CS&T/AllsportsAmerica Monday Sports News Update, 04/14/2014.

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How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Kane, Toews will 'absolutely' be ready for playoffs. 

By Ryan Dadoun

Chicago Blackhawks Patrick Kane (L, 88) and Jonathan Toews (R, 19). (Photo/AP) 

The Chicago Blackhawks haven’t had Patrick Kane since March 19 or Jonathan Toews since March 30, but both of the injured forward are still on track to be ready for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

“They’re ready to go,” Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said, according to the Chicago Tribune. “Absolutely ready.”

Losing both of them to injuries might prove to be a blessing in disguise. After all, they should be well rested going into the playoffs. Then again, the Blackhawks would have probably preferred that they didn’t get quite this much time off as rust might emerge as a factor.

Chicago went on a four-game winning streak after Toews joined Kane on the sidelines, but the team finished the season with back-to-back losses against Washington and Nashville. The Blackhawks will play against St. Louis or Colorado in the first round.

Here are your first round matchups.

By Ryan Dadoun

With the Detroit Red Wings beating the St. Louis Blues, we now know which teams will meet in the first round.

If you’re not familiar with the new playoff format, the second and third place teams in each division will face each other while the division winners will play against the Wild Card squads. As you might imagine, the teams with the best record in their respective Conferences are paired with the worst Wild Card teams.

We’ll have plenty of in-depth coverage of the upcoming playoff series in the days to come, but for now, here are your first round matchups:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Boston Bruins versus Detroit Red Wings

The Detroit Red Wings have made the playoffs for the 23rd consecutive campaign. Meanwhile, the Boston Bruins have secured the Presidents’ Trophy for the second time in the franchise’s history. Two of the eight teams that have won the Presidents’ Trophy in the salary cap era have gone on to win the Stanley Cup.

Montreal Canadiens versus Tampa Bay Lightning

It remains to be seen who will have home ice advantage in this series. Montreal finished the campaign with 100 points, but Tampa Bay is at 99 going into its game against Washington this afternoon. The Canadiens control the tiebreaker, so an overtime/shootout loss wouldn’t be good enough for the Lightning.

Pittsburgh Penguins versus Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets have made the playoffs for just the second time in the franchise’s history and they are searching for their first postseason win. In Pittsburgh, all eyes will be on goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury after his string of disappointing showings in the playoffs. The Penguins went to the Stanley Cup Final in back-to-back years in 2008 and 2009 and won it all the second time around, but they got a lot to prove going into the 2014 postseason.

New York Rangers versus Philadelphia Flyers

Goaltending could be the X-Factor in this one. The Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist is one of the best goalies of this era while Steve Mason has only played in four postseason contests and has lost them all. Philadelphia has also lost eight straight games at Madison Square Garden, which is a trend they need to snap given that the Rangers have home ice advantage.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Anaheim Ducks versus Dallas Stars

Anaheim won the Pacific Division for the second straight season — although obviously the division changed this season. The Ducks lost in the first round in 2013 despite their strong regular season, so they have plenty to prove going into this series. This will also be Teemu Selanne‘s last postseason run before retirement. Meanwhile, Dallas is back in the playoffs after a five-year absence.

San Jose Sharks versus Los Angeles Kings

Will this be the year that San Jose’s regular season success translates into a Stanley Cup championship? This will be San Jose’s 10th consecutive season in the playoffs, but the franchise doesn’t have anything to show for it yet. The Kings had the inferior regular season record, but they won the Cup in 2012 and advanced to the Western Conference Finals in 2013.

St. Louis Blues versus Chicago Blackhawks

Lots of star power in this one, but how much of it will be healthy? Chicago will get Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews back for Game 1, but the Blues have a lot list of injured forwards, including Patrik Berglund, Brenden Morrow, Vladimir Sobotka, T.J. Oshie, David Backes, and Vladimir Tarasenko.

Colorado Avalanche versus Minnesota Wild

The Avalanche’s turnaround under rookie coach and Hall of Famer Patrick Roy has been spectacular, but can they take that momentum into the playoffs? The Wild are going into this series as the underdogs, but expectations will still be high for them to perform in the second season of the Ryan Suter/Zach Parise era.

NHL Playoffs: Complete schedule for Blackhawks-Blues.

By Tracey Myers

The Chicago Blackhawks will open their series at the St. Louis Blues at 7 p.m. on Thursday night, as the NHL released its first-round schedule on Sunday evening.

The Blackhawks play the first two games on the road, with Game 2 scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday. Game 3 will be April 21 at 7:30 p.m. at the United Center, with Game 4 here on April 23 at 8:30 p.m.

If there’s a Game 5 it will be back in St. Louis at 7 p.m. on April 25; Game 6 would be here at 3 p.m. on April 27. Game 7, if necessary, would be in St. Louis but the time has yet to be determined.

Comcast SportsNet Chicago will televise Games 1, 3 and 4, as well as Games 5 and 7, if necessary.

DATE	TIME (CT)	MATCHUP	TV
Thursday, April 17	7 p.m.	Blackhawks at Blues	CSN
Saturday, April 19	2 p.m.	Blackhawks at Blues	NBC, CBC
Monday, April 21	7:30 p.m.	Blues at Blackhawks	CSN
Wednesday, April 23	8:30 p.m.	Blues at Blackhawks	CSN
*Friday, April 25	7 p.m.	Blackhawks at Blues	CSN
*Sunday, April 27	2 p.m.	Blues at Blackhawks	NBC, CBC
*Tuesday, April 29	TBD	Blackhawks at Blues	CSN

*If necessary

Bear Down Chicago Bears!!! Bears among NFL’s busiest at rebuilding roster since 2011.

