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TRENDING:Bears QB Mike Glennon makes his role emphatically clear: ‘This year is my year’.(See the football section forBearsnews andNFLupdates). TRENDING:In wake of first-round playoff sweep, Patrick Kane talks about theBlackhawks' 'reality check'.(See the hockey section forBlackhawks updates and NHLnews).
TRENDING:BullsTalk Podcast: Will Celtics trade for Jimmy Butler?(See the basketball section for Bullsnews andNBA updates).
TRENDING:Jon Lester beats Giants and Johnny Cueto, showing why he's Cubs ace.Dylan Covey injured as White Sox fall to Diamondbacks. (See the baseball section forCubs and White Sox updates).
TRENDING:Tour players' lives just as real as ours. (See thegolfsection for PGA news and tournament updates).
TRENDING:FireGM Nelson Rodriguez preaches modesty amid team's positive start.(See the soccer section for Fire news and worldwide soccer updates).
TRENDING:Playoff makeover headlines 2018 NASCAR schedules. (See the NASCAR section for NASCAR news and racing updates).
BearDown Chicago Bears!!!!!Bears QB Mike Glennon makes his role emphatically clear: ‘This year is my year’.
By JJ Stankevitz
(Photo/AP)
Mike Glennon stuck to an emphatic mantra during his first meeting with the media since the Bears drafted Mitch Trubisky last month: “This year is my year.” It wasn’t a surprising line — what else was he supposed to say? — but it was telling in the sense that Glennon didn’t appear to be rattled by the presence of Trubisky, the franchise’s presumptive quarterback of the future. Unofficially, Glennon said some version of that line a dozen times in just over 10 minutes. “They brought me here to be the quarterback this year and nothing has changed,” Glennon said. “So in my mind, I have to go out and play well, and I know that, and that’s basically the bottom line.” Will Glennon work with Trubisky, the No. 2 overall pick and presumptive quarterback of the future? Yes. But is that his main focus? No. The job of developing Trubisky falls on offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains and quarterbacks coach Dave Ragone, not the guy who the Bears committed tens of millions of dollars to to play quarterback. Glennon said general manager Ryan Pace called him about 10 minutes after Roger Goodell announced Trubisky’s name in Philadelphia April 27 to reassure him that he would still be the Bears’ starting quarterback in 2017. Like most everyone — including Trubisky — Glennon was surprised the Bears made the pick, but the 27-year-old said he quickly re-trained his attention back on preparing for the upcoming season. “I’m not worried about the future,” Glennon said. “I’m not worried about the past. I’m worried about the present and right now this is my team and that’s where my focus is.” Glennon’s three-year, $45 million deal is structured so the Bears could cut him after the 2017 season and absorb only a $2.5 million cap hit, $500,000 more than the team took on when Jay Cutler was released in March. His contract was set up that way before the Bears snuck into Chapel Hill, N.C. for a surreptitious dinner and workout with Trubisky — he’s a bridge quarterback with an opportunity to show he’s greater than that label. “Even if I were to (look in hindsight) I would still have came here,” Glennon said. “Like I said, this is my year. There are no guarantees in the NFL. The majority of guys in the NFL are playing year-to-year. I’m here to prove myself that I can me the quarterback this year and going forward. But right now my focus is on winning games this year.” “… I can only say it so many times, this year has been fully communicated that it's my year,” Glennon said. “I’m not going to worry about the future. As long as I play well, it will all work out.’ How Bears are using veteran videos to school rookies on NFL way. By John Mullin
(Photo/AP)
This week marks the end of the beginning, or the beginning of the end, depending on how you want to look at organized team activities (OTA’s), the third stage of the NFL offseason culminating in the mandatory minicamp June 13-15. Teams are allowed a total of 10 OTA sessions, giving coaches a final look at players before the break until training camp convenes in late July. The sessions also mark the first time that the players, who were finishing college semesters this time a year ago, will be introduced to the REAL NFL, the professionals already part of the August fraternity to which the draft picks and undrafted free agents aspire. Well, maybe it's not the true first time some of the rookies will “meet” the pros. During the brief rookie minicamp, offensive line coach Jeremiah Washburn did as all the coaches do: show his position group the film of them going through their drills. In the interest of accelerating the young players’ learning curve, however, Washburn went a step further. He followed the rookie film with the same drills being run by the pros, meaning the rookies could see how Kyle Long, Charles Leno, Josh Sitton, Cody Whitehair and other vets did those same drills. The difference was startling – as Washburn intended. The kids were being shown a new meaning for what they might have thought was “maximum effort.” “That’s one thing coach ‘Wash and coach Ben [Wilkerson] have really been pushing to us — just making sure we’re doing everything to maximum effort, and always finishing near the ball,” said rookie lineman Jordan Morgan. “I feel like that’s stuff you hear at every level of football, but more so now, especially, it being the NFL.” Rules limit the amount of work allowed vs. opposition, meaning how much Morgan might learn by going against a Leonard Floyd, Eddie Goldman or Pernell McPhee. But learning the every-play intensity at the NFL level may be difficult to comprehend for players who’ve obviously seen it done this hard before. “The way the veteran guys run [the drills] is the way you’re supposed to do it,” Washburn said. “There’s a style of play, a work ethic you have to put into this. You can’t just get away with things because the guy in front of you is as good or better than you are. “Scheme-wise, that has not been a problem, the way it has been with some rookies I’ve had in the past. It’s the day-to-day intensity and focus you have to put in for 16 weeks. That is a big adjustment.” The NFL is replete with examples of college players arriving with elite physical abilities but not taking effort and learning intensity to the professional level. The Bears used the No. 8 overall pick of the 2001 draft on wide receiver David Terrell, who’d dominated on raw ability at the college level but never developed beyond a mid-level wideout. Washburn saw something similar while coaching offensive line for the Detroit Lions. “I had a rookie guard in Detroit who ate Hot Pockets and played video games at night,” Washburn recalled. “His rookie year he got by, played OK, but then had a big slump his sophomore year and said, ‘I gotta change my ways.’ “He absolutely changed everything and now he’s an absolute pro.” If Bears rookies do anything video with their nights, Washburn intends for those videos to be the ways the pros do it
MMQB's Peter King's thoughts on Trubisky, Howard, White and the Bears offense.
By CSN Staff
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
In just the last three NFL seasons the Bears have changed every significant skill position on the offensive side of the ball. Gone are quarterback Jay Cutler, running back Matt Forte, wide receivers Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, and tight end Martellus Bennett. It's a new era in Chicago for more reasons than one, and Monday Morning Quarterback's Peter King shared his thoughts on what that might look like in his latest NFL Power Rankings. King has the Bears ranked 28th, ahead of just the New York Jets, Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers. But he's optimistic on a few fronts.
Free-agent signing Mike Glennon is grinding his teeth over the drafting of QB Mitchell Trubisky (second pick in the draft), and he has one season to stake his claim for the job. (I wouldn’t be optimistic in the Glennon household.)
Second-round tight end Adam Shaheen will step in early in a prominent offensive role.
The starting quarterbacks from 2016—Jay Cutler and Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley—were all let go, an odd development for a team that retains the same coach, offensive coordinator and GM
At quarterback, I don’t just assume that Glennon/Trubisky will automatically be better than what Chicago had last year. Thankfully, running back Jordan Howard came out of nowhere (the 2015 fifth round) to gain 1,313 yards, to rank a stunning second in the NFL. It’s vital he doesn’t have a sophomore slump. In short, I can’t see the Bears being .500 unless one of the quarterbacks emerges as a top 20 passer by early in the season.
Most important factor to this team this year: Of course it’s the quarterback race between Glennon and Trubisky. That one’s too obvious. There’s another one. Kevin White was the seventh pick of the 2015 draft. In two years, he’s played four of 32 games, caught zero touchdown passes, and had zero impact. This is the year the Bears have to see some degree of explosiveness and/or competence out of a player drafted ahead of Vic Beasley, Melvin Gordon and Marcus Peters.
Bears prediction of 10 words or less: Trubisky is the quarterback by Thanksgiving. It doesn’t matter.
King's final thought might be his most interesting. Trubisky starting by Thanksgiving would put the Bears in Week 12. Quarterbacks coach Dave Ragone doesn't seem intent on delegating any starting duties out in the preseason, but perhaps that would change as the season moves along. Shaheen will be asked to do plenty of learning and growing in his first season, while it's clear White needs a breakout season after the Bears moved on from Jeffery in the offseason. Bears QB coach Dave Ragone doesn't mind this type of turnover. By Chris Boden
How 'bout them ChicagoBlackhawks?In wake of first-round playoff sweep, Patrick Kane talks about the Blackhawks' 'reality check'.
By CSN Staff
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
It’s been just over a month since the Blackhawks were eliminated from the playoffs in swift fashion. And as Patrick Kane told WGN Radio on Tuesday morning, the bitter taste hasn’t gone away. “I think a lot of us didn’t figure we’d be in the situation we’re in right now,” Kane told Steve Cochran and Dave Eanet on Tuesday. “All of us can work this offseason to get better. It’s a long time to wait to get back to that opportunity to play in the playoffs again, so we’ll have a sour taste in our mouth for a while.” The Nashville Predators, who made quick work of the Blackhawks in the first round, eliminated the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night to earn the first Stanley Cup Final appearance in franchise history. Kane told WGN he’s been watching the playoffs and said Nashville “has a pretty good system going.” “They come at you, they play aggressive. I don’t think any of us would be a big fan of the way they defend in the neutral zone, just sitting back and playing that 1-3-1. But at the same time they come at you,” said Kane, who added that the Blackhawks “weren’t even close in that (first-round) series.” “Maybe we had a chance in Game 3 when we were up 2-0, but it was a clean sweep and that’s probably how it should’ve been,” he said. “So now it’s time to regroup.” When the Blackhawks had their wrap-up media session on April 22, general manager Stan Bowman was asked if some players, having won three Stanley Cups since 2010, had lost some of the hunger. Bowman didn’t buy that and neither did Kane. “Four sounds a lot better than three, right?” he said. “It’s a long time away and a lot of work, but sometimes you go through those situations and you realize you won three Cups and it’s almost like you’re going to be there again. That’s where the reality check is for us now, realizing how hard it is to get back in that situation, how hard it is to win a Cup or go deep in this league. There’s a lot of work to be done.”
Should Blackhawks' next assistant coach be Joel Quenneville's choice? By Tracey Myers
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
On April 22, Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman vented his frustrations on the team’s all-too-abrupt exit from the postseason, adding that he and coach Joel Quenneville, “are going to work together to make sure that this never happens again.”
There will be plenty of decisions for the two to mull between now and September, when the Blackhawks convene for training camp. When it comes to the assistant head coach vacancy, however, that might need to be decided with a more one-sided approach. That choice ultimately should be made by Quenneville. In a recent podcast, Pat Boyle and I discussed the Blackhawks’ need to work together on some upcoming decisions. But with the assistant coach, the head coach has to have the loudest voice. The head coach probably should even have the final vote. The relationship between coaches has to be there because they’re around each other constantly. They’ve got to be on the same page. There has to be trust from Day 1. As for when the Blackhawks name that assistant, there appears to be nothing imminent. A source said Monday that the Blackhawks and Ulf Samuelsson have been in communication about the job — Chris Kuc of the Tribune first reported on Samuelsson on Sunday. On paper it looks like it would be a great fit. Samuelsson and Quenneville played several seasons together with the Hartford Whalers, along with current Blackhawks assistant coach Kevin Dineen. The relationship with Samuelsson has been there for a long time and it would make for a smoother transition. It might also provide somewhat of a panacea for Quenneville after former assistant Mike Kitchen, whose friendship with Quenneville also went back to their playing days, was fired last month. Earlier this month Bowman told the Sun-Times that Quenneville will have a big role in the Blackhawks’ finding their next assistant coach, with the final choice being a “joint collaboration.” We get that there’s an order to these things and everyone has to be in agreement with the final decision. But in the end the head coach has to be 100-percent happy with his immediate staff. So whoever the next assistant coach is, the decision has to be 100 percent Quenneville’s.
Just AnotherChicagoBulls Session.....Bulls Talk Podcast: Will Celtics trade for Jimmy Butler?
By #BullsTalk
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
On the latest edition of the Bulls Talk Podcast, Kevin Anderson, Vincent Goodwill and Kendall Gill welcome in SB Nation's Ricky O'Donnell to discuss the Celtics' motivation to trade for Jimmy Butler. The guys also break down whether the league is undervaluing the Bulls All-Star. Later, they debate the content Lebron James vs. Michael Jordan comparison and ask if it's fair after the King's poor showing in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals. O'Donnell also analyzes the NBA Draft. He believes Terrance Ferguson is the right pick for GarPax. Finally, a behind the scenes look at Goodwill vs. Kendall on the court, and Kendall on the right way to parent a young athlete. Listen to the Bulls Talk Podcast here.
Ask Sam Mailbag: 05.19.17. By Sam Smith
(Photo/www.chicagobulls.com)
Thoughts on the lotto? Celts and Lakers going after PG and Butler? Or will they both wait till they are FA in 2018?
Mike Sutera
Sam: I believe the Celtics will stick with the No. 1 pick in Fultz and the Lakers will pick Ball and then trade for Paul George. I’ve read speculation about the picks being traded for George or Butler, but the history of the NBA rarely, if ever, shows teams with top lottery picks, even in bad drafts, trading those picks. And this is a good draft, perhaps very good. The Celtics made clear in February, teams were saying, they wanted Fultz. And with Magic Johnson on board, there’s no way the Lakers pass on the publicity and entertainment value of a big, passing point guard. This is what I think the Lakers do: George has done almost everything but give the Pacers his Los Angeles post office box number. He has a year left before he can opt out and become a free agent. Because he can and has sent signals about wanting to go to the Lakers, his value is limited. You certainly cannot give up a lottery pick for a one-year rental; or much of anything else. Unless you are the Lakers, where he apparently wants to be. Sure, you can wait a season, but Magic isn’t that patient. And the Lakers have quite a run of losing seasons now.
