CS&T/AllsportsAmerica Monday Sports News Update, 09/11/2017.

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9/11. Let us never forget!!!

"I was in New York on September 11 when those planes hit the World Trade Center. At the time, it seemed like it was a local thing. But three or four days later, by the time we drove across the country in the bus, we realized it wasn't a local thing. You could really feel the states become united. We became the United States of America." ~ John Madden, Former NFL Coach, Sports Television Broadcaster and Member of the NFL Hall of Fame

"Sports Quote of the Day"

"To succeed in life in today's world, you must have the will and tenacity to finish the job." ~ Chin-Ning Chu, Business Consultant and Best Selling Business Management Author

TRENDING: Not who we thought they were? Should near comeback force us to rethink expectations for Bears? (See the football section for Bears news and NFL updates).

TRENDING: Former Blackhawks defenseman Pierre Pilote dies at 85. (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates and NHL news).

TRENDING: Jerry Krause inducted into Basketball Hall of Fame with heartfelt speech from his widow. (See the basketball section for Bulls news and NBA updates).

TRENDING: Cubs see division lead beginning to disappear: 'Are you in or are you out?'; Jose Abreu hits for cycle as White Sox pound Jeff Samardzija, Giants. (See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).

TRENDING: Arnie: Palmer's legacy greater than golf. (Originally printed September 10, 2014); Thompson beats Ko at her own game in Indy; Fitzpatrick tops Hend in European Masters playoff; Montgomerie wins first Champions event in Japan. (See the golf section for PGA news and tournament updates).

TRENDING: Here are the 16 drivers who made the NASCAR Cup playoffs. (See the NASCAR section for NASCAR news and racing updates).

TRENDING: Draw continues troubling trend for Fire; Premier League roundup: Big boys roll. (See the soccer section for Fire news and worldwide soccer updates).

TRENDING: Stephens defeats Keys, wins US Open women's title; Nadal a timeless champion. (See the Tennis section at the bottom of this blog for tournament news and updates).

Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Not who we thought they were? Should near comeback force us to rethink expectations for Bears?

By Vinnie Duber

(Photo/USA TODAY)

The Bears are not, perhaps, who we thought they were.

With no playoff appearances since 2010, three consecutive last-place finishes in the NFC North and a franchise-worst 3-13 finish just last season, the expectations were not high for this team coming into the 2017 campaign, the third year of the John Fox Era on the lakefront.

But then the Bears, remade and restyled during a busy offseason, did what they did Sunday, coming within a handful of yards of beating the reigning NFC champions. They didn’t win, no, walking off the field with a 23-17 loss in their season-opening contest against those visiting Atlanta Falcons. But they were close.

Close, as tight end Zach Miller reminded reporters after the game, only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. Quarterback Mike Glennon looked practically disgusted when discussing the phrase “moral victory” at the podium. But the general consensus after the Bears’ surprising last-minute drive down to the six-yard line was that, hey, this is pretty good.

“Something we always talk about is that it’s a new year,” Glennon said. “At the same time, that team (the Falcons) is pretty much all back and was a few plays away from winning the Super Bowl. So there are definitely positives to take away from it. Nothing will replace a win, but I think we already know that we’re going to be competitive with everyone in the NFL.”

“We’re going to be a good football team — we are a good football team,” Miller said. “We need to execute down the line. Some plays we left out there, some things we can do better and clean up. But I’m proud of the way we stuck in it. There’s no such thing as a moral victory, but we have to bounce back.”

Glennon himself has been the lightning rod to end all lightning rods, as every new quarterback in this town always is. Signed prior to the team spending the No. 2 pick in the draft on Mitch Trubisky, Glennon — whose Sunday start was his first in nearly two years — has had fans, if not the rookie out of North Carolina, breathing down his neck waiting for any screw-up that will allow Trubisky to take over as the starter.

Through three quarters Sunday, Glennon didn’t do much to change hearts and minds, and Soldier Field was full of Bears fans in Trubisky jerseys who surely would’ve given you their thoughts on the subject. But the fourth quarter was a different story. The Falcons scored what seemed to be the game-sealing play, an 88-yard touchdown from Matt Ryan to Austin Hooper that put the visitors up 10. But the Bears surprisingly responded, ripping off a nine-play, 75-yard drive that ended in a Glennon touchdown toss to new favorite target Tarik Cohen. After the Falcons boosted their lead to six with a field goal on the next drive, Glennon engineered the march down to the six-yard line. The failed four chances to win the game will get plenty of negative attention, of course, and the optics weren’t good with Glennon getting sacked on fourth and goal to bring the drama to a close.

But one thing’s certain: This is not what most people expected from Glennon and this Bears offense. Already without Cameron Meredith, the Bears lost Kevin White to a shoulder injury Sunday. Glennon was throwing the ball to Cohen and Jordan Howard and Kendall Wright and Deonte Thompson and Josh Bellamy. That’s hardly the pass-catching corps Ryan Pace envisioned when he assembled this roster. But Glennon made it work in the waning moments Sunday, turning in a performance that has to at least make fans think Glennon is capable even if he isn’t the dream candidate for the job.

After completing two passes for 23 yards in the game’s first three quarters, he completed nine of his 10 throws for 109 yards in the game’s final 15 minutes.

“I thought the guys responded pretty well to him,” Fox said. “It wasn’t always smooth. Like all opening games, they aren’t oiled up really well. You have a lot of new people. In our case, we had our quarterback’s first time in the offense. I think he operated the team very well.”

“Business as usual,” Miller said. “From the first snap to the last snap, Mike was Mike. That’s Mike G. … You want to show people, ‘Listen, I’m very capable of doing this.’ But I don’t think the outside noise, you don’t want to let it affect you. Just carry on and do your job.”

The Bears, for their part, weren’t surprised. They’ve got confidence in themselves, as all teams and athletes do, especially at the outset of a new season. Glennon declared the secret to be out on Cohen, who dazzled with several fantastic plays and was a reliable and constant part of the action throughout. Miller said this is what Glennon can do.

Fox maybe summed his team’s attitude up the best, drawing an acceptable comparison, at least for Sunday, between his group and one that played in last season’s Super Bowl.

“What I told the team in the locker room is that is a really good football team we played today in the Atlanta Falcons,” he said. “I think right now we’re a pretty good football team.”

If close doesn’t count, shouldn’t we be looking at the only stat that matters? Yes, it’s true that the Bears are still 0-1, the same record they’d have if this were a 30-point blowout. And it’s also worth noting that these close-but-no-cigar near comebacks weren’t infrequent in recent seasons. Jay Cutler had them. Heck, Matt Barkley had them.

But being as close as they were, think about how different the feeling would be had the Bears won, had one of Glennon’s three passes to the goal line from six yards out landed in a receiver’s hands, had the Bears knocked off the defending conference champs.

“The storyline would be so much different, which is unfortunate,” Miller said. “I’m excited to get to next week, to keep on working, to keep grinding. I thought we were going to be a special football team from the get-go. I thought we could surprise some people. We had an opportunity to do that. That would’ve been great for us, for our organization, for our fans and our city. To knock off the NFC champs and damn-near world champions would’ve been a great start to our season.”

“I think we could easily be 1-0 standing up here right now,” Fox said. “I think the enthusiasm would be a little different.”

Expectations are constantly in flux, and the Bears’ have now changed. There wasn’t much expected of this team, but there might be something now as they head out to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next weekend. They’ll likely change again after that game.

But in the immediate, there’s a question to ask: What should be expected of the Bears moving forward? Because in the opposite of Dennis Green’s famous conclusion, it turns out the Bears might not be who we thought they were.

The Bears' defense was so close, yet so far, from playing a complete game.

By JJ Stankevitz

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

The Bears’ defense did a lot of good on Sunday. Akiem Hicks had two sacks, Julio Jones was held to four catches and Devonta Freeman barely averaged three yards per carry. 

But there was one glaring negative that washed out a lot of those positives: Austin Hooper’s 88-yard touchdown, which came on a third-and-10 with the Falcons backed up near their own goal line early in the fourth quarter. 

That touchdown put Atlanta ahead, 20-10, and while it didn’t keep the Bears from having a chance to win, it was one of those plays that defenders collectively said cannot happen. The Bears’ defense wasn’t aligned prior to the snap, which happened a few times on Sunday when Matt Ryan quickly set his offense and got the ball snapped. 

“I think we had miscommunication on the call,” coach John Fox said. “The particular call we played was not the call that we called. But I’m not going to throw people under the bus, obviously. We didn’t execute very well."

“We didn’t really think we were in disarray. We didn’t realize we were in disarray until he [Hooper] caught the ball.”

The Bears weren't pointing fingers after the game as to who was supposed to cover Hooper, with players saying they needed to watch the film to diagnose what exactly went wrong. Demps, a team captain, took responsibility for the play. 

“I played bad football,” Demps, who was stiff-armed to the ground on the play by Hooper, said. “I gotta be in the middle of the field.”

While that blown coverage cost the Bears seven points, there were two other key third down plays that led to Atlanta connecting on a pair of field goals. Hicks was whistled for a roughing the passer penalty late in the third quarter that extended a Falcons drive, leading to a Matt Bryant 28-yard chip shot. And late in the fourth quarter, the Bears again couldn’t cover Hooper, whose 40-yard reception on third-and-10 from the Falcons’ 25-yard line set up another Bryant field goal. 

Had the Bears made a stop on either of those third downs — especially the one of the fourth quarter — they could’ve had a chance to kick a game-tying field goal on that final drive instead of needing to get in the end zone. 

“I mean, one play can lose the game,” linebacker Danny Trevathan said. “But I feel like we played all right, we played good (for) three quarters. The thing is, we gotta play good for four quarters to win the game in this business.”

'I don’t give a damn about his stature:' Tarik Cohen shows why he can be a game-changing playmaker.

By JJ Stankevitz

(Photo/USA Today Sports Images)

The last time Tarik Cohen caught a pass in a game before Sunday, he was playing out of the national spotlight for North Carolina A&T. That created some problems for an Atlanta Falcons defense trying to scrounge up any sort of film on the rookie running back. 

“He didn’t have any catches in the preseason, so we didn’t have a great sense for it,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said. So Atlanta had to go back to Cohen's college tape to see what kind of a pass-catcher he could be. 

Not only did Cohen not have a catch in his three preseason games, he wasn’t even targeted. The Bears were hiding him and developing plays for him behind the scenes in Bourbonnais and Lake Forest. Those plays were unleashed on Sunday, and will give defensive coordinators plenty to think about as the Bears move forward in 2017.

“The secret’s out on what we have in him,” quarterback Mike Glennon said. “We knew how good he was going to be with us and he showed that today. His very first game in the NFL, and he did it all. He ran the ball, caught the ball and scored a touchdown. He’s a playmaker and we’re lucky to have him. He’s going to continue to be a big part of our offense.”

Cohen caught eight passes for 47 yards with a touchdown, and rushed five times for 66 yards. He was targeted a team-high 12 times on a day when no other player was targeted more than six times (tight end Zach Miller). The Bears’ receiving corps was targeted a total of 14 times. 

“I knew it was coming,” Cohen said. “It was in the gameplan and I felt like I would have a good matchup for the whole game. That was really why we did that.”

There was more to Cohen’s game than showed up in the box score, though. He was used early and often, and took a number of physical shots from Falcons defenders who seemed to relish the opportunity to batter the 5-foot-6, 181 pound running back.