By John Mullin

Gregg Rosenthal over at NFL.com has taken an interesting look at which teams have had the most roster turnover over the past two years. It’s a subject that Bears coach Marc Trestman alluded to back at the NFL Scouting Combine in February as far as new faces on offense.

But it runs deeper than just offense. Only four teams (Indianapolis, Jacksonville, St. Louis, Tampa Bay) have fewer than the Bears’ 10 players remaining from the 2011 roster, according to Gregg’s research. 

 Several implications here:

* General manager Phil Emery has more than established his comfort level with change, starting with changing head coaches (Lovie Smith to Trestman) and extending through a reconstituted offense last year and a defense this offseason.

“It’s part of the process of getting better,” Emery said at the Combine. “I think we have a history of we’re not afraid to take calculated risk and we’ll continue to do that. We’ll continue to find players that have upside skills, that have good ceilings in terms of athletically, speed and size. And we’ll piece it together.”

* Not surprisingly, many of the teams down the list are playoff teams, the ones with less turnover, obviously because their roster talent was better. Among the “stable eight,” the ones with the most players still left from 2011’s rosters: San Diego, New England, Cincinnati, Seattle, San Francisco and Green Bay.

* Of the top 10 teams as far as turnover, only Tampa Bay and New Orleans are on the Bears’ 2014 schedule. That’s actually unfortunate; you would prefer teams in flux or a rebuilding mode.

Just another Chicago Bulls Session… Knicks 100, Bulls 89.

By Everett Merrill, The Sports Xchange

The New York Knicks ended the Chicago Bulls' seven-game winning streak with a 100-89 victory Sunday night at Madison Square Garden.

The Bulls (47-33) wasted an opportunity to move ahead of the Toronto Raptors, who lost to Detroit on Sunday, for the third seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The two teams are tied at 47-33.

The loss for Chicago was just the 15th against an Eastern Conference foe since Jan. 1.

The Knicks (35-45) were officially eliminated from playoff contention Saturday when Atlanta clinched the final playoff berth with a win over Miami.

New York held on to its lead in the fourth quarter without its leading scorer, forward Carmelo Anthony, who was resting his sore shoulder. Rookie guard Tim Hardaway Jr. led the Knicks with 20 points. Anthony and shooting guard J.R. Smith chipped in with 17 points each.

Chicago center Joakim Noah narrowly missed recording his fifth triple-double of the season, scoring 13 points, with 17 rebounds and nine assists. Guard Jimmy Butler led Chicago with 17 points and forwards Mike Dunleavy and Taj Gibson added 13 points apiece.

The Bulls got as close as 95-88 with 2:10 to play, but Hardaway's two free throws with 49.6 left and a 3-pointer moved the Knicks lead to 100-88.

Forward Carlos Boozer's jumper pulled the Bulls to within 71-61 with 1:56 left in the third quarter, but the Knicks outscored Chicago 6-3 to grab a 77-64 edge going into the fourth quarter.

The Knicks extended their lead to 64-48 with 5:50 left in the quarter by going on a 19-9 blitz. Smith keyed the run by making his first 3-point attempts of the quarter. New York converted just two of its 12 shots from beyond the arc in the first half.

New York ended the second quarter on a 9-0 run to move into a 45-39 lead. Anthony played sparingly in the quarter, but the Knicks received a boost from Hardaway, who contributed six points in the quarter. He was the first man off of coach Mike Woodson's bench.

Chicago showed good ball movement in the first quarter. The Bulls assisted on seven of their eight baskets and led 22-19. Boozer and Dunleavy dropped in six points apiece.

NOTES: Bulls C Joakim Noah is on pace to finish the season with 419 assists, which would place him ninth in league history among centers. Noah's four triple-doubles this season is tied for the league lead. ... Knicks F Carmelo Anthony is averaging a career-high 8.2 rebounds going into the game. ... During Chicago's seven-game win streak before Sunday's game, the Bulls have outscored their opponents by 11.7 points. ... Chicago is 29-3 this season when it scores at least 96 points in a game.

 

 Magic-Bulls Preview.

By JEFF BARTL (STATS Writer)

The Chicago Bulls will have home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, but their opponent - and which side of the Eastern Conference bracket they'll be placed - remains to be determined.

The Bulls (47-33) are tied with Toronto for third, but the Raptors hold the tiebreaker by virtue of winning the Atlantic Division. Chicago would have to win this contest and Wednesday's finale against Charlotte, while Toronto would have to drop one of its final two in order for the Bulls to finish with the third seed.

A win in either contest combined with two Raptors losses also would clinch it.

Chicago had its seven-game winning streak snapped Sunday in a 100-89 loss to New York and missed a chance to pull a game ahead of the Raptors.

"Defensively, we weren't very good," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "I thought we made some good plays down the stretch and we missed some wide-open 3s that you live with."

Joakim Noah had another solid performance with 13 points, 17 rebounds and nine assists, but the Bulls finished just 6 of 22 from 3-point range.

"We let a big game slip. It was probably the biggest game of the season," Noah said. "Disappointing the way our mentality wasn't good, but overall we just won't have time, just got to let this one go, get ready tomorrow."

Noah finished with 26 points and 19 rebounds in a 128-125 overtime win Jan. 15 in the last matchup with Orlando. Victor Oladipo, the No. 2 overall draft pick in 2013, scored a career-high 35 points in that contest for a Magic team that will be picking in the lottery for the second straight year.

