CS&T/AllsportsAmerica Wednesday Sports News Update, 10/18/2017.

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"Sports Quote of the Day"

"Indeed, this life is a test. It is a test of many things - of our convictions and priorities, our faith and our faithfulness, our patience and our resilience, and in the end, our ultimate desires." ~ Sheri L. Dew, Author, Publisher, President and CEO

TRENDING: Two reasons why the Bears could finally start stacking wins. (See the football section for Bears news and NFL updates).

TRENDING: Chicago Blackhawks vs. St. Louis Blues, 10-18-2017 - Expert Prediction. (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates and NHL news).

TRENDING: Bobby Portis punches Nikola Mirotic, breaking bones in Mirotic's face. (See the basketball section for Bulls news and NBA updates).

TRENDING: Record-setting futility and the 5 biggest things from Cubs-Dodgers Game 3; White Sox: Adolfo 'grew up,' hit his stride in 2017. (See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).

TRENDING: CJ Cup: Tee times, TV schedule, stats; Punch Shot: Whens, wheres and whats for Tiger. (See the golf section for PGA news and tournament updates).

TRENDING: NASCAR Power Rankings: Talladega's chaos jumbles the top 12. (See the NASCAR section for NASCAR news and racing updates).

TRENDING: Wild day in American soccer: Crew relocation, NASL LOIs, USL reserves; UEFA Champions League Weds. preview: Chelsea, Man Utd look to break out. (See the soccer section for Fire news and worldwide soccer updates).

TRENDING: NCAAFB: Alabama settling in as five-touchdown favorite over Tennessee; Alabama remains Bovada’s national championship favorite, but Buckeyes are rising. (See the NCAAFB section for college football news and team updates).

TRENDING: NCAABKB: Why Adam Silver is right for calling for end of ‘one-and-done’ rule. (See the NCAABKB section for college basketball news and team updates).

Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Two reasons why the Bears could finally start stacking wins.

By John Mullin

(Photo/USA TODAY)

The Bears winning a road game against a perennial playoff contender, one with a winning record coming in – that’s great.

Winning in Baltimore with a rookie quarterback in only his second NFL appearance – that’s terrific.

Generating more takeaways than giveaways and netting points from them – that’s just outstanding.

And now what?

Because too often under John Fox the Bears have posted a victory and failed to have it mean much of anything because of what followed a week later – a largely self-inflicted loss. The Bears have not posted consecutive wins since midway through the 2015 season, and even then proceeded to unravel on by squandering opportunities sitting squarely within their grasp.

Why should this time be any different? Because if it’s not, and the Bears again fail to stack even one win on top of another, then a dominating performance against the Baltimore Ravens (leaving out special teams, which surrendered in two plays more points than the defense did in 14 entire Baltimore possessions) becomes another meaningless afternoon in the overall for a team determined to reinvent itself.

Coaches typically divide seasons mentally into quarters, and clearly in Fox’s mind, Sunday was part of a different quarter from the 1-3 first quarter. “Really it takes almost four games, it’s almost like the preseason anymore, where you kind of get it figured out,” Fox said. “So just developing that confidence, usually good things have to happen to gain that confidence. And we did some good things.”

But the Bears have done “some good things” in games past and it becomes much ado about nothing, sound and fury signifying less than nothing. So again: Why should this time be any different?

Two reasons, actually. Neither absolute, but neither very complicated, either.

Reason No. 1: Trubisky

Without making too much out of one individual player, the chief reason arguably lies in the person of Mitchell Trubisky, a quarterback who already has palpably changed the psyche of a previously languishing team.

“The team didn’t make nearly as many mental errors this week because of his patience,” said wide receiver Kendall Wright, who supported Trubisky with a leaping catch of 18 yards to set up the game-winning field goal.

Unlike Mike Glennon, Matt Barkley, Brian Hoyer and 2016 Jay Cutler, each of whom won one game and one game only over the past 22, Trubisky delivered the ball security of Hoyer with added impact that none of his predecessors did manage, or arguably even could have managed.

Put simply, the Bears do in fact have a quarterback who even at this point appears able not only to make plays as drawn up, but also to create something out of nothing or at least avert catastrophe.

“Mitch made some great plays,” Fox said. “I mean, if you look at the snap over his head in the end zone, there’s probably only five or six or seven quarterbacks in this league that could get out of that. I go back to the touchdown pass to Dion [Sims, tight end]. He flushed [from the pocket], we adjusted and he dropped a dime in the end zone for a touchdown. And the play obviously at the end where more than likely if we don’t get that, we’re probably punting, the play he made to Kendall. I think Mitch played outstanding… .

“Those are really good decisions. It beats six interceptions, for sure. There’s a 3rd-and-3 play in the red area, low red, sprint out to our left. It wasn’t all perfect but he did the next best thing and that’s throw it away. So those are really, really good decisions that I think sometimes the casual or un-casual fan does not see.”

The noteworthy element in Trubisky’s game was the impact achieved by a Bears quarterback who completed all of eight passes. The reality is that Trubisky doesn’t need to attempt more than 20 passes a game (including the four sacks his protection allowed, which absolutely needs to be fixed).

For perspective purposes: Ben Roethlisberger in his first two seasons averaged 17.4 and 15.9 passes per game. The Pittsburgh Steelers reached the AFC Championship game and won the Super Bowl in those two seasons, running an offense that was just short of 60 percent runs.

Reason No. 2: Mistake reduction

A mistaken notion as to how improvement happens is the belief that it comes from just getting better and better, skill sets rising to the loftiest heights.

Not necessarily. Anyone who has had the good fortune of working their golf handicap down knows that the stroke reductions come less from suddenly adding 30 yards to drives or developing a draw on a 200-yard three-iron, than from eliminating the fluffed pitch shots, the approach shots pushed into traps, the drives into the woods. Cut down the mistakes and good things happen.

So it is with the Bears, who effectively lost the Minnesota game by allowing a 58-yard TD run by Jerick McKinnon, and sealed it with a poor Trubisky pass on a possession with a chance to tie or win. They lost the Atlanta game simply by dropping passes. They aren’t as good as the Green Bay Packers – at least not until Trubisky reaches full extension and proves to be a challenge to Aaron Rodgers.

But only in the Atlanta near-miss did they self-destruct with fewer penalties (four) than they did at Baltimore (five). Sunday was the first time since Atlanta that they threw zero interceptions. And the defense limited the Ravens to three third-down conversions out of 18, one indicator of fewer breakdowns on the most important down.

“As long as we eliminate those mistakes that we’ve been making,” Fox said, “we’re gonna be right there going into the end of the game.”

The Bears have had positive spikes in the past and then collapsed; even after winning three of four in late 2015, the inept home losses to San Francisco and Washington were arguably a tipping point in the Fox era.

The point next Sunday against Carolina is to determine if the Bears are through with their one-and-done ways.

How ‘spatula hands’ Adrian Amos is a perfect representation of the Bears’ defense.  

By JJ Stankevitz

(Photo/USA TODAY)

Adrian Amos grew up a Ravens fan, and would go play football with his dad on a field in the shadow of M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. So what was the best game of his career on Sunday — eight tackles and a 90-yard pick six — carried more meaning for the Bears’ safety. 

“This was a dream come true coming back to play in this stadium,” Amos said. "That's a blessing in itself. Not a lot of people from Baltimore get the chance to do that, to be in this stadium.”

Amos played nearly 2,000 career snaps before recording his first NFL interception on Sunday, when he was in the right place to snag a ball Kyle Fuller — another Baltimore native who was outstanding against the Ravens — tipped pass. Amos always was regarded as a sure tackler who could be counted on to stick to his assignments, but for whatever reason he never was able to get himself an interception. 

“Sometimes, I call him ‘spatula hands’ because he doesn’t catch a lot of balls,” defensive end Akiem Hicks said. 

“Akiem’s always got the jokes,” Amos said. Hicks never actually called Amos “spatula hands” to his face, and after dropping that line to the media, he told Amos what he said (“He’s got jokes for everybody,” Amos added). 

Homecomings and jokes aside, Amos is playing his best football right now, and that’s been huge for a Bears defense that’s needed to replace plenty of key players before the halfway point of the season. Amos, who lost his job when the Bears added Quintin Demps and Eddie Jackson in the offseason, is starting in place of Demps, who broke his arm Week 3 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

“At that time, there was a guy playing better than him,” coach John Fox said of Amos losing his starting job in training camp. “And, at this time, he’s playing the best in the group. And that’s why he’s playing out there.”

Amos played a grand total of one defensive snap in Weeks 1 and 2, but has played every single defensive snap — as well as 26 special teams snaps — in the last two weeks. He had eight tackles against both Minnesota and Baltimore, and against the Ravens, he notched a tackle for a loss and two pass break-ups. 

This Bears defense showed in the first five weeks of the season to be a “fine” group, one that wouldn’t make many mistakes, but also wouldn’t make a lot of plays. That changed on Sunday, with Bryce Callahan picking off a pass, Christian Jones forcing a fumble and Amos notching an interception. 

Like the Bears defense this year, Amos was a solid player who hadn’t made a lot of big plays in his career. And like the Bears’ defense on Sunday, Amos finally made a critical play when it counted. 

“It’s just a mindset thing,” Amos said. “Just staying focused. Stay confident in my ability. Just keep working, being aggressive, just put my head down and work, that’s all I know.”

In Retrospect: 3 things that stood out in Week 6 win.

By Larry Mayer

(Photo/chicagobears.com)

The Bears improved to 2-4 with a stirring 27-24 overtime win over the Ravens Sunday in Baltimore. Here are three things that stood out in Week 6 victory:

(1) After nearly snatching defeat from the jaws of victory late in the game, the Bears displayed tremendous resiliency in rallying for the win.

Losing a game they seemingly had already won Sunday in Baltimore would have been catastrophic for a young Bears team that desperately needs to build confidence. But after blowing a late 24-13 lead, they regrouped to produce a handful of key plays that ultimately resulted in a pulsating overtime victory.

"Everyone stayed positive; it was great," said receiver Kendall Wright, who delivered one of those key plays with an 18-yard reception on third-and-11 in overtime that set up Connor Barth's game-winning 40-yard field goal. "If at any point anyone gave up on our team, we would have lost that game. Everyone kept working and playing hard, and we got it done."

Safety Adrian Amos appeared to clinch the win he returned his first career interception 90 yards for a touchdown to give the Bears a 24-13 lead with 5:08 left in the fourth quarter. But the Ravens climbed to within 24-16 on Justin Tucker's 50-yard field goal with 2:56 remaining and then tied it 24-24 on Michael Campanaro's 77-yard punt return touchdown coupled with Joe Flacco's two-point conversion pass to Nick Boyle with 1:37 to play.

The rally ignited a Ravens crowd that had spent most of the game booing the Baltimore offense. But after the Bears went three-and-out on their first possession of overtime, the defense held and Jordan Howard raced around left end for 53 yards, flipping the field and setting up Barth's winning kick. "It took a lot because they had a lot of momentum going," Howard said. "It was very loud. You could barely hear at the end. We started out overtime with a [holding penalty] and we end up punting. The defense did a great job, and we were able to finish the game off."

(2) Asked to carry a heavy load to fuel a run-oriented game plan, Howard willed the Bears to Sunday's win by establishing career highs with 36 rushes and 167 yards.

The second-year pro from Indiana delivered a dazzling performance against a rugged defense, helping the Bears produce 231 yards, the most ever by a Ravens opponent. "We're really lucky to have Jordan Howard," said guard Kyle Long. "He's a tremendous worker and runner. We know if we're able to cover up the other guys there on defense, he can make some stuff happen. He's a tough runner and a real leader in this locker room."

Howard ran with determination and desire Sunday in Baltimore. His 36 carries and 167 yards were the most by a Bears running back since James Allen had 37 carries in a win over the Patriots on Dec. 10, 2000 and Matt Forte ran for 205 yards in a victory over the Panthers on Oct. 2, 2011. "I was very tired," Howard said after the game. "The overtime took a lot out of me. I feel like I'm in better shape—a lot better shape—than I was last year. So I was able to keep carrying the ball when they needed me to."

Howard's season-long 53-yard run in overtime came after he made a rare mistake late in regulation. With the score tied 24-24, he took a handoff on third-and-20 and inexplicably ran out of bounds after picking up eight yards, stopping the clock with :23 remaining. The Ravens were out of timeouts, so the Bears could have burned the rest of the time off the clock and headed into overtime. Instead, they were forced to punt to Campanaro, who had just returned a punt 77 yards for a touchdown. Fortunately, he was tackled after a 16-yard return.

Asked about Howard's 53-yard run, fellow running back Tarik Cohen said: "We knew he was ready to make a big play because he really felt like he let the team down when he went out of bounds in the fourth quarter. He really beat himself up about that and I just knew by the look in his eyes that he was ready to make a play."

(3) Generating three takeaways on defense and winning the turnover battle for the first time this season played a major role in Sunday's victory.

An opportunistic Bears defense more than doubled its takeaway output for the season, producing three against the Ravens after registering just two in the first five games.

