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Sports Quote of the Day:
"As long as we persevere and endure, we can get anything we want." ~ Mike Tyson, Former Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Kane scores in SO as Blackhawks top Bruins 3-2.
By JAY COHEN (AP Sports Writer)
Duncan Keith played a very good game against the Boston Bruins, 01/19/2014, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
Patrick Kane sped toward the net, and then shuffled his skates for a few precious seconds.
Kane scored in a shootout to lift Chicago to a 3-2 win over Boston on Sunday in a rematch of last season's Stanley Cup finals, capping an impressive weekend for the Blackhawks that also included a victory over NHL-leading Anaheim.
''Two big games against two great teams,'' Kane said. ''I can't say we were going as well as we wanted to before these two games.''
Jonathan Toews beat Tuukka Rask on the stick side to give the Blackhawks the lead in the tiebreaker, but Brad Marchand's quick wrist shot got by Corey Crawford, tying it up for the Bruins.
Kane, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy last year as playoff MVP, then skated toward the goal, slowed up for a second and sent a shot past Rask on the stick side to give Chicago the win. The Blackhawks had lost their previous seven games that had gone past regulation.
''It was a great test, and nice to finally get a shootout win, too,'' coach Joel Quenneville said.
Marian Hossa and Brandon Bollig had the regulation goals for Chicago, which beat Boston in six games in June for the title. Quenneville picked up win No. 692, matching Dick Irvin Sr., for third on the NHL's career list.
Marchand scored in each of the first two periods for the Bruins, who had won two of three. Rask had 35 stops.
''It's always nice to get a couple, but I wasn't really worried about trying to redeem myself from the finals or anything like that,'' said Marchand, who was shut out in the playoff series against the Blackhawks. ''It was just a big game for our team and we need these points right now.''
It was Boston's first visit to Chicago since June 22, when the Blackhawks used two goals by Kane to win 3-1 and take a 3-2 lead in the NHL finals. The Blackhawks then had a memorable rally in Game 6 in Boston, scoring twice in 17 seconds late in the third to secure their second title in four seasons.
The series included five overtime periods, including three in Chicago's 4-3 victory in Game 1.
Together again for the anticipated rematch, the Bruins and Blackhawks once again were unable to decide the game in three periods. Defenseman Gregory Campbell had a chance to win it for Boston in overtime, but whiffed on a deflected puck.
''We had some chances you wish we would have buried, but it just continues to be the same as it was last year,'' Bruins coach Claude Julien said. ''You need overtime to resolve these games against us.''
Chicago controlled much of the first and had a 1-0 lead before Marchand made the most of two open opportunities in a 69-second span overlapping the first two periods.
First, Marchand got a slick pass from Patrice Bergeron and sent a wrist shot over Crawford's right shoulder at 19:41 of the first. The Blackhawks lost the sneaky forward again at the start of the second, and he used a clever fake to set up a shot through Crawford's legs for his 14th goal.
It was Marchand's second multigoal game of the season. He has four goals and an assist in his past three games.
Boston's 2-1 lead lasted about 10 minutes. The Blackhawks caught a break when Bollig's bad-angle shot from the right side went off Rask's left foot and into the net for his fifth goal of the season.
Asked what happened on Bollig's score, Rask said: ''Good question. I had the post covered, my skate was there, I was ready. It just somehow went over, off of my skate or something.''
Coming off a 4-2 victory over NHL-leading Anaheim, the Blackhawks got off to a fast start in their second-to-last home game before the Olympic break.
Patrick Sharp skated ahead to jump on a loose puck in the Bruins' zone and then passed to the middle to Hossa, who pushed it by Rask to make it 1-0 at 4:13.
Hossa also scored twice during Friday night's victory over the Ducks. The 35-year-old winger has five goals and two assists during a five-game point streak.
The Blackhawks almost had a 2-0 lead in the first, but Rask made an outstanding stick save on Brandon Saad on the left side of the goal. Kane started the dazzling sequence with a spinning pass to a streaking Saad in front.
