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"A sad fact of life is that you cannot have winners without losers, no matter what you do, it's up to you to make out which one you are." ~ Melchor Lim, Author
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks give Quenneville milestone win.
By Gordon McIntyre, The Sports Xchange
It took them five games, but the Chicago Blackhawks finally gave head coach Joel Quenneville the victory that moved him into third place for all-time regular-season NHL wins.
Chicago scored four goals in under eight minutes in the second period to overcome a 2-0 deficit, and the Blackhawks recorded a 5-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on Wednesday night.
"I've been fortunate, I'm happy with the way things have gone and the places I've been," Quenneville said after career victory No. 693. "It took a while to get this last one. It's been fun."
Quenneville, who also coached the St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche, trails only Scotty Bowman (1,244) and Al Arbour (782). He passed Dick Irvin Sr. (682) on Wednesday.
"He knows how to handle the mentality of every guy in here," Chicago goalie Corey Crawford said. "Coach Q brings out the best of everyone."
Trailing 2-0 after Canucks fourth-line left winger Tom Sestito scored 2:44 into the second period, the Blackhawks staged a rapid rally.
Right winger Marian Hossa finished off a pretty back-and-forth pair of cross-ice passes by roofing the puck under the crossbar on a power play at 6:30. The goal assured Chicago would remain one of only four teams not to have been shut out this season.
Barely three minutes later, left winger Brandon Saad redirected a puck past Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo to draw Chicago even.
Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews then beat Luongo when the puck jumped over the stick of Vancouver defenseman Kevin Bieksa right to the Chicago captain at the side of the net at 10:47.
Toews then fed left winger Patrick Sharp a drop pass at 14:11, and Sharp beat Luongo from the top of the faceoff circle.
It took Chicago five shots and 7:41 to score the four goals.
"That was a big momentum shift in the second period," said Toews, the Blackhawks' captain. "We have a quiet confidence that's always there.
"Chalk it up to a good win."
The Canucks opened the scoring 16 seconds into the game after left winger Chris Higgins bodychecked Chicago defenseman Brent Seabrook off the puck then skated to the front of the net for a pass from center Ryan Kesler. Higgins tucked the puck under Crawford.
Vancouver maintained the one-goal lead despite being outshot 13-3 by Chicago over the first 18 minutes of the opening period.
"You never like to be scored against on your first shift, it's not a good feeling," Toews said. "But we decided that wasn't going to be a deciding factor."
Chicago's four quick goals in the middle period weren't indicative of the performance by the Canucks, who were aggressive in playing the body and who showed a lot of jump that created scoring chances.
They just couldn't convert, as has been the story most of the season.
"We kind of lost ourselves in the second period there, and it turned into a track meet," Canucks interim head coach Mike Sullivan said. "We had a four-on-two, a two-on-one, then the puck winds up in our net."
Sullivan fell to 2-3-0 while filling in for the suspended John Tortorella, who has one more game to serve on a six-game suspension.
Saad added an empty-net goal as the Blackhawks posted at least five goals for the 20th time this season, tops in the NHL.
Chicago was 0-2-2 heading into Wednesday's game and could have wilted after Vancouver jumped ahead in the first minute.
"I don't know if it was a wake-up call," Chicago defenseman Duncan Keith said. "It definitely got our attention.
"It was kind of a weird play, and we just kept chipping away."
The game was the third and final regular-season meeting between the teams, with the Blackhawks taking five of a possible six points.
Crawford finished with 29 saves, while Luongo stopped 35 shots.
NOTES: The Blackhawks will send 10 players, spread among five countries, to the Sochi Games. That is tied for a league high with the Detroit Red Wings and St. Louis Blues. ... Vancouver is sending seven players, representing four countries, to the Winter Olympics. ... The Blackhawks collected at least one point for the 45th time in 56 games, and they began the night ranked first in the NHL with an average of 3.44 goals a game. ... Duncan Keith, who had one assist, leads all defensemen with 45 on the season. He became the fastest Blackhawk to 40 assists (46 games) in franchise history. ... Canucks C Henrik Sedin (ribs) missed his fifth consecutive game after having played 679 straight games, the sixth-longest ironman streak in NHL history. ... The Canucks played their final home game prior to the Olympic break. ... Chicago does not play a home game until March 1. The Blackhawks' last home game was Jan. 26.
Patrick Sharp shoots his way out of the shadows in Chicago.
Patrick Sharp had always been in shape. Every year, he had finished near the top when the Chicago Blackhawks did their fitness testing at training camp. But this time, in his early 30s, after a short summer, he finished at the top – No. 1, even ahead of freak Duncan Keith.
“You could tell he was on a mission,” said general manager Stan Bowman.
Sharp wanted to avoid the Stanley Cup hangover. He wanted to make Team Canada for the Sochi Olympics. But he also wanted to show coach Joel Quenneville that on a team stacked with stars – Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa – he belonged on the first line, not the second.
Well, mission accomplished. Sharp has played with Toews and Hossa since late October. He has performed so well that he has made Team Canada and kept Quenneville, a notorious line juggler, from splitting them up.
He’s tied for second in the NHL in goals with 28 and tied for seventh in the league in points with 55 – on pace for 41 goals and 80 points, both of which would be career highs. He plays the point on one of the league’s top power plays, but that hasn’t boosted his numbers too much. He’s tied for fifth in even-strength goals (20) and seventh in even-strength points (37).
“Playing for Joel, proving to him that I can be a first-line player is a big thing,” Sharp said. “He’s given me the opportunity to play not more minutes, but minutes on the top line against top defenders and other teams’ top lines. I want to make sure I show him that I’m capable of playing good minutes up there.”
The Philadelphia Flyers drafted Sharp in the third round in 2001. He spent most of his first three professional seasons in the minors (including the 2004-05 NHL lockout season). Then he was traded to the Blackhawks in 2005-06, when they were one of the worst teams in the league.
He broke out as a goal-scorer as the team improved, racking up between 33 and 36 goals three times, and he put up big numbers in the playoffs – seven goals when the Blackhawks went to the Western Conference final in 2009, 11 when they won the Cup in 2010, 10 when they won the Cup last year. But he has never received the accolades some of his teammates have.
“Sometimes it’s hard,” Bowman said. “He’s a great player, but he’s sort of been in the shadow of Toews, Kane, Hossa, Keith, [Brent] Seabrook. The one way to get recognition is to really dominate, and he’s done that. …
“I think playing on the top line certainly has helped, but it’s not like they were carrying him along. There’s been spurts where he’s carried everyone else along. I think he’s skating better than ever, and he’s got the speed. He’s just – I don’t want to say matured – but he’s evolved into being not just a goal-scorer but into being an all-around player.”
Sharp turned 32 on Dec. 27. He said he is inspired by another University of Vermont product – Tampa Bay Lightning winger Martin St-Louis, who won his second NHL scoring title last season and continues to excel at age 38. The Blackhawks’ strength and conditioning coach is Paul Goodman, who came from UVM.“Playing for Joel, proving to him that I can be a first-line player is a big thing,” Sharp said. “He’s given me the opportunity to play not more minutes, but minutes on the top line against top defenders and other teams’ top lines. I want to make sure I show him that I’m capable of playing good minutes up there.”
The Philadelphia Flyers drafted Sharp in the third round in 2001. He spent most of his first three professional seasons in the minors (including the 2004-05 NHL lockout season). Then he was traded to the Blackhawks in 2005-06, when they were one of the worst teams in the league.
He broke out as a goal-scorer as the team improved, racking up between 33 and 36 goals three times, and he put up big numbers in the playoffs – seven goals when the Blackhawks went to the Western Conference final in 2009, 11 when they won the Cup in 2010, 10 when they won the Cup last year. But he has never received the accolades some of his teammates have.
“Sometimes it’s hard,” Bowman said. “He’s a great player, but he’s sort of been in the shadow of Toews, Kane, Hossa, Keith, [Brent] Seabrook. The one way to get recognition is to really dominate, and he’s done that. …
“I think playing on the top line certainly has helped, but it’s not like they were carrying him along. There’s been spurts where he’s carried everyone else along. I think he’s skating better than ever, and he’s got the speed. He’s just – I don’t want to say matured – but he’s evolved into being not just a goal-scorer but into being an all-around player.”
