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Sports Quote of the Day:
"Sometimes a player's greatest challenge is coming to grips with his role on the team." ~ Scottie Pippen, Chicago Bulls Star
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks 5, Oilers 3.
By Jerry Bonkowski, The Sports Xchange
As the sign says, Happy Birthday Hossa.
Veteran right winger Marian Hossa celebrated his 35th birthday Sunday with a goal and assist as the Chicago Blackhawks snapped a three-game losing streak with a 5-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers at the United Center.
The losing streak matched a season-high for the Blackhawks, who also lost three in a row to start the month of December.
Chicago (30-8-10) began the night with six losses in its previous 10 games, its worst streak of the season. However, the Oilers were the right opponent at the right time for the Blackhawks: With the win, Chicago swept the season series 3-0.
Edmonton (15-28-5) continued its struggles in the first year under head coach Dallas Eakins, losing for the 12th time in 16 games.
With No. 1 goalie Corey Crawford having lost all four of his starts since returning from missing nearly a month due to a lower-body injury, Chicago coach Joel Quenneville started rookie Antti Raanta in goal Sunday. Raanta stopped 18 shots to boost his season record to 12-1-3.
In the second period, Chicago exploded with a three-goal, 19-shot barrage to take solid command of the game.
The Blackhawks took a 2-1 lead at 2:36 on a perfect feed from left winger Brandon Saad to center Andrew Shaw, who lifted a 15-foot slap shot over the right shoulder of Edmonton goalie Devan Dubnyk. It was Shaw's 12th goal of the season.
In a major faux pas on the power play, the Blackhawks pulled Raanta to have a sixth attacker, but the strategy backfired as Edmonton center Boyd Gordon grabbed the loose puck and sent it unchallenged across nearly two-thirds of the ice, trickling into Chicago's net for a short-handed goal at 11:29. It was Gordon's eighth goal of the season.
The tie lasted just 29 seconds. Hossa scored his 17th of season, on a 30-foot slap shot with the Blackhawks on the power play, to put Chicago back ahead 3-2 at 11:58.
Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews tallied his 17th goal of the season at 17:32 on a backhander, with Hossa and Patrick Sharp lending a hand with assists on the play.
Edmonton tried to mount a third-period comeback with a goal by left winger Taylor Hall at 5:17 -- Hall's team-leading 18th goal of the season -- but that would be as far as the Oilers would come.
Chicago defenseman Brent Seabrook tallied his sixth goal of the season at 14:19 to provide some insurance to seal the win.
Edmonton got on the scoreboard first at 6:08 of the first period when forward Ales Hemsky deked Raanta to the left and then crossed over to slip the puck past the goalie's right side. It was Hemsky's seventh goal of the season.
Chicago tied the game at 14:26 of the opening period on forward Ben Smith's sixth goal of the season.
Dubnyk (11-17-2) stopped 36 of Chicago's 41 shots.
The Blackhawks improved to 58-52-12-0 all-time against the Oilers.
NOTES: Blackhawks radio play-by-play announcer John Wiedeman was selected Illinois Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. ... Sunday marked the first of four straight games at home for the Blackhawks. Their next game is Tuesday vs. Colorado. ... Sunday was the start of a four-game Central Division road trip for the Oilers, who play next at Dallas on Tuesday. ... Edmonton LW Ryan Smyth is third on the Oilers' all-time power-play goals list with 124, one behind Wayne Gretzky (125) and two behind record holder Glenn Anderson (126). ... Injuries have hit the Oilers hard this year. Including Sunday, they have lost 199 man-games in their first 48 games of the season (compared to just 92 lost man-games for the Blackhawks). By comparison, Edmonton lost 114 man-games in the entire 48-game lockout-shortened regular season in 2013. ... The attendance was 21,424.
By Brian Davis
COMMENTARY | The actual schedule for the 2014 NFL season has not been released yet, but we already know who plays who, we just don't know when.
They will face former coaches Lovie Smith (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Rod Marinelli (Dallas Cowboys), and Mike Tice (Atlanta Falcons)
This is more of a curiosity than it is a measurement of opponent strength, but the Bears will face three previous coaches throughout the 2014 season --coaches who still have player ties to the Bears. Smith was the Bears' head coach from 2004-2012, Marinelli was with the Bears from 2009-2012, and Tice was in Chicago from 2010-2012, spending time as the offensive line coach as well as offensive coordinator.
These three games are difficult to classify (especially nine months away) because it seems foolish to think the Falcons are as bad as they were this season. Dallas in perennially inconsistent, and Tampa Bay should only improve under Smith's leadership.
They play five of the top 10 defensive units from 2013
Looking at points surrendered per game, the Bears play the Carolina Panthers (2nd), San Francisco 49ers (3rd), New Orleans Saints (4th), Miami Dolphins (8th), and the New England Patriots (10th) next season.
Even with some overhaul, it's logical to think the Bears' defense will still leave something to be desired, so the offense will have to continue to make strides against quality defensive units. But one good thing is...
