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"Sports Quote of the Day"
"Go for it now. The future is promised to no one." ~ Wayne Dyer, Self-Help Author and Motivational Speaker
TRENDING: Introducing the 2017 Chicago Bears Draft Class. This past weekend was all about the draft. Let's get to work!!! (See the football section for Bears news and NFL updates).
TRENDING: What’s the real message Blackhawks are sending Joel Quenneville?
(See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates and NHL news).
(See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates and NHL news).
TRENDING: A letter from a Bulls fan to the Bulls ownership and management. Please read and share your thoughts with us. (See the basketball section for Bulls news and NBA updates).
TRENDING: Red Sox take weekend series from Cubs. White Sox six-game winning streak snapped with series finale loss to Tigers. (See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).
TRENDING: Monday playoff looms at Zurich after Kisner hole-out. (See the golf section for PGA news and tournament updates).
TRENDING: Red Sox take weekend series from Cubs. White Sox six-game winning streak snapped with series finale loss to Tigers. (See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).
TRENDING: Monday playoff looms at Zurich after Kisner hole-out. (See the golf section for PGA news and tournament updates).
TRENDING: Late pit stop propels Joey Logano to Richmond win. (See the NASCAR section for NASCAR news and racing updates).
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Introducing The 2017 Chicago Bears Draft Class.
Chicago Bears Head Coach John Fox (L) and General Manager Ryan Pace (R). (Photo/csnchicago.com)
The Bears made some waves just 10 minutes into the 2017 NFL Draft, sending four picks to the San Francisco 49ers to move up one spot and select quarterback Mitchell Trubisky second overall.
That package included two picks from Friday's Day 2 of the draft — the 67th overall pick and the 111th selection. On Day 2, Bears GM Ryan Pace recouped a couple of picks by trading down with the Arizona Cardinals in the second round.
Pace made a trade for third straight day on Saturday by dealing a fourth (No. 117) and sixth-round selection (No. 197) to Los Angeles Rams for a fourth-round pick (No. 112).
In total, the Bears selected four offensive players and one defensive back.
Round 1: Mitchell Trubisky (QB), North Carolina
Round 2: Adam Shaheen (TE), Ashland
Round 4: Eddie Jackson (S), Alabama
Round 4: Tarik Cohen (RB), North Carolina A&T
Round 5: Jordan Morgan (OL), Kutztown University
Note: Pressing on the draft choice's name above will give you his background information and latest news.
Chicago Bears 2017 NFL Draft Grades: Grading Each Selection for Chicago.
By Dan Schmelzer
Mitch Tribusky, Quarterback, 2nd Overall. Grade: C+
Mitch Tribusky (Photo/Patrick Gorski/USA TODAY Sports)
The more time that has elapsed from this pick, the more I can get behind this selection. I always liked the player. Deshaun Watson has long been my favorite quarterback in the 2017 NFL Draft but Trubisky was not far behind.
Trubisky is a calm quarterback who never seems to make the wrong play. He has a big arm, great mobility and strong accuracy all over the field. Trubisky is calm in the pocket but will escape and make plays with his legs at times. He also throws the ball extremely well on the run.
Physically, Trubisky has all of the tools to be successful. He also put up impressive numbers last season at North Carolina (68-percent completion rate, 3,748 yards, 30 touchdowns and six interceptions).
That being said, he was only a one-year starter in college. Trubisky was great last season but it is concerning that his college experience is limited. Why would the second overall pick be forced to sit on the bench for two seasons? Are their character concerns that were never surfaced? I doubt it but it is odd.
Also, Trubisky played exclusively out of the shotgun in college. He will have to learn how to take a snap under center and adapt to a pro-style offense. Mike Glennon will likely be the Bears’ starter in 2017, so Trubisky will have plenty of time to learn, but it is still something to think about.
Overall, I like the selection of Trubisky. I like Pace getting the Chicago Bears a franchise quarterback. However, they seemingly traded valuable mid-round picks for no reason. It appears that Pace panicked when trading up to the second overall pick and that negatively effects this draft grade.
Adam Shaheen, Tight End, 45th Overall. Grade B+
Trubisky is a calm quarterback who never seems to make the wrong play. He has a big arm, great mobility and strong accuracy all over the field. Trubisky is calm in the pocket but will escape and make plays with his legs at times. He also throws the ball extremely well on the run.
Physically, Trubisky has all of the tools to be successful. He also put up impressive numbers last season at North Carolina (68-percent completion rate, 3,748 yards, 30 touchdowns and six interceptions).
That being said, he was only a one-year starter in college. Trubisky was great last season but it is concerning that his college experience is limited. Why would the second overall pick be forced to sit on the bench for two seasons? Are their character concerns that were never surfaced? I doubt it but it is odd.
Also, Trubisky played exclusively out of the shotgun in college. He will have to learn how to take a snap under center and adapt to a pro-style offense. Mike Glennon will likely be the Bears’ starter in 2017, so Trubisky will have plenty of time to learn, but it is still something to think about.
Overall, I like the selection of Trubisky. I like Pace getting the Chicago Bears a franchise quarterback. However, they seemingly traded valuable mid-round picks for no reason. It appears that Pace panicked when trading up to the second overall pick and that negatively effects this draft grade.
Adam Shaheen, Tight End, 45th Overall. Grade B+
Adam Shaheen (Photo/kickoffcoverage.com)
The Chicago Bears traded down in the second round, helping pick up value lost in the first round trade for Trubisky. After trading down from the 36th to the 45th overall pick, the Bears drafted small school tight end, Adam Shaheen.
Shaheen joins the Bears after an impressive career at Ashland University. He was a college basketball player who made the transition to football at the Division II level and immediately became a star.
Shaheen’s size immediately stands out. He is a 6-foot-6, 278-pound tight end who runs extremely well for his size. Shaheen can create legitimate separation on the field and is a threat to take a short pass and score from anywhere on the field. He is a fantastic catch-and-run player who can also stretch the field and become a red zone nightmare.
There is a lot to like about Shaheen’s game. He undoubtedly has big-time upside at the next level. That being said, he did not exactly play against top-level competition in college. Shaheen dominated against Division II competition but would he have done the same in the Big Ten or SEC? There is no way to know the answer to that question, making Shaheen a tough player to evaluate.
Also, while he is a massive player, Shaheen is not a reliable blocker. The upside for him to become a strong run blocker is there but that part of his game is completely unrefined.
I like the Bears finding a target to come in and grow with Trubisky. As a guy who can take a short pass and make a play and go up and get the ball in the end zone, Shaheen could quickly become a favorite of the young quarterback. Make no mistake about it, there is a lot to like about this pick.
Eddie Jackson, Safety, 112th Overall. Grade: A-
Eddie Jackson (Photo/Dale Zanine/USA TODAY Sports)
Jackson had some injury issues at Alabama, including a broken leg that cut his 2016 season short. That being said, he is a talented player who will push for playing time for the Bears at a major position of need.
The Alabama product is a converted cornerback whose coverage skills have easily translated to the safety position. Jackson is a fantastic playmaker from the safety position who can provide strong help coverage over the top. He shows strong zone coverage awareness and very good ball skills.
Jackson is not much of a run defender. He is purely a coverage safety. That being said, he does show the ability to dominate in man-to-man coverage. He has the size and athleticism to take on tight ends in man and is even quick enough to handle most slot receivers.
Jackson will immediately battle with Adrian Amos for playing time in the Bears’ secondary. He is a talented player who has a chance to become a strong difference maker in their defense.
Tarik Cohen, Running Back, 119th Overall. Grade: B-
Tarik Cohen (Photo/Brett Davis/USA TODAY Sports)
I can’t quite decide how I feel about this pick. On one hand, it feels like a bit of a reach. Tarik Cohen is a 5-foot-6, 179-pound running back from North Carolina A&T. He likely would have been available a round later. That being said, the guy is undoubtedly a playmaker with the ball in his hands.
Cohen is a quick and elusive back who can make anybody miss in the open field. His nickname “The Human Joystick” undoubtedly fits well. Cohen shows elite start and stop quickness and does a great job of finding the space in the run game. Cohen is also a fantastic receiver out of the backfield.
His size will limit him at the next level, but Cohen’s elusiveness is undoubtedly for real. He also has legitimate breakaway speed, which was showed at the combine when he ran an impressive 4.42 40-yard dash.
The Bears obviously did not have a huge need at the running back position. Jordan Howard was the second-leading rusher in the NFL last season as a rookie. That being said, Cohen’s speed and elusiveness make him an elite fit as a change-of-pace complement of Howard. Expect him to be an explosive offensive weapon for the Bears in a limited role. Cohen could also be a major playmaker in the return game.
As you can imagine “The Human Joystick” has an extremely exciting highlight reel. I am just going to leave this here:
Jordan Morgan, Offensive Line, 147th Overall. Grade: C+
Jordan Morgan (Photo/dabearsbros.com)
The Chicago Bears did not end up with a sixth or seventh round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. So, when it was all said and done, the Bears early fifth round selection (147th overall) was their final pick. With their final selection of the 2017 NFL Draft, the Bears took an offensive lineman out of Kutztown named Jordan Morgan.
So, out of their five 2017 NFL Draft selections, Pace took one prospect out of the MEAC (Cohen) and two Division II prospects (Shaheen and now Morgan). Certainly an interesting plan of attack.
As you would expect, Morgan dominated at the Division II level. He was a 6-foot-3, 309-pound left tackle who could physically manhandle his opponents. Morgan shows a quick burst off of the line of scrimmage and strong punch. Once he got his hands on a defender it was game over. Morgan is a powerful run blocker who can absolutely dominate as a drive blocker.
Morgan also shows good length and decent technique in pass protection. That being said, he is not quick or athletic enough to play tackle at the next level. Morgan is a traditional small-school tackle who has to kick inside at the next level. But he legitimately seems to have the ability to make a good transition.
So, out of their five 2017 NFL Draft selections, Pace took one prospect out of the MEAC (Cohen) and two Division II prospects (Shaheen and now Morgan). Certainly an interesting plan of attack.
As you would expect, Morgan dominated at the Division II level. He was a 6-foot-3, 309-pound left tackle who could physically manhandle his opponents. Morgan shows a quick burst off of the line of scrimmage and strong punch. Once he got his hands on a defender it was game over. Morgan is a powerful run blocker who can absolutely dominate as a drive blocker.
Morgan also shows good length and decent technique in pass protection. That being said, he is not quick or athletic enough to play tackle at the next level. Morgan is a traditional small-school tackle who has to kick inside at the next level. But he legitimately seems to have the ability to make a good transition.
Pace, Fox pleased with 2017 draft crop.
By Larry Mayer
(Photo/chicagobears.com)
The Bears prioritized quality over quantity in the 2017 NFL Draft, selecting a total of just five players—their smallest class since they also chose five in 2010.
After picking North Carolina quarterback
"We got to a certain point today where I could feel it was going to drop off a bit, so [we said] 'let's go ahead and get players we know we're going to feel good about instead of just getting quantity and guys we're not excited about,'" said general manager Ryan Pace.
The players the Bears drafted Saturday were Alabama safety
"Very pleased with how the draft went, very pleased with the guys we got," said coach John Fox. "I don't know that we met all our needs. I think that's impossible when you're rebuilding like we are. But very pleased with all the players we got."
The key to the entire Bears draft, of course, is Trubisky, the franchise's highest pick in the NFL Draft since 1951. Pace boldly traded third- and fourth-round picks this year and a fourth-rounder next year to the 49ers to move up one spot to take the promising young quarterback.
"He upgrades us at quarterback," Fox said. "He's got accuracy, he's got mobility. He's a real fierce competitor. We scoured the whole country looking at guys. With Mitchell, I loved his demeanor. I love what he brings as far as a leader and competitor and the physical tools."
The Bears plan to groom Trubisky behind starter
The Bears added an intriguing prospect in the second round in Shaheen, a 6-6, 278-pound tight end who looked like a man among boys at Division II Ashland University. He caught 70 passes for 803 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2015 and 57 passes for 867 yards and 16 TDs in 2016.
A two-sport star in high school, Shaheen played basketball at Division II Pittsburgh-Johnstown as a college freshman before transferring to Ashland to walk onto the football team.
"There are different body types that can create separation and matchup problems," Fox said. "With Adam, what was very impressive is also very important in basketball, having dabbled in that at a younger age, is the body control for a big man.
"Guys that you watch in the NBA, they have to have good hands and they have to have good body control to play the game of basketball at a high level. This guy brought that, he did that. He's pretty impressive what he can do as far as adjusting and catching footballs."
In Jackson, the Bears landed an experienced safety who recorded five return touchdowns the past two years at Alabama—three on interceptions and two on punt returns. Pace said they targeted the 6-foot, 201-pounder because of his ball skills and instincts.
"We really liked him as a safety and then you combine that with his skills as a punt returner—and we knew we wanted to address punt returner—so it was like we're going to kill two birds with one stone and get a good safety and a good punt returner," Pace said. "It's always good for me when I feel the excitement of our defensive coaches and the excitement of our special-teams coaches and the excitement of our head coach."
Jackson is recovering from a broken leg that ended his senior season last Oct. 22. He's expected to be limited in rookie minicamp and then make steady progress through OTAs.
Cohen is a small and explosive running back who left North Carolina A&T as the MEAC's all-time leading rusher with 5,619 yards. Last year the 5-6, 179-pounder set single-season school rushing records with 1,588 yards and 19 touchdowns.
"We call him a joker back so really a good third-down back out of the backfield," Pace said. "He can separate with his routes, really a dynamic player that dominated at that level. Really excited to add him. He's one of those guys who's really fun to watch. You start watching one game, two games, three games, pretty soon you're watching his whole season because he's just a really entertaining, electric, exciting player."
Morgan was a four-year starting left tackle at Kutztown. But Pace said the Bears "see him as more of a guard. He can do a little bit of both because he's got good arm length."
Morgan played for the team coached by the Bears in the Senior Bowl. "I think that Senior Bowl experience really cemented it for us, the kind of player that he is," Pace said. "We're excited about adding him to our offensive line."
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... A letter from a Bulls fan to the Bulls ownership and management.
Note: We were reading Facebook updates on the Chicago Sports Fan group yesterday and came across this letter to the Bulls ownership and management. We, as all Chicagoans are pretty much diehard Bulls fans. This fan's letter concurs with our position wholeheartedly. We're not Bulls bashers, we just want to see our Bulls become competitive again and exude the Chicago pride that personifies our city and our citizens. Let's go Bulls.
