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Sports Quote of the Day:
"The real winners are the people who look at every situation with an expectation that they can make it work or make it better" ~ Barbara Pletcher, Author
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks-Avalanche Preview.
By KEVIN CHROUST (STATS Writer)
With the highest point total in the NHL since Dec. 31, the Colorado Avalanche have worked their way back into the Presidents' Trophy race.
A sixth win in seven games Wednesday night at home against Chicago would help toward that goal, as it would vault the Avs past the Blackhawks, one of their competitors for the top overall seed.
Colorado (42-18-5) is also after a fourth win in five games against Chicago (38-13-14) as the season series comes to a close, but it'll have to earn it without right wing P.A. Parenteau and possibly center Paul Stastny.
The Avalanche played with 10 forwards for all but 49 seconds of Monday's 3-2 overtime win over Winnipeg, as Parenteau went down with a sprained right MCL that will force him to miss at least four weeks.
"We're not out of the race for the division lead or No. 1 in the NHL," center Matt Duchene told the team's official website after scoring in OT to give him 12 points in a career-best eight-game point streak. "We're right there. We just have to keep working hard here. I mean, that's a character win (Monday). There's no other way to describe that. Guys just played their hearts out."
Parenteau's injury, though, left Colorado especially short after beginning the game with Stastny sitting out due to a back injury. Stastny, who has scored in three straight games against Chicago, is expected to miss this contest but could play Friday against Anaheim.
The team recalled Brad Malone and Paul Carey from the AHL to add depth at forward.
"'Don't try and feel sorry for yourself.' That is what I said to the guys: 'Keep going and we'll win the game,'" said coach Patrick Roy, whose team has a league-best 39 points since New Year's Eve. "We have to remain positive, that's for sure, but at the same time, all year we have battled through adversity, and tonight was another example."
Chicago has also been without a top forward, Marian Hossa, who will miss his fourth consecutive game with an upper-body injury.
As with Colorado and Duchene, Jonathan Toews has picked it up in his teammate's absence, as the Chicago captain has six goals and an assist during a four-game point streak.
Toews scored the third-period winner in a 2-1 victory at Buffalo on Sunday.
"I think he's returned from the Olympics in great shape, very confident," coach Joel Quenneville said. "He just seems to have the knack, has good pace with it, has the puck a lot as well. And when he's around the net, he's getting rewarded."
The Blackhawks have strung together a pair of wins since losing 4-2 at home to Colorado last Tuesday. They've allowed 11 goals in seven games, but some offensive inconsistency has limited them to a 4-3-0 record in that span and dropped them behind streaking St. Louis.
The highest-scoring team in the league with 223 goals, Chicago has been held to two or fewer five times in that seven-game stretch. Improved penalty killing has helped the club weather it, as the Blackhawks have denied opponents on 53 of 57 short-handed situations in the last 16 games, including 5 for 5 against the Sabres.
"We've been doing really well at getting the puck all the way down the ice, blocking shots," goaltender Corey Crawford told the team's official website. "It seems just a combination of everything. Everything you need our guys on the (penalty kill) to do we've been able to do."
Crawford has started each of the past seven contests and posted a 1.45 goals-against average. He's struggled against Colorado, though, going 0-4-2 with a 4.38 GAA in his last six matchups.
Counterpart Semyon Varlamov has gone 3-0-0 with a 1.47 GAA in four games against Chicago this season.
Stars' Peverley hospitalized after heart episode; game ppd.
Sports Xchange
Dallas Stars center Rich Peverley collapsed on the bench Monday during the first period of the team's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Peverley was immediately taken to a hallway behind both benches leading to the Dallas locker room, and he quickly regained consciousness after he was attended to by a team of medical personnel. He later was hospitalized in stable condition, the Stars announced.
The game was postponed after a lengthy delay.
Peverley, 31, had a procedure prior to the season to correct an irregular heartbeat, which forced him to miss training camp and Dallas' season opener on Oct. 3 against the Florida Panthers. He just finished a shift at 5:50 of the first period moments before he collapsed on the bench.
Stars coach Lindy Ruff immediately knew something was seriously wrong and started yelling for medical attention.
"I was scared," Ruff said. "My first emotion was we need somebody here real quick. When he dropped, it was red alert, don't worry about the game, don't worry about anything else, just turn around and scream for a doctor and that's all. It was just, 'Let's get him the help he needs,' and they came and got him the help. For me, it was something I don't want to witness again."
Once Peverley was in the hallway, the medical team gave him oxygen, administered intravenous fluids, performed chest compressions and defibrillated him, which restored a rhythm to his heart on the first attempt.
Dr. Gil Salazar, part of the team attending to Peverley and a member of the emergency medicine team at UT Southwestern, called the fact Peverley responded so quickly to treatment reassuring.
"What I know so far is he slumped on the bench," Salazar said. "He was brought back to the hallway for treatment, where we treated him for a cardiac event, successfully treated with standard therapy.
As soon as we treated him, he regained consciousness. He was alert and awake talking to us after the event and quickly transported to the hospital. At this point, I was able to talk to him in the back of the ambulance and he was able to tell me where he was and he actually wanted to get back in the game."
Peverley was transported to UT Southwestern's St. Paul University Hospital, where he was to undergo additional evaluation.
Right after the collapse, the Dallas players were furiously banging their sticks on the boards trying to get the attention of the on-ice officials to stop the game. The game was halted with 13:37 left in the opening period and the Blue Jackets leading 1-0.
After about 15 minutes, both teams headed to the dressing rooms, and about 15 minutes later, the game was officially postponed.
Ruff said his players were in no condition to resume play.
"There's nobody in there that wants to play hockey right now, and I think everybody understands that when you've witnessed what they had to witness, and that's their teammate," Ruff said. "And that's the right place to be. That's the right emotion to have. They're not doing very good, and I wouldn't expect them to be."
The Blue Jackets understood the thinking behind the postponement.
"They're shaken and they want to reschedule. We understand that," Columbus president of hockey operations John Davidson told Fox Sports Ohio. "They were shaken to the core."
The NHL issued a statement apologized for the inconvenience the postponement caused to the fans.
Peverley missed a trip to Columbus, Ohio, last week with what was initially termed an upper-body injury. However, when asked about that injury after the morning skate last Thursday, Ruff confirmed that Peverley's absence was related to his previous heart condition.
The Stars, who play the Blues in St. Louis on Tuesday, departed at approximately 9:45 p.m. CT.
The Blue Jackets were due to return home for a Tuesday game against the Detroit Red Wings.
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!! Bears agree to 5-year contract with DE Houston.
AP Sports
The Chicago Bears agreed to a five-year contract with former Oakland Raiders defensive end Lamarr Houston on Tuesday.
They also agreed to a two-year contract with former Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants safety Ryan Mundy and one-year deals with linebackers Jordan Senn and D.J. Williams as they try to shore up a defense that got shredded by injuries and ranked among the league's worst last season.
Chicago allowed a league-high 5.3 yards per carry - half a yard more than any other team - and tied Jacksonville for an NFL-worst with 31 sacks.
Houston started all 16 games last season for Oakland and was one of the few playmakers on a 4-12 team. He led the Raiders with a career-high six sacks and recorded 16 in four seasons with them.
Mundy made a career-high nine starts with the Giants last season after spending his first four with Pittsburgh. He had 70 tackles and a 91-yard interception return along with two pass breakups and a fumble recovery. He also had seven special teams stops.
Senn has appeared in 83 games with seven starts over six seasons with Indianapolis (2008-09) and Carolina (2009-13). He was primarily a special-teams player last season.
Williams appeared in six games and made four starts at middle linebacker last season after signing a one-year deal with Chicago. A ruptured pectoral muscle tendon cut short his season, one of several big blows on a defense that lost starters Lance Briggs, Charles Tillman, and Henry Melton for big chunks of the season. Nickel back Kelvin Hayden and defensive tackle Nate Collins also suffered season-ending injuries.
Bears release Peppers in salary cap move.
By Rich Campbell
Julius Peppers walks off the field following a 23-20 overtime loss to the Vikings. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune / December 1, 2013)
Defensive end Julius Peppers became a Bears salary cap casualty on Tuesday in the wake of the team’s agreements with free agent defensive end Lamarr Houston, free agent safety Ryan Mundy and incumbent middle linebacker D.J. Williams.