In the second quarter, Christian Jones ripped the ball away from Ravens tight end Maxx Williams after a short completion and Danny Trevathan recovered at the Bears' 20. On the Ravens' next possession, Bryce Callahan intercepted a deflected Joe Flacco pass and returned it 52 yards to the Baltimore 20, setting up Cohen's 21-yard touchdown pass to Zach Miller on a halfback option play that gave the Bears a 10-0 lead.

Amos later picked off a Flacco pass that was deflected by Kyle Fuller, and weaved 90 yards for a touchdown. "It was the type of play that we need," Fuller said. "The guys were working together, and we were able to capitalize. It was definitely big. I knew it was a big play. When I saw him running down the field, I thought, ‘This is getting even better.'"

Amos grew up in Baltimore, played in M&T Bank Stadium once a year in high school and had more than 40 relatives and friends at Sunday's game. "I made a play on the ball," Amos said. "I tipped it up and just caught it, then tried not to get tackled. I'm just happy I made a play to help the team win. For it to come here at home in Baltimore, it was a great feeling. My granny was up in the stands with the rest of my family, so it was a great moment."

How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Chicago Blackhawks vs. St. Louis Blues, 10-18-2017 - Expert Prediction

By Valdis Pans

(Photo/statsalt.com)

Chicago Blackhawks (4-1-1-0) vs. St. Louis Blues (4-2-0-0)

When: 8:00 PM ET, Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Where: Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri

Lines: Chicago +109 / St. Louis -120

Total: 5.5

After finishing a four-game road trip with a 2-2-0 total, the St. Louis Blues (3rd in Central Division) return home to host the Chicago Blackhawks (1st in Central), who are coming off a home overtime win against Nashville…

Blackhawks Overcome Nashville

The Chicago Blackhawks (4-1-1) grabbed their fourth victory of the new season, beating the Nashville Predators 2-1 in overtime at United Center on Saturday. Brandon Saad (8 points so far this year) netted his fourth game-winner of the season with 1:55 minutes remaining in the extra session, collecting his team-leading sixth snipe of the current campaign. Patrick Sharp (2 goals, 4 points) scored the 1-1 equalizer in the third period after the visitors opened the scoring with a power play goal at the end of the second frame. Sharp’s marker ended a streak of 175:56 minutes, during which the Blackhawks had failed to net against the Predators in Chicago, stretching back to last year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Goalie Corey Crawford made a total of 37 saves, including 18 in a busy first period, taking his season total to 4-1-0 with a 1.39 GAA and a .960 save percentage. He has gone 15-6-5 in past encounters versus St. Louis with a 2.28 GAA and a .917 save percentage. Nick Schmaltz (2 goals, 3 points), who is set to return to action after missing four games with an upper-body injury, has registered an assist against the Blues in three career meetings. The Blackhawks are currently netting the 4th highest amount of goals per game (4.17), allowing the 3rd lowest quantity on the defensive end (2.17). They are 21st in power play with a 14.8% success rate (4-for-27) and 11th in penalty kill with 83.3% expertise (20-for-24).

Blues Lose Two In A Row

A four-date road trip finished with the second consecutive defeat for the St. Louis Blues (4-2-0), who were beaten 2-1 by the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena on Saturday. Vladimir Tarasenko (4 goals, 6 points so far this season) scored the only marker for the visitors with 3:23 minutes remaining in the final third to cut Tampa Bay’s 2-0 lead in half. The Blues, though, could not take advantage of a last-minute 6-on-4 power play opportunity with just 49.6 seconds left on the buzzer, going 0-for-3 on the man-advantage throughout the whole contest. Colton Parayko (1 goal, 1 point), who registered a team-high five shots on goals and five blocked shots, came close with 17 seconds remaining, only to see his wrist shot saved by Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy.

Goalie Jake Allen made 25 saves and has now gone 3-2-0 for the current season with a 2.96 GAA and a .917 save percentage. He is 6-4-1 against the Chicago Blackhawks in previous encounters with a 2.31 GAA and a .924 save percentage. The Blues, meanwhile, are netting the 14th lowest amount of goals per fixture (2.83), giving up the 10th lowest quantity on the defensive end (2.67 per game). They are 14th in power play with a 20.8% conversion rate (5-for-24) and rank 17th in penalty kill with 80.8% efficiency (21-for-26).

Trends

Chicago

• Blackhawks are 4-1 in their last 5 Wednesday games.

• Blackhawks are 22-9 in their last 31 games following a win.

St. Louis

• Blues are 1-3 in their last 4 overall meetings with Blackhawks.

With Patrik Berglund, Jay Bouwmeester, Robby Fabbri and Alexander Steen all injured and Jaden Schwartz missing Monday’s practice due to food poisoning, it is not looking too good for the St. Louis Blues, who still haven’t produced a single goal from anyone outside their top two lines. Schwartz and Steen could return to face the Blackhawks, but this could still be a good chance for the visitors to exploit the lack of depth of the St. Louis lineup. Chicago notched two wins at the Blues last year, going 3-2-0 against them during their season series, and this could realistically turn out to be another disappointment for the hosts…

Pick: Chicago Blackhawks 

No one is more excited for Nick Schmaltz to return than Patrick Kane.

By Tracey Myers

(Photo/USA TODAY)

The Blackhawks' lines rolled out on Monday morning, with Nick Schmaltz taking his normal spot at second-line center. After missing the last five-plus games this is as positive a sign as the Blackhawks have had that Schmaltz is close to returning.

There will be a few people happy about that, including Patrick Kane.

“With us, we were playing together for about a month there, so you really get used to playing with certain guys and certain line mates,” Kane said. “While he was gone I wasn't very good, so it'll be nice to have him back.”

Let’s just take a quick look at the numbers: In the brief time Kane and Schmaltz played together in the regular season (season opener and the first few minutes vs. Columbus), Kane had two goals and four assists. In the four-plus games since Schmaltz’s injury, Kane has two assists.

Yes, Kane and Schmaltz together worked pretty well. Sure, it’s a small sample size in terms of regular-season games, but they’ve been working together since late summer. Even when they didn’t score they were a threat to do so. The Blackhawks became a one-line team in his absence, so his return should bring balance again.

“One game sampling, and then the whole training camp, obviously he really got us excited with his speed, his presence off the rush, play recognition and his, I guess, synergy with Kaner seemed to be the one thing that was outstanding in the one game. Really noticed [that] right off the bat,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “[Ryan Hartman] did a good job on that line, as well, so you got a little bit of everybody doing a little bit of different things. But his speed is the one thing that you really notice with the last couple of days returning to practice.”

Reuniting with Artem Anisimov didn’t work. Tanner Kero centering that line was fine. Schmaltz and Kane clicked well before the regular season even began and with Schmaltz regaining his health, Kane should regain his production.

“Like I said, you get so used to playing with someone for a month, I don't think that's a knock on anyone else or any of our other center men. Even in those four games I wasn't very good either,” Kane said. “With that being said, he just brings the speed up the middle. And I think the biggest thing with that (is) that a defenseman has to make a decision. If he wants to drop back, he's going to take him away and I get some more time and space. If he wants to come at me, then I can make that play to the middle and maybe have an odd-man rush. That's his biggest asset obviously.”

Lance Bouma's second chance has meant steady work with Blackhawks.

By Tracey Myers

(Photo/USA TODAY)

Lance Bouma took his place at fourth-line left wing as the Blackhawks rolled their forward rushes on Tuesday morning. As the Blackhawks have tinkered with their trios, Bouma, whose final two seasons with the Calgary Flames were filled with uncertainty, has found a consistent role in this lineup.

“Obviously I was brought here for a reason,” Bouma said. “Things didn’t go the way I wanted them to in Calgary. To come here to Chicago and have that role, it’s been a lot of fun so far.”

The Blackhawks knew what they wanted from Bouma and his fellow fourth liners: some physical play, some energy and if there are any scoring opportunities, bonus. It’s a second chance for Bouma, whose contract was terminated by the Flames on June 30.

“I think it’s definitely a motivator knowing that you get in that situation where all of a sudden, ‘OK, I have to almost start over again and I have to prove to a new team that I belong in this league and I can play,’” coach Joel Quenneville said on Tuesday. “There are always circumstances where teams make decisions like that. We’ve been a part of it. And moving forward as a player, you’ve gotta look at it as a fresh opportunity. It’s an opportunity to get back to playing your game.”

After recording 16 goals and 18 assists in the 2014-15 season, Bouma signed a three-year, $6.6 million deal with the Flames. The next two seasons didn’t go as planned as Bouma dealt with injuries, inconsistent play and healthy scratches. So getting that call from the Blackhawks was a huge lift.

“I was just looking forward to a fresh start and something new,” he said. “I just was ready to come into camp and have a great season and it’s been great so far.”

NHL facts and figures: Saad coming up clutch for Blackhawks.

By John Kreiser

(Photo/chicagoblackhawks.com)

We're less than two full weeks into the NHL season, but numbers and trends are already emerging.

Here's a look at some of them:

Win-win

The Chicago Blackhawks and Columbus Blue Jackets each have to be pleased about the offseason trade that sent forward Brandon Saad back to the Blackhawks for forward Artemi Panarin.

Saad leads the Blackhawks and is tied for second in the NHL with six goals, but he's No. 1 in game-winners with four - one in each of Chicago's wins this season. Rickard Rakell of the Anaheim Ducks led the League in game-winners last season with 10.

Panarin is also off to a good start with seven points (one goal, six assists) for Columbus, which is 4-1-0 after five games and has won three in a row.

Ovechkin's start

Alex Ovechkin didn't score Saturday in the Washington Capitals' 8-2 loss at the Philadelphia Flyers, but he's still off to the best start of his career. With nine goals in six games, Ovechkin looks like a lock to surpass the 33 he scored in 2016-17 and is well ahead of his pace in 2007-08, when he scored a career high 65 goals - but had four in his first six games. 

Not to say that Ovechkin could make a run at Wayne Gretzky's single-season record of 92 goals, set in 1981-82, but Gretzky had four goals after six games and didn't score his ninth goal that season until his 12th game.

Ovechkin has 10 points (nine goals, one assist) and is third in the scoring race, one point behind teammates Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov. All 11 of Kuznetsov's points are assists, seven on goals by Ovechkin.

Passing fancy

Kuznetsov isn't the only player getting his points by helping teammates score. Of the 18 players who had eight or more points entering Sunday, five have yet to score a goal. In addition to Kuznetsov, Philadelphia Flyers forward Jakub Voracek (nine assists) and defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere (eight assists), and defensemen Mike Green of the Detroit Red Wings and Will Butcher of the New Jersey Devils (eight assists) haven't scored.

Vegas, baby

The Vegas Golden Knights made plenty of history in their first 10 days in the NHL.

The Golden Knights set an NHL record by becoming the first expansion team to win each of its first three games. They also won the first and second games in their history on the road, something else that had never been done. 

One reason for the Golden Knights' success has been the scoring of forward James Neal, who has six goals and has scored in each of Vegas' four games, including the winning goal in each of the three victories. Neal, a nine-time 20-goal scorer, has scored his six goals on 14 shots, a shooting percentage of 42.9 that's the best in the NHL among players who've taken at least 10 shots on goal. Neal entered the season with a career shooting percentage of 12.0.

Firing blanks

The Montreal Canadiens are off to a slow start, going 1-3-1 in their first five games. No Montreal player has had it tougher than rookie forward Charlie Hudon, who leads the Canadiens with 20 shots on goal but has yet to score. That's the most shots by any player who hasn't scored a goal. 

Two players with much better-known credentials are tied for second on that list. Brent Burns of the San Jose Sharks, last season's Norris Trophy winner as the NHL's best defenseman, is 0-for-18. So is Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith, who has won the Norris twice and been part of three Stanley Cup winners.

Something special

One reason the Ottawa Senators (3-0-2) are one of two teams without a regulation loss (the Los Angeles Kings are 3-0-1) is their success killing penalties. Ottawa is the only team that hasn't allowed a power-play goal; the Senators are 15-for-15 on the penalty kill. The Kings are next at 94.4 percent (1-for-18).

The New York Islanders and Anaheim Ducks each were 2-2-1 after their first five games, but have stayed afloat despite a complete lack of power-play production. The Ducks are 0-for-17 with the extra man; the Islanders are 0-for-18 and have allowed two shorthanded goals. Not surprisingly, when the teams played on Wednesday, they combined to go 0-for-9.

There were no 3-on-5 goals scored in the NHL last season, but we've already had one in 2017-18. Brian Gibbons scored while the New Jersey Devils were two men down to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 6-3 victory on Wednesday. It was the first 3-on-5 goal in the NHL since Dustin Byfuglien of the Winnipeg Jets scored one against the Arizona Coyotes on Jan. 26, 2016.

Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... Bobby Portis punches Nikola Mirotic, breaking bones in Mirotic's face. 

By Vincent Goodwill

(Photo/nbcsportschicago.com)

Bobby Portis and Nikola Mirotic were involved in an altercation that resulted in Mirotic suffering two broken bones in his face after Portis punched him, according to sources.

