked up a helper on Hossa's goal as well as a fighting major for scrapping with veteran Scottie Upshall late in regulation; the game-winning goal came on his first shift after serving the major. With 15 points (6G, 9A) Panarin is one of three Blackhawks currently in the top 10 of the NHL in scoring, along with Patrick Kane (5G, 12A) and Artem Anisimov (8G, 9A).

Anisimov, who has centered Panarin for the majority of the season, left Wednesday's game with an upper-body injury, putting an end to his career-long 11-game point streak. Nick Schmaltz skated a few shifts with Panarin and Hossa in the third period, but Head Coach Joel Quenneville will need to figure out a temporary solution on the second line with Anisimov being listed as questionable for Friday's game.

THREE ON TOP

As expected, Caps captain Alex Ovechkin has been the engine for his team on the attacking end. After being held without a point in the first two games of the season, he's picked up points in seven of the last 10; he leads the team with seven goals and shares the club lead with 11 points. Ovechkin's greatest weapon is his powerful shot, and he's relied on center Nicklas Backstrom to set him for the better part of a decade. Backstrom naturally leads the team with eight helpers this season, while the third member of Washington's top line, T.J. Oshie, has six goals and an assist so far this year. Backstrom is also strong at the faceoff dot, ranking 15th in the league (58 percent).

CAGE MATCH

Friday's tilt should feature a battle between two of the league's top netminders over the last few years. Crawford (106) and his Capitals counterpart, Braden Holtby (118), rank fifth and first respectively in wins since the 2013-14 season, and are among the top in their position across a host of statistical categories. Crawford's dominance in recent weeks has been well-documented, capped off by Second Star honors from the NHL. Holtby, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner, has a .920 save percentage and 2.19 goals-against average while starting 10 of Washington's 12 games thus far. He has a 4-2-0 record against the Blackhawks in his career, while Crawford has a 3-3-1 lifetime mark against the Capitals.

NOTABLE ABSENCES

CHI: Artem Anisimov (upper body, questionable), Tyler Motte (lower body), Trevor van Riemsdyk (upper body)

WSH: none

Artemi Panarin nets Blackhawks' OT winner at Blues.

By Tracey Myers

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Patrick Kane described Artemi Panarin as “an undercover tough, wiry kid,” and said he wondered recently how the Russian forward would do if he ever got in a fight. He soon found out.

“He did amazing,” Kane said of Panarin, who fought Scottie Upshall after hitting Upshall face-first into the glass. “He’s a tough kid.”

Fighting probably will never be Panarin’s strong suit but finishing is, and he had that on Wednesday, too.

Panarin scored the overtime winner and Corey Crawford stopped 27 of 28 shots as the Blackhawks beat the St. Louis Blues 2-1 on Wednesday. The Blackhawks have now won seven in a row and eight of their last nine. Their last regulation loss was Oct. 21, a 3-2 decision to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

With the victory may have come another loss. Artem Anisimov left in the second period with an upper-body injury and did not return. Coach Joel Quenneville said Anisimov was day-to-day. Asked if a concussion spotter pulled Anisimov, Quenneville said, “we don’t like talking about injuries. I’m not going to say what it was but I don’t think that was part of it.”

Panarin was serving five minutes for fighting as the Blackhawks entered overtime with 24 seconds of power-play time remaining (delay of game from Alex Pietrangelo). The Blues killed that off but one second later Panarin hit the ice and got the game-winner. It was his sixth goal of the season.

“He was ready to go,” Quenneville said of the rested Panarin. He didn’t mind the fight, either. “You gotta love the way he competes. Give him credit. He got the Gordie Howe [hat trick] tonight.”

Indeed, Panarin had an assist on Marian Hossa’s seventh goal of the season to complete that trick.

Crawford was once again stellar for the Blackhawks; his biggest save was late in the third period on Vladimir Tarasenko, a stop that looked similar to Scott Darling’s stop on Stars forward Patrick Eaves on Sunday.

“Yeah it was kind of a broken play in front of the net there,” Crawford said. “I kind of saw he was going on the backhand. He didn’t shoot right away. He kind of wound up with it. I just tried to force it in there and it gave me enough time to get over.”

Crawford kept the Blues at bay until Pietrangelo’s shot got through him with 2:11 remaining in regulation. The Blackhawks challenged for goaltender interference – Jori Lehtera was planted in front of the net – but the goal stood following review. It wouldn’t matter. Just 25 seconds into overtime, Panarin was finishing things off.

The Blackhawks are winning in a variety of ways. Mostly it’s goaltending but they played a good all-around contest against the Blues. You didn’t expect to see Panarin fight in this one, but you weren’t surprised to see him finish.

Great goaltending and finish: Five Things from Blackhawks-Blues.

By Tracey Myers

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Another game, another victory for the Blackhawks.

They’re putting together more complete games, and they eked out another tough road win with their 2-1 overtime victory over the St. Louis Blues. Let’s just save everyone some time and get to the Five Things to take from the Blackhawks’ seventh consecutive victory.

1. Artemi Panarin gets the Gordie Howe hat trick. Yeah, that’s the guy you picked to get that, right? But there was Panarin, fighting with Scottie Upshall – Upshall wasn’t happy with Panarin hitting him face-first into the glass – assisting on Marian Hossa’s goal and then scoring the game-winner. Quenneville admires the fire in his players, but we’re guessing he’d rather have Panarin save his hands for those goals.

2. A more even start. The Blackhawks had a great opportunity to take an early lead when they went on a 5-on-3 for 1:36 in the first period. They didn’t capitalize but they still looked sharper in the opening minutes than they have in previous games.

3. Artem Anisimov hurt. Just when the Blackhawks get Andrew Desjardins back they lose Anisimov. He suffered an upper-body injury late in the second period and he’s day-to-day moving forward. Quenneville seemed to rule out a concussion but he also didn’t know what Anisimov’s status would be this weekend. Anisimov has been fantastic in this early season. The Blackhawks will miss him if he misses any time.

4. Corey Crawford does it again. He’s becoming a nightly mention in Five Things, for good reason. Crawford had another strong outing, making his biggest stop of the night on Vladimir Tarasenko late in the third period. Patrick Kane said, “what more can you say about him? He’s been unbelievable this year, locked in, focused, confident. [You’re] almost too confident with him I the net back there where you feel you can maybe give up some chances and he’s going to bail you out every time. we like that but we could probably shore up some plays and not give up as many good looks for him.”

5. Credit to Jake Allen, too. This was just an outstanding goaltending duel on Wednesday night. Both he and Crawford made big saves and each earned his respective team a point. These two teams didn’t disappoint in the postseason, and we expect to see more games like Wednesday night between them as we go this season. If that’s the case, get ready for more Allen-Crawford greatness.

Check out the jerseys the Blackhawks will wear in this season's Winter Classic.

By CSN Staff

Inspired by the playing days of Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita, the Blackhawks have some sharp-looking new jerseys for this season's Winter Classic.

The Blackhawks will take on the rival St. Louis Blues in the Winter Classic on Jan. 2 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, and these are the sweaters they'll be wearing.

Check them out:

Looking good.

The Winter Classic Jerseys were available for purchase by fans as of yesterday.

Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! PFW Matchup Breakdown: Chicago Bears vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

By PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY STAFF

Jay Cutler and the Bears take on the Bucs in Week 10. (H. Rick Bamman – hbamman@shawmedia.com)

The Chicago Bears are coming off a bye following just their second win of the season in a big Monday night upset of the Minnesota Vikings. The Bears are feeling good about their second half of the season with all of their opening day starters back from injury except for receiver Kevin White and the return of Pernell McPhee from the PUP list and hopefully close to 100 percent.

This week they travel to Tampa Bay to meet a Bucs team that has been up and down throughout the first half of the season with impressive wins over Atlanta and Carolina and an overtime loss to Oakland, but four other losses including routs at Arizona and by Denver and in a rematch with the Falcons.

CHI 15TH OFF; TB 28TH DEF

CHI 24TH RUN; TB 24TH vs. RUN

CHI 12TH PASS; TB 27TH vs. PASS

CHI 31ST PTS; TB 29TH PTS ALLOWED

TB 14TH OFF; CHI 12TH DEF

TB 15TH RUN; CHI 14TH vs. RUN

TB 17TH PASS; CHI 12TH vs. PASS

TB 18TH PTS; CHI 15TH PTS ALLOWED

CHI T20TH TO/TA; TB T22ND TO-TA

Feeling a bit better about themselves coming off bye after 20-10 upset win over Vikings in Week 8, BEARS have won 4 of last 5 games vs. BUCS , including 26-21 win at Tampa Bay in Week 16 last season.

BEARS QB Jay Cutler, who threw for 252 yards and a TD in Week 8 after missing 5 games with thumb injury, was 20-27-156-1 TD-0 INTs (100.2 QB rating) in Week 16 win over Bucs last season.

Top candidate for BEARS first-half MVP honors would have to be breakthrough rookie RB Jordan Howard (5.1 ypc), who has 3 100-yard rushing efforts in 5 starts, including career-high 153 yards with a TD in Week 8.

Things would appear to be looking up for BEARS No. 1 WR Alshon Jeffery, who had 4-63 receiving and his first TD of the season in Week 8 win (36-583-1 TD-16.2 ypc total).

BEARS TE Zach Miller (team-leading 40 catches and 3 TD catches) had 7-88 receiving on 10 targets in Week 8, as well as 7-69 receiving on 8 targets in Week 16 win over Bucs last season.

BEARS defense benefited from return of LB Pernell McPhee from extended absence in Week 8 (one of team’s 5 sacks).

BEARS defense should be further bolstered by likely return of NT Eddie Goldman, who has missed last 6 games with ankle injury (check status).

Also check status of BEARS starting OGs Kyle Long (triceps) and Josh Sitton (ankle), who each sat out Week 8. O-line played surprisingly well without them, paving way for 158-yard rushing attack and allowing only 1 sack.

BEARS ’ undoing came primarily in 4 ^th quarter first half of season. In each of first 3 quarters, Bears were outscored by no fewer than 2 points. In 4 ^th quarter, they were outscored 79-30.

BUCS dropped second straight game in Week 9, getting bludgeoned in Thursday-night prime time 43-28 by Falcons (461 yards allowed).

BUCS have allowed 73 points in last 2 games and at least 27 points in 5 of 8 games.

BUCS outgained Bears 389-327 in Week 16 loss last season, but they lost TO battle 3-0 with an INT and 5 fumbles (2 lost).

BUCS QB Jameis Winston (23-37-261-3 TDs-0 INTs-110.3 QB rating in Week 9) was 15-29-295-2-1 (96.2) in Week 16 loss to Bears last season.

Check status of BUCS WR Mike Evans, who had impressive 11-150-2 receiving in Week 9 before undergoing concussion protocol. Evans had 4-61 receiving on 8 targets in Week 16 loss to Bears last season.

Without injured RBs Doug Martin, Jacquizz Rodgers (check statuses), BUCS managed only 19-73 rushing in Week 9 loss. Martin had 17-49-1 rushing but 2 lost fumbles in Week 16 loss to Bears last season.

BUCS also hurt themselves with 11 penalties for 85 yards in losses in Week 9 loss to Falcons.

BUCS star DT Gerald McCoy had a sack (team-leading 4 ^th ) and a FF in Week 9 loss.

Bears going beyond the cliche, injuries to flirt with top-10 defense and major attitude change.

By John Mullin 

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

The Bears at this point in their 2016 season face any number of questions. But one in particular looms relevant as they try to build on an impressive win over the Minnesota Vikings and use it as a springboard into the second half of their season:

Does their attitude and confidence get them closer to more wins and better play? Or does the better play (and positive reinforcement from a “W”) build the attitude? Or both?

“Ideally you want to start off with that confidence,” said linebacker Sam Acho. “But some of it is built. You don’t really know you can do something until you go out and do it.”

