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"Sports Quote of the Day"

"Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning." ~ Benjamin Franklin, One of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America

Trending: Bears offense finds groove in win over 49ers. (See the football section for Bears News an NFL updates).

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Trending: Blackhawks score late but can't get past Jets. (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates and NHL news).

Trending: How Cubs are setting the expectations for winter meetings. (See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).

Trending: Matsuyama wins Hero by two over Stenson. (See the golf section for PGA news and tournament updates).

Trending: College Football Playoff: Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Washington ready to chase championship. (See the college football section for NCAA football news and CFP updates).

NFL SCORES, Sunday 12/04/2016.

Dallas Cowboys 17

Minnesota Vikings 15

Kansas City Chiefs 29

Atlanta Falcons 28 

Detroit Lions 28

New Orleans Saints 13

Los Angeles Rams 10 

New England Patriots 26

Denver Broncos 20

Jacksonville Jaguars 10

Houston Texans 13

Green Bay Packers 21 

Philadelphia Eagles 14

Cincinnati Bengals 32 

Miami Dolphins 6

Baltimore Ravens 38

San Francisco 49ers 6

Chicago Bears 26

Buffalo Bills 24

Oakland Raiders 38

New York Giants 14

Pittsburgh Steelers 24

Washington Redskins 23

Arizona Cardinals 31

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 28

San Diego Chargers 21

Carolina Panthers 7

Seattle Seahawks 40

Indianapolis Colts    Monday night Game

New York Jets          12/05/2016 

How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks score late but can't get past Jets.

By Tracey Myers

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

The Blackhawks’ offense has been struggling for some time now. Nevertheless, the Blackhawks, more often than not, have found a way to get just enough to get them a point or two.

But this weekend, their mediocre offense was downgraded to anemic, and the inevitable disappointing results followed.

Artemi Panarin scored his second goal in as many games but the Winnipeg Jets scored late to take a 2-1 victory over the Blackhawks on Sunday night. The Blackhawks dropped their second in a row. It was also the first time they didn’t record at least a point at the United Center since their season-opening loss to the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 12.

Jonathan Toews missed his sixth consecutive game with a reported back injury that coach Joel Quenneville said is “not getting better.” Toews will stay off the ice for a few days and be re-evaluated in the middle of the week.

Scott Darling was strong, stopping 30 of 32 shots. But it was one more game in which the Blackhawks leaned on their goaltending and provided little offensive support.

“Yeah, it’s been frustrating,” Duncan Keith said. “We’re obviously not doing what we need to do to create enough offense, putting pucks on the net or getting to the net or even just having enough offensive zone time.”

No, the Blackhawks’ zone time wasn’t so good in this one. That was especially true on their first power play, during which the Jets were more of a threat on Darling than the Blackhawks were on Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.

Still, thanks to Panarin’s goal with less than seven minutes remaining in regulation, the Blackhawks once again had a chance. Andrew Copp diminished those chances some with his goal with 4:45 remaining. The Blackhawks got a four-minute power play with less than three minutes left in the third period but couldn’t get one past Hellebuyck. Their best chance, coming from Marian Hossa, was stopped with 2.6 seconds remaining in regulation.

“That was a good chance to get the equalizer and we had a couple of decent looks but not the finish we were looking for,” Quenneville said. “We didn’t generate much tonight. It was one of those games. They came into our building, what was it a year or two ago, where they beat us back-to-back Sunday nights. They shut us down. The first two games [this season] they’ve shut us down pretty good.”

There’s no doubt the Blackhawks are missing the void left by Toews. Sure, they got points in four of the first six games he missed. But as Patrick Kane said, eventually you start feeling the void left by a top player.

“When you’re missing a guy right away for a couple of games, it may not really show up and guys are excited to get that chance. The longer you go, missing a great player, there’s going to be a hole,” he said. “Nothing we can control. It’s something guys like myself and other guys have to step up and try to [help], whether it’s taking on more ownership and leadership, playing the right way and do whatever you can to help this team win.”

The Blackhawks are going to have to find ways to win without Toews, as they did when he was first absent, because it sounds like he’ll be missing at least a few more games. Even when Toews was in the lineup, however, the scoring issues were there. Are the Blackhawks lacking confidence? Darling said no – “I’d be surprised [at that] with the great offensive players we have in here.”

Still, the Blackhawks need to find answers, no matter who’s in their lineup.

“We just have to figure out a way to get that chemistry going,” Darling said. “Because when it’s going it’s pretty lethal.”

Five Things from Blackhawks-Jets: Offense still anemic.

By Tracey Myers

(Photo/csnchicago)

The Blackhawks may want to forget this weekend.

Their captain is struggling health-wise and the rest of the team is struggling in other aspects. That led to a point-less pair of games, something the Blackhawks haven’t dealt with often this season. Even a return home on Sunday, where the Blackhawks had collected points in 12 consecutive games, couldn’t help them.

Still, the show must go on. So before we trudge home in the slush, let’s look at Five Things to take from the Blackhawks’ 2-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.

1. Jonathan Toews isn’t improving. The captain isn’t getting any worse but his injury isn’t getting better. That’s what coach Joel Quenneville said prior to the game, the sixth in a row Toews has missed with a reported back injury. Toews skated on Sunday morning but will not shut it down for a few days. That’s discouraging news, especially for Toews. You could hear the frustration in Toews’ voice when he talked following Friday’s practice. It’s likely growing.

2. Scott Darling did all he could. We could have “goaltending buoys the Blackhawks” on a save/get key this season. It was true again on Sunday as Darling was stellar in stopping 30 of 32 shots. The Blackhawks have gone through their troubles this season but goaltending hasn’t been one of them. Darling will take the bulk of the work while Corey Crawford is sidelined. If he plays the way he did on Sunday night, the Blackhawks won’t have to worry about that part of their game.

3. Little generated again. Both teams played on Saturday but the Blackhawks were the ones really looking lackluster on Sunday night. The Blackhawks once again didn’t have many great scoring opportunities; through two periods, you could count their quality shots on one hand. They woke up some in the third period but not enough.

4. Second line drawing all the attention? OK, again, right now Artemi Panarin, Artem Anisimov and Patrick Kane are the Blackhawks’ top line. And with that, the trio has become the prime target of attention for the opposition. Other lines have had opportunities but these are not the balanced Blackhawks teams of previous seasons. That second line is what did the bulk of the damage last season, and teams are focusing on it –  and being more successful against it – this season.

5. Power plays a problem again. The Blackhawks’ first power play was as forgettable as they come. It was so unproductive, spent so little time in the Jets’ zone that fans started to audibly groan. And when the Blackhawks got a four-minute power play late in regulation they couldn’t get the game-tying goal. Again, this isn’t the first season the power play has struggled. But when the offense overall dries up, the issues here are that much more glaring.

Blackhawks: Corey Crawford undergoes appendectomy, out 2-3 weeks.

By Charlie Roumeliotis

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford underwent an appendectomy in a Philadelphia hospital on Saturday morning and will be sidelined 2-3 weeks.

Blackhawks team physician Dr. Michael Terry released this statement following the Blackhawks game against the Flyers regarding Crawford:

“Corey underwent a successful appendectomy today in Philadelphia. We anticipate a full recovery and for Corey to return to unrestricted hockey activities in 2-3 weeks.”

Scott Darling got the start in Saturday's loss to the Flyers, and the Blackhawks signed 23-year-old Eric Semborski to an amateur tryout to serve as an emergency backup goalie. He played club hockey at Temple University and for the Empire Junior Hockey Jersey's Wildcats.

Crawford has been lights out for the Blackhawks this season, owning a 12-6-1 record with a 2.27 goals against average and .927 save percentage, including two shutouts.

Rough second period sinks Blackhawks in loss to Flyers. (Saturday night's game, 12/03/2016).

By Associated Press 

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Ivan Provorov admitted he was motivated to make his second career game against the Chicago Blackhawks a lot better than his first.

The 19-year-old rookie defenseman did just that, scoring twice and prevented one by the Blackhawks to help the Philadelphia Flyers beat Chicago 3-1 on Saturday.

Provorov was on the ice for five Blackhawks goals in their 7-4 at home over the Flyers on Oct. 18.

"I didn't play my best in that game, but I put it behind me, learned from it and it was a better result tonight," Provorov said "I tried to use it as a positive thing and prove that's not me."

Provorov scored 31 seconds apart early in the second period to help the Flyers get their fourth straight win. Brayden Schenn also scored and Steve Mason stopped 26 shots.

Artemi Panarin scored his ninth of the season for the Blackhawks, who lost in regulation for the first time in five games, snapping a 3-0-1 streak. Scott Darling had 27 saves in his eighth appearance of the season.

Darling was pressed into action after starter Corey Crawford underwent an emergency appendectomy.

"His procedure went pretty well today, he's probably going to be out two to three weeks," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "Thanks to our medical staff and the Flyers' medical staff today. They did a great job of helping us out."

Chicago was also without captain Jonathan Toews for the fourth straight game. Sidelined with a lower body injury, Toews remained in Chicago and is questionable for Sunday's home game against his hometown Winnipeg Jets.

The Blackhawks opened the scoring 3:44 in when Panarin took a pass from Artem Anisimov and one-timed a shot past Mason for his ninth of the season and his first in five games.

Provorov took over from there. The Flyers' top pick in the 2015 NHL draft (seventh overall) tied the score 3:02 into the second period when he blasted a shot past Darling for his second career NHL goal.

Provorov gave the Flyers the lead 31 seconds later when he wristed a shot that fluttered past Darling's blocker for the first two-goal game of his career.

"He is a guy that continues to work at his game, and continues to build," Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said of Provorov. "He didn't do a whole lot different tonight than he has really over the last 10 games. It was nice to see a couple of those pucks go in for him. They were good plays by him and the other guys on the ice, obviously that is really important for us at that time in the hockey game."

Schenn gave the Flyers a 3-1 lead at the 8:37 of the second, taking a nice feed from rookie Travis Konecny and beating Darling from close range for his fourth.

The Flyers' biggest save of the night might have come from Provorov, who swatted a bouncing puck out of the goal crease with 3:22 remaining in the second period to preserve a two-goal lead.

The Blackhawks thought they scored when Richard Panik jabbed a loose puck under Mason's legs. But Provorov reached behind the goalie and swatted the puck off the goal line. After a video review, the officials ruled the replay inconclusive, denying Panik the goal.

"They obviously look at it real closely," Blackhawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson said. "Of course we wanted the goal but you just have to trust that they are doing everything they can and I do think they look at is as much as they can, so they know more than I do, but obviously we wanted to have that goal, but it happens."

