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"Sports Quote of the Day"
“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.” ~ Pablo Picasso, Painter, Sculptor, Printmaker, Ceramicist, Stage Designer, Poet and Playwright
TRENDING: NFL executives bash the Chicago Bears’ offseason. What's Your Take? (See the football section for Bears news and NFL updates).
TRENDING: Are the Blackhawks set to reunite Joel Quenneville with Ulf Samuelsson? (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates and NHL news).
TRENDING: Could Fred Hoiberg leave the Bulls and return to college coaching at Ohio State. (See the basketball section for Bulls news and NBA updates).
TRENDING: Now Cubs have to respond to the adversity and move on with or without Addison Russell: ‘Real life happens all the time’. Derek Holland hit hard as White Sox fall to Rays, drop series. (See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).
TRENDING: No one quite sure what to expect at U.S. Open ... again. (See the golf section for PGA news and tournament updates).
TRENDING: NASCAR weekend schedule for Pocono (Cup, Xfinity) and Texas (Trucks). (See the NASCAR section for NASCAR news and racing updates).
TRENDING: In search of answers, Fire try to learn from draw in Orlando.
TRENDING: In search of answers, Fire try to learn from draw in Orlando.
(See the soccer section for Fire news and worldwide soccer updates).
TRENDING: Belmont Stakes 2017 odds: Post positions, contenders to win final Triple Crown race. (See the last article on this blog for Belmont Stakes news and racing updates).
TRENDING: Belmont Stakes 2017 odds: Post positions, contenders to win final Triple Crown race. (See the last article on this blog for Belmont Stakes news and racing updates).
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Why Jaye Howard is joining the Bears with 'a chip on my shoulder'.
By Chris Boden
(Photo/AP)
It was October 11, 2015, at Arrowhead Stadium when a big, heavy Chiefs defensive front paired with their talented linebacking corps to give the rookie all he could handle in the chaos and noise of Kansas City's home field. Grasu was in the middle of it, one week after Will Montgomery's season-ending leg injury. Howard released off the snap with the Bears offense backed up near its own goal line, pulled off a stunt to confuse and occupy Grasu, and crushed Jay Cutler in the end zone for a sack, knocking the ball loose for Ramik Wilson to pounce on it for an early Chiefs touchdown.
"Oh not yet," Howard chuckled when asked Tuesday whether he's brought that memory, or nightmare, up with Grasu. "That's past me and I'm with these guys now. That's old and I'm just looking to make some big plays here."
His new teammates and coaches hope so. He made his share in four seasons in Kansas City, starting 23 games in 2014 and 2015, the latter registering 5.5 sacks, including the one against the Bears. But after signing a lucrative two year deal a year and a half ago, he missed the last half of 2016 following hip surgery.
"Bone spurs. It was just one of those things where I just woke up and was walking funny," Howard said. "It was hard to play through and eventually it was just time to shut it down."
And with the Chiefs having difficulty maneuvering a salary cap crunch, he was let go as they were preparing for the NFL draft. Technically, they announced Howard failed a physical, but it was strictly about money. He visited the Bears and a couple of other teams, actually leaving Halas Hall after his original visit without a contract. He then came back and signed a couple days later.
"There were other possibilities but I ended up staying (in town) after I left to just clear my mind, prayed about it and felt like this was the best opportunity for me," he said. "To come in, be able to contribute and be wanted, that was the opportunity that was presented and I couldn't pass on it. I'm embracing this opportunity."
The Bears' long list of "ifs" on the health front includes a potentially solid combination in the 3-4 base defense - if Akiem Hicks, if Eddie Goldman, and if Howard himself can stay together most of the season.
"I'm definitely coming out here with a chip on my shoulder," said Howard, who's been doing individual work during OTAs but is expected to be full-go physically when training camp begins. "Me and Hicks are already pushing each other. We're looking to have a big year and hopefully we can stay here together. Just watching him on film last year and what Jay Rodgers was able to do with him (career-high seven sacks), I'm hoping I can take my game to that next level as well."
He was part of a Chiefs defense in those 2014 and 2015 seasons that ranked seventh overall both years, playing with the likes of Dontari Poe, Justin Houston, Tamba Hali, Derrick Johnson, Allen Bailey and an outstanding secondary. He hopes to contribute to similar success here under Vic Fangio, with a little luck on the health front.
"It's a good group of guys all around, us and the linebackers, and our guys in the secondary are stepping up. I really see that we can be a good front."
How Mark Sanchez’s injury has affected Mitch Trubisky and Connor Shaw.
By JJ Stankevitz
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Connor Shaw was about six hours into his drive to South Carolina on May 30 when Dowell Loggains called him, saying the Bears needed him back.
Shaw was waived that Tuesday morning to make room for wide receiver Victor Cruz, but a few hours later, Mark Sanchez suffered a knee injury that would sideline him until training camp. So the Bears needed another quarterback, and Shaw was the natural choice, even if he had just drove through Lexington, Ky.
“I had a little bit of a hike back,” Shaw said. “But well worth the drive.”
With Sanchez out for the remainder of the Bears’ offseason program — including next week’s veteran minicamp — Shaw and Mitch Trubisky are receiving more reps, both in terms of number and significance. So Shaw will have a better opportunity to show coaches the same flashes he did last year, while Trubisky was handed the keys to the second-string offense this week.
Running the second-string offense is an early opportunity for Trubisky to embrace the challenge of taking command of a unit.
“Instead of the threes, I’m with the twos,” Trubisky said. “So it’s getting the reps, getting comfortable and whoever I’m with, whenever I’m in the huddle, it’s taking command and doing my job.”
While Sanchez may not practice again until late July, Trubisky praised the example set by the former New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys quarterback.
“He’s a smart guy, he’s seen a lot of offenses,” Trubisky said. “So being around, having that playoff experience and knowing what it takes to get back there, he’s taught me a lot about how to carry yourself not just on the field but off the field as well. I like spending time with him.”
As for Shaw, he always figured a return to the Bears could be a possibility, but he didn’t expect it to happen halfway through his trip leaving Chicago. Shaw is the only quarterback on the Bears’ roster who was here last year, even though he suffered a season-ending injury last August.
That knowledge has helped Shaw make a smooth return to Halas Hall, even if it came after a whirlwind 24 hours.
“You’ve just got to refocus your mind,” Shaw said. “You’re got to get back into the routine of things and compete even if I were on a different squad. I’m very fortunate to be here, be a Chicago Bear. But you just go back to second nature when you start playing football.”
By Lester A. Wiltfong Jr.
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(Photo/Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports)
Mike Sando, Senior Writer and Insider for ESPN, recently talked with fifteen NFL executives, coaches and talent evaluators, to help him grade the offseason from all 32 teams. As expected, there wasn’t many kudos being handed out for what the Chicago Bears did. Sando and his crew of experts, gave the Bears’ offseason a D+, which placed them 29th. Only the Houston Texans (D), Baltimore Ravens (D) and New York Jets (D) received a lower grade than the Bears.
Chicago general manager, Ryan Pace, has had his share of detractors this year, after generally being praised his first two offseasons. Pace was shut out on some of his higher profile free agents he was targeting, and his 2017 draft class is made up of mostly projects. If these high ceiling rookies pan out, the re-grade on this offseason will be much higher.
Here’s what Sando had to say about giving Chicago a D+.
Chicago general manager, Ryan Pace, has had his share of detractors this year, after generally being praised his first two offseasons. Pace was shut out on some of his higher profile free agents he was targeting, and his 2017 draft class is made up of mostly projects. If these high ceiling rookies pan out, the re-grade on this offseason will be much higher.
Here’s what Sando had to say about giving Chicago a D+.
The Bears joined the 49ers in making a flurry of moves involving mid- and lower-level veteran free agents. Unlike San Francisco, the Bears bet big on a couple of quarterbacks, especially second overall pick Mitchell Trubisky. Of course, this Bears offseason will look much different if Mike Glennon and/or Trubisky become front-line players. The grade suffers for now because the strategy seemed to be an odd mix of planning for the long-term future and scrambling to plug holes by questionable means.
Once the decision was made to release quarterback Jay Cutler, the Bears didn’t have any QBs under contract. Their hand was forced to look for the future and to shore up the present at the position.
"They are trying to find lightning in a bottle with all these signings," an exec said. "Sometimes you get lucky and go 7-9 or 8-8 to save your job. That is all you're trying to do. Then you go back to 4-12 the next year."
If the Bears can find a couple long term players in the group of mid-level free agents they signed, I think they’ll take that as a win. Good teams build through the draft, and Pace is setting this team up for his draft classes to shine.
In the Bears' defense, they ultimately recouped much of the draft capital they sent to San Francisco in the trade-up for Trubisky. That move was unexpected after the Bears paid starting money to Glennon in free agency. An evaluator said he thought the Bears would exceed outside expectations because Glennon will avoid turnovers.
Head coach John Fox wants to have a running/play action offense, with a play-making and opportunistic defense. Having a quarterback that will manage the game is what he’s always coveted.
"I am totally cool with the Glennon signing and will never object to someone spending on quarterbacks or investing in quarterbacks," a different exec said. "But the rest of their signings look like they are just scrambling to get to 6-10, 8-8. I don't see many good players that they added. It looks like a lot of mediocre players on mediocre deals."
I think Pace is just plugging holes until his draft picks pan out. I’ve said all along that I compare this rebuild to the five year rebuild that took place with the Oakland Raiders. Both franchises were in a horrible place, and it took getting the quarterback right, before Oakland turned it around.
The QB of the future is now in place for the Chicago Bears, so let’s see what the future holds.
The QB of the future is now in place for the Chicago Bears, so let’s see what the future holds.
Chicago Sports & Travel Inc./AllsportsAmerica Take: These articles keep popping up bashing the Chicago Bears. Everyone just keep on bashing the Bears. Sure, they had a bad season last year but things can change and we're assuring you that they will. Yes, we're homers but things have changed at Halas Hall. The Bears will improve their record drastically, (from 3-13 t0 8-8 or better). The prognosticators act like the Bears have done nothing to improve their team; just ignorant thinking. We're not saying that they're going to the Super Bowl, we're just saying that they will be greatly improved. They had a terrific draft class last year and have drafted a few diamonds in the rough this year. Young aggressive talent, team chemistry, positive coaching, player buy-in, common goals and limited injuries will propel the Bears as they do many other NFL teams. All you read or hear about is the quarterback situation, well, we believe "competition does in fact breed excellence". That being said and with the help of the offensive line, the offense is going to do okay. What you don't hear about is the defense and that's going to be the big surprise. Believe it or not, again, the Bears are going to be greatly improved. Laugh at this article if you'd like but please save it. Someone's going to be right and someone's going to be wrong. We just feel strongly that we're going to be the ones' that are right. That's our story and we're sticking to it.
There's our take so now we'd be very interested in hearing yours. Please go to the comment section at the bottom of this blog and share your feelings with us whether you agree or disagree. We love hearing from you and want to thank you in advance for your time, consideration and response.
The Chicago Sports & Travel Inc./AllsportsAmerica Editorial Staff.
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Are the Blackhawks set to reunite Joel Quenneville with Ulf Samuelsson?
By Tracey Myers
By Tracey Myers
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Joel Quenneville and Ulf Samuelsson go back to their playing days, including their time together with the Hartford Whalers. Now it looks like the two will soon be reunited behind the bench in Chicago.
The Blackhawks will reportedly name Samuelsson their new assistant coach, filling the vacancy left when Mike Kitchen was fired in late April. Craig Morgan of Arizona Sports reported on Tuesday morning that the hiring is expected.
A source confirmed to CSN several weeks ago that Samuelsson was a candidate for the job. Samuelsson has been an assistant coach for two other NHL teams, including the Phoenix Coyotes (2006-11), where he worked with another former Hartford teammate, Dave Tippett. Samuelsson was head coach of the Charlotte Checkers, the Carolina Hurricanes’ AFL affiliate, last season.
The move would give Quenneville another familiar face behind the bench; Quenneville and Samuelsson were teammates in Hartford from 1985-90.
Blackhawks announce 2017 preseason schedule, which includes Columbus and Boston.
By Tracey Myers
(Photo/USA TODAY)
Columbus and Boston are new additions to the Blackhawks' preseason schedule, which the team announced on Thursday morning.
