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Bear Down Chicago Bears!!! NFL Power Rankings: Chicago Bears in the Top 10.
By Lester A. Wiltfong Jr.
With a new season upon us, we have a fresh set of NFL Power Rankings to pour over. Where will the masses have the Chicago Bears to begin the 2014 season? Would you believe a few NFL experts have the Bears in the top 10?
Where would you have the Chicago Bears ranked this season? Top 10? Middle of the road? Bottom of the barrel?
Each week we'll take a peek at handful of NFL Power Rankings from around the internet.
We'll kick things off today with the Mothership, SB Nation, who has the Bears in the Top 10 at number nine.
We know this offense can score points in bunches. It was the defense that cost Chicago an NFC North title. They spent big bucks in free agency and a ton of draft capital to improve that unit. Will it be enough for a playoff run in Marc Trestman's second season at the helm?Yes, I think it will.
Over at the Philadelphia Eagles' SB Nation site, Bleeding Green Nation, they not only have the Bears in the top 10, but they reference the Marc Trestman offense in a way that may anger some...
10) Chicago Bears - I'm a big believer in the Trest Coast Offense. The Chicago defense is not without question marks but there's no way it can be as bad as last season. Right?The bold was mine... Sorry Kev.
TCO is a thing...
It's good to see the Mile High Report is still suffering from spurned lover syndrome when it comes to Jay Cutler. Let it go guys, the Broncos traded Jay back in 2009. You've got Peyton Manning and you've been to a Super Bowl.
It's hard to get excited about the Chicago Bears when Jay Cutler is the quarterback. The guy seems to know how to extricate a team from playoff contention in the final weeks better than any quarterback I've ever seen. Still, the weapons on offense should at least guarantee ten wins here, but ...Is the Smokin' Jay Cutler thing still a thing?
Oh by the way, they have the Bears ranked at #10.
Over at Yahoo's Shutdown Corner they also have the Bears at #10.
I could flip back on the Bears if it turns out they were just holding everything back on defense in the preseason and that unit is actually competent.A few others aren't as optimistic when it comes to the Bears...
Last week we looked at Pat Kirwan's season prediction for the Bears, so we shouldn't expect him to have the Bears very high in his inaugural power rankings of 2014.
Chicago Bears: The Bears offense is dangerous and should even be better this year, but that defense has to improve or this team will fall short of the playoffs.Kirwan's CBS Sports cohort, Pete Prisco, also dropped his first NFL power ranking today. I wonder if he'll have any ties?
14 - We know they will score on offense. But have they done enough to improve the defense in a division with those explosive offenses in Green Bay and Detroit?Bears check in at 15 according to FOX Sports.
The offense has a chance to make strides as they enter year two in Marc Trestman's heralded system, but they will need to hold on an offensive line that has looked shaky at times this preseason.Over at Newsday they have the Bears way down at 19!
A more mature Jay Cutler? A bona fide team leader? He'd better be after that $127-million contract.We check out Walter Football every draft season, but it appears they also do Power Rankings and they have the Bears at 14.
According to Chad Millman, many "wise guys" like the Bears to go under their posted win total. A guest of his, a guy who sells computer picks, said the same thing. I would disagree with all of them if I knew Jay Cutler could stay healthy. However, Cutler isn't making it through 16 games, and neither Jordan Palmer nor Jimmy Clausen is Josh McCown. Oh, and I'm also worried about Brandon Marshall flying out to New York every Tuesday to film some TV show. How could the Bears allow this to happen? The jet lag will definitely add up for Marshall, who will slow down at the end of the season.He's right. Jordan Palmer is not Josh McCown, but he's also not employed by the Bears anymore. And about that jet lag thing?
The plan calls for Marshall to fly on a private plane to New York on Tuesday mornings, tape the show and hop back on the plane to return home by late afternoon/early evening.
"It's a fun show," ShowtimeSports general manager Stephen Espinoza said. "It's not a taxing day."
There are contingency plans in place if there are weather issues regarding flying; if Marshall needs to stay in Chicago for treatment for an injury; and for the weeks the Bears play Monday and Thursday games. In those cases, he could do the show via satellite from the Bears' studios at Halas Hall.
"Brandon has made it clear that his performance on the field is No. 1, 2 and 3 priority," Espinoza said. "We're clear on that as well.".
Taking a two hour flight on a private plane doesn't seem very taxing to me.
Bears confident defense will be better when games count.
By Mark Potash
(Photo/Nuccio DiNuzzo/Chicago Tribune)
Hold your fire.
After a miserable 2013 season and an unimpressive 2014 preseason, the Bears’ defense is in the crosshairs of fans, media and other dubious critics. And rightfully so. The Bears finally have an NFL-quality offense that should strike fear in even the best opponents. If the defense sabotages a playoff berth again, defensive coordinator Mel Tucker, coach Marc Trestman and general manager Phil Emery will pay the price — in varying degrees of scorn and punishment — when the dust settles in January.
But let’s wait until we see exactly what they are before pulling the trigger. There’s hope for this defense yet, if it can stay healthy.