NOTES: Flyers D Radko Gudas was a healthy scratch for the first time this season and was replaced with D Brandon Manning, who missed the previous two games with a concussion. ... Blackhawks D Trevor van Riemsdyk returned to the lineup after missing 23 games with an upper body injury.

The Flyers' biggest save of the night might have come from Provorov, who swatted a bouncing puck out of the goal crease with 3:22 remaining in the second period to preserve a two-goal lead.

Chicago backup goalie Scott Darling, pressed into action after projected starter Corey Crawford underwent an emergency appendectomy, finished with 27 saves.

Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Bears offense finds groove in win over 49ers.

By Scott Krinch

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

For nearly 30 minutes, the Bears offense was stuck in a snow globe.

Once Matt Barkley and the Bears (3-9) found their way out, the lowly San Francisco 49ers (1-11) had no answer as the Bears cruised to a 26-6 victory in blizzard conditions Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field.

It was a lackluster start for both offenses, who traded punts on four straight possessions to start the contest, and neither side completed a pass until 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick found tight end Vance McDonald nearly midway through the second quarter.

After back-to-back field goals by 49ers kicker Phil Dawson, the Bears offense finally found its footing.

Getting his second-career NFL start, Barkley (11-of-18, 192 yards, 97.5 QB rating) completed the Bears' first pass of the game with 1:38 remaining in the first half when he connected with wide receiver Deonte Thompson. After rattling off four completions, Barkley's pass to tight end Daniel Brown sailed through the back of the end zone, but the 49ers were called for pass interference. On the next play, Bears running back Jordan Howard (31 carries, 116 yards, 3 TDs) plunged into the end zone for a 1-yard score to give Chicago a 7-6 lead over San Francisco going into the half.

The Bears rode that momentum coming out of the locker room as Barkley engineered a 10-play, 75-yard scoring drive which was capped off by Howard's 2-yard rushing touchdown.

Following a three-and-out by the San Francisco offense, Barkley quickly marched the Bears down the field with consecutive throws to Josh Bellamy (4 receptions, 93 yards), and Howard finished the drive off by bulldozing his way through 49ers defenders for his third touchdown of the game.

Decimated by injuries, the Bears defense played an inspired effort against the 49ers, limiting them to just 147 total yards. The Bears defense held Kaepernick to just 1-of-5 passing for 4 yards and sacked the 49ers quarterback five times before he was benched for Week 1 starter Blaine Gabbert. Akiem Hicks (2), Leonard Floyd (2), Eddie Goldman and Willie Young all had sacks for the Bears. Floyd added a safety of Gabbert late in fourth quarter.

The Bears set a 2016 season-high for points scored with 26 in Sunday's game.

Bears grades: Defense records 6 sacks; Colin Kaepernick finished with net-minus yards.

By John Mullin

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Numbers can be misleading and lacking context, but not these:

Coming into the Bears game on Sunday, lost by his team 26-6, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick was averaging 361 combined passing and rushing yards per game this season, including 409 last week against the Miami Dolphins. He was returning to the form that had first appeared, at the Bears’ expense, in Kaepernick’s first start, a 32-7 annihilation of the Bears in 2012.

Against the Bears, Kaepernick lost more yards being sacked five times (minus-25 yards) than he gained with both passing (4) and rushing (20).

“The biggest thing for us was to do blitz, do brush, but always know where he is, know that he could get through a blitz and get out,” said rookie linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski, making his third NFL start in place of absent veterans Jerrell Freeman and Danny Trevathan. “You had in the back of your mind to always watch him.”

The Bears were exploited last week by mobile Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (226 passing yards, zero sacks, 46 rushing yards). It was a primer for coping with Kaepernick. “The carryover from last week to this week, seeing the same thing two weeks in a row,” Kwiatkoski said, “definitely gets you more comfortable.”

Defensive line: A+

The 49ers began the day as the NFL’s No. 4 rushing offense and did net 122 yards in 30 carries in the first half. But in the second, just 19, and their quarterbacks were sacked a total of six times.

Akiem Hicks had a career game with a team-high 10 tackles, 2 for loss and 2 sacks plus a forced fumble. Hicks posted a TFL of RB Carlos Hyde with perfect technique against an initial double-team. Hicks then showed some foot-quickness, adjusting a rush through the San Francisco middle for a third-quarter sack, then took down Kaepernick again with a spin move on second effort. Kaepernick eventually cracked and was benched for the fourth quarter.

“That’s what you want for every quarterback,” Hicks said. “You want to put fear in him. You want him to throw bad balls. You want him to make bad decisions or throw the ball into the ground. That’s what you’re looking for as a defensive unit – to put fear in the opposing quarterbacks.”

The defense got some much-needed domination inside. Eddie Goldman delivered a crushing inside rush against double-team blocking to set up a first-possession sack of Kaepernick. Goldman followed that with complete win vs. C Daniel Kilgore for a sack on the second possession.

Goldman finished with 2 tackles but had one for a loss plus his sack.  Cornelius Washington added 2 tackles and Mitch Unrein 1.

Linebacker: A

Leonard Floyd started in his first game back after a missed week and was badly taken out of an edge set by perennial Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Staley for a 14-yard run. Floyd was completely overmatched early but was able to adjust and finish with 2 sacks, giving him 6 for the season, and 4 tackles plus another hit on Kaepernick. Floyd also netted a safety with his second sack.

“I think early on [Floyd] was OK,” said coach John Fox. “I think the quarterback got out a couple times to their bench. Once [Floyd] got used to the speed again, getting back out there, I think he responded well.”

Willie Young was superb holding his outside position and then closing down on Colin Kaepernick for a sack to push YTD total to 7.5, in addition to adding a tackle for loss and second hit on Kaepernick.

Nick Kwiatkoski again started inside and was solid in schemes that often had him as the only true linebacker. Kwiatkoski was credited with 9 tackles, 2 for loss, and also added 2 pass deflections and a handful of strong controlled blitzes that got some penetration against interior linemen.

Secondary: A

The defense combined to hold San Francisco to 39 total passing yards, which netted out to 6 after the 33 yards in sack losses were deducted. Kaepernick completed just 1 of 5 attempts and Blaine Gabbert, who broke the Bears’ hearts in the 49ers win here with a 44-yard TD run, completed just 4 of 10. The quarterbacks combined for a rating of 42.4.

“We executed,” said cornerback Tracy Porter. “Offensively, we executed. Special teams, we started off a little slow but we continued to execute. When we can execute, we’re going to be a tough team to beat.”

Cre’Von LeBlanc brought pressure with a superb first-quarter blitz and had 3 solo tackles.

Harold Jones-Quartey was forced into the starting lineup because of Adrian Amos being inactive due to a foot injury, and Jones-Quartey finished with 9 tackles, seven of them solo, and one for loss.

Special teams: D

In a slog of a game and special teams could decide the outcome, the Bears’ ‘teams did influence some the outcome, in all wrong ways. Deonte Thompson fumbled a second-quarter kickoff return, giving the football to the 49ers inside the Chicago 40, this after Bryce Callahan did the offense no favors by fair-catching a second-quarter punt at the Chicago 5. That possession ended with punt but one coming on a delay of game call, and then a punt blocked with a one-man rush on which ex-Bear Shaun Draughn beat an anemic block by TE Ben Braunecker.

After that gaffe produced a 49ers field goal, the Bears bolloxed up the ensuing kickoff, with up-back Paul Lasike finally picking up the football.

Connor Barth converted is one field goal attempt, from 45 yards.

Bears' Matt Barkley 'showing the world' he can be a starting QB in the NFL.

By Scott Krinch

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Nobody is penciling Matt Barkley in as the Bears starting quarterback in 2017, but the fourth-year pro is making the most of his opportunity.

Barkley braved the winter elements and first snowfall in Chicago this season to lead the Bears to a 26-6 throttling of the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field.

No, they weren't the eye-popping numbers he posted in last week's loss to the Tennessee Titans when he had 300-plus passing yards and three touchdowns, but his performance against the 49ers was arguably more impressive if you factor in the weather conditions.

Barkley was able to rebound from a first half in which it took nearly 29 minutes to complete a pass, and finished with 192 passing yards, a 97.5 quarterback rating and zero turnovers. Barkley's numbers were a far cry from his counterpart Colin Kaepernick. The 49ers quarterback completed just a single pass for 4 yards and was benched in favor of Blaine Gabbert.

"I thought he improved. He eliminated any interceptions," Bears head coach John Fox said. "Both teams were pretty cautious early in that game as far as pass attempts. I know they called it snow, but it felt more like rain out there so the ball was hard to hang on to. You saw some true evidence of that early. I thought the way he handled the two minute drive right before the half, we had to open it up some and throw the ball.

"I thought he executed outstanding. I thought that was one of the better drives that he had to manage."

The victory was a major boost of confidence for a quarterback who looked to be out of chances prior to the 2016 season.

After two sub-par seasons as a backup with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he was ironically drafted by the head coach (Chip Kelly) that he defeated for his first career NFL win on Sunday, Barkley was traded to the Arizona Cardinals and was released last August. 

Barkley was signed to the Bears practice squad behind veterans Jay Cutler and Brian Hoyer going into the season. Season-ending injuries to the aforementioned quarterbacks catapulted Barkley into the No. 1 job and forced the Bears coaching staff into seeing if the California native could regain the form that once made him the No. 1 recruit in the nation coming out of high school, and a candidate for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft before he decided to return for his senior year at USC.

Nobody is labeling him the next Tom Brady, but through three games with the Bears, that confidence has returned for Barkley.

"It's at an all-time high in this league," Barkley said. "Just knowing that I can play, that we can make plays as an offense. I'm not holding back, and they aren't holding back on what we are installing from week to week."

He's also starting to make believers out of the other 52 guys in the locker room.

"He's showing the world that he can be a starter in this league," Bears wide receiver Josh Bellamy said. "He can play. He can play football and we all knew that. He's just got to show the world that and that's what he's been doing."

While it's a small sample size, and the No. 1 goal of the Bears front office going into the offseason should be finding a long-term solution at quarterback, the Bears have to be impressed with what they've seen out of Barkley, who is set to become a restricted free agent in 2017.

With four games remaining, Barkley will be given every opportunity to play his way into a future roster spot.

"I know what we are capable of and what I am capable of," Barkley said. "Hopefully we can keep pushing this, and keep the same mentality that we did last week when we were coming off a loss of wanting to get better and striving to perfection."

Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... Portland Trail Blazers Vs. Chicago Bulls Preview, Monday, 12/05/2016.

NBA

The Portland Trail Blazers are coming off a win in which they did enough to win ugly. The Chicago Bulls are hoping to rebound from playing just plain ugly.
  

The Bulls have struggled to produce attractive efforts in two of their last three games. That includes a 107-82 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night when Chicago never led, trailed by as many as 25 points and committed 20 turnovers.

