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Happy Labor Day America!!!
Labor Day in the United States is a holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September. It is a celebration of the American labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.
Sports Quote of the Day:
One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation. ~ Arthur Ashe, Professional Tennis Player, Won Three Grand Slam Titles
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!! Bears cut 17 to reach 53-man limit.
By Larry Mayer
The Bears reached the NFL’s 53-man roster limit Saturday by releasing 15 players, including nickel back Kelvin Hayden, offensive lineman Eben Britton and receiver Chris Williams.
In addition to Williams, others who were waived included receivers Josh Bellamy and Dale Moss; center Taylor Boggs; defensive tackles Brandon Dunn, Lee Pegues and Tracy Robertson; linebackers Jerry Franklin and DeDe Lattimore; guard Ryan Groy; and cornerbacks Al Louis-Jean and C.J. Wilson.
The Bears also terminated the contracts of Hayden, Britton and defensive end Austen Lane, and waived safety M.D. Jennings with an injury settlement.
Hayden appeared in all 16 games with two starts in 2012, recording 40 tackles and one interception, before missing all of last season with a torn hamstring he sustained during training camp. The Chicago native joined the Bears after spending his first seven NFL seasons with the Colts (2005-10) and Falcons (2011).
Britton played in 13 games with four starts as a sixth eligible lineman last year in his first season with the Bears. He missed most of training camp and the first three preseason games with a knee injury.
A former CFL standout, Williams was competing for jobs as a reserve receiver and return specialist, but he missed two weeks with a hamstring injury he sustained on a 73-yard touchdown reception in the preseason opener against the Eagles. Williams averaged 27.0 yards on three kickoff returns in the preseason.
The Bears opted to keep rookie third-string quarterback
The Bears kept four running backs, including backups Ka’Deem Carey,
The Bears kept one fullback (
Ten defensive linemen made the final roster with
The Bears kept six linebackers with undrafted rookie
At cornerback,
The Bears kept 11 rookies on their 53-man roster. All eight draft picks made it (Fuller, defensive tackles
The Bears can establish a 10-man practice squad on Sunday and also can claim players who've been waived by other NFL teams. In past seasons, the Bears have typically stocked their practice squad primarily with players they released during final cuts.
Here's a breakdown of the 53-man roster as it stands now (in alphabetical order):
Quarterbacks (3):
Running backs (4): Ka’Deem Carey, Shaun Draughn,
Fullbacks (1): Tony Fiammetta
Wide receivers (6): Santonio Holmes,
Tight ends (3): Martellus Bennett, Matthew Mulligan, Dante Rosario
Offensive linemen (8):
Defensive linemen (10): Jared Allen, David Bass, Ego Ferguson, Lamarr Houston,
Linebackers (6): Jonathan Bostic, Lance Briggs, Khaseem Greene, Christian Jones, Shea McClellin, D.J. Williams
Cornerbacks (5): Kyle Fuller, Demontre Hurst, Tim Jennings, Sherrick McManis, Charles Tillman
Safeties (4): Chris Conte, Danny McCray, Ryan Mundy, Brock Vereen
Specialists (3):
B
Why an 18-game NFL schedule makes perfect sense.
By Howard Bloom
The NFL’s preseason schedule ended Thursday night after four games — two games too many of exhibition football at regular-season ticket prices for season-ticket buyers. It’s time the NFL scrapped two preseason games and extended the regular season to 18 games. More bang for everyone’s buck, a win for the fans, a big win for the owners, and a smaller win for the players.
Sean Gilbert, who played in the NFL for 11 years before retiring following the 2003 season, revived the debate for an 18-game regular season when he released “The Gilbert Doctrine” — his vision for the NFL Players Association and platform in a bid to replace NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith.
"Once I broke down what 18 games meant," Gilbert said when he announced his 22-point plan to replace Smith, "in terms of playing only two preseason games and getting an increase in salary, they understood what I'm trying to implement in terms of growing the game."
The owners pushed for an 18-game regular season during negotiations for the current collective bargaining agreement signed in August 2011. It was one of the few concessions NFL owners weren’t granted. Players expressed concerns about increased injuries. The issue, however, remains on the table in a classic “to be negotiated” scenario between ownership and the players.
The NFL increased its regular season from 14 to 16 games in 1978. Current NFLPA president Eric Winston remains steadfast in his opposition to an 18-game schedule.
The NFL’s salary cap is based on football-generated revenues. The NFL is projecting a significant increase in overall financial growth in 2014 based in part on $4.9 billion from television rights fees. Overall, the league believes it will be generating $16.1 billion in total revenues by 2018. Using the NFL’s projected numbers, with an increase in league wide revenues and salary cap increases, NFL players will be making a lot more money in the next four years. Commissioner Roger Goodell believes the business of the NFL will be in excess of $25 billion by 2025. Doing the math, the NFL salary cap will more than double in the next 11 years.
Smith, who will face Gilbert next March if, as expected, Smith chooses to seek a second term with the NFLPA, doesn’t believe in an 18-game regular season.
"If someone thinks that it's better for them to play 18 games, then I know there's a healthy number of football players playing right now who would say, 'Go ahead and you play 18 games,’” Smith told ESPN.
If there is a longer season, players would receive half of the additional revenues generated by those two extra games.
The NFL's current media rights agreements with its television broadcast partners are based on a 16-game regular season schedule, played over 17 weeks. If the NFL adds two games, to 18 over 19 weeks, the league would be in a position to ask its broadcast partners for additional rights money.
Adding the two games could net the NFL hundreds of millions of dollars shared with the players through an increase in the salary cap.
The biggest concern players have when it comes to increasing the regular season is injuries. The Rams lost quarterback Sam Bradford, the Cardinals Darnell Dockett, the Falcons Sam Baker and the Cowboys Sean Lee during the 2014 preseason.
The NFL is the only major North American professional sports league that doesn’t guarantee the full term of player contracts. There are three reasons NFL players can be cut from their respective teams: skill, injury and salary cap. Remember, NFL teams pay rookies $850 per week and veterans $1,700 during the preseason. Based on the NFL’s average salary of $1.9 million a year, divided by the 17 weeks of the NFL regular season (NFL salaries are paid over 17 weeks), on average NFL players are paid $111,764 per week during the season. During a 19-week calendar, NFL players would earn $100,000 more than they’re being paid during the preseason (and that doesn’t include the additional revenues the league will share with the players).
If the owners want to have a longer schedule, they need to offer the players better long-term medical benefits. Currently the NFL offers benefits for five years once a player retires. Start by doubling that to 10 years and it may get players to move in the owners’ preferred direction.