The Lakers also would love to dump one of those big contracts that resulted in a management change. The talk among general managers is you can pretty easily get D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle. Then simple. You give the Pacers Luol Deng to match salary with George and then throw in two former lottery picks, one from the Big 10 and the other from nearby Kentucky, and the Pacers can sell that as a rebuild. You think Larry Bird was leaving if they weren’t going to rebuild? The Pacers maybe send someone useable back. Maybe Glenn Robinson. Maybe C.J. Miles if he doesn’t opt out. The Pacers need to get something and the Lakers are the only team that can afford to give much. With Butler, look, if you have back to back .500 type seasons there are no untouchables. The Bulls have to find out the value of everyone on the roster. But they’re likely not going to get offered one of the top picks in the draft, and if you’re not then there’s really no discussion to have. Butler cannot be a free agent for two years. He doesn’t seem to want to return home to Houston. Their situations are vastly different.
Let's talk about denying championships. Between 1991 and 1998 the only way to win a championship was to be on Jordan's team or play for the Rockets while he was retired or not back to form. Between 2010 and 2016 (Lebrons's Finals run thus far), Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Kawhi Leonard, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, etc. all won championships. The examples they gave for Lebron (denying championships to) were Paul George and Carmelo Anthony. Am I just romanticizing the Bulls 90s run?
Brian Patterson
Sam: It’s often said you can be born at the wrong time as far as ultimate success. Patrick Ewing was good enough to be on a championship team. So was Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, John Stockton. They just weren’t. To me it doesn’t diminish them in the least as players. They were often unlucky, victims of management missteps or just losing to a better team. It happens. There’s this odd ethic that’s become popular these days—and leads to these constant and ludicrous zero sum calls that if you can’t win a title you should give up and start over—that if it doesn’t look like you can win a championship you are a loser.
That’s the mentality of those who don’t understand sports. You compete, and only when you do you can succeed; it doesn’t mean you will. But unless you do, you cannot. The 2001 Pistons were a 32-win team with Ben Wallace and Jerry Stackhouse who made a trade for a comparable scorer and added a few veterans who were castoffs and were champions in three years without any top lottery picks or major free agents. The 2011 Mavs seemed on the way to nowhere special after a first round ouster in 2010 and then won a title. It doesn’t always last long and it may not happen. Sometimes, like with Jordan in the 90s, Magic’s and Kareem’s Lakers in the 80s, Russell’s Celtics in the 60s there someone just too good in the way. But there are times you can break through, tweaks you can make. It’s reasonable to strip it down and start again. That’s one method. Just not the only method. Competition for the sake of competition is a worthy exercise. And if you have enough competitors, sometimes you can surprise even yourself.
Was it intentional by ZaZa? Kawhi says it wasn't, but was he wrong to say that?
Kieron Smith
Sam: Is there a difference between something being dirty and a cheap shot? It seemed to me clearly an attempt by Pachulia to take out Leonard. Pachulia has a history of this sort of thing and should have been suspended. I remember Noah spraining his ankle in Game 3 of that 2012 series when Rose was hurt in Game 1. Thibodeau kept saying he was day to day when they knew he was out for the series and likely the playoffs even if the Bulls advanced. The Spurs may be doing the same thing so at least the Warriors still have to prepare for Leonard. I’d like to see with these sorts of things the provocateur to get some sort of penalty to match the victim. It wasn’t unlike Patrick Beverley taking out Russell Westbrook in the playoffs a few years back, though Beverley doesn’t have the same reputation as Pachulia. It was an unnecessary play with Westbrook going to call a timeout.
Usually players just let it go; sort of the unwritten rule, like not shooting at the end with a lead. Though to drift off the subject a bit, I don’t like when teams commit 24-second violations and just give the ball back. That seems even more disrespectful and pathetic; like, we feel so badly for you we aren’t even going to try anymore. Even seeing it live you could see Pachulia close out and then slide again to get under Leonard after Leonard has just hurt his ankle. We used to call that getting Laimbeered. That was one of the tricks of the dirtiest player ever, the Pistons’ Bill Laimbeer, who often did try to end your career. The game, obviously, used to be much tougher with brutal physical play. Players like Tom Meschery, Clyde Lovelette, Jim Loscutoff, Rudy LaRusso would break your face with elbows. These were guys who went after Wilt. Not that it’s a great distinction, but they didn’t try to end your career, like taking you out of the air.
The Spurs Bruce Bowen was the most egregious offender of getting his foot under you as you came down from a jump shot. So it’s perhaps a little bit of payback of sorts with the Spurs. But it became such a problem that the NBA made it a violation. It’s unfortunate that the play ruined the potential competitiveness of the series. I thought Houston would beat the Spurs because of the matchup. Like the Grizzlies beating the Spurs in the first round a few years back. Against the Warriors, Houston would have been out in four. They never beat the Warriors. So I was glad to see the Spurs get through in that respect in a playoffs with so many blowout games,. At least with the Spurs winning, you figured it might be a contest given the Spurs had ways to scheme against the Warriors and played them well during the season. With Leonard out, that’s obviously over with. Too bad the NBA didn’t send a harsher message that it isn’t appropriate to bring in your goon to change the arc of a series.
My cousin tried to convince me that the Warriors were going to make "small-ball" a trend in the NBA. I said no - and the Warriors lost last season when Lebron's size was key to defending against the Warriors guards after they lost Drammond proved once again that size and athleticism are important. Shooting can only take you so far - because even great shooters get tired in a 7 game series and will miss shots - so you need the size and rebounding to give you more scoring opportunities and to defend against great players. This may be why Justin Patton looks like a mobile athlete - not just a tall guy that a coach walked up to in the hallway and said, "How about you join the basketball team?". This is the future of the NBA with Anthony Davis being one of the best future players in the league, and Giannis and Karl Anthony Towns developing as 7 footers, the future is a agile athlete like Justin who has 7ft length, can run fast breaks like the ShowTime Lakers, but also post up and give you Kevin McHale frontline scoring/rebounding.
LongGiang Le
Sam: Patton could be available for the Bulls. Yes, in my first of maybe one more mock draft to come—it is silly, like with the NFL draft, that nothing happens and the mock drafts change every week—I speculated the small, athletic guard, Mitchell, for the Bulls. I got emails about the Bulls need being a point guard, a backup big man, shooting. Yes, there’s a lot of stuff. Young big men tend to be projects, and the NBA isn’t a patient place these days. The internet has made everyone impatient and anxious; too many voices with too little knowledge. I guess that is the ultimate in democracy. Of course, it also was the main fear of the nation’s founders, which is why they wouldn’t let them vote. Sorry, another digression.
The Bulls’ recent history in the draft after the disaster with the kid big men in the early 2000s was to sacrifice some high ceiling athleticism for savvy, skills, ready to play. Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon, Luol Deng. It produced a fun, competitive group, but short of great. So then take a risk for great. The Bulls then passed on another skilled, savvy, ready to play guy in LaMarcus Aldridge and went for the potential greatness, Tyrus Thomas. Made sense given their roster; didn’t work. The Bulls then got a break with Derrick Rose, the No. 1 pick needing no decision. When Rose was hurt, they returned to the stable method supported by free agency.
One more brief digression: Despite the supposed conventional wisdom that the Bulls don’t get free agents, they have been one of the most successful and attractive franchises for free agents with Ben Wallace, Carlos Boozer and Pau Gasol, all All-Stars. Just not great enough. Anyway, from the middle of the first round you rarely get a chance at high ceiling greatness. So Portis, Valentine, McDermott, Mirotic. The Bulls have done well overall in the draft outside the lottery from where they’ve selected given players like Butler and Gibson. Not that you have much chance for brilliance with No. 16. But do you take a chance on a project with a high ceiling, perhaps like Patton? Or address an immediate need with a risky athlete more ready like Mitchell? Assuming both are available, and both could be gone by No. 16. It’s not an easy decision. I’ll be able to tell you for sure next year after I see them in the NBA.
If they did go with Mitchell like in your mock draft, where does Valentine fit in? I thought he would be the 2 guard of the future? Don’t see Valentine playing the 3 or in the point guard. I have a feeling the Bulls will go with another PF as they could lose Mirotic.
Randall Sanders
Sam: Lots of uncertainty. It’s still about competition. You don’t hold places for guys; they have to earn it. Kirk Hinrich wasn’t offended when they picked Ben Gordon and Chris Duhon in the next draft. Just play better. Valentine has plenty of work to do to show what he can do, a guy who came as a playmaker who became a spot up shooter. I believe he felt he had to in order to get some playing time. But it’s not like this Bulls roster has too much talent. Butler can play different positions. He’s probably best at small forward, but the way the NBA is these days you get opportunities to play power forward at 6-7. My priority was a great athlete since athletes can find their place at different positions. But there’s plenty of help wanted notices.
Being from Australia I don’t watch much college basketball (not that I overly enjoy it when I do – time out after time out!) so I am in no position to really comment on any draft prospects. But I did manage to see a few Kansas games being shown in Australia and maybe it was just by chance, but Frank Mason III stood out like a sore thumb as the best player on the court each time I saw him play. He showed great composure and decision making, looked like he could push the ball in transition, penetrate in the half court and had a beautiful/confident shooting stroke. All draft projections have him going mid to late second round – I am assuming that this is mostly due to his size? I wonder, as a four year senior from a winning program would he be on the Bulls radar as their possible second round pick as PG backup to Rondo assuming he is retained. Seems like he would be able to contribute straight away as an NBA player.
Andrew Robson
Sam: I don’t watch much college basketball, either. So it’s not a continental thing. Over-coached, slow, poor fundamentally. Anyway, Mason also seems like a good prospect. After all, he was his conference player of the year. Perhaps Isaiah Thomas’ success will help smaller guys like Mason. Teams generally go for the so called high ceiling guys. Mason is close to 24 already and perhaps a bit under six foot. But he does look like an impressive player, tough, can shoot, ready to play. The Bulls have a high second round pick, but he sounds fine. I say sounds because I think you’ve seen him play more than I have. But the way the game is called now with so little contact allowed outside the lane, it would seem to enable smaller players who previously were rejected to have a more significant place. I know, what about Nate Robinson?
I'm not sure Donovan Mitchell is the way to go bringing in an undersized two-guard while already having Denzel Valentine and point guards in Payne and Grant - both of whom come off the bench. In fact Luke Kennard would be the only shooting guard I would consider however I think #16 is probably too high to get him. It's interesting that you have Justin Jackson listed at #14. Mock drafts have him listed closer to #20 overall. Could he be someone for the Bulls to target as a two-guard/SF combo player? There is a lot of talk surrounding the Bulls getting a big man with the #16 overall selection - Allen, Patton, Collins, Leaf, Kuzma, Rabb, Giles, Idebayo. The two players in the second round that I think Chicago should target based on everything that I have read on them are Sindarius Thornwell and Ike Anigbogu. Do you think there is a possibility that the Bulls may look to trade up or trade down in the first round or trade out of the draft all together?
Tom Pionowski
Sam: As my mother used to say whenever I offered an opinion, “Another county heard from.” I think it was an allusion from Shakespeare, though my mother often spoke Yiddish and I couldn’t find the Yiddish version of Shakespeare. I didn’t get to speak much at home. I saved it up. True, the rap on Mitchell is size, some scouts saying he has to play point guard at that size. Though I always say that’s where the NBA (and most sports) teams go wrong, especially with these stupid races and jumping tests they have in confusing the ability to make plays with the ability to pass a test. Jackson could also slip down there to the Bulls and is one of those more ready to play now guys, but seemingly pretty good. He’d be worth the pick. You can also make the case for athletic size given that Lopez is more a 25-minute player with athletic limitations. The Bulls are always looking to trade up; so is everybody, which is why it doesn’t happen very often, especially for teams with just one first round pick.
We should grab Carmelo for the 16th pick and something else. I don't know if we'd get a ring. But it would definitely be more fun to watch. He can score.
Ryan Carpel
Sam: I don’t think Paxson owes Phil that much.
If you're the Bulls, do you want to pay Butler the supermax when he's pushing thirty? The difference between the max and supermax is significant as far as salary cap, and Butler is a guy who gets nicked up every year and is not a great shooter.
Alejandro Yegros
Sam: I don’t get into individual contracts and personal value much, though yes, teams have to be careful about what they pay. After all, the more you pay one guy the less you not only have for everyone else, but it also severely limits you in free agency. You could see how Derrick Rose’s contract crippled the Bulls. No fault of the Bulls or Rose, and the community was demanding Rose get his max extension with his MVP year. Then he got hurt, but that money never leaves your books. So you better make the right decision and be lucky. The Bulls are at least a year away from having to make any contract decision on Butler, who has an opt out in the summer of 2019 when he’ll be 30. Plus to qualify for that extra large contract, I think he’ll need another all-NBA team, which isn’t easy. Still, here’s the thing about that contract.
Just because someone is eligible you don’t have to pay that much. The Spurs basically never do and their guys always resign in the interests of putting together a better team. Dwyane Wade did that with Miami. At least for a few years. If you take all the money, then there’s not much left to have a team. And if no other team can offer the guy that much, why do you have to pay that much? After all, if he leaves no one else can pay him that. Plus, those years at the end of the contract can be a death sentence for your team. Ask the Knicks about Carmelo. I doubt many players are going to get that sort of contract other than the ultimate superstar guys who basically are the difference between winning a championship and maybe a first round ouster.
If you invest that kind of money in a player who cannot assure you a 60-win season, you basically are crippling your franchise for years to come. There is a basic economic principle that often players, fans and even some team owners seem not to understand. You aren’t worth what someone else makes. You are only worth what someone is willing to pay you. Some guys may just have to live on $25 million a year. And put up with the disrespect that such a salary suggests.