  

The Trail Blazers, who visit the United Center on Monday night, didn't exactly paint a masterpiece Saturday. Portland held the Miami Heat without a field goal in the final three minutes of a 99-92 win as the Trail Blazers outscored the Heat 14-1 down the stretch.

  

"We did enough to win an ugly game," guard C.J. McCollum told The Oregonian.

  

Portland (11-10) will carry a two-game winning streak into Chicago and will face a team that is in the midst of playing four games in five days. The Bulls (11-8) were unable to carry the momentum of an impressive victory over Cleveland on Friday night.

  

Veteran guard Rajon Rondo was masterful against the Cavaliers with a triple-double. But like the rest of his teammates, Rondo faltered against the last-place Mavericks on Saturday when he had five turnovers while registering a total of four points and assists combined.

  

Nikola Mirotic continued to struggle offensively for the Bulls. One night after shooting 1-for-9 against the Cavaliers, Mirotic went 0-for-4 in Dallas and failed to score.

  

"We need Niko to play, man," Bulls guard Jimmy Butler told reporters after Saturday's loss, according to the Chicago Tribune. "When he starts thinking, it only gets worse. When you just play, great things happen."

  

Along with center Robin Lopez, Butler was among the few bright spots for the Bulls, scoring 26 points -- the 13th straight game he has scored at least 20 points.

  

With Chicago's bench continuing to struggle to produce, the Bulls will again be without guard Doug McDermott, who has been dealing with concussion symptoms. McDermott was cleared to start taking contact on Friday night and will practice with the Bulls' NBA Development League team as Chicago wraps up its grueling stretch with Monday night's game against the Trail Blazers before heading to Detroit to face the Pistons.

  

With McDermott's return date still uncertain, Mirotic understands the need to start finding his touch from the field.

  

"I didn't feel very comfortable playing offense in some games," Mirotic told reporters. "I've had some wide-open shots I didn't make. I'm trying to contribute in other ways."

  

The Trail Blazers, meanwhile, will look to continue their winning streak as they begin a five-game road swing. Portland is 4-6 away from home and will look for a better start than they did against the Heat. The Trail Blazers missed their first five shots and shot only 32 percent in the first quarter before putting everything together down the stretch.

  

McCollum finished with 17 points on 7-of-18 shooting while fellow guard Damian Lillard tallied 19 points on 6-of-18 shooting in what was the lowest combined point total for Portland's starting backcourt.

  

"It's good to win any game, ugly or pretty, because at the end of the day all that shows up is the wins and losses," forward Ed Davis told reporters Saturday.

Bulls fall flat in blowout loss in Dallas. (Saturday night's game, 12/03/2016). 

By Associated Press

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Wesley Matthews has taken greater responsibility with Dirk Nowitzki out of the Dallas Mavericks' lineup much of this season.

Matthews scored 20 of his 26 points in the second half of Dallas' 107-82 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night.

"Matthews was the star of the game, obviously," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. "He is our leader right now with Dirk out. He really sets the tone for us in the locker room and on the floor. He is just the vocal guy."

Matthews has accepted the expanded role as Nowitzki has been limited to five games by a strained right Achilles tendon.

"I feel like that's one of the reasons why they brought me over here (from Portland). Through this rough patch, injuries and everything, everybody had to mold together. It's almost like we had to restructure ourselves. I think everybody has embraced that."

Harrison Barnes scored 17 of his 22 points in the first half to help Dallas improve to 4-15.

Chicago was coming off a 111-105 victory over defending champion Cleveland on Friday night.

Jimmy Butler led Chicago with 26 points.

"I don't think anybody played well tonight," Butler said. "We didn't play with energy on either end of the floor."

Barnes powered the Mavericks to a 17-point first-quarter lead with eight points.

"They came out and threw the first punch and kept throwing, and we could just never recover from that," Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. "We did expend a lot of energy (Friday) night."

Dwight Powell (17) and rookie Dorian Finney-Smith (11) had career highs in scoring, and Deron Williams had a season-high 15 assists with only one turnover.

"The biggest thing was we were even (43-43) on the boards," Carlisle said. Andrew Bogut had a game-high 11 rebounds, and Powell grabbed eight.

Neither team scored in the first 2:15, but Dallas went on a 7-0 run over the next 1:20. The Mavericks led 23-6 with 3:17 left. The quarter ended with Dallas leading 29-18. Bogut had six points and eight rebounds.

Chicago pulled within six points three times in the second quarter, but Dallas finished the first half with a 57-45 lead. In the third quarter, Matthews had 14 points, and the Maverick led by as many as 21 points.

Dwyane Wade, Bulls take first blood with LeBron James, Cavs. (Friday night's game, 12/02/2016). 

By Vincent Goodwill

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Dwyane Wade gathered the ball after losing the dribble and bearing down on him was the man who refused to switch off him, LeBron James.

James prepared to block Wade’s layup but a little craftiness beat James’ athleticism on the way to the basket, rolling in for Wade’s 21st and 22nd points with 2:30 left in the fourth.

Wade was the one who made sure to let everyone know this game wasn’t just any old game, and for 37 minutes (season-high) he played like it. Moments later he forced James into a turnover, then another as he sandwiched an offensive rebound and layup between the two possessions.

The layup gave the Bulls an eight-point lead with 2:30 left as the Bulls took first blood in their season series with the NBA champions with a 111-105 win at the United Center Friday — a game that was more anticipated for pregame activities than what was to be expected on the floor.

The Bulls expected to take the Cavaliers’ best shot after two poor performances, and one wouldn’t have been surprised to see a blowout from the champs looking to refocus.

What occurred was an aroused Bulls team, taking advantage of the national stage, a reeling opponent and a frisky leader in Wade, who finished with 24 points, five rebounds and four assists in 37 minutes.

Jimmy Butler shook off a unusual shooting night (eight for 20), partially due to the energy exerted from guarding James most of the night, scoring 26 points with eight boards and six assists.

“Wade, Jimmy and Taj were all beasts,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said.

It was pretty early and grimy late, which is the way playoff basketball is to be played.

Speaking of grimy, Taj Gibson was a leader early and throughout, scoring 23 points with 11 rebounds and five assists, making his first nine field goals.

“That was something we talked about,” said Hoiberg of Gibson’s early offensive explosion. “I thought Taj’s aggressiveness and our guys’ willingness and ability to find them early in the possession before the defense got set and the floor space.”

The Cavs led by seven on two occasions in the first half, with pinpoint offensive execution led by James, and it didn’t appear like the Bulls had the manpower to keep up for 48 minutes, especially as their bench was again inconsistent.

“I thought we did a good job of staying in the game and withstanding their run,” Hoiberg said. “As fast as they were coming out of the gate, a couple things stood out to me, one was the rebounding.”

They dominated the Cavs inside, exposing their lack of interior defense as the Cavs have sacrificed rim protection in place of more perimeter shooting, scoring 78 points in the paint and outrebounding them 49-33.

Gibson started off going 5-for-5 in the first quarter, taking it straight to Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson. Even his imperfections were forgiven early, as a missed dunk was wiped out by a foul called on Love when it appeared Love barely blew on him.

By the time halftime came around, the Bulls were down one and despite the Cavs shooting 56 percent, they couldn’t shake their opponents. It set the stage for the Bulls to jump on a team playing three games in four nights as well as having played the night before, and the Bulls took an eight-point lead in the first six minutes of the third.

They had the Cavs playing uphill the rest of the night.

“That’s a testament to how we work,” Gibson said. “We like to get out and run. Rondo is the catalyst, pushing us, getting the ball out and we’re capable of running. We can finish around the basket with myself and Robin but we have other guys (too).”

At times, Wade guarded James and vice-versa, leading to some competitive theatre and playful banter. It was no less competitive, though, as James’ pinpoint passing and drives to the basket were often a beauty to behold, scoring 27 points with 13 assists and five rebounds in 45 minutes after his walk of shame through the bowels of the United Center wearing Chicago Cubs regalia after losing a World Series bet to Wade.

Rajon Rondo, a man who is no stranger to bouts with James’ teams, put together his most impactful game as a Bull with 15 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds in 36 minutes.

Kyrie Irving scored 20 for the Cavaliers but took 21 shots and Love scored 15 with nine boards but was a liability defensively.

James was frustrated with his teammates, often rolling his eyes for forgetting to get back on defense. But the Bulls failed to shut the door when the Cavs were reeling, and a James layup made it 92-89.

The Bulls didn’t fold, though, with Rondo and Wade making the necessary plays along with Butler doing his best to corral James defensively, leading to a bounceback victory and a message that perhaps they can compete on call.

MLB: How Cubs are setting the expectations for winter meetings.

By Patrick Mooney

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

The billionaire owners and millionaire athletes wisely decided to not stop all that momentum after a World Series that beat the NFL’s “Sunday Night Football” in head-to-head TV ratings, attracted more than 40 million viewers for Game 7 and turned the 2016 Cubs into legends.

The owners and the players’ union avoided a foolish labor war, crafting a new five-year collective bargaining agreement that should unleash teams that had been waiting to see the rules of engagement, spur the free-agent market, accelerate trade talks and ignite Major League Baseball’s signature offseason event.

The Cubs can go viral seemingly anywhere now – “Saturday Night Live,” Disney World, “The Tonight Show,” the Latin Grammys, an Indiana-North Carolina basketball game, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” – but don’t expect them to own the winter meetings this time.

As a $10 billion industry begins to descend upon National Harbor in Maryland on Sunday, Cubs officials won’t feel any of the urgency that fueled the spending spree that nearly totaled $290 million and helped end the 108-year drought.

“We said at the time that we did two offseasons worth of shopping in one offseason last year,” general manager Jed Hoyer said. “We really liked the talent available to us last offseason. It was a very good free-agent market. We felt like building upon a 97-win team that got to the NLCS but was swept. We wanted to improve some of the deficiencies on that club and really push forward.

“We were really aggressive with what we did last offseason. We told everyone at the time that we felt like we were kind of shopping for two offseasons.

“So with that in mind, I don’t expect nearly the activity we had a year ago.”

Sensing the pitching market might erupt at that point, the Cubs pushed to close John Lackey’s two-year, $32 million deal in early December, before the winter meetings in Nashville, Tennessee, and Zack Greinke’s anticipated decision between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants. Hours after the Lackey news broke, the Arizona Diamondbacks shocked the baseball world when word leaked out that Greinke had agreed to a six-year, $206 million megadeal.