So were the Bears good against Minnesota because they found some confidence? And will it last, whatever it is? Or does beating the Vikings materially improve their chances of win No. 3 next Sunday just because now they know they can be good for 60 full minutes?

“It’s a game of confidence and it’s hard to get confidence without something good happening and that typically is wins,” said coach John Fox. “No doubt. Obviously that helps. But what came first, the chicken or the egg? I think we performed well so you have a better chance of winning and then it all works.”

Talk is very, very cheap, and also very, very easy. And while the mood within the Halas Hall locker room was palpably better on this Wednesday than quite a few previous ones this season, that doesn’t mean much if the Bears come back from Tampa 2-7.

But within the defense in particular, as members of the Bears’ defense returned to practice on Monday, they weren’t used to so many bodies moving around, given the weekly sick bay the team has filled up too many times through eight game weeks.

Yet in spite of gaping starting-lineup holes left by injuries – Bryce Callahan (2 games missed), Kyle Fuller (8), Eddie Goldman (6), Lamarr Houston (6), Pernell McPhee (6), Danny Trevathan (2) – the Bears finished the first half of a disappointing season still ranked in the top half of the NFL in yardage allowed (12th), rushing average (10th), third-down defense (8th), sack percentage (13th).

Notably perhaps, the Bears did not deteriorate into a group expecting something to go wrong, which has happened within some past Bears teams that were battered by one injury or misfortune after another.

“Anytime you are playing well it is going to create confidence,” said defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. “Good play, good execution, fuels emotion more so than any speech could. So if you are out there experiencing good things, you feel better about yourself as an individual and as a unit. I am sure the fans even felt a little better.”

Feeling better is certainly a good thing. Feeling nasty is more the internal objective, however, and that is part of the program for a team that believes it has turned a corner and now doesn’t want to back-slide.

“Today, yesterday, Monday, I told the guys the main thing was to stay pissed off, know where we are and where we can go,” McPhee said. “The sky’s the limit; only thing we’ve got to do is stay focused.”

Howard developing into impact player.

By Larry Mayer

(Photo/chicagobears.com)

Less than two months after opening the season as the Bears' third-string running back, rookie Jordan Howard has emerged as one of the team's top playmakers.

The fifth-round draft pick from Indiana has rushed for 505 yards and two touchdowns on 99 carries and caught 18 passes for 177 yards and one TD. His 69-yard run on Halloween night against the Vikings is the Bears' longest play from scrimmage this season and the club's longest run since Kahlil Bell's 72-yarder in 2009.

"He's one of those guys who's getting better and better and better each and every week," said quarterback Jay Cutler. "You can see it in his play. You can see it in his demeanor, the way he carries himself. In the huddle he's one of the guys you don't have to worry about him at all. He's like a five-year vet; knows exactly what he's supposed to do and his responsibilities. If you mess up something, he's going to fix it for you, which is awesome to have."

Howard was active but did not play in the Bears' season opener in Houston. He then saw limited action in the next two games, rushing for 22 yards on three carries against the Eagles and 45 yards on nine attempts versus the Cowboys.

With Jeremy Langford and Ka'Deem Carey both unable to play due to injuries in a Week 5 contest against the Lions, Howard made the most of his first NFL start, rushing for 111 yards on 23 carries in helping the Bears record their first win of the season.

A week later, Howard rushed for 118 yards on 16 carries and caught three passes for 45 yards including a 21-yard touchdown in a loss to the Colts.

"If there's an advantage to having injuries it's that it gives guys opportunities," said coach John Fox. "We weren't excited to get Jeremy Langford banged up with an ankle. But it gave Jordan Howard an opportunity. We got to learn a lot more about his capabilities and I think he's proven to us and proven to people on the outside that he's worthy of it."

After Howard's production dipped in back-to-back losses to the Jaguars and Packers, he rebounded by rushing for a career-high 153 yards and one TD and catching four passes for 49 yards in an upset win over the Vikings Halloween night at Soldier Field.

"He's done a really good job with yards after contact," said offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains. "That's where he's made his biggest improvements. As he gets more reps and sees more things, we hope that he'll continue to get better and better with the run schemes."

The Bears knew that Howard had plenty of potential after he rushed for 3,681 yards and 24 TDs in three college seasons at Alabama-Birmingham (2013-14) and Indiana (2015). But they weren't exactly sure what they had until he was given an opportunity to play earlier this season.

"He missed a little bit of time in the offseason as well as training camp, so we were just getting to know him," Fox said. "And then Jeremy got hurt and [Howard's] reps picked up and it wasn't too big for him. He's handled it well. He's a humble kid, good teammate, a real high character guy who's kept a level head. Sometimes some early success can go to a guy's head, but that has not been the case with Jordan."

Howard's success on the ground has helped create opportunities in the passing game. In the rookie's three 100-yard outings this season, Bears quarterbacks have posted their three highest passer ratings: Brian Hoyer's 120.1 and 120.0 against the Lions and Colts, respectively, and Cutler's 100.5 versus the Vikings.

"Any quarterback alive, even the guys wearing gold [Hall of Fame] jackets, will tell you that [a good running game] is a quarterback's best friend," Fox said.

"You don't want to become one dimensional. Sometimes when you're throwing the ball 50, 55 times a game, it's not very good regardless of how talented you are as a quarterback. So you want to try to get as much balance as you can. Typically, when you have those kinds of numbers throwing the ball, you're usually behind—and that's never a good sign. So establishing the run game is critical for any quarterback."

Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... Bulls gut out win in Dwyane Wade's return to Miami.

By Vincent Goodwill

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

After the emotion, tributes, red eyes and hard stares died down, Dwyane Wade did what he often did best as a member of the Miami Heat — defer.

He did it for LeBron James for years, and in the last several minutes of his return game back to Miami, he allowed Jimmy Butler to take center stage late, as Butler helped the Bulls to a 98-95 win Thursday night at American Airlines Arena.

“Worst basketball game I’ve ever played,” Wade said, half-jokingly.

Wade had an off-night in his emotional return to Miami, scoring 13 with seven rebounds and four assists on five of 17 shooting while Butler played a supporting role for most of the night.

A quiet 40 minutes or so had Butler itching for a push late, as two jumpers gave the Bulls a six-point lead midway through the fourth and his jumper with 53 seconds left gave the Bulls a 92-89 lead, and followed it up with two free throws to stretch the lead.

“Jimmy’s a closer,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. “We put the ball in his hands and he delivered for us. He was into the ball, fighting over screens, battling on the glass. It was a really efficient game.”

Wade has long said the team will run through Butler late, that he’ll get a heavy amount of touches so even on this night, it wasn’t a surprise. After a tough 39-point effort the night before in Atlanta, Butler looked a little weary for most of the night.

“I was trying to save all my energy for the fourth quarter to tell you the truth,” Butler said. “My teammates always have confidence in me.”

Considering the way Butler and the Bulls talked about their defensive effort in their four losses, it was about time they grinded one out — especially on the road under certain circumstances.

They held the Heat to 41 percent shooting, although they gave up 13 3-pointers at a 45-percent clip. A morning film session that went through some of their most common mistakes resulted in a more solid defensive showing.

“He expects perfection,” said Butler of Hoiberg. “He told us what he wanted us to do, along with the assistant coaches and we came out and executed. I’m glad we got this especially for D-Wade.”

But Wade wasn’t about to just let the night end without having some affect on the game. After a triple pushed the Heat within two, Wade was fouled by Justice Winslow — or embellished contact in front of the officials to get the benefit of the doubt — and hit two free throws to effectively ice the game.

“I get fouled a lot, so I don’t care,” Wade said. “I got the vet call and I appreciated them for giving me one.”

Butler led the Bulls with 20 while Robin Lopez scored 16 on a career-high 20 shot attempts. Rajon Rondo awoke from a slumber to hit a few crucial buckets, including a reverse layup when Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg wanted a timeout after the Heat tied the game at 84 with less than six minutes remaining.

“I was going to call a timeout and then looked over and he had called a play. He had a really confident look on his face so I let him go,” Hoiberg said. “It started with his defense, I thought he was up the floor picking up and applying pressure.”

Rondo finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in 37 minutes. Heat center Hassan Whiteside had a 20-point, 20-rebound night, as he and Lopez traded blows all night long.

A game that had a hard time developing any definitive character, perhaps with the atmosphere being one of nostalgia along with the Bulls clearly having tired legs, they were going to have to drag the Heat down to their level to keep afloat.

The Bulls shot just 28 percent in the third quarter but their defense did enough to keep them in it, as they were tied at 70 with 12 minutes left. Luckily for them, they kept the Heat stymied as both teams shot 27-for-65 entering the fourth.

“That’s the way we want to play,” Butler said. “We want to be the toughest team on 50-50 balls, that’s the way we got to go.”

Neither team gathered more than an eight-point lead as the Bulls showed just enough gumption in Wade’s return to make it a happy one, even if he didn’t play the way he liked to.

Windy City Bulls finalize opening roster.

By CSN Staff

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

The Windy City Bulls announced its finalized regular-season roster on Thursday. 

Playing the inaugural season at the Sears Centre beginning on Friday, the Chicago Bulls' NBA D-League affiliate has some intriguing names on the roster that could see NBA action this season.

Shooting guard R.J. Hunter, who the Bulls signed right before the season after he was waived by the Boston Celtics, is the Windy City Bulls' only assignment player -- meaning he's under NBA contract with the Bulls and can be brought up to the team at any time. NBA teams can assign players with three years of service or less an unlimited number of times. Since Hunter is a second-year pro he could be called back-and-forth between the NBA and D-League as many times as the organization wants this season.

Windy City also includes four "affiliate" players on the roster as they include forward J.J. Avila and guards Spencer Dinwiddie, D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera and Thomas Walkup. All four were members of Chicago Bulls' preseason roster before being cut before the regular season. Organizations can designate up to four players as affiliate players, which allows the Bulls to keep those guys in their system while not taking up an NBA roster spot. Affiliate players are still technically free agents and may be signed by another NBA team or overseas team at any point.

Other notable players on the Windy City Bulls include forward Alfonso McKinnie, a former Public League star at Marshall who played his college ball at Wisconsin-Green Bay. McKinnie's Green Bay teammate, center Alec Brown, is also on the roster along with former Cincinnati center Coreontae DeBerry. Former Harvard star Wesley Saunders and former Florida State guard Aaron Thomas round out the team's 10-man roster.

The Windy City Bulls will play 50 regular-season games beginning with Friday's home opener against the Long Island Nets. 

Bulls' failure to execute late against Hawks pushes them back to .500. (Wednesday night's game, 11/09/2016).

By Vincent Goodwill

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

If the Bulls were able to do one thing for the better part of 44 minutes on Wednesday, it was offensive execution against the Atlanta Hawks in the form of Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade.

Unfortunately for them, that was the one thing they failed to do late, sloppily and clumsily throwing away several offensive possessions for the final four minutes and giving away a winnable game, falling 115-107 at Philips Arena.

The Bulls clawed back from a 17-point deficit to take a third-quarter lead and stayed close even after relinquishing it soon after, pulling to within two on a Doug McDermott floater to make it 103-101, capping off a 9-0 run.

But the grit and toughness they showed in refusing to give up didn’t turn into execution when they could have closed out a Hawks team on the second night of a back-to-back — producing some downright puzzling sequences.

Bobby Portis, whom Fred Hoiberg was rolling with for most of the fourth quarter in place of Nikola Mirotic and Taj Gibson for a spell, traveled at the 3-point line.

“He had a couple shots he needed to take when he’s all by himself,” Hoiberg said. “We’ve talked to him about it and we’ll continue to talk to him. Gotta rise up with confidence.”

Then the next possession, Rajon Rondo didn’t look comfortable shooting in the corner with the shot clock running down, getting his shot blocked. It was the second time he hesitated in close proximity, as he’s shooting 35 percent in his last five games and 20 percent from three.

