Chicago Sports & Travel Inc./AllsportsAmerica
"America's Finest Sports Fan Travel Club, May We Plan An Event Or Sports Travel For You?"
We offer: Select opportunities, For your convenience, At "Very Rare but Super Fair" pricing
We offer: Select opportunities, For your convenience, At "Very Rare but Super Fair" pricing
Because it's all about you!!!
"Sports Quote of the Day"
"All sport... is one of the few activities where young people can proceed along traditional avenues, where objectives are clear, where the desire to win is not only permissible, but encouraged." ~ Spiro T. Agnew, 39th Vice President of the United States of America
TRENDING: A look at which picks the Blackhawks own in the 2017 NHL Draft. (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates and NHL news).
TRENDING: Sources: Dwyane Wade still mulling decision to pick up player option with Bulls. (See the basketball section for Bulls news and NBA updates).
TRENDING: Time to stop talking about what sub-.500 Cubs could be: 'We have to prove it on the field.' Matt Davidson, so hot right now, slugs White Sox to victory. (See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).
TRENDING: Fowler downplays 65: 'It's just the first round'. (See the golf section for PGA news and tournament updates).
TRENDING: Weekend schedules for Michigan (Cup, Xfinity) and Gateway (Trucks). (See the NASCAR section for NASCAR news and racing updates).
TRENDING: Luis Solignac scores goal of the year in Fire's Open Cup win. (See the soccer section for Fire news and worldwide soccer updates).
TRENDING: Hall of Fame denies Pete Rose’s request to stand for election. (See the last article on this blog for What's Your Take? We look forward to hearing your thoughts on the Pete Rose Hall of Fame situation).
FOLLOW-UP: Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! #Bears Talk Pick Six: Results of most important storylines from Bears minicamp.
TRENDING: Time to stop talking about what sub-.500 Cubs could be: 'We have to prove it on the field.' Matt Davidson, so hot right now, slugs White Sox to victory. (See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).
TRENDING: Fowler downplays 65: 'It's just the first round'. (See the golf section for PGA news and tournament updates).
TRENDING: Weekend schedules for Michigan (Cup, Xfinity) and Gateway (Trucks). (See the NASCAR section for NASCAR news and racing updates).
TRENDING: Luis Solignac scores goal of the year in Fire's Open Cup win. (See the soccer section for Fire news and worldwide soccer updates).
TRENDING: Hall of Fame denies Pete Rose’s request to stand for election. (See the last article on this blog for What's Your Take? We look forward to hearing your thoughts on the Pete Rose Hall of Fame situation).
FOLLOW-UP: Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! #Bears Talk Pick Six: Results of most important storylines from Bears minicamp.
By #BearsTalk
(Photo/AP)
Earlier this week, JJ Stankevitz and Chris Boden picked six things they were interested in keeping their eyes on heading into the Bears' final off-season workouts, a mandatory three-day minicamp. Here's what they found:
1. Roll Call
The good news? It appears the team escaped without any new injuries (though calling off Thursday's final scheduled practice prevented a head count). John Fox provided a little more information than usual in running down where things stand with players who we saw on the field, but were not done yet with rehab and recovery: Danny Trevathan (torn patellar) and Zach Miller (broken foot) are on schedule, but Fox said would be "cutting it close" to be ready for the first training camp practices. He said Kyle Long (ankle surgery) was still “six to seven weeks away" from being able to rejoin his teammates on the field. Wideout Cam Meredith (thumb) and backup quarterback Mark Sanchez (knee) were still expected to be ready on time. No specifics were given about Josh Sitton (chest), but the player seemed positive he'll be ready. No timetables were given for Marcus Cooper (soft tissue) nor Lamarr Houston (unknown), neither of whom were even on the field over the course of the first two days. — Chris Boden
2. Mike Glennon’s command of the offense
Glennon had a lot thrown at him over the last few weeks, which were his first opportunity to dive into Dowell Loggains’ offense and actually run some of its plays in a practice setting. Glennon exited the offseason program feeling much more comfortable with the Bears’ receivers, and felt confident in the on- and off-the-field chemistry he developed with his teammates. Overall, Glennon feels like he’s on solid footing heading into training camp in late July.
“There's been some good things, there's been some thing we need to work on but just overall getting more comfortable in the offense, getting just every rep counts,” Glennon said. “Every time I'm out there is probably the first time I've run the play in this particular offense, so every time I’m out there it matters, and the more we do that, the more we'll grow as an offense.” — JJ Stankevitz
3. "Tru” at No. 2
By this set of eyes, I didn't see a whole lot of overall difference between Mitch Trubisky (as he moved up to the "twos" with Mark Sanchez's injury) and Mike Glennon. Neither was head and shoulders above the other as both were victims of their share of drops from the wide receiver corps. What's also hard to equate is the level of talent each had him around him in various drills when the offense went up against the defense, as injuries and competition made personnel on both sides a merry-go-round. Then there's also the original play-calls and defensive looks each respectively was given. Personally, however, at this point on the results I saw, I didn't see Trubisky as being that far behind Glennon. Then again, this is not training camp, the preseason, or the regular season. It's still way too early to fire the flames for a true quarterback competition and reverse the stated intention to bring the rookie along slowly. — Chris Boden
4. Where does Kevin White fit?
The Bears did plenty of mixing and matching with their receiver group this week with Cam Meredith sidelined. Expect that to continue in training camp as the Bears continue to allow the likes of White, Kendall Wright, Markus Wheaton, Victor Cruz, Deonte Thompson to compete against each other with an eye on settling on a top two or three by the end of August. But what’s clear is while the Bears have players who have previously had success in their receiver unit, White is the key to this group — if he can live up to the promise he showed coming out of West Virginia, it’ll open up plenty for the Bears’ offense. But that’s a big if for a guy who’s only played four games in two years. — JJ Stankevitz
5. The first thing for the secondary
At this stage of the year, the defense is usually ahead of the offense, and the Bears were no different than the NFL norm this week. Developing a ballhawking mentality won’t happen overnight for this secondary, but OTAs and veteran minicamp were important for developing a trust among defensive backs that’ll help this unit mesh better when the pads come on during training camp. Cornerback Marcus Cooper was the most notable absence from this group, and while rookie Eddie Jackson wasn’t able to fully participate, he was praised by coach John Fox this week.
“He’s wired right, he understands the game, in the classroom setting, questions and answers, he gets it,” Fox said. “He’ll get plenty of time in Bourbonnais.” — JJ Stankevitz
6. The ‘Baby’ Bear
Yes, the only game equipment they were wearing this week were helmets, and these weren't game situations played against angry, opposing defenses. But fourth round draft pick Tarik Cohen showed enough quickness, burst, and evasiveness that could make the 5-foot-6 part of this fall's offensive package. Between Cohen and tight end Adam Shaheen, there's a bit of encouragement that while the wide receiver situation sorts itself out, any immediate contributions from this pair separated by more than a foot in height could add options for a unit desperately seeking players opposing defense's have to account for. — Chris Boden
John Fox doesn’t see cause for concern with Mitch Trubisky still unsigned.
By JJ Stankevitz
(Photo/USA TODAY)
Mitch Trubisky exited the Bears’ offseason program without a contract, but that seems to not be a big deal.
Trubisky took part in veteran minicamp this week at Halas Hall and previously hadn’t sounded worried or miffed that he hadn’t signed yet. Coach John Fox echoed that sentiment on Thursday.
“Not really,” Fox said when asked if he was concerned about Trubisky not having signed yet. “In today's climate as opposed to say 10 years ago it's completely different. I know there was holdout a year ago but I don't expect to see any of that this year.”
The holdout Fox referred to is the Los Angeles Chargers’ Joey Bosa, 2016’s No. 3 pick who didn’t sign a contract until late August last year.
Trubisky and Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes have yet to sign, while fellow first-round quarterback DeShaun Watson signed with the Houston Texans in May.
Last week, Trubisky brushed off a question about why he hasn’t signed yet.
“That's not really for me to worry about,” Trubisky said. “I’m going to be out here at practice everyday. My agent and the Bears organization is going to handle that. But I'm not really sure how that stuff works. I'm here to play football, I'm not worried about contracts.”
Leonard Floyd's scary concussions changed the way he thought about everything.
By JJ Stankevitz
(Photo/USA TODAY)
He’s feeling fine now, but it took Leonard Floyd about two months before he felt like himself again after suffering his second concussion last season.
It wasn’t until February that Floyd was back to normal, serving as a scary lesson in how concussions can have long-lasting effects.
“You just don't feel normal,” Floyd said. “You know it's this thinking part, like you don't think the same. I wasn't thinking like I normally would think and then I'd be staring off in space some times instead of paying attention.”
“… It gradually got better. Day by day I was able to focus more and my mind wasn't all racing everywhere and I was able to lock in on things.”
Floyd, though, wasn’t worried about his recovery from those two concussions, which he suffered about a month apart in November and December. Once he got his first good workout in sometime during February, he felt he cleared the biggest hurdle necessary to getting back to normal.
One of Floyd’s focuses during OTAs and veteran minicamp has been working on preventing another concussion, which he feels can happen if he can teach himself how to tackle without leaving the crown of his helmet too low. He and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio have been working with tackling dummies and sled machines to tweak the Georgia product’s tackling form to put him in the best position to avoid another concussion.
“I definitely gotta be aware, because I don’t wanna get another concussion and sit out games,” Floyd said. “I gotta make sure I play every game.”
Clash with former coaches doesn’t change Kendall Wright’s confidence.
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Kendall Wright is out to make sure the Tennessee Titans regret not only letting him leave, but for barely using him in 2016.
“Everything motivates me,” Wright said. “What motivates me the most is I probably was the best receiver on the Titans roster last year and I was playing, like, 10 plays a game.”
In 2013 — his second year in the league — Wright caught 94 passes for 1,079 yards. It was a breakout year for a guy the Titans drafted 20th overall in 2012, but the Baylor product wasn’t able to build on that success.
Wright’s targets and receptions declined for three consecutive years, going from 93 and 57 in 2014 to 60 and 36 in 2015 to 42 and 29 a year ago. Part of the reason for that decline was a spate of injuries — hamstring, knee, ribs, MCL, hand, ankle, shoulder — but he also clashed with the Titans’ coaching staff toward the end of his time in Nashville. Wright was a healthy scratch for Tennessee’s final game of 2016 and was benched in Week 14 due to tardiness and missed meetings.
“I don’t read anything,” Wright said. “You hear it, you see stuff everywhere, but I don’t really get on my social media and stuff like that because I could care less what anybody has to say.”
The Bears play at Tennessee in Week 3 of preseason play, though Wright isn’t putting any added emphasis on a game that won’t really count for anything. The better way for him to show the Titans how they screwed up would be to produce against everyone else during the regular season.
“They’ll feel it after this year,” Wright said. “They’ll feel some type of way after they see.”
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? A look at which picks the Blackhawks own in the 2017 NHL Draft.
By Charlie Roumeliotis
(Photo/USA TODAY)
The NHL officially released the full order of the 2017 NHL Draft that will take place in Chicago from June 23-24, and the Blackhawks are among the top with 10 picks.
Of course, it's not set in stone as the order — and amount of selections each team has — is likely to change between now and next weekend as general managers prepare for the expansion draft. The New Jersey Devils own the No. 1 overall pick, and are likely to take either center Nolan Patrick or forward Nico Hischier.
It will be interesting to see whether the Blackhawks will look to move up into the first round, where they own the 26th pick, and whether they will look to trade back in the later rounds to collect more in front of their hometown fans.
Until then, here's an early look at where the Blackhawks will pick in each round, as of Thursday:
Round 1: 26th overall
Round 2: 57th overall
Round 3: 90th overall (from Ottawa, via Carolina)
Round 4: 119th overall
Round 5: 135th overall (from Carolina); 144th overall (from St. Louis); 150th overall
Round 6: 170th overall (from N.Y. Islanders); 181th overall
Round 7: 215th overall (from Anaheim)
Blackhawks hire two assistants to Joel Quenneville's coaching staff.
By CSN Staff
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The expected news became official on Thursday, as Ulf Samuelsson and Don Granato were named Blackhawks assistant coaches.
“This is a great opportunity to join a franchise that not only is historically popular, but has also had a lot of great success recently,” said Samuelsson in a statement. “I’m thankful to Rocky Wirtz, John McDonough, Stan Bowman and the entire leadership group with the Blackhawks for this opportunity. I would also like to express my appreciation to the Carolina Hurricanes, Ron Francis and the Charlotte Checkers for my time with the organization.”