The perfect storm brought Ben Zobrist to Chicago, once the Cubs finally engineered a Starlin Castro trade at the winter meetings, with the New York Yankees being the only team willing to absorb $38 million, give up a useful pitcher (Adam Warren) and take a chance on the former All-Star shortstop. Zobrist turned down $60 million guaranteed from the Giants and New York Mets, taking a four-year, $56 million deal and delivering a World Series MVP performance.

The opt-out clauses within Jason Heyward’s eight-year, $184 million contract don’t seem so inviting anymore – and he said those weren’t important to him anyway – but he provided Gold Glove defense in right field, called that pivotal team meeting during the Game 7 rain delay in Cleveland and should rebound after the worst offensive season of his career.

The Cubs have no expectations that Dexter Fowler’s market will again crater to the point that he will accept a $13 million guarantee in spring training, moving on with a center-field timeshare between Jon Jay and Albert Almora Jr.

“The bulk of our heavy lifting is done,” Hoyer said. “But I think that was done 12 months ago. It will be a quieter winter than last offseason.

“We’re always listening. If good ideas come to us – or we come up with good ideas – we’ll share them with other teams. But fans shouldn’t expect a flurry of things, because they got that 12 months ago.” 

Fans also won’t be getting crash courses on labor relations and lockout implications. A game that can be slow, boring and stuck in its ways can’t waste the energy and excitement that created crossover moments like LeBron James showing up at the United Center in a Cubs uniform.

“There’s no doubt that it was an amazing postseason all around,” Hoyer said. “Baseball really showed itself in the best possible light, ending with a Game 7 that we happened to win. But win or lose, that was one of the greatest games ever played. Baseball is certainly going to be on a high going into spring training.

“Baseball is definitely in a great place right now.”

For Cubs, winter meetings will be all about the hunt for pitching.

By Patrick Mooney 

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

As the Cubs prepare for the winter meetings outside Washington, D.C., their messaging might as well be: It’s the pitching, stupid.

This is an arms race that will never end, the Cubs trying to defend their first World Series title in 108 years, build out a bullpen that looked pretty thin by November and target the kind of young starter who could help anchor their rotation for years to come, ensuring Wrigleyville remains baseball’s biggest party.

The Cubs signed Brian Duensing to a one-year, $2 million contract on Friday, placing a small bet on a lefty specialist who spent parts of last season on the Triple-A level but made a good enough impression during his 13-plus innings with the Baltimore Orioles.

As executives, scouts, agents and reporters begin to flood into National Harbor on Sunday, the Cubs will intensify their search for pitching, everything from headliners to insurance policies to prospects.

“That’s been the significant bulk of our efforts,” general manager Jed Hoyer said, “It’s definitely not going to be through lack of trying on our part to make that kind of deal. That’s now. That’s at the deadline.”  

The Cubs are preparing for Opening Day 2018, when Jake Arrieta will probably be in a different uniform after signing his megadeal, John Lackey might be kicking back in Texas and enjoying retirement and Jon Lester will be 34 years old with maybe 2,300 innings on his odometer. 

The Cubs have unwavering faith in their pitching infrastructure at the major-league level, from the scouting and analytic perspectives that identified the right sign-and-flip deals during the rebuilding years to the coaching staff that helped mold Kyle Hendricks into a Cy Young Award finalist and a World Series Game 7 starter.

Mike Montgomery notched the final out against the Cleveland Indians and the Cubs see him as their next big project. The lefty checks so many of their boxes, from age (27) to size (6-foot-5) to pedigree (former first-round pick/top prospect) to the change-of-scenery confidence boost/mental reset.

Forget about the White Sox trading Chris Sale to the North Side and don’t just think about obvious names or trade partners. Maybe it’s making a deal for a guy you never heard of before and sifting through the non-tender bin. (As expected, the Cubs offered contracts to arbitration-eligible pitchers Arrieta, Hector Rondon, Pedro Strop and Justin Grimm before Friday’s deadline. Their 40-man roster stands at 35 after non-tendering lefties Gerardo Concepcion and Zac Rosscup, right-hander Conor Mullee and infielder Christian Villanueva.)

Remember how team president Theo Epstein framed the Montgomery trade with the Seattle Mariners this summer – comparing him to All-Star reliever Andrew Miller – and that gives you an idea of how they can address their pitching deficit this winter. 

“If your scouts do a good job of identifying the guys who are trending in the right direction – and you’re willing to take a shot – sometimes there’s a big payoff at the end,” Epstein said.
  
While the Cubs did Jason Hammel a favor by cutting him loose and allowing him to explore the market as one of the best pitchers in an extremely weak class of free agents, Montgomery has only 23 big-league starts on his resume.

 The Cubs had five starters make at least 29 starts this year, while four starters accounted for 30-plus starts in 2015, a remarkable run that led to 200 wins.

“As we’ve talked about so many times,” Hoyer said, “we do have an imbalance in our organization – hitting vs. pitching – and we’re trying to make sure we can accumulate as much pitching depth as possible. 

“We were very healthy this year, which was wonderful and a big part of why we won the World Series. I don’t think you can always count on that kind of health every single year. Building up a reservoir of depth – preferably guys you can option (to the minors) – is something (we’re trying) to accomplish.”  

The Cubs have Jorge Soler stuck in a crowded outfield plus the types of interesting prospects who appear to be blocked – catcher Victor Caratini, third baseman Jeimer Candelario, infielder/outfielder Ian Happ – to make relatively painless trades for pitching (if not the kind of blockbuster deal that dominates coverage of the winter meetings).

Lefty reliever Brett Cecil getting a four-year, $30.5 million deal and no-trade protection from the St. Louis Cardinals became another sign of how shallow this free-agent pool is for starting pitchers and a reflection of a postseason where the bullpen became a major storyline.

The idea of Kenley Jansen intrigues the Cubs – and Aroldis Chapman made a favorable impression during his three-plus months with the team – but Epstein’s front office already made the major upgrades for 2017 by spending nearly $290 million on free agents after the 2015 playoff run. Philosophically, the Cubs also see smarter long-term investments than trying to win a bidding war for a guy who might throw 70 innings a year. 

With that in mind, the Cubs could get creative and have looked at free agent Greg Holland, a two-time All-Star closer with the Kansas City Royals who didn’t pitch this year after having Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.  

Remember that Chapman left the New York Yankees and joined a team that had a 56-1 record when leading entering the ninth inning. If Hector Rondon, Pedro Strop and Carl Edwards Jr. can’t handle the late shifts, then the Cubs could always go out and trade for another closer in the middle of a pennant race.    

The Cubs have the luxuries of time, zero pressure from ownership, their fan base or the Chicago media and a stacked, American League-style lineup. 

“Right now, we could go play from an offensive standpoint and feel very good about our group,” Hoyer said. “We’re going to still continue to look to improve the depth in our bullpen, improve the depth in our starting rotation. Those are things that probably never go away. You probably never stop trying to build that depth.” 

White Sox reportedly asking for No. 1 prospect plus more in trade return for Chris Sale.

By JJ Stankevitz

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

The White Sox could be open for business when the Winter Meetings begin on Sunday in Maryland, with ace left-hander Chris Sale likely to draw the most interest at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center. 

The price for the five-time All-Star, of course, will be steep. ESPN’s Jayson Stark offered this as to just how steep it’ll be: To acquire Sale, a team will have to part with its No. 1 prospect plus at least two more players. 

The starting point for the White Sox, according to Stark, will be last offseason’s Shelby Miller trade in which the Arizona Diamondbacks sent former No. 1 overall pick Dansby Swanson to the Atlanta Braves to acquire the 26-year-old right-hander. 

Miller was coming off a strong season in 2015, in which he crossed the 200-inning threshold for the first time and posted a career best 3.02 ERA. But Miller hadn’t come close to establishing the success Sale has at the time of the trade, spending just three seasons in the starting rotations of the Braves and St. Louis Cardinals without eye-popping peripherals (he had a 4.54 FIP in 2014, for example). And the Braves still managed to swipe Swanson away from a Diamondbacks team that went all in for the 2016 season (and crashed to a 69-93 record with Miller having a 6.15 ERA). 

Only three pitchers — Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer and David Price — have racked up more WAR than Sale (26.2) since the start of the 2012 season, and Sale is one of seven starters to have 1,000 or more strikeouts over the last five seasons, too. Durability hasn’t been an issue for Sale, either, as he’s tied for second in baseball with 14 complete games since 2012 (only behind Kershaw) and has thrown the 12th-most innings of any pitcher in the last five years, too. 

That’s the Cliff’s Notes version of why Sale will command such a high price. So that’s why, on MLB Network on Friday, Jon Heyman threw out the following names that could be discussed: Washington Nationals infielder/outfielder Trea Turner, Houston Astros infielder Alex Bregman, Boston Red Sox outfielders Andrew Benintendi and Jackie Bradley Jr. and Red Sox infielder Yoan Moncada. 

Not only are those guys top prospects, but every one them outside of Moncada has had more than a cup of coffee in the major leagues. Whether or not the White Sox could pry one of those players, or someone of their caliber, away from a team in a Sale trade remains to be seen. 

The price may come down, as Stark reported, but the starting point in the Sale sweepstakes certainly appears to be high.

White Sox revamp would mean fewer 'stopgaps' and 'half-measures'.

By Dan Hayes

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Seems like every hour another juicy rumor surfaces in which the White Sox are considering the unthinkable: a trade for five-time All-Star Chris Sale.

With baseball’s Winter Meetings starting on Monday, those reports have begun to arrive at a furious pace. Team A has shown interest in Sale and plans to make a push at the four-day conference. Team B doesn’t think it can meet the White Sox reported asking price. Teams C and D have made their top prospects untouchable in a potential deal for Sale.

While the White Sox won’t reveal their direction until they make their first few major moves, the tone of most reports has made it clear they’re at least entertaining a trade for Sale, who has finished in the top six in the American League Cy Young Award vote in each of his five seasons as a starting pitcher.

In the past, trading Sale has been an afterthought as the White Sox have envisioned the lanky left-hander leading them back to the postseason. But those days appear to be numbered. To understand how they’ve reached this point, where Rick Hahn isn’t just humoring his fellow general managers by picking up the phone but is actively listening on Sale, you only need to look at the White Sox roster over the past five seasons.

While the White Sox have an extremely competitive top half of the roster, one that could seemingly compete on an annual basis in the AL Central, much of the rest has been comprised of what Hahn himself referred to as “stop-gaps” and “half measures.” Since the start of the 2012 season, more than 30 players who have appeared for the White Sox made their final major league appearances on the South Side. Several others made brief stopovers but have spent the rest of their time in the minors, another country or retired. Were they to begin a rebuild and bolster the farm system, Hahn and executive vice president Kenny Williams could better position themselves to avoid the use of short-term players and quick fixes to supplement the roster for a team that hasn’t reached the postseason since 2008.