They'll also make their first trip to the new Little Caesar's Arena in Detroit when they face the Red Wings on Sept. 28. The Blackhawks host Detroit in Sept. 21.
The Blackhawks will open their preseason schedule in Columbus on Sept. 19, hosting the Blue Jackets on Sept. 23. They'll travel to Boston on Sept. 25 and then host the Bruins on Sept. 30
| Date | Opponent | Location | Time (CT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, Sept. 19 | Columbus Blue Jackets | Nationwide Arena | 6 p.m. |
| Thursday, Sept. 21 | Detroit Red Wings | United Center | 7:30 p.m. |
| Saturday, Sept. 23 | Columbus Blue Jackets | United Center | 7:30 p.m. |
| Monday, Sept. 25 | Boston Bruins | TD Garden | 6 p.m. |
| Thursday, Sept. 28 | Detroit Red Wings | Little Caesars Arena | 6:30 p.m. |
| Saturday, Sept. 30 | Boston Bruins | United Center | 7:30 p.m. |
How 'crazy' OHL season has Graham Knott ready for Blackhawks camp.
By Tracey Myers
(Photo/USA TODAY)
Graham Knott started last season with the Niagara IceDogs, where the Blackhawks prospect was expected to be one of the veteran leaders on a young team. A month later that all changed; Knott was traded to the Windsor Spitfires, a strong team that was guaranteed a spot in the Memorial Cup because it was the tournament host.
A 44-day layoff and a great tournament later, Knott and the Spitfires were claiming the team’s third Memorial Cup since 2009.
“Yeah, it was crazy,” Knott said of unexpected events this season. “I was going to be relied on as a leader [with Niagara]. But I got traded and then was fortunate enough to go there, play on a good team. We had a chance to go in for the Memorial Cup and it was all uphill from there.”
The move provided Knott valuable experience as well as a championship. He had three goals and an assist in four Memorial Cup games, including the game-tying goal in the title game against the Erie Otters. Now Knott’s attention turns to prospect camp and then training camp, where he’ll see his chances of making the Blackhawks.
Knott will enter this Blackhawks prospect camp with a contract, the three-year, entry-level deal he signed last September. The 6-foot-4, 194-pound Knott would bring size and a habit of hanging around the net, something the Blackhawks will gladly take. Knott hasn’t had much of an offseason thus far but prepping for Blackhawks camps will start soon.
“I took it easy after we won [on May 28] so I can’t take any more days off. Get back into the gym, stay in shape,” he said. “I played not too long ago, so I’m in somewhat game shape, continue work in staying elite shape and up my strength. Coming to prospect camp, it’s fun. It’s going to be a good year. Hopefully I’ll show Chicago that I’m ready for the pros.”
As great as the Memorial Cup experience was, waiting to play in it was interesting. After being eliminated in the first round of the Ontario Hockey League playoffs, the Spitfires went 44 days without a hockey game. That’s when Knott and teammates were introduced to then coach Rocky Thompson’s phase-focused plan.
“Phase 1 was [practicing] five days a week for about two weeks. We tapered off Phase 2 and 3 leading up to tournament, but Phase 1 was a battle: two workouts a day, skate, up at 7 a.m. and running hills,” Knott said. “We didn’t take any time off. We got back into it, really drove to be successful and we were.
“Rocky had a very good plan,” Knott said of Thompson, who was named the Chicago Wolves’ new coach on Wednesday. “Going so far early and tapering off was perfect. Everyone was in good shape, everyone was healthy. We took on game 1 and we were flying. We went up from there, kept getting better and better.”
Knott had plenty thrown at him this past season, from trades to long waits to championships. Now to see where he falls in the Blackhawks’ plans.
“You can’t sit on the sidelines and look at the lineup and see where you fall in and which place you take. I have to go in and work my hardest,” Knott said. “I know what kind of player I am and if I can play my game I’ll hopefully be ready to go.”
Blackhawks Talk Podcast: What Jan Rutta signing means for Trevor van Riemsdyk's future.
By #BlackhawkTalk
(Photo/USA TODAY)
On the latest Hawks Talk Podcast Pat Boyle and Tracey Myers discuss the signing of defenseman Jan Rutta and what it means for Trevor van Riemsdyk’s future with the Blackhawks.
They also address reports that Ulf Samuelsson will replace Mike Kitchen as Hawks assistant and whether there will be a third assistant added to Joel Quenneville’s staff.
Plus, Tracey spoke to Alex DeBrincat’s coach from last season, Kris Knoblauch, about the chances of DeBrincat playing in the NHL next season.
Listen to the latest episode of the Hawks Talk Podcast here.
They also address reports that Ulf Samuelsson will replace Mike Kitchen as Hawks assistant and whether there will be a third assistant added to Joel Quenneville’s staff.
Plus, Tracey spoke to Alex DeBrincat’s coach from last season, Kris Knoblauch, about the chances of DeBrincat playing in the NHL next season.
Listen to the latest episode of the Hawks Talk Podcast here.
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... Could Fred Hoiberg leave the Bulls and return to college coaching at Ohio State.
By CSN Staff
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Could Fred Hoiberg leave the Bulls and make a return to college coaching?
CBS Sports' Gary Parrish tweeted Wednesday night that the Bulls' head coach is a "real candidate" to succeed Thad Matta at Ohio State.
Matta's 13-year tenure with the Buckeyes ended earlier this week, when Ohio State athletics director Gene Smith opted to make a change as poor results in offseason recruiting accompanied a diminishing win total in Columbus.
Hoiberg had great success in the college ranks, leading Iowa State to four NCAA tournament appearances in his five seasons at his alma mater. After the 2014-15 season, which featured the Cyclones' second straight Big 12 Tournament championship, Hoiberg left to succeed Tom Thibodeau as the head coach of the Bulls.
Things haven't gone exactly as hoped on the West Side, as Hoiberg has posted an 83-81 record in two seasons, the first of which featured the Bulls missing the playoffs. This season, the Bulls made a first-round playoff exit, losing their series with the top-seeded Boston Celtics.
Given the performance over the past two seasons, Hoiberg's job status going forward has been a frequent topic of discussion. But the Bulls' brass said after the season ended that Hoiberg would be back as the team's coach for the 2017-18 season.
While the prestige of an NBA job — particularly with a franchise as iconic as the Bulls — remains high, Ohio State is considered one of the top jobs in college hoops. The abundant resources of one of the highest-profile athletics departments in the country are made even greater by Ohio State's membership in the Big Ten, one of the best conferences in college basketball. Matta, Ohio State's all-time winningest coach, led the Buckeyes to a pair of Final Fours and a national championship game appearance during the heyday of his tenure.
Follow-Up: Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg has no interest in Ohio State opening.
By Vincent Goodwill
(Photo/USA TODAY)
Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg emerged as a candidate for the vacant head-coaching position at Ohio State, according to a Wednesday-night report.
But as of Wednesday evening, senior Bulls officials weren’t aware of Ohio State’s apparent interest, and sources tell CSNChicago.com that Hoiberg has “no interest” in the position.
Ohio State parted ways with coach Thad Matta earlier this week and has begun a search for his replacement, armed with the second biggest athletic department budget in the NCAA, behind the University of Texas.
Hoiberg has three years and $15 million left on his deal with the Bulls, a tenure that has come with mixed reviews locally and across the NBA. The Bulls missed the playoffs in Hoiberg’s first season and made the postseason this past season, losing a first-round series to the Boston Celtics in six games.
CBS Sports reported the Buckeyes’ apparent interest Wednesday evening, and some felt a retreat back to the collegiate ranks would be best suited for Hoiberg, as the Bulls haven’t surrounded Hoiberg with a roster best suited to his style and he’s been subject to criticism — along with a seemingly lukewarm endorsement from the front office in the season-ending news conference last month.
Hoiberg, who coached at his alma mater, Iowa State, before taking the head-coaching position with the Bulls two years ago, is familiar with Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith. Hoiberg was a player at Iowa State while Smith was the athletic director. Smith ran that department from 1993 to 2000, before his path eventually led him to Ohio State.
CUBS: Now Cubs have to respond to the adversity and move on with or without Addison Russell: ‘Real life happens all the time’.
By Patrick Mooney
The Cubs held a brief team meeting before a 4-1 loss to the Colorado Rockies, getting an update on Addison Russell’s situation and a reminder on how to handle questions about domestic-violence allegations they don’t have answers for now.
This is unchartered territory, a third-party accusation on Instagram that has since been deleted, a relatively new Major League Baseball policy that gives commissioner Rob Manfred a lot of latitude and little precedent and the Cubs not knowing when their All-Star shortstop will return.
“We have great clubhouse chemistry, but real life happens all the time,” team president Theo Epstein said. “Sometimes, it reaches the light of day, and sometimes it doesn’t. But there are serious situations that come up throughout the course of a season and right now we’re dealing with a very serious allegation.
“We’ll see where it develops. But, yeah, it’s not always just baseball in there. Everybody has a personal life. The real world happens every day to guys and they know how to deal with it and still play the game.”
Three-plus hours after the Cubs announced Kyle Hendricks would be going on the disabled list with a hand injury, the first-place Rockies jumped their other Cy Young Award finalist from last year. Jon Lester watched ex-Cub DJ LeMahieu – a rare miss from the early days of the Epstein administration – launch a two-out, three-run homer into the right-field basket that gave Colorado a 4-1 lead in the second inning. This kind of night: Lester was informed that LeMahieu had hit only one other home run off a left-handed fastball within the last four years.
“Baseball is a game of adjustments,” Lester said. “It’s a game that can be cruel to you at times and be really good to you at times. With Kyle doing down, all the stuff going on with Addie, you know what, that’s why we’ve got 25 guys and we’ll figure it out. You can’t worry about stuff you can’t control.
“The next guy will step in and hopefully fill that void. That’s all you can really do in this game. You can’t dwell on the negatives and you look forward to tomorrow.”
Even if the Cubs sound optimistic about Hendricks, there are now questions up and down the rotation, from how Mike Montgomery transitions out of the bullpen to where Jake Arrieta goes from here to how much John Lackey (5.12 ERA) has left at the age of 38 to if Eddie Butler can stick in the big leagues after failing with the Rockies.
Sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals last weekend now feels like ancient history for a 30-29 team near the beginning of a 30-games-in-31-days stretch between June 2 and July 2 that hasn’t even gotten into the 17 road games in five different cities yet.
“It’s all about depth,” manager Joe Maddon said. “You don’t win without depth. That happens on an annual basis. We’ve been pretty good regarding picking other guys up over the last couple years.
“These are the kind of things you have to expect during the course of the year.”
It would be foolish to write off the Cubs when they are only one game out of first place in a weak division. Javier Baez might wind up being a better shortstop than Russell and Epstein could trade for a big-time starter before the July 31 deadline.
But it’s also probably time to slow down the Cubs Way narrative about the organization’s emphasis on character and makeup after rationalizing Aroldis Chapman’s 30-game suspension under MLB’s domestic-violence policy and making that blockbuster trade with the New York Yankees last summer.
“I think they’re distinct at this time,” Epstein said. “With Aroldis Chapman, it was a player who had served his discipline and had undergone the disciplinary action through the program.
“He was somebody who we then spent a lot of time doing our own research on whether we thought he had grown from the incident and moved on and could be a productive member of our clubhouse and a good citizen while with the Cubs.
“This is an allegation by a third party on social media. They are distinct situations, but they both fall under the same general umbrella. And because the nature of the allegation is very serious, we are taking it very seriously.”
All the players can do is shrug their shoulders, get through the initial media wave and go back to work.
“We’re human beings,” said Anthony Rizzo, the face-of-the-franchise first baseman. “We’re put on this high level, but things happen off the field that usually don’t get this far to the media. Things are going on all the time, on and off the field. You learn to deal with it.
“I love Addison. We’ve had some really good memories together, but I don’t know. I love him here. I don’t know what’s going on outside of this.”
How teams might copy Cubs Way blueprint in MLB draft.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/AP)
It’s probably too simple to say the Cubs played distracted on Thursday night at Wrigley Field. It’s also not really an exaggeration to suggest the defending World Series champs could be in crisis mode.