They play six games against the bottom 10 defensive units from 2013
With two games against the Minnesota Vikings (32nd), one against the Falcons (27th) and Cowboys (26th), and two against the Green Bay Packers (24th), the Bears' offense will have plenty of opportunities to stretch their legs against less-than-stellar units.
The combined home record of the Bears' road opponents next season was 43-20-1 in 2013
Of the Bears' eight upcoming road opponents, four of them won at least six games at home in 2013 -- Patriots (8), Panthers (7), 49ers (6), New York Jets (6). Three of the remaining four are divisional opponents, which are never easy. Oddly enough, the combined away record of the teams coming to Soldier Field in 2014 this season was the exact opposite -- 20-43-1.
Remember how bad the Bears' rushing defense was this season? Of course you do...
Next season, the Bears will play half of their games against teams who ranked in the top 10 for rushing yards. The Panthers, at 11th, would make for a ninth.
After the Bears gave up a franchise-worst 2,583 yards rushing (5.3 yards per carry, good for dead last in the league) this season, the schedule doesn't get any more forgiving next season -- the huge stipulation being that rosters can go under quite a bit of overhaul between January and September.
Regardless, we better hope the Bears tighten up a few of those gaping holes, otherwise another .500 finish isn't out of the question.
Bears' Tucker to return as coordinator.
By The Sports Xchange
Mel Tucker will be back as defensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears in 2014.
Tucker was informed he would return for his second season under head coach Marc Trestman, who blamed injuries and youth for the team finishing 30th in total defense.
With linebacker Lance Briggs and cornerback Charles Tillman out with injuries for more than half of the 2013 season, Trestman said there was a clear dropoff. The defense was also thinned at defensive tackle by injuries, including franchise free agent Henry Melton.
"Our team evaluation remains ongoing," Trestman said. "We believe Mel is the right person to lead our defensive unit. He fully understands where we need to improve, has the skill set and leadership to oversee the changes that need to be made and to execute our plan to get the results we know are necessary."
Tillman is an unrestricted free agent. The Bears re-signed cornerback Tim Jennings to a four-year deal and general manager Phil Emery said the team hopes to retain Tillman.
Melton and versatile defensive lineman Corey Wootton are also free agents.
Two defensive coaches were fired -- defensive line coach Mike Phair and linebackers coach Tim Tibesar.
Five Players the Chicago Bears Need to Bring Back Next Season.
By Billy Grayson
COMMENTARY | The Chicago Bears enter the 2014 offseason in an unfamiliar position, one that sees them with an inordinate amount of continuity on offense and numerous holes to fill on defense.
After boasting one of the league's highest scoring offenses in 2013 under first-year head coach Marc Trestman, the defense took several steps back from the days under Lovie Smith. Injuries, lack of production from several veterans and poor personnel decisions all led to the Bears finishing with one of the worst defenses in the NFL.
The onus to change the struggling defense falls on GM Phil Emery, who many believe lacks the knack for finding premiere defensive talent. With high defensive draft picks such as Jon Bostic (2013) and Shea McClellin (2012) struggling early on in their careers, those feelings haven't gone away.
So Emery faces several big decisions in his third offseason in Chicago, including whether or not to switch defensive schemes, replace Mel Tucker as the defensive coordinator, and determining which of the Bears' free agents should return.
With the Bears having already committed a significant portion of their free cap space to Jay Cutler, Tim Jennings, and Matt Slauson, Emery will have to be very cap conscious and make sure that anyone he brings back from last year's team is done so at the right price.
Let's examine which five key Bears from last season should return next season:
Roberto Garza: Having already locked up Cutler for the next seven seasons and Slauson for the next four, Chicago has already committed to bringing back 10 of their 11 starters from last year's high-scoring offense. The lone exception is Garza, who will be 35 when next season roles around.
While his age may be cause for concern, Garza has started all 48 games over the last three seasons at center and was phenomenal in bringing along rookies Kyle Long and Jordan Mills in their first seasons. Having all five offensive linemen start 16 games in a season is a rarity in the NFL, and bringing back that kind of continuity is something the Bears should strongly consider.
Signing Garza for one more year would be a wise idea, with Emery looking hard at drafting a young, interior lineman to replace Garza in the coming years or in case of injury.
Josh McCown: Everyone knows about McCown's ability to step in for Cutler last season after he went down on October 20 against the Washington Redskins. His 13:1 TD:INT ratio while Cutler was out with two separate injuries kept the Bears in the hunt for the NFC Championship until their last-second loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 17.
While many may be unhappy that Cutler was brought back for seven years, the fact remains that the Bears have committed over $100 million to him to be their starter. McCown was in a difficult situation last season when Cutler was brought back in the starting role, but handled it more than admirably.
At 34, McCown is a true professional and appeared to pick up Trestman's system very quickly. Numerous teams in need of a quarterback may view him as a veteran stopgap while they groom a young player at the position, so the Bears may be forced to overpay for his services. With all of Cutler's injuries, however, it may be wise to do so.
