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"Sports Quote of the Day"

“It's the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen.” ~ Muhammad Ali, Arguably The Greatest Heavyweight Boxer Of All Time 

Trending: All smiles: Bulls begin Circus Trip with a bang, crush Trail Blazers. (See the basketball section for Bulls news and NBA updates).

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Trending: Sorting out Bears futures of John Fox, Jay Cutler and more. (See the football section for Bears News an NFL updates).

Trending: Blackhawks blanked by Jets to end 11-game point streak. (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates and NHL news).

Trending: How the Big Ten controls the College Football Playoff. (See the college football section for NCAA football news, scores and updates).

Trending: Joe Maddon may not be Manager of the Year — or a Game 7 hero — but Cubs still see a future Hall of Famer. (See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).

How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks blanked by Jets to end 11-game point streak.

By Tracey Myers

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

The Blackhawks had been on a nice run lately, using a combination of great goaltending and an improving all-around game to collect points in 11 consecutive games.

They were looking to take that game on the road on this Circus Trip. Unfortunately at their first stop, they took a step backward.

Josh Morrissey scored the first goal of his NHL career and the Winnipeg Jets added three more in the third period to beat the Blackhawks, 4-0, on Tuesday night. The Blackhawks, who were shut out for the first time this season, suffered their first regulation loss since Oct. 21 (a 3-2 loss to Columbus).

Vinnie Hinostroza was injured late in the first period off a hit near the boards and did not return. Coach Joel Quenneville said he thought Hinostroza would be fine but that he would know more on Wednesday.

Connor Hellebuyck stopped all 27 shots for his first shutout of the season and third of his career. Corey Crawford stopped 18 of 22 shots, getting pulled in favor of Scott Darling after the Jets scored twice in 11 seconds in the third period. Patrik Laine and Nic Petan had the Jets’ quick-strike goals in the third; Laine’s was his 12th of the season.

There were a few games during the Blackhawks’ point streak in which they didn’t play well yet still pulled out one or two points. That wasn’t the case Tuesday, as the Blackhawks played flat from start to finish.

“We didn’t generate anything in the first period there. We still had a hockey game ahead of us, but we didn’t generate a lot tonight,” Quenneville said. “It’s one of those games where up front we tried a few things, missed a couple of guys and rearranged the lines without any success. Across the board, we shouldn’t be happy about that one.”

The Jets, who are going through several injuries right now, nevertheless played a strong game. No, they didn’t generate much themselves until the third period, when they broke open what was a 1-0 game to that point. But they were more opportunistic than the Blackhawks, whose puck possession was absent.

Also gone was a great opportunity for the Blackhawks in the second period, when they had a 5-on-3 advantage for a minute and seven seconds. Nothing came of it.

“We’re all pros, we can’t be deflated. But it’s a big opportunity there, and we’ve had some tough luck with the 5-on-3,” Brian Campbell said. “We’ve got to find ways to capitalize on those situations. They’re huge throughout a season and obviously playoffs.”

In one sense, the Blackhawks will shrug this one off. They’re coming off a nice run. In another sense, this is not how they wanted to start this Circus Trip. The Blackhawks were making strides in their overall game as they hit the road. On Tuesday, they hit a bump.

“I liked the way we were going where we had four or five games where we looked like we got better every game,” Quenneville said. “Today, looked like what we saw earlier.”

Flat outing all around: Five Things from Blackhawks-Jets.

By Tracey Myers

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

It was a great run while it lasted.

The Blackhawks have gone on a lot of successful circus trips, and this one could still end up being one. But it didn’t get off to a great start as the Blackhawks fell to the Winnipeg Jets, 4-0. The Blackhawks were flat from start to finish, and their point streak fizzled with Tuesday’s performance.

So before we head to Calgary, here are Five Things to take from the Blackhawks’ loss to the Winnipeg Jets.

1. Bad start to a long trip. The Blackhawks were as happy with their game against Montreal on Sunday as any they’ve played this season. It was a complete game against a red-hot opponent. Their game on Tuesday was nowhere near that. As coach Joel Quenneville said, “we didn’t have the puck enough, didn’t have puck support, poor gap, a lot of things weren’t good.” No, it wasn’t the way they wanted to start this trip at all.

2. Vinnie Hinostroza hurt. Hinostroza was the latest of the young Blackhawks to get a chance on the top line. His opportunity, unfortunately, ended due to an injury late in the first period. Josh Morrissey hit Hinostroza, and Hinostroza’s head hit the boards as he fell. Nick Schmaltz took Hinostroza’s place with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane to start the second. Quenneville said the rookie forward should be fine. A few extra days’ rest/recuperation should help Hinostroza; the Blackhawks’ next game isn’t until Friday, when they face the Calgary Flames.

3. Opportunity squandered. The Blackhawks got a power play, then got one minute, seven seconds of 5-on-3 midway through the second period. But they did little on both, especially the 5-on-3 on which they got just one shot. The Blackhawks seemed to do too much standing around, too much passing, on that 5-on-3. Marian Hossa said, “you’re not going to score every time but 5-on-3, that’s a huge advantage. We have so much skill, most of the time we score. Some nights we don’t. Obviously it was one of those nights.”

4. No traffic. The Blackhawks had more shots than the Jets but again, it goes back to quality more than quantity. The Blackhawks didn’t get many bodies around Connor Hellebuyck. So even when there were rebounds, the Blackhawks didn’t get a chance at them. The Jets deserve some of the credit but when the Blackhawks are struggling, this is a recurring theme.

5. All good things must end. Three and a half weeks; the Blackhawks went that long between regulation losses (Oct. 21 against Columbus to tonight). That’s a pretty nice stretch for the team that still leads the Western Conference with 24 points. They had a flat night. It happens.

No more Circus Trips for Blackhawks and Bulls?

By CSN Staff

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

The Blackhawks and Bulls are gearing up for annual Circus Trip, and it will reportedly be their final one.

According to Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus won't return to the United Center after this year:

The Circus and Ice Show trips have been a staple for the teams for decades and date back to when they occupied the Chicago Stadium. But when the present contracts expired, changes were made.

“The reason we’re doing this is two-fold,” Terry Savarise, Senior Vice President of Operations for the United Center, said Monday. “One is that in future years the Bulls and the Blackhawks no longer have to endure two two-week road trips and a subset of that is that those two two-week road trips had resulted in a compression of our home-game schedules which usually ended up having too many home games for fans in a short period of time.

“There were times when you’d have four home games in a one-week period, which fans didn’t like."

Disney on Ice, which forces the Blackhawks and Bulls to go on a second lengthy trip away from home, will also be shortened to one week starting in 2018.

The Blackhawks, who own a 14-3-2 record across the last three seasons on this trip, will visit the Jets tonight on CSN while the Bulls will open their road trip in Portland.

Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Sorting out Bears futures of John Fox, Jay Cutler and more.

By John Mullin

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

The maelstrom of unpleasantness that began sometime Sunday in the Bears’ 36-10 loss to Tampa Bay, ranging from (but not limited to) the dismal game to Alshon Jeffery’s four-game suspension to Kyle Long’s ankle injury served to ratchet up the furor surrounding a Bears team of which much more was expected in the second year under coach John Fox. It has also led to a swirl of issues to ponder and even straighten out… .

The Cutler Conundrum

First, the overarching situation of Jay Cutler. Start with a basic NFL axiom:

Coaches don’t make decisions. Players make the decisions for them. Cutler is making theirs for him.

Last week this space detailed how Cutler was in position to present the Bears with a “problem,” that of choosing between apparent “good” quarterback options. On Sunday in the Tampa Bay debacle, Cutler all but made the coaches’ and the organization’s decision for them, with the four turnovers and all-around poor play that resulted in a game that saw the Bears’ only touchdown come on a Hail Mary to end the first half.

Here’s the broader problem: The game was the third in Cutler’s four 2016 starts in which the quarterback played as he has throughout too much of his career, turning the football over, failing to get the most out of his supporting cast, and producing a passer rating in the 70’s, or worse.

Cutler apologists annually decried his lack of “weapons” as cover for his inadequacies and shortcomings. Consider: With Johnny Knox, Earl Bennett and Devin Hester as his top three wide receivers in 2010, Cutler’s passer rating was 86.3. Given the weapons of Jeffery, Brandon Marshall and Martellus Bennett in 2013, Cutler’s passer rating was 89.2.

Cutler’s body of work in 2016 may yet include a run of performances like the one against Minnesota. At this point, though, those will effectively be garbage-time numbers in a season of garbage time. Cutler had his chances to play his way into a 2017 Bears uniform. How that happens now is beyond problematic.

What about Fox?

An extended question, looking past 2016, would be the ripple effect of Cutler and the losing football on the future of Fox. Cutler was intertwined in Fox’s situation last year and this. No longer, and not to the degree some may imagine.

(One amusing issue some raise about Fox is about his drive, motivation or interest in doing this job at age 61. Considering that Tom Coughlin won Super Bowls with the New York Giants, the Bears’ next opponent, at ages 61 and 65, some folks clearly don’t know a whole lot about correlations between calendars and people.)

Fox is not going anywhere after this season, unless somehow by his choice, which is difficult to envision. He and Ryan Pace will have their shot with a quarterback (and some other positions) of their choosing, particularly since both made a major effort to make work the financial albatross that Phil Emery hung around the neck of the organization. Ownership isn’t blind.

Fox and the organization acceded to the strong wishes of the offensive coordinator last year and allowed Adam Gase to stay with Cutler, leading to an NFL “first” of an offensive coordinator actually GETTING a job instead of losing one because of Cutler. Gase had done in-depth research in February into what previous Cutler coaches felt was the real situation with Cutler and the result was Gase structuring a system with truncated decision-making and a career-best season for Cutler.

But the underlying realities also included Cutler being guaranteed $10 million in 2016 if he was on the roster past a March 2015 deadline, which he was at Gase’s insistence. Bears Chairman George McCaskey did state publicly at the outset of the incoming Pace-Fox administration would not be ordered to keep players based on monies owed. Still, the broader landscape was that 2016 was in fact Cutler’s prove-it year because no more of the Bears’ capital – or Pace’s salary cap – were tied to Cutler.