“I think I’ve gotten better every year of my pro career to this day,” Sharp said. “I’m not sure why that is. Being on good teams definitely helps, being in the right situations, staying healthy, all that stuff. But I’m a fan of the game. I like to think I watch a lot of hockey, I’m a student of the game. I’m always learning and trying to get better.”
Outdoor games have produced outlandish numbers.
By Nicholas J. Cotsonika
Outdoor games have produced outlandish numbers.
By Nicholas J. Cotsonika
The NHL's first four outdoor games have been a hit at the gate and created buzz for the league.
(USA Today)
If any outdoor game should have been one too many, it was Wednesday night’s game at New York’s Yankee Stadium. This was the second outdoor game in four days in the same city, and it was on a weeknight in bitter cold.
Yet the place was packed. The fans filled the stands all the way to the upper corners in left and right fields to see the New York Rangers play the New York Islanders.
That’s a total of 259,722.
“It was another amazing night,” said Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. “I said out there on the ice, ‘It’s a great stadium, but you need the fans to make it special.’ They showed up.”
The NHL is four games into its ambitious six-game alfresco schedule, and here are the numbers: 105,491 for the Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium outside Detroit on New Year’s Day; 54,099 for the Stadium Series game at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium on Saturday night; 50,105 for the first Yankee Stadium game Sunday; and 50,027 for the second.
That’s a total of 259,722.
That’s an official figure – tickets sold for the Winter Classic, announced attendance for the other three games. Let’s allow for a little fudging. A few fans didn’t show for the Winter Classic because of bad weather and treacherous travel conditions, and the NHL gave away four tickets to each of its employees in New York for Wednesday night’s game, for instance.
Let’s also acknowledge that the NHL overpriced tickets. Many sold for less than face value on the secondary market for each of the games. The owners got their money, but some folks who paid full price might be unhappy.
But even if you’re being conservative, the NHL drew more than 250,000 fans to these four games – four regular-season games that were Nos. 610, 782, 784 and 806 on the 1,230-game schedule. That’s more than 175,000 fans more than the teams would have drawn had these four games been at Joe Louis Arena, Staples Center, Prudential Center and Nassau Coliseum.
The league has sold out the March 1 game at Chicago’s Soldier Field, which has a capacity of 61,500 for football. It has not sold out the March 2 Heritage Classic at Vancouver’s B.C. Place, which has a capacity of 59,841 for football. But it’s Canada, and it’s hockey, and it’s still more than a month away.
In the end, the NHL almost certainly will have drawn more than 370,000 fans for six games – more than 260,000 more than the teams would have otherwise. It will have sold all kinds of pricey concessions and merchandise, too, and generated immeasurable buzz. NHL chief operating officer John Collins has said the league will “definitely not” stage six outdoor games next season.
But for all the talk about outdoor games losing their novelty, the NHL gauged the market pretty well this season and sees plenty of demand in the near future. The Washington Capitals will host the Winter Classic next season, likely at Nationals Park, and there will probably be two or three other outdoor games. A lot of teams want a shot.
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!! Super Bowl 2014 picks and predictions: Opinions split on Broncos-Seahawks.
By Louis Bien
Experts are split on who will win Super Bowl XLVIII between the Broncos and the Seahawks. This could be a really good game, you guys!
The Denver Broncos are Super Bowl favorites over the Seattle Seahawks in Las Vegas, but the opinions are split among NFL experts around the Internet. The NFL's top-ranked offense, led by Peyton Manning, may not have its way with Richard Sherman and the NFL's No. 1 defense.
Nine members of ESPN's 14-member panel sided with the Broncos. That is ostensibly just less than two-thirds of the panel, though two members, Mike Golic and Eric Allen, have yet to pick. The other three -- Keyshawn Johnson, Cris Carter and Seth Wickersham -- picked the Seahawks.
The margin was much tighter at CBS Sports and SB Nation. The CBSSports.com panel was split, 4-4, between the Broncos and the Seahawks. Our six-man panel favored the Seahawks slightly, 4-2, in Sunday's game.
If you're tallying at home, that's a 15-11 edge for the Broncos among some of the NFL's most prominent talking heads. That could change a bit depending on what Golic and Allen say, but the edge will stay in favor of Denver.
Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica's Prediction: Seattle Seahawks.
The reason we believe the Seattle Seahawks will win is because of a statement Mike Ditka, Coach of the 1985 Super Bowl XX winning Bears has made on several occasions, "Defense Wins Championships." We know what defense has done for the Bears, Ravens, Cowboys, Steelers, Packers, Patriots, Dolphins, Giants, Redskins, 49ers, Saints, Colts, Rams, Chiefs, Jets, Raiders, Broncos and the Buccaneers in their Super Bowl victories; we also know what it did to our beloved Bears in 2013. We lost because of our horrible defense, It's great to score but it doesn't mean a thing if the other team can score as well as you. You've got to be able to stop them. The Seattle Seahawks have the defense. We'll know Sunday night. Good Luck and may your team win!!!
Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica's Prediction: Seattle Seahawks.
The reason we believe the Seattle Seahawks will win is because of a statement Mike Ditka, Coach of the 1985 Super Bowl XX winning Bears has made on several occasions, "Defense Wins Championships." We know what defense has done for the Bears, Ravens, Cowboys, Steelers, Packers, Patriots, Dolphins, Giants, Redskins, 49ers, Saints, Colts, Rams, Chiefs, Jets, Raiders, Broncos and the Buccaneers in their Super Bowl victories; we also know what it did to our beloved Bears in 2013. We lost because of our horrible defense, It's great to score but it doesn't mean a thing if the other team can score as well as you. You've got to be able to stop them. The Seattle Seahawks have the defense. We'll know Sunday night. Good Luck and may your team win!!!
NFL needs to send Lynch a message: Fine him. What's your take?
By Clark Judge, The Sports Xchange
Meaning? Meaning penalizing Lynch for his behavior during this week's media sessions when he is supposed to ... no, required to ... sit and answer questions from the Super Bowl media.
Lynch hasn't exactly done that. In fact, at Tuesday's Media Day, he sat in silence before leaving six minutes into the session, then pulled the plug after seven uncooperative minutes Wednesday. The league said it wouldn't fine him but would monitor the situation, but, sorry, that's a no can-do.
Enough is enough. The NFL must get as tough on Lynch as the Seattle running back is on would-be tacklers.
In essence, it must swing into "Beast Mode" and let him know that his conduct not only isn't acceptable; it's downright contemptible and won't be tolerated. And I know just how to do it: Fine him. I don't care what it is. I just care that it's big -- enough to stop others from exercising the same stupid stunt in the future.
Yeah, I know Lynch didn't speak this season and opened up only under the threat of a $50,000 fine. But I also know he's gone into Garbo Mode again, and that tells me something: Either he didn't pay attention or he's begging to get fined.
So fine him. Make it $75,000, $100,000. It doesn't make a difference. Just make it big enough to get the attention of others. Because if Lynch skates on this, he sets a precedent for the next reluctant interviewee to sit for five minutes, answer a question or two, then stiff the media because ... well, because he's "different" and outside the laws that pertain to everyone else.
Except Marshawn Lynch isn't.
He's no different than others who've been here before, and I offer Randy Moss as an example. He didn't want to talk to the Super Bowl media, either, but he did because ... well, because he had to. When someone suggested he was so good and insightful that he should try it more often, Moss shook his head.
"I'm doing this only because I have to," he said. "Otherwise, I'd get fined."
The same went for the Colts' Marvin Harrison when he was at Super Bowl XLI. He didn't want to do a stand-up, either, but he did. The reason: He had an obligation.
And that's what this is all about: An obligation. Like it or not, Lynch is just like everyone player and coach here: He's obligated to speak to the media, and, sorry, but testifying inaudibly for seven minutes Wednesday -- mostly, in answer to questions asked by teammate Michael Robinson, sitting to his left -- doesn't count.
"I'm just here so I won't get fined, boss," Lynch said. "That's the only reason I'm here."
OK, that's a start. But that's as far as Lynch went. And at Tuesday's Media Day he didn't even do that before pulling the plug on the session, basically daring the league office to fine him. But it didn't.