He kept popping back up, though — “I’m used to taking hits,” Cohen said — and then flashed his own physicality on a 19-yard touchdown reception on which he lowered his shoulder into Falcons cornerback Desmond Trufant to get in the end zone. 

“He took shot after shot and he’s the first one up, (saying) ‘Let’s go. Do it again,’” Miller said. “That’s a man. I don’t give a damn about his stature. That dude is a real-life NFL football player.”

Gushed wide receiver Josh Bellamy: “He’s not scared of nothing. He’s not scared, that’s the thing we love about him. He’s tough. He’s small, but he’s tough, he’s got the heart of a lion. And he’s going to run the ball. He doesn’t care what size you are, he’s coming.”

Cohen was at his best, too, when the Bears needed a response to a Falcons touchdown. His 46-yard run — that one where he cut back across the field, "Chicken Salad" style, against an over-pursuing defense — set up Jordan Howard’s game-tying touchdown late in the first half. And to get Howard in the end zone, Cohen took a snap out of a Wildcat formation and handed the ball off. 

After Austin Hooper’s 88-yard fourth quarter touchdown muted the crowd at Soldier Field, it was Cohen who got the Bears back within three points with his first career touchdown. 

“He helped carry our football team through the whole game,” Miller said. 
With so many questions about the Bears’ passing offense — which only mounted with the report Kevin White may be lost for the season — Cohen was a bright spot. Whether he should’ve been on the field for more than one play when the Bears were at the Falcons’ goal line late in the game is a fair question, given what he showed throughout the day Sunday. 

The Bears haven’t had a player as exciting to watch as Cohen since, arguably, Devin Hester. How he’s used the rest of the season will be fascinating to follow, but after Week 1, Cohen left Soldier Field feeling positive about what he accomplished. 

“Just the fact I was able to make plays — (I’m) not really caught up on the stats, how many rushing yards I had, how many receiving yards,” Cohen said of what he liked of his performance. “Just the fact I was able to be accountable when my number was called on.”

Bears' wide receiver situation worsens as Kevin White is injured again — and it's reportedly a season-ender. 

By Vinnie Duber

(Photo/USA TODAY)

Kevin White hasn’t seen the field much during his NFL career, plagued by injuries that have made the first-round pick already talked about among fans as a lost cause.

And now, after his first two seasons were wiped out with season-ending injuries, it seems that after the very first game of the 2017 campaign — at a time when the Bears need him most — he could be done for the year once again.

Multiple Sunday reports indicated that White, who left the season-opening loss to the visiting Atlanta Falcons with an announced shoulder injury, might have broken his collarbone.

It’s obviously horrendous luck for a guy who had such high hopes coming out of West Virginia. His first two NFL seasons were ended by leg injuries, and now this. Bemoan his lack of production all you’d like, you have to feel bad for this young man.

This was supposed to be White’s year of opportunity being that he was finally healthy, and the Bears were counting on him heavily in the wake of the season-ending injury to No. 1 wideout Cameron Meredith. But now the team’s wide receiver situation, already at a bad point without Meredith, worsens. The team could play 15 of its 16 games without the two receivers who topped the depth chart just a couple weeks ago.

The lack of options at wide receiver were obvious Sunday, too, with the Bears’ passing game not clicking at all until a couple late fourth-quarter drives. Mike Glennon finally found some success throwing to the likes of Kendall Wright and Josh Bellamy, but he leaned heavier on his running backs and tight ends. White, targeted four times, had just two catches for six yards. Bears receivers in total had nine catches, one more as a group than leading pass-catcher Tarik Cohen. The rookie running back had eight.

If the Bears were hurting at wide receiver before, they’re really hurting now, and you have to wonder if some kind of acquisition is on the horizon or if the team will forge ahead with this group of players who were supposed to be reserves.

In Akiem Hicks, the Bears have a defensive piece for the present and future. 

By JJ Stankevitz

(Photo/USA TODAY)

The only surprising thing about Akiem Hicks’ contract extension is that it didn’t happen sooner. 

The Bears have highly valued Hicks’ contributions on and off the field since signing him to a two-year, $10 million contract in March of 2016. That was sort of a prove-it deal for a guy who had bounced around different positions along the defensive line in New Orleans and New England, but thrived after joining Vic Fangio’s defense last year. 

Hicks totaled seven sacks, was stout against the run and started all 16 games in 2016. 

“He’s big, he’s physical, so he’s got good athleticism for a man that size,” coach John Fox said of the 6-foot-5, 336 pound Hicks. “He’s a big human being and that size comes in handy really in (stopping) the run and the pass. He’s a load. He’s adapted here well.”

Hicks can play all over the defensive line, bet it as a five-, three- or one-technique, but feels more at home in Fangio’s 3-4 defense. It's no coincidence, then, that he had his best season while working in that system.

“I can attribute me getting better to being in better situations,” Hicks said last month.

Hicks, who turns 28 in November, feels like his arrow is pointing up and that he can improve off his solid production in 2016. But the Bears feel like their whole defensive line is stocked with promise, be it with a healthy Eddie Goldman or rising second-year players in Jonathan Bullard and Roy Robertson-Harris. 

With Hicks locked up, those players can grow around a guy with four games of playoff experience and, the Bears figure, more left in the tank. 

“It’s a beautiful thing to be looked at as somebody that you want to be a part of your team for a long time,” Hicks said a few weeks ago. “I appreciate the interest in that category and I would love to be a Bear for a long time. 

How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Former Blackhawks defenseman Pierre Pilote dies at 85.

By Tim Goldrick

(Photo/AP)

The Blackhawks family is mourning the loss of Stanley Cup champion Pierre Pilote. 

Pilote passed away Saturday night at the age of 85. The Blackhawks released a statement Sunday afternoon:

The Chicago Blackhawks offer our sincere condolences to the family of Pierre Pilote as we mourn his passing. Pierre was one of the most decorated defenseman in NHL history and was a valuable member of the 1961 Stanley Cup championship team. He will be remembered for his toughness, leadership and reliability on the ice—as proven by his captaincy and streak of 376 consecutive games played. We will forever be grateful for his incredible contribution to the Blackhawks and the game of hockey.

The legendary defenseman spent 13 of his 14 NHL seasons in Chicago, tallying 477 points in 821 games. He won the Norris Trophy three consecutive seasons (1963-1965) and his No. 3 is retired by the team. 

Pilote's family also released a statement:

We are saddened with the passing of our father, but our family will always remember the Blackhawks organization for providing us with so many special moments. We are so proud of what our father accomplished in his professional career and thankful that his legacy will be preserved with the retirement of his #3 by the team.

The Hall of Famer made an impression on people on and off the ice.

"A consistent, durable, dependable defender who enjoyed the offensive aspects of the position, Pierre Pilote was a team captain, an eight-time post-season All-Star and a three-time Norris Trophy winner," Commissioner Bettman said. "'Mainstay of the Blackhawks' 1961 Stanley Cup champion, Pierre also was a man of humor and great dignity and a proud member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. The National Hockey League mourns Pierre's passing and sends heartfelt condolences to his family, teammates and many friends."

Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... Jerry Krause inducted into Basketball Hall of Fame with heartfelt speech from his widow.

By Dan Santaromita

(Photo/AP)

The Basketball Hall of Fame inducted the Class of 2017 on Friday and the Bulls had a member included in the class.

General manager Jerry Krause officially took his place in the Hall of Fame. Krause was the architect of six NBA titles the team won during his tenure as GM from 1985-2003.

With Krause's death in March, his wife, Thelma, recorded a video in his honor and accepted his place in the Hall of Fame in person along with Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf.

NBA TV had a video recapping the highlights of Krause's career:

Krause was a two-time NBA Executive of the Year.

Cameron Payne could be out longer than expected following successful foot surgery. 

By Mark Strotman

(Photo/USA TODAY)

The Bulls announced point guard Cameron Payne underwent successul surgery on his right food on Friday. That was expected.

The news coming from that announcement is that Payne "is expected to make a full return in 3-4 months," according to the release, which is longer than initially expected.

The Vertical's Shams Charania first reported the news on Aug. 30 that Payne would be sidelined until late November after the surgery.

ESPN's Nick Friedell confirmed the report, saying Payne would miss "at least a couple months."

A "full return" would put Payne back on the floor with the Bulls during the second week of December, with the backend of that timeframe coming in early January, almost halfway through the regular season. He'll be in a spint the next 7 to 10 days, followed by a boot for 6 to 8 weeks, per the release.

The Bulls could also work back Payne slowly given the current state of the franchise, where losing games could benefit them in the long-term more than short-term wins. Payne also broke the foot twice last season, and a screw was inserted into the foot the second time.

Zach LaVine, the key piece of the Jimmy Butler trade in June, is battling back from ACL surgery. There's no timetable for his return to the floor, but it's certainly possible that the Bulls hold him out a little longer to make sure there's no chance of a re-injury.

Kris Dunn, another piece in the Butler deal, is expected to start at point guard. Jerian Grant will back him up, while David Nwaba could see more time in Payne's absence as the third point guard.

Cubs see division lead beginning to disappear: 'Are you in or are you out?'

By Patrick Mooney

(Photo/AP)

“What’s happened?” Jason Heyward said, repeating back part of a reporter’s question. “Nothing happened. Baseball happened.”

It was only fitting that “Better Call Saul” star Bob Odenkirk threw out the first pitch and led the seventh-inning stretch on Sunday afternoon at Wrigley Field. Maybe the Cubs aren’t quite that desperate – and would never admit it even if they were in crisis mode – but the Milwaukee Brewers had only one realistic way to stay relevant in the National League Central race: Sweep the defending World Series champs.

Mission accomplished for the upstart Brewers team the Cubs allowed to hang around into September and gain more and more confidence. The flip-flopping St. Louis Cardinals – sellers one day, buyers in another deal, holding auditions for the future while trying to compete now – have now also closed to within two games of first place.

The Bears losing their opener to the Atlanta Falcons in the final seconds at Soldier Field – and all the Monday morning quarterbacking – will give the Cubs some cover during their day off. But what could have been a four-game lead over the Brewers disappeared with a 3-1 loss in front of 40,113.

“If you go over there and ask that clubhouse what happened to them when they got swept by Cincinnati (last week), it’s the way the game goes,” said Heyward, the $184 million Gold Glove outfielder with a .259 batting average who is always available at his locker to answer questions.

“I’m not saying, ‘Oh, OK, so what,’ but that’s just a part of the game. Teams are going to pitch well sometimes. Sometimes, you’re not going to hit well. Sometimes, balls are going to go at people. Sometimes, (that’s) going to be what it is.”

The Cubs are getting what they deserve for all their inconsistencies – a stressful finish where 11 of their last 19 games are against either Milwaukee or St. Louis. The Cubs also have enough of an off-the-field reputation when it comes to rainouts and game times that the Brewers could make themselves feel slighted and turn those petty behind-the-scenes disputes into part of the narrative.

“We’ve been in a tight race all year,” rookie Ian Happ said. “Just keep playing good baseball and see where it shakes out at the end.”

The Brewers lined up their top three starters – Jimmy Nelson, Chase Anderson and Zach Davies – and limited the Cubs to three runs total in 27 innings. The first point the Cubs led all weekend came during Sunday’s second inning, when No. 8 hitter/backup catcher Rene Rivera lifted what looked like a routine flyball to right field. It carried over the head of Hernan Perez, who stuck out his glove and watched the ball bounce away for a questionable RBI double. 

