Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica
"America's Finest Sports Fan Travel Club, May We Plan An Event Or Sports Travel For You?"
Sports Quote of the Day:
"I always felt that my greatest asset was not my physical ability, it was my mental ability." ~ Bruce Jenner, Decathlon Champion in the 1976 Olympics.
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks-Capitals Preview.
By KEVIN CHROUST (STATS Writer)
The Chicago Blackhawks' remaining two regular-season games will be played on the road, and winning away from United Center is something they could have to do in the postseason to advance out of the first round.
They visit Washington on Friday night with hopes of improving on their recent away results against a Capitals team that's been eliminated from playoff contention.
After Thursday's 3-2 home overtime win against Montreal, the Blackhawks (46-19-15) have won four straight. It was their first overtime win of the season, and though the format of the extra session is different in the postseason, coach Joel Quenneville said it was good to finish one off without a loss or shootout victory.
"It's not the type of overtime you see in the playoffs," said Quenneville, whose club is 1-7 in overtime contests that don't reach a shootout, "but going forward, it gets the monkey off our back."
The same could be said about gaining some road confidence. Despite the recent overall success, Chicago is 2-6-1 away from United Center since Feb. 7, and its potent offense has been held to 15 goals in those games.
The Blackhawks mirrored that offensive struggle in the first two periods against the Canadiens, then got it together as the game opened up in the third. Jeremy Morin and Marian Hossa scored, and Patrick Sharp got the winner in the first minute of overtime.
"Those last eight minutes were unbelievable," Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford told the team's official website. "We were buzzing around and it just felt like we were going to score there. It was a great finish to the game. That's the way we have to play."
Hossa and Sharp each added an assist, and Sharp has five points in three games with a goal in each. The veteran left wing is two shy of tying a career-best 36 goals in 2007-08.
Morin has also scored in three straight after having one goal in his previous 19.
Crawford made 28 saves for his third straight win. He hasn't allowed more than three goals since Jan. 22, a 13-8-2 span with a 1.82 goals-against average and .930 save percentage. He's 2-0-1 in his career against Washington with a 3.28 GAA, which includes a season-opening 6-4 win Oct. 1.
Hossa had a goal and an assist in that meeting and has 10 points in his last eight games against the Capitals.
Washington center Mikhail Grabovski had three goals and an assist to give him six points in five career games against Chicago.
The Capitals (37-30-13) had their playoff hopes end Wednesday when Columbus and Detroit clinched the last two berths in the East, then won their third straight game Thursday. The 5-2 victory at Carolina featured a pair of goals from Troy Brouwer, who was trying to find something to play for.
"We went out there and we want to finish the season off right so that we can have some good games," Brouwer said. "Maybe a little consolation smile on your face when you go into the summertime, I guess."
Joel Ward, Jason Chimera and Eric Fehr each had a goal and two assists on the Capitals' third line, while Braden Holtby made 36 saves to improve to 3-0-0 with a 1.95 GAA and .943 save percentage since April 5.
Fellow goalie Jaroslav Halak is winless in his last five starts, but he's 5-1-3 with a 2.28 GAA in his career against Chicago.
The Blackhawks remain without top forwards Jonathan Toews (upper-body injury) and Patrick Kane (knee). Kane resumed skating with his teammates on Wednesday, and both are expected back for the playoffs.
Teuvo's time is up: 'Hawks send Teravainen to AHL.
By Mike Halford
Maybe the hype was a tad premature.
On Thursday, Chicago sent ballyhooed prospect Teuvo Teravainen to AHL Rockford, just two weeks after he made his NHL debut in a 4-2 win over Dallas.
All told, the 19-year-old appeared in just three games for Chicago prior to his demotion, going pointless while registering just four shots on goal (all of which game in a Mar. 30 loss to Pittsburgh.)
He’s been a healthy scratch in each of the last four games — all Chicago wins, coincidentally — as ‘Hawks head coach Joel Quenneville made it clear the team’s focus was on points and playoff positioning, not letting a rookie learn on the job.
“It’s a big league, it’s a hard league,” Quenneville said, per NWTimes.com. “We want to make sure that we’re going along here. We want to make sure that we’re helping ourselves get points.
“At the same time, I think [Teravainen's] learning as well.”
Prior to joining the ‘Hawks, Teravainen was considered to be one of the best players outside the NHL. He starred for the gold medal-winning Finnish team at the ’14 World Juniors — making the All-Star team while leading the tournament in scoring — and tore it up with SM-liiga team Jokerit following the Worlds, finishing the year with 44 points in 49 games.