An 18-game regular season makes the NFL better. One fewer preseason home game at regular-season prices will thrill NFL fans. Two more regular-season games will help the NFL to meet its goal of $25 billion in leaguewide revenues by 2025. This can be a win for everyone; it’s up to the owners to put the final pieces in place.
Note: This is your last chance to become one of the "Terrific 35+". It's NFL time, we want you in our office pool. It just wouldn't be the same without you. We hope you'll consider getting in. We're looking forward to sending you your winnings!!!!!
Attached is CS&T/AA first week's selection (Pick) sheet. "Competition breeds excellence" so you have to get in our office pool to test your skills and win some cash!!! What are you waiting for? If you don't want to go at it alone, get a partner, two heads are better than one. 3 days until kick-off, you don't want to be left out. Commit and sign up now!!! All of the pertinent information is listed below. It's a seventeen week pool and conducted over the internet. All pool information (stats, winners, info and news) are available 24/7. Good luck.
| Game ** = Pick cannot be edited, picks deadline has past. | Away Team | Home Team | Ranking [?] (Your goal is to get the most points.) | Game Date / Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Green Bay |  Seattle | 9/4/2014 7:30 PM* | |||
| 2 | 9/7/2014 12:00 PM* | |||||
| 3 | New England | 9/7/2014 12:00 PM* | ||||
| 4 | Tennessee |  Kansas City | 9/7/2014 12:00 PM* | |||
| 5 | Washington | 9/7/2014 12:00 PM* | ||||
| 6 | Buffalo | 9/7/2014 12:00 PM* | ||||
| 7 | Oakland |  New York J | 9/7/2014 12:00 PM* | |||
| 8 | Cleveland | 9/7/2014 12:00 PM* | ||||
| 9 | 9/7/2014 12:00 PM* | |||||
| 10 | New Orleans |  Atlanta | 9/7/2014 12:00 PM* | |||
| 11 | 9/7/2014 12:00 PM* | |||||
| 12 | Carolina |  Tampa Bay | 9/7/2014 3:25 PM* | |||
| 13 | San Francisco |  Dallas | 9/7/2014 3:25 PM* | |||
| 14 | Indianapolis |  Denver | 9/7/2014 7:30 PM* | |||
| 15 | New York G |  Detroit | 9/8/2014 6:10 PM* | |||
| 16 | San Diego | 9/8/2014 9:20 PM* | ||||
The 2014 NFL season starts September 4, 2014. It's going to be a fun year. Create some excitement for yourself and test your skills against other NFL fans. What have you got to lose? Enjoy one of Chicago's finest confidence pools. Remember, you can't win if you aren't in!!! Read the invitation below and take the plunge. We're looking for 35 players with 36 opportunities to win, what have you got to lose? Sign up now, Good luck and good picking!!!
Who will win the Super Bowl and be this year's NFL Champion???
The wait is over, the time is now, football is here.
Attention: Diehard NFL Fans: It's going to be a great year!!! Good luck to your favorite team. Enhance your season and support your team with the challenge below. Try it, you'll love it. Good Luck.
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks announce 2014 Rookie Tournament roster.
By Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks announced their roster for the 2014 Rookie Tournament today, which will take place at Budweiser Gardens in London, Ontario, from Sept. 13-16. The team includes 23 players (14 forwards, seven defensemen and two goaltenders), and will be coached by Rockford Head Coach Ted Dent and Associate Coach Mark Osiecki.
Blackhawks prospects will compete in three games versus rookie teams from the Toronto Maple Leafs (Sept. 13), Pittsburgh Penguins (Sept. 14) and Ottawa Senators (Sept. 15). Chicago’s roster is highlighted by first-round draft choices Mark McNeill (2011), Phillip Danault (2011), Teuvo Teravainen (2012) and Illinois native Ryan Hartman (2013) and 2010 second-round pick Stephen Johns. Click here to see Chicago’s full roster.
Tickets for the 2014 Rookie Tournament can be purchased at the Budweiser Gardens Box Office, by phone at (866) 455-2849 or online at www.budweisergardens.com.
Brookbank leaving Blackhawks for shot with Calgary.
Just another Chicago Bulls Session… Rose, Team USA survive scare vs. Turkey.
By Aggrey Sam
Team USA pose prior to their FIBA Basketball World Cup match against Turkey. (Photo: LUIS TEJIDO/EPA)
Team USA had struggled for brief stretches in their exhibition contests, but Turkey, featuring the rebounding prowess of its lone NBA player, ex-Bulls center Omer Asik—traded to New Orleans from Houston this offseason, the 7-footer is a former teammate of Rose and Rockets All-Star shooting guard James Harden, and will pair with Pelicans big man Anthony Davis in the upcoming campaign—slowed the game’s tempo with a 2-3 zone defense, goaded the Americans into poor shot selection and scored enough to end the opening period with the game tied at 16 apiece, despite the energetic two-way play of Denver Nuggets power forward Kenneth Faried.
Rose, who was substituted into the game midway through both the first and second quarters, again backing up starting point guard Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers, failed to make an impact in the first half, scoring a lone point in the first half, and with the rest of his teammates also out of sync teammates, coupled with Turkey continuing to execute its strategy, Team USA faced a surprising 40-35 halftime deficit.
The sharpshooting Turkish squad continued to play its disciplined brand of basketball in the third quarter, but eventually the superior athleticism of the interior duo of Davis and Faried started to take hold offensively, along with timely perimeter contributions from Irving and Harden, greater intensity and a shorter rotation—Rose didn’t play in the period—leading to a 66-60 Team USA lead heading into the final stanza.
The Americans found a rhythm pushing the pace and crashing the offensive glass, while Turkey’s proficient outside shooting was less accurate, leading to a comfortable double-digit advantage early in the fourth quarter and the return of Rose, who failed to hit a field goal as the national team cruised to a rout in which the final score wasn’t indicative of the game’s competitiveness.
Anthony Rizzo sees Cubs sending message: The future is now.
By Patrick Mooney
Anthony Rizzo believes September will be a show-me month for the Cubs. A last-place team can still send a message to the rest of the National League Central – and all the free agents wondering if this is a place that’s serious about winning.
Money talks, and Theo Epstein’s baseball operations department will have built-in financial flexibility with so many young, cost-controlled players. But the Cubs are putting together a good recruiting pitch with Javier Baez and Jorge Soler hitting bombs while Kris Bryant gets a reputation as the game’s No. 1 overall prospect.
“Everyone knows that we have (talent),” Rizzo said. “Every team we play, they’re asking about Javy, Soler, Bryant. Everyone gets on first base (and says): ‘Man, you guys are going to be really good soon.’ That ‘soon’ is up now. We play good baseball.”
