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TRENDING: Blackhawks hire Jeremy Colliton as new Rockford IceHogs coach. (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates and NHL news).
TRENDING: NBA Buzz: Financial and competitive realities could lead to Jimmy Butler trade for Bulls. What's Your Take? See the basketball section for Bulls news and NBA updates).
TRENDING: Javy Baez gives the Cubs a jolt with epic grand slam, bat flip. White Sox erase four-run deficit, but lose series opener to Mariners in walk-off fashion. (See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).
TRENDING: NASCAR’s All-Star weekend schedule at Charlotte Motor Speedway. (See the NASCAR section for NASCAR news and racing updates).
TRENDING: Preakness Stakes betting odds for field after draw results. (See the last article on this blog for Preakness news and racing updates).
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! The Untouchables: Which Bears are indispensable?
By Robert Zeglinski
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(Photo/Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports)
It’s obvious the Chicago Bears haven’t enjoyed much success of late. In that light, it can be difficult to figure who exactly is irreplaceable, un-tradable, or otherwise designated as important in the ongoing rebuild of general manager Ryan Pace. Sure you can always project the potential of talents such as new tight end Adam Shaheen or Tarik Cohen, but the current roster and it’s actual construction paints a different picture.
Without the context of winning - which is overblown anyway in a team sport built on 11 players doing their job - understanding which Bears will be a part of the next playoff contender, or even championship team in Chicago, is difficult because of such a small sample size of individual flash and no actual team success. Other contenders such as the New England Patriots or Green Bay Packers can safely say their quarterbacks in Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers are indispensable. They know linebackers such as Dont’a Hightower or defensive ends such as Mike Daniels are game-changing players on a consistent basis no matter the stage.
With the Bears ... well, outside linebacker Leonard Floyd can be great. Rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky can be special. Nose tackle Eddie Goldman can define games. But it’s much too early to clearly say either way. And that’s much of the same story with the rest of the Bears roster.
However, outside of the guys with potential, its also an exercise to understand who’s actually dispensable with the Bears at the moment. Veteran tight end Zach Miller is likely on his last legs with the addition of Shaheen in the draft and Dion Sims in free agency. What about Lamarr Houston, Ka’Deem Carey, and Adrian Amos? These are depth players who don’t hold the future of the Bears in their hands. They don’t tilt the field.
But that’s not the purpose of this conversation. It’s about determining which Bears are the most important. Which Bears will define their coming potential success, if it ever arrives?
The easy answers are the previously mentioned Floyd and Trubisky, who you can easily designate as the faces of the franchise on both sides of the ball if their ceilings pan out. There’s no need to play around here and mention other names. Floyd and Trubisky’s futures mean everything and anything to the Bears.
If Trubisky becomes a top-10 or “championship quarterback,” that means the Bears are likely perennially in the playoffs and no longer a bottom-feeding team in the NFL. That will mean they will finally have stabilized the quarterback position with a legitimate star and given that star the necessary support offensively. In that respect, Trubisky can then become the kind of passer that masks other flaws on the roster, the way great quarterbacks do, especially whenever there’s a new need to address for the Bears each year.
If Floyd becomes the kind of pass rusher that regularly has double digit sacks and makes many Pro Bowls, the Bears defense returns to an expected level for a franchise that prides itself on defensive play historically. That will have meant that Floyd’s athleticism is consistently peaking and humiliating offensive tackles as he becomes the talk of the league with his unique 6-foot-6, 250 pound basketball player frame as an edge rusher. The kind of pass rushing demon that defenses scheme to make sure he doesn’t ruin their defensive game plan and he still does.
In the case of Trubisky’s effect on Chicago’s play if he develops as the brain trust at Halas Hall believes he can, look no further than last year’s quarterback carousel. Collectively, the quintuplet of Jay Cutler, Brian Hoyer, Matt Barkley, David Fales, and even Cameron Meredith combined for an 81.8 quarterback rating. They threw 19 touchdowns to 19 interceptions.
That group Bears 2016 passer rating, if you combined all five players, would’ve been 25th in the NFL, just after the Ravens’ Joe Flacco and before the Eagles’ struggling Carson Wentz.. That touchdown to interception ratio would’ve been in the same company of the much-maligned Brock Osweiler and his 15-16 glory, or the Broncos’ Trevor Siemian and his 18-10 game managing (though he threw far less picks).
This does ignore the idea of other problems the Bears offense had last season such as a rotating stable of wide receivers or the occasional lost identity at intermittent points throughout the year. However, with a sure thing under center and continuity, Chicago probably isn’t tied for 28th in scoring with the Houston Texans. There’s more reason then to fear the offense outside of Jordan Howard bulldozing defenders.
Alas due to injuries and occasional relative abhorrent play (mostly from Barkley), that didn’t happen, and it’s why the Bears have made the investment in Trubisky, regardless of when they believe he’s ready to play. His future, particularly in the modern NFL where you need quality quarterbacks more than anything, will define the trajectory of this franchise over the next few seasons, or longer, bar none.
If Trubisky grows into a special player, this is the kind of play you can expect. The kind of throw where the everything breaks down and a quarterback just has to find his receiver and make something happen.
From the other side, Floyd had one of the most dominant stretches for pass rushers last year, ranking second among 3-4 outside linebackers in Pro Football Focus’s pass rushing productivity from Weeks 10 to 14. Of course, the Bears only one won game in this stretch against the similarly hapless San Francisco 49ers, while falling to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Giants, Tennessee Titans (didn’t play due to injury), and Detroit Lions.
But it was hard to deny the consistent pressure that Floyd put on with 3.5 sacks in the same time frame along with countless pressures that with a more seasoned player, finish as sacks. Or the constant flash of a lanky No. 94 in the backfield chasing quarterbacks. Yet besides that late October and early November stretch, Floyd was nowhere to be found. Yes, he had 7.0 sacks overall last year, but they came in short spurts mostly in that midseason burst. That was largely due to injury struggles with concussions, and also generally working against the grain as an undersized player.
Moving forward, given how the Bears have invested their resources offensively in the 2017 NFL Draft with four of five selections on offense, it’s clear Chicago is banking on the talent of their front seven. That front seven is led by Floyd and by what they believe he can become, which is a superstar pass rusher. Regardless of how the game has changed, nothing impacts a defenses’ overall play more than a quality pass rush. It has a trickle down effect across the entire defense to create turnovers and get off the field on third down. This is Chicago’s centered construction.
And with a star like Floyd and the attention paid to him, that also allows other individuals along the Bears’ defensive front such as Goldman, or Akiem Hicks to thrive in different ways with one-on-one match-ups. Suffice to say, the Bears know what Floyd is capable of and what he can do for the defense, he just needs to need string it together across an entire season. The expectations are set high, because in time, the newly minted 250 pound second-year pro can reach them.
Flashes such as this have to evolve into a regularly cresting wave.
You can debate this to end of the time, but either Floyd, Trubisky, or both panning out would likely turn the Bears into a contender more than any other current player on the 90-man camp roster.
Now, if you exclude Trubisky and Floyd, you could also make a case for a few other current Bears as untouchable, crucial assets to the Chicago football operation.
Akiem Hicks
After a dominant, breakout 2016 season, Hicks should be in line for a coming contract extension. He was that good in his first season with the Bears as a true lynchpin for defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. For an interior player, Hicks was unblockable as a pass rusher with seven sacks and set the tone on the interior for Chicago. His play greatly contributed to the Bears coming in 12th in the NFL with 37 sacks. As he’s still just 27-years-old, you likely haven’t seen the best of Hicks here either.
Cameron Meredith
Meredith led the Bears in every relevant receiving statistic last year (partly due to a suspension of now Eagle Alshon Jeffery), but there’s no denying his importance. There are a lot of question marks on Chicago’s offense right now - especially at receiver - and Meredith isn’t one of them. He probably isn’t a true No. 1 wideout - as he’ll be used in 2017 - but there are only a handful of those kinds of receivers in the NFL. With higher usage, impeccable route running, and quickness, Meredith is poised to burn defensive backs regularly.
Jordan Howard
When the 2016 Bears offense was rolling, and it wasn’t often, it was almost always on the back of Howard churning his legs through the second level. The rookie simply couldn’t be stopped when Chicago fed him the ball. With developing and or inexperienced quarterbacks under center such as Trubisky or Mike Glennon, the Bears will count on Howard even more in his second season. Coming in second in the league in rushing with 1,313 yards for one year isn’t good enough. The Bears can’t afford a let down from their offensive bell cow.
A case for someone else
Sure, one could make the argument for one or all of the Bears’ interior linemen in Josh Sitton, Cody Whitehair, and Kyle Long. They set the tone for a power running game and ball control offense. There’s also Jerrell Freeman, who graded out as one of the best inside linebackers last year when he was actually on the field. But outside of that, I think this list is pretty simple. I think the Bears know who their primary untouchables are too and this is how I’d see it.
1. Trubisky
2. Floyd
3. Hicks
4. Meredith
5. Howard
The Bears aren’t contenders yet.
But on the strength of the development of some of these players, as well as guys maintaining their high-level play, you can better understand how the current roster is built. And of course, how all will shine in the future if everything goes according to the plan on the lake front.
Did Bears sign any tryout players?
By Larry Mayer
By Larry Mayer
Did the Bears sign any of the players who tried out during their rookie minicamp?
Evan B., Homewood, Illinois
Yes, they signed Central Michigan receiver
Which of the Bears’ undrafted rookies has the best chance of making the 53-man roster?
Frank H., Long Grove, Illinois
It’s difficult to project the 53-man roster before the Bears have even held their first OTA practice, but the undrafted free agent who impressed me most at the rookie minicamp was receiver
Do you think rookie
Jeff D., Colorado Springs, Colorado
Phillips is certainly an impressive kid and kicker. He was a world class downhill skier who served a church mission in Norway before playing college football. At Utah, he was a four-time All-Pac 12 selection and four-time Lou Groza Award semifinalist. He set school records for field goals made (84), field goals attempted (100), points scored (427) and points per game (8.4). Last year Phillips made 21-of-25 field-goal attempts (84 percent). I thought Connor Barth did an excellent job of rebounding from a slow start last year and will be interested to watch Barth and Phillips kick during training camp and the offseason. I’m not saying that Phillips will unseat Barth, but I do feel he has a legitimate chance to win the job and isn’t just a “camp leg.”
Bears DB coach Ed Donatell looks to get quality from quantity.
By Chris Boden
(Photo/USA TODAY)
If you check out the Bears roster right now, there are eight cornerbacks, eight safeties, and Deiondre Hall, whom they’ll try at safety but isn’t necessarily not a cornerback anymore, either.
Veteran defensive backs coach Ed Donatell was not given the supposed top cornerbacks on the free agent market, Stephon Gilmore and A.J. Bouye. But between free agency, the draft and a waiver wire pickup, he currently has six new faces in the secondary.
“I think we’ve got a group of guys that are gonna push each other and mold us into a nice unit,” Donatell said after Saturday’s Rookie Minicamp. “ It’s kind of on us to come through as a position group and when you become close as a group, that’s what we’re looking to do right now. We don’t look all the way to September, we’re looking at right now. I relish the challenge of us doing that, and it’s very doable. We have all kinds of good parts to put together, but there’s a lot of work to be done. Motivation is never a problem as a coach when you have that kind of competition.
“I love it. My biggest thing is to probe, and interview and find out what you know, who taught you. I’ll tap into all kinds of other guys’ good coaching. It’s an art, and a positive thing – not just your own stuff. Thinking off what they already know and fill in the rest. It’s an assessment, is what you do.”
And Donatell’s familiar working with new faces, and getting them to mold quickly. The evidence is in his time at San Francisco, although the 49ers had a much more star-studded front seven in front of them.
“We brought in Carlos Rogers who was a highly-drafted guy that hadn’t played to expectations. Donte Whitner was a highly-drafted guy. We brought in Perrish Cox, Tracy Porter who maybe didn’t have his hottest year the year before. They’re all different. But the guys that have success `buy in.’ And they get hitched up to what you’re doing. When they get hitched up, the probability’s very good (to have a good season).”
The proof: Rogers was a No. 9 overall pick by Washington who managed just eight interceptions in six seasons. In the first of his three seasons in San Francisco, he had six picks in 2011, when he made the Pro Bowl, and was second-team All-Pro. Cox, a fifth round pick in Denver in 2010, joined the Niners four years later and had five interceptions that fist season, after one the previous three years. And Whitner, a number eight overall pick by Buffalo in 2006, made two Pro Bowls from 2011 through 2013 with San Francisco.
Here are some quick Donatell thoughts on his secondary personnel, both new and returning:
Marcus Cooper
“He was a long press corner that we liked who was a good player at Rutgers with good size and speed. We tried to keep him (after the Niners drafted him in the seventh round) but he was taken off our practice squad. Was definitely a guy that we saw for the future. He went and got some good coaching in other places, and now he made the circle back.
“He was mature beyond his years as a young player and I’m not surprised his play spiked at his next couple places. He’s very serious about his trade and that usually leads to improvement. He was very serious. The only thing that mattered to him was football and meetings and how he’s progressing. He’s very detailed.”
Prince Amukamara
“We’ve got an experienced guy who’s played in playoff games. He’s got speed, explosion. But we start looking for career bests. So right now we’re looking to do the best things he’s done, put `em together and that’s what we’re shooting for.”
Kyle Fuller
“I expect him to get back in there and compete. The essence of it is he’s been off a full year as far as games go. So we’ve gotta get his health back, and he’s heading that way, and get him back into things.”
Cre’Von LeBlanc
“He has a lot of the things that don’t get measured. Numbers don’t measure his instincts, how he sees the ball when it’s in flight. Numbers don’t measure how tough he is. You can’t find that measuring stick. He’s a very gritty young man, and he’ll make our team better.”
Quentin Demps
“He’s really into it. He’ll bring his veteran experience and he’s coming off his best year. We want to repeat that and maybe take it up one step. Right now, he’s on a proper path and things are very positive for him. He sees well in the deep part of the field. After the ball’s snapped, this guy can see how things are moving, through traffic and that allows him to find the ball.”
Deiondre’ Hall
“It creates versatility. It stretches him a little bit as a young guy. I like that. He was a guy that could see downfield (while playing safety at Northern Iowa), and could track the ball. I felt some good instincts from the back end of the defense going forward. He’s a developing football player. I can paint a picture of him playing corner, paint another picture of him at safety. He was a young guy that was coming on, and it’s just unfortunate (the ankle injury that sidelined him), because he could’ve gotten some great experience down the stretch.”
Eddie Jackson
“There’s versatility. When guys come into (the NFL), it’s such a pass game, a cover game, that guys with corner experience really helps. Many times you’re playing with three corners out there, with all the sets and the athletic ability of tight ends. They’re almost wide receivers. So we need guys who can cover. He’s done that. I also like the level of ball that he played. They get great training there (at Alabama). Nick Saban was a doggone DB coach and he’s still got his hands in it, so those guys come in here really trained well for this level.”
Veteran defensive backs coach Ed Donatell was not given the supposed top cornerbacks on the free agent market, Stephon Gilmore and A.J. Bouye. But between free agency, the draft and a waiver wire pickup, he currently has six new faces in the secondary.