“There’s always concern,” Pro Bowl cornerback Tim Jennings said. “But we’re going to have our guys hyped up, ready to go. It’s a full game. We’re not going to play just a quarter here, two quarters there. We’re going to play a whole 60 minutes of football. So this first one is a good test to see where we’re at.”
The notion that “we’ll be there when the bell rings” usually is reserved for much better defenses than the Bears were last year. This team hasn’t earned the benefit of the doubt. The safety and linebacker quandaries appear to be as problematic this season as last. Nothing cornerback Charles Tillman or linebacker/restaurateur Lance Briggs did in the preseason inspired confidence. Jennings at nickel back is a big question mark. On third-and-anything, we’ll close our eyes and hope for the best.
But the straw they’re grasping at is a good one. When you have a defensive line, you have a chance. And in an uneven preseason, the first-team defensive line was a strength — by the eye test and Pro Football Focus ratings, for whatever they’re worth. And the great Jared Allen played only 29 snaps. It’s enough to persuade the Bears that despite the trepidation outside of Halas Hall, they’ll be able to turn it on against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday at Soldier Field and prove that this defense is indeed better than it looked in the preseason.
Trestman, more hands-on with the defense this year than last, is confident it will be better in the regular season than it was in the preseason. But he also was careful not to set the bar too high. It’s a work in progress from the start.
“I don’t feel that trepidation,” Trestman said. “The whole defense wasn’t together at one time during [the preseason]. We’re going to have to come together. It’s going to be a process working together, getting to know each other, how each other works.
“But the talent level’s there. We think the talent level is in a place where we’ve got a chance to get better and improve every week. And that’s what we’re going to try and do.”
The heat is on Tillman and Briggs to be as good as they’ve been and stay healthy. It’s on the coaching staff to get much more out of safety Chris Conte and linebackers Jon Bostic and Shea McClellin and turn rookies into contributors: cornerback Kyle Fuller, defensive tackles Ego Ferguson and Will Sutton and safety Brock Vereen.
And Allen can make all their jobs easier by being himself. The five-time Pro Bowl defensive end cruised through the preseason games. The Bears are expecting a lot from him in the regular season.
“Major impact,” Trestman said. “We brought him here to make a difference in our team. He’s worked his tail off throughout training camp. We’re excited to see him play.”
Aren’t we all. Allen needs to be at his manic best from the start of the season. If not, it could be open season on the defense in 2014. No offense to Emery, Trestman, Tucker & Co., but we’ve all renewed our permits.
Bears place Wilson on IR with return designation.
AP Sports
The Chicago Bears have placed receiver Marquess Wilson on injured reserve with a designation to return this season and signed cornerback Kelvin Hayden.
Bears place Wilson on IR with return designation.
AP Sports
The Chicago Bears have placed receiver Marquess Wilson on injured reserve with a designation to return this season and signed cornerback Kelvin Hayden.
The moves were announced on Tuesday.
Wilson, who appeared in 10 games last season, broke his collarbone in training camp. He will miss the first eight weeks and will not be eligible to play until Nov. 9, when the Bears visit Green Bay after their bye.
Hayden was released by the Bears on Saturday as they trimmed their roster to 53. He missed last season because of a torn hamstring after appearing in 16 games in 2012.
Chicago Bears Practice Squad Complete, Includes Isaiah Frey.
By Steven Schweickert
The Bears put together their ten man practice squad Monday. Players waived from the 53-man roster who haven't exhausted their practice squad eligibility could have been signed to the practice squad after 11 AM CT Sunday. This includes players that weren't on the Bears' training camp roster.
Position
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Name
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LB
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WR
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CB
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G
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C
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KR
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CB
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DT
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DT
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CB
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Rashad Ross was in camp with Washington this year, returning four kickoffs for an average of 32 yards. Mitchell was a draft pick of the Cowboys this year, and Philon was a Steelers UDFA pickup.
Frey's inclusion on the practice squad takes advantage of a couple of new rules in effect for the next couple of years. First are the addition of two new slots to the practice squad, and two of those ten spots can be used on players with no more than two accrued years of free-agency. A player also doesn't accrue a practice squad season until he's on the squad for six games, as opposed to three in prior years.
Without the "no-more-than-two" exception, a player can be eligible for the practice squad if he doesn't have more than eight games on the active 46-man roster in each of his first couple seasons.
The rest of the practice squad rules are still in effect, and can be found over here.
NFL suspends Irsay 6 games, fines him $500,000.
By RICK CALLAHAN (Associated Press)
The NFL suspended Jim Irsay for the first six games of the season and fined him $500,000 for violating its personal conduct policy, coming down hard on the Indianapolis Colts owner Tuesday just hours after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor stemming from an embarrassing March traffic stop.
NFL suspends Irsay 6 games, fines him $500,000.
By RICK CALLAHAN (Associated Press)
The NFL suspended Jim Irsay for the first six games of the season and fined him $500,000 for violating its personal conduct policy, coming down hard on the Indianapolis Colts owner Tuesday just hours after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor stemming from an embarrassing March traffic stop.
Commissioner Roger Goodell said Irsay is barred from team facilities, practices and games and cannot represent the Colts at NFL meetings or events. The fine is the maximum allowed under league rules.