Mirotic, who’s out indefinitely, was evaluated for a concussion and taken to a hospital, where he was released but was apparently a bit out of it, according to a source. The altercation began with pushing and shoving between the two before Mirotic lunged forward at Portis and Portis hit Mirotic, sending him to the floor.

“I’ve seen worse,” a witness said.

Mirotic was taken to the training room and Portis went to the other side of the floor.

Apparently the two have had testy moments since Portis entered the league in 2015. The two play the same position and have battled for minutes, with Portis often getting the short end in the rotation.

Where this leaves Portis with the Bulls for the immediate future as far as a suspension is unknown.

But what was supposed to be a so-called nondescript season has suddenly put the spotlight on the players and the coaching staff, who’ll have to navigate the relationship between the two teammates.

Chicago Sports & Travel Inc./AllsportsAmerica Take: Just more proof that this team is seriously dysfunctional. A fish rots from the head down and this team's situation is no different. It's difficult to watch a legendary, storied NBA franchise fall into such dismay. Hopefully ownership will wake up and smell the coffee, come out from under the ether and realize that we aren't going anywhere. Can you imagine what the team chemistry is going to be like for the rest of the season? Oh well, time will tell; let's just hope that we aren't the laughing stock of the NBA this year. I wonder what GarPax think and feel about the situation the Bulls find themselves in now? Well, let the season begin and let's just hope and pray for the best. Good Luck Bulls.

Sam Smith's 2017-18 NBA Awards Predictions.

By Sam Smith

(Photo/chicagobulls.com)

The 2017-18 NBA season begins Tuesday with yet another wonderful opening night schedule. It’s a long season, to be sure, and longer now with the early mid-October start to allow players lengthier midseason rest periods for commercial shoots and various “branding” opportunities. Baseball and football still can’t figure out this kind of prime viewer premiers. The NHL? Hey, did you know they had a hockey team in Columbus, Ohio? Anyway, it’s just a great opening night for a season that really begins to matter in six months. Curtain, please, orchestra. Trumpets, trombone, drums. Hit it!

First, the Boston Celtics with Kyrie Irving start in Cleveland, about which Kyrie already has said some unpleasant things. Not that Kyrie is inaccurate or hinted whether he’d consulted with Joakim Noah. But people take these things personally. Irving was a big, big part of that rare Cleveland title a few years back. Will he be welcomed? It’s LeBron with old buddy Dwyane Wade and the guy who denied LeBron five straight MVP awards, Derrick Rose, against the team that may/could/should dethrone?

And then onto the nightcap with the Golden State Warriors, basically expected to go 83-0 as they may be awarded an extra win because of the presumed dominance. And if they think they can shoot a lot of threes, it’s you ain’t seen nothing yet with the Houston Rockets. Who now have perennial All-Star, playoff victim and State Farm thespian Chris Paul to join James Harden. Yes, I’ll see you a 30 footer and raise you a 35 footer. Jump ball!

It’s a night of stars Tuesday, and that’s what the NBA is about. Let the stars some out and light up the night.

So who are the best and the brightest lights of the NBA?

Who’s going to be the most acclaimed individuals?

David Halberstam in his acclaimed The Best and the Brightest book on Vietnam employed the title ironically, those best and brightest routinely erring despite their superb credentials. It occurs everywhere, the consequence of expectations. When they are exceeded, the awards generally follow. When they aren’t met, condemnation can follow. They are both among the great American pastimes.

For a refresher, last season’s NBA Most Valuable Player was a bit of a surprise with Russell Westbrook coming fast and achieving that historic regular season triple double after the departure of Kevin Durant from the Oklahoma City Thunder. The MVP winner usually is a rough compendium of the best player on the best team or close. Westbrook was somewhat of an NBA exception as the Thunder finished sixth. But his individual achievement was extraordinary enough to transcend the usual informal guidelines. James Harden was runnerup for the second time in three years.

Milwaukee second rounder Malcolm Brogdon was a surprise Rookie of the Year ahead of the 76ers’ Dario Saric and Joel Embiid, the latter the big favorite until missing more than half the season. How you can still be top three playing so little suggests the unpredictability and personal bias of the awards.

Draymond Green was Defensive Player of the Year ahead of Rudy Gobert and Kawhi Leonard. Eric Gordon was Sixth Man ahead of Andre Iguodala and Lou Williams. Giannis Antetokounmpo was Most Improved winner over Nikola Jokic and Gobert. The Most Improved seems to have to fewest guidelines. Antetokounmpo had emerged the previous season, averaging 17 points then. But going to All-Star status was understandable. The debate often is over should it be someone unexpected like a low first or second round pick. After all, a high pick who didn’t play much is expected to improve.

Coach of the Year was Mike D’Antoni over Gregg Popovich and Erik Spoelstra. The joke among coaches always had been to avoid the award since many winners were then soon fired. The reason was since coaching is so difficult for voting media to figure out, they vote for the coach whose team they underestimated. But then when the team falters because it really was better than imagined, the coach suffers. Popovich is a good choice any year, if only for the interviews.

So as we prepare for the 2017-18 season, here’s a guess about who may be the best. It’s difficult to add that it comes from the brightest.

Most Valuable Player: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers

James hasn’t won one since 2013. Everyone routinely says he’s the best player (on the planet, of course, as we Americans of exceptional personal bias insist). And then they find someone else to select, like the last four years Westbrook, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry twice. Then everyone 10 years from now will look back, like they did with Michael Jordan, and wonder how James didn’t win every season. Though there is that understandable tendency to spread around kudos. There are many bests. James is going to have to do a lot this season even though the Cavs seem deeper with Derrick Rose and Dwyane Wade. There’s the loss of Kyrie Irving, who ran things when James rested, and Wade and Rose are not those guys anymore, especially Wade. Plus, those two change the Cavs’ dynamic with limited long distance shooting. The Cavs look like the best in the East even with excitement about Boston’s acquisitions of Irving and Gordon Hayward. It still will be up to James. Probably Durant as runner up since he’s become the most important figure with the 2018 champion Warriors. Maybe Leonard again to follow.

Coach of the Year: Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors

Like with Phil Jackson and Pat Riley, their teams tend to be so good they got overlooked often for coaching excellence awards since voters prefer the team they missed understanding. Yeah, must have been coaching. Understandably, Kerr has been on and off the sidelines with medical issues. But his is the hand that guides this great team. It’s subtly misunderstood how much Kerr took from a combination of playing for Jackson and Popovich and their ways with players and making every season an adventure and then expanded on that with his own unique ideas, welcoming personality and belief in defense. There’s a real gift to carrying a great team through multiple seasons and Kerr is joining the group of best ever at that. It’s always safe to include Popovich. Boston’s Brad Stevens will get support with so many new players, though they are better than the ones he had. I’ve liked Washington’s Scott Brooks and that team could surprise given John Wall’s consistency. And, of course, Tom Thibodeau with the Timberwolves and his equally large new batch of players that include Jimmy Butler, Taj Gibson and Jamal Crawford. One outsider who could make a run is Charlotte’s Steve Clifford, whose team underachieved last season, and then reaching its level makes it, again, look like coaching. Losing Nicholas Batum early to injury will hurt. Hey, if he can coach Dwight Howard.

Most Improved Player: Justin Holiday, Chicago Bulls

Hey, let them win something. He is the kind of guy I most like for this award, someone undrafted who worked his way up through playing overseas, the G-league, off the benches without guaranteed deals to take advantage of a situation, which could be with the Bulls. He’s never averaged more than 7.7 points for a season. With Zach LaVine recovering from ACL surgery, Holiday could be in position to be a main offensive threat for a developing Bulls team that could surprise, at least with their open style of play. This one, of course, is a lottery like, big time guessing game in who can get noticeably better. Among those I like include Jamal Murray of the Nuggets, though he was a high draft pick, Aaron Gordon of the Magic, Marcus Smart with the changes in Boston, Norman Powell in Toronto, the Spurs Dejounte Murray and the Knicks Willy Hernangomez.

Defensive Player of the Year: Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors

This pretty much goes to Green or Kawhi Leonard in this era with Rudy Gobert raising his hand and yelling, “Me, me!” Patrick Beverley will get some notice and some for Anthony Davis. Tony Allen used to and you can make a case for Avery Bradley. Maybe now Marcus Smart with Bradley and Jae Crowder gone from Boston. Jimmy Butler is going to be asked to defend a lot, and his willingness to do so and give up more offensive responsibility may be the most important element of a Minnesota revival. Leonard and Green are the best in pure defensive terms, Leonard being able to do so on the perimeter and Green more inside despite the height differential. Green is more like Dennis Rodman in his ability to get under and take leverage from big men and get an important rebound. Leonard is more the classic Jordan/Pippen perimeter defender to get on your hot guy and basically get him to give up the ball. I’d say Green this season for his second straight after two in a row for Leonard and then back to Leonard next season. Unless one of these athletic young guys like the Bulls’ Kris Dunn or Boston’s Jaylen Brown emerges. They’ll have the ability if not the credentials. It probably will be quicker for the guys on the better teams as they get noticed in the playoffs.

Sixth Man of the Year: Lou Williams, Los Angeles Clippers

Part of the difficulty at this time is figuring out who is sixth man. Maybe Dwyane Wade in a few months, but J.R. Smith for now. Jamal Crawford is a regular, but with all those guys now in Minnesota is he still sixth? Of course, it was difficult to tell in Houston and Eric Gordon won the vote. Andre Iguodala always gets close and overlooked; he was worthy and skipped over, but now it’s probably too late. Perhaps Rudy Gay. But he’ll probably start. Manu? Also too late. Again, Norman Powell is hot with Toronto, but maybe he will start. Patrick Patterson was brought in for that role in Oklahoma City, but he comes into the season after surgery. Eric Gordon again? Ryan Anderson? Houston’s dynamic could change. Though it’s unfair with all the bad threes they can shoot. Plenty of candidates: Jordan Clarkson, various Zellers, various Johnsons in Miami, Terence Ross, Greg Monroe. With Chris Paul gone from the Clippers, the ball finally will be flying around and Lou, who won with the Raptors, should get more than his share.

Rookie of the Year: Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz

He’d be less of a surprise than Brogdon was this season. I liked him in the draft and there could be opportunity with the Jazz having lost much of their scoring with Gordon Hayward and George Hill. Everyone seems to want someone from the 76ers with Ben Simmons returning. But he and Markelle Fultz may divide votes, and Simmons probably won’t score as much. As long as Joel Embiid is around, he’ll also get the most notice. Dallas’ Dennis Smith Jr. is going to get a lot of opportunity and I can see him as favorite. It’s a potentially terrific rookie class with any among Josh Jackson, Jayson Tatum, De’Aaron Fox and even Lauri Markkanen capable of emerging. I’m also intrigued with Portland’s Zach Collins. Oh, yes, MVP candidate and Hall of Famer Lonzo Ball. He’s the other most popular favorite, though so far teammate Kyle Kuzma has been the Lakers’ best rookie. Though Ball has been hurt. Ball isn’t that likely a scorer, at least yet.

CUBS: Record-setting futility and the 5 biggest things from Cubs-Dodgers Game 3. 

By Tony Andracki

(Photo/USA TODAY)

The Los Angeles Dodgers are looking more and more like the 2016 Cubs.

But even the team that will live forever in baseball history didn't go up 3-0 on any opponent last fall.

The Dodgers continued to outplay the Cubs in every single facet of the game Tuesday night, stunning the Wrigley Field faithful and defending champs with a 6-1 victory.

In other words:

Deja vu?

At this point, it would be impossible to ignore the parallels to 2015.

The Cubs are now one game away from getting swept out of the NLCS at Wrigley Field. Just like when they ran into the New York Mets' power pitching two years ago.

The Dodgers have run out Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill and Yu Darvish to mystify the Cubs while Alex Wood — who led baseball in winning percentage with a 16-3 record in the regular season — awaits for Game 4 Wednesday.

The Cubs offense has disappeared and they're getting upstaged by a team that led MLB with 104 wins.

What is it with these Taylors?

Dude, guys named Taylor absolutely kill the Cubs now, apparently.

After Michael A. Taylor nearly singlehandedly willed the Nationals past the Cubs in the NLDS, Chris Taylor is doing much the same thing with these Dodgers.

Chris Taylor wasn't a part of this series last fall and is making up for lost time this week. He has a run in every game of the series to go along with five hits, including a solo homer in Game 1 and a homer and an RBI triple in Game 3 Tuesday night.

Taylor came out of nowhere this year, bursting onto the scene with an .850 OPS, 21 homers, 17 stolen bases and 85 runs and he's been a difference-maker in this series.

All the right moves

Dave Roberts has pushed all the right buttons so far in this series.

After utilizing his bullpen in a perfect fashion the first two games in LA, Roberts then inserted veteran Andre Ethier and young centerfielder Joc Pederson into the lineup against right-handed Kyle Hendricks.

Ethier homered on the first pitch he saw Tuesday night, silencing the 41,871 fans at Wrigley Field after they just watched Kyle Schwarber stake their team to a 1-0 lead just a few minutes before.