“They got us,” manager Joe Maddon said. “We were just unable to string together any kind of hits, and then our power’s been negated a bit.

“If you look around baseball, it happens to every team at some point. It’s contagious to hit as well as it is contagious to not hit. You got to just keep working your way through it. It’s going to come back to us. We’re going to start hitting again.”

After pinch-hitter Alex Avila struck out swinging at All-Star closer Corey Knebel’s 97-mph fastball to leave Heyward stranded at second base and secure the sweep, the Cubs played reggae music in their clubhouse and looked forward to a day off after playing 20 games in 20 days – and ahead to what will ultimately define their season.

“You say ‘gave up three games,’ whatever,” Heyward said. “They had a great series. That’s that.

“That’s the name of the game right now – find a way to get it done. Nobody’s going to care at the end of the year. It’s just: ‘Are you in or are you not?’ And no doubt that all the teams right now in our division that still have a chance are doing the best we can to get in.

“These games are big, of course, but they’re over with.”

Willson Contreras returns to give Cubs another energy boost in division race.

By Patrick Mooney

(Photo/USA TODAY)

For all the mood swings around this team – and conflicting signals within the National League Central – understand that the Cubs doubled their division lead while Willson Contreras recovered from a strained right hamstring.

The Cubs held a 1.5-game edge on the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals on Aug. 9 when Contreras grabbed his right leg while running out a groundball and collapsed onto the outfield grass at AT&T Park in San Francisco.

Contreras hit the optimistic end of a four-to-six-week projection and got activated before Sunday’s game against the Brewers at Wrigley Field, where the Cubs opened with a three-game advantage over Milwaukee and St. Louis.      

“We have a goal to reach the playoffs and then go from there,” Contreras said. “This is a young team that never quits. This is a young team that plays nine innings, 27 outs. And no matter what injuries we have on the team, they’re going to stick it out and play hard.”

At the time, Contreras (21 homers, 70 RBI, .861 OPS) had been performing like someone who would get votes on the bottom half of the NL MVP ballot. In the meantime, the Cubs watched their top starting pitchers (Jon Lester and Jake Arrieta) walk off the field in the middle of starts with injuries, and kept waiting for All-Star shortstop Addison Russell (strained right foot/plantar fasciitis) to come off the disabled list.  

“(It’s) guys understanding their roles,” catcher Alex Avila said, “and the fact that when guys went down, it doesn’t have to be one person that has to do everything, just as long as you have contributions from everybody.

“Even guys just going into the game late – whether you’re pinch-running or pinch-hitting – all those types of things play (into that and) pick up the team when quite a few guys are injured.”

When the Cubs executed the Justin Wilson deal with the Detroit Tigers before the July 31 deadline, the assumption was Avila would be a backup who might play once a week while Contreras continued to established himself as one of the best two-way catchers in the game.    

But the Cubs are always trying to think through worst-case scenarios and prepare accordingly. During the time Contreras spent on the disabled list, Avila hit .281 (18-for-64) with two homers and 14 RBI in 22 games.

So the Cubs will certainly take Contreras and his rocket arm, powerful swing and boundless energy. But near the end of an unexpected division race, that depth might ultimately be the separator for the defending World Series champs.

“The key is not trying to do too much,” Avila said, “understanding what you’re capable of, and just trying to take care of that and allow the talent to take over."

Why the Cubs may have to get creative to get Addison Russell ready.

By JJ Stankevitz

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

The Cubs got creative to get Kyle Schwarber back in the lineup for his legendary World Series last fall, sending him to Arizona and getting him a handful of live at-bats before bringing him onto baseball’s biggest stage. 

A similar level of creativity may be necessary to get Addison Russell back if he’s going to be a factor in October, so long as the Cubs can hold off the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals. With no minor league games available in which Russell could get rehab at-bats toward the end of September, the Cubs will have to find a way for the 23-year-old shortstop to see some live pitching before the end of the month — or, at least, before the playoffs begin. 

“It’s the actual seeing pitches, timing, reaction stuff that will be different,” manager Joe Maddon said. “There’s ways to get it done but it’s not the same as in actual games. But you get as close as you can.”

Russell, who’s slashing .241/.305/.417 with 10 home runs in 97 games, landed on the disabled list in early August with plantar fasciitis, and re-aggravated that injury during a rehab assignment in early September. He has about two weeks left in his prescribed three-week recovery process, and Saturday was his third day running. He hasn’t put cleats on yet but expects that to happen soon, though that he hasn’t is a reminder of how far off he is from re-joining the active roster. 

Russell isn’t trying to rush back into the lineup before he’s ready, though, especially if it’s in late September and the Cubs are making a final push for the playoffs (Javier Baez could help mitigate his absence, though). But that’s a discussion that won’t happen until Russell gets some at-bats, whether it’s in the instructional league in Arizona or against some minor leaguers in a simulated game at Wrigley Field or whenever the Cubs are playing. 

“The big thing is, I want to be confident whenever I go out there on the field,” Russell said. “Being 100 percent would be ideal. I don’t see me going out on the field and not being 100 percent at this point. 

“The last week of games are pretty crucial. It’s a pretty tough division. Just need to make sure I’m 100 percent and we’ll just go from there. I think the baseball and stuff is going to play out, even though I am in rehab, because this is only getting better, making sure my muscles are ready for in-game play, making sure my mind’s ready for in-game play, and just mentally being ready as well.”

WHITE SOX: During torrid streak, Jose Abreu gets good news from family in Miami. 

By Dan Santaromita

(Photo/AP)

To say Jose Abreu is on fire right now might be an understatement.

A day after hitting for the cycle, Abreu hit two more home runs in Sunday's 8-1 win against the Giants. Abreu now has 31 home runs on the season and has his batting average above .300.

"This is as consistent an approach as I've seen in anybody in the big leagues," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said of Abreu. "He really, really continues to stay focused and in the zone.

"He's really enjoying his moment right now and I think the confidence he has and just the comfort level that he's showing just from being up here, I think every year you're up here you get a little bit more comfortable."

The fourth-year first baseman has decimated the Giants in the past two days. Abreu went 6-for-8 with three home runs and five extra base hits. With three RBIs in each of those games, Abreu is closing in another 100-RBI season. He has 90 and the White Sox have 20 games left on the schedule.

"I think that since the young kids started coming up, we are playing with more motivation, with joy, we are enjoying more of the game," Abreu said through a translator. "It's good when you can see these kind of results because we have been working hard everyday to get these results."

Abreu has now hit 30 or more home runs in three of his four seasons with the White Sox and is on track for a fourth straight 100-RBI year. The Cuban slugger maintained that the numbers aren't what he's going after.

"I am blessed to have the opportunity to play at this level to accomplish my dream and my mom's dream, too," Abreu said. "Whatever is going to happen at the end of the season is going to happen."

After sitting three straight games on Aug. 31, Sept. 1 and Sept. 2, Abreu said he struggled to get back in a rhythm. Whatever he wants to call it, it appears he's feeling good again.

Abreu also got some good news from his family in Miami after being concerned for their safety with Hurricane Irma ripping through Florida this weekend.

"It's all about adjustments," Abreu said. "I lost my rhythm with the days that I was off and then I regained my rhythm again and I'm hitting the ball good. I feel very great at home plate, but all of that is also because of the work that I put in day in and day out in my routine. Also, with the support of my family that they just called me a few minutes ago to let me know that they are good in Miami. That the hurricane passed through their house and they are safe. That's something that made you feel comfortable and confident on yourself. I think that's why probably the results on the field have been going that way the last few days."

White Sox view Carson Fulmer's September as a tryout for 2018.

By Dan Santaromita

(Photo/AP)

Carson Fulmer did not make a good first impression as a starting pitcher in the majors. However, his effort on Sunday could go a long way to help make his case for a White Sox roster spot in 2018.

Fulmer picked up the win in his second career MLB start against the Giants. He pitched six innings and gave up one run while striking out nine.

That's a far cry from his first major league start, on Aug. 21, when Fulmer gave up six runs and didn't last two innings. Fulmer went back to Triple-A Charlotte after that start, but rejoined the White Sox when rosters expanded in September. Manager Rick Renteria explained that what Fulmer shows the team in September will be used to evaluate his potential for the team next season.

"Fulmer right now is gonna be pitching so that we can continue to assess what we can do with him for the upcoming season," Renteria said. "It would be fair to say that, whether it's in relief or starting, I think getting him the innings that he can get right now in this particular time is just important. For us to be able to see him and see what he's capable of doing hopefully for the next couple of starts and maybe he gets a lot more benefit out of it. For us, putting our eyes on him in September is a little bit better than doing it in the spring. Right now, it's still in the flow of the season and we can see where he's at."

Fulmer was used exclusively as a reliever in his brief time with the White Sox last season. This year he has made two starts and two relief appearances. With Carlos Rodon, Reynaldo Lopez and Lucas Giolito looking like future staples of the White Sox rotation, and a slew of high-level pitching prospects pushing their way to the majors, Fulmer doesn't have a big window to show his value as a starter to the team.

"As long as we win that's all that matters to me," Fulmer said. "I'll do any role for our team and you just have to be able to go in any situation and get your team out of it. Obviously for me I like to start games and go as long as I can. I talked to Ricky and our management. My job is to come to the field prepared each day to take care of a job and that's what I'm going to do."

Between what Renteria and Fulmer said, it sounds like what Fulmer does the rest of this season will be viewed as a tryout. If Fulmer continues to hurl quality starts like he did on Sunday, perhaps he will have a chance at the White Sox rotation in 2018.
Fulmer allowed a home run to Jarrett Parker in the second inning, which gave the Giants an early lead. The White Sox supported Fulmer with a five-run bottom half.

Fulmer settled down, limiting the Giants to three hits and three walks in his six innings of work. He said after the start that he "was able to command everything that I had."

The Vanderbilt product is still adjusting to life in the majors on and off the field, but is hoping more starts like Sunday's will prove his worth to the White Sox.

"I've worked my whole life to get here and I'm a competitor," Fulmer said. "I want to have success here, along with the rest of my teammates. It's a learning experience for me. I've been up here for a little while, but I want to stick. I want to do everything I can to continue to have a spot on this team. We have something special here. The clubhouse is great. The veteran guys, they're helping us guys settle in pretty good. It's a great time to be here right now and I think that we'll all continue to grow and move forward."

Jose Abreu hits for cycle as White Sox pound Jeff Samardzija, Giants.

By Dan Hayes

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

The play developed in front of him and as soon as Jose Abreu saw the ball get past both outfielders he smiled and picked up the pace.

The sore ankle wasn’t going to bother him. Neither was the lack of sleep from the night before worrying about his family’s safety during Hurricane Irma. Why should the extra 90 feet to third base be any different?

The White Sox slugger saw his opportunity on Saturday night and sped into third base to complete the sixth cycle in franchise history. Abreu finished 4-for-5 with three RBIs as the White Sox pounded Jeff Samardzija and the San Francisco Giants 13-1 at Guaranteed Rate Field. Abreu homered in the first inning, doubled in the third, singled in the seventh and then tripled in the eighth as he became the first White Sox player since Jose Valentin to complete a cycle on April 27, 2000.

