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Sports Quote of the Day:
"There's a lot of blood, sweat, and guts between dreams and success." ~ Paul "Bear" Bryant, Legendary University of Alabama Football Coach
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Late OT goal sends Flyers past Blackhawks.
By The Sports Xchange
Claude Giroux knew the seconds were winding down in overtime, so he sped down the right wing and fired a shot as hard as he could.
Game over.
Giroux scored with 4.2 seconds left in overtime to lift the Philadelphia Flyers to a 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night. The captain blasted a shot from outside the circle past goaltender Antti Raanta into the left corner to give the Flyers their third straight win.
"I didn't really aim, to be honest. I just shot it on net," Giroux said.
Left winger Scott Hartnell had the other two goals for Philadelphia (36-25-7). The Flyers overcame an early 2-0 deficit to beat the defending Stanley Cup champions and remain in fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
"It was a tough start getting behind against a good team, but the boys came back hard and did a real good job responding," Emery said. "It's a good measuring stick for the guys."
Shaw and Keith scored 82 seconds apart in the opening four minutes to give the Blackhawks a 2-0 lead.
Chicago took advantage of a turnover by center Brayden Schenn and two former Flyers set up the goal. Left winger Patrick Sharp fed center Michal Handzus, who passed to Shaw for the goal into an open net as Emery reacted slowly.
Keith then ripped a slap shot from the point that hit Emery and trickled between his legs for his first goal in 31 games.
"I think we did a lot of good things tonight. But definitely really frustrating the way we gave that point up," Keith said. "They got a lucky bounce and then they were able to get another one. Pretty even game for the most part. We had a lot of chances, but so did they.
"At the end of the day, we would've obviously liked to get the win in overtime, or at least get it to a shootout when we have possession with about 10 seconds left."
The Flyers answered with a lucky-bounce goal by Hartnell less than two minutes later. Hartnell tried to center a pass from behind the net, but the puck hit a Blackhawks player and went in.
After the Flyers failed to score on consecutive power plays, Hartnell scored his 18th goal to tie it at 2 late in the first period.
Giroux hustled to get a loose puck behind the net and found Hartnell in the high slot. Hartnell's shot sailed over Raanta's glove into the top corner.
"They're a good team and they score a lot of goals, but we did a good job coming back," Giroux said. "We knew we had to keep playing our game. We knew we were playing one of the best teams in the league, but we want to be a good team, too."
The Flyers hit a post four times on five power plays and five times during the night.
"We didn't quit," Flyers center Sean Couturier said. "It was two little mistakes that they capitalized on so early in the game. We knew we could come back. We're a pretty confident team right now. We can score goals. We knew it would be a long game left and we came back."
Chicago has lost four of five games on the road and are 4-5-1 since the Olympic break. They were 31-1-6 when scoring first before this loss.
"It was a tough ending, a pretty entertaining game," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "We had a good second period and we had a good third. It was a pretty intense game."
NOTES: The Blackhawks beat the Flyers 7-2 in Chicago on Dec. 11 in their other meeting. ... Chicago LW Brandon Saad did not play because of an upper-body injury. ... Eleven of Philadelphia's final 14 games are against teams that currently hold a playoff spot. ... Flyers G Ray Emery started his first game since Feb. 8 and saw his first action since replacing G Steve Mason in a loss to San Jose on Feb. 27. ... Flyers RW Zac Rinaldo and Blackhawks D Sheldon Brookbank dropped the gloves in the second period for a brief bout between heavyweights. Rinaldo landed a few more punches at first before Brookbank got the last ones.
Blackhawks focused on rival Blues.
By Ryan Bright
Immediately following their heartbreaking loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night, the Chicago Blackhawks turned their attention to Wednesday.
They were focused on the St. Louis Blues.
“If we thought the game tonight was tough and physical, it’s going to be a whole other story tomorrow night,” Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews said. “We’ve got to turn the page and be ready and play like we know we can.”
As it stands, the Blackhawks sit eight points behind the Blues for the top spot in the Central Division with 13 games left to play. According to Toews, it’s time to get serious.
“No excuses,” he said. “I don’t care what you’re carrying into this game or this week. We’ve got to find a way to be better. If we play better and we sharpen up on little things, we’ve got a lot of skill and we’ve got a lot of ability; it will take care of itself. We’ll find a way to get points.”
Not only are the Blackhawks facing the league-leading Blues, a red-hot division rival. They are doing it on the unfortunate end of a back-to-back. The Blues have been waiting since Monday, when they picked up a 3-1 road win over the Winnipeg Jets.
“We’ve played back-to-backs all season long,” Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith said. “For whatever reason, they like to give us lots of them. I think we have the most in the league, maybe. So we’re used to it, and we’re used to that type of schedule with this team. Obviously, it’s a tough game. We’ve got a tough team coming in that always plays hard.”
Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville, who is going for win No. 700, isn’t concerned about the schedule. His only concern is that his club is up for the challenge.
