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How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Brodie scores in OT, leads Flames over Blackhawks.
AP Sports
T.J. Brodie scored at 2:26 of overtime, lifting the Calgary Flames to a 5-4 win over the slumping Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night.
Mikael Backlund scored twice for the Flames (19-27-7), who won three straight games for the first time this season. Matt Stajan had a goal and an assist, Lance Bouma also scored and Lee Stempniak set up three goals.
Marian Hossa scored twice for the Blackhawks (32-10-13), who were 0-2-2 in their previous four games. Patrick Kane and Ben Smith also scored for Chicago.
Neither of the starting goalies played particularly well and both were replaced in net.
Reto Berra stopped 20 of 24 shots he faced through two periods before Karri Ramo took over in the Calgary net for the third. Ramo made nine saves to pick up the win.
Antti Raanta drew the start in net for Chicago, but was pulled after he stopped just 11 of 15 shots he faced through 1 1/2 periods. Corey Crawford entered and stopped 13 consecutive shots before giving up Brodie's OT goal.
The Flames held a pair of one-goal leads in the first period before the Blackhawks responded both times to tie up the game 2 after 20 minutes.
Calgary jumped out to a quick start as captain Mark Giordano rang a shot off the post 37 seconds into the game. Backlund then scored his 10th goal of the season at 1:13 of the first.
Backlund took a pass from linemate Lee Stempniak and shook off a check from Chicago defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson before backhanding a shot that sneaked through Raanta's legs.
The Blackhawks evened the score at 5:53 when Kane converted a nice backhand pass from Kris Versteeg from behind the Calgary net.
The Flames regained their one-goal lead at 11:34 when Bouma's weak wrist shot hit Raanta in the shoulder before bouncing up and over the Chicago goalie and into the net.
Once again, the Hawks drew even on a goal by Hossa with 3:25 remaining in the opening period. Patrick Sharp appeared to score the goal, but his stick hit Hossa's, which directed the puck into the net behind Berra, who made a great pad save to stop the initial shot taken by Jonathan Toews.
David Jones made a nice play to set up Stajan for his ninth goal of the season at 3:21 of the second before Backlund converted a feed from Stempniak for a short-handed marker at 10:25 to put the Flames up 4-2.
The Hawks pulled within one when Smith's long wrist shot bounced off of Berra's catching glove and into the net. Hossa then tied the game at 4 when he swatted a rebound past Berrra at 17:33 of the second while Chicago was killing off a penalty.
In overtime, Crawford stopped a shot from the slot by Calgary forward Sean Monahan. Brodie then picked up the rebound and scored a wrap-around goal.
NOTES: The Flames are in the middle of a five-game homestand, which equals their season high. They also played five straight games at home from Dec. 23 to Jan. 3 when they went 1-4. ... The Flames will also host the San Jose Sharks on Thursday and the Minnesota Wild on Saturday. ... It was Backlund's first multi-goal game since Oct. 21, 2010, when he scored both times for Calgary during a 4-2 loss to the Red Wings in Detroit. ... With an assist on Backlund's second goal, Giordano extended his point-scoring streak to seven games, a career high.
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!! Team Report - Chicago Bears.
The Sports Xchange
INSIDE SLANT
A 180-degree turnabout by the Chicago Bears under coach Marc Trestman in 2013 left them where they have been six of the last seven years.
They once again watched the playoffs with one key thought going through their minds.
"We don't want to be sitting here next year with 46 seconds left and not be able to get to where we want to go," Trestman said.
The last-minute touchdown that put Green Bay into the playoffs with a third straight division title left Trestman and general manager Phil Emery knowing another offseason reconstruction project is in order, but this time on the defensive side.
Impacted greatly by injuries, the Bears defense collapsed in a year when they finally managed to reverse decades of futility on offense to finish with more yardage (6,109), passing yardage (4,281) and touchdown passes (32) under Trestman than in any season in franchise history.
Finishing last in rushing defense and 30th overall on defense may have been the result of injuries to linebackers Lance Briggs and D.J. Williams, cornerback Charles Tillman, and defensive tackle Henry Melton, or it could have been the result of different defensive coaches teaching a system they knew little about running.
It's a question they'll ponder over coming months.
The advancing age of their defense and injuries left Trestman and general manager Phil Emery knowing they had to treat the defense like when they added four offensive line starters and a tight end last year.
"Chicago is about defense and playing a certain way," Trestman said. "There's a toughness to the way we want to play, and that's what we did in the first three games."
After those three games -- all wins -- the injuries occurred and the Bears lost eight of 13. They dropped from leading the league in forcing turnovers to middle of the pack. They were eighth in interceptions even while tieing for last in sacks, and the lack of a pass rush impacted them all year.
"As the season progressed and we had more injuries, we fell dramatically," said Emery, who pointed out opponents averaged 6.4 yards per run from the ninth game on against the collapsing defense.
"We went from the beginning of the season of being a little over 20 percent (of) plays creating disruption against the pass," he said. "When we first started having injuries we were in the 15 percent range.
"There was a dramatic dropoff. So we're going to examine all aspects, but it starts with me. From a personnel perspective and from my perspective, I had not done enough to provide enough depth. We were at least one defensive lineman short."
The increased offensive production with both Jay Cutler and Josh McCown at quarterback was remarkable. It seemed to matter little which played as the offense moved up and down the field at will.
Trestman thinks what he saw from the offense will only improve considering where it all started.
"I've had the opportunity to go to San Francisco and be part of a good offense," he said. "I've had a chance in another instance to go into Oakland and be part of a good offense. But when I went in there, the system was in place, the language was in place, there was a foundation that was in place.
"When we came in here last January, it wasn't in place. We had to start over and the credit has to start with the players and the way, particularly our quarterbacks Jay and Josh took control of the situation."
Running back Matt Forte had his best year (career-highs 1,339 rushing yards, 74 catches, 594 yards) and wide receiver Alshon Jeffery (89 catches, 1,421 yards) and wide receiver Brandon Marshall (100-1,295) ranked as the best 1-2 receiver duo in the league.
None of those numbers mattered in the end, though, as it all seemed like the Bears merely traded one losing approach for another.
Emery looked at 8-8 with a defeat in a season-ending division title game and saw progress over a 10-6 mark under Lovie Smith when they needed help to get into the playoffs but never got it.
"A year ago, we had to win those last two games and we had to have other people lose games for us to go and we didn't," he said. "This year, we were in control of that situation the last two games after having all our ups and downs of our season and fighting adversity and fighting injuries.
"We were still in a position the last two games to win it, so that is a little bit different to me."
Different, perhaps, but the end result produced a very familiar feeling of disappointment for all involved.
NOTES, QUOTES
--Bears quarterback Josh McCown does not plan to retire, ESPN reported. McCown led the Bears to a 3-2 record while filling in for injured starter Jay Cutler for part of the 2013 season.
Some believed McCown may retire but he reportedly plans to file for free agency in the offseason and is expected to be one of the top quarterbacks available.
McCown, 34, and Michael Vick are expected to lead a thin crop of free agent quarterbacks.
The Bears reportedly want to bring back McCown, but other teams more needy for a quarterback may have a better chance of luring him. The Minnesota Vikings and Tennessee Titans are among the teams in search of a starting quarterback.