The Bears terminated Peppers' contract, a move that saves them $9.8 million against the 2014 cap, provided they do not designate him a post-June 1 cut, which was unlikely. He is scheduled to count approximately $8.4 million in dead money against the Bears' salary cap in 2014.
“We appreciate Julius’ contributions to the Bears over the last four years,” general manager Phil Emery said. “He was a leader on our defense starting every game since coming to Chicago. His accomplishments over his NFL career place him among the best defensive ends over the past 20 years. The Chicagoland community has benefited greatly from his quiet generosity. We wish him the best.”
The Bears on Tuesday moved toward their goal of getting younger on defense by agreeing with Houston on a five-year deal that includes $15 million guaranteed, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. The 26-year-old defensive end played his first four seasons for the Oakland Raiders.
Mundy, 29, played last season for the New York Giants following four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Peppers, who turned 34 in January, had 7.0 sacks last season, his lowest total in four seasons with the Bears. He showed flashes in 2013 of being the dominant player the Bears came to rely on during his first three seasons with the club, but he was inconsistent.
"It has been a few years since I've been here, really, so you know your time is always ticking," Peppers told the Tribune in November. "You reach a point where your body won't always do what your mind tells it to. Sometimes you get up and come to practice and the body just isn't going to do it that day."
Peppers' 119 career sacks rank 17th on the all-time list, according to profootball-reference.com. He had 38.0 in 64 games with the Bears. He never missed a game over four seasons.
Just another Chicago Bulls Session… Full-strength Spurs handle Bulls.
By The Sports Xchange
When the Chicago Bulls won at San Antonio on Jan. 29, the Spurs were missing guards Manu Ginobili and Danny Green, forward Kawhi Leonard and center Tiago Splitter due to injuries.
The Bulls got a good look at the full-strength Spurs on Tuesday night at the United Center. San Antonio sprinted to a 38-14 lead after one quarter and cruised to a 104-96 victory.
Since that home loss to Chicago, San Antonio (47-16) went 14-3 and continues to own the league's best record.
"We have turned the corner," Spurs forward Tim Duncan said. "We have the bodies back. This was a good win and we have another big game tomorrow (at home vs. Portland). We have been scoring points all year, but we have to execute our defensive plan to win consistently."
Guard Tony Parker scored 16 of his 20 points in the first quarter and finished with nine assists. Ginobili led the Spurs with 22 points and Leonard added 16. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was able to give his starters a long rest in the second half.
The final score was deceptive because the Bulls made a late and futile charge after entering the fourth quarter trailing by 24.
"Best first half we have played in a long time," Ginobili said. "We got up early and that makes it a lot easier."
Guard D.J. Augustin led Chicago with 24 points, guard Jimmy Butler added 23 points and center Joakim Noah contributed 13 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
Parker dominated the game from the opening tip. He scored on drives, jumpers and a spinning lay-in as the Spurs opened a 23-6 lead. While San Antonio hit 10 of its first 13 shots from the field, Parker and Leonard combined to score 19 of the first 21 points.
"He was aggressive for himself and his teammates," Popovich said of Parker. "He hit a lot of shots early and we fed off him."
When Ginobili finished the first quarter with a reverse lay-in, the Spurs led 38-14. It equaled the largest first-quarter deficit in Bulls franchise history.
San Antonio (47-16) shot 71.4 percent from the field in the first quarter (15 for 21) compared with 26.3 percent by Chicago (5 for 19).
"Readiness to play, that's the biggest thing," Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau said. "I told them, that's completely on me. It's my job to have them ready. We had no edge to us. That's a championship-caliber team that's playing on all cylinders and they're going after it. So if you don't match that intensity to start, you are going to get in a big hole."
The lineup changed, but the second quarter brought more of the same. Former Bulls guard Marco Belinelli drained two 3-pointers in the opening 90 seconds, guard Patty Mills hit all three of his shots and backup center Aron Baynes tossed in a couple of baskets.
The Spurs' lead peaked at 32 points on four occasions, including 57-25 with 3:03 left in the first half on a Belinelli floater. San Antonio led 97-75 midway through the fourth quarter before Chicago finished with a 21-7 run, but eight points was as close as it got.
"They were whupping our tail from the very beginning," Butler said. "We just came out stagnant. A few turnovers, we weren't making shots. That led us to not playing the type of defense we normally play. I felt like that was the biggest key to the game."
The Bulls (35-29) are halfway through a challenging six-game homestand that features opponents with four of the five best records in the league. So far, Chicago lost to Memphis, beat Miami and lost to the Spurs. Houston, Sacramento and Oklahoma City are next on the schedule.
NOTES: Chicago G Derrick Rose is doing more after practices, such as shooting jump shots and running side to side. Coach Tom Thibodeau's latest update was not any more optimistic that Rose could return from knee surgery this season. "He's doing a little bit more, a little bit more running now," Thibodeau said. "He's still nowhere near ready to practice, but he's doing well. His spirit's strong. His body feels good." ... San Antonio G Marco Belinelli, who played well for the Bulls last season, got a nice ovation from fans at the United Center and knocked down his first two 3-point attempts after checking in. Asked before the game how much Belinelli has helped, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had a quip ready. "He's a great source for Italian restaurants around the league," Popovich said. "We argue consistently about what's good and what's not good." ... Asked if this has been his best coaching job, with all the injuries the Spurs have endured, Popovich joked, "Haven't they all been brilliant? My 2-22 season at Pomona was my best."
Poll: Best trade of the offseason.
By Justin Millar
Which team made the best trade this winter?
With Spring Training firing on all cylinders, it's safe to assume that the majority of this winter's transactions are over. Of course, there are still a few notable free agents that remain unsigned, but as far as trades go, it appears that the frenzy has ended until things start to heat up again in June and July. So, with plenty of significant swaps in the rear view mirror, what was the best trade made this offseason?
A) Chicago White Sox acquire 3B Matt Davidson from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for RHP Addison Reed
The traditional top prospect for "proven closer" deal always proves to be a head-scratcher. Seeking a boost at the back of their bullpen, the Diamondbacks went out and traded for one of the best young closers in the game by dealing third base prospect Matt Davidson for 25-year-old stopper Addison Reed back in December.
Reed sure is a nifty piece to have out there at the end of games, but he is far from a sure thing, with a career 4.17 ERA in 133.2 innings. Using Fangraphs' "shutdown" metric, a much more favorable alternative to saves, Reed was just 17th in baseball last year with 33 "shutdowns" versus a rather high 10 "meltdowns". Out of 22 pitchers to garner at least 30 "shutdowns" in 2013, he was one of just 5 to also have double-digit "meltdowns", indicating some lack of consistency. While his raw numbers tend to be slightly pessimistic, his peripherals peg him as a much better pitcher, with a career 3.30 FIP and 9.29 SO/9 rate. While I tend to believe in the latter numbers, it's hard to value him as a top-notch closer like the Diamondbacks likely do considering they gave up a consensus top-100 prospect for him.
Many see Davidson as a future above-average regular at the hot corner, a commodity which is worth plenty more than nearly every closer in baseball (Craig Kimbrel and Aroldis Chapman may be the only exceptions). Arizona was obviously looking in the short-term here, but they risk giving up a future everyday big leaguer for a player at the most volatile position in baseball.
B) Los Angeles Angels acquire LHP Tyler Skaggs and LHP Hector Santiago from the Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago White Sox in exchange for OF Mark Trumbo and RHP AJ Schugel
The Angels had a surplus of offense and a dire need for pitching when they made this move in early December. With Mike Trout and Josh Hamilton firmly entrenched in the starting outfield, Trumbo just wasn't a necessary piece, especially considering the team has high hopes for newcomer Kole Calhoun. Add in Trumbo's atrocious 25.1% career strikeout rate and .299 OBP, and you have more of an average regular than the star that his power numbers would lead you to believe, making him rather expendable
The Angels will certainly miss Trumbo's .219 ISO, but they assessed an organizational need by adding two young starting pitchers in Tyler Skaggs and Hector Santiago, each of whom is under the age of 27. Santiago, 26, was a revelation for the White Sox in 2013, posting a 3.56 ERA and 2.8 WAR in a sort of swingman role, making 23 starts but also appearing in 11 games as a reliever. Odds are he won't post those kinds of numbers again, but a ~3.75 ERA, 2.0 WAR pitcher is a very valuable commodity, and something the Angels could really use in a shallow rotation behind Jered Weaver and CJ Wilson.