Charles Tillman: Tillman has been a Bear since he was drafted in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft. A ball-hawking cornerback known for forcing turnovers (something Emery mentioned should be the focus on defense next season) Tillman has forced 78 combined interceptions fumbles in his career.
Despite missing the final eight games this season due to a triceps injury, Tillman has been exceptionally durable over his career, having missed more than two games only one other time (2004) while still producing at an exceptionally high level throughout his career.
The question for Emery, as with so many free agents, is at what price do you keep him. Having just committed nearly $12 million in guaranteed money to Jennings at CB, do the Bears have enough to satisfy Tillman? He was on pace for another 80 tackle season, a high number amongst corners around the league. Bringing him back on an incentive-laden deal that goes up based on games played may be a wise idea for Emery.
D.J. Williams: The Bears defense suffered greatly when Williams went down this season in week 6 against the New York Giants. At the time of his injury, the Bears ranked eighth against the run; they finished last by more than 25 yards more than the next worst. Part of that was due to the injury to OLB Lance Briggs, but Williams appeared to turn a corner in the Bears fourth game of the season against the New Orleans Saints, amassing 11 tackles.
When he went down, Bostic was thrust into the spotlight and performed less than adequate in the role. That's not a knock against him as a player; he's still young and figures greatly into the Bears' future plans. It's just that Williams provides a more steady force in the middle of their defense right now and next year.
Bringing back a veteran leader at MLB is never a bad idea, especially on a cheap, one-year deal. With talks about moving Bostic to OLB at least for the foreseeable future, it makes sense to bring back a guy who is familiar with their system.
Corey Wootton: A natural defensive end, Wootton was forced to play defensive tackle following the injuries to DTs Henry Melton and Nate Collins. He often got pushed around and appeared overwhelmed while playing there, but that has never been the case while playing on the outside rushing the passer.
Wootton is a rare physical specimen at 6'6, 270 pounds and his pass rushing ability has improved since he was drafted by Chicago in 2010. With rumblings that Emery may make DE Julius Peppers a salary cap casualty, the Bears need depth along the defensive line. Wootton is a solid player who is still young enough to develop into a highly productive player due to his athleticism, and the Bears shouldn't give up on his potential just yet.
Just another Chicago Bulls Session… Balanced effort helps Bulls to fifth straight victory. By Aggrey Sam
Another day in 2014, another Bulls victory, as seven double-figure scorers highlighted Saturday night’s 103-97 triumph over the Bobcats at the United Center, the team’s fifth straight win, keeping them undefeated in the calendar year.
Without the services of starting shooting guard Jimmy Butler, who missed the contest with a left-thigh injury suffered Friday, Duke products Mike Dunleavy Jr. (17 points, six rebounds) and Carlos Boozer (12 points, 10 rebounds, three steals) led the way in the opening period, as the starting forward duo built upon solid individual offensive outings from the previous evening win in Milwaukee.
While another former Blue Devil, Bobcats swingman Gerald Henderson Jr. (30 points), also fared well, the Bulls held a 24-15 advantage after a quarter of play.
The reserve tandem of floor general D.J. Augustin (20 points, 12 assists) and big man Taj Gibson (12 points, eight rebounds, three blocked shots) provided their usual boost in the second frame, and with newly-acquired swingman Cartier Martin (11 points) also contributing, the Bulls’ lead surged to double digits. At the intermission, the Bulls maintained a 52-42 lead.
After the break, Charlotte mounted a comeback, as big man Al Jefferson (20 points, 11 rebounds) and scoring point guard Kemba Walker (27 points) each made their respective presences felt in the third quarter. Despite Bulls like Kirk Hinrich (12 points, five assists) making an impact as a scorer and All-Star center Joakim Noah’s (19 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, three blocks) work on the interior, the game was knotted up at 70 apiece heading into the final stanza.
The Bulls managed to acquire some breathing room in the fourth quarter, as their balanced offense, with Noah and Augustin shouldering the burden, was able to fend off Charlotte’s charge. Martin, signed to a 10-day contract Friday—he was in uniform for the Bulls’ win over the Bucks, but didn’t play in the contest—appeared to fit in seamlessly and helped the home team again push their winning margin to double digits heading into the game’s stretch run.
The Bulls cruised late, perhaps too much, as the Bobcats continued to play hard and actually cut it to a five-point deficit with under a minute remaining, turning it into a free-throw contest before holding on for the win.
A-Rod banned for 2014 season, arbitrator rules.
By RONALD BLUM (AP Sports Writer)
Alex Rodriguez was dealt the most severe punishment in the history of baseball's drug agreement when an arbitrator ruled the New York Yankees third baseman is suspended for the entire 2014 season as a result of a drug investigation by Major League Baseball.
The decision by arbitrator Fredric Horowitz on Saturday cut the suspension issued Aug. 5 by baseball Commissioner Bud Selig from 211 games to this year's entire 162-game regular-season schedule plus any postseason games. The three-time American League Most Valuable Player will lose just over $22 million of his $25 million salary.