The Cubs held a brief team meeting before a 4-1 loss to the Colorado Rockies, getting an update on Addison Russell’s situation and a reminder on how to handle questions about domestic-violence allegations they don’t have answers for now.
This is unchartered territory, a third-party accusation on Instagram that has since been deleted, a relatively new Major League Baseball policy that gives commissioner Rob Manfred a lot of latitude and little precedent and the Cubs not knowing when their All-Star shortstop will return.
“We have great clubhouse chemistry, but real life happens all the time,” team president Theo Epstein said. “Sometimes, it reaches the light of day, and sometimes it doesn’t. But there are serious situations that come up throughout the course of a season and right now we’re dealing with a very serious allegation.
“We’ll see where it develops. But, yeah, it’s not always just baseball in there. Everybody has a personal life. The real world happens every day to guys and they know how to deal with it and still play the game.”
Three-plus hours after the Cubs announced Kyle Hendricks would be going on the disabled list with a hand injury, the first-place Rockies jumped their other Cy Young Award finalist from last year. Jon Lester watched ex-Cub DJ LeMahieu – a rare miss from the early days of the Epstein administration – launch a two-out, three-run homer into the right-field basket that gave Colorado a 4-1 lead in the second inning. This kind of night: Lester was informed that LeMahieu had hit only one other home run off a left-handed fastball within the last four years.
“Baseball is a game of adjustments,” Lester said. “It’s a game that can be cruel to you at times and be really good to you at times. With Kyle doing down, all the stuff going on with Addie, you know what, that’s why we’ve got 25 guys and we’ll figure it out. You can’t worry about stuff you can’t control.
“The next guy will step in and hopefully fill that void. That’s all you can really do in this game. You can’t dwell on the negatives and you look forward to tomorrow.”
Even if the Cubs sound optimistic about Hendricks, there are now questions up and down the rotation, from how Mike Montgomery transitions out of the bullpen to where Jake Arrieta goes from here to how much John Lackey (5.12 ERA) has left at the age of 38 to if Eddie Butler can stick in the big leagues after failing with the Rockies.
Sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals last weekend now feels like ancient history for a 30-29 team near the beginning of a 30-games-in-31-days stretch between June 2 and July 2 that hasn’t even gotten into the 17 road games in five different cities yet.
“It’s all about depth,” manager Joe Maddon said. “You don’t win without depth. That happens on an annual basis. We’ve been pretty good regarding picking other guys up over the last couple years.
“These are the kind of things you have to expect during the course of the year.”
It would be foolish to write off the Cubs when they are only one game out of first place in a weak division. Javier Baez might wind up being a better shortstop than Russell and Epstein could trade for a big-time starter before the July 31 deadline.
But it’s also probably time to slow down the Cubs Way narrative about the organization’s emphasis on character and makeup after rationalizing Aroldis Chapman’s 30-game suspension under MLB’s domestic-violence policy and making that blockbuster trade with the New York Yankees last summer.
“I think they’re distinct at this time,” Epstein said. “With Aroldis Chapman, it was a player who had served his discipline and had undergone the disciplinary action through the program.
“He was somebody who we then spent a lot of time doing our own research on whether we thought he had grown from the incident and moved on and could be a productive member of our clubhouse and a good citizen while with the Cubs.
“This is an allegation by a third party on social media. They are distinct situations, but they both fall under the same general umbrella. And because the nature of the allegation is very serious, we are taking it very seriously.”
All the players can do is shrug their shoulders, get through the initial media wave and go back to work.
“We’re human beings,” said Anthony Rizzo, the face-of-the-franchise first baseman. “We’re put on this high level, but things happen off the field that usually don’t get this far to the media. Things are going on all the time, on and off the field. You learn to deal with it.
“I love Addison. We’ve had some really good memories together, but I don’t know. I love him here. I don’t know what’s going on outside of this.”
How teams might copy Cubs Way blueprint in MLB draft.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
How Theo Epstein’s front office invested in amateur hitters and calculated that young pitchers would be too volatile to build around became part of the biggest story in sports last year, which means other teams will try to steal from a Cubs Way blueprint.
“In our industry, there are a lot of copycat elements,” amateur scouting director Matt Dorey said on this week’s Cubs Talk podcast. “By no means do we have this thing figured out. But that was the best angle for our organization in that moment in time when we were really trying to shift into building a robust and talented minor-league system to help in Wrigley, sooner than later.”
Kris Bryant earned a World Series ring, made two All-Star teams and won Rookie of the Year and MVP awards before Mark Appel threw a single pitch in The Show, the reverberations still being felt from the Houston Astros whiffing on the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 draft.
Conventional wisdom framed the 2014 draft as the Cubs picking fourth from a class with three headliner pitchers. The Astros didn’t sign Brady Aiken, Tyler Kolek hasn’t pitched above the A-ball level or since 2015 for the Miami Marlins and both players already underwent Tommy John surgery. The White Sox are building around Carlos Rodon, though the lefty is currently on the disabled list with biceps bursitis.
Kyle Schwarber hasn’t lost the skills that made him a World Series legend before his 24th birthday, and two more college hitters from that first round have already made a splash, with Michael Conforto helping the New York Mets win the 2015 National League pennant and Trea Turner becoming a shortstop/energizer for the red-hot Washington Nationals.
Ian Happ’s fast track from ninth overall pick in 2015 to super-utility guy for the defending champs actually lines up with three college hitters drafted ahead of him that year – Dansby Swanson, Alex Bregman and Andrew Benintendi.
“We’ve already seen it in the last couple drafts,” Dorey said, “where the nontraditional teams that usually shot predominantly for upside are definitely shifting to focusing their top-of-the-draft money on – I don’t want to say safer, because none of them are safe – the less-risky picks.
“I think we’re going to continue to see that this year. The teams at the top that are trying to rebuild – and put a young, talented core on the field – are going to really be shooting for that demographic of player.”
Those polished college hitters are hard to find in this class – especially when the Cubs have the 27th and 30th overall picks – but this could be a chance to zig while others zag. Those two first-round picks have created a bonus pool worth almost $7.5 million. Through the free-agent churn, the Cubs will own four selections within the first 105 picks – a year after not drafting until No. 104.
“The last thing that we want is just groupthink,” said Jason McLeod, the senior vice president who oversees scouting and player development. “Certainly, we have a philosophy in mind. But we also have a very talented scouting staff that works really hard and is out there pounding the road, giving us our full evaluations and doing these big, thorough background write-ups on guys to help us make the best decisions.
“I’m sure some clubs have looked at the success, whether it be us or some of the other (teams) that have gone college-heavy. I think they’re definitely taking a look at it. You always want to try to take from what some successful organizations are doing. I think that we probably have seen a little more of that in the past couple of years – and we’ll probably see it again more this year.
“Maybe you will see some college position players being taken a little higher than they normally would, which could create opportunities elsewhere for teams that could look for a little more upside.”
One scout joked the Cubs still can’t help themselves and will draft more hitters who don’t have an obvious path to Wrigleyville or a clear spot in a crowded lineup. McLeod didn’t quite go with the best-player-available cliché.
“Most impact available,” McLeod said. “We’re not going to try to invent a pitcher there. I’d love to be talking to you guys on Monday night and say: ‘Hey, we really got a pitcher that we’re excited about.’ But I don’t know if it’s going to fall that way.
“We’re going to take the two best players for the organization. And if one of them is a pitcher – or if both of them are pitchers – that will be great.”
Cubs put Kyle Hendricks on disabled list and move Mike Montgomery into rotation.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
This would normally be major news – a hand injury for a pitcher who won an ERA title, became a Cy Young Award finalist and earned a World Series ring last year – but not so much against the backdrop of Addison Russell’s domestic dispute and Major League Baseball’s fact-finding investigation.
“It’s something that we do not think is serious or long term,” Cubs president Theo Epstein said Thursday, expecting Hendricks to be available at some point during next weekend’s series against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.
Mike Montgomery – the versatile lefty the Cubs believe can someday transition from valuable swingman to frontline starter – will face the first-place Colorado Rockies on Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field. The Cubs will also add Triple-A Iowa right-hander Seth Frankoff to their bullpen.
Cubs' John Lackey: ‘It’s not like we’ve been scoring a ton’. (Wednesday night's game, 06/07/2017).
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
John Lackey didn’t add the qualifier “except for tonight” when asked about the differences he’s seen in the Cubs team that returned to Wrigley Field after an 0-for-6 West Coast trip.
“We’ve pitched a lot better,” Lackey said after Wednesday’s 6-5 loss to the Miami Marlins snapped a five-game winning streak where the Cubs started to look more like the defending World Series champs. “It’s not like we’ve been scoring a ton.”
Lackey Being Lackey can mean a lot of different things. His Coors Field masterpiece last month looks more like the mile-high outlier. Putting up seven scoreless innings and 10 strikeouts against a strong Colorado Rockies team – Montreal Expos-era Pedro Martinez is the only other visiting pitcher to do that – became a talking point for Cubs officials when asked about an up-and-down rotation and a guy who’s 38 years old with almost 3,000 innings on his odometer.
But it’s also hard to think of a more accomplished No. 4 starter or another available pitcher with the same insanely competitive streak and playoff experience. The Cleveland Indians already showed how you could get to the 10th inning of a World Series Game 7 with a thin rotation and a powerful, dynamic bullpen.
That will become part of the backdrop after the amateur draft, when the Cubs begin to sharpen their focus on the July 31 trade deadline. Until then, there will be nights like this for Lackey, who gave up five runs in six innings and now has a 5.12 ERA.
“John knows what he’s doing out there,” manager Joe Maddon said. “John’s not afraid to challenge hitters. Sometimes it works for him. Sometimes it works against him.”
Lackey watched J.T. Realmuto and Marcell Ozuna crush a hanging changeup and a 91-mph fastball into the left- and center-field bleachers in the fourth and fifth innings. Bronson Arroyo – a comeback story with the Cincinnati Reds – is the only National League pitcher who has given up more homers than Lackey (16) this season.
Opponents are hitting .270 against Lackey with an .833 OPS that ranks 72nd out of 85 qualified big-league pitchers. Last week’s no-decision in a 3-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals is the only other time this year that Lackey has lasted more than six innings.
Lackey – a pitcher who gets by with guts, command and game plans – mostly regretted the two-run, first-pitch, fourth-inning single he gave up to J.T. Riddle, Miami’s No. 8 hitter.
“With the pitcher coming up, I wasn’t even really trying to throw a strike there,” Lackey said. “I was trying to throw a chase slider in and hung that pitch a little bit. That’s definitely probably the difference in the game there. If I manage the game a little bit better in that one inning, it probably shouldn’t have killed us.”
WHITE SOX: Derek Holland hit hard as White Sox fall to Rays, drop series.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The White Sox starting rotation could use James Shields in the worst way right about now.
Derek Holland was the latest White Sox starting pitcher to get hit hard when he got roughed up on Thursday night. Holland allowed three home runs and put the White Sox in a huge hole from with which they could not climb out of against the Tampa Bay Rays. Avisail Garcia blasted a three-run homer, but it was too late for the White Sox, who fell 7-5 to the Rays in front of 8,971 at Tropicana Field. Holland allowed six earned runs for the White Sox, whose starting pitchers have a 7.90 ERA in six games on the team’s current 1-5 road trip.
“Whatever the opposition does, we just have to counter it,” manager Rick Renteria said. “It’s hard to do that in the big leagues every single day, but they’ll get better. Our starting rotation is better than it has shown over the last seven or eight days. We’ll continue to make improvements, no doubt about it, but we have to keep pushing. We have to keep playing. We can’t quit. It’s a long season.”
Holland retired the side in order in the first inning, but it was the only easy frame he had all evening. The lefty issued a one-out walk in the second inning to Tim Beckham and Kevin Kiermaier doubled him in to make it 1-0. The inning might have been worse if it weren’t for Tampa’s poor base running. Kiermaier was thrown out in a run down on Daniel Robertson’s fielder’s choice and Robertson also got cut down trying to race to third while the White Sox tracked down the lead runner.
Derek Norris belted his first homer of the night to lead off the third inning and put the Rays ahead 2-0. Three more singles later, including Evan Longoria’s dome-aided pop up to right, put Tampa up by three runs.