“I knew he wasn’t going to stop,” White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. “I knew he was going to give it an effort. Again, those things don’t happen very often, but a big man like that, when it happens for something like that to finish it off with a triple, it’s pretty exciting.”

The feat clearly isn’t impossible. The triple was Abreu’s fifth of the season and 11th of his career. But when you take into account that Abreu’s foot speed isn’t his best attribute — he’s listed as 6-foot-3, 255-pounds — the odds were highly improbable given he needed a three-bagger to get there.

Those chances would seem to have been reduced even further when Abreu fouled an 0-1 fastball from right-hander Roberto Gomez off his left foot, which brought Renteria and trainer Herm Schneider out of the dugout. Renteria said he tried to take the bat from Abreu’s hand, but the slugger wouldn’t let go. After a brief pause, Abreu stepped back in to the box and hit a steam roller to the fence in right-center field on a 95-mph fastball.

Abreu said he had no intention of slowing down once he saw where the ball was headed.

“I was looking for it,” Abreu said through an interpreter. “Even though the ball went to the alley and the fence, if the other guy could cut the ball before I was going to go for it.”

Neither Giants center fielder Denard Span nor right fielder Hunter Pence could get there. The ball split the outfielders and rolled to the wall. At that point, Abreu turned up the speed. Though he appeared to nearly lose his balance between second and third, Abreu managed to stay upright and slid into third base ahead of the throw.

According to MLB Statcast, Abreu covered the trip from home plate to third base in 11.76 seconds, his fastest triple. He covered the ground at a rate of 27.9 feet per second, which is up from his average of 26.9 feet.

“Avi told me seconds before to hit the ball to the alley,” Abreu said. “I hit the ball to the alley and I was just thinking of the triple.”

It was a nice moment after a long night for Abreu, who didn’t sleep after 3 a.m. because he was worried about his family’s safety as Irma rolled through his hometown of Mal Tiempo. Abreu isn’t likely to sleep much Saturday night either as his wife and parents are in Miami, which is expected to feel plenty of the effects of the hurricane.

Abreu wasn’t the only big bat for the White Sox on Saturday. They hit six home runs, including four off Samardzija, who made his first start here since he pitched for the White Sox in 2015. Tim Anderson fell a double shy of the cycle as did Yolmer Sanchez. Yoan Moncada, Nicky Delmonico and Avisail Garcia also homered for the White Sox.

The outpouring gave James Shields plenty of support for his best effort of the season. The right-hander allowed a run and two hits over seven innings only five days after he took a comebacker off his knee.

Happy as he was with his outing, Shields was in awe of Abreu.

“He’s unbelievable,” Shields said. “He’s unreal. He’s one of the best teammates I’ve been around. He comes to the park to play every day. A lot of people, they don’t really realize how hard that guy works, man. He works his butt off. He’s in here at noon working out every day when nobody’s even in here. He has a lot of fun. He’s starting to have fun with the guys in the clubhouse. He brings a great attitude every single day, and I love it.”

Golf: I got a club for that..... Arnie: Palmer's legacy greater than golf. (Originally printed September 10, 2014).

By Jason Sobel

(Editor’s note: Sept. 10, 2014 was Arnold Palmer’s 85^th birthday. Yesterday, Sept. 10, 2017, would have been the King's 88th. We celebrated Golf Channel’s co-founder over multiple articles, which are linked to throughout this story, focusing on all aspects of his remarkable life and career. Click here for the complete list.)

(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)

I’m staring at the cursor on my laptop screen, instantly regretting the words being typed by my fingers. My assignment today is to write about Arnold Palmer’s legacy, but I loathe the concept. After all, a legacy is a lasting contribution from a person, conceived as a testament to their honor. It’s also an insinuation that their legacy is cemented, that they are done, that soon enough even the most immortal souls among us will meet their own mortality and just like that, they’ll be gone.

I don’t want to write about Mr. Palmer’s legacy, because that would be an admission that he will someday be gone. And I’m not ready for that. Not many of us are.

By the way, it’s always “Mr. Palmer.” Sure, when writing about his sublime historical record and everything he’s meant to the game of golf, the surname “Palmer” will suffice; and yes, when speaking tangentially of his quick wit and mass appeal, a rhapsodic summoning of “Arnie” is patently acceptable.

When speaking with him face-to-face, though, when asking a question about the good ol’ days or engaging in a colloquial conversation about the weather, he is always, without fail, addressed as “Mr. Palmer.”

I wish I could understand it. I’ve never called any boss I’ve had Mr. anything. When I run into old junior high teachers who implore, “Call me Fred,” I accept their offer. I’ve started interviews of Jack Nicklaus with the words, “So, Jack…” and I’ve started friendly chats with Gary Player by crowing, “Hi Gary…” I don’t know why. They are no less honorable than Arnold Palmer, no less approachable or influential or legendary.

It’s not as if Mr. Palmer demands it, either. The reality is, with so many people acting so reverentially toward him on a daily basis, you get the sense that the boy from working-class Latrobe would rather be addressed as, “Hey, buddy…” or even something more playfully disparaging. Anyone want to take a guess on the number of times a stranger mistakenly called him “Arnie” and he scolded them by replying that he’s “Mr. Palmer”? Chances of that ever having occurred are exactly zero percent.

The last time I saw him was a few months ago at Bay Hill Club & Lodge, his Orlando home for nearly a half-century. He was camped out in his golf cart, just left of the first tee. A poet might proclaim that it was an image of the King presiding over his court, but that would be too eloquent. It was, simply, Mr. Palmer in his element – surrounded by the faint scent of freshly mown grass on a nearby fairway and the unmistakable sound of a faraway tee shot struck too close to the toe.

Along with some colleagues, I approached him. White hair wispy in the breeze, friendly smile across his face, he asked if we’d enjoyed playing the course that day. “Yes, Mr. Palmer,” we all answered in unison, four grown men instantly reduced to wide-eyed schoolchildren in his presence. We posed for photos with him – I’ve got about eight or nine now and keep adding to the collection, because, well, why wouldn’t I? – and each of us ended the encounter with a hearty handshake and a “Thank you, Mr. Palmer.”

Within a few minutes, he drove the cart – the one with two bags on the back, both his – about 30 yards, over to the far right side of the Bay Hill driving range. A bucket of balls at his feet, he proceeded to execute that familiar lash through each one. It was no longer his powerful horsewhip of the 1960s; he struggled to make a full rotation in his backswing and the ball hardly exploded off his clubface. After about 10 minutes, he rested, leaning on a mid-iron like a cane. The look on his face read pensive, but I could have sworn it was only masking his disgust.

Maybe this is his legacy, I thought. Maybe the lasting impression he’s left on all of us is that we can never stop improving, that even decades removed from our greatest triumphs, we can still dig for secrets in the dirt on a random overcast Wednesday afternoon.

This is the part I loathe thinking about, and loathe typing even more.

Mr. Palmer shouldn’t have a legacy yet, because he isn’t done. He isn’t finished swapping stories on the first tee, isn’t finished beating balls into the cavernous sky.

That’s the assignment, though, and so even though my mind wanders elsewhere, to thoughts of a world in which he remains immortal, forever trying to improve his swing, my fingers keep typing thoughts I don’t want to think about.

He’ll be remembered for his records, of course – and just in case he isn’t, Wikipedia will always be around to remind us that he won 26 times as an amateur and 95 times as a professional and seven times in a major championship. Those numbers – some of them, at least – pale in comparison with the likes of Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. He wasn’t the greatest to ever play the game, and yet he might be golf’s career leader in being spoken about in hushed tones, on the same leaderboard with Old Tom Morris and Bobby Jones and Ben Hogan.

He’ll be remembered for his hospitals – those bearing both his name and that of Winnie, his late first wife. Every day, in actions of obliviousness that would leave a golf fanatic incredulous, patients walk through these front doors with no knowledge of Arnold Palmer and his importance within the game’s foundation. They only know this as a sanctuary where they are healed or consoled or bring a new life into the world. Thousands of parents can proudly claim their children were born “at Palmer” – and if that’s not reason enough for a legacy, then nothing is.

He’ll be remembered for his eponymous drink – three parts iced tea, one part lemonade – that caught on when he first special-ordered it in a Palm Springs clubhouse while designing a golf course there. I know, it doesn’t have quite the significance of historical achievements or building hospitals, but let’s recap: The man has a beverage known worldwide by his name. That’s the stuff of Roy Rogers and Shirley Temple. Oh, and to answer the question he’s been asked a million times before: When he orders one these days, he just asks for a Palmer.

He’ll be remembered for all of these things, but when other greats of the game – his peers – are asked about his legacy, they all point to his influence on the game he loves.

“Arnold’s legacy is that people followed him, people adored him,” Nicklaus says. “He was probably the most popular person to ever play the game.”

“He stimulated the interest in the average person and the companies in supporting golf,” explains Billy Casper. “It wasn’t until he started really thriving and being successful in the late ’50s and ‘60s that golf really took off.”

“Listen,” Lee Trevino implores in his inimitable drawl. “Let me tell you what his legacy is: Every one of these kids that are playing today should have Arnold Palmer’s picture in their house and kiss it every morning. That’s it.”

They’re right, I know. They’ve nailed it, in more introspective terms than I could ever hope to produce. They know it because they lived it. They witnessed the era before he placed his personal stamp on the game; and the one during his heyday, when golf transformed from a country club activity to one the masses watched on television; and the one we’re currently entrenched in, where everything elite pro golfers do – from their swings to their interviews to their involvement with fans – is colored by what’s been passed down through generations by the man they still refer to as Mr. Palmer.

The cursor is still blinking. I’ve written this much and still don’t have an answer for why a man known simply as “Arnie” to millions of adoring fans is called “Mr. Palmer” whenever he’s addressed. Sure, respect and reverence have plenty to do with it, but we respect lots of people who don’t receive such honorary treatment.

There’s something bigger about him, something intangible that can’t fit onto a Wikipedia page.

It’s not just his record as one of the all-time greats, nor is it his influence on multiple generations in the game. It’s bigger than golf. Bigger, even, than the hospitals in his name and the drink that will endure long after he’s finally proven to be mortal. Maybe it has something to do with the man I witnessed that April afternoon, beating range balls into the sky, hoping to recall a trick or two before his 85^th birthday.

More than likely, it’s all of these things together.

Whatever reasons we have for calling him “Mr. Palmer” all these years, that’s his legacy. I just loathe thinking about it, because I don’t want to believe that he will someday be gone.

Click here for the full collection of 'Arnie' stories

Thompson beats Ko at her own game in Indy.

By Randall Mell

(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)

Lexi Thompson overpowered Brickyard Crossing Golf Club all week, but that isn’t why she pulled away from Lydia Ko and everyone else Saturday in a wire-to-wire victory at the Indy Women in Tech Championship.

Thompson beat Ko at her own game.

Thompson outplayed her on and around the greens.

Thompson’s devotion to improving her putting and short game in the offseason has taken her to another level, something she showed making her ninth LPGA title look easy before she hopped in a Corvette Stingray and took a victory lap at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The final four holes at Brickyard Crossing are inside the speedway’s 2.5 mile oval track.

Thompson, who got the car up to 122 mph, was all in on the racing traditions, kissing the bricks after hoisting her trophy, and then swigging from a bottle of milk before dousing herself with what was left in the bottle.