Rizzo’s frustration with a back injury has been compounded by the emergence of The Core. The All-Star first baseman – who hasn’t played since Tuesday – will be sidelined for this weekend’s entire Cubs-Cardinals series. Rizzo got treatment and hit in the cage, but had trouble running hard before Saturday’s doubleheader at Busch Stadium, and the Cubs are going to be cautious with a franchise player.
“It’s seeing, basically, the future,” Rizzo said, “and not being able to be in the lineup with them and play with them and have fun with them. It’s frustrating, but at the same time, I can still sit back and watch them play and enjoy it.”
The Cubs can make a statement and try to create some momentum in the season’s final month. There are 18 games inside the division, plus three more in Toronto against a Blue Jays team desperately trying to stay in the wild-card race, and a four-game series versus the first-place Dodgers at Wrigley Field.
“That’s another reason why it’s so frustrating (to sit out),” Rizzo said. “This is a big September for us, because we want to convince a lot of people – convince ourselves, so to say – convince everyone that we’re ready to win.
“Come 2015 – from April 4th or whatever to whenever the last game is – we’re expecting to make a deep, deep push. Really, it starts right now, because everyone’s got to get ready for that and expect to win every day.”
The training wheels will be off next season. There will be expectations after sitting through another rebuilding year, watching Baez and Soler make it to The Show and adding a high-profile free agent or two this winter.
So if team executives feel it doesn’t make economic sense to give Bryant the September call-up now – even with 43 homers and 109 RBI in the minors – then maybe the players can force the issue and make him their 2015 Opening Day third baseman.
“It’s a business and you can’t control it,” Rizzo said. “He’s done a really good job, but I’m going to say the better we do now, the better it is for him, because the quicker it (could be) for him. It’s his first time playing this many games. I could see why they would wait with the (40-man) roster move, all that stuff. (But) hopefully there’s a spot out of the gate (next year).
“The better we do now, the better everyone feels going into the offseason, from top to bottom.”
A's add offensive thump by acquiring Adam Dunn from White Sox.
By Mark Townsend
After being shut out in consecutive games by the arch-rival Los Angeles Angels, the Oakland A's are adding some offensive thump ahead of the postseason eligibility deadline.
On Sunday morning, the team announced they've acquired designated hitter Adam Dunn from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for a minor league pitcher.
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Oakland Athletics ✔ @Athletics Follow
#Athletics acquire Adam Dunn and cash considerations from the Chicago White Sox for minor league pitcher Nolan Sanburn.
Dunn, 34, won't provide much by way of batting average. Through 435 plate appearances this season, he's hitting .220/.340/.433. He can still dial up the long ball though, with 20 homers over the first five months.
Whatever numbers he puts up during the stretch run will likely be compared to Yoenis Cespedes, whom the A's traded to the Boston Red Sox in the Jon Lester deal. It's the opinion of some that Oakland never should have moved Cespedes' power bat, but the opportunity to add an ace is rare, so general manager Billy Beane jumped at the chance.
There's no doubt Oakland's offense has struggled in the weeks following the deal. In August, they've scored three runs or less in 18 of 28 games. They'll now hope Dunn can help alleviate some pressure that has been placed on other guys to produce.
Dunn is in the final year of a four-year, $56 million deal. The A's will only owe him the remaining $2.5 million, so it's not a costly deal by any means. Dunn has also previously hinted at retirement following the 2014 season. It seems he's still leaning that way on Sunday.
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Scott Merkin ✔ @scottmerkin Follow
So, @adamdunn_44 said this '14 season is probably going to be it. He sounded leaning that way when we talked 10 days ago.
Sanburn was a second-round pick in 2012. He currently owns a 2.92 ERA in 120 minor league innings.
Golf: I got a club for that… Henley takes lead but McIlroy lurks at Deutsche Bank golf.
AFP
Rory McIlroy tees off on the 14th hole during the third round of the Deutsche Bank Championship on August 31, 2014 in Norton, Massachusetts (AFP Photo/Ross Kinnaird)
American Russell Henley fired a six-under 65 to take a one-shot lead at the Deutsche Bank Championship, but four-time major winner Rory McIlroy appears poised to strike.
The 25-year-old McIlroy stormed up the leaderboard with a seven-under 64 on Sunday to move into contention at the TPC Boston.
"I am happy to have another chance for a win here in Boston," McIlroy said.
"I have good memories from 2012 when I chased down the lead ... Need to do the same tomorrow."
McIlroy, the 2012 Deutsche Bank winner, vaulted into a share of third place with the day's best round to reach 10-under-par 203, two shots adrift of Henley.
After an up and down opening two rounds, McIlroy needed just 27 putts on Sunday.
"I don't think you ever (know a good round is coming)," he said. "You just keep playing and take it one hole at a time. The first couple of days I played well at the start, just couldn't keep it going."
The Briton from Northern Ireland could return to the top of the FedEx Cup standings with a solid Monday finish after having his three tournament win streak snapped at the Barclays event last week.
Henley, 25, ended three rounds at 12-under-par 201. He will go for his third USPGA Tour title on Monday.
Billy Horschel posted a four-under 67 to move into second place at 11-under. Chris Kirk, who was paired with McIlroy, also fired a 64 to jump into a share of third place at 10-under-par. McIlroy and Kirk were joined there by second-round co-leader Jason Day (69).
Henley beat McIlroy earlier this year in a playoff to win The Honda Classic. His 65 Sunday was one of six scores 65 or better in the third round.
"Nobody is really expecting me to be sitting here right now," Henley said. "And that is kind of how I like it."
Former tournament winner Webb Simpson moved into sixth place at nine-under behind a third-round 68.
Ryan Palmer, who shared the second-round lead with Day, posted his second straight 71 on Sunday. He dropped into a tie for seventh at eight-under 205.
Palmer was joined there by Kevin Streelman (65), South Korea's Noh Seung-Yul (68) and American Keegan Bradley (69).
Kasey Kahne wins after late restarts.
Associated Press
Aug 31, 2014; Hampton, GA, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick (4) leads the field on the first lap of the Oral-B USA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. (Kevin Liles-USA TODAY Sports)
Kasey Kahne grabbed the lead on the restart following a caution with 23 laps remaining and held off Matt Kenseth in a two-lap shootout to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday night.
Kahne's first win of the season earned him a spot in the Chase for the Sprint cup. Kenseth also qualified for the Chase on points.
Denny Hamlin was third, followed by Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards and Danica Patrick.