Rodriguez vowed to continue his fight in federal court to reverse the decision.
''It's virtually impossible. The arbitration will stand. I think it's almost inconceivable that a federal court would overturn it,'' said former baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent, a graduate of Yale Law School. ''The arbitration is itself an appeal from the commissioner's judgment. How many appeals do you go?''
Rodriguez is the most high-profile player ensnared by baseball's drug rules, which were first agreed to in 2002 as management and union attempted to combat the use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs. In sustaining more than three-quarters of Selig's initial penalty, Horowitz's decision will be widely viewed as a victory for the 79-year-old Selig, who has ruled baseball since 1992 and says he intends to retire in January 2015.
A 14-time All-Star, Rodriguez has been baseball's highest-paid player under a $275 million, 10-year contract. He has spent parts of the last six seasons on the disabled list and will be 39 years old when he is eligible to return to the field in 2015. He is signed with the Yankees through the 2017 season.
Rodriguez admitted five years ago he used performance-enhancing drugs while with Texas from 2001-03 but has denied using them since. He already sued MLB and Selig in October, claiming they are engaged in a ''witch hunt'' against him.
''The number of games sadly comes as no surprise, as the deck has been stacked against me from day one,'' Rodriguez said in a statement. ''This is one man's decision, that was not put before a fair and impartial jury, does not involve me having failed a single drug test, is at odds with the facts and is inconsistent with the terms of the Joint Drug Agreement and the Basic Agreement, and relies on testimony and documents that would never have been allowed in any court in the United States because they are false and wholly unreliable.''
The Major League Baseball Players Association had filed a grievance last summer saying the discipline was without ''just cause.''
The 65-year-old Horowitz, a California-based lawyer who became the sport's independent arbitrator in 2012, heard the case over 12 sessions from Sept. 30 until Nov. 21. Technically, he chaired a three-man arbitration panel that included MLB Chief Operating Officer Rob Manfred and union General Counsel Dave Prouty. The written opinion was not made public.
In Rodriguez's only partial victory, Horowitz ruled he is entitled to 21-183rds, or about 11.5 percent, of his salary this year, a person familiar with the decision said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the decision was not made public. That comes to $2,868,852.46.
Baseball's drug agreement says the amount of lost pay shall match the number of regular-season games suspended, regardless of days over the season, which is 183 days this year.
Despite the ban, baseball's drug rules allow Rodriguez to participate in spring training and play in exhibition games, although the Yankees may try to tell him not to report.
New York figures to be happy with the decision, which eliminates uncertainty and gives the Yankees additional money to sign Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka or other free agents while remaining under the $189 million luxury tax threshold.
MLB was largely pleased.
''While we believe the original 211-game suspension was appropriate, we respect the decision rendered by the panel and will focus on our continuing efforts on eliminating performance-enhancing substances from our game,'' MLB said in a statement.
The union said it ''strongly disagrees'' with the ruling but added ''we recognize that a final and binding decision has been reached.''
''We respect the collectively-bargained arbitration process which led to the decision,'' the union's statement added.
Biogenesis founder Anthony Bosch testified in the hearing after reaching an agreement with MLB to provide evidence.
''Tony Bosch doesn't take joy in seeing Alex Rodriguez suspended from baseball, but he believes the arbitrator's decision was appropriate,'' his spokeswoman, Joyce Fitzpatrick, said in a statement.
Bosch is to appear Sunday on ''60 Minutes'' along with MLB Chief Operating Officer Rob Manfred. In an interview with ''CBS Evening News on Saturday,'' Scott Pelley of ''60 Minutes'' said Bosch told him he administered six banned substances to Rodriguez, including testosterone and human growth hormone.
Picked first in the 1993 amateur draft, Rodriguez reached the majors at age 18 with Seattle and was an All-Star by 20. He seemed destined to become one of the greatest players in the history of the game, and appeared in line to break the career home run record - he ranks fifth with 654.
''This injustice is MLB's first step toward abolishing guaranteed contracts in the 2016 bargaining round, instituting lifetime bans for single violations of drug policy, and further insulating its corrupt investigative program from any variety of defense by accused players, or any variety of objective review,'' Rodriguez said.
''I have been clear that I did not use performance-enhancing substances as alleged in the notice of discipline, or violate the Basic Agreement or the Joint Drug Agreement in any manner, and in order to prove it I will take this fight to federal court. I am confident that when a federal judge reviews the entirety of the record, the hearsay testimony of a criminal whose own records demonstrate that he dealt drugs to minors, and the lack of credible evidence put forth by MLB, that the judge will find that the panel blatantly disregarded the law and facts, and will overturn the suspension.''
Rodriguez has claimed Selig was on a vendetta to smear him as a way of burnishing the commissioner's image following the Steroids Era. Both sides have admitted paying for evidence as they prepared for the hearing.