“He did on a couple of them,” Hoiberg said. “It happens when you’re not in a great rhythm shooting the ball.”

And finally, after getting another stop to keep the deficit manageable, Hoiberg told the Bulls to push the pace instead of calling for a timeout to regroup.

They wound up getting one seconds later anyways.

Butler was hounded on a drive, leading to a Kent Bazemore dunk to make it a 109-101 game with a little over two and a half minutes left.

Out went Rondo and Portis, with Butler taking over as prime facilitator late with Isaiah Canaan on a wing and Gibson re-entering.

In effect, those two minutes wasted some gritty play led by Butler and Wade. Butler scored a season-high 39 points to go with seven assists and six steals while Wade scored 25 one night before returning to his old stomping ground of Miami — but the rest of the Bulls didn’t follow suit.

The Hawks shot over 50 percent for the game, although the Bulls slowed them down after the first quarter and a half that saw them look dazed and confused against the Hawks’ penetrate-and-kick-or-cut offense.

Dwight Howard scored 18 with 10 boards, three steals and two blocks while matchup nightmare Paul Millsap scored 16 with 11 rebounds and six assists. The Hawks outrebounded the Bulls by a 49-30 margin in large part due to Howard and went to the line six more times — two Bulls staples so far this season.

Their only saving grace was forcing turnovers, reaching in and staying handsy as opposed to solid. Since they couldn’t stop the Hawks’ precision offense that has them cutting and constantly moving, they were in no position to actually force misses most of the night, leading to a 103-94 lead when they blitzed the Bulls to start the fourth quarter.

“I loved our fight, getting back into it, being down 17,” Hoiberg said. “We came back, had a five point lead and then (gave) them the momentum back. We have to come out and be ready for that fight.”

Eight Hawks scored in double figures as the Bulls allowed them to shoot over 60 percent in the first half.

Reserve guard Thabo Sefolosha, not known as a scorer with his 5.8 points-per-game scoring average, had a career night in a handful of minutes. Getting free and open from a Bulls defense that wasn’t tracking him, he hit seven field goals in seven minutes — without missing.

He so thoroughly infuriated Wade during that 18-point stretch Wade angrily stole the ball from him twice for scores, almost trying to make up for a couple defensive lapses that got Sefolosha, who finished with 20, going.

“He got confident. We did it out to ourselves, some unforced errors,” Hoiberg said. “To get some wide open threes and they fed off that the rest of the half. Again, we battled, made it a game. We can’t keep digging holes.”

The rampage was so unexpected but considering the way the Bulls defended in the early going, Stevie Wonder would’ve driven down the lane without much traffic. It was the Bulls’ worst nightmare and put them in a position of giving a Hawks team more confidence when they came in full of it after surprising the champion Cavs in Cleveland the night before.  

A pull-up jumper in transition from Wade gave the Bulls a 74-73 lead three minutes into the third, but the Bulls were unable to sustain what got them back in it, putting them back to .500 as South Beach and Wade’s reunion awaits.

CUBS: Theo Epstein shrewdly planned ahead, so Cubs wouldn’t have to make a splash this winter.

By Patrick Mooney

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Sports Illustrated already declared the Houston Astros “Your 2017 World Series Champs.” The cover for that June 30, 2014 issue labeled Ground Control as “Baseball’s Great Experiment,” with the magazine predicting Houston would beat the Cubs in that Fall Classic.

Flash forward to the general manager meetings that ended Thursday in Arizona and the Astros are again creating a lot of buzz about their potential to finally spend like a big-market team, which sounds exciting until you look at the underwhelming list of available free agents and begin to factor in the supply-and-demand dynamics that will drive prices through the roof.

At the same time, Cubs executives Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer checked out of the Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa looking to quietly find the finishing pieces for the team that will defend the franchise’s first World Series title in 108 years.

The Cubs already made their biggest splashes, lobbying the Ricketts family and business operations to essentially combine two offseasons into one after the 2015 team caught fire. Winning 97 games and two playoff rounds helped bankroll a spending spree that nearly totaled $290 million and led to a championship parade down Lake Shore Drive and Michigan Avenue and into Grant Park.

“We have to live by that,” Epstein said. “That’s the general framework still. We put that plan on the table and we should abide by it. We moved a lot of resources into last winter, knowing that there wouldn’t be a lot of impact talent available this winter.”

By cutting loose Jason Hammel, the Cubs allowed a well-liked veteran to earn exponentially more than the $10 million he would have made if they had picked up that option for 2017. Hammel will now get paid like a 15-game winner, not someone who didn’t make the playoff rosters and might have been the sixth or seventh starter when pitchers and catchers report to spring training.

In a remarkably weak class of free agents, super-agent Scott Boras made it sound like Jeremy Hellickson will probably decline the one-year, $17.2 million qualifying offer the Philadelphia Phillies made to a pitcher who’s never thrown 200 innings in a season and put up ERAs of 5.17, 4.52 and 4.62 between 2013 and 2015.

That reality helps explain why Epstein looked relaxed and content – at least while talking about baseball and not politics – for someone who promised to go on an epic bender. The Cubs have already done the heavy lifting for the 2017 team.

Ben Zobrist emerged as the World Series MVP in the middle of a lineup that scored 800-plus runs during the regular season without Kyle Schwarber. Jason Heyward won his fourth Gold Glove – while underachieving offensively and becoming a steady influence within the clubhouse – for the team that led the majors in defensive efficiency.

Even at the age of 38, John Lackey might be a better bet to make 30 starts next season than any other pitcher on the free-agent market. A strong player-development system and welcoming big-league environment means Albert Almora Jr. should get a chance to take over for Dexter Fowler in center field.

“I wouldn’t rule anything out,” Epstein said. “But generally speaking, we’re going to adhere to what we discussed last winter.

“It’s just important to view it through more of a two-year lens than a one-year lens, given what we did last year. I know winning also helps a little bit. It could help us maybe be a little more open-minded in certain areas. We’ll see. We’re still going through all the books – and seeing exactly where we are – and that process will be done by the middle of next week.”

And Houston might have a problem if this is really when it wants to ramp up and spend aggressively on the missing pieces for a World Series contender.

Kyle Hendricks wins Players Choice award for NL Outstanding Pitcher.

By #CubsTalk

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

It's not the Cy Young, but it could be an indication that Kyle Hendricks is in line for that award.

The Cubs pitcher won the MLB Players Choice award for National League Outstanding Pitcher on Wednesday, beating out fellow finalists Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers and Max Scherzer of the Nationals.

The 26-year-old Hendricks posted career-highs in ERA (2.13), innings pitcher (190), strikeouts (170) and wins (16). He led the NL in ERA and was second in WHIP (0.98) behind Scherzer.

Hendricks is also a finalist for the NL Cy Young award, along with Scherzer and teammate Jon Lester. The Cy Young awards for both leagues will be announced on Nov. 16.

Kris Bryant was a finalist for NL Outstanding Player, but Nationals infielder Daniel Murphy took home that award. Anthony Rizzo was also one of three finalists for Marvin Miller Man of the Year, which went to Mets outfielder Curtis Granderon.

Cubs looking to make White House visit before Obama leaves office and Trump takes over.

By Patrick Mooney

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

If the Cubs winning the World Series felt like a dream for Theo Epstein, then Donald Trump’s Election Night victory must seem like… 

“I’m still processing,” Epstein said. “Let’s put it that way.”

Cubs executives, agents and reporters watched the returns from inside the Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa bubble, where Major League Baseball officials woke up to the reality of a Trump administration. A polarizing presidential race cast a pall over the general manager meetings, where the lobbies are usually buzzing with gossip and war stories as people order more drinks on their expense accounts. But this definitely felt different, staring silently at the two TV screens inside Mbar tuned to CNN instead of MLB Network.

The Cubs are now looking at making another potential political statement by going to Washington before Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, 2017. President Barack Obama already invited the 2016 team to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. over Twitter:

President Obama ✔
                 @POTUS

It happened: @Cubs win World Series. That's change even this South Sider can believe in. Want to come to the White House before I leave?

1:03 AM - 3 Nov 2016

74,633 Retweets

“I know after he tweeted that out – and that was well before the election – there was a lot of interest from our players in taking him up on that invitation,” Epstein said Wednesday. “There was some momentum for it. So we’ll see. Nothing has been finalized. But we’ll see where it goes. It would be nice given his Chicago ties.”

And given the alternative…

“I’m still processing,” Epstein said again.

The Cubs existed on the periphery of a surreal presidential race, with Trump sending out a cryptic tweet threatening the Ricketts family during spring training, and then doubling down during a March meeting with The Washington Post’s editorial board, saying ownership has done a rotten job running the team.

The billionaire family ultimately flip-flopped, going from trying to lead a stop Trump movement to helping bankroll the Republican nominee’s campaign. Cubs board member Pete Ricketts is the Republican governor of Nebraska, while his brother, Todd, is also heavily involved in right-wing politics. Chairman Tom Ricketts tries to stay publicly apolitical, while their sister, Laura, is a big-time supporter of Hillary Clinton and progressive causes.

The day after the Cubs announced the team president’s five-year extension in late September – worth in the neighborhood of $50 million – Epstein showed up at a Clinton fundraiser in downtown Chicago and wrote a maximum check for the Democratic nominee.

Epstein also arranged to be a headliner at an Obama fundraiser in Lincoln Park during the 2012 election cycle, responding to the Super PAC linked to patriarch Joe Ricketts, the TD Ameritrade founder who is not a visible presence around the Cubs. A New York Times expose about plans for those racially charged attack ads infuriated Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Obama’s former White House chief of staff who pulled $150 million in potential funding for the Wrigley Field renovations.

“It’s been an interesting couple of weeks,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said, beginning his news conference inside a hotel ballroom. “The Cubs won the World Series for the first time in 108 years. Donald Trump got elected president. Pretty interesting all the way around, so here we are.”

The Cubs are going to the White House, either before or after The Donald takes office.

“I’m still processing,” Epstein said again.

WHITE SOX: MLB execs agree: White Sox in ‘perfect market’ if they decide to rebuild in 2017.

By Dan Hayes

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

If the White Sox decide to do a total teardown, one rival evaluator said the quality of the pool players would be the best he could remember one team making available in 40 years.

Though he has dropped hints for months now, including several more at the General Managers meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday, White Sox GM Rick Hahn still hasn’t publicly committed to either a rebuilding or adding on. Hahn loves the top portion of his club’s 25-man roster, which is devoid of bad contracts and packed with talented players. But if he does entertain the notion of trading players the likes of Chris Sale, Jose Quintana and Adam Eaton among many others, Hahn could expect to perhaps be the busiest GM of the offseason. Several major league executives also said they believe the White Sox could set themselves up very well for the future if the fully commit to a rebuild.

“It probably goes way back to the Charlie Finley days in Oakland,” one National League executive said. “Pretty much there’s no untouchables, the best players, they’ve been performers and they don’t have bad contracts and they’re basically available.”

Back in 1976, Finley, the colorful owner of the Oakland A’s, decided to beat the start of free agency, which was to go into effect before the 1977 season. To do so, Finley traded Reggie Jackson to Baltimore in a deal that included Don Baylor and Mike Torrez, sold Joe Rudi and Rollie Fingers to Boston for $1 million each and Vida Blue to the Yankees for $1.5 million.

Finley told commissioner Bowie Kuhn all money received would be reinvested in the club, but Kuhn ultimately nixed the deals for Blue, Rudi and Fingers.

Were the White Sox to sell off parts to the highest bidder, they’d do so in search of competing clubs’ top prospects and major league ready talent. Given the limited options teams have in free agency, one NL exec thinks the White Sox are in a prime position.

“Tremendous,” he said. “I think it’s a bad pitching market and they can either do one or two guys and those guys are ready to pop. It’s a perfect market to do it in.”