McCown threw for 1,829 yards with 13 touchdowns and one interception in eight games this season.
--The Bears fired defensive line coach Mike Phair and linebackers coach Tim Tibesar. Phair originally joined the team in 2011 as an assistant defensive line coach and Tibesar began in January of 2013.
The remainder of the coaching staff will remain in place for 2014.
"We thank Mike and Tim for their effort and dedication," Head coach Marc Trestman said. "They are men of high character and integrity. These are not easy decisions and we do not attribute our lack of success on defense to two individuals. We need to improve in all areas defensively and that will be a focal point for us this offseason. The process starts with me as the head coach. Our search for a defensive line and linebackers coach has begun and we will be looking for the best candidates whose experience can bring the most out of our veteran and young players in both areas."
One of the retained coaches who was potentially believed to be in jeopardy was defensive coordinator Mel Tucker. Said Trestman, "Our team evaluation remains ongoing. 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."
--The Bears hired Reggie Herring as linebackers coach and Paul Pasqualoni as defensive line coach.
Herring, 54, has 33 years of coaching experience, including eight as a linebackers coach in the NFL.
Pasqualoni, 64, has 42 years of coaching experience, including 22 as a collegiate head coach and six seasons as a NFL assistant.
The two coaches worked together with the Cowboys in 2010 when Pasqualoni was Dallas' defensive coordinator/defensive line coach and Herring was the linebackers coach.
Herring spent the last three seasons (2011-13) as the linebackers coach of the Houston Texans, his second such stint with the team (2002-03).
Pasqualoni was most recently head coach at the University of Connecticut (2011-13) before being fired four games into the 2013 season. He also has served as head coach at Syracuse (1991-2004) and Western Connecticut (1982-86).
As a collegiate head coach, Pasqualoni compiled a 151-94-1 record, posted 15 winning seasons, won five conference titles and led his teams to a 6-3 record in nine bowl games.
--The Bears hired Clint Hurtt as their assistant defensive line coach to replace Michael Sinclair, who was notified he would not be back with the staff in 2014.
Hurtt has 13 years of collegiate coaching experience, including the last four as Louisville's defensive line coach/recruiting coordinator. This will be his first NFL job.
--Defensive end Julius Peppers seems to rate high on the list of Bears who are going to either be asked to take a pay cut or restructure their contract, or be outright released.
His 7.5 sacks were his fewest as a Bear and fewest since he had 2.5 in 2007.
General manager Phil Emery said Peppers "had an 8-8 season."
"Obviously, Julius had a lot of good games, like a lot of our players, and he had games that he would want back," Emery said. "And I think Julius would say that, too.
"We will work through each and every player on our squad and to determine where we're going with him in the future, and that process is going to take time. But Julius is under contract. We're proud that he's a Bear, and that's where we're at."
--The hiring of Lovie Smith in Tampa has led to plenty of speculation about which Bears free agents will be heading south to Tampa.
Defensive tackle Henry Melton is always on the possibility list, but cornerback Charles Tillman seems to be a consensus future Buc based largely on his close ties with Smith in the past.
The Bears' signing of Tim Jennings for $22 million over four years seems to make Tillman's return less likely, but not a certainty.
Prior to Smith's hiring in Tampa, Tillman seemed to anticipate something like this happening when he said, "I have some options. I have some thoughts. I have some decisions that I have to make that's what's best for myself and my family and my football career."
--The possibility middle linebacker Jonathan Bostic could move to outside linebacker was suggested by no less an expert than Emery. Bostic was drafted as a middle linebacker and played it this year after D.J. Williams went on injured reserve.
"I made that comment because his skill set -- he's a hit-and-run player in terms of the guy can really cover ground," Emery said. "He's very dynamic in his speed, and he's very dynamic in his ability to hit and the physicalness and the impact of it."
Emery ranked Bostic second among Bears in terms of an ability to "unload on another player in space and produce an impact tackle or an impact hit."
Bostic often failed at a basic requirement in the middle this year. He had trouble finding his way through blocking schemes to the ball carrier.
"He can improve dramatically in that going into his second season," Emery said.
--The Shea McClellin reboot is about to occur.
"Shea is capable of more and it's our job and our responsibility as coaches to get that out of him, and we're going to do everything we can to do that," coach Marc Trestman said.
In two seasons, Emery's first first-round pick has 6.5 sacks and has become a target for opposing running attacks. Coaches see his great speed and figure there must be a way to get production from a player they passed over Chandler Jones (17.5 sacks) and Whitney Mercilus (13 sacks) to take.
"He was brought in to the Chicago Bears to be a rotational, complementary pass rusher," Emery said.
"The whole idea and thought behind Shea is the high end of the athleticism he has and his speed to handle the quarterbacks that we face and the mobility that they have. The role model was some of the players that Lovie (Smith) had in the past in terms of being somebody that comes in during the nickel downs, primarily, and then goes anywhere from the high 40 percent to about 60-62 percent (of snaps) is the effective range of a player that has the skill set that you're looking for."
The possibility they'll play 3-4 in some situations or go to a different variation of the 4-3 all seems to hinge on McClellin.
--Melton's arrest for assault and public intoxication did not escape Emery's scrutiny when he discussed the future of the defense.
Melton is a free agent, but is rehabbing from his torn anterior cruciate ligament and Emery hasn't liked what he has seen in terms of the arrest.
"The under-tackle position in the scheme that we're in is the engine that drives the defense," he said of Melton's spot. "And when he was in the game, even though from a statistical standpoint he wasn't off to a fast start, it was very evident on tape that he was a very important part of the defense.
"So he knows, and that has been related to him that we signed you for a reason. Now let's focus in on getting healthy, and obviously he has some off-the-field issues that he needs to make sure that he's focused in on football and having a passion for football."
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
FREE-AGENT UPDATE
Scheduled to be unrestricted in March
--LB James Anderson
--CB Zack Bowman
--DT Nate Collins
--C Roberto Garza
--KR-PR Devin Hester
--LS Patrick Mannelly
--DT Henry Melton
--QB Josh McCown
--DT Jeremiah Ratliff
--CB Charles Tillman
--LB D.J. Williams
--DL Corey Wootton
--S Major Wright
--T-G Eben Britton
--DT Landon Cohen
--LB Blake Costanzo
--CB Kelvin Hayden
--S Derrick Martin
--CB Sherrick McManis
--QB Jordan Palmer
--TE Dante Rosario
--T Jonathan Scott
--S Craig Steltz
UNIT-BY-UNIT ANALYSIS
QUARTERBACKS: Starter -- Jay Cutler. Backups -- Josh McCown, Jordan Palmer.
Cutler described himself as "married" to coach Marc Trestman and his system, and he displayed what the team needed to see in terms of running and leading the offense to decide to pay him about $22 million of next year's salary cap. Cutler has all the throws and finally stepped forward and took the leadership role with this team. What they really need to see now is Cutler beating Green Bay, since he failed despite playing a solid game against them with the playoffs on the line. Retaining McCown might be difficult, but is preferable to keeping Palmer as backup and drafting a young third quarterback or signing another backup. McCown could draw interest as a backup from other teams, but at age 34 the best he'll do elsewhere in terms of playing time is a promise to let him compete to be a starter. He had plenty of support to start in Chicago with his 109 passer rating, but on the other hand he failed to beat two last-place teams (Minnesota and St. Louis) in starts and another last-place team (Washington) when he played most of the game. Any of those wins would have given the Bears a playoff berth.
