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"Sports Quote of the Day"
“You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of.” ~ Jim Rohn,
TRENDING: Brian Urlacher says the Bears are plagued by the “Lovie Smith curse”. (See the football section for Bears news and NFL updates).
TRENDING: Every Blackhawks trade and signing during the 2017 NHL offseason in one place. (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates and NHL news).
TRENDING: Bulls not alone in race to bottom of the East. (See the basketball section for Bulls news and NBA updates).
TRENDING: Bulls not alone in race to bottom of the East. (See the basketball section for Bulls news and NBA updates).
TRENDING: Jon Lester’s trade-deadline reality for disappointing Cubs: 'You can always use a boost'; A's rookie Franklin Barreto stuns White Sox, Tommy Kahnle with late home run. (See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).
TRENDING: Greenbrier Classic groupings, tee times, TV schedule. (See the golf section for PGA news and tournament updates).
TRENDING: Kentucky entry lists for Cup, Xfinity, Trucks; 8 moments in Richard Petty's 80 years. (See the NASCAR section for NASCAR news and racing updates).
TRENDING: Fire try to keep top MLS record at shorthanded Timbers; Preseason schedules for all 20 Premier League teams. (See the soccer section for Fire news and worldwide soccer updates).Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Brian Urlacher says the Bears are plagued by the “Lovie Smith curse”.
By Curtis Crabtree
(Photo/www.zimbio.com)
Former Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher believes his former team is cursed.
“The Lovie Smith Curse” to be exact.In an interview with Tiki Barber and Brandon Tierney on CBS Sports Radio, Urlacher cited the departure of Smith after the 2012 season as the point where things began to awry for the Bears. He also said he’s wondered what exactly the team is doing with their decisions this offseason.
“I like to say it’s the Lovie Curse,” Urlacher said. “Because since he left, (the Bears have struggled). He got fired being 10-6. I think they fire him either way. Even if we go to the playoffs, I think they fire him. I don’t think the GM (Phil Emery) liked the way he coached the football team.
“The guy’s a winner. I love playing for him. I don’t know what the identity of that team is. They sign (Mike) Glennon, then they draft a kid No. 2 (Mitchell Trubisky). I don’t know what (they’re doing). It’s confusing.”
The Bears have certainly struggled since Smith was fired following the 2012 season. They haven’t posted a winning record in any of the four seasons since and are on their second head coach since then as well. The 3-13 record last season was the worst by a Bears team since the schedule expanded to 16 games in 1978.
Chicago made the playoffs three times during Smith’s tenure, including a Super Bowl appearance in 2006. The 10-6 season posted by the Bears in 2012 was the fourth-best record in nine years under Smith. Nevertheless, Emery decided to change course after the year.
Urlacher also defended former Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and said he was just as surprised as anyone by Cutler’s decision to move into the broadcast booth instead of continuing his career. He also said he hopes Trubisky is as good as his draft position would tend to suggest.
“I hope this kid is unbelievable,” Urlacher said. “I hope Mitch Trubisky is the best quarterback of all time. He looks like a stud. He’s 6-2, 6-3, put together, good-looking kid, he seems really nice – I hope they do really well. Their defense is going to be good this year. They were good last year and they had so many young guys play that it’s only going to help them this year.”
Chicago Bears’ Meet the Rookies: Tarik Cohen.
By Lester A. Wiltfong Jr.
For those of you guys that don’t know, the Chicago Bears have a fantastic YouTube channel. Not only do they produce their own highlight video clips, but they share all their press conferences, they air their fun Inside the Bears series, film promo packages, run their podcasts, and much more.
I like to check out their channel from time to time, because it’s an interesting way to get to know the players on my favorite team. Sure it’s occasionally fluff, but it’s just a different spin on what we get from the traditional media outlets.
With the 4th of July holiday right around the corner, we thought this would be a good time to share some of their content with our readers, just in case you’ve yet to check them out.
Also, in case you missed it, here’s a snippet of his press conference from mid-May, after a Bears’ practice.
NOTE: The Chicago Sports & Travel Inc./AllsportsAmerica Editorial Staff thinks Tarik Cohen is going to be a special player. Keep an eye on him, (This is just a heads up).
What are you most excited for in 2017?
By Patti Curl
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Leonard Floyd takes a moment to appreciate playing big spoon to a superstar in 1 of 2 week five sacks against the Packers. (Photo/sbnation.com/chicagobears/windy city sports)
It’s the final day of our 30 day challenge here at Windy City Gridiron. It’s been a rocky ride full of insight, joy, tears and laughter. In the end, I believe we’ve all come out better for it. Today I have the privilege of writing our victory lap. In an attempt to build upon the tremendous excitement generated by this challenge, I will address the question of what excites me most about the Chicago Bears as they enter the 2017 season.
The Chicago Bears have a lot to be excited about for a team coming off a three win season. Everyone’s looking forward to the sequel to Jordan Howard’s electrifying rookie season. Whether you’re hopeful or pessimistic, it’s hard not to be anxious to see how Mike Glennon will look running Dowell Loggains’ offense—not to mention the potential of promising rookie Mitch Trubisky taking the reigns. And say what you want about the Bears’ receivers—certainly plenty of pundits have—but I remain excited to see who will step up and stand out amidst a group of rag-tag uncertainties.
In a general sense, what excites me most is the opportunity to show the football world that the Bears are better than a three-win laughing stock. I can barely wait to see all of the lazy analysts who jumped in on the poorly-informed mockery of our Beloved realize the error of their ways and become overwhelmed with shame and self-loathing until their only recourse is to double down and jump in on poorly-informed mockery of a different team who becomes the consensus off-season punching bag.
In a specific sense, what excites me the most is the potent potential of the Bears’ sack attack. Touchdowns are thrilling and turnovers can change the trajectory of a game. But nothing satisfies me more than seeing a big bruising Bear break beyond an opponent’s bulwark and bear their beautiful mass down upon a pitiful passer in a smothering symphony of suffocating smoshery.
The Bears’ edge rushers are all coming into 2017 healthy, and Pernell McPhee thinks they are primed to “dominate, destroy every opponent that [they] face.” I’m tempted to agree with him. For his part, McPhee is coming into this season in his best shape ever as a Bear, increasing my hopes that he can stay healthy and reclaim the elite performance he showed in the first half of 2015.
When it comes to returning in better shape, nothing excites me more than the potential of a bulked-up Leonard Floyd entering his second season with a year of experience, a full off-season of training and the realization that keeping your head up when you tackle is not just for children. Floyd seemed to improve on a weekly basis during his 2016 season, gaining more confidence and even incorporating more moves. It was as if he was following my Madden franchise and instantly gained the swim ability when I purchased it after week four. Hopefully, he will continue to follow my franchise into the 2018 season when he breaks the single-season sack record after a week 15 sack-a-thon against the Rams.
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(Photo/pinterest.com)
Lamarr Houston is coming back from an ACL repair. The last time he came back from an ACL repair, he led the Bears in sacks despite playing only 40% of the snaps. I’m going to ignore any evidence that this was not a causal association and instead use this to add to my blossoming excitement about the Great Ursine Sackstorm of 2017.
After ankle injuries in his first two seasons, Eddie Goldman is doing preventative strengthening exercises to ensure he can stay on the field this year. Goldman played with a nagging injury last year, and was on the field for less than 20% of the Bears’ defensive snaps. He managed to accumulate 2.5 sacks in that time, which was actually a more efficient rate than Akiem Hicks.
I’ve taken the liberty to predict the sacks of the Bears’ top rushers—if all remain healthy—based on their previous per-snap performance. For McPhee and Hicks, I simply used their 2016 averages. For Floyd, I gave him the benefit of getting adjusted to the NFL, and used his per-snap sack averages excluding the first four games of the season. For Houston and Goldman, I used their combined 2015 and 2016 averages. For Young, I took the average of his 2016 season and his best season—which was 2014. These decisions are reasonable, but admittedly biased towards giving Bears the benefit of the doubt.
I only projected two defensive linemen because the Bears only play two in “sub” packages (which are played more than half the time) and because there are only two whose sack production excites me.
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(Photo/pinterest.com)
This sack total would best any team in 2016, when the Arizona Cardinals lead the league with 48. And it doesn’t include any of the scattered sacks picked up by a middle linebacker, defensive back or third defensive lineman. Is this an optimistic projection? Of course. Do I think it’s possible? Hell yes. That’s why I’m excited!
What’s not to be excited for? Eddie Goldman can finally earn the nickname “Goldman Sacks.” McPhee can finally earn his contract. Lamarr Houston can learn to celebrate without breaking himself. Floyd can claim the title of the best speed rusher in the NFL. And a ravaged Aaron Rodgers can wobble his way to the medical tent, forcing his doctors to invent a new diagnosis of “sack ataxia.” Let the smoshery commence!
So what are you all most excited about for the Bears’ 2017 season?
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Days after trade with Blackhawks, Vegas Golden Knights flip Marcus Kruger to Carolina.
By Tracey Myers
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Marcus Kruger, who the Vegas Golden Knights acquired on Sunday, was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday morning. The expansion team got the Hurricanes’ fifth-round selection in the 2018 NHL Draft for the former Blackhawks center.
A few hours after Kruger was traded to Vegas, SportsNet’s John Shannon tweeted, “On Kruger trade, someone should tell Marcus not to unpack. Team has yet to decide if he stays or gets dealt.” And here we are.
Kruger’s the second Blackhawks player the Knights have immediately flipped to the Hurricanes. After selecting Trevor van Riemsdyk in the NHL expansion draft on June 21, Vegas traded the defenseman and its 2018 seventh-round pick to Carolina for the Hurricanes’ No. 62 overall pick in this year’s draft.
The Hurricanes continue to be the latest destination for former Blackhawks. Currently, Kruger, van Riemsdyk, Scott Darling, Joakim Nordstrom and Teuvo Teravainen are part of the main roster. Bryan Bickell was with the team last season.
Every Blackhawks trade and signing during the 2017 NHL offseason in one place.
By Satchel Price
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(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
An updating list of all the moves GM Stan Bowman has made this summer.
Another offseason for the Chicago Blackhawks means lots of changes. The team is once again up against the salary cap with a talented, expensive roster that’ll require tinkering before the start of next season.
We’ve already seen some minor moves come to set the stage for the offseason, but GM Stan Bowman will really roll up his sleeves to retool this roster beginning with the expansion in mid-June. Then comes the entry draft and free agency as the NHL summer hits high gear.
How will this team look next season? It’s hard to say at this point exactly, but standing pat won’t be an option. The Blackhawks have to make some deals to get this time cap compliant by October, and they need to do so while keeping the championship window open in the Patrick Kane-Jonathan Toews era.
With so many moving pieces likely in store, here’s a list of every trade and signing made by the Blackhawks this offseason. We’ll continue updating and bumping this list as new moves are made.
July 2: Marcus Kruger traded to Golden Knights
Details: Kruger to Vegas for future considerations
July 1: Blackhawks sign Lance Bouma as FA
We’ve already seen some minor moves come to set the stage for the offseason, but GM Stan Bowman will really roll up his sleeves to retool this roster beginning with the expansion in mid-June. Then comes the entry draft and free agency as the NHL summer hits high gear.