While Santiago is a great get, Skaggs is the true coup here. A former Angels first round pick (traded to Arizona in the 2010 Dan Haren deal), Skaggs, 22, has been dismal in a pair of brief big league stints (5.43 ERA across 13 starts over the past two years), but he still has the same upside that once made him the best left-handed pitching prospect in the game. Skaggs' lack of recent success can possibly be explained by some mechanical issues, which the Angels have reportedly tweaked, meaning he could be ready for a role in the Angels' rotation as early as this Spring.
C) Washington Nationals acquire RHP Doug Fister from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for 2B Steve Lombardozzi, LHP Robbie Ray, and LHP Ian Krol
Largely considered the heist of the offseason, there isn't much to say about this trade other than the Tigers got slaughtered. Even if you believe Robbie Ray is a future number two and Ian Krol is a potential set-up man, the Tigers just didn't get nearly enough value compared to Fister's likely market value. I find it highly unlikely that the Nationals were the only team interested in a pitcher who has posted 12.6 WAR over the past three years and is under club control for two more seasons.
D) Tampa Bay Rays acquire C Ryan Hanigan and RHP Heath Bell from the Cincinnati Reds and Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for RHP Justin Choate and OF Todd Glaesmann
Notice a trend? The Diamondbacks tend to be on the wrong side of these deals, as this is the third deal on this list in which they got the short end of the stick. Granted, the Rays' acquisition of Hanigan was mainly by way of the Reds, but Arizona still managed to send David Holmberg to Cincinnati just to rid themselves of Heath Bell and his terrible contract.
For the Rays, this wasn't a typical move. Taking on $4.5 million in salary (another $4.5 is being paid by Arizona and Miami) for a reliever with a rapidly declining skillset isn't the ideal Rays transaction, but it enabled them to acquire coveted pitch framer Ryan Hanigan as well as Bell, who is a potential bounceback candidate.
Hanigan isn't anyone's idea of a "flashy" player, but he provides a significant amount of value through his defense and ability to get on base. He's a very good player at a very cheap price (for 2014), and the deal also allowed the Rays to extend him on a three-year deal for the bargain price of just under $11 million.
E) Houston Astros acquire OF Dexter Fowler from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for OF Brandon Barnes and RHP Jordan Lyles
The Astros aren't exactly the type of team that should/would be going for a player of Fowler's caliber, but it's clear they saw him as a value play considering the Rockies minimal return package. The Astros essentially acquired a 3-win center fielder for a backup outfielder (Barnes) and out-of-favor starting pitcher (Lyles).
Fowler is under team control for just two more seasons, but he's only 27, so he's young enough that the Astros could deem him as part of their long-term plans. If not, he'll be a very valuable trade chip come July.
Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica would like for you consummate, diehard baseball fans to tell us, which team made the best trade of the offseason?
Tiger Woods Is So Bad Right Now That Breaking Jack Nicklaus's Record Is Out Of The Question.
By Cork Gaines
Tiger Woods (Getty Images)
A week after withdrawing from an event because of a back injury, things were not much better for Tiger Woods at Doral where he finished 5-over par and had one of the worst rounds of his career.
Things are so bad right now for Tiger that his chase to break Jack Nicklaus's record of 18 career major championships is no longer even debatable.
Woods shot a 78 (6-over) in the final round at Doral. It was just the eighth round without a birdie in 1,128 career rounds on the PGA Tour.
Woods shot a 78 (6-over) in the final round at Doral. It was just the eighth round without a birdie in 1,128 career rounds on the PGA Tour.
The score of 78 was also Tiger's worst ever at Doral, an event he has won seven times, and was the worst final round score of his career in 312 career Tour events.
Woods showed that he is still capable of playing good golf, shooting 6-under in the third round to move into a tie for fourth place. But his round on Sunday made it clear that he is not healthy enough to compete over four days to win a golf tournament, much less a major.
Woods showed that he is still capable of playing good golf, shooting 6-under in the third round to move into a tie for fourth place. But his round on Sunday made it clear that he is not healthy enough to compete over four days to win a golf tournament, much less a major.
On Sunday, Tiger admitted that his back problems are not going away anytime soon.
"It's the same thing. If it flares up, it flares up," Woods said (via FoxSports.com). "It's just a matter of keeping it calm...It would be nice to have a week off where I can shut it down and get some treatment."
It is early in the season, but Woods' 71.0 scoring average would be the worst of his career (see chart below) and a far cry from where his game was when he was winning majors.
At 38 years old and with 14 career major championships, Tiger is still technically on the same pace as Nicklaus who won his 15th career major at the age of 38. But Tiger is not getting any younger and his back problem looks like one that isn't going away anytime soon.
Nicklaus's record of 18 major championships will still come up when The Masters rolls around. But the discussion will be quick and decisive.
The record is safe.
BusinessInsider.com
Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica opinion: Tiger is going through a rough stretch right now. Nothing is forever and he still has a lot of gas in his tank. He will come out of this slump sooner or later. He still has a lot of golf left in him. Whether or not if he beats Jack Nicklaus's record remains to be seen but I just wouldn't count him out just yet. Your thoughts please???
Golf glance.
By Tom LaMarre, The Sports Xchange
COMING UP
PGA TOUR: Valspar Championship on the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Fla., Thursday through Sunday.
TV: Thursday and Friday, 3-6 p.m. EDT, on the Golf Channel; Saturday and Sunday, 1-3 p.m. EDT on the Golf Channel and 3-6 p.m. EDT on NBC.
LAST YEAR: Kevin Streelman played the last 37 holes without a bogey, shooting 65-67 on the weekend to beat Boo Weekley by two strokes in what was then the Tampa Bay Championship. Streelman, who claimed his first PGA Tour victory in his 153rd start on the circuit, took the lead for good with a 6-foot birdie putt on the 13th hole, which played as the most difficult on the Copperhead Course in the final round. Weekley, who started three hours before the leaders, took the clubhouse lead with an 8-under-par 63. He held out hope that he might at least make a playoff until Streelman holed a 20-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole.
CHAMPIONS TOUR: Toshiba Classic at Newport Beach Country Club in Newport Beach, Calif., Friday through Sunday.
TV: Friday, 6:30-9 p.m. EDT; Saturday and Sunday, 7-9 p.m. EDT, on the Golf Channel each day.
LAST YEAR: David Frost of South Africa opened with an 8-under-par 63 and led virtually all the way in claiming a five-stroke victory over Fred Couples. Frost, who played the weekend in 66-65, earned his fourth victory on the Champions Tour, adding the Regions Tradition later in the year, after winning 10 times on the PGA Tour. Couples birdied the first hole of the final round to pull even with Frost, who regained control with birdies on the next two holes and finished things off with Couples still in contention by carding four birdies on the last five holes.
LPGA TOUR: LPGA Founders Cup at Wildfire Golf Club at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort and Spa in Phoenix, March 20-23.
TV: Thursday and Friday, 6:30-9 p.m. EDT; Saturday and Sunday, 7-9 p.m. EDT, on the Golf Channel each day.
LAST YEAR: Stacy Lewis closed with an 8-under-par 64 to beat Ai Miyazato of Japan by three strokes and take over the No. 1 spot in the Women's Rolex Golf Rankings. Lewis was one stroke behind but took command with a birdie on the 307-yard 16th hole, where Miyazato hit her ball in a cactus bush and wound up with a double-bogey 6. Miyazato took a four-stroke lead into the final round but closed with a 71. Lewis overcame a two-stroke penalty the day before on the 16th hole, where it was ruled that her caddie, Travis Wilson, tested the sand in a bunker before she hit her shot.
Power Rankings: The battle is for third as Earnhardt Jr. and Keselowski separate themselves from the pack.
By Nick Bromberg
1. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 1): We touched on it in the Chrome Horn Debrief, but it's worth mentioning again that crediting the new Chase format for Junior's decision to gamble on fuel is unfair to NASCAR history, even if Junior says the decision was motivated by the format. This is not the first time in NASCAR that someone has gambled on fuel mileage to attempt to win a race, nor is it the last. And besides, it's not like the No. 88 was three laps short and threw a Hail Mary.
2. Brad Keselowski (LW: 2): When you've got two guys separated by a single point in the standings and they each have a win this early in the season, we're going to the lowest finish tiebreaker. Keselowski's is third, while Junior's is second. Sorry Brad, you stay in second. But we promise that you're even a closer second than you were last week. Have a Girl Scout cookie.
3. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 5): Speaking of Girl Scout cookies, what's with the reaction to this ad? Check out some of the tweets that Johnson responded to. Good grief. On the track Sunday, Johnson finished sixth, his third straight top-six finish to start the year. Yes, it's even possible that Johnson and the No. 48 crew is having an "underrated" start to the season. Part of it is the exceptional performances of the two drivers ahead of him and part of it is the fact that Johnson still thinks his team is a tick off. Scary.
4. Jeff Gordon (LW: 4): Three races and three top 10s for Gordon. If yo're tiering the points standings, he's right with Johnson in the second tier. And hey, the early returns are promising over these first three races about the disappearance of the Gordon restart, in which Gordon loses multiple positions immediately after the green flag waves. But don't ask us if that has anything to do with the new points system, because we don't want to see how deep the abyss is.
5. Kevin Harvick (LW: 3): Once again, Harvick was the strongest Stewart-Haas car, but this time he didn't get the highest finish. After a broken left-front hub, Harvick was relegated to a 40th place finish and was actually last amongst his SHR comrades. Yes, he finished below Tony Stewart, though it's not impossible to think that Stewart wasn't racing the final half of Sunday's race. That car just disappeared.
6. Joey Logano (LW: 6): After finishing fourth, having Logano sixth doesn't seem fair. We'll totally admit it. But at the same time, can you really vault him above Harvick? He's ahead of Gordon by one point in the standings, so there's a slight argument there. And he's of course ahead of Harvick too. But if we're going to take the strength of Harvick's races (outside of the hub) and stack them against Logano's, Cupcake gets the edge. And besides, we need some variety.
7. Carl Edwards (LW: 9): We also mentioned this too on the Chrome Horn Debrief, but don't be too quick to jump on Edwards' Vegas performance as an endorsement of Roush. He was far and away better than Greg Biffle and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. all weekend. As an endorsement that Jimmy Fennig and Edwards are the best team at the shop? Sure. But nothing more than that at the moment.
8. Matt Kenseth (LW: 8): This was not the most compelling of race-title defenses by Flatline. He wasn't bad by any means -- he did a good job working his way up from a starting position that was settled in the first round of qualifying -- but it wasn't what we became accustomed to last year from this team either. Oh, and we'll also point out here that Kenseth didn't take tires and made a track position gamble for the win with 41 laps to go last year at Vegas. On Sunday, the final restart was with 42 to go.
9. Ryan Newman (LW: 12): It's two straight seventh-place finishes for Newman. We asked in last week's power rankings if he'd quasi-assume the role of Kevin Harvick in being far ahead of his two teammates. Well, after Sunday's race, there's been a different Richard Childress Racing car toting the bucket. If there's parity at RCR and it's not because one team came down to the level of the other two, it's great news for the organization.
10. Denny Hamlin (LW: 6): After the second-place finish at Daytona, Hamlin's finished outside the top 10 the last two weeks. But is it really that big of a concern? He's got two good tracks coming up in the next three weeks as well as one that he was a few football fields from winning at last year. On that note, how many times are we going to relive the Logano-Hamlin Bristol/California dustup over the next two weeks. 100?
11. Kyle Busch (LW: 11): Busch's car was super-fast over the first 100 laps of Sunday's race. From then on, yeah, not so much. After one restart late in the race, Busch's aggression made him some quick gains and you wondered if the car was back to where it was at the beginning of the race. But as soon as Busch made those passes, he started sliding backwards.
12. Paul Menard (LW: NR): PFM's first top-three finish since 2012 is worthy of an appearance in Power Rankings. Menard was an early-2013 Power Rankings staple before sliding out as the summer hit. Will he be able to repeat the effort in 2014? All it'll take is a few more top 10 finishes.
The Lucky Dog: Martin Truex Jr. finished 14th after a not-so-stellar first two weeks of the season.
The DNF: He finished the race, but Stewart gets it this week.
Dropped Out: Greg Biffle.
By JENNA FRYER (AP Auto Racing Writer)
NASCAR would be hard-pressed to find many fans who don't prefer the drama and intrigue of the new, knockout qualifying format over the old system of single-car runs.
But the rules have created a wrinkle that drivers up and down the grid say is far too dangerous.
NASCAR has now been warned - repeatedly, by some of the biggest names in the sport. And finding an immediate solution to what Brian Vickers called ''the most dangerous thing I've ever done in racing'' should be NASCAR's only item on the agenda this week.
For two weeks in a row, drivers have complained that their engines are too hot following their qualifying runs. They can either cool the engines or gamble on not blowing the engine on the next fast lap.
Only NASCAR has prohibited teams from cooling their cars on pit road because doing so would require the use of a cooling box. Since few adjustments are allowed during qualifying rounds, the cooling box is not an option because it would require teams to open the hood of the car. Once the hoods are open, inspectors would have too difficult of a time policing pit road to make sure no adjustments are being made to the cars.
So teams figured out their own solution: Drivers are slowing their cars to a crawl and circling the track at slow speeds to cool the engines following their fast laps. It's going on at the same time as other drivers are speeding along, making their qualifying attempt.
''You're going 200 mph out there, and cars that aren't even running are running about 40,'' grumbled Clint Bowyer.
Asked for his opinion, Ryan Newman simply said: ''It's not safe. That's an easy answer. It's not safe.''
Those were just two of the gripes that came out of Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a 1.5-mile track that has enough room on the apron to accommodate the slow cars while the cars whizzing by them making a qualifying run. But NASCAR heads to Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend and the 0.533-mile bullring is incredibly short on the real estate needed to accommodate cars driving at dramatically different speeds.
Vickers said there was a point during qualifying at Las Vegas Friday when he was riding slowly around the bottom of the track and Reed Sorenson sailed past him at a speed difference of 170 mph.
''We don't have impact data on 170-180 mph differential impacts,'' he said. ''If I hit someone with those speed discrepancies, that's going to be really bad for everyone.''
What more does NASCAR need to hear before officials figure out a solution? True, the system is only two weeks old and there's yet to be a serious incident.
Waiting to see how it develops over the next few weeks is a reckless gamble.
After spending much of last year working on a new rules package to improve the quality of racing at superspeedways, NASCAR vice president of innovation and racing development Gene Stefanyshyn warned before Sunday's first test at Las Vegas that one race would not be a true indicator of progress. Give it time, he urged, for teams to get a handle on the rules and adjust accordingly before deciding if more work was needed.
NASCAR can have all the time it needs to figure out an aero package.
Officials don't have the luxury of taking a wait-and-see approach on what competitors say is a major safety concern.
Do they wait for a major accident before they act? A driver injury? NASCAR clearly has something good on its hands with the new knockout format, and drivers have warned that something bad could happen unless a change is made. Why even take the chance?
Six-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson had another suggestion, too.
At the start of qualifying, cars are being parked on pit road facing in, requiring the drivers to back out when they are ready to make their lap. It makes for a lot of activity in a very short period of time.
''That initial roll-out is very sketchy and I think we're going to start crashing cars just backing out, because you've got guys at various angles trying to back out and guys backing out before the clock strikes zero and the track is green,'' Johnson said. ''We need to clean it up a little. I think the format is awesome. It's great for the fans, it's great for the teams, but some of the logistics and flow on pit road could be addressed.''
You've been warned NASCAR. Don't wait to see if the drivers are crying wolf.
Soccer-Champions Bayern ease past Arsenal despite penalty miss.
Reuters; Brian Homewood, (Editing by Tony Jimenez)
Arsenal ended Bayern Munich's long winning streak when they held the Bavarians to a 1-1 draw in the Champions League on Tuesday but it was not enough to stop the holders reaching the quarter-finals 3-1 on aggregate.
Bastian Schweinsteiger put Bayern ahead in the 55th minute of the last-16 second leg but Lukas Podolski stunned the Allianz Arena when he fired into the roof of the net two minutes later.
Podolski's goal gave Arsenal a glimmer of hope although the Germans played keep-ball in the closing stages as the visitors ran out of gas.
Bayern had won 13 games in a row in all competitions since a 3-2 home defeat by Manchester City in the Champions League in December.
They could have made it 14 victories in succession but substitute Thomas Mueller had a stoppage-time penalty saved by Arsenal keeper Lukasz Fabianski.
Bayern spent most of the first half probing a resilient Arsenal defence that just about managed to hold out.