Pederson led the fifth inning off with a double and came around to score the Dodgers' third run on Taylor's triple. Pederson's presence also pushed Taylor to shortstop, and we already know how that one worked out for Roberts and Co.

Roberts even, inexplicably, pulled back pinch-hitter Curtis Granderson and let Yu Darvish hit with the bases loaded and two outs in a tight ballgame in the top of the sixth and then watched as the pitcher with four career hits and one career walk stared at four straight balls from Carl Edwards Jr. to force in a run.

It's been quite a long time since something like that happened:

Walking the walk

To piggy-back off that Darvish base on balls, Cubs relievers have set a new record for postseason futility:

The number 23 holds a special place in the hearts of Chicagoans, but that is not the number they want to see here.

The Cubs bullpen that was among the game's best in the first half has flipped the script the last few months, unable to find any stability.

Remember, the Cubs were already looking pretty solid before they went out and added Justin Wilson at the trade deadline. To that point, Wilson had been one of the top relievers in baseball and there was a lot of talk about how great he'd look in the team's October 'pen.

Wilson isn't even active for this NLCS, though it's not like it mattered much.

(Not) talking the talk

The Cubs absolutely needed Bryzzo to step up if they were going to get back to the World Series for the second straight year.

But Bryant had just two harmless singles in Game 3 while Rizzo added a single in four trips to the plate. That hit broke an 0-for-16 stretch from Rizzo since he had that epic "Respect Me!" rant in Game 3 of the NLDS. 

But, it's not like anybody else is hitting much either.

Kyle Schwarber's home run in the first inning was the Cubs' only offense and they are now 0-4 this postseason when hitting a homer in a game. That's also the third straight game in which the Cubs jumped the Dodgers with an early homer and yet find themselves one game away from starting their winter earlier than desired.

Part of the Cubs' inability to add on is their complete befuddlement by the LA bullpen, setting a new record by going 0-for-26 against Dodger relievers to start the series:

All told, the Cubs are in a "sub-optimal" position right now, to borrow a phrase from Maddon.

But hey, there was always last year.

Is Joe Maddon covering for Wade Davis? Where do Cubs go from here?

By Patrick Mooney

(Photo/Getty Images)

Is Cubs manager Joe Maddon taking the heat and covering for Wade Davis while the All-Star closer deals with atypical soreness in his right arm?

“No, no,” Maddon said Tuesday when asked if Davis felt anything unusual that lingered into the National League Championship Series after last week’s all-out effort eliminated the Washington Nationals from the divisional round.

The Los Angeles Dodgers took a 2-0 lead in this best-of-seven bullpen battle without Davis throwing a single pitch, the backlash from Cubs fans, Twitter and the national media again putting Maddon on the defensive, the year after he got second-guessed for pushing Aroldis Chapman so hard during the World Series.

This NLCS truly is a bizarro world, with Maddon comparing the Buster Posey Rule to the Chicago soda tax, getting so little benefit of the doubt – the Cubs really did beat the Cleveland Indians in Game 7 – and working the baseball term “dry-hump” into one answer during Monday’s Wrigley Field press conference.

Maddon said he would have to check first with Davis – who would have almost five full days in between relief appearances – if the Cubs need a four- or five-out save in Game 3.

“Nevertheless, I always check,” Maddon said. “I can’t just assume that.”

Maddon’s Game 2 calculus on Sunday night at Dodger Stadium – sticking with lefty reliever Brian Duensing in a 1-1 game to start the ninth inning and then bringing in John Lackey to serve up the walk-off, three-run homer to Justin Turner – made you wonder if Davis was still dragging after ending Washington’s season and traveling on the overnight cross-country flight that got diverted to New Mexico for about five hours when Jose Quintana’s wife experienced a panic attack.

“I think he just got mentally exhausted,” Maddon said. “Physically, 44 pitches, he hasn’t done that in a while. But also the seven outs and what it meant and the plane ride itself, sitting on the tarmac, there was a lot of non-rest going on right there, so it was harder to recover.

“So, no, he was fine for the last game, but we set up the parameters before the game.”

Maddon is sticking with his story, that he would only deploy Davis in a save situation and not use him for one out against Turner (1.115 career postseason OPS) or have him totally warm up without the guarantee of getting him into the game.

“To put Wade in that position would be wrong on my part,” Maddon said. “We had already talked about the circumstances, so my loyalty there lies with Wade, or my decision-making lies with Wade, nobody else.

“That was a heavy day for him (in Washington). Going into the last game in L.A., like I talked about, we talked about one inning only, and not to get up and not put him in the game.

“If you get him up and sit him down, then you have no idea what it’s going to look like. My responsibility is to him, also, and to the players, so I told him that before the game, so I had to stick with our decision.”

Before finalizing the Jorge Soler trade at the winter meetings, the Kansas City Royals took the unusual step of allowing the Cubs to meet with Davis at his home in New York’s Hudson Valley and go through a physical exam. The Cubs wanted reassurances after Davis spent parts of last season on the disabled list with a forearm strain and a flexor strain.

The Cubs wondered if “dry-humping” had contributed to those injuries, and tried to stay conservative with Davis during his free-agent year, watching him convert his first 32 save chances and using him for three-plus outs only three times during the regular season, all in mid-to-late September.

“If you look at the numbers this year, I thought going into the playoffs his usage has been really good,” Maddon said. “Minimal, in a sense. We didn’t get him up hardly at all where we didn’t utilize him.

“He just wasn’t set up for it the other day. So honestly, I think he’s in really good shape right now, actually. I don’t think he could have gone those seven outs the other day if he had been overly dried up during the course of the season. He felt good. But that was above and beyond, and that wasn’t part of the game plan the other night.”

WHITE SOX: Adolfo 'grew up,' hit his stride in 2017.

By Scott Merkin

(Photo/MLB)

Standing in the hallway of the White Sox complex at Camelback Ranch and talking with a few reporters and a team media relations representative, Micker Adolfo points to one of the bold, almost majestic pictures hanging on the wall.

It's a moment captured during one of the two games played at U.S. Cellular Field from the 2005 World Series, won by the White Sox over the Astros in a four-game sweep.

"That's where I want to be," said Adolfo with a smile.

The No. 14-ranked White Sox prospect per MLBPipeline.com didn't specify whether he was referring to playing at Guaranteed Rate Field or taking part in a World Series. Adolfo very well might have meant both.

Steps were taken toward that goal during the 2017 season by the 21-year-old outfielder. Adolfo hit .264 with 16 homers, 28 doubles and 64 RBIs for Class A Kannapolis, marking career highs in all four categories, as well as the 112 games played and 424 at-bats.

His season came to an end on Aug. 22, upon suffering a fracture in the knuckle of his left pinky from what he described as a freak accident after bumping his hand. The cast has come off the injured area, and while he worked primarily on range-of-motion activities during instructional league action in Arizona, Adolfo should be hitting in two weeks.

Work continues for the sturdy outfielder during November instructional league action at the organization's Dominican academy. Adolfo will be playing there alongside Luis Robert, MLBPipeline.com's No. 22 prospect overall.

"I have a much better approach now than I did three years ago," Adolfo said. "That's a credit to a lot of the coaches here in the organization. Just keeping me centered and balanced. Teaching me the kind of hitter I am, watching the videos and stuff.

"Before I had that quick-hitch problem with my hip, and I sort of eliminated that, and that has really helped me to have progress this year. I didn't get so wrapped up in the results. I just followed the process.

"Health-wise, too," Adolfo said. "I was able to play every day for the most part."

As a "power type of guy," Adolfo understands strikeouts will come. He finished with 149 K's this season against 31 walks. But his next goal centers on pitch selection, limiting the swings and misses and getting on base more.

"He grew up a little bit," White Sox director of Minor League instruction Kirk Champion said. "Before, when he had a few holes in his swing, it might take him a week to get out of that and now sometimes it takes an at-bat. He's closed the gap on being able to understand himself. The nights I saw him play he was really the guy we had hoped he was gonna be."

One disappointment for Adolfo was missing the Kannapolis playoffs due to the pinky injury. But he knows he will be back there someday.

"It was so frustrating, but that's something that happens and you put it in the past," Adolfo said. "I know I will be on many more championship teams in the future."

Adolfo didn't specify Minor League or White Sox championships. He might mean both.

Golf: I got a club for that..... CJ Cup: Tee times, TV schedule, stats.

By Golf Channel Digital

The PGA Tour heads to Jeju Island, South Korea, this week for the inaugural edition of the CJ Cup at Nine Bridges. Here is the key information for the third event of the 2017-18 season.

Golf course: The Club at Nine Bridges opened in 2001 and was designed by Ronald Fream and David Dale. Dale and Steve Wenzloff redesigned the course in 2016. It will play as a par 72 at 7,196 yards.

Purse: The total purse is $9.25 million, with $1.6 million going to the winner.

TV schedule (all times Eastern): Golf Channel, Wednesday-Saturday, 10 p.m.-2 a.m.

Live streaming: golfchannel.com/pgastream. Wednesday-Saturday, 10 p.m.-2 a.m. 

Notable tee times (all times Eastern):  7:30 p.m. Wednesday, 8:30 p.m. Thursday: Justin Thomas, Pat Perez, Sangmoon Bae; 7:40 p.m. Wednesday, 8:40 p.m. Thursday: Jason Day, Adam Scott, Si Woo Kim; 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, 7:20 p.m. Thursday: Xander Schauffele, Marc Leishman, Daniel Berger; 8:40 p.m. Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. Thursday: Patrick Reed, K.J. Choi, Jhonattan Vegas

Notables in the field: Justin Thomas, Jason Day, Paul Casey, Adam Scott, Tony Finau, Patrick Reed and last week's winner Pat Perez 

Key stats:

• First official PGA Tour event in South Korea

• 78-player field; winner receives exemptions into Masters, Players and PGA Championship

• $9.25 million purse is second-largest this season outside of majors and World Golf
Championships

• Thomas has finished sixth or better in four of his last six PGA Tour starts

• Day has six straight top-25 finishes entering this week (three top-10s in that span)

• Scott: Zero wins, four top-10s worldwide in 2017 (World Rank: 25)

• Scott is currently ranked 25th in the world and has not been ranked outside the top 25 since spring of 2011

• Xander Schauffele has four top-5s in last 12 PGA Tour starts

Note: Stats and information provided by the Golf Channel editorial research unit

Punch Shot: Whens, wheres and whats for Tiger.

By Golf Channel Digital

(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)

Tiger Woods’ agent says the 14-time major winner is cleared to practice “with no restrictions.” GolfChannel.com senior writers Ryan Lavner and Rex Hoggard discuss what this news could mean for Tiger's future.

Lavner: Well, Rex, three weeks ago Tiger told us that he didn't know what the future held for him. Now we do: He has been cleared for full golf activity. What's your biggest takeaway from this week's news?

Hoggard: He's a quick healer. At least if I remember his tone at the Presidents Cup, which hovered between cautiously optimistic and wistful.

Lavner: This all seems a bit quick, though, no? He went from being able to only hit 60-yard wedge shots to pumping driver at Medalist, knowing full well that golf swing is going to get scrutinized by every armchair swing coach on the planet. That suggests he’s further along than he suggested.

Hoggard: That's probably a safe bet – an under-promise, over-deliver deal – but speaking with his manager last night he stressed that Tiger continues to take this most recent comeback slowly and will proceed with caution. All of which seems to mean we won't be seeing him teeing it up in December at his Hero World Challenge.

Lavner: Right, Steinberg's comment on Monday night: "[Tiger] has told me he’s going to take it very, very slowly.” This time, can we actually believe him? Tiger said the same thing at the start of the year, then clearly wasn't right at Torrey and hopped on a long flight to Dubai, where he promptly WD'd.

Hoggard: Yes? No? I don't know. One would think after going through this so many times he'd be inclined to err on the side of caution, but I've seen this show before and know how it turns out. It seems clear he should be ready to compete again by the beginning of next year, the key will be what his schedule looks like.

Lavner: And please, Tiger: Stop trying to return at Torrey! Yes, it's one of your old playgrounds, but it's always chilly in the morning and the South Course ranks annually as one of the most difficult on Tour. Perhaps I'm in the minority, thinking he doesn't need to play a full regular-season slate anymore in order to prepare for the majors, but Phoenix seems like a more safe starting point.

Hoggard: I don't think he ever played a "full" regular-season schedule, but I see where some would think less is more at this point. Phoenix is a solid option, as is the CareerBuilder Challenge. Nothing like Golf in a Dome to build confidence. It will be interesting to see if he ventures to the Middle East again. Nothing good will come from that.

Lavner: Except money, lots and lots of money.

Hoggard: No doubt, but I'm not sure there are enough zeros on those checks to justify jeopardizing another comeback. How many more of these does he have in the tank? Listening to him at the Presidents Cup, I would say not many.

Lavner: None of us are swing gurus, of course, but it was striking that Hank Haney, one of Woods' former coaches, replied to Tiger's swing video with "that's a swing he could win with." To me, that seems like a gross oversimplification. This isn't 2013: Today's Tour is insanely strong and deep, and Tiger had already begun to show issues with his mental and short game. In other words, a swing that won't wrench his back is only part of the problem.