''I have stated on numerous occasions that owners, management personnel and coaches must be held to a higher standard than players,'' Goodell told Irsay in a letter released by the NFL. ''We discussed this during our meeting and you expressed your support for that view, volunteering that owners should be held to the highest standard.''
The 55-year-old Irsay pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of driving while intoxicated and acknowledged during his appearance before a Hamilton County judge that he was under the influence of the painkillers oxycodone and hydrocodone when he was arrested March 16 near his home in the Indianapolis suburb of Carmel.
Irsay did not comment outside the courtroom, but he apologized to Colts fans in a prepared statement.
''I am committed to do everything in my power to turn this whole experience into a positive event for myself, my family and the community,'' he said. ''In retrospect, I now know that the incident opened my eyes to issues in my life that needed addressing and helped put me on the path to regain my health. I truly hope and pray that my episode will help in some small measure to diminish the stigma surrounding our country's terrible and deadly problem of addiction. It is a disease.''
Irsay's case was closely watched around the NFL - not least among players - because there are few examples of the league punishing an owner like Irsay. Detroit Lions president Tom Lewand was suspended for 30 days and fined $100,000 in 2010 for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy following his guilty plea to driving while impaired. A player with a first-offense misdemeanor DUI would not be suspended and would be fined no more than $50,000 under terms of the collective bargaining agreement with the NFL Players Association.
Police said an officer spotted Irsay driving slowly, stopping in the roadway and failing to use a turn signal. Officers said he had trouble reciting the alphabet and failed field sobriety tests. Various prescription drugs were found in his vehicle, along with more than $29,000 in cash.
Irsay acknowledged in 2002 that he had become dependent on painkillers after several years of orthopedic operations but said he had overcome the problem.
Irsay will be on probation for a year and is prohibited from drinking or possessing alcohol during that time. He must submit to drug testing during his probation and successfully complete a substance abuse rehabilitation program. Less than 48 hours after his arrest, the Colts said Irsay had entered a treatment facility.
Irsay's driver's license also was suspended for one year by Judge J. Richard Campbell, who asked Irsay about his history of prescription drug troubles.
''Yes, I've had it in the past ... when I was dealing with the effects after having surgery,'' Irsay answered.
Andre Miksha, the Hamilton County chief deputy prosecutor, said Irsay's case wasn't handled differently than the roughly 1,100 other intoxicated driving cases the office handles each year. He said the ''vast majority'' of such cases end in plea agreements.
He also said the terms of Irsay's plea agreement are typical for a person who faced first-time driving while intoxicated charges in the county just north of Indianapolis.
Irsay had resumed his duties with the Colts at the NFL draft in May and even made an unsuccessful personal pitch to his fellow owners on behalf of Indianapolis' bid to host the 2018 Super Bowl.
Irsay became the Colts owner in 1997 after the death of his father, Robert Irsay, and a lengthy legal battle with his father's second wife. Forbes magazine has estimated Irsay's net worth at $1.6 billion.
He has helped build the Colts into a top NFL team over the past decade behind quarterback Peyton Manning, now with Denver, and was a key player in the drive to bring the Super Bowl to Indianapolis two years ago. He is working with some success to rebuild the team behind young quarterback Andrew Luck while coping with a divorce that follows a decade-long separation from his wife of 33 years.
Irsay told the judge he is still under the care of a doctor and an orthopedic specialist who prescribe medications for him. Under terms of his probation, Irsay must provide officials with all current medication prescriptions. The NFL said Irsay will be subject to ongoing treatment, counseling and testing as determined by doctors.
Irsay, who is active on social media, is also forbidden from discussing the Colts or NFL on his Twitter account.
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? NHL odds: Blackhawks still Stanley Cup favorites as season nears.
By Chris Peters, Hockey Writer
By Chris Peters, Hockey Writer
With NHL training camps opening up in about two weeks, the offseason is quickly drawing to a close. That means updated betting odds heading into the season. Though there have been some changes along the way, the Chicago Blackhawks remain the favorites to win the 2015 Stanley Cup according to the odds makers at Bovada.LV.
The Blackhawks added veteran center Brad Richards in the offseason, but also still have to clear some cap space before they can enter the 2014-15 campaign. The Los Angeles Kings meanwhile have maintained the No. 2 spot with largely the same roster from their Stanley Cup run in 2014.
Here’s a look at how things have changed since the odds were updated after the initial wave of free agency to now.
All odds via Bovada.LV:
Chicago Blackhawks - 13/2*
Los Angeles Kings - 9/1
Boston Bruins - 10/1
Anaheim Ducks - 12/1
Pittsburgh Penguins - 12/1
St. Louis Blues - 12/1
San Jose Sharks - 14/1
Minnesota Wild - 16/1*
New York Rangers - 16/1
Tampa Bay Lightning - 16/1*
Colorado Avalanche - 18/1
Montreal Canadiens - 18/1*
Dallas Stars - 20/1^
Detroit Red Wings - 22/1
Philadelphia Flyers - 28/1
Columbus Blue Jackets - 33/1
Toronto Maple Leafs - 40/1^
Vancouver Canucks - 40/1^
Washington Capitals - 40/1
Edmonton Oilers - 50/1
New Jersey Devils - 50/1
Carolina Hurricanes - 66/1
New York Islanders - 66/1^
Ottawa Senators - 66/1^
Arizona Coyotes - 66/1^
Winnipeg Jets - 66/1^
Buffalo Sabres - 75/1
Calgary Flames - 75/1
Florida Panthers - 75/1
Nashville Predators - 75/1^
* - Odds shorter, ^ - Odds Longer
Some interesting notes form the updated odds:
- The Minnesota Wild’s improvement isn’t necessarily a surprise, but there hasn’t been much change in their roster since they added Thomas Vanek as an unrestricted free agent before the last time the odds came out. Seeing the Tampa Bay Lightning see some improvement in their odds is also warranted. They could be one of the best team’s in the East next year with a healthy Steven Stamkos and some big-time free agent additions.