General manager Stan Bowman said in a statement that, “Ulf brings over 20 years of NHL experience and knows what it takes to be a Stanley Cup champion. Don has an extensive coaching background and has been successful at developing players at every level. Both have the leadership skills and experience to complement our staff.”
Last season Granato served as the University of Wisconsin hockey team’s associate coach to his brother Tony, the Badgers’ head coach. Granato was also an assistant coach for the St. Louis Blues during the 2005-06 season. Prior to that Donato was coach of then-Blues minor-league affiliate Worcester IceCats (2000-05), where he worked with Quenneville as part of the St. Louis organization.
"Joel has been very influential and inspirational to my coaching career and to be back with him in a greater capacity is an exceptional opportunity,” Granato said in a statement. “I’m happy to be back in Chicago, however, it is the challenge of the Blackhawks mandate of future success that motivates me most.”
Sheldon Brookbank makes his return to Blackhawks organization.
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Sheldon Brookbank spent two seasons with the Blackhawks, including the 2013 Stanley Cup run. Now the former defenseman is back in the organization as part of Rockford’s coaching staff.
Brookbank was hired as the IceHogs’ assistant coach on Wednesday. The 36-year-old played for the Blackhawks from 2012-14, recording three goals and five assists in 74 games. He most recently played in the AHL, appearing in six games during the 2016-17 season with the Cleveland Monsters.
Brookbank’s brother, Wade, is currently a scout for the Blackhawks. Brookbank will serve under head coach Jeremy Colliton, who was hired last month.
Before his stint with the Hawks, Brookbank tallied four goals and 32 assists while playing for the Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils and Anaheim Ducks.
Brookbank was hired as the IceHogs’ assistant coach on Wednesday. The 36-year-old played for the Blackhawks from 2012-14, recording three goals and five assists in 74 games. He most recently played in the AHL, appearing in six games during the 2016-17 season with the Cleveland Monsters.
Brookbank’s brother, Wade, is currently a scout for the Blackhawks. Brookbank will serve under head coach Jeremy Colliton, who was hired last month.
Before his stint with the Hawks, Brookbank tallied four goals and 32 assists while playing for the Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils and Anaheim Ducks.
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... Sources: Dwyane Wade still mulling decision to pick up player option with Bulls.
By Vincent Goodwill
(Photo/USA TODAY)
One wonders if that’s as close as Wade will get to championship competition next season as he ponders his future with the Chicago Bulls, having to decide whether he’ll exercise a nearly $24 million option to remain with the Bulls for the 2017-18 season. Wade has until June 27 to opt-in to the second and final year of his contract.
Sources tell CSNChicago.com Wade hasn’t yet made a decision on next season and hasn’t informed the Bulls of anything yet, as he’ll continue vacationing for the next couple weeks before deciding his future.
Wade met with Bulls management last week in the attempt to gauge where the franchise’s direction would be for next season. The Bulls hold the 16th pick in next week’s NBA Draft, and although they’ve met with Jimmy Butler, things still appear murky as to their long-term commitment to Butler and if they want to try to make inroads in the Eastern Conference with veteran reinforcements.
Currently, the team line has been about allowing some of their younger pieces to grow and hoping head coach Fred Hoiberg can coax some development and consistency from an inconsistent bunch.
In that meeting, the Bulls were up front about the likelihood that they will stay the course as opposed to looking at the landscape of the East and making significant changes to the personnel, sources close to Wade tell CSNChicago.com.
The Bulls gave the same speech to Butler in their last meeting when Butler came back to Chicago over a week ago, although one wonders if they’ll entertain trade discussions surrounding Butler next week with the draft approaching.
Wade’s relationship with Butler was a chief reason why he chose the Bulls, along with the sizeable contract offer, and on more than a few nights Wade was the Bulls’ best player.
How often he should be counted on to do that in the future is a question, unless one of the Bulls’ younger players makes an unlikely leap to consistency next season. One wonders if Wade wants a role similar to what he had this year, although his itch to play deep into May suggests he would be willing to cede space in the team’s hierarchy if the Bulls were to acquire a dependable veteran.
Before his elbow injury in March, Wade was on track to play over 70 games and averaged 18.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 29.9 minutes, as his per-36 minute production hovered around the same mark it had his last two years in Miami.
So for Wade the options appear to be simple, while the execution is more complex: Sign up for more of the same next season or opt-out of his contract for another round of free agency, to Parts Unknown.
He’ll turn 36 in the middle of next season and hasn’t been definitive on how much longer he wants to play, along with balancing the reality of another salary cap spike this offseason as going after another payday could be tempting from another franchise in need of star power.
However it’s unlikely a team will shell out that much cash annually for Wade, who feels like this payday has been earned after years of salary sacrifices in Miami.
Knowing Wade, the clarity in communication was likely appreciated given his feelings on how his time with the Miami Heat ended one year ago.
“When you get respect, that's what you get back,” Wade said to CSNChicago.com days before his return to Miami last November. “I've given nothing but respect (to the Heat). I feel like a lot of things in this world and this league are mishandled from the notion of communication. That's it.”
“I understand this business just as good as anybody. But it's a way, someone like me, a way you communicate what you're trying to do, and how you're gonna do it and what it looks like for me.”
His oldest son will turn 16 next season and Wade had made a note of wanting stability for his family compared to moving them around frequently at the end of his career.
Wade’s patience will likely factor into this decision, as his lone public relations hiccup with the Bulls came in January when he and Butler’s frustration with the youth of the roster boiled over into some strong postgame comments that resulted in discipline from the team.
From that point on, Wade became much more reticent about speaking up about the direction of the team, even though his feelings about the Bulls having an opportunity to advance through an underwhelming Eastern Conference remained and was almost proven right if not for Rajon Rondo’s injury in Game 2 of their first-round series against the Boston Celtics.
Because the Bulls were open with Wade, it leaves him with a few options and a few weeks to figure out how he wants to spend his 15th season—just days away after witnessing championship basketball from the sidelines.
Bulls Talk Podcast: Assistant coach Randy Brown gives prediction on '96 Bulls or '17 Warriors.
By #BullsTalk
(Photo/AP)
On the latest edition of the Bulls Talk Podcast, Bulls assistant coach Randy Brown joins Mark Schanowski and Kevin Anderson to discuss his 72-win Bulls team and the current Golden State Warriors.
Brown breaks down a hypothetical matchup between the two teams (shocker: he picks the Bulls in six) and why he’s not surprised about the success that his former teammate Steve Kerr is having in Golden State.
Brown also shares his unbelievable story of the time Michael Jordan scored 100 points in a practice, and he explains how MJ would have performed in today’s game with different defensive rules.
Listen to the latest Bulls Talk Podcast right here:
Cubs weighing the idea of shutting down Ben Zobrist.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Where Ben Zobrist’s sense of calm and inner confidence as a World Series MVP came to symbolize the 2016 Cubs, the stop-and-start beginning to his season now sums up the defending champs.
Zobrist plans to get an MRI on the left wrist that’s been bothering him since taking an awkward swing at Dodger Stadium on Memorial Day weekend. The Cubs will make a decision about Zobrist going on the 10-day disabled list or not before Friday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.
“It’s just not getting better,” Zobrist said. “It’s effecting my ability to prepare, and then my ability to feel comfortable at the plate. I don’t want to put the team in that situation.
“Hopefully, after three days of not doing anything with it, maybe it would feel a lot better.”
Zobrist signaled he would be available as a left-handed pinch-hitter in an emergency situation on Wednesday against the New York Mets at Citi Field. The hope is the extra rest plus Thursday’s day off would help rejuvenate a 36-year-old player who dealt with a stiff neck near the end of spring training and a sore back early in the season.
“At this point, it’s just more like: Am I handicapping the team when I’m not at 100 percent?” said Zobrist, a three-time All-Star who’s hitting .223 with a .715 OPS. “I don’t want to do that. I want to make sure that when I’m out there, I’m feeling better than I have been feeling.”
All along, manager Joe Maddon wanted to be conservative with Zobrist, who played all the way through the end of the World Series last year and with the 2015 Kansas City Royals.
“We’re just trying to have it calm down right now,” Maddon said. “Whatever happens, we’ll deal with it. The big point is to have him going August and September again.
“I’m not overly concerned. It’s nothing really debilitating. It’s just a nagging kind of a thing that we may have to clear up.”
Time to stop talking about what sub-.500 Cubs could be: 'We have to prove it on the field'
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
This idea the Cubs will simply get healthy, get hot and take off assumes all the other parts will stay in place, that there will be no more injuries, downturns or surprises when this game is constantly shifting in real time. No one knows what the crisis of confidence might look or feel like the longer this goes and the deeper the defending World Series champs get into the season.
This team is in survival mode now. How will everything start clicking when the Cubs don’t know what they’re going to get from one night to the next?
“We’ve earned the right to be in this position,” manager Joe Maddon said after watching a bullpen meltdown during Wednesday night’s 9-4 loss to the New York Mets. “We’ve played well enough to be a .500 club. We have a nice group. And I believe in our group. But we have to prove it on the field.”
The Cubs got back-to-back homers from Anthony Rizzo and Ian Happ leading off the game, saw Kyle Schwarber launch a 467-foot rocket over the Citi Field bridge and knocked out Matt Harvey after four innings, but still couldn’t manufacture any tack-on runs.
Redeploying Mike Montgomery weakens a bullpen already stressed from covering for a rotation with a 4.66 ERA and 24 quality starts. The Cubs didn’t back up the lefty swingman in the second inning when All-Star third baseman Kris Bryant fielded a routine groundball and then dropped the third out, creating an unearned run.
But it’s not the errors as much as the plays not made by what was supposed to be an elite defensive unit. Montgomery couldn’t put away Steven Matz — a pinch-hitting pitcher — in the fourth inning and that bases-loaded infield single helped set up two more runs.
“We need to do a better job,” Rizzo said. “We got to hold leads. We got to hit better with runners in scoring position. We got to give our pitchers better opportunities to come in with a bigger lead. All the little things — you got to get back to it.”
“We’ve earned the right to be in this position,” manager Joe Maddon said after watching a bullpen meltdown during Wednesday night’s 9-4 loss to the New York Mets. “We’ve played well enough to be a .500 club. We have a nice group. And I believe in our group. But we have to prove it on the field.”
The Cubs got back-to-back homers from Anthony Rizzo and Ian Happ leading off the game, saw Kyle Schwarber launch a 467-foot rocket over the Citi Field bridge and knocked out Matt Harvey after four innings, but still couldn’t manufacture any tack-on runs.
Redeploying Mike Montgomery weakens a bullpen already stressed from covering for a rotation with a 4.66 ERA and 24 quality starts. The Cubs didn’t back up the lefty swingman in the second inning when All-Star third baseman Kris Bryant fielded a routine groundball and then dropped the third out, creating an unearned run.
But it’s not the errors as much as the plays not made by what was supposed to be an elite defensive unit. Montgomery couldn’t put away Steven Matz — a pinch-hitting pitcher — in the fourth inning and that bases-loaded infield single helped set up two more runs.
“We need to do a better job,” Rizzo said. “We got to hold leads. We got to hit better with runners in scoring position. We got to give our pitchers better opportunities to come in with a bigger lead. All the little things — you got to get back to it.”
Around the Cubs, there is a flip side to any optimistic regressions to the mean with their young hitters. Like Carl Edwards Jr. not being almost perfect. After throwing seven pitches in a scoreless seventh inning, Edwards watched Chicago guy Curtis Granderson lead off the eighth by driving a curveball into the right-field seats for his 300th career home run and a 5-4 lead. A disappointing Mets team (30-34) piled on against Edwards and Hector Rondon.
Besides drawing from the playoff experience and relying on exceptional individual talents, what can this team bank on at the moment? The Cubs are 32-33, have trailed in 51 games so far and haven’t won three series in a row since April.
“There is a certain unpredictability about us,” Maddon said. “That’s why we’re a .500 ballclub right now. That’s what happens when you’re .500. You don’t play that same good game every day.”
It can’t all be written off as youth, as much as Maddon will spin in that direction.
“Happ didn’t play in the big leagues last year,” Maddon said. “(Willson) Contreras played half a season. Schwarber did not play at all. (Javier) Baez was a backup player. And (Albert) Almora came up in the middle of the season.
“I love my names as much as everybody else does. But these are really young and inexperienced guys. What you’re primarily seeing is young guys battling to get back to what we had been last year without the benefit of having veteran experience.”