NOTES: Bruins D Adam McQuaid left in the second period with an unspecified injury. ... Hockey Canada announced Sunday morning that Toews would serve as an alternate captain for the Sochi Olympics. Penguins C Sidney Crosby is the captain for the gold medal favorites, and Predators D Shea Weber is the other alternate captain. ... Toews received a 10-minute game misconduct penalty in the second period for throwing part of his broken stick over the glass.
Bear Down Chicago Bears!! Josh McCown will not retire, per report.
By Jon Benne
The 34-year-old has decided against retirement and wants to play again in 2014.
Chicago Bears quarterback Josh McCown has decided not to retire, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. He wants to keep on playing, even if he doesn't get a starting job.
McCown, 34, hinted at retirement towards the end of the season due to family commitments. He seems to have changed his mind after playing the best football of his career this year. Filling in for an injured Jay Cutler, McCown completed 66 percent of his passes for 1,829 yards, 13 touchdowns and just one interception in eight games, keeping the Bears in the playoff race until Week 17. The veteran journeyman has been in the league since 2002 and bounced around between five different teams.
McCown is an impending free agent after this season, but reports indicate that he will re-sign with the Bears and continue being Cutler's backup. Chicago locked up Cutler with a seven-year contract shortly after the season, but could use the veteran backup help given his long injury history.
Seattle’s top pass defense to face Peyton Manning’s Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII.
By Eric Edholm
Two years ago, Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll tried to convince Peyton Manning to bring his talents to Seattle but couldn’t even get a meeting with him, stood up on the Denver tarmac.
Now Carroll’s Seahawks, owners of the NFL’s best defense this season, will try to stop Manning and the Denver Broncos, who featured the league’s best offense this season, in Super Bowl XLVIII.
This was the matchup that had been anticipated before and during the regular season, and it’s the first matchup of the two No. 1 seeds in the Super Bowl since the New Orleans Saints beat Manning’s Indianapolis Colts in XLIV four years ago.
Manning is 1-1 in Super Bowls, and this is the Broncos’ first appearance since John Elway — now the team’s vice president of operations — walked off into the sunset with back-to-back Super Bowl victories in his swan song.
The Seahawks’ only other franchise Super Bowl appearance was a 21-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in XL, eight years ago.
We’ll have two weeks to break down the big game in depth, but here are some early storylines that will be crucial to this outstanding matchup.
Manning’s legacy
Manning has won a Super Bowl. Lesser quarterbacks have won two, and even three. But there seems to be this belief among the football masses that Manning needs another title to validate his status as the greatest — or one of the handful of greatest — quarterbacks in league history. It’s ludicrous, but it’s tangible. That said, Manning will have the chance to slay those silly demons against a great team.
Oh yeah, that defense
This is the NFL’s toughest, fiercest defense in a few years at least, and knowing the personalities of this group — namely its “Legion of Boom” secondary, led by Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor — they’ll say they are the best defense of this generation. The Steelers and Baltimore Ravens of recent yore might disagree, but that only will fuel the hype and debate. Beating Manning and this special offense would go a long way toward backing the Seahawks’ claims.
The outdoor elements
Hey, have you heard the Super Bowl is outdoors? And do you know it’s cold in New York? Both are true. The Broncos’ high-flying offense must prove it can not only take on the Seahawks’ defense, but also do so in what could be snow, wind and cold temperatures. Cue the Manning-in-cold-temps statistics. They’re-a-comin’.
Wilson’s opportunity
Russell Wilson has the chance to turn the tables on the veteran Manning. Wilson has been a crafty pro who has impressed nearly every opponent he has faced with his poise, playmaking ability and athleticism. And like Manning, Wilson is made for the Super Bowl spotlight — these two will be media darlings for the next two weeks with their maturity and comfort in front of the cameras. Will Wilson have a healthy Percy Harvin (concussion)? Once more, Harvin's status will be a big talking point.
John Fox’s return
The story of Broncos head coach John Fox’s health has slipped to the margins as the Broncos have continued to win, but his aortic heart valve replacement surgery was a scary thing that kept him away from the team for more than a month. Ably run by defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio in the interim, the Broncos went 3-1 and hardly missed a beat. But the Broncos rallied around Fox, who has the chance to win his first Super Bowl in the city where he coached as the New York Giants’ coordinator for five years.