Fourteen players were penalized following the Biogenesis probe, and they all accepted penalties. Milwaukee outfielder Ryan Braun sat out the final 65 games of the season, the other players were given 50-game suspensions.
A-Rod's drug penalty was for ''his use and possession of numerous forms of prohibited performance-enhancing substances, including testosterone and human growth hormone over the course of multiple years,'' MLB said last summer. His punishment under the labor contract was ''for attempting to cover up his violations of the program by engaging in a course of conduct intended to obstruct and frustrate the office of the commissioner's investigation.''
Rodriguez's penalty was more than double the previous high for a PED suspension, a 100-game ban given last year to San Francisco pitcher Guillermo Mota for a second offense. Kansas City infielder Miguel Tejada was given a 105-game ban last summer following a third positive test for amphetamines.
Late surge leads Walker to victory at Waialae.
By DOUG FERGUSON (AP Golf Writer)
Jimmy Walker, an astronomy fanatic and now a two-time winner on the PGA Tour, gazed through a glass window across the room to a television that showed his most recent photo of Orion's Sword.
Walker toiled on the PGA Tour for seven years and 187 tournaments without winning. Now it appears the stars have aligned for him.
That certainly was the case Sunday in the Sony Open.
In a wild final round, where four players were in the mix with an hour to go, Walker followed a clutch par save with three straight birdies to pull away from the pack. He closed with a 7-under 63 for a one-shot victory over Chris Kirk.
That's two wins in six starts for Walker.
And while it's still only the middle of January, he's No. 1 in the Ryder Cup standings.
''It took me a long time to do it,'' Walker said. ''I felt very calm and controlled. That's what you've got to feel and do when it's time to win. It's easy to say, hard to do. But today was awesome. Really cool golf.''
This wasn't easy.
Walker's big run began with a 12-foot par on the 14th hole. One shot behind Harris English, Walker rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt on the 15th hole, and took the outright lead when English - behind him in the final group - failed to save par from a bunker.
Walker made a 7-foot birdie putt on the 16th, and then hit 7-iron into 6 feet for birdie on the par-3 17th. A par on the last hole made him wait just a little bit longer.
Kirk had a 30-foot eagle chip from just short of the green on the par-5 18th that would have forced a playoff. It stayed right of the hole, and Kirk made the birdie putt for a 66 to finish alone in second place.
''I feel like I hit the ball well enough to win this week, but it doesn't always work out that way,'' Kirk said.
Jerry Kelly (65) was alone in third. English never recovered from his bogey. He missed birdie putts on the last three holes for a 67.
Walker won the Frys.com Open in October, the first tournament of the new wraparound season. As the first multiple winner for the 2013-14 season, he is leading the FedEx Cup and closing in on cracking the top 30 in the world.
Walker finished at 17-under 263 and earned $1.08 million. He already qualified for his first Masters by winning in October. Now he's piling up the wins.
''I've always felt like I belonged, and you need affirmation every now and then,'' he said. ''The other win was like, 'Yeah, OK, I can do it.' I did it, and I was supposed to be able to do it. Everybody told me I was supposed to do it, and I finally did it. And then it's, 'Well, are you going to be the guy that won that you never hear from again?' It's nice to get it done and do it again today.''
With so many players in contention, the key was to keep bogeys off the card. Walker had made at least two bogeys in each of the three previous rounds, and it looked as if he was headed for one at the wrong time on the 14th hole when he chipped from an awkward stance near the bunker to about 12 feet. Kelly missed a 15-foot par putt from the same line, and Walker poured it in.And then, he was off to the races.
Masters champion Adam Scott went out in 30 and was one shot out of the lead just as the final group was starting play. Scott hit too many poor drives to keep it going, and the way the final two groups played the back nine, it wouldn't have mattered. Scott tied for eighth (seven shots behind), and after a tie for sixth last week at Kapalua, heads into a six-week hibernation before returning to golf in Florida.
The three players with the best shots at winning all won last fall in the early part of the wraparound season - Kirk at the McGladrey Classic, English in Mexico.
New year, same season.
''Guys get into grooves and they've all been playing really well,'' Walker said. ''I think it's cool.
Everybody makes a big deal about being No. 1 on the FedEx and stuff, and it is cool and it is a big deal. ... I know it's January. It's a long way to September, and every little bit helps.''
Kirk, who had a one-shot lead going into the final round, made birdie on the 17th hole to stay within two shots of the lead and at least entertain the idea of eagle. His approach out of the rough needed about two more hops on the firm turf at Waialae to get on the green.
English ran off two birdies around the turn, took the outright lead with an 8-foot birdie on the 14th, and that was as close as he got.
''Just started hitting it better, but started putting a little worse,'' English said.
Two players make albatross in one day.
By The Associated Press
The rarest shot in golf happened twice on Friday on two tours.
Joost Luiten made an albatross on the par-5 10th hole at Durban Country Club when he holed out with a 7-iron from 248 yards in the Volvo Golf Champions in South Africa. Later in the day, and halfway around the world, James Hahn holed out from 191 yards with a 6-iron on the par-5 ninth hole at Waialae Country Club in the Sony Open in Hawaii.