Having said all that, the National League Central is a bad division with only one team barely above .500 — the Milwaukee Brewers in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year.
“We’re still a confident ballclub,” Schwarber said. “We’re going to go out there every day and we’re going to compete our asses off.
“I’d take our guys any day.”
How it all sped up on Kyle Schwarber and why Cubs bet on him over Michael Conforto.
By Patrick Mooney
Kyle Schwarber could retire tomorrow and live off what he did in the World Series, signing autographs at memorabilia shows, playing golf with corporate sponsors and letting it rip on some future Cubs network.
Besides drawing from the playoff experience and relying on exceptional individual talents, what can this team bank on at the moment? The Cubs are 32-33, have trailed in 51 games so far and haven’t won three series in a row since April.
“There is a certain unpredictability about us,” Maddon said. “That’s why we’re a .500 ballclub right now. That’s what happens when you’re .500. You don’t play that same good game every day.”
It can’t all be written off as youth, as much as Maddon will spin in that direction.
“Happ didn’t play in the big leagues last year,” Maddon said. “(Willson) Contreras played half a season. Schwarber did not play at all. (Javier) Baez was a backup player. And (Albert) Almora came up in the middle of the season.
“I love my names as much as everybody else does. But these are really young and inexperienced guys. What you’re primarily seeing is young guys battling to get back to what we had been last year without the benefit of having veteran experience.”
Having said all that, the National League Central is a bad division with only one team barely above .500 — the Milwaukee Brewers in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year.
“We’re still a confident ballclub,” Schwarber said. “We’re going to go out there every day and we’re going to compete our asses off.
“I’d take our guys any day.”
How it all sped up on Kyle Schwarber and why Cubs bet on him over Michael Conforto.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Kyle Schwarber could retire tomorrow and live off what he did in the World Series, signing autographs at memorabilia shows, playing golf with corporate sponsors and letting it rip on some future Cubs network.
If David Ross can go “Dancing with the Stars,” how about the guy who did show choir in high school?
Schwarber could also play every day from here and still not reach Game 162 until the third series after the All-Star break, a reminder of how much he has already packed into his big-league career and how far he still has to go to live up to these great expectations.
That’s part of the broader point manager Joe Maddon made late Wednesday night after a 9-4 loss to the New York Mets. This young core group that made history has never been through anything like this before.
Schwarber crushing a 467-foot homer off Matt Harvey over the Shea Bridge at Citi Field is a reminder of what the Cubs have been missing during an erratic 32-33 start — and how the Mets handled Michael Conforto when he repeatedly struggled after instant success in New York.
Leading up to the 2014 draft, Stan Zielinski, the legendary area scout who died in January, filed a report comparing the Indiana University slugger to Babe Ruth. President of baseball operations Theo Epstein envisioned the left-handed power and hard-charging personality as a combination of David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia.
This is the bottom line to that No. 4 overall pick.
“I still believe 100 percent that we got the right player for the Cubs in Kyle Schwarber,” amateur scouting director Matt Dorey recently said with a laugh on the Cubs Talk podcast. “I think having a World Series ring is a pretty good measure of how productive that pick was for this organization.”
No doubt. It just shows that there are no safe picks or sure things or slam-dunk decisions, no matter how much people talk about upsides and high ceilings during draft week. Look at Conforto, who landed with the Mets six spots after Schwarber, hit two home runs during the 2015 World Series and last season got sent down to Triple-A Las Vegas in late June and the middle of August.
While the Cubs so far haven’t sounded open to that idea of a mental reset with Schwarber — whose .178 batting average is the lowest among all qualified big-league hitters this year — Conforto responded by putting up 14 homers and a .999 OPS and becoming a leadoff solution for the Mets.
Schwarber could also play every day from here and still not reach Game 162 until the third series after the All-Star break, a reminder of how much he has already packed into his big-league career and how far he still has to go to live up to these great expectations.
That’s part of the broader point manager Joe Maddon made late Wednesday night after a 9-4 loss to the New York Mets. This young core group that made history has never been through anything like this before.
Schwarber crushing a 467-foot homer off Matt Harvey over the Shea Bridge at Citi Field is a reminder of what the Cubs have been missing during an erratic 32-33 start — and how the Mets handled Michael Conforto when he repeatedly struggled after instant success in New York.
Leading up to the 2014 draft, Stan Zielinski, the legendary area scout who died in January, filed a report comparing the Indiana University slugger to Babe Ruth. President of baseball operations Theo Epstein envisioned the left-handed power and hard-charging personality as a combination of David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia.
This is the bottom line to that No. 4 overall pick.
“I still believe 100 percent that we got the right player for the Cubs in Kyle Schwarber,” amateur scouting director Matt Dorey recently said with a laugh on the Cubs Talk podcast. “I think having a World Series ring is a pretty good measure of how productive that pick was for this organization.”
No doubt. It just shows that there are no safe picks or sure things or slam-dunk decisions, no matter how much people talk about upsides and high ceilings during draft week. Look at Conforto, who landed with the Mets six spots after Schwarber, hit two home runs during the 2015 World Series and last season got sent down to Triple-A Las Vegas in late June and the middle of August.
While the Cubs so far haven’t sounded open to that idea of a mental reset with Schwarber — whose .178 batting average is the lowest among all qualified big-league hitters this year — Conforto responded by putting up 14 homers and a .999 OPS and becoming a leadoff solution for the Mets.
That experiment didn’t work with Schwarber, who does have 12 homers, ranking fourth in the majors by seeing 4.45 pitches per plate appearance.
“I haven’t gotten too emotionally attached to the performance,” Dorey said. “Our evaluations and how we saw Kyle — it was a culmination of what we think he’s going to do over the length of his career. This is a small snapshot.
“I don’t even know if at this point he has a full season of major-league at-bats under his belt. So you put that into context and then you also realize he’s still recovering from a serious knee injury that took away a huge part of his developmental curve.
“We knew how advanced he was — and what he did in the World Series was superhuman. But at the same time, we know that — Theo says it all the time — no developmental path for any prospect is linear.
“Another part of it is he’s just putting a lot of pressure on himself to be such a huge part of what the next stage of this World Series contender is trying to be. I think — like a lot of players — it sped up on him a little bit and he’s gotten away from what he’s great at, which is really managing the zone and using the whole field.”
The big idea leading into the 2014 draft had the Cubs picking fourth from a group headlined by three pitchers. The Houston Astros failed to sign Brady Aiken, the Miami Marlins hope Tyler Kolek comes back from Tommy John surgery and the rebuilding White Sox see Carlos Rodon as a foundation piece.
Meanwhile Trea Turner — the 13th overall pick out of North Carolina State University who would get flipped from the San Diego Padres to the Washington Nationals — could be the next college hitter from that class to play in the World Series.
“It’s been amazing across the board,” Dorey said, “how advanced these college hitters are, how willing organizations are to take the reins off them. The traditional wisdom of development was to always be ultra-patient. But these guys just go out and dominate the competition, so it’s hard to keep them down.
“We liked Trea a lot. We liked Conforto a lot, too. He was in that bucket right with Schwarber as the three college bats we really targeted. We were really splitting hairs at the end. But, ultimately, it came down to Kyle, the relationship that Kyle had with Stan Zielinski, the access we had to Kyle from the top.”
Conforto — the son of an Olympic gold medalist in synchronized swimming and a Penn State University linebacker — came from a strong family background. The Cubs had doubts that Turner — who hit .342 in 73 games and stole 33 bases for a 95-win Nationals team last — would stick at shortstop.
Tracy Smith, the Indiana coach at the time, got drafted by the Cubs in the late 1980s and played in their minor-league system. Schwarber also agreed to a below-slot $3.125 million bonus that allowed the Cubs to take more chances on pitchers deeper in the draft.
Schwarber won over Cubs executives with his “It really f------ pisses me off when people say I can’t catch” declaration during a meeting at the team’s Arizona complex, showing the confidence that made him a Wrigleyville legend and the self-assurance he will need to get out of this downward spiral now.
“It’s a great indicator of how locked in Theo is — and will continue to be — with that clubhouse and knowing Kyle’s makeup,” Dorey said. “Not that Conforto or Trea wouldn’t have fit in either, but it just seemed like such a natural fit for what we were trying to accomplish.
“And the fact that we really believed in the power, where we had some concerns with Conforto’s. He played in a really non-offensive college park, which is kind of hard to measure.
“Obviously, he’s hitting a ton of homers now, but we believed a little bit more in Kyle’s power at the time. At the end of the day, we had backup plans with Trea Turner and Conforto if somebody else would have taken Schwarber. But it was really, like I said, splitting hairs between those three players.”
Schwarber has been able to keep most of his frustrations self-contained, working diligently with the hitting coaches, carefully studying video and patiently answering the same questions from reporters.
“It’s all a process,” Schwarber said. “It’s just more of staying within myself and not trying to go out there and get hits after hits after hits.”
Maddon has seen glimpses of the quick, short swing that allowed Schwarber to blast five home runs in nine playoff games in 2015 and rake in all these off-the-field endorsement opportunities.
“His feet are on the ground — he’s not lifting his leg up a lot,” Maddon said. “Great balance in his finish. You’ve seen every time he’s hit the ball well, he’s just able to stand there, because his balance is so good. When a hitter can do that, it means he’s permitting the ball to travel. He’s using his hands. He’s keeping his head still. All the really good things you’re trying to get done.”
Someone who can wreck his left knee and step in against Corey Kluber and Andrew Miller less than seven months later in the World Series — with only two Arizona Fall League games to warm up — doesn’t just lose all those skills overnight.
“He’s going to have the ability (to) downshift and say: ‘OK, who is Kyle Schwarber as a player?’” Dorey said. “Everybody around him believes in him. We know he’s going to be great.
“It’s just really focusing on not looking at that average, but controlling what he can, which is swinging at the right pitches, controlling one pitch at a time, one at-bat at a time.”
“I haven’t gotten too emotionally attached to the performance,” Dorey said. “Our evaluations and how we saw Kyle — it was a culmination of what we think he’s going to do over the length of his career. This is a small snapshot.
“I don’t even know if at this point he has a full season of major-league at-bats under his belt. So you put that into context and then you also realize he’s still recovering from a serious knee injury that took away a huge part of his developmental curve.
“We knew how advanced he was — and what he did in the World Series was superhuman. But at the same time, we know that — Theo says it all the time — no developmental path for any prospect is linear.
“Another part of it is he’s just putting a lot of pressure on himself to be such a huge part of what the next stage of this World Series contender is trying to be. I think — like a lot of players — it sped up on him a little bit and he’s gotten away from what he’s great at, which is really managing the zone and using the whole field.”
The big idea leading into the 2014 draft had the Cubs picking fourth from a group headlined by three pitchers. The Houston Astros failed to sign Brady Aiken, the Miami Marlins hope Tyler Kolek comes back from Tommy John surgery and the rebuilding White Sox see Carlos Rodon as a foundation piece.
Meanwhile Trea Turner — the 13th overall pick out of North Carolina State University who would get flipped from the San Diego Padres to the Washington Nationals — could be the next college hitter from that class to play in the World Series.
“It’s been amazing across the board,” Dorey said, “how advanced these college hitters are, how willing organizations are to take the reins off them. The traditional wisdom of development was to always be ultra-patient. But these guys just go out and dominate the competition, so it’s hard to keep them down.
“We liked Trea a lot. We liked Conforto a lot, too. He was in that bucket right with Schwarber as the three college bats we really targeted. We were really splitting hairs at the end. But, ultimately, it came down to Kyle, the relationship that Kyle had with Stan Zielinski, the access we had to Kyle from the top.”
Conforto — the son of an Olympic gold medalist in synchronized swimming and a Penn State University linebacker — came from a strong family background. The Cubs had doubts that Turner — who hit .342 in 73 games and stole 33 bases for a 95-win Nationals team last — would stick at shortstop.
Tracy Smith, the Indiana coach at the time, got drafted by the Cubs in the late 1980s and played in their minor-league system. Schwarber also agreed to a below-slot $3.125 million bonus that allowed the Cubs to take more chances on pitchers deeper in the draft.
Schwarber won over Cubs executives with his “It really f------ pisses me off when people say I can’t catch” declaration during a meeting at the team’s Arizona complex, showing the confidence that made him a Wrigleyville legend and the self-assurance he will need to get out of this downward spiral now.