One veteran executive said he wasn’t sure if the White Sox had totally made up their minds on a rebuild. He also suggested the team needed to do a tremendous amount of legwork to determine what is realistic to expect in return for players. Hahn said Tuesday that discussions with other teams have been ongoing for several weeks and he and his staff had begun to do follow-up conversations this week in Arizona.

The White Sox GM also has fielded calls for several years asking about Sale and has a good feel for the five-time All-Star’s market. One team that asked about Sale before the trade deadline in August said the White Sox asked a fair price for the left-hander compared to what other teams wanted for their top starters.

“These are high-end guys,” he said. “They’re not easy to replace, either. I’m sure they’re having some long, drawn out what to do -- they have to do their diligence and see, maximize what they could get and decide from there.

“You have to see what you could get volume-wise back. You can’t just make up your mind, ‘Oh, we’re going to sell.’”

Two executives suggested the White Sox might have difficulty with the commencement of a fire sale given the pitching they possess and how the fortunes of a franchise could quickly turn around. While Hahn loves the top portion of his roster, he didn’t hesitate on Wednesday to note how many holes the White Sox have and briefly talked about the cost of filling those. A day earlier, Hahn reiterated that he doesn’t think half measures, stop gaps and trying to catch lightning in a bottle have worked well for the White Sox, who haven’t reached the postseason since 2008.

One aspect everyone agreed upon is the level of the club’s commitment if they determine a rebuild is the right. Essentially, the White Sox have to be willing to go all the way in if they determine a teardown is the correct path.

After all, trading proven major leaguers for young potential talent can lead to several years of bad baseball.

“When you commit to doing this, you’ve got to commit fully and be prepared It’s not going to be pretty,” one executive said. “I think that’s still a big question -- are they willing to do it? “Because it is a minimum two years. It’s going to take a significant amount of time.”

Still, this could be the best time for the White Sox to make their move.

--- The market is seemingly set up for them to reap big benefits from trading players.

---- Fan frustration is high, as Hahn noted Tuesday.

---- And it would come against the backdrop of the Cubs’ recent success after a high-profile rebuild.

“It’s two-fold,” an NL executive said. “The fanbase is probably looking for some change and you see what’s happened on the north side of town, that was pretty much built through young players acquired in trades or via the draft and signed a couple veteran pitchers to go with them and won a World Series. It’s one of those things where I guess as an executive, if you have the owner’s blessing there’s no sense going halfway. If you’re going to do it, get after it and do it.”

White Sox in 'position to move forward' with plans as GM meetings conclude.

By Dan Hayes 

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

They’re ready to be patient, but the White Sox are also poised to strike if the right move comes along.

Though it sounds far likelier a rebuild is on the way, whatever direction they’re headed this offseason, the White Sox sound well prepared. White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said Thursday morning that his club followed up on a month full of dialogue with several days of productive conversations at the GM meetings at the Omni Scottsdale Resort. While nothing is imminent and they still don’t intend to divulge their plans, Hahn is ready for whatever pace the offseason presents.

“Someone may surprise you and come right out of the gate aggressive or respond to a proposal and say that works for us, let’s proceed,” Hahn said. “Or it may take some more surveying by them of what else is on the trade market or free agent market, and you may not see things coming together until the winter meetings or thereafter.

“There’s no magic formula to making sure you have this in place by Dec. 15 or Jan. 15. You just have to be in place by opening day.”

If the White Sox choose to unload their players, patience is critical.

The contracts of Chris Sale, Jose Quintana and perhaps Adam Eaton give the White Sox critical flexibility from being forced into any deals. Sale has three years left on his, Quintana has four and Eaton has five if all their team options are picked up. Even if they held onto all of them into the season, the White Sox aren’t on the clock like they would be with some of their 2018 free agents — Todd Frazier and Melky Cabrera.

Given their value and contracts, the White Sox can’t settle for anything less than an absolute victory if they make a trade.

Having patience allows them not to settle.

“The pace and magnitude of any of our moves, regardless of the direction, are going to be dictated by the market,” Hahn said. “You can’t say you’re going to trade player X before we do anything else because it might not be the right time to get proper value on a given player. We’re in a position right now where we have a few players who are under control only for another year, so there’s a bit of a clock on them. But on guys who are controllable longer than that, there’s not necessarily any urgency to make a move until you feel like you’ve peaked out on value and it makes the most sense for the long-term benefit of the club.”

Still, with the White Sox holding the best assets in a market thin on options, a deal could come together quickly. Hahn and the White Sox front office met from Friday to Sunday at the nearby Biltmore Resort to determine their best course of action. And now he’s had three more days of meetings with other executives and agents to make gains on earlier conversations.

If another team is ready to meet their price, Hahn is properly equipped.

“We had a lot of good discussions on a number of different fronts and have a firmer idea of some of the opportunities in front of us,” Hahn said. “We’ll spend the next few days and potentially weeks going through our options and start moving forward.

Golf: I got a club for that..... Kirk leads veteran trio by 1 at Mayakoba.

By Will Gray

(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)

The PGA Tour is in Mexico this week, and Chris Kirk is off to a fast start south of the border as he eyes another win. Here's how things look after the first round of the OHL Classic at Mayakoba, where Kirk holds a one-shot lead over three veterans:

Leaderboard: Chris Kirk (-8), Ben Crane (-7), Camilo Villegas (-7), Gary Woodland (-7), Webb Simpson (-6), Aaron Wise (-6)

What it means: Kirk was among the late wave at El Camaleon, and he moved past Villegas near the end of his round. An accurate ball-striker whose last win came at Colonial, Kirk now holds the top spot on another course where position and accuracy trump distance off the tee.

Round of the day: Kirk was a runner-up last month at the Sanderson Farms Championship, and he's again in the mix after a bogey-free 63 in the opening round. Kirk circled three straight birdies on Nos. 13-15 and also had back-to-back birdies on Nos. 2 and 3 and Nos. 7 and 8.

Best of the rest: Crane had to withdraw with an injury last week in Vegas, but he showed no signs of injury during a 7-under 64 in the opening round. Crane opened with birdies on four of his first eight holes and missed only two fairways. He's looking for his first win in nearly two years.

Biggest disappointment: Defending champ Graeme McDowell could be in for a short stay in Mexico after opening with a 4-over 75. The Ulsterman made only one birdie against five bogeys, and he has work to do simply to make the cut as he's already 12 shots off the pace.

Main storyline heading into Friday: One week after a 47-year-old won in Las Vegas, it's once again a seasoned leaderboard in Playa del Carmen. A number of veterans are off to a strong start, chief among them Kirk who struggled with injury early last season. Can he keep up the pace, and which former Tour winner will attempt to chase him down?

Shot of the day: Wise earned a spot in the field via a top-10 finish in Vegas, and he got off to a fast start with a hole-in-one from 116 yards on the par-3 fourth. What's more, he followed it up with an eagle on the very next hole en route to a 65.

Ciganda tied at Ochoa Invtl.; Wie three back.

Associated Press

(Photo/Golf Channel Digital/Associated Press)

Carlota Ciganda birdied three of the last six holes Thursday for a 5-under 67 and a share of the lead with playing partner Sarah Jane Smith in the Citibanamex Lorena Ochoa Invitational.

Ciganda had a bogey-free opening round at Club de Golf Mexico.

''I really like this course,'' Ciganda said. ''I really like it because is really similar to my home course in Spain.''

The former Arizona State player won last month in South Korea for her first LPGA Tour title.

''I was home last week and I played four tournaments in Asia, so it was really nice to be home with my family,'' Ciganda said. ''I didn't practice at all. It was just resting and having fun, going out for dinner with friends. And I feel very mentally refreshed, because in Asia I was a little bit tired at the end. It is important how to manage all the tournaments and all the weeks you want to play.''

Smith played the back nine in 5-under 31 after bogeying Nos. 8 and 9 to make the turn at even par. The Australian is winless on the LPGA Tour.

''It makes a difference when you see it,'' Smith said about playing alongside Ciganda. ''I love playing with her, she is so nice and we always have fun, so it absolutely makes a difference.''

Mexican amateur Maria Fassi, a freshman at the University of Arkansas playing on a sponsor invite, was two strokes back at 69 along with South Korea's Chella Choi and France's Karine Icher.

''I was feeling really good,'' Fassi said. ''I worked really hard on preparing for this tournament and on the first tee when they said my name I was nervous, I am not going to lie, but after I hit the fairway on the first tee, I was like, 'OK you got it, just enjoy your round.' And that's what I did. ... I was really solid off the tee. I gave myself a lot of opportunities to be a little bit more aggressive on my second shots.''

Michelle Wie opened with a 70. The 2009 winner in Guadalajara, she's also playing on a sponsor invite after failing to qualify for the 30-player event.

Canada's Brooke Henderson, the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 7 in the world, had a double bogey in a 74. No. 14 Anna Nordqvist also struggled, making a double bogey in a 75.

Langer takes lead into Schwab Cup finale.

Associated Press

(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)

Bernhard Langer would have wrapped up the Charles Schwab Cup long ago under the old format. Instead, he has only a small lead and is one of five players who can take the season title with a victory Sunday in the PGA Tour Champions finale.

Still recovering from a left knee injury that forced him to withdraw from the playoff opener two weeks ago in California, Langer will open play in the Charles Schwab Cup Championship on Friday on Desert Mountain Club's Cochise Course. The 59-year-old German has a tour-high four victories and has wrapped up the season money title with $2,836,459.

''The season was fantastic,'' Langer said Thursday. ''Just to have four wins, two majors, and what's even more impressive to me is actually not finishing outside the top 13 all year. That was my worst finish, 13th, which I've never done in my whole career. So that's pretty incredible.''

He re-aggravated the knee injury at home doing routine spinning.

''It's better. It was pretty bad in L.A. when I pulled out,'' Langer said. ''I couldn't really post up any weight on my left leg and follow through the way I wanted to follow through. I couldn't have walked that hilly golf course, either, because downhill was impossible for me to walk downhill.

''Last week, I was extremely careful. I played and I could play, but I had my caddie do a lot of the marking the ball, replacing the ball, lining it up. When it was downhill I went serpentine this way so I wouldn't put as much pressure on the knee. Might have to do a little bit of that this week, too, just to make sure I can finish the tournament, but right now it's not bad.''

The season standings were reset after the event last week in Virginia, with Langer's lead over Richmond winner Scott McCarron reduced from 935,657 to 200. The top five - Colin Montgomerie is third, followed by Joe Durant and Miguel Angel Jimenez - would win the season title with a victory Sunday no matter where the other players finish. The tournament winner will receive $440,000 and 2,000 points.

Langer won season titles in 2010, 2014 and 2015, but has never won the season-ending event.

''I love Desert Mountain, everything about it,'' Langer said. ''The golf course is obviously in phenomenal shape. The people here are so kind and hospitable. Great sponsor with Schwab. Food is fantastic, locker room is great. Practice facility, it's all first class.''

He played a practice round Thursday.

''The rough's a little bit up and some of the greens are really firming up,'' Langer said. ''There were a few shots downwind that I couldn't stop on the green. It will be interesting to see what the wind does tomorrow, if it switches or how strong it is and all that. But it's a real test, no doubt about it.''

Montgomerie pointed to the rough on the Jack Nicklaus-designed course.

''The overseeding has come in very strongly,'' Montgomerie said. ''If you're trying to make birdies, you've got to hit the fairway. You can just about make a par if you're lucky from the rough, but you're not making birdies. So to win this, you've got to make birdies, which comes from the fairways.''

The top 36 players in the standings qualified for the event, with the field reduced to 35 on Thursday when Tom Lehman withdrew because of an elbow injury. He withdraw after two rounds in the playoff opener at Sherwood and missed the event last week in Richmond.

NASCAR’s weekend schedule for Phoenix International Raceway.