Norris stretched the lead to 5-0 when he belted a two-run shot off Holland in the fourth inning and Peter Bourjos followed with a solo homer to stretch the lead to six.
It was the second straight rough turn for Holland, who gave up eight runs in Detroit on Friday.
Collectively, White Sox starting pitchers have yielded 25 runs (24 earned) and 40 hits in 27 1/3 innings since leaving Chicago. Starters have also walked 14 and struck out 17.
“No excuse,” Holland said. “I have to pitch better than that. Too many walks is the most frustrating thing and if you make a mistake, these guys will capitalize. A very frustrating day for me. I’m not happy with that.”
Thursday was the second rehab outing for Shields, who allowed a run and four hits in five innings for Triple-A Charlotte. Prior to heading out on his rehab assignment, Shields said he hoped he’d need only two starts before he could return to the White Sox.
Much like they have all season, the White Sox didn’t give in despite the deficit. Todd Frazier said Renteria held an in-dugout pep talk in the fifth inning. Frazier led off the inning with a single and Tim Anderson walked, but the White Sox didn’t score.
But they did in the sixth as Garcia followed consecutive singles by Melky Cabrera and Jose Abreu in the sixth inning with a colossal three-run blast to center (446 feet) to make it a 6-3 game. Garcia — who’s hitting .330/.368/.553 with 10 homers and 42 RBIs — singled in the eighth inning and Frazier (three hits) followed with a two-run shot off the left-field foul pole to get the White Sox within a run. Anderson doubled and stole third base but was left stranded.
Colby Rasmus gave the Rays a two-run cushion with a solo homer off Gregory Infante in the eighth inning.
“That’s how we’ve been playing all year and Ricky kind of got in us a little bit in the dugout, saying ‘We’re professionals, let’s go. Pick it up a little bit,’ ” Frazier said. “Kind, that was right before I got the single so we kind of kick-started ourselves a little bit to play the game, keep playing. We fought our way back. We had a chance to tie it or win it. True grit, that’s how we’ve been playing. We’ve got to do that a little earlier and a little more often.”
Rick Renteria re-emphasizes need for White Sox to play clean baseball.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Leury Garcia’s inexperience in center field is inevitably going to lead to some of the throwing mistakes he has made the past few games.
White Sox manager Rick Renteria knows that occasionally Garcia will slip up. That’s what happens when a career utility man is asked to play a new position on an everyday basis for the first time. Of Garcia’s 67 career games in center, 42 have come this season.
At the same time, Renteria is trying to find a balance between his expectations and the learning curve.
He expects his team to provide a brand of smart, fundamental baseball. He also has to provide some leeway for the occasional mistake. But in between, Renteria and his staff have had several recent discussions with Garcia about throws that have allowed base runners to take an extra base when they shouldn’t have. On Tuesday, Garcia’s poor throw in the fifth inning got away from Tim Anderson, which allowed both runners aboard to move into scoring position.
“We continue to talk about it,” Renteria said. “But at some point it becomes emphasized a little more firmly, more crisply, and you tighten the importance of being able to make sure you’re doing the little things that are important, not allowing advancement of baserunners. All you’re trying to do is play clean baseball.”
“You have to play clean baseball. I don’t care how good a club you are in terms of talent or not, you have to play clean baseball. And part of that is hitting the cutoff guy. Part of that is not running into outs. Part of that is knowing what you’re supposed to be doing, executing bunts and things of that nature. Every aspect of the game has to be done with a purpose.”
Renteria has emphasized he wants this type of play from the outset of spring training. The focus of the team’s meetings at the start of each series is about what they did right or wrong in the previous games. There’s also individual instruction that goes on daily. But Renteria also realizes he has to balance his desire with the simple fact that he has an inexperienced roster that at times needs more development.
After Garcia made a pair of overthrows in Detroit and the one on Tuesday, they talked again.
On Tuesday, Garcia caught a hard liner with two men on and before he set his feet, under-armed his return in an attempt to get the ball back in quickly. The throw bounced short of Anderson and scooted away. Renteria likes how Garcia responded immediately by hitting the cutoff man with a hard throw after Kevin Kiermaier’s single in the eighth inning.
“We address it,” Renteria said. “We talk about it. (Garcia) understands and he knows that he’s got to make a better throw and in the next inning there was another play hit out to center field and I think he made a pretty good throw back into the cutoff guy, over the top. I think they’re making adjustments every day. Every play that they make or don’t make, they have an opportunity to gain something from that. He’s not precluded from doing that. He’s learning, he continues to learn. He continues to improve.”
How smooth transition to White Sox played role in Michael Kopech earning All-Star nod.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Michael Kopech earned a starting assignment in the upcoming Southern League All-Star Game.
The White Sox prospect learned Thursday he’d get the nod as the starting pitcher for the North Division squad in the June 20 contest in Pensacola, Fla.
The No. 12 prospect in baseball, Kopech is 4-3 with a 2.93 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 58 1/3 innings at Double-A Birmingham. Thursday’s news is just another highlight in what Kopech has described as a smooth transition to Double-A and to a new organization. Kopech is one of four players acquired by the White Sox from the Boston Red Sox in the trade for Chris Sale.
“It has been pretty easy, honestly,” Kopech said via phone last week. “I’ve had great camaraderie in every clubhouse I’ve been in so far, big league spring training, minor league spring and now in Birmingham. I’ve worked well with Jose Bautista so far this year. He’s helped me with key adjustments, not necessarily anything big mechanically, but he’s worked well with me on a lot of keys to tweak something every now and then. I’ve had a lot of fun working with him so far. It really has been about as smooth of a transition as you can ask for. I’ve been excited about that.”
Golf: I got a club for that..... Cink among quartet of co-leaders in Memphis.
(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)
The temperatures weren't as hot as in years past, but the scores were still plenty low in Memphis. Here's how things look after the opening round of the FedEx St. Jude Classic, where a former major champ hopes to end a lengthy victory drought:
Leaderboard: Stewart Cink (-6), Matt Every (-6), Scott Brown (-6), Sebastian Munoz (-6), Charl Schwartzel (-5), Matt Jones (-5), Retief Goosen (-4)
What it means: Every has missed 19 of 21 cuts this season, but he got out of the gates early with a bogey-free 64 to set the pace. He was later caught by Brown, who won the 2013 Puerto Rico Open, while Cink tied for low man of the afternoon wave alongside Munoz, a Web.com Tour grad, as he looks to win for the first time since topping Tom Watson in a memorable playoff at The Open in 2009 at Turnberry.
Round of the day: Cink has struggled with off-course issues in recent months as his wife, Lisa, battles breast cancer, but his game has come around in recent weeks. The veteran tied for 10th at Colonial, was T-25 at the Memorial and qualified for the U.S. Open Monday in Columbus. He kept up the momentum with a 6-under 64 at TPC Southwind that included nine birdies, including an 8-foot make on his final hole.
Best of the rest: Every's back-to-back wins at Bay Hill seem light years ago, as he entered the week ranked No. 1255 in the world. But he turned back the clock with a 64 that featured an eagle on the par-5 16th to go along with four other birdies, marking Every's lowest round on Tour since a 62 at the 2013 Greenbrier Classic.
Biggest disappointment: It looks like RIckie Fowler may be heading to Erin Hills a little earlier than planned. Fowler has been solid in recent months but ballooned to a 4-over 74 that was marred by a double bogey on No. 13 and a triple bogey on No. 15. He now sits 10 shots off the early pace and seems likely to miss his first cut since the Farmers Insurance Open.
Main storyline heading into Friday: Expect more low scores on a gettable layout, and don't overlook former champ Harris English at 3 under. But the story to watch is Cink, for whom a victory of any kind would mark one of the sport's more inspirational stories of late given his wife's ongoing health struggle over the last year and its impact on his playing schedule.
Quote of the day: "It was kind of boring. There really wasn't much going on." - Phil MIckelson, who struggled with accuracy off the tee but birdied the 18th hole to salvage a 1-under 69 and remain within five shots of the leaders.
No one quite sure what to expect at U.S. Open ... again.
By Doug Ferguson
(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)
Going somewhere new for the U.S. Open is starting to get old.
For so many years, everyone knew what to expect. With few exceptions, the event's identity as the ''toughest test in golf'' was carved out of traditional, tree-lined courses with tight fairways and thick rough, firm and fast greens. No one ever complained about making par.
Dustin Johnson won last year at Oakmont, which hosted the U.S. Open for the ninth time. He defends his title on a course that only opened 11 years ago.
For the second time in three years, the U.S. Open is headed to a course that has never hosted a major.
The stage this year is Erin Hills, the first U.S. Open in Wisconsin. The course looks like a links with its wispy grass framing rolling fairways and shaved slopes around the greens, except that it's nowhere the sea. Erin Hills is about 40 miles northwest of Milwaukee.
''I heard it's long. Big course. Long walk,'' Johnson said before going up on June 3 to see it for the first time. ''Trees? No trees?''
He wasn't sure.
About the only similarities between Erin Hills and Chambers Bay, which hosted the U.S. Open two years ago off Puget Sound in Washington state, are that both were built as public golf courses and are mostly devoid of trees.
And no one is sure what to expect, even if they've already been there.
Jordan Spieth played the 2011 U.S. Amateur at Erin Hills. He remembers rolling terrain and not many trees. He remembered the first hole and the 18th hole were par 5s (similar to Chambers Bay). And that was about it.
''Course knowledge is necessary, even more so there than a course like Oakmont that you've maybe watched on TV,'' said Spieth, who won at Chambers Bay by one shot over Johnson. ''Even seeing certain holes, if you just watched major championships in the past, can help you. And so when you come to a completely new venue, it requires quite a bit of work.''
Against this backdrop – pristine pastureland that dates to the Ice Age when a glacier retreated across Wisconsin – the 117th U.S. Open begins June 15 with plenty of intrigue that goes beyond the mystery of a new golf course.
It will be the first U.S. Open in 25 years that doesn't have the names Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson among the starting times. Woods is missing all the majors for the second straight year because of a fourth back surgery, which was a month before his DUI arrest in Florida. Mickelson, with a record six runner-up finishes in the only major he hasn't won, said he plans to skip because his daughter's high school graduation is the same day as the opening round.
Johnson, who shipped the U.S. Open trophy back to the USGA a couple of weeks ago, will try to become the first player since Curtis Strange in 1989 to successfully defend his title. Strange is the only player in more than a half-century to win back-to-back, a feat that neither Woods nor Jack Nicklaus managed.
And there is internal pressure on the USGA to get through a U.S. Open without an overload of complaints.
''If I was being completely honest, there is some of that,'' said Mike Davis, the USGA's executive director.
The greens were mostly dead, if they even had grass, when the U.S. Open was at Chambers Bay, though that was largely because of the weather. Still fresh is the fiasco from a year ago when Johnson's golf ball moved on the fifth green and there was debate whether he caused it. The USGA told him on the 12th tee it would wait until after the round for him to review it, meaning Johnson played the final seven holes not knowing the score. Neither did anyone else.
''Those things could have happened anywhere,'' Davis said. ''But they happened to us.''
Even so, this U.S. Open starts with a golf course that has never had the best players in the world, and doesn't look anything like a typical U.S. Open. The scorecard is 7,741 yards, making it the longest in U.S. Open history, though it likely will play shorter depending on how the course is set up each day. The fairways are wider than usual and there is no rough around the greens, much like Pinehurst No. 2., giving players options.
It's a major with which Nicklaus is not familiar.
''I think the USGA has gotten away from their identity with what they're doing,'' Nicklaus said. ''I haven't see the way the courses are set up. I know Chambers Bay was different. I have zero idea what Erin Hills is. I happen to like the U.S. Open the way it is."
''When you start changing around your setup, you're changing what you're asking a player to do,'' he added. ''I don't know if that's good or bad. It's just different.''
Davis, who took charge of U.S. Open setups starting with Winged Foot in 2006, says while the nature of the shots might be different depending on the golf course, the overall is exam is strong. He still strives to make it the toughest test in golf.
And he made no apologies for going to courses so new.
''What Erin Hills doesn't have is history yet,'' Davis said. ''But everybody had to start somewhere.''