It was always touch and go for the Londoners especially when Franck Ribery ran free down the left and sent the ball into the middle where Arjen Robben failed to connect properly.
Javi Martinez had a goal disallowed for offside in the 26th minute and Robben had two dangerous efforts cut out by defenders as Bayern tried to turn the screw.
Fabianski came to the rescue when he got down to save Mario Goetze's low shot seconds before the break.
Bayern finally broke through 10 minutes after the restart when Ribery sneaked into the area and laid the ball off for Schweinsteiger to finish from eight meters.
The referee surprisingly waved play on even though Podolski seemed to push Philipp Lahm in the area two minutes later and the Arsenal forward went on to hammer the ball home.
Bayern keeper Manuel Neuer then had to rush out of his box to head the ball clear after Tomas Rosicky tried to send Olivier Giroud clean through.
Neuer had the home fans on edge again when he sent a clearance straight to Giroud but the Bundesliga leaders quickly regrouped.
US investment firm builds up stake in Man United.
By PAN PYLAS (Associated Press)
U.S. investment firm Baron Capital has bought nearly a quarter of all publicly-traded shares in New York-listed English soccer club Manchester United PLC.
In 2012, the Glazer family sold 10 percent of its holding in Manchester United via a stock listing. A filing Monday on the Securities and Exchange Commission showed Baron Capital now owns around 24 percent of those shares, leaving it with an overall stake of about 2.5 percent.
Because the Glazers, who also own the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, control 90 percent of the shares and even more of the voting shares, Baron's move is not being viewed as a bid to secure a controlling interest in the club. Though Baron refused to comment, it says on its website that it ''remains positive'' on Manchester United's prospects.
In what is proving to be a volatile session, Manchester United shares were down 0.9 percent early Tuesday afternoon New York time at $15.71. The company has a market value of around $2.6 billion.
London-based financial analyst Andy Green, who writes a blog on football finance and advises the Manchester United Supporters' Trust, said Baron Capital's move appeared to be purely an investment strategy.
''This is absolutely not the start of any takeover,'' said Green. ''You could buy all the shares available on the stock market and you would still only have 10 percent of the club and about 1.3 percent of the votes .... They have a reputation as a long-term investment company.''
Baron Capital's stock buildup helps explain why Manchester United's share price has been slowly rising to near three-month highs despite the club's struggles on the pitch this season. It has also been fuelled by expectation of an announcement of a new Nike kit deal, potentially worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
''The Nike deal is still expected to be signed, but has been pushed out from this fiscal year,'' Baron Capital says on its website.
Manchester United is one of the sports world's most lucrative brands, despite struggling this season following the departure of long-time manager Alex Ferguson. As well as winning last year's Premier League, Manchester United topped English soccer last season on the revenue front with 363.2 million pounds ($602 million).
Currently lying in sixth place in England's Premier League, it's facing the prospect of not qualifying for next season's Champions League, Europe's top club competition. Its best remaining chance of qualifying is to win the competition but it faces an uphill task of going further following a 2-0 first leg defeat to Greece's Olympiakos in the last 16.
A failure to qualify could dent revenues next season at a time when new manager David Moyes is widely expected to embark on an expensive rebuild of the squad.
Forde Minutes: With the Madness in sight, here's what you need to know.
By Pat Forde
A week from now it will officially be the Most Wonderful Time of the Year: the first NCAA tournament games will be played in Dayton. But there is plenty of ball before then, and plenty to talk about in the last days before Selection Sunday. Let's fast break into it:
HERE'S TO THE SMALL-SCHOOL GRINDERS WHO MADE IT BIG
It's fitting that in a season where Gus Malzahn completed a journey from high school coach to BCS championship game coach at Auburn, we see some similar up-from-the-bootstraps success stories in college hoops.
Start with Nebraska coach Tim Miles (1). On Sunday, the perennially futile Cornhuskers beat the Wisconsin Badgers to finish the regular season 19-11 overall, 11-7 in the Big Ten. A team picked to finish last finished fourth, and in the process may have secured the program's first NCAA bid since 1998. That may be enough to make Miles the Big Ten Coach of the Year.
He's only in his second year at Nebraska, but the 47-year-old Miles isn't a college coaching wunderkind. This is his 19th year as a head coach, at his fifth different school, in his third different level of college hoops. Miles spent the first nine of those 19 years at the NAIA and NCAA Division II levels, working at such illustrious locales as Mayville State (then of the North Dakota College Athletic Conference) and Southwest Minnesota State (of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference). Then it was off to the big-time, as it were, at North Dakota State – which was a D-II school until the president decided to make the leap to D-I independent status a decade ago. Miles spent six seasons coaching the Bison until moving to Colorado State for five more years. That's when Nebraska hired him, to the widespread yawns of an already apathetic basketball fan base.
The Corn People had no idea they'd just struck oil. Now they know.
"I've gone against a lot of great coaches in the small college divisions," Miles said Monday. He was fortunate enough to work his way up from that level, and it has sharpened his appreciation of what he has now.
"There's something to be said about being the small-college guy and having no resources at all," Miles said. "You're having to do everything yourself. … I think the smartest bankers in America make their future presidents be a bank teller."
There are several other notable former bank tellers in the Big Ten alongside Miles. In fact, look at the coach of every team that earned a first-round bye in the Big Ten tournament:
John Beilein (2) of league champion Michigan spent 17 years as a head coach at the high school, junior-college and Division III levels before breaking into DI at Canisius. In year 27 as a head coach he got his first job at a power-conference school, West Virginia.
Bo Ryan (3) of Big Ten runner-up Wisconsin was a head coach at a junior high and a high school for three years before becoming an assistant at Wisconsin for eight. Then he was a Division III head coach for 15 before moving on to Milwaukee, and finally to Wisconsin at age 50.
And Tom Izzo (4) of third-place Michigan State spent one season as a high school coach and four as a Division II assistant at Northern Michigan before moving on to Jud Heathcote's staff in East Lansing. After a 12-year apprenticeship, he got the head-coaching job.
Then there is the only undefeated coach in the land, Gregg Marshall (5). He's fond of referring to himself as "a 29-year overnight sensation," since a good portion of the country never paid the 51-year-old much attention until Wichita State made the Final Four last year. Marshall spent 13 seasons as an assistant coach, all at the mid-major or lower levels. When he finally got his first head-coaching shot, it was at Winthrop of the Big South, which is Big in name only. Despite having a winning record every year and making the NCAA tourney seven times, it took him nine seasons to get the job at Wichita State – which is still nobody's idea of a blueblood program.
Taken in sum, this season is an excellent reminder that good coaches can be found on all levels of basketball. Some potential greats just need to be discovered to show what they can do.
LITTLE DANCE, CONTINUED
The big-time conference tournaments swing into action this week, with much NCAA bubble drama and seeding to be sorted out. If these tourneys are anything like what we've seen in the smaller leagues, it's going to be nuts.
Two league champions that lost just once in conference play were upset before even reaching the final: Vermont in the America East, Davidson in the Southern. At least the Catamounts had the excuse of playing Albany on its home court – but Vermont already had beaten the Great Danes there once by 10, and at home by 30. And the tourney game was a rout – Vermont never led, and trailed by 16 at halftime.
Green Bay dominated the Horizon League, going 14-2, but was taken down by 7-9 Milwaukee in the semifinals. Phoenix coach Brian Wardle has done a nice job at the school – until it becomes single-elimination time. He's lost his first Horizon League tourney game three out of his four seasons on the job.
Belmont had the best record in the Ohio Valley and the top seed, but lost in the final to Eastern Kentucky. High Point had the best record in the Big South but failed to make the final.
So the bracket-busting mayhem precedent has been set. Let's see if it continues this week. Now on to the previews of the remaining tourneys.
AMERICAN
Storyline: The fab five and the drab five. No conference has a wider gulf between haves and have-nots – which means the quarterfinals (except Connecticut-Memphis) should be boring, but the semifinals should be sensational.
Regular-season champ: Cincinnati and Louisville tied. Bearcats won a coin flip (yes, a coin flip) for the No. 1 seed.
Bubble teams: None. Louisville, Cincinnati, SMU, Memphis and Connecticut are in. Everyone else has to win this tourney.
Best player: Compelling three-way battle between Louisville's Russ Smith, Cincinnati's Sean Kilpatrick and UConn's Shabazz Napier. Let them settle it this week in the FedEx Forum.