Blackhawks' Patrick Kane will be back for playoffs.
AP Sports
Blackhawks star forward Patrick Kane said he will return to the NHL playoffs next week at 100 percent despite a brace on his injured left knee.
Kane, who was leading Chicago in scoring when he was hurt in a game against St. Louis on March 19, resumed skating on his own five days ago. On Wednesday, he skated with his teammates for the first time in the hours before a game against Montreal.
The team had put Kane on injured reserve and said he would miss the final 12 games of the of the regular season. Kane says he will be rested for the postseason and said: ''Some people thought it might be beneficial to take a little time off.''
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!! Cutler lauds Emery's roster moves.
By Larry Mayer
Jay Cutler is the Bears' all-time passing leader in completions, attempts, yards and passer rating.
Quarterback
"He's doing a great job," Cutler told ChicagoBears.com during an appearance at South Shore International College Prep High School in Chicago. "Phil's always had a plan.
"You can trust him that he's always going to do the best possible thing for this football team and bring some guys in that are not only good people but are going to help us out on the field. He's given us some flexibility moving forward, and I'm excited to see what he wants to do next."
The Bears have signed more than 30 players since the final week of the 2013 season, including a dozen free agents from other teams. Emery has focused on revamping the defensive line by inking ends
The quartet should help improve a defense that struggled with injuries and performance issues last season when the Bears allowed the most points, total yards and rushing yards in franchise history while also tying for last in the NFL in sacks.
A five-time Pro Bowler, Allen has averaged 14.5 sacks over the past seven seasons, never registering fewer than 11 during that span. Last year with the Vikings, he compiled 11.5 sacks, 52 tackles, 13 tackles-for-loss, six pass deflections and two forced fumbles.
"Jared is great," Cutler said. "When the news came down, I talked to him right away and he couldn't be more excited. I think that Phil and Cliff [Stein] and Ted [Phillips] and the McCaskey family have done a great job of bringing people in that want to be Chicago Bears.
"They want to be here. Some of them have passed up more money elsewhere to come here; Jared Allen, Lamarr Houston and [safety]
The revamped defense will join a potent offense that set franchise records last season for total yards, passing yards, passing touchdowns, completion percentage, passer rating and first downs.
With that combination, Cutler is optimistic that the Bears can contend for a championship in 2014. But the veteran quarterback concedes that every team feels the exact same way in April.
"Everyone's confident this time of the year," Cutler said. "Probably every head coach in the NFL is telling his team the same thing: 'Why not us this year? We can make it happen.'
"We've got a good group of guys. We're just got to stay positive, and keep working each and every day, especially offensively. We had a little bit of success last year. We've just got to make sure that we don't rely on last year's success and just keep working."
NFL releases preseason schedule.
By The Sports Xchange
Football fans anxious for a rematch of Super Bowl XLVI are in luck. The Seattle Seahawks next scheduled game is at Denver, a rematch of their February mismatch in New Jersey.
WEEK 4: AUGUST 28
Arizona at San Diego
Atlanta at Jacksonville
Baltimore at New Orleans
Carolina at Pittsburgh
Chicago at Cleveland
Denver at Dallas
Detroit at Buffalo
Indianapolis at Cincinnati
Kansas City at Green Bay
Minnesota at Tennessee
New England at NY Giants
NY Jets at Philadelphia
San Francisco at Houston
Seattle at Oakland
St. Louis at Miami
Washington at Tampa Bay
Just another Chicago Bulls Session… Pistons-Bulls Preview.
By NOEY KUPCHAN (STATS Writer)
Joakim Noah and the Chicago Bulls are playing some of their best basketball of the season with the playoffs just over a week away.
The Bulls continue their pursuit of the Eastern Conference's No. 3 seed when they face the Pistons, who hope to avoid a 15th loss in 16 games at the United Center on Friday night.
Chicago (46-32) has won a season-high six straight after putting together a big second half in Wednesday's 102-87 win at Minnesota. Noah had his NBA best-tying fourth triple-double of the season for the Bulls, who outscored the Timberwolves 27-17 in each of the last two quarters to stay tied with Toronto for third in the East.
"It feels good to play well," Noah told the team's official website after recording 15 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. "But the important thing is winning. We've got four games left; just trying to stay focused and keep our mind on progress.
"We're focused and excited for the playoffs. ... We're playing comfortable basketball now."
Noah's team-leading 398 assists are the most by a Bulls center in a single season. He's averaging 7.0 over a 30-game stretch since Feb. 6, 10th-best in the league and nearly double anyone at his position.