Orlando (23-57) has dropped two straight and fell to 4-36 on the road with Sunday's 97-88 loss to Brooklyn. Tobias Harries came off the bench to score 18 points, while Oladipo added 14.

"Any time we lose, whether it is on the road or at home, it bothers me," Harris said. "We're not in the playoffs, but I'm just going out there and playing my heart out like it's my last game."

Orlando won the other meeting in Chicago 83-82 on Dec. 16, though it has lost 25 of 26 on the road since that contest. The Magic led 59-55 with seven minutes left in the third quarter, but the Nets went on a 15-0 run and put the game away.

"(The road record) doesn't bother us. We just have to come out and play the same way we do (at home)," said forward Kyle O'Quinn, who had 10 points. "Things just didn't bounce our way."

Center Nikola Vucevic tested his sore left Achilles prior to Sunday's contest, but he said the training staff decided he shouldn't play. He's missed the last six, and he's likely to sit out the final two as well.

Orlando has lost 10 of the last 12 meetings with the Bulls, though both wins in that stretch have come in Chicago.

Report: Carmelo Anthony asked former Bulls player what it’s like to play for Tom Thibodeau.

By Brett LoGiurato

New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony recently asked a former Chicago Bulls player what it was like to play for Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau, the New York Daily News’ Frank Isola reported.

From Isola’s report:

Carmelo Anthony recently approached a former Chicago Bulls player and asked a loaded question that should make Phil Jackson a little nervous. 

“What is it like to play for Thibs?” Anthony said. 

Anthony’s interest in Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau can be taken one of several ways. Anthony, who lives and breathes basketball, is merely interested in learning something about one of the NBA’s top coaches. In fact, Anthony will be working with Thibodeau, who was named to USA Basketball’s coaching staff last June. 

Of course, Anthony’s impromptu background check on Thibodeau could also be his idea of due diligence since the Bulls loom as an attractive option this summer for the free-agent-to-be.

It’s a question that will likely only serve as the start of speculation about Anthony’s future, as he is poised to become a free agent this summer. The Knicks have now also been officially eliminated from the playoffs, the first such time Anthony has missed out on the postseason in his 11-year NBA career.

The Bulls have emerged this season as one of the most attractive options for Anthony in free agency, along with the Houston Rockets.

Chicago could have the necessary cap room to make a run at Anthony if it exercises the amnesty provision on Carlos Boozer. Adding Anthony to their roster would give the Bulls an impressive Big Three of Joakim Noah, Derrick Rose and Anthony.

The Knicks are still widely viewed as the favorites to sign Anthony, with their addition of Jackson as team president serving as another moved aimed at securing Anthony for the long-term. They can also offer Anthony an extra year and a contract close to $30 million more.

In his report, Isola also pointed out the fact that as recently as Friday, Anthony provided glowing commentary about the Bulls coach Thibodeau.

When asked on Friday why the Bulls have survived losing key players while the Knicks haven’t, Anthony said: “I have no clue. Thibs is a great coach, his system kind of reminds me of Gregg Popovich’s system. 

“You put anybody in that system and it’s going to work. That’s what they’ve been doing. They’ve had guys sitting out all season long, guys that’s been in and out of the lineups and they seem to get it done.”

Alexei Ramirez caps wild Sunday with walk-off home run.

By Dan Hayes

He got them going early Sunday with Celine Dion in the clubhouse, and hours later Alexei Ramirez sent his White Sox teammates home equally fired up.

 

The shortstop’s game-winning, two-run home run salvaged a cold, miserable day at U.S. Cellular Field as the White Sox shook off a blown save and a potential heartbreaking loss with a 4-3 win over the Cleveland Indians in front of 14,281.

 

After previously extending his season-opening hitting streak to 13 games with a third-inning single, Ramirez ripped a first-pitch fastball from John Axford into the home bullpen as the White Sox beat Cleveland — in a game twice delayed by rain — for the third time in four tries in the teams’ first meeting. The homer made a victor of closer Matt Lindstrom, who blew his second save in three tries as he allowed a pair of unearned runs.

 

“At that time, I didn’t feel any cold at all,” Ramirez said through the team’s manager of cultural development, Lino Diaz. “That was a great moment. The most important thing is we won the game.”

 

Until Ramirez’s heroics it looked as if a fragile White Sox bullpen that entered with a 7.53 ERA had struck again.

 

The White Sox took a 2-1 lead into the top of the ninth inning after Marcus Semien’s solo homer in the bottom of the eighth.

 

But Lindstrom couldn’t hold it.

 

Combined with an inning-opening error by Jose Abreu, the Indians got four men on in the top of the ninth inning and scored twice. An RBI single by David Murphy tied the game, and a Lindstrom wild pitch with two outs put the Indians ahead 3-2.

 

But Jordan Danks drew a leadoff walk against Axford and stole second base.

 

After Alejandro De Aza popped out, Ramirez hammered a 93-mph fastball from Axford over the fence in left for the second walk-off homer of his career. Ramirez, who is second in the American League with 21 hits, also had a game-winning homer on April 2, 2011.

 

“He's been swinging a hot bat, that's for sure,” manager Robin Ventura said. “In that situation, I don't know if it mattered what he threw, he was probably going to take a pretty good hack at it. But he's been hot. He's been knocking in a lot of runs, a lot of big runs for us early.”