Best coach: Rick Pitino hasn't lost a postseason game since 2012. But Larry Brown (6) hasn't lost one since 1987.
Early upset chance: No. 6 seed Houston over No. 3 seed SMU. Not likely, but not impossible.
Minutes pick: Louisville (7). True to recent form under Pitino, the Cardinals hit their stride in February and are playing as well as anyone in the nation. Louisville won its last seven Big East tournament games, claiming the last two titles in that league before it splintered. It will add an American title this year before heading off to the ACC in 2014-15.
ATLANTIC-10
Storyline: Is this the best tournament nobody is talking about? The A-10 should have at least five NCAA teams, it features a potential quarterfinal bubble battle between Dayton and St. Joseph's, and the top-seeded Billikens looked very vulnerable down the stretch. Lots going on here.
Regular-season champ: Saint Louis. Billikens roared out to a 25-2 start and staggered home with three losses in their last four.
Bubble teams: Dayton, St. Joseph's. Saint Louis, VCU, Massachusetts and George Washington all figure to be in at this point. Everyone else must win the tourney.
Best player: Jordair Jett (8), Saint Louis. In conference games, the dreadlocked point guard averaged 17 points and 4.5 assists while shooting a judicious 51 percent from the floor.
Best coach: Shaka Smart (9), VCU. He's three wins away from starting his head-coaching career with five straight seasons of 27 victories or more. Most impressive.
Early upset chance: No. 11 Rhode Island over No. 6 UMass. The Rams (14-17) closed the regular season with a pair of double-digit victories and played the Minutemen tough twice.
Minutes pick: Dayton (10). Yes, the Flyers will have to win four games in four days to take the title – but nobody is hotter right now. Dayton has won nine of its last 10 games, including victories over each of the top three seeds in this tourney. The hard part could be a quarterfinal game against St. Joseph's, which swept Dayton in the regular season. But the Flyers aren't losing three times to the Hawks.
ATLANTIC COAST
Storyline: What does the ACC do for an encore? After a drama-laden regular season that featured fantastic finishes, new rivalries, an epic coach freakout and a wholly unexpected champion, this tourney has a lot to live up to.
Regular-season champ: Virginia (11). Not many people noticed the Cavaliers until they were holding the hardware. The loss at Maryland on Sunday renewed questions about whether this really is the best team in the ACC.
Bubble teams: Pittsburgh is probably in, Florida State is probably outside looking in. Virginia, Syracuse, Duke and North Carolina are locks. Clemson could make a case by reaching the tourney final. Everyone else needs to win it.
Best player: Jabari Parker (12), Duke. In the so-called Year of the Freshman, he is the freshest and best.
Best coach: Mike Krzyzewski, Duke. The lifetime achievements are amazing, but the recent work is still strong. For the 11th time in the 12 years Ken Pomeroy has been ranking teams, the Blue Devils are in the national top 12.
Early upset chance: Either No. 8 Maryland or No. 9 Florida State over No. 1 Virginia in the quarterfinals. Both the Terrapins (last ACC tourney) and Seminoles (bubble) would have plenty of motivation for a season-altering upset.
Minutes pick: North Carolina (13). Loss at Cameron doesn't change the fact that the Tar Heels finished the regular season on quite a roll. Roy Williams doesn't love this event, but he probably would like to see this team continue that roll right through Greensboro.
BIG 12
Storyline: Will Kansas concede without Embiid? The absence of Jayhawks center Joel Embiid (back) could be the determining factor in who wins this tourney. On Monday, Kansas issued a release saying Embiid is out for the Big 12 tournament and likely the first weekend of the NCAA tournament with a stress fracture in his back. That's a huge blow and changes the complexion of March for the Jayhawks.
Regular-season champ: Kansas. Again. In perpetuity.
Bubble teams: West Virginia is the only bubble team, and it could take multiple tourney wins to get on the right side of it. Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Iowa State, Kansas State, Baylor and Oklahoma State are in. Texas Tech and TCU need to win the tourney.
Best player: Andrew Wiggins, Kansas. Iowa State's Melvin Ejim has had a terrific season and won most of the Player of the Year hardware – but as The Minutes predicted two weeks ago, Wiggins is ready for liftoff to the another level of play. His 41-point, eight-rebound, five-steal, four-block performance against West Virginia may only be the beginning.
Best coach: Bill Self (14), Kansas. Consistency can sometimes go underappreciated, and nobody in America has been more consistent over the last decade-plus than Self.
Minutes pick: Iowa State (15). Cyclones haven't done much away from home in the last five weeks, but they are the most dangerous shooting team in the league. If they get hot and stay hot, look out. Not just this week but in the Big Dance as well.
BIG EAST
Storyline: Can Villanova stake a claim to a No. 1 seed – or will the Wildcats get trucked by Creighton for a third time? Or will one of the platoon of bubble teams make a run and earn the automatic bid?
Regular-season champ: Villanova.
Bubble teams: Xavier is probably in the field now, but a first-round loss could make for an anxious Selection Sunday. Providence, Georgetown and St. John's all are in the thick of the bubble drama.
Villanova and Creighton are locks. Everyone else must win the tourney.
Best player: Doug McDermott (16), Creighton. Not just the best player in the league, the best player in the nation. Having him in the father-son co-op for four years was a great thing for college basketball.
Best coach: Jay Wright. His team is the inverse of Kentucky, going from unranked preseason to the top five at the end of the regular season.
Minutes pick: Villanova (17). Yes, the presumption is that Creighton loses before it gets another chance to crush 'Nova. Wildcats beat Georgetown in an old-school Big East final.
BIG TEN
Storyline: In a league where the bottom half had plenty of success against the top half, the possibilities are endless. Purdue finished last with five conference victories, and only one other league (the WAC) had a cellar dweller with that many wins. Expect upsets in bulk.
Regular-season champ: Michigan (18). Wolverines emerged from the masses to win the league by a full three games, impressively overcoming the December injury to center Mitch McGary and positioning themselves for a possible repeat Final Four run.
Bubble teams: The belief is that a top-four finish in this league will get Nebraska in the tourney – but just to make sure the Cornhuskers should avoid a quarterfinal loss. Minnesota is as bubbilicious as it gets. Michigan, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Ohio State and Iowa all are in (though Selection Sunday can't get here fast enough for the staggering Hawkeyes). Everyone else must win the tourney.
Best player: Terran Petteway (19), Nebraska. The Big Ten coaches and media both chose Michigan sharpshooter Nik Stauskas, and there is a great case to be made for him. But The Minutes is going with the Biblical shepherd lookalike who has helped elevate the Cornhuskers to unforeseen prosperity. The Texas Tech transfer stepped up his play after Nebraska opened league play 1-5 and is averaging 18 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.
Best coach: Tom Izzo. He doesn't often do his best work in this tournament, but he's awfully good in the one that follows. Pressure will be on to get this injury-riddled team on the same page and back to the Final Four for the first time since 2010.
Minutes pick: Ohio State (20). There was a strong temptation to pick nobody, because it seems nearly impossible to win three or four games in a row in a league where everyone can beat everyone else. But someone will do it, and the Buckeyes have a good history in this event under Thad Matta – they've won three of the past four. They're on the opposite side of the bracket from bizarre Buckeye killer Penn State, and Nebraska's Tim Miles (the potential quarterfinal opponent) has never won a Division I conference tourney.
MOUNTAIN WEST
Storyline: Aztecs-Lobos III, the rubber match? Or does someone else step up and steal a bid?
Regular-season champ: San Diego State.
Bubble teams: Nobody. San Diego State and New Mexico are in; everyone else needs to win this tourney to get in. UNLV and Boise State both aspiring to make up for disappointing seasons.
Best player: Cameron Bairstow, New Mexico. Close call between Bairstow and San Diego State's Xavier Thames, but the 6-foot-9, 250-pound Aussie (20.3 points, 7.2 rebounds) has become the biggest load in the league.
Best coach: Steve Fisher (21), San Diego State. Nobody else comes close in terms of accomplishment and consistency.
Minutes pick: New Mexico (22). Took a little while to get settled under new coach Craig Neal, but the Lobos have just three losses since Christmas, by a total of seven points. Of course, San Diego State has only three losses, period. Would be a great final if they meet up again.
Storyline: Does Arizona regain the look of a national champion? And how many teams get off the bubble and in the Dance?
Regular-season champ: Arizona. This was the Wildcats' finest season since the Lute Olson glory days.