“I think we’ve got a group of guys that are gonna push each other and mold us into a nice unit,” Donatell said after Saturday’s Rookie Minicamp. “ It’s kind of on us to come through as a position group and when you become close as a group, that’s what we’re looking to do right now. We don’t look all the way to September, we’re looking at right now. I relish the challenge of us doing that, and it’s very doable. We have all kinds of good parts to put together, but there’s a lot of work to be done. Motivation is never a problem as a coach when you have that kind of competition.
“I love it. My biggest thing is to probe, and interview and find out what you know, who taught you. I’ll tap into all kinds of other guys’ good coaching. It’s an art, and a positive thing – not just your own stuff. Thinking off what they already know and fill in the rest. It’s an assessment, is what you do.”
And Donatell’s familiar working with new faces, and getting them to mold quickly. The evidence is in his time at San Francisco, although the 49ers had a much more star-studded front seven in front of them.
“We brought in Carlos Rogers who was a highly-drafted guy that hadn’t played to expectations. Donte Whitner was a highly-drafted guy. We brought in Perrish Cox, Tracy Porter who maybe didn’t have his hottest year the year before. They’re all different. But the guys that have success `buy in.’ And they get hitched up to what you’re doing. When they get hitched up, the probability’s very good (to have a good season).”
The proof: Rogers was a No. 9 overall pick by Washington who managed just eight interceptions in six seasons. In the first of his three seasons in San Francisco, he had six picks in 2011, when he made the Pro Bowl, and was second-team All-Pro. Cox, a fifth round pick in Denver in 2010, joined the Niners four years later and had five interceptions that fist season, after one the previous three years. And Whitner, a number eight overall pick by Buffalo in 2006, made two Pro Bowls from 2011 through 2013 with San Francisco.
Here are some quick Donatell thoughts on his secondary personnel, both new and returning:
Marcus Cooper
“He was a long press corner that we liked who was a good player at Rutgers with good size and speed. We tried to keep him (after the Niners drafted him in the seventh round) but he was taken off our practice squad. Was definitely a guy that we saw for the future. He went and got some good coaching in other places, and now he made the circle back.
“He was mature beyond his years as a young player and I’m not surprised his play spiked at his next couple places. He’s very serious about his trade and that usually leads to improvement. He was very serious. The only thing that mattered to him was football and meetings and how he’s progressing. He’s very detailed.”
Prince Amukamara
“We’ve got an experienced guy who’s played in playoff games. He’s got speed, explosion. But we start looking for career bests. So right now we’re looking to do the best things he’s done, put `em together and that’s what we’re shooting for.”
Kyle Fuller
“I expect him to get back in there and compete. The essence of it is he’s been off a full year as far as games go. So we’ve gotta get his health back, and he’s heading that way, and get him back into things.”
Cre’Von LeBlanc
“He has a lot of the things that don’t get measured. Numbers don’t measure his instincts, how he sees the ball when it’s in flight. Numbers don’t measure how tough he is. You can’t find that measuring stick. He’s a very gritty young man, and he’ll make our team better.”
Quentin Demps
“He’s really into it. He’ll bring his veteran experience and he’s coming off his best year. We want to repeat that and maybe take it up one step. Right now, he’s on a proper path and things are very positive for him. He sees well in the deep part of the field. After the ball’s snapped, this guy can see how things are moving, through traffic and that allows him to find the ball.”
Deiondre’ Hall
“It creates versatility. It stretches him a little bit as a young guy. I like that. He was a guy that could see downfield (while playing safety at Northern Iowa), and could track the ball. I felt some good instincts from the back end of the defense going forward. He’s a developing football player. I can paint a picture of him playing corner, paint another picture of him at safety. He was a young guy that was coming on, and it’s just unfortunate (the ankle injury that sidelined him), because he could’ve gotten some great experience down the stretch.”
Eddie Jackson
“There’s versatility. When guys come into (the NFL), it’s such a pass game, a cover game, that guys with corner experience really helps. Many times you’re playing with three corners out there, with all the sets and the athletic ability of tight ends. They’re almost wide receivers. So we need guys who can cover. He’s done that. I also like the level of ball that he played. They get great training there (at Alabama). Nick Saban was a doggone DB coach and he’s still got his hands in it, so those guys come in here really trained well for this level.”
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks hire Jeremy Colliton as new Rockford IceHogs coach.
By Tracey Myers
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Jeremy Colliton would still love to be playing hockey. As he put it, “it’s the best game in the world to play.” But post-concussion symptoms cut his pro playing career short and led to a coaching opportunity in Sweden.
It was a successful transition. Now, Colliton will bring his coaching ability back to this side of the pond.
Colliton was hired as the Rockford IceHogs’ new head coach, the Blackhawks announced on Thursday morning. The 32-year-old Colliton has spent the past four seasons in Sweden, where he was head coach of the Mora IK. He played pro hockey for eight seasons; his final season came with Mora IK, with whom he retired in 2014 after dealing with post-concussion symptoms. This past season Colliton led Mora IK to a 35-4-13 record (105 points). But in April Colliton announced that he wouldn’t return with Mora IK, the Alberta native saying in a statement at the time that, “I feel it’s time to be closer to home.”
Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman said in a statement that, “Jeremy’s experience as a player and a coach will allow him to be a great leader and mentor for our young prospects in Rockford. He is coming off a great start to his coaching career with four successful seasons in Sweden and fits very well into our plan of continuing to develop our younger players.”
Colliton will inherit a Rockford team that finished eighth in the AHL Central with a 25-39-9-3 record. The IceHogs missed the playoffs for the first time in the past three seasons. Colliton said getting players ready for the NHL is the biggest task but finding team success also looms large.
“The first priority in Rockford is to help the young players develop so they can contribute and help the Blackhawks win on the NHL level. But that doesn’t prohibit you from having a winning team. That’s also important, teaching these guys how to win and what it takes to be a guy who’s trusted to be on the ice in important situations,” Colliton said. “That’s how they’ll become everyday NHLers and become players the Blackhawks can trust. The focus is on development. Winning is important but that’s the result if we’re doing the right things as far as getting better every day.”
Being in his early 30s, Colliton isn’t too much older than the players he’ll be coaching in Rockford. But he said it’s probably more about his experience in the minors more than the age gap.
“I think what is a positive for me is I’ve been in these guys’ shoes. I know what it’s like to play in the AHL and to try to break through and become an everyday NHLer. Hopefully I can use that experience as a way to help communicate the message for these guys to reach their dreams,” he said. “I’m sure there are some generational things that are easier. But as a coach, the way things are now, it’s important you can connect with these guys, build trust and it’s possible that helps because I’m closer in age.”
Colliton’s playing career was cut short due to concussions but he wanted to remain in hockey in some capacity. He found success as a coach overseas. He hopes to repeat it now in the Blackhawks’ organization.
“I’m a little bit surprised that I’ve been able to move along quickly and get into this opportunity,” Colliton said. “But I have confidence in myself and when I got [the coaching job] in Sweden, I felt like I had experience and knowledge to offer, similar to this, where I was trying to help young players become pros and pros become difference makers.”
It was a successful transition. Now, Colliton will bring his coaching ability back to this side of the pond.
Colliton was hired as the Rockford IceHogs’ new head coach, the Blackhawks announced on Thursday morning. The 32-year-old Colliton has spent the past four seasons in Sweden, where he was head coach of the Mora IK. He played pro hockey for eight seasons; his final season came with Mora IK, with whom he retired in 2014 after dealing with post-concussion symptoms. This past season Colliton led Mora IK to a 35-4-13 record (105 points). But in April Colliton announced that he wouldn’t return with Mora IK, the Alberta native saying in a statement at the time that, “I feel it’s time to be closer to home.”
Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman said in a statement that, “Jeremy’s experience as a player and a coach will allow him to be a great leader and mentor for our young prospects in Rockford. He is coming off a great start to his coaching career with four successful seasons in Sweden and fits very well into our plan of continuing to develop our younger players.”
Colliton will inherit a Rockford team that finished eighth in the AHL Central with a 25-39-9-3 record. The IceHogs missed the playoffs for the first time in the past three seasons. Colliton said getting players ready for the NHL is the biggest task but finding team success also looms large.
“The first priority in Rockford is to help the young players develop so they can contribute and help the Blackhawks win on the NHL level. But that doesn’t prohibit you from having a winning team. That’s also important, teaching these guys how to win and what it takes to be a guy who’s trusted to be on the ice in important situations,” Colliton said. “That’s how they’ll become everyday NHLers and become players the Blackhawks can trust. The focus is on development. Winning is important but that’s the result if we’re doing the right things as far as getting better every day.”
Being in his early 30s, Colliton isn’t too much older than the players he’ll be coaching in Rockford. But he said it’s probably more about his experience in the minors more than the age gap.
“I think what is a positive for me is I’ve been in these guys’ shoes. I know what it’s like to play in the AHL and to try to break through and become an everyday NHLer. Hopefully I can use that experience as a way to help communicate the message for these guys to reach their dreams,” he said. “I’m sure there are some generational things that are easier. But as a coach, the way things are now, it’s important you can connect with these guys, build trust and it’s possible that helps because I’m closer in age.”
Colliton’s playing career was cut short due to concussions but he wanted to remain in hockey in some capacity. He found success as a coach overseas. He hopes to repeat it now in the Blackhawks’ organization.
“I’m a little bit surprised that I’ve been able to move along quickly and get into this opportunity,” Colliton said. “But I have confidence in myself and when I got [the coaching job] in Sweden, I felt like I had experience and knowledge to offer, similar to this, where I was trying to help young players become pros and pros become difference makers.”
Blackhawks' potential trade partners — and likely trade bait.
By Chris Hine
(Photo/Mark Humphrey/AP)
After the Blackhawks re-signed winger Richard Panik to a two-year deal worth $2.8 million per season — nearly $2 million more than he was making a season ago — it became clear general manager Stan Bowman is going to have to make some moves to get the Hawks below the salary cap and keep his promise that there will be changes.
Bowman faces an uphill challenge considering many of the Hawks' big contracts also carry no-movement clauses.
Here's a look at the no-movement clauses on the Hawks, who might be traded and the likely teams that could make a deal with the Hawks.
Golden Knights
Here's a look at the no-movement clauses on the Hawks, who might be traded and the likely teams that could make a deal with the Hawks.
Golden Knights
If you're trying to unload large contracts, why not start with the team that has $0 in current cap hits? There will be movement across the league before the expansion draft on June 21 and the Hawks are likely to be involved. The Hawks might like the Knights to take Marcus Kruger's contract in the draft, but if they don't, they might be in the market for an established veteran presence such as Marian Hossa or Brent Seabrook — if either would waive his no movement clause.
Hurricanes
Bowman has gone to this well to unload Bryan Bickell's deal and Kris Versteeg's contract after the 2015 season. The Hurricanes currently are projected to have more than $27 million in cap space next season and will need to take on some big contracts to reach the salary floor. They have a number of defensemen 27-and-younger who might benefit from having a veteran presence on the blue line. The Hurricanes would have the room to absorb some of the Hawks' big contracts, but would they do it again? And at what cost, in terms of prospects and draft picks, to the Hawks?
Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs will have more than $8 million in buried contracts come off their books and will have at least $12 million in cap space for a roster that is already playoff-worthy. The Leafs might be looking to upgrade their defense, which might make them a destination for some of the Hawks' veterans who might be open to a deal but only to a team primed to contend. The Hawks also have had their eye on winger James van Riemsdyk, Trevor's older brother, who is the subject of trade speculation in Toronto. JVR carries a cap hit of $4.25 million for the 2017-18 season, after which he will become an unrestricted free agent.
Other teams with cap space
Former Hawks general manager Dale Tallon will have some room to maneuver with the Panthers. But they also have four of their seven defensemen in need of new contracts. ... The Sabres have a number of contracts coming up this offseason and will have $22 million in space as they plot to get back in the playoffs. … The Devils, Jets and Stars were among the bottom third of the league in cap hits and like the Sabres might be looking to make moves to return to the playoffs.
Likely Hawks bait
Defensemen Seabrook and Duncan Keith, forwards Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa and Artem Anisimov all have total no-movement clauses. To move any of these players, the Hawks would have to get them to agree to waive their rights.
Defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson has a partial no-movement clause that allows him to submit a list of 10 teams he play for if the Hawks want to make a move. Hjalmarsson, 29, could command a good return for the Hawks, but trading a defenseman at the peak of his career might not be the wisest move.
Kruger does not have any trade restrictions and is the most likely player to be moved. But to get another a team to take Kruger's approximate $3.1 million salary the Hawks may have to include a top young prospect much like they did in Teuvo Teravainen going to the Hurricanes to get rid of Bickell's contract last offseason.
Hossa, 38, is entering an interesting territory of his contract. He still has four years remaining at a cap hit of $5.275 million per season but in terms of actual money, he will make only $1 million per season through the rest of his front-loaded contract. He becomes an interesting trade option for teams who may be seeking to reach the salary-cap floor (which was $54 million this season) without having to pay much in actual money.
Anisimov has been rumored to be on the block given his reasonable contract and good production the last few years. And the Hawks may believe they have potential second-line centers in Nick Schmaltz and Tanner Kero to play between Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin.
Defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson has a partial no-movement clause that allows him to submit a list of 10 teams he play for if the Hawks want to make a move. Hjalmarsson, 29, could command a good return for the Hawks, but trading a defenseman at the peak of his career might not be the wisest move.
Kruger does not have any trade restrictions and is the most likely player to be moved. But to get another a team to take Kruger's approximate $3.1 million salary the Hawks may have to include a top young prospect much like they did in Teuvo Teravainen going to the Hurricanes to get rid of Bickell's contract last offseason.
Hossa, 38, is entering an interesting territory of his contract. He still has four years remaining at a cap hit of $5.275 million per season but in terms of actual money, he will make only $1 million per season through the rest of his front-loaded contract. He becomes an interesting trade option for teams who may be seeking to reach the salary-cap floor (which was $54 million this season) without having to pay much in actual money.
Anisimov has been rumored to be on the block given his reasonable contract and good production the last few years. And the Hawks may believe they have potential second-line centers in Nick Schmaltz and Tanner Kero to play between Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin.
Seabrook, 32, has a difficult $6.875 million annual cap hit until he is 39. But that's a big contract for another team to absorb for a long time — and Seabrook would have to agree to any trade.
Still, there may be some potential trade partners out there that can help the Hawks improve their situation.
Finland shuts out U.S.A. in quarterfinals of hockey worlds.
Associated Press
The United States' ice hockey world championship campaign ended Thursday with a 2-0 quarterfinal defeat against Finland, after a record-equaling run of six straight victories for Jeff Blashill's young roster.
Mikko Rantanen and Joonas Kemppainen scored as Finland booked its place in Saturday's semifinals.
"It goes without saying we're bitterly disappointed," said Blashill, whose team looked to be improving with each game following its surprise 2-1 defeat to co-host Germany in the opener.
"We believed that this team had the ability to win the tournament. They are a great group who cared, were selfless and played some great hockey. Unfortunately, Finland was better than we were today and I congratulate them."
