CS&T/AllsportsAmerica Friday Sports News Update and What's Your Take? 09/08/2017.

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"Sports Quote of the Day"

"I love football. My weekends are booked. Saturday college games and Sunday NFL and 'Monday Night Football.' Booked! Football is first, then basketball and then everything else." ~ Jordin Sparks, Singer, Songwriter and Writer

TRENDING: It's on!!!!! The NFL Season has started. Good luck to your favorite team. Let's Go Bears!!!!!

(Photo/Bing/Flickr)

TRENDING: Opening night Score, 09/07/2017: Kansas City Chiefs 42, New England Patriots 27. 

TRENDING: Tough first-half schedule could be too much for Bears to Overcome. What's Your Take? (See the football section for Bears news and NFL updates). This is a must read.

TRENDING: Report: Blackhawks bringing in veteran defenseman Cody Franson on professional tryout. (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates and NHL news).

TRENDING: Bulls Talk Podcast: Will Lauri Markkanen's strong showing in EuroBasket translate to the NBA? (See the basketball section for Bulls news and NBA updates).

TRENDING: Happ leads way as Cubs break out, pad lead; Sox unable to cool Tribe after surprise start. (See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).

TRENDING: Lexi leads, but Ko in rearview mirror in Indy; World Long Drive has style and substance; U.S. captain's picks: Phil, Hoffman; Int'ls: Grillo, Lahiri. (See the golf section for PGA news and tournament updates).

TRENDING: Who is Hot and Not ahead of the Cup regular-season finale at Richmond. (See the NASCAR section for NASCAR news and racing updates).

TRENDING: After slumping without them, Fire see returns of Matt Polster, Brandon Vincent; Top Premier League story lines – Week 4. (See the soccer section for Fire news and worldwide soccer updates).

TRENDING: Predicting Studs and Duds for College Football Week 2. (Please read the last article on this blog for NCAA college football news and score updates).

Hot off the presses: Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica's Unorthodox Prediction: You heard it here first; The Chicago Bears will upset the Atlanta Falcons. The score will be irrelevant because the effort and pride of the Bears will prevail. The Bears WIN!!!

Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Tough first-half schedule could be too much for Bears to Overcome. What's Your Take?

By Jeff Dickerson

Not much has changed since I picked the Bears to finish 6-10 back in April. Rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky -- drafted second overall -- enjoyed really good moments in the preseason, but it's Mike Glennon's show until further notice. I just can't get past Chicago's schedule -- it's brutal to begin the year. There's a real possibility the Bears' record is 1-7 or 0-8 at the bye week. I'll stick with my original 6-10 prediction because the rookies -- tight end Adam Shaheen, running back Tarik Cohen, safety Eddie Jackson and Trubisky -- appear promising. But there are far too many question marks and injuries to convince me Chicago is a legitimate playoff contender.

Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 10 vs. Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m. ET

The Falcons undoubtedly suffer a Super Bowl hangover but not in Week 1. The Bears' strength is on defense, but they probably don't have enough to slow down Matt Ryan & Co. Record: 0-1

Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 17 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1 p.m. ET

I'm a Jameis Winston believer. I don't know if Tampa reaches the playoffs, but the Bucs have surrounded Winston with enough offensive weapons. Record: 0-2

Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 24 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 1 p.m. ET

Since 2001, the Steelers have made the playoffs 11 times and won two Super Bowls. The Bears have reached the postseason four times over the same span. Record: 0-3

Week 4: Thursday, Sept. 28 at Green Bay Packers, 8:25 p.m. ET

The Bears have a shot just because of the short week. But I think Green Bay is even better in 2017 with Martellus Bennett at tight end. And the Packers still have that Aaron Rodgers guy. Record: 0-4

Week 5: Monday, Oct. 9 vs. Minnesota Vikings, 8:30 p.m. ET

The Bears get off the schneid on ESPN's Monday Night Football. Who knows? Maybe Chicago changes quarterbacks before its nationally televised game. Minnesota is the most likely team for the Bears to beat inside the NFC North. Record: 1-4

Week 6: Sunday, Oct. 15 at Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m. ET

The Ravens went 6-2 at home last year. Do you really think Baltimore is going to miss the playoffs for a third consecutive year? Me neither. Record: 1-5

Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 22 vs. Carolina Panthers, 1 p.m. ET

I thought long and hard about this one. Cam Newton's shoulder worries me. The Bears can steal a victory here. I'm changing my prediction from April. Bearssss. Record: 2-5

Week 8: Sunday, Oct. 29 at New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m. ET

I'm thoroughly unimpressed by Sean Payton's 7-9, 7-9 and 7-9 Saints. However, the Superdome is a tough place for any visiting team. The Bears were run out of there back in 2011. Record: 2-6

Week 9: Bye

Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 12 vs. Green Bay Packers, 1 p.m. ET

I picked Chicago to win at home versus Green Bay when the schedule came out. Yeah, about that ... I think I'll switch back to the Packers. Carry on. Record: 2-7

Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 19 vs. Detroit Lions, 1 p.m. ET

The Bears won at Soldier Field last season, and there's no reason to think that can't happen again. The Bears are good for a split with Detroit. Record: 3-7

Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 26 at Philadelphia Eagles, 1 p.m. ET

If Alshon Jeffery is healthy -- a big if -- he's going to torch the Bears. I expect Carson Wentz to take a huge step in Year 2. Record: 3-8

Week 13: Sunday, Dec. 3 vs. San Francisco 49ers, 1 p.m. ET

The Bears crushed the 49ers 26-6 in sloppy conditions at Soldier Field in 2016. The 49ers have improved, but I'll take Vic Fangio's defense over Brian Hoyer. Just watch out for that Robbie Gould winning field goal. Record: 4-8

Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 10 at Cincinnati Bengals, 1 p.m. ET

The Bears figure to win at least one road game. And Cincinnati looks kind of vulnerable after it slipped to 6-9-1 last season. Record: 5-8

Week 15: Saturday, Dec. 16 at Detroit Lions, 4:30 p.m. ET

The Bears consistently find ways to lose at Ford Field. The Bears have dropped five of their past six in Detroit. Record: 5-9

Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 24 vs. Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m. ET

Merry Christmas, the Bears are good enough to beat Cleveland. Record: 6-9

Week 17: Sunday, Dec. 31 at Minnesota Vikings, 1 p.m. ET

This one can go either way. A loss benefits the Bears in the long run in terms of draft position in 2018. Record: 6-10

Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Take: We may sound like homers but we believe that the Bears will be 8-8 or better. Why? Because the team has been totally rebuilt. All of the old loser, que sara sara (whatever will be, will be), attitudes have been dismissed. There's a lot of good, young, raw talent on this team that can and needs to be developed. The culture is totally being rebuilt with the attitude that we can win and why not us? There is a mix of wily veterans with a strong desire to win and that doesn't mind sharing and teaching the younger players from their knowledge and experience. The Bears are probably one of the best kept secrets in the NFL. Everyone just keeps overlooking them and that's a good thing. They should have been more than 3-13 last year. They lost a couple of games due to inexperience and low expectations. That will not be the case this year. 8-8 will be a terrific next step and next year they will be even better. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. The Bears will show much improvement this year and the plan has been set for long term winning seasons.

We predict that they will not start the season off 0-4. They will win one maybe two of their first four games. Our biggest concern is that they can dodge the injury bug. However, we still feel that the Bears will turn some heads and start rising to the top. These are our feelings and we're sticking to them. 

As usual, we've espoused our opinion, what's your take? Please go to the comment section at the bottom of this blog and share your thoughts with us. We love hearing from you and truly value your opinion. Thanks in advance for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.

The Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Editorial Staff.

Podcast: Is Mike Glennon on a short leash with Mitchell Trubisky as backup?

By CSN Staff

(Photo/USA TODAY)

JJ Stankevitz and Mark Schanowski join this week's podcast to preview the Bears Week 1 matchup at home against the Atlanta Falcons.

Mitchell Trubisky was announced as the backup, so could he see the field as early as this Sunday? The guys talk that and much more!

Listen to the latest podcast right here.

Kevin White will get his chance to prove he can be the No. 1 target the Bears need. 

By JJ Stankevitz

(Photo/USA TODAY)

The six receivers on the Bears’ Week 1 roster combined, last year, to catch 93 passes for 1,185 yards with seven touchdowns. That’s an average of 15.5 receptions, 197.5 yards and 1.2 touchdowns per player. 

Tre McBride, the Sunday waiver claim who didn’t catch a pass last year, drove those numbers down — though without him, the averages are 18.6 receptions, 237 yards and 1.4 touchdowns. Compare that to Cameron Meredith, who's out for the year after he caught 66 passes for 888 yards with four touchdowns in 2016. 

But maybe the focus is too narrow on just the Bears’ receivers. Zach Miller caught 47 passes for 486 yards in 10 games last year, while Dion Sims hauled in four touchdowns with the Miami Dolphins. Tarik Cohen — who wasn’t targeted in three preseason games — could be a factor if the Bears can get him the ball in space, and Jordan Howard may be asked to catch the ball more. 

So if the Bears do need a collective effort to replace Meredith’s production, it may not come just from the team’s receivers. 

“I feel comfortable with our guys,” quarterback Mike Glennon said. “Yes, Cam was definitely a big loss for us. But other guys are going to step up and I have plenty of time throwing with Kevin (White) and Kendall (Wright), all of our tight ends, all of our backs, so I don’t think that will be an issue.”

But can a collective effort be successful? Or is that a more palatable way to say there isn't anyone good enough to be a No. 1 target?

The Bears, though, see White as capable of being that top target. 

“I believe that,” offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains said. “And obviously he’s going to have to be, because he’s the guy with the experience and he’s talented and he should be in a featured role.”

White, at the time of his injury last year, was the Bears’ leading receiver with 19 catches for 187 yards. But he averaged only 5.2 yards per target, the third-lowest average among receivers with at least 35 targets last year. 

White’s two serious leg injuries are behind him now, and while his preseason wasn’t productive (four catches, 32 yards) the Bears were pleased with his overall body of work in July and August. 

“The good thing is that he’s strung together healthy practices,” general manager Ryan Pace said. “I think that was important for him. He has really only had one training camp. For him to be able to string together healthy practices and stack positive days, now we’re set for him to have a big year for us.”

Those two season-ending injuries didn’t change him being the seventh overall pick in 2015 or the expectations that come with that. And the Bears believe he can live up to those expectations.

Sunday will be his first chance to show he can. 

“He’s got the size, the athleticism, the strength,” Glennon said. “He has what you’re looking for. He hasn’t been healthy. I think we just need to all give him the opportunity to be that guy and I think he’ll show that this year.”

How Kyle Long is approaching the Bears’ season opener. 

By JJ Stankevitz

(Photo/USA TODAY)

Kyle Long was listed as a limited participant in practice on the Bears’ injury report Thursday, which is encouraging news given he didn’t participate on Wednesday (or much at all over the last few weeks). 

Later Thursday, Long offered this assessment of his status: “I will say I’m a lot closer than I have been.” 

That doesn’t necessarily mean Long will play Sunday when the Bears begin the 2017 season against the Atlanta Falcons at Soldier Field, though. He would like to make his season debut when he feels healthy and like “himself,” which would be the guy who’s been to three Pro Bowls and is athletic and skilled enough to make the switch from right guard to left guard. 

“You never want to enter a race with bad tires,” Long said. “If you’re in NASCAR, you want to have good tires. For me right now, (I’m) doing the best I can to clean mine off and getting ready to roll.”

While Long spoke with some optimism about his recovery on Thursday, the deliberate process for him to get back on the field has been frustrating for him. He was kicked out of the Bears’ final training camp practice in Bourbonnais — “I did some unacceptable things and then I got kicked out,” Long said — and hasn’t had much team work at his new position.

The Bears, though, aren’t concerned about Long’s ability to handle that switch without a full preseason to prepare for it. 

“Based on our trainers, his work ethic, no hesitation (he can return to form),” general manager Ryan Pace said. “Kyle’s doing really well. We’ll see.”

The Bears eventually will need Long on the field, hopefully sooner rather than later. Long knows that, but also knows he has to take a bigger-picture view of his recovery. 

“If we want to make a run at things, like I know everyone in this locker room does, we need to have all hands on deck when crunch time happens,” Long said. “As we know, it’s a marathon season, but those final stages are pretty dang important in determining who gets to go to the dance and who gets to move on. Being healthy at the end of the year, it’s a war of attrition, so we need to be as healthy as we can."

Pernell McPhee’s return would be an important boost for Bears’ pass rush. 

By JJ Stankevitz

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Pernell McPhee didn’t show up to training camp in late July expecting to be paced on the physically unable to perform list. So when the Bears found an issue with his knee during physicals, it caught the veteran outside linebacker off guard.

“It was surprising,” McPhee said. “But a lot of things happen for a reason. Some things you can’t prepare for. You’ve just got to take that challenge and go with the best way you know. Just getting ready for whatever’s coming.”

McPhee didn’t come off the PUP list during training camp, remaining largely out of sight in Bourbonnais. He was activated over the weekend and was in attendance for his first practice on Monday, giving him a short window to prepare if he’s able to play on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.

McPhee didn’t guarantee that he’ll play Sunday (“that’s God’s will,” he said) but when he does return, he expects to play at 100 percent.

“I just got to be smart,” McPhee, who missed time with knee injuries in 2015 and 2016, said. “I’m going to go 100 percent every time until my body totally breaks down. Just being smart and making the plays that present itself for me. And just helping my team win the best way I can.