“I think sometimes you get some scheduled games in your favor and sometimes you’re against it a little bit, but you find a way,” he said. “Obviously, it’ll be a huge game for us and it will be exciting to get to play these guys. I see our team responding and being excited about that game.”
But while being prepared for a battle is one thing, Toews doesn’t want his team thinking about division titles or Stanley Cup dreams. The Blackhawks have lost three of their last four and have a losing record in their last 11 games.
“One thing at a time,” said the captain. “We’ve got to play better. One game at a time. One win at a time. We’ll be frustrated about tonight and we’ll try and make things better tomorrow night. We’ve got an opportunity to do that. We can start with a big win tomorrow night against a good team, and a team that we’re chasing. We’ll worry about that for now.”
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!! Bears bring back Idonije, part with Bennett.
By The Sports Xchange
The Chicago Bears agreed to terms with defensive lineman Israel Idonije on a one-year deal and terminated the contract of veteran wide receiver Earl Bennett on Tuesday.
The 6-foot-6, 275-pound Idonije returns to the Bears -- where he spent nine seasons (2004-12) -- after one year in Detroit (2013). Idonije was used sparingly with the Lions, finishing the season with just seven total tackles and half a sack.
For his NFL career, Idonije has started 50 of 149 games played (starting at both defensive end and defensive tackle), registering 273 tackles, 29 sacks, 40 tackles for losses, six forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries. He has added 36 special teams tackles and eight blocked kicks.
Over the last four seasons (2010-13), including three with the Bears (2010-12), Idonije has recorded 21 sacks, 33 tackles for losses, five forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
Idonije was the Chicago Ed Block Courage Award recipient in 2009 and was the Bears' Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee in 2009 and 2010, including being one of three finalists for the league award in 2010.
After falling to the fifth option in the passing attack, Bennett managed just 243 receiving yards on 32 catches primarily out of the slot last season.
Cutting Bennett created $2.45 million in salary-cap space for the Bears, according to Pro Football Talk. Bennett was due nearly $2.5 million this season.
McCray played in 15 games last season for the Dallas Cowboys last season and had eight tackles on defense and eight on special teams. In 60 career games with the Cowboys, McCray compiled 104 tackles, one sack, seven pass deflections, two interceptions and one forced fumble.
Steltz, a fourth-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft by the Bears, has 97 tackles on defense and 58 on special teams, one sack, two pass deflections, one interception and three forced fumbles in six years in the NFL.
Last season, Steltz totaled 14 tackles on defense, 14 on special teams and one pass breakup. He played in all 16 regular-season games and started one.
Report: NFL could expand playoff field from 12 teams to 14 in 2015.
By Eric Edholm
MMQB.com editor Peter King wrote that the NFL is considering expanding the playoff field from 12 teams to 14, and that it could begin as soon as the 2015 season.
The topic, King writes, almost certainly will be discussed at next week's owners' meetings, and commissioner Roger Goodell will be asked about it.
"I’m hearing it’s probably a matter of when, not if," King writes. He continues: "I’m also hearing the league would be inclined toward one team in each conference getting a first-week bye in the postseason."
So we'd have this kind of setup: A 2 seed faces a 7 seed in round one, 3 vs. 6, and 4 vs. 5 in Round 1. That's six wild-card games instead of four, and if you're asking why, the answer often when it comes to NFL matters is default — money. Simply put, it's adding two more games worth of gate receipts and TV monies.
King also has another interesting nugget. He believes we could have three days worth of wildcard playoff action, with at least one of those games likely moving to Monday night. So maybe — this is us just riffing here — it will be two games on Saturday, three on Sunday and one on Monday.
What do you think about the potential for expanded playoffs? Does it devalue the 17-week regular season?
Instead of 37.5 percent of the teams making the postseason field, that number is now 43.8 — much more than baseball (33.3 percent), but not quite up to NBA and NHL percentages (both 53.3).
Just another Chicago Bulls Session… Thunder 97, Bulls 85.
By The Sports Xchange
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant had little trouble solving one of the best defensive teams in the NBA.
Durant scored 35 points, leading the Thunder to a 97-85 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Monday night at the United Center.
For the 32nd consecutive game, Durant scored at least 25 points, the second-longest streak in the NBA over the past 50 years, according to the Thunder.
At the start of the day, the Bulls were tied with the Indiana Pacers for fewest points allowed in the league, 92.2 per game. Chicago also was second in defensive field-goal percentage at .431.
Durant hit 11 of 21 shots from the field while adding 12 rebounds and five assists. Guard Russell Westbrook had 17 points and nine assists, center Serge Ibaka scored 15, and guard Caron Butler contributed 12 off the Thunder bench.
Oklahoma City's defense played a key role in the victory. After the Bulls pulled within 76-75 with 10 minutes remaining, Chicago went scoreless for the next 6:30, missing nine consecutive shots before center Joakim Noah finally ended the 13-0 run with a free throw.
Guard Derek Fisher started the Thunder's run by hitting a 3-pointer. An Ibaka dunk, a pick-and-roll pass from Westbrook that led to a Durant dunk, and three free throws by Butler sent the lead soaring to 86-75 with 6:22 remaining.