Just another Chicago Bulls Session… Noah leads Bulls to easy win over 76ers.
By The Sports Xchange
Center Joakim Noah continued a personal rebounding streak and led the Chicago Bulls to an easy 103-78 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday at the United Center.
By finishing with 21 points and 16 rebounds against the Sixers, Noah has now recorded double-figure rebounds in 12 straight games, the longest streak of his career. He's also averaging 5.2 assists over the last 10 games.
"Joakim is doing just about everything," Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau said. "Laundry, everything. You can't play any better than he is playing right now in every aspect of the game. The playmaking, the decisions, the multiple effort -- he sets the tone for our team."
One explanation for Noah's surge is he missed most of training camp with a groin strain. After needing time to round into shape, he has finally found a rhythm. He was limited late last season because of plantar fasciitis in his feet.
"I feel healthy. I feel very comfortable," Noah said. "I haven't felt healthy like this in a long time. My feet don't hurt. My body's feeling good. So I'm just trying to take it game by game and just enjoying it."
The margin of victory was the largest this season for the Bulls, who led by as many as 36 points. Chicago is now 7-2 this month and has won 10 of its last 14 games.
Guard D.J. Augustin added 19 points and eight assists, and forward Carlos Boozer finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds for the Bulls (19-20).
Forward Thaddeus Young led the 76ers with 12 points and guard James Anderson added 11.
Philadelphia (13-27) has lost seven of its last eight games.
"I think we got deflated too early and too soon tonight," Philadelphia coach Brett Brown said. "We struggled for ways to get out and play freely. Part of that was their defense."
The Sixers shot just 35.1 percent from the field, including two of 19 from 3-point range. On Friday night against Miami, they hit two of 20 shots from behind the arc.
"It's almost like we forgot how to score the ball," Philadelphia center Spencer Hawes said. "Our next couple of games could be completely different. We could come out and not miss."
Philadelphia scored on its first two possessions of the game to take a quick 4-0 lead. The Sixers were within 24-19 after one quarter, then hit just five of 23 shots from the floor in the second quarter.
The Bulls finished the first half on a 15-2 run. Noah scored eight points during the surge, starting with an 18-foot jumper. Augustin's long jumper gave Chicago a 51-31 lead at halftime.
The Bulls poured it on in the third quarter. When guard Kirk Hinrich converted a steal into a fast-break layup, Chicago held its largest lead at any time this season at 34 points.
Both teams played games on Friday. The Bulls lost at Washington and Philadelphia dropped its home game to Miami.
"I'm just happy we came back after a tough loss to Washington," Noah said. "We came back and got a good win tonight. It feels good. Saturday night, Sunday off, in Chicago. It's a little snowy out there, but we'll make the best of it."
When the teams last met on Nov. 2, Philadelphia improved to 3-0 on the season with a 107-104 home victory over Chicago as rookie Michael Carter-Williams had 26 points and 10 assists. On Saturday, Carter-Williams hit just five of 22 shots from the field for 10 points.
NOTES: Before the game, Chicago G Marquis Teague confirmed that he was about to be traded to Brooklyn. The trade won't be official for a few days. The second-year pro appeared in 19 games this season, averaging 2.4 points and 1.5 assists. He recently returned from a D-League assignment, where he played eight games for the Iowa Energy. Teague, the younger brother of Atlanta G Jeff Teague, was the No. 30 pick of the 2012 draft out of Kentucky. ... In exchange for Teague, the Bulls will receive 6-foot-9 F Tornike Shengelia, who has averaged 1.5 points in 17 games for the Nets. ... Philadelphia lost G Tony Wroten to a sprained right ankle early in the second quarter. He had to be helped to the locker room. ... Heading into the game, the Sixers were 12-16 when rookie G Michael Carter-Williams played and 1-10 in games he missed.
Lakers-Bulls Preview.