Dear Jerry Reinsdorf, Gar Forman and Jon Paxson.
This has gone long enough, this string of mediocrity as gone far to long. What happened the last four games against Boston was an atrocious dumpster fire. That was NOT the Chicago Bulls this City has loved for 51 years. That was an embarrassing display out there. To go from 2-0 to get completely curb stomped and taken to the cleaners by the Celtics was the very last straw. Where was the commitment to winning the organization had in the 80s that brought Jordan, Pippen, Grant, Cartwright, Rodman, Robert Parish came here for crying out loud even though he already had his bust waiting for him in Springfield, Mass. Where on Earth is it???
Mr. Reinsdorf, you allowed this to happen. You have allowed Gar/Pax to erode and rot away any legacy this team had since the 70s and now it's an NBA joke. You and your lackeys have allowed the Bulls to go from a proud franchise to an NBA punchline. You ran Tom Thibideau out of town; he wasn't perfect in any means but now you have Fred Hoiberg who clearly does not know what he is doing. His motion offense hasn't produced the numbers it needed, the assist/turnover ratio many nights were even worse, and the defense had so many holes in it that if the team the Titanic, it wouldn't need to hit an iceberg; and the defensive effort in this series was an NBA Basketball meltdown. The teams with Jerry Sloan, Tom Boerwinkle, Reggie Thus, Chet Walker and Norm Van Lier would've never played this bad on D, and MJ would have someone whacked Goodfellas style.
I know you gentlemen will never read this; I know guys with boatloads of money could care less of us "little people" but your TV ratings are falling; I feel bad for the CSN/WGN crew such as Neil and Stacy; just look at what happened at the UC; look at the empty red seats, and what was the most passionate crowd in the NBA could care less because of the lack of effort. You better hope players don't start openly stiff this team as well. It's business 101; how can you win when the absolute best players available don't want to play for you?
Cubs fans had to wait for Tribune Company to bite the dust and the Ricketts to come in and voila!! They won the World Series!!!! Rocky Wirtz had to beg his old man to let him take over the Hawks as they sank to the very bottom in the NHL but instead had to kick the bucket so the team could finally get off the ice and win three Cups in seven year, and Rocky also cleaned up the mess left by his Dad's ownership. And the Bears?? The McCaskey family all may as well go into a black hole so that team can finally win again. I won't encourage anyone's passing like this, but if you, Gar and Pax don't care enough to put a winning team on the floor, sell it. Sell it to a new owner, or better yet, give US, the fans a shot as there are tons of people in Chicago who'll put time, money and effort to bringing the Bulls back to glory, and also use the cash help re-vitalize the community. As someone who also has plenty of friends and family who are Sox fans, same goes for your ownership of that team as well. Just something to think about.
Signed Chicago Bulls fans.
This has gone long enough, this string of mediocrity as gone far to long. What happened the last four games against Boston was an atrocious dumpster fire. That was NOT the Chicago Bulls this City has loved for 51 years. That was an embarrassing display out there. To go from 2-0 to get completely curb stomped and taken to the cleaners by the Celtics was the very last straw. Where was the commitment to winning the organization had in the 80s that brought Jordan, Pippen, Grant, Cartwright, Rodman, Robert Parish came here for crying out loud even though he already had his bust waiting for him in Springfield, Mass. Where on Earth is it???
Mr. Reinsdorf, you allowed this to happen. You have allowed Gar/Pax to erode and rot away any legacy this team had since the 70s and now it's an NBA joke. You and your lackeys have allowed the Bulls to go from a proud franchise to an NBA punchline. You ran Tom Thibideau out of town; he wasn't perfect in any means but now you have Fred Hoiberg who clearly does not know what he is doing. His motion offense hasn't produced the numbers it needed, the assist/turnover ratio many nights were even worse, and the defense had so many holes in it that if the team the Titanic, it wouldn't need to hit an iceberg; and the defensive effort in this series was an NBA Basketball meltdown. The teams with Jerry Sloan, Tom Boerwinkle, Reggie Thus, Chet Walker and Norm Van Lier would've never played this bad on D, and MJ would have someone whacked Goodfellas style.
I know you gentlemen will never read this; I know guys with boatloads of money could care less of us "little people" but your TV ratings are falling; I feel bad for the CSN/WGN crew such as Neil and Stacy; just look at what happened at the UC; look at the empty red seats, and what was the most passionate crowd in the NBA could care less because of the lack of effort. You better hope players don't start openly stiff this team as well. It's business 101; how can you win when the absolute best players available don't want to play for you?
Cubs fans had to wait for Tribune Company to bite the dust and the Ricketts to come in and voila!! They won the World Series!!!! Rocky Wirtz had to beg his old man to let him take over the Hawks as they sank to the very bottom in the NHL but instead had to kick the bucket so the team could finally get off the ice and win three Cups in seven year, and Rocky also cleaned up the mess left by his Dad's ownership. And the Bears?? The McCaskey family all may as well go into a black hole so that team can finally win again. I won't encourage anyone's passing like this, but if you, Gar and Pax don't care enough to put a winning team on the floor, sell it. Sell it to a new owner, or better yet, give US, the fans a shot as there are tons of people in Chicago who'll put time, money and effort to bringing the Bulls back to glory, and also use the cash help re-vitalize the community. As someone who also has plenty of friends and family who are Sox fans, same goes for your ownership of that team as well. Just something to think about.
Signed Chicago Bulls fans.
The Chicago Sports & Travel Inc./AllsportsAmerica Editorial Staff
Bulls End Season With Loss In Game 6. (Friday night's game, 04/28/2017).
By Sam Smith
(Photo/www.chicagobulls.com)
"I thought we fought and battled, especially Game 5 in Boston; we just didn’t have it tonight.”
This is the way the 2016-17 Bulls season ends; not with a bang but with a whimper in a 105-83 loss to the Boston Celtics. Don’t confuse this one with poetry. The Bulls Friday after such a brilliant and encouraging start to the playoffs became hollow men in never leading, falling behind by double digits in the first quarter and by 30 in the premature dying light of their season.
“I understand the frustration,” said Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg about the uneasy fans on this bleak April night. “It was a frustrating game. No doubt about that to go out this way. High note to start this series the way we got off to a 2-0 lead and couldn’t finish it off. I thought we fought and battled, especially Game 5 in Boston; we just didn’t have it tonight.”
The Celtics won the series 4-2 with four straight wins after that audacious Bulls start. The Celtics now go on to play the Washington Wizards in the conference semifinals; the Bulls plan for next season.
“We lost this series,” said Jimmy Butler, who pushed through for 23 points despite knee problems. “So that sums that up. The season, I guess we did better than y’all picked us to finish; sum it up that way.”
Robin Lopez was the only other Bull scoring in double figures with 10 points. Dwyane Wade had two points on one of 10 shooting after hurting his elbow again. Isaiah Canaan added nine points. Boston was 16 of 39 on threes. The Bulls were four of 19. Rajon Rondo didn’t return after sustaining a fractured thumb in Game 2.
“I’d have played more minutes, I’d of went one for 20. I don’t care; you have to shoot the basketball. Jimmy did, came out, tried to be aggressive tonight. They kicked our butts overall. I played 19 minutes. I’ve been one for 10 in a half before. I’m not worried about that. We didn’t get an opportunity to make the game close enough, competitive, to do the things we need to do. So, like I said, one seed came out tonight and put it on the eight seed like they should have done and they did a good job of it." ~ Dwyane Wade
Yes, the Bulls went very gentle into a not so good night for them and, hopefully, a productive off season. There was little or no rage for them against the dying light of their season and blunted hopes.
Somewhere between the emotion and the response come the big questions for the Bulls. The Bulls now will consider the future in the wake of their descent in an uncompetitive finale after such a potent start to the playoffs, the twinkle of their bright stars fading before our eyes. Who will be back and how will they become solid again? Is the road ahead to be less traveled by this group?
“I’m going to go home, eat some dinner, talk about it with my guys and maybe talk to them (management) tomorrow,” said Butler, who added he hoped to remain with the Bulls. “Whatever upstairs feels we need or we don’t need. That’s up to them. As a player, myself and everybody else back in the locker room, we have to go out there and play. The guys they put together have to do their best to win games and represent for this organization.
“A lot of the roles have changed,” Butler said about the 41-41 regular season. “Lineups have changed. Props to the (young players) because they’re always ready. It’s hard to stay ready when you don’t know when your name is going to be called. I’ve got a lot of faith in those young guys. They work. They listen. They don’t complain. They do what you ask them to do. That’s all you can expect out of young guys. He’s (Rondo) been huge for us this year. Molding these young guys into the type of player they need to be on the basketball floor and in the film room, the way he plays the game, getting everybody involved, I love playing with him. Him and D-Wade. But I don’t know what the future holds for anybody. So I’ll sit back and wait on that time to come.
“When that time comes, I’m sure we’ll sit down and talk about it (with Wade),” said Butler. “Right now, you have to rest your mind. It’s a long way away. I’m sure he would tell you the same thing. But when that time comes, I’ll sit down and talk to him, probably face to face and see where his mind is at and where mine is.”
Wade, who had his poorest game of the season, said he needs time to decompress. He has a player option of $23.8 million to return for next season. Rondo has a $3 million buyout and team option for $13.4 million for next season. Butler remains under long term contract.
“Lot of stuff on my mind now,” said Wade. “I’m proud of these guys in here; they competed. Went through adverse situations. That’s not for me to say right now (about a return). Obviously, that’s not even my job. I don’t want to speak to that.
“I have a lot of time,” said Wade about his option. “I’m far away from that now; just got through this 14th NBA season; it’s for me identified with championships. If I’m not winning a championship, I’m never satisfied from that standpoint. But you take things out of it, you go back and look at the season and see what you could have done better individually. I am not worried about my future because I know it’s basketball; I’m not really concerned with it now.”
Hoiberg said personnel decisions, the draft and free agency are now to be considered. But Hoiberg did say he loved coaching Rondo, who did not meet with reporters.
Somewhere between the emotion and the response come the big questions for the Bulls. The Bulls now will consider the future in the wake of their descent in an uncompetitive finale after such a potent start to the playoffs, the twinkle of their bright stars fading before our eyes. Who will be back and how will they become solid again? Is the road ahead to be less traveled by this group?
“I’m going to go home, eat some dinner, talk about it with my guys and maybe talk to them (management) tomorrow,” said Butler, who added he hoped to remain with the Bulls. “Whatever upstairs feels we need or we don’t need. That’s up to them. As a player, myself and everybody else back in the locker room, we have to go out there and play. The guys they put together have to do their best to win games and represent for this organization.
“A lot of the roles have changed,” Butler said about the 41-41 regular season. “Lineups have changed. Props to the (young players) because they’re always ready. It’s hard to stay ready when you don’t know when your name is going to be called. I’ve got a lot of faith in those young guys. They work. They listen. They don’t complain. They do what you ask them to do. That’s all you can expect out of young guys. He’s (Rondo) been huge for us this year. Molding these young guys into the type of player they need to be on the basketball floor and in the film room, the way he plays the game, getting everybody involved, I love playing with him. Him and D-Wade. But I don’t know what the future holds for anybody. So I’ll sit back and wait on that time to come.
“When that time comes, I’m sure we’ll sit down and talk about it (with Wade),” said Butler. “Right now, you have to rest your mind. It’s a long way away. I’m sure he would tell you the same thing. But when that time comes, I’ll sit down and talk to him, probably face to face and see where his mind is at and where mine is.”
Wade, who had his poorest game of the season, said he needs time to decompress. He has a player option of $23.8 million to return for next season. Rondo has a $3 million buyout and team option for $13.4 million for next season. Butler remains under long term contract.
“Lot of stuff on my mind now,” said Wade. “I’m proud of these guys in here; they competed. Went through adverse situations. That’s not for me to say right now (about a return). Obviously, that’s not even my job. I don’t want to speak to that.
“I have a lot of time,” said Wade about his option. “I’m far away from that now; just got through this 14th NBA season; it’s for me identified with championships. If I’m not winning a championship, I’m never satisfied from that standpoint. But you take things out of it, you go back and look at the season and see what you could have done better individually. I am not worried about my future because I know it’s basketball; I’m not really concerned with it now.”
Hoiberg said personnel decisions, the draft and free agency are now to be considered. But Hoiberg did say he loved coaching Rondo, who did not meet with reporters.
“Obviously, we played great basketball with Rajon toward the end of the season,” said Hoiberg of the 7-2 finish and 2-0 start to the playoffs. “Obviously, the two games he was healthy in the playoff we won those. So he was terrific, great. The highs and lows we had this season, he found a way to continue to battle through that and play his best basketball when it mattered most. I love Rondo, I love coaching him, I love everything about the kid. He was so good to have on the floor and when we put him back in the starting lineup with Niko (Mirotic) with Jimmy we got a lot accomplished. We played an exciting style of basketball, a fun style of basketball to watch, a fun style of basketball to coach and Rajon was responsible for a lot of that.
“The way we were playing since the trade (of Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott), 16 of 29 games with 10 or more threes and Rondo was a big part of that,” said Hoiberg. “Getting into the paint, getting us out with pace, having guys run with him. We lost that when he went out; the opportunity to get easy baskets, which he did a great job of for us. I love everything about what Rajon gave us. We peaked and played our best basketball at the end and he was a big part of that.”
That Rondo wasn’t any part of the last four games, all losses and the last three in the United Center, will lead to a lot of what if. The Celtics were healthy, but it’s doubtful five more Rondos could have made a difference Friday.
With Avery Bradley leading five Boston players scoring in double figures with 23 points, the Celtics pushed the Bulls around, moved more swiftly and with purpose.
The Bulls starters came out lethargic with Butler playing through a sore knee, their last gasp in Game 5 back in Boston. They had little left as the Celtics hit them with three pointers on Boston’s first three possessions and the rout was on.
It was 21-11 Celtics six minutes in, 42-25 early in the second quarter, 84-54 midway through the third in a game when strategy paled in comparison to strength. Quote the Bulls, nevermore for this one.
“It wasn’t (Rondo’s absences),” said Butler. “A lot of mishaps, a lot of switches we weren’t supposed to switch, a lot of not closing out. Playing to people’s weaknesses, we didn’t do that very well. It leads to what happened tonight, a lot of open shots. They are a good team. They make those, we have to come out better with more effort and focus on the personnel we are guarding.”