There was only one albatross on the European Tour last year. There were only two on the PGA Tour.
Hahn said it was the second albatross of his career. He made a 2 on a par 5 in Mexico when he was on the Nationwide Tour.
''Been there, done that,'' Hahn said.
2014 presents opportunity, pressure for Danica Patrick.
By David Caraviello
There is a palpable sense of optimism surrounding the revamped Stewart-Haas Racing organization, a feeling that stems from the addition of two new championship-caliber drivers as well as the continued recovery of the co-owner from a broken leg. Danica Patrick is well aware of all that hopefulness, and the opportunity it might present for her as part of a team poised to rebound from a rough 2013.
But with that opportunity comes something else.
"I do think that the pressure builds more and more each year, because there's less and less excuses," Patrick said at Daytona International Speedway. "I feel like we have a lot of really cool stuff going on at the team, and a lot of really interesting changes and new drivers and new personnel. I don't know if anybody is as excited as Kevin Harvick is right now. He seems just super excited. But everybody is really looking forward to the year, and I think we all feel a lot of opportunity ahead of us. I'm always pushing hard. I mean, I can't push harder. But you can find new ways and areas to do it. I'm all for that."
Indeed, the arrivals of regular title contender Harvick and 2004 Sprint Cup Series champion Kurt Busch increase the ammunition at the team that's also expected to have three-time titlist Tony Stewart back from his broken leg by Speedweeks.
"I think every week we for sure have three guys that can go out and win the race," Stewart said. The omission in that reference is of course Patrick, who finished 27th in final points last year in her rookie season, and for whom the goals are more modest -- consistency and improvement.
No question, there are new pieces in place to aid that effort. Patrick herself now has a full year of Sprint Cup experience behind her -- to this point, she's still started only 46 premier-series events total -- and with a pair of new drivers and new crew chiefs in house, the potential for shared new ideas is evident. The hope is that all the accumulated experience and expertise can buoy the No. 10 program along with everything else.
"I think that this is going to be a year for opportunity, really," Patrick said. "I think that for me I'm able to feed off of their experience and making the car better. So I've always felt like, whether it was IndyCar or now, I learn a lot more when we make good changes and make the car right, or better, because I start to learn the potential of the car as opposed to not knowing what the potential is and not knowing what I have to deal with and settle for. So good changes help me learn what's really possible with the car, and I think that's what comes from guys with a lot of experience is they know what to do with the car."
Patrick's rookie season was highlighted by an eighth-place finish in a Daytona 500 where she won the pole, and a 12th-place run later in the spring at Martinsville. Crew chief Tony Gibson returns to oversee a program that recorded nine finishes of 20th or better in 2013.
"It's still a work in progress," Stewart said. "She's still learning. This year, I think, will be a big year for her. I think having that first full season under her belt now and being able to go to every place twice, and get the feeling of what a Cup weekend is like -- I think all the newness wore off of that (last) year. And I think she knows more what to expect, and it's more a matter of focusing on the things that she can be better at."
A primary focus at SHR is on bringing better- and more similarly prepared cars to the race track, and reaping more improved performances as a result. As far as Patrick's program specifically is concerned, although she became the first woman ever to win a pole in NASCAR's top series last year at Daytona, one of her problem areas in 2013 was qualifying, which she feels her team worked on over the latter part of this past season. When it comes to adjustments over the course of a race weekend, her team hopes to narrow the focus from bigger swings in setup to more fine-tuning.
"That's the things that you learn over time," Patrick said. "We were all doing everything we could earlier in the year to throw different things at it to see if it was better. But working more methodically at the end of the year seemed to help that. Between that, and ... what shows itself in getting more comfortable in those first laps qualifying, first start of the race, restarts, all those things, they all kind of go hand in hand, and those are the areas that I have to work on."
Patrick's comfort on restrictor-plate tracks was evident again in Friday's rain-shortened Preseason Thunder test session. Then again, going fast at a place like Daytona was never a problem, as last season's pole speed might suggest. Her biggest hurdle in the Daytona 500 came at the end, where she found herself third in the waning laps but wound up eighth after being unable to make a move for the victory.
Might another year of experience, and three more plate events, help her if she finds herself in a similar situation next month? "Possibly. I mean, I think that I definitely learned how to make the run and do it. I also learned that you have to practice it a little bit. You can't just go and bomb it on the last lap of the Daytona 500," she said.
"I'm very fortunate to be in the (Sprint Unlimited) the weekend before the race so that I can practice those kinds of things and have more track time and especially more racing time. I think that there is an element of having an idea of what to do, and there's also the element of being around for a while that people trust you and are willing to work with you a little bit. So I think it's a little bit of both, but you're not going to get their respect if you don't try. So I think it's sort of a parallel progression."