By TAYLOR BECHTOLD (STATS Writer)
The Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers are both looking to extend positive stretches, and it's a former cast-off leading the way for both teams.
Chicago seeks its eighth win in 10 games while denying Los Angeles its first three-game winning streak in two months Monday night at the United Center.
D.J. Augustin hasn't exactly filled the shoes of the injured Derrick Rose, but he's certainly provided a spark since signing with the Bulls on Dec. 13.
After failing to score in double figures in 10 games with Toronto, he's averaged 11.5 points while leading Chicago (19-20) in assists in 11 of 19. The Bulls are 11-8 with Augustin on the roster and 7-2 in 2014.
Augustin has put up 18.0 points and 6.3 assists per game while hitting 9 of 18 from 3-point range in his last three. He came off the bench to score 19 with eight assists in a 103-78 win over visiting Philadelphia on Saturday.
''I'm just going out there, playing freely, doing whatever coach (Tom Thibodeau) needs me to do, whatever my teammates need me to do,'' Augustin said. ''Basically, just trying to get them the ball, trying to get them open. At the same time, coach wanted me to look (to score) for myself.''
Joakim Noah, who had 21 points and 16 rebounds, has averaged 13.5 boards during a career-best stretch of 12 straight games with double-digit rebounds. He finished with 18 points and 17 boards in a 90-81 loss in the most recent meeting with the Lakers on March 10 at Staples Center.
The Bulls hope to get back to .500 with their sixth win in seven home games, while the Lakers (16-25) go for their first three-game winning streak since Nov. 17-24.
After suffering their 12th loss in 13 games on Wednesday - 121-114 at Phoenix - to open a seven-game trip, they rallied from eight down with 4:12 to play to beat Boston 107-104 on Friday.
On Sunday, Los Angeles trailed by as many as 19 before coming back to beat Atlantic Division-leading Toronto 112-106.
''It's really gratifying to win back-to-back games on the road, especially with the way we've been struggling,'' said Pau Gasol, who had 22 points and has averaged 20.9 over his last 10 games. ''I'm just really proud of the guys. They're stepping up, they're bringing the effort, bringing the intensity, bringing the focus and not wanting to give up.''
Nick Young, averaging a team-best 16.7 points, returned from a one-game suspension for throwing a punch at Phoenix's Goran Dragic and put up a season-high 29 with five 3s. The backup shooting guard, on his fourth team in three seasons, has scored 20.4 per game while hitting 11 of 27 (40.7 percent) from long range over his last five.
''Nick's been doing it all year and he just keeps going,'' coach Mike D'Antoni said.
Rookie forward Ryan Kelly also has given the club a lift of late, totaling 37 points in his last two games.
The Lakers have scored 112.8 per game while making 44.8 percent from 3-point range in their last four, but they aren't likely to have it easy against defensive-minded Chicago.
The Bulls limited the 76ers to 35.1 percent shooting - including 2 for 19 from 3-point range - in Saturday's win.
Chicago has won three of the last four meetings.
Report: Five teams make bid for Tanaka.
By The Sports Xchange
As the deadline approaches for major league teams to make an offer to pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, five clubs emerged as the likely bidders for the Japanese ace.
Japanese news service Nikkan Sports reported that the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs extended contract proposals to Tanaka worth more than $100 million for six years.
Nikkan listed the Diamondbacks's bid at six years for close to $120 million.
The Los Angeles Angels appear to be out of the running because of budget concerns.
In Chicago, 670 The Score reported that the Cubs are the leading contender for the 25-year-old, but the Chicago Sun-Times said the team is unlikely to land Tanaka, despite having the financial means to make a big offer, because his wife prefers to be on the West Coast.
The right-hander is highly coveted by the Cubs and the other teams after posting a 24-0 record with a 1.27 ERA last season for the Rakuten Golden Eagles in the Japanese league.
The signing deadline is Friday at 5 p.m. ET.
By JOHN NICHOLSON
Patrick Reed found his putting touch right when things started to getting interesting in the final round of the Humana Challenge.