“… You can’t worry about injuries. That’s part of football. You’ve just got to worry about attacking the next day, the next day, the next moment.”

The Bears, too, don’t want McPhee to hold back when he plays.

“You can't coach it carefully and you can't play it carefully,” coach John Fox said. “It's not a careful game, it's not chess.”

Whenever McPhee does play his first snap — preseason included — of the 2017 season, his return would be a welcome addition to an outside linebacker group that saw Lamarr Houston placed on injured reserve over the weekend. Adding a guy with 10 sacks in 23 games with the Bears would help strengthen a unit headlined by Willie Young (7 1/2 sacks in 2016) and Leonard Floyd (7 sacks in 2016).

Without McPhee, though, the Bears’ front seven played well during its August dress rehearsal for the regular season. Floyd, in particular, had an excellent preseason, while the rest of the Bears’ defensive line and linebackers flashed some reasons for optimism.

“They were animals,” McPhee said. “I’ve been excited all camp watching them, of course the preseason if you look at it, they looked like some animals. I’m excited to join them.”

How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Report: Blackhawks bringing in veteran defenseman Cody Franson on professional tryout. 

By Tracey Myers

(Photo/USA TODAY)

Considering their offseason moves, the Blackhawks could use a veteran defensive presence on their blue line this season. According to a report, one will get a shot to latch on with them.

Cody Franson signed a PTO with the Blackhawks, according to Dhiren Mahiban.

The Blackhawks lost two of their six defensemen this offseason, trading Niklas Hjalmarsson to Arizona and losing Trevor van Riemsdyk to the Vegas Golden Knights in the NHL Expansion draft – van Riemsdyk was then traded to the Carolina Hurricanes. While the Blackhawks have several young defensemen who could get more of a shot this season, another veteran would be beneficial to them.

Perhaps that ends up being Franson. The 30-year-old Franson played the last two seasons with the Buffalo Sabres; he had three goals and 16 assists in 68 games last season.

The Blackhawks begin training camp next Friday.

Blackhawks announce 2017-18 local television schedule.

By Chicago Blackhawks Media Relations

(Photo/chicagoblackhawks.com)

In conjunction with official television broadcasting partners NBC Sports Chicago -- which will make its official name change from CSN Chicago on October 2 -- and WGN-TV Channel 9, the Chicago Blackhawks today announced its 2017-18 regular-season local television schedule. Locally, 70 Blackhawks games will air on NBC Sports Chicago and WGN-TV. The 12 remaining games will be broadcast exclusively on NBC (including NBC and NBCSN). Click here for a PDF of the broadcast schedule.

Chicago's 13th consecutive campaign on NBC Sports Chicago features 50 contests, beginning with the team's season-opener on October 5 vs. Pittsburgh at 7:30 p.m. "Blackhawks Pregame Live" will air prior to every game on NBC Sports Chicago, with "Blackhawks Postgame Live" immediately following each contest. All NBC Sports Chicago games can also be streamed live online at CSNChicago.com and the NBC Sports app.

The Blackhawks' 10th consecutive season on WGN-TV launches on Saturday, October 7 vs. Columbus at 7:30 p.m. Chicago makes 20 appearances on the station, which was also its home from 1961 to 1975. Pat Foley (play-by-play), Eddie Olczyk (analyst) and Steve Konroyd (analyst) will provide the coverage on both NBC Sports Chicago and WGN-TV broadcasts, all of which can be seen in high definition.

Every regular-season game in 2017-18 can also be heard on the radio home of the Blackhawks, WGN Radio AM-720, with John Wiedeman (play-by-play) and Troy Murray (analyst) calling the action. All games can be also heard on wgnradio.com/listen or on mobile devices, including the iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, BlackBerry and Droid. For more information log on to wgnradio.com/mobile.

All six of Chicago's preseason contests will be carried on television for the third straight year. One Blackhawks preseason game will be broadcast on CSN Chicago (September 30 vs. Boston), in addition to three games (September 19 at Columbus, September 23 vs. Columbus and September 28 at Detroit) on CSN Plus and two contests on WGN-TV (September 21 vs. Detroit and September 25 at Boston). WGN Radio AM-720 will air all six of the team's preseason tilts.

Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... Bulls Talk Podcast: Will Lauri Markkanen's strong showing in EuroBasket translate to the NBA?

By CSN Staff

(Photo/AP)

Bulls Pre- and Post-game Live teammates Mark Schanowski and Kendall Gill discuss how NBA players get ready for the start of training camp, the fallout from the Kyrie Irving-Isaiah Thomas trade and the Lakers’ fine for tampering with 2018 free agent to be Paul George.

Plus, is Lauri Markkanen potentially an impact player from Day 1 after the his strong showing in the EuroBasket competition? Will Zach LaVine come back stronger than ever following ACL surgery? And could this rebuilding Bulls team be better than expected?

Finally, Gill reflects on his Big 3 experience and makes some suggestions on how the league can build off its Year 1 success.

Listen to the latest Bulls Talk Podcast right here.

CSN announces 2017-18 Bulls TV schedule. 

By Scott Krinch

The Bulls announced their complete television schedule for the 2017-18 season on Thursday.

CSN will air 46 Bulls games during the 2017-18 season. All CSN Bulls games can be live streamed on CSNChicago.com and the NBC Sports app. In addition, Bulls Pregame Live will air before every CSN game and Postgame Live will immediately follow each game.

CSN's regular-season Bulls coverage begins on Thursday, Oct. 19 when the Bulls host the Toronto Raptors at the United Center for the season opener.

Some highlights of CSN's Bulls coverage include: two games against LeBron James, Derrick Rose and the defending Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers (Oct. 24, March 17), a showdown with the NBA champion Golden State Warriors (Nov. 24), home and road tilts with the Boston Celtics (Dec. 23, March 5) and a home matchup against Lonzo Ball and Los Angeles Lakers (Jan. 26).

Check out the full Bulls' 2017-18 TV schedule below:

CUBS: Happ leads way as Cubs break out, pad lead.

By Adam Berry and Bob Cohn

(Photo/mlb.com)

Looking to spark a lineup that was kept quiet the last three nights at PNC Park, Cubs manager Joe Maddon kept it local. Maddon slotted Ian Happ, a product of nearby Mt. Lebanon, into the leadoff spot and watched the Cubs' bats slowly but surely break out in an 8-2 win over the Pirates on Thursday night.

"He's from Mt. Lebanon. I actually played at Lafayette with a couple of guys from Mt. Lebanon," Maddon said before the game. "So I thought, 'He's right next to his hometown, he's got to have a good day leading off.'"

Maddon was joking, of course, but Happ still delivered. Batting first for just the seventh time this season, the rookie went 3-for-5 with two doubles, two runs and an outfield assist. After managing only four runs in the first three games of their four-game series against the Pirates, the Cubs matched that total in the first four innings of Thursday's finale. Pirates starter Jameson Taillon gave up one run in each of his first four innings and two more in the fifth, and the Cubs tacked on two more runs in the seventh against reliever Angel Sanchez.

The Cubs pulled five games ahead of the Cardinals and the Brewers in the National League Central heading into a three-game series against Milwaukee at Wrigley Field.

"Wherever I can help the team," Happ said about batting leadoff. "To be able to get on base for those guys behind me was great."

The offensive contributions came from up and down the Cubs' lineup. Every starter but Kyle Schwarber recorded at least one hit, while Anthony Rizzo and Jason Heyward each tallied two hits. The Cubs piled on six doubles against Taillon, charged with six runs on 11 hits over 4 2/3 innings, and Albert Almora Jr. -- a midgame substitution for Schwarber -- lined a 109.3-mph homer, according to Statcast™, to left off Sanchez.

It has been a trying year for Taillon. The 25-year-old right-hander had surgery on May 8 after being diagnosed with testicular cancer. He returned strong a little more than a month later, lowering his ERA to 2.73 by the All-Star break. He has struggled in the second half, however, posting a 7.17 ERA and a 1.80 WHIP in 11 starts.

"Frustrating, I guess, that's probably the best word," Taillon said. "I felt strong. I felt great. But no one cares how you feel. You've got to go get results and get guys out. I felt great, but they were hitting every single mistake I made. You can't make mistakes. … I'm all right. Putting up results would be nice."

Cubs starter Jon Lester ran up a high pitch count early on but limited the damage. Lester yielded only one run on five hits and four walks while throwing 111 pitches in six innings en route to his 10th victory.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Cut down: After Elias Diaz's double-play grounder erased a leadoff walk by Sean Rodriguez in the second inning, Jordy Mercer ripped a double to left field off Lester. Up came Taillon, who smacked a single to shallow center field. Playing in, Happ quickly fielded the ball and fired home. Third-base coach Joey Cora sent Mercer from second, but Happ's 89-mph, 216-foot throw from center beat Mercer to the plate. Catcher Rene Rivera easily tagged out Mercer for the final out of the inning. It was Happ's third outfield assist of the season and his second from center field.

"I think it's the first time I threw somebody out in center field," Happ said. "You don't get it a lot. Playing the pitcher really shallow there, so you can be aggressive on that ball. Being able to shut 'em down and keep the game where it was at was big."

Line-drive Lester: With runners on first and second and one out in the fourth inning, Lester swung at the first pitch he saw from Taillon -- a 94.9-mph fastball -- and ripped it to right-center field. Heyward came around to score from second on Lester's third double and sixth RBI of the season, matching his totals from last year.

"You just close your eyes and swing and sometimes you run into it," Lester said. "This year's been a little bit better. I can actually see this year and that's good. I think it's just repetition, too. This is my third year here, and when you're getting these at-bats, you need to kind of figure some things out. It's nice to help contribute and not just be an out."

QUOTABLE

"It's something we'll have to talk about to see the reasoning, talk about what they're seeing and what maybe could help me. It's a conversation we definitely have to have, but if they think something else will help me a little more, I'm open to it." -- Taillon, on the possibility of skipping a start down the stretch.

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

Pirates rookie Josh Bell drove in a run on a groundout in the third inning, his 83rd RBI of the season. The last Pirates rookie to drive in more than 83 runs in a season was Maurice Van Robays, who totaled 116 RBIs in 1940.

Pirates rookie Christopher Bostick recorded his first Major League hit in the ninth inning, a one-out double off the right-field wall during the second downpour of the night.

"Not the greatest [weather], but definitely exciting," Bostick said. "I was walking to the plate thinking, 'Man, what a funny way if this actually happens.' Pretty cool."

WHAT'S NEXT

Cubs: Right-hander John Lackey will take the mound Friday night at Wrigley Field as the Cubs begin a three-game series against the NL Central rival Brewers. Lackey retired the final 16 batters he faced and held the Braves scoreless over seven innings in his last outing. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CT in the first Friday night game in Wrigley Field history.

Pirates: Clad in jumpsuits as part of a themed road trip, the Pirates left town Thursday night and headed to St. Louis. The Bucs will begin a three-game series with the Cardinals on Friday night, with right-hander Trevor Williams matching up with Cards rookie Luke Weaver at Busch Stadium. Andrew McCutchen is expected to be out of the starting lineup, with Starling Marte sliding over to center field, and both Gregory Polanco and Adam Frazier are expected to be activated off the disabled list. First pitch is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. ET.

Javier Baez takes off while Cubs brace for possibility Addison Russell could miss rest of season.

By Patrick Mooney

(Photo/USA TODAY)

While Javier Baez takes his game to another level, the Cubs are bracing for the possibility that All-Star shortstop Addison Russell could miss the rest of the season as he deals with a strained right foot and plantar fasciitis.

“There’s no assumption,” manager Joe Maddon said Thursday at PNC Park. “He could be out the rest of the year. He could be back. I don’t know.”

Do the math: An MRI on Aug. 31 revealed a re-aggravation of the plantar fasciitis that has been part of the nagging issues that pushed Russell onto the disabled list on Aug. 3. The Cubs are one week into a three-week recovery period, though at this point it’s unclear whether that means jumping back into the lineup or ramping up baseball activities again. The playoff window would likely be the National League divisional round that begins Oct. 6.

MVP candidate Anthony Rizzo made an interesting observation during a state-of-the-team conversation in the middle of this four-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Cubs watched Jake Arrieta (strained right hamstring) hobble off the mound and catcher Willson Contreras (strained right hamstring) leave to join advanced Class-A Myrtle Beach in the Carolina League playoffs.

“The feeling is that it’s not season-ending for anyone,” Rizzo said. “Addie’s been out for a while now. His chances of coming back are kind of growing slim now.

“But with Jake, it’s optimism. He’s going to come back and make a couple starts.

(With) Willson, hopefully he’ll be back in a few days now after he goes out for rehab.

But it’s part of the game.”

Baez has maximized this opportunity, showing that he can be a dynamic, two-way, big-league shortstop, leaving Ben Zobrist, Ian Happ, Tommy La Stella and Mike Freeman as part of the jigsaw puzzle at second base.

“Javy’s shored up that spot really well,” Maddon said. “My bigger concern right now would be in the latter part of the game: Where do you want to go at second base? Based on who’s available, everybody else who’s in the game that night, love Tommy coming off the bench to pinch-hit, there’s all different things to consider.

“So if, in fact, Addie can’t make it back, I think it’s going to be important to figure out who is the best defensive second baseman to run with in the latter part of a game.”

Ever since their first spring training together in 2015, Maddon saw the possibilities with Baez and appreciated his unique skills, lobbying for him to make the Opening Day roster. The Cubs opted for more development at Triple-A Iowa, and Maddon purposely avoided anointing Baez and allowing him to get too comfortable.