Maybe next time; next season.
“No one can be more disappointed than the players in the locker room,” said Wade. “We are the ones who put in all the blood, sweat and tears. Of course, we would have loved to win every game, but it’s not in the cards. It’s not the team that was put together that way.
“They shot the three ball here better than they did at their place and we played better at their place than we did here; very weird series from that standpoint,” said Wade. “At the end of the day they came out and took care of business. We put a fight up, made it a tough series. We can all speculate of how different it could have been. Obviously, we got a chance to see two games with our team with what we were able to do and we won two in a row, which is good. But that’s a part of a lot of guys’ careers, a lot of teams, the what ifs. We didn’t win; we go into the summer and try to get better.
“At the end of the day we wanted to make the playoffs; we did that. Injuries are part of the game. It always sucks when you don’t get to see the full potential of the team from that standpoint. When training camp started we weren’t a team talking championship; we were talking steps, steps to get to the playoffs. We were able to do that; so we took a step in the right direction." ~ Dwyane WadeTo the valley of the death of the season rode the Bulls 15. There was no glory this time. Perhaps another time.
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? What’s the real message Blackhawks are sending Joel Quenneville?
By Steve Rosenbloom
Blackhawks Coach Joel Quenneville (Photo/Jim Young/Chicago Tribune)
There are several reasons a general manager fires an assistant coach the way Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman whacked Mike Kitchen this week, and almost none of the fallout is good.
One reason is to threaten the head coach with his job if a particular assistant isn’t canned after a bad event, such as a top seed getting swept by the last team in the playoffs, even if that head coach is a three-time Stanley Cup-winner and sure-fire Hall-of-Famer.
Another reason is to prompt the head coach to resign after his usual control of assistant coaches is usurped.
Another is that it was a necessary move that the head coach was too close to properly evaluate.
Yet another reason is for the GM to cover his backside to appease angry upper management and ownership who have built their lives around “One Goal,’’ and that slogan didn’t refer to the number of even-strength scores their team would manage in four games against Nashville.
So, feel free to speculate when considering the message-slash-threat Bowman sent to coach Joel Quenneville with the firing of his close friend Kitchen.
We’ve seen this movie before when Bulls titular GM Gar Forman fired Tom Thibodeau friend and defensive master Ron Adams, creating enmity that would result in Thibodeau’s firing two years later.
Quenneville and Bowman had a rift in 2012 when management tried to force director of player evaluation Barry Smith into an on-ice role. Quenneville won that confrontation, but the unease didn’t necessarily dissipate.
The Hawks won two Stanley Cups, so whatever issues existed didn’t erupt. But when the Hawks were swept by Nashville this year, their second straight first-round out, an assistant would be chopped again.
In the Hawks’ embarrassing exit, the offense was nonexistent, and remember, the Hawks offense starts with their defense, and Kitchen coached the defense, a group that looked old and slow both in trying to move the puck and trying to prevent the Predators from doing whatever they wanted around Corey Crawford. Connect the dots, people.
Kitchen also ran the penalty-killing unit, which was pathetic to open 2016-17 and hasn’t been championship quality the last two seasons.
The best-case scenario is that Quenneville doesn’t become a short-timer and Kitchen’s replacement is someone who can speed the learning curve of the young defensemen who will undoubtedly get playing time next season.
The worst-case scenario is we’re guessing at who Bowman will names as Quenneville’s successor a year from now.
I’m glad Bowman is mad. I’m glad he’s making changes and promising more. But good luck with the full no-movement clauses he gave to Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Corey Crawford and Niklas Hjalmarsson and partial no-movement clause he gave Artem Anisimov.
I don’t want to hear about Blackhawks players being as angry as ever the day they cleared out their lockers. They should’ve been angry during the four games against the Predators.
Kane’s comments dissing the Predators’ trapping style and admission that perhaps they didn’t take Nashville seriously is the type of entitled attitude that killed the Hawks --- the kind that Bowman vowed to get rid of. Except of course if it’s Kane’s entitled attitude.
Kane’s additional comment that he’s rooting for the Predators to lose because the style they play isn’t entertaining prompts the question: What entertaining about a conference winner getting blown up in the first round?
And another question: If Kane hated that style so much, then why didn’t he and the Hawks find a way to fight through it to beat it?
I appreciate Kane’s honesty, but the problem is, it explains why the Hawks looked like they were skating with some arrogance, as if they didn’t need to muster the ferocity to win every board battle because, remember, they were the Hawks.
The Blackhawks traded Scott Darling for a pick because they were going to lose him anyway.
One reason is to threaten the head coach with his job if a particular assistant isn’t canned after a bad event, such as a top seed getting swept by the last team in the playoffs, even if that head coach is a three-time Stanley Cup-winner and sure-fire Hall-of-Famer.
Another reason is to prompt the head coach to resign after his usual control of assistant coaches is usurped.
Another is that it was a necessary move that the head coach was too close to properly evaluate.
Yet another reason is for the GM to cover his backside to appease angry upper management and ownership who have built their lives around “One Goal,’’ and that slogan didn’t refer to the number of even-strength scores their team would manage in four games against Nashville.
So, feel free to speculate when considering the message-slash-threat Bowman sent to coach Joel Quenneville with the firing of his close friend Kitchen.
We’ve seen this movie before when Bulls titular GM Gar Forman fired Tom Thibodeau friend and defensive master Ron Adams, creating enmity that would result in Thibodeau’s firing two years later.
Quenneville and Bowman had a rift in 2012 when management tried to force director of player evaluation Barry Smith into an on-ice role. Quenneville won that confrontation, but the unease didn’t necessarily dissipate.
The Hawks won two Stanley Cups, so whatever issues existed didn’t erupt. But when the Hawks were swept by Nashville this year, their second straight first-round out, an assistant would be chopped again.
In the Hawks’ embarrassing exit, the offense was nonexistent, and remember, the Hawks offense starts with their defense, and Kitchen coached the defense, a group that looked old and slow both in trying to move the puck and trying to prevent the Predators from doing whatever they wanted around Corey Crawford. Connect the dots, people.
Kitchen also ran the penalty-killing unit, which was pathetic to open 2016-17 and hasn’t been championship quality the last two seasons.
The best-case scenario is that Quenneville doesn’t become a short-timer and Kitchen’s replacement is someone who can speed the learning curve of the young defensemen who will undoubtedly get playing time next season.
The worst-case scenario is we’re guessing at who Bowman will names as Quenneville’s successor a year from now.
I’m glad Bowman is mad. I’m glad he’s making changes and promising more. But good luck with the full no-movement clauses he gave to Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Corey Crawford and Niklas Hjalmarsson and partial no-movement clause he gave Artem Anisimov.
I don’t want to hear about Blackhawks players being as angry as ever the day they cleared out their lockers. They should’ve been angry during the four games against the Predators.
Kane’s comments dissing the Predators’ trapping style and admission that perhaps they didn’t take Nashville seriously is the type of entitled attitude that killed the Hawks --- the kind that Bowman vowed to get rid of. Except of course if it’s Kane’s entitled attitude.
Kane’s additional comment that he’s rooting for the Predators to lose because the style they play isn’t entertaining prompts the question: What entertaining about a conference winner getting blown up in the first round?
And another question: If Kane hated that style so much, then why didn’t he and the Hawks find a way to fight through it to beat it?
I appreciate Kane’s honesty, but the problem is, it explains why the Hawks looked like they were skating with some arrogance, as if they didn’t need to muster the ferocity to win every board battle because, remember, they were the Hawks.
The Blackhawks traded Scott Darling for a pick because they were going to lose him anyway.
By Satchel Price
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(Photo/pinterest.com)
This is a smart move to get another draft pick by GM Stan Bowman.
The Chicago Blackhawks had one of the best backup goaltenders in the NHL over the past three years, but on Friday, Scott Darling got traded to the Carolina Hurricanes. It ends a fantastic three-year partnership between the Hawks and Darling, who proved in Chicago that he could play at the highest level.
Now he’s gone to pursue his chance at being a starter, and the Blackhawks are left with the Ottawa Senators’ 2017 third-round pick.
At first glance, that might seem like a paltry return for a potential key player. Darling could be an above-average starter in the NHL, and the Hurricanes got him for the same pick they received by trading Viktor Stalberg. It’s not exactly a high cost.
The thing is, for the Blackhawks, it’s basically a free pick. Darling is an unrestricted free agent on July 1, and the Blackhawks aren’t going to have much cap space this summer. Unless Darling was going to take a massive discount to stay in Chicago or the team tried to move Corey Crawford, he was always going to leave.
So now instead of having Darling hit free agency in a couple months with the Blackhawks left empty-handed, GM Stan Bowman smartly moved him ahead of time to get another pick for the stockpile. Even after their midseason trades for Johnny Oduya and Tomas Jurco, they now have 10 picks in the 2017 draft. It’ll be a big chance to address a prospect pipeline that, while coming off a solid year, lacks high-upside talent beyond Alex DeBrincat.
The Blackhawks still need to figure out what they’re doing in goal beyond Crawford, but that was inevitable with their cap situation. What this deal showed, however, is how Bowman shrewdly keeps the wheels spinning to load up on draft picks and maintain a flow of talent into the organization.
After trading Scott Darling, can the Blackhawks find another reliable backup goalie?
By Tracey Myers
Now he’s gone to pursue his chance at being a starter, and the Blackhawks are left with the Ottawa Senators’ 2017 third-round pick.
At first glance, that might seem like a paltry return for a potential key player. Darling could be an above-average starter in the NHL, and the Hurricanes got him for the same pick they received by trading Viktor Stalberg. It’s not exactly a high cost.
The thing is, for the Blackhawks, it’s basically a free pick. Darling is an unrestricted free agent on July 1, and the Blackhawks aren’t going to have much cap space this summer. Unless Darling was going to take a massive discount to stay in Chicago or the team tried to move Corey Crawford, he was always going to leave.
So now instead of having Darling hit free agency in a couple months with the Blackhawks left empty-handed, GM Stan Bowman smartly moved him ahead of time to get another pick for the stockpile. Even after their midseason trades for Johnny Oduya and Tomas Jurco, they now have 10 picks in the 2017 draft. It’ll be a big chance to address a prospect pipeline that, while coming off a solid year, lacks high-upside talent beyond Alex DeBrincat.
The Blackhawks still need to figure out what they’re doing in goal beyond Crawford, but that was inevitable with their cap situation. What this deal showed, however, is how Bowman shrewdly keeps the wheels spinning to load up on draft picks and maintain a flow of talent into the organization.
After trading Scott Darling, can the Blackhawks find another reliable backup goalie?
By Tracey Myers
(Photo/USA TODAY)
What we all expected to happen did happen on Friday night when the Blackhawks traded Scott Darling to the Carolina Hurricanes.
One way or another, be it via trade or just going to unrestricted free agency on July 1, Darling was headed elsewhere. He’s earned the opportunity to be a No. 1 goaltender, it wasn’t going to happen here, and now he’ll get that chance.
But this isn’t about where Darling’s career takes him from this point. This is about the Blackhawks and where they go from here. They’ve been in the enviable position of having some stellar backup goaltenders the past few seasons, from Ray Emery to Antti Raanta to Darling. So as this offseason continues, finding another one becomes top priority.
A few days ago Pat Boyle and I discussed a few topics on the HawksTalk Podcast, including what we considered to be on general manager Stan Bowman’s to-do list this summer. Getting a reliable backup goaltender has to be on there because the Blackhawks have shown over the past few seasons that having that great 1-2 punch in net has proven very successful.
Let’s go back to the 2013 offseason. In the summer of 2013 the Blackhawks signed two goaltenders. One was Nikolai Khabibulin, the other Raanta. We all remember how that went. Khabibulin, another former Blackhawks player brought in on the hopes that he had something left, didn’t. He started four games — two of which Corey Crawford came in and finished — suffered an injury in mid November and never played another game for the Blackhawks. Then on Dec. 8, Crawford, playing in his 27th game of the Blackhawks’ first 32 games of that season, got hurt. Enter Raanta, who went on a tear through December, going 8-1-3. That season highlights the need for reliable depth at that position more than any in recent memory.
You’re familiar with the other examples, too. Emery was outstanding when he had to be in the lockout-shortened 2013 regular season — please see that 45-stop outing vs. Calgary — and he and Crawford earned the William M. Jennings Trophy that year. Darling showed how dependable he could be several times the past few seasons, from his work in the 2015 first-round series against the Nashville Predators to his record (6-3-1) when Crawford was out with appendicitis through the first three weeks of last December.
That depth at goaltending has been especially critical the past two seasons. How many “goalie wins” did the Blackhawks have through the 2015-16 season, when they struggled to get consistent line combinations past their second one? How many did they have at the start of this past season before they did get that four-line rotation in February?
Crawford has played between 55 and 59 games in each full regular season dating back to 2010-11. Injuries happen. Slumps happen. Being overworked happens. Having a backup on which you can rely is something every team would love to have and something the Blackhawks have had recently, and they’ve benefitted from it.
It’s easy for us to sit here and say the Blackhawks need to do this. Actually finding that guy is an entirely different matter. But the Blackhawks have done it well lately, and despite the team’s quick exit this spring, there are still plenty of reasons for a would-be backup goaltender to come to Chicago.
Darling was the latest to embrace the backup goaltending role in his time here. His moving on was inevitable. Now the Blackhawks need to find the next guy who can keep their 1-2 punch in net going.
One way or another, be it via trade or just going to unrestricted free agency on July 1, Darling was headed elsewhere. He’s earned the opportunity to be a No. 1 goaltender, it wasn’t going to happen here, and now he’ll get that chance.
But this isn’t about where Darling’s career takes him from this point. This is about the Blackhawks and where they go from here. They’ve been in the enviable position of having some stellar backup goaltenders the past few seasons, from Ray Emery to Antti Raanta to Darling. So as this offseason continues, finding another one becomes top priority.
A few days ago Pat Boyle and I discussed a few topics on the HawksTalk Podcast, including what we considered to be on general manager Stan Bowman’s to-do list this summer. Getting a reliable backup goaltender has to be on there because the Blackhawks have shown over the past few seasons that having that great 1-2 punch in net has proven very successful.