The Bears were always going to cast their fate with a quarterback other than Cutler; the question was simply when. They, like myriad other teams, looked into dealing up for Marcus Mariota; they did not, however, hard-shop Cutler as widely posited. Neither Pace nor Fox were driving to overrule Gase.

But neither will Pace and/or Fox end their times in Chicago without a fair chance with the ingredients of their collective choice.

NFL announces Alshon Jeffery suspended for four games.

By Tony Andracki

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

The NFL dropped a bombshell Monday afternoon, announcing Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery would be suspended for the next four games for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances.

Jeffery's suspension is effective immediately and runs through Dec. 12.

That means he will miss games against the New York Giants (Week 11), Tennesee Titans (Week 12), San Francisco 49ers (Week 13) and Detroit Lions (Week 14). There will only be three games left on the Bears' schedule once Jeffery returns.

The Bears are 2-7 and only the Los Angeles Rams (139) have scored fewer points than the Bears' 141 through nine games. 

Jeffery is in the midst of his worst season as a pro, with only 40 catches for 630 yards and one touchdown.

He had four catches for 47 yards in the first quarter of the Bears' 36-10 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday, but was shut out the rest of the game.

A bad day gets worse for the Bears: Kyle Long reportedly out for season.

By #BearsTalk

 

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

On a day in which the Bears learned that wide receiver Alshon Jeffery was suspended four games, the team also reportedly found out it will be without offensive lineman Kyle Long for the rest of the season.

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported that Long's MRI came back with the bad news.

Long was carted off the field and returned in the second half with a wrap around his ankle due to the injury. His injury was part of a number of key injuries the Bears suffered on Sunday, including fellow offensive lineman Bobby Massie and running back Jordan Howard.

The 27-year-old missed just one game in his first three seasons in the NFL, totaling 47 starts. This season, Long also missed the Week 8 game against the Vikings.

Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... All smiles: Bulls begin Circus Trip with a bang, crush Trail Blazers.

By Vincent Goodwill

(Photo/USA Today Sports Images)

Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler celebrated after the Marquette connection linked up for an alley-oop dunk, in the most unconventional way in an unconventional ballgame.

In effect, the game was over before it began, as the Bulls dished out a shocker to the Portland Trail Blazers to start off their annual Circus Trip with an impressive 113-88 win at the Moda Center on Tuesday night.

When the Wade-Butler connection happened, things were well on their way to the resounding victory, mostly done on the defensive end. The Bulls held the Blazers to 36 percent shooting overall as the Blazers missed their first 11 shots from the field, leading to a 21-point first quarter Bulls lead that ballooned to 25 before halftime.

Without Rajon Rondo, who was out with an ankle injury, the Bulls had to run more of their offense through Butler—and things were trending that way anyways—and he took full advantage.

Butler dominated from start to finish, continuing his strong play that’s gone largely under the radar in this young season with 27 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. But containing the high-scoring backcourt of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum was the Bulls’ biggest task, one that was passed easily.

They harassed the potent but miniature in stature backcourt, harassing them into missing 25 of their 39 shots. With Lillard and McCollum unable to get going, it put the other Blazers in the unenviable position of trying to create on their own, which only made matters worse.

They forced up bad shots just because they were open, playing right into the Bulls’ hands. Through three quarters, the Blazers shot just 35 percent and missed 20 of their 26 3-pointers.

The Bulls surrounded Lillard with Jerian Grant, who replaced Rondo in the starting lineup.

Grant’s length and quickness played a part in Lillard missing his first seven shots and he joined the brigade of handsy Bulls who like to get their hands in the passing lanes for steals along with Grant’s willingness to be aggressive offensively.

Hitting two triples in addition to getting out on the break, Grant looked comfortable playing with Wade and Butler as he wasn’t burdened with the task of running the offense.

He spaced the floor, defended and attacked when he had openings, finishing with 18 points.

All five Bulls starters scored in double figures, as the Bulls dispatched the Blazers by barely breaking a sweat.

Nikola Mirotic showed signs of breaking from slump.

By Vincent Goodwill

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

If there’s a favorite whipping boy for Bulls fans, Nikola Mirotic would win that election by a resounding percentage.

For many, he represents what the Bulls have been the last couple seasons: someone on a given night who can be the best player on the floor against the best teams in the league while also, on a given night, can be invisible.

His inconsistency is maddening, especially with how much the Bulls need him to produce offensively.

For a three game stretch, he went scoreless, then shot two-for-nine, then didn’t make a field goal in a close loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

When that’s the case, Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said the rim can look like a thimble, as opposed to looking like an ocean when a player is hot.

Then before Thursday night’s game in Miami, Hoiberg pulled the bearded one into his office.

“I had a really good talk with Niko in Miami,” Hoiberg said. “I told him if anybody can relate to having struggles in the league, it’s me. I had him in my office that day. I said if you feel like you’re on an island, you feel like the world is against you, it’s never as bad as you think it is.”

Mirotic, who could never play poker given how prominently his emotions are displayed on his face, lightened up. Hoiberg likes to joke about his playing career in the NBA, but he was able to stick around for a decade so the self-deprecation can only take him so far.

But it reached Mirotic, who responded in the last two games with 27 points and 16 rebounds in two wins against Miami and Washington.

“I really appreciate that and it made me feel better,” Mirotic said. “I had a good game in Miami and it gave me that confidence back and it was good for me.”

Mirotic is only shooting 32.7 percent from three, a number that will have to rise if the Bulls are to come out of this circus trip with an even mark, or at least to be able to stay around .500 before the home-laden December schedule.

When Mirotic is rolling, like his behind-the-back pass in traffic that led to a dunk and 3-point play for Taj Gibson, it can leave many salivating, wanting more. He hit a big triple in the fourth against the Wizards Saturday that caused Gibson, who was waiting to check back in, to tell Hoiberg to keep Mirotic in.

Hoiberg called it a “selfless act”, but Gibson, who won the starting power forward spot over Mirotic in training camp, didn’t see it that way. Mere empathy was the emotion.

“People don’t understand, it takes a whole team,” Gibson said. “Jimmy (Butler) won’t score all those points if people don’t do the small things. We really need Niko to come into his old self. It’s tough being ridiculed every other game about shot selection, how you’re not making threes and it’s tough on a kid. I think it was great for him to get those reps and get the confidence. As soon as he hit the three I said, Fred keep him in.”

“Niko’s my guy. He’s been a great teammate. He’s family. Anyway I can help his game, I’ll tell Fred to keep him. He hit a tough shot, played great defense. Leave him in.”

One can say his best place is off the bench, with less pressure than being a starter. His hope is he can string a few of these games together at the right time, but of course, through two and a half seasons, he didn’t get this reputation out of nowhere.

“But I enjoyed last game and tonight, how I went out and played,” Mirotic said. “I just need to move forward.”

Jimmy Butler wakes up Bulls in time for win over shorthanded Wizards. (Saturday night's game, 11/12/2016).

By Vincent Goodwill

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Taj Gibson put his head into his hands in frustration, as a simple pass to Doug McDermott went into the hands of the expensive season-ticket holders, another unforced turnover.

A couple possessions earlier, Robin Lopez and Jimmy Butler couldn’t connect on a simple no-pressure connection, giving the appearance the Bulls just weren’t take the night seriously.

That was the case for the better part of 24 minutes. The next 12 minutes of hard work or perhaps competence pushed the Bulls to a 106-95 win over the shorthanded Washington Wizards Saturday night.

Even though a game is 48 minutes, 12 efficient ones from the Bulls sufficed to give them their second straight victory, pushing their record to 6-4 before heading out west.

They held the Wizards to 24 percent shooting and gave up just 14 points after allowing nearly 60 in one half of basketball.

“That’s the one thing we need to keep building on,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. “I thought we fell out of our defense a little bit, but then we got it back.”

“The third quarter defense is what won us the game. We came out with a great mentality and got some stops.”

Butler, a viewer of this Bulls’ horror movie more times than he’d care to admit over the last year, games where his team had inexcusable losses against teams who had no business being in the same gym as them, changed the narrative for a night.

He was perfect from the field in the third, scoring 14 of his game-high 37 points to go along with nine assists and eight rebounds. For a period in the second half, he was buzzing on defense, getting deflections against Wizards guard Trey Burke on his way to three steals.

“If he has it going on, we find a way to put the ball in his hands,” Hoiberg said.

And when the fourth quarter saw the Bulls get a little bit tight, Butler re-entered at the 8:23 mark and a once 15-point lead was whittled to seven.

So Butler went to work with a three-point play, a steal and then another bucket in a one-minute span to help give the Bulls necessary breathing room.

“He is leading us,” said Dwyane Wade, who scored 14 on 5 of 17 shooting, as the Bulls shot 40 percent. “He’s doing what me and (Rajon) Rondo came for him to do, to really turn him into a premier player in this league. He really guides us.”

The Wizards were without John Wall and Bradley Beal, their starting backcourt, putting unknowns in their place named Sheldon McClellan and Tomas Satoransky, who barely had 10 minutes of playing experience between them, let alone anything else.

Satoransky helped the Wizards get off to a good start and helped Markieff Morris get off, as the Bulls couldn’t contain him for the first half. Morris scored 24 with 15 boards as Satoransky scored 12 with nine assists, with a team-high plus-13.

The stage was set for a Bulls letdown and they nearly lived up to it, in their last game before their six-game circus trip begins next week in Portland.

Marcin Gortat began moving Robin Lopez around and scoring inside, finishing with 18 points and 14 rebounds on nine of 12 shooting.

The Wizards actually led 56-46 with a minute to go in the first half before a quick Butler surge pulled the Bulls to within three, with him hitting a buzzer-beating jumper to give him 21.

Nikola Mirotic, someone who needed a game in the worst way, came up big with 17 points and 11 rebounds, hitting three triples and in the absence of Doug McDermott, who left in the third due to entering concussion protocol, will be needed even more for the foreseeable future.

“You can see the stress in his face,” Hoiberg said. “I told him to just go out there and have gun. He did that, he hit a big three for us.”

No matter if it was a team looked like it was playing three games in four nights, the Bulls looked like the bunch that gave away games it shouldn’t have with a sluggish performance last year, and barely shot over 40 percent for the night.

Without Wall and Beal the Wizards were missing 38 percent of their scoring, and considering the Wizards are 25th in that department, one would think it meant good news for the Bulls.