After this extended look – starting 32 of 33 games at shortstop in the middle of a 21-homer, 67-RBI, age-24 season – is Baez an everyday player now? 

“First of all, you just got to get Addie back,” Maddon said. “Don’t forget, he’s missed a lot of time. When I was talking about it before, I anticipated he would be back for this entire month. I just don’t know where he’s going to be when he shows up. It’s going to be hard to just say automatically: ‘Here, you go play shortstop.’

“Because I don’t know that answer right now. I think it would be great to have Javy and Addie on the field at the same time in the latter part of any game, if, in fact, Addie is ready to do that.

“Moving down the road, heck, Javy’s showing right now that he can be an everyday player. He’s absolutely shown that. And I’ll tell you the thing I’m most impressed with is just his durability. We’ve gone beyond hits and plays and running. He looks fresh.”

Why Anthony Rizzo has so much confidence in the 2017 Cubs. 

By Patrick Mooney

(Photo/USA TODAY)

Late last September, almost two full weeks after clinching the division, Cubs manager Joe Maddon made PNC Park feel like spring training, writing out Cactus League lineups and following bullpen scripts.

Unprompted, a defensive and agitated Jake Arrieta wondered why the Cubs were substituting catchers in the middle of his start against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Miguel Montero, of course, took the bait, saying it would be up to the players to trick themselves and maintain their edge. Even clubhouse diplomat Ben Zobrist acknowledged the simmering frustrations with disrupted routines.

Cubs fans and the Chicago media questioned whether a 103-win team that had a double-digit lead in the National League Central since the first week of August could just flip a switch in the playoffs.

The counterargument became the 2015 Cubs storming into the wild-card game, beating the Pirates and silencing the blackout crowd here – and then running out of gas during an NL Championship Series sweep where they never led the New York Mets at any point.

Anthony Rizzo has the perspective of someone who lived through the highs and lows of the rebuilding years – and as a cancer survivor and a Roberto Clemente Award nominee who’s making sure his family gets to Chicago before Hurricane Irma roars through South Florida.

The inner confidence and competitive attitude that made Rizzo a 30-homer, 100-RBI force three years running applies here now: Forget about the last at-bat and focus on the next pitch. It doesn’t matter that the Cubs were a .500 team for three-plus months and still haven’t shaken the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals yet.

“We learned from 2015 how to control winning,” said Rizzo, who drew the ninth-inning walk that set up Alex Avila’s two-out, broken-bat RBI triple, the Cubs outlasting Gerrit Cole in Wednesday’s 1-0 victory. “Because by then, by the finish line, the emotion of the wild-card game, that (whole) emotional rollercoaster, it just wore us all out and we all hit a wall.

“In ’16, we were way more prepared. We boat-raced. Everyone was like: ‘Are they going to be able to do it? Are they going to be able to do it?’ And a few balls fell our way, and we did.

“Everyone has the experience now to know that, OK, we’ve had the outside noise of everything thrown at us. So I don’t think in here you’re going to find much panic. We know we’re in first place coming after a championship season, which is unheard of the last 10 years.”

Rizzo has a point in that the Cubs were the first defending World Series champions to be in first place on Labor Day since the 2010 New York Yankees. And built the largest Labor Day division lead for a defending World Series champion since the 2009 Philadelphia Phillies.

“We’re in a winning position,” Rizzo said. “We’re in position to do it. And we all want it.”

The young, inexperienced Brewers – who just got swept by the last-place Cincinnati Reds – are 4.5 games back now and in unchartered territory. The Cubs also believe they have grown from the adversity and will weather injuries that have hit the top of their rotation (Arrieta and Jon Lester) and the middle of their defense (Willson Contreras and Addison Russell).

“Two years ago, we didn’t know,” Maddon said. “We didn’t know anything until we got right outside the All-Star break and then all of a sudden found our traction. And then last year was a different narrative entirely. We took it from wire to wire, which is unusual, too.

“This year, again, everybody’s got a different opinion of you and everybody’s shooting for you. And then we’re playing with a different kind of a group, also, and still trying to maintain that level of excellence.

“So there’s three different roads that we’ve had over the last three years – ’15, ’16 and now ’17 – and it’s good to experience some different methods and understand that it’s not always going to be the same. You’re going to meet with different resistance and you just have to fight through it.

“I’m happy that the guys have responded the way they have, because nobody is out there making excuses at all.”

Rizzo also isn’t making guarantees anymore, because the Cubs already made history and understand what it takes to win in October.

“We’re in first place with a few weeks to go,” Rizzo said. “You got to get to that postseason and anything can happen.”

WHITE SOX: Sox unable to cool Tribe after surprise start.

By Scott Merkin and Fabian Ardaya

(Photo/mlb.com)

The Cleveland Indians set a franchise record with their 15th straight victory via an 11-2 win over the White Sox on Thursday night at Guaranteed Rate Field. The historic win also dropped the Indians' magic number to 12 for clinching the American League Central over the second-place Twins.

The win gave Cleveland an 11-game sweep of their road trip to Chicago, Detroit and New York, marking the first time in franchise history the Indians have accomplished such a feat. The last two AL teams to win 15 in a row were the 2002 A's, who won 20 straight, and the 2001 Mariners. The Indians open a 10-game homestand Friday night against the Orioles in search of No. 16 with right-hander Mike Clevinger (8-5, 3.50 ERA) set to face Orioles lefty Wade Miley (8-11, 4.91).

"It's fun, obviously," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "It's been a productive road trip, I'll give you that. The winning streak is enjoyable and I think it's got people's attention, which gives me a chance to brag on our guys a little bit, which I love. Other than that, we'll just go play tomorrow. Just makes the games a little more fun because people are watching and they care."

During the streak, the Indians have outscored their opponents by 81 runs and now hold the largest run-differential in MLB at +199, surpassing the Dodgers. They are 36-11 since July 21, blowing open their lead in the AL Central from a half-game to 11 games.

"That's a very good ballclub. It's actually a pretty unique feat," said White Sox manager Rick Renteria. "I've experienced it before, not at this level, but it's a unique feat. Most people think you can't get to it but they have. Again, they are a very talented ballclub who are continuing to fire on all cylinders right now."

This series finale shaped up as a pitchers' duel between Cleveland ace Corey Kluber, one of the front-runners for the AL Cy Young Award, and White Sox southpaw Carlos Rodon. But Rodon was scratched with left shoulder stiffness approximately 15 minutes before first pitch, feeling tightness as he played catch pregame, giving way to Mike Pelfrey, who had thrown 40 pitches and 2 2/3 innings in relief Tuesday.

"Didn't feel right warming up," Rodon said. "Just tight, man. Couldn't really tell you. Just didn't feel right."

Pelfrey gave up five runs in the first two innings, including Edwin Encarnacion's three-run homer, leading the White Sox to warm up catcher Rob Brantly in the bullpen alongside Chris Beck during the second. The veteran Pelfrey labored his way through 96 pitches and four innings, allowing seven runs on eight hits, while Brantly made his Major League pitching debut in the ninth. He allowed one run, on Erik Gonzalez's second home run of the night.

"I jokingly went up to the skip and I was like 'Hey, fresh arm today if you need it' and I gave him a high five," Brantly said of his comment after realizing the White Sox would be shorthanded on the mound. "Completely joking. And then like all of a sudden in the ninth inning, I'm standing on the mound of a Major League Baseball game."

Kluber (15-4) allowed solo homers to Yolmer Sanchez and Jose Abreu in the first inning but very little else. Kluber retired 20 of the final 22 faced after Abreu's blast and recorded his 14th double-digit strikeout game of the year and 38th of his career by fanning 13. The 14 double-digit efforts this year are tied for the second-most in the Majors with Washington's Max Scherzer, as Kluber moved to seventh in franchise history in career strikeouts.

"I think he just wanted to establish his fastball, and he didn't really throw a curveball until he kind of needed it," Francona said. "Then after that, you saw him kind of getting in a groove. It kind of starts with his breaking ball, and then he has his fastball late. They were really trying to hit the first straight one they could see, and they hit it good."

Kluber was again dominant in part due to his brilliant curveball. He was able to locate the pitch for a called strike five times, according to Statcast™, and induced a swing-and-miss on 13 of them -- extending his Major League lead on the most swinging strikes on a curveball this season.

"It kind of felt like they were swinging at every pitch hoping it would be a fastball so they could run into one," Kluber said. "We kind of went to more off-speed and it took them a while to make the adjustment, and we adjusted back. Just that cat-and-mouse game."

Francisco Lindor, who opened the game with a triple, finished a double short of hitting for the cycle. Every Indians starter reached base at least once. Greg Allen also launched his first career home run, connecting for a two-run shot off Jace Fry in the seventh, and Gonzalez notched his first career multi-homer game.

"[This streak is] lots of fun, not just because we're winning a lot of games but because everybody's contributing," Lindor said. "Everybody's doing what they're supposed to do, and the whole team is having fun, not just one player."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Ed-winning: Encarnacion continues to evolve even 13 years into his Major League career. The Indians' designated hitter has a career-high on-base percentage this season, and extended his Majors-best on-base streak to 30 games with a three-run homer off Pelfrey in the first inning. The ball, which traveled 366 feet as it sneaked into the bullpen according to Statcast™, gave Encarnacion 11 homers and 21 RBIs during the streak.

The Kluber whisperer: Abreu increased his dominance over one of the game's best pitchers by connecting on his 28th home run. Abreu, who has 84 RBIs for the season, has five long balls and 12 RBIs lifetime when facing Kluber. Only Miguel Cabrera (six) has hit more home runs against Kluber.

"When you get a four-run lead in the top of the first, I'm going to go out there and attack the strike zone," Kluber said. "Abreu was a little different. I fell behind him and had to kind of come back in the zone and just left the fastball out over the plate where he likes it."

QUOTABLE

"Comparing them is tough, because it's different years, different players, stuff like that. But I think the one constant between both of them is good pitching, timely hitting. All that cliche stuff they say it takes to win ballgames, it holds true. We've been able to string that together for a couple weeks now." -- Kluber, comparing the 15-game win streak to last year's 14-game streak

"I think I might have been like 12 in Little League." -- Brantly, on the last time he pitched

POSITION PLAYER PITCHING

Brantly became the first White Sox position player to pitch in a game since J.B. Shuck on June 8, 2016, against Washington. According to STATS, he is the first White Sox player whose primary position is catcher to pitch in a game in White Sox history.

ON THE MEND

Indians third baseman Yandy Diaz left in the sixth inning after being struck on the left forearm area with a 94.9 mph fastball from Beck. The 3-2 pitch rose and appeared to get Diaz on the left forearm as he turned away from it. Diaz was replaced by Giovanny Urshela as a pinch-runner. The Indians announced that Diaz was diagnosed with a left elbow contusion.

WHAT'S NEXT

Indians: The Indians return to Cleveland for a three-game set against the Orioles, who are looking to stay in the AL Wild Card hunt. Clevinger makes the 7:10 p.m. ET start on Friday, looking to build off back-to-back outings in which he's tossed six shutout innings. Preview >>

White Sox: Lucas Giolito (2-1, 2.25) is scheduled to make his fourth start of the season (all at home) and first career against San Francisco on Friday at Guaranteed Rate Field with a first pitch of 7:10 p.m. CT. Giolito has won each of his last two starts, allowing one run on six hits with 14 strikeouts over 14 innings. Preview >>

Why elite prospects Michael Kopech and Eloy Jimenez could force White Sox to abandon their patient approach.

By Dan Hayes

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Eloy Jimenez believes in himself enough to suggest he could be in the majors right now. Michael Kopech said before Wednesday’s game he realizes the big leagues are only a step away.

Though they intend to stay committed to developing their prospects, it looks as if the White Sox plan for patience could be pushed to the limit next season by its next wave of elite prospects. Jimenez and Kopech — who were named the organization’s August minor league player and pitcher of the month earlier this week — were in town this week for an introduction to the media. Given how both performed this season, it’s not far-fetched to think they could wind up back in Chicago with permanent spots on the 25-man roster by as early as next season.

“All great athletes … that do well will always challenge what an organization would like to do or not to do with them,” manager Rick Renteria said. “We all have to take a step back, make sure we're doing right by them and right by the organization before you make a decision as to who's going to be moved up.

“But it's true, sometimes the train, you can't stop it. Once it starts chugging along and creates some momentum, it's kind of hard to stop.”

Jimenez and Kopech are on a bullet-train pace for the majors.

MLB Pipeline’s No. 6 prospect, Jimenez hit .348/.405/.635 with 16 doubles, 11 home runs and 33 RBIs in 195 plate appearances after he was acquired from the Cubs in mid-July and was twice named minor league player of the month. Teammates at Single-A Winston-Salem loved Jimenez’s energy and play, he homered in his first at-bat at Double-A Birmingham and also impressed scouts, coaches and front office members alike the whole way.

Kopech was equally outstanding down the stretch. After he made a midseason mechanical adjustment, MLB.com’s No. 11 prospect was dominant. He earned a late-season promotion to Triple-A Charlotte and struck out 17 batters in 15 innings there.

Not only did Kopech strike out 172 batters in a career-best 134 1/3 innings, all questions about how he’d endure a full season were answered as he posted a 1.29 ERA in his final nine games (56 starts).  