Let’s go back to the 2013 offseason. In the summer of 2013 the Blackhawks signed two goaltenders. One was Nikolai Khabibulin, the other Raanta. We all remember how that went. Khabibulin, another former Blackhawks player brought in on the hopes that he had something left, didn’t. He started four games — two of which Corey Crawford came in and finished — suffered an injury in mid November and never played another game for the Blackhawks. Then on Dec. 8, Crawford, playing in his 27th game of the Blackhawks’ first 32 games of that season, got hurt. Enter Raanta, who went on a tear through December, going 8-1-3. That season highlights the need for reliable depth at that position more than any in recent memory.
You’re familiar with the other examples, too. Emery was outstanding when he had to be in the lockout-shortened 2013 regular season — please see that 45-stop outing vs. Calgary — and he and Crawford earned the William M. Jennings Trophy that year. Darling showed how dependable he could be several times the past few seasons, from his work in the 2015 first-round series against the Nashville Predators to his record (6-3-1) when Crawford was out with appendicitis through the first three weeks of last December.
That depth at goaltending has been especially critical the past two seasons. How many “goalie wins” did the Blackhawks have through the 2015-16 season, when they struggled to get consistent line combinations past their second one? How many did they have at the start of this past season before they did get that four-line rotation in February?
Crawford has played between 55 and 59 games in each full regular season dating back to 2010-11. Injuries happen. Slumps happen. Being overworked happens. Having a backup on which you can rely is something every team would love to have and something the Blackhawks have had recently, and they’ve benefitted from it.
It’s easy for us to sit here and say the Blackhawks need to do this. Actually finding that guy is an entirely different matter. But the Blackhawks have done it well lately, and despite the team’s quick exit this spring, there are still plenty of reasons for a would-be backup goaltender to come to Chicago.
Darling was the latest to embrace the backup goaltending role in his time here. His moving on was inevitable. Now the Blackhawks need to find the next guy who can keep their 1-2 punch in net going.
CUBS: Red Sox take weekend series from Cubs.
By Associated Press
(Photo/AP)
Hernandez scored the go-ahead run on Pedro Strop's wild pitch in Boston's four-run eighth inning, helping the Red Sox beat the sloppy Chicago Cubs 6-2 on Sunday night.
The Red Sox took two of three in the lively weekend series that featured a strong showing for Cubs fans, chants in support of each side and the World Series trophies that ended long title droughts for the once-frustrated franchises.
"This was a high-build series, a competitive series, certainly," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "A good series win for us that was needed."
Hanley Ramirez hit a two-run homer for Boston, which had dropped four of five before the weekend set against Chicago. The Red Sox got two more runs on shortstop Addison Russell's throwing error in the eighth that bounced past first baseman Anthony Rizzo.
"It was fun," Boston outfielder Andrew Benintendi said. "I felt like there was a lot more Cubs fans here than I expected. It was fun to kind of listen to the fans go back and forth."
Kris Bryant hit a solo homer for Chicago, extending his hitting streak to 11 games. The Cubs closed a nine-game road trip at 5-4.
Boston has won 19 of its last 22 interleague series in Fenway.
Hernandez led off the eighth with a grounder to Rizzo, who relayed the ball to reliever Koji Uehara (0-2). But a hustling Hernandez was safe at first in a bang-bang play.
Uehara appeared to break off the mound late.
"I got there as quick as I could, the runner was just faster," he said through a translator.
Xander Bogaerts and Benintendi then singled, loading the bases. Strop came in and bounced a 2-2 pitch to Ramirez, bringing Hernandez home. Mitch Moreland's grounder scored a run before Russell's error allowed two more to score.
Chicago looked as if it might be able to escape after Strop struck out Mookie Betts with the bases loaded for the first out. But the wild pitch led to the big inning.
"I thought Stropy did a great job, striking out Betts, wild pitch, but other than that he did a really nice job in there," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "Then we made another mistake to make it really look ugly at the end."
Matt Barnes (3-0) worked one scoreless inning after completing his four-game suspension for throwing behind the head of Baltimore's Manny Machado. Craig Kimbrel got the final three outs.
Chicago trailed 2-1 before Jon Jay scored from second after reliever Joe Kelly bounced a pitch past Christian Vazquez in the seventh.
Jay's headfirst slide beat Vazquez's throw to Kelly after the catcher couldn't find the ball for a few seconds. He was originally called out, but the call was challenged.
After playing the first two games in summer-like temperatures, the teams took the field to a chilly 47 degrees.
That didn't seem to affect the distance of Ramirez's homer, estimated at 440 feet after it completely left Fenway over the Green Monster seats in the first.
On Saturday, he had one estimated at 469, the longest at Fenway this season.
Boston starter Eduardo Rodriguez struck out nine over six innings, allowing one run and five hits.
Chicago's Kyle Hendricks gave up two runs and three hits in six innings.
WORTH NOTING
Cubs pitching coach Chris Bosio is expected to re-join the team Monday after leaving a week ago for a personal matter.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Red Sox: Farrell said 3B Pablo Sandoval, placed on the disabled list April 24 with a sprained right knee, still hasn't started any baseball activities and is only going through range of motion exercises.
CURSE BUSTERS
The 2016 World Series trophy, won by the Cubs to end their 108-year drought, and the 2004 one captured by the Red Sox, their first in 86 years, were together on a table under the stands behind right field. Fans had the chance to take pictures with the trophies for a $20 donation to charity.
There was a steady flow of fans dressed in both Red Sox and Cubs jerseys.
UP NEXT
Cubs: LHP Brett Anderson (2-0, 3.54 ERA) is set to face Philadelphia RHP Vince Velasquez (1-2, 6.33) at Wrigley Field on Monday night.
Red Sox: RHP Rick Porcello (1-3, 4.75 ERA) hopes to end a string of losses in three consecutive starts Monday. Dylan Bundy (3-1, 1.65) is slated to start for Baltimore.
Cubs bash three homers in come-from-behind win over Red Sox. (Saturday's game, 04/29/2017).
Associated Press
(Photo/USA TODAY)
The Chicago Cubs adjusted quickly to Steven Wright's knuckleball.
Anthony Rizzo hit a two-run homer, and Miguel Montero had a solo shot off Wright, helping the Cubs rebound from a series-opening loss with a 7-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday.
"I thought we did a nice job. It's just awkward hitting against the knuckleball," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "There is no real training ground for it. You don't necessarily get a guy out there throwing a knuckleball in BP."
All the Cubs faced Wright for the first time.
After collecting just one single in the first three innings, Rizzo's homer started Chicago's comeback from a 3-0 deficit. Montero's shot tied it in the seventh.
All the Cubs faced Wright for the first time.
After collecting just one single in the first three innings, Rizzo's homer started Chicago's comeback from a 3-0 deficit. Montero's shot tied it in the seventh.
"It's just hard. You really don't know what to look for," Montero said before joking "I told the umpire I'm going to close my eyes and swing hard in case I hit it."
Ben Zobrist added a solo homer, and Kris Bryant had two hits and scored twice for Chicago, backing a decent start by former Red Sox righty John Lackey.
Lackey (2-3) gave up four runs in six innings, snapping his string of losses in three straight starts. He was part of Boston's 2013 World Series title team.
Lackey said he texted former teammate Dustin Pedroia on the way to the ballpark.
Hanley Ramirez and Andrew Benintendi had solo homers for the Red Sox, who have the majors' fewest homers. Boston's streak of nine straight interleague wins in Fenway Park was snapped.
Wright (1-3) gave up five runs and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings.
"I think with the exception of the 0-2 slow knuckleball that Steven threw to Rizzo, this was his best knuckleball that he's had to date," Red Sox manager John Farrell said.
Wright has given up nine homers after allowing only 12 last season.
"I felt a lot better today overall," he said. "The one pitch I wish I could get back was that 0-2 pitch to Rizzo. I was trying to get it a little bit more in front of the plate and it kind of stood up a little bit and he made me pay."
Wade Davis pitched the ninth for his sixth save.
With summer-like temperatures for the second straight day and a marquee matchup with the defending champs, there was added buzz around the ballpark hours before the game.
Mixed in the fans flocking around Fenway were numerous Cubs fans wearing jerseys - many with "Sandberg," ''Bryant" or "Rizzo" on the back. There was a loud "Let's Go Cubbies!" in the ninth, and that was followed by some large "W'' flags after the Cubs won - a staple in Wrigley Field.
The Cubs overcame a 4-2 deficit with a run in the sixth inning and three in a seventh that was highlighted by two errors on one play.
Zobrist's run-scoring grounder sliced it to 4-3. Montero homered leading off the seventh against Wright before Kyle Schwarber's RBI single pushed them ahead.
Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts threw the ball away for an error on Rizzo's fielder's choice, allowing Schwarber to score. First baseman Mitch Moreland retrieved and fired it into left field.
Jackie Bradley Jr.'s RBI single made it 1-0 in the second.
Benintendi had a sacrifice fly and Ramirez belted his homer over the Green Monster seats completely out of Fenway, a shot estimated at 469 feet, in the third.
Bryant opened the fourth with a hard single and Rizzo followed with his drive to the back of Chicago's bullpen.
Benintendi hit his homer over Boston's bullpen.
White Sox six-game winning streak snapped with series finale loss to Tigers.
Associated Press
(Photo/AP)
The Detroit Tigers got two things they needed Sunday afternoon.
They put up big runs, got four scoreless innings from their bullpen and ended a four-game losing streak with a 7-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
"We've been quiet with the bats, but we got two in the ninth yesterday, so maybe that was the turning point," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "We were much better today, and the pitching held on for us."
Jordan Zimmermann (3-1) picked up a sloppy victory, allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks in five-plus innings. He struck out five and gave up one homer.
Miguel Gonzalez (3-1) allowed seven runs on a career-high 14 hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out one as the White Sox lost their six-game winning streak.
"I was up with every pitch, and they were barreling up every mistake I made," he said. "I just need to flush this one and move on."
The White Sox took a 1-0 lead in the first on Jose Abreu's RBI triple.
Justin Upton's fifth homer tied the game in the second. He then led off the fourth with a single, moved to second on Alex Avila's hit and scored on Jim Adduci's double to left-center field.
John Hicks made it four straight hits with an RBI single off Gonzalez to make it 3-1, and Adduci scored when Iglesias grounded out. Nick Castellanos finished the inning with an RBI single to make it a four-run game.
Melky Cabrera answered with an RBI single in the fifth, pulling the White Sox within 5-2, but Iglesias' two-run double in the bottom of the inning put the Tigers up by five.
Todd Frazier led off the sixth with a long homer, but Chicago couldn't score against Blaine Hardy and three other relievers.
TRAINER'S ROOM
White Sox: RHP James Shields, on the disabled list for the first time in his career, threw on Saturday and reported no problems with his strained right lat. After playing light catch for about 40 throws, he said that the way his arm reacts will determine if he will need a rehab start before joining the White Sox.
Tigers: CF JaCoby Jones went 1 for 7 in a rehab doubleheader for Triple-A Toledo on Saturday. Jones, who went on the disabled list on April 23 after being hit in the mouth by a pitch, was making his first rehab appearances.
RENTERIA SAVES GARCIA FROM HIMSELF
Renteria decided to pull Avisail Garcia in the fifth inning, knowing his right fielder wouldn't ask to come out of the game. Garcia has been dealing with groin tightness throughout the series.
"It was pretty wet out there after the rain early in the game, and he only knows how to play at top speed," Renteria said. "I just decided to be safe and get him out of there before it became a problem. Right now, I don't see any reason he wouldn't play tomorrow."
DOING QUICK DAMAGE
The Tigers brought nine batters to the plate in their four-run fourth inning, but faced just 14 pitches from Gonzalez. Every hitter either got a hit or made an out on the first or second pitch of their at-bat.
"We just kept barreling up balls early in the count - there wasn't any plan to attack him," Avila said. "It just happened that way. We knew we needed to get Zimm a lead, and we had a great inning."
IN THE RACE AFTER ONE MONTH
Sunday's loss meant that the White Sox finish May a half-game behind Cleveland in the AL Central, but that's higher than almost anyone predicted for them.
"We're excited, because we're playing well as a team," Gonzalez said. "We lost today, but we won two of three here, and now we want to go to Kansas City and win another series. We believe that we can keep doing this."
UP NEXT
White Sox: RHP Dylan Covey (0-1, 6.91) faces Kansas City LHP Jason Vargas (3-1, 1.40) in the first of a four-game series at Kauffman Stadium. The White Sox swept the Royals earlier this week in Chicago.
Tigers: LHP Daniel Norris (1-2, 4.71) takes on Indians RHP Trevor Bauer as Cleveland comes to Comerica Park for four games.
Jose Abreu homers twice as White Sox beat Tigers for sixth straight win. (Saturday's game, 04/29/2017).
By Associated Press
(Photo/USA TODAY)
Melky Cabrera led off the 10th inning with a solo homer off Justin Wilson, and Avisail Garcia added an RBI triple, lifting the White Sox to a 6-4 win over the Detroit Tigers on Saturday.
Jose Abreu homered twice in his return to the lineup.
The White Sox held onto a two-run lead in the 10th with David Robinson making the most of a chance to pitch a second inning after losing a two-run advantage in the ninth.
Wilson hadn't allowed a hit or a run in his first 11 appearances this season until Cabrera hit his first homer of the season.
Abreu, who played for the first time since leaving a game Wednesday with a hip injury, hit solo home runs to give the White Sox two-run leads in the third and eighth innings as he cleared the fences for the first time this season.
Golf: I got a club for that..... Monday playoff looms at Zurich after Kisner hole-out.
(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)
The weather nearly washed out the final round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, but after an exciting finish near dusk two teams will return Monday to battle for the title. Here's how things ended up in the Crescent City, where a playoff looms in the morning at TPC Louisiana:
Leaderboard: Jonas Blixt/Cameron Smith (-27), Kevin Kisner/Scott Brown (-27), Kelly Kraft/Kevin Tway (-23), Jordan Spieth/Ryan Palmer (-22)
What it means: Blixt and Smith started the day with a four-shot lead, but Kisner and Brown rocketed past them after only six holes to take a lead when rain halted play for more than six hours. Once players got back on the course, Blixt and Smith birdied No. 17 to take a one-shot lead only to watch Kisner hole out for eagle on the final hole to force overtime.
Regulation play ended essentially in the dark, meaning all four men will return to the course at 9 a.m. ET Monday, where Smith will look to win for the first time while Kisner and Brown will hope to cap a sizeable comeback.