How will this team look next season? It’s hard to say at this point exactly, but standing pat won’t be an option. The Blackhawks have to make some deals to get this time cap compliant by October, and they need to do so while keeping the championship window open in the Patrick Kane-Jonathan Toews era.
With so many moving pieces likely in store, here’s a list of every trade and signing made by the Blackhawks this offseason. We’ll continue updating and bumping this list as new moves are made.
July 2: Marcus Kruger traded to Golden Knights
Details: Kruger to Vegas for future considerations
July 1: Blackhawks sign Lance Bouma as FA
Details: One year, TBA AAV
July 1: Blackhawks sign Patrick Sharp as FA
Details: One year, $800,000 AAV plus $200,000 in bonuses, becomes UFA in 2018
July 1: Blackhawks sign Jean-Francois Berube as FA
Details: Two years, $750,000 AAV, becomes UFA in 2019
July 1: Blackhawks sign Tommy Wingels as FA
Details: One year, TBA AAVJuly 1: Blackhawks sign Patrick Sharp as FA
Details: One year, $800,000 AAV plus $200,000 in bonuses, becomes UFA in 2018
July 1: Blackhawks sign Jean-Francois Berube as FA
Details: Two years, $750,000 AAV, becomes UFA in 2019
July 1: Blackhawks sign Tommy Wingels as FA
July 1: Blackhawks sign Jordan Oesterle as FA
Details: Two years, $650,000 AAV, becomes UFA in 2019
June 27: Blackhawks re-sign Ville Pokka
Details: One year, TBA AAV
June 26: Blackhawks re-sign Tomas Jurco
Details: One year, $800,000 AAV, becomes RFA in 2018
June 26: Blackhawks give Anton Forsberg a two-year deal
Details: Two years, $750,000 AAV, becomes RFA in 2019
June 23: Artemi Panarin-Brandon Saad blockbuster trade
Details: Panarin, Tyler Motte, 6th-round pick to Columbus for Saad, Anton Forsberg, 5th-round pick
June 23: Niklas Hjalmarsson traded to Coyotes
Details: Hjalmarsson to Arizona for Connor Murphy and Laurent Dauphin
June 21: Trevor van Riemsdyk selected in expansion draft
Details: TVR to Vegas
June 20: Darren Raddysh signs AHL deal as FA
Details: AHL contract with Rockford
June 7: Jan Rutta signs as FA
Details: One year, $925,000 AAV, becomes UFA in 2018
May 27: Michal Kempny re-signs
Details: One year, $900,000 AAV, becomes UFA in 2018
May 11: Richard Panik re-signs
Details: Two years, $2.8 million AAV, becomes UFA in 2019
April 28: Scott Darling traded to Hurricanes
Details: Darling to Carolina for Senators’ 2017 third-round pick
April 27: David Kampf signs as FA
Details: Two years, $925,000 AAV, becomes RFA in 2019
Some Moves the Blackhawks Should Make Before the 2018 Trade Deadline. (An article from SBNation.com/Fanpost; One fans opinion).
By 20kaujac
Welcome to Second City Hockey! I understand that the 2018 NHL Trade Deadline is a long time away from today, but I believe that Stan will continue to make moves to fill some of the holes on this current Blackhawks roster. So why don't we take a look at some moves that can improve the Blackhawks roster.
Artem Anisimov and a conditional draft pick in exchange for Boone Jenner
The Blackhawks have made it clear that they want to get bigger, faster, and tougher. A player that fits that mold exactly is Boone Jenner. Boone Jenner also gives the Blackhawks the 2nd line power forward with skill, that they have been looking for. In addition to that, he gives the Hawks, one other thing that they've been looking for; a centerman behind Toews that can win 50% or more of his faceoffs. Needless to say, Jenner gives the Hawks everything that they have been looking for on the 2nd line to play with Patrick Kane, including a scoring punch. This deal makes sense for the Blue Jackets as well though. Anisimov played the best hockey of his career under John Tortorella in New York. Tortorella loves Anisimov, and would probably want to trade Jenner for Anisimov and a pick. Although Anisimov has a NMC he most likely would be willing to waive it to play with his former linemate and countryman, Artemi Panarin, and his former coach, John Tortorella. Overall, this is a move that would benefit both teams, but Jenner would help take the Hawks back to the Stanley Cup Final.
A 2019 2nd round draft pick and future considerations in exchange for Jon Merrill
The Blackhawks are looking to add defensive depth and some more young defensemen with the potential to become very high caliber players. As I said before too, the Blackhawks are looking to get bigger, faster, and tougher, and Jon Merrill is a 6'3", 205 lbs. 25 year old. Merrill was on the Devils until they left him unprotected in the expansion draft and the Vegas Golden Knights took him in the expansion draft. He also can help the Blackhawks fill out their top 6, and give them another player similar to Connor Murphy who I believe will experience great success in Chicago. The Blackhawks also do not have to mortgage their future by giving up a promising prospect. Instead, the Hawks give up a future pick and future considerations and they get the young talent, Jon Merrill. This deal also makes sense for Vegas as they get to continue stockpiling quality picks even if they have to give up a talented young player.
Graham Knott and conditional future draft picks in exchange for Brian Boyle
The Blackhawks third line center next season, most likely, will be Tanner Kero. I believe that he is more than capable of being the third line center, but if the Hawks want a third line center that can win more than 50% of his faceoffs and bring a physical presence to the bottom six then they should be interested in Brian Boyle. They were rumored to have interest at last year's deadline and during free agency in his services, but they never did acquire him. The New Jersey Devils are still a rebuilding team, despite having some good players. They would easily take a promising prospect in Graham Knott and draft picks in exchange for a player in Brian Boyle that has loads of talent and is a player that makes good teams great. All in all, I believe that this deal has the least probability of happening, but it would be beneficial to both teams.
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... Bulls not alone in race to bottom of the East.
By Vincent Goodwill
(Photo/USA TODAY)
The Eastern Conference used to be a running joke, or at best, called the “LeBron James Invitational” for the cakewalk James used to have through the playoffs on his way to the Finals.
It used to be just funny fodder.
Now, it really is a joke and the Bulls aren’t in on it—although they’re sure to be part of some laughers next season in the first year of a rebuild. They won’t be alone as the Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks will likely follow the Bulls on the yellow brick road to the NBA Draft lottery after the 2017-18 season.
So that makes three of the eight playoff teams who have punted on next season, with All-Stars Jimmy Butler, Paul George and Paul Millsap changing their addresses to go west, weakening an already-weak conference.
Of course, one could make the argument the Bulls could’ve kept Butler and climbed up through osmosis, positioning themselves to be prime players in free agency and the trade market but they refused to take advantage of a more murky road in front of them, choosing to be bad for the foreseeable future.
The view from here says the Bulls should’ve tried building around Butler as opposed to just having him as a piece to a puzzle, then seeing where things could grow from there.
Watching him continue to develop while putting adequate and fitting help around Butler would’ve been curious to watch and the Bulls could’ve achieved their desired goal of making themselves relevant when James’ Eastern Conference run ends soon—as early as the 2018 offseason, where he’s rumored to be taking his talents to the Western Conference to finish his career.
With salary cap space and an attractive market, the Bulls could’ve reformed themselves in the NBA marketplace with Butler as a main attraction, and one wonders if they should’ve made the same decision knowing what was coming in the East.
But facing the thought of giving him another large contract in two years scared them off, and the economics of the NBA has played a big part in how free agency has been handled for the first day or so, as the money has dried up quick—leading to more second-guesses as the Bulls believed teams would overspend and have to trade away good players in the near future, with the Bulls being contestant number one with that key word: Flexibility.
But now, they face the prospect of being one of many in the East trying to win the Michael Porter Jr. (incoming forward to Missouri) sweepstakes next season.
Someone has to win the round robin games between the likes of the Bulls, Pacers, Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, Orlando Magic and New York Knicks. The race to the bottom won’t be as easy as the Bulls might think, because there’s no guarantee the Detroit Pistons, Charlotte Hornets and Philadelphia 76ers will take leaps past them.
Heck, it’ll be hard to find 12 Eastern Conference players worthy of being an All-Star next year, let alone eight true playoff teams. The Bulls had to scrap and claw to finish 41-41, and the fifth-seeded Hawks were 43-39, so it’s not hard to envision a team or two making the playoffs with losing records nowhere near the .500 mark—as well as teams who’d rather not make the playoffs qualifying for a first-round series.
Boston will be consistent and Cleveland will cruise through 82 games before James turns it up. Milwaukee, Washington and Toronto will be good enough, assuming they don’t have unexpected freefalls due to inconsistency, but the rest is a crapshoot.
So while the Bulls’ plan to be bad seems smart on the surface, lowering expectations while allowing some of the youth to develop in the meantime without the specter of a prime Butler hanging over them, it’s turned into a tricky proposition very quickly.
At some point, the Eastern Conference will rise again, but will be the Bulls be part of that resurgence, or questioning their not-so-subtle tanking strategy—because they're not the only ones with this bright idea.
Bulls bringing back familiar face for backcourt depth.
By Vincent Goodwill
(Photo/USA TODAY)
It seemed like a curious move when the Bulls threw in Justin Holiday as a condition of the Derrick Rose trade last June, Holiday being a solid, low-maintenance wing who could shoot.
The Bulls must've thought it was curious too, considering they're bringing Holiday back on a two-year deal worth $9 million, sources tell CSNChicago.com. Holiday averaged 7.7 points for the Knicks last year, playing all 82 games as he shifted between shooting guard and small forward.
Holiday was originally acquired in a trade involving Kirk Hinrich at the 2015-16 trade deadline, playing 27 games for the Bulls and shooting 43 percent from 3-point range in the small sample size.
Holiday, 28, is the older brother of New Orleans Pelicans point guard Jrue Holiday, but hasn't found a team to stick with the way his younger brother has. But the Bulls like him because of his versatility and their need for performers on the wing after trading Jimmy Butler and with Zach LaVine's debut being in the air with his recovery from ACL surgery.
On a short deal, Holiday presumably fits some of the things the Bulls are looking for as they head into what should be a rough rebuilding year, as he won't cause a lot of noise and his professionalism will be valued in a young locker room.
Thibs getting the band back together: Taj Gibson agrees to deal with Timberwolves.
By CSN Staff
The former Bulls power forward has reportedly agreed to a two-year, $28 million deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Gibson played for Thibodeau the first six seasons of his NBA career. He averaged 9.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 24.7 minutes per game, including a career-best season in 2013-14 (13.0 points, 6.8 rebounds).
The Bulls dealt Gibson at February's trade deadline to the Oklahoma City Thunder along with Doug McDermott. He averaged 9.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in a smaller role behind Steven Adams and Enes Kanter.
In Minnesota he'll be tasked to be the veteran - along with Butler - on a young Timberwolves team that features budding star Karl-Anthony Towns.
CUBS: Jon Lester’s trade-deadline reality for disappointing Cubs: 'You can always use a boost'.
Holiday was originally acquired in a trade involving Kirk Hinrich at the 2015-16 trade deadline, playing 27 games for the Bulls and shooting 43 percent from 3-point range in the small sample size.
Holiday, 28, is the older brother of New Orleans Pelicans point guard Jrue Holiday, but hasn't found a team to stick with the way his younger brother has. But the Bulls like him because of his versatility and their need for performers on the wing after trading Jimmy Butler and with Zach LaVine's debut being in the air with his recovery from ACL surgery.