Canada edged Germany 2-1 to set up a semifinal showdown with Russia, which defeated the Czech Republic 3-0 with goals from Dmitri Orlov, Nikita Kucherov and Artemi Panarin.
Goals from Nicklas Backstrom, William Nylander and Alexander Edler gave Sweden a 3-1 win over Switzerland in Paris, setting up a meeting with Finland in the final four.
Gaetan Haas had equalized for the Swiss.
Both semifinals take place in Cologne.
Canada outshot Germany by 50 shots to 20, but had to endure a nervy ending after Germany captain Christian Ehrhoff sent Yannic Seidenberg through to score short-handed with less than seven minutes remaining.
Ryan O'Reilly set up Mark Scheifele to score on the power play toward the end of the first period for Canada, which was thwarted by an inspired performance from Germany goaltender Philipp Grubauer.
Canada had 20 shots to Germany's one in the second period alone.
Jeff Skinner finally made the breakthrough with Mike Matheson and Scheifele involved before the end of the period.
Seidenberg pulled one back but Germany couldn't force an equalizer.
Earlier, strong defense and a shut-out from Harri Sateri on his fourth start helped Finland surprise the U.S., which had beaten Russia to finish top of its group. The Americans outshot Finland by 26 to 20.
"We didn't give up any goals so we feel we performed our game plan pretty well," defenseman Juuso Hietanen said. "We didn't give them any easy chances and we scored an important goal on the power play. Our defense was pretty good all night."
The Finns had the best chance early on when goaltender Jimmy Howard denied Juhamatti Aaltonen on a breakaway.
Anders Lee was penalized for tripping at the start of the second period and Rantanen scored on the power play at the third attempt after Howard twice saved.
Howard, who finished with 18 saves compared to Sateri's 26, produced another good block to deny Valtteri Filppula, but he was beaten by Kemppainen midway through the final period. Kemppainen swept the puck home after great interplay with Aaltonen.
Howard, who was the U.S. player of the game, said the Finns "made it tough on us all night long."
Kevin Hayes, who was penalized for playing without a helmet at the start of the period, was then penalized again for slashing. Hopes of equalizing took another hit when Jack Eichel was sent to the box for high-sticking with less than two minutes remaining.
Lee, Johnny Gaudreau and Dylan Larkin were named the Americans' best three players of the tournament.
In Paris, Sergei Plotnikov set up Orlov and Kucherov swept in the Russians' second on a power play shortly afterward in the first period.
Overall, despite bossing possession, the Czechs were closed down well by the Russians, restricting their ability to get into good shooting positions. Russia wasn't dominating but it did look comfortable. Czech frustration was summed up when forward David Pastrnak's stick broke in half on a slap shot.
"We played quite well in the beginning of the game, in the first period, but we weren't scoring," Czech coach Josef Jandac said. "When Russia scored they controlled the game for the next two periods."
Panarin, the tournament's scoring leader, wrapped it up off Kucherov's cross-ice pass in the third. It was his fourth goal of the tournament and 14th point overall.
"It was a tough game. We didn't start very well and the Czechs could have scored," Russia coach Oleg Znarok said. "The ice isn't very good here. We can say it's very bad so it was difficult to play well."
Still, there may be some potential trade partners out there that can help the Hawks improve their situation.
Finland shuts out U.S.A. in quarterfinals of hockey worlds.
Associated Press
(Photo/yahoosports.com/Associated Press)
The United States' ice hockey world championship campaign ended Thursday with a 2-0 quarterfinal defeat against Finland, after a record-equaling run of six straight victories for Jeff Blashill's young roster.
Mikko Rantanen and Joonas Kemppainen scored as Finland booked its place in Saturday's semifinals.
"It goes without saying we're bitterly disappointed," said Blashill, whose team looked to be improving with each game following its surprise 2-1 defeat to co-host Germany in the opener.
"We believed that this team had the ability to win the tournament. They are a great group who cared, were selfless and played some great hockey. Unfortunately, Finland was better than we were today and I congratulate them."
Canada edged Germany 2-1 to set up a semifinal showdown with Russia, which defeated the Czech Republic 3-0 with goals from Dmitri Orlov, Nikita Kucherov and Artemi Panarin.
Goals from Nicklas Backstrom, William Nylander and Alexander Edler gave Sweden a 3-1 win over Switzerland in Paris, setting up a meeting with Finland in the final four.
Gaetan Haas had equalized for the Swiss.
Both semifinals take place in Cologne.
Canada outshot Germany by 50 shots to 20, but had to endure a nervy ending after Germany captain Christian Ehrhoff sent Yannic Seidenberg through to score short-handed with less than seven minutes remaining.
Ryan O'Reilly set up Mark Scheifele to score on the power play toward the end of the first period for Canada, which was thwarted by an inspired performance from Germany goaltender Philipp Grubauer.
Canada had 20 shots to Germany's one in the second period alone.
Jeff Skinner finally made the breakthrough with Mike Matheson and Scheifele involved before the end of the period.
Seidenberg pulled one back but Germany couldn't force an equalizer.
Earlier, strong defense and a shut-out from Harri Sateri on his fourth start helped Finland surprise the U.S., which had beaten Russia to finish top of its group. The Americans outshot Finland by 26 to 20.
"We didn't give up any goals so we feel we performed our game plan pretty well," defenseman Juuso Hietanen said. "We didn't give them any easy chances and we scored an important goal on the power play. Our defense was pretty good all night."
The Finns had the best chance early on when goaltender Jimmy Howard denied Juhamatti Aaltonen on a breakaway.
Anders Lee was penalized for tripping at the start of the second period and Rantanen scored on the power play at the third attempt after Howard twice saved.
Howard, who finished with 18 saves compared to Sateri's 26, produced another good block to deny Valtteri Filppula, but he was beaten by Kemppainen midway through the final period. Kemppainen swept the puck home after great interplay with Aaltonen.
Howard, who was the U.S. player of the game, said the Finns "made it tough on us all night long."
Kevin Hayes, who was penalized for playing without a helmet at the start of the period, was then penalized again for slashing. Hopes of equalizing took another hit when Jack Eichel was sent to the box for high-sticking with less than two minutes remaining.
Lee, Johnny Gaudreau and Dylan Larkin were named the Americans' best three players of the tournament.
In Paris, Sergei Plotnikov set up Orlov and Kucherov swept in the Russians' second on a power play shortly afterward in the first period.
Overall, despite bossing possession, the Czechs were closed down well by the Russians, restricting their ability to get into good shooting positions. Russia wasn't dominating but it did look comfortable. Czech frustration was summed up when forward David Pastrnak's stick broke in half on a slap shot.
"We played quite well in the beginning of the game, in the first period, but we weren't scoring," Czech coach Josef Jandac said. "When Russia scored they controlled the game for the next two periods."
Panarin, the tournament's scoring leader, wrapped it up off Kucherov's cross-ice pass in the third. It was his fourth goal of the tournament and 14th point overall.
"It was a tough game. We didn't start very well and the Czechs could have scored," Russia coach Oleg Znarok said. "The ice isn't very good here. We can say it's very bad so it was difficult to play well."
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... NBA Buzz: Financial and competitive realities could lead to Jimmy Butler trade for Bulls. What's Your Take?
By Mark Schanowski
Watching LeBron James tear through the Eastern Conference playoffs the way Michael Jordan used to do in his prime, it's become increasingly apparent other teams in the East will be chasing James and the Cavaliers for the next 3-5 years.
With that in mind, you have to wonder what kind of conversations are going on inside the walls of the Advocate Center as the Bulls' front office prepares for the June 22nd draft and the start of free agency on July 1st.
Jimmy Butler earned third-team All-NBA honors on Thursday, putting him in position to earn the Designated Veteran Player Extension with another All-NBA selection in either 2018 or 2019. Under terms of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, that could mean a contract starting at $42 million in 2019-20 with a total five-year value of over $246 million.
Are the Bulls prepared to pay that kind of money to a player who has logged big minutes over his career and will turn 30 just before the 2019-20 season?
If not, the best time to deal Butler would be right now. Butler is coming off the best season of his NBA career, including a starting spot for the Eastern Conference in the All-Star game. Plus, he still has two more guaranteed years on his contract at far below market value for one of the top 15 players in the league.
Tuesday's draft lottery pretty much eliminated Boston from a potential Butler trade. Celtics' GM Danny Ainge loves Washington point guard Markelle Fultz and is locked in to drafting him with the number one pick. Boston's future couldn't look brighter after finishing with the best regular season record in the East, advancing to the Conference Finals, and winning the lottery.
The Celtics will add Fultz and still have enough cap room to offer a max deal to free agent swingman Gordon Hayward, who played collegiately for Boston coach Brad Stevens at Butler. How does a starting line-up of Isaiah Thomas, Al Horford, Hayward, Jae Crowder and Avery Bradley sound, with a second unit of Fultz, Terry Rozier, Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown and Kelly Olynyk? It might not be good enough to take down the Cavs or Warriors, but should position the Celtics for a long run as a serious contender.
So, if the Celtics are out, where would the Bulls look for a possible Butler deal? Phoenix probably holds the best combination of assets, starting with the No. 4 overall pick. If point guards Fultz, Lonzo Ball and De'Aaron Fox go 1-2-3, the Bulls could grab Kansas forward Josh Jackson, an Andrew Wiggins-clone who could wind up being the best player in this draft.
The Suns also have a pair of intriguing young power forwards in Marquese Chriss and Dragan Bender, both top 10 picks a year ago. Plus, Phoenix could include 23-year-old small forward T.J. Warren and Chicago native Tyler Ulis in the package going back to the Bulls.
Suns GM Ryan McDonough is reportedly under pressure to show significant improvement next season after winning just 47 games combined over the last two years. Adding another young player to the roster isn't the best way to improve the team immediately, so don't be surprised if the Suns make a pitch to acquire Butler in the days leading up to the draft.
Similar story in Philadelphia, where the Sixers own the third overall pick next month. Under former GM Sam Hinkie, the "trust the process" approach led to a roster purge and the acquisition of lottery picks. Right now, the Sixers are overloaded with young players like Joel Embiid, Jahlil Okafor, Ben Simmons, Dario Saric, Justin Anderson and Nik Stauskas.
Would current GM Bryan Colangelo be willing to trade the pick, along with Okafor and Anderson in a package for Butler? The Bulls could choose between Jackson and Kentucky's lightning-quick point guard Fox with the draft pick they’d acquire, potentially adding three young starters to a new-look line-up.
Given all the trade rumors surrounding Butler in the past, you can expect a number of teams will be calling the Bulls leading up to the draft, including Tom Thibodeau's Timberwolves, coming off a disappointing season with assets to offer like Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and the seventh overall pick.
Ultimately, it comes down to which direction the Bulls' front office wants to go. Try to build a contender around Butler, or use him as the trade asset to start a full re-build. We should get our answer in the days leading up to the draft.
Around the Association
Thursday's All-NBA announcement could lead to a pair of All-Star forwards changing teams this summer. We already mentioned Hayward's situation in Utah. Without the designated veteran player extension, he might be seriously tempted to join his old college coach in Boston.
Hayward could sign a one year contract with a player option for a second season in Utah with hopes of earning the DVPE next summer, but if Hayward hits the open market, it's clear he'll be the number one target for the Celtics this off-season.
Paul George also could be in play after failing to make one of the three All-NBA teams. The Pacers were hoping to sign their All-Star forward to a max five-year extension at over $200 million, but George isn't eligible now. George still could sign an extension with Indiana, but not at the dollars he would have received had he made All-NBA.
Rumors of George's desire to join his home-state Lakers in free agency after the 2017-18 season continue to grow, especially with Magic Johnson likely to add dynamic point guard Lonzo Ball in next month's draft. The Pacers might be forced to trade George to get some assets now, rather than let him walk away for nothing in free agency next summer.
Back to the Bulls, who will bring in dozens of prospects to Chicago to work out at the Advocate Center before the draft. Unless they make a major trade to move up, the front office almost has to go "best player available" with their picks at Nos. 16 and 38. Look for them to focus on an athletic wing in the first round with Louisville's Donovan Mitchell, Indiana's OG Anunoby, Duke's Harry Giles and Australian pro Terrance Ferguson among the likely options.
But if the team decides to part company with restricted free agent Niko Mirotic, that could open the door for the Bulls to select a power forward like Cal's Ivan Rabb, Wake Forest's John Collins, Utah's Kyle Kuzma or UCLA's T.J. Leaf. They could even draft an athletic young center like Jarrett Allen of Texas, Creighton's Justin Patton or UCLA's Ike Anigbogu.
In Round 2, the Bulls might look to add another young point guard to the mix like Oklahoma State's Jawun Evans, Iowa State's Monte Morris, Villanova's Josh Hart, Gonzaga's Nigel Williams Goss or Big 12 Player of the Year Frank Mason from Kansas.
Quotes of the Week
The Celtics might have edged Cleveland out for the top seed in the East during the regular season, but after watching Game 1 Wednesday night, it's clear Brad Stevens’ team will be lucky to get a win in the series.
This from Stevens about the NBA's version of Benjamin Button, LeBron James. "It's hard to believe, but he's better than when I got into the league. A lot better."
Still, Celtics' star Isaiah Thomas isn't about to concede the series just yet, saying, "We're not afraid of Cleveland. They're not the Monstars."
Well, Thomas might be right about the rest of the Cavs. But if you remember the movie "Space Jam", I'm pretty sure James would be a good fit in that Monstars line-up. And the Celtics don't have Michael Jordan, Bugs Bunny or Bill Murray!
Chicago Sports & Travel Inc./AllsportsAmerica Take: We've been hearing the constant rumor for the last year that the Bulls were considering trading Jimmy Butler. What we don't understand is why do they want to trade the most talented player? Is he a problem, does he have an attitude? Does he get along with the other players? The coach? The front office? Are they paying him too much? Do they have a coaching staff that can develop players? Are they just happy to make it to the playoffs each year or do they really want to win another championship? Does the front office have a strategy and plan to win or the just hoping for lightning in a bottle?
They seem to draft talented young players through the draft but the growth, (desire to win, consistency and pride), is not there. It's apparent that the players are not buying into the program. Excuse us but a fish rots from the head down. The Cubs and Blackhawks have succeeded and the Bears are slowly progressing in that direction, however, the Bolls are just remaining stagnant. We feel that a definite front office change is desperately needed. What's missing from this picture?
We would love to hear from the Bulls front office but we know that's not going to happen. Perhaps some of you die-hard Bulls fan reader have some thoughts on this situation. Please go to the comments section at the bottom of this blog and share your take with us. We're lost, excited, dazed and confused!!! We'd love to hear your take, your prospective could clarify and help bring us all a little piece of mind.
We can't wait to hear from you and want to thank you in advance for your valuable time.
The Chicago Sports & Travel Inc./AllsportsAmerica Editorial Staff.
SportsTalk Live Podcast: Could Celtics trade No. 1 pick to Bulls for Jimmy Butler?
By Mark Schanowski
(Photo/USA TODAY)
Watching LeBron James tear through the Eastern Conference playoffs the way Michael Jordan used to do in his prime, it's become increasingly apparent other teams in the East will be chasing James and the Cavaliers for the next 3-5 years.