Meanwhile, Tony Stewart's much-anticipated return to racing ended a little more than halfway through the race.
Stewart hit the wall for the second time after his right front tire blew out on Lap 172, ending his night with a 41st-place finish.
It was Stewart's first race since the sprint car he was driving struck and killed 20-year-old Kevin Ward Jr. in an Aug. 9 race at a dirt track in upstate New York. The fatal wreck is still under investigation.
With only two laps remaining and Kahne holding a solid lead over Kevin Harvick, Martin True Jr. and Kyle Busch collided, forcing a caution flag and the first shootout. Harvick, who led 195 laps, had contact with Joey Logano in heavy traffic and hit the wall on the restart, bringing another caution flag and a second shootout.
Kahne, who had four fresh tires, started behind Kenseth and Hamlin on the final restart.
Harvick, who also won the Nationwide Series race on Saturday night, started from the pole and led the first 80 laps.
Logano, who won last week at Bristol, finished 14th.
Stewart's problems started when he went into the wall earlier in the race following a collision with Kyle Busch.
Kenseth began the night fifth in the points race, but not yet locked into the Chase because he had no wins. Kenseth needed to finish seventh or better to secure his place in the playoffs.
After leading the final 159 laps of his dominant Nationwide series win on Saturday night, Harvick resumed his mastery of the Atlanta Motor Speedway track. Starting from his series-leading sixth pole of the season, Harvick led the first 80 laps, giving him a combined 239 consecutive laps led at the track over two races.
Hamlin passed Harvick for the lead after Jeff Gordon, who had been second, blew a tire and slid into the wall on turn 3 on the 78th lap, forcing a yellow flag.
Stewart started 12th and opened strong, moving up to sixth in the first five laps. Driving high on the track, three-wide at times, he made two more passes to move to fourth a few laps later. He fell back to 12th before his first big setback. Busch, attempting to move to the top of the track, cut in front of Stewart, forcing Stewart into the wall.
After two visits to pit row for repairs, Stewart didn't last long. Only 50 laps later, he hit the wall on turn 2 after his right front tire blew. This time he drove his more heavily damaged car to the garage, and his race was over.
Brad Keselowski was fourth when a collision with Josh Wise ended his night with 28 laps remaining.
Ty Dillon, making his Sprint Cup debut, finished 25th.
Harvick had a scare early in the race when a small animal ran across the track in front of his car. He told his crew a cat ran across the track, but later it was discovered to be a squirrel, which was found hiding near turn 3.
Cat, or maybe squirrel, runs out on Atlanta track in front of Kevin Harvick.
By Jay Busbee
Strange things happen when NASCAR goes under the lights. Sunday night at Atlanta, something, either a cat or a squirrel or a mixture of both, darted across the track right in front of race leader Kevin Harvick.
Here you go, decide for yourself:
Was that a cat? A squirrel? Or some kind of nefarious combination of both? Harvick thought it was a cat, but NASCAR.com offered this photograph:
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NASCAR has a history of animals making their way onto the track, though it's mostly in Pocono; there, everything from deer to bears to chickens have wandered onto the concrete.
Shortly after seeing the squirrel/cat, Harvick surrendered what had been a dominant lead, and began having problems under the hood. Coincidence? We think not.
Balotelli makes winning debut as Reds rout Spurs.
AFP
Liverpool rolled out the red carpet for Mario Balotelli as they marked the Italy striker's debut with an impressive 3-0 win over Tottenham on Sunday.
Balotelli started as the center of attention at White Hart Lane on his return to the Premier League after a £16 million ($26 million) transfer from AC Milan.
But the controversial former Manchester City player was eventually overshadowed by a majestic display from his new team-mates which emphasized they can thrive despite the sale of star striker Luis Suarez to Barcelona.
Balotelli delivered a typically erratic show, offering glimpses of his talent but also missing several chances before being replaced in the 61st minute.
But his presence seemed to revitalize Liverpool after Monday's loss at Manchester City and Raheem Sterling opened the scoring early in the first half before Steven Gerrard's penalty soon after the interval was followed by Alberto Moreno's solo effort.
Brendan Rodgers' 100th match in charge of Liverpool brought his 56th victory, equaling the records of Bill Shankly and Rafael Benitez over the same period, and the Reds boss can expect many more memorable afternoons on the evidence on a scintillating display which ended Tottenham's four-match winning run in ruthless style.
Rodgers is determined to curb the worst of the temperamental Balotelli's excesses and has already insisted life at Anfield won't become 'the Mario show'.
But Balotelli, who famously unveiled a t-shirt that read 'why always me' after scoring in a Manchester derby, was well aware that Sunday's clash was all about him.
He was the last Liverpool player to emerge from the tunnel before kick-off, trailing behind his team-mates with a grin on his face as photographers crowded around him.
The 24-year-old had scored on his debuts for City, AC Milan and Inter Milan, and he almost extended that sequence in the third minute.
Daniel Sturridge floated a perfect cross to the far post, where the Italian climbed above Danny Rose to power in a header that forced a good stop from Hugh Lloris.
Rather than rue that miss, Liverpool took it as an encouraging sign that Tottenham's defense could be breached with just a little more precision.
And Rodgers' side produced a brilliant move to take the lead in the eighth minute.
Jordan Henderson started the blistering raid when he helped the ball onto Sturridge and embarked on a lung-bursting run into the Tottenham penalty area, where he slipped a first-time cross to the far-post for Sterling to convert with a fine finish from a tight angle.
Although Emmanuel Adebayor lobbed over from a good position, Liverpool were calling the shots and Balotelli should have scored when he glanced a header wide from Gerrard's free-kick.
Balotelli was on the receiving end of a well-timed crunching tackle from Eric Dier and responded in theatrical fashion, rolling around as though shot before quickly returning to the fray.
Given another chance to open his Liverpool account after Lloris raced out and scuffed a clearance straight to him, Balotelli's snatched shot flew well wide from 30 yards -- drawing mocking cheers from the Spurs fans and a wry smile from Rodgers.
Rodgers might not have been so indulgent if Nacer Chadli had seized a golden opportunity to equalize when Adebayor's aerial threat lured two Liverpool defenders out of position.
But Mignolet made an excellent save to deny the Belgian and that proved the decisive moment as Liverpool doubled their advantage four minutes into the second half.
Joe Allen tumbled in the penalty area after a tug from Dier, with the midfielder's exaggerated fall persuading referee Phil Dowd to award a spot-kick which Gerrard calmly stroked past Lloris.
With Tottenham throwing players forward in search of a lifeline, Moreno made it three on the hour.