After shooting three straight 9-under 63s to open a seven-stroke lead, Reed had a 1-under 71 on Sunday at PGA West's to beat Ryan Palmer by two strokes.
"A lot tougher than the first three rounds," Reed said. "I felt like I hit a lot of quality shots and felt like I hit a lot of good putts as well. My speed was off today. I left a lot of putts short. It seemed like the first three days the ball was just trickling over the front edge, and today it seemed like it came to a screeching halt just short."
Finally resembling the guy who talked Saturday about being in a "putting coma," Reed ran in an 18-footer for birdie on the par-3 15th to push his advantage to three strokes and parred the final three holes.
"It felt comfortable. It felt great," Reed said. "I was able it play the last three holes just for par rather than trying to make birdies or trying to make something happen."
He finished at 28-under 260 in the three-course event that he opened and closed on PGA West's Arnold Palmer Private Course.
The 23-year-old Reed has two victories in his first 46 PGA Tour starts, winning the Wyndham Championship in August. He was projected to jump from 73rd to 42nd in the world ranking, enough to lock up a spot in the 64-man Match Play Championship.
Reed took a call from former President Bill Clinton — the tournament is run in partnership with the Clinton Foundation — during his interview session.
"He told me to get myself back in that zone more often," said Reed, who met Clinton earlier on the driving range. "Because he said it was a lot of fun to watch."
Palmer made a 15-foot eagle putt on the final hole for a 63.
"What can you do with what Patrick did this week?" Palmer said. "It's ridiculous what he did.
Amazing how good he played. We'll come up a couple short, but it was a win in my game because I was playing for second today."
Zach Johnson and Justin Leonard tied for third at 25 under. Johnson birdied the final five holes for a 62, the best round of the week.
"I got red hot at the end," Johnson said.
The Kapalua winner is taking a four-week break. He'll return for the Match Play event.
"Hopefully, I can maintain where I'm at," Johnson said.
Leonard parred his last two for a 65.
"Would love to have made a few more putts," Leonard said.
Other than key 18-footer on No. 15, the longest putt Reed holed was a 5-footer for par on the par-4 13th. That was a crucial putt after he played the previous eight holes in 1 over with four bogeys and three birdies.
"I knew that if I didn't make that putt, then it was going to get interesting," Reed said. "To make that putt kind of gave me a little bit more fire saying, 'All right, well, we're running out of holes for people to make a lot of birdies.'"
In that eight-hole stretch, Reed missed two 6-foot par putts and an 8-footer and dropped another stroke with a poor bunker shot on the par-3 12th.
"It would either come and just stop just short, or it would break at the very end and break off the planet and lip out," Reed said. "It seemed like nothing would go in."
On Saturday, Reed broke the PGA Tour record for relation to par for the first 54 holes, finishing at 27 under. He also became the first player in tour history to open with three rounds of 63 or better. On Sunday, he became the second player in the event to lead wire-to-wire, joining 1977 winner Rik Massengale.
"To have a day where I felt like I had probably about my C or D game and still shoot under par, and to close off a victory, that means a lot to me," Reed said.
Reed's wife, Justine, is pregnant with their first child, forcing her to turn over caddying duties to her brother, Kessler Karain. She has walked every hole this year and plans to caddie again after the baby arrives around Memorial Day.
"I can't wait to be a dad and have a little girl running around at the golf course and whenever I come home have her run up, hanging out with dad," Reed said.
After helping Augusta State win NCAA titles in 2010 and 2011, Reed drew attention in 2012 when he successfully Monday-qualified for six events. He earned his tour card in December 2012, surviving six rounds of Q-school at PGA West.
"We have worked so hard at it," Reed said. "Especially, with my wife and I, how hard we have worked the past 2½ years, through Q-School, through the Monday qualifiers, and through here to get two wins in less than half a year."
See how many more majors PGA Tour players think Tiger Woods will win.
By Shane Bacon
Tiger Woods (Getty Images)
No matter if you love or hate Tiger Woods, every golf fan is sure to have an opinion on his quest to break Jack Nicklaus' major championship record.