Now it must. Because if Marshawn Lynch can do this, saying that by showing up he's fulfilling his obligation, what's to prevent 52 other players from pulling the same childish stunt? Or who's to prevent him from going silent if he's chosen the game MVP Sunday?
Answer: Not the league office.
Coach Pete Carroll tried to explain his reluctant star running back, saying that "we would like to comply and do everything that we can to the bests of our abilities, but we are who we are." Meaning? You tell me. I don't get it, either.
Carroll also said, "We have obligations that we try to fulfill the best we can," but apparently he hasn't met Marshawn Lynch. Because he didn't try, period.
He wasn't interested in answering questions. He often bowed his head and wouldn't look at the army of reporters in front of him. And he seemed more interested in asides with Robinson than direct questions from his interviewers -- that is, until he ... not the league or his team ... decided he'd had enough and walked out on the session.
"The 12s (Seattle's 12th Man) don't have a problem with it," Lynch said before leaving. "The people I play for on Sunday don't have a problem with it. The media has a problem with it. It's a problem if they choose to take something away from me for not doing it."
That sounds like a challenge to me. If Lynch is daring the league to fine him, then the NFL has only one choice.
Fine him. And fine him now.
Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica's Opinion: Clark Judge is a Senior NFL Writer for The Sports Xchange, has covered pro football since 1982 and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee. We totally disagree with his position that Mr. Lynch must talk to the media. He is not comfortable and doesn't feel he has anything to say. He's paid to play football and play it well. That's his obligation to his team, their fans and himself. His teammates are fine with it and willing to step up and fill the void. How would Mr. Judge like it if he was told he had to go out during Super Bowl week and run some plays and take some hits to write about the teams he's covering? Doesn't make sense does it? Mr. Lynch is not comfortable around reporters for some reason. Maybe it's mistrust from being misquoted or a bad experience from the past, whichever or whatever it is, he has rights also. Some guys love the 1st amendment, freedom of speech, other guys love the 2nd amendment, the right of individual Americans to keep and bear arms and all Mr. Lynch loves his privacy. If he plays well, they will write good articles about him, if he doesn't, he'll be lambasted in the press. Perhaps the media should only be allowed to inquire about the game instead of some of the ridiculous, personal and mundane questions that they ask. That's the great thing about America, freedom of choice and his choice is not to speak to the media.
What do you think? Do you have a problem with Marshawn Lynch avoiding the media? What's your take?
Thursday's Media Day update: The Marshawn Lynch media spectacle is officially done until Sunday.
By Frank Schwab
Marshawn Lynch provided a good punch line (so to speak) before he ended his media obligations for the week.
Asked about Seattle offensive line coach Tom Cable, Lynch referenced an incident when Cable was Raiders coach and was accused of punching his assistant Scott Hanson.
"Well, being from Oakland, all I knew about him was that he punched people," Lynch said. "That’s my type of person.”
Well then. If nothing else, it's hard to say Lynch didn't provide any entertaining moments this week.
Lynch left his media session on Thursday after a little more than seven minutes, and was much like his previous two this week. He didn't say a lot, but he wasn't a mute either. He talked about the Broncos defense ("What’s his name? Pot Roast [Terrance Knighton]. Big boy. They get to the ball.
They run into the ball. They’re a good defense, that’s what I say."), how he uses the stiff-arm (it's "another weapon"), when he knew Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson would be good ("probably during the preseason") and his offensive line ("they’ve only been getting better. I think they take pride in that.")
He didn't say a ton on any of the subjects, but that's his way. And, as has been the case all week, the star running back had dozens of reporters crammed around his table to hear his few comments.
Seattle coach Pete Carroll made a good point that Lynch has actually provided a good look into his personality just by how he handled his media sessions this week.
"I think there's a lot of information coming your way," Carroll said. "He's telling a lot about who he is and what he represents and stands for, sometimes in the silence, not always with his words that he says."
Thursday was the last time players met with the media before Sunday's game. There is an interesting scenario in which Lynch, perhaps Seattle's most important player going into the Super Bowl, wins the game's MVP and then has to do the customary press conference for the award winner on Monday morning. That would be quite interesting.
That's a ways off, however. For now, the sideshow of Lynch's cooperation with the media during Super Bowl week is all done.
"It's going to be good to get back to football," Lynch said.
By Aggrey Sam
Even the most optimistic impartial observers, if injected with truth serum, couldn't say they envisioned this Bulls team, after what they've endured thus far this season, to be trending upward.
Another campaign of feisty play and gutting out a litany of injuries, despite diminished expectations? Sure.
But being poised to be a real factor in the conference, albeit the underwhelming East? Not after Derrick Rose's season-ending injury, the squad's subsequent December swoon and just when they got healthy, trading away leading scorer Luol Deng.
Yet here we are, after a resilient and relatively tough January, surviving various absences, making do with new pieces--whether short-term additions or those in place for at least the rest of the year--and starting out a six-game Western Conference road trip with a bang, outlasting the Spurs, one of the league's elite teams, Wednesday night.
After seemingly overachieving last season, this is old hat for these Bulls, this undermanned, beating-the-odds stuff. All-Star center Joakim Noah just elevates his game to another level, Sixth Man of the Year candidate Taj Gibson adds a new dimension to his own, swingman Jimmy Butler fights through growing pains while gradually adjusting to a new role and the likes of Carlos Boozer and Kirk Hinrich fill in the gaps as needed. Meanwhile, novices to their high-wire act, such as midseason acquisition D.J. Augustin, veteran sharpshooter Mike Dunleavy Jr. and even rookie wing Tony Snell quickly find out that what it takes and blend right in according to the strong-willed, Svengali-like whims of Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau.
As the shock of injuries and trades have faded, roles have been solidified and adversity isn't only navigable, it's regarded as an obstacle to be conquered. On most evenings, victories won't be very pretty and some of the losses will be even uglier.
The utmost level of competitiveness is needed to not only beat the best, but even the NBA's cellar-dwellers; still, the Bulls are capable of topping either. The odd evening on which they don't come to play or things simply aren't click on will lend credence to that pro-tanking faction of fans that haven't seen the point in trying to win since that November night in Portland, though the inspirational triumphs, like this balanced effort against San Antonio, resonate afterward as a point of pride.
There's a lot of time before the end of the season--even prior to the looming February trade deadline, which threatens to bring more changes, let alone until the conclusion of this current road trip--but there's already a certain feel to it, an aura of confidence that comes from knowledge and experience. Maybe it was the sight of Marco Belinelli in a reunion with his former team, but it's undeniable that the Bulls have been here before and one can't blame them for feeling like they're better for it, especially with a practice run under their belt.
After all, if their oft-repeated stock answer when questioned about overcoming adversity is to be believed--"It only matters what we think," everybody from Thibodeau to Noah will say--why not try to create something out of nothing one more time?
Joakim Noah named Eastern Conference All-Star reserve.
By Aggrey Sam
Chicago Bulls Center Joakim Noah
As expected, Bulls center Joakim Noah was selected to his second consecutive NBA All-Star Game.
Noah was selected to be an Eastern Conference All-Star reserve by the coaches based on the strength of his stellar month of January, in which he helped a Bulls team recover from the season-ending knee injury of Derrick Rose and the trade of Luol Deng to Cleveland. The center currently has a streak of 17 consecutive double-digit rebounding games.
Joining Noah as an Eastern Conference All-Star reserve are Miami's Chris Bosh, Toronto's DeMar DeRozan, Indiana's Roy Hibbert, Brooklyn's Joe Johnson, Atlanta's Paul Millsap and Washington's John Wall. DeRozan, Millsap and Wall are first-time All-Stars.
The East starters, announced last week, are Miami's LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, New York's Carmelo Anthony and first-time starters Paul George of Indiana and Cleveland's Kyrie Irving. The starters are selected by fan voting.
The West reserves are Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard, Houston's James Harden and Dwight Howard, Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki, San Antonio's Tony Parker and Chris Paul of the Clippers. Only Lillard is a first-time All-Star selection.
The West starters are Kobe Bryant of the Lakers, Golden State's Stephen Curry, Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin of the Clippers and Minnesota's Kevin Love. Bryant, however, is unlikely to play as he recovers from injury.