Hoggard: That may be Haney being a tad overly optimistic. There is no scenario where he comes back and dominates like he once did, he simply doesn't have the firepower to compete against this generation. That said, Davis Love III won on Tour at 51 years old following a similar fusion surgery (beating Tiger, no less). If – and it’s a big if – he can stay healthy I do think he can win again.

Lavner: Forget winning again. Merely being a regular contender would be a Herculean feat, considering what he has been through.

Hoggard: So this is where our roads diverge? OK, I agree it's a long shot, but put him on the right golf course with a swing that's not going to send him back to the DL he can win again. You can't hide talent.

Lavner: Let's wrap this up with some rapid-fire questions. Where does Tiger come back?

Hoggard: Torrey Pines.

Lavner: I'll say Augusta.

Lavner: How many events does he play in 2018?

Hoggard: 12.

Lavner: I'll take half that – 6 – and call it a successful year.

Hoggard: How many majors does he play?

Lavner: Think he plays all of them, plus The Players and his event.

Hoggard: Three (he hasn't played all four majors in a year since 2013).

Hoggard: Best chance to win?

Lavner: Um ... I guess the Masters? His T-17 in 2015 while battling the chipping yips showed there's still some magic in there. I imagine Jordan Spieth will have other ideas, however.

Hoggard: Agree. Can he stay healthy for an entire year?

Lavner: As healthy as a (then-)42-year-old with a million surgeries can be – assuming he doesn't make any scheduling miscues, like rushing his return or a Dubai trip or too many back-to-back starts. Those are the types of avoidable mistakes that can derail his progress, perhaps for good.

Hoggard: Relative, indeed. If he's still upright and swinging the club in September it will have been a successful season, regardless of results.

Lavner: That should do it. I win, again.

Hoggard: This is a weird game. Pleasure.

Awards season: Who will win LPGA hardware?

By Randall Mell

(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)

Important prizes hang in the balance with the LPGA’s season in its home stretch.

This week’s Swinging Skirts Taiwan Championship is the first of five events that will test the finishing kicks of the world’s best women.

Rolex world No. 1 So Yeon Ryu and No. 2 Sung Hyun Park will continue their tight battle for the top world ranking in Taiwan while also jockeying for position to claim other coveted awards and honors. No. 3 Lexi Thompson isn’t in this week’s field.

Ryu’s reign as world No. 1 extends to 17 consecutive weeks, but Park is just .24 points behind her in average world ranking points.

The season-ending CME Group Tour Championship will decide who wins the Race to the CME Globe’s $1 million jackpot and likely a lot of other coveted awards.

Park is best positioned to try to sweep all the major awards left to be won. Here’s a look at how those award races are playing out:

Rolex Player of the Year

Unlike the PGA Tour, the LPGA’s POY isn’t decided by a player vote. If it were, this year’s race would be a tough choice.

The LPGA decides this award in a points-based race, and here are the standings:

1. So Yeon Ryu, 153
2. Lexi Thompson, 147
3. Sung Hyun Park, 142
4. In-Kyung Kim, 124
5. Anna Nordqvist, 114

There are 30 points awarded to the winner in regular tour events, including the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship, with 12 for second place, nine for third and on down to a single point for 10th place.

Ryu and Park are each committed to playing in four of the final five events. So far, Thompson is listed on the published field lists of just two of them.

Here’s a summary of the seasons for these top five players:

Ryu – Two victories, including a major (ANA Inspiration, Walmart NW Arkansas Championship), 11 top-10 finishes, six top-five finishes. Leads in Rolex Player of the Year points.

Thompson – Two victories (Kingsmill Championship, Indy Women in Tech Championship), nine top-10 finishes, eight top-five finishes. Thompson was runner up five times, three of them playoff losses. Leads Race to the CME Globe standings.

Park – Two victories, one of them a major (U.S. Women’s Open, Canadian Pacific Women’s Open), eight top-10 finishes, seven top-five finishes. Leads the money-winning list and leads the tour in low scoring average.

Kim –Three victories, one of them a major (Shoprite Classic, Marathon Classic, Ricoh Women’s British Open), five top-10 finishes, three top-five finishes.

Nordqvist – Two victories, one of them a major (Bank of Hope Founders Cup, Evian Championship), five top-10 finishes, three top-five finishes.

Vare Trophy

Park overtook Thompson at last weekend’s KEB Hana Bank Championship as the leader in tour scoring average.

1. Sung Hyun Park, 69.014
2. Lexi Thompson, 69.125
3. In Gee Chun, 69.366
4. Stacy Lewis, 69.545
5. So Yeon Ryu, 69.657

Money-winning title

Park topped the $2 million earnings mark this season with her second-place finish at the KEB Hana Bank Championship on Sunday.

1. Sung Hyun Park, $2,092,623
2. So Yeon Ryu, $1,829,596
3. Lexi Thompson, $1,681,686
4. Brooke Henderson, $1,399,905
5. Anna Nordqvist, $1,192,428

Race to the CME Globe

The top 12 in points going to Naples in the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship will have a shot at the $1 million jackpot in the season-long points race. Anyone among the top five is guaranteed to win the big payday with a victory in Naples.

A victory is worth 500 points, with second place earning 300, third earning 190, with points awarded among the top 70 or top 40, depending if there’s a cut in the event.

1. Lexi Thompson, 3,266
2. Sung Hyun Park, 2,919
3. So Yeon Ryu, 2,776
4. Brooke Henderson, 2,631
5. In Gee Chun, 2,475
6. Ariya Jutanugarn, 2,242
7. Moriya Jutanugarn, 2,071
8. Stacy Lewis, 2,045
9. In-Kyung Kim, 2,031
10. Anna Nordqvist, 2,024
11. Cristie Kerr, 1,998
12. Sei Young Kim, 1,890
13. Minjee Lee, 1,789
14. Lydia Ko, 1,707
15. Amy Yang, 1,683

Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year

Park is in position to join Nancy Lopez as the only players in LPGA history to win the Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year awards in the same season.

Park has already clinched the Rookie of the Year points-based award. There is 150 points awarded for a first-place finish, and no rookie can catch Park, even by winning every remaining event.

1. Sung Hyun Park, 1,413
2. Angel Yin, 615
3. Nelly Korda, 422

Ridley officially takes over as Augusta National chairman.

By Will Gray

(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)

With the opening of a new season, Fred Ridley is officially on the job as the seventh chairman in the 85-year history of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament.

Ridley, 65, was announced as the club's chairman in August when Billy Payne retired after more than a decade in the position. On his first official day in office, Ridley released a statement in which he described Augusta National co-founder Bobby Jones as an "idol and role model."

"To become chairman of Augusta National and the Masters is beyond humbling," Ridley said. "I stand ready to embrace the responsibilities that come with this important position, strengthened by the lessons the sport teaches and the examples of those who have provided leadership to me over the years."

Ridley became a member at Augusta National in 2000, and he has served as the chairman of the competition committee at the Masters since 2007. A resident of Tampa, Fla., he also served as USGA president from 2004-05 and won the 1975 U.S. Amateur at the Country Club of Virginia.

"As chairman, I will always look to Jones and (co-founder Clifford) Roberts as a source of wisdom and inspiration," Ridley said. "I fully subscribe to their mandate of constant improvement and their commitment to maintaining the highest standard in all that we do. I pledge to use my deep-rooted respect for the customs and traditions they established to further elevate our club and tournament, while continuing their mission of contributing to the development of the sport around the world."

Ridley also becomes the first club chairman to have ever competed in the Masters. He earned invites in 1976 and 1977 based on his win at the 1975 U.S. Amateur, and played again in 1978 after making the 1977 U.S. Walker Cup team. He remains the last U.S. Amateur champion to have never turned professional, instead making his living as partner of an international law firm.

Ridley closed his statement with remarks about Payne, who announced his retirement this summer at age 70 and "appointed" Ridley as his successor while assuming the new role of chairman emeritus.

"His confidence in allowing me this honor has already had a profound impact on my life," Ridley said. "I am grateful to consider him a friend and mentor, both personally and professionally."

NASCAR Power Rankings: Talladega's chaos jumbles the top 12.

By Nick Bromberg

(VIA NBC)

1. Brad Keselowski (LW: 9): No, Brad Keselowski didn’t assume the role of best restrictor plate racer with his win on Sunday. He was already there.

Keselowski’s recent dominance on plate tracks had previously established him as the driver to beat. Sunday’s victory was his fourth in 13 plate races dating back to the fall Talladega race in 2014. No other driver can match that success.

His success Sunday needed some luck too. After pitting to fix a faulty radio, Keselowski narrowly missed multiple wrecks as he drove to the front. Talladega can be random. But Talladega also rewards those who are the best at managing the draft.

“I think we made it through three big wrecks, and the races here at Talladega in the spring and both Daytonas, we got caught up in all the big ones,” Keselowski said. “This one we made it through all the big ones. I thought we were probably pretty strong at those other races and didn’t have the luck. Today we had the luck that we needed, and then we were able to execute at the end with the moves on the last two or three laps.”

2. Denny Hamlin (LW: 5): Hamlin was the only other playoff contender who had a shot at the win in the late laps. It was not a good day for drivers in the playoffs.

Hamlin finished fifth and is still fifth in the standings, 21 points ahead of teammate Kyle Busch in ninth. He didn’t move up in the points because he collected just one stage point, finishing 10th in the second stage.

3. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: 1): Given the craziness of Sunday’s race, there’s no consistent rhyme or reason to these Power Rankings. So since Truex won a week ago at Charlotte he only drops two spots despite being the instigator of the biggest crash of the race.

“Well I tried to get into a hole that was closing up at the wrong time and by the time that I got in the brakes trying to get out of there I got [David Ragan] a little bit on the right rear and he got squirrely out there and all hell broke loose,” Truex said. “Just was trying to get to the end and get some track position and try to get towards the front and have a good day and ended up causing a wreck, so I hate it for everybody.”

4. Kyle Busch (LW: 4): Busch was caught up in that accident and his left-front tire went bouncing across the track. His car got destroyed that much.

Busch could be lower in Power Rankings given he’s ninth in the standings. But his recent history at Kansas Speedway is good and he’ll have one of the fastest cars throughout the weekend. A stage win or two could be good enough to get Busch into the third round even if he doesn’t win the race.

5. Chase Elliott (LW: 2): Elliott’s team has had speed on intermediate tracks as well and he’s got a 20-point cushion on Busch. He had a pretty fast car at Talladega and had the track position to match it. But contact with Daniel Suarez crushed his car with less than 10 laps to go.

6. Kyle Larson (LW: 3): Larson’s car got beat all to hell in that aforementioned incident but ended up finishing 13th and the first car a lap down because it was at least drivable. Only 14 cars finished Sunday’s race, the fewest cars running at the end of an event since a 1986 race at Talladega that was won by Bobby Hillin Jr.

7. Ryan Blaney (LW: 11): Blaney had a pretty good car too. And guess what? He ended up crashed. He still finished 18th. Yay for top 20s.

8. Matt Kenseth (LW: 10): Kenseth had a pretty good car too. And guess what? He ended up crashed. He still finished 14th. Yay for top 15s.`

9. Kevin Harvick (LW: 6): Harvick’s race had quite the inglorious ending. He was in the big crash that started with the contact between Ragan and Truex but his car wasn’t damaged enough to sideline him for the race.

Harvick’s race was over in the next wreck. And it looked really bizarre. As Blaney’s car was sliding sideways, Harvick and Brendan Gaughan approached him. Harvick got into the back of Gaughan, but both drivers had the opportunity after the bump to make maneuvers to avoid Blaney’s car.

Yet both drove straight into him. Did they not see him? Lock up the brakes while trying to come to a stop? Get incorrect information from spotters?

Harvick still finished 20th. What a weird race.

10. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 7): Johnson is officially listed as parked in the NASCAR box score because NASCAR said he worked on his car during the red flag. According to Johnson, there was a miscommunication that led that happening.

But the thing I’m most concerned about is that there was a cue given to our spotter for our guys to start working on the car,” Johnson said. “We went out and made a lap and advanced quite a few spots as a result. Now it looks like NASCAR is trying to take that away from us. Us and a few other cars heard the cue to allow the guys to start working when the red flag had finished but we didn’t get the cue on pit row. I’m still not clear on what all went on. I think we’re in a bad situation as a result. Hopefully NASCAR can look at it and we can get this rectified.”

Johnson finished 24th, the second of the cars who completed 171 laps. If he made it to 172 complete laps, he could have finished ahead of AJ Allmendinger. Danica Patrick, who finished 21st, completed 175 laps.

11. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (LW: 12): Stenhouse had a fast car again but … wait for it … got caught in a crash. He finished 26th.

12. Jamie McMurray (LW: 8): Given the events of the final 20 laps, McMurray’s miscue feels like it happened years ago. But also given the events of the final 20 laps, McMurray has to be wondering where he could have finished if he didn’t crash out so early.

Lucky Dog: Gray Gaulding — yes, Gray Gaulding — finished ninth.