This one starts with a little mystery that goes beyond Erin Hills. Going into the Masters, the biggest names in golf were winning - Spieth at Pebble Beach, Sergio Garcia in Dubai, Hideki Matsuyama in Phoenix, Rickie Fowler in Florida and then Johnson, who for the longest time looked as though he couldn't lose.
Johnson, now established at No. 1 in the world, remains the betting favorite for the U.S. Open. But he hasn't looked quite the same since he slipped in his socks down a wooden staircase and bruised his back so badly he had to withdraw from the Masters.
''I'm playing the best golf that I've ever played, and then I hurt myself and can't practice for a month,'' Johnson said. ''It definitely takes some momentum away.''
After missing the cut at the Memorial, mainly due to his putting, he spent two days at Erin Hills and liked what he saw. Johnson also is developing a reputation for being a U.S. Open player. Two years ago, he was 12 feet away from winning at Chambers Bay until a three-putt par to finish one shot behind Spieth. And then he won handily at Oakmont, even under the most bizarre circumstances of not knowing whether he would be penalized one shot when it was over.
''I've finished second and first,'' Johnson said, pausing to smile. ''Two-one-one would be nice.''
U.S. Open: Round 1, Round 2 tee times.
By Golf Channel Digital
By Golf Channel Digital
(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)
A look at complete first- and second-round tee times for the 117th U.S. Open at Erin Hills in Erin, Wis., June 15-18.
(All times ET; a=amateur)
First Round
First tee/10th tee
7:45AM/1:30PM: Jordan Niebrugge, Talor Gooch, Kevin Dougherty
7:56AM/1:41PM: Andres Romero, Brice Garnett, TBD
8:07AM/1:52PM: Yasaku Miyazato, J.T. Poston, Aaron Rai
8:18AM/2:03PM: David Lingmerth, Paul Dunne, Haotong Li
8:29AM/2:14PM: Stewart Hagestad (a), Chez Reavie, Gene Sauders
8:40AM/2:25PM: Brandt Snedeker, Alex Noren, Tyrrell Hatton
8:51AM/2:36PM: Rafa Cabrera Bello, Thomas Pieters, Brooks Koepka
9:02AM/2:47PM: Gary Woodland, J.B. Holmes, Jason Kokrak
9:13AM/2:58PM: Russell Knox, Scott Gregory (a), Martin Laird
9:24AM/3:09PM: Kevin Kisner, Billy Horschel, Branden Grace
9:35AM/3:20PM: Webb Simpson, Ernie Els, Lucas Glover
9:46AM/3:31PM: Tyson Alexander, Christopher Crawford (a), Max Greyserman
9:57AM/3:42PM: Matthew Campbell, Garrett Osborn, Walker Lee (a)
1:30PM/7:45AM: Jack Maguire Corey Conners, Ben Kohles
1:41PM/7:56AM: Eddie Pepperell, Chan Kim, TBD
1:52PM/8:07AM: Jhonattan Vegas, Yuta Ikeda, Sean O’Hair
2:03PM/8:18AM: Andrew Johnston, Brian Stuard, George Coetzee
2:14PM/8:29AM: Marc Leishman, Pat Perez, Si Woo Kim
2:25PM/8:40AM: Russell Henley, Scottie Scheffler (a), Harris English
2:36PM/8:51AM: Bubba Watson, Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia
2:47PM/9:02AM: Henrik Stenson, Charl Schwartzel, Louis Oosthuizen
2:58PM/9:13AM: Jimmy Walker, Justin Thomas, Paul Casey
3:09PM/9:24AM: Jason Day, Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy
3:20PM/9:35AM: Steve Stricker, Stewart Cink, Phil Mickelson
3:31PM/9:46AM: Ryan Brehm, John Oda (a), Jonathan Randolph
3:42PM/9:57AM: Mason Andersen (a), Derek Barron, Roman Robledo
Second Round
10th tee/First tee
7:45AM/1:30PM: Ted Potter Jr., Daniel Chopra, TBD
7:56AM/1:41PM: Shingo Imahira, Matthew Wallace, TBD
8:07AM/1:52PM: Charley Hoffman, Jason Dufner, Hideto Tanihara
8:18AM/2:03PM: Jeunghun Wang, Thomas Aiken, Bradley Dredge
8:29AM/2:14PM: Scott Harvey (a), Jamie Lovemark, Michael Putnam
8:40AM/2:25PM: Brian Harman, Tommy Fleetwood, Bud Cauley
8:51AM/2:36PM: Hideki Matsuyama, Rickie Fowler, Jon Rahm
9:02AM/2:47PM: Lee Westwood, Ross Fisher, Graeme McDowell
9:13AM/2:58PM: Danny Willett, Zach Johnson, Angel Cabrera
9:24AM/3:09PM: Matt Kuchar, Francesco Molinari, Patrick Reed
9:35AM/3:20PM: Martin Kaymer, Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson
9:46AM/3:31PM: Joaquin Niemann (a), Stephan Jaeger, Joel Statler
9:57AM/3:42PM: Daniel Miernicki, Sahith Theegala (a), TBD
1:30PM/7:45AM: Wade Ormsby, Oliver Bekker, Kyle Thompson
1:41PM/7:56AM: Brandon Stone, Troy Merritt, TBD
1:52PM/8:07AM: Satoshi Kodaira, Daniel Summerhays, Alexander Levy
2:03PM/8:18AM: William McGirt, Keegan Bradley, Kevin Na
2:14PM/8:29AM: Brad Dalke (a), Wesley Bryan, Brendan Steele
2:25PM/8:40AM: Nick Flanagan, Richie Ramsay, Bryson DeChambeau
2:36PM/8:51AM: Daniel Berger, Roberto Castro, Bill Haas
2:47PM/9:02AM: Adam Hadwin, Emiliano Grillo, Cheng-Tsung Pan
2:58PM/9:13AM: Scott Piercy, Shane Lowry, Jim Furyk
3:09PM/9:24AM: Matthew Fitzpatrick, Peter Uihlein, Byeong Hun An
3:20PM/9:35AM: Kevin Chappell, Maverick McNealy (a), Bernd Weisberger
3:31PM/9:46AM: Xander Schauffele, Trey Mullinax, Cameron Champ (a)
3:42PM/9:57AM: Sam Ryder, Alex Smalley (a), Andy Pope
NASCAR weekend schedule for Pocono (Cup, Xfinity) and Texas (Trucks).
By Jerry Bonkowski
(Photo/Getty Images)
NASCAR’s three national series will be in two different locations this weekend.
Pocono Raceway will play host to both the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series, while Texas Motor Speedway will host the Camping World Truck Series, which is the undercard to the Verizon IndyCar Series weekend there.
Here’s the full weekend schedule for both venues:
(All times are Eastern)
Friday, June 9 – Pocono
8:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. – Cup garage open
10:30 a.m. – 7 p.m. – Xfinity garage open
11 a.m. – 12:25 p.m. – First Cup practice (FS1, Motor Racing Network)
1 – 1:55 p.m. – Xfinity practice (FS1)
3 – 3:55 p.m. – Final Xfinity practice (FS1)
4:15 p.m. – Cup qualifying (multi-vehicle, three rounds) (FS1, MRN)
Friday, June 9 – Texas
12 p.m. – Truck garage open
5:35 p.m. – Truck qualifying (single vehicle, two rounds) (No TV/radio)
7 p.m. – Driver/crew chief meeting
7:40 p.m. – Driver introductions
8 p.m. – WinstarOnlineGaming.com 400 (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Saturday, June 10 — Pocono
6 a.m. – Xfinity garage opens
9:35 a.m. – Xfinity qualifying (single vehicle/two rounds) (FS1)
10 a.m. – 4 p.m. – Cup garage open
11:15 a.m. – Xfinity driver/crew chief meeting
11:30 a.m. – 12:25 p.m. – Final Cup practice (FS1, MRN)
12:30 p.m. – Xfinity driver introductions
1 p.m. – Xfinity race – Pocono Green 250; 100 laps/250 miles (Fox, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday, June 11 — Pocono
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. – NASCAR Cup race – Axalta Presents the Pocono 400; 160 laps/400 miles (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Xfinity Race Preview: Pocono.
Motor Racing Network
The NASCAR Xfinity Series returns to Pocono Raceway this weekend for its second race at "The Tricky Triangle." (Photo/Getty Images)
NASCAR Xfinity Series news, notes and fast facts in advance of Saturday's Pocono Green 250 at Pocono Raceway.
| Radio: MRN, 12:30 p.m. (ET) |
| TV: FOX, 12:30 p.m. (ET) |
| Race Distance: 100 laps |
| Stage Lengths: Stage 1 (Ends on lap 25), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 50), Stage 3 (Ends on lap 100) |
| Races: | 1 |
| Youngest/Oldest Pole Winner: | Erik Jones (6/4/2016 - 20 years, 5 days) |
| Youngest/Oldest Race Winner: | Kyle Larson (6/4/2016 - 20 years, 5 days) |
| Races Won from Pole: | 0 |
| Race Record: | Kyle Larson - 118.421 mph (6/4/2016) |
| Qualifying Record: | Erik Jones - 175.929 mph (6/4/2016) |
| 2016 Race | |
| Cars: | 40 |
| Lead Changes: | 6 |
| Leaders: | 5 |
| Cautions: | 5 |
| Caution Laps: | 14 |
| Lead Lap Finish: | 25 |
| Running at the Finish: | 32 |
| Laps Led (Winner): | 27 |
| Margin of Victory: | Caution |
NASCAR Ladder System Once Again Proves to be Fruitful
With the recent announcement that Darrell Wallace Jr. will be moving from the NASCAR Xfinity Series up to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series to replace an injured Aric Almirola in the iconic No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford, he now joins a long list of drivers that have climbed the NASCAR ladder to success.
Over the last few seasons, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series has had a migration-sized influx of NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers getting an opportunity to compete at NASCAR’s highest level; including Chase Elliott, Chris Buescher, Daniel Suárez, Ty Dillon, Erik Jones, Ryan Blaney, Corey LaJoie, Ross Chastain, Ryan Sieg and now the most recent, Darrell Wallace Jr.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series is a proving ground for many in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series today. 11 former Xfinity Series champions are now competing in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series full-time – Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Austin Dillon, Chase Elliott, Chris Buescher and Daniel Suárez.
Three of the 11 Xfinity champions have gone on to win a title in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series – Brad Keselowski (2012), Kevin Harvick (2014) and Kyle Busch (2015).
Darrell Wallace Jr. will run the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing one more time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series this weekend at Pocono. Last season in the NASCAR XFINITY Series event at Pocono, Wallace started last (40th) and drove to a 16th-place finish.
Four Sunoco Rookies In the Top 10 Through 11 Races
The next wave of young drivers is already showing their merit this season as four Sunoco Rookie of the Year contenders are ranked inside the top 10 of the NASCAR Xfinity Series driver standings and are currently playoff-bound.
JR Motorsport’s William Byron is presently sitting third in the standings, 57 markers behind points leader and teammate Elliott Sadler. In 11 starts this season, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native Byron has posted two top fives, six top 10s and an average finish of 13.1. This weekend will be Byron’s series track debut at Pocono Raceway. Byron won from the pole in his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut at Pocono last season, leading 44 laps.
Richard Childress Racing’s Daniel Hemric is currently fifth in the standings, 92 points behind the standings lead. In 11 starts this season, the Kannapolis, North Carolina, native has posted two top fives, four top 10s and an average finish of 15.9. Hemric will be making his series track debut at Pocono this weekend. Over the last two seasons he has made two NCWTS starts at Pocono, posting a best finish of ninth in 2015.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Matt Tifft is up to eighth in the standings heading into Pocono this weekend. In 11 races this season, the Hinckley, Ohio, native has posted one top five, nine top 10s and one pole. His average finish this season is 15.3.
Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer (10th in points) rounds out the Sunoco rookies in the top 10 in the driver standings through 11 races. This season, the Ladera Ranch, California, native has posted two top fives, four top 10s and an average finish of 18.3. This weekend will be Custer’s series track debut at Pocono. Custer made one start at Pocono in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series last season, posting a fifth-place finish.
Chip Ganassi Racing Hopes to Keep Pocono Wins to Themselves
Last season was the first time the NASCAR Xfinity Series has competed at Pocono Raceway, and Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kyle Larson took the victory. This season, Larson is back to make sure Chip Ganassi Racing defends their crown.