Notable snubs in the East include Indiana's Lance Stephenson and in the West, Chicago native Anthony Davis of the Pelicans, who plays in New Orleans, the All-Star Game's host city. Johnson of the Nets is regarded as the most surprising selection.
Team Report - CHICAGO WHITE SOX.
The Sports Xchange
INSIDE PITCH
Keeping their offseason focus firmly on their offense, the Chicago White Sox dealt closer Addison Reed to the Arizona Diamondbacks in a Dec. 16 deal that netted third baseman Matt Davidson.
The trade came one week after the White Sox sent left-hander Hector Santiago to the Los Angeles Angels and received center fielder Adam Eaton from Arizona in a three-team swap.
Davidson, 22, a former first-round pick and top-rated prospect, spent most of last season at Triple-A Reno, where he hit .280 with a .350 on-base percentage, a .481 slugging percentage, 17 homers and 74 RBIs in 115 games. He got a late-season call-up to Arizona and batted .237/.333/.434 with three homers and 12 RBIs in 31 major league games.
He likely will be the front-runner for the everyday third base job in spring training, though Conor Gillaspie and Jeff Keppinger could be in the mix, too.
"We feel he has the potential to be a middle-of-the-order run producer for a long time," White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said. "Whether that starts on Opening Day 2014 or soon thereafter, we'll have to figure out over the coming weeks and months as we get to know him ourselves and see him ourselves. He obviously was young for the Triple-A level last year, at age 22, and though he's got a good approach to the plate and the ball jumps off his bat, there is still a little bit of refinement that can take place.
"We'll decide whether that's best to take place in Triple-A or at the major league level. I do feel when he does get here, he's going to be here for a long time."
The deal cost Chicago the services of Reed. The 24-year-old right-hander saved 40 games in 48 chances last season, posting a 3.79 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 71 1/3 innings.
Right-hander Nate Jones, 27, is the favorite to take over as the White Sox's closer. Jones went 4-5 with a 4.15 ERA in 70 games for Chicago last season, and he is 12-5 with a 3.31 ERA in 135 relief outings over the past two seasons.
NOTES, QUOTES
--The Chicago White Sox agreed to a multiyear contract extension with manager Robin Ventura on Jan. 24. The team did not disclose the terms of the deal.
Ventura, 46, was going into the final year of a three-year deal, so the extension eliminates his "lame-duck" status.
"There was never really any question in our minds as to who we wanted in the White Sox dugout now and into the future," general manager Rick Hahn said in a statement.
The White Sox went 63-99 under Ventura last year after going 85-77 in his first season managing the club.
--Bo Jackson is rejoining the White Sox as a team ambassador, the team announced Jan. 22.
Jackson, who was designated the "Greatest Athlete of All Time" by ESPN's Sports Science, played for the White Sox from 1991-93.
Jackson was an outfielder and designated hitter and member of the 1993 American League West champion team.
He joins other White Sox legends as team ambassadors, including recently announced Hall of Fame inductee Frank Thomas, Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk, Ron Kittle, Carlos May, Bill Melton and Minnie Minoso.
Jackson, who remains a resident of the Chicago area, will make appearances on behalf of the organization and serve as a team representative in the community and throughout baseball.
--RHP Brian Omogrosso, who missed the second half of last season due to an elbow injury, signed a minor league deal with the White Sox in mid-January. Omogrosso had bone spurs surgically removed from his right elbow in August, and Chicago removed him from its 40-man roster in October. He made 12 relief appearances for the White Sox in 2013, going 0-2 with a 9.27 ERA.
--OF Dayan Viciedo and the White Sox avoided arbitration Jan. 13, agreeing to a one-year, $2.8 million contract. Viciedo, 24, hit .265 with 14 homers in 124 games in 2013. He hit 25 homers in 2012 for the White Sox. Last season, Viciedo piled up 12 outfield assists, which ranked third in the American League.
--LHP Scott Downs and the White Sox finalized a one-year, $4 million contract on Jan. 2. The team gets a $4.25 million option for 2015. Downs, 37, split last season between the Los Angeles Angels and the Atlanta Braves. In 68 relief outings overall, he finished 4-4 with a 2.49 ERA.
"Downs provides us with some balance to our bullpen and another veteran arm for (White Sox manager) Robin (Ventura) to call upon late in games," White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said in a statement. "Scott's impact will not only be felt on the field, but given his makeup and leadership skills, it will be felt in the clubhouse and bullpen as well."
--LHP Santos Rodriguez, designated for assignment by the White Sox on Jan. 2, was claimed off waivers by the Diamondbacks on Jan. 10. Rodriguez, 26, went a combined 2-0 with a 4.91 ERA over 33 relief appearances in Double-A and Triple-A last season. He has no major league experience.
--RHP Ronald Belisario finalized a one-year, $3 million deal with the White Sox on Dec. 19. The 30-year-old reliever, who was non-tendered by the Dodgers on Dec. 2, went 5-7 with one save and a 3.97 ERA in 77 outings last season for Los Angeles. Over four major league seasons, all with the Dodgers, Belisario has a 20-12 record with four saves and a 3.29 ERA in 273 appearances. "Belisario provides us with a veteran reliever who owns a proven record of recording key outs at big moments of games," general manager Rick Hahn said in a statement released by the White Sox.
--DH/1B Paul Konerko's future was very up-in-the-air at the start of the offseason, as the team captain was weighing retirement or playing elsewhere. But in signing the free agent to a one-year, $2.5 million contract, it was a win-win for both sides. The Sox have a veteran leader in the clubhouse and a guy that can mentor 1B Jose Abreu, while Konerko gets to be a part-time player and walk off into the sunset on his terms. "I'm excited about it because, truthfully, I wouldn't be coming back to any situation if I knew I was slated to play a lot," Konerko said. The veteran, who will turn 38 on March 5, will play against lefty pitchers in his reserve role.
--LHP Chris Sale was the trade rumor of the winter meetings, and one that wasn't accurate, according to board chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. "I only had one player in my 33 years of sports who couldn't be traded," Reinsdorf said. "He wore No. 23 -- and 45 when he played baseball (Michael Jordan). I never had another player that couldn't be traded. ... But I would be very surprised." Sale is considered the face of the organization moving forward, and signed a favorable contract that could keep him on the South Side through 2019.
--RHP Felipe Paulino was signed to a one-year, $1.5 million deal with a $4 million club option for 2015 during the winter meetings, and is being penciled in as a guy that will enter spring training in the rotation. "When he's right and healthy, we see him as a power arm with four pitches and a guy who can be a quality starter in a big-league rotation," general manager Rick Hahn said. "Based on our medical reports and where he has progressed to, we have every reason to believe he'll be able to help us come Opening Day." What the Sox like is if Paulino is needed as a long reliever, he is versatile enough to do that as well.
--C Adrian Nieto, 24, was selected by the Sox with the third pick in the Rule 5 draft to close out the winter meetings, and there is a starting job there for him to win. The Sox brought back Tyler Flowers with a one-year deal and have homegrown Josh Phegley looking to compete behind the plate again, but the Sox were definitely weak behind the plate. In 110 games with Class A Potomac last season, Nieto hit .285 with 29 doubles, 11 home runs, 53 RBIs, 68 runs scored and a .373 on-base percentage. He threw out 33.3 percent (42-of-126) of attempted base stealers during his 86 starts behind the plate. "Obviously, we've talked about wanting to upgrade or potentially have some competition at the catcher's position," Hahn said. "This is just another avenue to bringing someone in. Any time you take a guy in Rule 5, you are rushing his development a little bit, so it's a longer shot of it working out. But this kid made some real nice strides in 2013."
--OF Alejandro De Aza could be the odd-man out, or at least out of a starting job if the Sox don't trade him, after the team acquired OF Adam Eaton during the winter meetings. Hahn already indicated that Eaton will be given the chance to start in center field -- De Aza's spot -- as well as win the leadoff spot -- also De Aza's spot. With Dayan Viciedo in left field and Avisail Garcia in right, De Aza is a fourth outfielder at best right now for the Sox.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "I think of myself as a Lenny Dykstra-Kenny Lofton mix, a scrappy dirtbag who gets after it day in and day out. It's a new beginning, new club, new city. I'm really looking forward to it." -- OF Adam Eaton, on what type of player he is and what he hopes to bring to the Sox after being acquired in a three-team trade.