Chicago trailed 76-67 after Thunder guard Reggie Jackson opened the fourth quarter with two free throws. The Bulls responded with a quick 8-0 run. Guard Jimmy Butler's steal and dunk, then two baskets by forward Taj Gibson closed the gap to 76-75.
Chicago (37-30) had two chances to take the lead, but a turnover and a missed 3-pointer by Butler set the stage for Oklahoma City to pull away.
Gibson led the Bulls with 16 points. Jimmy Butler added 13, while forward Carlos Boozer finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
The game was tight for most of the first half. Oklahoma City (49-18) used a 9-0 run late in the second quarter to open a 42-35 advantage. The Bulls closed within 47-45 by halftime after Jimmy Butler and guard Kirk Hinrich finished the quarter with 3-pointers.
Another 9-0 run in the third quarter put the Thunder ahead 69-58 with 4:12 remaining. Durant ended the spree by draining a long 3-pointer, then getting fouled behind the arc and hitting two of the three free throws.
The Bulls were hit with three technical fouls for defensive three-second violations. Durant knocked down the free throw after each violation.
NOTES: Oklahoma City G Russell Westbrook was back in the starting lineup Monday but didn't want to explain why he sat out Sunday's loss to Dallas and played in Chicago. Thunder coach Scott Brooks has said Westbrook might sit out in back-to-back situations while returning from a setback in his offseason knee surgery. "All I can tell you is that it was a decision we made as a group and stuck to it," Westbrook said. ... Like Westbrook, Bulls G Derrick Rose had surgery to repair torn cartilage in his knee. Rose has been declared out for the season. "I've talked to him numerous times," Westbrook said before the game. "He's a tough guy. ... He's going to come back the same D-Rose he was before." ... Thunder G Thabo Sefolosha missed his eighth consecutive game with a left calf strain, while C Kendrick Perkins has missed 11 games with a groin strain. ... Oklahoma City F Kevin Durant's streak of 32 games with at least 25 points is the longest in the NBA since Michael Jordan had 40 straight for the Bulls in 1986-87.
Bulls-76ers Preview.
By JEFF MEZYDLO (STATS Senior Writer)
The Philadelphia 76ers are trying to remain positive as their losing streak has grown to one of historical significance.
They'll try to keep their team-record skid from reaching 22 when they host the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night.
Though Philadelphia (15-52) led by nine early and three late, it fell 99-90 at Indiana on Monday to set the club record for consecutive defeats, breaking the mark set by the 1972-73 team. The 76ers are tied with Detroit, which dropped 21 in a row bridging the 1979-80 and 1980-81 seasons, for the sixth-longest slide in league history.
Though Philadelphia (15-52) led by nine early and three late, it fell 99-90 at Indiana on Monday to set the club record for consecutive defeats, breaking the mark set by the 1972-73 team. The 76ers are tied with Detroit, which dropped 21 in a row bridging the 1979-80 and 1980-81 seasons, for the sixth-longest slide in league history.
First-year coach Brett Brown and his players have tried to avoid thinking about it, but Philadelphia is closing in on Cleveland's NBA-record 26-game losing streak set in the 2010-11 season.
"It's hard because of a competitive thing, but in relation to worrying about a record, we don't live in that world," Brown said. "I don't bring that to that locker room once. I don't mention it to them, I don't think about it often - (but) you can't help but be aware of it.
"We move on. We're on a different path now."
In search of their first win since Jan. 29, the 76ers will attempt to build on anything positive.
For the first time in four games they topped the 40.0 percent shooting mark at 43.2 on Monday. Thaddeus Young scored 23 and rookie Michael Carter-Williams added 15 with 13 rebounds for Philadelphia, which led 88-85 with 1:55 left to play before the Pacers closed on a 14-2 run.
"We were right there until the last two minutes of the game," Young, averaging 22.7 points in three games, told the 76ers' official website. "We just have to come out, execute better, and get ourselves out of the mud."
Philadelphia also has dropped a team-high 16 straight at home, tying for the second-longest such skid in NBA history and nearing Dallas' record 19-game slide in 1993-94. The 76ers have averaged 90.3 points in their last four at home and shot 38.5 percent over the past three.
However, one of their eight home victories came against Chicago, 107-104 on Nov. 2. It was the last of Philadelphia's three straight wins to open the season.
The Bulls (37-30) had little trouble avenging that defeat Jan. 18, shooting 48.8 percent, pulling down 52 rebounds and limiting the 76ers to a 2-of-19 effort from 3-point range in a 103-78 home rout.
All-Star Joakim Noah had 21 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks in that contest. However, he scored nine on 2-of-8 shooting while adding 12 boards and nine assists as Chicago concluded a 3-3 homestand with a 97-85 loss to Oklahoma City on Monday.
The Bulls, who beat Miami and Houston during that home stretch, shot 34.5 percent but got within one early in the fourth quarter before the Thunder pulled away with a 13-0 run.