- It can be argued that the Nashville Predators improved their roster in the offseason with some veteran centers added to the roster, particularly in July, but they now sit at the bottom with the Florida Panthers, Calgary Flames and Buffalo Sabres at 75/1.
- It was also interesting to see the Dallas Stars’ odds get a touch longer as well. They are one of the most improved teams in the league coming out of the offseason, or so it would appear. Perhaps Vegas was scared by the lack of movement on the defense.
- The Montreal Canadiens settling the P.K. Subban contract situation amicably may have given oddsmakers a little more confidence in the Habs for next season.
It’s always interesting to see what Las Vegas says about the NHL teams at this late stage of the offseason. It also is a good indication that real hockey is near.
Just another Chicago Bulls Session… Bulls fans shouldn't panic over Rose's World Cup play.
By Mark Schanowski
OK, I know what you’re thinking. Derrick Rose went 1-for-6 from the field against New Zealand! He’s got seven turnovers in three games and has been relegated to a clear back-up role behind Cavs’ All-Star Kyrie Irving!
My advice, relax, Derrick will be just fine.
Rose’s lack of numbers so far at the World Cup is largely by choice. Remember, the state championship game he played for Simeon, where he scored two points, but his team still won? That’s really the essence of Derrick Rose. He wants to be part of championship teams, and he’ll play whatever role is necessary to help accomplish that goal.
With the Bulls for most of his four pre-injury seasons, Rose took the most shots and scored the most points because that’s what the team needed. Granted, the honors that rolled in like Rookie of the Year, youngest M.V.P. in NBA history and All-NBA 1st team are impressive, but at his core, Rose is that baller from the south side of Chicago, wanting to do whatever he can to keep himself and his team on the court by winning.
There’s no question Rose is working off some rust, and maybe even holding back on his normal all-out assaults to the hoop as he comes back again from a second serious knee injury. It’s only human nature that he would have some degree of doubt over how his surgically repaired knees will hold up. But Derrick has told anyone who will listen, his knees are strong and he’s not thinking about being in “comeback” mode anymore. It’s just a process of working through almost two years without game competition and sharpening his skills.
Take a look at Team USA in some of these blowout games, and you’ll see a lot of selfish play. James Harden, Steph Curry and Irving among the biggest offenders, going 1-on-1, or in Harden’s case, sometimes 1-on-3 in an effort to pad stats and keep their sponsors back at home happy.
Rose has never been about feasting on an over-matched opponent in an effort to increase his numbers. Do you think he couldn’t have gone at former Wisconsin guard Kirk Penny in the game against New Zealand to get lay-up after lay-up? Rose is a true pro, who wants to run Mike Krzyzewski’s offense exactly the way Coach K preaches in practice, namely quick passes and cuts to find the best possible shot.
So far, he’s done a nice job in the tournament of driving the gaps and kicking the ball out to open shooters like Curry, Harden and Klay Thompson. The truth is, when the roles are reversed, Rose rarely gets that return pass when he’s open on the wing. Coach K obviously hasn’t lost any faith in Rose. He praised Derrick’s unselfish play after the win over New Zealand, and told reporters Rose would play in all three games of Team USA’s back-to-back-to-back stretch. So much for concerns about his health.
When Rose reports for Bulls’ training camp at the end of the month, he’ll have worked through a lot of the rust that might have plagued him in the early part of the regular season. Tom Thibodeau is thrilled Rose took on the challenge of playing for Team U.S.A., knowing it will only speed up his return as one of the NBA’s elite players.
Rose won’t be asked to score as much on a Bulls’ team that added scorers like Pau Gasol, Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic in the off-season. Instead of averaging 22 points and 6 assists, you can bet Thibodeau would gladly take 18 and 10. And Rose will be the happiest player in Chicago if those reduced numbers eventually leads to a Bulls’ championship.
Team USA cruises to easy win over New Zealand.
By Aggrey Sam
Following Sunday’s tougher-than-expected test against Turkey, Team USA had a much easier time Tuesday, cruising to a 98-71 FIBA World Cup victory over New Zealand in Bilbao, Spain.
While it wasn’t a closely-contested matchup, New Zealand also played a scrappy brand of basketball and remained within striking distance in the opening period, as Team USA held a 27-20 lead after the first quarter, which featured Bulls point guard Derrick Rose entering the contest at the 4:05 mark and quickly knocking down a pull-up jumper from the elbow in transition, his lone field goal of the affair.