Coming off a victory at Dover last weekend, Kyle Larson is having an impressive part-time schedule in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. In just six starts, he has posted three wins (Auto Club Speedway, Richmond International Raceway and Dover International Speedway), five top fives, six top 10s and average finish of 2.5.
The Elk Grove, Calif., native will be back in the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet this weekend at Pocono with crew chief Mike Shiplett, trying to make it back-to-back victories. But Larson won’t be the only Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver trying his hand at the win this weekend in the series – Paul Menard, Ty Dillon, Daniel Suárez and Brad Keselowski will also be in the field.
Outside Looking In: Sieg, Gaughan, Jones Face Uphill Climb to the Playoffs
The 2016 post-season was the first time the NASCAR Xfinity Series had incorporated an elimination-style playoff in the format to crown the season’s champion. Twelve drivers make the playoffs at the start of the post-season and through four rounds of elimination, a champion emerges. Ryan Sieg, Brendan Gaughan and Brandon Jones all participated in last season’s playoffs, but this season the threesome faces not making the post season, as they are outside the top 12 in points and are without a win in 2017.
RSS Racing’s Sieg finished the 2016 season ninth in the final playoff standings – a career-best for Sieg and the organization. This season, Sieg is currently 14th in the driver standings, 33-points back from 12th-place Dakoda Armstrong in the last playoff position. In 11 starts this season, Sieg has posted four top-20 finishes and an average finish of 21.5. Last season at Pocono, Sieg started 15th and finished 29th in the rain-shortened event.
Richard Childress Racing’s Gaughan finished 12th in last season’s final playoff standings. This season, he sits 15th in points, 43 markers back from the playoff cutoff line after posting one top five and two 10s. His average finish in 2017 is a 23.7, down more than 10 spots compared to last season (12.2). Gaughan’s current situation is in large part due to his three DNFs this season. Gaughan finished 14th at Pocono in last season’s event.
A younger RCR driver, Jones, is trying to avoid the "sophomore slump" in his second season in the series. In 2016, Jones finished 10th in the final playoff standings in his rookie campaign, but currently sits 16th in points with the threat of not making it back into the playoffs this season. In 11 starts in 2017, Jones has posted an average finish of 23.2. In last season’s Pocono race, he started 14th and finished eighth.
NASCAR Xfinity Series, Etc.
Benjamin Is Back: Joe Gibbs Racing has tapped rising star Kyle Benjamin to drive the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with crew chief Chris Gabehart this weekend at Pocono. Benjamin made his series debut at Richmond earlier this season, starting second and running upfront most of the event until a late incident relegated him to a 32nd-place finish.
Mears In For Almirola: With Aric Almirola sidelined due to a back injury, car owner Fred Biagi has slotted veteran driver Casey Mears into the No. 98 Biagi-DenBeste Racing Ford this weekend at Pocono. Mears has made four starts in the NASCAR XFINITY Series this season, posting one top 10 and an average finish of 20.5.
Christopher Bell sweeps all three Truck practices at Texas.
By Dustin Long
(Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
Christopher Bell posted the fastest lap in the final Camping World Truck Series practice Thursday night at Texas Motor Speedway.
Bell had the fastest lap in each of the three sessions. He had a lap of 185.982 mph in the final practice. He was followed by Johnny Sauter (185.420 mph), Ben Rhodes (184.982), Matt Crafton (184.641) and Ryan Truex (184.634).
Bell also had the fastest average over 10 consecutive laps at 184.163 mph in the session.
SOCCER: In search of answers, Fire try to learn from draw in Orlando.
Bell had the fastest lap in each of the three sessions. He had a lap of 185.982 mph in the final practice. He was followed by Johnny Sauter (185.420 mph), Ben Rhodes (184.982), Matt Crafton (184.641) and Ryan Truex (184.634).
Bell also had the fastest average over 10 consecutive laps at 184.163 mph in the session.
SOCCER: In search of answers, Fire try to learn from draw in Orlando.
By Dan Santaromita
(Photo/USA TODAY)
Sunday’s scoreless draw at Orlando left the Chicago Fire frustrated and searching for answers as to why the team was unable to break through against the shorthanded Lions.
Orlando suffered a first-half red card, one which the league has since rescinded, and another in the second half to go down to nine men. The Fire were unable to get a shot on target after Orlando went down to nine.
The missed opportunity of getting a win away from home against a playoff rival in the Eastern Conference could haunt the Fire later on. For now, coach Veljko Paunovic and co. are trying to figure out how to fix what went wrong.
“I think it was a very tricky game,” Paunovic said. “When I spoke with our general manager, Nelson Rodriguez, he said it right. Something that we are good in, which is now controlling the game and being consistent in, that worked against us.
“Now we were comfortable in controlling the game, the thing that we haven’t been in the past. Now we are like this is our style, we can do it, we can do it. We were maybe too confident because we thought it’s going to come, it’s going to come, it’s going to come. What we lacked of was the sense of urgency. We woke up in the last five minutes, but it was too late.”
Rodriguez said during training on Wednesday that he opted for the glass half-full view that Sunday’s game was the first time the Fire controlled a game for all 90 minutes. While a team playing up a man for over an hour is expected to control the game, the Fire did have a majority of the possession even before Rafael Ramos’ controversial red card.
Another factor is how unusual the circumstances were. It’s not often teams defend in the way Orlando did because it’s not often teams are down to nine players.
“You know when you play against a team which has only nine or 10 players on the field they defend only, let’s say 35 meters,” midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger said. “If you play against 11 sometimes it’s a little bit longer, the distance they have to defend.
“We were maybe not 100 percent sharp enough to win the game at the end of the day.”
Schweinsteiger, along with Dax McCarty, has been one of the most vocal players on the team in terms of saying there is room for improvement even after the results have improved.
“What I feel is like, especially after the Seattle victory at home, that we got more confidence,” Schweinsteiger said. “We believe. We play with a bigger chest. But still we are not on that level where I can say we are on a top level. We are on a good level, but we still have to improve.”
The broader view of the draw in Orlando is that, even if aided by the circumstances of the match and the two red cards, the Fire are looking back negatively at a draw on the road. Last year, the Fire had one win and two draws on the road out of 17 matches. This year’s team already has a win and three draws on the road.
Paunovic is looking at Sunday’s draw as a learning experience.
“This had to happen on the field so we can learn from that and I think we did,” Paunovic said. “We spoke about it, we had a long meeting for more than 30 minutes. Everyone gave his input and everyone was like, yes, we were all on the same page. We have to learn from this, we’ll learn.
“Now next time we have this situation I think we will be prepared.”
USMNT 2-0 T&T: Pulisic on parade.
By Nicholas Mendola
(Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
The U.S. now heads to Mexico for Sunday’s qualifier at Azteca, and stands a good chance of finishing this international break in an automatic World Cup qualifying slot.
Trinidad and Tobago stays dead last in the Hex table, with three points. Costa Rica hosts Panama, and Honduras visits Mexico later Thursday.
The touches weren’t there to start, even if the ideas were going forward. Clint Dempsey plugged consecutive through balls into Trinidad legs, and Jorge Villafana’s chest level cross sailed through the box.
Through 10 minutes, it was scoreless and T&T would have to be happy with its play.
Dempsey had a shot from 19 yards after Bradley sprayed a diagonal ball to Villafana, who moved it to Johnson and onto the former Fulham man. Moments later, Yedlin cued up Altidore from the right side, but the Toronto FC striker went for a fancy back leg finish and whiffed on his shot.
Yedlin was on the end of a terrific ball to the end line, but Altidore got a late start on reaching a cut back. Then Brooks lashed a shot that was parried from trouble by Jan-Michael Williams, who then stopped a strong offering from Altidore. It was coming.
A relentless run from Pulisic morphed into a gilt-edge chance, and the Borussia Dortmund teenage claimed a deflection when his left-footed lash went over the bar.
Trinidad’s first real chance came when Khaleem Hyland was gifted an acre of space and his long rip flew wide of goal.
Yet it was still 0-0 after the half hour mark, and the Yanks nearly threw it away when Kenwyne Jones beat Brooks to a cross and headed the ball off the bar.
Villafana then tested Williams, and Dempsey chased down the rebound to feed Altidore. The big man’s header was popped over the bar by Williams for a corner.
Now the 37th minute, Nagbe chipped a pass to Altidore that wound up headed over the bar.
Howard needed to make another stop on a shot through traffic in the 42nd minute, but the U.S. was superior over 45 minutes despite the 0-0 score line.
A Molino cross just missed Nathan Lewis in the 51st minute, and despite its dominance the U.S. was lucky to not trail (again).
The Americans finally scored thanks to Nagbe, who had struggled with his touch but produced a wonderful goal by dribbling into a 1-2 with Dempsey before Yedlin sent a ball into the goal mouth for Pulisic’s sliding finish.
Lewis had a goal called back for offside off the ensuing kickoff.
Williams was injured in the 56th minute, the no-doubt Man of the Match at that point needing a break after scrambling to stop Pulisic and Altidore.
Pulisic nabbed his second when Yedlin played square to Altidore, who snapped a ball beyond the defense for the youngster to bend near post.
Substitutes Kellyn Acosta and Bobby Wood teamed up for a late chance that the latter snapped off the post from 16 yards.
State of play in European qualifying for 2018 World Cup.
Associated Press
(Photo/Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
European qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia is at the halfway stage.
Here’s the state of play in the nine groups heading into the sixth round of games from Friday to Sunday:
GROUP A
France can increase its lead to six points with a win in Sweden on Friday.
Without Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Sweden has less individual threat but a greater sense of teamwork. Still, its defense faces a stern test against a side boosted by a recent 5-0 home win over Paraguay. France striker Olivier Giroud has five goals in his last three internationals.
If Sweden loses, Bulgaria can move up to second place by beating Belarus. The Netherlands, in fourth place, hosts last-place Luxembourg.
France can increase its lead to six points with a win in Sweden on Friday.
Without Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Sweden has less individual threat but a greater sense of teamwork. Still, its defense faces a stern test against a side boosted by a recent 5-0 home win over Paraguay. France striker Olivier Giroud has five goals in his last three internationals.
If Sweden loses, Bulgaria can move up to second place by beating Belarus. The Netherlands, in fourth place, hosts last-place Luxembourg.
GROUP B
Switzerland will be looking for a sixth straight win and to keep ahead of Portugal when it plays at the Faeroe Islands on Friday.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Pepe arrived late to Portugal’s squad following Real Madrid’s win in the Champions League final last weekend, but they should start at next-to-last Latvia.
Portugal, which trails Switzerland by three points, is coming off four straight victories since the opening 2-0 loss against the Swiss.
Last-place Andorra hosts third-place Hungary, which is five points behind Portugal.
Switzerland will be looking for a sixth straight win and to keep ahead of Portugal when it plays at the Faeroe Islands on Friday.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Pepe arrived late to Portugal’s squad following Real Madrid’s win in the Champions League final last weekend, but they should start at next-to-last Latvia.
Portugal, which trails Switzerland by three points, is coming off four straight victories since the opening 2-0 loss against the Swiss.
Last-place Andorra hosts third-place Hungary, which is five points behind Portugal.
GROUP C
World champion Germany should have little difficultly making it six wins from six matches, even though an understrength team will host San Marino in Nuremberg on Saturday.
Germany coach Joachim Loew has given nearly all of his regulars the summer off, but even an unfamiliar looking German lineup should be too much for a microstate with a population more than 100 times smaller than Berlin’s.
The Germans have already scored 20 goals in qualifying, conceding only one.
Germany leads with 15 points. Northern Ireland (10 points), the Czech Republic (8), and Azerbaijan (7) all maintain hopes of the runner-up spot and a possible playoff place.
Azerbaijan hosts Ireland in Baku, and Norway hosts the Czechs in Oslo.
GROUP D
The chances of Gareth Bale playing at the World Cup will reduce even further if Wales loses to Serbia on Sunday in the biggest game in the group.
The Welsh are in third place, four points behind Serbia and Ireland, after drawing four of their first five qualifiers and failing to reproduce their form from last year’s European Championship, where they reached the semifinals.