With that in mind, you have to wonder what kind of conversations are going on inside the walls of the Advocate Center as the Bulls' front office prepares for the June 22nd draft and the start of free agency on July 1st.
Jimmy Butler earned third-team All-NBA honors on Thursday, putting him in position to earn the Designated Veteran Player Extension with another All-NBA selection in either 2018 or 2019. Under terms of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, that could mean a contract starting at $42 million in 2019-20 with a total five-year value of over $246 million.
Are the Bulls prepared to pay that kind of money to a player who has logged big minutes over his career and will turn 30 just before the 2019-20 season?
If not, the best time to deal Butler would be right now. Butler is coming off the best season of his NBA career, including a starting spot for the Eastern Conference in the All-Star game. Plus, he still has two more guaranteed years on his contract at far below market value for one of the top 15 players in the league.
Tuesday's draft lottery pretty much eliminated Boston from a potential Butler trade. Celtics' GM Danny Ainge loves Washington point guard Markelle Fultz and is locked in to drafting him with the number one pick. Boston's future couldn't look brighter after finishing with the best regular season record in the East, advancing to the Conference Finals, and winning the lottery.
The Celtics will add Fultz and still have enough cap room to offer a max deal to free agent swingman Gordon Hayward, who played collegiately for Boston coach Brad Stevens at Butler. How does a starting line-up of Isaiah Thomas, Al Horford, Hayward, Jae Crowder and Avery Bradley sound, with a second unit of Fultz, Terry Rozier, Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown and Kelly Olynyk? It might not be good enough to take down the Cavs or Warriors, but should position the Celtics for a long run as a serious contender.
So, if the Celtics are out, where would the Bulls look for a possible Butler deal? Phoenix probably holds the best combination of assets, starting with the No. 4 overall pick. If point guards Fultz, Lonzo Ball and De'Aaron Fox go 1-2-3, the Bulls could grab Kansas forward Josh Jackson, an Andrew Wiggins-clone who could wind up being the best player in this draft.
The Suns also have a pair of intriguing young power forwards in Marquese Chriss and Dragan Bender, both top 10 picks a year ago. Plus, Phoenix could include 23-year-old small forward T.J. Warren and Chicago native Tyler Ulis in the package going back to the Bulls.
Suns GM Ryan McDonough is reportedly under pressure to show significant improvement next season after winning just 47 games combined over the last two years. Adding another young player to the roster isn't the best way to improve the team immediately, so don't be surprised if the Suns make a pitch to acquire Butler in the days leading up to the draft.
Similar story in Philadelphia, where the Sixers own the third overall pick next month. Under former GM Sam Hinkie, the "trust the process" approach led to a roster purge and the acquisition of lottery picks. Right now, the Sixers are overloaded with young players like Joel Embiid, Jahlil Okafor, Ben Simmons, Dario Saric, Justin Anderson and Nik Stauskas.
Would current GM Bryan Colangelo be willing to trade the pick, along with Okafor and Anderson in a package for Butler? The Bulls could choose between Jackson and Kentucky's lightning-quick point guard Fox with the draft pick they’d acquire, potentially adding three young starters to a new-look line-up.
Given all the trade rumors surrounding Butler in the past, you can expect a number of teams will be calling the Bulls leading up to the draft, including Tom Thibodeau's Timberwolves, coming off a disappointing season with assets to offer like Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and the seventh overall pick.
Ultimately, it comes down to which direction the Bulls' front office wants to go. Try to build a contender around Butler, or use him as the trade asset to start a full re-build. We should get our answer in the days leading up to the draft.
Around the Association
Thursday's All-NBA announcement could lead to a pair of All-Star forwards changing teams this summer. We already mentioned Hayward's situation in Utah. Without the designated veteran player extension, he might be seriously tempted to join his old college coach in Boston.
Hayward could sign a one year contract with a player option for a second season in Utah with hopes of earning the DVPE next summer, but if Hayward hits the open market, it's clear he'll be the number one target for the Celtics this off-season.
Paul George also could be in play after failing to make one of the three All-NBA teams. The Pacers were hoping to sign their All-Star forward to a max five-year extension at over $200 million, but George isn't eligible now. George still could sign an extension with Indiana, but not at the dollars he would have received had he made All-NBA.
Rumors of George's desire to join his home-state Lakers in free agency after the 2017-18 season continue to grow, especially with Magic Johnson likely to add dynamic point guard Lonzo Ball in next month's draft. The Pacers might be forced to trade George to get some assets now, rather than let him walk away for nothing in free agency next summer.
Back to the Bulls, who will bring in dozens of prospects to Chicago to work out at the Advocate Center before the draft. Unless they make a major trade to move up, the front office almost has to go "best player available" with their picks at Nos. 16 and 38. Look for them to focus on an athletic wing in the first round with Louisville's Donovan Mitchell, Indiana's OG Anunoby, Duke's Harry Giles and Australian pro Terrance Ferguson among the likely options.
But if the team decides to part company with restricted free agent Niko Mirotic, that could open the door for the Bulls to select a power forward like Cal's Ivan Rabb, Wake Forest's John Collins, Utah's Kyle Kuzma or UCLA's T.J. Leaf. They could even draft an athletic young center like Jarrett Allen of Texas, Creighton's Justin Patton or UCLA's Ike Anigbogu.
In Round 2, the Bulls might look to add another young point guard to the mix like Oklahoma State's Jawun Evans, Iowa State's Monte Morris, Villanova's Josh Hart, Gonzaga's Nigel Williams Goss or Big 12 Player of the Year Frank Mason from Kansas.
Quotes of the Week
The Celtics might have edged Cleveland out for the top seed in the East during the regular season, but after watching Game 1 Wednesday night, it's clear Brad Stevens’ team will be lucky to get a win in the series.
This from Stevens about the NBA's version of Benjamin Button, LeBron James. "It's hard to believe, but he's better than when I got into the league. A lot better."
Still, Celtics' star Isaiah Thomas isn't about to concede the series just yet, saying, "We're not afraid of Cleveland. They're not the Monstars."
Well, Thomas might be right about the rest of the Cavs. But if you remember the movie "Space Jam", I'm pretty sure James would be a good fit in that Monstars line-up. And the Celtics don't have Michael Jordan, Bugs Bunny or Bill Murray!
Chicago Sports & Travel Inc./AllsportsAmerica Take: We've been hearing the constant rumor for the last year that the Bulls were considering trading Jimmy Butler. What we don't understand is why do they want to trade the most talented player? Is he a problem, does he have an attitude? Does he get along with the other players? The coach? The front office? Are they paying him too much? Do they have a coaching staff that can develop players? Are they just happy to make it to the playoffs each year or do they really want to win another championship? Does the front office have a strategy and plan to win or the just hoping for lightning in a bottle?
They seem to draft talented young players through the draft but the growth, (desire to win, consistency and pride), is not there. It's apparent that the players are not buying into the program. Excuse us but a fish rots from the head down. The Cubs and Blackhawks have succeeded and the Bears are slowly progressing in that direction, however, the Bolls are just remaining stagnant. We feel that a definite front office change is desperately needed. What's missing from this picture?
We would love to hear from the Bulls front office but we know that's not going to happen. Perhaps some of you die-hard Bulls fan reader have some thoughts on this situation. Please go to the comments section at the bottom of this blog and share your take with us. We're lost, excited, dazed and confused!!! We'd love to hear your take, your prospective could clarify and help bring us all a little piece of mind.
We can't wait to hear from you and want to thank you in advance for your valuable time.
The Chicago Sports & Travel Inc./AllsportsAmerica Editorial Staff.
SportsTalk Live Podcast: Could Celtics trade No. 1 pick to Bulls for Jimmy Butler?
By CSN Staff
(Photo/USA TODAY)
David Haugh (Chicago Tribune), Nick Friedell (ESPNChicago.com) and Danny Parkins (670 The Score) join Kap on the panel. The Celtics win the NBA Draft lottery. Does that mean they will keep the No. 1 pick and not trade for Jimmy Butler?
Plus the guys debate if Schwarber should still leadoff, Gisele Bundchen’s concussion diagnosis of Tom Brady and the possible shortening of NFL overtime.
Listen to the latest SportsTalk Live Podcast here.
Plus the guys debate if Schwarber should still leadoff, Gisele Bundchen’s concussion diagnosis of Tom Brady and the possible shortening of NFL overtime.
Listen to the latest SportsTalk Live Podcast here.
Bulls: Jimmy Butler named to All-NBA Third Team.
By Mark Strotman
(Photo/USA TODAY)
Jimmy Butler has been named to the All-NBA Third Team.
Butler averaged career-highs across the board in his sixth NBA season with 23.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists in 76 games.
He's the first member of the Bulls to earn All-NBA honors since Pau Gasol was named to the All-NBA Second Team in 2015.
Butler joins these players as members of the Bulls to be named to All-NBA teams: Bob Love, Norm Van Lier, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol.
He joins John Wall, DeMar DeRozan, Draymond Green and DeAndre Jordan on the third team.
The first team consisted of James Harden, Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis.
The second team consisted of Stephen Curry, Isaiah Thomas, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, Rudy Gobert.
Butler averaged career-highs across the board in his sixth NBA season with 23.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists in 76 games.
He's the first member of the Bulls to earn All-NBA honors since Pau Gasol was named to the All-NBA Second Team in 2015.
Butler joins these players as members of the Bulls to be named to All-NBA teams: Bob Love, Norm Van Lier, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol.
He joins John Wall, DeMar DeRozan, Draymond Green and DeAndre Jordan on the third team.
The first team consisted of James Harden, Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis.
The second team consisted of Stephen Curry, Isaiah Thomas, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, Rudy Gobert.
CUBS: Javy Baez gives the Cubs a jolt with epic grand slam, bat flip. (May 18, 2017 game..... Cubs game, 05/18/2017.
By Tony Andracki
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
What first inning struggles??
The Cubs have had issues in the opening frame of games lately, but Thursday afternoon at Wrigley Field, that was certainly not the case.
After making Cincinnati Reds starter Amir Garrett work in the first inning, Addison Russell forced home a run by drawing a walk.
Four pitches later, Javy Baez made it hurt big time, drilling a 1-2 Garrett offering off the bottom of the left-field video board:
It was Baez's third career grand slam; he hit two in 2016 (June 28 and Sept. 26).
The June 28, 2016 blast came in the 15th inning against the Reds last year.
It was also the Cubs' first first-inning grand slam since Junior Lake accomplished the feat in 2013.
Another interesting note: Baez now has as many grand slams on the season as walks earned (he has four intentional walks, one unintentional).
Baez has three homers in his last 10 games and is on pace for 24 longballs, a jump from the career-high 14 he smacked in 2016.
The Cubs have had issues in the opening frame of games lately, but Thursday afternoon at Wrigley Field, that was certainly not the case.
After making Cincinnati Reds starter Amir Garrett work in the first inning, Addison Russell forced home a run by drawing a walk.
Four pitches later, Javy Baez made it hurt big time, drilling a 1-2 Garrett offering off the bottom of the left-field video board:
It was Baez's third career grand slam; he hit two in 2016 (June 28 and Sept. 26).
The June 28, 2016 blast came in the 15th inning against the Reds last year.
It was also the Cubs' first first-inning grand slam since Junior Lake accomplished the feat in 2013.
Another interesting note: Baez now has as many grand slams on the season as walks earned (he has four intentional walks, one unintentional).
Baez has three homers in his last 10 games and is on pace for 24 longballs, a jump from the career-high 14 he smacked in 2016.
Kyle Schwarber damages Wrigley video board as order is restored in Cubs universe.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
This is an oversimplification. And sometimes only the loudest voices get heard on social media. But where so many Cubs fans and enough of the Chicago media put blind faith and absolute trust into the rebuilding years, there now seems to be some general skepticism and a when-is-it-time-to-panic countdown.
Don’t mean to spoil the ending of David Ross’ new book, but the Cubs won the World Series.
Last year is over, but the Cubs still have an explosive collection of hitters, a playoff-tested rotation, a significantly better bullpen and money/prospects to spend at the trade deadline.
The signs even showed up before Wednesday’s 7-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds, when Kyle Schwarber crushed a ball in batting practice and knocked out part of the lighting for the Budweiser script atop a Wrigley Field video board.
“I hope I won’t get the bill,” Schwarber said. “It had some wind behind it, I guess, and got up there, and you could see some wires fall. I apologize in advance.”
Schwarber damaged the first two letters and part of the “d” out in right field, or roughly the same spot where one of his home-run balls landed during the 2015 playoffs. If Schwarber doesn’t have a Budweiser deal yet, “I should,” he joked.
If you needed another reality check and a reminder of the uncertainty the Cubs used to face, Scott Feldman stood 6-foot-6 on the mound in a gray uniform. This is the answer to the trivia question, the sign-and-flip guy traded along with Steve Clevenger to the Baltimore Orioles for Jake Arrieta and Pedro Strop in the middle of a 96-loss season in 2013.
The Cubs knocked out Feldman in the third inning, pushing their record to one game above .500 and seeing the correction they predicted. Except for Ian Happ, the Cubs don’t have that many other cards left to play in the middle of May. And manager Joe Maddon doesn’t really think about the point where he would start doing things differently.
“It would have to take a lot, honestly, because they’re so young,” Maddon said. “This is our World Series group and this is our future group. So part of it is you have to understand they have to feel confidence and consistency from me and the organization.
“If you just start haphazardly picking names out of a hat or trying to create a different method when it’s really not necessary — that’s what you have to be careful about.
“When you have young guys in this position, the big picture would be that you would not want to influence or dent their confidence in any way or have them lose faith in you.
“There’s a lot of patience from me right now for the whole group. This is our group. And they’re going to keep getting better.”
After all the noise about whether or not Maddon should stick with Schwarber (.188 average) at the leadoff spot, he ignited the five-run burst off Feldman in the second inning when he smashed a two-out, two-run, bases-loaded single past Reds first baseman Joey Votto.
“It’s really hard for human beings to process a 162-game season and see it in its entirety, see it from 10,000 feet,” team president Theo Epstein said. “The game wouldn’t be as fun if you could do that. I remember right around this time last year we were 25-6 and I was getting asked non-sarcastic questions about how are we going to manage the push for the greatest record of all-time vs. resting our guys for the playoffs. I called BS on that.
“And now I’m getting asked about if we’re going to send everyday guys down to Triple-A. (And) I was asked by someone else if we were going to consider selling and things like that. So I call BS on that, too.”
On an 83-degree night with 24-mph winds gusting, Kyle Hendricks again looked like the guy who impersonated Greg Maddux and led the majors in ERA last season. Hendricks is 2-1 with a 1.82 ERA in his last five starts after limiting the Reds (19-20) to two runs across six innings. The rotation is beginning to trend in the right direction and that is how the Cubs will take off from 20-19.
“Ultimately, you are how you play over the course of a season,” Epstein said. “But you also have to look at the amount of talent on a club and whether you trust their makeup and whether they care and whether you think we’re going to reach our level, because we’re going to work really hard to make adjustments and overcome whatever adversity is presented us.