“The first woman to ever kiss the bricks,” LPGA media official Al Lunsford told Thompson. “It was a huge honor, definitely a memory I’ll never forget,” Thompson said.

Thompson lapped the field, so to speak, winning comfortably on the Pete Dye designed course. She relished having a big lead after finishing runner-up five times this year, three times in playoff losses.

“It was great for me, just to show how much my hard work has paid off,” Thompson said. “That’s always the best feeling.”

Tied with Ko at day’s start, Thompson closed with a 4-under-par 68 for a four-shot victory, her second LPGA title this season.

Thompson hit just eight fairways and 11 greens in regulation on Saturday, her untidiest ball-striking effort all week, but she showed off upgraded scrambling skills that make her look poised to challenge So Yeon Ryu for Rolex world No. 1. Thompson will move up a spot in this week’s ranking, back to No. 2.

Yes, Thompson slammed one tee shot after another past Ko, averaging 291 yards per drive for the week, 59 yards more than Ko, but Thompson won with her new-found touch.

Thompson needed just 23 putts Saturday, eight fewer than Ko.

This more well-rounded game makes Thompson look like the player to beat at next week’s Evian Championship, the year’s final major championship.

While Ko was disappointed in the end, she was encouraged giving herself her best chance to win in what has been a frustrating year.

“I just wasn't putting as well as I did the last few days, and that makes a huge difference,” Ko said. “When you're in the final round, final group, you kind of want those putts to drop and unfortunately that wasn't happening for me.”

Ko was looking to win her 15th LPGA title, her first in more than a year, but Thompson distanced herself in the middle of the round.

Tied with Ko stepping to the ninth tee, Thompson made back-to-back birdies to pull two shots ahead. She moved four ahead when Ko stumbled to a double bogey at the 11th.

“Lexi played great, especially down the stretch,” Ko said.

After hitting her drive in the middle of the fairway, Ko found her ball sitting down in a divot. With a 9-iron in hand, she thumped her approach hard, only to watch her ball hit the front of the green and then spin back, into the rough. She chopped a chip from there, racing it past the hole and through the green, where she chipped again, this time to 5 feet but missed the putt.

Thompson walked off the green with a four-shot lead and wasn’t challenged the rest of the way, even after hooking her tee shot at the 16th into the water, where she scrambled to make a nice bogey.

While it wasn’t the final round Ko wanted, closing with a 72, she recorded a second-place finish, a promising effort in what was becoming a disappointing summer. She arrived in Indianapolis off two missed cuts in her last three starts.

“I had a great time being in this position,” Ko said.

Fitzpatrick tops Hend in European Masters playoff.

By Associated Press

(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)

Matthew Fitzpatrick made a safe par 4 on the third extra hole to win the European Masters on Sunday, after firing a 6-under 64 to force a playoff.

The 48th-ranked Englishman sank his putt from less than three feet while Scott Hend of Australia made a ragged bogey at the 18th hole on the scenic Swiss Alps course.

Fitzpatrick earned a $542,000 prize for his first win since the season-ending World Tour Championship in Dubai last November.

It was a fourth career title for the 23-year-old former U.S. Amateur winner.

Hend again pocketed $361,000 for losing the title in a playoff for the second straight year.

Both carded 14-under totals of 266 having had early starts Sunday to complete their delayed third rounds. On Saturday, play was suspended because of fog, while fading light brought the leading groups in early.

Englishman Tyrrell Hatton (66) and Paraguay's Fabrizio Zanotti (68) finished three back on 11 under in a tie for third place.

A playoff was needed because Fitzpatrick and third-round leader Hend (68) both missed mid-range birdie chances on the 18th in regulation.

Hend also missed from five feet for victory on the 18th green in the second playoff hole.

Fitzpatrick, a Ryder Cup debutant last year, acknowledged thinking that Hend would seize that chance after his own 12-foot birdie putt slid by the hole.

''It's never nice to see,'' Fitzpatrick said of Hend's miss, ''but we kept our nerve and we played really smart all week.''

A long day for Fitzpatrick began with an 8 a.m. tee time for the final three holes of his third round. He bogeyed the 16th and fell four shots behind Hend for his return to the course three hours later.

Fitzpatrick surged after a steady start to the final round, and led by two shots when he birdied the par-3 16th. That made it seven birdies in an 11-hole stretch.

The lead was gone minutes later when Fitzpatrick bogeyed the par-4 17th, after finding a green-side bunker with his approach, and Hend birdied the par-5 15th.

Defending champion Alex Noren of Sweden was tied for sixth place on 9 under after a 66. Lee Westwood, the 1999 winner at the Crans-sur-Sierre club that is blanketed with snow each winter, finished on level par after a closing 69.

Montgomerie wins first Champions event in Japan.

By Associated Press

(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)

Colin Montgomerie made all the putts he needed Sunday on Narita Golf Club's massive greens to win the Japan Airlines Championship - the first PGA Tour Champions event in Japan.

The 54-year-old Scot two-putted for par from 50 feet on the par-4 18th, hitting his first to 1 1/2 feet, for a 5-under 67 and a one-stroke victory over Billy Mayfair and second-round leader Scott McCarron.

''The greens were as good as any, and I mean this, as good as any as we have ever putted on, ever,'' Montgomerie said. ''And we've putted on some great, great surfaces. In the 30 years as a pro, these are as good as any we have putted on as a putting surface. Superb putting surfaces. And the way the course was manicured was exceptional.''

Montgomerie finished at 14-under 202 for his fifth victory on the 50-and-over tour and first in nearly a year. He won 31 times on the European Tour and topped the tour's money list a record eight times - seven in a row from 1993-99 and the last in 2005.

''It's a big deal, a very big deal,'' Montgomerie said about tour's first visit to Japan. ''And let's hope that the success of this event goes forward and not only allows the PGA Tour Champions to come back and compete but also allows the PGA Tour to come and play here. It will be fantastic if that time ever comes.''

Montgomerie ran in a 60-footer on the par-4 13th in the middle of a three-hole birdie spree, and made two key 6-foot putts - the first for par on the par-3 16th and the second for birdie on the par-5 17th to break a tie for the lead with Mayfair.

''I think when I holed the putt on the 14th hole for my third birdie in a row, I felt that I had a chance then,'' Montgomerie said. ''I'm a big scoreboard watcher and knew I was leading. I just had to make sure I birdied 17 and par in, which I did.''

Mayfair, playing two groups ahead of Montgomerie, settled for a 66 after missing a 6-foot birdie try on 18.

''I hit a good putt and I knew it wasn't going to go in the center, but I thought it would catch the left edge and it just came out,'' Mayfair said. ''But I made so many putts today and the whole week.''

McCarron, tied with Bernhard Langer for the tour victory lead with four after winning three of the previous six events, birdied the final two holes for a 71. He opened with a double bogey.

''I've had kind of a cold that just got worse,'' McCarron said. ''My head's a little foggy and just didn't make a very good swing and I missed the first fairway, put myself in a really bad position. ... But no excuses. If I shoot 3 under, I win this thing. Just wasn't able to do it today. Unfortunately, just didn't put myself in position off the tee.''

Montgomerie birdied four of the first five holes on the back nine - also holing putts of 20 feet on No. 10, 15 feet on No. 12, and 14 feet on No. 14 - after playing the first nine in even par with a bogey and a birdie.

''It wasn't easy,'' Montgomerie said. ''The wind was swirling in the trees, the pins were located in some very difficult positions, very difficult, right on the edges of the greens on slopes.''

Sidelined 2 1/2 months in the spring by torn ligaments in his left ankle, Montgomerie won for the first time since beating McCarron late last September in a playoff in Canada in the Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship - a title he will try to defend this coming week in Victoria, British Columbia. The Hall of Famer's first three Champions victories came in majors - the 2014 and 2015 Senior PGA Championship and 2014 U.S. Senior Open.

''I'm just beginning to play the way that I have the last three years,'' Montgomerie said.

Glen Day was fourth at 12 under after a 67. Kevin Sutherland, a stroke back entering the round, had a 72 to drop into a tie for fifth with Jesper Parnevik (67) at 11 under.

Massy Kuramoto topped the six Japanese players in the field at 10 under after a 67.

NASCAR: Kyle Larson wins Cup regular-season finale at Richmond in overtime finish.

By Daniel McFadin

(Photo/Speedsport.com)

Kyle Larson won the NASCAR Cup Series regular-season finale at Richmond Raceway in an overtime finish.

Larson won after a caution came out just following the white flag. Denny Hamlin, running in third, made contact with Martin Truex Jr., who crashed into the Turn 1 wall (see video below).

Truex had been leading the race until a caution came out for Derrike Cope with four laps to go. Larson was first off pit road. Truex, the regular-season champion, led 198 laps.

“I’ve got the greatest team out here and definitely the best pit crew,” Larson told NBCSN. “That showed tonight. I can’t thank those guys enough. They were money all night long to gain spots. This win is a huge congrats to them”

The win is Larson’s fourth of the year. It’s his first Cup win at a track shorter than 2 miles.

“(Truex) was definitely the best,” Larson said. “I thought I was second-best for most of the run. Would fall off late in the run. Came down to the final restart and I got a good start. Spun my tires really bad and was a little nervous. But we cleared him into (Turn) 1.”

The top five were Joey Logano, Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch and Denny Hamlin.
Truex finished 20th.

“We both drove in really, really deep and when I got on the brakes the splitter slammed down on the ground and shot me up the track into him,” Hamlin told NBCSN. “It’s unfortunate. I didn’t want to get into him. He’s a great teammate of ours.”

Said Truex to NBCSN: “Tonight sucked, plain and simple. Just the way it ended up. You’re out there dominating like that and you know your car is not very good on restarts for a couple of laps. Caution for a guy that shouldn’t even be out there. It’s ridiculous. … It’s unfortunate the way the race ended.” On Hamlin: “We talked and I know he didn’t do it on purpose. … I gave him room and he was aggressive on the brakes. That stuff happens.”

STAGE 1 WINNER: Kyle Busch

STAGE 2 WINNER: Martin Truex Jr.

WHO HAD A GOOD NIGHT: Kurt Busch earned his third top five in a row … Jimmie Johnson finished eighth for his best finish since winning at Dover in June. He had not finished better than 10th since … Dale Earnhardt Jr. led a season-high 13 laps and finished 13th. He failed to make the playoffs … Daniel Suarez finished seventh for his ninth top 10. He’s finished seventh six times.

WHO HAD A BAD NIGHT: Pole-sitter Matt Kenseth saw his race end on Lap 257 after running into the back of Clint Bowyer as the field came to pit road as they tried to avoid an ambulance that was at the pit entrance. He finished 38th … In addition to the pit accident, Bowyer was called for an uncontrolled tire on his last pit. He finished 24th … Landon Cassill’s night ended on Lap 33 when he lost a tire and hit the wall. He finished last.

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT: “I’m more mad about all that than I am losing.” – Martin Truex Jr. on the late-race caution involving Derrike Cope with four laps left as Truex led.

NEXT: Tales of the Turtles 400 at Chicagoland Speedway at 3 p.m. ET on Sept. 17 on NBCSN

Kyle Larson wins Cup regular-season finale at Richmond in overtime finish.

By Jerry Bonkowski

(Photo/www.thewesterlysun.com)

Martin Truex Jr. not only won the 26-race regular season NASCAR Cup title (see video), he also enters the upcoming 10-race Cup playoffs with a commanding lead.