“I felt like it was a huge weight off my shoulders because I feel like it was what everyone really wanted to see,” Kopech said. “I feel like I'm one step away. I'm in Triple-A. Whenever they want to put me there, they'll put me there. Meanwhile I'm going to do everything I can to get there."

Still, the White Sox are committed to their plan and going at a suitable pace.

They want their prized prospects to experience everything they can in the minor leagues before they reach the majors. Unlike previous seasons where they often rushed prospects to fill voids (think Carlos Rodon and Tim Anderson, among others), the White Sox want to get this effort right.

That’s why Jimenez stayed at Winston-Salem until the middle of August and Kopech was at Birmingham until a few days after that. Both could have easily reached that next level a little sooner if the club was in a rush.

“The key has been the ability to have patience which is where we are as an organization,” player development director Chris Getz said. “If we were competing down the stretch here for a division, things probably would have been a little different. I think clearly, we’re in a different position and you can let this thing play out. Sometimes that will really benefit the player and the organization as a whole because these guys can go out there and play and fine-tune their skills down at the minor league level before they get up here.”

Kopech thought he benefitted from almost a full season at Birmingham. After he made it his goal this spring to reach the majors in 2017, the right-hander admits he got ahead of himself in June and began to focus too much on a promotion. But Kopech got back on track in July and kicked it into another gear, which has him in contention to earn a spot in the 2018 White Sox rotation, amateur scouting director Nick Hostetler recently said.

That would be just fine for either player. Jimenez said Wednesday “I truly believe I can be playing here now.” Kopech joked that he brought his glove with him to Chicago just in case the White Sox wanted to take a look.

“Hopefully that's what they try to do, but we make the decision with a thoughtful approach to their future and ours,” Renteria said.

Green White Sox bullpen loses most experienced arm as Jake Petricka placed on disabled list.

By Dan Hayes

(Photo/USA TODAY)

Already short on experience, the White Sox could be without one of their most seasoned relievers the rest of the way.

The club placed Jake Petricka on the disabled list on Thursday with an elbow strain. The move is retroactive to Tuesday.

The DL trip is the third this season for Petricka, who is 1-1 with a 7.01 ERA in 25 2/3 innings. Petricka — whose MRI showed no structural damage — also was on the DL from April 5 to June 8 with a right lat strain and missed a month starting June 26 with a right elbow strain. He said he’s not worried after the MRI.

“It’s just another bump in the road we’ve got to take care of,” Petricka said. “We took pictures and it came back very minor. We’ve got a plan of attack and know it will work.

“The previous (injuries) were always instant. This one was more of a gradual. Decent workload going on throughout the previous couple of weeks and just kind of built up and one of the wear-down injuries, not the acute, one-pitch injury.”

The White Sox bullpen has been a revolving door all season long, but in particular the past month and a half. The club is without Nate Jones and Zach Putnam because of season-ending elbow injuries. Zack Burdi’s major league debut was derailed by a season-ending elbow injury.

And, the White Sox traded Tommy Kahnle, David Robertson, Anthony Swarzak, Dan Jennings and Tyler Clippard.

Those healthy in the bullpen include six rookies — Juan Minaya, Gregory Infante, Chris Beck, Dylan Covey, Aaron Bummer and Jace Fry — and veterans Danny Farquhar and Mike Pelfrey, whose nine relief appearances this season are a career high.

With less than a month left in the season, it might be difficult for Petricka to return in time.

“I’m sure it has been really frustrating to get back healthy and go back out and feel a little something again,” manager Rick Renteria said. “We feel bad for him, but you really can’t control that. I think hopefully it’s nothing serious and he’s able to get back. I don’t know if it will be before the season is out. But back and healthy at some point and do what he always does.”

Golf: I got a club for that..... Lexi leads, but Ko in rearview mirror in Indy.

By Randall Mell

(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)

Lexi Thompson is looking to make the most of what feels like the pole position at the inaugural Indy Women in Tech Championship.

And Lydia Ko is drafting nicely.

The LPGA’s first event at the Brickyard Crossings Golf Course, with the final four holes inside the 2.5 mile oval track that is home to the Indianapolis 500, was played on what racing fans would call a “fast track,” with Thompson leading the first round’s low scoring.

Thompson opened with a 9-under-par 63 Thursday, good for a one-shot lead on Kris Tamulis and Sandra Gal.

Ko is just two shots back as she seeks to shake a summer swoon and win for the first time in more than a year.

“It’s nice to get off to a really solid start,” Ko said. “I’ve been struggling the last few months, so it’s nice to be able to put myself in a different rhythm.”

Moriya Jutanugarn is also just two shots back.

Stacy Lewis, coming off an inspired victory at the Cambia Portland Classic, where she donated the entire first-place check ($195,000) to the relief effort helping her Houston hometown recover from Hurricane Harvey, was off to another fine start until making triple bogey at the 16th, one of those four holes inside the oval. She opened with a 72.

Those four holes have captured the players’ attention.

“It’s cool, it’s funky,” Gal said. “I really do like the course. It has really good challenges off the tee and the greens, and it’s cool being inside the track. It’s just so big. It’s unbelievable to be in there.”

The event was originally scheduled as a 72-hole tournament, but the LPGA announced earlier this year that it would be trimmed to 54 holes, with a Saturday finish that would give players more time to travel to the year’s final major, next week’s Evian Championship. The change helped bolster the field’s strength.

Thompson’s 63 equaled her best score in the opening round of an LPGA event.

“It was just, overall, a very solid round,” Thompson said.

Thompson, No. 3 in the Rolex Women’s World Rankings, appeared to still be riding some Solheim Cup momentum. The last time golf fans saw her, she was mounting a memorable comeback against Europe’s Anna Nordqvist in Sunday singles. After losing the first four holes, Thompson ended up halving the match.

The rally left an imprint on Thompson.

“That round definitely gave me the confidence that I can make those birdies if I just let it go and fire at pins and just commit to my shots and don’t doubt,” Thompson said. “That’s how golf is. It’s a lot about confidence and just committing to yourself and believing in yourself, something I’m learning along the way.”

Thompson made 11 birdies against two bogeys. She is seeking her eighth LPGA title, her second this season. She won the Kingsmill Championship in May.

Ko opened with a round of seven birdies and no bogeys. It’s been an off year for the 14-time LPGA winner and former Rolex world No. 1. She is coming off missed cuts in two of her last three starts.

“It was a fun day,” Ko said. “Made a really good putt on the last to make an up and down for that 7 under. So, hopefully, I’ll take this momentum into tomorrow.”

Ko was solid, hitting 12 of 14 fairways and 16 greens in regulation while taking 28 putts.

“Consistency is something that I was kind of lacking the past few months, so I’ve been working hard on that,” Ko said. “It kind of showed today. So, I’m hopeful that will carry on. Fingers crossed.”

Jimenez (64) shares lead at European Masters.

By Associated Press

(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)

Miguel Angel Jimenez fired a 6-under round of 64 to be in a three-way tie for the lead after the European Masters first round on Thursday.

Aged 53, Jimenez had seven birdies and a single bogey on the picturesque Swiss Alps course to share the top of the leaderboard with 30th-ranked Tyrrell Hatton of England and Scott Hend of Australia.

Jimenez also competes on the senior tour and already holds the European Tour record as the oldest winner. At 50, his 2014 Spanish Open title was his 21st on the tour.

Six players were one shot behind the leaders, including Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand. The European Masters is also an Asian Tour event.

Among five players on 4 under was American golfer Daniel Im, who aced the 175-yard (160-meter) eighth hole with a seven iron.

Two-time European Masters champion Alex Noren of Sweden opened his title defense with a level-par round.

In his 500th start on the European Tour, Lee Westwood of England carded a 1-over 71.

U.S. captain's picks: Phil, Hoffman; Int'ls: Grillo, Lahiri.

By Ryan Lavner

(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)

Captains Steve Stricker and Nick Price finalized their respective Presidents Cup teams Wednesday, with little surprise.

On the U.S. side, Stricker chose 40-somethings Phil Mickelson and Charley Hoffman to round out his 12-man roster. Price, meanwhile, picked Emiliano Grillo and Anirban Lahiri as the Internationals try to beat the Americans for the first time since 1998.

The event will be held Sept. 28-Oct. 1 at Liberty National in Jersey City, N.J.

It was widely expected that Stricker would go this direction with his wildcard selections.

One of the most respected voices in the team room, Mickelson has now played on an unprecedented 23 consecutive teams. Though his form this summer has been shaky, he tied for sixth last week at the Dell Technologies Championship, his best finish on the PGA Tour in six months. Mickelson, 47, also required a captain’s pick in 2015, but he rewarded Jay Haas’ faith with a 3-0-1 showing in South Korea.

“Phil brings a wealth of experience to the team. He means a lot to us as a team,” Stricker said. “He’ll be ready. He’s shown that over the years. He seems to raise his game to another level for these team competitions.”

Hoffman entered last week at No. 10 in the Presidents Cup standings, but Kevin Chappell edged him out for the final automatic spot by less than a point. Hoffman, 40, will be making his first appearance on any U.S. team. He has done just about everything this year except win – contending in a major, posting four top-3 finishes and rising to a career-best 22^nd in the world ranking.

“Charley gets along with all these players, players a lot of practice rounds with them, and he’s an easy guy to be around and he’s got a lot of talent,” Stricker said. “His age is going to help us, having a lot of Tour experience under his belt. It’s just another calming influence in our team room.” 

Among the players passed over by Stricker: Brian Harman, who won the Wells Fargo and contended at the U.S. Open; long-hitting Gary Woodland; and Jason Dufner, who has played in two team competitions.

Price’s decision wasn’t quite as straightforward, if only because those outside the top 10 in points have done little of late to impress.

Grillo moved into the 11^th spot after a pair of top-30s in the playoffs, but overall it’s been a disappointing year for the young Argentine. After ending last year at No. 25 in the world, he has skidded to 54^th, and he doesn’t have a top-10 worldwide since March.

Still, Price said: "This guy was someone who was on our radar for the last year and this year."

By choosing Lahiri, who was 16^th in the standings, Price opted for experience over another first-timer. The 30-year-old from India was part of the 2015 International squad that suffered a one-point loss in South Korea. Lahiri, however, went 0-3 that week – he was the only player on either side who failed to record at least a half point – and he doesn’t have a top-25 in his past seven starts.

“He brings a lot to the team room,” Price said. “He’s got a very positive personality. There were many reasons, but the big reason for us is he plays full time on the U.S. tour.” 

Other players who received consideration (and finished higher on the points list than Lahiri) were Yuta Ikeda, Ben An, Haotong Li and Hideto Tanihara, who defeated Jordan Spieth, Ryan Moore and Paul Casey en route to the semifinals of the WGC-Match Play.

Though the Americans narrowly captured the 2015 Presidents Cup to push their record in the event to 9-1-1, they’ve won the last four home matches by at least three points.

World Long Drive has style and substance.

By Will Gray

(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)

Look past the lights. See through the smoke.

The Volvik World Long Drive Championship offered up another high-octane spectacle Wednesday under the primetime spotlight at Winstar World Casino and Resort, where Justin James and Sandra Carlborg each left with a championship belt.

Even as the word “spectacle” hits the page, the footsteps can be heard of golf purists heading for the exit. But slow the stampede.

Sure, there are no putters in the golf bags on this particular driving range. The only hazard these players face is missing a grid that seemingly runs for miles and looks more like a runway than a fairway. There isn’t any rough, and there aren’t any scrambling opportunities. No one is turning in a scorecard.

It isn’t golf as we know it – but it isn’t threatening golf, either.

Over the past few months, and even years, there have been plenty of voices wondering aloud about the health of the sport, be it through participation numbers or television ratings. The ardent pursuit of a younger demographic remains a key focus from golf course operators to tournament directors.

So what’s the harm with mixing in a little smash factor with your strokes gained-putting?

The World Long Drive Tour continues to carve out a niche and establish itself as a viable offshoot of a more traditional sport. It’s a path first trod by the likes of beach volleyball, and perhaps more recently the 3-on-3 professional basketball league that turned some heads over the summer.

But what a few years ago may have been a discipline that revolved around a single event on the calendar continues to grow in scope. It’s very much a “tour” out here, with the familiar faces of long drive traversing the country from coast to coast while flashing their eye-popping Trackman numbers for new audiences both in-person and on TV.

Like with any burgeoning outlet, increased attention has garnered increased competition. Despite a format change designed to create a larger sample size for the best players, this year’s world championship was rife with upsets as the men’s quarterfinals kicked off without the defending champ or the top two players in the world.

Just as the gap between No. 1 and No. 100 in the OWGR has thinned over the years, so too has the advantage the elite long drivers once had over their closest competition.

“I think 2017 is the hardest field in world championships history,” said No. 1 Maurice Allen, who won three events this season but was knocked out in the Round of 32. “Like I’ve said many, many times, this sport is growing. The guys are getting better and the competition is getting stiffer, so that’s why when you get a win you truly try to cherish it. You don’t know when a win will be your last.”

It’s a sentiment that shows that long drive continues to take itself seriously as more than just an adrenaline-fueled exhibition – and rightfully so.

“It’s just getting out to more people now, and the proof is even in the competitors as well,” said 2016 world champ Joe Miller, whose title defense ended in the Round of 16. “It’s not just the fans and who it’s reaching, but the guys. You’re getting people that come in every year now, new fresh faces that can swing out of their shoes. That's just a direct result of how many people it’s getting out to. It’s building every year.”