 

Through 13 games, Ramirez, who also blasted a pair of Dion tunes — including “My Heart Will Go On” — before batting practice to the joy of his teammates, has a .420/.463/.680 slash line with three homers and 12 RBIs in 54 plate appearances. Prior to this season, Ramirez has never had an OPS of higher than .701 in April, and his career mark is .643. He attributes it to feeling more confidence in his seventh year in the majors and feeling prepared.

 

Ramirez also admits he was geared up for Axford’s first pitch.

 

“Everybody knows me as an aggressive hitter,” Ramirezi said. “I’m going to go for a good pitch. I’m going to go looking for a good pitch to hit, and when I get it I’m going to swing at it. That’s what happened. I got a good pitch. He’s a really good pitcher and he just left me pitch up there and I was able to put a good swing on it.”

 

Semien did too.

 

He ripped a 3-2 sinker from Indians starter Corey Kluber over the bullpen in left to put the White Sox ahead by a run with one out in the eighth.

 

The White Sox didn’t do much else against Kluber, who allowed just the two runs and struck out six over 7 1/3 innings. Dayan Viciedo, who went 2-for-3, singled in the White Sox only other run in the fourth.

 

But the combination of a slow offensive day and rain delays of 75 minutes (before first pitch) and 45 minutes couldn’t stop the White Sox.

 

Perhaps it’s the makeup of this new club. Or perhaps it was Ramirez’s pregame music selection.

 

“The way things have been going lately, no game’s over just because we’re down a run,” Danks said. “At times last year when we’d get down by runs, we were beaten. This year’s a different team. We battle back.”

Rizzo goes deep but Cubs fall in St. Louis. 

 

Associated Press

 

Matt Carpenter drove in three runs, leading Michael Wacha and the St. Louis Cardinals over the Chicago Cubs 6-4 Sunday.

 

The Cardinals took two of three from the Cubs. Chicago has lost three of four overall.

Carpenter hit a two-run single in the second inning and added a sacrifice fly in the fourth that put St. Louis ahead to stay at 4-3.

Wacha (2-0) allowed three runs and five hits in 6 1-3 innings. He gave up a two-run homer to Anthony Rizzo on his 16th pitch of the game.

Wacha struck out eight and walked one.

Trevor Rosenthal gave up a run in the ninth, but retired Luis Valbuena and Emilio Bonifacio with the trying runs on base to pick up his fourth save in as many opportunities.

Edwin Jackson (0-1) allowed four runs and eight hits in six innings.

Bubba Watson wins Masters in relentless, efficient fashion.

By Jay Busbee

Adam Scott Putting on Bubba Watson's second Green Jacket in three years. (Getty Images)

On Saturday night, just after finishing his round, Bubba Watson offered up a curious quote about the pressure of playing for a Masters championship:

"If I shoot 90 tomorrow I still have a green jacket," he said, "so it's not as bad."

Not exactly the go-for-the-throat line you'd expect, but then, Watson hasn't ever done much in the game of golf in the expected fashion. So it's perfectly in keeping with his life and style that a guy who once wanted to drive the General Lee up Magnolia Lane became just the 17th man to win more than one Masters. His performance on Sunday lacked the dramatic playoff heroics of his first win, back in 2012, but the fact that Watson was able to hold onto a lead throughout the tournament – he was the leader at the end of Rounds 2 and 3, too – speaks to his growth as a golfer.

He shrugged off an early bogey on No. 3, wasn't phased by two Jordan Spieth birdies putting him two shots behind, and wound up firing a 3-under 69, enough for a three-stroke win over the 20-year-old Spieth and Jonas Blixt.

"This one's a lot different," Watson told CBS. "The first one, for me, I almost lucked into it. This one was a lot of hard work, dedication and got back here. After giving away that jacket last year, kind of wanted it back."

This Masters began with what would be a death knell to most other tournaments: no Tiger Woods. Out for a still-indefinite period of time following back surgery, Woods remained the story for much of the first part of the week. How much would ratings decline? (Plenty.) Would Tiger ever win another major? (To be determined.) Would Woods dominate coverage from hundreds of miles away? (Nope.)
 

And then the actual golf began. After the traditional crew of Nicklaus, Palmer and Player began the 78th Masters with the ceremonial tee shots (Nicklaus outdrove Player by a yard), another name with some golf pedigree claimed the early lead. Bill Haas rode out a surprisingly rough Thursday to post a 4-under. Haas couldn't hold the lead, however, and fell back to the pack by the weekend.

Defending champion Adam Scott didn't fare much better, never really able to get going to any measurable degree. Rory McIlroy was the last player to make the cut, and for his efforts ended up getting beaten by his own marker on Saturday. Phil Mickelson, Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia, Jason Dufner and many other big names didn't even reach the weekend.

That left Bubba and a cast of spoilers, led by Spieth. To date, Spieth has shown uncommon poise and calm in the midst of ever-escalating pressure. He entered Sunday with a share of the lead along with Watson, and for a few short minutes on Sunday, held a two-shot lead advantage. No cheer this week approached the earth-rattling tremors of a Tiger Woods shot, but Spieth's from-the-sand birdie on 4 came the closest.

But you don't win Augusta in four holes any more than you win the Super Bowl with a touchdown in the first three minutes. Spieth would see his lead waver almost immediately, and a four-stroke swing on holes 8 and 9, where Speith went from two up to two down in a matter of just 40 minutes, sealed his fate.

"Although it sits a little hard right now, I'll be back," Spieth told CBS after. "Hats off to Bubba.
 