The DNF: Let’s give it to Clint Bowyer who publicly expressed his frustration with his crew after his crash. Yeah, Bowyer’s had a tough season and was mired in the pack when the six-car accident on lap 153 happened. But his public actions towards his team were a tad unnecessary.

Martin Truex Jr. still hottest in Who’s Hot, Who’s Not heading into Kansas.

By Jerry Bonkowski

(Photo/Getty Images)

With so many of the remaining 12 playoff drivers finding trouble at Talladega this past Sunday, several find themselves in further trouble heading into Sunday’s race at Kansas.

Once the checkered flag falls, four of the 12 remaining playoff drivers will be eliminated from advancing to the Round of 8 that begins next Sunday at Martinsville, followed by Texas and Phoenix.

Here are the drivers that are hot coming into Kansas, as well as those that are not:

Who’s Hot:

 No. 78 Martin Truex Jr. (Hot)

• Won at Charlotte, sixth win this season (most of all drivers and personal best), finished 23rd at Talladega.
• Finished in the top 10 21 times this season, a series-best.
• Won 19 stages this season, series-best.
• Sixty-four playoff points this season, series-best.
• Led a series-high 1,977 laps in 2017, led the most laps in eight races.
• Won at Kansas in May.
• Average finish on 1.5-mile tracks this season is third.
• Won five of the eight 1.5-mile races this season.

No. 4 Kevin Harvick (Hot, Good at Kansas lately)

• Finished third at Charlotte after winning the first two stages and 20th at Talladega.
• Five fewer top fives and top 10s this year compared to last year (three less wins).
• Fourth in the standings, +22 to the cut line.
• Two Kansas wins, both coming in the playoffs.
• Finished top three at Kansas the last three years including a win in this race last year.

No. 11 Denny Hamlin (Hot)

• Finished fourth at Charlotte, sixth at Talladega.
• Finished top six in six of the last eighth races.
• Fifth in the standings, +21 to cut line.
• One Kansas win, Spring 2012.
• Finished 15th or worse in four of the last five Kansas races including 23rd in May.

No. 18 Kyle Busch (Hot)

• Finished 29th at Charlotte, hit the wall while running second. Finished 27th at Talladega after crash.
• Ninth in the standings, -7 to the cut line.
• Four wins this season, all in the last 11 races.
• Led laps in the last 14 races this season, career-best
• One Kansas win, Spring 2016.
• Finished top five in his last five races at Kansas, tied for longest streak ever at Kansas.

No. 20 Matt Kenseth (sneaky good, pretty good at Kansas)

• Finished 11th at Charlotte, 14th at Talladega.
• Worst finish in the playoffs is 14th.
• Tenth in the standings, -8 to the cut line.
• Two Kansas wins, last coming in 2013.
• Worst finish at Kansas in the last 14 races is 14th.
• Won the pole, led over 100 laps in this race last year, finished ninth. Finished 12th in May.

No. 2 Brad Keselowski (Good)

• Finished 15th at Charlotte, won at Talladega after having radio issues.
• Advances to the Round of 8
• One Kansas win, fuel mileage in 2011.
• Top-10 finishes in four of the five races at Kansas including runner-up in May.

No. 24 Chase Elliott

• Finished second at Charlotte, sixth career runner-up finish. Finished 16th at Talladega.
• Finished second in three of the last five races this season.
• Sixth in the standings, +20 to the cut line
• Worst finish in the last seven races is 16th.
• Best Kansas finish in three starts is ninth in Spring 2016.
• Finished 29th at Kansas in the Spring.

No. 42 Kyle Larson (Hot in 2017, Not great at Kansas)

• Finished 10th at Charlotte, 13th at Talladega after crash.
• Third in the standings, +29 to the cut line.
• Eight runner-up finishes this season.
• Four wins in 2017, had one entering this season.
• Best Kansas finish is second in 2014, only finish better than 15th since is sixth in May.

No. 48 Jimmie Johnson

• Finished seventh at Charlotte, 24th at Talladega after accident
• Top-10 finishes in four of the last six races.
• Eighth in the standings, +7
• Four top-five finishes this season, three were wins.
• Three time Kansas winner (tied for the most), last was Spring 2015.
• Only two finishes outside the top 10 in his first 16 starts at Kansas, three in the last six including 24th in May.
• Only three top 10 finishes on 1.5-mile tracks this season

No. 77 Erik Jones

• Top-10 finishes in seven of the last 11 races this season.
• Two Kansas starts including the first of his career driving the No. 18.
• Finished 22nd at Kansas in May, multiple spins

Who’s Not Hot:

No. 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Not)

• Finished 13th at Charlotte, 26th at Talladega
• 11th in the standings, -22 to the cut line
• Best finish since his win at Daytona in July is 13th
• Best Kansas finish is 11th, twice including in May

No. 1 Jamie McMurray (Decent)

• Finished fifth at Charlotte and 37th at Talladega after crash.
• Twelfth in standings, -29 to cut line.
• Sixteen top-10 finishes this season, six more than this point last year.
• Best Kansas finish is seventh, twice in 21 starts.
• Finished eighth in May at Kansas.

No. 21 Ryan Blaney (Just OK)

• Finished eighth at Charlotte, 18th at Talladega after accident after leading 27 laps.
• Currently seventh in the standings, +9 to the cut line.
• Last top-five finish was his win at Pocono in June.
• Eleven top-10 finishes this season but none have come in back-to-back races.
• Top-10 finishes in three of his last four starts at Kansas.
• Won the pole, finished fourth in May, led 83 laps, won Stage 2.

No. 3 Austin Dillon (Not hot)

• Finished 29th Talladega.
• Only two top-15 finishes in the last 12 races.
• Finished 14th in the first round
• Only four top-10 finishes this season, had 12 at this point last year.
• Finished top 10 in two of the last three races at Kansas.

No. 5 Kasey Kahne (Not hot)

• Finished eighth at Talladega, first back-to-back top-10 finishes since the first two races of the season.
• Only three top-10 finishes in the last 21 races.
• Finished 15th in the first round
• Six DNFs this season.
• Won at Indianapolis ending a 102-race winless streak.
• He has finished on the lead lap in 54 percent of the races this season.
• Best Kansas finish is second, twice.
• Worst finish in the last four races at Kansas is 16th.

No. 31 Ryan Newman

• Finished second at Kansas, broke a four race streak of finishing outside the top 10.
• Finished round one 13th in the standings
• One Kansas win, 2003.
• Only three Kansas top fives, all came in the first three races at Kansas.
• Finished last at Kansas in May.

No. 41 Kurt Busch

• Finished 25th at Talladega
• Finished 19th or worse in the last five races.
• Finished 16th in the first round, 25 points below the cut line.
• Best Kansas finish is second in 2013.
• Finished 19th in May at Kansas.

No. 14 Clint Bowyer

• Finished 35th at Talladega.
• Finished runner-up three times in 2017.
• Twelve top 10s in 2017, had only three in all of 2016.
• Best Kansas finish is second in 2007.

No. 22 Joey Logano

• Finished fourth at Talladega, only his fourth top-five finish since his Richmond win.
• Eleven finishes outside the top 20 in the last 22 races.
• Won at Richmond but was encumbered.
• First time he has missed the playoffs with Team Penske.
• Two-time Kansas winner.
• Finished top five in six of the last eight races at Kansas.

No. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.

• Finished seventh at Talladega
• Finished top 12 in the last three races, best streak this season.
• Best Kansas finish is second in 2011
• Finished 15th or worse in three of his last four Kansas starts.

Bump & Run: Who makes the cut at Kansas, who doesn't?

By NBC Sports

(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Which four drivers will fail to advance in the playoffs after Kansas?

Kyle Petty: Jamie McMurray, Ricky Stenhouse Jr (points deficit too great to make up in one race), Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson (for these two I think it comes down to stage points).

Dale Jarrett: Jamie McMurray, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson. Even though Kenseth has the capabilities of qualifying well and getting the stage points, they haven’t been able to finish off races. I think Ryan Blaney is fast enough to get stage points and can manage a top-10 finish and keep him ahead of Jimmie Johnson.

Nate Ryan: Ryan Blaney, Matt Kenseth, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Jamie McMurray. I think Blaney and Kenseth have shown the speed to be worthy of advancing, but the consistency has been absent.

Dustin Long: Ryan Blaney, Matt Kenseth, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Jamie McMurray. While Blaney has finished no worse than 11th in the last three 1.5-mile tracks, he’s scored two stage points in those races combined. Doesn’t give much confidence he’ll score enough to stay ahead of those behind him Sunday.

Why do you think or don’t think Kyle Busch will advance?

Kyle Petty: Kyle Busch makes it! Two reasons: 1. He has speed, others that are ahead of him have struggled on 1.5-mile tracks. 2. He can score stage points and ultimately win! He’s proved that all year.

Dale Jarrett: Kyle Busch runs up front all day and might even get somewhere in the neighborhood of 18 stage points and then is going to finish in the top three, if not win the race. I think that is enough to get him in there.

Nate Ryan: I think he could win Kansas, and at the very least, I think he will amass enough stage points to propel him back over the cutoff line.

Dustin Long: Wouldn’t surprise me if he won or scored another top five at Kansas to advance. I think the odds are much greater he advances even with his deficit.

What is the best place for Talladega in regards to the playoffs? Regular-season finale? Beginning of a round? Middle of a round? Last race in a round?

Kyle Petty: I like where it is in the middle of a round as a fan. It can help your driver or at least give you hope your driver can come back from a bad Talladega. As a driver I would want it as the first race in a round. So no matter what happened I had two races to recover. As a fan or driver, I hate it as a cut race because, as we saw Sunday, so much that happened is because of plain old luck, good or bad.

Dale Jarrett: I wish we would pose this to the drivers and see where they might want it. I honestly think it’s in the perfect spot right now. I don’t like the idea of it being the first race in a round. I think there is more attention to it and more pressure put on it by being right there in the middle. I think it gives a driver and a team opportunities to look at that first race, which this year was Charlotte, and try to see about getting something done as Martin Truex Jr. did and not have to worry about the consequences of Talladega. Then it also gives you an opportunity on the back end to see where you are and what you need to do. My crazy self as a fan and a media person would love to see it at some point in time be either one of two things — the final regular-season race or the final race of the season to determine the champion.

Nate Ryan: I think Denny Hamlin and the Drivers Council are correct in moving it to the regular-season finale. That seems the best of all worlds – offering protection for drivers already with victories while providing an opportunity for a long shot hoping to snatch a spot. And for winless drivers trying to earn a berth on points, no one likely would be safe – which also feels right.

Dustin Long: I like where it is, but if people want to move it, make it the opening race of the playoffs when then are 16 playoff contenders. That could enhance the next two races as those with bad finishes at Talladega scramble to make it to the next round.

SOCCER: Wild day in American soccer: Crew relocation, NASL LOIs, USL reserves.

By Nicholas Mendola

(Photo/@NASLOfficial @USL)

The top three soccer leagues in the United States of America are dealing with varying bits of turmoil this Tuesday in October.

It began late Monday with reports that Columbus Crew owner Anthony Precourt aims to take the MLS founding member to Texas, seemingly only paying lip service to the idea of investment keeping the team in Ohio.

Some have said Precourt’s goals have always been to find a way out of Ohio, and the Crew owner was asked what has changed in the four years he’s owned the club (From ColumbusCrewSC.com):

Q:When we read your story about your purchase of the team, this was back in 2013, part of that was that it was very important to the Hunt family that the Crew remained in Columbus and you said at the time that you were committed to that. So what’s changed? 

AP: I was committed to that and I believe that I demonstrated my commitment through significant investment in infrastructure, in personnel, in the quality of our product on the field. What has changed? Our League has grown leaps and bounds, it’s been unprecedented the improvement we’ve seen year over year and new markets that have come in the League have shown dramatic attendance. Let’s look at Atlanta with over 70,000 fans over their last few games, with Orlando building a new facility and averaging over 30,000 fans a game, with New York City FC. The list goes on and on. Our peers get stronger and stronger, year in and year out and I have to get back to our ambition as a club. This is key: our ambition as a club is to be a standard bearer in Major League Soccer, to be respected on and off the field in terms of our soccer operations and our business operations and to operate world-class, soccer-specific infrastructure. We’re going through growing pains now. It’s time for us to explore building a world-class, soccer-specific stadium so that we can be celebrated and successful and sustainable.

So, yes, barring a king’s ransom — word use intended — from the Ohio business community, it’s not being cynical to read Precourt’s intention to leave Ohio as very strong. The idea is very sad for the league, and makes every pro/rel honk’s argument against the closed model.

Then there’s the NASL, where it’s almost head-spinning to keep abreast of the future of the league. New York Cosmos owner Rocco Commisso has taken the wheel in an attempt to not only see the NASL rise, but remove Sunil Gulati from power at the United States Soccer Federation in the hopes of a complete overhaul. In what should not be read as a footnote, the NASL is currently suing the USSF.