ROSTER REPORT
General manager Rick Hahn knew he had a rebuilding project this offseason and took steps in doing so by adding four young offensive players since last July.
RF Avisail Garcia, 22, was acquired at the trade deadline by sending RHP Jake Peavy to Boston, and then in November, the Sox outbid the competition to sign Cuban slugger Jose Abreu, 26, to play first base, throwing a six-year, $68 million contract at him.
CF Adam Eaton was acquired in a three-team trade during the winter meetings, and all three are already penciled in to be starters to a new-look offense.
3B Matt Davidson was acquired from Arizona, and he will have a chance to win a job in the spring, too.
The Sox still feel like they have the payroll to add players during the season if the team is challenging, but this is definitely a rebuilding year.
BIGGEST NEEDS: Considering the Sox finished 14th in the American League in home runs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and 15th in runs per game, really no spot in the starting lineup should be safe heading into spring training.
ARRIVALS: 1B Jose Abreu (free agent from Cuba), RHP Ronald Belisario (free agent from Dodgers), RHP Felipe Paulino (free agent from Royals), CF Adam Eaton (trade with Diamondbacks), 3B Matt Davidson (trade with Diamondbacks), LHP Scott Downs (free agent from Braves)
DEPARTURES: LHP Hector Santiago (traded to Angels), RHP Addison Reed (traded to Diamondbacks), RHP Gavin Floyd (free agent, signed with Braves)
FREE AGENTS: RHP Dylan Axelrod
ARBITRATION-ELIGIBLE: None
IN LIMBO: DH/1B Adam Dunn
With 1B Paul Konerko deciding to play one more year, and with 1B Jose Abreu coming to the South Side, Dunn is a trade candidate. However, moving $15 million for a player with Dunn's recent stats won't be easy.
MEDICAL WATCH:
--INF Jeff Keppinger (exploratory right shoulder surgery in September 2013) did not need structural repairs. He is expected to be ready by spring training.
--C Tyler Flowers (right shoulder surgery in September 2013) has an expected recovery time of three to six months, but is ahead of schedule and should be ready for spring training.
--RHP Felipe Paulino (shoulder surgery in September 2013) should be ready for spring training.
Waste Management Phoenix Open: Yang and Watson set pace, Mickelson seven back.
Reuters; By Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles, Editing by Frank Pingue
South Korean Yang Yong-eun birdied six of his last nine holes to surge into a share of the lead in the Phoenix Open first round while Phil Mickelson launched his title defense with a level-par 71 in Scottsdale, Arizona on Thursday.
Yang, who became Asia's first male major winner with his victory at the 2009 PGA Championship where he overhauled Tiger Woods in the final round, mixed eight birdies with a lone bogey to fire a seven-under-par 64 in dazzling desert sunshine.
The 42-year-old Korean, a double winner on the PGA Tour, took advantage of ideal scoring conditions at the TPC Scottsdale and signed off with a superb approach to three feet at the par-four last before he sank the birdie putt.
Yang, who has not recorded a single top-10 on the U.S. circuit since he tied for sixth at The Barclays in 2011, was delighted with his up-tick in form.
"I have been playing like 'you-know-what' for a long time now," the Korean told PGATour.com through an interpreter. "I have been adjusting my swing for a long time ... and I think it's finally paying off.
"I missed some good chances on the front nine so I was a little bit angry with myself but I've been playing some solid golf for the last four-and-a-half rounds so I think it's good."
Yang's lead held up for most of the day until he was joined at the top by 2012 Masters champion Bubba Watson, who birdied four of his last six holes for a matching 64.
Americans Pat Perez, Kevin Stadler, William McGirt, Harris English and Chris Kirk, along with Australians Greg Chalmers and Matt Jones, were a further stroke back after opening 65s.
SETTING THE PACE
While Yang set the early pace, defending champion Mickelson was happy to complete his opening round with an assorted mix of five birdies, three bogeys and a double after struggling with muscle pain in his lower back over the past two weeks.
"My back's fine, my game was a little rusty," Mickelson, who was diagnosed with and treated for locked facet joints in his back on Monday, told Golf Channel.
"Got off to a poor start, played a couple over (par) and finished poorly with a few over. In the middle of the round, I hit a lot of good shots and had a good little run.
"It just wasn't quite sharp, I wasn't quite focused on every shot the way I need to be and let way too many shots slide today."
Five-time major champion Mickelson double-bogeyed the par-three 12th, his third hole of the day, after hitting his tee shot into water but got his round back on track with birdies at the 13th, 14th, 17th, first and fourth.
The American, who won last year's Phoenix Open with a record-tying 28-under total of 256 after opening with a 60, then faded with bogeys at the fifth, seventh and ninth but preferred to dwell on the all the positives in his first round.
"The back feels great, and hopefully I'll come out tomorrow and get a good round," Mickelson said of his game. "I won't overdo it and practice too much.
"I do feel like I've got a good round in me, the game doesn't feel far off even though I made quite a few careless spurts out there."
American Hunter Mahan, the 2010 champion, opened with a five-birdie 66 while England's former world number one Lee Westwood carded a 67.
Rory McIlroy shoots 63 to take lead in Dubai.
By BERNIE McGUIRE (Associated Press)
Rory McIlroy took another step toward regaining his form Thursday with his lowest score in more than three years, a 9-under 63 while playing with Tiger Woods to take a two-shot lead in the Dubai Desert Classic.
Edoardo Molinari made an eagle on the par-4 second hole on his way to a 65. The group at 66 included Stephen Gallacher, the defending champion who also played in the feature group with Woods and McIlroy.
McIlroy had his best score since a 63 in the Hong Kong Open in November 2010.
The 24-year-old from Northern Ireland was No. 1 in the world at this point a year ago, but went through a troublesome season adjusting to new equipment and coping with his first prolonged slump. He didn't win a tournament until the Australian Open in December. In his 2014 debut two weeks ago, McIlroy finished one shot behind in Abu Dhabi, where he was given a two-shot penalty in the third round for not taking proper relief.
McIlroy said he was ''very close'' to playing his best and that this was ''another step up from Abu Dhabi'' the way he controlled his irons.
''I played the ball really well from tee to green, drove the ball really well again,'' he said. ''You can see how well I am driving it that I am leaving myself a lot of wedges into the green. So that's going to help.''
McIlroy ran off three straight birdies early in his round and made the turn on the back nine in 32. He made eagle on the par-5 third hole with a 5-wood into 8 feet.
Woods managed to hit just half of the fairways in regulation, but taking only 25 putts helped him. The world's No. 1 player also made his first birdie of the year on a par 5, his opening hole at No. 10. Woods did not birdie any of the 12 par 5s he played last week at Torrey Pines, where he missed the 54-hole cut.
''I felt like it was a good day,'' Woods said. ''I could have got a couple more out of it, just by making a couple putts from about ten feet or so but I hit a lot of good putts which was nice. Last week I didn't do it and it was nice to actually play well again.''
Woods is a two-time winner in Dubai, which is celebrating its 25-year anniversary. McIlroy won his first European Tour event at Dubai in 2009. Among the past champions, Fred Couples, Mark O'Meara and Colin Montgomerie each shot 70, as did Race to Dubai winner Henrik Stenson.
Molinari, who took a bogey on the par-5 18th, bounced back on the short second hole when he hit a big drive to just short of the green and then chipped in from about 35 yards for an eagle.
''It was a good day,'' Molinari said. ''I've been hitting the ball very well lately, and especially off the tee.''
But the day belonged to McIlroy, who has a chance this week to build some momentum. He called it his best round since a 66 to beat Adam Scott in Australia at the end of last year, and while McIlroy shot 64 in Boston last September, ''it's definitely the lowest round I've shot in a while.''
Gallacher said he was happy with a 66, especially playing alongside two of the biggest stars in golf. He played an 18-hole exhibition with Woods and Couples earlier this week.
''I played alongside Tiger on Tuesday, so I knew what to expect, and it was just a matter of getting on with my own game,'' Gallacher said. ''So Tiger's been fine, but then Rory's been brilliant.''