Round of the day: Kisner and Brown started the day four shots off the pace, but when weather halted play after just six holes they had already taken the lead. Thanks in large part to six birdies in a row from Kisner on Nos. 2-7, the pair birdied 10 of their first 11 holes and then added one more highlight on No. 18 with their backs against the wall to close out a round of 12-under 60.
Best of the rest: The team of Kraft and Tway fired an 11-under 61 that moved them up 11 spots on the leaderboard. The pair birdied five out of six from Nos. 2-7, then played their final eight holes in 6 under including an eagle from Kraft on the final hole. For Tway, it's a second straight T-3 finish after contending last week in San Antonio.
Biggest disappointment: It's tough to be disappointed when a playoff spot still looms, but Blixt and Smith felt like they had this thing wrapped up. After a four-shot lead disappeared, the two used the lengthy weather delay to reset and grabbed the outright lead with birdies on Nos. 16 and 17 before Kisner's shot at the buzzer meant all four players had to come back out on Monday.
Shot of the day: With Smith already in close for birdie, Kisner managed to hole his chip from 95 feet to force a playoff and spark a raucous celebration with the fans that stuck around behind the 18th green in near-darkness.
Nomura outlasts Kerr on sixth extra hole in Texas.
By Associated Press
(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)
Haru Nomura two-putted for birdie on the sixth playoff hole Sunday for her third LPGA Tour victory, finally defeating Cristie Kerr at the windy Volunteers of America Texas Shootout.
Nomura, the 24-year-old from Japan who lives in Hawaii, also birdied the par-5 18th hole at the end of regulation to force the playoff after giving up the lead for the first time with a double bogey at No. 17.
Kerr and Nomura finished regulation at 3-under 281 at Las Colinas Country Club, then played the 518-yard 18th six more times. There were five matching pars before Nomura finally won nearly 7 1/2 hours after starting her round, almost making an eagle before her tap-in and then the wait while Kerr's 12-foot birdie chance slid left of the cup.
Kerr was trying to win consecutive tournaments. The 39-year-old American won in Hawaii two weeks ago, her 19th career victory coming nearly five months after knee surgery.
Nomura shot a 5-over 76. Kerr made the only birdie all day at the par-3 17th, and was leading by a stroke when she tapped in a par putt on 18 for a 74.
Nomura made the turn with a five-stroke lead before consecutive bogeys to start her back nine.
Nomura, the 24-year-old from Japan who lives in Hawaii, also birdied the par-5 18th hole at the end of regulation to force the playoff after giving up the lead for the first time with a double bogey at No. 17.
Kerr and Nomura finished regulation at 3-under 281 at Las Colinas Country Club, then played the 518-yard 18th six more times. There were five matching pars before Nomura finally won nearly 7 1/2 hours after starting her round, almost making an eagle before her tap-in and then the wait while Kerr's 12-foot birdie chance slid left of the cup.
Kerr was trying to win consecutive tournaments. The 39-year-old American won in Hawaii two weeks ago, her 19th career victory coming nearly five months after knee surgery.
Nomura shot a 5-over 76. Kerr made the only birdie all day at the par-3 17th, and was leading by a stroke when she tapped in a par putt on 18 for a 74.
Nomura made the turn with a five-stroke lead before consecutive bogeys to start her back nine.
After Kerr birdied No. 17 with a 10-foot putt and was still playing the 18th, Nomura made double bogey at the par 3 for the second day in a row. That knocked Nomura out of the lead for the first time after also leading at the end of the second and third rounds, but her regulation-ending birdie got her into the playoff.
Jessica Korda shot a 73 to finish third at 1 under, a stroke ahead of Sung Hyun Park. Eun-Hee Ji, whose 70 was one of only two subpar rounds Sunday, tied for fifth with Angel Yin at 1 over.
It was the third consecutive day with challenging wind, but the most brutal with cooler temperatures in the 60s and winds steady over 20 mph with gusts of 40-45 mph. The scoring average Sunday for the 53 players left in the field was nearly 5 1/2 strokes over par.
While only two players finished the round under par, and none shot even-par 71, there were eight players who shot in the 80s. The day began with 16 players under par for the tournament, and that was cut to top three finishers.
Lexi Thompson tied for 17th at 4 over in her first tournament since a TV viewer-cited penalty imposed a day later cost her a likely victory in the LPGA's first major of the season three weeks ago. She opened with a 69 before rounds of 72, 73 and 74.
Lydia Ko will remain the world's No. 1 player for the 80th consecutive week, and for the 99th week in her career. She had to withdraw before the third round in Texas because of a swollen eye from an infection likely caused by allergies.
No. 2 So Yeon Ryu could have taken over the top spot in the world by finishing first or second, but had a closing 75 to tie for ninth. Ariya Jutanugarn, the third-ranked player who could have taken over No. 1 with a win, was a stroke off the 36-hole lead before consecutive weekend rounds of 76.
PGA Tour hands out 1st slow-play penalty since 1995.
Associated Press
The first team event on the PGA Tour in 36 years has produced the first penalty for slow play since 1995.
PGA Tour officials say Miguel Angel Carballo and Brian Campbell were penalized one shot on the 14th hole of the opening round at the Zurich Classic for their second bad time. They opened with a 74 in foursomes.
They were on the clock when Carballo went over his allotted time on the 12th hole. Then, Campbell had a bad time on the 14th hole.
Typically, a player receives a warning after the first bad time and a one-shot penalty after his second. Because they were a team in foursomes, however, rules specify that a "player" includes his partners.
Until Thursday, the last time a PGA Tour player was penalized one shot for pace of play was Glen Day in the third round of the 1995 Honda Classic.
PGA Tour officials say Miguel Angel Carballo and Brian Campbell were penalized one shot on the 14th hole of the opening round at the Zurich Classic for their second bad time. They opened with a 74 in foursomes.
They were on the clock when Carballo went over his allotted time on the 12th hole. Then, Campbell had a bad time on the 14th hole.
Typically, a player receives a warning after the first bad time and a one-shot penalty after his second. Because they were a team in foursomes, however, rules specify that a "player" includes his partners.
Until Thursday, the last time a PGA Tour player was penalized one shot for pace of play was Glen Day in the third round of the 1995 Honda Classic.
NASCAR: Late pit stop propels Joey Logano to Richmond win.
By Nick Bromberg
(Photo/pinterest.com)
Joey Logano took advantage of a late caution caused by quasi-teammate Ryan Blaney and drove past Kyle Larson for the win at Richmond on Sunday.
Logano and Team Penske teammate Brad Keselowski stayed out on the track when a caution was called for Matt Kenseth’s shredded tire with 33 laps to go. With fresh tires more advantageous than track position, Logano and Keselowski looked like they were going to be toast. Everyone else on the track had pitted for four tires.
And they probably would have been had the race gone green the rest of the way. But not long after the race restarted, Blaney had contact with Kurt Busch and a cut tire caused him to hit the wall in turns 3 and 4 with 24 laps to go. Blaney drives for the Wood Brothers, a satellite team of Team Penske.
And they probably would have been had the race gone green the rest of the way. But not long after the race restarted, Blaney had contact with Kurt Busch and a cut tire caused him to hit the wall in turns 3 and 4 with 24 laps to go. Blaney drives for the Wood Brothers, a satellite team of Team Penske.
Faced with another tire decision because of Blaney’s yellow, Logano came to pit road for four fresh tires and easily passed Larson over the race’s final laps. Larson had stayed out on the final caution and had older tires than Logano.
The win comes in the 300th start of Logano’s Cup Series career and also in a race where he had to start last. After his team changed a transmission in the car on Saturday, Logano was forced to start at the rear of the field.
“I was driving my guts out there — that’s all I had,” Logano said. “We won with a car that may not have been the winning car so it’s something to be very proud of. That means execution was there.”
Keselowski also pitted on the final caution and finished second. He won the race’s second stage and had the race’s fastest car over the last 250 laps of the 400-lap race. But he got caught in traffic on the final restart and by the time he got to second over Denny Hamlin, the lead Logano had built up was far too big to overcome by the end of the race.
“I felt like we would have been fine — that last restart there were about six or seven cars that stayed out and we got behind one that was really slow and didn’t really go so we lost two or three spots by the time we could get going,” Keselowski said.
Larson, who finished 14th, continues to lead the points standings by 40 points over Martin Truex Jr. Logano is now fourth in the standings while Keselowski is fifth.
Results
1. Joey Logano
2. Brad Keselowski
3. Denny Hamlin
4. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
5. Kevin Harvick
6. Jamie McMurray
7. Ryan Newman
8. Kurt Busch
9. Aric Almirola
10. Martin Truex Jr.
11. Jimmie Johnson
12. Daniel Suarez
13. Trevor Bayne
14. Kyle Larson
15. Clint Bowyer
16. Kyle Busch
17. Chris Buescher
18. Danica Patrick
19. David Ragan
20. Austin Dillon
21. Landon Cassill
22. Kasey Kahne
23. Matt Kenseth
24. Chase Elliott
25. Paul Menard
26. Ty Dillon
27. Cole Whitt
28. Matt DiBenedetto
29. Michael McDowell
30. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
31. Gray Gaulding
32. Corey LaJoie
33. Reed Sorenson
34. Timmy Hil
35. Jeffrey Earnhardt
36. Ryan Blaney
37. AJ Allmendinger
38. Erik Jones
2. Brad Keselowski
3. Denny Hamlin
4. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
5. Kevin Harvick
6. Jamie McMurray
7. Ryan Newman
8. Kurt Busch
9. Aric Almirola
10. Martin Truex Jr.
11. Jimmie Johnson
12. Daniel Suarez
13. Trevor Bayne
14. Kyle Larson
15. Clint Bowyer
16. Kyle Busch
17. Chris Buescher
18. Danica Patrick
19. David Ragan
20. Austin Dillon
21. Landon Cassill
22. Kasey Kahne
23. Matt Kenseth
24. Chase Elliott
25. Paul Menard
26. Ty Dillon
27. Cole Whitt
28. Matt DiBenedetto
29. Michael McDowell
30. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
31. Gray Gaulding
32. Corey LaJoie
33. Reed Sorenson
34. Timmy Hil
35. Jeffrey Earnhardt
36. Ryan Blaney
37. AJ Allmendinger
38. Erik Jones
Kyle Larson retains Cup points lead leaving Richmond.
By Daniel McFadin
(Photo/Getty Images)
Though he finished 14th following a pit strategy gamble near the end of the race, Kyle Larson remains the NASCAR Cup Series points leader following the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway.
Larson has a 40-point lead over Martin Truex Jr., an increase of 13 points from last week.
The top five is completed by Chase Elliott (-52), race winner Joey Logano (-65) and Brad Keselowski (-71).
Larson has led the points standings since the fourth race of the year at Phoenix.
Click here to see the full points standings.
Larson passes Allgaier on last lap to win Toyota Care 250 at Richmond.
By Jerry Bonkowski
(Photo/nbcsports.com)
Kyle Larson was in the right place at the right time when the yellow caution flag came out in overtime to win Saturday’s Toyota Care 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Richmond International Raceway.
Larson passed Justin Allgaier just before reaching the overtime line on the final lap on the back straightaway, just before a mid-pack wreck brought out the seventh and final caution flag, which the race finished under.
While Allgaier was the most dominant driver in the race, leading 157 laps, Larson led just 10 laps in the race. It was his second Xfinity win this season.
“I’m surprised I cleared Justin (Allgaier) on two,” Larson told Fox Sports 1 of the final lap. “I thought he would hang on my outside or pass me.
“Thankfully we were able to clear him, then had the caution and I got the overtime win. We didn’t have the best car at all, Justin was by far the best.
“I’m not good at this place so to get a win is pretty neat.”
The race was scheduled for 250 laps; it went four extra laps before Larson was awarded the win in the extended 254-lap race.
Even though Allgaier was disappointed that he finished second, he could take some comfort in winning his second of the first three 2017 Xfinity Dash 4 Cash races and the $100,000 bonus.
“To win $100,000 is something we set out to do when we got here this weekend,” Allgaier told Fox Sports 1. “Unfortunately there at the end, the best car doesn’t always win the race.
“It’s just really disappointing. These guys deserved (a win). It’s very bittersweet, I’m very dejected, I’m not going to lie to you. This one hurts and it’s going to hurt for a long time.”
After the 1-2 Larson-Allgaier finish, pole-sitter Daniel Hemric finished third, followed by Ryan Blaney, Darrell Wallace Jr., Elliott Sadler, Michael Annett, Casey Mears and Spencer Gallagher.
Austin Dillon won Stage 1, while Allgaier won Stage 2 before the final 100-lap sprint to the checkered flag.
This is the third of four Xfinity Dash 4 Cash races. The final race will be at Dover International Speedway on Saturday, June 3.
The first two Dash 4 Cash winners this season have been Allgaier (Phoenix) and Daniel Hemric (last week at Bristol).
Kyle Benjamin, who made his Xfinity Series debut Saturday, had a decent race going until he was involved in a late-race crash with five laps to go in regulation that also included Brennan Poole, William Byron, Harrison Rhodes and Daniel Suarez.
The race was red-flagged for about five minutes to remove cars from the track as well as clean up the damage.
HOW LARSON WON: Larson admitted Allgaier had the best car in the field, but got a break on the final restart, fortuitously passed Allgaier in Turn 2, and passed the overtime line just in time before the field was frozen due to a mid-pack wreck that resulted in Larson taking the win.
WHO ELSE HAD A GOOD RACE: Allgaier won his second $100,000 Xfinity Dash 4 Cash bonus, but lamented that he did not win the race. … Daniel Hemric continues to improve and show great promise. Not only did he start from the pole, he finished third.
WHO HAD A BAD RACE: Kyle Benjamin looked like he would have a decent top-20 finish in his first career Xfinity start, but was involved in a multi-car wreck late in the race and finished 32nd. … Also having a rough day was Brendan Gaughan, who finished 35th.
NOTABLE: Darrell Wallace Jr. has now finished sixth in six of his last seven races.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I’m not good at this place so to get a win is pretty neat.” – Race-winner Kyle Larson
WHAT’S NEXT: Sparks Energy 300 at Talladega Superspeedway, Saturday, May 6 at 1 p.m. ET.
Sadler remains No. 1 in Xfinity standings; Allgaier climbs to 2nd, Byron drops to 3rd.