As is her development as a NASCAR driver as a whole. She'll certainly have help at Daytona, where her fellow SHR drivers are all restrictor-plate aces. "She's got three teammates that are going to be behind her 100 percent," Stewart said. He was speaking about the season and not specifically the Daytona 500, but in Patrick's case, he could have been referring to both.
World Cup: Jurgen Klinsmann bringing all 26 USMNT January campers to Brazil after all.
MLSSOCCER.com
There will be no cuts at US national team camp after all.
Jurgen Klinsmann has decided to bring all 26 players in January camp on this week's road trip to Brazil, U.S. Soccer announced on Sunday. The USMNT coach had previously said the original plan was to whittle the squad down to 23 for the trip – which is considered a "dry run" for this summer's World Cup – but apparently reconsidered and will travel the entire group.
"We have been extremely pleased with the performance of the group in the first week," Klinsmann said in a statement. "The players came in very fit and have done really well in training. Therefore, we believe they have all earned a chance to go to Brazil for these next 12 days."
The USMNT will relocate beginning Monday at the training facilities of six-time Brazilian Série A champions São Paulo FC, which is also their headquarters for this summer's World Cup. In addition to daily sessions, the team will also hold two closed-door scrimmages with O Tricolor before heading back to Southern California on Jan. 25.
"We are excited about getting down to São Paulo and continuing the work," Klinsmann continued. "This is a huge opportunity to get to know our environment for the World Cup."
Camp culminates on Feb. 1 in a friendly against fellow World Cup participants Korea Republic at StubHub Center.
All but one of the 26 players in the squad come from Major League Soccer teams.
US ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (4): Tally Hall (Houston Dynamo), Bill Hamid (D.C. United), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
DEFENDERS (10): Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders FC), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Clarence Goodson (San Jose Earthquakes), Michael Harrington (Portland Timbers), Chris Klute (Colorado Rapids), Chance Myers (Sporting Kansas City), Shane O'Neill (Colorado Rapids), Seth Sinovic (Sporting Kansas City), DeAndre Yedlin (Seattle Sounders FC)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Eric Alexander (New York Red Bulls), Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Mix Diskerud (Rosenborg/Norway), Benny Feilhaber (Sporting Kansas City), Luis Gil (Real Salt Lake), Dax McCarty (New York Red Bulls), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)
FORWARDS (4): Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Eddie Johnson (D.C. United), Mike Magee (Chicago Fire), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)
No. 1 Arizona tops USC 73-53 for record 17-0 start.
AP Sports
For all of Arizona's decorated basketball history, the 2013-14 Wildcats have done something none of their predecessors accomplished.
Brandon Ashley and T.J. McConnell each scored a season-high 19 points and No. 1 Arizona beat Southern California 73-53 Sunday night to improve to 17-0 for the best start in school history.
''We're really excited about it, we really are,'' Arizona coach Sean Miller said. ''We talked about it and it's something I think all of us will really cherish. Any school record you break at Arizona in the basketball program is a real record because of the great tradition that we have.''
The 1931-32 Wildcats held the previous record for best start at 16-0.
''It feels great to know we got the record,'' said McConnell, who also had six assists. ''But we have to move on because we have another game on Thursday.''
Arizona didn't pull away and secure the record until the final minutes. The Wildcats led just 34-31 at halftime and 48-43 with nine minutes to play, but then they reeled off an 18-6 run - highlighted by eight points from McConnell - to finally put USC (9-7, 0-3 Pac-12) away.
''We were just trying to stay poised the last few minutes of the game and really just had a defensive mindset to really lock down,'' guard Nick Johnson said. ''They're a good team and we knew that coming in. They gave us their best shot and they had us for a little bit, but we rallied back and stayed with it.''
Johnson chipped in 15 points and Aaron Gordon had 12 for the Wildcats, the second straight game they've had four players reach double figures in scoring.
Arizona didn't outrebound its opponent for the first time this season, with each team getting 30 boards apiece. But the Wildcats shot 46.6 percent (27 of 58) from the field, including 50 percent in the second half, to pick up the victory.
Ashley shot 7 of 10 from the field and McConnell was 7 of 12, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range, to pace the Wildcats.
''Usually I try to set up the offense and get other people the ball, but tonight they were playing off me and I just hit shots,'' said McConnell, a junior point guard. ''If they don't think I can shoot I'm going to try and prove them wrong, and if they close out I'll go around them and get other people the ball.''
Byron Wesley scored 18 points and reserve Strahinja Gavrilovic added a career-high 10 points to lead the Trojans, who have lost three straight and four of their last six.
The Trojans were held to a season-low 53 points by Arizona, which entered the game allowing the fifth-fewest points per game in the country. USC also took a season-low eight free throw attempts and turned the ball over 18 times.
''We definitely turned the ball over too many times and had too many possessions where we didn't score,'' Trojans coach Andy Enfield said. ''Against a good team like Arizona, you have to convert ...
They wore us down a bit. When we cut it to five midway in the second half we had a chance to stay in the game, but we didn't do that.''