Rose started the second quarter and exited with 8:16 remaining before halftime — representing a departure from his usual run in the rotation, as the squad’s backup point guard usually begins each period on the bench — and helped maintain the up-tempo pace of the game, helping Team USA go into the intermission with a 57-35 advantage, again propelled by the interior duo of Denver Nuggets power forward Kenneth Faried and New Orleans Pelicans big man Anthony Davis, a Chicago native.
Playing with the first unit, Rose started the second half and while he looked to be more of a playmaker than a scorer, Team USA’s winning margin ballooned during his stint, which lasted until 3:43 was left in the third quarter, and heading into the final stanza, the Americans were ahead, 75-54.
Again paired up with the starters to open the fourth quarter, Rose’s quiet outing — the former league MVP finished with three points on 1-for-6 shooting and two assists — continued until there was 5:27 on the clock, as the blowout continued and Team USA could turn its focus to Wednesday’s game against the Dominican Republic, the second of three contests in as many days.
Cole Hamels, Phillies team up for no-hitter.
By Paul White, USA Today Sports
Cole Hamels lasted six no-hit innings on Monday. (Photo: Brett Davis, USA TODAY Sports)
Cole Hamels and three Philadelphia Phillies relievers teamed up for the fourth no-hitter of the major league season Monday and first combined no-hitter in more than two years, a 7-0 victory over the Braves in Atlanta.
Jake Diekman, Ken Giles and Jonathan Papelbon each threw a perfect inning to finish the first combined no-hitter in Phillies history and the franchise's first of any kind since Roy Halladay against Cincinnati in the 2010 Division Series.
Halladay also threw a perfect game in 2010, against the Florida Marlins.
Hamels, 30, was removed for a pinch-hitter after pitching six innings, walking five, striking out seven and hitting a batter. The Phillies led 2-0 at the time but Hamels had thrown 108 pitches.
He's exceeded that pitch count in eight of his 24 starts this season, including a high of career-high 133 in seven innings against the New York Mets in May. He last threw more than 108 pitches six starts ago on July 29.
But Hamels said there was little argument when manager Ryne Sandberg removed him for a pinch hitter before he could pitch the seventh.
"I understand," Hamels said. "I wasn't so caught up in the no hits because I understood my pitch counts. I was able to get away with six innings. I didn't have as much control as I would like."
Then it was pretty much business as usual for the Phillies bullpen.
Diekman, the first reliever, was surprised when he got to the mound.
"I had no idea (it was a no-hitter) until I ran out and looked at the scoreboard," he said.
And just a bit confused after first baseman Darin Ruf grabbed a soft liner off the bat of Phil Gosselin for the final out and all the Phillies congregated at the mound for something less than the usual no-hitter celebration focused on one pitcher.
"I have no idea what to do right now," Diekman said after the game.
Papelbon said he wasn't even sure if he's ever been part of a no-hitter. He hasn't.
It's the third time in major league history that four pitchers have combined for a no-hitter, the most recent in 1991 by the Baltimore Orioles' Bob Milacki, Mike Flanagan, Mark Williamson and Gregg Olson. The other one was in 1975 by the Oakland Athletics' Vida Blue, Glenn Abbott, Paul Lindblad and Rollie Fingers.
The record for pitchers in a no-hitter is six, set by the Houston Astros in 2003 at Yankee Stadium and matched by the Seattle Mariners against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2012, the most recent no-hitter by more than one pitcher. Kevin Millwood, who started that game for the Mariners, also pitched a complete-game no-hitter for the Phillies in 2003.
Hamels' game moved him into third place in the National League in earned run average at 2.50, the lowest of his nine major league seasons, but his record is just 8-6 this year. He had six consecutive double-digit victory seasons capped by a career-best 17 in 2012, but slipped to 8-14 and a 3.60 ERA last year.
All four no-hitters this season have been in the National League, the previous ones by Josh Beckett and Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers and Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants.
Hamels, who is in the second year of a six-year, $144 million deal, was discussed on the trade block this summer, as the Phillies seek to rebuild after a third consecutive season missing the playoffs. While a trade was termed unlikely, Hamels is the lone player tied to a big deal that has significant trade value. He entered Monday 106-80 in his career.
Theo Epstein’s Cubs on the verge of hitting it big.
Since leaving the Red Sox after the 2011 season, this is the place Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein wanted to get to, where his young talent is ready for prime time and where he now can spend some of the Ricketts family fortune on free agents.
Epstein and sidekicks Jed Hoyer and Jason McLeod have revamped the team they inherited from deposed general manager Jim Hendry, whose last draft did produce Javier Baez, an impressive, power-hitting infielder.
So, where does Epstein take it from here?
There are signs he’s about to spend on front-line pitching. There were reports that he claimed Phillies lefthander Cole Hamels on waivers earlier this month but was unable to come up with a trade that made sense for both sides.
There’s talk that Jon Lester could be an offseason target, given Epstein’s familiarity with him. And add Max Scherzer to the list. But Epstein sounded iffy on whether he’ll make a high-end pitching purchase.