“It’s a great indicator of how locked in Theo is — and will continue to be — with that clubhouse and knowing Kyle’s makeup,” Dorey said. “Not that Conforto or Trea wouldn’t have fit in either, but it just seemed like such a natural fit for what we were trying to accomplish.
“And the fact that we really believed in the power, where we had some concerns with Conforto’s. He played in a really non-offensive college park, which is kind of hard to measure.
“Obviously, he’s hitting a ton of homers now, but we believed a little bit more in Kyle’s power at the time. At the end of the day, we had backup plans with Trea Turner and Conforto if somebody else would have taken Schwarber. But it was really, like I said, splitting hairs between those three players.”
Schwarber has been able to keep most of his frustrations self-contained, working diligently with the hitting coaches, carefully studying video and patiently answering the same questions from reporters.
“It’s all a process,” Schwarber said. “It’s just more of staying within myself and not trying to go out there and get hits after hits after hits.”
Maddon has seen glimpses of the quick, short swing that allowed Schwarber to blast five home runs in nine playoff games in 2015 and rake in all these off-the-field endorsement opportunities.
“His feet are on the ground — he’s not lifting his leg up a lot,” Maddon said. “Great balance in his finish. You’ve seen every time he’s hit the ball well, he’s just able to stand there, because his balance is so good. When a hitter can do that, it means he’s permitting the ball to travel. He’s using his hands. He’s keeping his head still. All the really good things you’re trying to get done.”
Someone who can wreck his left knee and step in against Corey Kluber and Andrew Miller less than seven months later in the World Series — with only two Arizona Fall League games to warm up — doesn’t just lose all those skills overnight.
“He’s going to have the ability (to) downshift and say: ‘OK, who is Kyle Schwarber as a player?’” Dorey said. “Everybody around him believes in him. We know he’s going to be great.
“It’s just really focusing on not looking at that average, but controlling what he can, which is swinging at the right pitches, controlling one pitch at a time, one at-bat at a time.”
WHITE SOX: Matt Davidson, so hot right now, slugs White Sox to victory.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/USA TODAY)
Matt Davidson’s bat is so hot that the White Sox still had plenty even after Avisail Garcia’s ejection on Thursday afternoon.
Davidson homered for the fourth game in a row and also jump-started the game-winning rally as the White Sox downed the Baltimore Orioles 5-2 at Guaranteed Rate Field. The leadoff homer blasted by Davidson in the fourth inning made him the first White Sox player to homer in four straight games since Alex Rios from April 5-9, 2013. Garcia and manager Rick Renteria were ejected in the bottom of the fifth inning by first-base ump Paul Emmel after arguing about a checked swing.
“He’s been outstanding,” Renteria said. “He’s obviously been able to drive the ball out of the ballpark. He’s been able to get to pitches he can handle.
“He’s been just trying to stay in a particular zone and we’re glad that he’s been able to do what he’s can do. It’s something the whole organization has been hoping he’d be capable of doing and he’s showing signs that he obviously can do it.”
Having already given the White Sox a 1-0 lead earlier with a 404-foot drive to left, Davidson wasn’t done. With the score tied at 1, Davidson sparked a sixth-inning rally with a leadoff double to left off Baltimore starter Chris Tillman. Tillman walked Yolmer Sanchez and Kevan Smith picked up his third hit and loaded the bases when the Orioles misplayed his sac bunt attempt.
Melky Cabrera ended Tillman’s day with a one-out, two-run single to give the White Sox a 3-1 lead. Reliever Jimmy Yacabonis walked the first two batters he faced (Tim Anderson and Jose Abreu), the latter forcing in a run. After taking over for Avisail Garcia in the top of the sixth, Leury Garcia’s sac fly gave the White Sox a 5-1 lead.
Davidson finished 2-for-4 with an RBI. He went 7-for-15 with four home runs and eight RBIs in the series. Davidson is one shy of tying the team record for most consecutive games with a homer, a feat accomplished seven times by six players. AJ Pierzynski was the last White Sox player to homer in five straight games in 2012.
His current run comes days after he wrapped up an 0-for-13 stretch with nine strikeouts. Looking to get going, Davidson followed Todd Frazier into the bullpen and stood in --- without swinging --- against White Sox pitchers during their practice sessions to better see pitches.
Frazier credited the practice for his hot June and suggested Davidson would soon heat up. Davidson thinks it helped as well.
“That’s something that has always kind of been out there,” Davidson said. “If you’re not seeing it really well to go in and try to get a little more game-like reps just because (batting practice) and flips and stuff in the cage doesn’t really translate over to the game. We’ve got some really good arms. Standing in on some of those guys kind of makes you relaxed and makes you realize it’s the same thing you’re going to see that night.”
Avisail Garcia’s ejection is the only thing to slow him down recently. The right fielder had singled in his first two trips, giving him eight hits in 15 at-bats in the series with six RBIs. Garcia fell behind Tillman in the count 0-2 in the fifth inning and tried to check his swing on a slider in the dirt. Emmel ruled Garcia went around and he threw his arms up as he walked toward the dugout before turning back and glaring at the umpire, pointing his fingers at his own eyes as if to suggest he was watching Emmel. That move led to Garcia’s ejection (the first of his career) and Renteria raced out of the dugout to express his displeasure. Renteria was ejected for the second time this season and eighth in his career.
White Sox starter David Holmberg, who delivered 4 1/3 innings of one-run ball before handing it over to the bullpen, thought Renteria’s ejection fired up the White Sox. A former minor league teammate of Davidson’s with Arizona, Holmberg said his teammate’s performance has some familiarity to it.
“Pretty impressive, pretty impressive,” Holmberg said. “I played with Matt back in the day, all the way back in 2011 and I've seen him go on runs like this and it's fun to watch up here.”
Why White Sox roster should keep Rick Hahn busy through trade deadline.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/USA TODAY)
The draft is done, the trade deadline is on approach and the vultures are surely about to start circling the White Sox.
Whereas certain teams are still unsure about what direction they’ll head this season before the Aug. 1 nonwaiver trade deadline, the White Sox are not. They made it crystal clear to the baseball world that they would entertain selling anything that isn’t nailed down when they traded Chris Sale and Adam Eaton last December. So with this week’s amateur draft finally over, general manager Rick Hahn suspects an influx of phone calls will arrive shortly for his team and any others considered to be sellers.
“Over the next few weeks you're going to see more trade activity,” Hahn said on Tuesday. “Certainly, it's been fairly quiet here leading up to the draft. I expect it to be fairly rampant here over the next several weeks, throughout the game, not necessarily just here. We're certainly looking forward to continuing to engage with clubs and see where that leads.”
Hahn will likely have to keep his phone charger handy given the White Sox have a roster full of interesting pieces. While they’re less likely to pull off a Sale or Eaton-esque blockbuster with their best chip (Jose Quintana) underperforming, the White Sox still have enough assets for Hahn to stay busy.
Key among the White Sox most attractive pieces are closer David Robertson setup man Tommy Kahnle. Robertson has struck out 12.7 batters per nine innings this season and with 40 percent of the schedule complete, he’s owed $20.2 million, including $13 million in 2018. Arbitration eligible for the first time after this season, Kahnle has been even better than Robertson. He has struck out 44 and walked six in 25 1/3 innings.
After enduring injuries for the past three seasons, free-agent-to-be Derek Holland has postseason experience and looks to be healthy again. While his FIP is 5.37, Holland has increased his strikeout rate to 19 percent and offers good depth to a team in need of rotation help.
Third baseman Todd Frazier’s bat has heated up in June, which could make the future free agent an interesting option for teams in need at the hot corner. Headed into Thursday, Frazier’s wRC+ for June was 157, 60 points above his season mark. Same as Robertson, Frazier is also owed $7.2 million.
Also a free agent after 2017, Melky Cabrera has shown improvement in June. However, opposing teams may find the $9 million Cabrera is owed prohibitive.
Pitcher Miguel Gonzalez has had a rough run in his last seven starts but could provide depth to a team in contention if he gets back on track. Veteran reliever Anthony Swarzak, a free agent like Gonzalez, has performed well in high-leverage spots and is averaging and has struck out 29 in 30 innings.
Now that he’s figured it out at the plate, Leury Garcia could be a valuable utility man, capable of playing anywhere in the outfield, shortstop and second base. A career .460 OPS before this season, Garcia, who has three years of team control left after 2017, has an .810 OPS this season, including six home runs. Yolmer Sanchez, who has a .760 OPS and can play multiple positions, also could be made available to open up a spot for the arrival of top prospect Yoan Moncada.
While Jose Abreu has proven to be dangerous again at the plate, the Cuban may hold more value to the White Sox than they’d fetch given he could potentially mentor his countrymen, Moncada and Luis Robert.
Were they to deal Quintana, who is 2-8 with a 5.30 ERA, the White Sox might have to sell low, which it’s doubtful they would, given he potentially has three years left on his current deal.
Even though they might not have as high of a chance of pulling off another blockbuster, Hahn should stay busy through the Aug. 1 deadline.
“Every team is looking to improve themselves,” Hahn said.
How Rick Renteria has made it a seamless transition for Alen Hanson.
By Dan Hayes
Whereas certain teams are still unsure about what direction they’ll head this season before the Aug. 1 nonwaiver trade deadline, the White Sox are not. They made it crystal clear to the baseball world that they would entertain selling anything that isn’t nailed down when they traded Chris Sale and Adam Eaton last December. So with this week’s amateur draft finally over, general manager Rick Hahn suspects an influx of phone calls will arrive shortly for his team and any others considered to be sellers.
“Over the next few weeks you're going to see more trade activity,” Hahn said on Tuesday. “Certainly, it's been fairly quiet here leading up to the draft. I expect it to be fairly rampant here over the next several weeks, throughout the game, not necessarily just here. We're certainly looking forward to continuing to engage with clubs and see where that leads.”
Hahn will likely have to keep his phone charger handy given the White Sox have a roster full of interesting pieces. While they’re less likely to pull off a Sale or Eaton-esque blockbuster with their best chip (Jose Quintana) underperforming, the White Sox still have enough assets for Hahn to stay busy.
Key among the White Sox most attractive pieces are closer David Robertson setup man Tommy Kahnle. Robertson has struck out 12.7 batters per nine innings this season and with 40 percent of the schedule complete, he’s owed $20.2 million, including $13 million in 2018. Arbitration eligible for the first time after this season, Kahnle has been even better than Robertson. He has struck out 44 and walked six in 25 1/3 innings.
After enduring injuries for the past three seasons, free-agent-to-be Derek Holland has postseason experience and looks to be healthy again. While his FIP is 5.37, Holland has increased his strikeout rate to 19 percent and offers good depth to a team in need of rotation help.
Third baseman Todd Frazier’s bat has heated up in June, which could make the future free agent an interesting option for teams in need at the hot corner. Headed into Thursday, Frazier’s wRC+ for June was 157, 60 points above his season mark. Same as Robertson, Frazier is also owed $7.2 million.
Also a free agent after 2017, Melky Cabrera has shown improvement in June. However, opposing teams may find the $9 million Cabrera is owed prohibitive.
Pitcher Miguel Gonzalez has had a rough run in his last seven starts but could provide depth to a team in contention if he gets back on track. Veteran reliever Anthony Swarzak, a free agent like Gonzalez, has performed well in high-leverage spots and is averaging and has struck out 29 in 30 innings.
Now that he’s figured it out at the plate, Leury Garcia could be a valuable utility man, capable of playing anywhere in the outfield, shortstop and second base. A career .460 OPS before this season, Garcia, who has three years of team control left after 2017, has an .810 OPS this season, including six home runs. Yolmer Sanchez, who has a .760 OPS and can play multiple positions, also could be made available to open up a spot for the arrival of top prospect Yoan Moncada.
While Jose Abreu has proven to be dangerous again at the plate, the Cuban may hold more value to the White Sox than they’d fetch given he could potentially mentor his countrymen, Moncada and Luis Robert.
Were they to deal Quintana, who is 2-8 with a 5.30 ERA, the White Sox might have to sell low, which it’s doubtful they would, given he potentially has three years left on his current deal.
Even though they might not have as high of a chance of pulling off another blockbuster, Hahn should stay busy through the Aug. 1 deadline.
“Every team is looking to improve themselves,” Hahn said.
How Rick Renteria has made it a seamless transition for Alen Hanson.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Hanson said the ability to address with manager Rick Renteria in Spanish has made the in-season move much easier. The former Pittsburgh Pirates prospect said communication has been seamless, which hasn’t always been the case. Hanson, who joined the White Sox on Saturday a day after he was claimed off waivers, blasted the first home run of his career in Wednesday’s loss.