By Kelly Crandall

(Photo/Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

All three NASCAR national series will be in action this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway.

Phoenix will determine the four drivers who will compete for the championship in all three series. The cutoff races begin Friday night with the Camping World Truck Series.

All times are Eastern

Friday, Nov. 11

10 a.m. – Truck Series garage open

10:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. – Sprint Cup garage open

10:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. – Xfinity Series garage open

11:30 a.m. – 12:25 p.m. – Truck Series practice (Fox Sports 2)

12:30 p.m. – 1:25 p.m. – Xfinity Series practice (NBCSN)

1:30 p.m. – 2:55 p.m. – Sprint Cup practice (NBCSN, MRN)

3 p.m. – 3:50 p.m. – Final Truck Series practice (Fox Sports 2)

4:10 p.m. – Truck Series driver/crew chief meeting

4:30 p.m. – 5:55 p.m. – Final Xfinity Series practice (NBCSN)

6:45 p.m. – Sprint Cup qualifying; multi-vehicle, three rounds (NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

8:30 p.m. – Truck Series qualifying; multi-vehicle, three rounds (Fox Sports 2)

9:35 p.m. – Truck Series driver introductions

10 p.m. – Truck Series Lucas Oil 150; 150 laps, 150 miles (Fox Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Saturday, Nov. 12

12 p.m. – Xfinity garage open

1 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. – Sprint Cup garage open

3 p.m. – 3:55 p.m. – Sprint Cup practice (NBCSN, MRN)

4:15 p.m. – Xfinity qualifying; multi-vehicle, three rounds (NBCSN)

5:45 p.m. – Xfinity Series driver/crew chief meeting

6 p.m. – 6:50 p.m. – Final Sprint Cup practice (NBCSN, MRN)

7 p.m. – Xfinity Series driver introductions

7:30 p.m. – Xfinity Series race; 200 laps, 200 miles (NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Sunday, Nov. 13

8:30 a.m. – Sprint Cup garage open

12:30 p.m. – Sprint Cup driver/crew chief meeting

2 p.m. – Sprint Cup driver introductions

2:30 p.m. – Sprint Cup Can-Am 500; 312 laps, 312 miles (NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Six drivers. Two spots. So who's got the best Chase shot?

By Bob Pockrass

(Photo/Chris Trotman/Getty Images)

The six crew chiefs who guide the remaining Chase for the Sprint Cup drivers competing for spots in the championship round will have it a little easy Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway.

They will have it easy in the sense they won't have to worry about performing any mid-race calculations on points. They will know what they have to do simply by looking at the track: It's all about whether their drivers are in front or behind their Chase counterparts.

With two spots available and four of the drivers within two points of each other, only a win can guarantee any of them a spot to join Jimmie Johnson (Martinsville winner) and Carl Edwards (Texas winner) among the four championship finalists who'll race for the Cup title the following Sunday at Homestead.

Joey Logano and Kyle Busch currently are tied for those two spots, while Matt Kenseth is a point behind and Denny Hamlin is two points back. Kevin Harvick sits 18 behind and Kurt Busch is 34 back. A win automatically will earn any of these drivers a bid to the championship round, with the remaining spot (or two if none of them win) being awarded based on points.

"It's going to be entertaining," said Logano, who could clinch a spot if he finishes second and leads a lap. "It's going to be probably the closest Phoenix race we've ever seen as far as points. It's going to be a fun one for sure."

Hamlin predicted Sunday night that a second-place finish should get him to the next round. But there's no guarantee. If Harvick wins -- and Harvick has won six of the past eight Phoenix races -- and Logano or Kyle Busch finishes third, it could come down to whether any of the drivers leads a lap (one bonus point) or the most laps (another bonus point).

At least the crew chiefs and drivers should know the scenarios as they race late in the event. They know they will need to battle the other Chase drivers for position. And for Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Kyle Busch, Kenseth and Hamlin, that means battling teammates.

"You've got to just do everything you can," Hamlin said. "It will be just like Martinsville or even at Texas. We all raced each other hard but clean, and we're going to go out there and try to get every point we can."

Here's the outlook for the drivers going into the penultimate race:

Joey Logano (third)

Points: 1 point ahead of fifth

Clinch if finishes: second and leads a lap

Outlook: Logano has a career-best third at Phoenix (he has won two Xfinity races there), but his biggest challenge is that Phoenix was not a good track for him in March, where he started ninth and finished 18th. The best thing going for Logano is his second-place finish Sunday at Texas puts him atop the tiebreaker board. The tiebreaker is best finish, and if still tied, the next-best finish. If drivers end up with the same three finishes, whoever got the best finish earliest in the round earns the spot. The drivers currently rank: Logano (2nd/9th), Hamlin (3rd/9th), Kenseth (4th/7th), Kyle Busch (5th/5th), Harvick (20th/6th), and Kurt Busch (22nd/20th).

Kyle Busch (fourth)

Points: 1 point ahead of fifth

Clinch if finishes: second and leads the most laps

Outlook: Busch has back-to-back fourth-place finishes at Phoenix. That might be good enough to advance, but that's far from a guarantee. He has put himself in position with a pair of fifth-place finishes in this round. The defending Cup champion knows when to step it up. It's time.

Matt Kenseth (fifth)

Points: 1 point behind fourth

Clinch if finishes: first

Outlook: Kenseth has just one top-5 finish (third in 2014) in his past 16 races at Phoenix. He won at Phoenix in November 2002. He knows he needs to gain just one point, and maybe two, on his Chase rivals to advance. It might be the hardest one or two points he has ever had to gain in his career.

Denny Hamlin (sixth)

Points: 2 points behind fourth

Clinch if finishes: first

Outlook: Hamlin said he thinks it will take a second-place finish to advance out of Phoenix. He was third there in March, so that makes him confident he can do it. He has finished top-2 twice at Phoenix -- both races in 2012, winning in March and finishing second in November.

Kevin Harvick (seventh)

Points: 18 points behind fourth

Clinch if finishes: first

Outlook: The winner of five of the past six and six of the past eight races at Phoenix, Harvick goes there as the driver to beat. He has led 1,064 laps in the past six races on the 1-mile oval, so he knows he can win at the track. But one hiccup and hopes of his second title will vanish.

Kurt Busch (eighth)

Points: 34 points behind fifth

Clinch if finishes: first

Outlook: Busch has five top-10s in his past six races at Phoenix. But even a second-place finish likely wouldn't be good enough for him to advance. The last time Busch won at Phoenix was in April 2005. He hasn't led a lap in his past eight Phoenix starts and has led a lap in only three of his past 16 Cup races this season. That's not a sign he advances to the next round.

Chase Analytics: Road to Miami tough to forecast after Carl Edwards’ win.

By Eric Chemi

Carl Edwards’ rain-shortened win at Texas guaranteed our second title contender, but it made the overall Chase picture for Homestead even more confusing.

That’s because Edwards was a dark horse to make it in. He’s reduced the opportunity for a stronger driver to advance, leaving a lot of good guys on the outside looking in.

We know that only two of these five top-quality drivers can transfer after this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway: Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, and Matt Kenseth. Three of them are definitely going to be out. The computer model is leaning slightly toward Busch and Logano. Busch is the only one with a chance above 50 percent. Nobody in this group is a guarantee – not even close.

Consider this fact to see how up-for-grabs these last two spots are: There is only a 25 percent chance that Busch and Logano will be the two who actually make it. That means there’s a 75 percent chance somebody from the lower group is going to break in.

Harvick in particular is intriguing. He’s way behind on points (17 behind the cut line), but his 29 percent chance to advance is almost entirely due to a 28 percent chance of winning Phoenix. Harvick only has a 1 percent chance to get in on points, effectively putting him in a win-or-bust scenario.

“There’s no doubt Harvick goes into Phoenix as the favorite,” said Josh Browne, former Sprint Cup crew chief and current co-founder at Pit Rho. “We don’t need advanced analytics to tell us Harvick has dominated at this track. Unfortunately, our model also doesn’t yet account for driver paybacks – and I would be surprised to see Harvick make it through Phoenix without a bump or two from the 3 car” because of an incident last week at Texas.  

The one driver we haven’t yet mentioned: Kurt Busch. He’s truly an outlier. He’s far back on points and isn’t considered as much of a threat to win. That’s why he only has a 2 percent chance to advance. If you are Jimmie Johnson or Edwards, he’s the guy you want to somehow get in, because you’d hope he’d be less of a threat at Homestead than anybody else.

HOW THE PREDICTIONS WORK

With the help of Andrew Maness from racing analytics firm Pit Rho, we ran the numbers to show every driver’s shot of moving through each round of the Chase. The mathematical model was designed by both Maness and me, using past driver performance to predict future results. By running 100,000 simulations of how the rest of the season might play out, we see the most likely outcomes.

SOCCER: USMNT roundtable: The big stories ahead of USA vs. Mexico.

By Joe Prince-Wright

(Photo/Getty Images)

With USA vs. Mexico just one day away, the ProSoccerTalk crew discuss plenty of the hot topics surrounding the U.S. national team with a big week ahead of them.

Jurgen Klinsmann’s U.S. side host Mexico in Columbus, Ohio and then travel to Costa Rica to kick off the final round of CONCACAF 2018 World Cup qualifying with two of the three toughest matches available.

Below myself, Nick Mendola, Kyle Bonn and Eric Scatamacchia wade in and give our thoughts on plenty of USMNT storylines ahead of Friday’s eagerly anticipated match in Ohio.

What is special about USA vs. Mexico? And what does seeing this game in Columbus mean to you?

Joe Prince-Wright: This rivalry is one which perhaps doesn’t get the respect it deserves across the globe. It is intense and both teams have done well in recent World Cup tournaments to suggest it is up there with the biggest and best in world soccer. The U.S. has closed the gap on Mexico considerably in recent years and that’s what makes this rivalry great. Each time it is played, we now don’t know which way it will go. As for Columbus, there’s just something romantic about the stadium being the unofficial home to this game. With its location and usually hosting Mexico in Columbus in the winter months, it all adds to the occasion. If the U.S. ever wanted to build a national team stadium to permanently host the USMNT, this city would be right near the top of the list.

Nick Mendola: What isn’t special about the U.S. And Mexico? El Tri was our big brother for such a long time, and he was a rude, mean big brother. To have such a run of superiority in home World Cup qualifiers, and to win at Azteca, has only served to heighten the rivalry. For those of us who like the Yanks as much as their favorite club team, the rivalry is, well, unrivaled. Columbus doesn’t matter as much to me, other than to say my experience at a USMNT-Mexico WCQ there was among, if not the best sporting experiences of my life. Pouring rain, trading icy cold Canadian beers for Mexican beverages, singing, shouting, and celebrating a massive Dos a Cero win? Unforgettable.

Kyle Bonn: USA vs. Mexico is special for obvious reasons, proximity, relative power in the region, etc. But as with all rivalries, time builds the best bonds. Yankees/Red Sox is so engrained in the fabric of baseball society because each has taken its lumps from the other over time. The Bears/Packers series is split 94-93. England and Australia have each won the Ashes 32 times. While USA vs. Mexico all-time isn’t that even with a 34-18-14 record in favor of Mexico, since 1977 the United States has won 18 while Mexico has won 16. Recent history has this one nearly deadlocked. It has it all: the venom of play, the glory of victory, the agony of defeat.

Eric Scatamacchia: There are many factors: the closeness geographically, the frequency of the matchup (whether its World Cup qualifying, Olympic qualifying, Gold Cups, World Cups, etc.) and of course the “extracurriculars” that often accompany this fixture. Columbus is a place that understands USA vs. Mexico. It’s a place fit to host a match that goes beyond the scoreboard as it has multiple times through the years. It doesn’t hurt that many of those matches have resulted in U.S. wins.

In terms of the game itself, is this the perfect match for the USMNT to kick off the Hexagonal round with?