Andros Townsend lost possession and former Sevilla left-back Moreno ran half the length of the pitch unchallenged before driving a fine strike into the far corner for his first Liverpool goal.
Why Ángel Di María is exactly what Manchester United need.
By Andi Thomas
(Photo/Paul Gilham)
He's not a defender, he's not really a central midfielder, and he doesn't solve every problem. But Manchester United's record signing is precisely what the club need right now.
Manchester United's signing of Ángel Di María has provoked near-unprecedented unity in the footballing commentaries. He's an excellent player, runs the consensus, but he's not what they need. Various metaphors have been deployed in support of this argument — paper over cracks, hats instead of trousers, and so on — but perhaps the most resonant comes from the Times. Drawing the comparison (£) with Manchester City's signing of Robinho, the paper recalls a "senior official" later admitting that "It was like putting the cherry on top of the cake when the thing had still to be properly baked, let alone iced."
It's an odd concern, this one. Firstly, if cake is how we're going to play this, then the assessment of a transfer window before that window has closed is like eating a cake before it's done. Cherry or not, that's never sensible. If Di María isn't the entirety of what United need — and literally nobody is suggesting that he is — then that only matters if his purchase somehow prevents United also getting other signings that they need. If his arrival blocks that of a midfielder, say.
That would only be the case if Ed Woodward is incapable of arranging two deals at once, or if the money isn't there, and we're assured that neither is true (though we've only evidence for the latter). So while it might be nice if the cake had been finished earlier, ultimately it won't be cooked until 11 o'clock on Monday evening. Stop opening the oven to check. And stop eating the cherries.
That would only be the case if Ed Woodward is incapable of arranging two deals at once, or if the money isn't there, and we're assured that neither is true (though we've only evidence for the latter). So while it might be nice if the cake had been finished earlier, ultimately it won't be cooked until 11 o'clock on Monday evening. Stop opening the oven to check. And stop eating the cherries.
Secondly, even if Di María doesn't end up being followed into Old Trafford by a proper central midfielder and perhaps another central defender, then he will still have addressed a long-standing, desperate need in the United side. After all, there have been plenty of things missing from recent Manchester United showings; not just the two games that the club has played under Louis van Gaal, but back through the David Moyes Interruption and even, in nascent form, in the latter days of Alex Ferguson. Di María won't entirely address the gaping hole where the midfield used to be, and he won't sort out the defense, but he can help with the fact that United have become almost embarrassingly pace-less.
A Manchester United side without pace is like a cake without sugar: it's the right shape, and it can sometimes get the job done if nobody's paying too much attention, but ultimately it's nothing but useless stodge. And we're not just talking about rapid players here: Danny Welbeck and Adnan Januzaj move plenty quickly, as does Ashley Young when he's not hurtling through the air. Antonio Valencia was ranked by FIFA as the fastest player at the World Cup, and even allowing for FIFA being an entirely ridiculous organization, he's quite nippy.
But leaving Januzaj aside because he's still but a brain and will be plenty brilliant before too long, none of the them have been playing like it. United's goal on Sunday, which saw Antonio Valencia get round his man on the outside, was practically a collector's item. This is a side that now butcher breaks with the same regularity that they used to score from them, and the general air of immobility has become one of the more poignant and painful aspects of watching United play recently. Wingers, frightened to be wingers; wing-backs cutting inside and rolling it square; strikers nestling in the pockets of defenders; Juan Mata, desperate for somebody running into space, having to play a percentage ball into Wayne Rooney's feet.
Perhaps we could suggest that there's a difference between quickness, which is a has to do with running, and pace, which has to do with running applied to football with the specific end of tearing things up. The difference between kicking and passing; the difference (well, one of the differences) between David Bellion and Cristiano Ronaldo. Take Valencia as an example. He's still quick, though his self-doubt and collapsed form means that his pace is very rarely in evidence; if it were, then he'd still be passing defenders on the outside and whipping the ball to the far post. He'd still be making goals. He'd still be useful.
Pace makes everybody better. Carrying the ball from midfield at pace makes strikers better, as they have a retreating defense through which to angle their runs. Running in behind a defense at pace makes the playmaker better, as the speed embiggens the space into which they can stroke the ball. Dribbling in from the wing at pace has scared defenders since football became football. Remember when United were scary? Not just respected or feared, but genuinely terrifying? It's been a while.
And that's what Di María is here to do. If he plays in midfield, he's to drive between the lines; on the wing, to cut inside; up front, to dart and harry and generally terrify. United aren't just trying to rebuild a squad, they're attempting to restore an aura, and while reinforcing the defense and stiffening the midfield is important, their not going to do the job on their own. Comparisons with last season's Liverpool side are obviously odious for all sorts of reasons, but they do handily demonstrate that a side doesn't need to be balanced to be brilliant. (Though they may need to be balanced to win the league.)
There has never been a great United side that didn't have at least one player who wasn't just quick, but was quick, brilliant, direct and effective at the same time. That didn't have pace. That's the key. Di María isn't a pure sprinter, and his game is different to that of Ronaldo, of the young Ryan Giggs, of Andrei Kanchelskis, of all his antecedents as United's terror-in-chief. But he's here to do a similar job. To make defenders worry, to tie them up in their own inadequacies, and to make his teammates feel, for the first time in ages, that they're the mighty Manchester United and they should be feared. If United are a cake, then Di María isn't the cherry. He's the raising agent.
Top seeds lead Labor Day workforce.
By Mark Preston
On this Labor Day Monday, tennis’ top talents clock in here at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, each eager to complete a job begun one week ago today. Some of those who report to work on this Labor Day have a wealth of experience in the tough task of stringing seven matches together across a two-week span; others are pursuing long-term Grand Slam employment for the first time. Former US Open champs Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Serena Williams lead today’s field of highly qualified candidates, which also includes Victoria Azarenka, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Stan Wawrinka, Milos Raonic, Eugenie Bouchard, Ekaterina Makarova, Tommy Robredo, Kei Nishikori, Flavia Pennetta and Philipp Kohlschreiber. With Week 1 of this event in the books, the pursuit of tennis’ toughest title today begins in earnest. The job only gets tougher from here.