“For me it has been advantage to speak the same language that I do because we can communicate directly,” Hanson said through an interpreter. “That for me in the past has been a challenge because I didn’t have the opportunity to play for a manager who spoke the same language as me and the communication was a little difficult there. But with Ricky, since the first moment that I came here, we spoke, and we are on the same page. He seems to be like a very good guy, a guy who takes care of the players, and I like that.”
Hanson’s wife and child only joined him in Chicago late Wednesday night. They weren’t at the ballpark when he homered but saw the highlight of his 408-foot drive to right-center field. He already has the ball in his possession – he plans to give it to his mother -- and soon will have the lineup card, too. Hanson said teammates gave him a nice reception when he arrived back in the dugout.
The first few days have made what could be a situation full of tumult the exact opposite for Hanson, 24.
“It’s not something that’s easy, but it’s part of the business and you have deal to with it,” Hanson said. “I had a very long time with the Pirates and now I’m with the White Sox and I’m just trying to take advantage of this opportunity. The people here have treated me good. I like the guys here and I know some of them and it’s just a process.”
Golf: I got a club for that..... Fowler downplays 65: 'It's just the first round'.
“For me it has been advantage to speak the same language that I do because we can communicate directly,” Hanson said through an interpreter. “That for me in the past has been a challenge because I didn’t have the opportunity to play for a manager who spoke the same language as me and the communication was a little difficult there. But with Ricky, since the first moment that I came here, we spoke, and we are on the same page. He seems to be like a very good guy, a guy who takes care of the players, and I like that.”
Hanson’s wife and child only joined him in Chicago late Wednesday night. They weren’t at the ballpark when he homered but saw the highlight of his 408-foot drive to right-center field. He already has the ball in his possession – he plans to give it to his mother -- and soon will have the lineup card, too. Hanson said teammates gave him a nice reception when he arrived back in the dugout.
The first few days have made what could be a situation full of tumult the exact opposite for Hanson, 24.
“It’s not something that’s easy, but it’s part of the business and you have deal to with it,” Hanson said. “I had a very long time with the Pirates and now I’m with the White Sox and I’m just trying to take advantage of this opportunity. The people here have treated me good. I like the guys here and I know some of them and it’s just a process.”
Golf: I got a club for that..... Fowler downplays 65: 'It's just the first round'.
By Rex Hoggard
(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)
There’s something to be said for not poking the bear, and Rickie Fowler has played enough U.S. Opens to know he shouldn’t combine good fortune with gloating.
You go 'round a U.S. Open venue without making a bogey, well, that’s grit and a game that may well be ready for Sunday pressure. You add seven birdies to that card and savor your “stress-free” day, man, that’s tempting fate.
But before USGA chief Mike Davis convenes a task force to put the bite back into Erin Hills, Fowler did his very best to walk back his record round.
“It’s cool,” he said of his opening 65 that tied the lowest first-round card in relation to par at golf’s toughest test. “But it's just the first round. It’s always cool to be part of some sort of history in golf. But I'd rather be remembered for something that's done on Sunday.”
On Thursday, the great unknown that was Erin Hills turned out to be a gettable golf course, at least for those in the early wave who enjoyed calm winds from the preferred direction, putting surfaces softened to an emerald green by overnight rains and some user-friendly hole locations.
The USGA, however, have never been fans of too much of a good thing, and players were more than willing to play both sides of the fence.
“This feels like a Tour event right now,” Brandt Snedeker reasoned. “But it will change by Sunday. I’d be shocked if 7 under wins.”
Call it political correctness, call it self-preservation, it’s always best not to give Davis and his crew a reason to start experimenting with some of those 8,000-plus-yard tees in an effort to stem that scoring tide.
Besides, if Fowler’s performance on Day 1 has the USGA’s best and brightest concerned that their new toy wasn’t up to championship quality, know that the 28-year-old played the opening frame like a guy who was made to win the U.S. Open.
He connected on 12 of 14 drives, 15 of 18 approach shots and was third in the field in strokes gained: putting. Even as the winds freshened late in his round, he showed impressive poise with birdies at all the right places – all four par 5s – and sidestepping any potential disaster.
“I feel like I have great control of the ball right now and distance control, which is big on a lot of little sections out here going into greens, especially with the wind picking up,” Fowler said.
If it’s a major and Fowler has made his way into contention the narrative is as predictable as a Wisconsin summer. All the talent, all the potential, all the flash has made the American a regular conversation piece when the golf world gathers for a major.
Will he win a major? Is he the best player without a major?
The latter has become something of a backhanded compliment in recent years, a yoke worn by many from Sergio Garcia, who joined the major club in April at Augusta National, to Lee Westwood; but for American fans Fowler has emerged as a consensus pick.
That take reached a crescendo in 2014 when he finished inside the top 5 at all four Grand Slam stops, and even though he’s failed to finish in the top 10 at a major since, he’s remained part of the conversation, and that’s fine with Fowler.
“I take it as a compliment,” he said when asked the inevitable. “There are a lot of really good players out here that haven't won a major. So it would be nice to get rid of that at some point. I'm not saying that this is the week or isn't the week. But I like the way this golf course suits me, and we're off to a good start.”
There is no doubt the heightened expectations are justified. Although he’d missed two of his last four weekends heading into the year’s second Grand Shindig, he finished runner-up two weeks ago at the Memorial and has excelled this year at some crucial U.S. Open requirements – most notably ball-striking (he’s second on Tour in strokes gained: total and seventh in strokes gained: putting).
He’s also worked to become more comfortable traversing the game’s most scrutinized punchbowls. He and caddie Joe Skovron worked hard coming up with a game plan for this week’s championship and even in changing conditions on Thursday he didn’t waver.
He’s relaxed, rooming this week with his #SB2K17 running mate Justin Thomas at a nearby house, and most importantly he’s become adept at ignoring those external expectations.
On four occasions on Thursday, Fowler added the caveat that “there’s still a lot of golf to play,” or something similar. He’s all too aware of the inherent pitfalls of winning major championships, even with the cushion of a 7-under 65 on Day 1. Cautious optimism is probably the best way to describe Fowler, which is understandable considering that in his last five rounds at the U.S. Open before Thursday he was 27 over par.
In short, he knows as well as anyone that the USGA gives and the USGA takes with equal abandon.
This week feels different, thanks in large part to a putter that converted five birdie attempts from outside 7 feet, and while he was quick to keep his start in perspective, he didn’t leave any room for ambiguity when asked if he was ready to win that elusive first major.
“Yeah, I'm ready to be out there,” he said. “Having a win this year at the Honda [Classic], being in contention at majors in the past, and having The Players win has definitely done a lot for me. So, yeah, it's going to be a fun week. I like the way this course suits my game.”
If that doesn’t exactly sound like a man poised for his Grand Slam breakthrough, Fowler could be forgiven for taking a measured approach. The USGA is watching, after all.
Spieth, DJ: Over par and frustrated by putting.
By Will Gray
Amid a sea of red figures on the early U.S. Open leaderboard, it’s clear that putts are falling at Erin Hills. It just so happens that the makes were few and far between for the two players who last hoisted the trophy.
Playing together during the opening round, Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson were both left shaking their heads in frustration after solid tee-to-green performances that yielded only one birdie apiece.
Accuracy is usually the name of the game in this event, and Spieth passed that test with flying colors. He missed only one fairway in what he described as “the best driving round that I’ve had maybe in my life.” But his birdie on No. 11, his second hole of the day, proved his only make as he carded a 1-over 73 that left him eight shots behind Rickie Fowler.
“They were high, low, short and long. They were just all around it,” Spieth said. “By the end of the round, once you get through six or seven of those, six or seven misses, the hole starts to look smaller and smaller until you get one to go.”
Johnson’s lone birdie came on No. 15, one hole after he ballooned to a double bogey on the par-5 14th following a layup shot into some thick fescue. He was less accurate than Spieth, finding only 9 of 14 fairways and 11 of 18 greens in regulation, but still cited the putter as the chief issue during his round of 3-over 75 that made him the sixth straight defending champ to open his title defense with an over-par effort.
“I just didn’t putt very well. I missed a lot of really good opportunities,” Johnson said. “That was the big key for me. If I don’t three-putt, I shoot even. But if I just make one or two of the good looks I have, it’s a couple under. I didn’t hit it great, but I hit it good enough to shoot a good score.”
Spieth joked after the round that he and Johnson may hold a “pillow fight putting contest” on the practice green to see if they can spark a turnaround after combining for 65 putts. But the fact remains that there is work to be done simply to make it past the 36-hole cut that will trim the field to top 60 and ties, let alone catch up to Fowler and the other leaders.
“I’m going to need something 3, 4 under just to get back in the tournament tomorrow,” Spieth said. “I know that. It doesn’t change the way I approach the course. Ideally I play the exact same, I just get those (putts) to go.”
Rory, Day are hacks (literally) in Erin Hills fescue.
By Randall Mell
(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)
Somebody fetch Rory McIlroy’s suitcase.
Who knew McIlroy’s words from earlier in the week would echo so cruelly over Thursday’s start to the U.S. Open. Who knew McIlroy and Day would spend so much time slashing their way out of so many gnarly lies in the deep fescue at Erin Hills in their pairing together? Who knew two of the best drivers in the world would struggle to hit the widest fairways anyone can remember at a U.S. Open?
McIlroy shot 6-over-par 78, Day shot 79.
Those are the worst scores either has ever posted in this championship.
“We have 60 yards [of width in the fairways]. . . You’ve got 156 of the best players in the world here. If we can’t hit it within that avenue, you might as well pack your bags and go home.”
That’s what McIlroy said Tuesday when he learned the USGA was carving back wide swaths of fescue less than 48 hours before the start of the championship, to lessen the punishment for errant drives.
His words came boomeranging back in the first round.
Though McIlroy and Day aren’t heading home just yet, they’ll be packing soon enough if they don’t rebound in big ways on Friday.
McIlroy is six shots over the projected cut line, Day is seven over.
McIlroy was asked about his comments about the fescue afterward.
“The fairways should be wide enough for me to hit it into them, I just didn’t,” McIlroy said. “It was just one of those days. I was just a little bit off.”
McIlroy hit only 5 of 14 fairways. Remarkably, given McIlroy’s superior driving skills, nobody hit fewer fairways in the first round.
“I don’t think I hit a fairway after the 10th, didn’t hit one on the way in,” McIlroy said. "You cannot play this golf course if you are not in position off the tee, and I wasn’t in position.”
McIlroy said the rib injury that caused him to take so much time off this year wasn’t an issue.
“It was all totally fine,” he said. “I was hacking it around in the rough and didn’t feel it one bit. Bit of rust, timing was a little off.”
Day hit nine fairways, but that wasn’t very good given the 60-yard width of Erin Hills’ fairways. He ranked 107th in driving accuracy.
“Found some pretty awkward looks out there,” Day said.
The long, thick fescue is among the most penal grasses players have seen in a U.S. Open.
Day made two triple bogeys for the first time in a single round in his professional career. That covers 676 rounds.
“I just played bad golf, man,” said Day, who won his only major here in Wisconsin at the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits two years ago. “I can’t put it any other way.”
McIlroy won the U.S. Open at Congressional in 2011 in an eight-shot runaway, one of his four major championship titles. Now, he’s in danger of missing back-to-back cuts in this championship. He missed the cut at Oakmont last year.
After making eagle at the second hole Thursday, McIlroy went on to make a pair of double bogeys and a pair of bogeys.
“And it all started so well,” McIlroy said.
Day has never missed the cut in a U.S. Open. He has five top-10 finishes in his six previous starts in this championship.
“Two triples, I don't know, it’s weird,” Day said. “It's not like I gave up. I actually gave it 100 percent all the way through the end, and I shot 79.”
NASCAR: Weekend schedules for Michigan (Cup, Xfinity) and Gateway (Trucks).
By Jerry Bonkowski
(Photo/Getty Images)
For the second consecutive weekend, NASCAR’s three national series will be racing in two different locations.
Michigan International Speedway will play host to both the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series, while Gateway Motorsports Park near St. Louis will host the Camping World Truck Series.
It’s also the first of two consecutive one-day standalone races for the Truck Series, which visits Iowa Speedway on Friday, June 23. The Trucks will also have another one-day standalone event on July 19 at Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway in Ohio.