RUNNING BACKS: Starter -- Matt Forte. Backups -- Michael Bush, Michael Ford, FB Tony Fiammetta.
Forte is among the top three all-around backs in the league and at a peak as a player. He's coming off career bests in receptions (74), receiving yards (594) and rushing yards (1,339) and has been a good blocking back except for the prime-time failure against Philadelphia. He even improved in goal line or short yardage last year. Trestman's ability to use multi-purpose backs definitely applied in Forte's case. Bush got very few chances that weren't in short-yardage situations, but generally appears too slow into the hole to be a power-style complement to Forte. His $8.45 million cap figure over the next two years makes him a prime candidate to be cut for salary-cap purposes. The Bears would need to find a power back replacement, as Ford is more a multi-purpose back in Forte's mold, but without as much speed. They need this position filled to help preserve Forte, too, as there has been a tendency to overwork him. The Bears quickly locked Fiammetta up to a new deal based on his ability to help free Forte off the edge with his run blocking, and an ability to pick up blitzers on passes.
TIGHT ENDS: Starter -- Martellus Bennett. Backup -- Dante Rosario.
Bennett's hands eventually proved better than billed, after a few games when he seemed plagued by drops. His ability to make plays with good quickness for a big player and also his run blocking on the edge proved critical in the offense when defenses focused on Brandon Marshall. Rosario had no impact as a receiver with one catch in 15 games and three starts. He was an effective extra pass blocker, but showed no ability to separate on short patterns. The Bears could use a second tight end with better size that is more physical. They had Fendi Onobun on the practice squad all year, and physically he shows he can be a big-play type with reach, speed and athleticism like a wide receiver. He also has skillets for hands and needs to work hard at making the most simple catches.
WIDE RECEIVERS: Starters -- Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery. Backups -- Earl Bennett, Marquess Wilson, Joe Anderson, Eric Weems, Chris Williams.
It's difficult to deny Marshall's importance both as a target and a decoy to take pressure off Jeffery, but he also led the NFL in dropped passes (12), according to STATS Inc., and had a huge drop on the last drive against Green Bay to ensure no playoff berth. Still, Marshall and Jeffery together ranked as the league's best receiver tandem and also strong blockers downfield in the running game or screen game. The only thing the Bears lack in those two is world class sprinter's speed, although they make up for it with athleticism and the ability to go vertical for difficult catches. Bennett reworked his contract before last year, but could be a salary-cap victim with a $5 million cap number over the next two years. Replacing Bennett is no easy matter, since he had an ability to find dead spots in zones for third-down or goal-line catches. Wilson might have better speed than the other receivers, but needs to work on his strength and downfield blocking. Anderson is athletic with decent hands and speed but finished the year on injured reserve with two less serious injuries. Williams is a project, but has good speed and, like Weems, has special teams value.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN: Starters -- LT Jermon Bushrod, LG Matt Slauson, C Roberto Garza, RG Kyle Long, RT Jordan Mills. Backups -- C Taylor Boggs, G-T Eben Britton, T Jonathan Scott, T-G James Brown, T Joe Long.
Bushrod came in with a big free-agent contract questioned by many analysts, but finished an excellent season protecting Cutler's blind side. He had only one poor game. The Bears thought enough to give Slauson a new deal. He proved solid and worked well in the inside-out pass blocking scheme. Garza does not play like a 34 year old and has been very durable for a player missing an anterior cruciate ligament, with only two missed games since becoming a Bear. Only on a few occasions did a player come up the "A gap," although Garza isn't the best short-yardage blocker and sometimes gets overpowered. Long played well enough as a rookie to be an alternate to the Pro Bowl. His speed and strength made it easy for him to pull and help with the edge rushing game and screen passes. It won't be surprising if he eventually becomes a tackle because of his athletic ability. Mills, who had surgery to repair a broken foot bone when the season ended, has been burned by speed rushers and is still developing in terms of footwork. That explains how Pro Football Focus had him ranked among the league's worst pass-blocking tackles all year. He was at his best sealing an edge for Forte, but also had value pulling to block off the left side in the run game. The Bears have a glut of backup tackles and it's expected Scott could go. They've brought Brown, Boggs and Britton along as young players in their system. Boggs might be an answer when Garza retires, but he'll need to bulk up. Britton produced all year as the sixth offensive lineman in run blocking formations, and played effectively replacing an injured Mills in the season finale. Joe Long has pedigree -- as Jake Long's brother -- and was good enough that the Bears plucked him from Pittsburgh's practice squad and put him on the active roster when they already had a plenty of tackles. Could challenge Mills in the future.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN: Starters -- DT Corey Wootton, NT Jeremiah Ratliff, RDE Julius Peppers, LDE Shea McClellin. Backups -- DT Henry Melton, DT Nate Collins, DT Landon Cohen, DE Cheta Ozougwu, DE David Bass, DE Cornelius Washington.
Season-ending knee injuries suffered by Melton and Collins turned this into a collection of waiver-wire pickups. Peppers still is the best defensive lineman they have, although there are 30.4 million reasons in unguaranteed salary dollars to think he'll be cut unless he agrees to a drastically revised deal. He is a non-factor on too many plays and often was completely taken out by blockers on running plays. Wootton is no tackle, although he tried playing it to help. He's very versatile and as a player could also play end in a 3-4, he has value for a team that could be switching either to a 3-4 or else a 4-3 hybrid that uses a two-gap approach at times. Ratliff showed an ability to cave the pocket, and will only get stronger. With experience in one- and two-gap approaches, he also would be a free agent to keep. McClellin has been an abysmal failure as an end with his hand on the ground. From general manager Phil Emery's comments, they're obviously looking at turning him into a pass-rushing linebacker or some type of hybrid player. Collins is on course with his rehab to return by training camp, as is Melton. But Melton also had off-field problems after an arrest for being disorderly. Their return depends greatly on if the scheme continues emphasizing the three-technique role. Ozougwu is the young project who can rush the passer but can't stop the run, while Bass is the young end who can't rush the passer but plays the run. Washington has to step up both as a rusher and run stopper as he has been outperformed by many waiver-wire pickups despite being a drafted.
LINEBACKERS: Starters -- WLB Lance Briggs, MLB Jonathan Bostic, SLB James Anderson. Backups -- MLB D.J. Williams, WLB Khaseem Greene, LB Blake Costanzo, LB Jerry Franklin.
Briggs' shoulder fracture healed, but he appeared out of shape when he returned. He remains the defense's best tackler and led a poor tackling team in tackles for losses. Although they want to get younger, letting go of a player with such skills seems counterproductive. Bostic's rookie season made it apparent he has outstanding speed and may be better suited to playing outside rather than the middle. He often failed to break down and missed tackles or overran his gap. Anderson is a versatile veteran capable of helping in several schemes, and although he initially wasn't expected to be on the field in the nickel, he wound up playing it all year fairly well -- except for failing to pick up a live ball against Green Bay. Like many defensive players this year, his tackling left something to be desired. Williams made a quick adjustment to a new scheme, was effective despite missing training camp with a knee injury, and then was quickly gone with a torn triceps. Like with all 30-somethings, his return as a free agent is not a guarantee. Costanzo has been a solid special teams player, but has little or no value as a backup and may not be someone a team lacking salary-cap room can afford. Greene had a debut much like Bostic. As Briggs' backup, he showed great speed, but played out of control and failed at the basic requirement of knowing his run fits. He also showed far less ability to deliver big hits than had been billed. Franklin is only a special teams player who was cut and brought back due to injuries.