By Jerry Bonkowski
(Photo/nbcsports.com)
Elliott Sadler continues to lead the Xfinity Series standings after Saturday’s Toyota Care 250 at Richmond International Raceway.
Sadler leads Justin Allgaier by 41 points and has a 44-point edge over Xfinity rookie William Byron, who dropped from second to third place in the rankings after Saturday’s race. All three drivers drive for JR Motorsports, which continues to dominate this season thus far.
Daniel Hemric is 67 points back in fourth place, followed by Darrell Wallace (-84, fifth place), Ryan Reed (-97), Blake Koch (-105), Michael Annett (-109), Matt Tifft (-112) and Brennan Poole in 10th place (-115).
Click here for the full updated driver standings list.
Sadler leads Justin Allgaier by 41 points and has a 44-point edge over Xfinity rookie William Byron, who dropped from second to third place in the rankings after Saturday’s race. All three drivers drive for JR Motorsports, which continues to dominate this season thus far.
Daniel Hemric is 67 points back in fourth place, followed by Darrell Wallace (-84, fifth place), Ryan Reed (-97), Blake Koch (-105), Michael Annett (-109), Matt Tifft (-112) and Brennan Poole in 10th place (-115).
Click here for the full updated driver standings list.
SOCCER: Dax McCarty tallies assist against former team, but Fire still lose to Red Bulls.
By Dan Santaromita
(Photo/USA TODAY)
After all the talk of Dax McCarty's return to Red Bull Arena, he delivered in the match on Saturday, but it wasn't enough for the Chicago Fire.
McCarty had an assist against his former team that tied things up in the second half, but the New York Red Bulls got a game-winner from Kemar Lawrence in the 71st minute in a 2-1 victory against the Fire.
After Bradley Wright Phillips gave the Red Bulls (5-3-1, 16 points) the lead in the first half, the Fire (3-3-2, 11 points) went into the locker room trailing despite having some quality chances to score. Nemanja Nikolic had a pair of open shots in the first half, but couldn't beat goalkeeper Luis Robles either time. Luis Solignac scuffed an open shot from close range as well.
In the second half, the match become wide open with both teams having plenty of shots. McCarty keyed the Fire's breakthrough by drawing defenders in the box and weaving free to set up Nikolic, who this time finished with a first-touch shot.
After Bradley Wright Phillips gave the Red Bulls (5-3-1, 16 points) the lead in the first half, the Fire (3-3-2, 11 points) went into the locker room trailing despite having some quality chances to score. Nemanja Nikolic had a pair of open shots in the first half, but couldn't beat goalkeeper Luis Robles either time. Luis Solignac scuffed an open shot from close range as well.
In the second half, the match become wide open with both teams having plenty of shots. McCarty keyed the Fire's breakthrough by drawing defenders in the box and weaving free to set up Nikolic, who this time finished with a first-touch shot.
The Red Bulls didn't take long to respond though. Just 12 minutes after Nikolic's goal Kemar Lawrence scored down the left wing with a tight-angle shot that found the side netting and put the Red Bulls back on top.
The Fire could not find another equalizer and suffered a second straight loss. The Fire finished with the edge in possession (51 percent), shots (14 to 10) and shots on target (5 to 3).
David Accam returned to the starting lineup on the left wing in place of Michael de Leeuw. De Leeuw subbed into the match after the Red Bulls went up 2-1 and the Fire switched to a 4-4-2 formation.
The Fire fell outside the playoff spots in the Eastern Conference with the loss. Next Saturday the Fire visit the LA Galaxy.
Tottenham 2-0 Arsenal: Spurs quick pair wins North London derby.
By Kyle Bonn
(Photo/Getty Images)
The North London derby finished 2-0 in favor of the home side at White Hart Lane, and the last visit there for Arsene Wenger & company confirms they cannot catch Spurs. Dele Alli scored and Harry Kane struck from the spot just two minutes later as a quickfire double soon after halftime sent Tottenham through.
With White Hart Lane at full throat, Tottenham was the more dangerous side out of the gate. Harry Kane tested Petr Cech with a tight-angled shot inside the opening minute, and Toby Alderweireld had a set-piece header go just over the bar also from a difficult position. The Gunners also spent a bit of time in the opposition area as Kieran Gibbs forced Hugo Lloris off the line to challenge a ball near the end line.
Spurs had the best pair of chances of the opening half on 21 minutes back-to-back. Harry Kane delivered a ball towards the six-yard box, and with a deflection it came to the head of Dele Alli, who should have scored, but put it over the bar from right on the doorstep. Minutes later, Heung-Min Son sliced up Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the left flank and burst into the box, and while his shot was deflected, it fell to Christian Eriksen who also should have scored with the goal gaping, but didn’t hit the volley cleanly and skied it over.
Aaron Ramsey worked Hugo Lloris as the Frenchman was forced into a low save to his left on the midfielder’s shot seven minutes before halftime.
The hosts had the best chance straight out of halftime as Victor Wanyama charged down a loose ball and unleashed a howitzer on net that was just tipped over the bar by Petr Cech.
The breakthrough came in the 56th minute as Spurs went in front. Kane held the ball up brilliantly and found Alli, and under pressure Christian Eriksen latched onto it, and while his shot was saved, it fell back to Alli and he crashed it home. Immediately after, Spurs doubled their lead as Gabriel caught Kane’s foot in the penalty area, causing the England international to go to ground. Referee Michael Oliver gave the penalty, and Kane slotted it in off the left post.
Arsenal, suddenly down 2-0, looked to push forward to find a way back in. Olivier Giroud forced an easy scoop save from Lloris and then Gibbs fired over past the hour mark. The Gunners seemed shell-shocked at their sudden deficit, and by the time they truly worked themselves onto the ball, they were faced with a bunkered-in Spurs defense.
Tottenham saw the game out with little threat from the visitors, and the three points keeps pace with Chelsea, closing the gap back to four points with their ninth straight win. Arsenal, meanwhile, failed to capitalize on the opportunity brought on by Manchester United and Manchester City both dropping points earlier in the day.
Middlesbrough 2-2 Man City: Jesus stuns bright Boro.
By Kyle Bonn
Middlesbrough, feeling hard done by a harsh refereeing decision, felt justice had been done when Calum Chambers bungled the ball into the back of the net with 13 minutes to go. What a result it would be in the relegation battle.
It was not to be. Gabriel Jesus, on his return from injury, scored a thumping header with five minutes remaining to peg back Boro for the second time, leaving the home side with a valuable point but a bitter taste in their mouths.
City had its first good effort on net after eight minutes as Sergio Aguero shifted to his left and looked for the top corner but the ball curled just over the bar.
The game had little on net as it progressed past the half-hour mark, until Middlesbrough had a few half-chances. Marten De Roon put one over the bar under heavy pressure inside the penalty area, and then Stewart Downing also missed the target moments later.
With the home side impressing throughout the first half, matching City step for step, they managed to find a way in front. A Kevin De Bruyne cross was cut out by George Friend and it sparked a vicious break. Downing’s cross from the left was too far behind Friend, but it fell to Alvaro Negredo who fell as he shot, but managed to get the left-footed effort off the left post and into the back of the net as the home fans erupted. Negredo’s goal against his former club was only the beginning of his fantastic performance.
After the break, Pep Guardiola kept the starting lineup out there momentarily, but quickly made a double change just four minutes in as he yanked off Aleix Garcia and Gael Clichy in favor of Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling. They immediately made an impact as Sterling’s effort on net was only blocked last-ditch by Calum Chambers.
City began to attack with more vicious intent, and Sterling again had a shot blocked by Chambers’ face on 57 minutes. Their pressure bore fruit as Sane went down in the box under pressure from De Roon, and referee Kevin Friend pointed to the spot. The Middlesbrough players absolutely lost their minds, with both De Roon and Fabio earning yellow cards for dissent after the decision. At first glance of the replay there was a clear foul, but upon closer inspection it appeared Sane leaned heavily into the contact to draw the whistle.
Aguero blasted the penalty in to leave little doubt as the score leveled at 1-1, with the home fans and players still incensed. Middlesbrough looked for a way back into the lead by bringing on Adama Traore, who immediately drew a yellow on Nicolas Otamendi for a foul on a breakaway.
Middlesbrough would eventually get justice for the penalty, as they went back in front with 13 minutes remaining. A free-kick was only parried awkwardly by Willy Caballero, and somehow City failed to clear with the ball pinging all over the box. Negredo somehow kept it alive with a back-heel, and eventually his shot was turned in clumsily by Chambers who wheeled away in delight.
Again though, the lead would not hold. Fabio fouled Sane on the left flank, and Aguero delivered a cross into the box, and only Jesus judged it correctly, cracking the header past Brad Guzan. That leveled things at 2-2, ripping the collective hearts out of Riverside Stadium. City pushed for a winner down the stretch in tense final minutes, but could not find the right formula. Aguero had to come off late with what looked to be a slight knock, a slight concern for City at the end.
The point for Middlesbrough sees them climb within four of Swansea City, who also drew a Manchester club earlier on Sunday. They still remain six points adrift of safety with Hull City well above, leaving the draw feeling like a brutal loss. For City, they keep pace with Manchester United, but cannot build any lead above their single point.
Everton 0-3 Chelsea: Pedro stunner downs sleepy Everton.
By Kyle Bonn
This game was billed as potentially Chelsea’s toughest test left as they march towards the title. With both teams struggling to produce anything on goal, the Spaniard stepped up in the 66th minute and ripped a fantastic strike past Maarten Stekelenburg and into the top-left corner to put Chelsea through at Goodison Park.
Everton was off to a flyer as 20-year-old Dominic Calvert-Lewin cut into the box and fired off a shot from a tight angle that wrong-footed Thibaut Courtois and cannoned off the post. The Blues also missed a good chance as Eden Hazard got around Maarten Stekelenburg to his right, but despite the open net to shoot at, the extremely tight angle forced Hazard into the side-netting.
That was it though, as the first 45 minutes devolved into a brutal midfield battle, with neither side truly asserting its dominance. One of the only good efforts on net for either side in the first half came in the 23rd minute as Romelu Lukaku chested down a long ball and rifled a low shot on net from a long way out, and with Courtois just off line, the ball skittered agonizingly wide.
Everton looked to foul Hazard every time he got on the ball, so Chelsea hoped to work through the middle with Diego Costa and Pedro, but they did not produce a good chance before the halftime whistle.
The second half began where the first half left off, with little in the game. Diego Costa was eventually given his customary booking for a studs-up challenge on Stekelenburg as the ball came through and the Everton goalkeeper went to boot it away.
Finally, the moment of the game arrived as Pedro cut to his left outside the top of the box and lashed a shot that scorched into the top corner and put Chelsea through.
Everton had no response, and the Blues would double the lead with 11 minutes left as a free-kick came off Romelu Lukaku and fell to Gary Cahill at point-blank range, turned in for a 2-0 lead. There was a moment of concern for Chelsea fans down the stretch as David Luiz sat on the pitch multiple times seemingly massaging his groin, replaced eventually by Nathan Ake.
It all fell apart for the Toffees, as Chelsea added a third with minutes remaining. Diego Costa released substitute Cesc Fabregas, and his cutback to fellow sub Willian near the six-yard box left the Brazilian with a clean finish.
The three points for the Blues see them seven points clear at the top of the table, while Everton remains in seventh, with no danger below them but failing to take the chance to jump Arsenal before the North London derby.
Man United 1-1 Swansea: Sigurdsson rescues a point for Swans.
By Kyle Bonn
(Photo/Getty Images)
Wayne Rooney had bagged a highly controversial penalty at the stroke of halftime, but Sigurdsson delivered his specialty: a beautiful curling free-kick with 11 minutes to go as Swansea grabbed a point and doomed the home side to yet another single point at Old Trafford.
Swansea began with much of the early possession, with Manchester United sloppy on the ball. The home side, which has been struck by countless injuries of late, was forced into yet another early change as Luke Shaw was unable to make it out of the opening 10 minutes with an ankle injury, replaced by Antonio Valencia.
A furious chance for the Swans saw Fernando Llorente shake free of Eric Bailly and force a good save from David De Gea on 14 minutes. Down the other end two minutes later, Jesse Lingard timed a run well and received a brilliant ball from Anthony Martial, but he couldn’t bag the opener, with Lukasz Fabianski there to smother the ball.
On the half-hour mark, Martial burst into the box and took it on himself, cutting across three defenders to find space and firing on net but it was right at Fabianski who held on nervously.
Just before halftime, United found the breakthrough as Marcus Rashford went down near the endline on a challenge from Fabianski. The decision was poor, as Rashford dove amid hardly any contact from Fabianski off his line, but with the referee in a poor position to see the magnitude of the challenge, he pointed to the spot after a long deliberation. Wayne Rooney, who had been mostly invisible in the first 45 minutes, buried the chance from the spot with the final kick of the first half.
Rooney nearly had a second just minutes after the halftime break, but his effort on the empty left side of the net thumped into the back of Martial and harmlessly away. United then suffered yet another injury to its defense, with the reliable Eric Bailly unable to continue after whacking the back of Llorente’s leg.
Injuries were a concern for both sides throughout the contest. Swansea had just brought on Jefferson Montero, who has been plagued by hamstring problems all season. Montero was on the pitch just five minutes before pulling up after a physical contest between he and Antonio Valencia, forced back off the pitch and needed a stretcher to reach the tunnel. Martin Olsson came on, and was immediately thumped in the air full tilt by Ashley Young, but thankfully Olsson could continue despite the heavy clatter to his ribs.
Swansea fired a warning shot at the Red Devils on the break as Jordon Ayew cut back for Gylfi Sigurdsson, but he thumped the ball acres over the bar. That was a harbinger of things to come, as Ayew was fouled on the edge of the penalty area, and Sigurdsson stepped up to conjur the ball into the back of the net, with David de Gea failing to even produce an attempt at a save.
The visitors nearly snagged the win in six minutes of stoppage time, on a free-kick from Sigurdsson yet again, which he lofted into the box, and with Llorente’s defender Daley Blind falling to the turf, the Swans striker was completely free, but he bungled the wide-open chance and saw it harmlessly into the arms of De Gea.
The point for United only moves them within a point of the top four, failing to snag the chance to jump Manchester City, who have yet to play today. For Swansea, they fail to pull out of the relegation zone, still sitting two points below Hull City despite owning a slightly better goal differential.
La Liga & Serie A: Napoli gains ground on Roma and more.