"I would have liked it better if we won a couple more games, but 3-3, we'll take it," said Noah, who averaged 16.8 points and 56.4 percent shooting in the previous five contests.
"We've just got to move forward."
Noah has scored at least 21 points three times in the last four games against the 76ers, but had 10 on Nov. 2 while being pressured by center Spencer Hawes, who is now with the Cavaliers.
Carter-Williams had 26 points and 10 assists in the home meeting with the Bulls.
6 Things to Know About the Pete Rose Ban.
By Katherine LaGrave
2014 marks the twenty-fifth year that Pete Rose has been banned from baseball — one of the sport’s greatest controversies, and in many respects, one of its most disappointing revelations. Rose, arguably one of the greatest ever to play the game, has long been tainted after being charged with gambling and allegedly betting on his own team.
2014 marks the twenty-fifth year that Pete Rose has been banned from baseball — one of the sport’s greatest controversies, and in many respects, one of its most disappointing revelations. Rose, arguably one of the greatest ever to play the game, has long been tainted after being charged with gambling and allegedly betting on his own team.
Despite Rose’s serious violation of a bevy of Major League Baseball rules and regulations, many fans — and Rose himself — believe he should be reinstated and allowed a place in the Hall of Fame: The two seemingly go hand in hand, as the Hall of Fame added a clause to its eligibility rules in 1990, stating that players who were on the ineligible list could not be considered as candidates.
We’ve compiled six key facts surrounding Rose’s ban.
1. On August 24, 1989 — nearly twenty-five years ago — Commissioner Bart Giamatti, after an in-house investigation, announced that Rose, baseball’s all-time hits leader and one of history’s greatest players, was banned for life for gambling on baseball. “The banishment for life of Pete Rose from baseball is the sad end of a sorry episode,” Giamatti said in a statement. “One of the game's greatest players has engaged in a variety of acts which have stained the game, and he must now live with the consequences of those acts.” Despite his firm stance on the matter, Giamatti is credited with facilitating an agreement that “ended” the betting scandal and allowed Rose to voluntarily withdraw from the sport, avoiding further punishment. The next two commissioners, Fay Vincent and Bud Selig, have upheld this ban.
3. Rose, who holds more records than any other player in the history of major league baseball, became the first person banned from the game since 1943. He left the game as the all-time Major League leader in hits (4,256), games played (3,562), at-bats (14,053), and outs (10,328). An incredibly dynamic player, Rose is also the only player in major league history to play more than 500 games at five different positions. In response to Giamatti’s ban, Rose insisted at the time that, “I don’t think I have a gambling problem at all.”
4. Despite Rose’s continued denials on various levels of the charges against him, he voluntarily accepted a permanent place on baseball’s ineligible list; and critics say he has not really “fought” the charges. According to baseball’s rules, Rose could have applied for reinstatement after one year, but waited to apply until 1992 and 1997. Critics point out that had Rose had nothing to hide, then he would have had no reason to remain silent and accept an agreement to voluntarily withdraw from the sport. Commissioners Vincent and Selig have never responded to Rose’s reinstatement efforts.
5. Rose denied betting on baseball until an admission in 2004, when he finally came clean and said he bet without knowing how drastic the penalties would be. “You don’t think you’re going to get caught,” Rose told ABC News. “I think what happens is you’re, at the time, you’re betting football and then, then what’s after football is basketball and obviously the next thing that follows is baseball. It’s just a pattern that you got into.”
6. In simple language, the ban on Rose means he can’t appear at any official Major League Baseball functions. He also can’t take part in any pre- or post-game festivities involving the Cincinnati Reds (where he played and managed for 25 seasons) or in Philadelphia, where he played for five seasons with the Phillies. Still, Rose has been allowed a few exceptions, including an on-field appearance to commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of his record-setting hit (No. 4,192), which broke Ty Cobb’s previous record.
Golf glance.
By Tom LaMarre, The Sports Xchange
COMING UP
PGA TOUR: Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando, Fla., Thursday through Sunday.
TV: Thursday and Friday, 3-6 p.m. EDT, on the Golf Channel; Saturday and Sunday, 12:30-2 p.m. EDT on the Golf Channel and 2-6 p.m. EDT on NBC.
LAST YEAR: Tiger Woods closed with a 2-under-par 70 in a Monday finish after rain halted the final round the day before, and he won by two strokes over Justin Rose. With the victory, he regained the No. 1 spot in the World Golf Rankings for the first time in 29 months. Woods captured the tournament for the eighth time and equaled Sam Snead's PGA Tour record of victories in one tournament, with Snead's eight coming in the Greater Greensboro Open. After taking the lead with a 6-under-par 66 in round three, Woods birdied three of the first six holes in the final round and survived two bogeys in his last four holes. Rickey Fowler was close until making a bogey on No. 15 and hitting two balls into the water en route to a triple-bogey 8 on No. 16. He finished five strokes back in a tie for third after a 73.
CHAMPIONS TOUR: Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic at Fallen Oak Golf Club in Biloxi, Miss., Friday through Sunday.