But they allowed Morris to run wild on them early, hitting six of his first seven shots before their bench gave up the lead.

The Bulls came out like a determined team in the third, outscoring the Wizards 28-14 and kept pace for the final 12 to give themselves some good enough vibes before heading out west for the next two weeks.

CUBS: Joe Maddon may not be Manager of the Year — or a Game 7 hero — but Cubs still see a future Hall of Famer.

By Patrick Mooney

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Dave Roberts deserved to be the National League’s Manager of the Year because the Los Angeles Dodgers exceeded preseason expectations, overcame a wave of injuries and made so many different clubhouse pieces fit together.

The Dodgers used 15 different starting pitchers while getting fewer than 150 innings out of Clayton Kershaw. Roberts worked with a sprawling front office, creatively manipulating the lineup and the bullpen while incorporating young talent like Rookie of the Year Corey Seager, guiding the Dodgers to 91 wins and a division title.

The Cubs woke up on Opening Day as Major League Baseball’s most talented team on paper. Except for Kyle Schwarber shredding his left knee in early April — which would heighten the World Series drama later — the Cubs stayed remarkably healthy. Winning 103 games looked more like a continuation of 2015, when Maddon won the Baseball Writers’ Association of America award.

When the BBWAA revealed the voting on Tuesday night, Maddon (70 points) finished a distant second behind a first-year manager (108 points) in a contest that has a lot to do with perception and external factors and closes before the playoffs even start. Roberts received 16 of the 30 first-place votes, with Washington Nationals manager/ex-Cub Dusty Baker placing third with 66 points.

It also says something about the fundamental nature of the job — particularly in the age of Twitter and Big Data — that Maddon could guide the Cubs to their first World Series title since 1908 ... and still get criticized and second-guessed for how he handled that classic Game 7 victory over the Cleveland Indians.

“Listen, we won the World Series,” general manager Jed Hoyer said. “I know there’s a zero-percent chance we win 200 games over two years and win the World Series without Joe.

“That’s the nature of the postseason. The managers take on almost an oversized persona because the camera’s on them the entire game. Every move they make is going to be dissected.”

Like pulling Cy Young Award contender Kyle Hendricks with two outs in the fifth inning at Progressive Field — to bring in Jon Lester with a runner on first base and intensify the focus on his yips. Or having superstar closer Aroldis Chapman throw 97 pitches in Games 5, 6 and 7 combined. Watching Javier Baez fail to execute an assigned squeeze bunt in the top of the ninth inning compelled Jason Heyward to call a players-only meeting in the weight room during a 17-minute rain delay.

“Listen, I’ll be the first person to admit,” Hoyer said, “when Chapman came in with a man on first and two outs in the eighth inning, nowhere in my psyche was the game going to be tied two batters later (on Rajai Davis’ homer). Chapman hadn’t given up a home run as a Cub. So I think, in a lot of ways, what happened was something that was totally anomalous to what had happened throughout the season.

“But Joe is a world-champion manager for the first time — and he’s going to be in the Hall of Fame someday.”

Maddon clearly deserves credit for helping create the environment where all these hyped prospects could become All Stars, deflecting attention away from his players with his money quotes and long media sessions and deflating some of the pressure around the team with his “Embrace The Target” mentality.

It’s also so much easier to write about an 8-7 World Series Game 7 in the press box — or make those decisions from your couch — than actually deal with the human beings in the dugout. On Wednesday night, a Cub will win the Cy Young Award for the second straight year, unless Washington’s Max Scherzer beats Hendricks and Lester in a three-man race that didn’t have a clear-cut frontrunner like Jake Arrieta in 2015. It would be a shocking upset on Thursday night if Kris Bryant doesn’t follow up his Rookie of the Year campaign with an MVP award.

Maddon had been a two-time Manager of the Year with the Tampa Bay Rays, a small-market franchise that couldn’t keep its young core intact or win bidding wars for elite free agents. Maddon’s managerial resume already includes six playoff appearances in 11 years, including seven seasons with at least 90 wins, and the Cubs still feel like this is just the beginning of their run. Those crazy 10 innings in Cleveland should be good material for a Cooperstown speech.

“It was an amazing game,” Hoyer said. “I’m sort of glad that’s how we won the game. I think it was an appropriate way to end a 108-year-drought. We sort of stared into the abyss for 45 minutes or so — and ended up coming out the other side.

“It’s a more appropriate way than having a nice, clean 6-3 win. But I think I probably have more gray hair now. I probably have ulcers. And it probably took some minutes off my life. But I do think it was probably more appropriate.”

Dexter Fowler betting on himself again after declining qualifying offer from Cubs.

By Patrick Mooney

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

What could Dexter Fowler possibly do for an encore here? The Cubs already got two of the best years of his life, winning 200 games and five playoff rounds combined while watching him develop into an All-Star for the first time.

Fowler set the tone for an epic Game 7 against Corey Kluber and the Cleveland Indians, backpedaling between first and second base after launching the Cy Young Award winner’s sinker 406 feet over the center-field wall for the 22nd leadoff homer in World Series history.

Fowler did it again when he stepped to the microphone during that massive Grant Park rally after an unforgettable championship parade down Lake Shore Drive and Michigan Avenue.

“You know what they say, they say: ‘You go, we go,’ so I’m going,” Fowler said with a fake laugh. “Thank you Cubs fans for coming out. You all are the best in the world. Thank you for having me. You all are like family. You all are extended family to me. And I love you all forever.”

Fowler settled all the family business in Chicago, making a surprise return in spring training and helping the Cubs win their first World Series title in 108 years. Fowler is betting on himself again, declining a $17.2 million qualifying offer by Monday’s deadline and expecting to cash in with a big multi-year deal.

“Dexter had an amazing year for us,” general manager Jed Hoyer said during last week’s GM meetings in Arizona. “He’s going to have a lot of suitors – as he should after a year like that – so we’ll be in touch with (his agent) Casey Close and with Dexter. We’d love to have him back.

“Whether or not that can happen – we’re not sure. We do have internal options there – good ones – but we’ll also probably look externally as well.”

The Cubs shocked the baseball world when Fowler showed up at their Mesa complex in late February for a $13 million guarantee – days after he had reportedly agreed to a three-year, $35 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles.

The draft-pick compensation system – which may be overhauled with a new collective bargaining agreement – had a chilling effect on Fowler’s market. So did questions about his defense in center field, where he improved in terms of advanced metrics by simply playing deeper.

But the Cubs believe Albert Almora Jr. can be a Gold Glove defender and may look for a veteran left-handed hitter to platoon with and help mentor the first player Theo Epstein’s regime drafted here in 2012.

Matt Szczur’s primary playoff contribution became lending one of his Marucci bats to Anthony Rizzo, but he’s an ideal role player who can move all over the outfield. The Cubs also signed Jason Heyward last winter with the idea that the Gold Glove outfielder would spend some time in center at the beginning of that $184 million deal.

“We feel great about Almora,” Hoyer said. “We feel really good about Szczur. Heyward can play center field, so we have the ability to fill that spot.

“We’re going to look. We were prepared to go into last season without Dexter. We were fortunate he came back. We’ll have those discussions with Casey. Thankfully, (Dexter) was a Cub in 2016. It was a great thing for us. But we do have the ability to fill that hole if we need to.”

So while the Cubs would initially miss Fowler’s .366 career on-base percentage and switch-hitting presence at the top of their order, they can make a defensive upgrade in center field while also getting an offensive boost from Kyle Schwarber and Willson Contreras, two catchers who can move to the outfield and still haven’t spent a full season in The Show yet.

Plus, the lineup is already stacked with the leading MVP candidate (Kris Bryant), a Silver Slugger/Gold Glove first baseman (Rizzo), a World Series MVP (Ben Zobrist) and an All-Star shortstop (Addison Russell). Javier Baez – who will turn 24 on Dec. 1 – became one of the breakout stars of this postseason. Even Heyward should feel more comfortable in Year 2 and ready for an offensive uptick after posting career lows in homers (seven) and OPS (.631). 

“The one nice thing for us is we have that young position-playing group that makes the offensive part of the game pretty stable for us going into next year,” Hoyer said.

Only two players – Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jeremy Hellickson and New York Mets second baseman Neil Walker – accepted qualifying offers and the $17.2 million guaranteed. Fowler is part of the group – along with Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, Yoenis Cespedes, Ian Desmond, Mark Trumbo, Justin Turner and Kenley Jansen – that is thinking bigger and will test the free-agent market.  

“No matter what happens, I’ll always respect so much the fact that he felt like we had unfinished business,” Hoyer said. “He wanted to be part of this team. He took a discount to do it. And it’s always nice to see a guy bet on himself. He was willing to make a huge bet on himself. And he won that bet.”

WHITE SOX: Legwork has White Sox confident they know Chris Sale's market value.

By Dan Hayes

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

He’s listened to trade offers for five years so if a whopper crosses his desk this winter, Rick Hahn has a good idea about five-time All-Star Chris Sale’s value.

Last month — long before the White Sox continued to make it sound as if a rebuild is a strong possibility — an American League source said the asking price for Sale last July was exorbitant, but fair compared with what competing teams wanted for their pitchers.

While this winter’s weak free-agent class could make Sale more valuable than ever, it would appear as if the White Sox have a solid grasp on what to ask for in return should they trade their perennial Cy Young candidate. Now in his fifth season as White Sox general manager, Hahn has always entertained trade chatter from fellow GMs in order to determine the market value of his players.

“We have a good sense for it,” Hahn said. “Regardless of the caliber of player on our roster we try to have regular communication with other clubs about how they view all of our guys. Although at this time of year things become a little more serious and direct, you’re rarely surprised about how certain players are viewed in the market based on those conversations that been going on.”

Gauging Sale’s value and the potential for trading him has never been easy. Not only is he absurdly talented, Sale is on a fantastic contract, which has three years and roughly $38 million left if his two team options are exercised. Those factors mean an opposing team must surrender an overwhelmingly talented package of prospects in order to capture the attention of the White Sox, who aren’t in a position where they must trade the left-hander.

“It’s a lot more complicated than a normal trade,” one major league executive said in 2015. “How do you get back enough talent to justify it?