"That was fun, but at same time it hurts right now. ... Didn't come out on top, but I can take a lot positives away. Felt very comfortable out there. My game felt like it will hold up and I think I'm ready to win a major, and that's a great feeling."

Watson, meanwhile, was calm — uncannily so, considering he usually approaches the game of golf like a guy using a chainsaw to open an envelope. His sonic-boom drives on holes 2, 9 and 13 allowed him flexiiblity in his approaches, and every single unconventional gamble — going straight at the green from an ugly pinestraw lie on 15, for instance — paid off.

After tapping in to clinch the win, Watson was met by his wife and baby boy Caleb. With his son in his arms, Watson circled the crowd gathered around the 18 green, high-fiving as many as he could.

He didn't shoot 90. Instead, he went low. Now, it's two green jackets in just three years for Watson.

Harvick marks himself a contender with win.

By PETE IACOBELLI (AP Sports Writer)

Kevin Harvick knew his first-year Stewart-Haas Racing team was better than it had shown the past few weeks. After taking the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on Saturday night, Harvick is convinced the group has exactly what it takes to win a Sprint Cup championship.

''I'm excited about it and I think that's why everybody on this team came here,'' Harvick said. ''We came here to race for wins, to be in a position to contend for a championship. I really feel like everybody on this team feels like we bettered ourselves by coming together.''

They took a major step to proving that with Harvick's first victory in 18 races at the track ''Too Tough To Tame.'' It made Harvick the first this season with two victories - and a lock for the season-ending, 16-team Chase for a Sprint Cup championship.

The victory also ended a maddening slump where Harvick had finishes of 41st, 39th, 36th, seventh and 42nd in the races since the team's breakthrough win at Phoenix last month.

Harvick said such a stretch might've devastated a lesser team - he pointed to the chaos that's been the NBA's Indiana Pacers in recent weeks - but thought his crew kept each other's spirits up through the down times. The team had a near flawless performance at Darlington, capturing Harvick's first-ever pole here before his dominating performance (he led 238 of 374 laps) that was capped when he passed Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the second green-white-checkered finish.

''Sometimes it just doesn't go your way and you have to be able to put that behind you whether you win or lose,'' he explained. ''Come Monday morning, we have to put this behind us and say, 'What do we need to do to get better?'''

The team will have a bit more time for those decisions since the circuit takes its traditional Easter weekend off before resuming at Richmond International Raceway on April 26.

Harvick's crew chief Rodney Childers blamed the failings on mistakes he will ensure get corrected. ''Without mechanical issues, we could've won three races, four races, maybe five races,'' Childers said.

Here are five other things to take away from the Southern 500:

FRESH TIRES ARE THE BEST TIRES: Nothing beats fresh rubber, especially at Darlington. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson each chose to take just two tires on a pit stop after a caution 10 laps from the end. Harvick and Childers decided on a full set and that was the difference as the No. 4 Chevrolet moved past Earnhardt on the next to last lap for the victory.

''The '4' just had new tires,'' Earnhardt said. ''We had 30-something laps on our lefts and that just wasn't going to get the job done with him right behind us.''

YOUNG GUNS ON THE RISE: The weekend also featured a couple of young racers who look as if they'll make a mark on this sport. 18-year-old high-schooler Chase Elliott was the talk of the track after his dash to the top on Friday for his second straight victory in the Nationwide Series.

On the Sprint Cup side, 21-year-old Kyle Larson made it through a harrowing weekend where he struck the wall in practice - twice - and had to use a backup car. Still, he wound up eighth, an impressive run at a track that typically chews up and spits out untested drivers.

GOOD ON YA, GORDON: Jeff Gordon still doesn't have a victory this season but again showed why the four-time series champion is on a major roll. His No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports car had another top 10 (he was seventh), his sixth in eight races this year. Keep this up and Gordon may not need a win to get him into the chase, assuming there are 15 or fewer winners this season.

''Good to be leading the points (but) I feel like a missed opportunity,'' Gordon said.

HENDRICK STRONG: Three of the four Hendrick Motorsports entries finished in the top seven with Dale Earnhardt Jr. second, Jimmie Johnson third and Gordon seventh. The one Hendrick driver not up in the top 10 was Kasey Kahne back in 37th.

WATCH YOUR BACK, CLINT: Clint Bowyer might want to be extra careful around Richmond in two weeks after he got up behind Kurt Busch and spun out the Stewart-Haas Racing driver on the first of two green-white-checkered finishes.

Busch rammed hard into the interior wall,, but got out of the car fine - and vengeful. He purposely walked up the track as the line of cars moved past, making sure to stare down Bowyer's No. 15 machine as he drove past.

NASCAR team owner Gene Haas granted F1 license.

NASCAR Staff Report

One of NASCAR's top team owners will add a Formula One program to his burgeoning stable.

Gene Haas, co-owner of the Stewart-Haas Racing organization that fields the cars of Tony Stewart, Danica Patrick, Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, has been granted a license by the FIA to start a Formula One team for the 2015 season. No team based in the United States has competed in F1 since Lola-Hart attempted a limited number of races in 1985-86.

"Obviously, we're extremely pleased to have been granted a Formula One license by the FIA," Haas said in a statement released Friday. "It's an exciting time for me, Haas Automation and anyone who wanted to see an American team return to Formula One. Now, the really hard work begins. It's a challenge we embrace as we work to put cars on the grid. I want to thank the FIA for this opportunity and the diligence everyone put forth to see our license application come to fruition."