DEFENSIVE BACKS: Starters -- LCB Tim Jennings, RCB Zack Bowman, SS Major Wright, FS Chris Conte. Backups -- CB Isaiah Frey, CB Kelvin Hayden, DB Derrick Martin, CB Sherrick McManis, S Anthony Walters, S Craig Steltz, CB Charles Tillman.
Jennings signed, solving one problem. His ability to play man against taller players because of great leaping ability and speed have made him valued. Tillman's torn pectoral muscle and rehab are not a problem, but his return is anything but a lock. It's possible he'll get a bigger contract for one extra year in free agency than the year or two the Bears may be willing to give. Tillman will be 33 next season and although he hadn't missed a game in the previous three years, he's been bothered by nagging injuries. It's a tough call. Bowman showed great improvement in man pass protection this season as Tillman's replacement, and remains a physical player in run defense. Still, he hasn't shown the knack for shutting down big receivers like Calvin Johnson that Tillman has had. Neither Conte nor Wright distinguished themselves. They showed this year they had been beneficiaries from a good pass rush in the past since without the rush there they were beaten repeatedly. Conte missed out making big plays, and also gave up big plays. He may not have the speed to play safety in a scheme relying at times on single deep or man coverage. Frey played a whole year at nickel and was average. His tackling came into question at times, and some teams near the end of the year targeted him on third downs. Hayden's return from knee surgery is likely by the start of training camp, but whether he'll maintain the speed that made him starting nickel remains to be seen. Martin and McManis are special teams types and Steltz has been a dependable third or fourth safety. A lack of speed keeps Steltz from being a starter. Walters has not shown an ability to be a ballhawk and hasn't been physical enough.
SPECIAL TEAMS: K Robbie Gould, P Adam Podlesh, KOR/PR Devin Hester, LS Patrick Mannelly.
Robbie Gould's missed field goal in Minnesota looms as one of the plays that kept the Bears from the playoffs, but he remains both accurate and one of the better kickers from 50 yards or longer. And, of course, he has handled the fickle weather and poor playing surface at Soldier Field well. Mannelly still remains very effective. The team will have to weigh whether someone 39 years old on opening day can also avoid being a detriment in punt coverage. Podlesh suffered through a roller-coaster season with his hang time and occasional shanks, so his departure might be a possibility. Hester's return seems unlikely. The Bears even signed a potential replacement during the regular season in Chris Williams, who was a standout return man in Canada.
Just another Chicago Bulls Session… Bulls-Spurs Preview.
By JEFF BARTL (STATS Writer)
The San Antonio Spurs have dropped back-to-back games for the first time all season, and each performance has been a bit uncharacteristic.
They'll look to get back on track Wednesday night against a Chicago Bulls team hoping to have Joakim Noah back in the lineup to begin its six-game road trip.
San Antonio (33-12) has lost four of six following a six-game winning streak, struggling in particular over its last two games.
The Spurs never led and trailed by as many as 29 in Sunday's 113-101 loss to Miami in an NBA Finals rematch, then led by 15 in the first half before falling 97-90 on Tuesday against Houston, which was without leading scorer James Harden.
Boris Diaw scored a season-high 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for San Antonio, which had its 15-game streak of scoring at least 100 points snapped.
Tony Parker finished with 17 points, while Tim Duncan had 12 points, 14 boards and four blocks, recording his fourth double-double in five games.
"I thought defensively we did a pretty decent job of controlling the game for a long time, and then it just got away from us," Duncan told the league's official website. "We just have to get everybody sort of swarming toward the ball."
San Antonio won both meetings last season with Chicago (22-22), which begins a long road trip while Disney on Ice occupies the United Center.
The Bulls had won four of five before falling 95-86 to Minnesota on Monday, a game Noah sat out due to an illness. He traveled to San Antonio and coach Tom Thibodeau hopes he can play in this contest.
"When you lose a guy like Jo your margin for error is smaller," Thibodeau said.
Carlos Boozer had 20 points and 14 rebounds, while Taj Gibson finished with 10 points and 10 boards starting in Noah's place. Chicago allowed 46 points in the paint without Noah manning the middle.
"I thought defensively we did a pretty decent job of controlling the game for a long time, and then it just got away from us," Duncan told the league's official website. "We just have to get everybody sort of swarming toward the ball."
San Antonio won both meetings last season with Chicago (22-22), which begins a long road trip while Disney on Ice occupies the United Center.
The Bulls had won four of five before falling 95-86 to Minnesota on Monday, a game Noah sat out due to an illness. He traveled to San Antonio and coach Tom Thibodeau hopes he can play in this contest.
"When you lose a guy like Jo your margin for error is smaller," Thibodeau said.
Carlos Boozer had 20 points and 14 rebounds, while Taj Gibson finished with 10 points and 10 boards starting in Noah's place. Chicago allowed 46 points in the paint without Noah manning the middle.
What do you do when the culture's corrupt?
By Rob Neyer
You might have heard about this U.S. Air Force scandal -- the latest U.S. Air Force scandal, I mean -- wherein a large number of missileers were found to have been cheating on their certification tests. Which is hardly a new development. Actually, the opposite of new:
Cheating has been a fact of life among America’s nuclear launch officers for decades, crew members and instructors said. “When I saw that they got something wrong, I would say, ‘Go back and look at No. 5 again,'” said Brian Weeden, a former launch officer at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana who said that he routinely asked new crew members to show him their test answers before they turned them in.
The same help, he said, was offered to him by his own instructors when he first began a tour of duty in which officers are expected to score 100 percent on the monthly written tests, and anything below 90 percent is a failing grade.
Last week, 34 officers were said to have cheated on their monthly proficiency tests. The first thought of many, upon hearing that news, was probably something like, "OhmyGod, who let those 34 bad guys loose amongst all the heroes?" Because that's the way we're first made, and then programmed by society, to think. But the truth is that there are very few bad guys and even fewer heroes. Most of us do bad things, most of us do heroic things, and most of spend the great majorities of our lives somewhere in the middle.
In this case, cheating was simply the culture, for which we can blame ... well, us. Someone probably realized at some point that us would settle for nothing less than perfection among our missileers, so perfection was essentially mandated. And once you've mandated perfection, you've got a choice: give easy tests, or permit cheating.
The Air Force institutionalized cheating. Once that was done, were the cheaters bad people? Or even dishonorable? I'm not sure. But I'm inclined toward sympathy.
I bring this up today because -- and yes, I'm highly aware it's not a perfect comparison -- the Air Force scandal did remind of something that's happened in baseball. Dave Gallagher played in the majors in the late '80s and early '90s, and NJ.com's Dave Searles asked Gallagher about steroids during that time. A snippet:
Q: Then why didn't the clean players call for the ban of PEDs and testing?