CUBS:Jon Lester beats Giants and Johnny Cueto, showing why he's Cubs ace.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/USA TODAY)
As much as the Cubs dreaded the idea of facing Johnny Cueto and Madison Bumgarner in an elimination game last October – and feeling all that anxiety rippling throughout the crowd at Wrigley Field – the San Francisco Giants still would have had to beat Jon Lester that night. The Giants know how good Lester is, sending future Hall of Fame manager Bruce Bochy and All-Star catcher Buster Posey as part of the recruiting visit to his Georgia home shortly after winning the 2014 World Series. There were even rumblings of a $168 million proposal from the Giants at the winter meetings where Lester took a six-year, $155 million megadeal and the chance to make history in Chicago. So Lester won’t take it personal when manager Joe Maddon talks about last year’s entire postseason hinging on avoiding Cueto and winning that divisional round in four games. “I’m not too shabby, right?” Lester said with a smile after dominating the Giants during Tuesday night’s 4-1 complete-game victory. “I’ve had a decent career.” That Lester vs. Cueto rematch in Game 5 never happened, because the Cubs pulled off a Giant comeback in San Francisco. After winning a 1-0 instant classic against Cueto in Game 1, Lester went on to become the National League Championship Series co-MVP and win his third World Series ring. “Nobody wants to face a guy like that,” Lester said. “He was throwing the ball really, really well at that time. And, obviously, all the stuff he does on the mound really, really screws up guys’ timing. He made a couple mistakes tonight and we were able to put them in the seats. That doesn’t happen very often. “I know what I can do on my side of the ball. But that would have been a tough game.” After waiting out a 65-minute rain delay, Lester struck out the side in the first inning and again outdueled Cueto. Keeping a Giant lineup looking fastball off-balance with changeups, Lester allowed four hits and finished with 10 strikeouts and zero walks in a game that took only 2 hours and 5 minutes. Where Cueto has a 4.64 ERA and blisters on his right middle and index fingers – Kyle Schwarber, Jason Heyward and Anthony Rizzo drove balls onto Sheffield Avenue and into the right-field basket and bleachers – Lester (3-2, 3.19 ERA) appears to be picking up where he left off last October/November. You can’t really say that about the 23-21 Cubs as a whole, but Lester’s 15th career complete game is a step in the right direction.
“It’s been close for a while,” Lester said. “I feel like we just haven’t put it all together at once. I’ve said it a million times – and I hate to beat a dead horse – but I feel like when we pitch well, we don’t hit. And when we hit, we don’t pitch well. It’s been kind of back and forth for us, so it’s nice to limit runs and give our guys a chance.”
Have the Cubs found their new leadoff hitter in Ben Zobrist?
By Tony Andracki
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Ben Zobrist doesn't yell and scream like John Lackey, but the veteran utility player still has a way of cutting right to the chase and not mincing words. Zobrist — who's about to turn 36 — is refreshingly honest, even when admitting his new role as the Cubs' leadoff hitter comes with his challenges. On the one hand, Zobrist seems like the perfect fit for the one-spot in the Cubs lineup: He's ultra patient, barely swings at pitches outside the strike zone and even has some pop to start a game off with a bang (as he did Sunday afternoon). And while he acknowledged he needs to keep the same approach regardless of where he's hitting in the lineup, Zobrist still has a level of discomfort leading off. "Leading off is not easy because of that first at-bat," he said. "You feel like, 'Well maybe I should be patient,' but then you don't want to let the ball right down the middle go by. There's just that question in your mind. You gotta weigh it based on the pitcher you're facing that day and really try to zone up on the first pitch. "You don't get to see any of the previous pitches. Sometimes, it's harder to time the pitcher when you haven't seen anybody else batting in front of you in the lineup. That's the only difference. Besides that, I just consider it one of the other spots in the lineup." Monday marked Zobrist's 154th start in the leadoff spot in his career, which ranks fifth in frequency behind second (319 starts), third (267), fourth (229) and fifth (185). Zobrist's numbers at leadoff are the lowest of any of those five lineup positions — .237 average, .328 on-base percentage and .708 OPS. Hitting second through fifth in the order, Zobrist has career marks of .273 average, .368 on-base percentage and an .806 OPS. Entering Monday night, Zobrist has made 24 starts at leadoff for the Cubs and carries a .220 average and .322 on-base percentage. But he set the tone Sunday afternoon with a leadoff homer and came just a few feet shy of two more longballs later in the game. Monday night, he put together a 12-pitch at-bat before striking out looking to lead off against Giants starter Ty Blach. In four plate appearances Monday, Zobrist saw 23 pitches, including a two-run homer in the eighth inning. His triple in the third inning marked 20 straight games that he's reached base safely. Even though he admitted there are challenges in the leadoff spot, Zobrist isn't putting any added pressure on himself to set the table for the Cubs' big bats. "It's just about being consistent," he said. "If I can be consistent and I can get on base, then I'll be doing my job in that spot. Although [Kyle] Schwarber hasn't hit as well as he wants to hit at the start of the year, he still got on base a lot in that spot. "We as an offense will continue to play better. It doesn't really matter who's [leading off] as long as we're getting on base." Maddon also liked the idea of Zobrist and his career .358 on-base percentage possibly forcing the opposition to shift less against Schwarber. The thinking goes, if Zobrist reaches base ahead of Schwarber (hitting second), the defense will have to account for a baserunner and thus not be as able to load up the right side of the infield with defenders. Zobrist is already a Swiss Army Knife for Maddon with his ability to play multiple positions. But the veteran has also been a key cog in the lineup, though mostly as protection to Anthony Rizzo the last two years, hitting cleanup. Maddon and the Cubs knew exactly what they were getting with Zobrist's versatility. But now can he give the Cubs lineup a consistent presence atop the order in the vein of Dexter Fowler the last two years? "Probably his best asset — two things — are that he knows the strike zone as well as he does and the fact that he's able to play a variety of different positions," Maddon said. "I say switch-hitting's also a part of that, but he's been this guy for a while. "He's got this recognition in the latter part of his career, but he's always been this type of player. "All he wants to do is win. That's who he is."
Theories on why Cubs haven’t played up to their defensive potential yet.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
“That’s what we’re supposed to look like,” Joe Maddon said Monday night after a 6-4 loss where the San Francisco Giants scored the first six runs and Wrigley Field got loudest for the David Ross “Dancing with the Stars” look-in on the big video board, at least until a late flurry from the Cubs. But for a manager always looking for the silver linings, Maddon could replay Addison Russell’s diving stop to his right and strong throw from deep in the hole at shortstop to take a hit away from Christian Arroyo. Or Albert Almora’s spectacular flying catch near the warning track in center field. Or Anthony Rizzo stealing another hit from Brandon Belt with a diving backhanded play near the first-base line. The highlight reel became a reminder of how the Cubs won 103 games and the World Series last year – and made you wonder why the 2017 team hasn’t played the same consistently excellent defense with largely the same group of personnel. “Concentration?” Jason Heyward said, quickly dismissing the theory a defensive decline could boil down to focus or effort. “No shot. No shot. It is what it is when it comes to people asking questions about last year having effects, this and that. But this is a new season. “The standard is still high. What’s our excuse? We played later than anybody? That may buy you some time, but then what? “The goals stay the same. We just got to find new ways to do it when you have a different team.” FiveThirtyEight.com, Nate Silver’s statistical website, framed the question this way after the Cubs allowed the lowest batting average on balls in play ever last season, an analysis that goes all the way back to 1871: “Have the Cubs Forgotten How to Field?” Even if the Cubs don’t set records and make history, they should still be better than 23rd in the majors in defensive efficiency, with 37 errors through 43 games. The Cubs have already allowed 28 unearned runs after giving up 45 all last season. “We just got to stay on it and keep focusing and not let the miscues go to our head,” Ben Zobrist said. “We just have to keep working hard and staying focused in the field. A lot of that’s the rhythm of the game. I blame a lot of that on the early parts of the season and the weather and a lot of difficult things that we’ve been going through. “If we’re not hitting the ball well, too, we’re a young team still, and you can carry that into the field. You don’t want to let that happen, but it’s part of the game. You got to learn to move beyond miscues and just focus on the next play.” Heyward, a four-time Gold Glove winner, missed two weeks with a sprained right finger and has already started nine times in center field (after doing that 21 times all last season). Zobrist has morphed back into a super-utility guy, starting 16 games at second base and 15 in two different outfield spots. Maddon has tried to drill the idea of making the routine play into Javier Baez’s head, so that the uber-talented second baseman can allow his natural athleticism and instincts to take over during those dazzling moments. The Cubs are basically hoping Kyle Schwarber keeps the ball in front of him in left and setting the bar at: Don’t crash into your center fielder. Like Schwarber and Almora, catcher Willson Contreras hasn’t played a full season in The Show yet, and the Cubs are now hoping rookie Ian Happ can become a Zobrist-type defender all over the field. “I’m seeing our guys playing in a lot of different places,” Heyward said. “It’s not just been penciling in every day who’s going to center field or right field or left field. We did shake things up some last year, but we did it kind of later in the season. We had guys settle in, playing every day. This year, I feel like we’re having guys in different spots. “It’s May whatever, (but) it seems like we haven’t really had a chance to settle in yet. Not that we’re procrastinating by any means, but it’s just been a lot of moving pieces.” The Giants won World Series titles in 2010, 2012 and 2014 with a formula that incorporated lights-out pitching, airtight defense and just enough clutch hitting. The Cubs are now a 22-21 team trying to figure it out again. “Defense comes and goes, just like pitching,” said Kris Bryant, the reigning National League MVP, in part, because of his defensive versatility. “I feel like if you look at last year, it’s kind of hard to compare, just because it was so good. We spoiled everybody last year. Now we’re a complete letdown this year.” Bryant paused and said: “Just kidding. Different years, things regress, things progress, and that’s just how it goes sometimes.”
WHITE SOX:Dylan Covey injured as White Sox fall to Diamondbacks.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/USA TODAY)
Dylan Covey exited Tuesday’s loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks with left oblique soreness. The short-handed White Sox won’t know until Wednesday at the earliest how long they could be without their Rule 5 starting pitcher, who missed significant time in 2016 with the same injury. Covey sustained the injury in the third inning of a 5-4 loss to Arizona in front of 17,865 at Chase Field. The Diamondbacks homered twice off the right-hander, scoring four times in 2 1/3 innings. The bullpen pitched well enough to allow the White Sox to rally, but they fell just short despite Jose Abreu’s 100th career home run and loading the bases in the eighth inning. “Where I’m at now, doing some ice and stuff, I feel a lot better compared to last year,” Covey said. “I could hardly move last year. Trying to stay optimistic. Hopefully this will be a short little recovery. “The next stop in the timeline is see how it feels in the morning.” Though both James Shields and Carlos Rodon are on the mend, the White Sox are already down two starting pitchers. Rodon is further along having thrown off a mound four times, including 60 pitches in a simulated game on Monday. But the White Sox don’t have a lot of depth in the farm system as they’re not willing to forgo development to fill a need in Chicago. What could further complicate the team’s plans is that they already were potentially in need of another starting pitcher for Friday’s doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers. “He had a little strain,” manager Rick Renteria said. “We’ll re-evaluate him (Wednesday). Strain of the oblique. We’ll check it out tomorrow. Hopefully it’s nothing too lingering.” Covey exited the game after he recorded the first out of the third inning. He induced a ground ball and signaled the bench, which brought out Renteria and trainer Herm Schneider. Covey, who allowed two more home runs on Tuesday, didn’t attempt to throw any warmup pitches before he exited. The right-hander brought an 0-3 mark and a 7.64 ERA into the contest. Paul Goldschmidt tripled in a run off Covey with one out in the first inning ahead of a two-run home run by Jake Lamb. Chris Herrmann also blasted a solo homer to left to start the second inning. Covey, who had made only six starts above Single-A before the White Sox selected him in the Rule 5 draft last December, has allowed 13 home runs in 37 2/3 innings this season. “I only felt it on the pitch,” Covey said. “Might have been maybe a little tight leading up to the game. Felt fine throughout the game, it was just on that pitch I felt it.” The White Sox bullpen picked up the slack as Chris Beck, Gregory Infante, David Holmberg and Tommy Kahnle combined to allow one run over the final 5 2/3 innings. That allowed the White Sox to work their way back into the contest. Melky Cabrera homered in the second inning to make it a two-run game. After Arizona scored in the bottom of the second, Todd Frazier’s two-run homer made it a 4-3 game in the third inning. Abreu blasted a solo shot off Jorge De La Rosa in the eighth to get the White Sox within a run. They loaded the bases with one out but J.J. Hoover struck out Omar Narvaez and Yolmer Sanchez to maintain the one-run lead for Arizona. “We had a lot of hard-hit balls today, and sometimes they fall, sometimes they don’t,” Renteria said. “I really do want to commend our guys for fighting and playing the game. They’ve been doing it all year long. This is no different. There are ups and downs, and right now hopefully we continue to play as focused as we have been and we’ll get some shutdown innings that help us, and we’ll continue to try to score some runs and see if we can win a ballgame.”
White Sox Talk Podcast: Searching for the truth about Luis Robert with Keith Law and Jesse Sanchez.
By #WhiteSoxTalk
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
With the White Sox expected to sign highly coveted Cuban prospect Luis Robert, there are many questions left unanswered about him: how good or great can he be? How do we even pronounce his last name? There have been various opinions to both. In the latest White Sox Talk Podcast, Chuck Garfien and Ryan McGuffey interview ESPN senior baseball writer Keith Law and MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez whose reporting on Robert have unveiled two different projections about the 19-year-old outfielder. A high ranking scouting director told Sanchez that Robert "is the best player on the planet." Scouts who have spoken to Law question Robert's hitting and Law passionately defends his sources on the podcast. Later, Chuck and Ryan answer questions from Facebook Live about what prospects Sox fans are most excited to see play in a Sox uniform. Listen to the latest White Sox Talk Podcast right here.
White Sox fall to Diamondbacks in series opener.(Monday night's game, 05/22/2017).
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The red-hot White Sox ran into Zack Greinke on Monday night.