On a short deal, Holiday presumably fits some of the things the Bulls are looking for as they head into what should be a rough rebuilding year, as he won't cause a lot of noise and his professionalism will be valued in a young locker room.
Thibs getting the band back together: Taj Gibson agrees to deal with Timberwolves.
By CSN Staff
(Photo/USA TODAY)
Not to be outdone by Jimmy Butler's reunion with head coach Tom Thibodeau, Taj Gibson is reportedly also on his way to Minnesota.
The former Bulls power forward has reportedly agreed to a two-year, $28 million deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Gibson played for Thibodeau the first six seasons of his NBA career. He averaged 9.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 24.7 minutes per game, including a career-best season in 2013-14 (13.0 points, 6.8 rebounds).
The Bulls dealt Gibson at February's trade deadline to the Oklahoma City Thunder along with Doug McDermott. He averaged 9.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in a smaller role behind Steven Adams and Enes Kanter.
In Minnesota he'll be tasked to be the veteran - along with Butler - on a young Timberwolves team that features budding star Karl-Anthony Towns.
CUBS: Jon Lester’s trade-deadline reality for disappointing Cubs: 'You can always use a boost'.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/USA TODAY)
The July 31 trade deadline looks like the next last resort for a 41-42 Cubs team that already promoted a top prospect (Ian Happ), experimented with the greatest leadoff hitter of all-time (Anthony Rizzo), demoted a World Series legend to Triple-A Iowa (Kyle Schwarber) and dumped a mouthy veteran catcher (Miguel Montero), desperately trying to weather injuries and shake up the defending World Series champs.
“You can always use a boost,” Jon Lester said after a Fourth of July loss to the Tampa Bay Rays left him shrugging his shoulders in the Wrigley Field interview room, running low on answers to the same state-of-the-team questions. “That’s always a positive in a clubhouse.”
Chris Archer is the one who got away, traded to the Rays after the 2011 season and blossoming into exactly the kind of top-of-the-rotation starter the Cubs need now. Except the Rays (44-41) have a better record than the Cubs, the wild-card safety net that doesn’t exist in a top-heavy National League and a team-friendly deal that could keep Archer in a Tampa Bay uniform through 2021.
So now isn’t the time to dream about Archer pitching on the North Side. This 6-5 game didn’t feel all that close, even as the crowd of 42,046 got loud late and the Cubs made Rays closer Alex Colome throw 38 pitches in the ninth inning, trying to protect a three-run lead and leaving two runners stranded when Jason Heyward harmlessly flied out to left field to end it.
Theo Epstein’s baseball-operations group will keep observing and gathering intelligence, hoping that: activating Heyward and Ben Zobrist from the disabled list will stabilize the team; resetting Schwarber in the minors will eventually unleash all his natural power; and slotting Kyle Hendricks in after the All-Star break will strengthen the rotation.
The Cubs are still only running 3.5 games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers in a bad division. But this flat-lining team doesn’t scream out for rental players or inspire confidence that Epstein will go all-in to win a bidding war for a frontline starter.
“Any time that the front office believes – ‘Hey, this piece will help us get over that hump’ – that’s always a boost to the clubhouse,” Lester said. “Like I said last year when we were rolling: ‘If we don’t make a move, we feel good about ourselves. If we make a move, we still feel good about ourselves.’
“You look around in that clubhouse, you can point in any different direction and say: ‘Really? We haven’t gotten hot? We haven’t gotten going?’ We do two or three or four games in a row and then it’s kind of like we go the other way for two or three or four games.
“It’s time to be paid up on that. It’s time to get some guys hot. It’s time to get some guys on the mound that just roll. We haven’t had that.”
“You can always use a boost,” Jon Lester said after a Fourth of July loss to the Tampa Bay Rays left him shrugging his shoulders in the Wrigley Field interview room, running low on answers to the same state-of-the-team questions. “That’s always a positive in a clubhouse.”
Chris Archer is the one who got away, traded to the Rays after the 2011 season and blossoming into exactly the kind of top-of-the-rotation starter the Cubs need now. Except the Rays (44-41) have a better record than the Cubs, the wild-card safety net that doesn’t exist in a top-heavy National League and a team-friendly deal that could keep Archer in a Tampa Bay uniform through 2021.
So now isn’t the time to dream about Archer pitching on the North Side. This 6-5 game didn’t feel all that close, even as the crowd of 42,046 got loud late and the Cubs made Rays closer Alex Colome throw 38 pitches in the ninth inning, trying to protect a three-run lead and leaving two runners stranded when Jason Heyward harmlessly flied out to left field to end it.
Theo Epstein’s baseball-operations group will keep observing and gathering intelligence, hoping that: activating Heyward and Ben Zobrist from the disabled list will stabilize the team; resetting Schwarber in the minors will eventually unleash all his natural power; and slotting Kyle Hendricks in after the All-Star break will strengthen the rotation.
The Cubs are still only running 3.5 games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers in a bad division. But this flat-lining team doesn’t scream out for rental players or inspire confidence that Epstein will go all-in to win a bidding war for a frontline starter.
“Any time that the front office believes – ‘Hey, this piece will help us get over that hump’ – that’s always a boost to the clubhouse,” Lester said. “Like I said last year when we were rolling: ‘If we don’t make a move, we feel good about ourselves. If we make a move, we still feel good about ourselves.’
“You look around in that clubhouse, you can point in any different direction and say: ‘Really? We haven’t gotten hot? We haven’t gotten going?’ We do two or three or four games in a row and then it’s kind of like we go the other way for two or three or four games.
“It’s time to be paid up on that. It’s time to get some guys hot. It’s time to get some guys on the mound that just roll. We haven’t had that.”
Where Archer (7-5, 3.95 ERA) put together a quality start that would have looked excellent with some good defense behind him, Lester (5-5, 3.94 ERA) put his team in a 6-1 hole in the fourth inning. That’s when Archer did his damage, showing bunt on a two-strike count, pulling his bat back and knocking his first big-league hit into right-center field for an RBI single.
The reality for the Cubs is that these are system-wide issues. One player alone won’t walk into the clubhouse and change the vibes, diversify the offense, fortify the rotation and tighten up the defense.
“Eight groundballs,” said Lester, who gave up nine hits in five innings and allowed five earned runs. “I hate to go back to it. I don’t want to sound like a broken record. I don’t want to sound like I’m making excuses. But it just seems like balls are kind of getting out of guys’ reach.
“Honestly, I feel like as a starting staff, as a bullpen, when we do make mistakes, we pay for it. Whereas last year, I felt like when we made mistakes, guys popped ‘em up, for whatever reason.
“I don’t want to make excuses for us as a staff and as a unit and sound like we’re pointing fingers at other things. But as a starting staff, you need to get away with mistakes sometimes.
“That’s the difference between a good and a bad season sometimes. The 2-0 heater that you throw down and away gets hit to Zo at second as opposed to gets hit into right.
“One little thing can kind of change the course of a start, the course of a season.”
The Cubs have a 38-year-old starting pitcher lined up for Wednesday afternoon, and any sense of momentum against the Rays would begin with John Lackey, who has nine losses, a 5.24 ERA and a major-league leading 24 home runs allowed.
The Cubs have only one guaranteed All-Star in Wade Davis, who wasn’t even on last year’s World Series winner and is now closing for a team that’s trailed in 63 of 83 games so far this season.
Is help on the way? Lester understands this answer to the big-picture question about the trade deadline: “There’s always room for improvement.”
Kyle Schwarber Watch: Cubs getting close to making a move.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/USA TODAY)
The Cubs didn’t dial up Kyle Schwarber to create some Fourth of July fireworks, keeping their World Series legend in the minors as Triple-A Iowa moved on to Oklahoma City.
But Schwarber Watch is on alert, with farm director Jaron Madison saying “it’s not out of the question” the left-handed slugger could rejoin the Cubs before the All-Star break, though that final decision rests with team president Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer.
“He’s feeling really good,” Madison said Tuesday at Wrigley Field after returning from a trip to Des Moines. “His swing’s way more balanced. He feels like he’s pretty close to where he wants to be. And I wouldn’t expect it to be too much longer, but he still has some things to work out.
“The at-bats I saw were under control. He was driving the ball the other way. He hit an ‘oppo’ home run that was crushed. And then he hit three other home runs over the scoreboard, so he’s pretty close. I think he’s feeling good about where he is.”
Manager Joe Maddon didn’t know the ETA, but essentially ruled out Schwarber for this two-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays in Wrigleyville, where the ancient stadium’s video boards still run his New Era hat advertisements. Schwarber played only 147 career games in the minors – and got 60 at-bats at the Triple-A level – before earning his World Series ring.
The Cubs gave Schwarber some time to decompress after getting into late June as one of the least productive hitters in the majors (.171 batting average, 12 homers and a .673 OPS), framing the demotion as a chance to clear his head and hit the reset button.
Through nine games at Iowa, Schwarber is 10-for-30 with those four homers, six walks and 11 strikeouts, fueling hopes he could function like a trade-deadline addition, the way he jumpstarted the 2015 Cubs.
“Not much mechanical,” Madison said. “Just getting him back to who he was as a hitter all through his career, which is a really good hitter who has power. When he was up here, it looked like he was trying to hit for power and getting away from being a really good hitter. Really, the mentality, the approach was what was wrong.
“And then just keeping him balanced and getting him back to where he’s been his whole career, which is centered (with the ability to) drive the ball to all fields with tremendous power.”
WHITE SOX: A's rookie Franklin Barreto stuns White Sox, Tommy Kahnle with late home run.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The Oakland A’s Franklin Barreto stunned Tommy Kahnle and the White Sox on Tuesday afternoon.
“I don’t think anybody would’ve expected that outcome today, honestly,” manager Rick Renteria said. “We didn’t. I didn’t see that coming at all. Tip your cap to the kid over there because he battled (Kahnle) and put a really good at-bat together. Ended up getting a pitch he could handle that he ended up driving pretty well and it got out. Tip your cap because that’s just baseball.”
Kahnle hasn’t had many hiccups in what has been a breakout season. He has struck out 55 batters and walked only seven in 32 2/3 innings to take ownership of a setup role left open by Nate Jones’ elbow injury.
Kahnle moved into the ninth inning on Tuesday with David Robertson back in Chicago to attend the birth of his daughter. The right-hander struck out Jaycob Brugman to start the ninth inning and appeared on his way to racking up Barreto, too. After he fouled back three straight fastballs, Barreto held back enough on a 90-mph changeup to push the count full. Barreto then belted a 97-mph fastball out to left
“I thought I’d get him on the 2-2 changeup, but he got the checked swing,” Kahnle said. “Next pitch, that’s my bread and butter and he hit it. That’s all I could do really.
“Good for him. That’s the second time he’s gotten me.”
“I was really looking forward to (the ninth). I was ready. Nothing different about it. Just one pitch and the ballgame was over.
“I’ve been throwing well all year. Today too I thought I threw well. Just basically one pitch killed me and got us a loss. It sucks.”
Changeup played big role in Carlos Rodon's 'confidence' inspiring start.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/USA TODAY)
It took him a little while to get going, but Carlos Rodon looked like an ace in the making on Monday night. He looked exactly like what the White Sox expected him to be when they selected Rodon with the third overall pick of the 2014 draft.