Truex, who finished 20th in Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond Raceway after being involved in a last-lap crash with Denny Hamlin, enters the playoffs with a 20-point edge over Larson, who won the race.

At the opposite end of the playoff spectrum, Truex has more than a one-race worth of points over drivers ranked ninth through 16th in the updated playoff standings heading into Chicagoland.

Click here to see the reset point standings.

Click here to see how the points were after the first 26 races before being reset.

Other drivers are still trying to figure out how to beat Truex, like Kyle Busch.

Here are the 16 drivers who made the NASCAR Cup playoffs.

By Jerry Bonkowski

(Photo/nbcsports.com)

After 26 races, the NASCAR Cup regular season concluded with Saturday’s Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond Raceway.

Now it’s on to the NASCAR Cup playoffs for 16 drivers. For every other driver, it’s wait until next year to make the playoffs.

Here are the 16 drivers who made the playoffs and how they finished the regular season, as well as the points they’ll have heading into the NASCAR Cup playoff opening race next Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway:

• Martin Truex Jr.: Regular season champion, won four races, enters playoffs with 2,053 points.
• Kyle Larson: Finished regular season in second place, won four races including Saturday night’s race, enters playoffs with 2,033 points.
• Kyle Busch: Finished regular season in third place, won two races, enters playoffs with 2,029 points.
• Brad Keselowski: Finished regular season in fourth place, won two races, enters playoffs with 2,019 points.
• Jimmie Johnson: The defending and seven-time NASCAR Cup champion finished the regular season in fifth place, won three races, enters the playoffs with 2017 points.
• Kevin Harvick: Finished regular season in sixth place, won one race, enters playoffs with 2,015 points.
• Denny Hamlin: Finished regular season in seventh place, won two races, enters playoffs with 2,013 points.
• Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: Finished the regular season in eighth place, won two races, enters playoffs with 2,010 points.
• Ryan Blaney: Finished regular season in ninth place, won one race, enters playoffs with 2,008 points.
• Chase Elliott: Finished regular season in 10th place, did not win any races, enters playoffs with 2,006 points.
• Ryan Newman: Finished the regular season in 11th place, won one race, enters playoffs with 2005 points.
• Kurt Busch: The Daytona 500 winner finished the regular season in 12th place, won one race, enters playoffs with 2,005 points.
• Kasey Kahne: Finished the regular season in 13th place, won one race, enters playoffs with 2,005 points.
• Austin Dillon: Finished the regular season in 14th place, won one race, enters playoffs with 2,005 points.
• Matt Kenseth: Finished regular season in 15th place, has no wins, enters playoffs with 2,005 points.
• Jamie McMurray: Finished regular season in 16th place, has no wins, enters playoffs with 2,003 points.

Drivers who failed to make the playoffs: Clint Bowyer, Joey Logano, Erik Jones, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Daniel Suarez.

Brad Keselowski wins Richmond Xfinity race.

By Daniel McFadin

(Photo: Peter Casey, USA TODAY Sports)

After passing Kyle Busch for the lead with 16 laps to go, Brad Keselowski went on to win the Xfinity Series race at Richmond Raceway.

It is Keselowski’s second Xfinity win of the year and 36th of his career.

“(Busch) is a great racer and when you can race with him you know you’re having a good day, especially in this series,” Keselowski told NBCSN. “We kind of hung with him and got those long runs and right at the end I was able to pounce.”

The top five were Keselowski, Busch, Ty Dillon, Daniel Hemric and Elliott Sadler, who clinched the regular-season title.

In his last Xfinity race of the season, Busch led 182 of the 250 laps before Keselowski overtook him for the last time.

“He had a better long-run car, every time, every run he was able to get by us after 50, 45 laps, whatever it was,” Busch told NBCSN. “We were working each other pretty hard there earlier in the run. I thought I beat his tires up, but he was able to come back up through there.”

With only three cautions, two at the end of stages, only nine cars finished on the lead lap.

Keselowski won with backup crew chief Brian Wilson because Greg Erwin was suspended after the No. 22 failed post-race inspection at Darlington last week.

STAGE 1 WINNER: Ty Dillon

STAGE 2 WINNER: Brad Keselowksi

WHO HAD A GOOD DAY: Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished ninth in his second and final Xfinity start of the year. He was the last car on the lead lap … Christopher Bell finished sixth in his first Xfinity start at Richmond … Cole Custer finished 14th and clinched a spot in the playoffs … Matt Tifft placed 13th and also clinched a playoff spot … Jeremy Clements assured himself a top 20 points finish and clinched a playoff spot after finishing 16th … Ty Dillon’s third-place finish is his best result of the year in 21 starts.

WHO HAD A BAD DAY: Bobby Earnhardt, making his first Xfinity start, caused the only non-stage ending caution when he blew a tire and hit the wall on Lap 53. He continued and finished 34th … Brandon Jones spun from contact with Ross Chastain on the last lap of Stage 1. He finished 23rd … Brendan Gaughan finished 21st, two laps down.

NOTABLE: Keselowski’s four wins at Richmond are his most at any track in the Xfinity Series … Brian Wilson is the sixth crew chief Keselowski has won with in Xfinity.

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT: “I knew Kyle (Busch) wasn’t going to just let me have it so I had to force something there. Whenever you make a pass for the lead and the win by going three-wide it is really damn cool.” – Brad Keselowski on his winning pass of Kyle Busch.

NEXT: Chicagoland 300 at Chicagoland Speedway at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sept. 16 on NBCSN.

Elliott Sadler clinches Xfinity regular-season title; three drivers clinch playoff spots.

By Daniel McFadin

(Photo/newsco.com.au)

Elliott Sadler hasn’t won any Xfinity races this year, but he didn’t need a victory to win the regular-season title Friday night at Richmond Raceway.

The JR Motorsports driver clinched the title and 15 playoff points with his fifth-place finish. It was his 10th top five of the year.

Cole Custer, Matt Tifft and Jeremy Clements all clinched playoff spots at Richmond.

Click here for the points standings.

SOCCER: Draw continues troubling trend for Fire. 

By Dan Santaromita

(Photo/USA TODAY)

The MLS playoffs are less than two months away and Saturday’s draw inched the Fire closer to the postseason. The question is how the team will do once it gets there.

With the 1-1 draw against the New York Red Bulls, the Fire hold a 2-6-2 record against the other five teams currently occupying playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. That’s only ahead of Columbus for the worst mark in that category among the six teams:

Toronto 5-1-3 (18 points)

New York City FC 5-2-2 (17 points)

Atlanta 4-3-1 (13 points)

Red Bulls 3-2-3 (12 points)

Fire 2-6-2 (8 points)

Crew 2-7-1 (7 points)

The draw also meant the Red Bulls took four points out of six in the season series. Toronto swept the Fire head-to-head and New York City FC also beat the Fire in the only meeting between the two teams this year. The Fire host NYCFC on Sept. 30, which is the last game against a conference playoff rival on the Fire’s schedule.

So is it a worrying sign for the Fire? Coach Veljko Paunovic chose to praise the point against the Red Bulls instead of complaining about failing to win at home against a team lower in the standings.

“This is a great point,” Paunovic said. “We played against one of the best teams in the league with huge experience, huge resources, great team on the field, sportsmen and everything. They push hard and we push hard. That’s what it is. That is what it’s going to take from now on. Every single game like this we have to play. We have to grind, we have to push, we have to give our best and the guys did that. Bravo them and fantastic, fantastic job from everyone. One point from this game means a lot. It can be decisive for the playoffs.”

Paunovic was as animated and fired up as he has shown in a press conference at home since he was hired before last season. He also convinced the team that the draw was a good result.

“I think we are the winners today,” said Michael de Leeuw, who assisted on the Fire’s goal. “We could have won the game, but at the end you see them pushing so at the end I think a 1-1 is the correct result. I think we’re happy with it.

“We knew also that we couldn’t lose this game because then with the game left for them they could have jumped over us. So for us it’s a great point.”

The draw as an individual result isn’t bad, and it does at least keep the Red Bulls at bay in the standings. However, it was another chance for the Fire to show it can play with the best teams in the league. Home draws don’t exactly inspire confidence in that regard, especially now that the Fire have failed to win in three straight at home.

The good thing for the Fire, at least as far as the regular season is concerned, is that only two more playoff teams are on the remaining schedule. The finale is at Houston, which is undefeated at home. That should allow the Fire a good chance to fight a better seed.

Swansea 0-1 Newcastle: Lascelles the hero.

By Joe Prince-Wright

Newcastle beat Swansea City 1-0 at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday as the Magpies battled to victory without manager Rafael Benitez.

The Spanish coach was watching on from home as he recovers from surgery and his skipper Jamaal Lascelles stepped up to thunder a late header home to give Newcastle all three points.

Swansea went close through Tammy Abraham but Lascelles cleared off the line at the other end as their new signings Renato Sanches and Wilfried Bony struggled to have an impact.

With the win Newcastle now have six points on the board, while Swansea remain on four points and Paul Clement‘s men have failed to score in three of their first four games of the season.

An even start to the game saw Swansea have more possession but Newcastle looked dangerous on the break.

Jacob Murphy hooked a shot over the bar after Federico Fernandez was caught out of position defensively as Newcastle’s direct approach started to cause Swansea problems.

Before the break Newcastle pushed forward for the opener and Joselu’s header was brilliantly saved by Lukasz Fabianski at full stretch. Mikel Merino then went down in the box under a challenge but referee Craig Pawson correctly waved away the penalty kick calls.

Swansea then had two good chances as Jordan Ayew broke free but Rob Elliot tipped his show wide and from the resulting corner Alfie Mawson sent his free header inches wide.

Ritchie was then lucky as his raised foot almost caught Alfie Mawson in the face (a la Sadio Mane vs. Ederson) but Mawson ducked the challenge and Ritchie escaped with a yellow card.

The game then opened up as Swansea went close through Tom Carroll as his near-post effort was palmed away by Elliot after Kyle Naughton‘s drilled effort was half cleared.

Moments later the Swans looked certain to take the lead as Tammy Abraham latched onto Leroy Fer‘s through ball, rounded Elliot and then knocked the ball towards the empty net but Newcastle’s skipper Lascelles slid in to clear superbly off the line.

Swansea brought on Wilfried Bony as they tried to push for the winner but at the other end Ayoze Perez broke free in the box but his low drive was saved by Fabianski.

Lascelles then popped up with the game-winner as he headed home Ritchie’s corner powerfully. 1-0 to Newcastle as their fans sung Rafael Benitez’s name with glee.

They will do that the whole back to Newcastle on their 350-mile journey.

Burnley 1-0 Crystal Palace: Pressure mounts on Frank de Boer.

By Joe Prince-Wright

Crystal Palace lost a fourth-straight game to start the Premier League season as Frank De Boer‘s beleaguered side went down 1-0 at Burnley on Sunday.

A horrendous mistake let Chris Wood in early on to score the only goal of the game and Palace missed several golden chances with Scott Dan twice having efforts cleared off the line and he also missed an open goal late on.

With the win Burnley move on to seven points for the season, while Palace have zero.

Burnley were ahead less than three minutes into the game after a disastrous back pass from Chung-Yong Lee.

The Palace midfielder completely under-hit his back pass and Wood got there before goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey as he curled home into an empty net for his second goal in as many games for Burnley since arriving from Leeds United for a club-record fee.