“He’s probably the best pitcher in the game, so what’s the price you attach to that? It’s hard when they think about what they can ask for and is a team willing to sort of blow their whole top of the system out?”

“It’s really hard. And you better be right.”

But there’s a sense it would be easier for the White Sox to find the proper value this offseason.

Not only is there less time left on Sale’s deal, there’s a “perfect market” to attract the right buyers, according to several MLB executives. With Rich Hill the best free agent on the market, the White Sox boast the best option when it comes to pitching if they choose to trade Sale.

Also, teams with the farm systems best suited to trade for Sale — Houston, Los Angeles, Texas and Boston, among others — would appear to be hungry for a No. 1 starter.

Hahn said at the GM meetings last week the White Sox are obligated to continue to entertain offers for Sale. But he doesn’t expect to find many surprises given he’s listened to trade talk for his prized southpaw since almost the start of his career.

“How long have I been doing this?” Hahn said. “We drafted him in ’10, so probably since ’11. He’s understandably a popular name. He’s not alone on our roster obviously, but he’s certainly the one that attracts the most headlines and speculation because he’s a perennial Cy Young contender, he’s in his prime and he’s controllable for the next three years. So it certainly makes sense that he’s (asked about).”

Golf: I got a club for that..... U.S. women's struggles a systemic failure?

By Randall Mell

(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)

American women can only hope they’re in a slump, because it looks like something worse.

They have never looked more overwhelmed by Asia’s rise to power.

The Americans arrive for the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship this week looking more like victims of a systemic failure than a cyclical blip.

That’s what some of the game’s most experienced eyes are seeing.

“It’s getting a little bit scary right now for American women’s golf,” David Leadbetter told GolfChannel.com. “There’s just a real lack of depth in the Americans coming out on tour. All the real star quality right now is with the Asian players.”

Leadbetter is not alone in believing American women are in a developmental free fall.

“It looks like there’s just nothing out there,” swing coach Gary Gilchrist said of young American prospects. “We should be a powerhouse, but the Asians are coming out younger and stronger, and now they’re coming from everywhere over there.”

South Korea remains the dominant force in women’s golf, but Gilchrist is getting a close-up look at Thailand’s and China’s emergence as potentially the next great forces. Gilchrist coaches Ariya Jutanugarn, a Thai who has soared to world No. 2 with an LPGA best five victories this year. He also coaches Shanshan Feng, the Olympic bronze medalist from China who won back-to-back LPGA starts this fall.

“Americans need to do something about this before they become extinct,” Gilchrist said.

The United States is suffering through a year as strange as it is troubling.

American Brittany Lang won the U.S. Women’s Open in July, the biggest prize in the women’s game. The Americans won the UL International Crown team event in August, when they were declared the “best golfing nation.” And yet, the Americans are still wheezing toward epic failure.

In the 67-year history of the LPGA, Americans have never won fewer than four LPGA titles in a season, but they’ve managed just half that this year. Lang and Lexi Thompson are the only Americans to win LPGA events in 2016.

The Americans were shut out in the Olympics this summer, failing to win gold, silver or bronze medals.

And they have been shut out in the Race to the CME Globe jackpot this week.

Nicklaus, Daly headline Father-Son Field.

By Will Gray

Jack Nicklaus (Photo/Golf Channel Digital)

Jack Nicklaus and John Daly will headline the 20-team field next month at the PNC Father-Son Challenge in Orlando, Fla.

Nicklaus, 76, will be making his 15th start in the team event and will play alongside his son, Jack II. Daly, meanwhile, will be making his first tournament appearance at age 50 and will play alongside his son, Little John.

Lanny Wadkins and his son, Tucker, won last year's event in a playoff over Fred and Taylor Funk, Davis and Dru Love and Larry and Drew Nelson. All four teams except the Loves will return this year to the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club Dec. 10-11.

The tournament, which will feature 36 holes of scramble play, also boasts 13 World Golf Hall of Fame members. Included among that group are Nick Faldo, Raymond Floyd, Hale Irwin, Bernhard Langer, Sandy Lyle, Mark OMeara, Nick Price, Vijay Singh, Curtis Strange and Lee Trevino. All of them will play with their sons except for Langer, who this year will team with his daughter, Christina.

Rounding out the field will be Stewart and Connor Cink, David Duval and Nick Karavites, Steve and Sam Elkington, Retief and Leo Goosen, and Lee and Connor Janzen.

To qualify, a player must have won either a major championship or The Players Championship, and their partner must not hold a PGA Tour card. This year's field includes a total of 335 PGA Tour victories, including 64 majors.

McIlroy seeks win in Dubai, aims to reclaim No. 1 ranking.

By Associated Press

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland reacts at the 18th hole during the 2016 WGC-HSBC Champions golf tournament at the Sheshan International Golf Club in Shanghai, China, Sunday, Oct. 30, 2016. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Rory McIlroy is resigned to losing his Race to Dubai crown, but his motivation this week is to successfully defend his DP World Tour Championship title and move one step closer to regaining the world No. 1 ranking.

McIlroy could have replaced Jason Day atop the rankings by winning the European Tour's season-ending tournament, but Russell Knox's decision to withdraw last week reduced the strength of the field and lowered the number of points available.

If Knox, ranked No. 18, had remained in the field, the winner of the tournament would have gained 54 points - enough for McIlroy to surpass Day. Instead, the winner will earn just 52 points, leaving McIlroy short even with a victory.

His chances of contending this weekend seem high. McIlroy, the defending champion and also the 2012 winner at Jumeirah Golf Estates, has finished outside the top 10 only once in seven appearances, tying for 11th in 2011.

''It's always good to be back here,'' he said. ''I have great memories from this place, feel like my game is in pretty good shape. I've played this golf course pretty well in the past, and hopefully, I can play it just as well, if not better, this week. (It) would be a good way to finish the year on a high and get a victory and lift the trophy and hopefully make the turkey taste a bit better at Christmas.

McIlroy acknowledged that he can finish the season atop the European Tour rankings, but knows it's unlikely. He must win and needs Henrik Stenson, Danny Willett and Alex Noren, each above him in the Race to Dubai standings, to struggle.

''I can win mathematically, but it's not going to happen,'' McIlroy said. ''I wouldn't hold my breath. I think the three guys that are ahead of me are playing very good golf, especially the two Swedes, Henrik and Alex.

''Alex, with what he's done over the past few weeks; Henrik has had a fantastic year, and so has Danny, obviously, so I don't expect those guys to play badly this week. I'm just concentrating on trying to win the golf tournament, and if I can do that, I'll be very happy.''

McIlroy pulled out of the Turkish Airlines Open, citing security concerns, shortly before the event began earlier this month. That decision virtually ruled him out of the Race to Dubai as well.

However, McIlroy, from Northern Ireland, said he has no regrets.

''I'm very happy with my decision,'' he said. ''I've been here for the last couple of weeks. I've done a bit of practice, enjoyed myself. So, no, no regrets at all.

''I'd rather have gone to Turkey wanting to go there and winning the golf tournament, rather than going there not wanting to and finishing tied 40th. What good does that do to the tournament?''

Although the next European Tour season begins in December, and the next U.S. PGA Tour season is already underway, McIlroy confirmed the DP World Championship will be his last event of the year. He last played in a December event in 2013.

Zurich Classic of New Orleans goes to two-man event in 2017.

By Ryan Ballengee

Rickie Fowler is ready to team up with an Aussie. (Photo/Getty Images)

The Zurich Classic of New Orleans is turning into a buddy trip for 2017 and beyond, as the PGA Tour bucks with its overwhelming docket of stroke-play events.

The Tour officially announced Monday that the annual event played at TPC Louisana in Avondale will become a two-man team event. There will be 160 players in the field, with 80 teams of two. The top 80 players in the PGA Tour’s priority ranking — the order in which players get first crack to play in a tournament — that commit to the field will get to pick their partner. That partner must have PGA Tour status or secure a sponsor exemption into the event.

Two teams have already been announced for the 72-hole tournament, which will be played April 27-30. Jason Day and Rickie Fowler will be a duo, as will European Ryder Cup stalwarts Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson.

“I’ve loved being a part of team events throughout my amateur, collegiate and now professional career,” Fowler said. “I’m so excited that the Tour and Zurich are making this part of our schedule and can’t wait to tee it up with Jason in April.”

The tournament will unfold over four days, with the first two rounds played under the rules of alternate shot (foursomes). After 36 holes, a cut will be made to the top 35 teams and ties, which will play the final two rounds under best ball (fourballs). If there’s a tie after 72 holes, the sudden-death playoff will be fourball format.

The players on the winning team will each get a two-year PGA Tour exemption and spots in the PGA Championship, The Players, the Tournament of Champions and other invitational events. The team will split the FedEx Cup points normally distributed for individual events, meaning the winning team will split the 500 points for first place and 300 points for second place — or 400 points per player.

NASCAR: Power Rankings: The top 4 gets reshuffled after Joey Logano's win.

By Nick Bromberg

Joey Logano leads Jimmie Johnson this week (Photo/Getty)

1. Joey Logano (LW: 3): Logano said two days before Sunday’s race that he pretty much had to win the race. Well, thanks to Matt Kenseth’s crash, he got the win.

Logano was in position to tie Kyle Busch in the points standings with a fourth-place finish before the next-to-last restart. And quite frankly, that tiebreaker position is probably what got him the win. Had Logano been in Busch’s spot (third), he could have been the one bumping Bowman and being forced to slow down more for the accident between Bowman and Kenseth.

Instead, since Logano had the high line, he was the driver scored highest at the last scoring loop before the caution — the protocol NASCAR uses to determine the caution order.

2. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 1): We can’t penalize Johnson too much for a penalty that NASCAR has admitted was called in the name of being consistent after deciding to penalize Martin Truex Jr. earlier in the day.

“We told the competitors it was something we continue to watch,” NASCAR vice president Steve O’Donnell said on SiriusXM (via NBC) about the pulling up to pit penalty that was given to Johnson. “Once the [Truex’s penalty] was made, which in our mind was just blatant, very clear in terms of how far in front of the pace car, we made a point over the radio again. We obviously penalized [Truex] and said again that is something we’re going to enforce. Right after that [Johnson] was ahead of the pace car as well, and again that was clear on video and so we made the call and wanted to be consistent in the race.’’