Working with outstanding command of all three pitches, Rodon picked up steam after a second-inning hiccup and never slowed down in a 7-2 White Sox victory over the Oakland A’s. Rodon — who missed almost the entire first three months of the season with bursitis in his left shoulder — struck out 10 batters and walked three. The effort was a huge leap forward from Rodon’s effort five days earlier when he made his first start of the season and walked six batters in a loss to the New York Yankees.
“How (Rodon) threw (Monday) was the way we thought we saw toward the end of the season last year, which was much more efficient, much more in command of all his pitches,” manager Rick Renteria said. “His stuff is pretty good. He has a lot of life on his pitches. When he throws strikes, and he’s able to get his secondary pitches, his breaking ball, his changeup, he can get through a lineup pretty well. If he gets into some jams, when he executes, he can get himself out of the jams. It was nice to see him throw it like that.”
The White Sox have seen Rodon get on an extended run before. Similar to his final eight starts of 2015, the young left-hander was absurdly good over his last 11 outings last season after returning from a sprained wrist. From Aug. 6-Sept. 30, Rodon posted a 3.11 ERA and struck out 70 batters in 66 2/3 innings with only 20 walks. His 25.2 percent strikeout-rate over that run is nearly two points up from his career mark of 23.3.
For the White Sox to see any semblance of the same pitcher so quickly after returning from this latest injury is a very good sign.
“When you’re injured and you come back, it’s hard to do,” teammate Todd Frazier said. “You have a lot of doubts in your mind and for him to do that (Monday) especially, the confidence level should be high and he should hit the streets tonight and have a good time.”
It isn’t just that Rodon did it — it’s how he performed.
While he had pretty good fastball command — strikes on 33 of 53 pitches — Rodon had an outstanding changeup working and a very good slider. Rodon threw strikes on 14 of 18 changeups, including seven whiffs, according to Brooksbaseball.net. In all, Rodon got 25 swings and misses, including nine with his slider.
“What was good was he was getting ahead a lot with all of his pitches,” catcher Kevan Smith said. “We weren’t falling behind too many guys. Everything was working for him and it was kind of fun. Everything was working and you could see the confidence in him after the second inning. He got a little fire in his rear. It was fun to watch.”
Rodon retired the first five hitters he faced Monday night before Josh Phegley started a two-out, second-inning rally with a double. Rodon eventually ended the jam with a three-pitch strikeout of Rajai Davis but not before he walked two batters, gave the White Sox a scare when he landed wrong during his delivery, and surrendered a two-run single to Adam Rosales. After the Rosales’ hit, Rodon found a new gear and retired 11 straight.
He looked sharp. He was efficient. The stuff was nasty.
Rodon’s final batter was Rosales and he threw a changeup on three of four pitches in the seventh-inning encounter. Rosales hit what appeared to be an inning-ending double play ball only for his infield to botch it. But the at-bat illustrated how much confidence Rodon had in his third-best pitch, another good sign for the White Sox. Rodon credited Smith for continuing to call the pitch.
“The changeup really bailed me out today, especially with Smitty,” Rodon said. “Smitty had the confidence to keep going, and I just started throwing it, and it worked out.
“It felt good, a little bit of relief. I’ll get the first one out of the way and build off that.
“It was just one start, but that was closer to where I was. But hopefully I can build off that in my next start in Colorado.”
Jose Abreu explains why he is in 'a great position' despite All-Star absence.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/USA TODAY)
He may not be an All-Star, but Jose Abreu is unquestionably in a better place than he was one year ago.
“I don’t like to turn back the page, I like to turn the page forward,” Abreu said through an interpreter. “It was a tough situation for me last year. I’m glad I’ve overcome all those situations. I’m in a great position right now. I’m playing more like I know I can play. I’m doing my best. I’m glad for all the people who supported to me in that tough moment. I’m just glad to be at this point and doing my best.”
Abreu has contended since March he’s in a “much better place” this season.
The first baseman endured his share of trying times last year, especially off the field. He learned of the arrest of his trainer and close friend Julio Estrada last April for Estrada’s involvement in the smuggling case that helped bring Abreu to the United States in late 2013. Abreu also was informed he would have to testify in the case, though he’d be granted immunity for his participation. Beyond that, Abreu wondered if he’d ever be reunited with his young son, Dariel, who he’d only seen once since escaping Cuba.
Abreu headed into the 2016 All-Star break with 11 home runs and a .756 OPS. At that point he was only two weeks into a 32-game homerless stretch that ended on Aug. 4.
But Abreu has since been reunited with his son, who visits again next week, and testified in the trial in March.
Those developments have freed Abreu up and his play would suggest it to be the case. Through Saturday, Abreu is hitting .292/.340/.515 with 16 homers and 58 RBIs in 82 games. He didn’t drive in his 58th run of 2016 until his 107th game.
The White Sox have benefitted from Abreu’s improved play. Saturday was the 40th time in which the White Sox have scored five or more runs this season. Last season, the White Sox scored five or more runs only 67 times.
“It’s a big impact,” manager Rick Renteria said. “All of our guys have started to pick it up. (Todd Frazier), (Abreu), (Avisail Garcia) has been consistent all season. We’ve had output from guys nobody expected that we hoped would give us some, (Yolmer Sanchez) and (Matt) Davidson. All through the lineup everybody doing their thing and giving us moments. They continue to grind and play. Abreu’s consistency has been impactful. They just feed on each other.”
They root each other on, too.
Abreu has shown only love for Garcia, who two days ago was named the team’s lone All-Star representative. Abreu has championed Garcia’s accomplishment, stepping into his interview on Monday afternoon to inform reporters that Garcia was “happy, happy, happy” to be headed to Miami for next week’s exhibition.
Even though his numbers have been All-Star worthy as well, Abreu is content to be in a good spot. After all, he’ll also be in Miami, hanging out with his son and the rest of his family, including wife, Yusmary, who is due in October.
“(The All-Star Game) is not a disappointment,” Abreu said. “I’m realistic and I know there are a lot of players that have better stats than me. I’m glad for them to go. I did my best and I’m just working hard to help my team win games. I’ve had the experience. I experienced it three years ago. No regrets for me.”
Golf: I got a club for that..... Greenbrier Classic groupings, tee times, TV schedule.
By Dennis Manoloff, The Plain Dealer
Site: White Sulphur Springs, W. Va.
Course: The Old White TPC
Purse: $7.1 million (First prize: $1,278,000).
Television: Thursday-Friday, 3-6 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1-2:30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS).
Defending champion: Danny Lee in 2015.
Last week: Kyle Stanley won the Quicken Loans National.
FedEx Cup leader: Dustin Johnson
Notes: The tournament was canceled last year because of record flooding that left the Old White TPC under approximately 3 feet of mud. ... Phil Mickelson owns some property in the area and serves as an ambassador for the Greenbrier. Also playing is part-time Greenbrier resident Bubba Watson. ... This will be the first time Mickelson has someone other than Jim "Bones" Mackay as his caddie for a PGA Tour event since his manager, Steve Loy, caddied for him in the 1993 Tucson Open. ... Davis Love III and Davis Love IV are in the field. Dru Love, the son of the two-time Ryder Cup captain, received a sponsor exemption. This is the second time they are playing the same tournament. The other was the RSM Classic two years ago. ... Stuart Appleby received a sponsor exemption. He shot 59 in the final round to win the inaugural Greenbrier Classic. ... Watson has broken 70 every round he has played in his three previous appearances, but he still he not cracked the top 10. ... The leading four players not already exempt from the top 12 finishers will earn a spot in the British Open. ... One week after withdrawing from the U.S. Senior Open with a shoulder injury, John Daly is playing on a sponsor's exemption.
Thursday Tee Times
No.1 Tee
7:00 AM -- Michael Kim, C.T. Pan, Mark Hubbard (12:00 p.m. Friday, 10th tee)
7:10 AM -- Ben Crane, Robert Garrigus, John Daly (12:10 p.m. Friday, 10th tee)
7:20 AM -- Tommy Gainey, Zac Blair, Michael Putnam (12:20 p.m. Friday, 10th tee)
7:30 AM -- D.A. Points, Troy Merritt, Ben Martin (12:30 p.m. Friday, 10th tee)
7:40 AM -- Vaughn Taylor, J.B. Holmes, Vijay Singh (12:40 p.m. Friday, 10th tee)
7:50 AM -- Greg Chalmers, Keegan Bradley, Luke Donald (12:50 p.m. Friday, 10th tee)
8:00 AM -- Davis Love III, Robert Streb, K.J. Choi (1:00 p.m. Friday, 10th tee)
8:10 AM -- Graham DeLaet, Andres Gonzales, J.T. Poston (1:10 p.m. Friday, 10th tee)
8:20 AM -- Jason Bohn, Chris Stroud, Tyron Van Aswegen (1:20 p.m. Friday, 10th tee)
8:30 AM -- Scott Stallings, Y.E. Yang, Tag Ridings (1:30 p.m. Friday, 10th tee)
8:40 AM -- Ryan Armour, Julian Etulain, Kevin Shields (1:40 p.m. Friday, 10th tee)
8:50 AM -- Brad Fritsch, Bryson DeChambeau, Davis Love IV (1:50 p.m. Friday, 10th tee)
9:00 AM -- Steven Alker, S.J. Park, Clayton Portz (2:00 p.m. Friday, 10th tee)
12:00 PM -- Boo Weekley, Ricky Barnes, Luke List (7:00 a.m. Friday, 10th tee)
12:10 PM -- Patrick Rodgers, Kelly Kraft, Xander Schauffele (7:10 a.m. Friday, 10th tee)
12:20 PM -- Cameron Tringale, Sung Kang, Cameron Percy (7:20 a.m. Friday, 10th tee)
12:30 PM -- Tony Finau, Hunter Mahan, Webb Simpson (7:30 a.m. Friday, 10th tee)
12:40 PM -- Peter Malnati, J.J. Henry, Sean O'Hair (7:40 a.m. Friday, 10th tee)
12:50 PM -- Kevin Kisner, Si Woo Kim, Mackenzie Hughes (7:50 a.m. Friday, 10th tee)
1:00 PM -- Bubba Watson, Danny Lee, Phil Mickelson (8:00 a.m. Friday, 10th tee)
1:10 PM -- Scott Brown, Charlie Beljan, Rory Sabbatini (8:10 a.m. Friday, 10th tee)
1:20 PM -- Camilo Villegas, Geoff Ogilvy, Bill Lunde (8:20 a.m. Friday, 10th tee)
1:30 PM -- Johnson Wagner, Morgan Hoffmann, Dominic Bozzelli (8:30 a.m. Friday, 10th tee)
1:40 PM -- Nicholas Lindheim, Brett Drewitt, Ryan Zylstra (8:40 a.m. Friday, 10th tee)
1:50 PM -- Sam Saunders, Sebastian Munoz, Christian Brand (8:50 a.m. Friday, 10th tee)
2:00 PM -- Miguel Angel Carballo (9:00 a.m. Friday, 10th tee)
No. 10 Tee
7:00 AM -- Ken Duke, Carl Pettersson, Derek Fathauer (12:00 p.m. Friday, 1st tee)
7:10 AM -- David Hearn, Chad Collins, Steve Wheatcroft (12:10 p.m. Friday, 1st tee)
7:20 AM -- Greg Owen, Roberto Castro, Shane Bertsch (12:20 p.m. Friday, 1st tee)
7:30 AM -- David Lingmerth, Matt Every, Brian Gay (12:30 p.m. Friday, 1st tee)
7:40 AM -- Steven Bowditch, Alex Cejka, Nick Watney (12:40 p.m. Friday, 1st tee)
7:50 AM -- Russell Henley, Hudson Swafford, Bill Haas (12:50 p.m. Friday, 1st tee)
8:00 AM -- Jonas Blixt, Patrick Reed, Charles Howell III (1:00 p.m. Friday, 1st tee)
8:10 AM -- Kevin Streelman, Matt Jones, Ollie Schniederjans (1:10 p.m. Friday, 1st tee)
8:20 AM -- Bryce Molder, Jason Kokrak, Ryan Blaum (1:20 p.m. Friday, 1st tee)
8:30 AM -- Angel Cabrera, Seung-Yul Noh, Andrew Loupe (1:30 p.m. Friday, 1st tee)
8:40 AM -- Jonathan Randolph, Seamus Power, Joel Dahmen (1:40 p.m. Friday, 1st tee)
8:50 AM -- Willy Wilcox, Tom Hoge, Joaquin Niemann (a) (1:50 p.m. Friday, 1st tee)
9:00 AM -- Mark Anderson, Rick Lamb, Alan Cooke (a) (2:00 p.m. Friday, 1st tee)
12:00 PM -- Chad Campbell, Jamie Lovemark, J.J. Spaun (7:00 a.m. Friday, 1st tee)
12:10 PM -- Kyle Reifers, Harold Varner III, Trey Mullinax (7:10 a.m. Friday, 1st tee)
12:20 PM -- Ted Potter Jr., Shawn Stefani, Grayson Murray (7:20 a.m. Friday, 1st tee)
12:30 PM -- Jimmy Walker, Jim Herman, Smylie Kaufman (7:30 a.m. Friday, 1st tee)
12:40 PM -- Billy Hurley III, Chris Kirk, Nick Taylor (7:40 a.m. Friday, 1st tee)
12:50 PM -- James Hahn, Gary Woodland, Stewart Cink (7:50 a.m. Friday, 1st tee)
1:00 PM -- John Huh, Spencer Levin, Martin Flores (8:00 a.m. Friday, 1st tee)
1:10 PM -- Stuart Appleby, Brendon de Jonge, Patton Kizzire (8:10 a.m. Friday, 1st tee)
1:20 PM -- Tim Wilkinson, Gonzalo Fdez-Castano, Blayne Barber (8:20 a.m. Friday, 1st tee)
1:30 PM -- Harris English, Whee Kim, Brett Stegmaier (8:30 a.m. Friday, 1st tee)
1:40 PM -- Bobby Gates, Ryan Brehm, Curtis Luck (8:40 a.m. Friday, 1st tee)
1:50 PM -- Brandon Hagy, Bobby Wyatt, Braden Thornberry (a) (8:50 a.m. Friday, 1st tee)
2:00 PM -- Max Homa, Richy Werenski, Brian Campbell (9:00 a.m. Friday, 1st tee)\
Fantasy Golf Rankings: 2017 Greenbrier Classic.