Here’s the full weekend schedule for both venues:
(All times are Eastern)
Friday at Michigan
8:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. – Cup garage open
9:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. – Xfinity garage open
11 a.m. – 12:25 p.m. – Cup first practice (Fox Sports 2, Motor Racing Network)
12:30 p.m. – 1:25 p.m. – Xfinity practice (FS2)
3 – 3:55 p.m. – Final Xfinity practice (FS2)
4:15 p.m. – Cup qualifying (multi-vehicle, three rounds) (FS2, MRN)
Saturday at Michigan
6:30 a.m. – Xfinity garage opens
7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. – Cup garage open
9 – 9:55 a.m. – Cup practice (FS2, MRN)
10 a.m. – Xfinity qualifying (FS2)
11:45 a.m. – Xfinity driver/crew chief meeting
12 p.m. – Final Cup practice (FS2, MRN)
1 p.m. – Xfinity driver introductions
1:30 p.m. – Irish Hills 250 Xfinity race (125 laps, 250 miles) (FS1, Motor Racing Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Saturday at Gateway
8:30 a.m. – Truck garage opens
10:30 a.m. – 11:25 a.m. – Truck practice (no TV)
12:30 p.m. – 1:25 p.m. – Final Truck practice (no TV)
5:45 p.m. – Truck qualifying (airs at 7 p.m. on FS1)
7 p.m. – Truck driver/crew chief meeting
8 p.m. – Truck driver introductions
8:30 p.m. – Drivin’ For Linemen 200 Truck race (160 laps, 200 miles) (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday at Michigan
9:30 a.m. – Cup garage opens
1 p.m. – Cup driver/crew chief meeting
2:20 p.m. – Cup driver introductions
3 p.m. – FireKeepers Casino 400 Cup race (200 laps, 400 miles) (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
NASCAR at Michigan: Vegas odds, key stats, prediction, sleepers, fantasy drivers to watch.
By Joe Rodgers
(Photo/Sporting News)
There is no other non-restrictor plate track in NASCAR that is as fast as Michigan International Speedway.
Yes, the two-mile D-shaped oval site of Sunday's FireKeepers Casino 400 rivals the speeds of Daytona and Talladega. In fact, last season, Joey Logano was the only driver to win a pole with a lap of more than 200 mph (201.698). He achieved the feat at Michigan — a track where he’s been successful throughout his career much to the chagrin of Penske teammate and Michigan native Brad Keselowski.
The No. 2 Blue Deuce driver claims five top fives, 10 top 10s and a 12.3 average finish at the Brooklyn, Mich., track. He holds a streak of six straight top-10 finishes but would like nothing more than to win at his home track.
Another driver on the verge of a breakthrough win at Michigan is Chase Elliott. Still without a win in his career, Jeff Gordon's heir finished runner-up in both Michigan races last year and is one of six drivers with a driver rating over 100 in the last seven races at Michigan and a similar two-mile layout, Fontana.
Elliott is going to get his first career win at some point this season and in a year of first-time winners already in 2017, we think the No. 24 driver will get it done Sunday.
What are the Las Vegas odds for the NASCAR race at Michigan?
Here are the race odds according to Bovada:
Kyle Larson, +400
Martin Truex Jr., +500
Brad Keselowski, +650
Jimmie Johnson, +650
Kevin Harvick, +650
Kyle Busch, +700
Chase Elliott, +800
Joey Logano, +1,200
Denny Hamlin, +1,400
Matt Kenseth, +1,400
Ryan Blaney, +2,200
Clint Bowyer, +2,500
Kurt Busch, +2,500
Jamie McMurray, +3,300
Dale Earnhardt Jr., +5,000
Erik Jones, +5,000
Austin Dillon, +7,500
Daniel Suarez, +7,500
Kasey Kahne, +7,500
Ryan Newman, +7,500
Who are the sleepers to win the NASCAR race at Michigan?
Another Michigan native, Erik Jones, is coming off a solid run at Pocono's 2.5-mile track, and like Chase Elliott, is one of six drivers with a driver rating over 100 in the last seven races at Michigan and Fontana. Other drivers include Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Martin Truex Jr. and Brad Keselowski.
Clint Bowyer was third at Fontana earlier this season and has top-10 finishes in half of his career races at Michigan. His Ford teammate Ryan Blaney won last Sunday on NASCAR's longest straightaway, giving confidence to Bowyer and three-time Michigan winner Kurt Busch.
Which drivers are best for fantasy NASCAR in Michigan?
Trevor Bayne, who has had a positive place differential in all but one race he's completed this season, has finished 15th and ninth at the previous two June races at Michigan.
Jamie McMurray has made the most series starts (28) among active drivers at Michigan without a win but he has finished in the top 10 in three of the last four races there. He hasn't finished worse than 16th since 2013 at the two-mile track.
Matt Kenseth leads all active drivers with 20 top-10 finishes at Michigan while Kevin Harvick has finished second in five of the last eight races at Michigan. In the other three races in that time span he's finished in the top five twice.
Clint Bowyer was third at Fontana earlier this season and has top-10 finishes in half of his career races at Michigan. His Ford teammate Ryan Blaney won last Sunday on NASCAR's longest straightaway, giving confidence to Bowyer and three-time Michigan winner Kurt Busch.
Which drivers are best for fantasy NASCAR in Michigan?
Trevor Bayne, who has had a positive place differential in all but one race he's completed this season, has finished 15th and ninth at the previous two June races at Michigan.
Jamie McMurray has made the most series starts (28) among active drivers at Michigan without a win but he has finished in the top 10 in three of the last four races there. He hasn't finished worse than 16th since 2013 at the two-mile track.
Matt Kenseth leads all active drivers with 20 top-10 finishes at Michigan while Kevin Harvick has finished second in five of the last eight races at Michigan. In the other three races in that time span he's finished in the top five twice.
Danica Patrick says she ‘had a moment’ when she lectured fans at Pocono.
By Dustin Long
(Photo/twitter.com)
Danica Patrick admits the prudent thing would have been to “just keep walking” when she was booed by fans last weekend at Pocono Raceway.
Instead, Patrick approached those fans and lectured them, telling them “I have feelings.’’
Instead, Patrick approached those fans and lectured them, telling them “I have feelings.’’
Patrick also told the fans: “My job is to not sign autographs, right? My job is to drive the car and tell the crew chief what is going on. I don’t appreciate the boos. It hurts my feelings.’’
While in Boston on Wednesday to promote next month’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Patrick discussed what happened at Pocono.
She said she “had a moment,’’ according to The Associated Press.
“Every now and again they just catch you in a moment, and I had a moment,” she said.
The episode started when Patrick was walking from pit road to the garage after qualifying at Pocono. Fans were cordoned on both sides to allow teams to pass by.
An adult male fan slipped through and nearly reached Patrick before a security guard physically restrained the individual. The fan appeared to be holding something to sign.
Patrick turned to see what happened and kept walking. A few fans booed her and that’s when she turned and walked toward those fans.
She said Wednesday she didn’t sign for that man stopped by security because she “didn’t feel it was right to honor that person for disrespecting the security guard.”
Patrick’s comment to the fans that it’s not her job to sign autographs has ignited a debate among NASCAR drivers on if it is their job.
Kevin Harvick, a teammate to Patrick at Stewart-Haas Racing, said on his SiriusXM NASCAR Radio show “Happy Hours” this week that: “I feel like signing autographs is 100 (percent) a part of my job description. It’s just something that you should do.
“I feel like the fans are a big part of what we do. For me, it’s important to support the fan base and the people that we have to give them what they want. I used to be one of those guys … ‘Dang it, I don’t want to stop and sign autographs,’ or ‘I don’t want to do the autograph session.’ … I believe signing autographs is definitely a part of what you do and a responsibility of every driver in that garage.’’
Ryan Blaney, who scored his first career Cup win last weekend at Pocono, addressed the issue on his podcast “The Glass Case of Emotion” on Wednesday.
“I don’t think it’s part of our job to sign autographs, I think it’s something that we should do,’’ Blaney said. “I like to do it a lot. If you’re worried about getting to your car, go early to where you have 10 minutes to stop and sign for fans. I mainly try to sign for kids. That’s my priority.’’
Dale Earnhardt Jr. also talked about the issue on his podcast, the Dale Jr. Download, this week.
“I hate it for Danica because it paints her in a bad light, but she brought it on herself,’’ Earnhardt said. “You never know when a camera’s rolling, whose watching. It’s certainly true in that case.”
Earnhardt said signing autographs can help him if he’s frustrated with his performance.
“The thing is I have found that what makes me feel better is actually going and signing autographs because the fans talk to you and go ‘I saw your qualifying, I saw it wasn’t very good. No problem, you’re going to get them tomorrow,’” Earnhardt said.
“That’s all you really want to hear, from whoever is going to tell you that. You’re feeling like crap, you’re disappointed. … Actually going to talk to the fans and hearing their reinforcement, their positive reinforcement is good for me. I kind of seek that out in those moments because I know once I go through that process of signing some autographs, talking and interacting, you kind of get your priorities readjusted, what’s important.’’
SOCCER: Luis Solignac scores goal of the year in Fire's Open Cup win.
By Dan Santaromita
SOCCER: Luis Solignac scores goal of the year in Fire's Open Cup win.
By Dan Santaromita
(Photo/USA TODAY)
The Chicago Fire opened the U.S. Open Cup with a win on Wednesday, but one play from Luis Solignac stole the show.
Brandon Vincent crossed from the left and Solignac did a crazy karate kick backheel flick (or something like that) and it floated over Saint Louis FC goalkeeper Adam Grinwis. Just watch in the video above.
"I made the run and the ball came to my foot and I tried to do something and I scored, it was a beautiful goal," Solignac said after the match via Fire communications. "It's instinct but it's watching a lot of football, a lot of finishing, when you get the chance to do it and hopefully get it in, it's important."
That is probably the goal of the Fire's season. As much fun as the Open Cup can be, it's a shame that goal wasn't in an MLS match so a wider audience would see and appreciate it (and also better camera angles).
Solignac's goal came in the 27th minute and it was always going to be downhill from there. There was no more scoring and only a couple chances either way for both teams.
The Fire held on for the 1-0 win against their USL opponents on Wednesday in Fenton, Mo.
Christian Volesky rifled a shot off the bar in the 67th minute for St. Louis' best chance of the match. The hosts pressed for the equalizing goal, but Matt Lampson's only tough save was a diving effort to stop a header following a free kick in the 79th minute.
From a lineup perspective, coach Veljko Paunovic left four key players completely out of the team sheet. Bastian Schweinsteiger, David Accam, Nemanja Nikolic and Joao Meira all didn't travel to Missouri.
Daniel Johnson made his first professional start and Arturo Alvarez got the start on the right wing with Solignac playing as the forward with Nikolic resting. Dax McCarty got back on the field after being in camp with the U.S. national team for a pair of World Cup qualifiers. McCarty played 57 minutes before being replaced by Matt Polster.
Jonathan Campbell and Drew Conner got starts in the back line.
Teenage homegrown product Djordje Mihailovic came off the bench and was active in his half hour on the field. Another rookie, Matej Dekovic, made his Fire debut as the final sub of the match.
The Fire will learn their draw for the next round, set to take place on June 28, on Thursday morning. Three MLS teams, Columbus (which lost to Cincinnati), Orlando (which lost to Miami) and Real Salt Lake (which lost to Sacramento), were upset by minor league teams. After all fourth round matches completed on Wednesday, the Fire were group into the so-called south region with Cincinnati, Miami and Atlanta, which means they will play one of those three teams in the next round.
Fire could face big, hostile crowd in next U.S. Open Cup match.
By Dan Santaromita
(Photo/USA TODAY)
Last year, the Chicago Fire had three home games en route to a U.S. Open Cup semifinal. To make a semifinal this year, the Fire will have to get through three road games.
Wednesday at Saint Louis FC was the first road win, but the Fire learned on Thursday morning that potentially two more road games await.
The draw was held by U.S. Soccer in Chicago and the Fire will face a potentially daunting or enticing (or both) match in the Round of 16. The Fire will head to FC Cincinnati, a USL team which just beat the Columbus Crew in front of 30,160 fans on Wednesday. The match will be played June 28 at 6:30 p.m. at Nippert Stadium on the campus of the University of Cincinnati.
Cincinnati has emerged as a prime candidate for MLS expansion with big crowds since the club debuted last year. FCC averaged over 17,000 fans per home game last year, more than the Fire have drawn in any season at Toyota Park.