O’Donnell prefaced those comments by noting that NASCAR has been reminding drivers that it was a no-no to pass the pace car on pit road. While we’re all for consistent enforcement of the rules, is the best way to approach a change in enforcement to crack down in 2017?

If you rewind to recent races on the NASCAR YouTube page, it doesn’t take much effort to find where drivers are passing the pace car on cautions. With two races to go in the 2016 season — and the significance of those races — maybe this is an issue that needed to wait.

3. Kyle Busch (LW: 4): Busch was ahead of Logano when the caution lights came on during that Kenseth accident, but since NASCAR doesn’t use the caution light unless the race is over, he didn’t get the advantage over Logano.

O’Donnell said on Twitter after the race that NASCAR is working on trackable GPS technology for the cars, and we certainly hope that it’ll be in place in 2017. NASCAR has the money and the ability to make a stellar scoring system and the events of the last few races show that it needs it.

It would be extremely efficient if each car had a real-time GPS attached to the transponder and NASCAR could rewind and freeze the tracking to figure out scoring discrepancies when cautions come out without taking 29 caution laps at Martinsville.

4. Carl Edwards (LW: 2): Did you know Edwards participated in Sunday’s race? It was hard to remember his existence at times.

OK, that’s an exaggeration. But Edwards started 11th and finished 19th. He wasn’t a factor at all on Sunday. But Phoenix has nothing to do with Sunday at Homestead, so we’re not going to get too worked up at a poor showing at a one-mile track regarding Edwards’ title hopes.

5. Matt Kenseth (LW: 5): Kenseth probably deserves to be up in the top four. The race was his to lose on Sunday. But, well … he lost it. While it briefly looked like he got punted heading into turn 1 after the restart, it was soon evident that Kenseth dove in front of Alex Bowman and effectively punted himself.

We can chalk it up to a lag in communication from spotter to driver but that doesn’t soften the trauma of being two laps from a shot at the championship.

6. Denny Hamlin (LW: 6): We can’t help but wonder how different things would be for Hamlin if a caution didn’t come out for debris five laps after he stayed out on older tires while every other driver in the field pitted.

After losing the lead to Kenseth, Hamlin had stabilized in second ahead of Kurt Busch, who had taken two tires. Busch’s car wasn’t too strong all day, so Hamlin probably would’ve been able to hold serve over Busch.

But that caution ruined everything for Hamlin. With another heat cycle on his tires he was toast on the restart with cars with fresher tires behind him.

7. Kevin Harvick (LW: 7): Let’s take this moment to appreciate the greatness that is Kevin Harvick and the No. 4 team over the past three seasons. They’ve been absolutely incredible.

Are you one of the people who was surprised Harvick didn’t win Sunday at Phoenix? Even if you aren’t, you can’t blame people for thinking that. The mere thought that it’s surprising that Harvick didn’t come through speaks to just how good he’s been at Phoenix and everywhere else.

While Harvick will only have one championship over these three seasons, we’re going to look back and see that it’s been one of the best multiple-season stretches in modern NASCAR.

8. Kurt Busch (LW: 8): Busch simply didn’t have the speed in the third round to advance. The No. 41 team tried a lot of different things to sneak out a win on Sunday and the lack of speed prevented any of the tactics from coming through and providing a legitimate chance at a win.

Busch isn’t done being a title contender in the Cup Series. His run at the beginning of the season proves it. If we ran the 2016 season in reverse, Busch may be the favorite for the championship.

9. Kyle Larson (LW: NR): Larson finished third on Sunday, a finish that’s even more impressive when you consider Ryan Newman knocked him out of the way as the two were entering pit road on lap 83.

OK, Newman didn’t knock him out of the way like he did a Phoenix two years ago. This was more of a case of Newman (unintentionally) not slowing down enough and paying the price.

10. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: 9): Can you imagine the craziness if Truex was still part of the Chase? NASCAR calling an extremely rare pitting penalty on a driver racing for a shot in the championship would be something oh-so-very NASCAR. Thankfully we don’t have to worry about that scenario. The chaos is much more fun to think about in a hypothetical scenario.

11. Brad Keselowski (LW: 10): Keselowski started 14th and finished 14th. And he didn’t venture too far from that spot throughout the entirety of the race. He didn’t have the speed of his teammate Logano and ended up third of the three Penske cars. Assuming that you consider Ryan Blaney (8th) and the Wood Brothers a third Penske car (and they are).

12. Alex Bowman (LW: NR): Bowman can afford to be picky in 2017 when it comes to his job prospects. Yeah, it helps to be in the car that won last year’s race at Phoenix, but it’s a lot easier to screw up and not lead 194 laps than it is to lead more than half the race.

Bowman is younger than all full-time drivers not named Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott and has just 40 races less Cup Series experience than Austin Dillon, who is three years older. He’s got a long future in the sport if the circumstances align.

Lucky Dog: There really wasn’t an abnormally good performance at Phoenix on Sunday, though Ryan Newman somehow finished 12th despite being involved in two cautions.

The DNF: Austin Dillon’s car just abruptly quit after a restart and stacked up the field behind him.

Dropped Out: Chase Elliott, Kasey Kahne

Who is hot and cold entering the Sprint Cup season finale.

By Daniel McFadin

(Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)

Only two of the drivers in the Championship 4 have won at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

They both receive a paycheck from Joe Gibbs Racing.

Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch have combined to win on the 1.5-mile track three times, with Busch winning last year to clinch his first Sprint Cup title.

Meanwhile, Jimmie Johnson, who has won 79 times in his Sprint Cup career, has never won the final race of the season. Homestead represents one of four tracks the six-time champion has yet to conquer in 15 starts. He’s finished second twice, but not since 2010.

The fourth piece of the Championship 4 puzzle is Joey Logano. If the 26-year-old driver wins on Sunday in the Ford EcoBoost 400, it would be the first win for Team Penske at the 1.5-mile track. It and Indianapolis Motor Speedway are the only active Sprint Cup tracks Penske has not won at.

Logano’s best finish in seven starts is fourth last season.

Here is who is hot and cold entering the 2016 Sprint Cup season finale.

Who’s Hot

Kyle Busch

• Finished in the top five in every Round of 8 race.
• Finished top 10 in nine of last 10 races.
• Seventeen top-five finishes this season, most of all drivers and tied for his most in a season.
• Has not won since the Brickyard 400 in July.

Carl Edwards

• Only three top 10s in last 11 races but won at Texas to earn spot in Championship 4.
• Three wins this season are his most since winning nine in 2008.
• Despite two wins at Homestead-Miami Speedway, had finished outside the top 10 in last four visits.

Joey Logano

• Won at Phoenix International Raceway to clinch Championship 4 spot.
• Finished top 10 in 19 of last 23 races.
• Two top 10s in last seven visits to the 1.5-mile track, all came in last three seasons. Led 72 laps last year.

Jimmie Johnson

• 468 laps led in the 2016 Chase, 266 in the regular season.
• Homestead-Miami Speedway is one of four winless tracks. Has finished second there twice.
• Finished ninth in the last three visits.
• Finished 38th at Phoenix after a pit penalty and radiator damage on a restart accident.

Who's Cold

Tony Stewart

• Only one finish better than 13th in last 13 races.
• Finished 17th or worse in last three season finales.
• Only led 36 laps this season, 60 laps in last two seasons.

Martin Truex Jr.

• One top five in last six races.
• Finished last twice in last four races (Phoenix, Talladega).
• Average finish of 13.3 is down from 12.2 last season.

Kurt Busch 

• Only five top-10 finishes in the last 14 races after earning 14 of the first 16 races of the season.
• Was eighth in Round of 8.
• Has led 238 laps this season after leading 788 in 2015.

Brad Keselowski

• Finished 14th at Phoenix for fourth finish outside top 10 in last five races.
• Despite four wins, led only 549 laps this season, down from 1,185 in 2015 and 1,540 in 2014.
• Average finish of 10.8 is best since 10.1 in 2012 when he won the championship.

Other notes of interest ahead of the Ford EcoBoost 400:

• Race winner has won the championship three times: Stewart (2011), Harvick (2014) and Kyle Busch (2015).
• Leader of the most laps has failed to win last five races at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
• Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart lead all drivers with three wins at the track.
• Jeff Gordon is only driver to have competed in first 17 races on the track. This will be the first without him.

Tires could play a key role in championship finale.

By Dustin Long

(Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty Images)

Goodyear will have the same tire this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway that has been used at both Texas races and the Chase opener at Chicagoland Speedway for Sprint Cup teams.

Here’s how each of the four title contenders fared in those three previous races (Texas I was in April and Texas II was in November):

Kyle Busch 

Texas I – 1st … 34 laps led

Chicago – 8th … 21 laps led

Texas II – 5th … 2 laps led

Average finish for three races: 4.7

Carl Edwards

Texas I – 7th … 124 laps led

Chicago – 15th … no laps led

Texas II – 1st … 36 laps led

Average finish: 7.7

Jimmie Johnson

Texas I  – 4th … no laps led

Chicago – 12th … 118 laps led

Texas II – 11th … no laps led

Average finish: 9.0

Joey Logano

Texas I – 3rd … no laps led

Chicago – 2nd … 1 lap led

Texas II – 2nd … 178 laps led

Average finish: 2.3

Here is the information on the tires Goodyear will bring this weekend to Miami for the Sprint Cup, Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series finales:

Set limits:

Sprint Cup: Five sets for practice/qualifying and 12 sets for the race;

Xfinity: Eight sets for the event;

Camping World Truck: Six sets for the event 

Tire Codes: Left-side — D-4684; Right-side — D-4686

Tire Circumference: Left-side — 87.24 in. (2,216 mm); Right-side — 88.35 in. (2,244 mm) 

Minimum Recommended Inflation: Left Front — 19 psi; Left Rear — 19 psi;

Right Front — 49 psi; Right Rear — 45 psi 

Notes: Teams in all three NASCAR series will run the same combination of left- and right-side tires at Homestead this weekend . . . this is the first time these teams have run this tire set-up at Homestead, though they have run it at both Texas and Chicagoland this season . . . similar to what was run at Homestead last year, this right-side tire code (D-4686) employs Goodyear’s multi-zone tread technology, which combines two distinct tread compounds on the same tire — the outboard 10 inches of the tread (Traction Zone) features a compound that is designed for grip, while the inboard two inches of the tread (Endurance Zone) is toughened to enhance durability on the part of the tire sees the most heat and takes the most abuse . . . different from Homestead 2015, this right-side tire features a construction change, and a compound change on the outboard 10 inches to give the cars and trucks more grip . . . compared to Homestead last year, this left-side tire code (D-4684) features an updated construction and mold shape, as well as a compound change for more grip . . . this tire set-up came out of a Goodyear test at Homestead December 14 . . . drivers participating in that test were Kevin Harvick, Chase Elliott, Brian Scott and Martin Truex Jr. . . . as on all NASCAR ovals greater than one mile in length, teams are required to run inner liners in all four tire positions at Homestead . . . air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series entry list for Ford EcoBoost 400.