Joe: It’s not ideal. Straight away there is plenty of pressure on the U.S. to deliver and after the friendly performances last month, plus a few injuries, Klinsmann may not welcome this game being first up.

Nick: In some ways, but to be honest I’d rather see an easier home win to set the stage. There will be a lot of pressure if the Yanks bungle their way through these first two challenges.

Kyle: Is it the perfect game? No, they probably wish they could ease in. But for a fan, it couldn’t begin any better. For either side to get one up on the other would be a massive beginning to the round.

Eric: It could be. You never want to start the Hexagonal round with a loss and it will undoubtedly be a tough task to earn the three points against a tough Mexico side, but a win could serve as a springboard to a successful (and hopefully straightforward) qualification for the World Cup.

Straight up: will we see another Dos a Cero?

Joe: No. I think a draw would be a good outcome for the USMNT. Uno-Uno?

Nick: No. If we do, I fear it will be the other way around. Mexico is stacked, and the United States’ best defensive pairing has been broken up with the injury to Geoff Cameron.

Kyle: I’m going to go with the statistical probability and say no.

Eric: Yes. The match is in the perfect location and the U.S. is in great form.

In the lead up to this game, Jurgen Klinsmann said Christian Pulisic’s “potential is limitless.” Do you think the Borussia Dortmund teenager is the real deal and is now the right time to start putting more pressure on him?

Joe: Yep, this kid is the real deal. He is unlike anything U.S. soccer has seen in a long time and his vision and ability to time runs is innate. Being nurtured at Dortmund, he’s already been in a highly pressurized situation and has flourished. I think he can take the weight of expectation on his shoulders. Fans need to be patient with him. Over time, he could go down as one of the greatest players the USMNT has ever had.

Nick: Real deal? Yes. Pressure? Not yet. Pulisic is earning the expectations of being at least Landon Donovan-level important to the United States program. But at 18, he’s still just a pleasant surprise whose stumbles should be readily forgiven.

Kyle: Absolutely he’s the real deal. Everyone from Americans to Germans are praising his advanced nature and his technical ability. Dortmund has brought him along at the perfect pace, and it would be wise for Jurgen Klinsmann to respect that process and not push him any more than he’s already being pushed. I think JK would agree, and that might be why you won’t see him shoved into full-time duty just yet. Don’t panic.

Eric: Pulisic has handled everything the U.S. (and Dortmund for that matter) has thrown at him. Klinsmann did not immediately throw the youngster into the fire, which served him well. Now is the time to start relying on Pulisic as one of the team’s main contributors. He has proven himself with every chance he has gotten for both club and country.

How do you think the U.S. copes without the influential Geoff Cameron in defense and who would you start alongside John Brooks?

Joe: Losing Cameron is a massive blow for Klinsmann. I think his partnership with Brooks was the main reason the U.S. went to the semifinals of the Copa America Centenario last summer and his form for Stoke has been excellent this season. I think Klinsmann goes with Gonzalez because of the balance issue with Brooks heavily left-footed, like Matt Besler, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Steve Birnbaum got the nod either. Make no mistake about it, Javier Hernandez will be licking his lips…

Nick: I don’t envy Jurgen Klinsmann’s choice between Matt Besler and Omar Gonzalez, and not in a good way. Gonzalez’s size and standing/familiarity in Liga MX give him an ever-so-slight edge in my book.

Kyle: Geoff Cameron is a huge loss to this team with such a difficult start to the Hex. However, with John Brooks in great form, the team will cope. It seems Omar Gonzalez is probably the best option alongside Brooks, although Klinsmann could easily go with Matt Besler or even Steve Birnbaum. I think it’s a bit early to throw Cameron Carter-Vickers to the wolves.

Eric: The U.S. has multiple capable center backs, but the loss of Cameron will hurt. None of the other U.S. center backs (Matt Besler, Steve Birnbaum, Omar Gonzalez) exhibit the combination of skills and experience that Cameron has while also serving as a great fit next to John Brooks. With that said, the best choice is Omar Gonzalez. Gonzalez has more experience than Birnbaum and is a better fit next to Brooks than Besler (both Brooks and Besler are left footed).

The central midfield area has been pretty settled in months. Do you go with Bradley, Jones, Bedoya, maybe Kljestan, or something different?

Joe: I would go for Bradley and Jones as holding midfielders and then three in front of them of Bedoya, Kljestan and Pulisic. That gives the U.S. plenty of solidity defensively and allows Bedoya and Pulisic to pour forward and support Altidore. The only issue I have is Jones wandering a little and leaving Bradley with too much defensive work to do.

Nick: Bradley and Jones for sure. Bedoya did not inspire during his final weeks in Philadelphia, and I’m hesitant to expect Kljestan to be as good against Mexico and Costa Rica as he was against T&T, Saint Vincent, and Cuba. It’ll probably be the four you mention, but I’d like to see more of a 4-2-2-2 with Jones, Bradley, Pulisic, and Zusi.

Kyle:  I think that four leaves the team weak on the left wing. Pulisic could start, but if Klinsmann wishes to ease him in, Graham Zusi is likely the pick of the roster. That won’t leave fans inspired, but Julian Green isn’t a winger, and it’s hard to see Stanko or Gooch starting US/Mexico.

Eric: I go with Bradley, Jones, Bedoya, Kljestan. Bradley, Jones and Bedoya have been valuable contributors for the U.S. for years. The moment will not be too big for any of them and Klinsmann will know what he is going to get from the trio. The inclusion of Kljestan (along with Christian Pulisic) provides an attacking sharpness from the midfield that the U.S. Soccer has not had, perhaps in its history. Kljestan’s vision and ability to float into open pockets of the defense are skills that the other U.S. midfielders do not have, at least at his level, and it is something that is needed on the field.

Of the current young crop in this squad Pulisic is the standout, but who do you expect to burst through next? You can include Julian Green if you want. Even though he’s already broken through and is back for a second wave…

Joe: Cameron Carter-Vickers is thought of very highly at Tottenham and I think he will break into the U.S. team in the next two years. Don’t forget, he’s still only 18. A powerful, ball-playing center back who has featured for Spurs’ first team this season, he and Brooks could be the long-term central defensive partnership if Cameron moves into midfield.

Nick: Lynden Gooch or Cameron Carter-Vickers, simply for the standing they’ve acquired from their respected (for the most part) Premier League coaches. I could say Ethan Horvath, who should be a true competitor for the No. 1 goalkeeping seat, but Tim Howard should have that locked down long enough for another young player to make his statement at a different spot on the field.

Kyle: I’m going off the rails here. I think it’s been way too long since we’ve heard from a good player like Aron Johannsson. He’s obviously already made his mark on the USMNT in the past, but with injuries thrashing his career the last two years, he’s due to burst back onto the scene. He’s not exactly “young” but at 25, he is by no means old.

Eric: My choice is Ethan Horvath because of the combination of need at the position and his skillset. Brad Guzan and Tim Howard are on their last legs as national team goalkeepers and the 21-year-old Horvath is my pick to fill that void. Horvath has just one cap with the full national team, but he has been in the top division in Norway since 2013 with Molde FK and has played in Champions League qualification and Europa League competition.

Okay, putting you on the spot. How many points does the U.S. get from its first two Hex games at home against Mexico and then away at Costa Rica?

Joe: 1 point. I think the U.S. will lose to Mexico and get a point on the road at Costa Rica.

Nick: Two.

Kyle: Two points would put them in fabulous position, as it would also hold the others to a draw in each match. Can’t complain there. I think that’s the goal. Three points would also be more than acceptable, but it would also mean a loss. Four points is an unquestioned success. Six would nearly have them one foot into Russia 2018.

Eric: 4 points: A win against Mexico (2-0) and a draw in Costa Rica (1-1).

Let’s say the U.S. only manages one point or less from these opening two games. Is Klinsmann on the brink if that happens?

Joe: I think the U.S. has been in much worse spots than this over the past five years since Klinsmann took charge. That said, it there are two humbling defeats then who knows… At this point, it’s tough to see U.S. Soccer not giving Klinsmann the entire final round of qualifying.

Nick: Only if it that lone point comes against Costa Rica. If Klinsmann gets a draw against Mexico, who should be favored even in Columbus, that should be enough to earn him more time in the Hex.

Kyle: No he’s not on the brink. He’s still in very good shape.

Eric: If that were to happen there would certainly be chatter, but for me Klinsmann would still be safe. These are two of the toughest matches the U.S. will face in the Hex, so a lack of results would not mean the sky is falling. It’s taken a long time for the team to get here, arguably too long, but after much experimentation Klinsmann has this team in potentially its best form in years with what seems to be a clear understanding of formation and system. There is no need for an overreaction after two difficult matches.

What are your overall expectations for the Hex? Does the U.S. finish top of the group on maximum points? Just scrape third? Have to settle for the playoff spot?

Joe: I actually think the U.S. will just scrape third-place in the group. Mexico and Costa Rica will be above them and if the U.S. start the group poorly they will be playing catch up to Trinidad and Tobago, plus Panama and Hondruas will always fancy their chances of  beating the USA at home. This could be a lot tighter than most expect.

Nick: The Yanks are the second-best team in the group entering play, and should finish according to that standard. Anything more is gravy, and third is acceptable. I’d circle 18-19 points as the target.

Kyle: This is CONCACAF, and there’s no predicting it. But, if we’re having to predict, I think the United States finishes second behind Mexico. They’re a strong team that will slip up, but so will the others.

Eric: The U.S. finishes at the top of the group. Klinsmann has (finally) settled on a formation that fits his players. The U.S. has its deepest talent pool in years and the team’s most important players are getting significant club minutes whether that is in the U.S. or abroad. The U.S. is riding a wave of confidence that will help them finish at the top of the Hex.

How should we remember Hope Solo after a brilliant and troubled career?

By Leander Schaerlaeckens

(Photo/Getty Images)

If we’re being quite honest, Hope Solo’s United States women’s national team career is probably already over. On Thursday, the defending Women’s World Cup champions play the first of their final pair of friendlies of 2016 against Romania.

Solo won’t be there, still in the midst of a suspension that will keep her off the team until late February. Her comments at the Olympics that Sweden were “cowards” for playing defensively when they knocked the Americans out in the quarterfinals were deemed beyond the pale by U.S. Soccer. It was a final straw type of thing, of course, with an endless string of embarrassing and intolerable incidents and infractions piling up over the course of years.

As it happens, Solo is recovering from another shoulder surgery anyway, after sitting out the tail-end of her club season with the Seattle Reign as well. At 35, Solo has more soccer in her. And even though we saw the cracks starting to form in the foundation of her boundary-breaking game at the Rio Olympics, when she conceded a pair of goals against Colombia you’d never expect her to cough up, she can surely still be helpful to the national team.

She probably won’t get the chance. Her contract was canceled when she was suspended, meaning, essentially, that she’s no longer a U.S. Soccer employee, unlike her teammates. Even in previous suspensions, the federation had never gone that far.

The unspoken message seems to be plain: “You’re done here, Hope.”

She certainly thought so herself. “Seventeen years,” Solo screamed in a recording of her learning of the suspension, “and it’s over.”

Maybe she’ll play abroad for a spell. Perhaps she’ll return to the National Women’s Soccer League for a few more years, at the cut-rate salary she’d have to take as a non-national teamer. But after 202 national team caps and records for appearances and starts in goal, as well as wins and shutouts, it seems for all the world like the USA is moving on and not looking back at her.

It has Alyssa Naeher and Ashlyn Harris now, who are younger and will probably do just fine. They may not become mainstream superstars and transcend the position, the way Solo did, but it’s likely that they won’t pop up on TMZ or in the tabloids nearly as often either.

Which leaves us with the messy task of trying to work out what Solo’s national team legacy is.