“I think we’re veering away from the standpoint of looking for stopgaps,” Hahn said last month at the GM meetings in Phoenix. “A lot of what we did in the last few years had been trying to enhance the short-term potential of the club to put ourselves in a position to win immediately. I feel the approach at this point is focusing on longer-term benefits. It doesn’t mean we won’t necessarily be in a good position in 2017. It means that our targets and whatever we’re hoping to accomplish have a little more longer term fits in nature.”
Whereas they were taking a step back in 2014, the White Sox at least went into four of the last five seasons with hopes of reaching the postseason.

But those aspirations were dashed in part because of a thin farm system. Whether depleted by an international program that was dormant for five seasons, trades of prospects to fill holes or previous draft misses, the White Sox have had few internal answers to cover for injuries or underperformance. That lack of depth has led to a number of short-term signings or bargain trades in hopes of catching lightning in a bottle.

Last season, the White Sox signed Jimmy Rollins, Mat Latos and Austin Jackson in February and March in hopes of providing depth at shortstop, in the rotation and in center field. Those moves are typical of the way the club has hoped to plug holes the past few years.

Rollins and Latos were released in June while Jackson suffered a season-ending injury. Jackson is a hopeful free agent this offseason and should find a home, but Rollins didn’t find a new team after the White Sox released him and Latos made six appearances with Washington, compiling a 6.52 ERA.

From the 2015 roster, Adam LaRoche retired and Mike Olt and Hector Noesi haven’t resurfaced in the majors since departing the White Sox. Kyle Drabek appeared in one game for Arizona before he was released last July.

One-time 2014 closer Ronald Belisario played six games for Tampa Bay in 2015 and sat out last season. Moises Sierra has spent time in the minors with Kansas City and Miami. Adrian Nieto played 37 games with Miami’s Triple-A squad in 2016, Felipe Paulino and Dayan Viciedo finished the season in Japan, Maikel Cleto split the year between Mexico and Atlanta’s farm system and Frank Francisco hasn’t played since winter ball in 2015.

Michael Taylor and Matt Lindstrom retired, Jordan Danks didn’t play in 2016 and Taylor Thompson, Scott Snodgress and Charlie Leesman all played independent ball.

Jeff Keppinger hasn’t returned to the big leagues since he was released in early 2014. The same goes for Hector Gimenez, Dewayne Wise, Tyler Greene, Blake Tekotte, Ramon Troncoso, David Purcey, Brian Omogrosso and Deunte Heath from the 2013 club.

Casper Wells briefly played with Philadelphia after he was waived in 2013 while Kevin Youkilis only played 28 games that season, a year after the White Sox acquired him on the cheap from Boston. Orlando Hudson, Kosuke Fukudome, Ray Olmedo, Jose Lopez, Will Ohman, Brian Bruney and Leyson Septimo never appeared in the majors after 2012.

Starting with Hahn’s declaration in July that the White Sox were mired in mediocrity, the club has made its frustrations very clear. Whereas the Sale rumors once seemed far-fetched, they might not be this time as the White Sox look to replenish an organization short on talent past the very top portion.

“We’ve gotten to the point where we’ve had our conversations internally with Jerry and Kenny and the coaches and our staff and our scouts where we realize putting ourselves in a better position for the long term is the more prudent path,” Hahn said.

White Sox agree to one-year deals with Brett Lawrie, Avisail Garcia.

By Dan Hayes 

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Brett Lawrie and Avisail Garcia will both return to the White Sox in 2017.

The team announced it reached deals with both players shortly before Friday’s 7 p.m. CST non-tender deadline. Lawrie will earn $3.5 million next season and Garcia received a one-year deal for $3 million.

The club didn’t tender a contract to right-handed pitcher Blake Smith, which leaves its 40-man roster at 38.

Acquired last December for a pair of minor leaguers, Lawrie hit .248/.310/.413 with 12 home runs, 22 doubles and 36 RBIs in 94 games before he suffered a season-ending injury.

Lawrie produced 0.9 f-WAR when he suffered what then-manager Robin Ventura described a “tricky” injury on July 21. Despite numerous tests and a lengthy rehab, Lawrie never returned to the field and was frustrated by the experience. Last month, Lawrie tweeted that he believes the cause of his injury was wearing orthotics for the first time in his career.

He was projected to earn $5.1 million, according to MLBTraderumors.com and earned $4.125 million in 2016.

Garcia hit .245/.307/.385 with 12 homers and 51 RBIs in 453 plate appearances over 120 games. The projected salary for Garcia, arb-eligible for the first time, was $3.4 million.

The team also offered contracts to Miguel Gonzalez and Todd Frazier, who are eligible for free agency in 2018, first baseman Jose Abreu and relievers Dan Jennings, Zach Putnam and Jake Petricka, among others.

The White Sox have until mid-January to reach an agreement with their arbitration-eligible players. If they haven’t, both sides submit figures for arbitration cases, which are then heard throughout February.

Golf: I got a club for that..... Matsuyama wins Hero by two over Stenson.

By Nick Menta

(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)

Hideki Matsuyama didn't quite cruise Sunday, but the hottest player in the world nonetheless turned a seven-stroke overnight lead into a two-shot win over Henrik Stenson at the Hero World Challenge. Here’s how Sunday wrapped up in Albany:

Leaderboard: Matsuyama (-18), Stenson (-16), Matt Kuchar (-13), Rickie Fowler (-13), Dustin Johnson (-13), Bubba Watson (-11), Jordan Spieth (-11), Brandt Snedeker (-11)

What it means: This is Matsuyama’s fourth win in his last five starts. He was first at the Japan Open, second at the CIMB Classic, first at the WGC-HSBC Champions, first at the Taiheiyo Masters, and finally first at the Hero World Challenge. Up a whopping seven shots to start the day, Matsuyama made the turn in 2 under, but doubled 10 and bogeyed 14. By the time he reached the 17th tee, his seven-shot lead had shrunk to just two. Still, the No. 6 player in the Official World Golf Ranking closed with four pars to shoot 1-over 73 and take the title. Matsuyama finishes 2016 as the only player in the men’s game to win five times worldwide this year. Incredibly, he closes the year a combined 89 under in his last 20 rounds of individual stroke play. In four of his last five events, he’s been 18 under par or better.

Round of the day: On a day when conditions weren't as conducive to scoring, Bubba Watson was the low man on the leaderboard with a 5-under 67. The defending champ made seven birdies and two bogeys to cap off an uneven week of 72-63-75-67.

Best of the rest: Stenson and Patrick Reed both turned in 68. Stenson managed to cut Matsuyama's lead to just two with two to play, but couldn't catch the champion. Reed was bogey-free and opened with 13 straight pars before adding two birdies and an eagle down the stretch.

Biggest disappointment: It’s hard to fault a guy for failing to pull off a seven-shot comeback, but Stenson only lost by two, and he’ll have two final-round three-putts, at Nos. 10 and 15, to think about as he otherwise enjoys his time off. Along the same lines, Tiger Woods is likely as enthused to lead the field in birdies this week (24), as he is motivated to clean up the mistakes (eight bogeys, six doubles) that left him 4 under for the week, 15^th out of 17 players, in his return from a 15-month layoff.

Shot of the day: It’s hard to do much better from a downhill lie in Bermuda rough than Jordan Spieth did with his third shot at the par-5 15^th:

After weekend rounds of 70-70, Spieth finished tied for sixth with Watson and Snedeker at 11 under par.

Woods closes return to competition with 4-over 76.

By Will Gray

(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)

A 15-month layoff takes a toll, even when you’re Tiger Woods.

After showing flashes of brilliance throughout his much-anticipated return to competition, Woods stumbled to a 4-over 76 in the final round of the Hero World Challenge. The score left Woods alone in 15th place at 4 under for the week, 14 shots behind winner Hideki Matsuyama and ahead of only two pros in the limited-field event.

While he was able to get off to a fast start in each of the first three rounds, Woods was slow out of the gates Sunday, playing his first six holes in 3 over. His colorful scorecard included five birdies but also featured three bogeys and three double bogeys.

Woods reeled off three straight birdies on Nos. 7-9 to draw back to even for the day, but he played his next three holes in 4 over, a stretch that included a short par miss on No. 12. At one point in the middle of his round, Woods went eight straight holes without a par.

Despite the tumultuous close, Woods was optimistic when discussing his first competitive start since the 2015 Wyndham Championship.

“I think it was great to be back playing again, competing and playing against some of the best players in the world,” Woods said. “Unfortunately, I made a lot of mistakes this week. A lot of birdies, but also made a lot of mistakes.”

Woods’ 24 birdies or eagles co-led the field for the week along with Matsuyama. But Woods’ final-round miscues included doubles on Nos. 6 and 11, both par-5s, as well as the home hole, which he doubled for the third time this week after a wayward tee shot led to an unplayable lie.

“It’s kind of new to me again, the feeling of playing, the feel of adrenaline in my system, hitting shots,” Woods said. “I felt like I did some really positive things, I really did. I’m pleased about that, and I just need to clean it up.”

Where Woods goes from here remains unknown, but he expects a “full” schedule in 2017. After so many months away from the game, he views simply getting back inside the ropes against his peers to be a success.

“Big picture? It feels good. It feels good to be back out here playing again, competing and trying to beat these, the best players in the world. I missed it, I love it,” he said. “I’ve had some very, very difficult times, and have some great friends that have helped me over the times to get me to this point, and I’m just so thankful to be back here playing again.”

NASCAR celebrates Jimmie Johnson’s seventh championship.

 

By Dustin Long

(Photo/Getty Images)

NASCAR’s 2016 Sprint Cup season closed with a mix of poignant moments, humor and a celebration of one of the greatest drivers in the sport’s history who declared he’s no Richard Petty or Dale Earnhardt.

Jimmie Johnson ended his six-minute speech in Friday night’s Sprint Cup Awards at Wynn Las Vegas by harkening to a quote from Dale Earnhardt after Earnhardt tied Richard Petty with seven championships in 1994: “I might have won as many championships as Richard Petty but he will always be the King.’’

Then Johnson said: “I completely agree and must say I might have won as many championships as Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, but I will never be the King or the Intimidator. I’m just a guy from California who always wanted to race. Thank you all and have a great night.’’

Johnson’s speech ended the formal celebration of his seventh championship, which included 23-time gold medalist Michael Phelps introducing Johnson and fellow drivers congratulating Johnson throughout the 3-hour, 31-minute program.

But Johnson had to share the spotlight on this night. The sport also celebrated Tony Stewart’s retirement from the series as a driver.

A night after drivers roasted Stewart at the “After the Lap” event, drivers had a bit more fun in a video clip for Stewart. Kyle Busch later jokingly thanked Stewart for preparing car owner Joe Gibbs for Busch’s arrival, noting the headaches both have caused the owner through the years.