Founded in 1983 and based in Oxnard, Calif., Haas Automation is the largest CNC machine tool builder in the western world. Stewart-Haas Racing won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship in 2011. Haas is also founder of the Windshear rolling-road wind tunnel in Concord, N.C.

Stewart-Haas Racing competes out of Kannapolis, N.C., in a facility that's currently being expanded to better accommodate Busch's No. 41 program, which was added prior to this season. Haas has indicated in the past that the F1 operation may also be based out of the Kannapolis, N.C. facility.

Three things we learned from Liverpool's huge win vs. Manchester City.

By Joe Prince-Wright

Following Liverpool’s dramatic 3-2 win over Manchester City on Sunday, the home side took a massive leap towards winning their first-ever Premier League title.

Brendan Rodgers‘ side are rampant, after they sealed their tenth-straight win to keep them top of the standings on an emotional game at Anfield with the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster being remembered.

But what did we learn from Liverpool’s win? Here’s three things that stuck out.

Liverpool’s midfield just as good as S.A.S.

On Sunday Liverpool’s game-winner Philippe Coutinho curled in a deft finish to seal a massive three points late on. However the little Brazilian was getting stuck in more than anybody else in Red, as his teammates were inspired by his uncharacteristic feisty side. Smashing into City’s left back Gael Clichy at every opportunity, Coutinho was a beast, and the home fans around me at Anfield were applauding and cheering his relentless high-pressure. The diminutive playmaker came up with the game-winning goal so he will, of course, get all the headlines. Yet Steven Gerrard put in another monumental display in the middle, Jordan Henderson worked tirelessly to overcome City’s marauding attackers and Raheem Sterling was a wizard on the wing. The teenager’s composure when put clean through in the first six minutes was marvelous and with Roy Hodgson watching on, Sterling looks to be a shoe-in for England’s World Cup squad. We often talk about Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez (but of whom failed to score but created plenty of problems) and rightly so after their 52 goals combined this season, but Liverpool’s midfield came up big when it really mattered.

David Silva can still win City the title

Missing vast swathes of the season through injury, in recent weeks David Silva has been the difference for City. His class shone through and he single-handedly dragged Man City back into the game in the second half. Even when Liverpool were 2-0 up and cruising midway through the first half, every time Silva got on the ball Liverpool’s defense dropped off and a sense of nervousness came over the home fans. Silva proved why in the second half, as he scored the first, his shot was deflected in for the second and his probing passes and clever runs had Liverpool reeling. You sensed he would be the game-winner and in the 75th minute he sent a stretching toe poke just wide of Simon Mignolet‘s post as the Kop breathed a huge sigh of relief with the ‘Silva show’ in full flow. That miss woke Liverpool up and Coutinho’s winner came moments later. Despite this damaging loss, if City win out they can still put pressure on Liverpool and win the title. With six games to go they are seven points behind the Reds, but have two games in hand. If Silva’s star continues to shine brightly in the final few weeks of the season, they have half a chance.

Still questions marks over Liverpool’s defense

As mentioned, Silva orchestrated City’s surging second half comeback, yet that came after some slack defending from Liverpool which let the Citizens back into the game. Time and time again in the first half they gave the ball away just in front of their own back four and they started doing that in the second half too. Martin Skrtel and Mamadou Sakho were solid, yet unspectacular, and every time they got on the ball and were urged forward by the home crowd, they hesitated. Full backs Jon Flanagan and Glen Johnson also looked nervy, as James Milner skinned Flanagan several times in the second half, while Johnson failed to deal with Nasri on a regular basis as the English right back stuck out a lazy leg to deflect a shot past his own ‘keeper for City’s second goal. In the end a defensive mistake from City sparred Liverpool’s blushes, but the fact that they almost chucked a 2-0 lead away, at home, in the biggest game of the season, shouldn’t be overlooked. In the run-in they must get better at the back, but with their incredible offensive power the Reds may neglect their defensive duties. That could cost them in four tight games to come.

Ohio begins pushback against college player unions.

By JULIE CARR SMYTH (Associated Press)

State pushback against a movement to unionize college athletes has begun in Ohio, the football-loving heart of a heated anti-labor campaign in 2011 and home to one of America's highest-grossing collegiate franchises, the Ohio State Buckeyes.

A measure approved by the state House on Wednesday, two weeks after a federal agency said football players at Northwestern University could unionize, clarifies that college athletes aren't public employees. The proposal appears to be the first of its kind to clear a state legislative chamber; it heads next to the state Senate.

The opposite is happening in Connecticut, where lawmakers are looking at clearing the path for college athletes to unionize. Some observers, though, think other states are more likely to follow Ohio's lead.

''This is a pre-emptive move,'' said John Russo, a union organization expert who formerly directed Youngstown State University's Center for Working-Class Studies.

The National Labor Relations Board official ruled March 26 that full-scholarship players at Northwestern University in Illinois are employees and therefore eligible to unionize. The university has appealed ahead of a vote by the athletes April 25.

Northwestern athletes leading the effort say they simply want a seat at the table since they have so little say on injuries, insurance, finances, scheduling and other aspects of their sports.

Federal labor law is in play at Northwestern because it's private, but states control policy at public universities - including giants such as Ohio State, Florida State, Michigan and Alabama, whose athletic programs generate millions in annual revenue.
 

Federal data show Ohio State's athletic department generated $123 million in revenue last year, sixth-highest in the country.