TV: Friday, 12:30-2:30 p.m. EDT; Saturday and Sunday, 5-7 p.m. EDT; on the Golf Channel each day.
LAST YEAR: Michael Allen closed with a 5-under-par 67 in windy conditions and held on for a one-stroke victory over Bernhard Langer of Germany, despite missing a 4-foot putt for par on the final hole that dropped him into a tie with Langer. Allen took the lead with five birdies on the front nine but finished with three bogeys in the last four holes as Langer played four holes behind. The German hit his second shot on No. 16 into a greenside bunker and made bogey to lose his share of the lead, and he settled for two closing pars and a 70, with his birdie chip in the final hole barely missing. Allen, who never won on the PGA Tour, claimed his fourth victory on the Champions Tour and has added two since.
LPGA TOUR: LPGA Founders Cup at Wildfire Golf Club at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort and Spa in Phoenix, Thursday through Sunday.
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: Move over, Junior, Carl Edwards wants the top spot.
By Nick Bromberg
1. Carl Edwards (LW: 7): A new leader making a six-spot jump from the previous week? Why not? Edwards is certainly trending upwards. After finishing 17th at Daytona (and being caught up in that final lap crash), he's finished eighth, fifth and first. It was a gutsy pit call by crew chief Jimmy Fennig to keep Edwards out on track over the final laps of the race. But it's one that worked because enough cars behind him took zero and two tires as well.
2. Brad Keselowski (LW: 2): Kes gets to keep second place thanks to the awesomeness of driving around Bristol without a hood after crashing into Jamie McMurray. It was an accident that resembled the one involving Timmy Hill and Matt Kenseth earlier in the day, but we're pretty sure Keselowski was sliding on oil and not just failing to hit the brakes soon enough. He still finished 14th too.
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 1): After a strong first portion of the race, Junior's car faded near the end all the way back to 24th. Is this the sign of Junior's impending demise? Uh, no. No one, not even Jimmie Johnson, would have maintained the run that Junior started in the first three races. Besides, there was speed in the No. 88, it just disappeared. Better to have it and lose it than not have it at all, right?
4. Jeff Gordon (LW: 4): Through four races, this year really isn't much different than any other Jeff Gordon year since 2008. He's been consistently fast, though not super fast, and is reeling off very good finishes to maintain a solid points position. Gordon hasn't finished outside the top 10 all year and with California and Martinsville coming up, that could stretch on for a while.
5. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 3): After he went three laps down because of an unraveled tire before the 200-minute rain delay, it was easy to write off Jimmie Johnson's optimism for fighting back for a good finish as just positive talk for the camera. Well, he got one of those laps back and was pretty close to getting two of them back. Since points clearly don't matter in the Sprint Cup Series, we can't figure out why the No. 48 team didn't pack up and head home knowing their chances for the win were shot. Hopefully that one lap was worth all the trouble.
6. Joey Logano (LW: 6): Go take some tips from Edwards, Joey. No, not about having to drive Bristol but about how to get a bigger upper body. After Logano lost his power steering in the first quarter of the race, he was set up for a lengthy struggle. This is where being able to turn into "The Hulk" would have come in handy. Instead, his team fixed the problem and he he was able to salvage a top-20.
7. Kevin Harvick (LW: 5): Catastrophe is going to lead to Cupcake's Power Rankings demise at this rate. After losing a left-front hub with a good car at Vegas, an oil line apparently became dislodged at Bristol and Harvick slammed into the wall. And then his car caught on fire. With what's gone on with all four SHR cars this year, we hope the company is keeping a log of all the things knocking its teams out of contention. It'll be a fun list to look back on at the end of the season.
8. Matt Kenseth (LW: 8): After finishing 14th at Bristol, Kenseth gets to keep his spot because that car was freaking fast. The drive he made through the field after Timmy Hill crunched the rear end of his car was remarkable. Sure, the handling eventually disappeared and Kenseth nearly crashed his car a couple of times after that, but it didn't feel like he should have even been in contention after that accident in the first place.
9. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (LW: NR): Stenhouse said he would have used the bumper on Carl Edwards had he gotten the opportunity to race him for the win. That would have been fun to see, but at the same time, Edwards was more than two seconds ahead of Stenhouse when the accidental caution flag flew. It wasn't really going to happen. But hey, teammate drama would have been fun to think about, right? We like beef.
10. Aric Almirola (LW: NR): As Fox was scrambling to interview anyone and everyone who had sat behind the wheel of a car at Bristol during its rain delay coverage, Almirola said during his interview that he liked Bristol because it reminded him of short track racing when he was making his way through the ranks. It may be one of our favorite quotes of the young season. And hey, he backed up that like with a third-place finish.
11. Denny Hamlin (LW: 10): We were expecting a bit more out of Hamlin on Sunday. Finishing sixth isn't anything to sneeze at, but after he got the pole, we had visions of Hamlin leading over 100 laps and being a contender for the win. Instead, he was simply a mainstay in the top 10. Mind you, Hamlin's short-track excellence is what set these expectations for us, and this is a purposefully exaggerated paragraph of disappointment.