NASCAR surprised Stewart by having Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder appear and speak about his friend. Then NASCAR surprised Vedder by announcing a $1.8 million donation on Stewart’s behalf to the EB Research Partnership, which was co-founded by Vedder to find a cure for Epidermolysis Bullosa, a devastating skin disorder.

This also was a night that NASCAR said farewell to Sprint as series sponsor. Monster Energy becomes the entitlement sponsor next season.

And Dale Earnhardt Jr. was awarded his 14th consecutive NMPA Most Popular Driver Award. After winning the award, Earnhardt confirmed he’ll wed Amy Reimann on Dec. 31.

The night also had its fun moments, from Denny Hamlin stating on stage: “I got to pee so bad. We’ve got to get this over with. It’s bad you all, I’m telling you.’’

Among host Jay Mohr’s better lines was one about Joey Logano, saying to the driver “you finished first at Talladega, which is amazing. Your jack finished 12th.’’

Mohr also made fun of Stewart’s retirement, saying: “Biggest story this season in NASCAR, in my opinion, was the retirement of a NASCAR icon, a superstar, a NASCAR legend. Brian Scott.’’

In the end, the focus turned to Johnson and all that he has accomplished.

“It’s an amazing task to just win one, let alone seven (championships),’’ Kurt Busch said. “Names like Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. When you say names like those, you think of their amazing accomplishments and contributions to NASCAR racing. Welcome to that club Jimmie.’’

Bristol hosting inaugural U.S. Nationals of Short Track Racing in 2017.

By Daniel McFadin

(Photo/Getty Images)

Bristol Motor Speedway announced this week that it will host the inaugural U.S. Nationals of Short Track Racing next year.

The half-mile track will be the site of events in six different racing series from May 19-21 and will include NASCAR drivers Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Erik Jones, John Hunter Nemechek and William Byron.

The series will be: Super Late Models, Pro (Crate) Late Models, Late Model Stocks, ICAR/Florida-Type Modifieds, Street Stocks and Compacts.

The event will be sanctioned by five different sanctioning bodies, with Champion Racing Association powered by JEGS taking the lead role in co-sanctioning a Super Late Model race with their ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS, The CARS Super Late Model Tour (CARS) and the Southern Super Series (SSS).

CRA will also oversee the crate late model event with their JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour presented by Chevrolet and the Street Stocks, while CARS officials will oversee the Late Model Stock portion of the event with their CARS Late Model Stock Tour. The compacts will be organized and overseen by the Vore’s Compact Touring Series while the Modified portion of the weekend will be sanctioned by International Championship Auto Racing (ICAR) Top Speed Modified Tour.

“Bristol Motor Speedway is proud to announce today that in 2017 it will host the biggest and what promises to be the most exciting event in short track stock car racing history,” said Jerry Caldwell, executive vice president and general manager of Bristol Motor Speedway in a press release. “We’re looking forward to fans joining us following the NASCAR All-Star race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It will surely be an event you won’t want to miss.”

Here’s a breakdown of the series that will participate in the inaugural event and the initial schedule for the weekend.

Super Late Models – The premier division of asphalt short track racing cars in the United States. These cars typically feature 600-plus horsepower engines under the hood of a custom-built chassis weighing around 2,750 pounds.

Pro Late Models – These racecars are similar to those in Super Late Model but they all must utilize a specific factory crate engine. The crate engines are built by the participating auto manufacturers, including General Motors and Ford.

Late Model Stocks – These machines evolved in the Carolinas and are raced primarily at weekly asphalt tracks located throughout the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. These cars weigh approximately 3,100 pounds and their engines pump out about 400 horsepower.

Street Stocks – This entry category is a popular developmental opportunity for those who aspire to gain experience and become future stars of the Late Model Stock scene. The cars in this division must be 1960-2016 models of rear wheel drive street cars that must remain stock appearing and equipped with eight cylinder engines weighing in the neighborhood of 3200 pounds.

ICAR / Florida-Type Modifieds – This open wheel style of racing originated on the short track paved ovals of Indiana and is now featured at race tracks throughout the country.  The fender-less machines are powered by V8 engines with a minimum weight of 2,600 pounds.

Compacts – This exciting class showcases four and six-cylinder, front wheel drive compact cars. These smaller wheelbase race cars are popular because the class is predominantly made up of the compact cars seen on the streets today.

The weekend schedule will feature practice sessions for all six classes on Friday, May 19.  On Saturday the 20th, practice for all six classes will resume with qualifying for all divisions. Two qualifying races for Super Late Model and main events for Compacts, Modifieds and Street Stocks will be the featured racing on Saturday evening. On Sunday the 21st, the three main classes will get warm up laps starting at 11 a.m. Final qualifying for Super Late Models will be held at 1 p.m. The 100-lap main events for Super Late Models, Pro Late Models and Late Model Stocks will begin at 2 p.m.

Report: Chrysler CEO: ‘Possible we can come back to NASCAR’ after 2012 departure.

By Daniel McFadin

(Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

During the Ferrari Finali Mondiali at Daytona International Speedway, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne told The Daytona-Beach News Journal he thinks “it is possible we can come back to NASCAR.”

Chrysler owns the Dodge brand, which left NASCAR’s top three series following the 2012 season after having returned to the sport in 2001. The departure came right after Brad Keselowski and Team Penske won Dodge a Cup championship.

Currently, only Ford, Chevrolet and Toyota are in NASCAR’s top circuits, though some small Xfinity Series teams still use old Dodge bodies and the NASCAR Pinty’s Series is still supported by Dodge.

Marchionne told the News Journal he met with NASCAR vice-chairman Jim France and International Speedway Inc. CEO Lesa France Kennedy Saturday night and discussed the possibility of Dodge returning to the NASCAR fold.

“We are in a different place now,” Marchionne said, also noting it was his decision to leave the sport after the financial crisis that began in 2008. “I think it is possible we can come back to NASCAR. I think we need to find the right way to come back in, but I agreed with both Jim and Lesa we would come back to the issue.”

Dodge won 57 races in the Cup series from 2001-2012.

Click here for the Daytona Beach News Journal’s full report.

SOCCER: Everton 1-1 Manchester United: Fellaini concedes late penalty.

By Kyle Bonn

(Photo/nbcsports.com)

Jose Mourinho has complained all month that Manchester United is the unluckiest team in the Premier League, and he will have more fodder for his rant – deserved or not – as the Red Devils conceded a late penalty as they drop points at Everton in a 1-1 draw.

It appeared that Zlatan Ibrahimovic‘s goal in the final minutes of the first half would be enough, but Everton was gifted a way back as a lumbering Marouane Fellaini conceded a penalty just two minutes after coming off the bench, and the game finished level despite a flurry of activity down the stretch.

The game had a chippy start, with a number of early thumping challenges. Referee Michael Oliver missed an easy decision, as Marcus Rojo found only yellow for his 16th minute lunge on Idrissa Gueye, clearly deserving red as he lept off both feet and went studs-in on the 50/50 ball, an incredibly dangerous challenge lucky not to leave the Everton man with a lasting impact.

As tensions rose early, the game opened up. United seemed to have the best chances forward as they launched balls into the box, but struggled to find the final ball as the half-hour mark passed. The visitors came close to threading players through, such as Henrikh Mkhitaryan on 37 minutes, but Ramiro Fuenes Mori – in for the benched captain Phil Jagielka – made a vital sliding tackle to end the chance.

Everton, meanwhile, struggled to get out of its own half as United pressed hard throughout the first half. Finally, just three minutes before the break, Manchester United got the breakthrough. A long ball from Anthony Martial from United’s own half met a streaking Ibrahimovic guarded by Funes Mori. Goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg inexplicably came off his line, leaving the goal gaping for Zlatan to karate-kick the ball in. The ball took forever to cross the line, bouncing four times and touching the crossbar and a post before it tricked in. Funes Mori gave it a run, but having given up on Zlatan’s touch, he was just too late to prevent the goal.

Everton didn’t seem too incisive until suddenly their best chance of the game came in on 53 minutes. A one-two between Belgians Kevin Mirallas and Romelu Lukaku saw the former in on goal, but David De Gea produced a fabulous reflex save with his right leg to keep out the shot. United could have gone 2-0 up as Ander Herrera volleyed a bouncing ball on net on the hour mark, but he clattered the crossbar with his powerful shot.

The Toffees made the first change on 65 minutes with Tom Cleverley coming off to home fan jeers, replaced by Gerard Deulofeu. Neither team had a big moment as time ticked down, and Jose Mourinho looked to bring on fresh legs as he introduced Marouane Fellaini and Anthony Martial.

As the clock wound down, it was a substitute to make an impact, but not in his own team’s favor. Fellaini, on the pitch just two minutes before he thumped into Gueye in the penalty area, and Michael Oliver pointed to the spot. Leighton Baines slotted home the penalty just past the outstretched gloves of de Gea, and Everton were level.

The home side, awoken by the opportunity for more, lurched forward in huge spurts as the game wound down. Despite the pressure, United held well down the stretch, even producing a counter-attack that nearly produced a winner on the other end if not for a vital interception by substitute Mason Holgate.

The game represents the third 1-1 draw in a row for Manchester United in league play despite good midweek form in the cup. They sit on 21 points in sixth position in the Premier League table, now 13 back of the top of the table. Meanwhile, the point for Everton at home is also somewhat disappointing, as they’ve won just one in their last eight and have 20 points in eighth.

Bournemouth 4-3 Liverpool: Ryan Fraser sparks Cherries to stunning comeback.

By Kyle Bonn

It’s never easy for Premier League minnows Bournemouth, but somehow they always seem to show up in the biggest moments.

Substitute Ryan Fraser, on for an injured Junior Stanislas in the 55th minute, made all the difference. He assisted two and scored one as he sparked the Cherries to an exciting comeback, winning 4-3 on a late goal by Nathan Ake deep into stoppage time. While Bournemouth goalkeeper Artur Boruc made a pair of early mistakes that led to visiting goals, Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius spilled one that saw Ake snatch the winner.

Out of the gates, Liverpool maintained a firm control over the game through the opening 10 minutes. The spell of possession earned them the game’s first chance on 10 minutes as Origi missed a sitter, delivered by Nathaniel Clyne on the right edge of the penalty area low beating defender Steve Cook to Origi right in front of net, but sliding to meet the ball he bundled the chance and it trickled wide.