He cooled them off in a hurry. Greinke struck out 12 hitters and Daniel Descalso blasted a three-run home run off Miguel Gonzalez as the Arizona Diamondbacks sent the White Sox to a 5-1 loss in front of 18,333 at Chase Field. The loss snapped a three-game win streak for the White Sox, who had scored 24 runs in their final two games against the Seattle Mariners. “(Greinke) keeps the ball down out of the zone a lot,” manager Rick Renteria said. “It’s kind of enticing. He keeps the ball in the hitter’s area and it ends up falling out. It’s one of those things that you’ve got to try to get him up. Our approach was to try to make him throw a lot of strikes. He ended up hammering the strike zone early and then finally he just came into a groove.” Descalso’s three-run shot off Gonzalez was one of two pitches the White Sox right-hander would have liked back. After Gonzalez walked Chris Owings with two outs in the fourth inning, his only free pass of the night, he left the curveball over the middle and Descalso deposited it in the right-center field stands to break a scoreless tie. He also left a pitch up to Paul Goldschmidt in the sixth inning and the All-Star first baseman ripped it for a solo shot. But overall Gonzalez rebounded from his previous two starts when he walked nine batters. He was sharp for three innings as he faced one over the minimum. He just missed to Owings in the fourth, which brought up Descalso. Gonzalez allowed five runs (four earned) and seven hits in five innings. “You see what happens when you walk guys,” Gonzalez said. “That wasn’t in a good situation to walk the guy. You have to keep grinding, keep making my pitches. Really two pitches were the ones that hurt me tonight. A lot of positives. Nothing to worry about. Keep working hard and things are going to go my way. “Sometimes things don’t go your way. Those two pitches, if I take those back, you never know. It’s a different ballgame.” Not only did Greinke strike out a dozen hitters, he limited the White Sox to four hits in 8 2/3 innings. Omar Narvaez had two hits, the first coming after Greinke opened the game by retiring seven straight batters. Leury Garcia homered off Greinke with one out in the fifth inning to break up his bid for a shutout. It was quite the turnaround from when the White Sox bashed Yovani Gallardo and Chris Heston on consecutive days in Seattle. The White Sox scored a combined nine first-inning runs in winning three of four against the Mariners. Carlos Rodon 'getting closer' but still without time frame for return. By Dan Hayes
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Carlos Rodon was pretty excited to face hitters at a major league venue on Monday afternoon, another step in his return from the disabled list.
Just when the White Sox left-hander will return is still to be determined. But it’s another telling sign of progress that Rodon threw 60 pitches and got up and down four times against White Sox minor leaguers at Chase Field on Monday. The exercise was the fourth simulated game that Rodon — on the 60-day disabled list with bursitis in his left shoulder — has participated in since he returned to the mound earlier this month. He said he currently views himself on an every-fifth-day schedule. Jake Petricka, who like Rodon was ecstatic to be back around White Sox teammates, also threw in the sim game as did Nate Jones. “I’ve been itching for two months,” Rodon said. “Like I said, frustrating. Hopefully soon they’ll lift the leash off and let me pitch in a game and get back up here for my boys. “Jake and I, we just play it by ear, listen to what they got for us and we do it.” “We’re getting closer.” While nobody is putting a timeline on when Rodon would return, he’s clearly advancing to a promising phase. General manager Rick Hahn watched Rodon’s outing and called it positive. Hahn said it’s encouraging that Rodon has begun to think of himself on a five-day schedule and the next step includes building up arm strength and endurance. “He’s been out there now three or four times throwing to hitters,” Hahn said. “Each time has been a little more crisp from what I understand from the previous ones to today. Hopefully here in the coming weeks we are able to announce he’s starting a rehab assignment and we’ll have a better sense of his time frame at that point.” The entire ordeal has been somewhat of a frustrating odyssey for Rodon. He initially believed he would be ready to return to the White Sox at the start of the month. “Now it’s May 22nd and we’re still here,” he said. “It’s taken a lot longer than I imagined. It’s hard to be patient when your team is out here battling. I’m sitting on the backfield throwing and fielding PFP’s and waiting back here. It’s been frustrating. “That’s all I can say, frustration.” Rodon said he threw at 100 percent in the game. He described his command as pretty close to normal and said his stuff has begun to return. The process has taken longer than all parties expected because it’s based on feel and “throwing with discomfort is never a good thing,” Rodon said. However, that time appears to be in the past as Rodon feels like he’s made good progress and is itching to get back on the mound. Rodon would love to ignore his body and try to pitch through this. But after experiencing discomfort, Rodon appreciates the methodical approach. “The competitor in me tells me to go out there, screw it, I can pitch,” Rodon said. “I’ll do it. I don’t care. But then you have to step back and know this is your career. It’s something that could affect you over a long period of time, I have to be healthy. I can’t be on the DL every other month. You know? That’s not going to work. You have to be a reliable starter, a guy who goes seven innings. We’re looking into the future. Not just this year but into the future. Obviously, hopefully I’m a part of that. Have to be healthy to help out so. It’s hard to take the reins back on myself. As you get older you know your body better, what feels right and what feels wrong. I’m understanding that in the whole process. They’re helping me pull the reins back.” Golf: I got a club for that.....Fantasy Insider: Draws, fades for DEAN & DELUCA Invitational.
By Rob Bolton
Phil Mickelson, who owns 42 TOUR titles and 185 top-10 finishes, could pop up on any leaderboard. (Photo/Logan Bowles/Getty Images)
There's been some confusion over the bonus points in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO for golfers who have lost in playoffs this season. This emerged as a narrative following Billy Horschel's victory over Jason Day at the AT&T Byron Nelson on Sunday. Bonus points for all golfers who qualify for a playoff are calculated based on the winner's haul. So, both Horschel and Day banked 50 bonus points last week. This is different than the One & Done in which actual FedExCup points are measured. It can sometimes take a day or even two for the fantasy platform to reflect bonuses, but everything across all three games is almost always updated by the time each turns over every Tuesday. PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO.
The NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championship is underway at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill. After three days of stroke play, eight teams advanced to the match-play portion of the championship. Quarterfinals and semifinals are being contested on Tuesday, with the finals being held on Wednesday. Golf Channel is airing the action live. Arizona State senior Monica Vaughn won the individual title. Scoring:
TV Times (all times ET): Tuesday 11AM-1:30PM: Match-play quarterfinals 4-8PM: Match-play semifinals (Click here to watch live) Wednesday 4-8PM: Match-play finals Tour players' lives just as real as ours. By Rex Hoggard
(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)
These guys don’t have bad days at the office, at least not in the traditional sense. Sure, PGA Tour players will make bogeys, miss cuts and regularly come up short playing a game that takes far more than it ever gives, but when a play-for-pay type punches the metaphorical time clock at the end of the day they are still playing golf for a living – it’s a reality check that’s almost universally acknowledged. But it’s because their worlds are filled with occupational rainbows and unicorns that there’s a tendency to ignore the most basic elements of human existence. Every life, even one lived between the ropes playing for millions in prize money, is filled with peaks and valleys. As easy at it may be to overlook the obvious, life can be just a messy for a Tour player as it is for anyone else. On Sunday following his fourth Tour victory at the AT&T Byron Nelson, Billy Horschel hinted as much, talking of “his own challenges” that made this triumph that much more special. He didn’t give any specifics. It wasn’t his place. But less than 24 hours later while playing in a charity event, Horschel’s wife, Brittany, texted him a “statement” she wanted to post on social media. “I called her and I said, ‘We don't need to do this.’ She said, ‘No, I'm ready. I'm ready to share our story and start helping people,’” Horschel said. Brittany Horschel posted the statement on Twitter, explaining that she was suffering from alcoholism and spent roughly two months undergoing treatment last year at a center in south Florida. “Billy had to take on the 100 percent responsibility of taking care of our then-1 1/2 year old daughter, moving us into our new home, competing on Tour and God only knows what else and what all went through that man’s head during that time,” Brittany Horschel wrote. “He silently battled through, with support from family and close friends, a very sad, scary and trying time.” During the timeframe Brittany Horschel was undergoing treatment, her husband posted just a single top-10 finish on Tour and slid to 71st on the season-long points list before an August rally propelled him to the third playoff stop. Horschel’s victory on Sunday at the Nelson was his first on Tour in more than two years, but none of that, he will tell you, had anything to do with his wife’s battle with alcoholism. “That's not the reason why I haven't played well for the last year,” he said on Tuesday at the Dean & Deluca Invitational. “That's not a reason at all. But it's something that's on my mind, something I think about on a constant basis.” The way Horschel sees things, how someone deals with success isn’t nearly as telling as how they handle adversity, although for those watching from outside the fish bowl the latter more often than not gets overlooked. Late last summer, Ryan Palmer’s wife, Jennifer, was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer and she had surgery six weeks later. Like it is for many, Palmer’s job became an outlet, an escape from reality, but it was always fleeting. “I get those four, five hours of just [caddie James Edmondson] and I playing golf. I was able to spend five hours a day not thinking about anything else,” Palmer said. “That helps relieve stress and pressures, but then afterwards you get home and it’s back to reality and everything.” According to Palmer, Jennifer is doing “great,” and is scheduled to have her chemotherapy ports removed in August. “All is good,” he smiled on Tuesday. Palmer – who didn’t play last fall so he could be at home with his wife while see underwent therapy – was on a similar emotional rollercoaster two years ago when his father, Charles, died in a traffic accident just before the playoffs, and when he showed up at Colonial for last year’s Dean & Deluca Invitational the loss was still weighing on him. “Last year’s Colonial was the first time he wasn’t there and this is his favorite tournament of the year,” Palmer said. “It was a special week. I had a chance to win and for the first time he wasn’t here.” It’s often too easy to forget that the players who appear so in control on Sunday afternoons vying for trophies deal with the same emotions as those who watch their accomplishments. For the likes of Horschel or Palmer, a bad day at the office may be relative compared to those who endure a more traditional workweek, but off the golf course the often-harsh realities of life are no different. “My wife is one year sober,” said Horschel with more than a touch of pride in his voice. “The journey is not over. It'll never be over. But we're on the right path, and every day we have challenges, just like everyone else in the world. We're no different.” NASCAR:Full schedule for Charlotte Coca-Cola 600 weekend. By NASCAR Staff Report
NASCAR heads to Charlotte Motor Speedway for Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series events. Check out the full weekend schedule below. Note: All times are ET THURSDAY, MAY 25:
ON TRACK
— 2-3:25 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, FS1 (Follow live) — 4-4:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series practice, FS1 (Follow live) — 6-6:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice, FS1 (Follow live) — 7:15 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, FS1 (Follow live)
NASCAR today announced sweeping changes to the lineup of tracks that make up the playoffs as part of its 2018 national series schedules.
Next season, the final regular season race in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will be contested at iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the Round of 16 kicks off at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. NASCAR has added a second short track to the playoff slate, as the historic ¾-mile Richmond International Raceway hosts the second playoff race for the first time, and Charlotte Motor Speedway serves as the first cutoff race, with an intriguing twist — and turn. The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will race on the road course oval at Charlotte, marking the first time the playoffs will see a road-course layout among its 10 races. With Charlotte moving to the cutoff of the Round of 16, Dover International Speedway now hosts the first race of the Round of 12 — another playoff first. Celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Great American Race, the Daytona 500 returns to its traditional Presidents Day weekend on Sunday, February 18. Speedweeks kicks off with an action-packed Sunday, February 11 at Daytona International Speedway, with a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season-opening double-header featuring the Clash and Daytona 500 pole qualifying. “Fan feedback was a major driver in developing these schedules, and we worked very closely with the industry to set the stage for an exciting 2018 season,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “This season has delivered more dramatic moments to fans, and with the adjustments to the 2018 schedules we’re in a great position to build upon that success.” Richmond’s spring race returns to Saturday night, and the spring triple-header at Dover moves to the first week in May. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series joins NASCAR Goes West, the annual three-race trek to the West Coast, making March 2-4 a triple-header weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The fall weekend at Las Vegas serves as the final regular season event for the NASCAR XFINITY Series, with a three-race opening round of Richmond, Charlotte and Dover. The fall Bristol race will finalize the playoff field for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, with Round of 8 races at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Las Vegas and Talladega. All races will air on either the FOX or NBC family of networks, MRN, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. See below for all three NASCAR national series schedules. 2018 MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES SCHEDULE Feb. 11: Daytona International Speedway (Clash / Daytona 500 Qualifying) Feb. 15: Daytona International Speedway (Duel) Feb. 18: Daytona 500 Feb. 25: Atlanta Motor Speedway March 4: Las Vegas Motor Speedway March 11: Phoenix Raceway March 18: Auto Club Speedway March 25: Martinsville Speedway April 8: Texas Motor Speedway April 15: Bristol Motor Speedway April 21: Richmond International Raceway April 29: Talladega Superspeedway May 6: Dover International Speedway May 12: Kansas Speedway May 19: Charlotte Motor Speedway (Monster Energy All-Star Race) May 27 : Charlotte Motor Speedway June 3: Pocono Raceway June 10: Michigan International Speedway June 24: Sonoma Raceway July 1: Chicagoland Speedway July 7: Daytona International Speedway July 14: Kentucky Speedway July 22: New Hampshire Motor Speedway July 29: Pocono Raceway Aug. 5: Watkins Glen International Aug. 12: Michigan International Speedway Aug. 18: Bristol Motor Speedway Sept. 2: Darlington Raceway Sept. 9: Indianapolis Motor Speedway Sept. 16: Las Vegas Motor Speedway Sept. 22: Richmond International Raceway Sept. 30: Charlotte Motor Speedway Oct. 7: Dover International Speedway Oct. 14: Talladega Superspeedway Oct. 21: Kansas Speedway Oct. 28: Martinsville Speedway Nov. 4: Texas Motor Speedway Nov. 11: Phoenix Raceway Nov. 18: Homestead-Miami Speedway
2018 NASCAR XFINITY SERIES SCHEDULE
Feb. 17: Daytona Feb. 24: Atlanta Motor Speedway March 3: Las Vegas Motor Speedway March 10: Phoenix Raceway March 17: Auto Club Speedway April 7: Texas Motor Speedway April 14: Bristol Motor Speedway April 20: Richmond International Raceway April 28: Talladega Superspeedway May 5: Dover International Speedway May 26: Charlotte Motor Speedway June 2: Pocono Raceway June 9: Michigan International Speedway June 17: Iowa Speedway June 30: Chicagoland Speedway July 6: Daytona International Speedway July 13: Kentucky Speedway July 21: New Hampshire Motor Speedway July 28: Iowa Speedway Aug. 4: Watkins Glen International Aug. 11: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Aug. 17: Bristol Motor Speedway Aug. 25: Road America Sept. 1: Darlington Raceway Sept. 8: Indianapolis Motor Speedway Sept. 15: Las Vegas Motor Speedway Sept. 21: Richmond International Raceway Sept. 29: Charlotte Motor Speedway Oct. 6: Dover International Speedway Oct. 20: Kansas Speedway Nov. 3: Texas Motor Speedway Nov. 10: Phoenix Raceway Nov. 17: Homestead-Miami Speedway 2018 NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES SCHEDULE Feb. 16: Daytona International Speedway Feb. 24: Atlanta Motor Speedway March 2: Las Vegas Motor Speedway March 24: Martinsville Speedway May 4: Dover International Speedway May 11: Kansas Speedway May 18: Charlotte Motor Speedway June 8: Texas Motor Speedway June 16: Iowa Speedway June 23: Gateway Motorsports Park June 29: Chicagoland Speedway July 12: Kentucky Speedway July 18: Eldora Speedway July 28: Pocono Raceway Aug. 11: Michigan International Speedway Aug. 15: Bristol Motor Speedway Aug. 26: Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Sept. 14: Las Vegas Motor Speedway Oct. 13: Talladega Superspeedway Oct. 27: Martinsville Speedway Nov. 2: Texas Motor Speedway Nov. 9: Phoenix Raceway Nov. 16: Homestead-Miami Speedway NASCAR's 2018 playoff schedule changes are a long overdue step.
By Nick Bromberg
NASCAR is finally changing up its playoff schedule.
The 2018 playoff schedule features three tracks new to the final 10 races of the Cup Series season. It’s the largest schedule change since NASCAR introduced the Chase — now the Playoffs — in 2004. And it was long overdue.
New Hampshire is gone, replaced by Las Vegas. Chicago is gone too, and while Las Vegas has its date to start the playoffs, it was replaced by Richmond. Charlotte’s still there, but instead of the 1.5-mile oval, the fall race will be run on a 13-turn 2.4-mile track that’s part infield road course and part oval. It’ll be the first time NASCAR has run a race on a hybrid track like what Charlotte will have in store.
The Charlotte change satiates a growing and loud portion of the NASCAR fanbase that’s desired more road course racing. The Cup Series’ road races at Sonoma and Watkins Glen have become two of the most entertaining races of the season. But neither occupied a spot in the playoffs, which competes directly with the NFL for Sunday television viewers.
“The project that is the roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway wasn’t something that was just thrown together overnight,” NASCAR vice president Jim Cassidy said. “It was thought out by a number of designers. There was a significant investment that has gone into getting that portion of the track and the roval into the shape that it is today.”
The Charlotte race will also serve as the final race of the first round of the playoffs.
Chicago had become a worthy opening race for the playoffs because of its worn-out pavement and penchant for unpredictability. No one saw Tony Stewart winning there en route to five Chase wins in 2011, Kevin Harvick cutting a tire and finishing 42nd in 2015 or the Hendrick cars of Jimmie Johnson and Chase Elliott leading a bunch of laps in 2016 after Johnson entered the Chase as an underdog of sorts.
But adding Richmond to the playoffs at Chicago’s expense is a fair trade. The short track, which has previously served as the final race of the regular season, has provided fantastic multi-groove racing in its day races in recent years. But the trade isn’t as good as it could be. NASCAR said on Tuesday that both of Richmond’s 2018 races will be at night.
The New Hampshire for Vegas trade was already known. Speedway Motorsports Inc., owns both tracks and had long been pining for a second date in Las Vegas. New Hampshire, with its lack of passing and importance of track position, was the obvious candidate to lose a race to Vegas.
Vegas, the site of the Cup Series’ postseason banquet, also gives NASCAR a chance to go crazy with the playoff hype entering the race. You can bet that level of possible promotion was at the forefront of many executives’ heads as the schedule was designed.
Logistically, however, the move to put Vegas at the front of the playoffs is a bit of a head-scratcher. Because most of the Cup field is based in Charlotte, NASCAR has grouped together the spring Las Vegas, Phoenix and Fontana, California, races to make it easier on teams. With Texas and Phoenix as the 34th and 35th races of the season, it would seem much easier to put Vegas as the 32nd race of the season to keep weary teams on the west side of the Mississippi River for three consecutive weeks.
Instead, teams will go from Indianapolis on Sept. 9 to Las Vegas on Sept. 16 and to Richmond on Sept. 23 next season.
But complaining about travel times is a small issue given the leap that NASCAR took with the schedule, especially when you consider the three playoff track changes from 2017 to 2018 nearly matches the total of playoff changes NASCAR had made from 2004 to 2017. The playoff schedule had become stagnant and given NASCAR’s standard of staying pat, just one change in addition to the inclusion of Las Vegas would have been seen as a massive overhaul.
Of course, there’s more to keeping NASCAR relevant than changing a few races in the playoffs. But the sanctioning body is continuing to show its newfound flexibility. That should serve it well as it can and should add new tracks to the Cup schedule when the current rights agreements expire after the 2020 season.
INDIANAPOLIS 500:AP Exclusive: Mixed emotions for Dixon after armed robbery.
By Jenna Fryer
Scott Dixon, left, of New Zealand, is congratulated by JR Hildebrand after winning the pole during qualifications for the Indianapolis 500 IndyCar auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Sunday, May 21, 2017, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
The whole plan had been to celebrate Scott Dixon's pole-winning run for the Indianapolis 500 at a downtown Italian restaurant.
But the restaurant was closed by the time Dixon had completed his media obligations Sunday night.
''Really only the next choice was to get fast food,'' Dixon told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Tuesday.
So Dixon and friend Dario Franchitti headed to Taco Bell, where Dixon planned to order his usual Cheesy Gordita Crunch, subbing beans for the meat. Just a mile down the road from hallowed Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the two were robbed at gunpoint while waiting in the drive-thru lane.
''It was definitely shocking, disbelief for the most part,'' said Dixon, who acknowledged the ''bizarre contrast'' of being robbed a few hours after the high of winning the pole for the fabled race coming up this Sunday.
''It will make you feel really small again,'' Dixon said.
Dixon has been advised not to discuss details of the Sunday night robbery, in which police arrested two boys, ages 15 and 14, a short time later. Tony Kanaan, a teammate of Dixon's with Chip Ganassi Racing, told reporters that Dixon and Franchitti had their windows down when they were approached at gunpoint.
''They held a gun at Dixon's head and asked him for his wallet and his phone,'' Kanaan said.
Dixon, who is nicknamed ''The Iceman'' because nothing seems to rattle him, said he felt he and Franchitti remained calm throughout the incident. Both he and Franchitti are avid watch collectors; Dixon said the vintage Rolex he was wearing and ''a Daytona edition that Dario has been wearing as his lucky watch'' were the two most valuable things in the car. Neither watch was taken.
Dixon, by the way, won the pole using a white-knuckle setup from engineer Chris Simmons. His four-lap average was 232.164 mph, the best qualifying run in 21 years at Indy . When he saw his speed, Dixon thought the speedometer was broken.
It's the third pole at Indy for Dixon, the 2008 race winner and a four-time series champion, and he understands the significance of the achievement.
"Winning the pole really means a lot for the drivers," he said. ''You are trying to keep the car on its limits, so there's kind of respect amongst yourselves, in this community. Although the race is the important part, there's a great sense of pride in what we did Sunday.''
Two days removed from the rollercoaster of emotions, Dixon seemed intent on putting the robbery behind him and focusing on winning his second Indianapolis 500 as he made the annual off-day media tour, this time to Toronto. The New Zealander did have some reflection about his experience at Taco Bell - the choice only because McDonalds, a Ganassi team sponsor that had a location next door was closed for renovations.
''I think the biggest thing is you are just hoping that everything is OK, grateful that nothing silly happened,'' Dixon said. ''That's the world of difference. That aside, personally, it maybe brings you to think about choices you make.''
Like going to Taco Bell at 10 p.m. after winning the pole?
''I'd still go,'' he laughed.
Indy 500 media day roundup. By Kyle Lavigne
(Photo/IndyCar)
Tuesday marked a busy day for the drivers that make up the field for the 101st Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil. While there was no on-track activity, and won’t be again until Miller Lite Carb Day (5/26 at 11:00 a.m. on NBCSN), the field of 33 were scattered around the country doing a bevy of appearances in the lead up to Sunday’s race. Below is a list drivers and the places they visited. Bristol, Connecticut/ESPN:James Hinchcliffe Buffalo:Graham Rahal Charlotte:Will Power Chicago: Juan Pablo Montoya Columbus:Mikhail Aleshin Dallas-Fort Worth:Tony Kanaan Dayton: Jack Harvey, Zach Veach Denver:Buddy Lazier Detroit:Carlos Munoz, Simon Pagenaud, Spencer Pigot Fort Wayne:Jay Howard, James Davison Houston:Helio Castroneves Louisville:Pippa Mann, Ed Jones Miami-Fort Lauderdale:Oriol Servia, Gabby Chaves, Sebastian Saavedra Milwaukee:Max Chilton, Charlie Kimball New York:Alexander Rossi, Conor Daly, Fernando Alonso Philadelphia:Marco Andretti, Sage Karam St. Louis:Ed Carpenter, Takuma Sato San Francisco:JR Hildebrand Tampa-St. Petersburg:Ryan Hunter-Reay Toronto:Scott Dixon Washington:Josef Newgarden It was a day that began early for all drivers, particularly those in transit. However, drivers like Fernando Alonso, Alexander Rossi, and Conor Daly got a jump on their travels last night. Meanwhile, Oriol Servia, Sebastian Saavedra, and Gabby Chaves flew out early this morning. Servia used the travel to get in some much needed rest ahead of the busy day.
Unsurprisingly, the driver most in demand was Fernando Alonso, who spoke with such outlets as CNN and Sports Illustrated, among others. Conor Daly, meanwhile, had a unique run-in with professional wrestling star Ric Flair. Last year’s pole sitter, James Hinchcliffe, kept himself busy with a visit to ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut. He also spent time at their Los Angeles location ahead of this year’s Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, a race in which he won. And not all of the appearances were within the United States. Pole-sitter Scott Dixon ventured north of the border to Toronto for his media blitz.
Ryan Hunter-Reay, on the other hand, ventured closer to home, as the Florida native spent his day in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area. Some drivers even got a little racing in. For example, Pippa Mann enjoyed an arm chair race (which she won) during her stop in Louisville. Rossi and Alonso, however, kept their racing in the virtual world.
Perhaps the most interesting activity, however, was reserved for Ed Jones. Before joining teammate Pippa Mann in Louisville, Jones joined Zach Veach and Jack Harvey at American Dairy Association Indiana, where Jones was afforded the chance to milk a cow. A full rundown of events can be seen via the Verizon IndyCar Series twitter. Young drivers could create changing of guard at Indianapolis. By MICHAEL MAROT Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles walks a fine line each May.
Like many longtime Indianapolis 500 fans, Boles reveres the history of the race. As a promoter, he also understands the series needs new blood to expand the fan base and help the 500 keeps its title as the world's largest single-day sporting event.
So as the 2.5-mile oval revs up for its second century of racing, it may the perfect moment to transition from familiar fan favorites to the next generation of winners.
''What makes this place special is the history and the tradition. But what will make it better going into the future are the future winners and a lot of them are young,'' Boles said last week. ''The young drivers are our future.''
There are plenty of reasons to catch the new wave.
Alexander Rossi, age 25, is trying to become the first American to win back-to-back 500s since Al Unser in 1970-71.
At age 26, American Josef Newgarden might have his best shot at reaching victory lane. He's coming off a career-best finish of fourth in the points in 2016 and has teamed up with three-time 500 champion Helio Castroneves, defending series champion Simon Pagenaud and 2015 Indy pole winner Will Power on Roger Penske's powerful team. Newgarden already has won at Birmingham this season.
James Hinchcliffe gained some new fans from his offseason appearance on ''Dancing With The Stars'' but would prefer to complete his comeback from a life-threatening injury two years ago with a win at the Brickyard.
Marco Andretti will again try to break the family's Indy curse. His father and team owner, Michael, led more laps than any other non-winner of the race. The 30-year-old's grandfather, Mario, won once in 29 starts, in 1969.
Graham Rahal has two top-five finishes in nine Indy starts, and a victory would allow the 28-year-old to join Unser and Al Unser Jr. as the only father-son winners of the race. Rahal's father and team owner, Bobby, won in 1986.
Even the 32-year-old Pagenaud, the current points leader, is a relatively new face to IndyCar fans. He's only had five full seasons in the circuit and will try to defend s IndyCar Grand Prix title in Saturday's race.
Boles has his own personal connection with his 25-year-old stepson, Conor Daly, trying to make his fourth straight 500 start.
It's a crucial month for the IndyCar Series, one that could signal a changing of the guard.
''It could be,'' Boles said. ''It's the young drivers that connect you to race fans. But it's a fine line to walk.''
Here are some other things to watch this month:
ALONSO BUMP
Race organizers found the perfect solution to re-create the energy surrounding the 100th race - adding two-time Formula One champion Fernando Alonso to the lineup for No. 101. Alonso passed his rookie test last week then returned to his native Spain where he is scheduled to race this weekend in F1. When the 2.5-mile oval opens for practice Monday, Alonso, will be back in town, chasing the second jewel in racing's triple crown. He can't wait.