"The best thing about him is the winning part of it," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "There's a lot of guys who score more than he does; the rebounding is obviously terrific, but the passing also tells you how he sees the game. He's always going to hit the open man if you move without the ball and you are open.
"He doesn't care about his own statistics, he only cares about winning. When your best players are like that it sets a great tone for the team."
The All-Star is among the league's top seven in double-doubles (43) and rebounds per game (11.2) while averaging a team-best 1.5 blocks.
"He's extremely tough," Timberwolves star Kevin Love said. "In my opinion, he's the defensive player of the year. They are a good team. Thibodeau has them working hard on both ends of the floor."
Noah's previous triple-double came in a 105-94 win at Detroit on March 5, finishing with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. D.J. Augustin and Taj Gibson also came up big with a combined 48 points off the bench as Chicago earned its 20th win in 22 games in the series.
The Bulls had surrendered an average of 85.5 points during a 14-game home winning streak against the Pistons before falling 92-75 on Dec. 7. However, Chicago was missing injured starting guard Jimmy Butler and that was before the signing of Augustin, who is averaging 20.0 points during the win streak.
Plus, this Detroit team has dropped 17 of 19 on the road and hasn't defeated an opponent with a winning record since the All-Star break.
The Pistons (29-50) beat Boston on Saturday and Atlanta on Tuesday for their first set of back-to-back wins in nearly two months, but their woes resumed in Wednesday's 122-100 loss at Cleveland.
Detroit was held to 35.4 percent shooting while the Cavaliers shot 57.0 percent.
"Today was tough," rookie Peyton Siva said. "You see how the NBA is. One night you can feel on top of the world; next night you can feel at the bottom. You've just got to continue to play hard and continue to roll."
White Sox lose Avisail Garcia for the season.
By Aaron Gleeman
White Sox outfielder Avisail Garcia will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a torn labrum in his left shoulder.
Garcia was acquired from the Tigers last July in the three-team trade revolving around Jake Peavy and hit well in 42 games for the White Sox down the stretch, batting .304 with a .775 OPS despite shaky plate discipline.
Garcia was a big part of general manager Rick Hahn’s attempts to rebuild the lineup on the fly by adding a handful of young, MLB-ready hitters. Now he’ll miss all but eight games of his age-23 season.
Jordan Danks has been called up from Triple-A to take Garcia’s spot on the roster and figures to play regularly in the White Sox’s outfield, but he can’t come close to Garcia’s upside offensively. Dayan Viciedo should also see an increase in playing time, perhaps stepping out from a platoon with Alejando De Aza.
Cubs-Cardinals Preview.
By PAUL DIGIACOMO (STATS Senior Editor)
With the Chicago Cubs struggling to score in the first week of the season, Jeff Samardzija was handed a pair of hard-luck losses.
The offense has heated up since his last start, but the Cubs are opening a three-game series in a stadium where they had trouble pushing runs across the plate last season.
Chicago sends Samardzija to the mound Friday night against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Opponents totaled three runs in Samardzija's first two outings, but the Cubs (3-6) were shut out each time. The right-hander allowed two of those runs while pitching seven innings in both starts.
Samardzija (0-1, 1.29 ERA) has struck out 11 and allowed 11 hits.
"I see these guys working every day, I know what they're doing," Samardzija said of his teammates. "If it were a different situation, if I thought these guys were being lazy or this or that, obviously it'd be different. But these guys come to work every day, doing everything we can. It's early in the season, we're going to keep going, keep pushing and figure this out."
Chicago has done a much better job at the plate since Samardzija's 2-0 home loss to Philadelphia on Saturday. The Cubs matched their run total from the first five games in an 8-6 win over the Phillies on Sunday.
A 7-6 loss to Pittsburgh followed on Tuesday before the Cubs had another strong showing offensively in a 7-5 victory over the Pirates the next night. Chicago jumped out to a four-run lead Thursday, but it didn't stand up in a 5-4 loss. The Cubs have hit .333 with runners in scoring position over the last four games after opening 4 for 40.
Now they head to Busch Stadium, where they scored 23 runs in losing seven of 10 in 2013. Samardzija went 1-1 with a 3.14 ERA in two starts there last season as he was given four total runs of support.
His last outing in St. Louis came Sept. 29 as Joe Kelly won in relief for the Cardinals (5-4). Kelly will get the start Friday following a victorious performance in his first outing.
The right-hander allowed one run over 5 1-3 innings of a 6-1 win at Pittsburgh on Saturday, but he wasn't happy after walking four - tied for the second most in his 32 career starts.
"I made some good pitches when I had to but I struggled a little with my command from time to time," Kelly said.