You’d have a hard time making a case that she isn’t the best goalkeeper the women’s game has ever seen. A record two Gold Glove awards at the last two Women’s World Cups and a Bronze Ball in 2011 – a rarity for a goalkeeper – seem to support that empirically. At her peak, she kept the U.S. in games when they didn’t deserve to be, gracefully and reliable parrying shots bound with the net with almost total certainty. And, truthfully, she was still doing that in Brazil – saving the Americans again and again in a 1-0 group stage win over France, papering over deep cracks elsewhere on the field.

But then with Solo there was always the, um, other stuff. The domestic violence cases. The occasional bad sportsmanship. The instance of just plainly being a bad teammate at the 2007 World Cup, when she was benched in favor of veteran Brianna Scurry and let the world know just how she felt. The other run-ins with the law, like when her husband was arrested for DUI while driving a women’s national team van with her, also inebriated, in the passenger’s seat.

So how do you square those things? The goalkeeper who was better than any other goalkeeper before or since? And the PR liability? And, no matter how pat this sounds, the bad role model?

There’s simply never been such a divisive figure in women’s sports, who divvied up her own legacy between on-field brilliance and off-field embarrassment in more or less equal measure.

On the men’s side, however, there have been plenty of greats who were deeply troubled away from the field. Ty Cobb once boasted of killing a drifter, fought fans and even umpires. Richard Ben Cramer’s biography of Joe DiMaggio paints the picture of a fairly repugnant person, although he never got into any real trouble. Mickey Mantle was a hopeless philanderer and alcoholic. But in the remembrance of these men, all of this is whitewashed and the base hits and championships are noted before all else.

They were forgiven their terrible sins, if the public knew about them at all. Because these men had the benefit of living in an age when the press was complicit in keeping their misdeeds under wraps and their reputations in sterling condition. But even now that we know what they were really like, what we remember first is their achievements on the field.

Should Solo be extended that same courtesy? She almost certainly won’t. In the post-steroid era in baseball, plenty of its stars have been denied a place in the Hall of Fame on account of their cheating, even though it already included cheaters aplenty.

There’s no sense in glossing over Solo’s off-field issues. But it also isn’t entirely fair to discount everything she accomplished on the field. So long as she was allowed to be there, by the law and by her team, the final arbiters on her behavior, what she did counts.

Hope Solo was a stellar national team goalkeeper.

Hope Solo was a perennial problem case off the field.

Both of those things can be true. Both of those things can coexist.

NCAAFB: College Football Kickoff, Week 11: Why Big Ten football Fridays aren’t a bad thing.

By Patrick Stevens

The exposure provided by a prime-time game, should make Maryland happy. (John McDonnell / The Washington Post)

The Big Ten’s announcement it would wade into the world of Friday night college football — first reported last week by the Chicago Tribune before the 2017 slate was announced Tuesday — elicited great concern from fans of a league often described as staid and conservative.

The release of the schedule, coupled with word last week that Michigan would not participate at all and that Ohio State and Penn State would not host Friday night games, prompts three takeaways.

[Maryland will host Northwestern in Friday night game next season]

• Take a look at that schedule for next year. There’s plenty of home games for second-tier teams — Illinois, Maryland, Purdue and Rutgers among them. The Big Ten isn’t exporting its best games to Friday nights, and of its high-end programs, only Wisconsin is hosting next year. Others might take a turn in the prime-time spotlight, but the spotlight contests aren’t going anywhere.
• For all the angst about playing opposite high school football games, is it really that big of a deal to do so once a season at home? Considering how many other leagues are pushed into weekdays by TV obligations (the ACC has five Friday night league games this year), it’s not like the Big Ten is alone on this. Some of these issues are tempered by the presence of a pair of Friday-before-Labor Day contests in the six-game package. Programs that traditionally struggle to draw crowds on that spot on the calendar would be wise to embrace the opportunity for prime-time exposure when it comes (here’s looking at you, Maryland).
• In the present-day world of college sports, much of the freight is paid through television contracts. So when an organization’s “television partners” tell it to jump, it’s obvious what occurs next. This is merely the latest example, and Big Ten fans and programs just received a reminder of the price of doing business.

And for those who might wail about tradition? Well, the Big Ten has 14 schools and stretches from Nebraska to New Jersey. In case you haven’t noticed, tradition went out the window several exits ago.

AND SPEAKING OF TRADITION …

The Duke-North Carolina rivalry immediately evokes images of taut, nationally meaningful basketball games. The football series between the neighboring schools, though, has its own trophy: The Victory Bell, which has a new look this week as North Carolina (7-2, 5-1 ACC) prepares to make the short trek up U.S. 15-501 to face the Blue Devils (3-6, 0-5) on Thursday.

Traditionally, the winner of the Victory Bell paints the trophy’s platform its shade of blue after seizing it back from its rival. For a long time, this wasn’t a serious problem; from 1990 to 2011, North Carolina won 21 of 22 meetings.

Then Duke won two in a row before the Tar Heels reclaimed the Victory Bell, spray-painted the trophy in the visiting locker room in Durham and got a bill from Duke for more than $27,000 because of damages to the carpet and walls.

The new platform is split evenly between dark blue and Carolina blue and apparently will remain that way regardless of this year’s outcome. That’s considerably less fun for everyone involved.

TOUGH WEEK FOR SEC WEST QBs

It feels vaguely like a season opener is about to be played in College Station on Saturday as Mississippi and Texas A&M meet after losing their starting quarterbacks last week to injuries that will cost them at least the remainder of the regular season.

Texas A&M (7-2, 4-2 SEC) will go without Trevor Knight, who injured his throwing shoulder at the end of the first quarter of the Aggies’ loss at Mississippi State. The graduate transfer from Oklahoma wasn’t sharp last week, but he was largely responsible for providing some stability at a program that saw a quarterback exodus after last season.

There’s an argument that made him the most valuable recruit in the country this year, and now A&M must finish out a month that also includes a game against Louisiana State with junior Jake Hubenak at quarterback.

Things are bleaker at Mississippi (4-5, 1-4), which was ranked No. 11 in the preseason but finds itself at the bottom of the SEC West. Senior Chad Kelly suffered a torn ACL in last week’s victory over Georgia Southern, and the Rebels’ choices to replace him appear to be a redshirt freshman with 13 career passing attempts (Jason Pellerin) and a well-regarded dual-threat freshman who has yet to take a snap (Shea Patterson).

Regardless of the choice, Mississippi’s offense will have a different look as it closes out a disappointing season. Its search to solidify its identity, along with Texas A&M’s similar issues, makes their encounter one of the most fascinating of the week.

FIVE GAMES TO WATCH

• Baylor at No. 11 Oklahoma (Saturday, noon, ABC/ESPN2): Oklahoma (7-2, 6-0) is expected to have both TB Samaje Perine (pulled muscle) and TB Joe Mixon (suspension) back to face a Baylor defense that was flattened on the ground last week by Texas Christian. The Bears (6-2, 3-2 Big 12) have dropped two in a row, and their freefall could continue without suspended tailback Shock Linwood.
• South Carolina at Florida (Saturday, noon, CBS): Former Florida coach Will Muschamp returns to the Swamp with his new team for the first time as the Gamecocks (5-4, 3-4 SEC) attempt to secure bowl eligibility and the Gators (6-2, 4-2) attempt to remain in control of the SEC East.
• Tulsa at Navy (Saturday, noon, CBS Sports Network): The American Athletic Conference’s West Division will get sorted out a bit in Annapolis as Dane Evans and the visiting Golden Hurricane (7-2, 4-1) visit Navy (6-2, 4-1), which is coming off a victory over Notre Dame.
• Pittsburgh at No. 2 Clemson (Saturday, 3:30 p.m., ABC): The Tigers (9-0, 6-0 ACC) can lock up the Atlantic Division for the second consecutive year with a victory over Pittsburgh (5-4, 2-3). The Panthers’ struggling secondary can’t be thrilled to deal with Deshaun Watson and the rest of the Clemson passing game.
• No. 20 Southern California at No. 4 Washington (Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Fox): Southern California (6-3, 5-2 Pac-12) was largely forgotten about after a 1-3 start, but the switch to Sam Darnold at quarterback coupled with a manageable schedule has led to a five-game winning streak. Now comes a barometer at Washington (9-0, 6-0), which looks to maintain its clear path to the playoff.

Duke upsets No. 17 North Carolina for first ACC win of the season.

By Bryan Fischer

(Photo/Getty Images)

It’s been a miserable season on the gridiron for Duke, which held such promise after beating Notre Dame earlier in the year but saw injuries put hopes of another bowl game in jeopardy.

On Thursday night however, the Blue Devils gave their fans one last highlight from the football field before attention on campus turned to the school’s basketball team by upsetting rival North Carolina 28-27 and causing a minor shakeup in the ACC standings.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Daniel Jones’ first action in the rivalry game was a memorable one, throwing for 240 yards and a touchdown while also extending drives with his legs (94 rushing, two scores). He did a good job spreading things out in the passing game, finding seven different receivers and helping T.J. Rahming hit the 100 yard receiving mark for the game.

With tailback Shaun Wilson also adding 107 yards on the ground, the Blue Devils went a remarkable 10-of-16 on third down and recorded a nearly seven minute drive in the fourth quarter to help salt away the win.

UNC quarterback Mitch Trubisky had an efficient first half but didn’t come out as accurate in the second. He finished with 297 yards and three touchdowns but also tossed two interceptions, the latter of which was right into the arms of a Duke defender with the time winding down to end any hope of a comeback.

The victory is the Blue Devils’ first in ACC play and keeps their slim bowl hopes alive at 4-6 on the season. The team is on the road for their final two games of the year but could be in position to earn a postseason invite at 5-7 depending on how many teams become eligible.

As for North Carolina, the loss takes a return trip to the ACC title game even further out of reach. Virginia Tech owns the head-to-head between the two and only needs to beat Georgia Tech on Saturday or Virginia to end the regular season to clinch the ACC Coastal.

Illini nixes future games vs. Northwestern at Soldier Field.

By John Taylor

(Photo/Getty Images)

This development will likely sit very well with a sizable segment of the Illinois fan base.

On the same day it was announced that the Illini would play host to one of the six Big Ten games to be played on Friday night next season, the school announced that it will be discontinuing what was expected to be a biannual contest with Northwestern at Soldier Field in Chicago. Instead, the conference matchup with the Wildcats will be played in Champaign moving forward.

That said, the football program will still look to have a relationship with the home stadium of the NFL’s Chicago Bears by actively seeking to schedule future non-conference games there.

“We feel strongly that we should play our traditional rivalry games in Champaign, but at the same time we are committed to a strong presence in Chicago,” athletic director Josh Whitman said in a statement. “Our intent is to play a major non-conference opponent at Soldier Field once every four years. Our team and fans enjoyed the game against Washington in 2013. It is important to maintain exposure in Chicago, and this also allows our fans and student-athletes an opportunity to experience Soldier Field.”

“With our strong ties to Chicago, playing Illinois football in historic Soldier Field will be a highlight for our players,” said head coach Lovie Smith. “Hosting a game in Chicago is great for recruiting while also giving the largest base of Illinois graduates access to Fighting Illini football.”

The Illini had been scheduled to play the Wildcats at Soldier Field in 2017 and 2019; those games are now off. The teams met at the NFL stadium last season in the first of the scheduled series.

Illinois has a previously scheduled game with USF in 2018 that will go on as planned.

NCAABKB: The 68 things we can’t wait to see this season.

By Rob Dauster

(Photo/Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

College basketball officially kicks off on Friday night. Here are the 68 things we’re looking forward to the most this season.

1. Just how good Duke is going to be this season. Let’s say that, come January, Harry Giles III is healthy enough to play 20 minutes a night, Jayson Tatum and Marquese Bolden have shaken off the nagging injuries they’re dealing with and Grayson Allen is playing like last year’s Grayson Allen. Is that team more talented than the Kentucky team that started the 2014-15 season 38-0 …

2. … and if they are, who gives Duke the most trouble in March? Kentucky and Kansas both match up extremely well with the Blue Devils, while Oregon, Villanova and a handful of ACC rivals will have the talent to pick off Coach K’s club.