That would be rectified 10 minutes later as Liverpool would steal a pair of goals in the blink of an eye. In the 20th minute, a ball over the top from Emre Can met a streaking Mane who blistered past a hapless Nathan Ake and bagged the opener. It appeared that Ake expected goalkeeper Artur Boruc to come off his line and assist. That would be relevant as just three minutes later, a horrific mistake by Boruc saw Origi in as the goalkeeper came way off his line all the way to the right edge of the penalty area to challenge the Liverpool youngster, but Origi easily touched passed Boruc and finished from an incredibly tight angle to put Liverpool 2-0 up.

Bournemouth seemingly had a way back in when Roberto Firmino appeared to trip Ake at the top of the penalty area, but with referee Bobby Madley starting straight at it, he waved off the penalty shout. Following that moment, the hosts proved themselves in the flow of the game, holding a number of decent spells of possession up to halftime.

Out of the break, Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe brought on former Liverpool youngster Jordon Ibe, and the boss was forced into a change not 10 minutes later with Stanislas needing a replacement in Fraser. Not a minute on the pitch, Fraser made an impact as he was bumped to the ground by James Milner in the box, and Bournemouth had themselves a penalty, which Callum Wilson finished cooly to give the Cherries a lifeline.

The referee had to talk Jurgen Klopp off the ledge with the Liverpool manager losing his mind moments after the penalty, as Bobby Madley and fourth official Stuart Atwell told him no more antics or he’d be off. That spurned Liverpool to a response, and Mane produced a brilliant run on ball into the box, cutting towards the middle before feeding Emre Can for a one-timer that he buried into the top corner for a 3-1 lead just past the hour mark.

The Reds needed goalkeeper Lorius Karius to keep out Fraser in the 70th minute with a shot from straight on tipped over the bar. They came as close to a fourth as physically possible without scoring moments later as Milner nearly scored directly off a corner, but goal-line technology showed that Boruc caught the in-swinger with literally a hair of the ball still on the line.

Bournemouth again pulled within a goal with an incisive counter-attack with 14 minutes left, this time with Fraser on the end of a cutback from substitute Benik Afobe. The goal, the 22-year-old’s first in Premier League play, sent Bournemouth away bursting with confidence, and they came right back down to equalize. A cross by Fraser found Cook standing tall at the spot, where he collected, turned, and poked home for a 3-3 scoreline.

With Liverpool on roller skates, Bournemouth pushed for a winner the whole way through five added minutes, and they’d get it a minute from the final whistle with a deep drive by Steve Cook spilled by Karius, and Ake was there to poke home, needing a pair of touches to get it over the line past a helpless Liverpool goalkeeper.

The win, Bournemouth’s first ever over Liverpool in league play, sees the Cherries jump into the top half of the table on 18 points, sliding past Watford into 10th. Meanwhile, a stunned Liverpool loses ground on the top, with both Arsenal and Chelsea winning on Saturday, leaving Liverpool four points off the top in third with 30 points.

PL Saturday roundup: Chelsea routs Manchester City; Spurs put up five.

By Matt Reed

(Photo/Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Antonio Conte‘s side continues its recent path of destruction atop the Premier League, while the rest of England looks to keep up with the Blues.

Chelsea battled back in the second half on Saturday to defeat Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium to extend the club’s PL unbeaten streak to eight matches.

Elsewhere, Tottenham notched five goals in their rout of Swansea City, while Arsenal comfortably handled West Ham United at the London Stadium.

Here, we take a look back at Saturday’s action from around England’s top flight.

Manchester City 1-3 Chelsea — RECAP

Eight straight victories have Chelsea atop the PL, and the biggest now becomes: who will be the club that stops Conte’s Blues? An unlikely own goal from Gary Cahill gave the Citizens the lead on the stroke of halftime, but a thunderous comeback from the visitors helped give Chelsea three points at the Etihad. Goals from Diego Costa, Willian and Eden Hazard rung throughout Manchester in the second stanza, however, Costa’s exit from the match will surely be monitored by the Blues.

Additionally, City will play shorthanded moving forward after Sergio Aguero and Fernandinho picked up red cards during a late scuffle that ensuing following the Argentine’s rash tackle on David Luiz.

Tottenham 5-0 Swansea City — RECAP

Spurs couldn’t have drawn it up better following last week’s disappointment at Stamford Bridge. Tottenham received great contributions from Harry Kane and Christian Erikson, who each netted braces on the day, while Heung-Ming Son delivered a stunning acrobatic effort to help the hosts rout Bob Bradley‘s team. The Swans sit bottom of the PL table on nine points and have conceded 31 times in their opening 14 matches.

West Ham 1-5 Arsenal — RECAP

The Gunners had no troubles with West Ham on Saturday as Arsene Wenger‘s side moved up to second place behind a five-spot from one of the PL’s top attacks. Alexis Sanchez paced the Gunners with a hat-trick, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Mesut Ozil also scored for the visitors at the London Stadium. Andy Carroll provided the lone moment of consolation for West Ham after Dimitri Payet‘s free kick smacked off the crossbar and onto the head of the Englishman.

Crystal Palace 3-0 Southampton — RECAP

Fraser Forster put the Saints behind in the first half after a tremendous mistake in front of his own net, leaving Christian Benteke with one of the easiest finishes he’ll ever have. The former Liverpool striker added a second and James Tompkins also got in on the scoring for the Eagles as Alan Pardew‘s men snapped a six-match losing streak.

Sunderland 2-1 Leicester City — RECAP

Jermain Defoe continues to be the talisman for the Black Cats, however, Sunderland’s good fortunes began off of a Robert Huth own goal. The Foxes pulled a goal back in the 78th minute through Shinji Okazaki but Leicester continued its struggles on Saturday with its seventh loss of the campaign. Sunderland has now won three of its last four matches, bringing David Moyes‘ side up to 18th in the table.

West Brom 3-1 Watford —  RECAP

Tony Pulis‘ side has quietly made some noise in 2016, and while West Brom likely won’t pull off a Leicester-like feat this season the Baggies currently find themselves in sixth place as the halfway point nears. Jonny Evans and Chris Brunt netted in the first half for the hosts before Matt Phillips scored late to ensure all three points would go in favor of the Baggies. Despite nabbing a goal in the second half, Watford’s chances of picking out a result were halted when Roberto Pereyra was sent off.

Stoke City 2-0 Burnley — RECAP

Jonathan Walters and Marc Muniesa helped propel Stoke up ninth place on Saturday with their victory at the Brittania Stadium. For Muniesa, the goal marked his first in the PL. Burnley drops to 14th place following the loss, and the Clarets sit just three points above the relegation zone.

La Liga & Serie A: Ramos rescues draw in Clasico, Juve rolls.

By Matt Reed

(Photo/Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

A roundup of Saturday’s action in Spain and Italy’s top flights…

Barcelona 1-1 Real Madrid — RECAP

It was nearly the end of Real’s lengthy unbeaten streak, but then Sergio Ramos stepped up with his noggin to give the visitors a share of the points at the Camp Nou. The veteran Spanish defender headed home the equalizer in second-half stoppage time to give Real a draw against its bitter rival.

Barcelona took the lead on 53 minutes when Luis Suarez headed home a Neymar free kick from the left wing. The result keeps both sides in place as the league’s top two teams, with Real holding a six-point advantage at the summit.

Granada 2-1 Sevilla

On a day where the league’s top two sides settled for a draw in El Clasico, Sevilla suffered a massive blow on the road against one of La Liga’s struggling sides. Granada earned its first win of 2016 after goals from Andreas Pereira and David Lomban propelled the hosts past Sevilla.

Wissam Ben Yedder netted a late finish for the visitors in second-half stoppage time, however, it wasn’t enough for Sevilla to pull out a result. Granada remains in the relegation zone on eight points, while Sevilla holds its third-place standing following the loss.

Elsewhere in La Liga

Leganes 0-0 Villareal

Atletico Madrid 0-0 Espanyol

Juventus 3-1 Atalanta

Alex Sandro and Daniele Rugani got Juventus out to a flying start in the first half, and it was Mario Mandzukic who finished the day off for the hosts. Juventus remains atop Serie A following Saturday’s convincing win over Atalanta, while the visitors remain in fifth place in Italy’s top flight.

Remo Freuler provided consolation for the away side in the 82nd minute after finishing off Marco D’Alessandro cross, which was Atalanta’s second shot on target during the match.

NCAAFB: College Football Playoff: Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Washington ready to chase championship.

By Kevin McGuire

The College Football Playoff selection committee had to do a little bit more discussion to determine their top four this season than they may have had in the past two seasons, but a decision has been reached. Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson and Washington are this year’s selections for the College Football Playoff.

The College Football Playoff Four

No. 1 Alabama – The defending national champions are making their third straight appearance in the College Football Playoff. Alabama is the only program to appear in all three playoff tournaments under the new model.

No. 2 Clemson – The ACC champion Clemson Tigers are back in the playoff for a second straight season. Clemson fell in the championship game last year against Alabama. Will the experience of last season pay off for the Tigers in their second consecutive trip representing the ACC?

No. 3 Ohio State – The Buckeyes are looking for their second national championship under the College Football Playoff model. Ohio State becomes the first non-division and non-conference champion to play in the playoff.

No. 4 Washington – The Huskies are the only team making their first trip to the College Football Playoff, and they represent give the Pac-12 their second team in the playoff in three years. Oregon made the playoff in the first season two years ago. The Huskies enter the playoff with blowout wins against top 25 teams Washington State and Colorado.

The Matchups

Peach Bowl: Alabama vs. Washington – A nice little Steve Sarkisian storyline is hidden here, but Chris Petersen and Nick Saban have been two terrific coaches over their careers with time to prepare for big games. Alabama is Atlanta is a tough draw for Washington, but then again anybody would have had a tough draw against the Crimson Tide.

Fiesta Bowl: Clemson vs. Ohio State – A rematch of the Orange Bowl from a few years ago, with Clemson clipping Urban Meyer’s Buckeyes in the final season of the BCS formula. Ohio State loves making trips to the Fiesta Bowl, where they always seem to come out on top. Can they keep that going?

First Two Out

Penn State moved up to No. 5 in the playoff committee’s rankings, nudging just ahead of No. 6 Michigan. The Nittany Lions had a compelling argument for inclusion in the playoff but will take a trip to the Rose Bowl as a pretty nice consolation prize. Penn State will play either Colorado or USC. Michigan will now be heading to the Orange Bowl.

Big 12 misses out once again

The Big 12 has missed the College Football Playoff for a second time in three seasons. The four-team playoff model guarantees one power conference will be left out every year at a minimum, and the Big 12 once again took the short straw without a clear above-the-rest contender. Even a strong finish and run by the Oklahoma Sooners was not enough to overcome a tough September with losses to Houston and Ohio State. This should kick the tires on some heated discussions in Big 12 circles in the future.

The ACC, Big Ten and SEC have been represented in all three playoffs, with the Pac-12 earning two berths.