He's 2-1 with a 3.13 ERA in four starts against the Cubs. Kelly has held Anthony Rizzo to one hit in their 13 matchups and Starlin Castro is 3 for 12 with six strikeouts.
Both players, though, are hot. Over the last five games, Rizzo is 11 for 18 while Castro is 11 for 21 with two homers and six RBIs.
Kelly will look to help the Cardinals avoid consecutive losses for the first time after they failed to sweep a three-game series from visiting Cincinnati with a 4-0 loss Wednesday.
It was the fifth time St. Louis scored two or fewer runs.
"There's a couple of games where if we had a couple of things go our way, we could be even better," manager Mike Matheny said. "But I do believe that there's obviously more in our tank offensively."
Samardzija has had trouble with Yadier Molina (9 for 17) and Jon Jay (8 for 18). Molina is 4 for 8 with a homer and a double over the last two games, but Jay is off to a 2-for-11 start.
St. Louis won the last five overall meetings with Chicago last season.
Haas grabs Masters lead with 68, Scott in the mix.
By PAUL NEWBERRY (AP National Writer)
Arnold Palmer, Gary Player & Jack Nicklaus gather for a photo shoot on No. 11 before the start of the 2014 Masters in Augusta, Ga.
With dad in his ear, Bill Haas turned in the best round of his Masters career Thursday.
Now he wants to do what his father never could - finish the job.
Haas birdied the final hole for a 4-under 68 and the opening-round lead, the first time he has broken 70 in five appearances at Augusta National. More important, it was the first time he's ever led a major at the end of a round.
Lurking one stroke back were three major winners, including the last two Masters champions, Adam Scott and Bubba Watson.
Haas' father, Jay, played in the Masters 22 times, with five top-10 finishes topped by a tie for third in 1995. He is staying with his son this week and providing valuable advice on the practice range.
''I never remember thinking, 'Man, I wish I could hit this shot for my dad,''' Bill Haas said. ''But I do know that there's times I'm like, 'I wish my dad could hit this shot for me.'"
Jay Haas never won a major despite having plenty of success on the PGA Tour.
Maybe his 31-year-old son can take care of that family oversight.
''I think he deserves a major in his career as good as he played,'' Bill Haas said.
Scott claimed his first major title a year ago at Augusta National and got off to a strong start in his quest to stay dressed in green, even with a stumble in Amen Corner.
The Aussie made double-bogey at the par-3 12th, a tiny little hole that caused big trouble for a number of players. His tee shot caught the bank in front of the green and hopped back into Rae's Creek for the first time in his career.
''I had just received the most incredible ovation as I came to the 12th tee - and I hit my worst shot of the day,'' Scott said.
He bounced back with a birdie at the 14th, rolled in a testy putt to save par at the 18th, and finished with a 69.
In contrast to Haas, it was the fifth time in his last six Augusta rounds that Scott has cracked the 60s, showing he still has the game to make a run at being the first back-to-back Masters champion since Tiger Woods in 2001 and 2002. Jack Nicklaus and Nick Faldo are the only other repeat winners.
''In a sense, winning last year took the pressure off,'' Scott said. ''What's the worst that can happen? I'm still a Masters champion.''
Watson also shot 69, making birdies on both par 5s after the turn and playing solidly the rest of the round, despite teeing off in the afternoon when the breeze stiffened and the course played even tougher. Despite warm, sunny conditions that gave the mistaken impression it was ripe for the taking, Augusta National was a bear. It looked as though only four players would shoot in the 60s.
The other to do it was Louis Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open champion who lost to Watson in a playoff two years ago. The South African closed with a birdie on the 18th to complete his 69.
Phil Mickelson wasn't even close. It was a wild ride for Lefty, who made a triple-bogey at the seventh, rolled in an improbable 40-footer for birdie at the 10th, then took a double-bogey on the 15th after knocking it in the water. He was 4 over with two holes to play.
Playing in their first Masters, Jimmy Walker and Kevin Stadler of the U.S. and Sweden's Jonas Blixt were among those shooting 70, making their way around the course just fine despite some unfamiliarity with the revered layout.
They are among a record two dozen Augusta rookies in the field, which doesn't include four-time winner Woods, out of the game until summer as he recovers from back surgery.
The 35-year-old Walker is having a breakout year on the PGA Tour, picking up the first three victories of his career. He kept up his strong play, ripping off a run of four straight birdies starting at the 14th.
''I wasn't thinking I was going to make four in a row,'' Walker said. ''But just keep hitting good shots.''
Gary Woodland and Brandt Snedeker of the U.S. also opened at 70, as did K.J. Choi of South Korea.