''I remember coming here, I think it was 2004, the first year that I raced here, and, yeah, I was taking pictures of the entrance for the Speedway. You know capital of the world, motorsport,'' Alonso said. ''So it's a special place for motorsport in general. To race here in May on the Indy 500, it feels quite a big thing.''
SIX PACK
Andretti Autosport is really pushing the limits in Gasoline Alley. In addition to the team's four full-time drivers - Rossi, Marco Andretti, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Takuma Sato - Michael Andretti has added Alonso and Jack Harvey of Britain to compete in the May 28 500. The biggest challenge may be finding pit crews and spotters for all six cars.
MILESTONE MOMENTS
Castroneves, of Brazil, will make his eighth attempt at a record-tying fourth 500 win. His current drought is the longest of Castroneves' Indy career. He won his first two races (2001 and 2002), finished second in his third (2003) and won again in 2009. New Zealand's Scott Dixon, who drives for Chip Ganassi Racing, has quietly moved into fourth on the series' all-time victory list. If he sweeps the two Indy races, he'll tie Michael Andretti for No. 3 in career wins (42).
TICKET SALES
Boles said tickets are selling at the second-best pace the track has had in 20 years, trailing only last year's historic race. Nobody expects another sellout, but Boles believes the fans who attended last year's centennial race were so impressed that many are coming back.
SOCCER:Fire GM Nelson Rodriguez preaches modesty amid team's positive start.
By Dan Santaromita
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
It’s amazing the difference a year has made for the Chicago Fire.
At this time last year the Fire were coming off having the worst record in Major League Soccer and looked headed to another year at the bottom. The team’s attack was toothless when David Accam was injured and any early optimism in the first year for general manager Nelson Rodriguez and coach Veljko Paunovic waned.
In the first of three organized meetings with reporters last year, Rodriguez admitted the team’s record wasn’t good enough and preached patience. Things didn’t get much better for the Fire, which finished last for the second year in a row.
This offseason, Rodriguez made a number of big moves and the early returns are positive on most of them. Dax McCarty has vastly improved the team’s midfield and possession play, with goalkeeper Matt Lampson calling him the team’s MVP after practice on Tuesday. Nemanja Nikolic leads the league in goals, something unthinkable in the first half of last year when the Fire struggled to get one or two shots on target, let alone goals, during a match. Bastian Schweinsteiger is the big name player fans have been waiting years for and he has delivered on the $5.4 million price tag.
When Rodriguez fielded questions from reporters for an hour on Tuesday, the Fire had the third most points in Major League Soccer. He could have referenced the patience he called for a year ago and boasted about the vindication. Instead, he said, as coach Veljko Paunovic did in the past week, that the team still hasn’t accomplished anything.
“For sure I sleep a little better,” Rodriguez said. “For sure you can’t wait for the next game even sooner, especially when you’re on a good patch I think. There’s so much ground yet to cover. This is a very difficult league to prognosticate and predict, even from week-to-week.
“I think it’s my job to try to see through the results, again continue to measure our process and how we’re progressing against that process to try to make sure that we don’t have any blind spots to ourselves and what we’re doing and how we’re doing it. To push the group to constantly self-reflect and improve.”
Rodriguez also said the Fire’s positive start hasn’t changed his expectations for this season either.
“We have to be a little bit modest, given that we as a club have struggled for so many years,” he said. “The first bar, and it’s a low bar, but it’s the playoffs.
“Our expectations were to make the playoffs. Our expectations were to contend or win the Open Cup championship and those continue to hold.”
He did admit that “skepticism is understandable” from fans who have seen the team struggle for several years. Schweinsteiger’s arrival and the team’s improved record have created what he described as a momentum, and not just on the field.
“There’s certainly a buzz,” Rodriguez said. “There’s also still that small, but loud group of wallowers who are just hoping that the wheels come off or still want different players than the ones we acquired. That will still be there, perhaps until we win a championship. Overall, I think there is an excitement that’s building.”
This is the high point of Rodriguez's still-young tenure with the club. The Fire feature a World Cup winner, have one of the best records in the league and there’s a buzz around the team. What a difference a year makes, indeed.
UEFA Europa League Final preview: Manchester United vs. Ajax.
By Nicholas Mendola
(Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Jose Mourinho’s big European gamble takes center stage on Wednesday in Sweden, when Manchester United attempts to topple young Ajax in the UEFA Europa League Final. United’s chances for UEFA Champions League qualification, a magnificent opportunity, are overshadowed by the pall cast over Manchester by sinister terrorist attacks at a pop concert that killed and injured many on Monday night. Alas, there’s soccer to be played, and Mourinho is looking to make it a trio of shiny items in his first year on the job. United beat Leicester City for the Community Shield, then topped Southampton in the EFL Cup Final en route to Sweden. United’s well-documented dearth of healthy defenders will march out one more time on Wednesday, with Chris Smalling and Phil Jones tasked with manning the center of the back line. Expect Antonio Valencia and Matteo Darmian out wide. Despite the injury to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Mourinho’s attack is going to give Ajax fits. Marcus Rashford has been next level for most of the second half of the season, and United will also likely feature Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Paul Pogba atop Ander Herrera. If someone is going to break United down, it could be midfield wizards Davy Klaassen and Lasse Schone. The creative middle men have a variety of options to find with the ball, including on-loan Chelsea man Bertrand Traore and Danish teenager Kasper Dolberg. But how will they deal with United’s attack? Sure Ajax has stopped Lyon, Schalke, Copenhagen, and Legia Warsaw, but United and Mourinho? That’s another challenge for Peter Bosz and his men. Ajax won the 1992 UEFA Cup, and this is United’s first ever trip to this particular final. The Red Devils are heavy favorites, and we expect United to prevail. Don’t sleep on Juan Mata heroics. Call it 3-1. Grades for every Premier League team in 2016-17. By Joe Prince-Wright
Taking everything that happened into account, let’s dish out a grade for the overall performance of each club with a brief summary Plus, click on the link above to follow all of ProSoccerTalk’s reviews of the 2016-17 season. Chelsea: A Sublime season with 30 wins from 38 to win the title. The switch to a 3-4-3 formation after losing to Arsenal in September proved the pivotal moment and Antonio Conte galvanized his squad with his passion and attention for detail. Having no European action certainly helped Chelsea during the run-in but with Kante, Hazard and Costa around they have game-changers. Surpassed everyone’s expectation as Conte took the PL by storm and this Chelsea team will add two or three stars over the summer and aim to challenge for the Champions League. Ruthlessly efficient. Tottenham Hotspur: A- For the second season running Spurs came up short in the title race but they were the only team who kept up with Chelsea and made things very interesting as we entered April. Harry Kane led the PL with 29 goals and had he been fit for the whole season, maybe Spurs would’ve won the title. Who knows? What we do know is that Mauricio Pochettino is leading this young team into a brave new era with Wembley their temporary home next season and then the new 61,559 capacity stadium at White Hart Lane ready for the 2018-19 campaign. Another season of huge progress but no silverware is the only annoyance. Going the entire season unbeaten at White Hart Lane before it was demolished was a huge achievement. Bournemouth: B+ Eddie Howe led the Cherries to their highest-ever finish as a club and finishing ninth in the PL after a real struggle in the middle of the season is a great achievement. Josh King scored the goals to push them up the table and even though Jordon Ibe and Jack Wilshere struggled, this young team still showed plenty of class. A third-straight season in the PL was always the aim and Bournemouth comfortably achieved that. Burnley: B+ The Clarets had a fine season, especially at home, as Sean Dyche‘s side only won once away from Turf Moor all season. With Tom Heaton and Michael Keane excelling in defense, they always hung in games and the pace of Andre Gray and power of Sam Vokes up top gave them a better cutting edge than the last time they were in the PL. On limited resources, this was a superb campaign which will be overlooked due to a poor finish. Liverpool: B+ Everyone expected Liverpool to challenge for a top four finish and that is what they did. Jurgen Klopp‘s high-powered offense blew teams away and Sadio Mane was the star man. When he was injured Liverpool missed Mane badly and that threatened to derail their top four bid. In the end they held on to finish fourth but for most of the season they were title contenders. Defensive issues, once again, cost Liverpool any chance at the title. Still, Klopp’s first full season in charge was a success. Everton: B A solid season for the Toffees as Ronald Koeman‘s men faded a little but still qualified for the Europa League. Keeping Ross Barkley and Romelu Lukaku this summer will be key for the Dutchman but it wouldn’t be surprising if both players left. Another summer of transfer dealing will make this Everton team really feel like Koeman’s and they weren’t far away from challenging for the top four this season. Solid. West Brom: B- Looked like they were going to finish eighth but a bad end to the season saw Tony Pulis‘ players fail to record a win in their last nine outings. That won’t sit well over the offseason but survival and getting to 40 points is always the first thing the Baggies want. Anything else is a bonus. A severe lack of goals from Salomon Rondon proved costly but resolute defensive displays were once again their strength with Ben Foster having a fine campaign. Manchester City: B- Pep Guardiola struggled in his first season in England but finished third to get the job done in terms of Champions League qualification. However, a UCL exit at the Round of 16, plus disappointment in both cup competitions didn’t go down well. Claudio Bravo and John Stones were the scapegoats of Pep’s philosophy not quite working in the PL as possession-based soccer from the back was found out. He will have to tweak things this summer, and spend plenty more cash, to turn this ageing squad into title contenders. Hull City: C Even though they were relegated, let’s remember that the Tigers hardly had a squad when the PL season kicked off. Mike Phelan was eventually replaced by Marco Silva and the Portuguese boss did a phenomenal job to give them a chance of surviving. The Tigers will be heavy favorites to come straight back up but Silva is unlikely to remain at the KCOM Stadium as their ownership struggles continue behind-the-scenes. Southampton: C- A really strange season for Saints who finished eighth, which is their fourth season on the spin in eighth or higher in the PL. For a club of their size, you can’t argue with that. Yet manager Claude Puel is under severe pressure and could be fired after his first season in England. Saints didn’t make it through their Europa League group in agonizing fashion and then dominated Manchester United in the EFL Cup final but lost 3-2. Their slow paced build-up play has angered many supporters with just 17 goals scored in 19 home PL games. Saints should be careful what they wish for but it is likely Puel will depart. Manchester United: C- If Jose Mourinho ends up winning the Europa League then this grade will be higher. However, United have recorded their least wins in a PL season and have been awful to watch at times. Part of that has to do with having a huge number of games with the Europa League and EFL Cup, but Mourinho spent big on the likes of Paul Pogba who has yet to deliver the goods consistently. Zlatan Ibrahimovic‘s injury was a big blow but if United end this season with EFL Cup and Europa League trophies, then it will be job done for Mourinho. It wasn’t pretty as Wayne Rooney and others were deemed surplus to requirements and Mourinho has gambled on Europa League success. Swansea City: C- The Swans had three managers and somehow survived. Francesco Guidolin was replaced by Bob Bradley early in the season and the American coach was not given time or a transfer window to turn the struggling squad around. Paul Clement arrived and did just that as he won 29 points as Swans boss and they rose out of the relegation zone after winning four of their last five games of the season. Now it’s all about not repeating those mistakes and trying to push for a top 10 finish. Keeping Gylfi Sigurdsson will be tough. Watford: D+ Walter Mazarri is out as boss in a weird campaign for the Hornets. They were looking set for a top 10 finish but collapsed in the second half of the season as the players appeared to lose faith in Mazarri’s tactics. With Troy Deeney out of favor the goals dried up and Watford’s new manager will now have to try and restore confidence to a mish-mash of players who under-performed. Not a pretty campaign. Stoke City: D Disappointing season for Stoke who finished in 13th place but were just two points off eighth. Goal= scoring was the issue once again for Mark Hughes‘ men as Saido Berahino struggled for fitness, Wilfried Bony couldn’t settle and the likes of Arnautovic and Shaqiri were inconsistent. The return of Jack Butland in goal was a huge boost but the Potters will have to start well next season otherwise Hughes will be under a little bit of pressure. Crystal Palace: D The Eagles stayed up, just, but this was a bad season for a talented squad. Alan Pardew‘s men didn’t recover from a poor second half of the 2015-16 season and the Palace legend was sacked midway through the season. In came Sam Allardyce who initially failed to turn things around but big wins against Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool sparked a miraculous recovery alongside some great January additions in Mamadou Sakho, Patrick Van Aanholt and Luka Milivojevic. Palace will have to rebuild defensively this summer if they truly want to be a top 10 team. Leicester City: D Claudio Ranieri was fired as manager after the Foxes dropped into the relegation zone and the 2015-16 champions rallied late in the campaign to finish in midtable. Interim boss Craig Shakespeare did a fine job to turn things around but Ranieri still played his part as Leicester lost to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals. You have to think a lot of these players will be moved on in the summer, but can Leicester afford their replacements after dishing out big contracts after the title win? Vardy, Mahrez and Schmeichel will attract interest but the Foxes must keep hold of them. 12th place in the table is about right for Leicester’s squad, which shows you just how miraculous last season was. West Ham: D So many things went wrong for the Hammers this season. The move to their new stadium was met with plenty of criticism by home supporters, Dimitri Payet left in January and so many injuries piled up in defense. Simply put, you can’t help but feel sorry for Slaven Bilic. The Croatian coach may still leave this summer but he will probably stick around and he deserves too. Strengthening defense should be the main focus this summer and getting in a proven striker with Andy Carroll far too injury prone to rely on. The Hammers finished in 11th which, considering all the issues, was not a bad outcome at all. Arsenal: D- Where do we start? Not finishing in the top four for the first time in 20 years under Arsene Wenger says it all. The Frenchman is under increasing pressure to leave the Gunners but it appears he will remain in charge for another two seasons. The debate about the future’s of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez also hung around for most of the season to disrupt the team and humiliation in the Champions League at the hands of Bayern Munich threw them out of the top four race in early 2017. That said, with five wins in their last six they almost made the top four again and if Arsenal beat Chelsea in the FA Cup final this weekend then there will be something to salvage from this season. There is a huge change needed in recruitment and investment if Arsenal are ever going to be genuine title contenders. Wenger’s future is not the only big issues which needs to be addressed at the Emirates Stadium after this season. Middlesbrough: F A truly woeful return to the PL Boro who had worked so hard to get back to the promised land. Aitor Karanka often set his team up to get clean sheets and they got plenty of them, but the lowest scorers in the PL hit the back of the net just 27 teams in 38 games. Karanka was shown the door at a bizarre time and caretaker Steve Agnew didn’t really have a chance. Boro will be among the favorites in the Championship next season but they may lose some of their talented young defenders, especially Ben Gibson. Five wins from 38 games sums it up. Sunderland: F The only team who had it worse than Boro was their north east rivals Sunderland. David Moyes resigned the day after the season was over as he led the Black Cats to a 20th place finish with 24 points and they simply had no chance all season long. Moyes talked about relegation in the opening weeks of the campaign and despite Jermain Defoe‘s goals and Jordan Pickford‘s heroics in goal, they never looked like staying up. The Black Cats will need a complete rebuild but owner Ellis Short has a lot to answer for as he simply failed to invest enough in this squad which has stayed up in the PL by the skin of their teeth for many, many years.