“I don’t want to sound like I’m blind to what’s gone on or sort of like overly faithful in certain guys. (But) you also have to trust what you believe about players and what you see and understand the season is 162 games for a reason, because it tends to be a meritocracy.”
The Cubs are also getting under people’s skin again. After another stress-free ninth inning ended for Wade Davis (9-for-9 in save chances, zero earned runs in 18 appearances) with an overturned replay call, Reds manager Bryan Price had this to say to reporters:
“Two teams are trying to win that game. As much as it’s ‘Hail to the Cubs’ and they’re the World Series champs and they’re great, we’re trying to win the ballgame, too. Until I see that, I’m going to be more than upset. That's not a way to end a ballgame, unless they can show us something that's definitive. If they can't, shame on them."
Cubs add Pierce Johnson to bullpen and send Jeimer Candelario back to Triple-A Iowa.
Don’t mean to spoil the ending of David Ross’ new book, but the Cubs won the World Series.
Last year is over, but the Cubs still have an explosive collection of hitters, a playoff-tested rotation, a significantly better bullpen and money/prospects to spend at the trade deadline.
The signs even showed up before Wednesday’s 7-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds, when Kyle Schwarber crushed a ball in batting practice and knocked out part of the lighting for the Budweiser script atop a Wrigley Field video board.
“I hope I won’t get the bill,” Schwarber said. “It had some wind behind it, I guess, and got up there, and you could see some wires fall. I apologize in advance.”
Schwarber damaged the first two letters and part of the “d” out in right field, or roughly the same spot where one of his home-run balls landed during the 2015 playoffs. If Schwarber doesn’t have a Budweiser deal yet, “I should,” he joked.
If you needed another reality check and a reminder of the uncertainty the Cubs used to face, Scott Feldman stood 6-foot-6 on the mound in a gray uniform. This is the answer to the trivia question, the sign-and-flip guy traded along with Steve Clevenger to the Baltimore Orioles for Jake Arrieta and Pedro Strop in the middle of a 96-loss season in 2013.
The Cubs knocked out Feldman in the third inning, pushing their record to one game above .500 and seeing the correction they predicted. Except for Ian Happ, the Cubs don’t have that many other cards left to play in the middle of May. And manager Joe Maddon doesn’t really think about the point where he would start doing things differently.
“It would have to take a lot, honestly, because they’re so young,” Maddon said. “This is our World Series group and this is our future group. So part of it is you have to understand they have to feel confidence and consistency from me and the organization.
“If you just start haphazardly picking names out of a hat or trying to create a different method when it’s really not necessary — that’s what you have to be careful about.
“When you have young guys in this position, the big picture would be that you would not want to influence or dent their confidence in any way or have them lose faith in you.
“There’s a lot of patience from me right now for the whole group. This is our group. And they’re going to keep getting better.”
After all the noise about whether or not Maddon should stick with Schwarber (.188 average) at the leadoff spot, he ignited the five-run burst off Feldman in the second inning when he smashed a two-out, two-run, bases-loaded single past Reds first baseman Joey Votto.
“It’s really hard for human beings to process a 162-game season and see it in its entirety, see it from 10,000 feet,” team president Theo Epstein said. “The game wouldn’t be as fun if you could do that. I remember right around this time last year we were 25-6 and I was getting asked non-sarcastic questions about how are we going to manage the push for the greatest record of all-time vs. resting our guys for the playoffs. I called BS on that.
“And now I’m getting asked about if we’re going to send everyday guys down to Triple-A. (And) I was asked by someone else if we were going to consider selling and things like that. So I call BS on that, too.”
On an 83-degree night with 24-mph winds gusting, Kyle Hendricks again looked like the guy who impersonated Greg Maddux and led the majors in ERA last season. Hendricks is 2-1 with a 1.82 ERA in his last five starts after limiting the Reds (19-20) to two runs across six innings. The rotation is beginning to trend in the right direction and that is how the Cubs will take off from 20-19.
“Ultimately, you are how you play over the course of a season,” Epstein said. “But you also have to look at the amount of talent on a club and whether you trust their makeup and whether they care and whether you think we’re going to reach our level, because we’re going to work really hard to make adjustments and overcome whatever adversity is presented us.
“I don’t want to sound like I’m blind to what’s gone on or sort of like overly faithful in certain guys. (But) you also have to trust what you believe about players and what you see and understand the season is 162 games for a reason, because it tends to be a meritocracy.”
The Cubs are also getting under people’s skin again. After another stress-free ninth inning ended for Wade Davis (9-for-9 in save chances, zero earned runs in 18 appearances) with an overturned replay call, Reds manager Bryan Price had this to say to reporters:
“Two teams are trying to win that game. As much as it’s ‘Hail to the Cubs’ and they’re the World Series champs and they’re great, we’re trying to win the ballgame, too. Until I see that, I’m going to be more than upset. That's not a way to end a ballgame, unless they can show us something that's definitive. If they can't, shame on them."
Cubs add Pierce Johnson to bullpen and send Jeimer Candelario back to Triple-A Iowa.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Roughly an hour before first pitch on Wednesday night at Wrigley Field, the Cubs optioned infielder Jeimer Candelario to Triple-A Iowa and added Pierce Johnson to their bullpen.
Johnson — the first pitcher the Theo Epstein regime drafted for the Cubs — will be available to make his big-league debut against the Cincinnati Reds.
Johnson — the 43rd overall pick out of Missouri State University in 2012 and the compensation for losing free agent Aramis Ramirez — struggled with command issues and health problems as a starter and pivoted toward a bullpen role last summer.
Johnson went 2-0 with a 3.21 ERA in 12 appearances for Iowa this season, putting up 21 strikeouts against 11 walks and 15 hits through 14 innings.
Johnson — the first pitcher the Theo Epstein regime drafted for the Cubs — will be available to make his big-league debut against the Cincinnati Reds.
Johnson — the 43rd overall pick out of Missouri State University in 2012 and the compensation for losing free agent Aramis Ramirez — struggled with command issues and health problems as a starter and pivoted toward a bullpen role last summer.
Johnson went 2-0 with a 3.21 ERA in 12 appearances for Iowa this season, putting up 21 strikeouts against 11 walks and 15 hits through 14 innings.
White Sox erase four-run deficit, but lose series opener to Mariners in walk-off fashion.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
If there’s a way to lose 10 of 12 games and still not feel as if all hope is lost, the White Sox may have discovered it.
Under manager Rick Renteria’s watch, the White Sox have developed a battle-to-the-final-out mentality that has at the least made their games more interesting.
But after they fell again on Thursday night, a 5-4 walkoff loss to the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field, Renteria said he would like to start converting on some of these missed opportunities. Despite homering three times late to rally from four runs down, the White Sox lost their fourth straight contest and fell to 17-22. Guillermo Heredia’s pinch-hit, two-out single off reliever Dan Jennings did the White Sox in as Jarrod Dyson scored the winning run.
“They don't quit,” Renteria said. “The one thing you want to make sure to do when you're having games like this is ultimately try to finish it out. That puts the icing on the cake and I think that when they continue to battle and fight, that speaks to the character of those guys and how they go about their business.
“They've been doing it all year."
The White Sox looked out of it early on yet again.
They had no solution for Mariners rookie starter Sam Gaviglio, who allowed three hits and walked one in five scoreless innings. But once they got into the struggling Seattle bullpen the White Sox offense -- who stranded four in scoring position through six innings -- finally woke up.
Matt Davidson blasted a two-run homer off Seattle’s Casey Lawrence in the seventh inning to get the White Sox within 4-2. An inning later, the White Sox roared back with two outs against reliever Dan Altavilla.
Todd Frazier made it a one-run game with a 382-foot shot to left. Tim Anderson followed Frazier’s drive with an opposite-field homer to tie it at 4. Anderson, who finished 3-for-4 and scored two runs, was fired up as he raced around the bases.
“It’s definitely good for me to tie the game up there and give us a shot at it,” Anderson said. “We’re feeling real good. It’s definitely something we can build off of. The fight is there. We’ve just got to keep battling and competing and giving ourselves a shot to win.”
Ultimately, the White Sox didn’t emerge victorious.
Dyson reached on a fielder’s choice after Taylor Motter’s leadoff single in the ninth. He just beat Frazier’s throw to second on Carlos Ruiz’s groundout, a play that proved critical. With two outs, Jennings intentionally walked Jean Segura. Seattle opted for Heredia over Ben Gamel and he delivered.
Frazier admits it sounds strange to look at the positive side of things when the team has gone from 15-12 to five games under .500. But the White Sox expect if they continue to fight back, eventually they’ll reverse their fortunes.
“Out of those 10 I bet we were in 70 percent of them,” Frazier said. “We came back, what were we down, 4-0? Late innings, a couple of big home runs, and we kept battling. That’s what Rick always talks about. Keep battling and eventually good things are going to happen. It was just unfortunate. Danny threw a good pitch, the guy hit a blooper. In this game, sometimes you don’t need a good swing. You’ve seen that from me. Sometimes it happens, and that’s baseball.
"They came back and beat us.”
Dylan Covey felt like he hurt his own cause with a fifth-inning walk of Ruiz. Renteria said Covey’s outing -- he allowed four earned and five hits in six innings -- was the rookie’s best to date.
But Covey couldn’t escape a trouble spot in the fifth inning. Dyson, who homered in the third inning, singled with two outs and stole two bases in the fifth inning. Covey then walked Ruiz a second time, which set up Segura’s three-run homer to put Seattle up 4-0.
“That was something me and Coop talked about: Didn’t want to walk (Ruiz) to get to Segura,” Covey said. “Tried throwing a fastball 3-2 and spiked it. If I could have an at-bat back, that would be it, just go right after him. But I felt decent overall.”
White Sox creating winning culture in Minors.
By Scott Merkin
Something special is brewing with Triple-A Knights.
Seven media members traveled three hours across I-65 to Victory Field last Monday to get a look at the Charlotte Knights.
In addition to the media attention, there is intense fan interest in pretty much every move made by Knights players such as Yoan Moncada, Reynaldo Lopez, Zack Burdi and Carson Fulmer, to name a very few.
"I'm laughing every day with everybody waiting for a few of our guys on this squad to get them to sign something," said White Sox catcher Kevan Smith, during the Charlotte visit to Indianapolis and before Smith returned to the Majors. "Obviously the main goal for all of us is to be up in the big leagues and stay up in the big leagues. The more we can mesh down here, the more chemistry we can build. It's only going to benefit us in the future."
That meshing and comfort level becomes almost as important for this crew as the individual development through repetition of at-bats and innings on the mound. Highly touted prospects reside at other stops in the White Sox system, such as Michael Kopech with Double-A Birmingham and Zack Collins and Dane Dunning at Class A Advanced Winston-Salem.
But all of these players at Charlotte play together and learn together daily. As Smith pointed out, the White Sox hope is they eventually win together, much like what has happened at the rebuilding conclusion with the Royals, Cubs and Astros.
"Ideally you get waves of guys who have known each other, been with each other since the lower levels, and they've had success together at each of the levels," White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said during a recent interview with MLB.com. "They come to Chicago with a greater level of comfort in their own abilities as well as those around them.
"One thing [White Sox manager] Ricky [Renteria] and the rest of us have tried to emphasize since the organization meetings and again in Spring Training is to have a culture of what it means to be a White Sox and how we expect the game played and how we expect to go about our business from a preparation standpoint and in-game-execution standpoint. That's not just in Chicago. That's throughout the Minor Leagues."
Smith pointed to the older players creating a good environment at Charlotte and the younger players bringing the energy. That Knights team plays for each other and has fun, which are good traits to carry together as they advance.
"We are super close," Fulmer said. "Our organization put us all together to develop that championship type of culture. Being around each other on and off the field, playing with energy and really just trusting everybody. We definitely have something special here.
"The more we play together, we'll get more comfortable. We are all pretty comfortable and ready each and every day to come to the field."
White Sox fall to Angels, who complete series sweep. (Thursday night's game, 05/17/2017.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Doesn’t seem to matter what the White Sox do at Angel Stadium. They just can’t beat the Los Angeles Angels.
“It’s definitely tough to swallow,” said Gonzalez, who allowed five earned runs in 5 2/3 innings. “It’s not easy. Guys came out today and hit the ball well. We had 15 hits. Those type of games, those are the games you want to win. Things didn’t go our way. Our bullpen has been throwing the ball really well. Today didn’t go their way. Just flush this game and get ready for the next one.”
Everything appeared to be headed in the White Sox direction in the early innings.
Jose Abreu crushed a low, outside split-fingered fastball from Matt Shoemaker in the first inning for a two-run homer and a 2-0 lead. Abreu’s seventh homer traveled an estimated 424 feet and splashed down in the Thunder Mountain Railroad rocks in center field.
The White Sox added on in the second inning, too.
Matt Davidson singled and scored on an RBI single by Yolmer Sanchez and Leury Garcia scored on an errant double play throw to make it 4-0.
But then it all fell apart rather quickly.
After he walked one in a scoreless first inning, Gonzalez walked four in the four-run second inning. Andrelton Simmons drew the first and scored when Ben Revere tripled him in. Danny Espinosa received a free pass and Martin Maldonado’s sac bunt made it a 4-2 game. Cameron Maybin, who went 3-for-4 with a walk after a five-hit effort on Tuesday, walked as did Mike Trout to load the bases. Albert Pujols tied it with a two-run single.
Gonzalez then appeared to find a rhythm as he retired the side in order on seven pitches in the fourth. He recorded the first two outs in the sixth inning before allowing a double to Espinosa and gave way to Anthony Swarzak, who had a 0.00 ERA. Maldanado singled in the go-ahead run and Maybin singled to set up Trout, who blasted a three-run homer for an 8-4 lead.
Gonzalez allowed five earned runs and six hits with five walks in 5 2/3 innings, his second straight rough outing. Swarzak departed with three runs and three hits allowed.
“It kind of fell apart there,” manager Rick Renteria said. “We’ve been riding these guys pretty hard, all of our relievers. One of the very few instances where our guys had a little tough time.
“This game evolved into one of those games that happens very rarely. We haven’t had that many to be honest. I don’t think it’s something to hold on to and let linger. We have to move on to the next series.”
It got a little worse before it got better.
A Tim Anderson error sparked a seventh-inning rally that included RBI singles by C.J. Cron, Espinosa and Maldonado. Maybin grounded into a double play to push across another run to make it 12-4.
The White Sox refused to go quietly as they scored three runs in the eighth inning. Avisail Garcia, Anderson and Kevan Smith all singled in a run. Garcia also doubled in a run in the ninth inning to get the White Sox within four runs.
“We’re trying our best to get out of this bad streak,” Abreu said through an interpreter. “It doesn’t matter that our best right now hasn’t been enough for us. We have to keep working hard every day and do our best every day.
“We’re trying to fight every at-bat, every pitch, every play. Sometimes things don’t go the way you want them to go.”
Golf: I got a club for that..... Hahn, Barnes share Nelson lead; DJ 3 back.