There are reports that the league could have as many as 17 teams next season in a bid to regain sanctioning from the Unites States Soccer Federation, including a series of teams from the fourth-tier National Premier Soccer League.

According to SocTakes.com, the NASL has letters of intent from NPSL clubs in Boca Raton, Boston, Detroit, Arizona, New Orleans, and Virginia Beach. Additionally, there’s interest in Hartford and it may not be the NPSL club.

Then came this Tweet:

Kartik Krishnaiyer
@kkfla737

Sources indicate to me multiple current #MLS owned-reserve teams in #USL may not play in 2018. Impacted teams seeking affiliate clubs in USL4:59 PM - Oct 17, 2017

Now here’s a league, the USL, whose only issues have been perception-related. Growing well and instituting a D-3 companion, the biggest concern has been the mentioned MLS Reserve sides creating a minor league feel for the league.

All of this is manageable, and you could argue that the disappearance or at least rebranding of most of these reserve sides would be a boon for the league.

Taken in a vacuum, any of these stories has the potential to carry a day’s news. Together, and in the wake of the United States men’s national team’s failure to qualify for the World Cup, they give Tuesday one of those Soccer-USApocalyptic feelings.

Heath, Smith sidelined with injuries for USWNT.

Associated Press

(Photo/Getty Images)

Forward Tobin Heath and defender Taylor Smith are sidelined with injuries that will keep them out of the U.S. women’s national team training camp in Louisiana ahead of two upcoming matches against South Korea.

Heath is nursing an ankle injury and Smith her shoulder. Both women were hurt in the NWSL championship match last Saturday, the U.S. Soccer Federation said Monday.

The Americans play Thursday at New Orleans and Sunday in Cary, North Carolina.

Neither player will be replaced on the roster and coach Jill Ellis will have 18 players dressed for each game.

UEFA Champions League Weds. preview: Chelsea, Man Utd look to break out.

By Nicholas Mendola

(Photo/Getty Images)

Only one of 16 teams was held off the score sheet on Tuesday. Could the same level of entertainment reach the UEFA Champions League a day later?

Two more Premier League teams take the pitch on Wednesday, with Manchester United facing its stiffest test of the group stage and Chelsea with a tricky visit from AS Roma.

Manchester United has a significant challenge in Benfica, and may need a man familiar with the Estadio da Luz to help them out. Center back Eric Bailly remains out for United, which could bring Victor Lindelof into the fold to help stop Haris Seferovic, Gabriel Barbosa, Raul Jimenez, and especially Jonas.

Coming off a sleepy weekend draw versus Liverpool in an underwhelming derby, United will take on a desperate Benfica team which is traditionally strong but lost at home to CSKA Moscow and was crushed in Switzerland by Basel.

Speaking of the need to rebound, Chelsea’s loss to Crystal Palace still has many scratching their heads. Fortunately, Roma is also in a mini-funk after a weekend loss to Napoli that ended a five-match winning streak.

There’s a reunion for Antonio Rudiger inside Stamford Bridge with Roma in town. I Lupi has been pretty one-dimensional in terms of offense, with ex-Man City man and reigning Serie A capocannoniere winner Edin Dzeko. He’s scored eight times in nine matches for Roma this season.

Full Wednesday UCL schedule
All kickoffs at 2:45 p.m. ET except where indicated

Qarabag vs. Atletico Madrid — Noon ET
Anderlecht vs. Paris Saint-Germain
Benfica vs. Manchester United
Juventus vs. Sporting Lisbon
Barcelona vs. Olympiacos
Chelsea vs. Roma
Bayern Munich vs. Celtic
CSKA Moscow vs. Basel

UEFA Champions League wrap: Tables turned on wild day.

By Nicholas Mendola

(AP Photo/Paul White)

One clean sheet in eight Tuesday matches certainly helped the entertainment value of the UEFA Champions League, and the group ramifications follow suit.

Borussia Dortmund whiffed on a chance to take advantage of Real Madrid’s home draw versus Spurs, while Sevilla was waxed in Russia, and Besiktas continues to strut in UCL play.

Real Madrid 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur — RECAP, VIDEO

Raphael Varane’s plans to mark Harry Kane were subverted by the French defender’s unwitting legs, but Serge Aurier chopped down Toni Kroos in the 42nd minute for a yellow card and penalty that Cristiano Ronaldo sent beyond the reach of Spurs backstop Hugo Lloris.

It was Lloris’ outstanding day, along with a couple timely Keylor Navas saves, that kept the score line 1-1 after 90 minutes. The backstops will likely match wits again come Nov. 1 at Wembley Stadium.

Manchester City 2-1 Napoli — RECAP

Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus scored in the ninth and 13th minutes as City has been an unwelcoming host for the Neapolitan side. Ederson stopped a Dries Mertens penalty, adding insult to Napoli’s twin concessions, but Napoli would get a second penalty kick and pulled back a goal courtesy of Amadou Diawara.

Monaco 1-2 Besiktas

Reported Newcastle United and Crystal Palace target Cenk Tosun scored a pair of goals as group-leading Besiktas came back to beat Monaco after Radamel Falcao made it 1-0 to the hosts.

Feyenoord 1-2 Shakhtar Donetsk

Similar story in the Netherlands, where Ex-Watford man Steven Berghuis gave the Eredivisie hosts a lead only to see a Bernard brace lead Shakhtar at De Kuip.

Spartak Moscow 5-1 Sevilla

Liverpool’s score line was a bit surprising, but this one raised eyebrows even given Sevilla’s long road (or flight path) to Russia. Quincy Promes scored twice to make Sevilla consider its Europa roots (though plenty of time remains in the group stage).

Maribor 0-7 Liverpool — RECAP

Jurgen Klopp‘s Reds are sent their finishing demons off a cliff. It was 3-0 after 20 minutes, 4-0 at half, and when all was said and done there were braces for Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah to go with single markers from Philippe Coutinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

APOEL Nicosia 1-1 Borussia Dortmund

A significant step backward for BVB, who would’ve done well to take advantage of Real and Spurs drawing at the Bernabeu. The Germans even trailed for five second-half minutes before Sokratis Papastathopoulos provided the equalizing goal.

RB Leipzig 3-2 Porto

Five first half goals felt like the start of something special, but the upstart Germans held on through a scoreless second half to claim their first UCL win.

UEFA playoff draw sets up intriguing battles.

By Joe Prince-Wright

(Photo/Getty Images)

The fight for the final four 2018 World Cup spots from UEFA is well and truly on.

On Tuesday in Zurich, Switzerland the draw for the two-legged playoffs was made as the eight best runners up from the UEFA qualifying group stages found out their fate.

The Republic of Ireland will face Denmark over two games, while Northern Ireland face Switzerland and two monster clashes have been set up as Sweden and Italy will lock horns and Croatia and Greece will do battle.

A spot at the World Cup in Russia next summer is the prize for the four winners of these home and away playoffs.

The Republic of Ireland seem to have got the better draw, especially as they will play at home in the second leg in Dublin. Northern Ireland will also be okay with having Switzerland but are slightly hampered by playing the first leg in Belfast. Italy against Sweden will be a tight game and one neither nation will relish, and the same can be said for Croatia vs. Greece with their intense local rivalry.

First leg matches will take place on November 9-11, while the second leg will take place on November 12-14.

Below is the full schedule for the two playoff games.

UEFA playoff schedule

First leg

Northern Ireland vs. Switzerland
Croatia vs. Greece
Denmark vs. Republic of Ireland
Sweden vs. Italy

Second leg

Switzerland vs. Northern Ireland
Greece vs. Croatia
Republic of Ireland vs. Denmark
Italy vs. Sweden

NCAAFB: Alabama settling in as five-touchdown favorite over Tennessee.

By John Taylor

(Photo/Getty Images)

Five-touchdown, not five-point.  The Butch Jones Era, ladies and gentlemen.

In the wake of yet another crippling, emasculating loss for the Tennessee football program, Butch Jones again pulled fired up his verbal backhoe and further buried his coaching tenure on Rocky Top.  There’s little doubt Jones’ time as the Volunteers will expire at some point between now and shortly after the end of UT’s season; there’s exactly zero doubt that, outside of Knoxville — and probably inside, to be blunt — the perception of the program under Jones is at its lowest in decades.

The latest case in the latter point?  Wagering establishments.

Sunday afternoon, UT will enter the not-so-friendly confines of Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa for the 100th edition of its annual rivalry game against top-ranked Alabama.  Over the weekend, the Vols opened as anywhere from a 33- to 34.5-point undergo.  As we head toward midweek, it’s crept a bit upward according to Bovada.lv.



Bovada tells CFT that, over the last 31 years, the Vols have never been as large of an underdog as they are right now.  Prior to a 23-13 loss, they were 30- point underdogs to Florida in 2009.  In 2011 and 2013, they were 29- and 28-point underdogs, respectively, to Alabama.  They ended up losing both contests, 37-6 in the former and 45-10 in the latter.

In the previous 99 meetings between the rival programs, the Vols have lost by 35 or more points exactly four times. The first came in 1906 (51-0), the second in 1963 (35-0).  The last two times?  The 2013 game mentioned above and 2016 (49-10).

Ahead of last year’s game in Knoxville, the Crimson Tide was in the neighborhood of a seven-point favorite.

Alabama remains Bovada’s national championship favorite, but Buckeyes are rising.

By Kevin McGuire

(AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

After a handful of upsets throughout the top 10 this past weekend, the national championship odds updated by Bovada had some interesting developments. Alabama remains the easy favorite, but Ohio State continued to move up the board from Bovada this week.

Alabama is being given 10/11 odds of winning the national championship this week, after being 5/4 odds a week ago. Ohio State now has the second-best national championship odds with 5/1 odds on the Bovada board. Despite the loss on Friday night at Syracuse, Clemson is still third on the board with 9/1 odds.

Undefeated Georgia and Penn State each have 10/1 odds from Bovada, with undefeated Wisconsin getting a 20/1 shot to win it all. TCU and Miami, each also undefeated, share the same 28/1 odds to win it all, which are the same odds given to one-loss USC. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State each have 25/1 odds.



Kevin McGuire✔
@KevinOnCFB  

Latest national championship odds from @BovadaLV:

Alabama 10/11
Ohio State 5/1
Clemson 9/1
Georgia 10/1
Penn State 10/1
Wisconsin 20/1

Washington (40/1) and Auburn (75/1) took big hits on the Bovada board after losses this weekend, but Washington State dropped from 50/1 all the way down to 300/1, while Texas moved from 200/1 to 1,000/1. On the flip side, Michigan State jumped on the board after being off last week. The Spartans are 100/1 this week.

Memphis puts No. 25 ranking on line at Houston.

The Associated Press

When No. 25 Memphis heads to the Bayou City to battle wounded but dangerous Houston on Thursday night at TDECU Stadium, the Tigers will have the onus of not letting what they have accomplished this season affect what they still want to do.

Kickoff in the American Athletic Conference showdown is at 8 p.m. ET.

Memphis (5-1, 2-1 AAC) moved into the rankings for the first time in almost two years when it beat Navy on the road 30-27 on Saturday. That win was the Tigers' second this season over a ranked team -- they also beat UCLA at home on Sept. 16 -- the first time in program history Memphis has defeated two ranked teams in the same year.

"The number before our name doesn't necessarily define who we are -- you've got to go out there and you've got to earn it," Memphis second-year coach Mike Norvell said Monday. "We've got a short week and go on the road to Houston, which is a phenomenal football team.

"Nobody in our football program is concerned with what the result of their last game was. We know we're going to get Houston's absolute best shot, and we better be clicking on all cylinders if we want an opportunity to win."

Memphis has started 5-1 or better for just the fourth time in the past 50 years and only the 16th time in program history. If the Tigers win on Thursday, they would clinch bowl eligibility for a fourth consecutive season. Memphis has never played in four straight bowl games.

"One-hundred percent of our focus is on this week," Norvell said. "I have not talked to our team one bit about anything beyond this week. Nor did I the week before, or the week before. We know what is necessary. You win this week. That's what you have to do."

Houston (4-2, 2-1) returns home after a 45-17 loss at Tulsa in which the Cougars led 10-0 late in the first half and were outscored 38-7 after halftime.

"It's humbling," Houston linebacker Matthew Adams said after the loss to Tulsa. "It lets us know we are not as good as we think we are."

Tulsa scored on seven of its last eight possessions in beating the Cougars, including six touchdowns, and the Golden Hurricane converted three Houston turnovers into 21 points. The Cougars were outgained 323-141 in the second half as Tulsa racked up 416 total yards, 288 of which came on the ground.

Houston could have assumed sole possession of first place in the AAC West Division with a win at Tulsa. Instead, the Cougars have to rebound on a short week versus a locked and loaded Memphis squad before going on the road to face unbeaten No. 16 South Florida the following week.

"We didn't play well at all," Houston first-year coach Major Applewhite said. "We didn't come ready to play, and that's on me. We talk about it all the time, but week in and week out, you've got be ready to play your A-game every Saturday. We didn't do a good job of taking care of the football, and we didn't do a good job of tackling in the second half."

Applewhite said Memphis is difficult to prepare for because the Tigers can do just about everything well.