“I wouldn’t necessarily say we would or we wouldn’t in the offseason. I think it’s going to be a gradual process between now and next year’s trading deadline and into 2016,” Epstein said. “We don’t want to force anything. If we come across something we feel makes sense for us, there’s no doubt we’ll do it.”
“Everyone is starting to predict that we’ll be the team to watch, but we’re going to go through our period of development at the major league level with our young guys, which is why we’ve got Baez and [Jorge] Soler up here now, to get them used to major league at-bats. We know there’s going to be a period of adjustment for these guys. We’re really heavily invested in our positional players, but now we need to focus our resources on pitching, and if something makes sense to us positionally, we’ll consider it as well.”
Epstein has built his team around Anthony Rizzo, the former Red Sox farmhand that Epstein sent to San Diego in the Adrian Gonzalez deal, then reacquired when he took the Cubs job. Rizzo got to 30 home runs this season before back issues sidelined him.
Baez, who hit 23 homers at Triple A Iowa this season, crediting, among others, coach Manny Ramirez, is playing second base for the moment, and All-Star Starlin Castro will likely stay at shortstop for the time being. It appears slugger Kris Bryant, who was taken No. 2 overall in last year’s draft and who has hit 43 homers between Double A and Triple A this year, will likely play third base or a corner outfield position when he comes up next season.
Soler has missed time this season with hamstring issues but appears to be a superstar in the making. He has power, speed, and a plus arm from the outfield. His first at-bat in the majors last week resulted in a home run. The Cubs stayed out of the Rusney Castillo sweepstakes after he had a poor individual workout with them not long ago.
And we haven’t even mentioned shortstop Addison Russell, acquired in the Jeff Samardzija deal with Oakland. Russell also has power, and he may end up playing a different position.
There’s also infielder Arismendy Alcantara and catcher/left fielder Kyle Schwarber (18 homers in Single A) to consider. Also, former first-round pick Albert Almora, a center fielder, is hitting close to .300 between Single A and Double A.
“There’s enough versatility there where we can move guys to different positions off of shortstop,” Epstein said.
Epstein has been pleased with the work done by his staff with regard to trades, the draft, and in the international market. The Cubs have used 125 players in the two-plus years since Epstein took over. They haven’t always gotten their man, but have had a lot more hits than misses. Epstein knew he had to tear it all down, and he did so by deleting veterans such as Alfonso Soriano, Ryan Dempster, Aramis Ramirez, Samardzija, and Jason Hammel to get to this point.
It’s been painful — 197 losses in the first two years — but Epstein sold his bosses that this is the way it had to be. And now the Cubs are a trendy pick to become a powerhouse if Epstein can find veteran pitchers to go along with Jake Arrieta, his big find when he traded Scott Feldman to the Orioles last season, Kyle Hendricks, and Felix Doubront.
Epstein can remember plenty of examples of the patience he’s exhibited. He recalled Dustin Pedroia’s struggles when he first came up. “All of a sudden in May of 2007, there was one pitch — a high, inside fastball against Johan Santana — that he hit, and he never looked back and became rookie of the year,” Epstein said. “Everyone’s different. Everyone is going to react differently when they come up. It would be unusual if they didn’t struggle at first.”
The Cubs have a lot of controllable players 25 and under. Rizzo, at 25, is essentially the elder statesman of the young guns.
As the Red Sox have found out with their young players, there’s no guarantee they will all blossom into All-Stars. Epstein is aware of that, which is why he keeps the door ajar for a big free agent positional player or two.
But it’s clear the Cubs went the positional route rather than the pitcher route in acquiring prospects. The hitters seem to be tougher to get. Sometime, somewhere, whether it’s this offseason, the trade deadline next season, or next offseason, Epstein will strike.
Golf: I got a club for that… 2014 U.S. Ryder Cup team announced.
By NBC Sports
Here is a breakdown of United States captain Tom Watson's 12-man roster for the 40th Ryder Cup, which will be played Sept. 26-28 at PGA Centenary Course in Gleneagles, Scotland. Click here for European team capsules. The Europeans are the reigning champion, having won, 14 1/2-13 1/2 at Medinah Country Club in 2012.
Bubba Watson
Age: 35Record: 3-5-0 (3rd appearance)
World ranking: 9
PGA Tour victories: 6
The lowdown: Equipped with game-changing length, Watson should have a huge advantage on a course that likely will play long and soft – if he can stay mentally in the game. He’ll have to turn around his recent form, however, as he has no top 10s since June.
Rickie Fowler
Age: 25
Record: 0-1-2 (2nd appearance)
World ranking: 11
PGA Tour victories: 1
The lowdown: He’s arguably the team’s best player, with no finish outside the top 13 since June. Fowler will look to ride the momentum of his last Ryder Cup overseas, when he made four consecutive birdies in singles to steal a half point.
Jim Furyk
Age: 44Record: 9-17-4 (9th appearance)
World ranking: 7
PGA Tour victories: 16
The lowdown: The grizzled veteran is enjoying the most consistent year of his career, albeit without a victory. Though he has a troubling record in this event, he is quick to remind that he’s also been a part of numerous losing teams.
Jimmy Walker
Age: 35
Record: Rookie
World ranking: 19
PGA Tour victories: 3
The lowdown: The power player has cooled a bit since his torrid start to the season, but his solid all-around game should make him an ideal partner.