De Boer’s nightmare continued.

Palace responded well to going behind with Dann having an effort cleared off the line and Christian Benteke nodding wide.

At the other end Sam Vokes went close as he flicked a header just wide with the home side looking largely comfortable as they led at half time. A big negative did arrive for Burnley before break though with captain and goalkeeper Tom Heaton subbed out after he appeared to dislocate his left shoulder.

For large spells of the second half Palace dominated possession but Burnley looked fairly comfortable to sit back and hit the Eagles on the break.

A glorious chance arrived with less than 20 minutes to go as the ball found Jeffrey Schlupp in the box but he fired over under no pressure from 15 yards.

Ashley Barnes curled a shot towards the far corner which Hennessey saved superbly as Burnley came close to wrapping up the three points and at the other end Pope made a vital intervention.

Benteke raced onto a loose ball but Pope saved superbly and then Dann had a shot blocked superbly by James Tarkowski.

It just wasn’t to be, once again, for Palace who lost for the fourth-straight game to start the season.

Premier League roundup: Big boys roll.

By Nicholas Mendola

(Photo/Getty Images)

Lopsided wins was the order of the day in the Premier League on Saturday as plenty of the big boys came back from the international break firing on all cylinders.

Below is a roundup of all seven games on Saturday, with videos, recaps and reaction.

Right, let’s get to the goals and drama…

Manchester City 5-0 Liverpool — RECAP

Manchester City had a 1-0 lead on Sergio Aguero’s history-making goal — he now has more PL  markers than any other non-European player — when Sadio Mane‘s high boot took both he and Man City goalkeeper Ederson out of the game. With Liverpool down a man, Man City feasted with a pair each from Gabriel Jesus and Leroy Sane.

Leicester City 1-2 Chelsea — RECAP

It was anything but easy for Chelsea despite building a 2-0 lead on goals from Alvaro Morata and ex-Foxes star N'Golo Kante. Old reliable Jamie Vardy drew and scored a penalty kick, and Chelsea had to hold on for all three points at the King Power Stadium.

Everton 0-3 Tottenham Hotspur — RECAP

Harry Kane scored twice but may not have been Man of the Match as teammate Christian Eriksen put on a mesmerizing display and joined Nicklas Bendtner on the most goals for Danish players in the Premier League. Everton’s murderous run of fixtures to start the season continues next week when Wayne Rooney returns to Manchester United next weekend.

Stoke City 2-2 Manchester United – RECAP

Jose Mourinho’s men dropped their first points of the season as they fought back from 1-0 down at Stoke City to lead 2-1, but then Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting scored his second of the game to grab the Potters a point. Marcus Rashford and Romelu Lukaku were on the scoresheet for United who remain unbeaten and top of the Premier League, but only on goal difference ahead of crosstown rivals Manchester City.

Arsenal 3-0 Bournemouth — RECAP

Well that’s more like it, Gooners: Arsene Wenger‘s man came out of the gates with pride and skill, getting two goals and an assist from Danny Welbeck in a breakout win. Alexandre Lacazette scored a beauty, too, as the Gunners moved back into the top half of the table.

Brighton and Hove Albion 3-1 West Bromwich Albion — RECAP

Ex-Ingolstadt man Pascal Gross scored the first Premier League goal in Brighton history, then added another as part of a two-goal win at the Amex on Saturday. Tomer Hemed nabbed Brighton’s third goal, and James Morrison scored for West Brom.

Southampton 0-2 Watford — RECAP

Abdoulaye Doucore and Daryl Janmaat led the Hornets to a solid road win at St. Mary’s, as Saints lost their first PL match under Mauricio Pellegrino.

Bundesliga wrap: Bayern upset; Dortmund held.

By Nicholas Mendola

(Photo/Getty Images)

The Bundesliga giants did not fare well in Week 3 of the new season.

Bundesliga scores

Below is a quick look at all of the action from around Germany on Saturday, while you can see the latest stats and schedule by clicking on the link above.

Hoffenheim 2-0 Bayern Munich

The reigning champs were dealt a shock defeat at Hoffenheim as Carlo Ancelotti’s side conceded a goal in each half to suffer their first defeat of the season. Mark Uth scored both the goals for Hoffenheim who move up to second place in the table.

Augsburg 3-0 Koln

Iceland forward Alfred Finnbogason broke out for a hat trick, giving the hosts a 1-1-1 start to the season and dropping Koln to 0-3.

Freiburg 0-0 Borussia Dortmund

The shots on goal were 27-5, but Christian Pulisic and Borussia Dortmund couldn’t find a way past Freiburg and dropped their first points of the season.

Elsewhere

Hamburg 0-2 RB Leipzig — Keita, Werner score Friday

Wolfsburg 1-1 Hannover 96

Borussia Monchengladbach 0-1 Eintracht Frankfurt

Mainz 3-1 Bayer Leverkusen

Hertha Berlin vs. Werder Bremen — 9:30 a.m. ET Sunday

Schalke vs. Stuttgart — Noon ET Sunday

STANDINGS

Team	GP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Home	Away	PTS
Borussia Dortmund	3	2	1	0	5	0	5	1-0-0	1-1-0	7
1899 Hoffenheim	3	2	1	0	5	2	3	2-0-0	0-1-0	7
Hannover 96	3	2	1	0	3	1	2	1-0-0	1-1-0	7
RB Leipzig	3	2	0	1	6	3	3	1-0-0	1-0-1	6
Bayern Munich	3	2	0	1	5	3	2	1-0-0	1-0-1	6
Hamburger SV	3	2	0	1	4	3	1	1-0-1	1-0-0	6
FC Augsburg	3	1	1	1	5	3	2	1-1-0	0-0-1	4
Monchengladbach	3	1	1	1	3	3	0	1-0-1	0-1-0	4
Eintracht Frankfurt	3	1	1	1	1	1	0	0-0-1	1-1-0	4
VfL Wolfsburg	3	1	1	1	2	4	-2	0-1-1	1-0-0	4
FC Schalke 04	2	1	0	1	2	1	1	1-0-0	0-0-1	3
FSV Mainz 05	3	1	0	2	3	3	0	1-0-1	0-0-1	3
Hertha BSC Berlin	2	1	0	1	2	2	0	1-0-0	0-0-1	3
VfB Stuttgart	2	1	0	1	1	2	-1	1-0-0	0-0-1	3
SC Freiburg	3	0	2	1	1	4	-3	0-2-0	0-0-1	2
Bayer Leverkusen	3	0	1	2	4	8	-4	0-1-0	0-0-2	1
Werder Bremen	2	0	0	2	0	3	-3	0-0-1	0-0-1	0
1. FC Köln	3	0	0	3	1	7	-6	0-0-1	0-0-2	0

NCAAFB: 2017 NCAA FBS Football Rankings, 09/10/2017.

AP

RANK	SCHOOL	POINTS	RECORD	PREVIOUS
1	Alabama (58)	1,522	2-0	1
2	Oklahoma (2)	1,447	2-0	5
3	Clemson (1)	1,380	2-0	3
4	USC	1,324	2-0	6
5	Penn State	1,299	2-0	4
6	Washington	1,124	2-0	7
7	Michigan	1,107	2-0	8
8	Ohio State	1,003	1-1	2
9	Oklahoma State	1,002	2-0	11
10	Wisconsin	993	2-0	9
11	Florida State	944	0-1	10
12	LSU	935	2-0	12
13	Georgia	882	2-0	15
14	Louisville	658	2-0	17
15	Auburn	591	1-1	13
16	Virginia Tech	559	2-0	18
17	Miami (FL)	542	1-0	16
18	Kansas State	475	2-0	19
19	Stanford	364	1-1	14
20	TCU	352	2-0	23
21	Washington State	233	2-0	20
22	USF	188	2-0	21
23	Tennessee	159	2-0	25
24	Florida	146	0-1	22
25	UCLA	119	2-0	NR

Others receiving votes: Utah 101, South Carolina 72, Colorado 66, West Virginia 63, Oregon 61, Maryland 42, Notre Dame 31, San Diego St. 16, Houston 10, Mississippi St. 3, Boise St. 3, Texas Tech 2, Iowa 2, California 2, Vanderbilt 2, Michigan St. 1

Week #2 NCAA College football scores, 09/10/2017.

ESPN

Utah State 51, Idaho State 13

Box Score

Florida Intl 17, Alcorn State 10	Box Score | Recap
No. 11 Oklahoma State 44, South Alabama 7	Box Score | Recap
Purdue 44, Ohio 21	Box Score | Recap

No. 8 Michigan 36, Cincinnati 14	Box Score | Recap
No. 9 Wisconsin 31, Florida Atlantic 14	Box Score | Recap
No. 17 Louisville 47, North Carolina 35	Box Score | Recap
No. 19 Kansas State 55, Charlotte 7	Box Score | Recap
Duke 41, Northwestern 17	Box Score | Recap
West Virginia 56, East Carolina 20	Box Score | Recap
Army 21, Buffalo 17	Box Score | Recap
Maryland 63, Towson 17	Box Score | Recap
Kentucky 27, Eastern Kentucky 16	Box Score | Recap
Ole Miss 45, UT Martin 23	Box Score | Recap
Iowa 44, Iowa State 41 (OT)	Box Score | Recap
Georgia Tech 37, Jacksonville State 10	Box Score | Recap
Wake Forest 34, Boston College 10	Box Score | Recap
Colorado 37, Texas State 3	Box Score | Recap
Ball State 51, UAB 31	Box Score | Recap
No. 1 Alabama 41, Fresno State 10	Box Score | Recap
No. 4 Penn State 33, Pittsburgh 14	Box Score | Recap
No. 18 Virginia Tech 27, Delaware 0	Box Score | Recap
No. 23 TCU 28, Arkansas 7	Box Score | Recap
Navy 23, Tulane 21	Box Score | Recap
Indiana 34, Virginia 17	Box Score | Recap
Temple 16, Villanova 13	Box Score | Recap
Appalachian State 54, Savannah State 7	Box Score | Recap
Miami (OH) 31, Austin Peay 10	Box Score | Recap
Northern Illinois 38, Eastern Illinois 10	Box Score | Recap
Kent State 38, Howard 31	Box Score | Recap
Middle Tennessee 30, Syracuse 23	Box Score | Recap
Old Dominion 17, UMass 7	Box Score | Recap
Michigan State 28, Western Michigan 14	Box Score | Recap
Eastern Michigan 16, Rutgers 13	Box Score | Recap
Texas 56, San José State 0	Box Score | Recap
Colorado State 38, Abilene Christian 10	Box Score | Recap
No. 25 Tennessee 42, Indiana State 7	Box Score | Recap
Wyoming 27, Gardner-Webb 0	Box Score | Recap
Central Michigan 45, Kansas 27	Box Score | Recap
Vanderbilt 42, Alabama A&M 0	Box Score | Recap
New Hampshire 22, Georgia Southern 12	Box Score | Recap
Tulsa 66, Louisiana 42	Box Score | Recap
Oregon 42, Nebraska 35	Box Score | Recap
UCLA 56, Hawai'i 23	Box Score | Recap
California 33, Weber State 20	Box Score | Recap
NC State 37, Marshall 20	Box Score | Recap
South Dakota 35, Bowling Green 27	Box Score | Recap
Troy 34, Alabama State 7	Box Score | Recap
Akron 52, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 3	Box Score | Recap
No. 3 Clemson 14, No. 13 Auburn 6	Box Score | Recap
Toledo 37, Nevada 24	Box Score
UNLV 44, Idaho 16	Box Score | Recap
Southern Mississippi 45, Southern 0	Box Score | Recap
SMU 54, North Texas 32	Box Score | Recap
South Carolina 31, Missouri 13	Box Score | Recap
Texas A&M 24, Nicholls 14	Box Score | Recap
No. 5 Oklahoma 31, No. 2 Ohio State 16	Box Score | Recap
No. 12 LSU 45, Chattanooga 10	Box Score | Recap
No. 15 Georgia 20, No. 24 Notre Dame 19	Box Score | Recap
Mississippi State 57, Louisiana Tech 21	Box Score | Recap
No. 7 Washington 63, Montana 7	Box Score | Recap
UT San Antonio 17, Baylor 10	Box Score | Recap
Illinois 20, Western Kentucky 7	Box Score | Recap
Rice 31, UTEP 14	Box Score | Recap
New Mexico State 30, New Mexico 28	Box Score | Recap
No. 6 USC 42, No. 14 Stanford 24	Box Score | Recap
Minnesota 48, Oregon State 14	Box Score | Recap
Utah 19, BYU 13	Box Score | Recap
No. 20 Washington State 47, Boise State 44 (3OT)	Box Score | Recap
Houston 19, Arizona 16	Box Score | Recap
San Diego State 30, Arizona State 20	Box Score | Recap