The number is something Tiger famously pinned on his wall as a kid, and the 18 majors that Nicklaus won seemed absolutely doable for Woods until he started his major drought in 2008 after that U.S. Open victory at Torrey Pines.
Woods is stuck on 14 majors, but the No. 1 player in the world won five events in 2013 and three PGA Tour tournaments in '12 and has been in contention at plenty of majors in the past couple of seasons.
The question of how many more majors would Tiger win was asked to his peers in an anonymous Golf.com survey, and 74 percent of the 50 PGA Tour pros polled said they don't think Woods will pass Nicklaus' major mark by the end of his career.
Here are the results of the poll:
How many more majors will Tiger win?
ZERO: 6 percent
ONE: 2 percent
TWO: 28 percent
THREE: 18 percent
FOUR: 20 percent
FIVE OR MORE: 26 percent
It's pretty telling that only 13 of Tiger's colleagues said that he would get to that number of 19 major wins, but maybe more telling is that six percent of the PGA Tour players don't think he will ever win another major.
Woods has been there in the past, but when the weekend rolls around it almost seems like his mind takes on a different persona, not like the one that used to have the mentality of "get lead, kill field." Now it seems when Saturday and Sunday are upon us in a major week, Tiger isn't the same guy as he used to be.
Still, I think you'd be silly to think that Woods will never win another major, and I think when he does win his 15th major, much like when he won the Arnold Palmer Invitational in 2012 to end his drought of PGA Tour wins, the trophies will come in bunches.
Chase for NASCAR Sprint Cup explained.
NASCAR.com
A 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup decides the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.
The Chase was implemented in 2004 to involve more drivers in the championship hunt, and intensify fan interest and drama in a playoffs-style atmosphere during the season's stretch run.
FORMAT
After race No. 26, the top 10 drivers in points earn a berth in the 10-race Chase. Spots 11 and 12 -- the Wild Card spots ? go to those drivers outside the top 10 with the most wins, provided they are in the top 20. Once the Chase field is set, each driver has his points total reset to 2,000. For those in the top 10, three bonus points are added to that total for each victory during the first 26 races. The tiebreaker for drivers with the same win total is second-place finishes followed by third-place finishes and so on.
HISTORY
A rundown of the Chase's first 10 years:
A rundown of the Chase's first 10 years:
- In 2004, the Chase ended with Kurt Busch edging Jimmie Johnson by a scant eight points to win the series title.
- In 2008, Johnson topped Edwards by 69 points, becoming only the second driver in NASCAR history and the first in 30 years to win three consecutive series titles. Cale Yarborough was the first driver to win three consecutive series titles (1975-78).
- In 2009 and 2010, Johnson again made NASCAR history by becoming the first driver to win five consecutive series titles (2006-10).
- In 2010, Johnson also became the first driver in Chase history to overcome a deficit going into the season finale to win the championship, beating out Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick.
- In 2011, Stewart claimed his third series crown by winning five of the 10 Chase races, including the season finale. His year-ending victory forced a points tie with Carl Edwards atop the standings; Stewart won the tiebreaker with five wins to Edwards' one.
- In 2012, Brad Keselowski won claimed the title by 39 and 40 points over Clint Bowyer and Johnson, respectively. Keselowski was the first first-time champion in the series since 2005 when Johnson won his first title in only the second year of the Chase.
- In 2013, Johnson claimed his sixth title by 19 and 34 points over Kenseth and Harvick, respectively. Johnson joined Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt as the only drivers with six titles and begins 2014 in a quest to tie the NASCAR Hall of Famers with seven premier series championships.
Chase Update: NASCAR discussing ‘potential concepts to evolve’ Chase, one reported idea would emphasize winning heavily.
By Nick Bromberg
NASCAR said Friday that it has begun discussions about changes to the Chase for the Sprint Cup Series on the heels of a report that the sanctioning body was considering expanding the Chase field to 16 and putting more emphasis on winning.