By Jerry Bonkowski

A total of 41 cars and drivers are listed on the entry list for Sunday’s season-ending and Sprint Cup championship-deciding Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Six-time champion Jimmie Johnson leads the field of four finalists. Johnson, who has never advanced to the Championship Four round since the new elimination format for the Chase for the Sprint Cup was implemented in 2014, is looking to make history. If he wins the championship Sunday, Johnson will tie NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for most championships won by a driver (seven apiece).

Defending series champion Kyle Busch is seeking to make it two titles in a row. Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Carl Edwards tied for the 2011 championship, but lost to Tony Stewart on a tiebreaker (Stewart had five wins that season vs. just one for Edwards).

Phoenix race winner Joey Logano is making his second final round appearance in the last three years of the new format and is seeking his first Sprint Cup championship.
All 41 seats are filled on the preliminary entry list.

Here’s how that entry list stacks up:

nascar-sprint-cup-entry-list-for-ford-ecoboost-400

SOCCER: Reports: Bastian Schweinsteiger in talks with Chicago Fire.

By Joe Prince-Wright

(Photo/Getty Images)

Manchester United’s out of favor midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger is said to be in talks with the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer.

Schweinsteiger, 32, has been ruthlessly cast aside by new United boss Jose Mourinho since he arrived at Old Trafford in the summer, with the former German national team captain not playing a single second in the Red Devils’ new regime and forced to train on his own until recently.

That has led to reports circulating widely about the Bayern Munich legend leaving United in January and it is reported by the BBC, among other, that he met with Chicago’s head coach Veljko Paunovic in Manchester over the past few days as the duo were spotted leaving the same restaurant.

It is believed that a move to MLS is far from imminent for Schweinsteiger, however with MLS Commissioner Don Garber previously stating their interest in Schweinsteiger and the player himself talking positively about moving to North America to finish his playing days, it seems very likely.

There is still plenty to sort out but it is unlikely United will request a transfer fee for Schweinsteiger as they’re eager to get his $190,000 a week wages off their wage bill.

Would MLS pay Schweinsteiger that kind of cash? Probably. Given his name, his pedigree and the fact that he was playing regularly in the Premier League last season (he was okay, not great but not bad) and captained the German national team at EURO 2016, it seems like a solid deal for everyone concerned. Plus, he’d be younger than when Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Andrea Pirlo arrived in MLS.

Why is Chicago at the top of the list to acquire Schweinsteiger?

Well, they have a somewhat ridiculous “Discovery Claim” on Schweinsteiger which, in MLS rules, means they discovered Schweinsteiger and therefore have first right of refusal to sign him before other teams. Yep. Still with me?

That said, with so much flux among the big-name Designated Players in MLS following the conclusion of the 2016 MLS season, it may be in Schweinsteiger’s best interests to wait it out and see if he’s wanted at New York City FC, LA Galaxy or maybe even new boys Atlanta United. Given Chicago’s recent struggles in MLS (they haven’t made the playoffs for four-straight seasons) he may fancy a move to LA or NYC.

Both NYCFC and the Galaxy currently have some open DP spots with Lampard confirming his departure from the Big Apple club, while Gerrard is expected to formally announce his departure from LA in the coming days, plus Robbie Keane’s future at the Galaxy is also up in the air.

Schweinsteiger will have options when he is allowed to transfer out of Manchester United in January, but joining Chicago is a coin-flip. Will he be a star in one of the biggest media markets in North America or struggled to find form as the Fire struggle to get back among MLS’ elite?

Total concession: USMNT humiliated in a change-worthy blowout in Costa Rica.

By Nicholas Mendola

(AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

A woeful performance from the United States men’s national team, the type that’s been known to force change, saw Costa Rica humiliate the visiting Americans with a 4-0 blowout Tuesday in the second matchday of the final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying.

The Americans are now 0-2 after two Hex matches, with a CONCACAF-worst minus-5 in goal differential.

Christian Bolanos (Vancouver Whitecaps) found Venegas (Montreal Impact) for an all-MLS opener just before halftime.

Costa Rica had a bevy of dangerous chances thanks to a wet pitch, questionable USMNT back play, and a lot of room given by the American center midfielders.

The first chance went to the Yanks, who won a corner through Timmy Chandler. Brooks’ header wasn’t on goal, and Costa Rica keeper Keylor Navas claimed the next cross.

Brad Guzan received his first test when Venegas megged Brooks and tried to toe poke a shot past the keeper, but Guzan made the save and Brooks dealt with the ensuing corner.

Chandler scooped up a yellow card in the 11th minute, giving each side a caution. He won’t play against Honduras in March.

Costa Rica was on the doorstep minutes later, as Guzan stopped Ruiz’s close-range bicycle kick with his face.

Waston then dropped Pulisic on the left edge of the 18, and Johnson’s right peg was in a very promising spot. His rip beat the two-man wall but curled over the goal.

Jones and Pulisic did pretty work down the left, and Navas gobbled up Wood’s slight deflection of Pulisic’s pass. Jones will also miss Honduras after picking up a yellow in the 38th minute.

The Yanks could’ve led against the run of play when Wood torched the Costa Rican back line and sent a ball through the six that was absent receiver.

Then came the goal, as Omar Gonzalez allowed Bolanos to race onto a long pass and cross into the heart of the 18. That’s where Venegas headed past Guzan.

No changes came at the break, and it took more than 10 minutes for the first real danger. Guzan stopped Venegas on a break.

Despite the struggles of Timmy Chandler, he remained in the game and Klinsmann was frozen. No subs, and Chandler was victimized by Bolanos on the second goal, as the MLS man met Ruiz’s cross at the doorstep.

Brooks bungled a long ball, and substitute Joel Campbell danced past the defender with a nutmeg before sidefooting Guzan. He’d add another with a 1v1 break on Guzan minutes later.

Total concession.

International friendly wrap: Spain comes back to stun England.

By Nicholas Mendola

(AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Italy and Germany didn’t deliver in one of the day’s high-profile matches, but we did get a couple goals from the another.

That includes a terrific goal to ruin Tom Heaton‘s clean sheet from an ex-Liverpool man, and an even later one to ruin Gareth Southgate‘s Wembley experience. More on that below.

England 2-2 Spain

Pepe Reina took Jamie Vardy down within the first 10 minutes of play, and Adam Lallana converted the spot kick to give England an early lead at Wembley Stadium.

Lallana had waited 27 caps to get his first international goal, and now has scored in each of his last three.

Vardy then scored to make it 2-0 against a slightly-weakened Spanish side, but Iago Aspas scored an wonderful strike to ruin the shutout and Isco nutmegged Heaton in the final throes of the match to end things level.

Russia 1-0 Romania

Rubin Kazan midfielder Magomed Ozdoyev scored his first international goal at a pretty clutch time, nabbing a goal in the third minute of stoppage time to top Romania.

Russia had come under fire from president Vladimir Putin for its performances ahead of their hosting duties at the 2018 World Cup, having won just twice in 2016 (Lithuania, Ghana) in a year with three draws and six losses (the most recent against Qatar).

Elsewhere

Italy 0-0 Germany
Hungary 0-2 Sweden
Ukraine 2-0 Serbia
Czech Republic 1-1 Denmark
France 0-0 Ivory Coast
Austria 0-0 Slovakia
Northern Ireland 0-3 Croatia

NCAA men’s soccer tournament announced for Division 1.

By Nicholas Mendola

(Photo/twitter.com/@MarylandMSoccer)

The bracket for the NCAA men’s soccer tournament was unveiled Monday, and Maryland is the No. 1 seed.

Thirty-two teams play first round matches for the right to play at a seeded team in the second round.

The NCAA tries to restrict travel for the first few rounds, which leads to a non-scientific bracket. There are outliers, as Colgate has to travel to UCLA and New Mexico to Portland.

There is no secondary postseason tournament in D1 soccer, with 48 of the 206 men’s D-1 teams off to the tournament.

Here’s how the tournament begins:

Providence/Delaware winner at (1) Maryland
Creighton/Tulsa winner at (16) Kentucky

South Florida/Florida Gulf Coast winner at (9) North Carolina
Dartmouth/St. Francis Brooklyn winner at (8) Syracuse

Cal State Northridge/Pacific winner at (5) Stanford
Vermont/Rider winner at (12) Virginia

Loyola Chicago/Illinois-Chicago winner at (13) Notre Dame
UCLA/Colgate winner at (4) Louisville

South Carolina/Mercer winner at (3) Clemson
Boston College/Fordham winner at (14) Albany

New Mexico/Portland winner at (11) Washington
San Diego State/UNLV winner at (6) Denver

Akron/Villanova winner at (7) Indiana
Virginia Tech/East Tennessee St winner at (10) Charlotte

Michigan State/SIU Edwardsville winner at (15) Butler
Coastal Carolina/Radford winner at (2) Wake Forest

NCAAFB: Ohio State, Michigan and Clemson go 2-3-4 in latest CFP rankings.

By Zach Barnett

(Photo/Getty Images)

Alabama remained No. 1 in the third edition of the College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday night. But the question was never about the Tide, 51-3 winners over Mississippi State. The intrigue centered around where No. 2 Clemson, No. 3 Michigan and No. 4 Washington would fall after all three lost on Saturday — the first time teams ranked Nos. 2, 3 and 4 lost on the same day since Oct. 19, 1985.

The result? Michigan and Clemson remained in the top four — Michigan remained stagnant at No. 3, while Clemson fell to No. 4 — while Washington dropped all the way to No. 6. Ohio State moved up to No. 2, while Louisville sits log-jammed behind Clemson at No. 5.