Week #2 Canceled Games

Canceled

Memphis at UCF

Canceled	No. 21 South Florida at Connecticut
Canceled	Louisiana Monroe at No. 10 Florida State
Canceled	Northern Colorado at No. 22 Florida
Canceled	No. 16 Miami at Arkansas State

Report: USF-Illinois game may move from Tampa to Champaign.

By Zach Barnett

(Photo/Getty Images)

Hurricane Irma is in the process of bearing down on Florida, with the Gulf Coast bearing the brunt of the storm — and specifically Tampa Bay. The storm should clear out by next weekend, but the real work begins when the storm clouds are gone.

As such, there is a question about No. 22 South Florida’s Week 3 date with Illinois. The Bulls’ trip to Connecticut was canceled, but the club will need to resume its schedule at some point. And that some point could be Friday night’s game with the Illini, which is scheduled to be played at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium.

According to a report from the Champaign News-Gazette, Illinois officials have contacted their USF counterparts with an offer to play the game in Champaign. USF AD Mark Harlan addressed the report on Twitter without denying or confirming it.

The News-Gazette’s report stated no decision is expected until Monday at the earliest.

For what it’s worth, this week’s scheduled game is the first of a 2-game home-and-home. The Illini are slated to host South Florida at Soldier Field on Sept. 15 of next year, so it’s theoretically possible the home games could simply be swapped for each team.

NCAABKB: Coach K advocates NBA allowing high school players into the draft.

By Vincent Frank

(Photo/Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports)

Duke Blue Devils head basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski has continued to play the system to the best of his ability. Now that college basketball has morphed more into a one-and-done format for future NBA players, Coach K has had to change his recruiting process midstream.

He’s no different than coaches for other elite-level college basketball programs throughout the nation. With that said, Krzyzewski doesn’t seem too fond of current NBA draft rules.

“In baseball, actually in theater, in music, if you’re 16 and you’re really good, you go on a different path,” Krzyzewski said, via CBS Sports. “I really think that high school players should be allowed to go. And once they get to college, if you don’t do that, I think a two-year period — so you legitimize being in college going for an education. You don’t just kind of use the college system as a training ground.”

Despite the current NBA draft rules, Duke has been able to remain competitive. It’s somewhat of a surprise considering the school’s education standards. Finding that happy medium between education and athletics has been big for the Blue Devils, who consistently boast top-two or top-three recruiting classes.

This year alone, Jayson Tatum and Harry Giles have entered the NBA draft after spending just one season with Duke.

This article first appeared on Sportsnaut and was syndicated with permission.

Tennis: Stephens defeats Keys, wins US Open women's title.

By Neil Schlecht

(Photo/USTA/Darren Carroll)

WHAT HAPPENED: Sloane Stephens, the 24-year-old American who earlier this year was confined to a wheelchair after foot surgery and 11 months off tour, won her first major, the US Open, on Saturday.

The unseeded Stephens, who was ranked No. 957 at the start of the summer and is now at No. 83 in the world, crushed her close friend and fellow Grand Slam debutante, 15th-seeded Madison Keys, 6-3, 6-0, in just one hour of play.

The two shared an emotional, teary hug at net. Stephens then raised her arms in a look of disbelief. Surely she too was stunned at the turn her career had taken in just a few short weeks.

After the tears, Stephens and Keys, 22, shared an extended, giggling chat as they waited for the championship ceremony. Stephens got up from her chair to join her friend on the sideline.

"I told Maddie I should just retire now," said Stephens. "It's never going to get better than this. "

Stephens held her nerve and played controlled and consistent tennis, hitting loopy topspin ground strokes deep into the court to counter Keys' powerful weapons and force her into a rash of unforced errors. Stephens, known for her athleticism and fleet-footed movement, zipped smoothly around the back of the court, making Keys hit more balls than she was comfortable doing on a day in which she was unable to summon her best game.

"It's incredible," said Stephens. "I had surgery Jan. 23. If someone had told me then that I would win the US Open, 'It's impossible,' I would say. This journey has been incredible, and honestly I wouldn't change it for the world."

It was a disappointing final for Keys, who just one round earlier had been on the other side of a route. The big-hitting Californian had played near-perfect tennis in the semifinals, surrendering just three games to CoCo Vandeweghe.

Keys was a different player on Saturday, succumbing to the pressure of facing her friend and trying to claim her first Grand Slam crown. She committed 30 unforced errors in the match. Stephens, poised and calm in her first final appearance, made just six.

Stephens won eight straight games to finish the match.

"Sloane is truly one of my favorite people," said Keys. "To get to play her was really special. Obviously, I didn't play my best tennis today and was disappointed. But if there's someone I have to lose to today, I'm glad it's her."

WHAT IT MEANS: Both African-American young women had long been touted as future Grand Slam champions. After injuries to both and time away from the tour, it rated as a surprise that they met in this year's Open final. Keys had surgery on her wrist at the end of last year and only returned to playing tournaments in March, at Indian Wells, before undergoing a second procedure following the French Open.

Stephens and Keys had only met once previously; Sloane also won in Miami in 2015, in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2.

MATCH POINT: Stephens became the lowest-ranked champion at the US Open. (Kim Clijsters was unranked when she won the title in 2009, returning to the tour after giving birth to a daughter.) She wins her fifth career title and her first major; her previous best was reaching the semifinals at the Australian Open in 2013.

Stephens also becomes the first American champion other than Serena and Venus Williams since Lindsay Davenport, Keys' coach, won the US Open in 1998. She is just the fifth unseeded player in the Open era to win a Grand Slam title.

Nadal a timeless champion.

By Richard Osborn

(Photo/USTA)

When Pete Sampras reluctantly (and tearfully) announced his retirement in 2003, his final match having come 12 months earlier in the form of a storybook 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 triumph over career-long nemesis Andre Agassi in the title tilt at the US Open, the smart money was on his industry-best 14 Grand Slams standing as a record for decades to come, if not forever. Untouchable, we thought. Beyond reach.

The Californian had leapfrogged Aussie Roy Emerson and his 12 majors two years earlier at Wimbledon, a record he once said was as important to him as any. He was three ahead of his boyhood idol, Rod Laver, and Bjorn Borg, too. His closest active pursuer was none other than the Las Vegan Agassi, who had half as many.

In 2003, a 22-year-old Roger Federer had just one major to his credit. Rafael Nadal, then 17, had none. Novak Djokovic, 16, was a promising but unproven newbie ranked No. 670 in the world. Sampras’ mark, it seemed, wouldn’t be equaled anytime soon.

Little did he know, little did any of us know, that a new generation, a golden one, would soon set out in hot pursuit of his numbers. Sampras knew Federer had the makings of a star. He’d famously lost to the Swiss in their one and only encounter, in the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2001. But he sure didn’t count on a the lefty, purportedly just a clay-court specialist, from an island in the Mediterranean chasing him down. Federer would both catch and surpass Sampras in 2009. And the Mallorcan Nadal would match Pistol Pete in 2014, and eclipse him at Roland Garros earlier this year. And on Sunday evening at the US Open, the bullish Spaniard — now 31 and showing scant signs of a slow-down — upped his major title total to 16 with a never-in-doubt 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 dismissal of South African Kevin Anderson.

This was Nadal’s 23rd trip to a major final. That’s five more than Sampras ever reached, and second overall only to Federer’s 29.

Nadal, under the guidance of uncle Toni Nadal for the final time at the US Open, hadn’t won a hard-court title in three years. But appearing in his fourth Flushing final, he captured his second Slam in a season for the fourth time in his career. One of only three men (along with Sampras and Ken Rosewall) to win a major title in their teens, 20s and 30s, he further cemented his spot atop the ATP rankings.

Sampras never could have imagined that three players would come along so soon and charge their way into doubles digits in the same generation — Federer with 19, Nadal with 16, and Djokovic at 12. But Nadal may just be the biggest surprise of them all. When his first three Slams all came on the terre battue of Roland Garros, there were many who believed he was, at best, the second coming of Guga Kuerten, the graceful Brazilian who thrice won in Paris, too, but never broke through on the grass or hard courts. They didn’t bank on Rafa developing into a multi-surface wonder, clinching a career Grand Slam on this very same court in 2010. Few even thought that his body would hold up, given the kind of punishing physical game he plays. Sure, Nadal’s had his injury layoffs, his most recent setback the wrist woes that sidelined him at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in 2016. But he keeps battling his way back, keeps fighting like few in this sport ever have. It’s that intangible, that unwillingness to bend, that saw him return to No. 1 last month for the first time since July 2014, his fourth stint as the tour’s top man. And it’s one that ensures the three-time US Open champion will be back for more.

On This Date in Sports History: Today is Monday, September 11, 2017.

Memoriesofhistory.com

1912 - Eddie Collins (Philadelphia Athletics) stole six bases against the Detroit Tigers.

1926 - The U.S. won its seventh consecutive Davis Cup.

1943 - The NHL approved the Hockey Hall of Fame. The official building for the hall of fame was not opened until August 26, 1961 on the grounds of the Canadian National Exhibition.

1946 - The Brooklyn Dodgers and the Cincinnati Reds played to a scoreless tie in 19 innings.

1951 - Florence Chadwick became the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions.

1956 - Frank Robinson (Cincinnati Reds) tied a rookie record for most home runs in one season when he hit his 38th of the year.

1959 - Roy Face (Pittsburgh) ended a 22-game winning streak. He finished the season 18-1.

1974 - The St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Mets set a National League record when they played 25 innings. It was the second longest game in professional baseball history.

1985 - Pete Rose (Cincinnati Reds) achieved hit number 4,192 to break the record held by Ty Cobb.

1987 - Howard Johnson (New York Mets) became the first National League infielder to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in the same season.

1999 - Brett Favre and Robert Brooks of the Green Bay Packers completed a 99-yard touchdown reception against the Chicago Bears to tie an NFL record.

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