Phil Mickelson
Age: 44
Record: 14-18-6 (10th appearance)
World ranking: 10
PGA Tour victories: 42
The lowdown: This is his team with Tiger Woods at home. Mickelson will likely partner with Keegan Bradley and perhaps Rickie Fowler during team play, and this is an opportunity for Lefty to end his most frustrating season on a high note.
Matt Kuchar
Age: 36
Record: 3-2-2 (3rd appearance)
World ranking: 8
PGA Tour victories: 7
The lowdown: Kooch has the perfect temperament for match play, and his record proves it – he’s undefeated in team play in two previous Ryder Cup appearances. His game clearly travels everywhere, which is good news for the U.S., because he comes in riding four consecutive top 15s.
Jordan Spieth
Age: 21
Record: Rookie
World ranking: 14
PGA Tour victories: 1
The lowdown: Perhaps not as sharp as he was at this time last year, Spieth is a firecracker who knows how to win in match play, whether it’s at the U.S. Junior (two-time winner), NCAA Championship (helped Texas win title) or WGC-Match Play (T-5).
Patrick Reed
Age: 24Record: Rookie
World ranking: 27
PGA Tour victories: 3
The lowdown: A sleeper to lead the U.S. in points, Reed went 6-0 in match play while leading Augusta State to back-to-back national titles. He should thrive while playing in a hostile environment.
Zach Johnson
Age: 38Record: 6-4-1 (4th appearance)
World ranking: 15
PGA Tour victories: 11
The lowdown: It’s been a quiet summer, save for the runner-up at the Deere, but he’s a gritty competitor who should match up favorably with any potential partner.
Keegan Bradley
Age: 28
Record: 3-1-0 (2nd appearance)
World ranking: 23
PGA Tour victories: 3
The lowdown: Eats, sleeps and breathes the Ryder Cup, which made him a no-brainer choice as a captain’s pick. If he and Mickelson can pick up off where they left off at Medinah, look out.
Hunter Mahan
Age: 32Record: 3-2-3 (3rd appearance)
World ranking: 20
PGA Tour victories: 6
The lowdown: His late-season surge cemented his place on the team, after a top 15 at Bridgestone, top 10 at Valhalla and then a victory at the playoff-opening Barclays. He also seeks redemption after what happened during the Americans’ last trip across the pond.
Webb Simpson
Age: 29
Record: 2-2-0 (2nd appearance)
World ranking: 32
PGA Tour victories: 4
The lowdown: Simpson has been hit-or-miss for the past few months, so his T-9 at Deutsche Bank was good timing. He’s also a good teammate, above-average putter and easy-matching partner.
2014 European Ryder Cup team announced also.
Here is a breakdown of European captain Paul McGinley's 12-man roster for the 40th Ryder Cup, which will be played Sept. 26-28 in Gleneagles, Scotland. Click here for the United States team capsules. The Europeans are the reigning champion, having won, 14 1/2-13 1/2 at Medinah Country Club in 2012.
Rory McIlroy
Age: 25
Record: 4-3-2 (3rd appearance)
World ranking: 1
PGA Tour/European Tour victories: 9/9 (4 exclusive to European Tour)
The lowdown: The world’s best player, McIlroy likely will be sent out in all five sessions. Traditionally, he’s partnered with Graeme McDowell in team play, but Sergio Garcia could form a new dynamic duo.
Henrik Stenson
Age: 38
Record: 2-3-2 (3rd appearance)
World ranking: 3
PGA Tour/European Tour victories: 4/8 (7)
The lowdown: After a remarkable 2013 season, the Swede has done everything but win this year, posting six top-5 finishes, including at last month’s PGA.
Victor Dubuisson
Age: 24
Record: Rookie
World ranking: 21
PGA Tour/European Tour victories: 0/1
The lowdown: The mysterious Frenchman did most of his damage in the early part of the European Tour’s wraparound schedule, winning the Turkish Airlines Open and finishing third in the DP World Tour Championship. U.S. fans recall his all-world scrambling ability in the WGC-Match Play final.
Jamie Donaldson
Age: 38
Record: Rookie
World ranking: 28
PGA Tour/European Tour victories: 0/3
The lowdown: In a last-ditch effort to make the team, the Welshman added the Czech Masters to his schedule, then rallied on the final day to win. He also finished T-2 at Doral and posted back-to-back top-10s in July.
Sergio Garcia
Age: 34
Record: 16-8-4 (7th appearance)
World ranking: 4
PGA Tour/European Tour victories: 8/11
The lowdown: Since April, the Spaniard has five top-3 finishes worldwide, including a run of three consecutive runners-up on the PGA Tour (Travelers, British Open, Bridgestone).
Justin Rose
Age: 34
Record: 6-3-0 (3rd appearance)
World ranking: 5
PGA Tour/European Tour victories: 6/7 (5)
The lowdown: A top-25 machine, the Englishman won back-to-back events in July (Quicken Loans, Scottish Open), though he failed to record a top-10 in a major this season.