Men’s top seed Djokovic has cruised into the fourth round without dropping a set, looking very much like a man with his focus fixed on a fifth consecutive US Open final. The 27-year-old Serb, US Open champion in 2011, has spent a total of just four hours, 30 minutes on court in three matches to this point, dropping a meager 18 games. Djokovic plays a power game with precision, a brilliant blend that makes him a force on any surface. But he’s particularly lethal on hard courts, as evidenced by his 371-79 career mark on cement. The owner of seven Grand Slam singles titles, Djokovic is into the fourth round in Flushing for the eighth straight year and the fourth round of a major for the 22nd consecutive time. Kohlschreiber is playing in his 12th consecutive US Open, and this is the third year in a row that he’s reached the fourth round. The 30-year-old German is a solid slugger who never seems rattled, regardless of the score. He stared down 42 aces from American John Isner in Round 3 and out-steadied the American to win in four tight sets. Djokovic and Kohlschreiber have met five times on tour, with the Serb winning four of those. But the German’s one win was on a major stage, eliminating the Serb in the third round of the 2009 French Open. Kolhschreiber may make the top seed work longer, but he can’t stop him from moving on. In three, Djokovic is on to the quarters.
Like the men’s top seed, the women’s No. 1, Williams, is ripping through the draw like a leopard-clad chainsaw. Not only has she yet to drop a set, but she’s lost a meager 11 games in three matches. The 17-time Grand Slam singles champion was on court for one hour, 35 minutes in her third-round win over fellow American Varvara Lepchenko in Round 3 – the first time she’d spent more than an hour on court here. Now that Williams has single-handedly eliminated three of the 17 American women who populated this draw at the start, she’ll take on her first non-American opponent in Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi, who is looking to reach the quarters here for the second time in her career. The 29-year-old Kanepi took out the No. 15 seed Carla Suarez Navarro in the third round with a decisive 7-5, 6-0 win in which she won 90 percent of her first-serve points and broke her opponent six times. Kanepi owns a big serve, but Williams owns this big stage, seeking to become the first woman to win three consecutive titles here since Chris Evert won four in a row from 1975 to 1978. Williams is on a roll here, and Kanepi doesn’t figure to have enough game to halt her momentum. In two, the women’s top seed secures a quarterfinal berth.
After struggling through her first-round match, Azarenka again is resembling the player we’ve come to know as one of the women’s game’s greatest talents. Twice an Australian Open champion and runner-up here in each of the last two years, the 25-year-old Belarusian has found her form on the hard floors of Flushing. Sidelined for the better part of this year with foot and knee injuries, Azarenka has been able to get a leg up here on the opposition by moving well and playing clean. She made only eight unforced errors in her third-round win over Elena Vesnina. What’s more, it’s clear that she’s finding more confidence with each passing round. Qualifier Aleksandra Krunic has had a great run as well, taking out two seeds – including two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova – to reach the fourth round in just her second career major. (She lost here in the first round in 2013.) The 21-year-old Serb, ranked No. 145, is a 5-foot-6 bundle of energy who tirelessly ran down Kvitova’s shots until she ran the third seed off the court. This should be an entertaining encounter, but Azarenka is playing with a focus that suggests she has her sights set on this event’s second Sunday. In two, Azarenka advances.
Murray, men’s champ here in 2012, has made a quiet advance to this point, forging ahead in steady if unspectacular fashion. The No. 8 seed has had a disappointing year at the Slams – his best showing a semifinal finish at Roland Garros. In truth, the 27-year-old Scotsman has been mired in a slump for a considerable stretch. He’s not reached a tournament final since winning Wimbledon in 2013. Murray has struggled mightily with his serve to this point, getting in an average of just 61 percent of his first serves through three matches. He’s going to have to find a way to raise his game against Tsonga, who has looked particularly impressive in reaching the fourth round of a Slam for the fourth time this year. The 29-year-old Frenchman’s best career showing at a major was a run to the final of the 2008 Aussie Open. Here, he’s been as far as the quarters only once, in 2011. Murray has a large 9-2 lead on the Frenchman in career meetings, but Tsonga won their most recent encounter at this summer’s Toronto tournament. The Scot has not been great so far, and Tsonga seems to be raising his game with each round. That’s bad news for the former champ. This one goes four – and Tsonga goes on.
Top seeds lead Labor Day workforce.
By Mark Preston
On this Labor Day Monday, tennis’ top talents clock in here at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, each eager to complete a job begun one week ago today. Some of those who report to work on this Labor Day have a wealth of experience in the tough task of stringing seven matches together across a two-week span; others are pursuing long-term Grand Slam employment for the first time. Former US Open champs Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Serena Williams lead today’s field of highly qualified candidates, which also includes Victoria Azarenka, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Stan Wawrinka, Milos Raonic, Eugenie Bouchard, Ekaterina Makarova, Tommy Robredo, Kei Nishikori, Flavia Pennetta and Philipp Kohlschreiber. With Week 1 of this event in the books, the pursuit of tennis’ toughest title today begins in earnest. The job only gets tougher from here.
Men’s top seed Djokovic has cruised into the fourth round without dropping a set, looking very much like a man with his focus fixed on a fifth consecutive US Open final. The 27-year-old Serb, US Open champion in 2011, has spent a total of just four hours, 30 minutes on court in three matches to this point, dropping a meager 18 games. Djokovic plays a power game with precision, a brilliant blend that makes him a force on any surface. But he’s particularly lethal on hard courts, as evidenced by his 371-79 career mark on cement. The owner of seven Grand Slam singles titles, Djokovic is into the fourth round in Flushing for the eighth straight year and the fourth round of a major for the 22nd consecutive time. Kohlschreiber is playing in his 12th consecutive US Open, and this is the third year in a row that he’s reached the fourth round. The 30-year-old German is a solid slugger who never seems rattled, regardless of the score. He stared down 42 aces from American John Isner in Round 3 and out-steadied the American to win in four tight sets. Djokovic and Kohlschreiber have met five times on tour, with the Serb winning four of those. But the German’s one win was on a major stage, eliminating the Serb in the third round of the 2009 French Open. Kolhschreiber may make the top seed work longer, but he can’t stop him from moving on. In three, Djokovic is on to the quarters.
Like the men’s top seed, the women’s No. 1, Williams, is ripping through the draw like a leopard-clad chainsaw. Not only has she yet to drop a set, but she’s lost a meager 11 games in three matches. The 17-time Grand Slam singles champion was on court for one hour, 35 minutes in her third-round win over fellow American Varvara Lepchenko in Round 3 – the first time she’d spent more than an hour on court here. Now that Williams has single-handedly eliminated three of the 17 American women who populated this draw at the start, she’ll take on her first non-American opponent in Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi, who is looking to reach the quarters here for the second time in her career. The 29-year-old Kanepi took out the No. 15 seed Carla Suarez Navarro in the third round with a decisive 7-5, 6-0 win in which she won 90 percent of her first-serve points and broke her opponent six times. Kanepi owns a big serve, but Williams owns this big stage, seeking to become the first woman to win three consecutive titles here since Chris Evert won four in a row from 1975 to 1978. Williams is on a roll here, and Kanepi doesn’t figure to have enough game to halt her momentum. In two, the women’s top seed secures a quarterfinal berth.