By Brentley Romine
(Photo/Golfweek)
After severe flooding canceled the 2016 edition of The Greenbrier Classic, the PGA Tour event at The Old White TPC in White Sulphur Springs, W. Va., returns this week.
The Old White TPC also returns with a new look. The par-70 resort course underwent a renovation that included re-surfaced fairways and greens (bentgrass), re-done greens, re-shaped bunkering and reduction of the course yardage to 7,286.
With all the changes to the course, it’s hard to take too much stock in past history here. Players who can drive it far, hit greens and work well on and around the greens should contend. Length could be especially useful considering the forecast calls for some rain.
Here are my top 20 fantasy-golf options for this week’s Greenbrier Classic:
1. Bill Haas: Many thought last week would be his week. He still tied for 13th, his fourth straight top 25. Ranks ninth on Tour in greens in regulation percentage and very good around the greens.
2. Patrick Reed: Finally buying into Reed, who has six top 25s in his last seven starts, including T-17 at Quicken Loans. Ranks poorly in GIR but his putter has earned him a lot of his dough (27th in strokes gained-putting).
3. Kevin Kisner: Hasn’t teed it up since T-58 at U.S. Open. T-6 and a win in two starts before that. Great putter who is also a top-50 player in GIR percentage on Tour.
4. Charles Howell III: Returned after 11 weeks off to lose Quicken Loans in a playoff. Not bad. Great at finding greens, decently long off the tee and solid short game. He’s back.
5. Tony Finau: Have a feeling that he’s going to challenge for a victory very soon. T-29 finish at Quicken Loans was his fourth finish of T-29 or better in last five starts. Long off the tee (11th in driving distance) and hits lots of greens (sixth in GIR).
6. David Lingmerth: Doesn’t hit a ton of greens, but putter has been so good, as he ranks 17th in SGP. Six finishes of T-26 or better in last seven starts, including T-5 at Quicken Loans, where he led after 54 holes.
7. Phil Mickelson: Will be well rested (and maybe a little rusty) as he’s not played since solo ninth in Memphis. Course is a great fit for his stellar short game.
8. Russell Henley: T-27 at U.S. Open and T-46 at Quicken Loans since two straight MCs. Top-25 player in GIR and SGP.
9. Keegan Bradley: Up to 20th on Tour in GIR percentage. Still not a great putter, but back in world top 100 after T-8 at Travelers and T-5 at Quicken Loans.
10. Stewart Cink: Great combo of GIR (13th) and SGP (20th). Has made 12 of last 14 cuts with 10 finishes of T-28 or better during that span. Hasn’t played since T-46 at U.S. Open. Last time he took two weeks off he tied for 10th at Colonial.
11. Webb Simpson: T-8 finish at Quicken Loans was fourth top-16 finish in last seven Tour starts. Not the best of putters, but he does rank 13th in strokes gained-around the green.
12. Danny Lee: Six straight made cuts, including T-22 at Quicken Loans and T-3 at Travelers. Plus, he’s the 2015 winner of this event. Ranks 24th in SGP.
13. Gary Woodland: Length and GIR are strengths while his game around the greens is sneaky good. Finishes haven’t been great recently – T-50, T-49, T-40, T-75 – and he did WD from Quicken Loans.
14. Xander Schauffele: Good ballstriker who has been putting a lot better lately. Five straight cuts made, including his T-5 at U.S. Open and T-35 last week at Quicken Loans.
15. Sung Kang: Not the best around the greens but very solid in just about every other facet of the game. Has made 11 straight cuts and tied for fifth last week at Quicken Loans.
16. Kevin Streelman: Playing great golf right now – T-17, T-8, T-13, T-18 in last four starts. Doesn’t wow you with his stats, but you can’t argue with results.
17. Harris English: Short game has been solid, though he doesn’t rank too highly in GIR (163rd). Made four of last five cuts, including T-22 at Quicken Loans.
18. J.B. Holmes: Followed strong U.S. Open showing (12th) with T-68 at Quicken Loans. Not hitting greens or putting great this season, but he has a lot of length and is creative around the greens.
19. Graham DeLaet: Had a bad putting week at Quicken Loans, where he missed the cut. But he’s still a top-30 player in GIR, SGP and driving distance. T-10 at Memorial and T-26 at Travelers before the MC. One of worst on Tour around the greens (199th out of 201 in SGAG).
20. Bubba Watson: Has probably more experience on the new-look Old White TPC than anyone in the field. And even though he missed the cut at his beloved Travelers, his game fits this event a little better.
McIlroy grouped with Rahm, Matsuyama at Irish Open.
By Will Gray
(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)
The tournament host should have plenty of fans following him for the first two rounds of the DDF Irish Open.
Rory McIlroy is hosting the European Tour stop for the third straight year, this time taking the tournament to Portstewart Golf Club in Northern Ireland. There he'll be grouped for the first two rounds alongside one of the few players ahead of him in the world rankings, Hideki Matsuyama, and burgeoning star Jon Rahm.
Both Matsuyama and Rahm are making their debut appearances in the Irish Open, which McIlroy won last year at the K Club in Ireland. The trio will tee off at 8:20 a.m. ET Thursday and 3:20 a.m. Friday.
Other notable groups at Portstewart include Tommy Fleetwood, fresh off his win at the HNA French Open, playing the first two rounds alongside former U.S. Open champs Justin Rose and Graeme McDowell. That group will be in the opposite wave from McIlroy, teeing off at 3:20 a.m. Thursday and 8:20 a.m. Friday.
Former Masters champ Danny Willett will be joined by fellow Englishman Matthew Fitzpatrick and Ian Poulter starting at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, while 2009 winner Shane Lowry will start at 3:10 a.m. alongside Thomas Pieters and Rafael Cabrera-Bello.
The DDF Irish Open is the third leg of the Rolex Series, which will continue next week with the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open at Dundonald.
NASCAR: Kentucky entry lists for Cup, Xfinity, Trucks.
By Dustin Long
(Photo/Getty Images)
All three of NASCAR’s top three national series are in action this week at Kentucky Speedway.
The Xfinity Series competes at 8 p.m. ET Friday on NBCSN.
The Monster Energy Cup Series races at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday on NBCSN.
Cup – Quaker State 400
Forty cars are on the entry list, meaning every car entered will compete. Darrell Wallace Jr. is back in the No. 43 car for Richard Petty Motorsports in what could be his final start for the team. Aric Almirola, who suffered a T5 compression fracture in a May 13 crash at Kansas Speedway, hopes to be back in the car for the July 16 Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Brad Keselowski has won three of the six previous Cup races at Kentucky.
Click here for Cup entry list
Xfinity – Alsco 300
Forty-four cars are entered for this race.
William Byron goes for his third consecutive victory after having won at Daytona and Iowa the past two weekends.
Cup drivers entered are: Paul Menard, Ty Dillon, Ryan Blaney, Kyle Busch, Erik Jones, Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick.
Defending race winner is Busch.
Click here for Xfinity entry list
Camping World Truck Series – Buckle Up in Your Truck 225
After a weekend off, the Truck series is back at the track. There are 34 entries. Busch is entered in this event, the only Cup driver competing in all three races this weekend. Byron won last year’s race.
Click here for Truck entry list
Who is Hot & Not heading to Kentucky?
By Dustin Long
(Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)
NASCAR heads back to a 1.5-mile track this week for the last time before the playoffs begin in September.
Jimmie Johnson has 28 wins on 1.5-mile tracks, the most in series history. He won at Texas earlier this year. Winners at the other 1.5-mile tracks this season have been: Brad Keselowski (Atlanta), Martin Truex Jr. (Las Vegas, Kansas) and Austin Dillon (Charlotte).
Here is a look at some of the drivers who are hot and those who are not heading into Saturday night’s Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway on NBCSN.