A: I think that is a fair question and I always feel a certain percentage of guilt towards that. I don't have a good answer but the only thing I can say is this had to have been talked about in Executive Board meetings but the common player never finds out what is said in those meetings. However, I can't push that away because we have every right as individual players to go to the Players Association and they will tell you because you have the right to know. The only answer that I have personally, and it's probably not a good answer, when I looked around there were only a couple of guys where I would say oh yeah he is definitely using.
This seems like an honest, accurate portrayal of the average player's attitude during the early '90s. There's now an opinion -- granted, a minority opinion -- among baseball writers that any player from that era must be held accountable for what happened. More to the point, that all players, roughly speaking, are equally accountable; if you're going to blame one, you have to blame them all.
But it seems to me even more reasonable to suggest that when a culture is created, it's unfair to think too poorly about those within the culture, because so very few of us would have the courage to raise any objection. At the moment, roughly 65 percent of Hall of Fame voters have concluded that Roger Clemens committed a serious moral or ethical breach. Clemens was immersed in a culture that permitted, and at least implicitly encouraged, drug use and public dissembling. Would 65 percent of Hall of Fame voters have the courage to stand up and say something, if the culture of sportswriters was essentially corrupt?
I wonder.
Dave Gallagher's public comments, 20 years later, are a valuable piece of the puzzle. In the coming years, more and more players will discuss their thoughts and motivations during that era, and our ability to understand what happened, and why, will grow and grow. As it does, we'll come to understand that there were very few villains, even fewer heroes ... and hundreds of guys in the middle.
Inside the Ropes: Phoenix Open brings football atmosphere to golf.
By Tom LaMarre, The Sports Xchange
This is Super Bowl week, and on the PGA Tour, that means stadium golf.
It happens at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, billed as "The Greatest Show on Grass," where the par-3, 162-yard 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale is the closest the PGA Tour will ever get to noisy CenturyLink Field in Seattle.
Corporate boxes and bleachers encircle the hole, with a capacity of about 15,000 fans, many of them well-hydrated students from Arizona State and other nearby colleges. There are two videoboards, two scoreboards, and CBS covers every shot with eight cameras.
The hole is nicknamed "The Coliseum," and the players enter the cauldron through a tunnel that leads to the tee box.
"It reminds me of when I go to Fenway Park," said Keegan Bradley, who grew up as a fan of the Boston Red Sox in New England. "There's always like a murmur. There's always a little ambient noise."
That's before the players even get to the hole, and when they do arrive, the pressure is on.
When a player hits the green, especially if he is close to the hole, the crowd roars its approval with a decibel-raising cheer.
Miss the putting surface and the boos, and other things including beer bottles, rain down. Heckling follows the unfortunate golfer all the way to his ball, where he can redeem himself with the fickle fans by hitting the next one close.
No one is immune, not even ASU grad and local favorite Phil Mickelson, the defending champion.
Justin Leonard was so upset with the reaction he got from a poor tee shot that he flipped off the crowd, which instantly turned around many of the fans, who gave him a big cheer.
"It's like hitting a shot in the Rose Bowl," Tom Lehman said several years ago. "It's unlike any place we ever go on tour. You want to give the crowd something to cheer about, and sometimes you try too hard.
"You can really enjoy it if you put yourself in the mind-set where you take the energy from the crowd and run with it. The downside, though, is the second you make contact, they're yelling, 'Go in, go in,' even though the ball is heading for the pot bunker."
There have been eight holes-in-one on the 16th hole in tournament history, the last one by Jarrod Lyle of Australia during the second round in 2011.
However, the defining moment at No. 16 and perhaps in tournament history came when Tiger Woods brought down the house with an ace that can be seen in several versions on YouTube.
"We had flying debris coming in after I made it, and I think I was the first person ever to raise the roof for a shot on the PGA Tour," Woods said of the gesture he made to encourage the fans for more.
"It was so loud. We couldn't have had it any more loud than that because obviously the Super Bowl was that weekend. Everyone was coming out there."
Robert Garrigus was a 19-year-old wannabe golf pro standing outside the ropes in the crowd behind the tee that day, with a bird's-eye view of Woods' famous shot. That day, Garrigus took a shot of his own.
"I was standing two people behind the ropes, and, I don't know, I might have been the first guy to throw a beer," said Garrigus, who ultimately made his way onto the PGA Tour, winning the 2010 Children's Miracle Network Classic for his only victory on the circuit. This week, he is in the Phoenix Open field for the sixth time.
"That was pretty cool. That made me ... if I didn't want to be a professional golfer right there, I wasn't going to be one."
Woods' ace came late in the day, and the fans must have been in a hurry to get to the nearby Bird's Nest, where the party that is the Phoenix Open carries on far into the night.
Woods remembers what happened next almost as much as the shot.
"It was actually pretty funny, because after I holed out, everyone had already seen what they wanted to see, they were yelling, screaming, throwing beer, and everyone just left," said Woods, whose best finish in three appearances at TPC Scottsdale was solo third in 1999.
"This whole procession of just thousands of people walking out. As I'm playing 17, everyone is just walking by. It was like, 'We saw what we wanted to see, we're outta here.'"
Woods has been outta there since 2001, tying for fifth the last time he played in Phoenix, when a fan threw an orange onto the 16th green and distracted him while he was putting.
That came two years after a man who was heckling Woods from the gallery was wrestled to the ground by security guards, who discovered that the guy had a gun in his backpack.
Even without Tiger, the fans keep coming to the tournament, an average of about 500,000 every year, with the record of 538,356 set in 2008. The one-day mark of 179,022 fans was set in the third round last year.
And many of the pros, if not Woods, wouldn't miss it.
Said Garrigus: "That's our little Super Bowl in there, so to speak, and it's just fun."
By Nick Bromberg
Charlotte Motor Speedway announced Tuesday that the Sprint Showdown race to qualify for the Sprint All-Star Race will be held on Friday.
The Showdown had previously immediately preceded the All-Star Race. This year it will be run on the same night as Charlotte's Camping World Truck Series race on May 16.
The swap means that qualifying for the All-Star Race will move before the race on Saturday, in the Showdown's old spot. Eligibility into the All-Star race from the Showdown does not change with the move. The Showdown's top two finishing drivers and another driver who wins the fan vote will be in the All-Star Race.
However, the date change does mean that the three drivers transferring over from the Showdown will be eligible to qualify for the All-Star Race. With qualifying for the All-Star Race on Friday, the three Showdown drivers that moved on had simply been placed at the back of the field.
All-Star Race qualifying will continue to be different than standard NASCAR qualifying, even with the introduction of knockout qualifying for 2014. Qualifying will be three timed laps with a mandatory four-tire pit stop. There will be no pit road speed limit.
Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Jimmie Johnson, Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman, David Ragan, Tony Stewart, Martin Truex Jr. and Brian Vickers are currently eligible for the race. Any driver not named above who wins a points race in 2014 before May 16 will also be automatically entered into the All-Star Race.
World Cup: After visiting Brazil, Jurgen Klinsmann not dreading any USMNT game locations in summer.