Stadler is part of the first father-son duo to play the Masters together. His dad, Craig, was the 1982 champion, while Kevin earned a spot in the field with his first PGA Tour victory at Phoenix.
The elder Stadler didn't fare nearly as well as his son. Craig opened with an 82 in what he has said will likely be his farewell as a Masters competitor.
''I played like a moron,'' Craig Stadler said.
Two players at 71 provided quite a contrast: 54-year-old Fred Couples and 20-year-old Jordan Spieth, who wasn't even born when Couples won his green jacket in 1992.
Matt Kenseth says he's (sort of) watching the points standings.
By Nick Bromberg
Matt Kenseth is winless.
Through seven Sprint Cup Series races, it's hardly a shocking statement. Jimmie Johnson is winless too. So is Tony Stewart. And Jeff Gordon. Kasey Kahne, too. But with seven different winners in the first seven Sprint Cup Series races, it may be jarring to some to see Kenseth's name not on the list after he won seven races last year.
However, when you look through the list of seven winners, there aren't any surprises. It's not like someone has jumped up and snagged an unexpected win or two unless you thought Dale Earnhardt Jr. was in the midst of another four-year winless streak.
Kenseth isn't surprised either.
“I can’t say I’m totally shocked, I think whenever you throw a pretty big rules change at everybody some people are going to pick up on it sooner than others," he said Thursday. "I think it always spreads the field out a little bit because some guys are going to hit it and some guys are going to miss it and I think that always creates passing and mixes the field up and makes the racing more interesting in my mind. I think that everybody every week is probably gaining on it and the field is going to get closer together as we keep rolling through the year here. It’s been interesting because there’s been a lot of different winners and been some guys that have won a lot that haven’t won yet.”
He won last year's race at Darlington after taking the lead after a late restart. It was his third win of the year, though Darlington was the 11th race of the season in 2013 and not the eighth.
Even as he's winless this season, he's higher in the points standings now than he was at this point a year ago. However, Kenseth said he isn't staring at the standings. It's more of a quick look.
"I don’t know about close attention, you always kind of know where you’re at once the week is over you maybe glance at the standings," Kenseth said. "They always park in order of points so when you show up parked the next week you kind of know where you’re at. That really hasn’t changed. I don’t know I think maybe when you get closer to the 26 cutoff then you probably study it a little more and see where everybody is and who’s in and who’s out and that kind of thing."
And based on past history in Chase seasons, a winless driver or two or three is likely to make the Chase anyway. If Kenseth keeps this pace up, he'll likely be just fine when it comes to September.
"Is there going to be 10 winners? Is there going to be 20 winners? I don’t know – the way it’s going. How important are your points going to be?" Kenseth asked. "I would think, history suggests that there’s going to be a few guys added by points that didn’t win."
Europa League Roundup: After enthralling extra time in Valencia. semis set.
Nicholas Mendola
Cliche time: this is why they play the matches.
Valencia entered the second leg of its UEFA Europa League quarterfinal tie against Basel down 3-0 and needing extreme home magic to find renewed hope for a semifinal berth.
Well, they found that wizardry and then some. Valencia scored thrice in regulation and then watched as Basel took not one but two red cards in the first period of extra time en route to a 5-0 win, 5-3 on aggregate.
Francisco “Paco” Alcacer scored twice in regulation before finding a winner in the 114th minute to dust off the championship hopes of Los Che. Juan Bernat and Eduardo Vargas also scored for Valencia as they advanced. Alcacer now has seven goals in European competition and 14 overall this season.
They are joined by Juventus, Benfica and Sevilla in a Western Europe-heavy final four.
Juventus received a scare from visiting Lyon, but emerge with plans intact to play the Europa League final on its home pitch. Andrea Pirlo scored in the fourth minute to give the Old Lady a 2-0 lead before Lyon halved the deficit in the 18th minute. Yet it was a 68th minute own goal that gave Juve clear sailing into the semis.
Sevilla faced a 1-0 deficit to Porto entering Thursday’s home leg, but that was erased rather quickly as Los Rojiblancos struck four times on the night. Ivan Rakitic converted a 5th minute penalty to kick off a 4-1 (4-2 aggregate) win that was completed by red-hot Kevin Gameiro’s 79th minute tally.
Ricardo Quaresma’s goal in the second minute of stoppage time was the only blemish on Sevilla’s day.
Benfica dismissed American forward Aron Johannsson and AZ Alkmaar with relative ease, as Johannsson’s best play actually came on a hard-charging tackle to save a scoring chance. Leading 1-0 going into the home leg, 23-year-old Rodrigo recorded a brace to send the Portuguese side through.