If the Fire advance, they will play the winner of Miami FC (an NASL team which beat Orlando on Wednesday) and Atlanta United FC, hosted by Miami. The winner of that match will also host the quarterfinal against the winner of the Fire and Cincinnati.
Here is the full draw for the remaining 16 teams in the U.S. Open Cup:
Here is your #USOC2017 Round of 10 Bracket:
Round of 16: June 27-28
Quarterfinals: July 7-16
Semifinals: August 8-9
Final: September 20
Final: September 20
Premier League fan group criticizes league schedule.
By Daniel Karell
(Photo/Getty Images)
That’s according to the Football Supporters Federation, a group of fans that include representatives from Tottenham and Chelsea’s Supporters Trust and Liverpool’s Spirit of Shankly. The group has identified three main issues to British-based fans traveling to away games with the new schedule; 10 league games between November 25 and January 1, mid-week fixtures, and late announcements for televised games.
Despite some discussion in the media about having a winter break for the Premier League, this year’s schedule has gone nearly in the other direction, adding three more league matches from November 25-January 1 from what it was three years ago.
The fans group raises the point that for fans of outer clubs such as Southampton, Brighton, Newcastle and Burnley among others, having to pay for five road league matches as well as all the transportation involved.
Regarding midweek matches, the group raises concerns about a lack of away fan support at the games, especially with public transportation not available late in the evening from some cities.
Lastly, among the major criticisms, the group decried late announcements regarding whether games will be televised in Britain, leading to a different start time, or starting at the usual 3 p.m. Currently broadcast announcements for the first two months of the season won’t be announced until July 10, with the next two months announced on August 11, a day before the start of the season.
While the aims of the supporters group are noble, it’s hard to see many of the group’s goals taken on board by the Premier League. NBC is currently in the middle of a six-year broadcasting rights contract, reportedly worth nearly $1 billion to televise the Premier League to the U.S. A Chinese company is reportedly paying $700 million over three years while British-based BT Sport and Sky are paying approximately a combined $6.5 billion for the rights.
FIFA aims to avoid errors with video review, not perfection,
Associated Press
(Photo/Photo by Scott Heavey/Getty Images)
Not perfect, but good enough to avoid game-changing referee mistakes at the World Cup.
Football’s governing body set out its aims for an experimental video review system ahead of live trials at the Confederations Cup starting on Saturday.
“To eliminate a clear scandal in football, the mistake that after many years you still remember,” FIFA’s head of refereeing Massimo Busacca said Thursday of technology designed to help referees avoid and correct errors within seconds.
FIFA wants video review approved next year before the World Cup to help decide key incidents: goals scored, penalty awards, red cards and cases of mistaken identity.
Still, video-assisted decisions this month at the Under-20 World Cup in South Korea and international friendly matches have been widely debated.
“I think the quality of the decisions are very high, never perfect,” FIFA technical director Marco van Basten said at a briefing in the St. Petersburg stadium that will host the Confederations Cup’s opening game and final.
FIFA will also use the eight-nation World Cup rehearsal tournament to stress themes it wants to be more widely accepted in one year’s time, including more actual playing time.
Referees must add more stoppage time for excessive goal celebrations and time-wasting by goalkeepers, because “the audience wants to see action,” Van Basten said.
Video review, however, is likely to define refereeing success at a World Cup that kicks off just 18 months after the 2016 Club World Cup was the first FIFA tournament to have live trials.
At the Under-20 World Cup, one decision causing confusion after advice from referee assistants watching replays was a red card for an Italy defender in a quarterfinals win over Zambia.
The referee awarded a penalty for an apparent foul by the goalkeeper, then was told to award a free kick and send off the defender for a challenge seconds earlier. Replays provoked doubt if the Zambia forward was fouled at all.
“We still have to improve of course,” said Busacca. “We are not afraid. We don’t have many hours to instruct but the top referees are really learning very fast.”
The nine referees on FIFA duty in Russia includes Damir Skomina, the Slovenian who handled the Champions League final, and Mark Geiger of the United States, who worked at the 2014 World Cup. FIFA appointed 25 refereeing teams to the last World Cup.
A lesson from South Korea – where 12 decisions were made on review in a 52-game tournament – is the need for faster judgments.
“In some situations we are taking too long, we know,” acknowledged Busacca, who has previously set a target of six seconds.
Busacca said FIFA also wants video review to be “an incredible tool of prevention” and singled out a red card at the Under-20 World Cup for an Argentina forward for striking an opponent with an elbow.
“Be careful, a camera is following you,” Busacca said FIFA is telling players in Russia. “We are talking with teams -don’t do it.”
Teams have also been warned that FIFA wants referees to be strict with players crowding around them to influence decision, and goalkeepers who hold the ball for more than six seconds.
“We have asked referees to remind goalkeepers that this rule still exists,” said Van Basten, who showed footage of Italy’s goalkeeper taking 21 seconds to release the ball against Zambia.
Van Basten said he believes “no one will complain” when referees add on longer periods of stoppage time, especially in the second half.
While FIFA has learned from other sports which adopted video review much earlier, it is not ready to follow the NFL or rugby in having referees announce their decisions or be wired for sound to broadcast how they reach a decision.
“We don’t have to explain immediately why we make a decision,” Van Basten said. “It is important to show it on the screens and let the people know what is the reason. That is enough."
Trouble for champs? Growing tension divides Conte, Chelsea.
By Andy Edwards
(Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
There presently exists mutual tension between Antonio Conte and other key members of the Chelsea hierarchy — so much so that his status as the reigning Premier League champions’ manager could come into question — according to a report from Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Furthermore, according to the Daily Record, Conte is reportedly seeking a new contract after just one season at Stamford Bridge — one that not only provides increased financial terms, but also gives the 47-year-old Italian greater control and responsibility with regard to the day-to-day operations of the club, from the first team all the way down to the youth academy.
The report claims Conte also seeks a direct line of communication with owner Roman Abramovich, cutting out any and all middlemen within the club’s executive structure.
Given that the sourcing from the original report is Italian, one of two things are really going on here: 1) a club back home in Italy is doing anything and everything imaginable to unsettle Conte at Chelsea; or, most likely, 2) Conte’s agent is posturing for that improved deal (financially and in terms of Conte’s power within the Chelsea hierarchy), and has shown Chelsea he’s not at all playing around by planting a story of such consequence.
Arena confirms Pulisic unlikely to play for USMNT in Gold Cup.
By Matt Reed
(Photo/AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Sometimes even the younger guys need a rest.
That’s exactly what Christian Pulisic and many of the Americans playing abroad will have ahead of next month’s CONCACAF Gold Cup, according to manager Bruce Arena.
The two-time USMNT boss has stated that with a ton of tread on some of the players’ legs throughout the year, including Pulisic, that his squad for July’s competition will largely consist of domestic-based players.
“I doubt it,” Arena told SI.com. “It’s bad timing for [the Gold Cup], because the guys in Europe have gone through this long club season and now the World Cup qualifiers.
“They need a break. They have three weeks off, and asking them to come in for Gold Cup makes no sense. It would take three weeks to get them ready.”
Arena’s 40-man roster released prior to the U.S.’ friendly against Venezuela and subsequent World Cup qualifiers against Trinidad & Tobago and Mexico featured eight players currently representing clubs outside of MLS. Four players play for European clubs.
The U.S. will kick off its Gold Cup run against Panama on July 8, before facing Martinique and Nicaragua on July 12 and July 15, respectively to close out Group B play.
NCAAFB: Bob Stoops insists he's not trying to become the Chicago Bears coach.
Stoops recently bought a second house in the Chicago area.
Well, it was stunning for the rest of us. For Stoops, it was hardly a rash decision. This was a guy who was done coaching and content, at 56, to live out his life.
Of course, there's always the chance Stoops will come out of retirement to coach again. The itch can be hard to cure and maybe a couple of years away from the game is all Stoops will eventually need. He certainly wouldn't be the first coach to do so.
One team he's not interested in coaching, though: the Chicago Bears.
The rumor mill churned some in light of Stoops buying a second home in the Gold Coast neighborhood of Chicago for $2.25 million. But in a radio interview with the Tulsa Sports Animal, Stoops shot down that A somehow connected to B.
"That's a simple deal," Stoops said via the Tulsa World. "I got one that fits our style and what we want to do with our family better, and I'm gonna sell the other one. I'm not looking to coach in Chicago."
When pressed more, Stoops said it's his wife's favorite city "since we were in college, and we haven't moved to Chicago."
There's been a longstanding belief that if Stoops ever left Oklahoma, it would be for the NFL, but he never followed through on it. It's too early to tell whether Stoops will coach again at any level, but right now, he seems to be enjoying life away from football. Let that run its course for a bit.
The Tulsa World ended its piece by noting an important piece of context that might indicate Stoops' long-term plans better than anything he'll say now or in the future.
"Also worth noting: Less than a week after retiring, a relaxed Stoops conducted this radio interview from a golf course alongside former coach and mentor Steve Spurrier."
If there was ever a reason to believe Stoops was done coaching for good, that was it. What you do tends to speak louder than what you say.
Michigan expects to surpass $50 million in Big Ten revenue in 2017-18.
By Zach Barnett
(Photo/Getty Images)
Michigan’s football program has never been hurting for money, but now the Wolverines are outright swimming in it.
According to a copy of the report obtained by Detroit News reporter Angelique Chengelis, Michigan expects its Big Ten contributions to spike from $36.3 million in 2016-17 to $51.1 million in 2017-18. The jump is possible thanks to the Big Ten’s new 6-year TV deal that brings Fox into the fold, which kicks in this year.
Michigan will also see its “other” revenues grow from $7 million to $12.8 million, made possible by a neutral site kickoff game at AT&T Stadium opposite Florida.
As a result, Michigan’s total revenue will grow to $182.4 million, while expenses will magically rise to $180.4 million.
NCAABKB: Count on it: NCAA is taking down Louisville's 2013 title banner; is UNC next?
By Reid Forgrave
The governing body never has taken down a banner, and that's why Pitino and Co. are up in arms.
They're going to take down a banner.
By God, the NCAA is going to take down a banner.
That's really the only conclusion that can be taken from Thursday's release of the NCAA report on the Louisville basketball program's strippers-and-sex scandal, right?
There were plenty of notable punishments in the report. Coach Rick Pitino is suspended for the first five ACC games of the coming season. Andre McGee, the former director of basketball operations at the vortex of the scandal, received a 10-year show cause penalty from the NCAA, which effectively will end his basketball career. Louisville's basketball program will enter into four years of probation.
But make no mistake about which was the bombshell. All those punishments, plus the NCAA's acceptance of Louisville's prior self-imposed sanctions, would be but a slap on the wrist if it weren't for this paragraph, the sixth of 14 bullet points in the NCAA's release of its punishments:
"A vacation of basketball records in which student-athletes competed while ineligible from December 2010 and July 2014. The university will provide a written report containing the games impacted to the NCAA media coordination and statistics staff within 45 days of the public decision release."
This can only be read one way: The NCAA is going to do something it long has been loathe to do -- and it's the most remarkable part of this news. They're going to take down the NCAA championship banner that hangs in Louisville's home arena from the 2013 NCAA tournament. They're going to erase one of the most exciting teams in recent college hoops memory -- Pitino's perfect defensive group, with Peyton Siva and Russ Smith, Montrezl Harrell and Gorgui Dieng and Kevin Ware -- from NCAA history.
This is the bombshell. This is why Louisville immediately announced it would appeal. This is why Pitino, in a press conference shortly after the punishments were announced, called the NCAA decision "unjust and "over the top" and "severe." "Personally I've lost a lot of faith in the NCAA and everything I've stood for 35 years with what they just did," Pitino said.
This is why Pitino's attorney immediately released a statement slamming the NCAA for indicating it's going to do something it never has done. "The finding against Coach Pitino is one of the weakest I've ever seen against a head coach," said Pitino's attorney, Scott Tompsett. "The decision hinges on a vaguely-worded rationale about creating an environment in which the violations actually occurred, alleged delegating of monitoring to assistant coaches and Mr. Pitino's failure to train Mr. McGee. Today's decision breaks with accepted head coach control precedent and imposes a standard of strict liability."
This is a shocking flexing of regulatory muscle by an organization whose reputation has suffered in recent years with its controversial handlings of scandals at the University of Miami and Penn State.