MLSSoccer.com
Jurgen Klinsmann and the US national team's two-week São Paulo trek provided a nice feel for what they can expect when they return to Brazil in a few months, whetting their appetite ahead of the World Cup.
“I think it was really, really helpful, these two weeks for the team, but also for everyone involved with US Soccer, to experience our team-base hotel in São Paulo, to train at the São Paulo FC facility, to meet the people, to get around the city, to get a real sense for it,” Klinsmann said Tuesday, as the US returned to their StubHub Center training grounds ahead of Saturday's friendly against South Korea (5 pm ET, ESPN2/UniMas).
“We have a much, much better picture now of what to expect and what will challenge us, and therefore I think it's really important to give the players feedback: 'Listen, guys, it's not all going to be perfect, we have to be very tolerant and we have to be patient with things, but if you know that in advance and we adjust to it right away mentally, then it's no big deal. It's no problem at all.' ”
Klinsmann and some of his staff made side trips to the sites of the Americans' group-stage matches: Natal, where they'll face Ghana in their June 16 opener; Manaus in the Amazon rainforest, which will stage their June 22 match against Portugal; and Recife, site of the June 26 showdown with his native Germany.
He was particularly impressed with Manaus, a locale about which he'd expressed concerns before last month's World Cup draw.
“Before the draw, you say, 'OK, if I could avoid that flight there and playing under those conditions, it would be nice,' ” Klinsmann said. “But once the draw was done, there was no complaining anymore from our end, because both teams will play under the same circumstances. It will be a little hotter than other places.
“The place now is absolutely gorgeous. I mean, to be in Manaus is an experience, and therefore I want the players also to take it all in. This is something unique. The people there are extremely excited. They are so excited to host World Cup games, and they're a different face of Brazil. And that's what a World Cup is about, to see the different faces of a country, and Manaus is one of those different faces. I'm really looking forward to [playing there] now.”
The players were impressed with São Paulo FC's facilities and pleased about the work they accomplished.
“Brazil was good. It was hot, very hot,” Sporting Kansas City midfielder Graham Zusi told reporters on Monday. “I thought it was great for us to go down there, kind of go through a dry run of what to expect. They put us in a hotel that's fantastic, there's really nothing to worry about, but being in a foreign country, there's differences. There's the little things that sometimes you can't predict or expect, and I thought it was great for us to go down there and go through these things.
“As a playing standpoint, I thought it was fantastic. We got a lot of really good work in, the training facilities were incredible, just perfect. We were pushed hard, but I think we responded very well and got a lot out of it.”
Zusi had never before visited Brazil.
“São Paulo, the city, is absolutely massive, bigger than anything I've ever seen, and you can kind of feel the buzz already from the locals and everything about what's going to come in the summer,” he said. “You look out your hotel window, and though you're in the middle of a massive city, you see little fields between the buildings and on rooftops and whatnot.
"It's really neat to see that kind of culture we're not used to seeing here.”
Manchester United 2-0 Cardiff City: Van Persie, Young goals give Red Devils win in Mata's debut.
By Richard Farley
The debut of Juan Mata was a successful one for Manchester United, thanks to goals from Robin Van Persie and Ashley Young. Holding a lead for 84 minutes at Old Trafford, the Red Devils claimed a 2-0 win over visiting Cardiff, ruining Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s return to the Theater of Dreams.
The former United striker and youth coach was making his first trip to Stretford as Cardiff manager, having been appointed Bluebirds’ boss on Jan. 2. The loss, however, leaves the former Red Devils winless in the Premier League, with loss leaving Solksjaer’s new club to languish in the Premier League’s cellar.
Van Persie, making his first appearance since Dec. 10, got Manchester United on the scoresheet early, the striker’s close range header beating a sprawling David Marshall to give the Red Devils a 1-0 lead. On a play started by Mata, United went close after Antonio Valencia headed a cross from Young onto the crossbar. The ensuing rebound fell to Van Persie, who needed two cracks at goal before putting United up one.
Van Persie nearly grabbed a second later in the half, pulling a sharp angle shot from the left just wide of the far post. For most of the period, however, the sides stood on relatively even footing. Cardiff also went close once but where otherwise unable to break down United in their final third. The Red Devils, using Mata as their focal point, couldn’t build on the momentum of their opening score. The sides went into halftime 1-0.
The second half opened with United continuing to allow Cardiff their share of the ball, but just short of the hour mark, a strike from distance rendered that run up insignificant. Cutting in from the left flank, Young pulled up just shot of the penalty area to launch a shot toward Marshall’s left post. Making defensive midfielder Gary Medel pay for his unwillingness to close him down, the United winger nestled his shot into the right side netting, giving United a 2-0 lead.
A relatively lifeless final half hour nearly saw United grab a third through a series of chances near the 80th minute. For the most part, though, the match ended once Young’s ball found nylon. With United forced on staying organized while Cardiff embrace their fate, the match faded into its 2-0 conclusion, the Red Devils’ additions and returns given them their second win of the new year.
LINEUPS
Manchester United: David De Gea, Rafael, Chris Smalling, Jonny Evans, Patrice Evra, Antonio Valencia, Phil Jones, Ryan Giggs (Tom Cleverley 71′), Ashley Young, Juan Mata (Adnan Januzaj 85′), Robin Van Persie (Wayne Rooney 63′)
Goals: Van Persie (6′), Young (59′)
Cardiff City: David Marshall, Declan John, Steven Caulker, Mark Hudson (Ben Turner 69′), Kevin McNaughton, Gary Medel, Craig Noone, (Mats Daehli 78′), Jordan Mutch (Kim Bo-Kyung 52′), Craig Bellamy, Peter Whittingham, Frazier Campbell
Manchester United 2-0 Cardiff City: Van Persie, Young goals give Red Devils win in Mata's debut.
By Richard Farley
The debut of Juan Mata was a successful one for Manchester United, thanks to goals from Robin Van Persie and Ashley Young. Holding a lead for 84 minutes at Old Trafford, the Red Devils claimed a 2-0 win over visiting Cardiff, ruining Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s return to the Theater of Dreams.
The former United striker and youth coach was making his first trip to Stretford as Cardiff manager, having been appointed Bluebirds’ boss on Jan. 2. The loss, however, leaves the former Red Devils winless in the Premier League, with loss leaving Solksjaer’s new club to languish in the Premier League’s cellar.
Van Persie, making his first appearance since Dec. 10, got Manchester United on the scoresheet early, the striker’s close range header beating a sprawling David Marshall to give the Red Devils a 1-0 lead. On a play started by Mata, United went close after Antonio Valencia headed a cross from Young onto the crossbar. The ensuing rebound fell to Van Persie, who needed two cracks at goal before putting United up one.
Van Persie nearly grabbed a second later in the half, pulling a sharp angle shot from the left just wide of the far post. For most of the period, however, the sides stood on relatively even footing. Cardiff also went close once but where otherwise unable to break down United in their final third. The Red Devils, using Mata as their focal point, couldn’t build on the momentum of their opening score. The sides went into halftime 1-0.
The second half opened with United continuing to allow Cardiff their share of the ball, but just short of the hour mark, a strike from distance rendered that run up insignificant. Cutting in from the left flank, Young pulled up just shot of the penalty area to launch a shot toward Marshall’s left post. Making defensive midfielder Gary Medel pay for his unwillingness to close him down, the United winger nestled his shot into the right side netting, giving United a 2-0 lead.