NCAAFB: 2016 NCAA Associated Press Football Rankings, 12/04/2016.

AP

RANK	SCHOOL	POINTS	RECORD	PREVIOUS
1	Alabama (61)	1525	13-0	1
2	Ohio State	1444	11-1	2
3	Clemson	1396	12-1	3
4	Washington	1329	12-1	4
5	Penn State	1252	11-2	8
6	Michigan	1249	10-2	5
7	Oklahoma	1173	10-2	7
8	Wisconsin	1054	10-3	6
9	Southern California	1040	9-3	10
10	Florida State	889	9-3	12
11	Colorado	886	10-3	9
12	Western Michigan	871	13-0	13
13	Oklahoma State	800	9-3	11
14	West Virginia	788	10-2	14
15	Louisville	542	9-3	16
16	Stanford	508	9-3	17
17	Auburn	493	8-4	18
18	Virginia Tech	372	9-4	19
19	LSU	351	7-4	21
20	Florida	331	8-4	15
21	Iowa	272	8-4	22
22	Pittsburgh	237	8-4	24t
23	Temple	229	10-3	NR
24	Nebraska	196	9-3	23
25	South Florida	173	10-2	24t

Others receiving votes: Houston 101, Utah 99, Boise State 95, Washington State 31, Texas A&M 26, Air Force 20, Navy 15, Tennessee 12, San Diego State 8, Western Kentucky 7, Miami (Fla.) 6, Georgia Tech 3, Kansas State 2.

No. 7 Penn State completes comeback for the ages to claim B1G title.

By Zach Bennett

(Photo/AP)

On Sept. 24, Penn State was 2-2 on the season, 0-1 in Big Ten play after a 49-10 undressing by Michigan in Ann Arbor. Their Big Ten title hopes were left for dead. As we know, they managed to rally and win the Big Ten East.

And then, with 5:15 left in the second quarter, the Nittany Lions trailed 28-7 and their chances of actually winning the game were again left for dead.

But the Cardiac Cats rallied. Again. The seventh-ranked Lions closed the game on a 31-3 run to race past No. 6 Wisconsin for a 38-31 Big Ten Championship victory.

Of course, this win means much more than that. At 11-2 on the season, winners of nine in a row and winners of college football’s best conference, the question now becomes whether the College Football Playoff selection committee chooses the Lions over 11-1 Ohio State or Pac-12 champion Washington on Sunday.

But first, the comeback.

Penn State simply could not get out of its own way — or get Wisconsin out of its way… or get in Wisconsin’s way, for that matter — over the game’s first 25 minutes. The Badgers opened by forcing two three-and-outs and launching two long touchdown drives to grab a 14-0 lead a dozen minutes into the game. After a McSorley touchdown pass put Penn State on the board, the Nittany Lions allowed an errant snap to be returned for a touchdown early in the second quarter.

James Franklin elected to go for a fourth-and-short in his own territory on the ensuing possession and was rebuffed. Wisconsin again capitalized on the mistake to grab a 28-7 lead with 5:15 remaining in the first half. Penn State again failed on a fourth-and-short near midfield on the next possession, but this time the Badgers failed to cash in. And that proved costly.

Because that failure to land the death blow allowed Penn State’s Cardiac Cats persona to awaken.

The Lions’ comeback started when McSorley hit Saeed Blacknall for a 40-yard touchdown catch with 58 seconds left in the half to pull within  a more manageable 28-14 deficit at the break.

After Wisconsin missed a field goal to open the second half, McSorley answered by finding Blacknall for a 70-yard scoring strike on the very next play. Then Penn State tied the game on its next touch as Saquon Barkley punched in a 1-yard score at the 4:22 mark of the third quarter.

Wisconsin re-gained the lead with a 23-yard Andrew Endicott chip shot, but only after Bart Houston missed what would have been a walk-in touchdown to tight end Troy Fumagalli on 2nd-and-8 from the 10-yard line.

Given the opportunity to take the lead, Penn State took full advantage, marching 81 yards in only four plays as Barkley hauled in an 18-yard wheel route from McSorley.
McSorley finished the game hitting 22-of-31 passes for 384 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions — against a defense that came in allowing eight touchdowns while swiping 21 interceptions. Compared to Houston’s numbers — 16-of-21 for 174 yards — quarterback play proved to be the difference in the game. McSorley’s play allowed Penn State to win a game in which it was out-rushed 241-51.

Wisconsin punted on its next touch, and Penn State missed its chance to deliver a knockout punch, instead settling for a 24-yard Tyler Davis field goal with 5:14 to play in the game.

Wisconsin would need a touchdown to force overtime, while Penn State would need a stop to complete its 21-point comeback. The Badgers moved to the Penn State 24, but, facing a 4th-and-1, Corey Clement was stuffed for no gain.

Penn State expired the final 58 seconds and secured the largest comeback ever in a Power 5 conference championship game.

NCAABKB: SATURDAY’S SNACKS: Big road wins for UCLA, West Virginia.

By Scott Phillips

(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

GAME OF THE NIGHT: No. 11 UCLA 97, No. 1 Kentucky 92

This one was a ton of fun to watch as UCLA shook off a sluggish start to run past Kentucky at Rupp Arena. CBT’s Rob Dauster has the story on this one and why it was important for both teams.

IMPORTANT OUTCOMES

No. 25 West Virginia 66, No. 6 Virginia 57: Bob Huggins’ group has a potential signature victory as West Virginia won a big one on the road. I have more about why this one is particularly important for West Virginia here.

No. 9 Baylor 76, No. 7 Xavier 61: The Bears added to what is the best résumé in college basketball with an impressive win over a very good Xavier team. Manu Lecomte was the star of the show, finishing with 24 points and five assists. We went in depth on this game here.

No. 5 Duke 94, Maine 55: It wasn’t the outcome as much as the fact that Jayson Tatum and Marques Bolden returned to the floor.

No. 8 Gonzaga 69, No. 16 Arizona 62: The Bulldogs got 18 points from Przemek Karnowski and 16 points from Josh Perkins as they were able to get past a depleted Arizona team dealing with a myriad of injuries. Credit to Arizona, however. They were down 14 points early and managed to make this a game.

Providence 63, No. 21 Rhode Island 60: That’s back-to-back losses for the Rams, and a really nice win for a young Friars team. Kyron Cartwright led the way with 19 points and eight assists.

STARRED

Nigel Hayes, Wisconsin: After just missing a triple-double in a big win over Syracuse in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge earlier this week, Hayes dominated in a 90-70 win over Oklahoma with 28 points on 10-for-13 shooting. Hayes made both of his three-point attempts and also added six assists and two rebounds. Hayes is playing like an All-American lately.

Josh Hart, Villanova: Speaking of All-American caliber play, the senior guard put up a triple-double in the Wildcats’ 88-57 win over Saint Joseph’s as he finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Hart was 6-for-10 from the field and 3-for-6 from three-point territory as he had a tremendous outing.

Sebastian Saez, Ole Miss: Underrated nationally, the senior forward had his fourth double-double of the year with 20 points and 16 rebounds in a win over Memphis. Saez also added three blocks as he now has 12 or more rebounds in five games this season.

Anthony Livingston, Texas Tech: The Red Raiders needed three free throws from Livingston with under three seconds left for a one-point win over Rice as Livingston finished with 33 points and seven rebounds.

Collin Smith, George Washington: Also knocking in a huge go-ahead bucket was Smith as his three-pointer with three seconds left gave the Colonials a win over USF. Smith ended up with 22 points and eight rebounds.

USC wins NCAA women’s soccer national championship.

Associated Press

(AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

Katie Johnson broke a tie in the 75th minute and Southern California won the NCAA women’s soccer title Sunday, beating top-ranked West Virginia 3-1 at Avaya Stadium on Sunday.

The second-seeded Trojans (19-4-2) also won the College Cup in 2007.

The Mountaineers (23-2-2) lost for the first time since a 1-0 setback to Georgetown on Sept. 18. West Virginia had a 17-game unbeaten streak snapped, and allowed three goals for the first all season.

Johnson, who also had the winning goal in USC’s 1-0 semifinal victory over Georgetown on Friday, was wide open in front of the net when Leah Pruitt took a pass up the left sideline, beat defender Easther Mayi Kith, and delivered a perfect cross. Johnson simply rolled the ball into the goal to the right of goalkeeper Rylee Foster.

Johnson scored again off an assist from Nicole Molen in the 87th minute.

The Trojans got on the board just 1:22 into play after Julia Bingham directed a corner kick to the top of the penalty box, where Savannah Levin headed the ball forward to Morgan Andrews, whose header from 5 yards eluded Foster.

West Virginia’s Ashley Lawrence, a member of the 2016 Canadian Olympic team, tied it in the 66th minute when she ripped a shot from the top left corner of the penalty box just inside the near post.

After USC took the 2-1 lead, the Mountaineers nearly drew even in the 81st minute on a shot by Heather Kaleiohi that was stopped on a diving save by goalkeeper Sammy Prudhomme.

The Mountaineers outshot USC 21-8 and held a 9-1 edge in corner kicks.

The Trojans joined North Carolina (21 titles), Notre Dame (3) and Portland (3) as the only multiple winners of the College Cup.

USC won its 126th national team title on the same day its men’s water polo team lost 10-8 to Cal in the NCAA final just 45 miles away in Berkeley.

West Virginia, in its first College Cup final, was hoping to claim its first NCAA title in any sport besides its co-ed rifle team, which has won 18 national titles.

On This Date in Sports History: Today is Monday, December 04, 2016.

Memoriesofhistory.com

1908 - At the University of Pittsburgh, numerals were first used on football uniforms worn by college football players.

1970 - The Stanley Cup, Conn Smythe Trophy and the Bill Masterson trophy were stolen from the NHL Hall of Fame.

1973 - Ron Santo became the first major league player to veto his trade.

1978 - Pete Rose signed with the Philadelphia Phillies. The contract was for four years and $3.2 million making Rose the highest paid athlete in team sports.

1982 - Mel Gray ended an NFL streak of 121 consecutive games with receptions.

1983 - Steve Howe (Los Angeles Dodgers) was suspended for 1 year for cocaine use.

1983 - The video arcade game "NFL Football" was unveiled in Chicago. It was the first video arcade game to be licensed by the National Football League.

1995 - Dan Marino (Miami Dolphins) passed for 300 yards in a game for the 52nd time to set an NFL record.

2000 - Karl Malone (Utah Jazz) moved past Wilt Chamberlain into second place on the NBA's all-time scoring list.

2002 - Michal Handzus (Philadelphia Flyers) became only the second NHL player to score an overtime goal on a penalty shot. The Flyers beat the New York Rangers 3-2.

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