"NASCAR has begun the process of briefing key industry stakeholders on potential concepts to evolve its NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship format," NASCAR Chief Communications Officer Brett Jewkes said in a statement. "This dialogue is the final phase of a multi-year process that has included the review of extensive fan research, partner and industry feedback and other data-driven insights. NASCAR has no plans to comment further until the stakeholder discussions are complete. We hope to announce any potential changes for the 2014 season to our media and fans very soon."
The scenario of a Chase expansion from 12 to 16 was reported by the Charlotte Observer. In that possibility, a win in the first 26 races would almost ensure a driver's entry into the Chase and if there were more than 16 different winners, the top 16 drivers would get in. If there were not 16 winners, the rest of the Chase field would be set by points.
From the Observer:
Once the Chase field was set, a round of eliminations – similar to the NCAA tournament – would take place after the third, sixth and ninth race of the Chase, culminating with the championship determined by a winner-takes-all season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.The Observer also noted that the format could still change before any changes are made official. NASCAR is expected to make any announcement about changes to the 2014 points structure by the end of the month. NASCAR is also expected to announce changes to the qualifying structure in all three series.
An expansion of the Chase field to 16 would put NASCAR more in line with other leagues' playoff systems in terms of the percentage of teams qualifying for the postseason. Last season, 40 teams attempted all 36 races. In Major League Baseball, 10 of 30 teams make the playoffs. 12 of 32 NFL teams make the playoffs and 16 of 30 NBA and NHL teams make the playoffs.
We're not even going to venture a guess as to what the Chase would have looked like in 2012 had it been 16 teams. However, we can guess pretty safely that there would have been no race manipulation to worry about.
NASCAR CEO Brian France has mentioned his desire for a "Game 7" moment in NASCAR's Chase. And while the Chase hasn't been clinched until the checkered flag waved in the final race multiple times, only 2004 and 2011 have elicited major late race championship drama. Adding a winner-take-all (or highest-finishing-driver-take-all) guarantee at the end of the season certainly accomplishes that every year.
If NASCAR does make any changes to the Chase format, Tony Stewart would be the only driver with the opportunity to win a title before the Chase and in two different Chase formats.
So, what do you think? If you could change the Chase, how would you do it?
Soccer-Eto'o hat-trick all but ends United title hopes.
Reuters; By Josh Reich, Editing by Ed Osmond
A Samuel Eto'o hat-trick lifted Chelsea to a 3-1 win over Manchester United on Sunday which all but ended the champions' slim hopes of defending their Premier League title.
Tottenham Hotspur secured a fifth successive away league victory and moved up to fifth place after Emmanuel Adebayor scored twice in a 3-1 win at Swansea City.
Two first-half goals and one soon after the restart by Eto'o took Chelsea up to third place with 49 points, two behind leaders Arsenal, and United remained in seventh place, 14 off the summit.
United defender Nemanja Vidic was sent off in stoppage time to complete a miserable day for David Moyes's team.
"I think it is a big win and deserved, yes," Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho told Sky Sport.
"The way I was analysing the game it was hard for them to be losing 2-0 at halftime. They started better than us, they had a good initiative.
"The second half was different. For 25-30 minutes we had very good control until we dropped back and they reacted with pride.
"I think this game was a bit of a contradiction to other games. Normally we produce and produce and then it is hard for us to score, this time with the first shot we scored. The second goal was the killer in the box I know from many years ago and it looks like Samuel Eto'o is coming back."
United, and young attacker Adnan Januzaj in particular, started brightly but were undone by two poor pieces of defending that allowed Cameroonian Eto'o to score his first goals against United since the 2009 Champions League final when he was playing for Barcelona.
DEFLECTED SHOT
After United's Ashley Young had stung the palms of Petr Cech, Eto'o opened the scoring after 17 minutes when allowed to shoot by Phil Jones, his deflected shot ballooning off the boot of Michael Carrick into the net.
Eden Hazard and Willian showed glimpses of attacking threat but it was United who should have scored next after Januzaj picked out Danny Welbeck in the box, but the England international failed to get a clean shot away under pressure from Cesar Azpilicueta.
Oscar tried his luck with a speculative overhead effort before Eto'o doubled his side's advantage just before the break.
United failed to clear a corner and defender Gary Cahill picked out Eto'o unmarked in the box.