Michael McCann, director of the Sports and Entertainment Law Institute at the University of New Hampshire, said he would not be surprised to see other states, especially those with powerful athletic programs at public colleges, follow the lead of lawmakers in Ohio.

But, he added, a declaration that college athletes aren't public employees might create an uneven playing field if athletes at private universities can unionize and receive benefits while those at public colleges in the same state can't.

''In theory, it could give the private universities a recruiting advantage,'' McCann said.

Such a law also would go even a step beyond ''right-to-work'' states that have laws that would prevent athletes from unionizing but still allow them to be considered public employees, Russo said.

In Connecticut - home to the teams at the public University of Connecticut that won both the men's and women's NCAA basketball titles this week - lawmakers are evaluating whether state law allows athletes to join a union.

''If there are any artificial barriers, then we should remove them,'' said Democratic state Rep. Patricia Dillon, noting athletes shouldn't be forced to join unions. ''But there's no question that the whole concept of student-athletes was unjust from the beginning.''

The National Conference of State Legislatures, which tracks statehouse legislation nationwide, said it doesn't know of proposals on college unionization in any other states, perhaps because many legislatures are out of session.

But Russo believes it's coming.

''All these individual states that have public-sector universities, they're going to move fast to say those athletes aren't public employees,'' said Russo, now a visiting research fellow at Virginia Tech.

The Ohio proposal's chances in the Senate are unclear. That chamber spearheaded a 2011 law limiting the bargaining powers of police, firefighters, teachers and other public workers. Voters later overwhelming repealed it.

The leader of a powerful labor union in Ohio criticized lawmakers for pushing for a change in defining athletes before hearing their concerns.

''They should try to engage in a productive way by dealing with the real concerns of fairness and safety where the players and university leaders have expressed common themes for change,'' said Ohio AFL-CIO President Tim Burga.

Ohio has a deep love affair with football, from high school to the NFL, which took root in Canton, now home to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The state has eight football bowl subdivision teams, all of which would be affected by the employee-athlete provision.

Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said after the Northwestern ruling that he's always been ''pro-student.''

''They (athletes) should get a stipend. ... but to say that they can go out and get their own shoe contracts or those kinds of things, I start hearing that and I'm, like, 'Well, what would that do for this great sport?''' he said. ''And, really, what would that do for college athletics as a whole?''

Final Four brings record number of fans to North Texas, leaves lasting impact.

NCAA.com

The 2014 NCAA Division I Men’s Final Four set an all-time attendance record and saw record-breaking online and television viewership for both semifinal games on Saturday, April 5.

The two-session Final Four attendance totaled 158,682 fans, setting the record for the highest attendance and surpassing the 2013 Final Four in Atlanta by 9,006 fans. This year marked the highest attended national championship game with 79,238 fans, exceeding the previous record, also Atlanta in 2013, by 4,912 fans. It also marks the highest attended semifinals in tournament history with 79,444 fans, besting the previous record from the 2011 Final Four at Reliant Stadium in Houston by 4,023 fans.

In total, 739,189 fans attended the 36 sessions of the 2014 tournament.

The four regional sites (Anaheim, Indianapolis, New York and Memphis) were filled to 96 percent capacity, selling more than 181,000 tickets. In earlier rounds, arenas were filled to 91 percent capacity at the eight second- and third-round sites, and 94 percent capacity for the First Four in Dayton.

“In my mind, there’s no such thing as a bad tournament; they are all great for a college basketball aficionado,” said Dan Gavitt, the NCAA’s vice president for men’s basketball. “But there was something exceptional about this year’s version of March Madness. The record number of overtime games and so many others that came down to the last few possessions, the usual upsets and close calls for higher-seeded teams, the tremendous crowds and atmospheres, and the quality of play and coaching all contributed to a memorable tournament. The Final Four featured three more terrific games, and our hosts in North Texas and at the Big 12 Conference put forth their best effort to make sure that everyone who attended the games, the March Madness Music Festival, Bracket Town or the many other events in the community has memories to last a lifetime.”

A record-breaking 1,829 media members were credentialed for this year’s Final Four.

Broadcast/digital viewership

Turner Sports’ exclusive presentation of the national semifinals across TBS, TNT and truTV grossed 16.3 million total viewers and an 11.0 HH coverage rating for the Kentucky-Wisconsin game to become the most-viewed college basketball game of all time on a cable television network, based on Nielsen Fast Nationals.

Coverage of Connecticut-Florida across the three networks grossed 11.7 million total viewers and an 8.2 HH coverage rating to become the second most-watched college basketball game ever on a cable television network.

CBS coverage of the NCAA national championship had 21 million viewers with a 12.4 HH coverage rating.

Coverage of the tournament reached 102 million viewers (unique viewers), down 2.5 percent from last year. Tournament viewers on average watched 377 minutes, while in 2013 tournament viewers watched 370 minutes on average.

All 67 games were broadcast nationally through the NCAA’s agreement with Turner Sports and CBS. Beyond the national reach, games were broadcast internationally via ESPN International to 165 countries across the globe in five languages – English, Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese and Italian.

This year’s tournament saw four additional broadcasts, with two teamcasts for each semifinal game.

“The Final Four continues to evolve and grow each year, as evidenced by the record crowds at the semifinal and championship games, and the number of television and online viewers from around the world,” said Ron Wellman, the director of athletics at Wake Forest and chair of the Division I men’s basketball committee. “Whether you’re talking about traditional broadcasts on TBS and CBS, the innovative teamcasts carried on truTV and TNT Saturday night, the people in 165 countries who had access to the ESPN International broadcast, or the incredible number of people who watch games on their mobile devices, it’s clear that this tournament is on the short list of the greatest and most popular sporting events in the world.”