By Matt Reed
(Photo/Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images)
A roundup of Sunday’s action in Spain and Italy’s top flights…
Celta Vigo 0-3 Athletic Bilbao
Bilbao is up to sixth place following Sunday’s win over Celta, and it was quite the dominant performance from the road side. Celta managed zero shots on target throughout the match in comparison to Bilbao’s 12, while Raul Garcia’s brace helped pace his side to victory with goals on each side of halftime. Mikel Rico added a third in the 83rd minute for good measure but there was never much doubt on the day as to which side was coming away with the points.
Real Betis 1-4 Alaves
Despite going down inside the opening quarter hour, Alaves put out a superb showing after halftime to solidify its place in the top 10 in Spain. Nenad Krsticic, Rubén Sobrino and Christian Santos scored in a 10-minute span early in the second half to give the visitors a commanding lead before Aleksandar Katai added his side’s fourth of the day late in stoppage time.
Elsewhere in La Liga
Osasuna 2-2 Deportivo La Coruna
Eibar 2-0 Leganes
Roma 1-3 Lazio
It’s always a fun one when these two sides get together in the Derby della Capitale but Lazio’s victory could prove quite costly for their rivals from Rome. Keita Balde Diao continues his fantastic scoring run for Lazio as the 22-year-old is up to 13 Serie A goals on the season after Sunday’s brace. The Senegalese striker scored after 12 minutes before providing the final touch on the match for the visiting side. Daniele de Rossi converted from the penalty spot to pull Roma even on the stroke of halftime, but Dusan Basta restored the lead for Lazio five minutes into after the break.
Napoli 1-0 Inter Milan
Jose Callejon made things a lot more interesting in the race for the UEFA Champions League. Following Roma’s defeat, a victory for Napoli ensured that the side would move to within a point of the Giallorossi in Serie A. And that’s exactly what Napoli did. Callejon’s first-half finish gave Napoli the cushion it needed on the day, and now sets up an intriguing race for automatic qualification into next season’s UCL.
Elsewhere in Serie A
Bologna 4-0 Udinese
Cagliari 1-0 Pescara
Crotone 1-1 AC Milan
Empoli 1-3 Sassuolo
Genoa 1-2 Chievo
Palermo 2-0 Fiorentina
La Liga: Barcelona, Real Madrid hold serve in tight title race.
Celta Vigo 0-3 Athletic Bilbao
Bilbao is up to sixth place following Sunday’s win over Celta, and it was quite the dominant performance from the road side. Celta managed zero shots on target throughout the match in comparison to Bilbao’s 12, while Raul Garcia’s brace helped pace his side to victory with goals on each side of halftime. Mikel Rico added a third in the 83rd minute for good measure but there was never much doubt on the day as to which side was coming away with the points.
Real Betis 1-4 Alaves
Despite going down inside the opening quarter hour, Alaves put out a superb showing after halftime to solidify its place in the top 10 in Spain. Nenad Krsticic, Rubén Sobrino and Christian Santos scored in a 10-minute span early in the second half to give the visitors a commanding lead before Aleksandar Katai added his side’s fourth of the day late in stoppage time.
Elsewhere in La Liga
Osasuna 2-2 Deportivo La Coruna
Eibar 2-0 Leganes
Roma 1-3 Lazio
It’s always a fun one when these two sides get together in the Derby della Capitale but Lazio’s victory could prove quite costly for their rivals from Rome. Keita Balde Diao continues his fantastic scoring run for Lazio as the 22-year-old is up to 13 Serie A goals on the season after Sunday’s brace. The Senegalese striker scored after 12 minutes before providing the final touch on the match for the visiting side. Daniele de Rossi converted from the penalty spot to pull Roma even on the stroke of halftime, but Dusan Basta restored the lead for Lazio five minutes into after the break.
Napoli 1-0 Inter Milan
Jose Callejon made things a lot more interesting in the race for the UEFA Champions League. Following Roma’s defeat, a victory for Napoli ensured that the side would move to within a point of the Giallorossi in Serie A. And that’s exactly what Napoli did. Callejon’s first-half finish gave Napoli the cushion it needed on the day, and now sets up an intriguing race for automatic qualification into next season’s UCL.
Elsewhere in Serie A
Bologna 4-0 Udinese
Cagliari 1-0 Pescara
Crotone 1-1 AC Milan
Empoli 1-3 Sassuolo
Genoa 1-2 Chievo
Palermo 2-0 Fiorentina
La Liga: Barcelona, Real Madrid hold serve in tight title race.
By Andy Edwards
(AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
A roundup of Saturday’s action in Spain’s top flight…
Espanyol 0-3 Barcelona
Barcelona are doing all they can do — win — in their bid to usurp Real Madrid in the race for the title. While they entered the weekend — and still are — ahead of their El Clasico rivals based on head-to-head results this season, Los Blancos still have a game in hand which will surely decide whether Madrid claim their 33rd top-division title, or a 25th for Barca.
On Saturday, Luis Enrique’s side had more than just the title at stake — also at stake: the Derbi Barceloni, against fellow Catalan side Espanyol.
For 45 minutes, the home side held firm and refused to break, but once Luis Suarez put the Blaugrana ahead in the 50th minute, that was all she wrote. Ivan Rakitic doubled the advantage in the 76th minute, and Suarez completed the scoring 11 minutes later.
Real Madrid 2-1 Valencia
By the time the derby kicked off, Madrid had already applied the pressure and gone three points clear with a 2-1 victory that was a whole lot closer than the final score indicates.
Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring just before the half-hour mark, and Zinedine Zidane’s side was well on its way to victory. Ronaldo followed up his opening goal with a missed penalty kick 10 minutes into the second half, and Daniel Parejo pulled the visitors level with a sensational free kick just eight minutes before the end of regular time. Points looked sure to be dropped, and the door opened wider for Barca, but Marcelo was prepared to play the part of hero on the day, and the Brazilian left back bagged one of the season’s more improbable goals, a right-footed strike from the top of the box, in the 86th minute.
Elsewhere in La Liga
Las Palmas 0-5 Atletico Madrid
Real Sociedad 2-1 Granada
Espanyol 0-3 Barcelona
Barcelona are doing all they can do — win — in their bid to usurp Real Madrid in the race for the title. While they entered the weekend — and still are — ahead of their El Clasico rivals based on head-to-head results this season, Los Blancos still have a game in hand which will surely decide whether Madrid claim their 33rd top-division title, or a 25th for Barca.
On Saturday, Luis Enrique’s side had more than just the title at stake — also at stake: the Derbi Barceloni, against fellow Catalan side Espanyol.
For 45 minutes, the home side held firm and refused to break, but once Luis Suarez put the Blaugrana ahead in the 50th minute, that was all she wrote. Ivan Rakitic doubled the advantage in the 76th minute, and Suarez completed the scoring 11 minutes later.
Real Madrid 2-1 Valencia
By the time the derby kicked off, Madrid had already applied the pressure and gone three points clear with a 2-1 victory that was a whole lot closer than the final score indicates.
Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring just before the half-hour mark, and Zinedine Zidane’s side was well on its way to victory. Ronaldo followed up his opening goal with a missed penalty kick 10 minutes into the second half, and Daniel Parejo pulled the visitors level with a sensational free kick just eight minutes before the end of regular time. Points looked sure to be dropped, and the door opened wider for Barca, but Marcelo was prepared to play the part of hero on the day, and the Brazilian left back bagged one of the season’s more improbable goals, a right-footed strike from the top of the box, in the 86th minute.
Elsewhere in La Liga
Las Palmas 0-5 Atletico Madrid
Real Sociedad 2-1 Granada
Monday’s La Liga schedule
Malaga vs. Sevilla — 3 p.m. ET
NCAAFB: Air Force changes rules for football players with NFL aspirations.
By Kevin McGuire
One of the top players from Air Force was ineligible to be drafted by the NFL this weekend, and it had nothing to do with NFL rules. It also had nothing to do with NFL teams backing away from a particular player due to off-field concerns. Instead, a policy at Air Force is what is to blame for wide receiver Jalen Robinette not moving on to the NFL at this time.
The U.S. Air Force will not approve requests from academy graduates to defer their two years of active duty in order to be allowed to play professional football. Just a year ago, the Department of Defense changed the policy to allow for the possibility, which made it possible for Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds to be allowed to play. Reynolds later joined the Baltimore Ravens. Reynolds had received a recommendation to be allowed to play by the U.S. Naval Academy.
“The Air Force notified academy leaders [Thursday] that the service would not approve requests to waiver active duty military commitments for cadet athletes,” a statement from Air Force read. “Cadets will be required to serve two years active duty prior to entering Ready Reserve, which would allow their participation in professional sports. The Air Force places tremendous value on our cadet athletes and their contributions to the nation as we continue to build leaders of character, engage in combat operations overseas and continue to ensure our highest military readiness at home.”
Because of the policy change and confirmation, Robinette was not able to be drafted. He may still have been a long shot to be drafted by an NFL Team, but the policy also means he is unable to be signed as an undrafted free agent as well.
Nearly three-fourths of 2017 first-round NFL draft picks were 4- or 5-star recruits.
By John Taylor
Malaga vs. Sevilla — 3 p.m. ET
NCAAFB: Air Force changes rules for football players with NFL aspirations.
By Kevin McGuire
(AP Photo/The Colorado Springs Gazette, Michael Ciaglo)
One of the top players from Air Force was ineligible to be drafted by the NFL this weekend, and it had nothing to do with NFL rules. It also had nothing to do with NFL teams backing away from a particular player due to off-field concerns. Instead, a policy at Air Force is what is to blame for wide receiver Jalen Robinette not moving on to the NFL at this time.
The U.S. Air Force will not approve requests from academy graduates to defer their two years of active duty in order to be allowed to play professional football. Just a year ago, the Department of Defense changed the policy to allow for the possibility, which made it possible for Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds to be allowed to play. Reynolds later joined the Baltimore Ravens. Reynolds had received a recommendation to be allowed to play by the U.S. Naval Academy.
“The Air Force notified academy leaders [Thursday] that the service would not approve requests to waiver active duty military commitments for cadet athletes,” a statement from Air Force read. “Cadets will be required to serve two years active duty prior to entering Ready Reserve, which would allow their participation in professional sports. The Air Force places tremendous value on our cadet athletes and their contributions to the nation as we continue to build leaders of character, engage in combat operations overseas and continue to ensure our highest military readiness at home.”
Because of the policy change and confirmation, Robinette was not able to be drafted. He may still have been a long shot to be drafted by an NFL Team, but the policy also means he is unable to be signed as an undrafted free agent as well.
Nearly three-fourths of 2017 first-round NFL draft picks were 4- or 5-star recruits.
By John Taylor
(Photo/Associated Press)
For those who completely dismiss recruiting rankings, the NFL draft showed again last night that they do mean something.
The 2017 version of the annual player selection meeting kicked off Thursday night in Philadelphia, with a total of 32 players selected in the opening round. Of those 32, nearly 75 percent — 22 to be exact — were either four- or five-star recruits. Nine were the latter, 13 the former.
The 2017 version of the annual player selection meeting kicked off Thursday night in Philadelphia, with a total of 32 players selected in the opening round. Of those 32, nearly 75 percent — 22 to be exact — were either four- or five-star recruits. Nine were the latter, 13 the former.
Four of the first six selections, and three of the first four, were five-star recruits. Myles Garrett of Texas A&M, the No. 1 overall pick, was the No. 2 player in the 2014 recruiting class; LSU’s Leonard Fournette, drafted fourth by the Jacksonville Jaguars, was the top recruit in that same class.
Just two of the 32 selections came from non-Power Five conferences, Western Michigan’s Corey Davis and Temple’s Haason Reddick. Davis was one of two two-star recruits, Missouri’s Charles Harris being the other, while Reddick began his career with the Owls as a walk-on.
There were also six three-star recruits drafted, the highest being Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes at No. 10 overall. He was also the second quarterback taken, behind only Mitch Trubisky of North Carolina (four-star).
Add all of those up, and you get 31 of the players selected last night. The 32nd? Wisconsin offensive lineman Ryan Ramczyk, who had an interesting, to say the least, route to major college football. From Ramczyk’s NFL.com draft profile:
Ramczyk (pronounced RAM-check) is a rare case of a Division III student-athlete making the jump to major college football. Even though he was an all-state pick from Wisconsin, he chose to turn down offers from FBS and FCS schools (one from Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst, who was at Pitt at the time) to attend a local technical college. After a year off, he decided to play at his hometown school, the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point. Ramczyk was a two-time all-conference pick there at left tackle before deciding to transfer to play for Chryst at Wisconsin.Appropriately, Ramczyk was the last player selected in the first round, taken at No. 32 by the New Orleans Saints.
1.) Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M, 2014 5-star (Cleveland Browns)
2.) Mitch Trubisky, QB, North Carolina, 2013 4-star (Chicago Bears)
3.) Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford, 2014 5-star (San Francisco 49ers)
4.) Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU, 2014 5-star (Jacksonville Jaguars)
5.) Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan, 2013 2-star (Tennessee Titans)
6.) Jamal Adams, DB, LSU, 2014 5-star (New York Jets)
7.) Mike Williams, WR, Clemson, 2013 4-star (Los Angeles Chargers)
8.) Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford, 2014 4-star (Carolina Panthers)
9.) John Ross, WR, Washington, 2013 4-star (Cincinnati Bengals)
10.) Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech, 2013 3-star (Kansas City Chiefs)
11.) Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State, 2014 4-star (New Orleans Saints)
12.) Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson, 2014 4-star (Houston Texans)
13.) Haason Reddick, LB, Temple, walk-on (Arizona Cardinals)
14.) Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee, 2014 4-star (Philadelphia Eagles)
15.) Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State, 2014 4-star (Indianapolis Colts)
16.) Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama, 2015 4-star (Baltimore Ravens)
17.) Jonathan Allen, DE, Alabama, 2013 5-star (Washington Redskins)
18.) Adoree’ Jackson, CB, USC, 2014 5-star (Tennessee Titans)
19.) O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama, 2013 5-star (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
20.) Garett Bolles, OL, Utah, 2016 4-star (Denver Broncos)
21.) Jarrad Davis, LB, Florida, 2013 3-star (Detroit Lions)
22.) Charles Harris, DE, Missouri, 2013 2-star (Miami Dolphins)
23.) Evan Engram, TE, Ole Miss, 2013 3-star (New York Giants)
24.) Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State, 2013 4-star (Oakland Raiders)
25.) Jabrill Peppers, S, Michigan, 2014 5-star (Cleveland Browns)
26.) Takkarist McKinley, DE, UCLA, 2013 3-star (Atlanta Falcons)
27.) Tre’Davious White, CB, LSU, 2013 4-star (Buffalo Bills)
28.) Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan, 2013 4-star (Dallas Cowboys)
29.) David Njoku, TE, Miami, 2014 3-star (Cleveland Browns)
30.) T.J. Watt, LB, Wisconsin, 2013 3-star (Pittsburgh Steelers)
31.) Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama, 2013 5-star (San Francisco 49ers)
32.) Ryan Ramczyk, OL, Wisconsin, no rating (New Orleans Saints)
NCAABKB: A record $439 million was bet on basketball in March in Las Vegas.