By Will Gray
(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)
There was no post-Players lull for the world No. 1, who got off to a strong start at the AT&T Byron Nelson. Here's how things look after the opening round in Dallas, as James Hahn and Ricky Barnes share the lead:
Leaderboard: James Hahn (-6), Ricky Barnes (-6), Matt Kuchar (-4), Jhonattan Vegas (-4), Jason Kokrak (-4), Cameron Tringale (-4), Dustin Johnson (-3)
What it means: Most of the low scores were shot in the morning wave, including Barnes, who seeks his first career win, and Hahn, who hasn't cracked the top 40 since Riviera. They hold a two-shot buffer over a group that includes Kuchar, a regular Nelson contender, while Johnson sits one shot further back as he looks to improve upon last week's T-12 finish at TPC Sawgrass and boost his lead atop the world rankings.
Round of the day: Hahn has two career wins to his credit, but he's been largely quiet since his playoff win at Quail Hollow last spring. That changed with a bogey-free 64, as Hahn made three birdies in a four-hole stretch on Nos. 4-7 and then added three more circles on his inward half to shoot his first round in the 60s in his 24 attempts.
Best of the rest: Barnes is a former U.S. Amateur champ and perhaps the most decorated player still without a PGA Tour win, as this week marks his 255th career start. Barnes doesn't have a top-20 finish this season but that may change after he matched Hahn's 64. Barnes got off to a hot start, with birdies on five of his first eight holes, and had eight birdies total.
Biggest disappointment: J.B. Holmes was in position to win The Players Championship through 54 holes, but he ballooned to a final-round 84 in Ponte Vedra Beach and apparently hasn't recovered. Holmes shot a 6-over 76 in the opening round, including bogeys on seven of his first 12 holes, and now has significant work ahead of him if he's going to stick around for the weekend.
Main storyline heading into Friday: Barnes is overdue for a win and Hahn has defeated top players before, but the names to watch are in the pack at 3 under. That's a group that is headlined by Johnson, one of the few big names to contend last week on the Stadium Course, while he's joined by Brooks Koepka who was an early leader Thursday and lost in a playoff to Sergio Garcia at this event last year.
Quote of the day: "It's really not that big of a deal." - Jordan Spieth, who attempted to downplay his decision to switch to a mallet putter this week in Texas. He opened with a 2-under 68 and trails by four shots.
USGA: Erin Hills could play nearly 7,700 yards.
(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)
Players prepping for next month's U.S. Open might want to start working on their long-iron approaches.
In four weeks, the season's second major heads to Erin Hills in Erin, Wis., for the first time. It will also mark the first time since that the USGA conducts its marquee championship over a par-72 layout since Tom Kite won at Pebble Beach in 1992.
USGA executive director and CEO Mike Davis confirmed Wednesday at U.S. Open media day that Erin Hills will measure 7,693 yards on the scorecard, although he noted that the actual yardage will vary on a daily basis.
"We won't play that yardage on any one of the four days, I'm quite certain," Davis said. "It may be slightly more than that, it may be slightly less than that. But we really don't figure out exactly what we're going to do until really the day before or even the day of, once we know what the wind conditions and the firmness is going to be."
The sprawling course is actually equipped to pack an even bigger punch, as the scorecard includes a black tee that tips out at 7,800 yards. From those tees, each of the four par-5s measures at least 607 yards, including the 663-yard 18th hole.
Davis noted that Erin Hills' fairways will offer more bounce than a traditional U.S. Open venue, and as a result the landing areas will be 50 percent wider - and in some cases more - than the fairways that players encounter at venues like Winged Foot or Oakmont.
"You're going to see balls hit and move, and because of that and because of the wind out here, the fairways are most certainly wider than most U.S. Opens," Davis said. "But we think that works architecturally and that's really the way the three architects designed it to be, and we're excited."
Davis: 'Arms race' for fast greens is bad for golf.
(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)
Mike Davis has been the face of the U.S. Open for six years, during which the championship has often been defined by its quick and difficult putting surfaces. But speaking at U.S. Open media day Wednesday, Davis shared his view that the faster-is-better approach to green speeds should stop.
"I will say, and we've said this publicly before, too, this notion that good greens have to be fast greens is bad for golf," said Davis, the USGA's CEO and executive director. "It's just not good."
Green speeds have been a focal point at each of the last two U.S. Opens. Many players were outspoken about the splotchy surfaces at Chambers Bay in 2015, while slick conditions led in part to a penalty that nearly cost Dustin Johnson the title last year at Oakmont.
Erin Hills will host the tournament for the first time next month, and Davis doesn't anticipate any issues on greens that he described as "wonderfully conditioned."
"I can't remember coming into a U.S. Open where the greens were this smooth," he said. "When you hit a putt, if you get it on the right line, the right speed, it will go in here, and we don't expect to see many things hit and moving sideways."
Davis notes that the greens at Erin Hills next month will be "fast," and the organization's course setup style has likely contributed to the growing trend toward slick surfaces. Despite those points, Davis reiterated that courses should re-think their approach on the greens when it comes to everyday play.
"It's costing the game more money to keep greens fast. It compromises in some cases the health of the greens. It compromises the architectural integrity of the greens sometimes. It certainly hurts pace of play," Davis said. "We would just say that, taking off our U.S. Open hats for a second, that this arms race to get fast greens is not a good thing for the game of golf."
NASCAR’s All-Star weekend schedule at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
By Daniel McFadin
(Photo/Getty Images)
The 32nd annual NASCAR All-Star Race takes place this weekend with support from the Camping World Truck Series on Friday night.
Here’s the weekend schedule at Charlotte Motor Speedway, complete with TV and radio info.
Friday, May 19
10:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. – Cup garage open
10:30 a.m. – Truck garage opens
1 – 2:10 p.m. – Cup All-Star Race practice (Fox Sports 1, Motor Racing Network)
2:10 – 2:25 p.m. – All-Star Race Pit Speed practice (FS1, MRN)
3 – 4:25 p.m. – Cup Open practice (FS1, MRN)
4:45 p.m. – Truck Series qualifying; single car/two rounds (FS1)
6:05 p.m. – Cup All-Star Race qualifying; (Round 1/ three laps, w/pit stop – impound) (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
7:30 p.m. – Cup All-Star Race qualifying (Round 2/three laps, w/pit stop – top five – impound) (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
7:30 p.m. – Truck Series driver-crew chief meeting
8 p.m. – Truck driver introductions
8:30 p.m. – North Carolina Education Lottery 200; 134 laps/201 miles (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Saturday, May 20
1 p.m. – Cup garage opens
2:30 p.m. – Driver-crew chief meeting
4:35 p.m. – Open Qualifying; multi-car/two rounds – top eight in second (FS1)
5:30 p.m. – Open driver introductions
6 p.m. – Open race; 20 laps / 20 laps / 10 laps (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
7:30 p.m. – All-Star Race driver introductions
8 p.m. – All-Star race; 20 laps/ 20 laps / 20 laps / 10 laps (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Kligerman: Here’s an All-Star idea — go back to being truly stock and showcase the showroom.
By Parker Kligerman
(Photo/Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Ever since I can remember, I have loved cars.
My mom once said I was barely out of the delivery room before I had a model car in my hands, and no one’s really sure where the car came from.
Through my childhood, the fandom would grow to an outright obsession.
Culminating at the age of 9, when we got cable and I found Speedvision. A cable TV channel dedicated to racing and cars.
I was hooked. Not only had I found a channel about cars, but I discovered a sport that used cars.
If you could have bottled my sense of euphoric, enchanted and full-throttle fate, it wouldn’t just sell. It would solve first-world depression.
Which brings me to this year’s All-Star Race, an event that I see fighting its own feelings of dread and depression.
It made its debut in 1985 as an additional “fun race” to drum up more exposure for the sport’s biggest early investor, R.J. Reynolds, and its Winston cigarette brand.
It always has been a race about winning because that is what pays – and it does pay handsomely. This year’s winner will pocket an unadulterated and fully taxed $1 million.
But that has been its selling point for too long.
Since 1985, it has undergone an umpteen amount of changes. Over the past 32 years, it has had 13 race formats. And I guarantee there is no one on this planet who can remember what each of those 13 formats were. If they do, shall I suggest seeing the sun sometime?
And this year, to celebrate the newest Monster backer in the sport’s storied history, we get a new format that pays tribute to the 1992 format. Which isn’t to be confused with the 1998–2001 format that had the same segment lengths.
But there is another addition that has me quite excited.
Tires!
Yes, Goodyear and NASCAR have collaborated to offer two options of tires in this race. Which I actually am quite excited about and foresee its introduction into the points races as a tantalizing future.
This is all swell and delightful.
But none of it makes me feel like the day I found Speedvision.
Therefore, in an era in which it seems racing worldwide is unopposed to breaking the molds of the staid and repressive mid-aughts, I have an idea that could be just the thing this All-Star Race needs, and it won’t be found on a psychiatrist’s prescription sheet.
The cure is in the very thing that got me into this sport in the first place: Cars.
I am talking stock cars. The cure for the All-Star Race is to remove the very devices we use each and every weekend. To take the drivers and teams out of their comfort zones and learn who is truly the All-Star of driving stock cars?
Imagine for one day a year the very best drivers in the world racing the same cars that the fans might arrive to the track in via an Uber driver.
Let’s not pay tribute to 1992 with a format. Let’s pay tribute to the sport’s roots and its foundation with the very premise Bill France built it upon.
“Common men in common cars could appeal to common folk en masse.”
Now before you start poking holes in the idea with words such as safety, fairness and equivalency formulas … without getting too technical, I have an answer for most of your questions.
Let’s start with the cars.
The Ford teams obviously will use the 2017 Ford Fusion, specifically the Ford Fusion Sport model, which will be the most powerful of the bunch. Its twin-turbocharged V6 produces 325 horsepower and 380 lb-ft of torque, but it also weighs the same as a small planet.
Which should line up nicely with the yet-to-be released 2018 Toyota Camry. Expected to carry over the same V6 of the 2017 Toyota Camry XSE, it will have roughly 268 HP. Therefore if it’s anything like its predecessor, it will weigh considerably less than the Ford Fusion. Which means it might be at a disadvantage in raw speed but could make that up in the corners.
This brings us to the Chevy teams. The current Chevy SS is a muscle car, through and through. With a diabolically powerful V8 and performance design, we simply could not allow it to compete.
The SS also has been discontinued, and in 2018, Chevy will need to have a new car. The current Malibu looks to be a great fit with a turbocharged 4-cylinder pumping out 250 HP, which would be the lowest of the three. It also comes in the lightest at a whopping 800 pounds less than the Ford Fusion.
So without any upgrades or changes, we clearly have a closely aligned field of cars.
Now how would we make them safe enough and keep the cars close to stock?
We could have the NASCAR R&D center and a couple engineers from the manufacturers figure out how to put our current carbon fiber seats and other safety technology into the cars. Keep everything but the driver’s area as stock as possible for weight reasons and validity.
Obviously we would remove the glass windows and replace them with the current material used for the race cars.
Next we would have a road tire designated by Goodyear to put on all three cars, and boom: We are off to the races.
But you might ask, “Can we possibly race these cars around the 1.5-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway oval?” Well I think we could, and it probably would be amazing, but it could be a bit more dangerous than any of us would like to admit.
So in an effort to seem even remotely sane, we could race Charlotte’s quarter-mile infield oval, where the speeds will be considerably slower. And then hold a second race on a version of the road course.
I think no matter what, there should be two races: One on an oval, one on a road course of some sort. Maybe even a street course in Uptown Charlotte around the Hall of Fame? The options potentially are endless.
Lastly, I know at least one keen reader probably is ripping out their hair screaming “COST!”
Well, I think the manufacturers could find a way to make this financially viable. Add in there would not be any tuning or engineering. The only thing you can change on the cars? Tire pressures.
So you see, I have it all figured out. The manufacturers win by getting their current technology one big event annually in the public eye. The drivers will win by having an All-Star event that is crazy enough to simply be fun. And the fans win with an event that truly would be one of a kind.
Sadly, we all know this will not happen. Putting aside the funding or the complexities, a massive problem is that in the coming years the road cars that birthed the NASCAR genre will be engulfed by computer-controlled self-driving features.
These would have to be shut off or removed to make this concept work, which would cause the marketing whizzes to have a coronary. Thus, there is no way in this modern world that this would come to fruition.
Which is a shame, as this race could use a boost to its stock. And current stock cars might just be the answers.
NASCAR Next Class for 2017-18 chosen.
By Dustin Long
(Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
Nine drivers have been selected to the 2017-18 NASCAR Next Class.
The latest class includes three series champions and the 2016 NASCAR Whelen All-America Series Rookie of the Year.
Alumni of the program, which is in its seventh year, include Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson and Daniel Suarez.
The selection process includes input from industry executives, NASCAR Cup Drivers Council and media members. Drivers must be between the ages of 15-25 and show potential on and off the track to reach the Cup Series.
Of the nine selected, Harrison Burton, Ty Majeski and Todd Gilliland were also members of the 2016-17 class.
The 2017-18 class includes:
Harrison Burton – In his second year competing in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, the 16-year-old from Huntersville, North Carolina, has earned wins at Bristol Motor Speedway and Virginia’s South Boston Speedway. The son of former NASCAR Cup Series driver and current NBC Sports analyst Jeff Burton also took home the pole award at Bristol for the second consecutive year.
Hailie Deegan – The 15-year-old Temecula, California, native has made a name for herself in the Lucas Oil Off Road Series. Last year the daughter of FMX legend Brian Deegan became the first female to reach the podium in the series’ history, was the 2016 Modified Kart champion in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series and was named the Lucas Oil Off Road Driver of the Year.
Todd Gilliland – The son of former NASCAR Cup Series driver David Gilliland has made quite a name for himself in the sport’s history books. The 16-year-old from Sherrills Ford, North Carolina, has 12 wins in 30 K&N Pro Series starts and became the youngest champion in NASCAR national or touring series history last year when he took home the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West championship.
Chase Cabre – In his rookie season competing for Rev Racing and the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, the 20-year-old Tampa, Florida, native captured his first two pole awards in the twin features at South Boston Speedway and also earned his best career finish (fourth) at the Virginia short track.
Riley Herbst – The 18-year-old Las Vegas, Nevada, driver is coming off a successful rookie season in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West. In 14 starts last year, he compiled seven top-five and 10 top-10 finishes.
Cayden Lapcevich – Only the third Canadian-born driver to be chosen for the program, the 17-year-old from Grimsby, Ontario, won three times in 2016 en route to becoming the youngest NASCAR Pinty’s Series champion, and briefly held the title as the youngest NASCAR champion before being dethroned by Gilliland. Lapcevich is the first driver in Pinty’s Series history to earn both the Josten Rookie of the Year honor and the series title in the same year.
Ty Majeski – A Roush Fenway development driver and one of the country’s top Super Late Model drivers, the 22-year-old Seymour, Wisconsin native kicked off his 2016 winning the Super Late Model championship at the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway. He continued his NASCAR Whelen All-American Series season with a third-place finish in the national standings on the strength of 14 wins and 21 top-fives in 26 starts. He will make his Xfinity Series debut June 24 at Iowa Speedway.
Chase Purdy – The 2016 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Rookie of the Year made a splash last year when he took home both the rookie of the year and track championship at South Carolina’s Greenville Pickens Speedway in NASCAR’s weekly series. The 17-year-old from Meridian, Mississippi, is chasing another rookie title this year, competing in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.