The draw for the semifinals will be held Friday, with the legs being played on April 24 and May 1.
Can Neck Strength Reduce Concussions in Women's Soccer?
By Ben Torres
Thinkstock
Women's soccer ranks second only to football in the number of reported concussions.[1] In the past, concussion prevention took a back seat to treatment. But recent data from leading experts suggests that neck strengthening may actually have a role in preventing (or lessening the severity of) concussions on the field.
Neck size and strength predict brain injury
At the 2013 Youth Sports Safety Summit, Dawn Comstock, an epidemiology professor at the Colorado School of Public Health, unveiled new data supporting the idea that concussion risk is inversely related to neck strength. The study compared neck length, neck circumference, and measurements of neck strength in flexion, extension, and lateral rotation among 6,704 male and female athletes engaged in three sports (soccer, lacrosse, and basketball). Measurements were taken before and during the season, and athletic trainers reported the data.
Comstock's results showed that athletes diagnosed with concussions had much smaller necks and less strength overall than those who did not. The study found that for every one-pound increase in neck strength, the chances of sustaining head trauma fell by 5 percent.[2]
Dr. Bob Cantu, M.D., a renowned neurosurgeon and leading authority on concussions, said in an NBC interview with Kate Snow that athletes with weak necks are much more susceptible to head trauma. He added, "Girls as a group have far weaker necks. That same force delivered to a girl's head spins the head much more because of the weak neck than it does to the guys."[3]
In an interview with Athletic Business, Comstock said the more the head spins, the more chance of concussion. "As the head rocks back and forth, it's also twisting a little on the brain stem, and it's those accelerative and rotational forces as the brain is impacting inside the skull that are really what's causing these concussions."[4]
Preventing concussions with neck strengthening
According to Dr. Cantu, female soccer players should participate in daily neck strengthening exercises. Much more research is needed, however, to determine what exercise protocols would work best. Currently, Dr. Cantu recommends basic isometric exercises applying resistance to the head with one hand for a few seconds in varying ranges of motion, for 10 repetitions for multiple sets.[5]
Many are already doing it
Thanks to the new data, many organizations are implementing their own neck-strengthening programs. Syracuse University requires its football players to take baseline circumference measurements of their necks and undergo a rigorous neck strengthening program.[6] In the private sector, businesses such as Compete Sports Performance & Rehab (Lake Forest, Calf.) are using devices like the Halo to strengthen their athletes' necks. The Halo is a cable attachment designed to apply resistance to an athlete's neck in various ranges of motion that mimic positions the head would be in during brain trauma.
Management and prevention
Although the recent research is only preliminary, the results portend exciting news. For years, clinicians have only been able to treat, not prevent, concussions. Now with new data, clinicians and researchers will hopefully be able to turn the focus on concussions to prevention, and cut down on the number of concussions among women soccer players and other high-risk groups.
References
[1] Marar, Mallika, BS McIlvain, Natalie, JD, PhD Fields, Sarah, Ph D.Comstock, Dawn, "Epidemiology of Concussions Among High School Athletes in 20 Sports." AJSM PreView, published January 27, 2012.
[2] Gregory, Sean, "Neck Strength Predicts Concussion Risk, Study Says." Keeping Score, http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2013/02/21/study-neck-strength-predicts-concussion-risk/.
[3] Snow, Kate, "Contact Sport: Girls Soccer Sidelined By Concussions." Rock Center, http://www.nbcnews.com/video/rock-center/47364208#47364208.
[4] Steinbach, Paul. "Sports Injury Expert Dawn Comstock Talks Concussion Prevention." Athletic Business, N.p., n.d. Web. 18 July 2013.
[5] Snow, Kate, "Neck Strengthening Exercises Can Help Prevent Concussions, Doctors Say." Rock Center,
http://rockcenter.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/06/07/12108954-neck-strengthening-exercises-can-help-prevent-concussions-doctors-say.
[6] Cohen, Michael, "Syracuse tries to decrease risk of concussions by neck-strengthening." Sports Illustrated, http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/football/ncaa/09/28/concussions-neck-strength-syracuse-eastern-michigan/.
Note: This article originally appeared on STACK.com: Can Neck Strength Reduce Concussions in Women's Soccer?
Northwestern officially asks National Labor Relations Board to overturn unionization ruling.
By Sam Cooper
In a move that was not unexpected, Northwestern has officially asked the National Labor Relations Board to overturn its March decision that ruled that Northwestern football players are employees and should have the opportunity to negotiate for rights and collectively bargain.