Colorado inched into the top 10 ahead of this week’s showdown with No. 21 Washington State. Wisconsin, Penn State and Oklahoma sit ahead of the surprise Buffs among two-loss teams.

In an admission of last week’s mistake, LSU leaped eight spots after pummeling Arkansas, while Auburn dropped six spots to No. 15. USC zoomed past both, moving past one-loss West Virginia to No. 13.

In other significant news, Boise State nudged past Western Michigan as the highest ranked Group of 5 team. The Broncos, however, would not be in line for the Cotton Bowl berth without help from Wyoming in their own division.

Florida moved back into this week’s rankings after a one-week timeout, while Stanford made its first appearance of 2016. Texas A&M remains in the rankings by a fingernail after losing to both Mississippi schools in the past two weeks.

The full rankings:

1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Michigan
4. Clemson
5. Louisville
6. Washington
7. Wisconsin
8. Penn State
9. Oklahoma
10. Colorado
11. Oklahoma State
12. Utah
13. USC
14. West Virginia
15. Auburn
16. LSU
17. Florida State
18. Nebraska
19. Tennessee
20. Boise State
21. Western Michigan
22. Washington State
23. Florida
24. Stanford
25. Texas A&M

How the Big Ten controls the College Football Playoff.

By Pat Forde

Jim Harbaugh and Michigan lost to Iowa on a last-second field goal. (Photo/AP)

The Big Ten conference is the center of the college football universe from now until College Football Playoff Selection Sunday.

That was suspected after the upheaval of last weekend, and reinforced by the selection committee rankings revealed Tuesday night. The Big Ten has half the top eight: No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Michigan, No. 7 Wisconsin and No. 8 Penn State. Now the major question is this: can the conference get half of the final four when the for-real bracket is revealed Dec. 4?

There is a clear path to that outcome. But it’s also a controversial path.

This could come down to a battle between conference champions – the committee’s suspected sacred cow – vs. what appear to be better teams with better records.

If there are no upsets for the next two weeks – a massive if, especially given the rivalry games to come – here’s where we could well end up going into the final weekend: No. 1 Alabama at 12-0, No. 2 Ohio State at 11-1, No. 3 Clemson at 11-1 and a ferocious debate over No. 4 between Louisville at 11-1, Washington at 11-1 (if the Huskies are indeed favored at Washington State), Michigan at 10-2, Big Ten West Division champion Wisconsin at 10-2 and Big Ten East Division champion Penn State at 10-2.

Take it another week farther and presume it plays out this way: Alabama at 13-0 and an SEC champion, Ohio State 11-1 after not playing in the Big Ten championship game, Clemson 12-1 and ACC champion – those three would presumably be in the bracket. Then there would be another ferocious debate over No. 4: Louisville (still 11-1), Michigan (still 10-2), Pac-12 champ Washington at 12-1 and either the Badgers or Nittany Lions as Big Ten champ at 11-2.

Would winning the Big Ten with two losses be better than Washington winning the Pac-12 with one? Would a two-loss Big Ten champ get the nod over a one-loss Louisville team that came up three yards short of unbeaten on the road against a team that is in the bracket? Would a two-loss Big Ten champ get the nod over a two-loss Michigan team that beat the Big Ten champ – especially if the champ is Penn State, a team the Wolverines pounded by 39 points?

If Washington loses another game – not at all hard to envision, either at Washington State or in the Pac-12 title game – then the committee could well face this proposition: deciding which league gets a second team in, between the Big Ten and ACC.

There isn’t much doubt that the Big Ten is better top-to-bottom. But there is considerable doubt whether it is better 1-2. And the biggest complication for that conference is that its best team is strongly positioned to miss the title game.

Ohio State should wallop Michigan State on Saturday. Then it will have a home game against arch-rival Michigan with the Wolverines missing quarterback Wilton Speight, who reportedly broke his collarbone in the shocking loss to Iowa. The Buckeyes theoretically would go from a very narrow favorite over Speight-led Michigan to a more solid favorite over Speight-less Michigan.

That would get Ohio State to the finish line 8-1 in the Big Ten. And if Penn State beats inept Rutgers and barely-less-inept Michigan State, the Nittany Lions also will be 8-1 and win the tiebreaker thanks to the Blocked Kick That Shook Happy Valley on the night of Oct. 22.

(An aside: It also would mark the second straight year that the Big Ten East turned on a shocking special teams play. Cue video of the Michigan punt meltdown that gave Michigan State an inexplicable victory in 2015.)

Thus Ohio State would actually be the safest of all playoff competitors after Nov. 26 – it would have a resume worthy of inclusion without having to jeopardize it in a conference championship game.

This might be a slightly awkward position for Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany, one of the staunch Honor Thy Champions advocates when he was dragged kicking and screaming into the playoff era. Undoubtedly he will advocate for his league’s champion to be included – and for his league’s non-champion, at the expense of someone else’s champion.

Your beliefs are all situational at playoff time. But right now, the situation is this: the Big Ten has grabbed half the top eight playoff ranking spots, and more than half of the attention in what could be a very dramatic countdown to Selection Sunday.

Other quick observations on the CFP rankings:

• West Virginia fans are seething that their one-loss team remains well in arrears at No. 14. West Virginia fans should know that their team is a whopping 0-1 against the rest of the CFP Top 25.

• Of course, being winless against the CFP Top 25 hasn’t stopped Team Helium, Oklahoma, from rising to No. 9 overall. The Sooners are 0-1 against the Top 25. They haven’t beaten anybody, and lost to unranked Houston by 10 plus a three-touchdown home loss to Ohio State. This is name-brand bias at its finest.

• Not sure I buy No. 20 Boise State ahead of No. 21 Western Michigan. The Broncos of Kalamazoo have a better record than the Broncos of Boise, thanks to the latter’s loss to Wyoming. Both teams have beaten a pair of Power 5 opponents (Boise beat Washington State and Oregon State, WMU beat Northwestern and Illinois). Boise probably gets a slight bump from also beating BYU, and from the fact that the Washington State is ranked by the committee – but that loss seems like it should matter more than it apparently did. The New Year’s Six bowl bid available to the highest-rated champion of a Group of Five conference is still to be decided, because both those teams have work to do to even win their divisions.

• USC took an expected big move up, to No. 13, and the hierarchy of Pac-12 South teams is interesting – Colorado is first at No. 10, then Utah at 12, then the Trojans right behind. USC beat the Buffaloes and has played the harder schedule – but USC also lost to Utah. The Utes and Colorado will play a very big game Nov. 26 that could clarify things.

• The committee’s three-week crush on Texas A&M continues, with the Aggies staying in the rankings at No. 25 after consecutive losses to unranked Mississippi State and Mississippi. Seems like an American Athletic Conference team might be deserving of a spot, if the Aggies can be dynamited out of the Top 25.

With or without Wilton Speight, Michigan's season isn't over with John O'Korn.

By Bill Bender

(Photo/The Sporting News)

Michigan’s Big Ten, College Football Playoff and national championship hopes took a serious hit with reports starting quarterback Wilton Speight suffered a broken collarbone that will knock him out for the rest of the regular season.

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh didn't rule Speight out for the season yet, but the Wolverines’ fate could rest with backup John O’Korn for the final two games of the regular season and perhaps the Big Ten championship game.

We know the popular reaction: Michigan is toast. No chance to win at Ohio State on Nov. 26. No chance to make the College Football Playoff. No chance for a national championship. No chance, no chance, no chance.

That’s not going to be the script for Harbaugh’s pregame speech against Indiana on Saturday. Sure, it’s going to be a lot more difficult for the Wolverines to attain all of those goals with O’Korn at quarterback. Bovada’s odds for Michigan to win the championship were 5/1. Those odds will get a lot bigger in the coming days, if not hours.

Just don’t jump off the ship completely. Big Ten Network analyst Gerry DiNardo took an approach everybody should follow:mWait and see what happens in the aftermath of Speight’s injury.

“There predicts to be a drop-off but we won’t know until he starts playing, but I don’t think they are out of the championship hunt because of that,” DiNardo told Sporting News. "Obviously it makes a difference, but we don’t how much of a difference.”

No chance? Didn’t we say that in 2014 when Heisman Trophy candidate J.T. Barrett went down and Cardale Jones stepped in at quarterback for the Buckeyes and led an improbable national championship run? Yeah, that happened.

Is this different? Of course, but not as much as you think. It’s about the system, and O’Korn has been in that system long enough. The Houston transfer battled with Speight for the starting job in the spring, and that battle was at least competitive. Can O’Korn play?

“That’s something we have to wait and see play out,” DiNardo said. “It was a tight competition to start and he has some starting experience.”

O’Korn was a full-time starter at Houston and passed for 28 TDs in 2013. O’Korn at least has one start at home against the Hoosiers before even thinking about the Buckeyes, and this is going to test the next-man-up theory along with Harbaugh’s uncanny knack with quarterbacks. Didn’t Harbaugh do that once in San Francisco and go to a Super Bowl? Yeah, that happened, too.

O’Korn isn’t Colin Kaepernick by any means, but he doesn’t have to be. Michigan’s system isn’t built around the quarterback. It’s built around multiple sets on offense, a running game and a strong defense that didn’t have much support in the 14-13 loss to Iowa on Saturday. Jones did that for Ohio State. O’Korn can do the same at Michigan.

The biggest test for O’Korn — and it’s where Speight will potentially be missed the most — was the ability to throw the ball downfield to wide receivers Jehu Chesson and Amara Darboh. Speight was ineffective in that area for really the first time at Iowa last week, and by no surprise the Wolverines lost their first game of the season. This will put more focus on the play-calling and keeping O’Korn out of trouble situations. Expect a game plan similar to the one the Wolverines used with Jake Rudock last season, at least against the Hoosiers. Reserve judgment for the Buckeyes until afterward. 

NCAABKB: 2016 NCAA Associated Press Basketball Rankings, 11/14/2016.