This is the biggest NCAA ruling since giving the death penalty to SMU's football program in the 1980s. Maybe this decision forever ruins Louisville basketball like the 1987 decision forever ruined SMU football, though I doubt it. But this is a forever smear on a historic basketball program and a Hall of Fame coach.
I'm not sure how I feel about how hard the organization came down on the program in general and Pitino in particular. I had always thought this case would rise or fall on whether Pitino had contemporaneous knowledge of the sex parties McGee was organizing for players and recruits. Morally, I still believe that's correct: It's a whole lot different to me whether Pitino knew of these parties, or was involved in these parties, or purposefully turned a blind eye to these parties, than if this was the actions of one rogue actor who danced outside the rules without Pitino's knowledge, as Pitino and the university have claimed all along.
But the NCAA did not differentiate. What the NCAA said Thursday was it doesn't matter whether Pitino knew or whether he didn't know. They charged him with "failure to monitor." The fact that a lack of oversight -- as opposed to a deliberate and institutionalized scandal -- is enough for the NCAA to take the unprecedented step of tearing down a banner.
Back in 2014, in a story about North Carolina's academic scandal that affected the basketball and football programs -- a scandal that, three years later, has yet to be fully adjudicated by the NCAA -- The Sporting News' Mike DeCourcy wrote about the NCAA's longtime reluctance to tear down championship banners.
"There has been only limited reticence in regards to vacation tournament participation, even that which resulted in Final Four appearances," DeCourcy wrote. "But the NCAA has tread lightly upon teams that celebrated championships. There have been 76 NCAA basketball champions crowned, from Oregon in 1939 to Connecticut in 2014. Every single one of those titles remains in place. Ten of the 304 teams that reached the Final Four have had their records vacated by the NCAA, however. How fortunate for the NCAA that it's never had to strip a champion, right?"
It makes sense that tearing down a banner is a last resort. The NCAA Tournament is the organization's marquee event -- by far the biggest moneymaker that keeps the organization afloat. The broadcast rights for March Madness were extended a year ago through 2032, an eye-popping eight-year, $8.8 billion extension. More than 23 million people watched the title game this April between Gonzaga and North Carolina. National titles forever etch coaches and their programs into sports lore. The Louisville-Michigan title game in 2013 was my first title game, a spectacular game I'll forever remember, even if the NCAA scrubs it from history.
And so, for the NCAA to indicate that it's planning to tear down Louisville's 2013 banner indicates how seriously it took the unprecedented allegations of what happened at Billy Minardi Hall on Louisville's campus. The only comparable moment in the NCAA's recent past was when the organization stripped USC's football team of its 2004 BCS championship. That had to deal with Reggie Bush's dealings with agents, which violated NCAA amateurism rules.
How quaint that looks today, in the face of a much more sensational story at Louisville.
Don't get me wrong: It's a long time between now and when the banner gets taken down. As is often the case with NCAA investigations, this will continue to be a verrrrrry deliberative process. Louisville immediately said it will appeal. Teams of lawyers will get involved. Fan bases will be up in arms. This is the middle of the story, not the end. But you better believe that other schools -- particularly North Carolina, whose 2005 national title feels like it's hanging in the balance a whole lot more today than it was yesterday -- were stunned by the NCAA's punishment. I don't mean to throw the North Carolina scandal into this as an aside. What happened at North Carolina with paper classes in the Department of African and Afro-American Studies, where many student-athletes were fraudulently enrolled in bogus classes, is a completely different situation than what happened at Louisville. And while the events at Louisville are more sensational -- strippers! paying for sex! doing so with teenage recruits! -- North Carolina's hits more at the heart of what the NCAA stands for, the marriage of academics and athletics. If you're UNC, you're not feeling any schadenfreude about what happened to your ACC opponent. You just started feeling a bit more uncomfortable.
An earthquake shook through college sports Thursday morning. And you better believe everyone was paying attention. Even the schools that have national championship banners hanging in their rafters. Because starting today, even national titles aren't immune from the heaviest of penalties.
Why Mayweather-McGregor is such a crushing blow to Oscar De La Hoya and HBO.
Floyd Mayweather will fight Conor McGregor on August 26 in Las Vegas. (Photo/Yahoo Sports)
Mayweather signed to fight UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor in a bout that figures to generate more than $500 million in gross revenue on Aug. 26 in Las Vegas.
That deal, first reported by Yahoo Sports, was devastating to three separate HBO fights:
Saturday’s light heavyweight title match between Andre Ward and Sergey Kovalev in Las Vegas; the Aug. 26 super welterweight bout between Miguel Cotto and Yoshihiro Kamegai in Carson, Calif.; and the Sept. 16 mega-bout in Las Vegas between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin for the middleweight title.
Ward-Kovalev is an outstanding match that looks like it will struggle badly at the box office. Promoters at Thursday’s news conference were pleading with the gathered media for coverage to what should be a sensational bout. But when it was reported that the Mayweather-McGregor fight was on, the Ward-Kovalev fight was largely ignored.
And while it will get some coverage this week, the volume and the significance of it will be greatly diminished by all the attention given to Mayweather-McGregor.
There wasn’t much interest in Cotto-Kamegai in the first place, but it will be all but impossible for that show to receive any media coverage whatsoever given it is going directly opposite Mayweather-McGregor.
Then there is the case of the long-awaited Alvarez-Golovkin bout for middleweight supremacy. Promoter Oscar De La Hoya took his sweet time putting it together, even though fans were clamoring for it in late 2015 after Alvarez bested Cotto to win a version of the middleweight title.
De La Hoya, though, resisted and didn’t make the bout until last month, after Alvarez defeated Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in a meaningless bout that nevertheless managed to sell 1 million on pay-per-view and did a $10 million gate.
He was gloating when the pay-per-view numbers came out, believing his decision to wait on making Alvarez-Golovkin had been vindicated. And he then went and spoke out publicly against the Mayweather-McGregor bout, urging fans not to support it, even though only a few months ago he stood outside a Los Angeles bar in the wee hours of the morning and told TMZ that McGregor should fight Alvarez instead of Mayweather.
Mayweather, who has much personal disdain for De La Hoya, turned the tables on the Golden Boy, though, when he put his bout with McGregor a few weeks before De La Hoya’s big one.
From a competitive standpoint, there is no choice between the top bouts. Alvarez-Golovkin is arguably the best fight that can be made in boxing and pits the two best middleweights in the world for divisional supremacy.
McGregor has never boxed, and the consensus is that he’ll get blown out by Mayweather.
However, the best fights aren’t always the ones that sell. Mayweather and McGregor are two of the best trash talkers in history, and their bout is almost guaranteed to be the best promotion ever, at least until the first bell rings.
Then, all bets are off, though the promoters will have by that point made a financial killing. Mayweather-McGregor interest is off-the-charts high, and has at least a chance to top the record of 4.6 million pay-per-view sales that Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao set in 2015.
They’ll take airtime and media space away from Alvarez-Golovkin. Alvarez speaks next to no English and Golovkin’s English still isn’t great. They’re far better at punching than promoting.
Fans are also going to spend a lot of money just three weeks before Alvarez-Golovkin, and history has shown that can impact sales. It’s doubly hard when the intensity of the media coverage promoters were planning on for that show will be cut significantly by Mayweather-McGregor coverage.
Boxing is as unpredictable of a sport as there is, and when a promoter has an opportunity to make what would be a big fight, he should take it. An NFL game that loses a star player to injury will still go on, and ticket sales won’t suffer.
In boxing, though, where shows are sold on the strength of name recognition and fighter marketability, it’s curtains.
A fighter could get injured or lose or fail a drug test. There are any number of things that could happen which would prevent the match from being made.
Now, De La Hoya must find a way to recapture the media’s attention after the tornado that will be Mayweather-McGregor blows away.
It’s not going to be easy.
In late 2009, a potential featherweight bout between Juan Manuel Lopez and Yuriorkis Gamboa was beginning to stir passion among boxing fans. Both had aggressive, fan-friendly styles, and while it wouldn’t have been a massive show, it was the kind of fight that gets the hardcore fan base excited and keeps the media interested.
They fought on the same card on Jan. 23, 2010, and all the talk after that show centered around a match between the two. But promoter Bob Arum infamously said he wanted to let it “marinate,” and it wound up never happening.
Whenever a promoter talks about allowing a fight to marinate, it’s a bad, bad, bad thing. Scream long and loud in protest.
Allowing Alvarez-Golovkin to marinate resulted in having the Mayweather-McGregor pay-per-view dropped on top of it.
Mayweather once fought for HBO, before leaping to Showtime in 2013.
On Thursday, he did the most damage to his ex-network since he signed that Showtime deal by putting the McGregor fight on Aug. 26.
Hopefully, it will serve as a lesson. When fans are calling for a fight, give it to them as soon as reasonably possible.
Hopefully, it will serve as a lesson. When fans are calling for a fight, give it to them as soon as reasonably possible.
Hall of Fame denies Pete Rose’s request to stand for election. What's Your Take?
By Craig Calcaterra
By Craig Calcaterra
(Photo/Getty Images)
Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports that the Baseball Hall of Fame has denied Pete Rose’s request to stand for election.
Rose had already been denied reinstatement by Major League Baseball. Theoretically, one can be banned from baseball and elected to the Hall of Fame, as they are separate institutions. Not long after Rose’s ban, however, the Hall of Fame changed its rules to prohibit any banned player from appearing on ballots. This move, most assumed, likely correctly, was aimed specifically at Rose. They may be separate institutions, but the Hall of Fame tends to land on all fours with MLB with most things and didn’t want to embarrass the league by giving Rose the honor of induction.
Not that Rose isn’t remembered by the Hall in some respects. As the article notes, there are plenty of Rose artifacts on display in the Hall of Fame. And Hall president Jeff Idelson notes, “[y]ou certainly can’t tell the history of baseball without including Pete Rose.” In this he’s like the PED-era guys who are defacto banned by the BBWAA yet still have their memorabilia on display and their feats chronicled in the museum.
As we’ve noted many, many times around here, if we were in charge, we’d keep Rose banned from baseball as he is utterly unrepentant about his very serious transgressions and has lied about them whenever it has served his interests, either personal or financial. While at 76 he’s not likely to be given a position of real responsibility in the game anymore, it’s not unreasonable to think that he’d be a bad influence if he’s allowed any authority over players. It’s not worth the risk, frankly.
That said: the Hall of Fame is about history, and Rose the ballplayer was one of baseball’s greatest figures. He deserves induction. His fans, of which there are many, would love to see it take place. That the Hall of Fame won’t even allow the possibility of that happening is a shame.
Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Take: We have stated our position on this issue previously and it hasn't changed. We will state it again next week in our Friday's article, What's Your Take?
In the meantime, we would like to hear the opinions of some of our Major League Baseball diehard fans. Just go to the comment section at the bottom of this blog and share your thoughts with us pro or con. Stay tuned as we will restate our position again next Friday. We look forward to hearing from you.
The Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Editorial Staff.
On This Date in Sports History: Today is Friday, June 16, 2017.
Memoriesofhistory.com
1938 - Jimmy Foxx (Boston Red Sox) set a major league record when he was walked six times in one game.
1951 - Ben Hogan won the U.S. Open for the second straight year.
1969 - U.S. President Nixon sent a telegram to Reggie Jackson thanking him for hitting two home runs while he was in the park on June 11.
1970 - Brian Piccolo (Chicago Bears) died of cancer.
1975 - The Milwaukee Bucks traded Kareem-Abdul Jabbar to the Los Angeles Lakers.
1981 - The "Chicago Tribune" purchased the Chicago Cubs baseball team from the P.K. Wrigley Chewing Gum Company for $20.5 million.
1985 - Willie Banks broke the world record for the triple jump with a leap of 58 feet, 11-1/2 inches in the U.S.A. championships in Indianapolis, IN.
1991 - Otis Nixon (Montreal Expos) broke a major league record with six stolen bases in one game.
1993 - Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) scored 55 points in an NBA Finals game against the Phoenix Suns. Jordan became the first player to score 50 points in a Finals games since Jerry West in 1969.
1996 - In Lusaka, Sambia, fans stampeded the field at the World Cup match between Zambia and Sudan. Nine people were killed and 78 were injured.
2005 - The NHL Board of Governors approved the sale of the Disney owned Mighty Ducks of Anaheim to Henry and Susan Samueli.
*****************************************************************
Please let us hear your opinion on the above articles and pass them on to any other diehard fans that you think might be interested. But most of all, remember, Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica wants you.
No comments:
Post a Comment