"Memphis has great stable of backs that can run the football, they've got a great offensive line, and they do a great job up front," Applewhite said. "As an offense, they're very difficult to put your hands around."

Tigers quarterback Riley Ferguson is completing 59.3 percent of his passes. He has thrown for 1,814 yards with 19 touchdowns and five interceptions. Wide receiver Anthony Miller has 45 receptions for 606 yards and nine touchdowns, while running back Darrell Henderson has 542 rushing yards and three TDs.

Cougars quarterback Kyle Postma made his third consecutive start at Tulsa, but he committed three turnovers. Houston's leading receiver is Steven Dunbar (40 catches, 462 yards), while running back Duke Catalon has 90 carries for 431 yards and four touchdowns.

Houston and Memphis are meeting for the 26th time, with the Cougars holding a 15-10 advantage. The Tigers' 48-44 victory last season snapped a six-game losing streak in the series that dated to 2006. Of the past seven encounters, five were decided by 10 or fewer points.

Memphis is one of three AAC schools to appear in this week's AP poll along with South Florida and No. 20 Central Florida.

NCAABKB: Why Adam Silver is right for calling for end of ‘one-and-done’ rule.

By Dan Wetzel

NBA commissioner Adam Silver says the current college system needs to be overhauled. (Photo/AP)

NBA commissioner Adam Silver has observed a sudden shift in market trends in college basketball just as a massive scandal involving agents, coaches and shoe companies has overwhelmed the sport.

The combination, he said Monday, will likely cause the end of the NBA’s so-called “one-and-done” rule, which would dramatically alter how young basketball talent is developed while changing how college teams are built.

Since 2005, a player has had to be at least 19 years old or one year past high school to be eligible for the NBA draft. The days of that rule appear numbered. The era of LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and, indeed, any number of unprepared busts going straight from the prom to the pros will likely return in some form.

“It’s clear a change will come,” Silver said Monday on ESPN’s “Mike & Mike” show.

This won’t eliminate cheating and corruption in college basketball. That’s been going on for generations and will continue as long as money and competitive humans are involved. And yes, losing out on the most talented of players is never a great thing. Getting to watch Lonzo Ball, Josh Jackson and others is good for college basketball’s entertainment value.

Yet the current system is unsustainable, the proof being last month’s FBI-led investigation into bribery and fraud. Ten men were arrested, seven schools were swept up in at least potential NCAA violations and the career of Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino ended. The scandal promises to widen if any of those currently facing charges wants to start flipping for leniency.

The issue is simple. The market shows that top players who project to be high draft picks are worth a great deal more than the NCAA’s amateurism rules allow. Their future value is so great, parties interested in doing business with them, whether negotiating their contracts, managing their millions or employing them as endorsers, don’t feel they can wait until they turn pro to try to retain them as clients.

Yet, the NBA all but forces American players to enter into a system that is attempting to stop the wheels of capitalism. It doesn’t work and never will. The market will go wherever it needs.

The NCAA needs a complete overhaul, but in the interim, having players who are worth the most bypass its artificial stopgap will at least take some heat out of the system. Adidas, which saw two executives arrested in the current scandal, is far less likely, for example, to offer a recruit $150,000 if he’s a projected second-round choice three years from now. (While it may still pay some recruits because it needs the schools it sponsors to win, the amount of money and players involved should decrease.)

Right now, even honest coaches don’t know where to turn in recruiting. You need top-20, likely one-and-done recruits to win big. Yet the vast majority, if not all of them, are being heavily pursued by agents and shoe companies. So even if you want to recruit them by the NCAA book, they may have taken payouts outside your knowledge. You either hope they didn’t, pray they don’t get caught, or you try to win with lesser talent.

Just letting them go pro would at least be more honest.

Silver, for his part, cited three things that have dramatically shifted. The scandals are one. “It’s clearly not working for the college game,” Silver said. Second is the increase in one-and-done players declaring for the draft. There were 16 last year. Silver said the average had been about eight per year.

And finally, it appears more top recruits don’t care about where they go to college and are just biding their time until draft night. This may be most concerning to the NBA because it impacts the league directly.

“What’s really interesting to me is the last two No. 1 picks in the NBA draft, Ben Simmons two years ago and Markelle Fultz last year, both played with teams that did not make the NCAA tournament [LSU and Washington, respectively],” Silver said. “And I don’t think enough people are talking about that. That seems to be a sea change.

“It’s become common knowledge that these so-called one-and-done players, maybe understandably, are almost entirely focused on where they are going to go in the draft lottery. Not to say they don’t badly care about winning but … the stakes are so high in terms of the amount of money they can make over a long NBA career.”

Or put it this way, if the NBA isn’t going to benefit from college hoops marketing its future stars across the winter and into the highly rated NCAA tournament, then it’s a major value loss for the league. A season at high-exposure Duke is one thing. A forgotten one at LSU is another.

Take this extreme, but telling, example. Mitchell Robinson, a 7-footer who Rivals.com pegged as the No. 9 recruit in the Class of 2017, chose to attend Western Kentucky. This was, at least in part, because where you play college ball doesn’t matter on draft night. He has since left the school and will spend the year working out with an individual trainer. He’s just one player, but for a league that always seeks big men, is that a good thing?

“From our standpoint, if the players in that one year of college aren’t getting the kind of development we’d like to see them get coming into the NBA, aren’t playing in the NCAA tournament, aren’t competing against top-notch competition, I think we have to take a step back and figure out whether we are better off taking those players at a younger age and working on their training and development full time,” Silver said.

Silver cited the improvement in the NBA’s developmental arm, the G League. It includes 26 clubs with parent teams and new two-way contracts that allow at least two players to earn as much as $250,000 a year. The NBA may finally, after decades of using the NCAA as its de facto minor league, be interested in real investment. In some cases, the actual coaching in the G League is better than the NCAA.

There could be other routes too. In the past Silver has discussed a zero-or-two deal to replace the one-and-done, essentially making a player come out right away or stay in the NCAA for two seasons. It’s similar to the way MLB does it.

There is also the NHL model where the NCAA allows drafted players to compete in college hockey. It’s true. Cale Makar was selected fourth overall in the 2017 NHL draft by the Colorado Avalanche. He is currently playing for the University of Massachusetts. He could stay four years or join the Avs after the current UMass season. It’s the way Boston University star Charlie McAvoy joined the Boston Bruins for last spring’s NHL playoffs, just days after BU was knocked out of the NCAA tournament. College hockey players can’t be paid by their NHL clubs, but what if the NCAA offered to loosen its rules on that and include NBA draft picks.

Radical? Sure. With Silver seeking change, though, now is the time to put everything on the table. Ever resistant to wholesale change, the NCAA should consider what it might be willing to do for the next system.

Silver has already reached out to union president Michele Roberts and noted they don’t need to wait until 2024, when the collective-bargaining agreement is up. He wants Chris Paul from the union and Michael Jordan for the owners to run point on this.

“We should sit down even this season and talk about what a different frame work would look like,” Silver said.

The need for change is real. For college basketball always, but increasingly for the NBA as well.

SEC seeking to build off its strong 2017 NCAA performance.

By STEVE MEGARGEE

Southeastern Conference teams should have plenty to boast about at their annual event to meet with media and discuss the upcoming season.

Long derided for its lack of postseason success, the SEC responded last year by sending three teams to regional finals, including Final Four participant South Carolina.

Defending league champion Kentucky should garner much of the preseason attention at this year's Tipoff event. The Wildcats continues their annual tradition of welcoming one of the nation's most highly touted freshman classes. Kentucky's freshmen will help restock a roster that lost first-round draft picks De'Aaron Fox, Marcus Monk and Bam Adebayo from last year's team.

Kentucky isn't the only SEC team with a heralded freshman class. Missouri, which finished last in the SEC each of the past three years, has higher hopes under new coach Cuonzo Martin thanks to a crop of newcomers that includes Michael Porter Jr., regarded as the nation's No. 1 prospect in the freshman class.

South Carolina is coming off its first Final Four appearance but must replace the nucleus of that team, including SEC player of the year Sindarius Thornwell.

The Gamecocks beat Florida in one regional final last year. Kentucky also reached a regional final before losing to eventual national champion North Carolina. Arkansas and Vanderbilt also are coming off NCAA Tournament appearances.

Ohio Valley Conference Preview: A trio of teams lead the way.

By Travis Hines

Photo/Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

Two-time OVC player of the year Evan Bradds has graduated, but Belmont remains one of the favorites to claim another conference title.

The first task for the Bruins will be figuring out how to replace or replicate Bradds’ bucket-getting that powered the offense to a 23-win season. Amanze Egekeze and Dylan Winder would both seem to be the natural heirs after posting effective field goal percentages over 60 last year. Like Bradds, both are terrors on the inside, shooting better than 65 percent on 2-pointers, but also have a dimension that Bradds didn’t – 3-point shooting, with Egekeze converting 38.7 percent and Winder 40.2 percent from distance. Without the high-usage Bradds on the roster, both will likely see huge increases in roles, with guard Austin Luke setting them up.

Murray State suffered its first losing season in over 30 years when they went 16-17 last year in Matt McMahon’s second season since succeeding Steve Prohm, but the Racers appear to be on track for an immediate bounce back. Some of the struggle last year can be attributable to plain old bad luck as Murray State went 0-4 in the regular season in overtime games and went 1-8 in games decided by five points or less. The Racers, though, will have to clean things up on the defensive end if they want to challenge for a league title. They were below-average in just about every single facet of the game on that end, and adding five freshmen into the mix may make real strides there difficult. Murray State does have, though, Jonathan Stark, who averaged nearly 22 points per game last season, and he’s a game-changer. They also added junior college standout Anthony Smith, which makes them a threat to capture the conference.

Jacksonville State didn’t look much like a spoiler heading into March last year when they finished with a 9-7 OVC record, but the Gamecocks reeled off three wins, including over league champ Belmont, in the conference tournament to snag an NCAA tournament bid. Second-team all-OVC guard Malcolm Drumwright returns for his senior season and to give coach Ray Harper another dangerous team. Seven-footer Norbertas Giga is also back after putting 30 on Louisville in the NCAA tournament. It will be critical for the Gamecocks to defend the 3-point line better this season. Between Giga and junior Christian Cunningham, Jacksonville State has solid rim protection, but allowed opponents to shoot nearly 38 percent from distance. Some of that is sure to just be variable, but bringing that number down will be a huge determinant of success.

Beyond that, the OVC is tough to project this season, as a number of last season’s contenders lost some key pieces. One group to keep an eye on: Eastern Kentucky. With Asante Gist and Nick Mayo returning, Dan McHale has one of the best 1-2 punches in the league.

Preseason OVC Player of the Year: Jonathan Stark, Murray State

The 6-foot guard returns after averaging 21.9 points in his first season with the Racers after transferring from Tulane. He got up nearly eight 3-point attempts per game, converting at a 42.5 percent clip. He’s the rare high-volume shooter that also plays efficiently.

The Rest Of The Preseason OVC Team

• Malcolm Drumwright, Jacksonville State: All-conference guard will lead the charge for the Gamecocks to get back to the NCAA tournament.
• Nick Mayo, Eastern Kentucky: A 39 percent 3-point shooter, Mayo scored 18.5 points per game last year.
• Denzel Mahoney, Southeast Missouri: Mahoney was a breakout star last year as a freshman, putting up nearly 15 points per game and shooting 37.7 percent from 3.
• Terrell Miller, Murray State: A double-double threat every night, Miller averaged 16 points and 8 rebounds per game.

Predicted Finish

1. Belmont

2. Murray State
3. Jacksonville State
4. Tennessee State
5. Eastern Illinois
6. Eastern Kentucky
7. SIU-Edwardsville
8. Tennessee Tech
9. Southeast Missouri
10. Morehead State
11. UT Martin
12. Austin Peay

On this Date in Sports History: Today is Wednesday, October 18,
2017.

Memoriesofhistory.com

1873 - The first rules for intercollegiate football were drawn up by representatives from Rutgers, Yale, Columbia and Princeton Universities.

1924 - Red Grange (Illinois) scored four touchdowns in the first 12 minutes of a game against Michigan. He scored a fifth touchdown, intercepted a pass and threw a touchdown-pass in the second half.

1950 - Connie Mack announced that he was going to retire after 50 seasons as the manager of the Philadelphia Athletics.

1956 - NFL commissioner Bert Bell disallowed the use of radio-equipped helmets by NFL quarterbacks.

1967 - The American League granted permission for the A's to move to Oakland. Also, new franchises were awarded to Kansas City and Seattle.

1968 - Two black athletes, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, were suspended by the U.S. Olympic Committee for giving a "black power" salute during a ceremony in Mexico City.

1968 - At the Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Bob Beamon set a record of 29'2½" in the long jump. The record remained unbroken until August 30, 1991, when Mike Powell jumped 29'4½".

1977 - Reggie Jackson tied Babe Ruth's record for hitting three homeruns in a single World Series game. Jackson was only the second player to achieve this.

1997 - Hanson sang the national anthem at the opening game of the World Series.  

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