After struggling through her first-round match, Azarenka again is resembling the player we’ve come to know as one of the women’s game’s greatest talents. Twice an Australian Open champion and runner-up here in each of the last two years, the 25-year-old Belarusian has found her form on the hard floors of Flushing. Sidelined for the better part of this year with foot and knee injuries, Azarenka has been able to get a leg up here on the opposition by moving well and playing clean. She made only eight unforced errors in her third-round win over Elena Vesnina. What’s more, it’s clear that she’s finding more confidence with each passing round. Qualifier Aleksandra Krunic has had a great run as well, taking out two seeds – including two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova – to reach the fourth round in just her second career major. (She lost here in the first round in 2013.) The 21-year-old Serb, ranked No. 145, is a 5-foot-6 bundle of energy who tirelessly ran down Kvitova’s shots until she ran the third seed off the court. This should be an entertaining encounter, but Azarenka is playing with a focus that suggests she has her sights set on this event’s second Sunday. In two, Azarenka advances.
Murray, men’s champ here in 2012, has made a quiet advance to this point, forging ahead in steady if unspectacular fashion. The No. 8 seed has had a disappointing year at the Slams – his best showing a semifinal finish at Roland Garros. In truth, the 27-year-old Scotsman has been mired in a slump for a considerable stretch. He’s not reached a tournament final since winning Wimbledon in 2013. Murray has struggled mightily with his serve to this point, getting in an average of just 61 percent of his first serves through three matches. He’s going to have to find a way to raise his game against Tsonga, who has looked particularly impressive in reaching the fourth round of a Slam for the fourth time this year. The 29-year-old Frenchman’s best career showing at a major was a run to the final of the 2008 Aussie Open. Here, he’s been as far as the quarters only once, in 2011. Murray has a large 9-2 lead on the Frenchman in career meetings, but Tsonga won their most recent encounter at this summer’s Toronto tournament. The Scot has not been great so far, and Tsonga seems to be raising his game with each round. That’s bad news for the former champ. This one goes four – and Tsonga goes on.
College Football: Week 1 shows no team is invincible.
By Ivan Maisel
Think the Noles have a spot booked in the College Football Playoff? Think again.
We pontificate and analyze and study for months, and then the games start, and we find out how much we don't know. We write and speak with good intentions. We're as excited about the season getting here as you are.
But then, like most newborns, it acts nothing like imagined. Little 2014 has a mind of its own, and already we see the darling barely resembles our expectations.
We thought Florida State was invincible, and it's not.
We thought the SEC would hang on to its predominance, and it didn't.
We thought UCLA would resemble a top-five team, and we didn't see it. In fact, we thought the Pac-12 might be the best conference in the nation, and -- oh, wait a minute, we might have gotten that one right.
It's August, not November, and we are trying to solve big puzzles with small clues.
All that practice, all those meetings, all that information has to be synthesized and turned into efficient, crisp football. History tells us we don't see a lot of that on Labor Day weekend. But who remembers history when there's a new season to embrace?
No. 21 Texas A&M kicked off the season by looking all grown up and embarrassing No. 9 South Carolina 52-28. But the Aggies proved to be the anomaly. No. 4 Oklahoma and No. 15 USC dominated overmatched foes.
No. 2 Alabama looked exactly like Florida State and against a similar opponent, and they defeated West Virginia, 33-23. Those games might have been won on the past couple national signing days. When neither team is executing well, talent rules the day. It might wait until the fourth quarter, when minds are tired and precision is an elusive goal. No. 5 Ohio State and No. 13 LSU eventually found a way to beat Navy and No. 14 Wisconsin, respectively.
Florida State, which returned 14 starters from a team that went 14-0, jumped out to a 17-0 lead. Oklahoma State had 12 players who had won more than one letter. The Cowboys have the least experience of any team in the Autonomous Five, the Other Five or The Dave Clark Five.
"They did not play like the least experienced team," Seminoles free safety Jalen Ramsey said of the Cowboys. "They're a really good team. Give a lot of credit. They came out, and they fought. They're very athletic. They're big. They didn't play inexperienced at all."
Well, maybe they did in the beginning.
"The first quarter, the other team was really strong and really fast," Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said. "And I don't really know how you prepare them for that."
Oklahoma State settled down. Junior Tyreek Hill showed why he is a Big 12 sprint champion. He finished with 278 all-purpose yards.
"We dominated the first quarter. It's not a 15-minute game," Florida State defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. said. "It's a 60-minute game. ... Maybe we got a little comfortable after the first quarter. We can do this. We can do that. We kind of fell back from what we were supposed to be doing."
This game should have been over. It was not. Asked to describe what happened, Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston said: "I threw a pick."
The reigning Heisman winner illustrated how opening weekend distorts all that we thought leading up to it. In the first quarter, Winston completed nine of 10 passes for 110 yards. In the second quarter, he completed five of 12 passes for 88 yards with two interceptions. In his 15-game collegiate career, Winston had never thrown two picks in a quarter.
The first turnover came in the red zone, a shining example of how this season's team is different from the one that went 14-0 a year ago. In 73 trips to the opponent's 20-yard line or closer last season, Florida State scored 71 times. After Oklahoma State corner Ashton Lampkin intercepted Winston at the Cowboys' 6 early in the second quarter, the Seminoles stood 1-of-2 in the red zone.
Winston apologized to his teammates in the halftime locker room. He implored them to play better. He finished with 370 passing yards, padded by the 50-yard touchdown to senior Rashad Greene that gave the Seminoles a 37-24 lead late in the fourth quarter. Greene caught 11 of Winston's 25 completions. But Greene didn't like sticking to the newborn theme.
"I wouldn't say [I'm the] safety blanket," Greene said. "At the end of the day, I need my teammates. We need to do this together."
Fisher thinks the drumbeat of the past eight months, yes, the fruits of all that offseason research, bore down on his team. They believed they didn't have the luxury of being a newborn even as Fisher told them, over and over again, that the past season had ended.
"I think they felt the pressure of being No. 1," Fisher said. "I really do. Now I think we can relax and go play football."
Those words will be heard in the meeting room of every team that watches video of its opening game. They don't have their legs under them yet. They've only practiced for four weeks and played one game. But they are being measured against the picture the public has in its mind's eye. One game usually doesn't measure up to eight months of expectations.
Four-star guard New Williams commits to Bruce Pearl and Auburn.
By Terrence Payne
Bruce Pearl capped off an impressive month of August with yet another commitment.