Ireland hosts Austria, while Moldova hosts Georgia in a game between two teams already out of contention.
GROUP E
Poland striker Robert Lewandowski, who missed out on being the Bundesliga’s top scorer this season, will look to score in his 11th straight European qualifier in a match against Romania in Warsaw on Saturday.
Poland, with 13 points, comfortably leads the group with the others jostling for the runner-up spot, led by Montenegro and Denmark (both with seven points). Romania and Armenia have six.
Denmark, which drew with Germany in a friendly on Tuesday, travels to last-place Kazakhstan, and Montenegro hosts Armenia in Podgorica.
GROUP F
England takes a four-point lead to Scotland for the latest edition of the world’s oldest international rivalry, 145 years after their first meeting.
Now under coach Gareth Southgate, England has dropped only two points in five games and would pile the pressure on under-fire Scotland coach Gordon Strachan with a fifth win in qualifying.
Second-place Slovakia visits Lithuania and Slovenia, a further point back in third, hosts Malta.
GROUP G
Italy hosts last-place Liechtenstein on Sunday with a chance to improve its goal difference and move closer to leader Spain, which plays at Macedonia.
Liechtenstein has conceded 19 goals in five matches, including eight against Spain. Italy and Spain have 13 points each from five matches.
Italy is coming off a 3-0 win over Uruguay in a friendly on Wednesday, while Spain was held by Colombia to a 2-2 draw.
Third-place Israel, which is four points behind the leaders, hosts Albania.
GROUP HWorld champion Germany should have little difficultly making it six wins from six matches, even though an understrength team will host San Marino in Nuremberg on Saturday.
Germany coach Joachim Loew has given nearly all of his regulars the summer off, but even an unfamiliar looking German lineup should be too much for a microstate with a population more than 100 times smaller than Berlin’s.
The Germans have already scored 20 goals in qualifying, conceding only one.
Germany leads with 15 points. Northern Ireland (10 points), the Czech Republic (8), and Azerbaijan (7) all maintain hopes of the runner-up spot and a possible playoff place.
Azerbaijan hosts Ireland in Baku, and Norway hosts the Czechs in Oslo.
GROUP D
The chances of Gareth Bale playing at the World Cup will reduce even further if Wales loses to Serbia on Sunday in the biggest game in the group.
The Welsh are in third place, four points behind Serbia and Ireland, after drawing four of their first five qualifiers and failing to reproduce their form from last year’s European Championship, where they reached the semifinals.
Ireland hosts Austria, while Moldova hosts Georgia in a game between two teams already out of contention.
GROUP E
Poland striker Robert Lewandowski, who missed out on being the Bundesliga’s top scorer this season, will look to score in his 11th straight European qualifier in a match against Romania in Warsaw on Saturday.
Poland, with 13 points, comfortably leads the group with the others jostling for the runner-up spot, led by Montenegro and Denmark (both with seven points). Romania and Armenia have six.
Denmark, which drew with Germany in a friendly on Tuesday, travels to last-place Kazakhstan, and Montenegro hosts Armenia in Podgorica.
GROUP F
England takes a four-point lead to Scotland for the latest edition of the world’s oldest international rivalry, 145 years after their first meeting.
Now under coach Gareth Southgate, England has dropped only two points in five games and would pile the pressure on under-fire Scotland coach Gordon Strachan with a fifth win in qualifying.
Second-place Slovakia visits Lithuania and Slovenia, a further point back in third, hosts Malta.
GROUP G
Italy hosts last-place Liechtenstein on Sunday with a chance to improve its goal difference and move closer to leader Spain, which plays at Macedonia.
Liechtenstein has conceded 19 goals in five matches, including eight against Spain. Italy and Spain have 13 points each from five matches.
Italy is coming off a 3-0 win over Uruguay in a friendly on Wednesday, while Spain was held by Colombia to a 2-2 draw.
Third-place Israel, which is four points behind the leaders, hosts Albania.
Friday could be a big day for Belgium on the road to Russia.
Following a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic in a friendly this week, Belgium is a huge favorite to beat 98th-ranked Estonia and reinforce first place. It currently has a two-point lead.
At the same time as the game in Tallinn, Belgium’s closest challenger, Greece, will be in Bosnia-Herzegovina in a game that could be vital in the race for second place and a playoff spot.
The third game, Gibraltar against Cyprus, has no impact on the group.
Belgium has such a wealth of talent that winger Eden Hazard‘s absence because of a broken ankle should have no impact on its creative play. If anything, it should allow Yuri Tielemans, recently picked up from Anderlecht by Monaco, to flaunt his skills.
GROUP I
It looks to be a straight fight between Croatia and Iceland for top spot and the countries meet in Reykjavik on Sunday.
Croatia leads Iceland by three points with five games left.
Ukraine and Turkey are two points further back and face away games against Finland and Kosovo, respectively.
PST’s UEFA Best XI.
By Nicholas Mendola
(Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
Real Madrid has won its 12th UEFA Champions League, adding a trophy to its La Liga crown.
Chelsea, Bayern Munich, and Juventus added domestic honors in their countries, while Manchester United claimed the UEFA Europa League crown.
Yes, club soccer’s season is well and truly complete, which has us thinking about an XI from across the top leagues of Europe.
It’s not just Real’s starting lineup, but it isn’t too far off…
Goalkeeper: Here’s one that could have readers scratching their heads, as arguments can be made for a pair of goalkeepers whose teams didn’t win much of anything. AC Milan teenage wonder Gianluigi Donnarumma was the top goalkeeper according to WhoScored, and finished eighth on Squawka’s list.
That’s because Spurs’ Hugo Lloris had the best mix of performance scores, stats, and — frankly — being needed in tough spots. The French backstop gets a spot in our team despite failing to win significant hardware.
Defenders: With respect to Gerard Pique, and Mats Hummels, the three who make our list are magnificent with the ball at their feet and also coming at them.
David Luiz of Chelsea and Filipe Luis of Atleti both just miss out as well, with David Alaba of Bayern also stung by omissions.
Leonardo Bonucci played the most Serie A minutes of any Juventus defender, and was as important to the club’s possession as he was to its defense. Marcelo is one of the big three keys to Real’s success along with Casemiro and Cristiano Ronaldo, and — flops aside — Ramos has a knack for being around all the big plays in a game and season.
Midfielders: Real rarely loses at all, and it loses even less with Casemiro in the lineup. We’ll pair him up with Chelsea’s whiz N'Golo Kante, who’s been the key piece of consecutive Premier League winners.
Their motors will allow Eden Hazard to essentially be a fourth forward, while Thiago Alcantara finally gets some just desserts as one of the most complete midfielders in the world.
Forwards: With respect to Edinson Cavani and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, it didn’t get much easier than this group.
PST’s UEFA XI
Lloris (Spurs)
Marcelo (Real Madrid) — Ramos (Real Madrid) — Bonucci (Juve)
Casemiro (Real Madrid) — Kante (Chelsea)
Alcantara (Bayern) — Hazard (Chelsea)
Ronaldo (Real Madrid) — Lewandowski (Bayern)– Messi (Barca)
NCAAFB: Oklahoma confirms promotion of Lincoln Riley, making him youngest FBS head coach.
By Bryan Fischer
(Photo/Getty Images)
It didn’t take long and the school didn’t have to go but down the hallway to find their replacement however as the program confirmed that the team’s offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley would be taking over the reigns as head coach in Norman.
“I’m sincerely honored to be given this opportunity to be the head football coach at the University of Oklahoma. I want to thank Coach Stoops for bringing me here two years ago and making me part of the Sooner family. He is one of the greatest coaches in the history of the game, at any level. I’m absolutely thankful for our friendship and for the mentorship he has provided,” Riley said in a statement. “Coaching at Oklahoma is a dream come true for me and my family. I am extremely grateful to President Boren, Joe Castiglione, Chairman Bennett and the OU Board of Regents for believing in me and affording me this opportunity. I look forward to continuing the tradition of excellence that Coach Stoops and so many others before him have instilled in this great program.”
Riley, just 33, instantly becomes the youngest head coach in all of FBS, besting Memphis’ Mike Norvell by nearly two years. He has been credited for a big part in the Sooners’ recent resurgence on the national and Big 12 scene and won the 2015 Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant coach in his first year on the job at OU.
“I am thrilled that Lincoln Riley is in position to take over as the head coach. He is widely regarded as one of the brightest minds in college football and there is no question in my mind that he is the complete package. Our program is in very good hands,” added athletic director Castiglione. “Lincoln and I have a great relationship and I can’t wait to embark on this new era with him. I am sure our fans share my enthusiasm. We celebrate a tremendous legacy today and because of what Bob did here and the coach we have identified, we look forward to our future with great optimism.”
While Riley is plenty young, he has had success just about everywhere he’s been. The ‘Air Raid’ offense disciple was at East Carolina from 2010-2014 and prior to that spent seven seasons at his alma mater-turned-Big 12-rival Texas Tech. The Sooners are expected to have a pre-season top 10 team in 2017 so the new coach is walking into a good situation even if he does have to follow one of the legends of the game in the big chair.
The Big 12's future now rests in the hands of its two newest, brightest coaches.
By Ben Kercheval
To say that now-retired Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops was the face of the Big 12 isn't that far off. If you take into consideration that the Big 12 began fielding teams in 1996, and that Stoops took over the Sooners in 1999, the conference's history and Stoops' history in Norman have more or less been intertwined.
And, good lord, Stoops dominated during his time in the Big 12.
Stoops was 190-48 at Oklahoma. He was the program's all-time winningest coach, and the Sooners have had their share of all-time great coaches. He won 10 Big 12 titles, a national championship and coached in three more.
He lost nine home games in 18 years. Nine.
Oklahoma's ceiling lowered some in recent years. While Big 12 titles and 10-win seasons were the norm, Stoops' Sooners struggled to rekindle the magic of the 2000s in which playing for national championships was common. Oklahoma appeared in the 2015-16 College Football Playoff, but were boat raced by Clemson in the second half of the Orange Bowl in the semifinal.
"Big Game Bob" had his shortcomings, but Stoops is one of college football's all-time great coaches.
That illustrious career came to an end Wednesday and now the Big 12's future as a conference capable of competing for national championships is more uncertain than it's ever been. The Big 12's blue-blood programs, Oklahoma and Texas, are now in the respective hands of two first-year coaches: Lincoln Riley, Stoops' successor, and Longhorns coach Tom Herman. Riley is the youngest coach in the FBS at 33. Herman is 42. The last time two first-year coaches led Oklahoma and Texas in the same season? 70 years ago.
Stoops may have been past his prime, but he was an established coach who put together teams capable of competing at the highest level. You knew what you were getting with him. Now that he's gone, there's an understandable narrative that the Big 12 could falter nationally without its most successful coach.
Losing Stoops doesn't make the Big 12 better, per se, but it doesn't have to be doom and gloom, either. Let's examine.
Start with the obvious. Oklahoma and Texas are the only two remaining Big 12 members to have won a national championship in the conference's life span. Given the recruiting demands it takes to compete for a national title -- the rule of thumb is that programs need to recruit at a top-10 level to achieve that goal -- they're the only two members realistically capable of winning one again. There's a separate topic worth discussing about Texas -- the Big 12's primary recruiting ground -- being successfully mined by the rest of college football. That's a newer battle even the Sooners and Longhorns are learning to cope with.
There are other great coaches in the Big 12 besides Stoops, of course. Kansas State is what it is today because of Bill Snyder. Mike Gundy has done an underrated job at Oklahoma State. Gary Patterson built a sustainable power at TCU. All three are stalwarts. None of them will win a national title where they are right now. Snyder may not be around college football much longer as it is.
A new era ushered in by Riley and Herman will determine whether the Big 12 can get back to the top of college football or stumble through another rebuild. We just don't know what it will be yet. However, there are reasons for optimism regarding the former.
Let's start with Herman. This is Texas' guy. He was Texas' guy when Charlie Strong was still technically Texas' guy. He's been the up-and-coming coaching commodity in the sport over the last few years. He played a big part in orchestrating a rare revolving-door quarterback success story as Ohio State's offensive coordinator in 2014, the year the Buckeyes won the College Football Playoff national title. He already showed he could win big games as a first-time head coach at Houston by beating Florida State, Oklahoma and Louisville (twice) as part of a 22-4 record. He's absolutely crushing it on the recruiting trail with the Longhorns currently-ranked the No. 3 recruiting class (so far) for 2018 and have signed five top-50, in-state recruits, including 5-star safety BJ Foster. If nothing else, Herman's upward trajectory is right on schedule.