A relatively lifeless final half hour nearly saw United grab a third through a series of chances near the 80th minute. For the most part, though, the match ended once Young’s ball found nylon. With United forced on staying organized while Cardiff embrace their fate, the match faded into its 2-0 conclusion, the Red Devils’ additions and returns given them their second win of the new year.
LINEUPS
Manchester United: David De Gea, Rafael, Chris Smalling, Jonny Evans, Patrice Evra, Antonio Valencia, Phil Jones, Ryan Giggs (Tom Cleverley 71′), Ashley Young, Juan Mata (Adnan Januzaj 85′), Robin Van Persie (Wayne Rooney 63′)
Goals: Van Persie (6′), Young (59′)
Cardiff City: David Marshall, Declan John, Steven Caulker, Mark Hudson (Ben Turner 69′), Kevin McNaughton, Gary Medel, Craig Noone, (Mats Daehli 78′), Jordan Mutch (Kim Bo-Kyung 52′), Craig Bellamy, Peter Whittingham, Frazier Campbell
Point: Northwestern football team takes first step in forming college players union.
By Dan Wetzel
Kain Colter wore the letters APU (All Players United) during a game on Sept. 21.
As Kain Colter prepared for his third season as Northwestern's starting quarterback last summer, he took a class at the Evanston, Ill., school called "Modern Workplace."
In it, he studied unions across history, including the current ones involved in professional sports. That's when the instructor noted, according to Colter, "I can't believe that student-athletes do not have a players union."
The line hit Colter hard. College sports were a part of the Denver native's life. Here he was at exclusive Northwestern, about to become a two-time team captain in the Big Ten while developing into an NFL prospect. Yet, he long ago came to believe the NCAA's rules of amateurism were "unjust." There was something wrong, he thought, with players making billions of dollars for colleges and universities, yet having little to no say on how their sports were run and how the players were protected – let alone having any input as to where all the money went.
In a violent, dangerous and very profitable business, the players had no voice, either individual or collective. That core conflict is what has caused labor unions to form across history in all sorts of industries.
On Tuesday, Colter took a big – and potentially historic – step toward possibly changing the system. His grassroots organizational work resulted in the start of a college players union.
CAPA is backed by the United Steelworkers, who had their international president, Leo Gerard, and national political director, Tim Waters, in Chicago to assist in the process. It is running in conjunction with the National College Players Association, a once small advocacy outfit from California operated for years by former UCLA linebacker Ramogi Huma.
Colter found out about the NCPA when researching for the "Modern Workplace" class. He contacted Huma, and the two began a conversation. It turned out to be a perfect match.
This is just the first step, and it comes with a long road ahead and no guarantee of success.
Yet the act is significant, and the latest in a rush of challenges – both legal and political – to the basic concept of amateurism that is the bedrock of the NCAA. Before anyone brushes off the possibility of a college athlete's union as farcical and farfetched, there was a time when professional sports owners said the same thing about the likelihood of organized labor in their leagues.
"The No. 1 thing that I want to accomplish is to finally give athletes a true voice," Colter told Yahoo Sports. "They need to finally have a seat at the table when rules and regulations are determined. They need an entity in place that can negotiate on the players' behalf and have their best interests in mind."
Tuesday's development does not automatically create a players union in college sports or even guarantee that one will eventually form. CAPA is looking to represent only football and men's basketball players initially, according to Huma – although further expansion is possible.
Registering with the labor relation board starts a process. Northwestern must respond to whether it wishes to recognize the union. The school likely will follow NCAA precedent and deny the players are employees at all. Colleges prefer to classify them as "student-athletes."
School administrators and coaches, according to Colter, were unaware of the union organizing as of Tuesday morning, when he planned to tell them personally. As such, neither the school nor the NCAA was initially available for comment.
If Northwestern rejects the union, the local labor board will hold a hearing on the matter, listen to both sides and make a determination on who is correct. In rough terms, the debate is over whether the players really are "student-athletes" or whether they're employees compensated by scholarships, room, board and other items.
No matter who wins, one side can appeal to the National Labor Relations Board. And no matter who wins that time, the loser can take the ruling to the Federal Courts, which has numerous layers and appeals processes.
Even if the union at Northwestern ends up getting recognized, it would apply to athletes at only private NCAA institutions eligible for membership. Players at public schools would still have to take the case to their individual state boards.
So don't look for the union label anytime soon. This will be a war of attrition.
Huma is well aware of that, and isn't jumping into this fray on a whim. He wants to win. A Bruins linebacker in the mid-1990s, Huma became disillusioned with the NCAA when he saw players' monthly food allotment money routinely run out, only to have All-American teammate Donnie Edwards get suspended for accepting free groceries he needed.
He founded the NCPA to argue for the players and eventually found an ally in the gritty Steelworkers. This represents the group's boldest move yet. The United Steelworkers (USW) will provide CAPA with a legal team well versed in labor law that is experienced and has plenty of financial support for the fight ahead.
Huma notes that the NCAA's business model relies on the fact it can set the rules for compensation, support, medical resources as well as the amount of practice and games. It's a one-way street, a take-it-or-leave-it deal.
While professional sports unions generally rise to fan consciousness only during strikes or lockouts that often center on money, there are myriad other less divisive and important issues they can handle.
The NFL Players Association, for example, was able to collectively bargain a limit on the amount of full-contact practices players must go through on a weekly basis and argue for specifics on off-season workouts. College football players, however, have no such ability to even ask for such a concession. Out of fear of angering coaches, they rarely speak up individually.
"We're trying to give college athletes a seat at the table," Huma told Yahoo Sports. "All rules are imposed on them by the NCAA. And every dollar the NCAA is able to deny the players goes to their salaries."
Said Colter: "Money is far from priority No. 1 on our list of goals. The health of the players is No. 1. Right now the NCAA does not require or guarantee that any university or institution covers any sports-related medical expenses. Student-athletes should never have to worry about if their sports-related medical bills are taken care of."
Colter finished his career at Northwestern after throwing for more than 5,000 yards and accounting for 50 touchdowns. He's now preparing for the NFL draft after returning from the Senior Bowl, and is trying to complete his studies in Evanston.
Being the front man on this push will bring backlash, and the issues are no longer his issues, but Colter said he couldn't leave college football quietly. Someone had to do something, he figured. It was long past time.
"This issue is a lot bigger than any individual," Colter said. "This has the potential to help our peers and future generations to come. We have the opportunity to leave collegiate sports better off than when we found it. People will not always agree with our actions, but deep down I know it is the right thing to do."
Time, money, resolve and the federal courts will eventually determine whether college athletes will gain organized representation.
It's possible, however, that a development that could potentially change so much about college sports was sparked when a star quarterback sat in a summer class, learning from his teacher. It's just the kind of scene the NCAA might use to film one of its public-relations commercials.
Counterpoint: NCAA declares student-athletes are not employees and will fight unionization.
By Graham Watson
The NCAA does not support the attempt by Northwestern players to unionize and will fight the effort, the organization said in a statement Tuesday afternoon.