12. Tony Stewart (LW: NR): Props to Stewart for breaking out the "just what the doctor ordered" pun after finishing fourth Sunday night. Wonder when he decided he wanted to use that after his first good finish of 2014. November? October? On a serious note, a top-five at Bristol for Stewart is cause for celebration, especially after he started 37th. Now it's time to prove that his ill-handling car at Las Vegas was an aberration.
Lucky Dog: Marcos Ambrose finished fifth, giving Richard Petty Motorsports two cars in the top five and Ford four cars in the top five. Will either of those things happen again this season?
The DNF: Jamie McMurray's DNF had nothing to do with anything he did. He simply was in the wrong spot -- running strongly -- when Kevin Harvick crashed and as McMurray slid he got hit by Brad Keselowski.
Dropped Out: Ryan Newman, Kyle Busch, Paul Menard.
Tom Marshall: Big week for USA-Mexico club rivalry.
By Tom Marshall
The CONCACAF Champions League needs more statements like the one Cruz Azul coach Luis Fernando Tena made last Wednesday after his team fell 1-0 to Sporting Kansas City in the United States.
“MLS has obviously progressed,” said Mexico’s Olympic gold medal winning coach after the game. “Technically, the players are very gifted.”
He added: “You see the improvement to the point where I consider the MLS and Mexican teams very even. In terms of quality, it’s difficult to separate them.”
Cruz Azul players had admitted before the game that they hadn’t studied Sporting KC very much and rattled off the standard stereotypes of a “strong, physical” MLS outfit. It seemed La Maquina was slightly shocked by Sporting’s high pressing game and skill on the ball.
They were positive words from a highly regarded coach, but should Sporting KC’s performance be a cause for such surprise down in Mexico?
After all, Sporting is the MLS champion. Peter Vermes has been molding a team since 2009 and can rely on U.S. national teamers like Matt Besler and Graham Zusi.
The truth is the breadth of comments from figures in the Mexican game about MLS in general – from the Liga MX being much superior to slightly nervous comments about soccer in the U.S. (and Canada) improving rapidly – seem to point to a lack of base knowledge about what is happening north of the border.
It is perhaps natural. Mexicans have their own league to follow, watch the big European teams, and with no real big name Mexicans currently in MLS, it isn’t a priority.
But general apathy about MLS from Mexico is almost worse than spite, all of which makes the CCL the natural stage for MLS to show it can challenge the Liga MX for the title of best league in CONCACAF.
The MLS record recently is not great. Mexican teams have taken nine of the 10 finalist spots in the CCL era, and have won the last eight tournaments dating back to the previous Champions Cup format.
But in this edition of the CCL, last week’s matches have perfectly set up the quarterfinal second legs on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Sporting KC has an excellent chance if it can snatch an away goal, as do LA Galaxy against Tijuana. The San Jose Earthquakes have a substantially more difficult task after drawing the first leg against Toluca 1-1 in California.
The competition desperately needs MLS teams – and those from Central American and Caribbean nations – to succeed against Mexican sides to create the kinds of rivalries that exist at national team level.
Toluca shouldn’t feel it can rest its key players in the CCL, and Cruz Azul players claim to not know much about an opposition when they’ve known about the game for months. It is a kick in the teeth to the competition.
The CCL rivalry between the Liga MX and MLS is still in the shadows at present from the Mexican perspective. A couple of MLS wins would help bring it to the forefront, put pressure on all the Mexican participants to make it a priority and get fans more excited.
After all, Mexicans tend to not like losing to their northern neighbors, especially when it comes to soccer.
Green asks FIFA for switch to US from Germany.
AP Sports
Bayern Munich forward Julian Green wants to play for the U.S. national team and has applied to FIFA to change his association from Germany.
The 18-year-old, who was born in Tampa, Fla., played for Germany in three qualifiers for the 2014 European Under-19 Championship, making his debut last Oct. 10 against Belarus and getting assists two days later against Latvia and on Oct. 15 versus Scotland.
He made his professional debut for Bayern on Nov. 27 as an 88th-minute substitute in a Champions League match at CSKA Moscow.
FIFA since 2009 has allowed a one-time change in national team affiliation for a player who has appeared in an official match for a youth national team as long as the player had dual citizenship at the time.
''We are absolutely thrilled,'' U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann said in a statement Tuesday. ''He is a very special talent. We wanted him to feel comfortable with our program and listen to his heart when making this decision.''
Green trained with the U.S. team in Germany this month ahead of its exhibition game against Ukraine.
''Obviously this was a big decision, and I spent a long time discussing it with my family,'' Green said in a statement issued by the U.S. Soccer Federation. ''I was born in Florida and my father still lives there, so I have deep roots in the U.S. I'm very proud to be representing the United States.
''A big part of the decision was the experience I had in Frankfurt. All the players were super nice and welcomed me from the beginning. Clint Dempsey gave me a jersey with my name on it, and the way they supported me gave me a lot of belief. The coaches have shown a lot of trust in me, and now I hope to do everything I can to earn a spot on the World Cup roster.''