Granted, long drive is not for everyone. Many will see it as a two-dimensional stunt, one that caters more toward bodybuilders than golfers.

But any questions about athletic prowess can be answered by watching James connect with incredible speed, or Kyle Berkshire nearly levitate while taking a mighty lash. Berkshire would never be mistaken for a weightlifter, and like many in this week’s field he is in fact an elite golfer who reached a +4 handicap while at the University of North Texas last year before pursuing long drive on a full-time basis.

Berkshire’s background in golf is more common than you might expect. Stroll the range at dusk as players warm up before walking onto the tee and you’ll see the same crisp wedge shots or high-flying long irons that might be on display before the opening round at a Web.com Tour event.

Around these parts, possessing a scratch handicap is largely the rule – not the exception.

“That’s why I do well even as a newcomer, because I have the speed but I’m also a really good golfer,” said Berkshire, 20, who lost to Mitch Grassing in the semifinals. “I can flight it, I can hit the ball where I want to and I have more control over it than a lot of people might realize.”

So yes, long drive is a little different, and it packs a whole lot of flair. And of course, few groups fear change and cling to tradition quite like the game of golf.

But this is an elastic landscape, one that should be willing to cater to new disciplines and outside-the-box thinking with an eye toward the future. No one is playing less golf, or turning away from PGA Tour coverage, because of their newfound interest in the emergence of long drive. If anything, it’s a way to engage more casual fans who pay attention to 400-yard shots much more than four-hour final rounds.

This is an additive proposition, not a zero-sum choice.

The lights may have been turned off in Thackerville for another year, but the sport of long drive won’t be dimming anytime soon. And that’s probably a good thing, even if more traditional golf fans remain shrouded by the smoke.

NASCAR: This weekend’s schedule for NASCAR Cup, Xfinity at Richmond.

By Jerry Bonkowski

(Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

The 26-race NASCAR Cup regular season comes to an end in Saturday’s Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond Raceway.

The outcome of the race will set the field for the upcoming 16-driver, 10-race NASCAR Cup playoffs, which begin Sept. 17 at Chicagoland Speedway.

Also at Richmond will be Friday night’s Virginia529 College Savings 250 NASCAR Xfinity race at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Both races will be televised on NBCSN.

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is off this weekend and resumes racing next weekend at Chicagoland Speedway.

Here’s this weekend’s race schedule:

(All times are Eastern)

Friday, Sept. 8

7 a.m. – Xfinity garage open

7:30 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. – Cup garage open

8 – 9:55 a.m. – Xfinity practice (NBC Sports App)

10 – 10:55 a.m. – Cup practice (NBCSN, Motor Racing Network)

Noon – 1:25 p.m. – Final Cup practice (NBCSN, MRN)

3 p.m. – Xfinity driver/crew chief meeting

4:15 p.m. – Xfinity qualifying (multi-vehicle, three rounds) (NBCSN)

5:45 p.m. – Cup qualifying (multi-vehicle, three rounds) (NBCSN, MRN)

7 p.m. – Xfinity driver introductions

7:30 p.m. — Virginia529 College Savings 250 (250 laps, 187.5 miles) (NBCSN; Motor Racing Network/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Saturday, September 9

2 p.m. – Cup garage opens

5:30 p.m. – Cup driver/crew chief meeting

6:50 p.m. – Cup driver introductions

7:30 p.m. – Federated Auto Parts 400 NASCAR Cup race (400 laps, 300 miles) (NBCSN; MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Who is Hot and Not ahead of the Cup regular-season finale at Richmond.

By Daniel McFadin

(Photo/Getty Images)

Richmond Raceway may or may not be a crapshoot.

In the last six races at the .75-mile track, six different drivers have visited victory lane.
The last driver to repeat as a winner at the “Action Track” is Joey Logano. He won in April and in the spring 2014 race.

Logano will be desperate to win this weekend. The Team Penske driver has to win Saturday to make the playoffs after his April win was deemed ineligible for the playoffs after his car failed inspection.

If his performance over all the Cup Series’ short tracks this season continues, Logano may have a good chance.

Logano has finished in the top five in three of the four short track races so far, the most of all drivers. His worst finish was 13th in the Bristol night race.

But Logano may want to give extra attention to qualifying. In that same six-race stretch of unique winners, each of them started in the top five.

Here is who is hot and not ahead of the Federated Auto Parts 400.

Who is Hot

Denny Hamlin

• Won at Darlington for his second win of the season (New Hampshire). Was encumbered for failing inspection.
• Top-four finishes in eight of the last 11 races, including two wins.
• Three Richmond wins, all in the fall including this race last year.
• Worst finish in the last four races at Richmond is sixth. Finished was third in April.

Kyle Busch

• Finished second at Darlington. Has finished in the top two in three of the last five races.
• Two wins this season, both came in the last five races (Pocono and Bristol).
• Finished top 10 in the last five races for his best streak this season
• Four Richmond wins, all came in the spring race.

Kevin Harvick

• Finished ninth at Darlington after winning the pole.
• Finished top 10 in 14 of the last 19 races of 2017.
• Three Richmond wins, but all with Richard Childress Racing.
• Finished fifth in the last three races at Richmond.

Erik Jones

• Finished fifth at Darlington, top-five finishes in the last three races.
• Finished top 10 in the last five races for best streak of his career.
• One start at Richmond. Accident on Lap 4 in April resulted in finishing 38th.

Who is Not

Jimmie Johnson.

• Finished 12th at Darlington for sixth straight race without a top-10 finish.
• One top 10 in his last 10 races (10th at New Hampshire).
• Three top-five finishes this season, all wins.
• Three Richmond wins. Last came in 2008.

Kasey Kahne

• Finished 24th at Darlington. Has only one top-10 finish in the last 15 races, a win at Indy.
• Six DNFs from accidents this season.
• One Richmond win in 2005, the first Cup win of his career.
• Finished 22nd in April.

Joey Logano

• Finished 18th at Darlington.
• Ten finishes outside the top 20 in the last 16 races.
• Won at Richmond in April but finish was encumbered after his car failed inspection.

Chase Elliott

• Finished 11th at Darlington. Has only two top 10s in the last seven races.
• In four Richmond starts, best finish was 12th in April 2016.
• Finished 24th at Richmond in April.

Cup teams to run engines multiple races in 2018.

By Dustin Long

(Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images)

NASCAR Cup teams will be required to run engines multiple races next year, according to a rules bulletin officials released Tuesday.

NASCAR looks to release full 2018 rules for all three national series in early October.

Cup teams will have to use 13 short block engines (engine block, crankshaft, camshaft, connecting rods and pistons) for two full race weekends each next season. The teams can choose what races those will be. The engines will be sealed between the points races to prevent tampering.

Teams that are not considered full-time will not be permitted to compete in more than two consecutive points races without using a sealed short block engine that has been run in a preceding event. 

For 2018, teams will be required to compete with a long block sealed engine (engine block, crankshaft, camshaft, connecting rods, pistons, oil pan, cylinder heads and valves) at the Clash at Daytona and the All-Star Race in Charlotte. The engines to be used in the Clash will be sealed after they are run at Talladega this October.

NASCAR also announced that it will go to a single-engine rule for all Cup events. Previously, teams had been allowed to change engines between their qualifying race and the Daytona 500. That won’t be permitted.

If a backup engine must be installed in either a primary vehicle or a backup vehicle during an event weekend, that vehicle will be required to start at the rear of the field, provided it has earned a starting spot in the race.

Also, NASCAR’s rules bulletin stated that if a backup vehicle must be used at any time during an event weekend, the vehicle will be required to start at the rear of the field, provided it earns a starting spot in the race.

SOCCER: After slumping without them, Fire see returns of Matt Polster, Brandon Vincent.

By Dan Santaromita

(Photo/USA TODAY)

After enduring a slump that coincided with three injuries to starters in the Fire’s defense, the team is starting to see the return of those players.

Matt Polster missed three games with a left knee injury, a recurring injury that has bothered him dating back to last year, before returning in last weekend’s win in Montreal. Brandon Vincent missed seven games with a quad injury and came off the bench for the final minutes.

“It felt good to kind of get that first breath in a real game situation, just for mentality wise, for competing back with the group,” Vincent said after training on Wednesday.

Polster assisted on the only goal of the game in Montreal, setting up Bastian Schweinsteiger for the game-winner. Polster said he continues to feel more comfortable at right back, partially due to the role being “much more defined.”

During his absence, Polster noticed some issues in the Fire’s losing streak.

“I thought our movement off the ball was lacking a little bit in that stretch and we weren’t really showing up for each other,” he said. “I think as a group we all stated that. We all came to terms with saying that we weren’t showing up for each other and we weren’t making those runs. I thought in the Montreal game we were all moving, we were moving off the ball and trying to get off the ball and show for each other.”

Polster has made his return to the starting lineup, but Vincent is still waiting for that. Vincent came on as an injury replacement for Patrick Doody in the 89th minute in Montreal. With Doody, who filled in while Vincent was out, missing practice this week it is expected that Vincent will start against the New York Red Bulls on Saturday.

The Fire went 1-6 without Vincent right after going unbeaten for 11 straight in MLS. Vincent sees the connection, but doesn’t want to look at it like that.

“I guess it’s easy when people miss time to kind of try to draw some correlations and stuff like that,” Vincent said. “I try not to pay too much attention to it. I think the group went through a little bit of a down streak and I don’t consider myself separate from the group when I’m not playing. We’re all together in this. We all went through a down streak, we bounced back and now we’re looking to rebound and pick up some steam going into the playoffs.”

His injury occurred in warmups before the Fire played at New York City FC on July 22. The Stanford product had never dealt with an injury of that severity.

“I’ve never had any sort of muscle strain or tear or anything like that so I didn’t know what to expect, which was really scary when it happened because the pain was pretty sharp and it was just a really uncomfortable feeling that I was worried about,” Vincent said. “A lot of emotions when I came out.”

Vincent said everything is normal now and the muscle is healed, but he is working with the training staff to manage his workload to “be smart about” his return.

The first game he missed was the first one after the Gold Cup break. The 2-1 loss in Yankee Stadium was the start of a slump that saw the Fire go from contending for the Supporters’ Shield to falling into the thick of the race just to get into the playoffs.

Joao Meira, another starting defender, has missed three games since going down in the opening minutes in the Fire’s first trip to Montreal on August 16. Coach Veljko Paunovic stayed optimistic about the team’s prospects while the three were out and praised the play of Doody and Drew Conner as replacements, but admitted the injured trio was missed.

“When you go back, you see our performance since we start to lose our back line, starting with Brandon in New York City,” Paunovic said. “It was really frustrating. So it goes now in the opposite way. When you have them back it helps the team to find that performance that we had before that.“

Top Premier League story lines – Week 4.

By Nicholas Mendola

(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

It’s back, friends, and the Premier League’s fourth week again finds a battle of giants on the docket.

Liverpool visits Man City as the league’s five UEFA Champions League sides eyeball their table positioning as well as European group stage debuts next week.

Elsewhere, Europa League entrants Arsenal and Everton have home matches while Swansea City’s big name signings should debut versus Rafa Benitez‘s embattled Newcastle United.

Fireworks exploding in the distance

Manchester City – Liverpool (Saturday, 7:30 a.m. ET, NBCSN) [ STREAM ] 

Temporary towers soar Saturday at the Etihad Stadium when Pep Guardiola‘s City and Jurgen Klopp‘s Reds bid for second place or better in the Premier League. Both attack-minded sides have seven points, and harbor dreams of a title.

Both sides were hopeful of landing Virgil Van Dijk or another center back stud before Deadline Day, and this match faces the prospect of goals upon goals. Philippe Coutinho is back training for the Reds, and Klopp will have to find the best fit for his attack once the Brazilian is ready to enter the fold.

City is off to Feyenoord to start its UEFA Champions League campaign on Wednesday, the same day Liverpool hosts ex-City men Nolito, Jesus Navas, and Sevilla.

The much anticipated Emirates Stadium reception for Arsene Wenger

Arsenal – Bournemouth (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET, NBCSN) [ STREAM ] 

The Gunners have one win in three matches to start the season, could not land any late transfer targets, and sold neither Alexis Sanchez nor Mesut Ozil. The #WengerOut brigade is at full throat, and who knows what’s cooking from the North London faithful as oft-rumored Wenger replacement Eddie Howe and Bournemouth hit the scene in search of its first points of the season.

Bournemouth broke Arsenal’s four-match Hex in a 3-3 draw at the Vitality Stadium in January. Could this be the day it finds love at the Emirates?

Early separation day for Spurs, Toffees

Everton – Tottenham Hotspur (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET, CNBC) [ STREAM ] 

On form, Spurs arguably deserve to be 3-0 but have followed up their strong performance at Newcastle with poor finishing days against Chelsea and Burnley. They also can’t afford to look past the Toffees and to their Wednesday’s UCL visit from Borussia Dortmund.

The Toffees have an extra day to prepare for Europa League, where they’ll look to the road and a Thursday trip to Atalanta. Everton received very little love from the Premier League schedule makers, and now face Spurs after a draw versus Man City and a loss to Chelsea leave it level with the visitors on four points.

Chelsea’s ex-Foxes return to the King Power Stadium

Leicester City – Chelsea (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET, NBC Sports Gold) [ STREAM ] 

Danny Drinkwater and N'Golo Kante will get an interesting reception at the building where they completed one of the biggest surprises in football history, as the Blues’ engine room duo hits Leicester City. Chelsea has two wins from three matches, and would like to keep its title defense aspirations pointed in the right direction.