WHO IS HOT
Brad Keselowski
Finished 31st at Daytona (accident); led a race-high 35 laps and won stage one
Series-high nine top fives in 2017
Three Kentucky wins (2012, 2014 and 2016)
Started on the front row in the last three Kentucky races
Only one finish worse than sixth in the five 1.5 mile races this season
Kevin Harvick
Finished 33rd at Daytona, accident
Won at Sonoma
Finished top 10 in eight of the last 11 races
Finished top 10 in the last four races at Kentucky, best of 7th in 2014
Three poles on 1.5 mile tracks this season, four top-10 finishes
Jimmie Johnson
Finished 12th at Daytona
Top 10 finishes in all but one race at Kentucky, 32nd last year (accident from 10th on lap 32)
28 career 1.5 mile wins, most all-time
Kyle Larson
Two wins this season, Auto Club Speedway and Michigan, leads the points
Finished top two in seven races this season
Finished top 10 in all but six of the 36 stages in 2017 (including Duel)
Best finish at Kentucky is 19th last year
Jamie McMurray
Finished 14th at Daytona
10 top 10 finishes of 2017, had only three at this point last year and 12 all of 2016
Finished runner-up at Kentucky in 2013, one of two top 10 finishes there, the other was seventh in 2016
WHO IS NOT
Ryan Blaney
Finished 26th at Daytona, scored points in both stages
Has not had back-to-back top 10 finishes this season
Scored his first career win at Pocono
Only one series start at Kentucky, finished 35th last year
Austin Dillon
Finished 36th at Daytona
Only two top 10 finishes this season, had eight at this point last year
Best Kentucky finish is 16th, twice
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Finished 32nd at Daytona after winning the pole, only led one lap
Nine finishes of 20th or worse in 2017
Two top 10 finishes at Kentucky in six starts, both top fives, best of fourth
Three 1.5 mile wins, last was Chicago in 2005
Joey Logano
Finished 35th at Daytona
Six top five finishes in the first nine races this season, only one in the last eight
Finished better than 12th only once in the last eight races of 2017
Won at Richmond but was encumbered
Top 10 finishes in three of the last four races at Kentucky, best of 2nd in 2015
8 moments in Richard Petty's 80 years.
By Nick Bromberg
(Photo/www.guysgab.com)
Happy birthday, Richard Petty.
NASCAR’s original seven-time champion and its all-time wins leader turned 80 on Sunday. In honor of Petty’s 80 years on earth, let’s remember eight of the biggest moments in his career.
8. His final start: The last years of Petty’s career weren’t much of a highlight compared to the rest of his accomplishments. Petty went winless in his final eight seasons.
But his final start, at Atlanta in 1992, came in a historic race for NASCAR. Bill Elliott won the race, but lost the championship to owner-driver Alan Kulwicki because Kulwicki finished second. The fight between Kulwicki and Elliott is one of the best championship duels in NASCAR.
The race was also he first race in the career of a guy named Jeff Gordon. You may be familiar with the now-Fox Sports broadcaster. He was a decent driver.
7. Petty’s first win: The King’s 200 wins are the most of anyone in NASCAR’s top level. And it’s a mark that no one is ever going to touch.
But when you count wins in other NASCAR series, Petty’s mark is actually 201. His first NASCAR victory came in the long-defunct NASCAR Convertible Series at Columbia Speedway in 1959. Petty beat a field that included Wood Brothers Racing co-owner Glen Wood and other iconic drivers like Buddy Baker and Tiny Lund.
6. Petty’s streak of top-10 points finishes: Petty finished in the top 10 in the NASCAR points standings for 19 years from 1966-1985. The streak would have been longer too if Petty hadn’t run just 14 races in 1965.
That season Petty tried his hand at drag racing. But he quit the sport not long after he was involved in a wreck that killed a young spectator after his car crashed into a crowd of fans.
In those 14 starts in 1965 Petty had four wins and 10 top-10 finishes. Well on pace to finish in the top 10 that season, his incredible top-10 streak could have been 25 years.
5. Petty’s seventh championship: Petty is now tied with Dale Earnhardt and Jimmie Johnson with seven titles. But he was the first driver to get to seven and did so with an epic championship battle with fellow NASCAR champion Darrell Waltrip.
Petty didn’t take the points lead until after the 29th race of the 31-race season. And he entered the final race of the year at Ontario in second, two points behind Waltrip.
Petty finished the Ontario race in fifth, three spots ahead of Waltrip. The 13-point gap was enough to shift the points standings into Petty’s favor by 11 and give him the title.
The comeback was made possible by an incredible streak of consistency. Petty was fourth in the points standings after finishing 30th in the 12th race of the season. In the final 19 races of the year he never finished outside the top 10 and had two wins over the final eight races.
4. His role in the 1979 Daytona 500 finish: The 1979 Daytona 500 is perhaps the most iconic NASCAR race because of the fight between Cale Yarborough and Bobby and Donnie Allison after a last-lap crash. But Petty’s involvement in the race is sometimes forgotten.
He won.
He won.
As Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough battled for the lead on the final lap and slid into the infield, Petty took over the lead from third. It was just the 12th lap he led in the entire race and his first since 1971.
The victory was Petty’s sixth Daytona 500 win. He’d get one more, winning the 1981 Daytona 500.
3. Petty’s battle with David Pearson at the end of the 1976 Daytona 500: While the 1979 500 may be NASCAR’s most iconic race, this race still holds the title of best Daytona 500 finish. And yeah, this is on the list even though Petty didn’t win the race.
Petty snuck ahead of Pearson off turn 4 on the final lap as the two rubbed against each other in the corner. But the two made contact coming off the corner and Pearson hit the wall and Petty got loose.
It appeared for a brief moment that Petty was heading to win the race. But he too couldn’t save his car and also hit the wall. As Pearson’s car spun into the entrance of pit road, Petty’s car spun to a stop just short of the finish line.
As Petty struggled to get his car refired, Pearson’s car was still running. He cut across the infield and around Petty to take the checkered flag.
2. His final win: Petty’s 200th and final Cup Series win came in the 1984 Firecracker 400. With the race run in its traditional July 4 morning spot, then-President Ronald Reagan was in attendance for the final laps. Petty got to celebrate with Reagan after the race after leading the final 33 laps.
1. His second title: Petty won his first championship in 1964 with nine wins over 68 races. His second came in even more dominating fashion. Petty won 27 races in 48 starts in 1967 and had 40 top-10 finishes. Bobby Allison, the series’ second-winningest driver that season, had six.
NASCAR’s points system was far different back then. Petty accumulated over 42,000 points in those 48 races. And he even skipped a race. And, as you can imagine, the title race wasn’t even close. Petty beat second-place James Hylton by over 6,000 points.
It’s the most dominating season in NASCAR history. And much like his 200-win mark, it’s something that will never be topped in modern NASCAR. With the Cup Series’ current 36-race schedule, an equivalent season would be a driver winning 19 races in a season. Not even Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus are good enough to do that.
SOCCER: Preview: Fire try to keep top MLS record at shorthanded Timbers.
By Dan Santaromita
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The Chicago Fire are enduring a busy stretch of games and are missing key players, but they won’t get any sympathy from the Portland Timbers.
The Fire are without Dax McCarty, who is with the U.S. national team for the Gold Cup, David Accam is returning from international duty and Bastian Schweinsteiger is listed as questionable after leaving in the first half of Saturday’s 4-0 win against Vancouver. While all three are keys starters for the Fire, that list is significantly shorter than the players the Timbers will be missing.
The Fire are without Dax McCarty, who is with the U.S. national team for the Gold Cup, David Accam is returning from international duty and Bastian Schweinsteiger is listed as questionable after leaving in the first half of Saturday’s 4-0 win against Vancouver. While all three are keys starters for the Fire, that list is significantly shorter than the players the Timbers will be missing.
The Timbers won’t be able to field a full 18-man matchday roster due to injuries and players away for the Gold Cup. Regular starters Diego Chara and Liam Ridgewell and depth players Jack Barmby and Amobi Okugo are out with injuries. Starting right back Alvas Powell and frequent attacking substitute Darren Mattocks are with Jamaica and starting central midfielder David Guzman is with Costa Rica for the Gold Cup.
The Fire will try to take advantage of Portland's lack of depth when they travel to Providence Park Wednesday night. The game will be live on CSN with an hour and a half of Fire coverage leading into the match. First up is a new episode of Chicago Fire Weekly at 8 p.m. and then Fire Pregame Live is on at 9 p.m.
It will be the Fire’s fourth game in 12 days and will cap off a busy stretch of seven games in 26 days for the host Timbers. Portland is winless in five straight, including a loss to Seattle in the U.S. Open Cup, but is 5-1-3 at home this season.
“Portland is going to be a great test for us and we have to keep the mentality that we have now and play the way we were playing so far,” Fire coach Veljko Paunovic said.
Portland’s depth is razor thin, but the Timbers will be able to send out almost all of the starting lineup that earned a quality road draw at Sporting Kansas City on Saturday.
The Fire took over the best record in MLS on Saturday, but have a tough stretch of games coming up to hold onto that spot. After Wednesday, the Fire will go on break for the Gold Cup group stage, but will return July 22 with a game at New York City FC and a trip to Sporting KC the next week.
“We just have to keep playing the way we’re playing with confidence,” midfielder Arturo Alvarez said. “It’s a lot of games left, but we got to keep doing the same thing.”
Chicago Fire at Portland Timbers
Where: Providence Park, Portland, Ore.
TV: CSN Chicago
When: Coverage starts at 9 p.m. with Fire Pregame Live (a new episode of Chicago Fire Weekly starts at 8 p.m.)
Records: Fire (11-3-4, 37 points), Timbers (7-7-5, 26 points)
Records: Fire (11-3-4, 37 points), Timbers (7-7-5, 26 points)
Preseason schedules for all 20 Premier League teams.
By Joe Prince-Wright
(Photo/Getty Images)
With Premier League teams back in preseason training and pounding the pitches with fitness tests galore, now seems like a good time to see what is coming up for each team in the next few weeks.
Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Swansea City are all heading to the USA on tour, while Crystal Palace, Liverpool, West Brom and Leicester City will take part in the Premier League’s Asia Trophy in Hong Kong.
Arsenal and Chelsea will also head out to the Far East with plenty of other clubs heading to Continental Europe to train and play games at altitude.
Via the PremierLeague.com take a look below at the full schedules for each PL club, as things stands, with details on how to watch your team in action this summer.