Winning is still far from everything under NASCAR’s new Chase system.
By Nick Bromberg
As it sold the latest changes to the Sprint Cup Series format on Thursday, NASCAR leaned heavily on a winning crutch.
The key points of the new Chase format:
• The field is expanded from 12 to 16 drivers. All drivers with a win in the first 26 races and the highest-ranking winless drivers will fill out the 16-driver field. At the beginning of the Chase, each driver will have his or her points reset to 2,000. Three bonus points will be added for each win in the first 26 races.
• The 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup now contains eliminations. After the first three races, the bottom four drivers will be eliminated. Then after the next three, the next lowest four are eliminated from title contention. Following the ninth race of the season, the top four drivers will go into Homestead on level points standing. The highest finishing driver wins the title.
• If a driver wins a race in a three-race segment, he or she automatically advances to the next three-race segment in the Chase.
• To be eligible for the Chase, a driver must be in the top 30 in points and attempt to qualify for all 26 races before the Chase. However, NASCAR left a provision open for drivers forced to miss races because of medical reasons. We'll found out if and how that provision will be executed when the time arises.
After all, with wins greatly enhancing a driver's odds of making the Chase for the Sprint Cup Series and a winner-take-all race at Homestead, you'd think that the ultimate golden ticket is a trip to victory lane.
Not so. In its release, NASCAR touted that a win in the first 26 races of the season now "all but guarantees" a driver into the Chase. That ambivalent language says nothing, as the sanctioning body is clinging to the sliver of hope that 17 or more drivers will win a race in those 26 races.
In the 10 years of the Chase format, it's never happened. The highest number of drivers to win a race before the Chase came in 2012, when 14 different drivers won a race. Every other year, between 10-13 drivers have won a race before the Chase began.
That's why this statement from Charlotte Motor Speedway President Marcus Smith is laughable at best, and, quite bluntly, incorrect.
"With NASCAR's changes to the point system, I think we can safely say points racing is dead," Smith said in a track release timed minutes after NASCAR's announcement. "When it comes to race day, winning is the only thing that matters -- period. The new system gives the drivers just 26 chances for only 16 spots in the Chase. That makes every single race critical. I think the changes are probably the best thing to happen in NASCAR in the last 10 years and I'm genuinely looking forward to seeing how the increased incentive to win plays out on race day."
No, points racing is not dead. Far from it. Accumulating the most points throughout a given time-frame is still the most important part of racing for a championship in NASCAR.
Since there is an exceeding likelihood that the Chase field will not be filled out exclusively by race-winning drivers, the other spots will be filled by the highest-ranking drivers without wins. Or, in very simple and crude terms, the best "points-racing" drivers of the season. If a driver doesn't win but piles up top-10 finishes throughout the first 26 races and is fifth in the standings, congratulations. He's likely in the Chase.
Besides, drivers aren't simply racing for 7th and 8th place finishes anyway. Kyle Busch said that best on Thursday before the announcement was made by NASCAR, indirectly citing the "100 percent" rule NASCAR implemented before the Chase last season after race manipulation penalties against Michael Waltrip Racing.
"You've got NASCAR telling you 'Well, everyone is going to race differently with this new format,'" Busch said. "We race 100 percent every single race that we're out there. We try to win every single week. If you can tell me that we don't want to win every single Chase race throughout the Chase, you're kidding yourself. It fries me that NASCAR in itself can tell you that you don't race hard every week."
Like Busch said, teams are racing hard every week. Heck, they're mandated to. Sometimes the track and the aerodynamics of the cars can make the single-file racing that has become all-too-common look like drivers aren't giving it their best effort. It's simply a culmination of how the sport has progressed as team budgets have expanded to include the best aerodynamic testing and engineering.
And what's the next best method to advancing throughout the Chase if a driver doesn't win a race in a given three-race segment? You got it, it's "points-racing." While winning is now a safety valve, points accumulation in a given time-frame is still vital. Heck, under this system last season, Dale Earnhardt Jr. would have been the 2013 champion. Junior didn't win a single race.
Of course, in admitting the winless-scenario champion would have happened in 2013, NASCAR said that it feels drivers would have raced differently. But is that another realistic expectation moving forward?
NASCAR President Brian France teased the possibility of late-race contact at Homestead between drivers racing for the championship. The comments subtly reemphasizing the "game seven" feel that has been synonymous with his view for the Chase ever since he brought up a defining scenario a few years ago. However, with the Chase hanging in the balance in the waning laps at Homestead previously, we have seen very little of the sort.
Maybe it's the aerodynamics, maybe it's a driver code of conduct. Why would drivers act any differently? The ultimate goal hasn't changed, the way that NASCAR determines its winner has.
It's why -- barring any miraculous advancement in the raceability of the cars throughout the season -- you shouldn't see any stark change in the Sprint Cup Series from 2013 to 2014. Sure, the package may be wrapped so extravagantly that it may catch more people's eyes, but once you open it up you'll see that the same contents are there. The presentation can be only dressed up so much before people realize it's the same thing.
Kick Off: MLS expansion race heats up with news in Miami, San Antonio.
MLSSoccer.com
Here are the top 15 soccer stories we’re following today.
1. BECKHAM UNITED
David Beckham held talks with Miami-Dade officials on Tuesday as they began narrowing down potential venues for a soccer specific stadium in the city. Sadly, despite report that there was going to be an announcement next Monday confirming Beckham’s MLS franchise, this isn’t true. Instead there is likely to be a press conference next Wednesday as Beckham, MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Miami Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez will reportedly try to rally support for the privately funded stadium.
2. TALKING TEXAS
While Miami seems in a promising spot for the next expansion market, have the MLS top brass already turned their eye to the next potential venue? Garber headed out to San Antonio on Tuesday, where he met with city Mayor Julian Castro and San Antonio Scorpions owner Gordon Hartman to discuss the city’s potential chances of securing an expansion team.
3. IT’S COMPLICATED
The Philadelphia Union held a press conference on Tuesday to unveil their new Designated Player Maurice Edu. Taking place at the Union’s own high school, Edu revealed, “I feel like a kid again,” and explained that his main aim right now is simply to get back to enjoying the game. Manager John Hackworth talked the media through the complicated process of landing Edu, something they’ll not be looking to repeat with another new player seemingly inbound.
4. NGUYEN’S NEW DEAL
The New England Revolution have re-signed midfielder Lee Nguyen. It means 2014 will mark Nguyen’s third season with the Revs and general manager Michael Burns is thrilled: “We believe he’ll continue being a key contributor moving forward.”
5. MOVING BACKWARDS
While the club has lost some key players, the Montreal Impact still haven’t made any significant investments this off season. That’s a fact that concerns Matteo Ferrari, with the Impact’s defender being quite honest in his assessment: “I think we’re a little bit – how can I say – not as good as before.” So, with that in mind, should the Impact make a push for Marco Pappa?
6. THE DREAM TEAM
Fabián Espíndola and Eddie Johnson are two of the biggest names brought in by D.C. United so far this off season and, while Espíndola hasn’t actually signed with the club yet, he has been talking about what he hopes to achieve in a partnership with Johnson up top: “This team has a lot of championships, and I’m interested in winning another one with them.” When Espíndola refers to championships, though, he’s clearly not talking about the Supporters' Shield, which he labels a “ghost prize.”
7. IT’S DARREN’S TIME NOW
With the departure of Camilo Sanvezzo in Vancouver, this year could prove to be a huge one for Darren Mattocks. The Jamaican striker seems ready to step up, including taking responsibility for his ill-advised comments on Jamaican TV last year. Head coach Carl Robinson agrees that the whole incident is behind them now and, as Mattock acknowledges, his new opportunity is “...all up to me working hard and staying focused.”
8. SO IT BEGINS
The very first game of the MLS preseason is complete, with C.J. Sapong scoring the only goal as reigning MLS Cup Champions Sporting Kansas City came away 1-0 winners over FC Tucson. Speaking after the game, SKC head coach Peter Vermes revealed, “It was exactly what we hoped to get out of it. … I would say for the most part, the guys did a decent job.”