By Rob Dauster
(Photo/Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
The month of March was quite friendly to Las Vegas.
According to ESPN, more money was bet on basketball during the month of March than in any month in the state’s regulated sports betting history.
And while the numbers produced by Las Vegas books don’t separate college and professional basketball betting, the money coming in on college hoops is pretty clear: $439 million was bet on basketball in March, more than double the $213 million bet on the sport in February.
It was profitable, too.
Those Vegas books kept more than $40 million dollars of the money that was gambled on basketball, which shattered the previous record of roughly $28 million in winnings.
Sudden recruiting surge could propel UNLV back to relevance next season.
By Jeff Eisenberg
According to ESPN, more money was bet on basketball during the month of March than in any month in the state’s regulated sports betting history.
And while the numbers produced by Las Vegas books don’t separate college and professional basketball betting, the money coming in on college hoops is pretty clear: $439 million was bet on basketball in March, more than double the $213 million bet on the sport in February.
It was profitable, too.
Those Vegas books kept more than $40 million dollars of the money that was gambled on basketball, which shattered the previous record of roughly $28 million in winnings.
Sudden recruiting surge could propel UNLV back to relevance next season.
By Jeff Eisenberg
UNLV coach Marvin Menzies has pulled off a series of recruiting coups this week. (Photo/AP)
If Marvin Menzies fulfills his goal of reinvigorating the UNLV basketball program, he might remember this week as the start of that transformation.
The Rebels have reeled in three prominent recruits that could form the foundation for the program’s turnaround.
It started with a surprising commitment from five-star center Brandon McCoy, who chose UNLV over Oregon, Michigan State, Arizona and San Diego State on Tuesday night. McCoy, a 6-foot-11 McDonald’s All-American, is a skilled low-post scorer, shot blocker and rebounder who should emerge as a frontcourt centerpiece for the Rebels from day one.
The jolt of energy from the McCoy commitment helped UNLV land two more players on Wednesday who also figure to make an immediate impact.
Shakur Juiston, a 6-foot-7 power forward, emerged as one of the nation’s top junior college prospects by leading Hutchinson Community College (Kansas) to a national championship while averaging 17.3 points and 12.1 rebounds per game. He chose UNLV despite heavy interest from Iowa State and a long list of other Division I suitors.
Amauri Hardy, a three-star point guard from Michigan, also committed to UNLV on Wednesday, picking the Rebels over Arkansas, Georgia Tech and Seton Hall. The former Oklahoma State commit reopened his recruitment earlier this spring when Brad Underwood left for Illinois.
That trio of incoming players gives UNLV hope of vaulting back into contention in the Mountain West next season after last year’s miserable campaign. Menzies inherited a roster decimated by defections and finished 11-21 in his debut season despite doing a respectable job of scrambling for talent late last spring.
Optimism was scarce after Jalen Poyser, Troy Baxter and Zion Morgan — three of UNLV’s most talented players — all transferred this spring, but this week’s recruiting haul changes all that. Suddenly there’s a sense that UNLV has momentum again, that the Rebels could be relevant in the Mountain West and nationally sooner rather than later.
The key was landing McCoy, who was thought to be an Oregon lean the past few months.
UNLV managed to riggle its way into contention because of its staff’s strong relationship with McCoy’s guardian Shaun Manning. Menzies’ history of developing big men at New Mexico State didn’t hurt, nor did the fact that the Rebels previously signed one of McCoy’s close friends and former AAU teammates, junior college transfer Anthony Smith, earlier this year.
Add McCoy, Juiston and Hardy to next year’s UNLV roster, and suddenly the Rebels look a whole lot more formidable.
Milwaukee transfer Jordan Johnson is an experienced point guard who averaged 12.5 points and 8.1 assists as a junior with the Panthers. Shooting guard Jovan Mooring was the Rebels’ leading scorer and top outside shooter last year. Forward Dwayne Morgan should also be an asset after having his season cut short due to injury last year.
With New Mexico rebuilding after a coaching change and San Diego State also enduring a coaching transition, it wasn’t clear if anyone could pose a serious threat to reigning Mountain West champion Nevada next season.
The way UNLV revamped its roster this week, the Rebels now have a shot.
Anthony Joshua gets up off canvas to knock out Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley Stadium.
By Liam Happe
(Photo/yahoosports.com)
Anthony Joshua stopped Wladimir Klitschko in round 11 of one of the best heavyweight fights in ages in front of a record crowd of 90,000 at Wembley Stadium.
IBF world champion Joshua looked to have the edge in the first four rounds before scoring a knockdown in the fifth which brought the entire stadium to its feet.
Klitschko actually finished the round strong enough to potentially cancel out the 10-8 score a knockdown usually brings, before dropping the champ himself in the sixth – the first time Joshua had been put on the canvas.
It was gut check time for AJ for a few rounds as Wlad looked calm and in control, as if it was one of his many successful defenses during his decade-long reign ended by Tyson Fury in 2015.
But Joshua was able to stop the rot as the fight reached rounds he had never before experienced, and in the penultimate of the 12-round championship contest he unleashed a brutal ‘Hail Mary’ of an uppercut which led to ‘Dr. Steelhammer’ tasting the mat again.
This time, Joshua’s second wind was enough to stay on top of the tiring Klitschko and another knockdown followed before the referee pulled the triumphant Anthony off his beaten opponent to a deafening response from the Wembley crowd.
The win brings Joshua’s perfect record to 19-0 with 19 knockout victories, and adds the WBA title to his IBF crown. A full unification of the division will surely be AJ’s next goal, though he said in his post-match interview that he would love to give Tyson Fury the chance to regain the belts he never lost in the ring.
Co-promoter Eddie Hearn confidently predicted a prompt 22:00 start for the much-anticipated main event, and a breezy undercard loaded with fellow former Olympians but very low on marquee support ensured it was a safe prediction.
British Rio 2016 representative Joe Cordina won a drawing of lots to have his bout open the Sky Box Office card, with his compadres from Brazil Lawrence Okolie and Josh Kelly designated as floating contests (to be slotted in whenever the main card was ahead of schedule) which were ultimately scrapped from the card. Cordina went 2-0 as a professional, requiring just two minutes to finish off Germany’s Sergej Vib.
Katie Taylor’s fifth professional bout was much different to the four more dominant washouts preceding it, in front of electric crowds at more intimate venues. Wembley was very much half-empty and relatively-tame for her hard-fought win over Nina Meinke after nearly seven rounds – a big cut above the German’s eye forced the referee to call a halt to the fight.
The win means the Irish star’s next bout should be for a world championship, which Taylor will hope to add to her many amateur accolades.
Luke Campbell endured a rough start to his WBA lightweight title eliminator against Darleys Perez, arguably losing all of the first three rounds before finding his range and gradually breaking the Colombian down for a ninth-round stoppage.
Hull hero Campbell will now hope to do what compatriot Anthony Crolla failed to achieve in two attempts – dethrone impressive titlist Jorge Linares.
In the chief support contest, Scott Quigg put himself next in line for the IBF featherweight strap with an aggressive but flawed showing against Viorel Simion. The nature of his maiden victory under new trainer Freddie Roach didn’t have current champ, Wales’ Lee Selby, quaking in his boots judging by his comments during the Englishman’s 12-round decision win on social media.
Katie Taylor’s fifth professional bout was much different to the four more dominant washouts preceding it, in front of electric crowds at more intimate venues. Wembley was very much half-empty and relatively-tame for her hard-fought win over Nina Meinke after nearly seven rounds – a big cut above the German’s eye forced the referee to call a halt to the fight.
The win means the Irish star’s next bout should be for a world championship, which Taylor will hope to add to her many amateur accolades.
Luke Campbell endured a rough start to his WBA lightweight title eliminator against Darleys Perez, arguably losing all of the first three rounds before finding his range and gradually breaking the Colombian down for a ninth-round stoppage.
Hull hero Campbell will now hope to do what compatriot Anthony Crolla failed to achieve in two attempts – dethrone impressive titlist Jorge Linares.
In the chief support contest, Scott Quigg put himself next in line for the IBF featherweight strap with an aggressive but flawed showing against Viorel Simion. The nature of his maiden victory under new trainer Freddie Roach didn’t have current champ, Wales’ Lee Selby, quaking in his boots judging by his comments during the Englishman’s 12-round decision win on social media.
Pick a horse, any horse: Kentucky Derby is wide open as ever.
By Beth Harris
Having the four-time Derby-winning trainer without at least one horse in the race for just the second time in 11 years indicates what an unpredictable winter it's been leading to the start of the Triple Crown.
Baffert's best horse, Mastery, got hurt after crossing the finish line first in the San Felipe Stakes. None of his other 3-year-olds developed into Derby material. Instead, he'll aim for the $1 million Kentucky Oaks for fillies on Derby eve.
This year's road to the 143rd Derby derailed other contenders because of injuries, including now-retired Not This Time, Klimt and Syndergaard.
"The amazing thing of getting a horse to the Derby is keeping him injury free," said Doug O'Neill, who trained last year's winner Nyquist.
For the first time in four years, the winner likely won't be from California.
"It's as wide open as we've seen in a long time. You're going to have some big odds on whoever the favorite is," said Dale Romans, who trains Gotham Stakes winner J Boys Echo. "It could be any horse this race. I don't think this really means it's a bad group of horses, I think it's an even group of horses."
There's Classic Empire, who boasts an impressive resume as last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner and champion 2-year-old. He won the Arkansas Derby and finished third in the Holy Bull Stakes, his only two starts this year.
His path to Churchill Downs hasn't been smooth, however. He had a foot abscess and a back issue that prevented him from working out for a while. Twice in recent months, Classic Empire refused to train.
"I've never once counted him out. I know a lot of people have," trainer Mark Casse said. "I feel that ability-wise, he is the most talented horse out there right now."
Casse also trains State of Honor, the Florida Derby runner-up.
Todd Pletcher has three horses set to run May 6 in the 1?-mile race, with Florida Derby winner Always Dreaming as his leading contender.
Of course, big numbers are nothing new for the New York-based trainer.
He had five runners in 2013 and 2007. Yet for his 45 career starters, Pletcher has never had a Derby favorite. That could change this year with Always Dreaming, who had the fastest time among 35 horses going 5 furlongs at Churchill Downs on Friday.
"He's got the right style to be really tough," O'Neill said.
Pletcher's lone victory came in 2010 with Super Saver. He is set to tie mentor D. Wayne Lukas (48) for most career starters.
"Our Derby record is not as good as we'd like it to be," he said. "We've had some horses overachieve on their way to getting there and in some cases, underachieve in the race itself."
Besides Always Dreaming, Pletcher's other horses are: Patch and Tapwrit. He said Saturday that Battalion Runner and Malagacy won't run.
There's Girvin, the Louisiana Derby winner in a race against time to mend a crack in his right front hoof. His 32-year-old trainer Joe Sharp, the husband of retired jockey Rosie Napravnik, is doing everything he can to heal the colt in time to saddle his first Derby starter. Girvin had a similar crack earlier in the year and responded quickly to treatment.
"I'm not saying that I think I'm going to win the Derby, but I definitely wouldn't trade places with anybody," Sharp said. "He's always consistent and he's got the kind of running style that wins big races."
As usual, a full field of 20 is expected. The final lineup won't be known until Wednesday, when entries are drawn and post positions assigned.
Graham Motion, who trained 2011 Derby winner Animal Kingdom, is back with Irish War Cry, the Wood Memorial winner. His sire is Curlin, a two-time Horse of the Year who finished third in the 2007 Derby.
Still looking for his first Derby win is Steve Asmussen, who will saddle Hence, Lookin At Lee and Untrapped.
The Desormeaux brothers are back again, too. Trainer Keith has Sonneteer, who will be ridden by his brother Kent. Last year, they teamed to finished second with Exaggerator.
Olympic skier Bode Miller recently bought into his first Derby starter, Fast and Accurate, winner of the Spiral Stakes. For years, Miller has been a guest of his pal Baffert during Derby week, but now he's got some skin in the race.
For the fifth straight year, the field is determined by points from designated prep races. The top 20 earn a spot in the starting gate.
On This Date in Sports History: Today is Friday, May 01, 2017.
Memoriesofhistory.com
1751 - The first cricket match is played in America.
1751 - The first cricket match is played in America.
1891 - Cy Young pitches first game played in Cleveland's League Park: Cleveland Spiders 12, Cincinnati Redlegs 3.
1926 - Satchel Paige makes pitching debut in US Negro Southern League.
1965 - Stanley Cup: Montreal Canadiens beat Chicago Blackhawks, 4 games to 3.
1986 - Bill Elliott sets stock car speed record of 212.229 mph.
1989 - Jockey Chris Antley ends record of 64 consecutive winning days.
1991 - Nolan Ryan of the Texas Rangers pitches his seventh career no-hitter (breaking his own record), beating the Toronto Blue Jays 3-0.
1992 - Rickey Henderson steals his 1,000th base.
2004 - Barry Bonds sets a major league record by being walked four times intentionally in a nine-inning game.
1926 - Satchel Paige makes pitching debut in US Negro Southern League.
1965 - Stanley Cup: Montreal Canadiens beat Chicago Blackhawks, 4 games to 3.
1986 - Bill Elliott sets stock car speed record of 212.229 mph.
1989 - Jockey Chris Antley ends record of 64 consecutive winning days.
1991 - Nolan Ryan of the Texas Rangers pitches his seventh career no-hitter (breaking his own record), beating the Toronto Blue Jays 3-0.
1992 - Rickey Henderson steals his 1,000th base.
2004 - Barry Bonds sets a major league record by being walked four times intentionally in a nine-inning game.
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