His shot was close to David de Gea but had too much power for the young Spaniard, and he completed his treble from close range when following up Cahill's header to secure a fifth successive league victory for Jose Mourinho's side.
Substitute Javier Hernandez pulled one goal back for United with 12 minutes remaining, but Chelsea were placed under little pressure during a meek second-half performance, and United's misery was compounded when Vidic was given a straight red for a rough tackle on Hazard.
"We did not deserve to be 2-0 down at halftime," Moyes said.
"We had a little bit of bad luck with the first one but we can't blame anyone else but ourselves for the other two. We did not defend well enough and did not get a chance like Chelsea got to score, so we can only blame ourselves for that."
ADEBAYOR DOUBLE
Adebayor opened the scoring for Spurs after 35 minutes with a near-post header from Christian Eriksen's cross, and after Chico Flores turned a Kyle Walker cross into his own net early in the second half, the Togo striker made it 3-0 with 19 minutes left having been set up by Danny Rose.
Wilfried Bony capped a tireless effort by pulling one goal back for the hosts who now sit three points above the relegation zone.
Spurs are level on 43 points with Liverpool, although Everton could overtake them both with victory over West Bromwich Albion on Monday.
Defeat prolonged a dire run for Michael Laudrup's Swansea who have failed to win in eight league matches dating back to early December.
Adebayor has five league goals since being recalled to the team by manager Tim Sherwood, who replaced Andre Villas-Boas last month.
"I can't take the credit for Emmanuel Adebayor, he has to take the credit," Sherwood said.
"I have just given him the stage to go and perform.
"It's not as if he was never a good player. He was always a fantastic player. Everywhere he has been he has scored goals. He is enjoying his football at the moment and we are all reaping the rewards from it."
2013-14 NCAA Men's Hoops Standings
Yahoo Sports
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Record 98 underclassmen eligible for NFL draft.
AP Sports
A record 98 underclassmen, including Johnny Manziel and Jadeveon Clowney, have made themselves eligible for the NFL draft in May.
The league released the list of early entrants Sunday and said the number has risen six straight seasons. The deadline for underclassmen to apply was Jan. 15.
Last year, 73 underclassmen entered the draft. The year before it was 65 and in 2011 it was 56.
Also, four players who recently graduated and still have eligibility left are joining the draft class but aren't included in the number. Most notable among those is Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. Southern California defensive back Dion Bailey, Arizona State linebacker Carl Bradford and Alabama linebacker Adrian Hubbard are also juniors who have informed the league they have graduated.
Among the early entrants expected to be selected near the top of the draft are Manziel, the Texas A&M quarterback, Clowney, the defensive end from South Carolina, and Clemson receiver Sammy Watkins.
The draft is May 8-10 in New York.
LSU for the second straight season had the most players of any school to leave early. The Tigers had seven early entrants this season, including wide receivers Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr., after 11 LSU players left early last year.
Alabama and Southern California each had five leave early, along with California. Cal, which went 1-11, has six players listed among the early entrants, but that includes defensive end Chris McCain, who was dismissed from the team in September.
National champion Florida State lost four players early, including All-America defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan and receiver Kelvin Benjamin, who caught the winning touchdown in the BCS championship game against Auburn. Notre Dame, Florida and South Carolina also had four early entrants.
Manning's charity to get $24,800 for his 'Omahas'.
AP Sports
Peyton Manning's foundation for at-risk youth will receive a $24,800 donation for all the times he shouted ''Omaha!'' during the AFC championship game Sunday.
The donations were organized by the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce after Manning's 44 pre-snap ''Omaha!'' calls during the Denver Broncos win over San Diego received national attention.
Eight Omaha companies combined to donate $800 to Manning's ''Peyback Foundation'' for every time he yelled the city's name during the Broncos' victory over the New England Patriots.
The participating companies are ConAgra Foods, First National Bank of Omaha, Mutual of Omaha, Omaha Steaks, Cox Communications, CenturyLink, Union Pacific railroad and DJ's Dugout Sports Bar & Grill.
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