David Remy, the NCAA’s Chief Legal Officer, said in a statement on behalf of the NCAA that no employee-employer relationship existed between the NCAA and its student-athletes and that the National Labor Relations Board would see that and quash any attempt for college athletes to unionize.
This union-backed attempt to turn student-athletes into employees undermines the purpose of college: an education. Student-athletes are not employees, and their participation in college sports is voluntary. We stand for all student-athletes, not just those the unions want to professionalize.
Many student athletes are provided scholarships and many other benefits for their participation. There is no employment relationship between the NCAA, its affiliated institutions or student-athletes.
Student-athletes are not employees within any definition of the National Labor Relations Act or the Fair Labor Standards Act. We are confident the National Labor Relations Board will find in our favor, as there is no right to organize student-athletes.Jim Phillips, Northwestern's vice president for athletics and recreation, agreed with the NCAA's assessment of its relationship with student-athletes.
"Northwestern believes that our student-athletes are not employees and collective bargaining is therefore not the appropriate method to address these concerns," Phillis said. "However, we agree that the health and academic issues being raised by our student-athletes and others are important ones that deserve further consideration."
Tuesday morning, several Northwestern players, with the support of Ramogi Huma, president of the National College Players Association and the United Steelworkers union, filed paper work to a Chicago regional office of National Labor Relations Board in an attempt to become a union. It is the first-ever instance of a potential union in college athletics.
The goal of the group, which is called the College Athletes Players Association (CAPA) and led by Northwestern quarterback Kain Colter, is to gain scholarships that cover the full cost of attendance, better concussion and medical protection, multiyear scholarships that are granted even in case of injury and a fund that would allow players to receive aid to finish school after their eligibility expires.
Tuesday is the first step in what could ultimately be a long and arduous battle for student-athlete rights. In its current form, the unionizing would likely only apply to Northwestern players. If other players from other schools wanted to join the union, it would create all sorts of questions depending on public and private institutions, each state and the classification of an employee as defined by each state.
There is no timetable for the National Labor Relations Board to reach its decision.
Late Night Snacks: Michigan state tops Iowa in overtime, LSU upsets Kentucky.
By Terrence Payne
GAME OF THE DAY: No. 7 Michigan State 71, No. 15 Iowa 69 (OT)
The shorthanded Spartans pulled off a gutsy performance on Tuesday night, taking an overtime victory over No. 15 Iowa, a team that would looking for a statement win. No Adreian Payne, no Branden Dawson, but several Michigan State role players stepped up alongside Keith Appling and Gary Harris. Denzel Valentine and Travis Trice both scored in double figures while Matt Costello recorded a double-double. Russell Byrd hit a big 3-pointer with 33 seconds to play to put Sparty up six.
Iowa went on a near 15-minute drought beginning midway through the second half, and lasted all the way until the waning seconds over overtime.
OTHER GAME OF THE DAY: LSU 87, No. 11 Kentucky 82
IMPORTANT OUTCOMES
West Virginia 66, Baylor 64: The Bears might be done after this one. Baylor is now 1-6 with three straight games against ranked opponents in the next three games. Baylor really needed this game.
Missouri 75, Arkansas 71: The Tigers pick up a big win inside Bud Walton Arena, which puts them in a tie for fifth in the SEC. The loss for Arkansas, on the other had, is a tough one to handle. The Razorbacks haven’t proven they can win on the road and next up is a game at LSU, which just handed Kentucky an 87-82 loss on Tuesday night.
South Florida 78, SMU 71: It’s a bad loss, which makes SMU’s work a little more difficult in the American. A win would have given the Mustangs the same conference record as Louisville. SMU still has two games against Memphis and one game each against Cincinnati, UConn and Louisville.
STARRED
1) Doug McDermott, Creighton: 39 points, and the game-winning 3-pointer with two seconds to go. It’s Dougie’s world, we’re all just living in it.
2) Johnny O’Bryant, LSU: Big win for LSU, led by O’Bryant with 29 points, off 12-of-20 shooting with nine rebounds to upset No. 11 Kentucky.
3) QJ Peterson, VMI: The 6-foot freshman scored 37 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in VMI’s 109-105 win over UNC Asheville. Rodney Glasgow added 35 and dished 10 assists.
STRUGGLED
1) Harrison twins, Kentucky: Andrew and Aaron shot 7-of-20 for 22 points. They combined for five turnovers and two assists.
2) Iowa’s offense: The Hawkeyes went almost 15 minutes (end of regulation and overtime) without a field goal. They shot 1-for-13 in that span.
3) Baylor: The Bears lost its fifth straight conference game, in a must-win situation at home against West Virginia. Oklahoma State, Kansas and Oklahoma are the next three games on Baylor’s schedule.
REST OF THE TOP 25
- No. 4 Wichita State 57, Loyola (IL) 45: Shockers improve to 22-0
- No. 20 Creighton 63, St. John’s 60
NOTABLE
- Kansas State 66, Texas Tech 58
- Virginia 68, Notre Dame 53
- VMI 109, UNC Asheville 105: sixth time this season VMI went over 100 points
Olympics-U.S. sending biggest Winter Olympics team to Sochi.
Reuters; By Andrew Both, Editing by Frank Pingue
The U.S. Olympic Committee said on Monday it is sending the all-time largest athlete delegation of any nation in Winter Games history to next month's Sochi Olympics with a 230-member team spread across all 15 disciplines.
The U.S. team at the Feb. 7-23 Sochi Games will be comprised of 105 women and 125 men, including 106 returning Olympians and 99 from the contingent that topped the overall medal count at the 2010 Vancouver Games.
Alpine skier Bode Miller is one of the more popular members of the U.S. team that also includes familiar names such as Julia Mancuso (alpine skiing), Shani Davis (speed skating) and Shaun White (snowboarding).
Nordic combined skier Todd Lodwick will become the first American to compete in six Winter Olympics when he looks to go one better than the silver medal he won in the men's team event at Vancouver. Lodwick is competing in all three Nordic combined events in Sochi.
Miller will contest five events - the downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom and super-combined - as he attempts to add to his collection of five Olympic medals.
He finally broke through to win his first gold in 2010, in the super-combined, eight years after collecting two silvers at Salt Lake City.
Miller needs three more medals to match short track speedskater Apolo Anton Ohno as the most decorated U.S. Winter Olympian.
One notable absentee from the team will be Olympic downhill champion Lindsey Vonn, one of the biggest attractions in winter sport, as she recovers from knee surgery.
Converted track athletes Lolo Jones and Lauryn Williams will become the ninth and 10th Americans to compete in both the Summer and Winter Games when they contest the bobsled.
Jones, 31, was a clear leader in the 2008 women's 100m hurdles final until she clipped the penultimate hurdle and finished seventh. She suffered further disappointment when she was a narrow fourth in London four years later, before turning her attention to the bobsled.
Williams, 30, collected the silver medal in the women's 100m in 2004.
Women's curler Ann Swishelm, 46, is the oldest team member, while freestyle skier Maggie Voisin, 15, is the youngest on a team with an average age of 26.
Twenty members of the team hail from California, followed by Colorado and Minnesota (19) and New York (18).
The United States won 37 medals in 2010, although only nine were of the most prized variety as Canada topped the gold medal count with 14.
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