Then there's Riley. He's an unknown, to be sure, as this is his first head coaching gig. However: you wouldn't believe it at 33, but Riley has been an assistant coach for 15 years already. He's coached under Stoops, Ruffin McNeill at East Carolina and current Washington State coach Mike Leach. An assistant can do a lot worse than that trio.
Moreover, Stoops trusts Riley. The importance of that cannot be overstated. The signs were there, but because no one anticipated Stoops' retirement, we never bothered to look. Riley was being groomed for this moment, whenever it came. This was the guy Stoops brought in to replace Josh Heupel and Jay Norvell, who, despite their faults as play-callers and developers, Stoops, a fiercely loyal coach, struggled to let go.
It was a decision that could pay off in the long run. In the two years Riley has called plays for the Sooners, their offense has finished in the top five nationally in points per game. Riley had opportunities to be a head coach elsewhere, and yet he signed a new three-year extension with Oklahoma in May. Oklahoma is one of the premier college football jobs. The Sooners could have interviewed a lot of candidates. Instead, they stayed loyal with Riley.
The timing of Stoops' retirement is interesting to say the least, but if Stoops and Oklahoma believe in Riley, the exact date the proverbial baton is handed off probably matters less.
There's plenty of uncertainty regarding the future of the Big 12's two bell cow programs, and with good reason. But there's also plenty of excitement. Losing a staple like Stoops is never easy, but it can also be an appropriate time to move on. Those things can co-exist. If Riley and Herman make good on what others believe of them, the top of the Big 12 will be as exciting as ever. And this is the conference that branded exciting football.
Stoops was 190-48 at Oklahoma. He was the program's all-time winningest coach, and the Sooners have had their share of all-time great coaches. He won 10 Big 12 titles, a national championship and coached in three more.
He lost nine home games in 18 years. Nine.
Oklahoma's ceiling lowered some in recent years. While Big 12 titles and 10-win seasons were the norm, Stoops' Sooners struggled to rekindle the magic of the 2000s in which playing for national championships was common. Oklahoma appeared in the 2015-16 College Football Playoff, but were boat raced by Clemson in the second half of the Orange Bowl in the semifinal.
"Big Game Bob" had his shortcomings, but Stoops is one of college football's all-time great coaches.
That illustrious career came to an end Wednesday and now the Big 12's future as a conference capable of competing for national championships is more uncertain than it's ever been. The Big 12's blue-blood programs, Oklahoma and Texas, are now in the respective hands of two first-year coaches: Lincoln Riley, Stoops' successor, and Longhorns coach Tom Herman. Riley is the youngest coach in the FBS at 33. Herman is 42. The last time two first-year coaches led Oklahoma and Texas in the same season? 70 years ago.
Stoops may have been past his prime, but he was an established coach who put together teams capable of competing at the highest level. You knew what you were getting with him. Now that he's gone, there's an understandable narrative that the Big 12 could falter nationally without its most successful coach.
Losing Stoops doesn't make the Big 12 better, per se, but it doesn't have to be doom and gloom, either. Let's examine.
Start with the obvious. Oklahoma and Texas are the only two remaining Big 12 members to have won a national championship in the conference's life span. Given the recruiting demands it takes to compete for a national title -- the rule of thumb is that programs need to recruit at a top-10 level to achieve that goal -- they're the only two members realistically capable of winning one again. There's a separate topic worth discussing about Texas -- the Big 12's primary recruiting ground -- being successfully mined by the rest of college football. That's a newer battle even the Sooners and Longhorns are learning to cope with.
There are other great coaches in the Big 12 besides Stoops, of course. Kansas State is what it is today because of Bill Snyder. Mike Gundy has done an underrated job at Oklahoma State. Gary Patterson built a sustainable power at TCU. All three are stalwarts. None of them will win a national title where they are right now. Snyder may not be around college football much longer as it is.
A new era ushered in by Riley and Herman will determine whether the Big 12 can get back to the top of college football or stumble through another rebuild. We just don't know what it will be yet. However, there are reasons for optimism regarding the former.
Let's start with Herman. This is Texas' guy. He was Texas' guy when Charlie Strong was still technically Texas' guy. He's been the up-and-coming coaching commodity in the sport over the last few years. He played a big part in orchestrating a rare revolving-door quarterback success story as Ohio State's offensive coordinator in 2014, the year the Buckeyes won the College Football Playoff national title. He already showed he could win big games as a first-time head coach at Houston by beating Florida State, Oklahoma and Louisville (twice) as part of a 22-4 record. He's absolutely crushing it on the recruiting trail with the Longhorns currently-ranked the No. 3 recruiting class (so far) for 2018 and have signed five top-50, in-state recruits, including 5-star safety BJ Foster. If nothing else, Herman's upward trajectory is right on schedule.
Then there's Riley. He's an unknown, to be sure, as this is his first head coaching gig. However: you wouldn't believe it at 33, but Riley has been an assistant coach for 15 years already. He's coached under Stoops, Ruffin McNeill at East Carolina and current Washington State coach Mike Leach. An assistant can do a lot worse than that trio.
Moreover, Stoops trusts Riley. The importance of that cannot be overstated. The signs were there, but because no one anticipated Stoops' retirement, we never bothered to look. Riley was being groomed for this moment, whenever it came. This was the guy Stoops brought in to replace Josh Heupel and Jay Norvell, who, despite their faults as play-callers and developers, Stoops, a fiercely loyal coach, struggled to let go.
It was a decision that could pay off in the long run. In the two years Riley has called plays for the Sooners, their offense has finished in the top five nationally in points per game. Riley had opportunities to be a head coach elsewhere, and yet he signed a new three-year extension with Oklahoma in May. Oklahoma is one of the premier college football jobs. The Sooners could have interviewed a lot of candidates. Instead, they stayed loyal with Riley.
The timing of Stoops' retirement is interesting to say the least, but if Stoops and Oklahoma believe in Riley, the exact date the proverbial baton is handed off probably matters less.
There's plenty of uncertainty regarding the future of the Big 12's two bell cow programs, and with good reason. But there's also plenty of excitement. Losing a staple like Stoops is never easy, but it can also be an appropriate time to move on. Those things can co-exist. If Riley and Herman make good on what others believe of them, the top of the Big 12 will be as exciting as ever. And this is the conference that branded exciting football.
NCAABKB: ACC-Big Ten Challenge slate appears to lack a can't-miss matchup.
By Jeff Eisenberg
When the ACC-Big Ten Challenge slate is released each year, there’s usually a can’t-miss matchup enticing enough to generate interest among casual fans.
This year’s slate appears to be lacking that must-see game.
ACC co-favorite Duke visiting Indiana is a marquee matchup in name only with the Hoosiers likely headed for a rebuilding year in Archie Miller’s debut. Big Ten favorite Michigan State hosting Notre Dame is a missed opportunity to give the Spartans one of the ACC’s four potential preseason top 10 teams. Louisville-Purdue, North Carolina-Michigan and Miami-Minnesota are all solid games but only the matchup between the Gophers and Hurricanes is likely to pit preseason top 20 teams.
Not pairing Michigan State against Louisville is an especially big missed opportunity. The Spartans will face Duke in the Champions Classic and could meet North Carolina in the title game at the PK80 tournament, but an ACC-Big Ten Challenge matchup with the Cardinals would have ensured at least one game between name-brand preseason top 10 teams.
Having maybe the best Northwestern team in school history face middling Georgia Tech is also a swing and a miss.
The Wildcats return the core of a team that not only reached the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history last year but also won an opening-round game. How compelling would it have been to set up a master-protege matchup between Northwestern coach Chris Collins and Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski?
One smart decision organizers made was having Pittsburgh be the lone ACC team left out of the event. The Panthers were decimated by transfers and other defections this offseason and are projected to finish at or near the bottom of the league.
The ACC has won the Challenge 11 times including its victory last year. The Big Ten has five victories and the event has twice ended in a tie in 2012 and 2013. Dates and times for this year’s event will be announced at a later date.
Belmont Stakes 2017 odds: Post positions, contenders to win final Triple Crown race.
By Brad Pinkerton
(Photo/Getty Images)
UPDATE: Trainer Mark Casse has withdrawn Classic Empire from the 2017 Belmont Stakes due to an abscess in one foot.
The 2017 Belmont Stakes will take place Saturday, June 10, at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. The Belmont is the third leg of horse racing's Triple Crown, which includes the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes.
Unfortunately, there won't be a Triple Crown to cheer for after Always Dreaming won the Kentucky Derby and Cloud Computing won the Preakness. In fact, you won't even be able to cheer for Always Dreaming or Cloud Computing as neither will run in the Belmont.
Still, bettors will have a lot at stake at the 149th running of the Belmont, even if there's not a Triple Crown on the line.
Without Cloud Computing or Always Dreaming in the field, Classic Empire was the clear favorite to win the 2017 Belmont at 2-to-1 odds until he withdrew Wednesday with an abscess in one foot. Now, it's a wide-open field with Irish War Cry as the defacto favorite.
Here are the full odds to win the 2017 Belmont, according to Sportsbook.ag. Post time is set for 6:37 p.m. ET, and the race is schedule to begin around 6:50.
Here are the full odds to win the 2017 Belmont, according to Sportsbook.ag. Post time is set for 6:37 p.m. ET, and the race is schedule to begin around 6:50.
Belmont Stakes 2017 odds, post positions
Post - Horse - Odds
|
1. Twisted Tom 15/1
|
2. Tapwrit 6/1
|
3. Gormley 7/1
|
4. J Boys Echo 15/1
|
5. Hollywood Handsome 20/1
|
6. Lookin at Lee 5/1
|
7. Irish War Cry 3/1
|
8. Senior Investment 10/1
|
9. Meantime 15/1
|
10. Multiplier 12/1
|
11. Epicharis 7/2
|
12. Patch 15/1
|
On This Date in Sports History: Today is Friday, June 09, 2017.
Memoriesofhistory.com
1914 - Honus Wagner became the second player in major league history to record 3,000 hits.
1965 - Michel Jazy ran the mile in 3 minutes, 53.6 seconds. He broke the record set by Peter Snell in 1964.
1966 - Minnesota set a major league record when they hit six home runs in one inning.
1973 - Secretariat won the 105th Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths and ran the fastest 1 1/2 miles on dirt at 2:24.
1978 - Larry Holmes won a 15-round split decision over Ken Norton.
1984 - The Pittsburgh Penguins used their fist pick overall to select Mario Lemieux in the NHL Entry Draft.
1985 - The Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA title by defeating the Boston Celtics. Kareem Abdul Jabbar scored 29 points.
1990 - Monica Seles became the youngest winner in French Open history when she beat Steffi Graf.
1993 - The Montreal Canadiens won their 24th Stanley Cup.
1994 - Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes (TLC) set fire to her boyfriend's house. Her boyfriend was Andre Rison of the Atlanta Falcons.
1996 - Frank Thomas (Chicago White Sox) hit his 200th career home run.
1996 - Ryan Hancock became the first California Angel pitcher to get a hit in 24 years. Nolan Ryan was the previous pitcher to get a hit for the Angels in 1972.
2001 - Ray Bourque (Colorado Avalanche) won his first Stanley Cup. He retired from the NHL just 17 days later after a 22 year career.
2001 - Patrick Roy (Colorado Avalanche) became the first National Hockey League (NHL) player to win three Conn Smythe Trophies. The award is given to the playoff's Most Valuable Player.
2001 - John Vanbiesbrouck (New Jersey Devils) announced his retirement from the NHL after 19 seasons.
2003 - The New Jersey Devils won the Stanley Cup after defeating the Anaheim Mighty Ducks 4 games to 3. Martin Brodeur (New Jersey Devils) became the first goaltender to produce 7 playoff shutouts in a single-season.
2008 - Ken Griffey Jr. (Cincinnati Reds) hit his 600th career home run. Only Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Sammy Sosa had more runs at the time.
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