Breathing room, new additions welcome in Wales

Swansea City vs. Newcastle United (Sunday, 11 a.m. ET, NBCSN) [ STREAM ] 

The similar vibes between these two clubs begins and ends with acquiring desperately needed wins before the international break. That’s because Swans had big success toward the end of the transfer window in landing a loan of Bayern Munich’s Renato Sanches in addition to buying Wilfried Bony and Sam Clucas. Newcastle’s big 3-0 home win versus West Ham was burnished with… zero additions on Deadline Day. Rafa Benitez has his work cut out for him.

World Cup prognoses for all confederations.

By Nicholas Mendola

(AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Eight teams are headed for the 2018 World Cup, while only a half-dozen others should feel comfortable with their tickets to Russia.

Here’s where it stands in terms of who’s in, who’s likely in, and who’s reached the next step with a playoff berth.

Qualifying in a nutshell

IN: Russia (hosts), Brazil, Belgium, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Mexico

NEARLY THERE: Costa Rica, Uruguay, Germany, Serbia, England, Spain.

PLAYOFF BOUND: 

(Australia vs. Syria winner) vs. (CONCACAF fourth place)
(CONMEBOL fifth place) vs. New Zealand

AFRICA

— Tunisia controls its own destiny with a three-point lead on DR Congo and no matches between the two.

— Nigeria leads Zambia by three points ahead of an Oct. 7 meeting between the two. A win will ensure a spot, while a draw would put it on the precipice via a significant goal differential advantage.

— No one’s been eliminated in Group C, though Mali is an extreme long shot. Ivory Coast leads the group, a point ahead of Morocco, and two clear of Gabon.

— Senegal is now in pole position after FIFA ruled that a match-fixing scandal demanded a replay between South Africa and the Senegalese. Full breakdown here.

— Egypt has a two-point lead on Uganda, and two will not meet. Ghana is four back of
Egypt, but could be eliminated before it gets a chance to face the Egyptians on Nov. 6.

Best guesses: Tunisia, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Egypt.

CONCACAF 

— Costa Rica needs a point to join Mexico in Russia.

— Panama will clinch an automatic spot with a win over the U.S. on Oct. 6, before hosting presumably-safe Costa Rica on Oct. 10.

— The United States will get an automatic spot with a win over Panama on Oct. 6 and by bettering Panama’s result versus Costa Rica.

— Honduras heads to Costa Rica on Oct. 6 and hosts Mexico on Oct. 10.

Panama has 10 points, while the USMNT and Honduras have nine. One will automatically qualify for Russia, while another will face Australia or Syria over two legs in November. A third will be left out in the cold.

Best guesses: USMNT finishes 3rd, Panama to playoff where it loses to Australia.

CONMEBOL

One of the most fun and breakneck tournaments in sports, Brazil is in, Uruguay as close to being in as Ecuador and Paraguay are to being out, and both Bolivia and Venezuela are out.

Remaining opponents

2. Uruguay (27 pts) – Venezuela (A), Bolivia (H)
3. Colombia (26 pts) – Paraguay (H), Peru (A)
4. Peru (24 pts) – Argentina (A), Colombia (H)
5. Argentina (24 pts) – Peru (H), Ecuador (A)
6. Chile (23 pts) – Ecuador (H), Brazil (A)
7. Paraguay (21 pts)– Colombia (A), Venezuela (H)
8. Ecuador (20 pts) – Chile (A), Argentina (H)

Uruguay, Colombia, and Argentina should be relatively happy with their routes, while there is — stunningly — a scenario in which Chile wins both its matches and still misses out on an automatic playoff spot. Of the teams in the Top Four, Peru has looked good but faces the hardest route to stay in a slot. Of the teams beyond, both Argentina and Chile will like their chances of catching Peru. Paraguay would set up one of the wildest final days ever if it wins in Colombia on Oct. 5.

Best guesses: Uruguay, Colombia, Argentina qualify; Chile to playoff win over New Zealand.

UEFA

— France only has a one-point lead on Sweden thanks to a surprise draw with Luxembourg. The Netherlands will hope to pull at least a three-goal win over the visiting Swedes on the final day while at least matching their result on Oct. 7. Bulgaria needs a wild array of results, but is alive.

— Switzerland has a three-point lead on Portugal, who has 11 goals better differential. The two sides meet in Portugal on Oct. 10 at which point the EURO champs will likely have strengthened their almost insurmountable GD advantage, but will still need a win.

— Northern Ireland is likely heading to the playoffs unless it beats Germany in N.I. on Oct. 5, and then wins in Norway while Germany loses at home to Azerbaijan.

— Serbia needs to choke to allow Wales or Ireland into the top spot, while the Welsh hold a one-point advantage over the visiting Irish should it come to their Oct. 9 meeting. Austria needs to win both — likely by multiple goals — then hope both Wales and Ireland are upset in their Oct. 6 matches before drawing each other.

— Three teams are alive in Group E, with Poland leading Montenegro and Denmark by three points. The latter hold four-goal advantages in differential on Poland. Montenegro hosts Denmark and visits Poland, while Denmark also hosts Romania and Poland heads to Armenia. No one is safe, but Poland could solidify its advantage with a multi-goal win in Armenia.

— Second-place Slovakia has one-point and goal differential edges on Slovenia and Scotland. Scotland faces both its rivals, while Slovakia hosts Malta and Slovenia is off to England. Any of the three could win the playoff spot.

— Group G likely belongs to Spain, which has a three-point and 17-goal advantage on Italy, who needs just a point from a home match with Macedonia to make a final day meeting with Albania moot. The Albanians would have to win at Spain, then beat visiting Italy while making up 11 goals of differential and seeing Italy lose at home to Macedonia.

— Bosnia and Herzegovina are the favorites to nail down second, with a one-point edge on Greece and a four-point lead on Cyprus. BNH has to host mighty but already-qualified Belgium while Cyprus hosts Greece on Oct. 7. A road win over Roberto Martinez’s men would leave it with a trip to Estonia, while Greece’s last day is a visit from lowly Gibraltar and Cyprus is off to Belgium. Greece could be in the best position here.

— At the risk of writing another 900 words, Group I is jammed up. Croatia and Iceland have 16 points, while Turkey and Ukraine have 14. Here’s how they finish:

Croatia (16 pts, +9 GD): vs. Finland, at Ukraine
Iceland (16 pts, +4 GD): at Turkey, vs. Kosovo
Turkey (14 pts, +4 GD): vs. Iceland, at Finland
Ukraine (14 pts, +4 GD): at Kosovo, vs. Croatia

Your guess is as good as ours. Tricky, tricky group.

Best guesses:

Group winners — France, Portugal, Germany, Serbia, Poland, England, Spain, Belgium, Iceland, Turkey

Second-place* — Sweden, Switzerland, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Denmark, Slovakia, Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia

*Republic of Ireland misses out on playoffs as lowest-ranked second-place team.

List of potential North American World Cup sites narrowed.

By Associated Press

(Photo by Alex Menendez/Getty Images)

Forty-one cities in the United States, Mexico and Canada have submitted preliminary bids to host 2026 World Cup matches.

The North American bid committee said Thursday its proposal will be sent to FIFA in March. The bid is expected to include up to 25 cities. At least 12 cities would ultimately be selected if the FIFA Congress picks the joint bid when it votes in June 2018.

The 2026 World Cup will be the first with a 48-nation field. Morocco said it also intends to bid.

Three sites were dropped from the preliminary list announced last month: Calgary, Alberta; Green Bay, Wisconsin; and San Diego.

Just three stadiums that bid hosted games during the 1994 World Cup: Chicago’s Soldier Field, Dallas’ Cotton Bowl and Orlando, Florida’s Camping World Stadium, formerly known as the Citrus Bowl. Soldier Field underwent a gut renovation in 2002-03.

Two of the sites on the list hosted matches at the 1994 at stadiums that have been replaced with new venues on adjacent land: East Rutherford, New Jersey; and Foxborough; Massachusetts.

Stadiums are required to have at least 40,000 seats for group-stage matches and at least 80,000 for the opening game and final.

Thirty-two areas and 35 stadiums are on the list for the U.S. Canada has six cities and Mexico three. Three stadiums were submitted from the Los Angeles area and two from the Dallas area.

The U.S. would host 60 of 80 games, including all from the quarterfinals on.

The bidding stadiums:

UNITED STATES

Arlington, Texas, AT&T Stadium; Atlanta, Mercedes-Benz Stadium; Baltimore, M&T Bank Stadium; Birmingham, Alabama, Legion Field; Charlotte, North Carolina, Bank of America Stadium; Chicago, Soldier Field; Cincinnati, Paul Brown Stadium; Cleveland, FirstEnergy Stadium; Dallas, Cotton Bowl; Denver, Sports Authority Field; Detroit, Ford Field; East Rutherford, New Jersey, MetLife Stadium; Foxborough, Massachusetts; Glendale, Arizona, University of Phoenix Stadium; Houston, NRG Stadium; Indianapolis, Lucas Oil Stadium; Inglewood, California, LA Stadium at Hollywood Park; Jacksonville, Florida, EverBank Field; Kansas City, Missouri, Arrowhead Stadium; Landover, Maryland, FedEx Field; Las Vegas, Raiders stadium under construction; Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum; Miami, Hard Rock Stadium; Minneapolis, U.S. Bank Stadium; Nashville, Tennessee, Nissan Stadium; New Orleans, Superdome; Orlando, Florida, Camping World Stadium; Pasadena, California, Rose Bowl; Philadelphia, Lincoln Financial Field; Pittsburgh, Heinz Field; Salt Lake City, Rice-Eccles Stadium; San Antonio, Alamodome; Santa Clara, California, Levi’s Stadium; Seattle, CenturyLink Field; Tampa, Florida, Raymond James Stadium

CANADA

Edmonton, Alberta, Commonwealth Stadium; Montreal, Olympic Stadium; Ottawa, Ontario, TD Place; Regina, Saskatchewan, Mosaic Stadium; Toronto, BMO Field; Vancouver, British Columbia, BC Place

MEXICO

Guadalajara, Estadio Chivas; Mexico City, Estadio Azteca; Monterrey, Estadio Rayados.

NCAAFB: NCAA Rankings - Associated Press, Last Updated - September 5, 2017.

AP

RANK	SCHOOL	POINTS	RECORD	PREVIOUS
1	Alabama (60)	1524	1-0	1
2	Ohio State (1)	1445	1-0	2
3	Clemson	1317	1-0	5
4	Penn State	1303	1-0	6
5	Oklahoma	1253	1-0	7
6	USC	1224	1-0	4
7	Washington	1083	1-0	8
8	Michigan	1051	1-0	11
9	Wisconsin	979	1-0	9
10	Florida State	976	0-1	3
11	Oklahoma State	950	1-0	10
12	LSU	898	1-0	13
13	Auburn	873	1-0	12
14	Stanford	772	1-0	14
15	Georgia	685	1-0	15
16	Miami	537	1-0	18
17	Louisville	529	1-0	16
18	Virginia Tech	490	1-0	21
19	Kansas State	398	1-0	20
20	Washington State	216	1-0	24
21	South Florida	207	2-0	19
22	Florida	164	0-1	17
23	TCU	154	1-0	NR
24	Notre Dame	141	1-0	NR
25	Tennessee	124	1-0	25

Realistic, yet confident, OVC teams set to tackle FBS opponents.

By JEFF MEZYDLO

Realistic, yet confident, OVC teams set to tackle FBS opponents. (Photo/yahoosports.com)

Beating FBS schools is nothing new for the Ohio Valley Conference.

One only needs to look back to last week for the last time it happened, and Saturday presents the league with five more opportunities to keep the upsets coming.

Tennessee State's 17-10 win at Georgia State on Thursday marked the fifth time in six seasons and sixth in the last eight that the Ohio Valley recorded at least one win against a FBS foe. It also was one of four victories FCS schools posted against FBS opponents across the nation in Week 1.

"It was great for our conference, it was great for our university," said Tennessee State coach Rod Reed, whose team forced four turnovers and didn't commit any en route to the program's first FBS win since 1984.

The marquee matchup of the five this weekend features No. 5 Jacksonville State traveling to Georgia Tech on Saturday. The Gamecocks are 5-20 against FBS competition but beat Mississippi in 2010 and Georgia State in 2013.

However, JSU coach John Grass knows his team will have its hands full with a Yellow Jackets offense that gained 535 yards on the ground in a 42-41 loss to Tennessee on Monday.

"They are really good at what they do and we've got to stop it," he said. "To me, it's the most challenging FBS game we've had thus far."

Eastern Kentucky and Austin Peay each will face a FBS school for the second straight week, and both felt they let opportunities pass by in their respective opening losses.

EKU had two touchdowns called back because of penalties in a 31-17 loss at Western Kentucky.

"(We're) obviously disappointed with the outcome from the game," said coach Mark Elder, whose squad didn't resemble the one that went 3-8 last season. "We went in with the intention and belief to beat Western Kentucky. I will say I was very pleased with the effort our guys gave and the energy they came with."

The Colonels take on Kentucky, which needed overtime to win 34-27 when the teams last met in 2015.

Austin Peay has dropped 44 straight games on the road, but was more than competitive during a 26-14 loss at Cincinnati on Thursday. It also feels confident taking on Miami (Ohio) this weekend.