In a 55-page brief, which can be read here, Northwestern said that the NLRB’s Regional Director made an “unprecedented decision” that “set out to alter the underlying premise upon which collegiate varsity sports is based.”
“By finding that Northwestern University’s football program is a commercial enterprise and that its football scholarship student-athletes are “employees” within the meaning of the National Labor Relations Act, the Regional Director ignored the evidence of Northwestern’s primary commitment to the education of all of its student-athletes, evidence that fully supports that its student-athletes are primarily students, and not employees.”In reference to former quarterback Kain Colter, who is currently pursuing a career in the NFL, Northwestern said that “based on the testimony of a single player who admitted that he aspires to play professional football, the Regional Director described Northwestern’s football program in a way that is unrecognizable from the evidence actually produced at the hearing.”
“Northwestern’s football program stands alone as the most successful FBS program for educating athletes to graduation. Whatever one thinks of athletics at other institutions, Northwestern presented overwhelming evidence establishing that its athletic program is fully integrated with its academic mission, and that it treats its athletes as students first.”Northwestern also alleges that the Regional Director “ignored much of the record” and “misconstrued, disregarded and misapplied Board precedent.”
Northwestern’s players will vote whether or not to form a union on April 25, and quarterback Trevor Siemian made it clear Wednesday that he will vote against unionization.
“We filed for employee cards (Jan. 28), but that doesn’t mean a union is the right avenue,” said Siemian, who will be the starter this fall. “Especially at Northwestern, where most guys on the team agree we have been treated very, very well. I’m treated here far better than I deserve.”
Only current Northwestern players are eligible to vote.
Rule makers planning to make NCAA men's basketball even more fan-friendly.
By Pat Forde
College basketball's rule makers and rule enforcers sent the message last year: stop holding and hacking, and stop trying to take a charge on every play.
The message was received, and the game was better in 2013-14. Thanks to an emphasis on restoring freedom of movement for offensive players and limitations on secondary defenders drawing charges, we saw less assault and battery on dribblers and fewer collisions under the rim. Scoring was up, muggings and flops were down.
Now the trend has to continue.
Led by Belmont coach Rick Byrd, chairman of the NCAA Men's Basketball Rules Committee, a group of administrators and coaches met with a handful of media members Monday at the Final Four to discuss the state of the game from a rules perspective. The group provided data on the impact of the rules enacted/enforced last season and a potential roadmap for what might be next.
In the 2014 NCAA tournament, scoring was up 4.2 percent over the previous tourney (at least heading into the championship game, which was far more low-scoring than last year). Field-goal percentage was up from 42.3 percent to 44.3 percent. Free-throw attempts were up 4.2 percent, and fouls called were up 3.5 percent. Turnovers were down 14.2 percent.
Those numbers largely mirrored what transpired during the regular season. And after some initial howling about too many whistles, most people inside and outside the game were happy with those developments.
"It felt like the noise died down as the season went on," said NCAA Men's Basketball Officiating Coordinator John Adams. "The officiating met the expectation of the coaches."
"In general, the consensus was that coaches liked the changes that were made," Notre Dame's Mike Brey said.
Scoring did decline every month, from a high of 73.2 per team in November to a low of 69.1 per team in March. Some of that can be attributed to a backslide by officials in calling the game more tightly, but as Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany pointed out, there are other factors. Namely, the scouting emphasis and defensive intensity in a November home mismatch or a tournament in the Bahamas will pale in comparison to what is seen in conference and postseason play.
"We changed the trajectory of the game from one that is defensively dominant to one that is more offense-friendly," Delany said.
But this season was just establishing a beachhead in the clean-up-the-game invasion. When the next rule-change cycle begins in 2015, Division I rules secretary Art Hyland said the top two items on the agenda will be limiting the physical play in the post and freeing up cutters to move away from the ball.
And there is a long list of what may come next. Among the big items that will be placed on the agenda for discussion:
• Reducing the number of timeouts. Everyone agreed that one of the biggest detractions of the current game is the eternity it takes to end a close one. That is largely due to the number of timeouts granted to each team, both officially (five per team per game) and unofficially (coaches are given a minute to substitute when a player fouls out). Replay reviews are viewed as a necessary evil in the quest for the right calls, but they also add to the length of an endgame situation. Coaches cherish their control of the game and thus will be loath to surrender timeouts, but fans everywhere would embrace fewer stoppages in play – especially late in a game. The NCAA said it will begin tracking the length of games next year, as it does in football.
"Length is becoming a concern," said David Worlock, NCAA associate director of men's basketball.
• Widening the lane.