On Sunday morning, 2015 guard New Williams from Santa Monica High (California) committed to the Tigers while on an official visit, according to Evan Daniels of Scout.com. Williams becomes the fifth player to commit to the program since Aug. 22.
The 6-foot-2 guard missed his junior season with a torn ACL. He had offers from Arizona State, New Mexico, Pepperdine, Tulsa, UNLV and UTEP, according to Daniels.
Williams is regarded as a four-star prospect by Rivals, giving Pearl his third four-star commitment in the Class of 2015. Danjel Purifoy, a 6-foot-6 small forward, became the first pledge on Aug. 22. Two days later, Pearl’s three-year show-cause penalty ended, and he quickly earned a commitment from power forward Horace Spencer, a top-60 overall recruit.
A day later, three-star JuCo shooting guard T.J. Dunans picked Auburn. Pearl’s 2015 class will also include former Marshall guard Kareem Canty, who is sitting out this season per NCAA transfer rules. He averaged 16.3 points and 5.5 assists per game as a redshirt freshman this past season.
Former Maryland commit Trayvon Reed also committed to Auburn this week, though, he will join the team in the second semester.
NCAA offers hints of its O'Bannon appeal strategy.
By Jon Solomon, National College Football Writer
The NCAA suggested its main arguments to appeal the Ed O'Bannon ruling allowing college athletes to be paid will focus on amateurism and First Amendment rights on live broadcasts.
In a filing Thursday night with the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the NCAA's lawyers responded to a mandatory mediation questionnaire that asks to briefly describe the issues on appeal. The NCAA wrote, “The issues on appeal include but are not limited to whether amateurism is presumptively procompetitive for an amateur sports league and whether plaintiffs' claims based on a property right in the use of their (names, images and likenesses) in live broadcasts of sporting events are foreclosed by the First Amendment.” USA Today Sports first reported the filing.
U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken ruled Aug. 8 that the NCAA's restrictions on what Football Bowl Subdivision players and Division I men's basketball players can receive “unreasonably restrain trade” and violates antitrust law. Wilken's injunction will allow football and men's basketball players to receive scholarships covering their full cost of attendance and deferred payments for the schools' use of their names, images and likenesses (NILs).
For decades, the NCAA's legal defense to avoid paying players has relied upon a landmark 1984 Supreme Court ruling that stripped the NCAA of TV rights and allowed conferences to sell their games. The NCAA has clung to a line from that decision: “In order to preserve the character and quality of the (NCAA's) 'product,' athletes must not be paid, must be required to attend class, and the like.”
In her October 2013 summary judgment ruling, Wilken wrote the Supreme Court opinion “does not stand for the sweeping proposition that student-athletes must be barred, both during their college years and forever thereafter, from receiving any monetary compensation for the commercial use of their names, images and likenesses.” In her August judgment after a three-week trial, Wilken noted that the O'Bannon plaintiffs provided enough evidence to show the college sports industry has changed “substantially” in 30 years.
Wilken also wrote that the Supreme Court opinion stating “athletes must not be paid” differed from the NCAA's own lawyers in the case. The NCAA's lawyers in 1984 said during an oral argument “that the NCAA was not relying on amateurism as a procompetitive justification and ‘might be able to get more viewers and so on if it had semi-professional clubs rather than amateur clubs,'” Wilken wrote. In addition, Wilken wrote that the NCAA has inconsistently applied its amateurism rules throughout the association's history and to this day.
Wilken's injunction allows the NCAA to create a cap on the deferred licensing money as long as the cap is not less than $5,000 per year. It's what's called a less-restrictive alternative to the antitrust violation found.
By appealing based on amateurism, the NCAA could find relief or perhaps an even more damaging ruling. Conceivably, the appeals court could determine that amateurism is so illegitimate that it's unreasonable for there to be any cap. That's the argument attorney Jeffrey Kessler makes in his class-action lawsuit against the NCAA and the five major conferences.
Another issue the NCAA suggested it will appeal in O'Bannon relates to the First Amendment and live TV broadcasts -- an area that generates billions of dollars for schools. The O'Bannon plaintiffs have sought to share that licensing revenue.
Earlier in the O'Bannon case, the NCAA claimed that the First Amendment and various state laws prevent college athletes from asserting any rights of publicity during game broadcasts. Wilken rejected that argument in April, writing that the First Amendment “does not guarantee media organizations an unlimited right to broadcast entire college football games” and questioned whether college athletes validly transfer their rights of publicity to another party.
Wilken added in her August judgment that a group market exists in live TV broadcasts for college athletes' NILs. But she determined that although some actions may be unlawful related to live TV broadcasts, there is no evidence they violate antitrust law.
The NCAA's hints this week of their appeal arguments aren't necessarily the only issues they will challenge. The NCAA left the door open for other issues in its language in the questionnaire. The appeal process could last more than a year.
O'Bannon lead attorney Michael Hausfeld said Friday the plaintiffs will decide within the next week or two whether to appeal Wilken's ruling. Hausfeld said he expects a “full-blown assault” by the NCAA from its amateurism defense.
“It's what they've contended from the very beginning of the suit is the essence of their defense,” he said. “It was thoroughly rejected by the District Court, and in some respect the Court of Appeals in refusing to grant them extraordinary relief of appeal before the judgment.”
Also this week, Washington D.C.-based attorneys Seth Waxman and Daniel Volchok formally filed with the federal appeals court their notices of appearance as NCAA lawyers. Waxman, a former U.S. solicitor general, has argued more than 65 times before the Supreme Court and was hired by the NCAA in 2013.
Many observers of the O'Bannon case believe the NCAA has been eyeing the Supreme Court as a remedy for a while. It's no given the Supreme Court would hear the case.
On This Date in Sports History: Today is Monday, September 1, 2014.
MemoriesofHistory.com
1906 - Jack Coombs of the American League’s Philadelphia Athletics pitched 24 innings against the Boston Red Sox.
1971 - Danny Murtaugh of the Pittsburgh Pirates gave his lineup card to the umpire with the names of nine black baseball players on it. This was a first for Major League Baseball.
1982 - J.R. Richard returned to major league baseball after a two year absence following a near-fatal stroke.
1998 - Mark McGwire, of the St. Louis Cardinals, hit his 56th and 57th homeruns to set a new National League record. He would eventually reach a total of 70 for the season on September 27.
1999 - Twenty-two of major league baseball's 68 permanent umpires were replaced. The problem arose from their union's failed attempt to force an early start to negotiations for a new labor contract.
2004 - In Colorado, the sexual assault charge against Kobe Bryant was dropped after the victim decided not to participate.
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