Zane Smith – Smith, 17, from Huntington Beach, California, broke onto the national scene in 2015 when he won the Super Late Model championship at New Smyrna’s World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing. He capped the season with a runner-up finish to Cup Series driver Chase Elliott in the Snowball Derby.
SOCCER: Nemanja Nikolic takes MLS scoring lead in Fire win.
By Dan Santaromita
(Photo/USA TODAY)
After a bit of a slow start in his first couple matches, Nemanja Nikolic is suddenly one of the hottest strikers in Major League Soccer.
Nikolic scored twice to help the Chicago Fire to a comfortable 3-0 win against the floundering Colorado Rapids on Wednesday at Toyota Park.
Nikolic reached double figure goals in 11 matches. He became the fastest Fire player to 10 goals, taking a record from 2013 MLS MVP Mike Magee. When asked if he was surprised by his own early success, Nikolic bluntly said no.
“I think that the most important thing is the team plays really good," Nikolic said. "I don’t do anything special. I think my teammates make a fantastic job for me. I am all the time in the right place and also like today I don’t have a really difficult job to finish the action. Thanks to my teammates I adapt really good and fast."
Brandon Vincent delivered a cross from the left that Nikolic headed into the net in the 15th minute. That marked Nikolic’s fourth straight game with a goal.
With that goal, Nikolic took sole possession of the league lead in goals. He moved past Houston’s Erick Torres, who also had eight entering the night and did not score in the Dynamo’s 2-0 loss at Philadelphia on Wednesday.
The Fire (5-3-3, 18 points) dominated the first half with the wind at their backs on a windy night in Bridgeview. Colorado (2-7-1, 7 points) was in a shell most of the half, hoping to weather the storm before having the wind with them in the second half.
Things did not get better after halftime for the Rapids, which have the lowest point total in the league.
The Fire added a second goal with David Accam finishing off a sequence of quick passes involving Matt Polster, making his first start of the season at right back. Polster initially set up Michael de Leeuw, who appeared to have a shot at an open goal but couldn't reach it. Accam was there to finish it.
Nikolic’s second goal came in the 74th minute with de Leeuw doing the heavy lifting on the play. He flicked the ball around a defender to get free on the right wing and played a perfectly angled ball at the back post where a sliding Nikolic scored.
Coach Veljko Paunovic said they knew what they were getting when they signed Nikolic this offseason. Nikolic led the Hungarian League in goals each of his last two seasons there before leading the Polish Ekstraklasa in goals his first season with Legia Warsaw.
“I think he has that natural hunger for scoring goals," Paunovic said. "In his career he has scored so many goals so right now we have him in his prime. That’s important for us. Strikers they live for streaks like this, scoring goals, scoring goals, scoring goals and sometimes when they don’t score goals obviously they are nervous. We know that, we have to manage with that and we always support our guys.”
Nikolic's presence has also opened things up for players like Accam, who has five goals and four assists this season.
The Fire, which played in front of an announced crowd of 11,244 after selling out Saturday’s win against Seattle, play again in three days at D.C. United.
Upsets abound in U.S. Open Cup second round.
By Nicholas Mendola
(Photo/@ReadingUnited)
The second round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup didn’t need more than a quarter of its slate to provide genuine upsets.
Or, as they #USOC crowd likes to call them, Cupsets.
USL side Richmond Kickers and NASL clubs Indy Eleven and New York Cosmos were knocked out of the Open Cup by lower tier sides on Wednesday, with the Kickers bowing out at the hands (and feet) of fifth-tier Christos FC.
Richmond Kickers 0-1 Christos FC
Not that Christos are pushovers, but overseas they’d be called a Sunday League side. Champions of the Amateur Open Cup and the National Cup, Christos FC got a goal from one of its many UMBC grads, Geaton Caltabiano, to knock out Richmond.
Consider that Christos traveled to Western New York last week for a Werner Fricker Cup quarterfinal and won 1-0 with nine men, and it’s somewhat less surprising. But this is a major moment for both the Sunday Leaguers and this year’s tournament.
Reading United 3-2 New York Cosmos
This one’s nearly as surprising, considering the Cosmos have been the darlings of this tournament in years past. The NASL side has handled its business against several MLS sides, but ran into a problem with Reading United (one of the better programs in the fourth-tier PDL and an affiliate of the Philadelphia Union).
Paul Marie, Marco Micaletto, and Frantzdy Pierrot scored for Reading, while Kalif Alhassan and ex-USMNT midfielder Danny Szetela scored for the Cosmos.
Michigan Bucks 1-0 Indy Eleven
University of Michigan star Francis Atuahene scored the lone goal, assisted by Jordan Snell, as the PDL champs knocked the NASL visitors out of the tournament.
FC Cincinnati 0-0 AFC Cleveland
It took extra time to separate the USL hosts and the visiting champions of the fourth-tier NPSL, thanks mainly to AFCC keeper Alex Ivanov, but former Randers and Molde striker Baye Djiby Fall scored in the 115th minute to save Cincy blushes.
Elsewhere
Rochester Rhinos 3-0 Motown FC
Tartan Devils 0-9 Louisville CityBoston City 1-2 GPS Omens
Carolina Dynamo 1-6 North Carolina FCMiami United 1-2 Jacksonville ArmadaAtlanta Silverbacks 1-2 Charleston Battery
Miami FC 3-2 South Florida Surf
Ocean City 0-1 Harrisburg City Islanders
Chicago United 3-1 Pittsburgh Riverhounds
Houston Dutch Lions 1-2 San Antonio
Oklahoma City Energy 5-1 Moreno ValleyTulsa Roughnecks 5-3 Oklahoma City Energy U23
Wichita 3-4 Saint Louis FC
Colorado Springs 2-0 FC Tucson
Leicester 1-6 Spurs: Kane, Son increase record points total.
By Andy Edwards
The key to life is remembering to enjoy the good times, because the possibility always exists that this is as good as it’ll ever be.
Tottenham Hotspur fans, no one knows this better than you, but a quick reminder never hurt anyone. Look no further than the last 18 months of emotions experienced by Leicester City supporters for an example of how quickly those good times can vanish.
Thursday’s clash between the two sides at the King Power Stadium, where just 12 months ago Leicester lifted the Premier League trophy, so perfectly contrasted clubs with fortunes currently headed in polar opposite directions. Tottenham, spearheaded by Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, had to do little more than turn up for kickoff before returning south to London with a 6-1 victory.
Son’s showing started off poorly, as the South Korean international raced in on goal in the 15th minute, one on one with Kasper Schmeichel, before blazing his right-footed shot well over the bar without a single defender applying pressure. It was an inexcusable effort to not test the goalkeeper.
Or, as they #USOC crowd likes to call them, Cupsets.
USL side Richmond Kickers and NASL clubs Indy Eleven and New York Cosmos were knocked out of the Open Cup by lower tier sides on Wednesday, with the Kickers bowing out at the hands (and feet) of fifth-tier Christos FC.
Richmond Kickers 0-1 Christos FC
Not that Christos are pushovers, but overseas they’d be called a Sunday League side. Champions of the Amateur Open Cup and the National Cup, Christos FC got a goal from one of its many UMBC grads, Geaton Caltabiano, to knock out Richmond.
Consider that Christos traveled to Western New York last week for a Werner Fricker Cup quarterfinal and won 1-0 with nine men, and it’s somewhat less surprising. But this is a major moment for both the Sunday Leaguers and this year’s tournament.
Reading United 3-2 New York Cosmos
This one’s nearly as surprising, considering the Cosmos have been the darlings of this tournament in years past. The NASL side has handled its business against several MLS sides, but ran into a problem with Reading United (one of the better programs in the fourth-tier PDL and an affiliate of the Philadelphia Union).
Paul Marie, Marco Micaletto, and Frantzdy Pierrot scored for Reading, while Kalif Alhassan and ex-USMNT midfielder Danny Szetela scored for the Cosmos.
Michigan Bucks 1-0 Indy Eleven
University of Michigan star Francis Atuahene scored the lone goal, assisted by Jordan Snell, as the PDL champs knocked the NASL visitors out of the tournament.
FC Cincinnati 0-0 AFC Cleveland
It took extra time to separate the USL hosts and the visiting champions of the fourth-tier NPSL, thanks mainly to AFCC keeper Alex Ivanov, but former Randers and Molde striker Baye Djiby Fall scored in the 115th minute to save Cincy blushes.
Elsewhere
Rochester Rhinos 3-0 Motown FC
Tartan Devils 0-9 Louisville CityBoston City 1-2 GPS Omens
Carolina Dynamo 1-6 North Carolina FCMiami United 1-2 Jacksonville ArmadaAtlanta Silverbacks 1-2 Charleston Battery
Miami FC 3-2 South Florida Surf
Ocean City 0-1 Harrisburg City Islanders
Chicago United 3-1 Pittsburgh Riverhounds
Houston Dutch Lions 1-2 San Antonio
Oklahoma City Energy 5-1 Moreno ValleyTulsa Roughnecks 5-3 Oklahoma City Energy U23
Wichita 3-4 Saint Louis FC
Colorado Springs 2-0 FC Tucson
Leicester 1-6 Spurs: Kane, Son increase record points total.
By Andy Edwards
The key to life is remembering to enjoy the good times, because the possibility always exists that this is as good as it’ll ever be.
Tottenham Hotspur fans, no one knows this better than you, but a quick reminder never hurt anyone. Look no further than the last 18 months of emotions experienced by Leicester City supporters for an example of how quickly those good times can vanish.
Thursday’s clash between the two sides at the King Power Stadium, where just 12 months ago Leicester lifted the Premier League trophy, so perfectly contrasted clubs with fortunes currently headed in polar opposite directions. Tottenham, spearheaded by Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, had to do little more than turn up for kickoff before returning south to London with a 6-1 victory.
Son’s showing started off poorly, as the South Korean international raced in on goal in the 15th minute, one on one with Kasper Schmeichel, before blazing his right-footed shot well over the bar without a single defender applying pressure. It was an inexcusable effort to not test the goalkeeper.
10 minutes later, streaking through the penalty area in a similar situation, Son opted to cut the ball back into traffic for Kane, who was flanked by defenders on either side. It made no different, though, as the 23-year-old put his trailing right foot through the ball and redirected just inside the far post for a 1-0 lead (his 23rd PL goal this season).
11 minutes after that, Son made the most of a scoring chance of far greater difficulty. Dele Alli chipped the ball over a pair of defenders and found Son not far from the penalty spot. With a defender bearing down on him, Son wasted no time and fired first-time. Schmeichel couldn’t get down and to his right quick enough.
Spurs’ only blemish on the night came in the 59th minute, when Hugo Lloris charged out of his penalty area and failed to clear the ball out of play. After a frantic scramble of failed shots and passed, Ben Chilwell ended up with the ball atop the 18-yard box and fired low and through traffic to halve the Foxes’ deficit.
The 2-1 scoreline lasted all of four minutes, as Kane moved level with Lukaku on 24 goals. Toby Aldeweireld floated a cross to the back post, where Victor Wanyama headed the ball back across the face of goal and Kane found himself largely unmarked two yards off the goal line. England’s leading man applied the finish with his head, and the score was 3-1.
Son scored Spurs’ style points on his second of the game, his side’s fourth, in the 71st minute. Moussa Sissoko picked out Kane in the center of the field, and Kane played the ball forward to Son. The 24-year-old created a half-yard of space by cutting inside and onto his favored right foot, and hit an inch-perfect strike into the bottom right corner for 4-1.
Son exited the game without completing the hat trick in the 78th minute, while Kane remained on the field long enough to bag his 25th and 26th PL goals of the season, in the 89th and 93rd minutes. Having played seven fewer PL games this season due to injuries, Kane now leads Lukaku by two.
Mauricio Pochettino‘s side’s record points total rises to 83 (the previous high was 72, in 2012-13) — two more than Leicester won the title with last season — already assured of a second-place finish. Meanwhile, Craig Shakespeare‘s side remain 11th in the league table. A win on the final day of the season, Sunday, could see them rise as high as 8th or fall as low as 15th.
11 minutes after that, Son made the most of a scoring chance of far greater difficulty. Dele Alli chipped the ball over a pair of defenders and found Son not far from the penalty spot. With a defender bearing down on him, Son wasted no time and fired first-time. Schmeichel couldn’t get down and to his right quick enough.
Spurs’ only blemish on the night came in the 59th minute, when Hugo Lloris charged out of his penalty area and failed to clear the ball out of play. After a frantic scramble of failed shots and passed, Ben Chilwell ended up with the ball atop the 18-yard box and fired low and through traffic to halve the Foxes’ deficit.
The 2-1 scoreline lasted all of four minutes, as Kane moved level with Lukaku on 24 goals. Toby Aldeweireld floated a cross to the back post, where Victor Wanyama headed the ball back across the face of goal and Kane found himself largely unmarked two yards off the goal line. England’s leading man applied the finish with his head, and the score was 3-1.
Son scored Spurs’ style points on his second of the game, his side’s fourth, in the 71st minute. Moussa Sissoko picked out Kane in the center of the field, and Kane played the ball forward to Son. The 24-year-old created a half-yard of space by cutting inside and onto his favored right foot, and hit an inch-perfect strike into the bottom right corner for 4-1.
Son exited the game without completing the hat trick in the 78th minute, while Kane remained on the field long enough to bag his 25th and 26th PL goals of the season, in the 89th and 93rd minutes. Having played seven fewer PL games this season due to injuries, Kane now leads Lukaku by two.
Mauricio Pochettino‘s side’s record points total rises to 83 (the previous high was 72, in 2012-13) — two more than Leicester won the title with last season — already assured of a second-place finish. Meanwhile, Craig Shakespeare‘s side remain 11th in the league table. A win on the final day of the season, Sunday, could see them rise as high as 8th or fall as low as 15th.
NCAAFB: USC reportedly sells naming rights to L.A. Coliseum to United Airlines.
(Photo/Getty Images)
Fly the friendly skies… to USC football? That’s apparently the case as one of college football’s most historic venues is going corporate.
Sports Business Journal is reporting that USC and the Los Angeles Coliseum have entered into a 15-year naming rights agreement worth a whopping $70 million with United Airlines. It’s unclear what the name of the new venue will be (or if the field at the site is what is being named) going forward in the wake of this but SBJ notes that officials involved have stressed in the past that ‘Memorial Coliseum’ will remain no matter who the sponsor is.
The deal is understandable on both sides even if Trojans supporters can’t be happy about seeing the corporate influence on the venerable stadium pop up. The Coliseum is undergoing a reported $270 million renovation in various stages that is expected to be completed in time for USC’s 2019 home opener. The city is a large hub for the airline and United CEO is apparently a USC alum as well.
That’s not the only news at the site either, as Thursday also brought word that the Los Angeles Rams would remain a tenant at the Coliseum for another year — through 2020 — as the result of construction delays at their new stadium in Inglewood.
With the additional year of revenues from the Rams and the new sponsorship agreement, USC appears well on their way to paying for those significant renovation costs that are quickly approaching.