9. SHARING IS CARING
There was worrying news for Toronto FC fans as it was revealed on Tuesday that the CFL's Toronto Argonauts could be sold in a matter of weeks to either Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (which also owns TFC) or their chairman, Larry Tanenbaum. Either scenario would only add to the distinct possibility of the Argonaunts moving into BMO Field, which would no doubt displease soccer fans, but would also apparently mean TFC sharing their training facilities.
10. THE ONE PERCENT
Milos Kocic has spent the past five years in MLS but, at only 28-years-old, describes himself as “99 percent retired.” After spending last season with the Portland Timbers, the Serbian goalkeeper is returning to another of his former cities, Toronto, in order to open his own Goalkeeper academy.
11. THE NEW CHIVAS USA?
Are Chivas USA quietly putting together the surprise team of 2014? It certainly won’t be easy, but their new head coach was introduced to the press on Tuesday and Wilmer Cabrera spoke about some of the challenges ahead. The club has already signed some interesting players this offseason, including Adolfo Bautista, but could Augustín Pelletieri be set to join them as well?
12. A TALE OF TWO ROBBIES
Despite his offseason surgery, Robbie Keane expects to be fit in time for the Galaxy’s season opener against Real Salt Lake and, in typical Robbie Keane style, the striker bounced straight off a flight from Ireland onto the training field. Meanwhile, teammate Robbie Rogers feels he is having the best preseason of his career. With the added sharpness and added familiarity with his teammates, could we finally see the best from Rogers again?
13. IN SEARCH OF A GOOD HOME
Staying with Galaxy players, could recently released Michael Stephens be the first American player to join up with Bob Bradley at his new Norwegian club Stabæk? The midfielder will arrive in Norway on Wednesday ahead of a trial with the club. Meanwhile, Sebastian Ibeagha’s quest for a European club looks set to continue and Brek Shea has extended his stay at English Championship side Barnsley by an extra two months.
14. CANADIAN COUP?
Ahead of the summer’s World Cup, it seems Spain, the reigning world champions, are planning to play one of their final warm up matches in Washington, D.C. The opponents for such a highly sought opportunity? Rumors suggest it could very well be Canada, although other countries are said to still be in the running as well.
15. GUEST OF HONOR
It seems the US national team is also looking to add an extra friendly in its schedule around April with another game against regional rivals Mexico. With the game not falling on an official FIFA date, the team for that game would most likely be similar to the one currently in the January camp, which Mike Magee and Graham Zusi recap. While the camp has been cut down to 22 back in LA, they have a special guest joining them for the final stretch: Stuart Holden.
U.S. national team feels Brazil boost in January camp.
By Jon Arnold
The United States national team continued training Thursday in cloudy California, as the team enters the final leg of its January training camp.
The weather near Los Angeles is a bit of a change for the team, which traveled to Sao Paulo to simulate the environment it will experience at this summer’s World Cup. Of course, with Sao Paulo, Brazil’s largest city, located in the Southern Hemisphere, the USA felt a different climate than it's currently experiencing in California.
It’s summer there, and midfielder Graham Zusi expressed hope it will be a bit cooler the next time the Stars and Stripes pay a visit. But even with some harsh weather conditions, the Sporting Kansas City player said the team will benefit from the experience.
“It’s been a fantastic experience for everyone, staff included I think,” Zusi said. “The trip down to Brazil was one that we’ll be able to look back on I think this summer and be extremely happy and privileged that we were able to get down there before the summer.
“Just those little things that we may not have thought of before coming back and using those little experience to our advantages.”
Those small advantages include knowing what to expect from the climate and the accommodations, Zusi said, and even three-time World Cup veteran Landon Donovan agreed that the camp has been a big boost toward the start of the campaign.
“There’s always an excitement at this part of the year leading into our season.
There’s always guys fighting for spots, which is good,” Donovan said. “I guess as far as preparation you want to be peaking at the right time, so this is good for everybody to get a sense of what the expectations are and what Jurgen and the coaching staff want. But the reality is we’re going to get judged and picked based on how we do Saturday, potentially how we do in March and how we do with our teams during the season.”
Saturday brings a friendly against South Korea, which kicks off at 5 p.m. ET at the StubHub Center, while a friendly against Ukraine has been announced for March. The national team will also play a number of other games this spring in preparation for the World Cup.
Stifling defense rescues Arizona at Stanford, keeping the Wildcats undefeated.
By Jeff Eisenberg
One of the reasons top-ranked Arizona is special is because the Wildcats defend well enough to survive nights when their jump shots won't fall.
It happened against Utah in Tucson on Sunday night. And it happened against Stanford in Palo Alto three nights later.
From the point when Arizona fell behind by seven points against Stanford with just over 12 minutes left in the second half, the Wildcats surrendered only six points on two field goals and a pair of late Chasson Randle free throws. Generating stops on 16 of Stanford's final 19 possessions enabled Arizona to overcome 36 percent shooting and escape with a 60-57 win that keeps its undefeated record intact.
"Defense was why we won," Arizona coach Sean Miller told reporters in Palo Alto after the game. "If you look at the game within the game, our ability to defend at a very high level, to get defensive stop after defensive stop when the other team really needed a score, that's what we've done from Day 1. Tonight if you say 'why did we win?' Well, that was it."
Arizona's comeback ensures the Wildcats, No. 2 Syracuse and No. 4 Wichita State will each take unbeaten records into February. The last time three teams were undefeated on Feb. 1, Indiana was on its way to an unbeaten season in 1976 and UNLV and Rutgers were both also perfect through January.
That Arizona is still blemish-free is especially impressive considering the tough schedule the Wildcats have played. They've beaten five teams either ranked or receiving votes in the latest polls including fifth-ranked San Diego State and 10th-ranked Michigan on the road and 17th-ranked Duke in Madison Square Garden.
Few of Arizona's 21 victories were any more nerve-wracking than Wednesday night's close call in Palo Alto.
The Wildcats couldn't score consistently enough against the rare opponent actually able to match their size in the frontcourt. Nick Johnson and Kaleb Tarczewski battled foul trouble.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson got sped up and out of control attacking the rim. Aaron Gordon appeared to be trying to do too much playing 15 minutes from where he grew up, a big reason he went 2 of 10 from the floor and continued to struggle shooting from the perimeter.
For a while, it looked like Stanford might capitalize.
The Cardinal were out-hustling Arizona to loose balls and out-working the Wildcats on the glass for a stretch midway through the second half, but Dwight Powell's fourth foul with 12:22 remaining served as a turning point. Arizona, third-best in the nation in points per possession allowed, stifled the rest of Stanford's scorers with its size and length, using Johnson to limit Chasson Randle and protecting the rim with Tarczewski and Gordon.
Arizona blocked four shots in the final 10 minutes of the game, none bigger than Gordon and Hollis-Jefferson both swatting away Anthony Brown's layup attempts on back-to-back possessions. Johnson also contested Randle's potential game-tying 3-pointer on the final possession of the game.
Smothering as Arizona was on defense, the Wildcats still needed some clutch offense to win and it came from Johnson. The All-American candidate sank a tough floater with 2:35 to go to give Arizona its first lead since the opening minute of the second half, then buried a 3-pointer off a Tarczewski offensive rebound with 49 seconds to play to give the Wildcats the lead for good.
Johnson shook off first-half foul trouble to finish with 16 points, five rebounds, four assists and a steal. No other Arizona player had more than 11 points.
If Arizona will leave Palo Alto celebrating a quality road win, Stanford will exit Maples Pavilion regretting the opportunity for a season-changing win it let slip away.
Victories over UConn, Oregon and Arizona might have given Stanford's profile the pop necessary to make the NCAA tournament for the first time in Johnny Dawkins' six-year tenure. Instead the junior- and senior-laden Cardinal (13-7, 4-4) probably need at least one more marquee victory to have a realistic chance of earning the NCAA bid that could save Dawkins' job at the end of the season.
For a while, Arizona appeared likely to provide that win. Only another brilliant defensive effort saved the Wildcats and enabled them to remain undefeated.
Preparation Manning's true legacy.
By Brent Hubbs and John Brice; VolQuest.com Staff
Sunday night after surgically carving up the New England Patriots to advance to his third Super Bowl, Peyton Manning did what he's always done. He began preparing. His first order of business: distribution of his Super Bowl ticket allotment.