Arsenal
13 July v Sydney FC, ANZ Stadium, Sydney Details
15 July v Western Sydney Wanderers, ANZ Stadium, Sydney Details
19 July v Bayern Munich (Shanghai Stadium) International Champions Cup Details
22 July v Chelsea (Bird’s Nest Stadium, Beijing) Details
29 July v Benfica, Emirates Stadium (Emirates Cup) Details
30 July v Sevilla, Emirates Stadium (Emirates Cup) Details
6 August v Chelsea, Wembley Stadium (Community Shield) Details
Bournemouth
15 July v Estoril Praia, Stadium Municipal, Marbella Details
22 July v Portsmouth, Fratton Park, Portsmouth Details
29 July v Queens Park Rangers, Loftus Road, London Details
30 July v Valencia, Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth Details
2 August v Yeovil Town, Huish Park, Yeovil Details
6 August v Napoli, Vitality Stadium Details
Brighton & Hove Albion
14 July v Fortuna Dusseldorf, Sportplatz St Ulrich, Austria Details
22 July v Crawley Town, Checkatrade.com Stadium, Crawley
25 July v Southend United, Roots Hall, Essex Details
29 July v Norwich City, Carrow Road, Norwich Details
1 August v Girona, Nou Estadi Municipal de Palamos, Catalonia Details
6 August v Atletico Madrid, Amex Stadium, Brighton Details
Burnley
14 July v Shamrock Rovers, Tallaght Stadium, Dublin Details
22 July v Kidderminster Harriers Details
22 July v Alfreton Town Details
25 July v Preston North End, Deepdale Details
29 July v Nottingham Forest, City Ground, Nottingham Details
1 August v Celta Vigo, Turf Moor, Burnley Details
5 August v Hannover 96, Turf Moor, Burnley Details
Chelsea
22 July v Arsenal, Bird’s Nest Stadium, Beijing Details
25 July v Bayern Munich, National Stadium, Singapore (International Champions Cup) Details
29 July v Inter Milan, National Stadium, Singapore (International Champions Cup) Details
6 August v Arsenal, Wembley Stadium (Community Shield) Details
Crystal Palace
15 July v Maidstone United, Gallagher Stadium, Maidstone Details
19 July v Liverpool, Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong (PL Asia Trophy) Details
22 July v West Brom/Leicester City, Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong (PL Asia Trophy) Details
5 August v Schalke 04, Selhust Park, London Details
Everton
13 July v Gor Mahia FC, Tanzania National Main Stadium, Tanzania Details
19 July v FC Twente, SV De Lutte, Overijssel Details
22 July v KRC Genk, Luminus Arena, Genk Details
27 July v TBC (UEFA Europa League third qualifying round first leg)
3 August v TBC (UEFA Europa League third qualifying round second leg)
6 August v Sevilla, Goodison Park, Liverpool Details
Huddersfield Town
12 July v Accrington Stanley, Wham Stadium, Accrington Details
16 July v Bury, Gigg Lane Details
22 July v Barnsley, Oakwell, Barnsley Details1 August v Stuttgart, Schwaz, Austria Details
4 August v Torino, Jenbach, Austria Details
Leicester City
19 July v West Brom, Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong (PL Asia Trophy) Details
22 July v Crystal Palace/Liverpool, Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong (PL Asia Trophy) Details
26 July v Luton Town, Kenilworth Road, Luton Details
28 July v MK Dons, Stadium MK, Milton Keynes Details
29 July v Wolverhampton Wanderers, Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton Details
1 August v Burton Albion, Pirelli Stadium, Burton upon Trent Details
4 August v Borussia Monchengladbach, King Power Stadium, Leicester Details
Liverpool
12 July v Tranmere Rovers, Prenton Park, Birkenhead Details
14 July v Wigan Athletic, DW Stadium, Wigan Details
19 July v Crystal Palace, Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong (PL Asia Trophy) Details
22 July v West Brom/Leicester City, Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong (PL Asia Trophy) Details
29 July v Hertha BSC, Olympiastadion Berlin Details
1 August v Bayern Munich/Atletico Madrid/Napoli, Allianz Arena (Audi Cup) Details
2 August v Bayern Munich/Atletico Madrid/Napoli, Allianz Arena (Audi Cup) Details
5 August v Athletic Club, Aviva Stadium, Dublin Details
Manchester City
20 July v Manchester United, NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas (International Champions Cup) Details
26 July v Real Madrid, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, (International Champions Cup) Details
29 July v Tottenham Hotspur, Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee (International Champions Cup) Details
4 August v West Ham United, Laugardalsvollur National Stadium, Reykjavik Details
Manchester United
15 July v LA Galaxy, Stubhub Centre, Los Angeles Details
17 July v Real Salt Lake, Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy, Utah Details
20 July v Manchester City, NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas (International Champions Cup) Details
23 July v Real Madrid, Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California (International Champions Cup) Details
26 July v Barcelona, FedExField, Washington DC (International Champions Cup) Details
30 July v Valerenga, Ullevaal Stadium, Oslo Details
2 August v Sampdoria, Aviva Stadium, Dublin Details
8 August v Real Madrid, National Arena Filip II, FYR Macedonia (UEFA Super Cup)
Newcastle United
14 July v Heart of Midlothian, Tynecastle Stadium, Edinburgh Details
22 July v Preston North End, Deepdale, Preston Details
26 July v Bradford City, Northern Commercials Stadium, Bradford Details
29 July v FSV Mainz 05, Opel Arena, Mainz Details
2 August v Wolfsburg, AOK Stadion, Wolfsburg Details
6 August v Hellas Verona, St James’ Park, Newcastle upon Tyne Details
Southampton
Tour of France & Tour of Austria planned
22 July v Brentford, Griffin Park, Brentford Details
Stoke City
10 July v Neuchatel Xamax, Tissot Arena, Biel/Bienne, Switzerland (Uhrencup) Details
12 July v Young Boys Bern, Tissot Arena, Biel/Bienne, Switzerland (Uhrencup) Details
15 July v AS Monaco, Neutral venue, Martigny, Switzerland Details
25 July v Sheffield United, Bramall Lane, Sheffield Details
29 July v Bolton Wanderers, Macron Stadium, Bolton Details
30 July v Crewe Alexandra, Alexandra Stadium, Crewe Details
5 August v RB Leipzig, Red Bull Arena, Leipzig Details
Swansea City
12 July v Barnet, The Hive Stadium, Harrow Details
15 July v Philadelphia Union, Philadelphia, US Details
19 July v Richmond Kickers, Richmond, US Details
22 July v North Carolina, Sahlen’s Stadium, US Details
29 July v Birmingham City, St Andrew’s, Birmingham Details
5 August v Sampdoria, Liberty Stadium Details
Tottenham Hotspur
22 July v Paris Saint-Germain, Camping World Stadium, Orlando (International Champions Cup) Details
25 July v Roma, Red Bull Arena, Harrison, New Jersey (International Champions Cup) Details
29 July v Manchester City, Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee (International Champions Cup) Details
5 August v Juventus, Wembley Stadium, London Details
Watford
8 July v Woking, Laithwaite Community Stadium, Woking Details
15 July v AFC Wimbledon, Cherry Red Records Stadium, Kingston Upon Thames Details
18 July v Viktoria Plzen, TBC, Austria Details
22 July v SD Eibar, TBC, Austria Details
29 July v Aston Villa, Villa Park, Birmingham Details
5 August v TBC, Vicarage Road, Watford Details
West Bromwich Albion
12 July v SK Slavia Prague, Kumberg Stadium, Kumberg Details
19 July v Leicester City, Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong (PL Asia Trophy) Details
22 July v Crystal Palace/Liverpool, Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong (PL Asia Trophy) Details
26 July v Walsall, Banks’s Stadium, Walsall Details
26 July v Burton Albion, Pirelli Stadium, Burton upon Trent Details
29 July v Bristol Rovers, Memorial Stadium, Bristol Details
29 July v Slough Town Details
1 August v Kidderminster Harriers, Aggborough Stadium, Kidderminster Details
1 August v Port Vale, Vale Park, Stoke-on-Trent Details
5 August v Deportivo La Coruna, Estadio Riazor, A Coruna (Teresa Herrera Trophy) Details
West Ham United
28 July v Werder Bremen, Osterwald Stadion, Schneverdingen (Betway Cup) Details
29 July v Werder Bremen, Heinz-Dettmer Stadion, Lohne (Betway Cup) Details
1 August v Altona 93, Adolf-Jager-Kampfbahn Stadium, Hamburg Details
4 August v Manchester City, Laugardalsvollur National Stadium, Reykjavik Details
2017 Gold Cup full schedule, stadium info.
By Joe Prince-Wright
(Photo/Getty Images)
The 2017 Gold Cup kicks off this weekend as the U.S. solely host the tournament for the 11th time in its 14 editions since 1991.
Below is a look at the schedules, stadiums and more for the tournament which will take place across 14 U.S. cities from July 7-26.
Also, click on the link above to stay up to date with the latest news from the 2017 Gold Cup.
Group A
July 7: French Guiana vs. Canada – Red Bull Arena, Harrison – 7 p.m. ET
July 7: Hondruas vs. Costa Rica – Red Bull Arena, Harrison – 9 p.m. ET
July 11: Costa Rica vs. Canada – BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston – 7:30 p.m. ET
July 11: Honduras vs. French Guiana – BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston – 10 p.m. ET
July 14: Costa Rica vs. French Guiana – Toyota Stadium, Frisco – 7:30 p.m. ET
July 14: Canada vs. Honduras – Toyota Stadium, Frisco – 10 p.m. ET
Group B
July 8: United States vs. Panama – Nissan Stadium, Nashville – 4:30 p.m. ET
July 8: Martinique vs. Nicaragua – Nissan Stadium, Nashville – 7 p.m. ET
July 12: Panama vs. Nicaragua – Raymond James Stadium, Tampa – 6:30 p.m. ET
July 12: United States vs. Martinique – Raymond James Stadium, Tampa – 8:30 p.m. ET
July 15: Panama vs. Martinique – FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland – 4:30 p.m. ET
July 15: Nicaragua vs. United States – FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland – 7 p.m. ET
Group C
July 9: Curacao vs. Jamaica – Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego – 7 p.m. ET
July 9: Mexico vs. El Salvador – Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego – 9 p.m. ET
July 13: El Salvador vs. Curacao – Sports Authority Field, Denver – 8 p.m. ET
July 13: Mexico vs. Jamaica – Sports Authority Field, Denver – 10 p.m. ET
July 16: Jamaica vs. El Salvador – Alamodome, San Antonio – 6 p.m. ET
July 16: Curacao vs. Mexico – Alamodome, San Antonio – 8 p.m. ET
Knockout schedule
Quarterfinals
July 19: Winner Group A vs. Runner up Group B – Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia – 6 p.m. ET (Match 19)
July 19: Winner Group B vs. Third place Group A/C – Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia – 9 p.m. ET (Match 20)
July 20: Winner Group C vs. Third place Group A/B – University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale – 7:30 p.m. ET (Match 21)
July 20 Runner up Group C vs. Runner Up A – University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale – 10 p.m. ET (Match 22)
Semifinals
July 22: Winner Match 19 vs. Winner Match 20 – AT&T Stadium, Arlington – 9:30 p.m. ET (Match 23)
July 22: Winner Match 21 vs. Winner Match 22 – Rose Bowl, Pasadena – 8:30 p.m. ET (Match 24)
Final
July 26: Winner Match 23 vs. Winner Match 24 – Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara – 9:30 p.m. ET
NCAAFB: The most explosive players in college football heading into 2017.
These guys set off fireworks every Saturday during the season.
It's Fourth of July weekend. With Independence Day falling on a Tuesday this year, people around the country get to kick off the nation's birthday party a little early this year. That means that no matter where you live in America, there's a good chance you're going to see, or at least hear, some fireworks over the next 72 hours.
My sincerest apologies to your dog.
With there being so many fireworks on the way, it only made sense that for this week's Friday Five, I rank the most explosive players in college football. Not literally, of course. I mean the players capable of blowing a game open anytime they touch the ball.
The guys who can take a simple play and turn it into something spectacular.
Now, there are a lot of options out there to choose from, but I'm not going to include quarterbacks on the list.