Sports Business Journal is reporting that USC and the Los Angeles Coliseum have entered into a 15-year naming rights agreement worth a whopping $70 million with United Airlines. It’s unclear what the name of the new venue will be (or if the field at the site is what is being named) going forward in the wake of this but SBJ notes that officials involved have stressed in the past that ‘Memorial Coliseum’ will remain no matter who the sponsor is.
The deal is understandable on both sides even if Trojans supporters can’t be happy about seeing the corporate influence on the venerable stadium pop up. The Coliseum is undergoing a reported $270 million renovation in various stages that is expected to be completed in time for USC’s 2019 home opener. The city is a large hub for the airline and United CEO is apparently a USC alum as well.
That’s not the only news at the site either, as Thursday also brought word that the Los Angeles Rams would remain a tenant at the Coliseum for another year — through 2020 — as the result of construction delays at their new stadium in Inglewood.
With the additional year of revenues from the Rams and the new sponsorship agreement, USC appears well on their way to paying for those significant renovation costs that are quickly approaching.
NCAABKB: Five Takeaways from the NBA Draft Combine.
By Scott Phillips
(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
This year’s NBA Draft Combine was the second year in which college players testing the waters were allowed to participate and get feedback from NBA teams. Here’s a look at five main takeaways.
1. The Combine still serves an important purpose for testing players
We saw a handful of players make permanent decisions based on the combine this year.
Duke’s Frank Jackson opted to sign with an agent and stay in the NBA Draft after his first-day performance as he told reporters that he felt comfortable with how he played and how he felt that he belonged in the pros.
Testing well for himself in the combine and playing well in five-on-five, Jackson certainly elevated his profile and having an agent like Bill Duffy is only going to enhance his workout schedule for NBA teams as he hopes to vault into the first round.
SMU’s Semi Ojeleye also looked very good during combine testing as his max vertical (40.5″), lane agility (10.58) and three-quarter court sprint (3.16) all ranked in the top ten among prospects. With all of that athleticism at 241 pounds, Ojeleye has the size, strength and athleticism to be a unique force in the right system. After the combine, Ojeleye also decided to stick in the draft and sign with the agent as the combine also gave him confirmation that it was okay to go.
Others who are testing (more on some below) also received necessary feedback in Chicago through their play and testing against others.
2. Interviews with NBA teams show actual value
Interviewing with NBA teams is another underrated component of the Combine and the week in Chicago. Every team is located within one small area of Chicago and nearly every draft hopeful — combine participant or not — is interviewing with NBA teams.
North Carolina’s Justin Jackson mentioned to reporters that he got a lot of important feedback last year during the interview process that helped him enhance his game. Jackson improved his three-point percentages as a junior and now stands to be a potential lottery pick after being a fringe first-rounder last season. He listened to what teams had to say, got better at those things and helped the Tar Heels win a title, and now he’s a potential lottery pick.
That’s the type of win-win-win situation that this process is hoping to accomplish.
These interviews by NBA teams are being conducted by NBA legends like Phil Jackson and Pat Riley. When these players hear criticisms from guys wearing rings on both hands, it registers a little bit more in some cases. It’ll be interesting to see if anyone testing decides to return and elevates into lottery status in 2018 based on feedback from this year’s combine.
3. Hamidou Diallo made the right decisions at the Combine
Kentucky redshirt freshman guard Hamidou Diallo is attempting to become the first “none-and-done” player of all time. He spent the second semester this season on the Wildcat roster while going through practices, but he was redshirted to prepare for next season. But Diallo decided to gather information by going through the NBA Draft process and participating in Combine testing.
And as a former five-star prospect who is an elite athlete at shooting guard, Diallo really showed well for himself by going through this process.
Diallo had plenty of buzz in Chicago with his 44.5″ max vertical leap — which would be the highest mark of any player drafted into the NBA since they started testing for this. Also second in shuttle run time (2.79) and third in three-quarter court sprint (3.11) at this year’s combine, Diallo showed that he could be a mega athlete at the next level while he could be steadily climbing up boards.
For perspective, Diallo’s max vertical was three inches higher than Zach LaVine while also running slightly faster. And Diallo also measured well as he was 6’5″ with a 6’11” wingspan. (H/T to Julian Applebome at Draft Express for that great Diallo/LaVine tidbit.)
It was also smart of Diallo to pull out of of the five-on-five portion of the Combine because it might have exposed some flaws in his overall skill level. Diallo might still need to work on the inconsistent jumper that he showed in high school and he might also stand to improve his handle with the ball. But by skipping out on playing at the combine, Diallo protects himself to a degree as only teams who are serious about him will get to see what he’s capable of in private workouts.
All it takes is for one team to fall in love with Diallo during a workout and suddenly he sneaks into the first round of the NBA Draft. That’s not necessarily a foregone conclusion at this point, but Diallo has a lot of people saying good things about him at this point in the process.
4. Tony Bradley remains college basketball’s biggest returning decision
North Carolina freshman Tony Bradley surprised last season as he got in great shape before the year while looking like one of the more productive newcomers in the country. The former McDonald’s All-American played a vital role in helping the Tar Heels win the national championship by coming off the bench. His strong play and winning a title led to Bradley putting his name in the NBA Draft testing process this year.
Currently sitting at No. 40 overall, a second-round pick, on Draft Express, Bradley has an intriguing decision because the Tar Heels still have plenty back for next season while potentially giving him a chance to be a showcase piece on the interior.
With Joel Berry II returning and the Tar Heels losing both Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks, that means an ample opportunity for post touches and other scoring opportunities for Bradley. When coupled with the departure of Justin Jackson, it means North Carolina could turn to Bradley as a go-to scoring option at times during the season.
Since North Carolina returns so many weapons from a national championship team, they could be a solid contender to repeat if Bradley comes back next season and elevates his play.
5. The lack of star power was noticeable at this year’s combine.
As the NBA Draft becomes more of a television-focused event, it is hard to imagine the NBA being thrilled about most top picks not showing up to do media sessions in Chicago. In the past, most potential top picks would interview with media at the combine because they were already in town to talk to NBA teams.
But this year’s event lacked serious star power as there were a lot of unanswered questions going around about how this process is playing out. This isn’t me, a member of the media, complaining about the lack of access. It’s me saying that there won’t be as much relevant information being reported about where potential top picks have worked out and who they interviewed with.
It makes for an NBA Draft process where there isn’t a lot of insight from top players.
1. The Combine still serves an important purpose for testing players
We saw a handful of players make permanent decisions based on the combine this year.
Duke’s Frank Jackson opted to sign with an agent and stay in the NBA Draft after his first-day performance as he told reporters that he felt comfortable with how he played and how he felt that he belonged in the pros.
Testing well for himself in the combine and playing well in five-on-five, Jackson certainly elevated his profile and having an agent like Bill Duffy is only going to enhance his workout schedule for NBA teams as he hopes to vault into the first round.
SMU’s Semi Ojeleye also looked very good during combine testing as his max vertical (40.5″), lane agility (10.58) and three-quarter court sprint (3.16) all ranked in the top ten among prospects. With all of that athleticism at 241 pounds, Ojeleye has the size, strength and athleticism to be a unique force in the right system. After the combine, Ojeleye also decided to stick in the draft and sign with the agent as the combine also gave him confirmation that it was okay to go.
Others who are testing (more on some below) also received necessary feedback in Chicago through their play and testing against others.
2. Interviews with NBA teams show actual value
Interviewing with NBA teams is another underrated component of the Combine and the week in Chicago. Every team is located within one small area of Chicago and nearly every draft hopeful — combine participant or not — is interviewing with NBA teams.
North Carolina’s Justin Jackson mentioned to reporters that he got a lot of important feedback last year during the interview process that helped him enhance his game. Jackson improved his three-point percentages as a junior and now stands to be a potential lottery pick after being a fringe first-rounder last season. He listened to what teams had to say, got better at those things and helped the Tar Heels win a title, and now he’s a potential lottery pick.
That’s the type of win-win-win situation that this process is hoping to accomplish.
These interviews by NBA teams are being conducted by NBA legends like Phil Jackson and Pat Riley. When these players hear criticisms from guys wearing rings on both hands, it registers a little bit more in some cases. It’ll be interesting to see if anyone testing decides to return and elevates into lottery status in 2018 based on feedback from this year’s combine.
3. Hamidou Diallo made the right decisions at the Combine
Kentucky redshirt freshman guard Hamidou Diallo is attempting to become the first “none-and-done” player of all time. He spent the second semester this season on the Wildcat roster while going through practices, but he was redshirted to prepare for next season. But Diallo decided to gather information by going through the NBA Draft process and participating in Combine testing.
And as a former five-star prospect who is an elite athlete at shooting guard, Diallo really showed well for himself by going through this process.
Diallo had plenty of buzz in Chicago with his 44.5″ max vertical leap — which would be the highest mark of any player drafted into the NBA since they started testing for this. Also second in shuttle run time (2.79) and third in three-quarter court sprint (3.11) at this year’s combine, Diallo showed that he could be a mega athlete at the next level while he could be steadily climbing up boards.
For perspective, Diallo’s max vertical was three inches higher than Zach LaVine while also running slightly faster. And Diallo also measured well as he was 6’5″ with a 6’11” wingspan. (H/T to Julian Applebome at Draft Express for that great Diallo/LaVine tidbit.)
It was also smart of Diallo to pull out of of the five-on-five portion of the Combine because it might have exposed some flaws in his overall skill level. Diallo might still need to work on the inconsistent jumper that he showed in high school and he might also stand to improve his handle with the ball. But by skipping out on playing at the combine, Diallo protects himself to a degree as only teams who are serious about him will get to see what he’s capable of in private workouts.
All it takes is for one team to fall in love with Diallo during a workout and suddenly he sneaks into the first round of the NBA Draft. That’s not necessarily a foregone conclusion at this point, but Diallo has a lot of people saying good things about him at this point in the process.
4. Tony Bradley remains college basketball’s biggest returning decision
North Carolina freshman Tony Bradley surprised last season as he got in great shape before the year while looking like one of the more productive newcomers in the country. The former McDonald’s All-American played a vital role in helping the Tar Heels win the national championship by coming off the bench. His strong play and winning a title led to Bradley putting his name in the NBA Draft testing process this year.
Currently sitting at No. 40 overall, a second-round pick, on Draft Express, Bradley has an intriguing decision because the Tar Heels still have plenty back for next season while potentially giving him a chance to be a showcase piece on the interior.
With Joel Berry II returning and the Tar Heels losing both Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks, that means an ample opportunity for post touches and other scoring opportunities for Bradley. When coupled with the departure of Justin Jackson, it means North Carolina could turn to Bradley as a go-to scoring option at times during the season.
Since North Carolina returns so many weapons from a national championship team, they could be a solid contender to repeat if Bradley comes back next season and elevates his play.
5. The lack of star power was noticeable at this year’s combine.
As the NBA Draft becomes more of a television-focused event, it is hard to imagine the NBA being thrilled about most top picks not showing up to do media sessions in Chicago. In the past, most potential top picks would interview with media at the combine because they were already in town to talk to NBA teams.
But this year’s event lacked serious star power as there were a lot of unanswered questions going around about how this process is playing out. This isn’t me, a member of the media, complaining about the lack of access. It’s me saying that there won’t be as much relevant information being reported about where potential top picks have worked out and who they interviewed with.
It makes for an NBA Draft process where there isn’t a lot of insight from top players.
Preakness Stakes betting odds for field after draw results.
By Tim Balk
(Photo/Sports Illustrated)
The Preakness Stakes completed its draw Wednesday, announcing the gate positions for Saturday's race.
After a victorious showing in the Kentucky Derby on May 6, Always Dreaming remains the favorite in the Preakness after the draw. Always Dreaming has 4:5 odds, while Classic Empire has the second-best odds at 3:1, according to the Preakness Stakes Twitter account.
The 10-horse field for the Preakness, held at Pimlico in Baltimore, will be half the size of the field at this year's Kentucky Derby.
Exaggerator won the Preakness last year, after emerging from the draw results with 3:1 odds.
The ten horses for this year's race and their odds are listed below:
Odds via the Preakness Stakes Twitter account.
Preakness 2017 Odds
Always Dreaming — 4:5
Classic Empire — 3:1
Lookin at Lee — 10:1
Cloud Computing — 12:1
Conquest Mo Money — 15:1
Gunnevera — 15:1
Hence — 20:1
Multiplier — 30:1
After a victorious showing in the Kentucky Derby on May 6, Always Dreaming remains the favorite in the Preakness after the draw. Always Dreaming has 4:5 odds, while Classic Empire has the second-best odds at 3:1, according to the Preakness Stakes Twitter account.
The 10-horse field for the Preakness, held at Pimlico in Baltimore, will be half the size of the field at this year's Kentucky Derby.
Exaggerator won the Preakness last year, after emerging from the draw results with 3:1 odds.
The ten horses for this year's race and their odds are listed below:
Odds via the Preakness Stakes Twitter account.
Preakness 2017 Odds
Always Dreaming — 4:5
Classic Empire — 3:1
Lookin at Lee — 10:1
Cloud Computing — 12:1
Conquest Mo Money — 15:1
Gunnevera — 15:1
Hence — 20:1
Multiplier — 30:1
On This Date in Sports History: Today is Friday, May 19, 2017.
Memoriesofhistory.com
1910 - Cy Young (Cleveland Indians) got his 500th win.
1912 - American League president Ban Johnson told the Detroit Tigers that if they continued to protest Ty Cobb suspension they would be banned from baseball.
1918 - The Washington Senators played their first Sunday game. They beat Cleveland 1-0 in 18 innings.
1935 - The National Football League (NFL) adopted an annual college draft to begin in 1936.
1962 - Stan Musial set the National League hit record when he got his 3,431st hit.
1974 - The Philadelphia Flyers became the first post-'67 expansion team to win the Stanley Cup. The Flyers won the cup the following season as well.
1984 - The Edmonton Oilers won their first Stanley Cup. They defeated the New York Islanders in five games.
1988 - The Boston Red Sox retired Bobby Doerr's #1.
1991 - Willy T. Ribbs became the first black driver to make the Indianapolis 500.
1994 - Jennifer Capriati checked into a drug rehab center.
2002 - Roger Clemens (New York Yankees) got his 287th win. He tied for 22nd place on the all-time victory list.
1912 - American League president Ban Johnson told the Detroit Tigers that if they continued to protest Ty Cobb suspension they would be banned from baseball.
1918 - The Washington Senators played their first Sunday game. They beat Cleveland 1-0 in 18 innings.
1935 - The National Football League (NFL) adopted an annual college draft to begin in 1936.
1962 - Stan Musial set the National League hit record when he got his 3,431st hit.
1974 - The Philadelphia Flyers became the first post-'67 expansion team to win the Stanley Cup. The Flyers won the cup the following season as well.
1984 - The Edmonton Oilers won their first Stanley Cup. They defeated the New York Islanders in five games.
1988 - The Boston Red Sox retired Bobby Doerr's #1.
1991 - Willy T. Ribbs became the first black driver to make the Indianapolis 500.
1994 - Jennifer Capriati checked into a drug rehab center.
2002 - Roger Clemens (New York Yankees) got his 287th win. He tied for 22nd place on the all-time victory list.
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