"I thought we competed really hard and learned some things about what we need to do in the future to win those games," Governors coach Will Healy said. "I think we have to go from being excited about being competitive to taking the next step and going to win one of those, because those opportunities don't come along that much."

UT Martin is 1-23 against FBS competition and faces Ole Miss for the second time in three years. The Skyhawks lost 76-3 at Oxford in 2015 and have to completely shift gears following a 36-0 victory over Division II Clarion to open this season.

"You're dealing with a whole different situation this week when we go to Ole Miss," UT Martin coach Jason Simpson said. "It's a huge jump from the OVC. We have a tremendous challenge that goes along with that."

Eastern Illinois might have the best chance to pull off the FBS upset when it travels to Northern Illinois. The Panthers fell short against the Huskies in 2013, 43-39, but knocked off Miami (Ohio) last season.

Predicting Studs and Duds for College Football Week 2.

By Ethan Sears

Kevin Sumlin might not want to look at this list. (Photo/Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

We are one week into the college football season and it feels great. Between UCLA pulling off one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the sport, Virginia Tech and Tennessee putting up defensive stands at the last second, and all of the glorious fun that occurred on Saturday, we had a pretty awesome Week 1.

The best part? Week 2 is going to be even better. We have four games with potential playoff consequences, a couple rivalry matchups, and a whole lot of teams getting their first real tests of the season. The first week of the season is for sitting on the couch in a daze and smiling all weekend because football is finally back. The second week is for hunkering down and realizing that this is going to be a long, hard season.

Here are college football’s studs and duds to watch out for on Saturday.

Stud: Lamar Jackson, quarterback, Louisville

Let’s talk about Louisville Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson for a second. Last year’s Heisman winner is an absolute freak of nature and we got him on full display Saturday night against Purdue. With the Cardinals facing a potential disaster in a game they were expected to win easily, Jackson threw for 378 yards and two touchdowns — one of them being the go-ahead score. He also rushed for an additional 107 yards, meaning that he accounted for an absurd 485 yards out of Louisville’s 524 in the entire game. This week, Jackson goes on the road against a North Carolina team which gave up 35 in a loss to California on Saturday. That UNC-Cal game started at 9:00 am PT and the Golden Bears moved the ball at will. It seems fair to say Jackson will be fine.

Dud: South Florida

South Florida came into the year hoping to be the Group of Five’s representative in a New Year’s Six bowl game. Although the Bulls are 2-0, neither win looked good. They struggled through the first half on the road at San Jose State two weeks ago, then came home and let FCS Stony Brook hang with them. Despite this, USF was able to stay in the top 25. That may not be for long. They have their first AAC game this week, traveling to UConn. On paper, this is a game they should win fairly easily, but so were the last two. Consider Charlie Strong’s Bulls to be on upset watch.

Stud: Penn State

The Nittany Lions have yet to beat the Pittsburgh Panthers in the 21st century, mostly because the rivalry was on hiatus from 2001-2015. However, Penn State dropped a close one in the renewal last year and now the game returns to State College. Expect the nation’s most-dynamic offensive team to have a chip on its shoulder. Pitt struggled to handle FCS Youngstown State last week and transfer quarterback Max Browne didn’t look to be cut from the same cloth as Nathan Peterman. We could see a blowout here as Penn State tries to further assert itself in the national championship conversation.

Dud: Michigan State

Here’s something we learned last week: Western Michigan doesn’t seem to be much worse after the departures of head coach P.J. Fleck and wide receiver Corey Davis. The Broncos gave playoff hopeful USC a game at the L.A. Coliseum and now travel to East Lansing looking for a statement win. Michigan State handled Bowling Green easily in Week 1, but the Spartans still have a long way to go before they hit relevancy again. This is a beatable team, even at home. This could be a close one. Don’t be surprised if Western Michigan replaces USF in the top-25 by the week’s end, with a win.

Stud: Butch Jones, head coach, Tennessee 

On Monday night against Georgia Tech, Jones did what he had to do. Only barely — Tennessee needed a stop on a two-point conversion in double overtime — but a win is a win. The embattled head coach will be back on the hot seat at some point this year, but he can rest easy this week. The Vols welcome the Sycamores of Indiana State to Neyland Stadium in a game that should be over in the first half. Perhaps Jones can even address the quarterback dilemma by getting redshirt freshman Jarrett Guarantano some reps without worrying about the game itself. That could buy him goodwill going into a high-stress matchup in the Swamp against the Florida Gators. However, a rivalry loss will likely restart the rumor mill all over again.

Dud: Kevin Sumlin, head coach, Texas A&M

After Texas A&M’s stunning collapse, Sumlin is on football’s version of death row. With the Aggies facing Nicholls State at Kyle Field, the ax may not come for him yet (barring an equally stunning loss), but Sumlin is on borrowed time. At this point, one senses it would take a monumental performance for him to retain the head job throughout the season and A&M isn’t the team to play like that. With quarterback Nick Starkell facing a broken ankle and potentially out for the season, Sumlin would have to pull a rabbit out of a hat to keep his job. Even that may not be enough.

Stud: Nick Stevens & Michael Gallup, Colorado State

Colorado State’s favored quarterback-wide receiver hookup has quietly had a great start to the season. In two games, Gallup has caught 16 passes for 201 yards from Stevens while facing two Pac-12 defenses. The Rams’ early-season schedule is pretty brutal — after playing Oregon State and rival Colorado, they face Alabama on the road in Week 3 —  but this week is a walkover, as they face Abilene Christian at home. There’s not much reason to tune in live unless you enjoy seeing an FCS team get roasted, but the highlights should be a lot of fun. Stevens and Gallup will finally get to face a secondary worth picking on and should absolutely dominate.

Dud: Clemson

Let’s be clear: the defending national champions are really, really good. But it’s worth worrying about quarterback Kelly Bryant facing one of the best defenses in the country in only his second game as Clemson’s full-time starter. Bryant looked fine against Kent State on Saturday, but the game against Auburn is in primetime, under the lights. And it will be close. Even with Jarrett Stidham under center, this could be a defensive slugfest. That bodes well for the inexperienced quarterback, but at some point, Bryant is going to have to make a play. Whether or not he can is another question altogether.

Stud: Florida State

The Alabama Crimson Tide beat the Seminoles convincingly thanks to a superior special teams unit, giving Florida State a hill to climb even before star quarterback Deondre Francois was lost for the year with a knee injury. With their quarterback gone, the Associated Press poll dropped FSU to 10th overall, which the ‘Noles will undoubtedly take as a display of faithlessness in their championship ability post-Francois. The team should be playing with a chip on its shoulder this week against UL-Monroe, and for good reason. Every player on the roster should feel disrespected right now. Florida State should lay the boom early in this one.

Dud: Missouri

After giving up 43 points to Missouri State last week, it feels fair to call Mizzou one of the worst defensive teams in the Power Five. They were able to escape against the Bears, but only by putting up a 70-burger on offense. That won’t happen against this week’s opponent, the South Carolina Gamecocks. The Gamecocks returned a lot of starters on defense this year, particularly in the secondary, and started the year off with an impressive win over North Carolina State. If Missouri’s defense proves porous yet again, it won’t be quite as easy to bail them out this time.

Stud: Bryce Love, running back, Stanford

The Stanford running back’s numbers in the season opener two weeks ago almost seem fake: 180 yards on 13 carries. Sure, it was against Rice, but Love had as good a performance as we’ve ever seen from a Cardinal running back. That’s no small feat at a school which has featured Heisman contenders Christian McCaffrey and Toby Gerhart at the position in the last decade. After a bye week, Stanford gets its first (and biggest) test of the season on the road against USC, and it’s hard not to believe in Love. The Trojans let Western Michigan run for over 250 yards against them last week and now have to face a well-rested Bryce Love. That’s a tough ask and Love is ready to take advantage.

Dud: J.T. Barrett, quarterback, Ohio State

Barrett’s problem is the same as ever: for all his talent, Ohio State’s quarterback simply struggles to throw the ball. That’s not to forecast a Buckeye loss against Oklahoma this weekend. The No. 2 team in the nation can manufacture points in other ways, especially after running back J.K. Dobbins went for 181 rushing yards against Indiana in Week 1. Ohio State also has a marked defensive advantage over the Sooners, not to mention Urban Meyer’s experience against Lincoln Reily’s lack thereof on the sideline. However, if Oklahoma manages to keep this game close, don’t expect Barrett to be the reason Ohio State wins. In a two-minute drill, it’s still tough to trust the senior signal-caller.

Stud: Derrius Guice, running back, LSU

Guice had a fairly quiet Week 1, rushing for a ho-hum 122 yards in a game utterly dominated by the LSU Tigers. When it comes to running backs competing for the Heisman Trophy, Penn State’s Saquon Barkley stole the show in Week 1. However, Guice could join the competition full-throttle this weekend. LSU faces UT-Chattanooga, an FCS school which lost to Jacksonville State last weekend. Needless to say, this game will be a bloodbath. The Tigers should have no reason to throw the ball much either, which means Guice will get a large diet of carries. He should be all over the highlight reels and squarely in the Heisman conversation after facing such a weak opponent.

Dud: Brian Kelly, head coach, Notre Dame

The Fighting Irish coasted to a Week 1 win over Temple, but buzz over Kelly’s job security may pick up again after this week. Notre Dame hosts No. 15 Georgia, whose quarterback, Jacob Eason, suffered an ankle injury last week. With freshman Jake Fromm under center and the game being played in South Bend, Notre Dame will be expected to win this game. However, the defense will have its hands full with Georgia running back Nick Chubb. We also have yet to see Notre Dame quarterback Brandon Wimbush against the sort of competition posed by the Bulldogs’ defense. If Georgia can pull off a win on the road, it could spell trouble for Kelly.

Stud: Western Kentucky

The Illinois Fighting Illini held off Ball State last week, but their non-conference schedule only gets tougher. Western Kentucky is one of the better squads in the Group of Five. They went 11-3 last year, including a Boca Raton Bowl victory, and return fifth-year senior Mike White at quarterback. The Hilltoppers had one of the most potent offenses in the FBS in 2016, leading the country in points per game, and started off 2017 with a win against Eastern Kentucky. This game could the first of many uphill battles for Illinois this season.

Dud: Malik Zaire, quarterback, Florida 

There aren’t many quarterbacks less secure with the football than Zaire, who played the second half of Florida’s loss on Saturday. Every time Zaire dropped back against the Michigan Wolverines, a fumble felt imminent. The fact that Zaire committed just one turnover felt more like luck than anything else. Florida doesn’t have much to worry about against Northern Colorado this weekend, but Zaire’s ball security is something to keep an eye on as the year moves forward.

Stud: Washington State

Mike Leach’s Cougars avoided starting a third straight year with a loss to an FCS school on Saturday, soundly beating Montana State 31-0. The Boise State Broncos, however, could play spoiler to Washington State this week. They’re coming off a win against Troy despite junior quarterback Brett Rypien struggling. Once Rypien gets his legs under him, however, there’s a lot to like about Boise State. Pullman is a short trip from Boise and the circumstances are ripe for an upset. The Broncos should be able to move the ball against a Cougs defense which finished 63rd in S&P+ last season and projects similarly in 2017. Unless Rypien struggles again, we could get our first #Pac12AfterDark of the season in this game.

Dud: Northwestern

After a disconcertingly close opener against Nevada, the Wildcats travel to Durham to face Duke this week. Even after a blowout win over NC Central in Week 1, it’s hard to know what to expect from the Blue Devils this year after a disappointing 4-8 record in 2016. However, this game will not be a walkover for Northwestern. They’re on the road and Duke returns most of its offensive starters. Quarterback Daniel Jones may not struggle quite as much in his second year and has a ton of upperclassmen to throw to. If Northwestern drops this game, they could start out the year 2-3, as they open up conference play with games against Wisconsin and Penn State. As far as non-conference games go, this one is of the utmost importance and Northwestern may not escape Durham with a victory.

Stud: Josh Allen, quarterback, Wyoming

After flopping against Iowa last week, Allen returns to some lighter competition this week as Wyoming faces Gardner-Webb in Laramie. Projected to be a top pick in next year’s draft, the quarterback has some alarming splits when it comes to level of competition.

Saturday’s game may have been a disaster, but expect Allen to look the part, and then some, this week. That’s not saying much against an FCS team, but it should placate any alarm stemming from his performance against Iowa, at least temporarily. His next big test comes in Week 3 against Oregon. If Allen fails to live up to the hype in that one, it’s time to start worrying.

Dud: The Holy War, without much hype

Given that BYU-Utah is one of college football’s biggest rivalries, it feels a little strange that the game is taking a backseat this week. With a 10:15 EST start and games like Ohio State-Oklahoma and USC-Stanford on the slate, that’s certainly understandable, but it’s harder than usual to get excited about this game. BYU has been fairly atrocious in two games, struggling to put away FCS Portland State, then getting shutout by LSU last week. As for Utah, there isn’t much attention being given to a program that projects to finish in the middle of the pack yet again. No doubt the atmosphere at LaVell Edwards Stadium will be incredible, but that may be this game’s only attraction.

NCAABKB: The truth about the changes that are, and are not, coming to NCAA transfer rules.

By Rob Dauster

(Photo/Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Over the course of the week, the idea of changes coming to the way that transfers work at the collegiate level has become a hot-button topic in the world of college sports.

There are discussions going on about whether or not to eliminate the mandatory redshirt season for transferring players. There are also discussions going on about potential changes to how tampering is legislated and whether or not to change how the graduate transfer rule is applied.

I have a lot of thoughts about all of this.