Green has been invited to the U.S. training camp ahead of an April 2 exhibition against Mexico in Glendale, Ariz. He will become the latest German-American to join the U.S. program under Klinsmann, following Jermaine Jones, Fabian Johnson, Daniel Williams, Timmy Chandler and Alfredo Morales.
Klinsmann played for Germany's team that won the 1990 World Cup and the 1996 European Championship, and he coached Germany to third place in the 2006 World Cup. He moved to California after retiring as a player in 1998 and replaced Bob Bradley as U.S. coach three years ago.
10 things to know about the NCAA tournament.
By DAVE SKRETTA (AP Sports Writer)
The posturing and politicking is finished. The field has been chosen, the bracket has been set and the madness of March has finally arrived in college basketball.
Having trouble making sense of it all? No problem. Here are 10 things you should know about this year's NCAA tournament:
1. FIRST FOUR: The NCAA tournament hasn't started on Thursday for years, but there may be more interest than ever in the four ''First Four'' games played Tuesday and Wednesday in Dayton, Ohio. Sure, Albany and Mount St. Mary's are probably playing for a chance to be whipped by overall No. 1 seed Florida, and the winner of Cal Poly-Texas Southern will have to face unbeaten Wichita State. But the other two games feature some notable names: Iowa and Tennessee are vying to be the No. 11 seed and North Carolina State and Xavier will battle to be the No. 12 seed in the South Region.
''It didn't matter what seed or where we were going, I'm just excited for the opportunity,'' said the Hawkeyes' Aaron White. ''We're in. That's all you can ask for.''
2. LAST FOUR: The drama of Selection Sunday often centers on the teams that were left out, and this year was no different. SMU didn't have consecutive losses until ending the regular season with defeats to Louisville and Memphis, but a loss to Houston in its AAC tournament opener bumped the Mustangs from the NCAA tournament to the NIT. Florida State, Green Bay and Georgetown were also left hanging when the final teams were placed in the bracket.
3. REGION TO WATCH: Even coaches who landed in other regions pointed to the Midwest as the most brutal road to the Final Four in Arlington, Texas. Along with the top-seeded Shockers, you have two of the hottest teams in the country in Louisville and Michigan - who played in last year's national title game - and perennial powerhouses Duke and Kentucky.
''You can analyze it a lot of different ways,'' said Kansas State coach Bruce Weber, whose team will face Kentucky in the 8-9 matchup on Friday in St. Louis. ''We're going to have to play and it doesn't matter who you play. You've got to play good basketball.''
4. BEWARE THE 12 SEEDS: Just about every year, it seems a No. 12 seed rises up to knock off a No. 5 seed. Three of them did it last year in Oregon, Mississippi and California. And each of the 12-5 games in this year's tournament offers reason to be wary. Stephen F. Austin, which plays VCU, hasn't lost since November. North Dakota State heads into its game against Oklahoma featuring a dynamic playmaker in Taylor Braun. The winner of North Carolina State-Xavier will have some momentum heading into a game against No. 5 seed Saint Louis. And Ivy League champ Harvard has won eight straight as it prepares to face Cincinnati.
5. IF THE SHOE FITS: Sure, the notion of a ''Cinderella'' has become cliche, but it's also one of the endearing elements of the NCAA tournament. So is there a team seeded lower than 12 that has a chance to make some noise? How about Tulsa, led by Danny Manning, in its opener against UCLA? After all, they called his 1988 championship Kansas team ''Danny and the Miracles'' for a reason. And don't forget the Golden Hurricanes upset the Bruins in the first round of the 1994 tournament.
''UCLA is a very talented team,'' Manning said. ''They ended up winning the (Pac-12) tournament title. They played very well in that game and they've got really good players that I've seen and watched for a very long time. We've got our hands full, but I like the matchup.''
6. POTENTIAL REMATCHES: The NCAA selection does its best to make sure teams that faced each other in the regular season, such as conference rivals, don't meet early in the NCAA tournament. But that doesn't mean there aren't some tasty potential rematches. Kansas could face New Mexico, a team it beat in December, if both win their opener in the South Region. Saint Joseph's could get a chance to avenge a 30-point whipping by No. 2 seed Villanova in the third round, and fifth-seeded Saint Louis could get another crack at Wichita State in the Sweet 16.
7. BLUE BLOODS: There are 14 schools that have won multiple NCAA championships. All but two of them - Indiana and San Francisco - are in this year's field. The list is topped by UCLA, the fourth seed in the South, with its 11 national titles. The Bruins are joined there by No. 1 seed Florida and second-seeded Kansas. Oklahoma State won its titles as Oklahoma A&M, and is the No. 9 seed in the West. Cincinnati, UConn, North Carolina and Michigan State inhabit the East, and Duke, Kentucky and North Carolina State resides in the Midwest.