Bubble teams: This is Bubble Central. Colorado, Arizona State, Stanford and California all have at least a little uncertainty heading into Las Vegas – some or all of them may get in, but they should all play with urgency from the opening tip. Arizona, UCLA and surging Oregon are locks. Everyone else has to win the tourney.
Best player: Nick Johnson (23), Arizona. Athletic and efficient wingman has seen his two-point shooting percentage dip in recent weeks, but he's still a tough cover with a clutch mentality. Gets the edge over versatile UCLA point forward Kyle Anderson.
Best coach: Sean Miller (24), Arizona. Probably the best coach without a Final Four on his resume. At age 44, that hasn't been a burden. But with this team there will be pressure to get to Arlington, Texas.
Minutes pick: Oregon (25). The Ducks are the No. 7 seed but also the hottest team in the league, winning seven straight to end the regular season the way they started it (opened 13-0). Dana Altman's team can score with the best of them and seems to have reached a grudging acceptance that it must play some defense as well.
SOUTHEASTERN
Storyline: Can anyone derail the Florida freight train? And can anyone beyond Florida and Kentucky earn an NCAA bid?
Regular-season champ: Florida. First 18-0 regular-season in league history was a triumph of teamwork.
Bubble teams: Tennessee and Arkansas could both be a win away from locking up a bid. Missouri has faded to the point of needing to upset the Gators in the quarterfinals just to get back into the conversation – and they have to get to the quarterfinals first. Florida and Kentucky are locks. The rest of this sprawling mass of meh must win the tournament – including LSU, another former bubble contender before losing six of its last 10.
Best player: Since nobody can figure out who is Florida's best player, The Minutes is going with Julius Randle (26) of Kentucky. Eighteen double-doubles and counting for the freshman strongman.
Best coach: Billy Donovan, Florida. Has a great chance at a third national title, a number reached by only Wooden, Rupp, Krzyzewski, Knight and Jim Calhoun. And Donovan isn't even 50 yet.
Minutes pick: Tennessee (27). This is an admitted psycho selection. The Volunteers haven't won the SEC tourney since 1979 and have rarely come close, no matter how good they were. But that can't go on forever, can it? Tennessee closed the regular season with a rush, winning four straight – the last three by at least 27 points. And they'll be more motivated than potential semifinal opponent Florida, which will be far more concerned with the NCAAs.
BIG SKY
Regular-season champ: Weber State (17-11, 14-6) won a conference in which two-thirds of the games were league games.
Dark horse: Montana is the second-best team in the league and won five of its last six, including a victory over Weber.
Minutes pick: Weber State (28). The tourney is in Ogden, and only the champs get a first-round bye. Play the percentages and take the Wildcats.
BIG WEST
Regular-season champ: UC Irvine. The Anteaters (22-10, 13-3) are shooting for their first NCAA bid in school history.
Dark horse: UC-Santa Barbara. Split meetings with Irvine during the season and have a coach (Bob Williams) who has taken the Gauchos to the Big Dance twice (2010 and '11).
Minutes pick: UC-Santa Barbara (29). Just leave the idiot fan who rushed the court and confronted the Hawaii coach at home.
CONFERENCE USA
Regular-season champ: There was a four-way tie for first, but the top seed goes to Louisiana Tech. Michael White, age 37, is the coach. Remember the name.
Dark horse: UTEP. Miners are the tourney hosts and have the league's cagiest coach in Tim Floyd.
Minutes pick: UTEP (30). Miners have beaten half the league's quad champions. And homecourt advantage should be big in a league where most teams don't travel well.
MID-AMERICAN
Regular-season champ: Western Michigan and Toledo were co-champs of the West. Buffalo won the East. Western Michigan has the No. 1 seed.
Dark horse: Akron had a confidence-building close to the season, winning its last three games and securing the No. 4 seed and a bye into the quarterfinals.
Minutes pick: Akron (31). This tourney has crapshoot written all over it, so go with the coach who has won three of the last five MAC tourneys. That would be the Zips' Keith Dambrot.
MEAC
Regular-season champ: North Carolina Central. The Eagles (25-5, 15-1) haven't lost since Jan. 11. Dominated the league.
Dark horse: Go with Hampton. This tourney has been a favorites' graveyard in recent years. Regular-season champ hasn't won it since 2010.
Minutes pick: North Carolina Central (32). No graveyard this time around. The Eagles look like the MEAC's best team in many years.
SOUTHLAND
Regular-season champ: Stephen F. Austin. The Lumberjacks went 18-0 in a league that has been diminished by realignment.
Dark horse: Northwestern State plays the fastest of any team in the nation and can wreak havoc with its style.
Minutes pick: Stephen F. Austin (33). If the Lumberjacks lose it would probably be the biggest upset of the Little Dance.
SUN BELT
Regular-season champ: Georgia State. Ron Hunter's team went 17-1 and won the league by five games.
Dark horse: Western Kentucky is always the dark horse under coach Ray Harper, who has won two Sun Belt tourney titles in two tries with major underdogs.
Minutes pick: Georgia State (34). The Panthers would have to beat themselves to lose this tourney. That's not out of the question, but it would be a big surprise.
SWAC
Regular-season champ: Southern. This is a mess of a tournament, with four teams that are ineligible for the NCAAs due to low APR scores in the bracket – including Southern. The eligible team that advances farthest will earn the NCAA bid.
Dark horse: Texas Southern. The Tigers, coached by Mike Davis (remember him?) won their last six games, four of them on the road.
Minutes pick: Texas Southern (35). It would feel better if the tourney champ is actually eligible for the Big Dance. So this is the pick.
WAC
Regular-season champ: Utah Valley. The only thing anyone knows about the Wolverines is that their fans were willing to rumble with the New Mexico State players Feb. 27.
Dark horse: New Mexico State. The Aggies lost four close league games but won 12 others. By power ratings, this is by far the best team in the league.
Minutes pick: New Mexico State (36). Coach Marvin Menzies has taken the Aggies to the NCAAs three times in the last four years. Make it four in five.
UNDER-THE-RADAR LOVE
The Minutes' weekly ode to a player who is excelling at a level where the spotlight doesn't often go. This week's winner: Glenn Cosey (37), Eastern Kentucky. The sharp-shooting guard carried the Colonels to a surprise NCAA tourney berth, racking up 55 points and 11 assists in three victories in Nashville. In the OVC final upset of Belmont, Cosey had 23 points, knocking down five 3-pointers. The Flint, Mich., native may be playing a long way from home, but the hometown is still proud of him if you go by this sign.
COACH WHO EARNED HIS COMP CAR THIS WEEK
Monte Ross (38), Delaware. In his eighth season as coach of the Blue Hens, Ross earned his first NCAA tournament trip Monday night with a heart-stopping victory over William & Mary. Down six points with 1:20 left, Delaware executed well offensively and dug in defensively to pull out the one-point victory. After five straight losing seasons to start his tenure at Delaware, Ross has had three straight winning years – capped off by this 25-9 run to the Big Dance.
COACH WHO SHOULD RIDE THE BUS TO WORK
John Becker (39), Vermont. The third-year coach of the Catamounts has an Albany problem – at least in March. He is 6-0 against the Great Danes in the regular season but 0-2 against them in the America East tournament – most recently the stunning upset romp in the semifinals Sunday.
BUZZER BEATER
When hungry and thirsty and in need of basketball viewing in St. Louis – and The Minutes knows there will be a lot of you next week when the NCAA tournament is there – drop into reliable sports bar Flannery's Pub (40) downtown. The TV setup is great. The beer menu is extensive (order an Odell IPA) and the food is good (go with the buffalo chicken sandwich). Drop in and thank The Minutes later.
Several coaches voice support for an early signing period in college football.
By Sam Cooper
While Stanford’s David Shaw and Georgia’s Mark Richt spoke out against the proposed early signing period, other coaches have begun to voice support for the rule coming in to play in the future.
Michael Carvell of the Atlanta Journal Constitution spoke to a number of coaches who are in favor of an early signing period, but many of them have different philosophies on how the rule should be implemented and why the rule should be implemented.
Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson spoke at length about his reasoning for supporting the proposal. From a financial standpoint, Johnson thinks the early signing period would be beneficial for recruiting budgets. Coaches ordinarily go out and visit their verbally committed players to make sure things are still smooth and their commitment is still strong. The ability to sign early would eliminate these extraneous visits and programs could devote the money toward visiting other prospects. On top of that, schools have a clearer understanding of their own scholarship situation.