So let’s get into it:

1. Barring student-athletes from transferring is wrong and you’ll never convince me otherwise: Before we get into anything that has to do with how changes to the current rules will affect college basketball, let me make one point very clear: So long as these players are viewed through the prism of being a “student”-athlete, I am against putting up barriers to transferring.

The NCAA operates in a world where college football and college basketball, regardless of how big it has gotten, is an extracurricular activity. Their argument for this is that these players are amateurs. They are students first. They cannot be paid by the school, they cannot be paid by sponsors, they cannot be paid by boosters, they do not own the rights to their likeness, etc. If that is the case, then it is wrong to argue that they are not regular students when it comes time for them to change schools.

You cannot have it both ways.

Either they’re amateur students that should not be punished for choosing to pursue their education elsewhere, or they’re professionals that can be paid in more than just scholarship money and get disincentives to leaving — a mandatory redshirt year — built into their contracts with the school.

Pick one.

2. There is no change to the sit-out rule coming in the immediate future: As it stands, there is no current proposal or vote on the table to change the rule. This uproar is a direct result of a note near the bottom of a release from the NCAA updating the work being done by the Division I Transfer Working Group. The working group is asking the Committee on Academics to conduct a survey to research what the effects would be of allowing immediate eligibility for first-time transfers that reach a certain academic standard.

This is happening because people like me have been writing columns for years blasting the NCAA for the current transfer legislation. This is the NCAA doing their due diligence. It’s a step closer to getting the rule changed, but my guess is that, at minimum, this rule change will not occur while any player currently in college can take advantage of it.

3. The impact will be muted because of the academic requirement: The exact wording in the release the NCAA sent out is this: “That committee will be asked to review several concepts, [including] an academic transfer standard for all students that would tie one-time immediate eligibility for competition after transfer to a set of academic benchmarks instead of to in what sport the student-athlete competes.” (Emphasis mine.)

Why is this being glossed over in the discussion of the impact that this rule will have?

We have no idea what that academic standard will actually be. If it is, say, a 3.0 GPA while taking enough credits to put the player on track to graduate within four years, just how many of these potential transfers are actually going to be eligible to receive immediate eligibility? And, quite frankly, if we’re talking about “student”-athletes here, wouldn’t this be the perfect way to incentivize capitalizing on the education they are being paid with?

The biggest issue with the idea that these players are being paid in scholarship money is that they are not in a position to take advantage of that education. Maybe their high school education left them under-prepared for collegiate coursework. Maybe they are bunched into classes where the professors are more concerned with keeping the players eligible than they are with actually educating them. Maybe they are slotted into fake classes, like the scandals at North Carolina and Auburn.

This would create a tangible reward for actually learning the material and doing the coursework.

And while the cynic in me knows that there will be coaches that get those professors to weigh down grades to prevent their players from leaving, there would be a bigger issue at play: Is that really the guy you want in charge of the future of a group of college kids?

4. This may hurt low- and mid-majors, but they will be helped by the graduate transfer rule change: It’s already a nightmare the be the head coach of a program at the low- or mid-major level. I’ve written about this extensively in recent years. These coaches get punished for their ability to identify talent and develop players within their programs, whether it is a result of losing their best young players to a higher level or their best veterans through the graduate transfer rule. The quickest way for a mid-major coach to get a job at a higher level is to win big in the NCAA tournament. It’s hard to do that when a good season means that half your roster wants to leave to try and play in the ACC or the Big 12.

This rule change may make that even more difficult.

But you also need to remember that there will be changes to the graduate transfer rule coming, likely sooner than there is immediate eligibility for regular transfers. In an effort to limit the explosion of graduate transfers using that rule as a loophole to jump to a higher level, the NCAA is looking at two potential answers:

• Forcing graduate transfers to count against a program’s scholarship numbers for however many years it would take to finish the graduate program they enroll in. If it would take that player two years to get that graduate degree, then that player would count against the new school’s 13 scholarships for two years even if he only plays for one year.
• Graduate transfers would count against the APR score, punishing that school if the player does not complete the graduate degree or leave in good academic standing the way they would with an underclassmen that leaves school early.

Both of those options, if implemented, would reduce the number of graduate transfers on the market simply because the cost of taking them would increase.

5. It’s not going to be easy for high-majors, either: This change would be difficult for coaches at the highest level to deal with because of the expectations that comes with playing at those programs.

How many freshmen are going to be content playing five minutes a game their first year on campus? Will coaches be able to hold players accountable or punish them for poor play without risking burning a bridge? Would Marques Bolden still be at Duke or Sacha Killeya-Jones still be at Kentucky if they didn’t have to sit out a year by leaving? I don’t agree with everything in his column, but Evan Daniels broke down the fears of the coaches at that level here.

6. Players are punished because coaches know that too many coaches are scumbags: At the end of the day, this really is what it comes down to.

The heart of the argument laid out in Daniels’ column is that players must be punished if they want to transfer because coaches cannot trust other coaches not to tamper with kids currently on rosters. That’s really what it boils down to, and that couldn’t be sillier or more unfair.

But I also get it.

Talent acquisition is arguably the most valuable skill to have as a college basketball coach. You might be the most brilliant basketball mind in the history of the world, but you’re not going to win too many games if you’re coaching in the ACC with a bunch of guys that should be playing in the CAA. Would John Wooden be John Wooden if Sam Gilbert wasn’t there? Would Gregg Popovich be Gregg Popovich if the Spurs didn’t land Tim Duncan way back when? Would anyone care about John Calipari if he wasn’t the world’s best recruiter?

Now think about the salaries that coaches get at the highest level, or the amount of time you have to build up a struggling program. You might lose your seven-figure salary in three years if you don’t get players in to help you win. Of course you’re going to do everything you can to get those players, even if it requires recruiting kids in the handshake line.

That said, the onus should be on the coaches with the seven-figure salaries to be able to keep their team happy.

That is the job.

So maybe they’ll have to miss on a recruit or two because they cannot lie about what their role or their minutes will look like as freshmen. And maybe they’ll have to put a little more effort into keeping up relationships with the player and his family after he signs with the program. And maybe they’ll have to deal with losing a player they didn’t expect to lose every other year because that kid wants more playing time, or wants to play a more uptempo style, or wants to be allowed to shoot more threes.

I’m not here to say that it will be easier, but being good at a hard job is why they’re paid the big bucks.


And I don’t understand why anyone would argue in favor of making things easier for the rich coaches when it comes at a cost to the unpaid, amateur students providing the labor that allows those rich coaches to become rich.

Day 11 Recap: Sloane battles, Keys cruises into all-U.S. final.

By E. J. Crawford

(Photo by/USTA/Darren Carroll)

In a women’s draw that saw the defending champion eliminated in the first round, only two Top 10 seeds reach the quarters and no Top 8 seeds advance to the semis, this final makes perfect sense: unseeded Sloane Stephens versus No. 15 Madison Keys.

In Open era history, only once has there been a final featuring two lower-seeded players: 2015, when No. 26 Flavia Pennetta defeated Roberta Vinci in an all-Italian final.

Two years later, it’s all-American.

Six weeks ago, Sloane Stephens was ranked No. 957 in the world, her ranking having plummeted following foot surgery that necessitated an 11-month layoff. Keys, meantime, dropped out of the Top 20 after two left wrist procedures nearly derailed a season she only got back on track this summer.

On Saturday, these two promising talents – once touted as future stars, then doubted as perhaps too fragile – will play in the first all-American US Open women’s singles final since Serena Williams defeated sister Venus 15 years ago. It is a fitting finish to a topsy-turvy two weeks, with a first-time American champion at America’s Grand Slam.

With that, here’s a look back at Day 11 and a look ahead to Day 12 – men’s semifinal day – at the 2017 US Open:

Match of the Day

In an encounter that was equal parts captivating and confounding, 37-year-old, nine-time US Open semifinalist Venus Williams and 24-year-old, first-time semifinalist Sloane Stephens put on a display of streaky tennis that alternated – typically for prolonged stretches – between brilliant and downright bizarre. In fact, never in the match, not once, did either player ever win fewer than two consecutive games – an almost impossible statistic in a sport that is predicated on trading (and thus holding) serve.

The two Americans both advanced to the semifinal stage by winning third-set tiebreaks in the round of 8 – stanzas that required as many games (13) as their first two semifinal sets combined.

After Stephens won the opener, 6-1, and Venus countered in the second set, 6-0, the two settled into a third set that finally narrowed the daylight between the two – but that still managed to continue the match’s own cockeyed cadence.

Stephens shook off a second-set shutout to go ahead 2-0 in the decider, then promptly dropped the next three games, then won the next two, then lost the next two.

Then the match turned fantastic. At 30-30, down 5-4 in the final set and two points from defeat, Stephens hit one of the best shots of the tournament, a flat-footed, down-the-line backhand that sizzled past a stunned Venus. Stephens won the game on the next point. And at 5-5, she executed a perfectly placed drop shot on the dead run, going on to break Venus at love to go up 6-5.

From there, Stephens served it out, winning the last three games to produce a score line that was as odd as the match that produced it – a 6-1, 0-6, 7-5 victory that delivered Stephens into the first Grand Slam final of her young career.

Player of the Day

At the 2017 US Open, the night belongs to Madison Keys. She played until 1:45 a.m. – the second-latest finish for a women’s match in recorded US Open history – to win her third-round match over Russian Elena Vesnina, came back two days later to close out the evening session with a three-set upset of No. 4 Elina Svitolina and, on Wednesday, whipped qualifier Kaia Kanepi in the evening to reach her first US Open semifinal.

On Thursday, she proved that practice does indeed make perfect – or at least it comes awfully close. Playing her fourth consecutive night match, Keys was nearly flawless, turning what was expected to be a taut tilt into a lopsided affair, dismissing friend and countrywoman CoCo Vandeweghe, 6-1, 6-2, to advance to her first Grand Slam final.

The match was a master class in power tennis. Keys produced 25 winners to just nine unforced errors, controlling the encounter with her high-octane serve and supersonic ground game. And with that, the highly touted junior has an opportunity to win the Grand Slam title that so many had long predicted for her – having finally harnessed her powerful game at age 22 and matured into a title threat, and perhaps in two days’ time, a US Open champion.

Upset of the Day

The matchup was one round away: the kings of New York against the top seeds for the 2017 US Open men’s doubles title. But it has been an unpredictable US Open, and on Thursday, even the doubles draw followed suit.

First, the 12th-seeded duo of Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau upended No. 1 seeds Henri Kontinen and John Peers, 1-6, 7-6, 7-5, and then the all-Spanish, totally unrelated duo of Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez ended a run at a sixth men’s doubles title for Bob and Mike Bryan with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory.

And with that, Friday’s men’s doubles are set – and a first-time men’s doubles champion is assured.

Number of the Day

4: The number of unseeded women in the Open era who have advanced to the US Open women’s singles final, with Sloane Stephens this year joining Venus Williams in 1997, Kim Clijsters in 2009 and Roberta Vinci in 2015. Of the previous three, only Clijsters won the title.

Quote of Day

“For me, it's about putting myself in the position all the time to get the titles, and that's exactly what I did. That's all I could do. So that's the point of being here is to put yourself in position to win.” – Venus Williams, after her three-set semifinal loss to Sloane Stephens, on whether she was frustrated at reaching the semifinals or better in three Grand Slam events this season but not having won a title.

Day 12 Preview

The men’s singles semifinals take center stage on Day 12, with Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta facing South African Kevin Anderson and top-seeded Rafael Nadal playing No. 24 Juan Martin del Potro to set up the 2017 US Open finale.

The matchup between No. 12 seed Carreno Busta and No. 28 Anderson marks the first time since 2002 that two double-digit seeds have played in the men’s semifinals (No. 17 Pete Sampras vs. No. 24 Sjeng Schalken). Carreno Busta is the only player in the singles draws, man or woman, to advance to the semis without having surrendered a set, prevailing over four qualifiers and No. 29 Diego Schwartzman to reach the round of 4. Fellow first-time Grand Slam semifinalist Anderson, meantime, has ridden his big serve to this stage and is coming off a stirring four-set, night-session quarterfinal win over Sam Querrey.

The second semifinal features a pair of fan favorites and former champions. No. 1 Nadal has cruised through his last two matches and enters Friday as the far more rested of the two men; del Potro is coming off a two-sets-down comeback to defeat No. 6 Dominic Thiem in the fourth round and a draining four-set victory over five-time champ Roger Federer in the quarters. This is the first Flushing matchup between these two since 2009, when del Potro blitzed Nadal, also in a semifinal, en route to his lone Grand Slam crown, with Delpo looking to return to the title match for the time since that match and Nadal pursuing a fourth trip to the men’s singles final.

On This Date in Sports History: Today is Friday, September 08, 2017.

Memoriesofhistory.com

1965 - Bert Campaneris became the first major league baseball player to play all nine positions in one game.

1973 - Hank Aaron hit his 709th home run.

1986 - Herschel Walker made his start in the National Football League (NFL) after leaving the New Jersey Generals of the USFL.

1998 - Mark McGwire, of the St. Louis Cardinals, hit his 62nd home run of the season. He had beaten a record that had stood for 37 years by Roger Maris. McGwire would eventually reach 70 home runs on September 27.

2002 - The NFL's Houston Texans played their first regular season game. The beat the Dallas Cowboys 19-10.

2002 - Pete Sampras won his 14th Grand Slam title when he beat Andre Agassi in the U.S. Open.

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