• An elimination of live-ball timeouts, or at least limiting those calls to players instead of coaches. This would be a move toward FIBA international rules, which allow no live-ball timeouts.
• Revisiting the 10-second backcourt rule, which currently allows a bailout for the offensive team if it calls timeout before passing midcourt.
• Reducing the shot clock to either 30 or 24 seconds. Brey said he is in favor, and there seems to be fairly wide support for a reduction of some kind – although there also is a concern about college hoops becoming an NBA copycat league. (Interestingly, Byrd said his Belmont team occasionally uses a 12-second shot clock in practice to force tempo and enhance conditioning.)
• An examination of the NBA's continuation rule, and whether it should be applied similarly in college. There was not much support in the meeting room for that idea.
• No scoring on a charge. Baskets off a charge are waved off in every level of basketball except college.
Bottom line: College basketball was a more aesthetically pleasing game in 2013-14, and that trend should continue as players and coaches continue to adjust to the idea of less hands-on defense. And the rules custodians have more changes to consider that will make the game more fan-friendly in the future.
Second concussion lawsuit filed against NHL. What's your take?
Reuters; Reporting by Steve Keating in Toronto, Editing by Frank Pingue
Nine former players filed a class action lawsuit against the NHL on Thursday, alleging that the league subjected players to "the imminent risk of head trauma" leading to long-term negative health consequences.
The lawsuit, filed in a U.S. District Court in New York, is the second filed against the National Hockey League in less than five months to claim the league did not do enough to prevent concussions.
The latest complaint alleges that, "the NHL has failed and continues to fail to warn its players of these risks and consequences of head trauma."
The suit also claims the NHL concealed material scientific and anecdotal information from players.
"The NHL has failed to institute policies and protocols that could have and will protect its players from suffering or exacerbating head trauma sustained during practice or in games," read the complaint.
Among the plaintiffs, Dan LaCouture, Jack Carlson, Mike Peluso and Tom Younghans spent their careers as enforcers and piled up more minutes in fighting penalties than points.
The other players named in the lawsuit were Dan Keczmer, Richard Brennan, Brad Maxwell, Allan Rourke and Scott Bailey.
"Through enclosed rink designs and lax rules for fighting, the NHL vectored a culture of extreme violence and packaged the spoils to adoring fans." continued the suit.
The NHL did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A lawsuit filed last year that started with 10 plaintiffs but has since grown to over 200, said it was time for the NHL to elevate player safety over profit and tradition.
Concussions have been in the NHL spotlight for years.
Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, the game's most popular player and face of the NHL, missed large chunks of two seasons as he slowly recovered from concussion symptoms.
Several other players, including former All-Stars Eric Lindros, Pat LaFontaine and Keith Primeau, were all forced to prematurely end their careers due to concussion issues.
In 2011, three former NHL enforcers, Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien and Wade Belak died tragically raising concerns about a possible link between the deaths and the players' tough guy roles and concussions.
Last year the National Football League paid $765 million to settle a similar lawsuit brought by thousands of former players, many suffering from dementia and health problems.
Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Take: After the uproar over the NFL's concussion lawsuit came to light, several NHL players followed suit. What started with ten players now has over two hundred NHL player joining the lawsuit. Yesterday a second lawsuit was filed as stated above. Professional soccer is also looking into their players getting concussions from headers. It not going to slow down. Players from the UFC, Boxing, World Extreme Cage-fighting, etc., will be filing suit in the future. It's inevitable. We think all extreme sports, (And yes, football and hockey are extreme sports), should get together, pool their funds and get the best brain specialist, experts and authorities to help come up with ideas for these concussion dilemmas. There may not be a solution!!! All types of headgear has been tried but sometimes the hits are so violent, the head protection doesn't matter. Do the players sign a waiver and gamble on the chance they're taking with their health? All professional athlete love the money, the adulation, the notoriety, the endorsements, etc.; you can't take all of the goodies, (while knowing what you're getting into), and then sue when your career is over. Now here's the real nuts and bolts question, Do we ban and just stop these sports? We know that won't work. The public loves and enjoy seeing these sports and the players love all of the perks mentioned above. The money from television contracts, apparel sales, endorsements, personal appearances, legal and illegal gambling is enormous and no one is going to give any of that up. The individual diehard sports fans that have made these sports leagues and associations so successful are the key to coming up with ideas or a constructive framework to start finding a solution to this crisis. Someone out there has some terrific ideas, we'd love to hear what you have to say especially your thoughts and what's your take?
**************************************************
Please let us hear your opinion on the above articles and pass them on to any other diehard fans that you think might be interested. But most of all, remember, Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica wants you!!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment