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How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Canadiens-Blackhawks Preview.
By JORDAN GARRETSON (STATS Writer)
With Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane out until the playoffs, some unlikely contributors have helped the Chicago Blackhawks stay in the hunt for home-ice advantage in the first round.
Keeping pace could prove to be a bigger challenge with a visit from the red-hot Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night.
The Blackhawks (45-19-15) are likely headed for a first-round series with Colorado, but with the Avalanche maintaining a slim lead for second place in the Central Division, it remains to be seen which club will have home ice. Colorado will have a game in hand following Wednesday's slate of games.
Chicago dropped four of six after losing Kane to a lower-body injury March 20 against St. Louis, and the outlook only worsened when Toews left the club's March 30 tilt at Pittsburgh with an upper-body injury.
However, the Blackhawks have responded with three straight wins without their second- and third-leading scorers, including a 4-2 home victory over the Western Conference-leading Blues on Sunday.
Rookie Jeremy Morin, recalled from the club's AHL affiliate after Kane got hurt, has two goals and two assists over the last three games after getting one of each against St. Louis. Morin assisted on Patrick Sharp's go-ahead goal in the second period, his team-high 33rd of the season.
Chicago also received goals from fourth-year forwards Marcus Kruger and Ben Smith, who scored for the third straight game after tallying three goals in his previous 21 contests.
"Obviously we miss Kane and Toews in the lineup and a few other guys, but when we have everybody playing hard and contributing, it helps," defenseman Duncan Keith told the team's website.
The Canadiens (45-27-7), trying to hold off Tampa Bay for second place in the Atlantic, are 10-2-0 since March 15 while averaging 3.7 goals. They had been tied for 23rd in the league with 2.4 per game through their first 67 contests.
Max Pacioretty has keyed the offensive surge with nine goals and six assists over the last 10 games. He's tied for third in the league with a career-high 39 goals.
Pacioretty's goal Saturday helped Montreal take a 3-0 lead after two periods against Detroit, but the Red Wings scored three straight in the first 10:44 of the third. Brian Gionta answered with his second goal of the game, and Alex Galchenyuk scored to close out a 5-3 victory.
The Canadiens could soon be even stronger, with alternate captain Josh Gorges practicing Monday and set to return soon after being out since March 5 with a hand injury. He's third among the team's defensemen in average ice time and with a plus-7 rating.
"The guys played unbelievable hockey these couple of weeks. Watching the games, you see the commitment to detail and the perseverance," Gorges told the team's website.
Andrei Markov had both of Montreal's goals in a 2-1 overtime victory over the Blackhawks on Jan. 11 and has scored four over his last three games in the series. Chicago was outshot 38-20, still its worst such margin this season.
Carey Price improved to 3-1-0 with a 1.49 goals-against average versus the Blackhawks.
Chicago's Corey Crawford has lost two of three career starts against Montreal despite stopping 89 of 94 shots (.947).
The Canadiens last won in Chicago on Feb. 27, 2002, but have only visited three times since that game. The Blackhawks are 2-0-2 in the past four meetings overall.
Youthful energy of Morin, Nordstrom boosting Blackhawks.
By Tracey Myers
Jeremy Morin and Joakim Nordstrom were called up to Chicago to fill voids.
They’re here to rebuild depth in the Blackhawks’ roster, depleted by injuries to Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. They’re here to help balance lines, as Morin has done with the third and Nordstrom has done with the fourth. They’re here to contribute in any way they can, be it with defense and/or offense.
But besides fulfilling those duties, guys like Morin and Nordstrom have done something else. They’ve brought a much-needed energy boost to a Blackhawks lineup that’s grinding to the regular-season finish line. They bring youthful exuberance, that basic excitement of being with the big club and contributing to it. And the Blackhawks need that as much as anything else the two have brought.
Morin and Nordstrom are thrilled to be here, and that feeling is rubbing off on the Blackhawks locker room. The two bring the same qualities: everyday joy at getting to this level and a drive to stay at this level. For a Blackhawks squad filled with a lot of players who have played a lot of hockey, that excitement can be infectious.
“You see it in those guys; they’re hungry to be here and they know it’s a privilege to be here,” Duncan Keith said of the duo after Sunday’s 4-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues. “Those two guys are in the lineup and played hard. You have to this time of year; it’s not a time to be waiting for the playoffs.”
Coach Joel Quenneville said Blackhawks have been searching for that energy injection for a bit now.
“We were looking for that coming out of the Olympic break — we didn’t get it. Young guys coming into our lineup, they’re giving us a boost and that pace and enthusiasm,” he said. “With Mo and Nordy, we’re at that time of year it’s important to get it.”
The regular season is a grind. It can be arduous, even when you’re fighting for home ice and seeding in the Western Conference. Morin and Nordstrom have brought plenty to the team in their current stints. Their new-to-the-party excitement was an appreciated addition, too.
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!! Are the Bears the NFC North winners in free agency to date?
By Chris Boden
So, have the Bears "won" free agency, especially after Phil Emery's latest shrewd move to protect (and eventually replace?) Roberto Garza at center with Sunday's signing of Brian de la Puente?
We'll downsize this to the NFC North, with players gained and lost, as this Tuesday will mark the one-month mark for free agency:
Chicago Bears
In: DE Jared Allen, DE/DT Lamarr Houston, DE/DT Israel Idonije, DE Willie Young, WR Domenik Hixon, S Ryan Mundy (M.D. Jennings, Danny McCray), CB Kelvin Hayden, LB Jordan Senn, C Brian de la Puente, P Drew Butler/Tress Way
Out: DE Julius Peppers, DE/DT Corey Wootton, DT Henry Melton, WR Earl Bennett, S Major Wright, CB Zack Bowman, LB Blake Costanzo, P Adam Podlesh
Notes: The re-signed Jeremiah Ratliff essentially takes over for Melton at DT...Charles Tillman and Tim Jennings re-sign to cover the starting CB position...Jordan Palmer promoted (for now) to take over for Josh McCown as No. 2 quarterback...KR Devin Hester's replacement TBD (Hixon? Chris Williams?)...and a Michael Ford promotion right now projects as a replacement for No. 2 RB Michael Bush...The O-Line remains intact, with an insurance policy behind Roberto Garza at C. Journeymen DE's Austen Lane and Trevor Scott were signed early in free agency for competition....D.J. Williams re-signed to take over at MLB, unless beaten out by Jon Bostic (also competing with Shea McClellin at SAM to replace James Anderson).
Green Bay Packers
In: DE Julius Peppers, DT Letroy Guion
Out: DT Ryan Pickett/Johnny Jolly, C Evan Dietrich-Smith, WR James Jones, TE Jermichael Finley, S M.D. Jennings
Notes: Jolly and Pickett remain on the market and candidates to return to Green Bay. Of the two, Jolley seems more likely, but B.J. Raji is being moved back inside upon Peppers' arrival, and Mike Daniels and Mike Neal were re-signed as Dom Capers goes all "Seahawks" with his different looks, much like Mel Tucker will. It appears as though Dietrich-Smith will be replaced with last year's 4th round pick, J.C. Tretter, who missed all of last season with an injury. Jarrett Boykin figures to replace Jones. Green Bay could have its eye on Eric Ebron to replace Finley if he falls to 21, or HaHa Clinton-Dix or Calvin Pryor as a big upgrade to replace Jennings, should either fall that far.
Detroit Lions
In: DT Corvey Irvin, WR Golden Tate, DE Darryl Tapp, S James Ihedigbo, QB Dan Orlovsky
Out: DE/DT Israel Idonije, WR Nate Burleson, DE Willie Young, S Louis Delmas
Notes: Irvin for Idonije is a wash...Both saw limited action last season, and if Irvin couldn't get onto the field regularly for that porous Dallas defense, it says something, despite being younger than Idonije. They allowed Young to walk (eventually to the Bears) in order to open up full-time snaps for Ziggy Ansah, last year's top draft pick, who still led them in sacks as a rookie. Tapp brings an experienced backup but didn't get regular rotation time in Washington. When Delmas was healthy, he was a better player than Ihedigbo, but the former Raven is able to stay on the field. Tate for "Pizza Man" Burleson is an upgrade, and there are some who believe the Lions just might take Texas A & M's Mike Evans if he's still on the board at 10 to provide a Marshall/Jeffery-type matchup problem with Megatron.
Minnesota Vikings
In: CB Captain Munnerlyn, DT Linval Joseph, LB Jasper Brinkley, DE Corey Wootton, DT Tim Johnson, G Vladimir Ducasse
Out: CB Chris Cook, DT Letroy Guion, LB Erin Henderson, DE Jared Allen, TE John Carlson
Notes: New Head Coach Mike Zimmer had the tough decision make as he turns over his defense to a style similar to what we saw in Cincinnati — and at the forefront was to value Corey Wootton more than Jared Allen (pricetag and age a factor, too). Joseph-for-Guoin is a wash, but Guoin goes to a division rival, just like Allen did. The biggest upgrade is Munnerlyn-for-Cook at corner, but there are some who believe Captain earned his stripes (4 interception return touchdowns the past two seasons) as a result of the Carolina defense around him. He'll start opposite one of last year's first-rounders, Xavier Rhodes, while sophomore Sharif Floyd slowly evolves into the great Kevin Williams' replacement. Brinkley, who spent his first four seasons in Minni before becoming a backup in Arizona, returns to familiar territory to take over for the troubled Erin Henderson.
Just another Chicago Bulls Session… Bulls-Timberwolves Preview.
By JEFF MEZYDLO (STATS Senior Writer)
The Chicago Bulls are building the kind of momentum they need heading into the playoffs.
They can record a season-high sixth straight victory Wednesday night by continuing their road success over the Minnesota Timberwolves, who look to take down their third playoff-bound team in four games.
Though Chicago (45-32) has faced only one team above .500 during its fourth five-game winning streak of the season, it's averaged 100.8 points during that stretch and allowed 85.0 on 42.2 percent shooting in the last four.
D.J. Augustin had 25 points and Joakim Noah added 21 with 12 rebounds Saturday as the Bulls rolled to a 96-78 road win over Washington in a potential first-round playoff preview.
Chicago last won six in a row during an eight-game run Feb. 20-March 7, 2012.
"I think we are a confident group right now," Noah told the Bulls' official website. "We've gone through a lot. We're playing good basketball, we're confident and we're ready for these playoffs."
Chicago is fourth in the Eastern Conference and has the same record as third-place Toronto, which owns the tiebreaker because it leads the Atlantic Division.
"It doesn't really matter who we see (in the playoffs)," forward Taj Gibson said. "It's all about playing our style. The thing about us is that we are ready for grinding in our kind of game. We're ready for the playoff-style games and we've experienced it so we're ready."
Augustin is a key reason Chicago is in this position without injured star Derrick Rose.
The Bulls are 37-20 since they signed Augustin on Dec. 13 after he was waived by the Raptors. He's averaging a career-high 14.6 points with the Bulls and has scored at least 23 three times in the last five games.
He had 19 with six assists when Chicago's seven-game winning streak against Minnesota (39-38) ended with a 95-86 home loss Jan. 27. Noah sat out with an illness for the Bulls, who have averaged 105.8 points and shot 48.1 percent while winning four straight at Minnesota.
Though the Timberwolves will miss the playoffs for a 10th consecutive season, they have a chance to post their first winning record since going 44-38 in 2004-05.
Ricky Rubio had 23 points and Kevin Love added 19 with 12 rebounds as Minnesota beat NBA-leading San Antonio 110-91 at home Tuesday for its third win in four games.
The Timberwolves bounced back from a 100-92 loss at lowly Orlando on Saturday that came one night after they won 122-121 in double-overtime at East-leading Miami.
"It's something that we like to show, that's why we want to end the season strong and build something for next year," said Rubio, who went 10 of 17 from the field Tuesday.
Rubio has averaged 17.0 points on 49.1 percent shooting in the last four games.
Love shot 5 of 15 against the Spurs after sitting out at Orlando because of back spasms. He scored 31 at Chicago in January.
Minnesota could play a fourth consecutive game without Kevin Martin (19.2 points per game) because of a heel injury and its fifth straight minus Nikola Pekovic (17.4), who is dealing with an ankle problem.
Ronnie Brewer back in the fold for Bulls.
By Aggrey Sam
Back like he never left, Ronnie Brewer officially made his expected return to the Bulls at Monday’s practice, which followed the organization’s announcement that he was signed for the remainder of the season.
“We’re excited to have him back. I thought he did a great job for us the last time we had him. He’s a good pro. He stays ready. He’s a good fit in terms of character and experience,” Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau said after the team’s session at the Berto Center. “We needed another body, and we felt that he could pick things up quickly because he had been here before. And he did a great job when he was here before. I think he has the respect of his teammates. We know he’ll be ready, and if we need him, we’re not going to be afraid to throw him in there.
“We’ll see how it unfolds. He brings energy, defense, moves well without the ball. He’s been in the system before and has played well with a number of guys that we do have,” the coach went on to explain, when asked about Brewer’s potential role. “He fits well in terms of five-man offense and five-man defense. That’s one of his strengths, his ability to play within the team system. We think that’s a good fit and the fact that he’s been around. He’s been in playoff games before. Whatever role you ask him to play, he embraces. If he’s not playing, he’ll be a great teammate on the bench. He’ll provide energy. He’ll make sure the guys out there have an understanding of what we’re doing. He’ll communicate well. He’ll tell people what he sees. If he has to play, the fact that he has played very well with Carlos (Boozer) in the past, the fact he has played well with Joakim (Noah) in the past, the fact he has played well with Taj (Gibson) in the past makes him a good fit.
“I think it’s a big plus. He has the characteristics that we look for — high character, smart — and he plays for the team. It’s good insurance to have.”
Brewer himself appeared pleased to be back in his old stomping grounds.
“I’m very excited to be playing for Thibs. He’s a tough coach, and I know his accolades. I play hard, try and hustle, and that’s the type of players he likes. I’m just glad to be back with some of my old teammates,” he said. “Thibs knows what kinds of players he likes. A player that is going to go out there and give 110 percent, hustle every play and try to do the little things to win. I never needed the ball a lot on offense, and I try to play as hard as I can on defense. I felt like if I do that I can help this team out.
“You never know who you’re going to match up with, and I feel like Thibs knew I knew the style of play, the plays that they run, the defensive sets and how they want people to play. You can say that they wanted me to match up with certain people, but you never know who you’re going to play in the playoffs. Teams don’t lose intentionally, teams don’t try to throw games, especially Thibs. He’s going to play hard every night, and whoever we match up with, that’s who we match with. And that’s who I’m going to try to guard and play my style,” the veteran swingman continued. “When I came up to work out, I guess the word kind of got out. Some guys were hitting me, seeing if I was up here working out. Nothing was solid yet, so I couldn’t be like, ‘Yeah, I am and I’m going to be on the team,’ because I hadn’t signed yet. So worked out, went well, they brought me in. So it was good to go in the locker room and see the smile on Booz’s face and Joakim, Jimmy (Butler), be able to see D-Rose, Taj. And I knew some of the other guys from around the league, so it was good to meet those guys and be on the same team as them.”
Thibodeau didn’t rule out the possibility that the Bulls, who now have 13 players on the roster, including Derrick Rose, after essentially swapping waived rookie Erik Murphy for Brewer, could add another player or two before the postseason. Another familiar face, journeyman point guard Mike James, is reportedly a consideration after playing for the team earlier this season on 10-day contracts.
“Gar and John are looking at people. If something makes sense and it’s a good fit for us, we’ll add. We’re in an unusual situation with our roster. We’re always looking,” the coach explained.
Seduction of 'donut contracts' has MLB players leaving millions on table.
By Jeff Passan
At one of the annual meetings of baseball agents this offseason, an official from the Major League Baseball Players Association tried to emphasize just how pervasive the trend of players accepting multiple club options on long-term extensions had gotten. If he worked for a team, he said, he would offer a player a deal with six club options, because he was sure someone in the room would take it.
Some chuckled. Others seethed. Ceding ground to teams in contract negotiations has become a massive issue for the union, which must balance the reality of its situation – suggesting, in many cases, a player turn down tens of millions of dollars – with the reality that doing so often is an exceedingly difficult proposition.
In a vacuum, the issue gets a big, fat #richpeopleproblems hashtag. If the MLBPA's biggest problems revolve around a guy not getting enough millions, whooptie damn do. At the same time, that ignores an important principle, and one the union is stressing as long-term deals swing more and more in favor of teams: Baseball is a $9 billion industry, and every dollar that doesn't go to the players who make the game what it is funnels straight into the suit pockets of owners who are getting even more stinking rich with every successful long-term deal.
An analysis by Yahoo Sports of every contract extension since the beginning of the 2010 season shows a distinct trend toward giving teams not just friendly deals in terms of dollars but via club-option years. In the last two weeks alone, five players have agreed to deals with two club-option years – almost one-third as many in the previous five seasons.
Of the 209 contract extensions listed in MLBTradeRumors.com's database, 73 have included a club option for one season, 21 a pair of club options and eight with three club options.
The numbers get even more harrowing when narrowed down to the 96 deals for four years or more – generally the sort given to players considered a strong part of a team's future. Nearly two-thirds of the deals include a club option of some type: 38 for one year, 18 for two years and six for three years.
Certainly among the long-term deals exist some legitimate messes, ones that went definitively in favor of the player after his career went sour. In looking for security, however, players are leaving combined hundreds of millions of dollars on the table, and the worry runs deep inside the union that too many players are seeking the easy payday instead of exercising their right to free agency and the riches it provides those patient enough to wait.
Certainly among the long-term deals exist some legitimate messes, ones that went definitively in favor of the player after his career went sour. In looking for security, however, players are leaving combined hundreds of millions of dollars on the table, and the worry runs deep inside the union that too many players are seeking the easy payday instead of exercising their right to free agency and the riches it provides those patient enough to wait.
And it does take patience, certainly. For some players – particularly pitchers – the fear of not cashing in before an arm injury hits is palpable, especially considering the Tommy John surgery epidemic in the sport. For others, especially those from Latin America, the issue is often socioeconomic: One agent recounted that his client could barely conceive of a million dollars after growing up poor, and when a team offered him an eight-figure deal, he couldn't possibly turn it down, even if the contract didn't come close to compensating him for what he was worth.
The problems for players run even deeper. Some agents, fearful that their clients could get poached by another agent before he signs a deal, suggest players take money that's on the table to ensure they receive their commission. It is a dirty side of the business, client poaching a legitimate fear.
Such factors give teams an enormous amount of leverage, one they use to their advantage increasingly. One general manager suggested his team factors in a player's agent as to whether he's worth drafting, knowing some agencies are friendlier to the idea of long-term deals. Another GM said two club options is now a starting point with negotiations, something the union a generation ago would've considered hubristic and laughable.
Options hurt the player the most when they take him from free agency in his age 28, 29 and 30 season and up to 31, 32 and 33. While exceptions exist, the largest money in free agency goes to the youngest players. Three of those who signed deals with two club options in the last two weeks will be 33, 33 and 32 should their teams exercise both options.
Those are the sorts of deals agent Scott Boras – who in the last five seasons has agreed to long-term extensions for just three clients and not given a single club option – calls "donut contracts."
"It's a lot of sugar at the beginning," Boras said, "and a lot of holes at the end."
Boras speaks from a position of power, certainly, carrying a huge client roster and playing the big, bad wolf who's a threat to recruit a player at any time. Still, with the baseline for extensions barely shifting from where it was a generation ago, plenty of players are relinquishing riches that weren't guaranteed but, in hindsight, would have been mega-jackpots. They do so most often because of a tenet repeated this week by the latest player to agree to two team options:
"Never turn your back on your first fortune," said …
1. Chris Archer, the Tampa Bay Rays starter who now is generationally wealthy. He signed a six-year deal for $25.5 million that includes a pair of team options totaling $18 million. The 25-year-old right-hander has not been in the major leagues for even one season, and now he is a millionaire 25 times over, with baseball contracts fully guaranteed. Never before has a player with less than a year service time received so much.
Still, the Archer deal left one agent miffed that "now they're going to use that as a baseline when they offer [one of his clients] an extension." That is, after all, how the industry works, whether in free agency, arbitration or extensions. Templates are set and followed, and rarely do they evolve. When they do, it is often toward the team's side. The strongest deals for players are derisively referred to as outliers.
The Rays are a perfect example of this. General manager Andrew Friedman has set a standard for Tampa Bay, and it is brilliant: club options are a must. All eight of the long-term extensions Friedman has given out since 2010 included at least one club option, including Archer's and shortstop Yunel Escobar's this past week. He was the architect of James Shields' incredible deal that landed Wil Myers, and Evan Longoria's initial six-year, $17.5 million contract with three club options that for half a decade represented the single team-friendliest agreement in the game.
Whether Archer turns into a Shields or Longoria type – or even someone like Matt Moore, signed similarly cheap – will unfold over the next six (or seven or eight) seasons. Even though risk exists, the Rays understand this is extremely good business, the sort personified when players like …
2. Chris Sale end up signing long-term extensions. Now, Sale is a pitcher, and not your cookie-cutter one, either. He has an atypical body type and an atypical delivery, both of which scared off teams in the draft and made an extension a risky proposition.
He has stayed healthy, though, and matured into a true ace, and true aces get paid far, far more than the five-year, $32.5 million deal that includes club options for 2018 and 2019 bringing his total maximum to $56.5 million. With his 2017 season at $12 million, the Chicago White Sox own three of Sale's potential free-agent years for $36 million. In 2017 alone, Clayton Kershaw will make $33 million.
Had he not signed, Sale would have hit free agency at 27 years old. The last elite pitcher to reach free agency was Zack Greinke, and he got $147 million at 30 years old. Cliff Lee fetched $120 million at 32. Sale at 27 is a $200 million pitcher, and granted, he still will be a free agent at 30, and if he's still healthy, he'll cash in. This is all so easy to second-guess, too, considering the case of …
3. Ricky Romero and his disappearing career. In the midst of his breakout 2010 season for Toronto, he signed the deal pioneered by Jon Lester almost 18 months earlier: five years, $30.1 million with a club option. Romero followed in 2011 with 225 innings of 2.92 ERA ball, an All-Star appearance and the air of a bargain.
Then he fell apart. In 2012, he couldn't throw a strike. In 2013, he barely cracked the big leagues. In 2014, he is beginning the season in Triple-A Buffalo, his $7.5 million salary helping push the Blue Jays toward austerity. He's owed another $7.5 million next year, and barring a miracle turnaround, Toronto will buy out his $13.1 million option for just $600,000.
Toronto's Alex Anthopoulos is the king of club options, going 11 for 11 on contract extensions since 2010. He hit enormous home runs with deals for Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion. The Romero deal was a terrible misfire, the sort that should give teams pause but doesn't because the economics are weighed that much in their favor. Take, for example, the deal …
4. Martin Perez signed in November with the Texas Rangers. Perez just turned 23. He may not look the elite part quite yet, but he is a 6-foot-tall, hard-throwing left-hander with a vicious changeup, and that's the very pedigree that won Johan Santana a pair of Cy Young awards and landed him a $137.5 million contract.
Perez could get that someday, because his contract allows him to reach free agency at 29. In the meantime, though, he is guaranteed only $12.5 million over the next four seasons, and the Rangers own three options for a total of $22.5 million more. One more time: Kershaw gets $33 million for one year, Perez can max out at $35 million over the next seven.
Club options should exist for one reason and one reason only: to mitigate risk for a team on the front end. When the team is giving up next to nothing in the guaranteed years of the contract, giving club options – and ones with meager buyouts at that – are a gift. And the single greatest present bequeathed in baseball today was from …
5. Salvador Perez to the Kansas City Royals. On Feb. 27, 2012, after two months in the major leagues, Perez signed a five-year, $7 million deal with three club options that total $14.75 million. Even with the $5 million in potential salary increases during the option years with All-Star appearances and Gold Gloves, it is a very simple calculus.
Perez's contract is the best in the game today for a team, bar none, and there's no contender within a mile. He is one of the five best catchers in baseball, up there with Buster Posey, Yadier Molina and Brian McCann, and their deals are for $167 million, $75 million and $85 million, respectively.
On one hand, it seems unseemly, if not unfair, to prey on a player with a deal like Perez's. It's the business, though, and some players simply want security no matter the cost. The player can put it simply to an agent arguing otherwise: If you don't negotiate it, I'll hire someone who will.
So donut contracts, especially those with option years, can turn into a second long-term deal – and still at a massively discounted rate. See Longoria's follow-up to his first: a well-under-market six-year, $100 million pact. It makes the deal …
6. Mike Trout signed look good by comparison, though Trout could be the perfect example of someone who stood to benefit everyone by going to free agency and shattering every single record.
Then again, he got $144.5 million. One more time: He is 22 years old and got $144.5 million. And even though his people want to criticize him – had he waited to go to free agency, some team would have given him 10 years and $400 million – and that criticism, crazy as it sounds, is fair, he still got $144.5 million guaranteed, and he can say with complete certainty Mike Trout VII will be driving the latest flying Tesla in the year 2200.
More than that, Trout hits free agency at 29 after the final year of his contract expires in 2020, and he should strike it plenty rich then, too. It’s not too late for a 10-year contract considering nearly every other one was given to players older than that. Look at what Detroit did with …
7. Miguel Cabrera and his 10-year, $292 million deal – which includes, somewhat shockingly, a pair of club options, the last at $30 million with no buyout. It’s essentially a free look at a 42-year-old Miggy in 2025. When the nicest thing to say about a contract is that it includes the ability to say no to paying a baseball geriatric $30 million, that probably doesn’t bode well for it.
Arguments exist in favor of the Cabrera deal, or any big deal, though they come off hollow and specious. The idea that one player can change the image or fortune of a franchise? Temporarily, sure, but have we not learned the greatest game-changer is winning, and that massive-salaried players and winning do not necessarily correlate? Moreover, the concept that such players deserve decade-long deals at advanced ages is a function of history, not pragmatism.
Such contracts make sense only for the handful of teams looking to shrink the contract’s average annual value, since AAV factors into teams’ luxury-tax calculations. For the Yankees, sure. For the Angels, maybe. For the Mariners and Robinson Cano, absolutely not, which makes that contract all the more ridiculous.
Trying to justify such deals instead of monster-AAV, shorter-term contracts that pay a player for his most productive seasons is an understandable reaction considering how few avenues players now have to wring the most money out of teams. The amateur draft is capped. Same with international spending. Extension dollars aren’t what they should be. And as …
8. Stephen Drew and Kendrys Morales will attest, free agency ain’t what it used to be, either. There could be movement with both of them soon, though, because Boras now has much greater motivation to push the remaining vagabonds of the qualifying-offer system to a team.
While it isn’t a loophole, per se, a misunderstood part of the free-agent compensation rules helps Drew and Morales. Much like players who cannot be tendered qualifying offers if they’re traded, those who do not start the season under contract with a team cannot receive an offer at season’s end, either. Which means as of opening day, Drew and Morales can sign one-year deals with the guarantee of unencumbered free agency after the season.
Of course, the problem to this point has been that both come attached to draft-pick compensation, and whichever team signs them must forfeit their highest choice this season. It neutered the market for qualifying-offer free agents and continues to freeze out Drew and Morales, both of whom, in a truly free market, would’ve long ago been snatched up, even if Boras’ asking prices started higher than they would’ve liked.
While there’s a possibility both players could wait until after the June draft, when the compensation attachment disappears, Boras said he believes both will sign before then and are open to both one-year contracts and multi-year offers.
“The reason for us waiting was that we found in the rules and advised our clients they should wait until after opening day to sign,” Boras said. “They’ll be true free agents at young ages. It was far better to be an unrestricted free agent than signing one year for the qualifying offer.”
Granted, the qualifying offer is likely to exceed $15 million this offseason, or about half of what …
9. Starling Marte received from the Pittsburgh Pirates, who often throw out an all-contract-extension outfield. They run the gamut, too.
Reigning MVP Andrew McCutchen signed a six-year, $51.5 million deal with a $14.5 million option that will keep him a Pirate through his 32nd birthday. It is almost surely one of the five best contracts in the game.
Then there is backup outfielder Jose Tabata, who locked himself in for $15 million guaranteed by signing a six-year contract with three club options. Were Tabata any good, the contract might be as bad as either of the Perezes'. Tabata isn’t very good, though, and it’s a stretch that he ever would have made $15 million otherwise.
Marte is 25, entering his second full season, and the Pirates locked him up for $31 million over six seasons, plus a pair of club options for $21 million total that covers the entire prime of his career. This was Marte’s first fortune, and he didn’t turn his back on it, even if he did turn his back on much, much more. He and …
10. Chris Archer and plenty of others do this for one reason or another, and some at the union bellow at it, because even if the players’ association exists specifically to allow players to make these very sorts of decisions, if the education in place isn’t stressing enough of how they are allowing owners to create permanent siphons with such deals, it needs to be better and stronger.
The cases are illustrated annually in free agency. Outfielder Shin-Soo Choo was offered the same sorts of deals second basemen Matt Carpenter and Jason Kipnis accepted this offseason: six years and around $52 million, with one club option. He turned it down, hung through an arbitration system that didn’t well reward his best assets, hit free agency at 31 and signed a $130 million contract.
It takes patience and production in equal volumes to do what Choo did, to do what almost any free agent does, and in a sport where failure is palpable, the prospect of continued success strikes fear into even some of the best players.
Nevertheless, the mantra will be repeated by the union for fear that what the players have lost already won’t get worse. Emboldened, some teams are making multiple club options standard in their discussions with players. The slippery slope is icier than ever, and players are sliding down in record numbers, getting their piece of the action: bigger than imaginable in real life, paltry by comparison to what it could – and should – be.
MASTERS PREVIEW: The 5 Players Who Have The Best Chance To Win This Week.
By Jay Yarow
The best week in sports is here as the Masters Tournament at Augusta National starts on Thursday. For casual fans of the sport, this marks the start of the golf season.
For the PGA, this is actually its midpoint.
Last year, the PGA Tour started a "wrap around schedule." In that schedule, the first event of the season is in October and the last event is in September.
So far, it's been a weird year for golf. The big names have been shaky, and a bunch of guys you've never heard of are winning.
In the last two weeks, for instance, Matt Kuchar faltered in his Sunday rounds, allowing two unknowns to get their first PGA Tour wins.
A month ago, you could have argued that two guys you've never heard of — Jimmy Walker and Patrick Reed — were the hottest players in the world. Walker has won three times and Patrick has won two times this year. Neither has look dominant lately, though.
Adding to the weirdness is the sad reality of Tiger Woods. He'll miss the Masters after back surgery. Woods said he would be back this summer, but odds are that he's done for the season.
This was supposed to be a big year for Tiger. All four major championship venues set up well for him. He has won at the site of this year's Masters (Augusta), British Open (Royal Liverpool), and PGA Championship (Valhalla), and he came in second at the site of the U.S. Open (Pinehurst).
This is the first Masters Woods will miss in 20 years. It's a bit depressing. Regardless of what you think of him as a person, as a golfer he's a transcendent talent, and incredibly compelling on the course.
Because of Tiger's absence and the somewhat goofy state of the PGA Tour this season, there is no real favorite heading into the Masters. There's a good chance we're going to get some oddball winner this year.
Here's our best attempt at sorting through who has a shot at winning. We'll break down all the contenders, and then narrow it down to five favorites.
If you're joining a Masters pool, think of this as your guide.
NEVER COUNT HIM OUT
(Getty Images)
PHIL MICKELSON
Phil hasn't played particularly well this year. He pulled an oblique muscle at the Valero Open in Texas, so his health might not be so good. But, he knows the course inside and out, and loves Augusta National.
Should you pick him? We think his attention is focused on the U.S. Open at Pinehurst, but he should be dialed in for the Masters.
THE DEFENDING CHAMPS
(Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
ADAM SCOTT
Adam Scott has consistently played well at Augusta National. You'd be a fool not to include him in your pool. Since October, Scott has been in the top 10 at five of the seven tournaments he has played. Don't expect him to win, but expect him to post a good number and finish in the top 10.
BUBBA WATSON
After Bubba won the Masters in 2012, he didn't do much in tournament golf. He has shown signs of life this year, though. He won at the Northern Trust Open in Los Angeles, and finished second in both the Waste Management Open in Phoenix and a WGC event in Miami. But, the last time he was in a tournament was the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He shot an 83, then withdrew. If he hadn't shot that 83, he'd be a lock for your pool.
THE NOT-SO-WILD CARDS
(REUTERS/Phil Noble)
BRANDT SNEDEKER
Snedeker says he wants to win the Masters more than any other tournament in the world. He'd trade all his victories to date for the green jacket. He loves the course, loves the event. Last year he was in the mix on Sunday, but came up short. He hasn't done much this year, but it'd be silly to ignore Sneds.
JASON DAY
Day is also dealing with an injury. He hurt his thumb a few weeks back. Assuming his thumb is fine, he should be a contender. This is Day's fourth Masters. He's finished 2nd, WD with an ankle injury, and 3rd at Augusta National. He's a perennial contender.
RORY MCILROY
Last year was a waste for McIlroy as he tried to figure out his new Nike equipment. By the end of the season, though, he got it together and won in Australia. He started this year with two potential wins in Dubai and in Florida. He came up short on Sunday in each of those events. McIlroy probably has some scar tissue from his 2011 implosion at Augusta, but with his length off the tee, and his natural talent, he's going to win the Masters one of these years. This could very well be his year.
ANGEL CABRERA
He has the best nickname in golf, El Pato (the duck), and it feels like he's always on the leaderboard at Augusta National. He lost in a playoff last year, so it's hard to see him winning this year. But, he's someone to watch.
DUSTIN JOHNSON
He's actually had a pretty good year. He's been in the top 10 in 4 of his last 5 events. He's never done much at Augusta, but with his length, he should be able to eat up the par 5s. His short game and putting are the problem, but he's improved both of them lately. He's 11th in strokes gained putting this year, compared to 117 the year before.
THE REAL WILD CARD
(Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)
SERGIO GARCIA
Sergio is getting a lot of buzz. He's been playing well, and he has the talent to win a major. Maybe this is where he finally breaks through.
THE GUY WHO DOES JUST ENOUGH TO NOT WIN
(AP)
MATT KUCHAR
Kuchar is a consistent player who puts himself in position to win, but then comes up short. If you're looking for a safe pick, he's reasonable, but don't expect him to win.
THE SORT OF HOT PLAYERS
(Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
JIMMY WALKER AND PATRICK REED
Um, no. We just can't see it happening, but we're happy to be proven wrong.
HENRIK STENSON
Stenson was the best player in the world by the end of last season. He cooled off when the FedEx Cup playoffs ended, and he's shown little flash so far this year. He's never been particularly good at Augusta National.
WHO'S GOING TO WIN?
If we had to pick five golfers, here's who we would go with:
5. Sergio Garcia: Why not?
4. Adam Scott: Unlikely he wins, but it's highly likely he posts a top-10 score.
3. Jason Day: He was close last year, he'll be even closer this year.
2. Matt Kuchar: He's a consistent player with enough talent to win.
1. Rory McIlroy: He's the best player in the world, and he'll remind us why at Augusta National.
Here are your 2014 Masters odds.
By Shane BaconHere are your 2014 Masters odds.
We are just a day away from the start of the 2014 Masters, meaning people all over the world will be throwing a coin or two on who they think will win.
Without Tiger Woods in the field, normally the favorite to those oddsmakers that set the lines, it is a toss-up to see who the favorite is and who the best bet will be, so we present you with the odds below for all the 97 players in the field at the opening major of the season.
Here are the odds, courtesy of golfodds.com. Let us know in the comments who you like and which value you think is the best considering their odds to win.
THE MASTERS
AUGUSTA NATIONAL GOLF CLUB - AUGUSTA, GEORGIA
APRIL 10-13, 2014
ODDS TO WIN:
RORY McILROY 10/1
ADAM SCOTT 10/1
PHIL MICKELSON 12/1
JASON DAY 12/1
MATT KUCHAR 12/1
DUSTIN JOHNSON 20/1
BUBBA WATSON 20/1
JUSTIN ROSE 25/1
BRANDT SNEDEKER 25/1
ZACH JOHNSON 25/1
HENRIK STENSON 25/1
SERGIO GARCIA 25/1
JASON DUFNER 30/1
KEEGAN BRADLEY 30/1
JORDAN SPIETH 30/1
LEE WESTWOOD 40/1
CHARL SCHWARTZEL 40/1
ANGEL CABRERA 40/1
HARRIS ENGLISH 40/1
HUNTER MAHAN 40/1
LUKE DONALD 50/1
GRAEME McDOWELL 50/1
GRAHAM DeLAET 50/1
IAN POULTER 50/1
JIMMY WALKER 50/1
RICKIE FOWLER 50/1
LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN 60/1
GARY WOODLAND 60/1
RYAN MOORE 60/1
STEVE STRICKER 80/1
WEBB SIMPSON 80/1
BILL HAAS 80/1
JIM FURYK 80/1
HIDEKI MATSUYAMA 80/1
K.J. CHOI 100/1
FRED COUPLES 100/1
ERNIE ELS 100/1
PETER HANSON 125/1
BILLY HORSCHEL 125/1
NICK WATNEY 125/1
JAMIE DONALDSON 125/1
MARC LEISHMAN 125/1
THORBJORN OLESEN 125/1
FRANCESCO MOLINARI 125/1
RUSSELL HENLEY 150/1
TIM CLARK 150/1
TREVOR IMMELMAN 150/1
MARTIN KAYMER 150/1
BRANDEN GRACE 200/1
MATTEO MANASSERO 200/1
STEWART CINK 200/1
VIJAY SINGH 200/1
GONZALO FERNANDEZ-CASTANO 200/1
THOMAS BJORN 200/1
LUCAS GLOVER 200/1
MIGUEL ANGEL JIMENEZ 200/1
KEVIN STREELMAN 250/1
JONAS BLIXT 250/1
SANG-MOON BAE 250/1
JOHN HUH 300/1
BOO WEEKLEY 300/1
Y.E. YANG 300/1
BERNHARD LANGER 300/1
KEN DUKE 500/1
DARREN CLARKE 500/1
MIKE WEIR 1000/1
JORDAN NIEBRUGGE 1000/1
DEREK ERNST 1000/1
JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL 1000/1
GARRICK PORTEOUS 2000/1
TOM WATSON 1000/1
FIELD (all others) 15/1
Joey Logano regains lead on a green-white-checker finish to win at Texas.
By Nick Bromberg
Joey Logano was headed to the win of Monday's rain-delayed Duck Commander 500. Or so he thought, anyway.
He had a lead of over one second through turn three on the penultimate lap. The white flag was approaching his sights. When the flagstand came into view, the yellow flag was out.
It was time for a green-white-checker finish. After Logano took four tires when the field headed towards the pits, he left in third place, behind Jeff Gordon and Brian Vickers. The win was suddenly not looking so assured.
It was when he passed Gordon. After getting by Vickers on what was officially the next-to-last lap of the race, Logano made his move for the win at the white flag and pulled away from Gordon to take the checkered flag. He just needed to drive another six laps for that victory.
"Talk about a lot of emotions, you feel like you're about to win the race and then the caution comes out when you're about to take the white and you're like 'You've got to be kidding me,'" Logano said.
The caution was for Kurt Busch, who had a flat tire in turn two. Busch avoided the wall there, but then his left-rear tire shredded apart as he headed towards the pits in turns three and four and spewed foam and tire pieces all over the track.
Had Gordon's two-tire strategy call been successful and he held on to the lead, it would have been quite the turnabout from California. Two weeks ago, Gordon was leading there and heading to the white flag when Clint Bowyer spun. Gordon took four tires on pit road and never got close to the lead again.
But unlike California, only Gordon and Vickers took two tires. Logano, who easily had the best car over the race's final third, only had to contend with a single row of cars ahead of him. He took the lead for the first time on a lap 225 restart and save for two rounds of green-flag pit stops, never relinquished it until the final caution flag.
After a bizarre first 40 laps, the race, which was postponed from Sunday afternoon, had a much calmer bent. The first 10 laps were under caution to make sure the racing surface was dry from the rains over the weekend.
However, as the field was circling the track under yellow, jet dryers were also on the track and the force of the air from the jet driers lifted up flaps on some cars and even the hood of Brad Keselowski's.
NASCAR let all the affected teams fix any affected areas.
Shortly after the race went green, Dale Earnhardt Jr. clipped the infield grass, careened into the wall and his car caught on fire. Junior's teammate, Jimmie Johnson, was trailing the Daytona 500 winner and also had damage in the incident. Then, not long after Junior's accident, Kevin Harvick, who started second, blew an engine.
Because of Junior's crash, Gordon now leads the points standings by four over Matt Kenseth.
NASCAR.com Power Rankings.
By Nick Bromberg
1. Jeff Gordon (LW: 4): We'll start by saying that Gordon assumes the top spot this week by process of elimination. There's really no one else who you could put here, sans for Joey Logano, and he's already made a nice enough leap. But we're also not going to let the "last man standing" idea diminish the race that Gordon had Monday. His car was fast the entire weekend, he just wasn't race-winning fast, though he did his best to fight off Logano for the lead as the white flag flew. If more people would have gone for two tires, Gordon might have been in victory lane.
2. Joey Logano (LW: 9): Logano assumed the lead of Monday's race on lap 225 and just drove away from the field. If Gordon or someone else would have taken the checkered flag after the green-white-checker finish was set up by Kurt Busch's tire incident, it would have deprived Logano of a win he looked all but certain to get. Which seems pretty similar to Gordon at California, no? And as you see endlessly this week that seven different drivers have won the first seven races, ask yourself something: did you expect any of the seven winners to not win this year?
3. Carl Edwards (LW: 2): Did you know that Edwards went a lap down twice over the last half of the race? After starting fifth, Edwards' car tailed off considerably and he got the Lucky Dog over the final two caution flags. That allowed him to finish 14th and ahead of four other drivers on the lead lap. The bizarre Roush issue of one driver and one driver only succeeding continued as well too. Greg Biffle was strong and ran in the top 10 all day while Edwards faltered and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was an absolute nonfactor.
4. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 3): Johnson gets to drop just one spot here because his day went south after he was collateral damage from Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s incident. His beautiful white paint scheme got all mudded up and his windshield was knocked astray even before he had his tire issue under green. NASCAR was also not very happy with crew chief Chad Knaus as his team fixed the collateral damage too. Knaus blatantly didn't care about the too-many-men-over-the-wall penalties and also had Johnson speeding on pit road to stay on the lead lap. If you were listening to the officials' channel at that time, it was entertaining stuff.
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 1): Junior made a mistake getting into the infield grass and we're not going to harp on that. Drivers do make mistakes from time to time. What we're going to do in this space is mention the absurdity of not having a track covered in SAFER barrier while building a multi-million dollar big screen TV to have the privilege of saying your track has the largest HDTV in the world. Yes, SAFER isn't mandated by NASCAR to be all the way around tracks, and that is on the sanctioning body. But someone needs to set a precedent for others to follow. Texas, the sport's most popular driver hit a bare concrete wall on Monday. Is that same concrete going to be bare again in November?
6. Matt Kenseth (LW: 6): Kenseth is second in the points standings but maintains his spot here after finishing seventh. We expected more from Kenseth this weekend -- he was our pick to win -- but he was hampered by a poor qualifying effort. Heck, all three of the Joe Gibbs Racing cars didn't qualify exceptionally well, though all three raced really well. It's time for another JGR car!
7. Kyle Busch (LW: 7): After finishing third, it's easy to wonder if Busch should be higher in Power Rankings, but where should he go? Can he vault past Kenseth? Can we really drop Junior to seventh? Those are questions we lean "no" to, hence why he's still here. Busch really tried to make some hay on the high side in turns one and two on the next-to-last lap, but simply didn't have enough momentum to ever get close to challenging for the lead.
8. Brad Keselowski (LW: 8): Keselowski had a real Oreo of a day, assuming that you think the cookies are the bad parts and the creme is the best part. After the jet dryers on track popped the hood up on his car, his team taped down the hood and Keselowski ran in the top five for basically the entire race. Until he got a speeding penalty right before the green-white-checker finish, that is. It relegated him to the back of the pack and a 15th-place finish that was at least 12 spots worse than where he probably would have ended up.
9. Kyle Larson (LW: NR): What's with the attempts to manufacture a rivalry between Larson and Kyle Busch? Yes, they share the same first name and they'll likely be battling each other for wins in the Cup Series at various points throughout the future. But can any potential rivalry happen on its own without any prodding? Once again, the best moments in racing are the ones that are organic.
10. Brian Vickers (LW: NR): Did you know that Brian Vickers was in the top 10 in points? Unless you're a Vickers fan or recently took a look at the Sprint Cup standings, the guess here is that you didn't. Much like Gordon, Vickers' decision to take two tires worked out well. It got him a top-five finish that he otherwise likely wouldn't have gotten.
11. Tony Stewart (LW: 11): The driver who was in 11th last week stays in 11th this week after finishing 10th. That sentence would have worked a lot better if Stewart had finished a position lower, but we'll roll with it. After starting on the pole, Stewart had the fastest car through the first fifth of the race, but then he slowly slid backwards before settling at the back half of the top 10.
12. Denny Hamlin (LW: NR): If Hamlin hadn't sped on pit road, he probably would be higher in Power Rankings. Instead, he finished 13th, the lowest of the three JGR drivers. Hamlin's also 14th in the standings despite missing a race and he's even ahead of the man ahead of him in Power Rankings.
Lucky Dog: Let's go with all three RCR cars. They're clustered in the standings at separated by a solitary point after Menard finished 9th.
The DNF: Kevin Harvick. Kurt Busch. Yeah, you know their story.
Dropped Out: Harvick, Busch, Dillon
Jose Mourinho enjoying another memorable run in the Champions League, this time with Chelsea.
By Martin Rogers
Nearly 10 years have passed since the iconic moment that thrust Jose Mourinho into world soccer's celebrity circle, but there he was again on Tuesday sprinting down the sideline once more to rejoice in a dramatic late triumph.
The Chelsea head coach charged out of his dugout and bounded towards the corner flag within a second of the 87th-minute goal from Demba Ba that gave his side a thrilling Champions League quarterfinal victory over Paris Saint-Germain.
For a moment it looked like he might recreate the image from 2012 when Mourinho slid on his knees – in an uber-expensive designer suit, no less – to celebrate Real Madrid's victory over Manchester City. But instead, he replicated his classic run from 2004 after his underdog Porto team knocked out Manchester United from the Champions League.
This time it was different. Not just a different look, with Mourinho clad in a tracksuit and tennis shoes as opposed to fine fabrics, but a different purpose.
The 51-year-old showed an impressive turn of pace while charging towards his mass of delighted players by the corner flag at Stamford Bridge, but he wasn't looking to showboat in the manner of his younger self. Mourinho took the opportunity to shout details of the tactical changes Ba's goal had spawned into the ears of Andre Schurrle and Fernando Torres and order them to be passed around the squad.
Having spent an evening chasing down PSG's 3-1 lead, it was finally time to defend the advantage and Mourinho was taking no chances.
Perhaps more than anyone in the sport, Mourinho is near-impossible to define. He is a walking, breathing, unpredictable paradox. Even when he changes, he stays the same.
Even when he matures – and there is no doubt that he is a far more savvy coach now than when he won the Champions League with Porto a decade ago – he does so with a youthful spring in his step.
And so the odd adventure that has been Mourinho's first season back since rejoining Chelsea continues with optimism restored and everything still to play for.
Just six days ago, a disastrous first leg in Paris seemed to have gifted the French club safe passage through to the semis. Combined with two recent road defeats against weak Premier League opposition, the possibility of an empty-handed Chelsea campaign was likely. Yet Mourinho is never more dangerous than when he is written off, even when it is he who is dissing his own chances, as he has repeatedly done about Chelsea's hopes of winning the Premiership despite being just two points back from leaders Liverpool.
That danger comes in the form of his tactical mastery and, on Tuesday, his ability to pull an inspired switch at just the right time.
Ba has been used scarcely this season and no one will pretend he is anything resembling a tireless workhorse like the man he was sent on for, Frank Lampard. But Ba is a poacher and a fine one, and that's what was needed.
Schurrle gave Chelsea hope in the first half with the opening goal in the 32nd minute, soon after coming on for the injured Eden Hazard. Try as the Blues might, though, they couldn't crack the PSG defensive code after the break and as time wound down, the frustration and tension grew.
Then, suddenly, it was the Senegalese striker Ba who had fate at his feet just in front of goal. Ba didn't make clean contact but he followed through with his left leg and it was enough, sending the ball into the roof of the net and past the arms of Salvatore Sirigu.
A few minutes – and one much-needed reflex save from Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech – later, and it was over. Chelsea clinched passage to the last four by courtesy of the away goals rule.
A murderers' row probably awaits them. Real Madrid survived a scare against Borussia Dortmund but will take its place in the semis. Bayern Munich and Barcelona could join them on Wednesday in what would be a mouthwatering final four lineup.
But that is how Jose Mourinho likes it. Just like he did with the Premier League title race, he will protest that Chelsea are not the favorites and have little chance of winning it.
Don't you believe it.
The sprint down the sidelines that showed the spirit of a rejuvenated coach said it all. The Special One is getting that special feeling once more.
NCAA Women's Championship: UConn routs Notre Dame 79-58, wins 9th title.By DOUG FEINBERG (AP Basketball Writer)
Geno Auriemma and Connecticut stand alone in women's college basketball, and they reached the top in unprecedented fashion.
The Huskies routed Notre Dame 79-58 in the first championship game featuring undefeated teams, winning their record ninth national title. Auriemma broke a tie with Pat Summitt and Tennessee for most all-time, doing it in her backyard.
Breanna Stewart, who was The Associated Press Player of the Year, scored 21 points to lead the Huskies (40-0) while Stefanie Dolson added 17 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists. Auriemma took out his senior center with a minute left and the game well in hand with the pair embracing in a long hug.
''We beat a great, great team,'' Auriemma said. ''Notre Dame is a great team. For them to have the season they had and lose their starting center and to do what they did, I can't say enough about their players, coaching staff and it took everything we have. I knew if we played great we'd have a chance to win.''
The victory also meant that UConn is now the center of the college basketball world with both the men's and women's teams winning the championship in the same year again. The men's team beat Kentucky in the title game Monday night. This pair of victories came a decade after the Huskies became the only school to accomplish the feat.
''I couldn't be prouder of what the men did last night,'' Auriemma said.
Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw congratulated the UConn coach when they shook hands after the game.
''I said something like, 'I thought we were playing the Miami Heat for a while you guys are just that good.' What a great season, you know things like that,'' McGraw said. ''I thought ... LeBron was the only thing they were missing.''
While the names change at UConn, from Rebecca Lobo to Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore and now Stewart, Auriemma has been the constant, winning nine titles in only 20 seasons - including the last two. He's never lost in a national championship game.
''Congratulations to the UConn Huskies for winning the 2014 NCAA National Championship!,'' Summitt said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press. ''My compliments also to coach Geno Auriemma for winning his ninth national title. He has accomplished this feat in record time.''
It was the fifth unbeaten season for Auriemma and UConn and the first time the Huskies went 40-0 - matching Baylor as the only schools to accomplish that feat. The victory was also Connecticut's 46th straight dating back to last season's NCAA tournament title run. It's the third longest streak in school history - well short of the NCAA record 90 straight they won.
The loss was Notre Dame's third in the title game in the past four years. Kayla McBride finished off her stellar career with 21 points to lead the Irish, who were looking for their first championship since 2001.
After proving to be no challenge for the Huskies during the first 15 years of the rivalry which began in 1995, Notre Dame had owned the series lately, winning seven of the previous nine meetings. UConn though has won the last two, eliminating Notre Dame in the Final Four last season before topping them in the championship game this year.
The two former Big East rivals, who have no love lost for each other, put on a show in a game that women's basketball hoped could transcend the sport. The coaches added to the drama of the game with their verbal sparring on Monday. But it was Auriemma who got the last word again.
Even with the loss, it was a spectacular season for the Irish. Notre Dame lost Skylar Diggins to graduation and changed conferences to the ACC. Neither mattered as they ran through their opponents, winning by an average of 25.6 points while taking both the conference regular season and tournament championships.
The Irish lost senior Natalie Achonwa to a torn ACL in the regional final win over Baylor. Notre Dame wore warmup shirts with Achonwa's nickname ''Ace'' below her No. 11.
The team played inspired basketball in the Final Four win over Maryland where Notre Dame outrebounded the Terps by a record margin. The Irish couldn't muster a similar effort against UConn and it's gigantic front line. Stewart, Dolson and Kiah Stokes dominated the interior. The Huskies outrebounded the Irish 54-31 and held them to a season-low in points.
After the teams traded shots early on, Stewart - who earned outstanding player of the tournament honors for the second straight season - fueled a 16-0 run as the Huskies, who have played stellar defense all season, held the Irish without a point for nearly five minutes.
Stewart's lay-in with 11:02 left made it 22-8.
A minute later, Dolson had an acrobatic tip to Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis for another layup.
The Irish stayed in the first half by hot 3-point shooting by Michaela Mabrey and Jewell Loyd. Trailing 37-25 with 4:09 left in the first half, the pair sparked a 13-6 run, hitting three 3-pointers which brought the Irish faithful to their feet.
UConn led 45-38 at the half, shooting 57 percent from the field and having 16 assists on their 21 baskets.
The Huskies closed the door on any Irish comeback scoring 18 of the first 22 points in the second half to put the game away. Stewart and Dolson had 10 points during the burst.
''I'm probably one of the luckiest people in the coaching profession because I get to coach players like Stefanie and Bria'' Hartley, Auriemma said, fighting back tears. ''Yeah, I get to coach guys like that and that's why we can do what we do.''
Dolson had promised President Barack Obama at the White House that the Huskies would be back, and UConn delivered.
NCAA Men's Championship: Senior moment; Napier, UConn win NCAA title.
By Art Garcia, The Sports Xchange
Senior guard Shabazz Napier and Connecticut's band of upperclassmen proved that experience still means something in the one-and-done age of college basketball.
The Huskies won the fourth national championship in school history by out-executing freshmen-led Kentucky in a 60-54 win Monday night before title-game-record 79,238 fans at AT&T Stadium.
Napier scored a game-high 22 points as he completed a collegiate career that was bookended by national titles. As a freshman, he was part of Connecticut's 2011 championship squad.
The Huskies weren't in the tournament last year due to an NCAA ban for low test scores. Napier, the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, made sure that wasn't forgotten.
"Ladies and gentlemen, you're looking at the hungry Huskies," Napier said. "This is what happens when you ban us."
Kevin Ollie won a title in only his second season as coach, guiding the Huskies to a 32-8 record. Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun, Ollie's mentor, claimed the school's previous three titles. Ollie captured No. 4 with two seniors, two juniors and a sophomore in the starting lineup.
"We always did it together and always played as a group," Ollie said. "It was great. My coaching staff, my players, really, all of UConn being here, that is what it is all about.
"Coach Calhoun, the greatest coach ever, he paved the way, and I just want to thank Coach, too."
Kentucky (29-11) rolled out five freshmen, including forward Julius Randle, a likely NBA lottery pick. The Wildcats, seeking their ninth national title and second under coach John Calipari, had their 11-game NCAA Tournament winning streak snapped.
Calipari referred to his team's youth while taking the lion's share of the blame.
"They needed more from me," he said. "You're talking all freshmen out there. They needed more from me, so I wish I had a couple more answers to create something easier for them."
Huskies junior guard Ryan Boatright played through a sprained ankle in the second half and scored 14 points. Senior forward Niels Giffey added 10 points. Seniors and juniors scored 58 of Connecticut's 60 points.
"It took an unbelievable team," Boatright said. "It took a special team."
Freshman forward James Young led the Wildcats with 20 points and seven rebounds. Randle scored 10 points and grabbed six boards in what is probably his final game as an amateur.
"We've been through a lot this season," Randle said. "How we kept fighting ... says a lot about the guys. I hate that it ended like this."
Randle won't be the only Wildcat to consider the NBA.
"It's no longer about the program. It's no longer about the team. It's about each individual on the team," Calipari said. "Now it's about them, and we'll sit down with each of them and they'll make decisions for themselves."
Kentucky guard Aaron Harrison opened the second half with a 3-pointer, getting the Wildcats within a point (35-34) for the first time since they were down 7-6. The Huskies momentarily regained control, going up 48-39 on Napier's baseline jumper.
Young sparked a surge by soaring and dunking over Connecticut backup center Amida Brimah. Young's three-point play was the first of eight consecutive points for the Wildcats, who trailed 48-47 with 8:13 left.
Napier ended the run with a 3-pointer from straight away, and Giffey followed with another from almost the same spot on the next possession. Boatright extended the lead to 56-50 with a floating jumper with 4:12 to go.
The Wildcats couldn't get any closer than four points the rest of the way.
The game couldn't have started any better for Connecticut. The Huskies were the early aggressor behind Napier, attacking the basket and shooting early in the shot clock.
Kentucky tried to match that tempo but ended up taking bad shots that fed Connecticut's break. After Boatright fooled Kentucky defenders on a reverse layup to give the Huskies a 17-8 lead, Calipari called timeout with 13:08 left in the half.
The break in the action didn't faze Connecticut or inspire the Wildcats. The Huskies soon pushed their advantage into double digits, and they doubled Kentucky at 30-15.
The Wildcats got back in it by dominating the last five minutes of the half. Kentucky's 16-5 run, fueled by three 3-pointers and stellar defense, cut Connecticut's lead to 35-31 at the break.
Napier led all scorers with 15 points at the half on 6-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-7 from 3-point territory. Young knocked down two 3-pointers in Kentucky's closing spurt and had 10 first-half points.
Neither team shot well overall, with Connecticut hitting 41.5 percent of its field-goal attempts and Kentucky finishing at 39.1 percent. Both teams made fewer than one-third of their 3-point attempts, too.
NOTES: Connecticut and Kentucky did not make the make the NCAA Tournament field the previous year. The last time both national finalists weren't in the prior tournament was 1966, when Texas Western (now UTEP) defeated Kentucky. ... The national championship game featured the highest combined seeds to meet for the title with No. 7 Connecticut playing No. 8 Kentucky. ... The Wildcats are 1-4 all-time against Connecticut. ... Connecticut improved to 4-0 in national title games. ... Connecticut's Kevin Ollie was the first coach to reach the championship game within his first two seasons since interim coach Mike Davis led Indiana to the 2002 title game.
Ohio labor group blasts college-athlete amendment.
AP Sports
A labor organization in Ohio is questioning a change made to a state budget bill that clarifies that college athletes are not employees under state law.
The move by a House committee comes after last month's landmark decision by a National Labor Relations Board official involving the Northwestern University football team. The ruling says full scholarship players can be considered employees and thus can form a union. If the ruling holds up, it could have widespread repercussions in the multibillion-dollar college sports industry.
Ohio AFL-CIO President Tim Burga accuses Republicans who control Ohio's House of trying to ''engineer punitive proposals.''
Committee Chairman Ron Amstutz (AHM'-stuts) has said the change could have little effect. But he says if it comes up, it will be in the law.
The bill is on track for a committee vote Tuesday.
Selig hints Aaron still baseball's home-run king.
By CHARLES ODUM (AP Sports Writer)
Hank Aaron is still the home run king to many. Even baseball commissioner Bud Selig has a difficult time seeing it any other way.
Aaron was honored before the Braves game against the New York Mets on Tuesday night with a ceremony commemorating the 40th anniversary of his 715th home run, the one that pushed him past Babe Ruth and gave him the major league record.
Aaron finished with 755 home runs, but was eventually passed on the career list by Barry Bonds, whose career was tarnished by steroids allegations. Bonds has 762 homers, but many baseball fans don't accept that number and stand by Aaron as the true record-holder.
Speaking with reporters after the ceremony, Selig was asked about Aaron being called the true home run king.
''I'm always in a sensitive spot there, but I've said that myself and I'll just leave it at that,'' Selig said.
During the ceremony Braves chairman Terry McGuirk said Aaron ''set the home-run record the old-fashioned way'' and added ''You will always be the home run king of all time.''
Retired Braves broadcaster Pete Van Wieren earned a big ovation when he said Aaron is ''still recognized as baseball's true home run king.''
Aaron, 80, was given a standing ovation in the ceremony before the game. Aaron broke Ruth's record with his homer on April 8, 1974, off the Dodgers' Al Downing.
Downing attended the ceremony and threw out the first pitch. Some of Aaron's 1974 teammates returned, including Dusty Baker, who was on-deck when the record-breaking homer was hit, Ralph Garr, Phil Niekro, Ron Reed, Marty Perez and Tom House, who caught the homer in the bullpen.
Aaron thanked fans ''for all your kindness all these many years.'' Aaron, recovering from recent hip-replacement surgery, used a walker.
''The game of baseball was a way that I relaxed myself each year that I went on the field for 23 years,'' Aaron said. ''I gave baseball everything that I had, everything, every ounce of my ability to play the game I tried to play to make you the fans appreciate me more. Thank you.''
Selig, Aaron's longtime friend, established the Hank Aaron Award in 1999 to honor the top hitter in each league.
He called Aaron's 715th homer ''the most famous and treasured record in American sports.''
Selig said Aaron was a worthy successor to Ruth as home-run king ''because he is the living embodiment of the American spirit. ... Baseball is forever our national pastime because of people like Henry Aaron.''
The Braves wore their 1970s era white-and-blue uniforms, complete with small ''a'' caps, in tribute to Aaron. The Braves are wearing an Aaron 40th anniversary patch on their uniform sleeves this season.
The numbers ''715'' were painted on the outfield grass, stretching from left-center to right-center.
The Braves unveiled Aaron jerseys from other college and professional teams in the Atlanta area. Falcons owner Arthur Blank, former Georgia coach and athletic director Vince Dooley and former Georgia Tech coach Bill Curry were among those who stood with their teams' jerseys adorned with Aaron's name and No. 44.
The outfield was filled with fans, each wearing blue 44 Braves jerseys and each holding baseball-shaped signs bearing numbers from 1 to 715.
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