By just after supper time in Denver, Manning had contacted those he was offering tickets to and checked that box on his Super Bowl to-do list.
And that's Manning in a small nutshell. If you were doing a mission statement to characterize Manning, it would be 'never blindsided.'
He's always been that way. Manning is motivated by many things in his profession. His greatest motivation being the fear of being caught off-guard.
When Manning was being recruited and he talked to media members covering him, it was Manning who did the interviewing. He never gave an answer of any substance much like he often does now. Heck at least from time to time these days some of the answers are fun. Back in winter of 1993-1994, Manning spent most of the time asking you questions about what was going on at the schools he was considering. It's the same Manning who watched so much film in an in-home visit with then-Vol offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe that the eldest Manning, Archie, fell asleep.
Sunday night Manning will look for his second Super Bowl ring in his third try and in every pre-game discussion it will be about how Manning needs another ring for his legacy, blah, blah. That's for others to decide and debate. It's obviously a popular topic.
What should never be debated is that there's never been a more prepared quarterback than Manning. The 37-year old Manning does nothing off the cuff. Being blindsided is not an option.
It's why Manning's film load increases as the season goes on. Manning never wants to be caught off-guard. Manning assumes less in week 16 of a season than he does in week 2. It's why everything he does is filmed. It's why his summer throwing sessions in Knoxville in his off-season are taped and reviewed just hours after the first session so he knows what he needs to focus on the second day of the annual two-day workout on Rocky Top. It's why he wore a helmet to hear playcalls and had a live feed of practice on his I-pad in Denver this season when he didn't practice due to a tender ankle. There's to be no unknown.
Those habits are simply the Manning way and always have been. In his first collegiate game he wasn't scheduled to play in at UCLA, Manning didn't want to be blindsided so he had watched more film and brought more tape than any quarterback to watch the night before the game. In his personal off-season work in his early college days, Manning would throw on his own, but only in his game jersey and with his helmet on.
Because as Manning put it, you always play in a helmet so you should always throw with a helmet. And you should throw in your jersey because you don't play in a t-shirt.
It was Manning who mandated a Colts offensive practice on his own at a small school in Indiana during the lockout and paid his own video crew to video it. Because knocking off rust when the lockout ended wasn't an option. Little did anyone know that during those practices Manning wasn't even able to throw due to the neck injury. Yet he went through every drill and rep. He just never threw a pass. It was Manning who along with Cutcliffe recreated his historic come from behind win against the Patriots in the indoor complex at Duke in what has clearly become Manning's greatest comeback. A comeback that has earned him MVP honors and has him back at the Super Bowl. A comeback that has overcome the only thing that truly blindsided the future Hall of Famer.
As sunset draws closer than sunrise on Manning's career, those who know him best admit his appreciation for not just playing but for preparing to play has never been higher and that preparation was never more evident than a week and a half ago when he carved up an NFL defense the way I watched him destroy Arkansas' defense as a sophomore in 1995.
Manning's place in the annals of greatness will always be debated. He's boring to many. No flash, nothing spontaneous and he's scrutinized for it. His too-good-to-be-true image is a turn off to some.
But what no one can or will deny is what those who have known him and covered him for years have known, Manning's preparation has not only always made Manning better. But it's forced those around him to be better which not only includes players, but also coaches, trainers, video coordinators, and equipment managers. Judging by how quiet the Denver fans have become when the Broncos have the ball, Manning has created better or at least more knowledgeable fans.
Win or lose Sunday night, whether Manning is the greatest of all time is a debate that will never end. But what can't and should never be debated is the effect of Manning's preparedness.
His fear of the unknown has created a preparation level that we likely will never see again, but it's set a standard that by just having players and coaches trying to match it has made the game better.
How to Watch the Winter Olympics.
By Mikaela Conley
Thanks to the dramatic time difference between the U.S. and Sochi, some of the details about when and where to catch the Olympics might be fuzzy. Here's a handy guide to sort out the details.
How can I watch events live?
For the first time during a Winter Olympics, every sporting event (there's one big exception we'll cover below) will be streamed live and online at NBCOlympics.com and through the NBC Sports Live Extra mobile app. Yahoo will have you covered with daily highlights if you aren't up at all hours of the night.
When is the Opening Ceremony?
When is the Opening Ceremony?
The Opening Ceremony is slated for Friday, Feb. 7, at 12:14 p.m. EST/9:14 a.m. PST, but it’s important to note the Opening Ceremony will be one of the only Olympics events that will NOT be streamed online. Otherwise, NBC Sports Network will present more than 230 hours of Olympics television coverage from Sochi, which is the most ever on a cable network.
Where is a TV schedule for the Olympics?
Sochi is nine hours ahead of North America’s Eastern Standard Time Zone (EST). Live coverage on NBCSN will usually begin at the 3 a.m. EST and continue for 12 hours, and live online feeds that take place in the early morning (U.S. time) will be restarted again at 3:00 p.m. EST the same day, every day. You can find each day’s full schedule: here or here. Yahoo will also have video clips of the best Olympics moments of each day so check back daily.
When are some of the most popular events on TV?
Below is a schedule of some of the most watched Winter events:
Tuesday, Feb. 11 — 12:30 p.m. EST/9:30 a.m. PST — Men’s halfpipe finals
Wednesday, Feb. 12 -- 7:30 a.m. EST/4:30 a.m. PST -- Women’s hockey, Canada vs. U.S.
Saturday, Feb. 15 — 7:30 a.m. EST/4:30 a.m. PST — Men’s hockey U.S. vs. Russia
Wednesday, Feb. 19 — 11:15 a.m. EST/8:15 a.m. PST — Women’s bobsled
Thursday, Feb. 20 —10:00 a.m. EST/ 7:00 a.m. PST — Women’s free skate
Sunday, Feb. 23 — 7:00 a.m. EST/4:00 a.m. PST — Men’s hockey finals
All figure skating competitions will air live on cable during the day, and similar to previous Olympics, key performances will be aired on tape delay on NBC. Figure skating coverage will begin the morning of Feb. 8 with the team event, and Olympians Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir will be commentators for the figure skating events.
How do I watch the closing ceremony on TV?
What Twitter feeds should I follow for Olympic highlights?
Here are some good Twitter handles to help you catch and follow all the Sochi action: @wyshynski (editor of the Puck Daddy blog for Yahoo! Sports) @danwetzel (Yahoo! Sports columnist) @MillerBode (Official account of U.S. alpine skier Bode Miller) @lolojones (Official account of U.S. bobsledder Lolo Jones) @shaun_white (Official account of U.S. snowboarder Shaun White) @tedligety (Official account of U.S. alpine skier Ted Ligety) @ashwagner2010 (Official account of U.S. figure skater Ashley Wagner) @GracEGold (Official account of U.S. figure skater Gracie Gold) @lindseyvonn (Official account of NBC Olympics commentator and U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn) @usskiteam (Official account of the U.S. Ski Team) @NBCOlympics @2014Sochi @Olympics @USOlympic @Sochi2014
How do I avoid spoilers?
Many diehard Olympics fans will try to stay away from any spoilers before watching the actual events, but in the age of digital madness, real-time results are becoming harder and harder to avoid.
If you really want to keep the blinders on, you’re going to have to temporarily disable the whole social media shebang, especially the big guns: Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, Google Plus, etc. For many of us, doing away with social media for two weeks sounds like an apocalypse, so if you’re getting sweats and chills just thinking about the social media withdrawals, you can at least organize your newsfeeds. Be especially sure to hide the statuses of people who tend to post about news event in real time. (We all have at least a few of those social media titans in our circles.)
If you’re a Twitter fiend, be sure to use TweetDeck to track hashtags and keyword searches in the midst of reading about your friends’ latest opinions on kale. You can also turn off tweets that contain certain words. Under settings, choose "Global Filter." Then type in “Olympics” or certain events for which you're especially interested, and you should be able to avoid the cheers and jeers about the latest Sochi news until you're ready to soak it in.
Finally, dumb down your smartphone. Delete apps that will automatically post results, and be sure to turn off those spontaneous news alerts.
Good luck out there, Olympics fans!
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