8. NEWCOMERS: There are two newcomers to this year's party, Cal Poly and North Carolina Central. Cal Poly got in despite its 13-19 record when reserve guard Ridge Shipley hit a 3-pointer with 13.7 seconds left for a 61-59 victory over Cal State Northridge in the Big West title game, and NC Central punched its ticket in only its seventh season in Division I by beating Morgan State 71-62 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title game.
''It's a testament to what these guys do - emotional stamina and mental toughness,'' said Cal Poly's Chris Eversley. ''It started with the coaching staff and the guys we brought in - guys that were willing to buy into our program both offensively and defensively.''
9. ODDS: It was no surprise that Florida was installed as the early favorite to win the national championship by the Las Vegas casinos. Several that put out lines immediately after the bracket was revealed had the Gators at 4-1. Michigan State, Arizona and Kansas were in the next tier of favorites, followed by a group that included Wichita State, Virginia, Duke, Syracuse and Louisville.
10. HOME COOKING: Several teams are going to feel right at home for their opening games of the tournament. And several teams are going to feel like it's a road game. Florida plays the Albany-Mount St. Mary's winner in Orlando, and UCLA takes on Stephen F. Austin in San Diego. Syracuse heads down the road to Buffalo for its game against Western Michigan. Baylor will face Nebraska in San Antonio, Wisconsin plays American in Milwaukee, and Duke will open against Mercer in Raleigh, N.C.
''We're just excited to be in the tournament, first of all, and then being a 2 seed in Milwaukee, I mean, it's going to be playing close to home, just means you did something good this year,'' said the Badgers' Josh Gasser. ''You get rewarded for what you've done.''Another antitrust lawsuit filed against the NCAA.
By Graham Watson
Earlier this month, lawyers representing former West Virginia running back Shawne Alston said they were filing a lawsuit against the NCAA and the five power conferences for limiting financial aid to student-athletes.
Now others are joining the crusade.
Antitrust attorney Jeffrey Kessler, who is known for his work on behalf of the NFL's and NBA's player associations, filed another class-action suit Monday on behalf of college football and men's basketball players.
Similar to the suit filed by Alston, this one seeks an injunction against the NCAA and the five power conferences -- SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and ACC -- for limiting the amount of aid student-athletes can receive.
The suit accuses the NCAA and the five power conferences of “price fixing.”
Similarly, the Alston suit alleged the NCAA and the five power conferences colluded not to pay student-athletes the actual cost of attendance citing smaller Division I programs that couldn’t afford it.
Kessler calls it a “basic unfairness of the system.”
"The one thing people should recognize is how fundamentally unfair it is to look at a team in the NCAA Tournament, where the coach is making $5 million, the school is generating hundreds of millions," Kessler told USA Today. "Sponsors are cashing in, administrators are cashing in and the only group that is not receiving any benefit are these athletes – most of who will not graduate and most of who will never be a professional athlete. This is their one opportunity to be recognized and compensated."
Four players are involved in the suit -- Rutgers senior basketball player J.J. Moore, and three football players: Clemson junior defensive back Martin Jenkins, Cal senior offensive lineman Bill Tyndall, and UTEP tight end Kevin Perry. They are not seeking class-action damages, but are seeking individual damages.
By Greg Wyshynski
The NHL has poo-poo’d expansion more than a toddler does her Huggies, but we always come back to the same two numbers: 16 and 14, which are the total teams in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference, respectively.
How long can you keep East owners’ cries of inequity at bay? How long can you ignore the windfall from NHL expansion filling all their piggy banks while the League’s hot?
Welp, according to David Shoalts of the Globe & Mail, it’ll be for a while:
(An aside: Levin was a big mover and shaker early on in the process, but other suitors have come around since, including that Jeremy Roenick group.)Multiple NHL governors say this discussion is media-driven and there is practically no talk about adding teams. Indeed, Chicago businessman Don Levin said he is “tired of chasing circles,” and gave up actively pursuing a team in Seattle because there was no response from the NHL.
As Shoalts continues:
The problem in adding two teams (with the Western Conference at 14 teams and the Eastern Conference at 16, this is the only way it will work) is splitting up all that new revenue Bettman, deputy commissioner Bill Daly and marketing man John Collins produced. A lot of owners would rather divide that annual $28-million 30 ways instead of 32, especially since the TV numbers are fixed for the next decade.
However, the lure of expansion money is usually too much to resist. At least some NHL governors think it will take three years for an announcement, which just happens to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the league. Three years would also give the league time to assess the chances of the Coyotes and Panthers surviving in the long-term.
Three years might also be the time when the NBA could look to expand again, with Seattle as an option.
There are other hurdles that time would clear, such as the slow process in building a new arena in Seattle. But keep in mind the Coyotes' outclause is five years, meaning they could bolt in 2018 if the team loses $50 million.
So it sounds like 2017, for various understandable reasons, could be when we finally get a balanced league and either expansion or relocation. I’ve long thought it would be a combination of both: one U.S. market and two Canadian markets (Toronto and Quebec City). But with Seattle a near lock, wither Las Vegas?
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