Arizona completed its first road sweep of the conference's Los Angeles schools since 2004-05, having beaten UCLA 79-75 Thursday night.
USC was playing its first game against a No. 1 ranked team since February 2004, when they fell to Stanford 76-67. The Trojans' last victory over a top-ranked team came nearly 44 years ago when they beat UCLA 87-86 on March 6, 1970.
Lakers guard Nick Young, a USC alum, and forward Jordan Hill, an Arizona alum, were in attendance together at the Galen Center. They were joined by former Lakers forward Luke Walton (Arizona alum) and former USC and NFL quarterback Matt Leinart.
‘Pennsylvania boy’ James Franklin introduced as Penn State head coach.
By Sam Cooper
Saturday was deemed a homecoming for James Franklin as he was officially introduced as the new head coach at Penn State in the media room of Beaver Stadium. After three seasons of rebuilding the Vanderbilt program, Franklin landed what he referred to as his “dream job.”
“I’m excited to come home. That’s probably the thing I take the most pride in – coming home. I’m a Pennsylvania boy with a Penn State heart and I’m so excited to be here,” Franklin said. “I think I’m the right guy to come back and unite this state and bring this program back to where it can be.”
Franklin was raised in Langhorne, Pa., a suburb of Philadelphia, and spent portions of his childhood in Pittsburgh, so Franklin knows the lay of the land. Franklin, who grew up a Penn State fan, said that he “dreamed of this opportunity.”
Franklin is replacing Bill O’Brien, who left Happy Valley to take the head coaching position of the Houston Texans after just two seasons. Before landing the Penn State job, Franklin was also linked to NFL positions, but Franklin expressed his love for the college game and made it clear that he intends to be at Penn State for years to come.
“We’re going to build this program the right way and we’re going to do it for the long haul. We plan on being here for a very, very long time. This is my dream job. This is where I want to be,” Franklin said.
“I’m a college guy. I’m a relationship guy. It’s about people. I love kids. You’re not going to find a coach who cares more about their players than me.”
Franklin is inheriting a Penn State program that is still crippled by scholarship reductions and a bowl ban. Beyond that, there is a perceived divide among certain fans who Bill O’Brien sounded off about in an explosive story in the Harrisburg Patriot-News. While O’Brien – after two years on the job – expressed frustration, Franklin hopes to unite the community as a whole.
“Everybody is so passionate and has such strong opinions because they care so much about this university and what it stands for. They just want a great university. They just want a great football program. They want to do it with honor,” Franklin said. “We’re here to bring this university back together and unite it so we can all be so proud of what it stands for on and off the field.”
“We’re going to focus on the things that we can control. I’m just going to coach and love these young men in this program and help them develop them into the young men that they want to be. We want to be a really positive part of this community.”
While he led to Commodores to three straight bowl appearances, things weren’t perfect with Franklin’s Vanderbilt program either. Franklin was asked to address the ongoing investigation in which four of his players were charged in the rape of an unconscious woman and how that impacted the interview process.
“It couldn’t have been a more thorough interview process. We discussed everything. [That was] the most challenging thing I’ve ever been through personally – as a father of two daughters – and professionally. We were honest. We were up front and we made decisions quickly and tried to do everything we possibly could to respect the situation with the utmost class,” Franklin said.
Franklin comes into his new position just three and a half weeks from national signing day for the 2014 recruiting class. He’ll need to quickly assemble a coaching staff and move forward with re-affirming the commitments of the recruits that O’Brien and company had assembled. Franklin, who is known as a relentless recruiter and
has ties throughout the state, doesn’t envision that being a problem.
“We are going to dominate the state. We are going to dominate the region. This school has everything that young men are looking for,” Franklin said.
That must be music to the ears of Penn State fans.
has ties throughout the state, doesn’t envision that being a problem.
“We are going to dominate the state. We are going to dominate the region. This school has everything that young men are looking for,” Franklin said.
That must be music to the ears of Penn State fans.
NBA Will Pay Two Brothers $500 Million To Get Out Of A Crazy Business Deal Made In 1976.
By Cork Gaines
The NBA has finally broken free from what may have been the worst contract in the history of professional sports.
The NBA will pay two brothers $500 million to end a deal that required the league to give the former ABA owners an annual share of the league's television revenue according to Richard Sandomir of The New York Times.
As part of the NBA-ABA merger in 1976, Ozzie and Daniel Silna accepted a share of the NBA's "visual media" rights in exchange for folding their ABA franchise, the Spirits of St. Louis. The deal was to last "in perpetuity." With the growth of the NBA and its television revenue, the brothers were receiving 1.9% of the revenue in recent years, or about $17.7 million annually.
There were also concerns that the amount would go up as the brothers were suing for a share of "visual media" that did not exist in 1976, including online broadcasts, the NBA's own network, and international broadcasts.
According to the report, as part of the settlement, the brothers will still receive some television revenue as well as some revenue from the additional media mentioned in the lawsuit. However, there is a buyout clause in the new agreement which would allow the NBA to end the deal at any time.
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