In addition to the record-breaking television audience, more people tuned in using NCAA March Madness Live. Across online and mobile (tablets and smart phones) platforms, the two semifinal games netted 3.8 million live streams for an increase of 76 percent from last year. The doubleheader also combined to register more than one million hours of live video consumed, up 37 percent from 2013.

Throughout the course of the tournament, 9.9 million unique viewers (up 9 percent from 2013) streamed 70 million live video streams (up 42 percent from 2013). A total of 15.1 million live hours were watched (up 7 percent from 2013). The NCAA March Madness Live app was downloaded more than 4.5 million times.

According to Social Guide, the National Semifinals tallied more than 1.8 million tweets – that were seen by nearly 200 million followers – for a 36 percent increase from last year.

NCAA Final Four social media accounts saw a 39 percent growth in social media audience to approximately 1.3 million people, and recorded approximately 43.2 million impressions during the entire Final Four, including the national championship game.

Fan events and participation

More than 153,500 people attended Bracket Town presented by Capital One and the March Madness Music Festival.

Approximately 2,900 youth participants, along with additional parents and guardians, were given t-shirts and basketballs and then attended Bracket Town presented by Capital One on Sunday, April 6 during the Final Four Dribble refreshed by Coca-Cola.

More than 21,500 fans attended Reese’s Final Four Friday, viewing the four teams’ open practices and the Reese’s College All-Star Game on Friday, April 4.

Local impact

Through the NCAA partnership with Samaritan’s Feet and Feed the Hungry, more than 2,000 pairs of shoes and boxes of food were distributed to kids and families in need in  North Texas. Shoes were provided by the NCAA, the National Association of Basketball Coaches’ and Samaritan’s Feet. Meals were provided by the NCAA and Feed the Hungry.

More than 9,400 children participated in the Service Learning Adventures in North Texas (SLANT) program, which promotes social responsibility through service learning, from NCAA Community Outreach 101, Reese’s and CBS 11. The participants contributed more than 100,000 hours of community service. An additional 6,000 people attended the SLANT Celebration.

The NCAA also engaged in several sustainability initiatives, including opening the first NCAA green court at the MLK Jr. Community Center in Dallas In February 2014, the NCAA planted the “First Four” trees of 1,014 trees that the City of Arlington will plant throughout North Texas as part of its Final Four celebration.

“Clear out the Cabinet” took place at all Final Four volunteer orientations. More than 40 large boxes and more than 4,500 pounds of food were collected and donated to Mission Arlington and the North Texas Food Bank.

More than 2,500 volunteers were utilized for the 2014 NCAA Final Four, giving more than 34,000 hours of service.

Game/scoring statistics

Connecticut is now 4-0 in national championship games, which sets the record for most title game wins without having a loss.

This year marks the first time since Arizona won the national championship in 1997 that the national champion was not also a conference regular-season and/or tournament champion.

With a 7-seed and an 8-seed playing for the 2014 title game, the combined seed total (15) set an all-time mark for highest ever. The previous was 11, when third-seeded UConn played No. 8 Butler in the 2011 championship game.

Looking back on this year’s tournament, there are a number of other key scoring statistics related to the emphasis on new officiating guidelines:

Tournament field goal percentage for the 67 games improved from 42.3 percent in 2013 to 44.2 percent this year. Three-point shooting went up from 33.1 to 33.6 percent, and free-throw percentage improved from 71.1 percent to 72.8.

Free throw attempts per game went up, but only slightly (19.1 to 19.8). Same with fouls (up from 17.1 per game in 2013 to 17.6 this year).

Scoring went up 4 percent, increasing from 65.8 points per game in 2013 to 68.4 points per game this year.

Turnovers dipped by more than 14 percent, going from 12 per game in 2013 to 10.3 this year, while steals decreased 12.5 percent, dropping from 6.2 to 5.4 per game.

Manny Pacquiao gets well-earned decision win over Timothy Bradley in rematch.

By Kevin Iole

Manny Pacquiao once again outboxed Timothy Bradley Jr., but this time, the Filipino superstar got the decision he so richly deserved.

In a solid though not spectacular performance, Pacquiao outboxed Bradley to reclaim the WBO welterweight championship before 15,601 partisan fans at the MGM Grand Garden.

Pacquiao was masterful in giving angles and beating Bradley to the punch. Judges had it 116-112, 118-110 and 116-112 for Pacquiao, who lost a highly disputed decision to Bradley in the same ring nearly two years ago. Yahoo Sports had it 117-111 for Pacquiao.

Bradley, who suffered his first defeat, said he injured his right calf in the first round. But he congratulated Pacquiao after the bout.

"You deserved it," Bradley said to Pacquiao. "You won the fight."

This was most definitely not the 2008-09 vintage Pacquiao, who stopped a series of the greatest fighters in the world in devastating fashion. But Pacquiao boxed smartly, catching Bradley and then spinning away out of danger.

Promoter Bob Arum was so giddy that he went on a bizarre rant ripping Floyd Mayweather Jr. and reporters who he said are afraid to lose access for not ripping Mayweather and his team.

"Write all you want about 15-1 fights with no hopers and all this thuggery where, when I'm doing a promotion, they make the MGM put up signs for their stupid fight," Arum said. "You guys continue to do that. We'll give you quality fights. HBO will give you quality fights. But you want to close your eye to thuggery in this sport."

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