A burning question for each Premier League team (and the relegated).
By Nicholas Mendola
(Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
We continue our postseason review of the Premier League with the big questions bearing down on 22 (soon to be 23) teams. Twenty Premier League sides (and two already-promoted Championship clubs) have work to do in order to achieve their aims. Chelsea, Liverpool, Spurs, and Man City want to a UEFA Champions League title. Manchester United, too, but the Red Devils join Arsenal as sides aiming to compete for titles. Others, like West Ham, Everton, and Southampton, are prepared to grow toward top-end competitions, while Stoke City and Leicester City hope to take the next step after relatively disappointing campaigns. What’s the top question for each team? Read on… Arsenal – This one’s easy: Forget will Arsene Wenger stay on (He will) — Will the Gunners name a sporting director and spend, spend, spend to rejoin the elite? Bournemouth – Manager Eddie Howe and chairman Jeff Mostyn have steadily built the South coast team into a stylish threat that it isn’t afraid to spend, but can they build on their Top Half finish. More importantly, can they hang onto 16-goal man Joshua King, who scored more goals than anyone not on a European-qualifying team? Brighton and Hove Albion – Chris Hughton is now thrice the Championship manager of the season, now can he identify which players can help him stay in the Premier League? Burnley – Sean Dyche and the Clarets dug deep into their pocket books to stay in the Premier League for another season, now can the tiny club make the astute moves to do it again? Chelsea – How will Antonio Conte organize his squad for his first season in the UEFA Champions League with Chelsea is a good one, but what will he do with older stars Diego Costa, Willian, and Cesc Fabregas? Crystal Palace – Sam Allardyce may want to leave, which is fine, so who’s the right man to keep a very talented XI from underachieving? And will they be able to hang onto Wilfried Zaha? Everton – This is less about squad than schedule: Assuming the Toffees dust their summer qualifier, how will Ronald Koeman negotiate both the Europa League and the Premier League? Hull City – With Marco Silva reportedly off to Porto, there are two main questions for Hull: Can they find a new boss capable of keeping them near the top of the Championship, and able to convince ownership to keep spending? Leicester City – Will Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy still be there come August? Liverpool – Can Jurgen Klopp straighten out his defending and motivate a squad even when big names aren’t on the other side of the field? Manchester City – Will another year of additions allow Pep Guardiola to assert his genius in a third major European league? Manchester United – Is there a good replacement for Zlatan Ibrahimovic at the top of Jose Mourinho’s XI? Middlesbrough – If the major pieces stick around, Boro has the tools to compete for the Championship title… but will the major pieces stick around? Newcastle United – Rafa Benitez will again flip the roster at St. James Park, but can he bring the new boys together fast enough to avoid a relegation race? Southampton – Is Claude Puel going to be the manager? If that one’s too easy, then will Virgil Van Dijk remain at St. Mary’s? Stoke City – At what point does administration demand the Potters take the next step, or bounce Mark Hughes? Sunderland – Will Ellis Short and company actually spend, or will Sunderland’s absence from the top flight be a long one? Swansea City – Assuming Gylfi Sigurdsson leaves, how will Paul Clement address his attack while also fixing his back line and finding a metronome? Tottenham Hotspur – Can Harry Kane, Dele Alli, and Mauricio Pochettino punch through the glass ceiling to claim a Premier League title or sustained Champions Leagur run? Watford – How many managers will the Hornets employ in 2017-18? West Bromwich Albion – Tony Pulis is asking to spend. If the Baggies back him, can he break free from his defensive shell and build a team that aims for more than 40 points and another season in the Premier League? West Ham United – Both chairman David Gold and manager Slaven Bilic want to make West Ham a big, big club. Can they find the next Dimitri Payet and finally find the elite striker they’ve been chasing for years? NCAAFB:Which first-year coaches need to win right away? By Adam Rittenberg
With a roster loaded with talent and ready to win, first-year coach Tom Herman will be expected to chase double-digit wins and maybe even challenge for the Big 12 title. (Photo/Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman via AP) Every new coach has an ace in the hole, to pull out if things go poorly during his first season at the helm. We're changing the culture here and it will take time. ... I inherited a roster in rough shape. ... These guys have to learn how to win. College football fans know these lines well. First-year coaches recite them each November. They support the belief that the coach needs time to win. In most cases, it's a correct belief. But not in every case. Some new coaches step into turnkey situations or at least ones where the roster, if developed correctly, can achieve some level of success. They shouldn't get the luxury of the "Hey, I'm new" excuse. Here's a look at coaches who shouldn't be given a pass in Year 1, those justified in asking for more time, and those somewhere in between. No Excuses
Ed Orgeron, LSU: As LSU's defensive line coach and then interim head coach, Orgeron knows how much talent is packed into this roster. There's some youth on defense but plenty of speed and a game-changing pass-rusher in Arden Key. Leonard Fournette will be missed at running back but not as much as originally thought, as Derrius Guice looked great in SEC play last season. Quarterback mismanagement cost Les Miles his job, and while Orgeron doesn't inherit a great situation there, Danny Etling is tough and experienced. New offensive coordinator Matt Canada has the type of system to finally give LSU's offense a schematic edge it lacked under Miles. Alabama remains the team to beat in the SEC West and Auburn looks formidable, too, but LSU is good enough to win at least nine games in Coach Oeaux's first full season.
Tom Herman, Texas: Even as Texas went downhill last season, those around the sport noted that whoever coached the Longhorns in 2017 would have a roster ready to win. Herman has some challenges in Austin, namely upgrading recruiting, but he has enough depth to win in Year 1. The defense returns 10 starters, including second-team All-Big 12 lineman Breckyn Hager. Texas has numbers at the offensive skill spots other than quarterback, where Shane Buechele enters his second season as the starter. While the Oklahoma schools are justifiably projected atop the Big 12, Texas shouldn't be too far behind in Herman's debut season, especially if the Longhorns capitalize during the second half of the slate.
Charlie Strong, South Florida: The irony here is Strong steps into a better situation at USF than he ever had at Texas. The Bulls should be the American Athletic Conference favorite after returning 16 starters from an 11-win team, led by quarterback Quinton Flowers. Houston showed the past few seasons what a transcendent quarterback can do in the AAC, and Flowers may end up being better than Greg Ward Jr. Offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert, brought from Texas by Strong, will be able to mix and match in the passing game. The defense needs significant upgrades, but it's also Strong's specialty and an area where he should have more success than he did at Texas. Anything short of an AAC East title would be disappointing for Strong in Year 1.
Partially Excused
P.J. Fleck, Minnesota: Fleck is a strong pivot from Tracy Claeys and Jerry Kill. The roster trends younger, and Fleck will need to build long-term depth through better recruiting. But let's not forget this team won nine games last season, its second most victories since 1905. Minnesota won under Kill and Claeys with defense and the run game, two areas that could still be strengths (secondary depth is a concern). Fleck should immediately improve the wide receivers, the position he played in college and where he started in coaching. While Claeys' tenure ended on a controversial note, Minnesota isn't a mess. While nine wins might be tough to repeat, a bowl appearance shouldn't be.
Willie Taggart, Oregon: The Ducks bottomed out last season, both on the field and in the locker room, and Taggart certainly inherits some challenges in Eugene. He also inherits one of the Pac-12's better offensive backfields in running back Royce Freeman (4,146 career rush yards, 44 touchdowns) and quarterback Justin Herbert, who has drawn positive reviews from opposing coaches. Combining the duo with a suddenly experienced offensive line, Oregon should be able to keep scoring. The defense is another story after finishing last in the FBS in expected points added in 2016. Taggart hired the right man to turn things around in coordinator Jim Leavitt, and if the unit simply makes marginal strides, more victories should follow. No one expects Oregon to win the Pac-12 North in Taggart's first season, but seven or eight wins is a reasonable expectation.
Tom Allen, Indiana: Like Minnesota, Indiana had unusual circumstances surrounding its coaching transition, which came after the team qualified for consecutive bowl games for the first time since 1990 and 1991. In promoting Allen, the Hoosiers' defensive coordinator, athletic director Fred Glass hopes to maintain continuity and positive momentum. Allen made an immediate impact on Indiana's defense last fall, and the unit no longer makes Hoosiers fans cover their eyes. The unit could show more improvement with nine starters back this fall. There are more questions on offense, as Indiana loses standout lineman Dan Feeney and running back Devine Redding. But quarterback Richard Lagow, wideout Nick Westbrook and others return. Indiana opens Big Ten play with Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan, but if it can handle business in nonleague play and down the stretch, another bowl appearance is realistic.
Give 'Em A Pass
Matt Rhule, Baylor:No first-year coach steps into a more delicate -- and unique -- situation than Rhule. The aftershocks from the Baylor scandal are still being felt, and Rhule, an outsider, will oversee a locker room that remains, at least in part, loyal to Art Briles. Baylor is hardly a mess on the field after making seven consecutive bowl appearances and going 50-15 between 2011 and 2015. Rhule inherits a roster that could be good enough to keep the bowl streak going. But the number of changes in Waco, not to mention schematic shifts Rhule will bring, make a step backward understandable if it occurs. Rhule received a seven-year contract for a reason. He deserves some time to get things right off the field first.
Justin Wilcox, Cal: It's always about winning in college football, but the goals for Wilcox's first year should be more abstract. Chief among them is improving a defense that last season finished 126th in expected points added, ahead of only Texas Tech and Oregon. It will take time to upgrade the talent, but Wilcox's mere presence should yield better results on that side of the ball. The rebuild on defense combined with major questions at quarterback and a brutal schedule -- Cal faces two Power 5 teams out of conference (North Carolina, Ole Miss) and visits Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Stanford and UCLA in Pac-12 play -- should lower expectations. The Bears could be the weakest team in the Pac-12 North, and Wilcox needs at least a year to get things on track.
Jeff Brohm, Purdue: Remember when Purdue went to 10 bowls in 11 seasons and won eight games or more six times during that span? You probably don't, but it happened from 1997 to 2007 under Joe Tiller. Purdue then endured one of the most forgettable stretches of any Power 5 program in recent years. Brohm looks like an excellent hire who will provide a much-needed jolt to a program with a strong history at quarterback. He inherits a promising quarterback in David Blough, but the lack of depth along the offensive line and in other spots suggests Purdue likely will struggle in Year 1. The start to the schedule does Brohm no favors, either, as Purdue opens with Lamar Jackson-led Louisville and faces Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin to open Big Ten play. Grad Transfers Give Northwestern, Purdue And Rutgers A Lift.