"If you’ve got a kid who grew up wanting to go to Georgia Tech, Georgia, Alabama, or wherever, and they’ve known that their whole life, why not let them sign in November or December? Why do they have to wait until February?" Johnson said. "And then when they sign, the schools know exactly how many scholarships that they have left. They know exactly the numbers. It wouldn’t be as chaotic, and it would be a whole lot less expensive than trying to babysit them for three months."
Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen has a specific date in mind as to when the early signing period should take place -- the first Monday after Thanksgiving.
"It would be just that one day. Within that rule, it would make that Sunday and Monday a dead period after Thanksgiving, after your last game. That would be a huge help for coaches that play on Saturday, and they’re out on the road recruiting that Sunday. If we had an early signing day (at Mississippi State this past year), I couldn’t give you an exact number but I would guess at least 50-percent of our class would’ve signed on that day," Mullen said.
Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly thinks the early signing period should be comparable to the junior college early signing day, which allows players to sign in December after their sophomore year ends.
"I think if a guy has made their decision, and they are firm about it and they are mature about it, I think they should be allowed to sign early in December … I would do it just like the junior college early signing day, which is around Dec. 12. And I think you go with it, and those guys that are committed and ready to make that decision, you get them out of the way," Kelly said.
Miami's Al Golden had an interesting perspective on the early signing period. He thinks there should be two early signing opportunities for prospects, one of which allows players to sign before their senior year of high school.
“I feel strongly about an early signing period. I think we should have three signing days. The first signing day would be prior to Labor Day as you’re going into your senior year of high school. I would say close to 50-percent of the pool is done (with kids committed to colleges) by then. So we should go ahead and have an early signing day, and (the colleges will) know who is left in the pool (of available prospects). It would be very cost effective for all the institutions and all the athletic departments," Golden said.
Though he thinks schools should not be allowed to start recruiting a player until August of a player's senior year, Ole Miss' Hugh Freeze thinks the early signing period would be good for the families of these prospects.
"(Early signing) would save us a lot of time and money — and probably the families are worn out by this process. That’s if they (the kids) know where they want to go, and I like the provision to allow them to get out of it if there’s a coaching change. I would support that," Freeze said.
Jimbo Fisher of Florida State thinks the system of official visits the NCAA employs for basketball would be equally effective for football.
“I think you need official visits as juniors like they do for basketball. I think you need a junior contact and junior recruiting," Fisher said. "And I think you need an early signing period … I’d like to see the (head) coaches back on the road (in the spring), and I’d like to have an official contact (with recruits) during the spring (of their junior year in high school) because those kids are all making critical decisions."
Kevin Sumlin of Texas A&M echoed the sentiments of Johnson when it comes to devoting resources on prospects who have been verbally committed for long periods of time.
“What happens is that the whole month of January, my nine coaches and myself are running around the country going to high schools every week because we have to do that up until signing day. It’s a waste of money, and it’s a waste of time when we know that a guy is coming here," Sumlin said.
Carvell made sure to note that each of these coaches he spoke to “either suggested or supported a special provision” for those who signed early to get a release from their national letter of intent if there was a coaching change between the time they signed early and national signing day in February.
Why I Retired At 26.
Rashard Mendenhall, NFL Running Back, Arizona Cardinals
I decided not to hold a press conference because I didn't want to have to say things that were cliché. I've done enough of that since I've been playing football. I actually didn't really plan on saying anything about my retirement at all. I just kind of wanted to disappear. The fact that I was done playing would've been clear once some time had passed, and I hadn't signed back with the Cardinals or any other team. Maybe people would've thought I couldn't get another job. Either way, I was okay with the idea of fading to black, and my legacy becoming "What ever happened to that dude Rashard Mendenhall? He was pretty good for a few years, then he just vanished."
The truth is, I don't really think my walking away is that big of deal. For me it's saying, "Football was pretty cool, but I don't want to play anymore. I want to travel the world and write!" However as I told the people around me that I wasn't planning on signing again, there was a surprising amount of shock and bewilderment.
"Why would you stop now? You're only 26 years old! You're just going to walk away from millions of dollars? Is your knee fully healed? You had a pretty good year last year," etc. After the initial shock response and realization that I'm not kidding, the question that would continue to arise is: Why?
"Why do you want to stop playing football at 26?"
Honestly, I've really enjoyed my time in the NFL and have had tons of fun.
I feel like I've done it all. I've been to two Super Bowls; made a bunch of money; had a lot of success; traveled all over the country and overseas; met some really cool people; made lasting relationships; had the opportunity to give back to causes close to my heart; and have been able to share my experiences and wisdom with friends, family and people all over the world. Not to mention all the fun I had goofing around at work day after day with my teammates! I'm thankful that I can walk away at this time and smile over my six years in the NFL, and 17 total seasons of football -- dating back to when I started pee-wee ball at Niles West in 1997, when I was 10. These experiences are all a part of me, and will remain in my heart no matter what I do, or where I go.
Along with the joyful experiences I had, came many trials. In my last piece, "The Vision," I wrote about traversing through dark and dangerous waters, working to attain peace and refuge. That intense journey described my personal life in the NFL. Journeying through those waters symbolized living a private life in the public eye. Imagine having a job where you're always on duty, and can never fully relax or you just may drown. Having to fight through waves and currents of praise and criticism, but mostly hate. I can't even count how many times I've been called a 'dumb nigger'. There is a bold coarseness you receive from non-supporters that seems to only exist on the Internet. However, even if you try to avoid these things completely -- because I've tried -- somehow they still reach you. If not first-hand, then through friends and loved ones who take to heart all that they read and hear. I'm not a terribly sensitive person, so this stuff never really bothered me. That was until I realized that it actually had an impact my career. Over my career, I would learn that everything people say behind these computer and smartphones actually shape the perception of you -- the brand, the athlete and the person. Go figure!
What was more difficult for me to grasp was the way that the business of entertainment had really shifted the game and the sport of football in the NFL. The culture of football now is very different from the one I grew up with. When I came up, teammates fought together for wins and got respect for the fight. The player who gave the ball to the referee after a touchdown was commended; the one who played through injury was tough; the role of the blocking tight end was acknowledged; running backs who picked up blitzing linebackers showed heart; and the story of the game was told through the tape, and not the stats alone. That was my model of football.
Today, game-day cameras follow the most popular players on teams; guys who dance after touchdowns are extolled on Dancing With the Starters; games are analyzed and brought to fans without any use of coaches tape; practice non-participants are reported throughout the week for predicted fantasy value; and success and failure for skill players is measured solely in stats and fantasy points. This is a very different model of football than the one I grew up with. My older brother coaches football at the high-school and youth level. One day he called me and said, "These kids don't want to work hard. All they wanna do is look cool, celebrate after plays, and get more followers on Instagram!" I told him that they might actually have it figured out.
Over my career, because of my interests in dance, art and literature, my very calm demeanor, and my apparent lack of interest in sporting events on my Twitter page, people in the sporting world have sometimes questioned whether or not I love the game of football. I do. I always have. I am an athlete and a competitor. The only people who question that are the people who do not see how hard I work and how diligently I prepare to be great -- week after week, season after season. I take those things very seriously. I've always been a professional. But I am not an entertainer. I never have been. Playing that role was never easy for me. The box deemed for professional athletes is a very small box. My wings spread a lot further than the acceptable athletic stereotypes and conformity was never a strong point of mine. My focus has always been on becoming a better me, not a second-rate somebody else. Sometimes I would suffer because of it, but every time I learned a lesson from it. And I'll carry those lessons with me for the rest of my life.
So when they ask me why I want to leave the NFL at the age of 26, I tell them that I've greatly enjoyed my time, but I no longer wish to put my body at risk for the sake of entertainment. I think about the rest of my life and I want to live it with much quality. And physically, I am grateful that I can walk away feeling as good as I did when I stepped into it.
As for the question of what will I do now, with an entire life in front of me? I say to that, I will LIVE! I plan to live in a way that I never have before, and that is freely, able to fully be me, without the expectation of representing any league, club, shield or city. I do have a plan going forward, but I will admit that I do not know how things will totally shape out. That is the beauty of it! I look forward to chasing my desires and passions without restriction, and to sharing them with anyone who wants to come along with me! And I'll start with writing!
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