My sincerest apologies to our reigning Heisman winner Lamar Jackson, and Mississippi State's Nick Fitzgerald, as well as quite a few others.
Hell, even limiting the list to running backs, receivers and returners still left me with a lot of options to choose from, but these are the five guys who stuck out the most in my mind.
Given that he plays in the MAC and not for Western Michigan, there's a good chance you aren't familiar with Cody Thompson, which is fine. Maybe you should be, though. Toledo has one of the most prolific offenses in the conference and is a favorite to win it this year, and Thompson would play a fundamental role in it happening.
He finished last season with 1,269 yards and 11 touchdowns receiving, but while those numbers are nice, it's the fact he averaged 19.8 yards per reception that stands out. He's a big-play threat, which is reflected not only in his yards per catch, but in his 10 receptions for 40 yards or more.
4. Saquon Barkley, Penn State
He's capable of breaking a big play in the run game, return game or as a receiver, and barring any injuries, he's a name that will be in the Heisman discussion all season long.
What makes Barkley even scarier is that, as explosive as he's been in his first two seasons, he was playing behind an offensive line that wasn't great. While I don't know how good the Penn State line is going to be in 2017, it should be the best one Barkley's worked behind in his college career, which might mean he's about to take things to another level.
3. Derrius Guice, LSU
Guice rushed for 1,387 yards and 15 touchdowns last season, averaging 7.58 yards per carry. Now, lest you think that average was just a byproduct of a few games against lesser opponents, let me clear the air for you.
In eight games against SEC opponents, Guice averaged 7.74 yards per carry and scored 11 of his touchdowns.
Also, there's no running back in the country coming back this season that had more 30+ yard carries than Guice's 11 last season (Louisville's Lamar Jackson had 13).
2. Quadree Henderson, Pittsburgh
One of my favorite players to watch, Quadree Henderson, gets things done in a variety of ways. He's not large -- he's listed at 5-foot-8 and 190 pounds on Pitt's website, and even that might be generous -- but he comes up huge on the field.
Henderson is just one of those players that is a threat to score any time the ball ends up in his hands. He averaged 10.52 yards per rush last season, carrying the ball 60 times and scoring five touchdowns. In the passing game, he caught 26 passes and averaged 11 yards per reception.
As a kick returner, Henderson averaged 30.47 yards per return and scored three touchdowns. That average wasn't the result of just a few returns, either, as Henderson's 30 kick returns ranked 19th in the country last season. No player with more returns than Henderson had a better return average than he did, with only Memphis' Tony Pollard (38 returns, 28.11 yards per) even coming close.
Henderson is just a game-breaker, and it's fun just seeing all the ways Pitt figures out how to use him.
1. James Washington, Oklahoma State
As a freshman, we saw glimpses of Washington's game. He only caught 28 passes, but he averaged 16.29 yards per reception and scored six touchdowns. The signs were certainly there, and he's delivered on the promise the last two seasons.
Since the start of the 2015 season, Washington has caught 124 passes for 2,467 yards. Quick, do that math in your head. That's 19.90 yards per reception. Washington is getting nearly 20 yards every single time he catches a pass. He also has 20 receiving touchdowns over the last two years, meaning he scores 16.1 percent of the time that he catches a pass. For a guy that's not just a red zone target, that's an impressive rate.
Now, while it's not exactly something you can predict going forward, Washington also had three receptions of over 80 yards last season, further showing just how explosive he can be when he has the ball.
I have a feeling he could blow up on the scene this year and be 2017's Dede Westbrook; a big play machine that works his way to New York as a Heisman finalist.
Honorable Mention: Richie James, Middle Tennessee; Ty Johnson, Maryland; Ronald Jones, USC; Christian Kirk, Texas A&M; Bryce Love, Stanford; Anthony Miller, Memphis
Honorable Mention: Richie James, Middle Tennessee; Ty Johnson, Maryland; Ronald Jones, USC; Christian Kirk, Texas A&M; Bryce Love, Stanford; Anthony Miller, Memphis
NCAABKB: Arizona basketball: Wildcats don’t travel to USC and UCLA next season — and that’s not necessarily good.
By Ryan Kelapire
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(Photo/Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports)
When the Pac-12 expanded from 10 teams to 12 teams in 2011, it had a major effect on the conference’s basketball scheduling.
When there were 10 teams, each team played the other nine twice — once at home and once on the road. But with 12 teams, a symmetrical schedule was no longer possible.
Now, each team skips a road trip to one set of schools (i.e. Washington and Washington State) but in turn, does not get to host another set of schools (i.e. Oregon and Oregon State).
An outline of the 2017-18 Pac-12 schedule was released recently, and the Arizona Wildcats will not face the USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins on the road next season — and will not host the Washington schools in McKale Center, either.
Arizona only playing USC and UCLA once is particularly noteworthy because they are expected to be UA’s top challengers for the Pac-12 title.
And here’s why it’s not necessarily a good thing that Arizona doesn’t have to make that L.A. trip:
Why it’s a good thing
Arizona’s record — and its Pac-12 title chances — will likely benefit from this.
Consider: The Wildcats are 44-28 in Pac-12 conference road games in the Sean Miller era, but are just 8-8 on the road against the L.A. schools.
Only the Oregon road trip (UA is 6-6 at Oregon and Oregon State under Miller) has been as challenging for Arizona.
Plus, UCLA and USC may both be ranked in 2017-18, making the SoCal trip more difficult than ever. So not having to play there could allow Arizona to avoid an additional loss or two.
On the flip side, Arizona is 12-2 against USC and UCLA in Tucson the past eight seasons, sweeping the L.A. schools more often than not.
If the Wildcats take care of business at home again in 2017-18, it’s hard to imagine USC and UCLA making up that ground without the second head-to-head matchup in L.A.
It is especially true when you consider that USC and UCLA have to play Colorado, Utah, and Oregon on the road next season in addition to Arizona.
So if an easier path to a Pac-12 title is what you’re looking for, Arizona missing the L.A. road trip is certainly a good thing.
Why it’s a bad thing
Sure, skipping the L.A. road trip may benefit Arizona record-wise, but not everything about it is positive.
First off, it’s bad for Pac-12 basketball and college basketball as a whole.
UCLA-Arizona is the top rivalry on the West Coast — the two games last year were phenomenal — and only having one regular season matchup between the two is a shame. It would be comparable to North Carolina and Duke only playing once in a season (but the ACC is smart and avoids that).
And while Arizona-USC games don’t have the same notoriety, they may very well be the top two teams in the conference and thus a potential top-20 or top-10 matchup we’re missing out on.
Don’t worry, though, you can watch Arizona blow out Stanford twice instead, which is just wonderful for Pac-12 basketball (heavy sarcasm intended).
Which brings me to my next point: strength of schedule matters, and not just for a team’s NCAA Tournament résumé.
One reason I think Arizona hasn’t reached a Final Four under Miller is because its conference schedule doesn’t prepare it well for NCAA Tournament play — similar to the argument people often use against Gonzaga.
In the last four years, Arizona has had 10 conference games against teams ranked in KenPom’s top 30, and a whopping 23 (!) against teams ranked outside the top 100.
Add that to Arizona’s generally weak non-conference schedule — UA’s non-conference schedule has been outside the top 100 the last two years — and you get a team that is largely untested for most of the season.
And when Arizona has been tested lately, it hasn’t fared all that well.
The Wildcats have won roughly 84 percent of their games the last four seasons, but are 17-12 against teams ranked in KenPom’s Top 31, a 58.6 winning percentage.
This past season, the Wildcats were 4-5 against teams in KenPom’s top 31. The year before that they were 0-4.
Those are the type of teams they will have to beat to reach a Final Four, and I think they would be in better position to do so if they faced stiffer competition throughout the regular season.
Thus, not facing USC and UCLA on the road in 2017-18 is not ideal.
TENNIS: Five matches to watch at Wimbledon on day three.
AFP
Andy Murray leads the 97-ranked dreadlocked German Dustin Brown 1-0 in head-to-head matches (AFP Photo/NICK LAHAM)
Five matches to watch at Wimbledon on Wednesday:
- Murray faces dreaded Dustin -
-- Defending champion Andy Murray faces the freewheeling Dustin Brown, whose unorthodox serve-and-volley style caught out Rafael Nadal at the same stage two years ago. The British world number one is lacking match practice but should have more than enough to beat the 97-ranked dreadlocked German. However, the gangly Brown's unpredictable playing makes him a treacherous second round opponent.
Head-to-head: Murray leads 1-0
- Venus looks to put tears behind her -
Five-time champion Venus Williams is trying to concentrate on tennis against the backdrop of the impending legal action she faces back home in the United States over a fatal car crash.
But the 37-year-old veteran, devastated by the incident, broke down in tears in her post-match press conference on Monday when the subject came up.
Her second round opponent on Court One is Chinese rising star Wang Qiang. Williams beat Wang in straight sets in the French Open first round in May in their only previous encounter.
Head-to-head: Williams leads 1-0
- Nadal faces Young -
Rafael Nadal must fancy his chances of winning a third Wimbledon title this time out after securing a historic 10th French Open crown last month. He clocked up his 850th career victory as he cruised through his first round match on Monday and next faces Donald Young of the United States, the world number 43, in the third match up on Centre Court.
"I haven't had many matches on grass for the last few years, but I had some positive feelings," said Nadal, who missed last year's tournament with a wrist injury.
Head-to-head: Nadal leads 2-0
- Konta eyes Vekic revenge -
Less than three weeks ago, Johanna Konta was denied a grass-court title when Donna Vekic beat the British number one in the Nottingham final. Now they meet again with the stakes even higher in the second round in the opening match on Centre Court.
World number seven Konta defeated Hsieh Su-Wei in her opener and is looking to make the last 32 of her home Grand Slam for the first time. To do so, she will have to find a way to see off Croatian world number 58 Vekic, who insists all the pressure is on Konta. "Maybe I will have a chance in that she will feel more pressure than me, especially on Centre Court. I don't have much to lose," Vekic said.
Head-to-head: 1-1
- Schedule switch suits Azarenka -
-- Having to wait around all day to play her first round match on Monday against CiCi Bellis was a real pain for Victoria Azarenka, who would rather have spent the down time at home with her baby son Leo.
Two-time Grand Slam winner Azarenka, playing her first major since giving birth in December, eventually got on court late in the day and slogged through a three-set victory, but she criticized the All England Club's decision not to give her a scheduled slot.
The organizers appear to have listened as the former world number one's second round match against Russian 15th seed Elena Vesnina is first up on Court Three at 11:30am (1030 GMT).
Head-to-head: Azarenka leads 7-0
2017 Stage 4 Tour de France Summary
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On This Date in Sports History: Today is Wednesday, July 05, 2017.
Memoriesofhistory.com
1947 - Larry Doby pinch hit for the Cleveland Indians against the Chicago White Sox. The event made him the first black player to play in the American League.
1975 - Arthur Ashe became the first African-American man to win a Wimbledon singles title when he defeated Jimmy Connors in four sets.
1997 - Martina Hingis, at age 16, became the youngest Wimbledon winner in 110 years when she beat Jana Novotna in the women's final.
1998 - Roger Clemens (Toronto Blue Jays) got his 3,000th career strikeout.
2005 - Roger Federer won his 15th Grand Slam tennis title.
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