By Tom Dienhart
(Photo/Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)
Grad transfers continue to be a big part of the college landscape, as players move from one school to another after graduation … and are immediately eligible. Three schools in the Big Ten will benefit more than the rest in 2017: Purdue, Rutgers and Northwestern. NORTHWESTERN The Wildcats will have a pair of grand transfers in wideout Jalen Brown from Oregon and offensive lineman Trey Klock from Georgia Tech. Each will have two years of eligibility. Brown could become NU’s go-to wideout with 2016 Big Ten Receiver of the Year Austin Carr gone. The 6-1, 200-pound former four-star recruit made 17 grabs last year in Eugene. The 6-4, 285-pound Lock arrived at Tech as a tight end before bulking up. He made five starts in 2016 and appeared in 22 games at Georgia Tech. Pat Fitzgerald likes to have as much competition and depth as he can up front for a Wildcat o-line that should be pretty good. PURDUE Jeff Brohm took one look at his roster upon arrival and realized he needed help … now. So, the new Boilermaker boss worked hard to add some proven talent via the grad transfer route and landed four. Keep an eye on wideout Corey Holmes, who arrived from Notre Dame. He purportedly was the fastest player in South Bend, but he never got on track. He is a welcome addition to a position that is in dire need of help. In 2014, Holmes played in just two games and spent most of his time on the scout team. He then redshirted in 2015. Holmes made 11 catches for 96 yards at ND. Another offensive addition is tackle David Steinmetz from Rhode Island. The line is a position with Defcon One status. The 6-8, 296-pounder will help an area that lacks depth and talent, figuring to grab a starting spot the moment he buckles his chinstrap. The Boiler defense will get a needed boost in the secondary from Wake Forest arrival Josh Okonye, who didn’t start one game in his career in Winston-Salem but was still a valuable reserve. Okonye will play for his position coach at Wake in Derrick Jackson. Western Kentucky’s T.J. McCollum will bolster an already strong LB unit after following Brohm and DC Nick Holt from Bowling Green, Ky., to West Lafayette. After starting his career at UAB, McCollum started 26 games for WKU the last two years. In 2015, he led the Hilltoppers in tackles and tackles for loss; in 2016, he was third in the former category and seventh in the latter. RUTGERS The Scarlet Knight offense needs help. And, it’s getting it in the form of three grad transfers. And no grad transfer in the Big Ten may have a bigger impact–or be more vital–than QB Kyle Bolin, who was a big get for the Scarlet Knights as they look to augment the worst passing attack in the Big Ten (138.3 ypg). The Louisville grad transfer picked RU over Texas, among others, and will battle Gio Rescigno and Jonathan Lewis for the job. Gotta like Bolin’s chances. He threw for 2,104 yards with 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions on 141-of-242 passing in 17 career games at U of L. Bolin also started five games in 2015, and was the backup to Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson last season. Damon Mitchell arrives from Arkansas to boost the wideout corps, joining brother Ahmir, who transferred from Michigan last year. Damon, along with little brother, could be a nice tandem. And Gus Edwards could be the top fullback, a spot that is making a comeback for RU under new coordinator Jerry Kill. Edwards arrives from Miami (Fla.), having rushed for 977 yards and 12 touchdowns in 35 career games as a reserve in Coral Gables. He was the No. 1-rated fullback in the class of 2013 by Rivals.com. Edwards could be a nice blocker for Josh Hicks, Robert Martin and Trey Sneed. But Edwards also is a proven ball carrier. Miami Beach Bowl officially moves to Frisco, Texas. By Zach Barnett
(Photo/Getty Images)
The Miami Beach Bowl was an unnecessary bowl game played in a metro area already populated by bowl games — but at least it was in Miami. Bowl games may have lost their luster over the past decade-plus, but it’s hard to complain about being sent to South Beach in December for a football game. The Miami Beach Bowl is no more, and it’s now been reincarnated as another unnecessary bowl game to be played in a metro area even more populated by bowl games — and it won’t be anywhere near as interesting as Miami. Meet the Frisco Bowl, the newest ESPN-created postseason college football game to be played in the scenic locale of Frisco, Texas. The north Dallas suburb will host the game at Toyota Stadium, a 20,500-seat outdoor venue that’s home to MLS club FC Dallas as well as the FCS National Championship every January. The Frisco Bowl will also compete for sponsorship dollars and public attention with the Cotton Bowl in Arlington, the Heart of Dallas Bowl in Dallas and the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth. “We are pleased to be able to host this game in one of the most vibrant football markets in the country,” said ESPN vice president of events Clint Overby. “The infrastructure and facilities that exist in Frisco are outstanding and will be an excellent venue for the teams, players, administrators and fans traveling into the marketplace. We look forward to working with civic organizations and businesses in the area to create an annual event that embraces the spirit of the community.” The first annual Frisco Bowl will pit an American Athletic Conference team against a to-be-determined conference at 8 p.m. ET on Dec. 20. NCAABKB:Top 5 recruiting class may get Texas back to the NCAA Tournament after 11-22 season.
By Matt Norlander
With Andrew Jones also returning, the Longhorns could be one of the top four teams in the Big 12.
It's been interesting to take in the reaction of Mohamed Bamba's pledge to Texas. The Longhorns, somewhat surprisingly, landed the No. 2 prospect in the Class of 2017 on Thursday. In doing so, Shaka Smart beat out John Calipari and Mike Krzyzewski for Bamba, obviously amounting to the biggest recruiting victory of Smart's life. It's rare for Calipari and Krzyzewski to lose out on a recruit to anyone not named Calipari or Krzyzewski, so I get the relative shock in that regard. And Bamba is the highest-rated recruit for Texas since some guy named "Durant." Labeling this as a "boon" is underselling the significance of the commitment. But it's not as though Texas is a common power-conference school. We polled coaches in 2015 about the best jobs in the sport: Texas finished in the top five. In the business, among ADs and coaches, Texas basketball is a royalty job despite fact it lacks historical supremacy. UT got more votes (and we polled more than 100 coaches) than bluebloods UCLA, Indiana and Louisville. The job is highly coveted, and even though football has always and will always be first, second, third and fourth on the priority list at UT, the basketball operation is grade-A. It should to land elite prospects.
So this idea that Texas landing Bamba is some massive upset is overblown. Check here if you need proof that the program regularly gets top-10 players. I think the reaction to Bamba's Texas pick speaks more to the recruiting influence and expectation Kentucky and Duke have. But still, it's a fun twist for the sport and needed jolt for that program, particularly on the heels of its worst season in decades. Smart has the fourth-ranked class in 2017, and now just one decision looms for the Longhorns, a choice that could be the deciding factor in UT making the NCAA Tournament next season. I'll get to that in just a minute.
Here's how Texas' incoming class sets up. Bamba is the crown jewel (and a pivotal replacement for one-and-done Jarrett Allen, who will be a lottery pick, and who's decision to leave could have been the clincher for catching Bamba), while Matt Coleman is a critical four-star point guard who will see the floor immediately.
Name
Yr
Pos
Ht
Wt
Hometown (High School/Previous School)
Mohamed Bamba
Fr.
F
6-11
220
Harlem, N.Y. (Westtown School [Pa.])
Matt Coleman
Fr.
G
6-2
175
Norfolk, Va. (Oak Hill Academy)
Jase Febres
Fr.
G
6-5
180
Houston, Texas (Westfield HS)
Royce Hamm Jr.
Fr.
F
6-7
200
Houston, Texas (Aldine Davis HS)
Elijah Long *
Jr.
G
6-1
180
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada (John Carroll [Md.]/Mount St. Mary's)
Jericho Sims
Fr.
F
6-9
220
Minneapolis, Minn. (Cristo Rey Jesuit HS)
Five of those six names will play next season. Elijah Long will have to sit out, as he's an incoming transfer. But the other five comprise the best class at Texas in a long time. Febres, Hamm and Sims are all rated as four-star players. UT will be young but should be good and certainly watchable.
Because the tail end of the Rick Barnes era was forgettable, and because Texas hasn't been noteworthy, nationally, in Smart's first two years, the program has drifted off the radar. Yet Smart has managed to win big on the recruiting trail after having the worst season of his career, an 11-22 finish. This after being ranked in the preseason AP poll. In that regard, no team was a bigger letdown last season than Texas. Next season, Texas could flirt with cracking the national rankings. What will decide that? The forthcoming decision of Andrew Jones. The expectation is that the 6-foot-4 combo guard is going to come back. He's still going through the NBA Draft process (the deadline for all NCAA players is May 24), but is not projected as a 2017 pick. Update: Jones has announced he's coming back.
Texas will have Kerwin Roach (athletic freak), Eric Davis and Jacob Young joining him. Bamba is such a game-changing player, I have to believe this roster constitutes a top-four team in the Big 12 and a borderline top-30 team in college hoops. This past season was the first time ever Smart, an eight-year veteran as a head coach, didn't win 20 games. That doesn't seem likely to happen again, even in a robust Big 12. Once Jones makes his pick, and presuming it's a return to Austin, Smart will be staring down a year of big promise and certain pressures. With five top-100 players coming in, one of them being perhaps the best defensive player in college basketball next season, Texas is in the unusually great position of having immediate roster fixes but also gets set up for the future because four-star talents who stay three or four years are the best way to buoy your program. Below, a look at Bamba. He's approximately 7 feet tall and has a 7-9 wingspan, which is mutant territory (no player in the NBA currently has a wingspan that long). Barring injury, he is a lock to be a top-five pick in 2018 based on his physical attributes alone. Making him even more tempting: his incredible perimeter defense and capability to shoot from distance. Here's the guy who could change the trajectory of Smart's Texas career. Pimlico survives another Preakness, but for how much longer?
By David Ginsburg
Bethann Dixon works before the second race on the track ahead of the running of the Preakness Stakes horse race at Pimlico race course, Saturday, May 20, 2017, in Baltimore. The 142nd Preakness Stakes horse race runs Saturday. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
A record-setting crowd on Friday, followed by a huge throng for the Preakness, will enable the owners of aging Pimlico Race Course to break even this year.
That, however, won't blunt their effort to move the Preakness to nearby Laurel Park.
''It's going to come to a head at some point later this year,'' Sal Sinatra, president and general manager of the Maryland Jockey Club, said Saturday. ''We'll see where it shakes out.''
The Maryland Stadium Authority is in the midst of a study to determine how much money it will take to sufficiently renovate 147-year-old Pimlico.
If the money isn't there, The Stronach Group wants to hold the Preakness at newer, shinier Laurel Park. The move, however, will not be made hastily.
''I keep telling everybody, we're not the Baltimore Colts. We're not just bolting and going to Laurel,'' Sinatra said. ''But it's an economic decision that everybody is going to have to make.''
Pimlico is usually alarmingly quiet on race days - except for the third weekend in May. A record crowd of 47,956 attended Friday's Black-Eyed Susan Day, and the place was packed for Saturday's Preakness.
''This weekend will make for the Stronach Group probably around eight, nine million dollars.
That sustains the rest of the year, basically,'' Sinatra said. ''But to get where we'd like to be and have the nice facility and actually make close to what Churchill (Downs) is making, that would make everyone more whole.''
Sinatra said earlier in the week that he would be on ''pins and needles'' hoping that Pimlico survives another weekend. Late Saturday afternoon, all appeared well.
''The glue, the bubble gum, the duct tape, seems to be working,'' Sinatra said.
With no Triple Crown in play, Belmont lacks a singular buzz.
Associated Press
(Photo/bonn2.com)
Cloud Computing stole the Preakness, and any hope of a Triple Crown in the Belmont Stakes.
The 13-1 shot did it on six weeks’ rest, having skipped the 20-horse roughhouse that is the Kentucky Derby even though he had enough points to get in that race. With another three weeks until the Belmont in New York, Cloud Computing could return to run on his home track. “We haven’t ruled it out,” trainer Chad Brown said Sunday. “We’re just going to evaluate the horse this week and probably by next weekend we may have a decision.” Cloud Computing didn’t race as a 2-year-old because of injury, so he is among the freshest horses out there. Brown prefers to give his horses a month or more between starts. Trainer Todd Pletcher also favors long layoffs, although he made an exception to run Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming back in two weeks. The colt responded with an eighth-place finish – the worst of his career – on Saturday. “He looks good, bright, alert, sound, healthy, happy,” Pletcher said. “We’ll head to Belmont and regroup.” If the Derby and Preakness winners skip the Belmont on June 10, the likely favorite would be Classic Empire, who was runner-up Saturday after finishing fourth in the Derby. It would be the first time since 2010 that neither the Derby nor Preakness winner run in the Belmont. That year, Derby winner Super Saver, trained by Pletcher, and Preakness winner Lookin At Lucky sat out the third leg. Trainer Mark Casse said Classic Empire is being pointed toward the Belmont, barring any unforeseen developments. “He was a better horse yesterday than he was two weeks ago for the Kentucky Derby,” he said. Among other horses likely for the 1 1/2-mile Belmont – the longest of the Triple Crown races – are: Senior Investment (third in Preakness), Lookin At Lee (fourth in Preakness) and Japanese invader Epicharis. Lookin At Lee finished second in the Derby, when Classic Empire was fourth. Classic Empire and Lookin At Lee would face off for the sixth time in the Belmont, and they could be the only horses to run in all three Triple Crown races. Classic Empire has three victories against Lookin At Lee, including this year’s Arkansas Derby. “You’re looking at horses that traveled at 2, ran at as high a level as we have, so you’re not surprised,” said Steve Asmussen, who trains Lookin At Lee and won last year’s Belmont with Creator. “They’ve been able to maintain themselves physically. That puts them in a different position than horses who have not consistently run on that stage.” Possible Belmont starters are Multiplier (sixth in Preakness) and Conquest Mo Money (seventh in Preakness). Gunnevera (fifth in Preakness) and Hence (ninth in Preakness) won’t run in the Belmont. Epicharis, one of the top 3-year-olds in Japan, will make his North American debut in the $1.5 million Belmont. That would make him eligible for a new $1 million bonus offered by the New York Racing Association to any Japan-based winner of the race. The winner’s share of the purse is $800,000. Epicharis would be the second Japanese horse to run in the Belmont. Last year, Lani finished third after running in all three legs of the Triple Crown.
On This Date in Sports History: Today is Wednesday, May 24, 2017.
Memoriesofhistory.com
1878 - The first American bicycle race was held in Boston.
1902 - Bill Bradley (Cleveland) became the first American League player to hit home runs in four consecutive games.
1918 - Cleveland defeated the New York Yankees 3-2 in the 19th inning.
1929 - The Detroit Tigers defeated the Chicago White Sox 6-4 in 21 innings.
1930 - Babe Ruth hit home runs in both games of a double header.
1935 - The Cincinnati Reds played the Philadelphia Phillies in the first major league baseball game at night. The switch for the floodlights was turned on by President F.D. Roosevelt.
1940 - The first night game at St. Louis's Sportsman Park was played.
1950 - "Sweetwater" (Nat) Clifton's contract was purchased by the New York Knicks. Sweetwater played for the Harlem Globetrotters.
1951 - Willie Mays began playing for the New York Giants.
1962 - The officials of the National Football League ruled that halftime of regular season games would be cut to 15 minutes.
1964 - In Lima, Peru, a riot and panic followed an unpopular ruling by a referee in a soccer game between Peru and Argentina. More than 300 people were killed and over 500 were injured.
1967 - The AFL granted a franchise to the Cincinnati Bengals.
1984 - The Detroit Tigers won their 17th straight road game.
1986 - Montreal won its 23rd National Hockey League (NHL) Stanley Cup championship.
1987 - Al Unser Sr. won his fourth Indianapolis 500.
1989 - Lee Guetterman (New York Yankees) set a record for pitching 30 and 2/3 innings before giving up his first run of the season.
1989 - The New York Rangers fired their general manager and coach Phil Esposito.
1990 - The Edmonton Oilers won their fifth National Hockey League (NHL) Stanley Cup.
1990 - Andre Dawson was intentionally walked five times during a game.
2003 - At the Colonial in Fort Worth, TX, Annika Sorenstam missed the cut by four shots. Two days early she had become the first woman in 58 years to play in the PGA.
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With a roster loaded with talent and ready to win, first-year coach Tom Herman will be expected to chase double-digit wins and maybe even challenge for the Big 12 title. (Photo/Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman via AP) 
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