3. Speaking of Kansas, they have a freshman named Josh Jackson who is nearly as good of a prospect as Andrew Wiggins was when he entered Kansas …

4. … and he may not even be the best freshman in college basketball this season, which is as loaded with high-level talent as we’ve seen it since the one-and-done era started.

5. There’s Washington point guard Markelle Fultz, a smooth, athletic 6-foot-5 guard that is the trendy pick to go No. 1 in the 2017 NBA Draft …

6. … but he may not even be the best point guard in this draft class. Some will give that title to Dennis Smith Jr., a powerfully-athletic, 6-foot-2 playmaker that has N.C. State fans in a tizzy.

7. Kentucky may have the two most entertaining freshmen in the country in Malik Monk and Bam Adebayo, and there’s an argument to be made that a third freshman, De’Aaron Fox, is actually UK’s best player.

8. Speaking of Kentucky, I cannot wait to see how John Calipari puts the pieces on his roster together. There’s talent there, but I wonder just how well that talent fits.

9. A healthy Dillon Brooks. Oregon has a chance to repeat what they did last season – dual Pac-12 titles, No. 1 seed in the tournament – but I cannot see that happening if their all-american cannot bounce back from a foot injury.

10. Villanova’s title defense, and how they overcome the loss of Daniel Ochefu in the middle.

11. The Champions Classic. It kicks off on Tuesday night, and features Kentucky and Michigan State while, in my opinion, the two best teams in the country – Duke and Kansas – square off.

12. The Armed Forces Classic. It’s not going to get as much hype as the Champions Classic, but it will feature Arizona playing Michigan State and Indiana squaring off with Kansas.

13. Kansas vs. Kentucky. They play in January at Rupp Arena. Both could be in the top five. That will be a tough ticket to get.

14. Kentucky vs. Louisville. They play on a Wednesday in December. I can’t imagine anyone in the state will be productive at work that Thursday.

15. The ACC. The conference is as loaded as any league we’ve seen since the Big East produced three No. 1 seeds in 2009, and the ACC may still be better than that.

16. Is this the year that Gonzaga finally puts together a Final Four run?

17. Speaking of Gonzaga, they play Fultz and Washington in Spokane this season. That’s one of the nation’s most under appreciated rivalries.

18. UConn-Syracuse at Madison Square Garden. Non-conference basketball just doesn’t get any better than that.

19. Speaking of Syracuse, do they have the point guard play they need to compete at the top of the ACC?

20. … and what about the Huskies, who will be counting on Jalen Adams to play like Shabazz Napier, the last superstar point guard to come out of Roxbury, Ma.

21. What is going to happen with UCLA? They have the talent to be a national title contender, but between their defensive issues and incompatibility offensively, this team could end up finishing below .500 for the second straight season.

22. Miles Bridges. He’s as physical and as athletic as any player that’s entered college basketball in some time.

23. Greg Gard’s second season. He took Wisconsin from being a 9-9 team to a No. 7 seed last year. What can he get done with Bronson Koenig, Nigel Hayes and Ethan Happ all returning?

24. Figuring out who is the second-best team in the SEC and whether or not they are actually a tournament team.

25. Just how healthy is E.C. Mathews’ knee? If it’s healthy, Rhode Island will be dangerous.

26. Edmond Sumner’s sophomore year. He was downright dominant at times as a freshman.

27. What can Sean Miller do with this Arizona team? He’s lost so many piece, but he’s as good of a coach as their is in college basketball.

28. Pissed off Melo Trimble.

29. What kind of growth did Louisville’s guards – Donovan Mitchell, Deng Adel, etc. – make this offseason, and will the Cards be a top ten team as a result?

30. Did Thad Matta forget how to coach basketball or did Ohio State just need to shuffle out a few of the bad apples in their program?

31. The best back court you’re paying no attention to: Phil Forte and Jawun Evans at Oklahoma State.

32. Has Isaac Haas, Caleb Swanigan or Vince Edwards taken the step forward needed for the Boilermakers to be a real Big Ten title contender?

33. Is Andrew White the point guard that Shaka Smart needs this season?

34. Austin Nichols transforming into an all-American at Virginia.

35. … and Joel Berry II doing the same at North Carolina.

36. Virginia Tech and Buzz Williams proving to everyone that last year’s run in the ACC – 10-8 record, wins over Virginia and Miami – wasn’t a fluke.

37. Quinndary Weatherspoon reminding everyone why Mississippi State wasn’t worried about Malik Newman transferring out of the program.

38. Just how good Jonathan Isaac is at Florida State. He has as much long-term potential as anyone in college basketball this season.

39. We’ve talked about a lot of Pac-12 teams and talent, but we haven’t yet mentioned Ivan Rabb. Does he get more attention during the season?

40. Saint Mary’s reminding everyone that Gonzaga isn’t the only program in the WCC.

41. … and BYU, led by Nick Emery and the returning Eric Mike, reminding everyone that the WCC isn’t a two-team race.

42. Jack Gibbs making a run at the nation’s scoring title while reminding everyone at Davidson of Stephen Curry.

43. Will USC avoid being a victim of their own success?

44. The VCU fan base’s never-ending trolling of our Terrence Payne, who still believes that the program is heading in the wrong direction.

45. Alec Peters’ snubbing the NBA and every high-major program in the country to return to Valparaiso for his senior season.

46. Is Florida head coach Mike White the real deal?

47. Seeing how the college students attending – and, frankly, playing in – these games respond to the current political climate. We’ve seen what Nigel Hayes and Bronson Koenig have done. Who joins them in their activism?

48. Creighton guards Mo Watson and Marcus Foster proving to the world just how good they are.

49. The first annual Ivy League tournament, which will be held at the Palestra.

50. Siyani Chambers’ return to Harvard after sitting out last year with a torn ACL.

51. Wichita State no longer has Ron Baker and Fred Van Vleet on the roster. Will that program be able to survive? (Hint: Yes. Yes it will.)

52. The return of the Monmouth Bench Mob, and the chance for the Hawks to pick off the likes of South Carolina (Nov. 15th), Syracuse (Nov. 18th), Memphis (Dec. 13th) and North Carolina (Dec. 28th).

53. Chris Beard at Texas Tech. The Red Raiders have a better roster than you realize, and Beard’s path to his dream school – Little Rock to UNLV for a few weeks to Lubbock – was as weird as any you’ll see at this level.

54. The Player of the Year race. The early, trendy pick is Grayson Allen, who could end up being the third-best player on that Duke team.

55. Kansas matching John Wooden’s UCLA teams by winning their 13th straight Big 12 regular season title.

56. Tubby Smith has consistently been one of the best coaches in college basketball, and now he’ll take over a struggling Memphis program that John Calipari had rolling less than a decade ago.

57. Suits. From John Calipari and Jay Wright in Armani suits to Bobby Huggins in sweat suits.

58. Does Charles Cooke of Dayton play his way into being an NBA Draft pick?

59. At what point will people realize just how good Cincinnati’s Troy Caupain really is?

60. O.G. Anunoby and Thomas Bryant ushering in Indiana’s post-Yogi era.

61. Will Iowa State be able to remain relevant in the Big 12 without Georges Niang, and will Monte’ Morris be the guy that makes it happen?

62. Clemson forward Jaron Blossomgame turning into a household name.

63. The Frank Mason anthem going viral every time that he does something good for Kansas.

64. Arkansas big man Moses Kingsley winning the SEC Player of the Year award.

65. Malcolm Hill carrying Illinois back to the NCAA tournament.

66. Can Peter Jok get up more than 25 shots a night for Iowa?

67. Every time a broadcast shows a replay of Villanova’s Kris Jenkins hitting his national title-winning, buzzer-beating three and the Marcus Paige jumper that led up to it.

68. … and waiting to see what will happen this season that tops this:

https://youtu.be/L7FFJUz0tdo

NFLPA will study marijuana as a pain-management tool for players. (What's Your Take?

By Zac Jackson

(Photo/Getty Images)

Five more NFL teams will soon be playing in states where marijuana is legal, and the NFL Players Association is exploring the possibility of letting NFL players use marijuana as a pain-management tool.

George Atallah, the NFLPA assistant executive director of external affairs, told the Washington Post Wednesday that the NFLPA is “actively looking” at using marijuana as a pain-management tool and will form a committee to study benefits of the drug.

Marijuana remains a banned substance under the terms of the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement.

In a statement given to the Washington Post, the NFL said it will continue “to follow the advice of leading experts on treatment, pain management and other symptoms associated with concussions and other injuries. However, medical experts have not recommended making a change or revisiting our collectively-bargained policy and approach related to marijuana, and our position on its use remains consistent with federal law and workplace policies across the country. If these medical experts change their view, then this is an area that we would explore.”

Recently retired offensive tackle Eugene Monroe has been a vocal supporter in recent years of changing the NFL’s policy and exploring the possibility of allowing the use of medical marijuana instead of standard painkillers. Any change in the terms of the collective bargaining agreement would have to be approved by the NFLPA and the league.

Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Take: Marijuana has been legal in several states for medical purposes for several years now. In this week's elections, Marijuana was passed in several states, (California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada), by popular vote to be used for recreational purposes. This presents a major problem for professional teams in the states where teams are located. The leagues say use of Marijuana is forbidden to be used by players, however, it is not illegal in those states. Is that fair? Can the league say you can't drink alcohol even though it's legal? My point is this, how can the league tell someone what they can or can't do if it is legal? Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating the use of Marijuana or drugs, I'm just pointing out the problem the leagues and players' associations must figure out. It's going to be interesting to see how this shakes out. We will be following this issue to see what the outcome will be and we will be periodically commenting on it until a solution is finalized. In our opinion, this issue will take awhile to reach a mutually accepted solution.  

We've briefly broached this issue without really taking a stand on it; what we really would like to know is what are your thoughts and what's your take? Should athletes be able to use Marijuana as a recreational drug? Please go to the comment section at the bottom of this blog and share your opinion with us.

As always, we love hearing from you and respect your opinion. Thanks in advance for taking the time to share your thoughts on this.

The Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Editorial Staff.  

On This Date in Sports History: Today is Friday, November 11, 2016.

Memoriesofhistory.com

1868 - The first indoor amateur track and field meet was held by the New York Athletic Club.

1944 - The New York Rangers set an NHL record of 25 games without a win (0-21-4).

1946 - The New York Knickerbockers (later the Knicks) played their first game at Madison Square Garden. New York lost the game 78-68 to Chicago.

1963 - Gordie Howe (Detroit Red Wings) tied Rocket Richard's record of 544 career goals.

1981 - Fernando Valenzuela (L.A. Dodgers) became the first pitcher to win Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young award in the same season.

1981 - The Minnesota North Stars scored 8 goals in the second period against the Winnipeg Jets. The North Stars won the game 15-2.

1984 - The Houston Oilers ended their streak of 23 consecutive road losses when they beat Kansas City 17-16.

1990 - Derrick Thomas (Kansas City Chiefs) set an NFL record when he had 7 sacks in a game against the Seahawks.

1997 - Roger Clemens (Toronto Blue Jays) became the third major league player to win the Cy Young Award four times.

2002 - Barry Bonds became the first major league baseball player to win the leagues Most Valuable Player title five times.

2002 - The NHL suspended Krzysztof Oliwa (New York Rangers) for five games for a cross-check against Grant Marshall (Columbus Bluejackets) on November 9. Coach Bryan Trottier (New York Rangers) was suspended for two games for sending several enforcers on the ice for the final 2.5 seconds of the same game.

2004 - Shaquille O'Neal (Miami Heat) hit 22,000 career points.

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