AP

RANK	SCHOOL	POINTS	RECORD	PREVIOUS
1	Duke (58)	1613	2-0	1
2	Kentucky (1)	1508	2-0	2
3	Villanova (5)	1492	1-0	4
4	Oregon	1349	1-0	5
5	North Carolina	1347	2-0	6
6	Indiana (1)	1322	1-0	11
7	Kansas	1206	0-1	3
8	Virginia	1121	1-0	8
9	Wisconsin	1097	1-0	9
10	Arizona	1092	1-0	10
11	Xavier	1025	1-0	7
12	Louisville	811	1-0	13
13	Michigan State	729	0-1	12
14	Gonzaga	725	1-0	14
15	Purdue	700	1-0	15
16	UCLA	622	2-0	16
17	Saint Mary's	593	1-0	17
18	Syracuse	551	1-0	19
19	West Virginia	392	1-0	20
20	Iowa State	254	1-0	24
21	Rhode Island	250	1-0	23
22	Creighton	232	1-0	22
23	Texas	230	1-0	21
24	Cincinnati	120	1-0	NR
25	California	109	1-0	NR

Others receiving votes: Dayton 102, Maryland 100, Florida State 95, San Diego State 54, Florida 38, Miami 38, Wichita St 37, Butler 26, NC State 23, Virginia Tech 21, Texas A&M 16, Notre Dame 14, Oklahoma 11, Ohio State 9, Connecticut 9, Marquette 7, Monmouth 7, Seton Hall 6, Clemson 6, Colorado 5, Mississippi State 4, Ohio 2, Wagner 2, SMU 1, Yale 1, Princeton 1

Dropped from rankings: Connecticut 18, Maryland 25

College basketball's transfer 'epidemic' has an easy solution: shut up about it.

By Mike DeCourcy

(Photo/The Sporting News)

Anytime the Knight Commission gathers to offer the pretense it is advancing the cause of college athletics, a running joke that’s endured for 27 years now, a little hooey is certain to be flying about the room.

Courtesy of the Twitter feed of CBS Sports college sports writer Jon Solomon, we were treated to these highlights from Monday’s meeting in Washington:

Former Michigan All-American Trey Burke calling the cuisine offered through the university “disgusting” and “jail food.”

Former Duke All-American Shane Battier suggesting the NCAA perhaps could ban coaches from contact with athletes before noon.

And Old Dominion coach Jeff Jones saying “something needs to be done” about the growing numbers of transfers in college basketball. This last one caught our attention because the topic of an alleged “transfer epidemic” frequently is rehashed with bombastic quotes and rash generalizations but almost never examined.

If by “something needs to be done” Jones means every single player should be allotted equal amounts of playing time regardless of skill, work ethic, passion for the game or attention to the coach’s orders, then he might be onto something. If it’s anything else, it’s just more malarkey, as Joe Biden would say.

There are an estimated 700-plus names on ESPN’s list of transfers for the 2016-17 season, but if you recognize more than a dozen of them you either run a recruiting service or have developed a hopeless hobby of spelunking through box scores.

Here is the truth about the transfer “epidemic”: The overwhelming majority of players who transfer move because they barely play at their current schools. That’s pretty much all there is to it. That doesn’t cover every transfer; some change schools because of academic issues, homesickness, family matters, personality conflicts. They transfer in isolated cases for the same reasons as non-athletes. Mostly, though, they transfer hoping to play.

That’s why so few names on that list are familiar. If you start at the top of ESPN’s list of transfers who left their programs in the spring to search for new opportunities, you won’t recognize a single name until you get to Marlon Alcindor, and it’s not anything he accomplished at St. Francis of New York that stops you there.

I’m not going to spend the entirety of my day going through every single player on the list, but I was willing to spend a portion going as far as the players whose names begin with the letter “C.” That covered 100 total athletes, from Patrick Ackerman (formerly of Detroit) to Jeremiah Curtis (who left Morgan State for El Camino College).

Of those 100 – two players were eliminated because they chose to play professionally -- 19 did not play at all last season; 73 averaged fewer than 12 minutes per game; 79 averaged fewer than five points. The median scoring average for the 81 players who saw at least some time: 2.6 points. Five players did not score at all.

Of the 100 players, 16 have not yet been updated with a new college. Of the 84 who have chosen a different school, more than two-thirds decided to leave Division I altogether. Roughly half will spend the next year in junior college, perhaps eventually to return, with half choosing new four-year colleges that do not compete at the highest level.

This is a crisis? This is an epidemic?

No. This is young people recognizing the initial decisions they made were not working for them in some way. In many cases, the athlete can be accused of impatience. But athletic eligibility is a finite resource. The NCAA provides each player with five years in which to play four seasons of intercollegiate basketball. Spending three of those seasons waiting for an opportunity to actually play the game does not appeal to everyone.

In some of these cases, the message inherent in that absence of playing time is that there might be a better place to find those minutes. And sometimes that message is delivered overtly: We don’t think you’re good enough to play here, but we’ll be happy to help you find somewhere you’ll be happy.

At the Final Four in Houston, NCAA president Mark Emmert was asked during his news conference about transfers by a reporter who was kind enough not to use the word “epidemic.”

“The issue of transfer rules, whether it’s for undergraduates or graduates, is one of the most hotly debated and discussed, I think, in sport right now, whether it’s basketball or football,” Emmert said. “The challenge is, it’s really hard to figure out a right way to resolve this issue.”

NCAA rulesmakers misfire with rule hiding scrimmages behind veil of secrecy.

By Mike DeCourcy

(Photo/The Sporting News)

If you sift through the gazillion or so tweets published Sunday afternoon about the National Football League, and the slightly fewer about the College Football Playoff race, and nearly as many about the World Series, and just a few about the MLS Cup playoffs, you will find a precious few nuggets of second-hand whispers about teams and players that performed well in college basketball scrimmages Saturday afternoon.

Why exactly one needs a subpoena to gather information about these scrimmages is one of the enduring mysteries about the sport.

And it’s not only puzzling, it’s ridiculous.

There is no logical reason a sport so starved for media attention should have a rule in place that mandates across-the-board secrecy regarding a practice competition between two Division I teams. Some of the nation’s most prominent sports media figures eagerly stuff college basketball into the “one-month sport” box, in part for their own convenience but also as a reflection of a changing market. Attendance has declined by a smidge, regular-season TV ratings aren’t great and even some coaches complain that football commands too much of the public’s attention.

Then why aren’t they fighting for it? Why are the folks in charge of the game responding by hiding their product like it’s some sort of controlled substance?

I’m not saying the coaches involved should be ordered to open the scrimmages to the media. I’m saying those so inclined should be allowed to do so without risking an NCAA rules violation.

According to NCAA rules passed in 2005, Division I members can trade one or both of their allotted exhibition games against non-D-I opponents for a scrimmage “provided they are conducted in privacy without publicity or official scoring. Individuals other than athletics department staff members and those necessary to conduct a basketball scrimmage against outside competition may not be present during such a scrimmage.”

That last portion of the rule was inane when it was conceived, but the direction of the game since has rendered it detrimental. As college football has grown more popular because of the appeal of the College Football Playoff, the folks in charge of college hoops have wondered aloud about the diminishing popularity of their own sport.

Mostly, they’ve followed or longed to follow all the really bad ideas emanating from their college football brethren. Closing practices to the media is one of those college football concepts that many basketball coaches have embraced. The NCAA Tournament selection committee discussed the possibility of producing a TV show similar to the song and dance college football stages weekly toward the end of its season, but thankfully passed.

When I bring up the subject of why it’s foolish for basketball coaches to conduct their practices in private, I invariably encounter a handful of fans who want to defend their coach’s right to go about his work without the prying eyes of the media distracting him. They ask: Why do the media need to be in there? Answer: They don’t, unless the people in charge of the sport want the most interesting and informed stories being published and aired to draw more spectators to the sport.

The NFL doesn’t seem to have a problem with this. Last summer I stood near a practice field and watched the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears conduct a joint practice session that was the gridiron equivalent of a Division I scrimmage. The NFL, even with its recent ratings issues, still is the most successful sports enterprise on the planet. If the college basketball folks want to follow some footballing examples, that’s one to consider.

When the late Bryan Burwell was president of the United States Basketball Writers Association in 2010-11, he worked hard to get the NCAA to change the rule regarding “secret scrimmages.” Essentially, he was told some NCAA stakeholder would have to propose a rule change, and finding that group has proved to be elusive.

So the secrecy continues. Instead of getting a peek at the Seton Hall-Penn State scrimmage box score through Adam Zagoria’s Twitter feed, we ought to be able to read a story on his blog page that gives real detail and insight about how Lions’ Deividas Zemgulis hit three times from 3-point range or promising 6-3 freshman guard Tony Carr managed to rebound so effectively.

Instead of actual basketball, though, mostly what the media have available to discuss is an NCAA rules investigation involving allegations that sex workers were sneaked into college dorm rooms and employed to entertain players and recruits.

That can't be how the people in charge of the game want college basketball to be viewed.

The Pope got a Cubs cap. From a Cardinal.

By Craig Calcaterra

Given current events it feels like the Cubs’ World Series win came two years ago instead of two weeks ago, but it’s still obviously fresh on the minds of Cubs fans.

Cubs fans such as Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich, who is at the Vatican this week to, ironically, become a Cardinal. While there, however, he took a break from all of that and presented Pope Francis with a Chicago Cubs cap and a signed baseball.

If you think this was cool, just wait until the Padres win something.

(Photo/twitter.com)

On This Date in Sports History: Today is Wednesday, November 16, 2016.

Memoriesofhistory.com

1926 - The New York Rangers played their first game in the NHL. They beat the Montreal Maroons 1-0.

1957 - Jim Brown (Cleveland Browns) set an NFL season rushing record of 1163 yards after only eight games.

1958 - Bill Russell (Boston Celtics) set a new NBA record when he got 32 rebounds in the first half of a game.

1969 - U.S. President Nixon became the first president to attend a regular season National Football League (NFL) game while in office. The Dallas Cowboys beat the Washington Redskins 41-28.

1982 - It was announced that the NFL and its players had a tentative agreement to end their 57 day strike.

1994 - Major League Soccer announced that it would start its inaugural season in 1996.

1997 - Morton Anderson (New Orleans Saints) became only the fifth player in NFL history to reach 1,600 career points when he kicked an extra point.

1998 - Roger Clemens (Toronto Blue Jays) became the first pitcher to win five Cy Young Awards.

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