Martin Kaymer
Age: 29
Record: 3-2-0 (3rd appearance)
World ranking: 12
PGA Tour/European Tour victories: 3/11 (8)
The lowdown: It's been a tale of two seasons for the German. He scored huge victories at The Players and U.S. Open, but those represent his only top-10s since last November.
Thomas Bjorn
Age: 43
Record: 3-2-1 (3rd appearance)
World ranking: 26
PGA Tour/European Tour victories: 0/15
The lowdown: One of the most consistent performers on the Euro Tour this season, Bjorn had top-10s at two of the biggest tournaments he played, the Masters (T-8) and BMW PGA (T-3).
Graeme McDowell
Age: 35
Record: 5-5-2 (4th appearance)
World ranking: 16
PGA Tour/European Tour victories: 2/10 (9)
The lowdown: Five consecutive top-10s this summer, including a come-from-behind victory at the French Open, sealed his spot on the team. He earned the last spot via qualifying, despite sitting out the final week to be with his wife and newborn daughter.
Lee Westwood
Age: 41
Record: 18-13-6 (9th appearance)
World ranking: 38
PGA Tour/European Tour victories: 2/23
The lowdown: With a few newcomers on the squad, it’ll be calming to have Westwood in the team room, as this is the Englishman’s ninth career appearance. He hasn’t displayed the best form lately, but he had top-7s at the Masters and The Players, with a Malaysian Open victory mixed in. Top-20s at Bridgestone and PGA helped, too.
Ian Poulter
Age: 38
Record: 12-3-0 (5th appearance)
World ranking: 36
PGA Tour/European Tour victories: 2/12 (10)
The lowdown: It’s been a forgettable, injury-plagued season for the Englishman, but his fearsome match-play record – and his heroics from 2012 – essentially reserved him a spot on the team.
Stephen Gallacher
Age: 39
Record: Rookie
World ranking: 33
PGA Tour/European Tour victories: 0/3
The lowdown: Nearly qualified on his own, finishing third in Italy when a T-2 finish was required. Still, his eight top-10s this season were the most of any player on the European Tour, and his history with Gleneagles (lives 40 kilometers away, lost in a playoff there last year) made Paul McGinley’s decision an easy one.
Power Rankings: Welcome to this hallowed group, Kasey Kahne.
By Nick Bromberg
1. Joey Logano (LW: 1): Trying to figure out how the first spot should be assigned this week is tough. You'll see that as we go along. That's why we're going to keep Logano here. He was heading for a top-five finish had Paul Menard not pinched he and Kevin Harvick into the wall on the next-to-last restart. (We're not blaming Menard, that's just what happened.) Instead, Logano finished 14th.
2. Jeff Gordon (LW: 2): Jeff Gordon finished three spots south of Logano, so you can't make the argument that Gordon should leap over him. Gordon had a fast car throughout the race, but he never got to the front of the field before he had a tire failure and thus was the end of his race. Hell of a fight to get back to the top spot, however. His car was still fast. He just didn't have the track position.
3. Kevin Harvick (LW: 5): Can we all agree that the thing that ran in front of Harvick's car while he was leading early in the race was not a squirrel? It was way too big of a blur to be a squirrel. Harvick could be a contender for the top spot, but it got all Harvicked up and ended up 19th. Yes, Harvick's name is a verb now. We're comfortable with the sample size of great runs that have ended less than optimally this season.
4. Matt Kenseth (LW 6): Looking for the epitome of nothing to lose when it comes to the new Chase format? Matt Kenseth was it. The No. 20 team knew that it wasn't going to win the race and it also knew that it was going to clinch into the Chase barring a catastrophe. So why not take two tires on the final pit stop and get a shot of clean air steroids to see what happens? It wasn't too far off from working.
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 4): Given the finishes that many of the top drivers had on Sunday night, Junior's 11th is a success and would have served him well in the Chase. But we've still got another week before the Chase starts, and we're simply at the point where 11th means nothing in the Chase scheme of things. Let's get to where things count in Chicago.
6. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 7): That was a pretty quiet fourth-place finish for Jimmie Johnson, eh? Johnson hardly spent any time at the front of the field but by the time the race was nearing its conclusion he was right there. You're not going to be able to ignore any other finishes like that for Johnson the rest of the season.
7. Brad Keselowski (LW: 3): The same thing goes with Keselowski. He's locked into the Chase via the new format or the old format, so these races are mostly bonus point quests. And his quest got derailed when there was a pit road jam-up ahead of him and he ended up with some left front fender damage and a kiss of the wall.
8. Kasey Kahne (LW: NR): Kahne's win Sunday night to get him into the Chase is not a product of the new Chase format. If the old format was still in place, Kahne would have sealed a berth with the win. He's 11th in the points standings and would be in position to lock up a Wild Card spot at Richmond. But it's not the old format, so he's officially in now. It's the third straight year, thanks to last year's Chase expansion to 13 cars, that Hendrick Motorsports has had all four cars in the Chase.
9. Carl Edwards (LW: 9): Serious question. Did you know that Carl Edwards finished fifth? If Jimmie Johnson had a quiet fourth, then Carl Edwards crept into your entire neighborhood, stole every television and walked out without a single person waking up and noticing. Impressive stuff.
10. Ryan Newman (LW: NR): Welcome to the 2014 Chase, Ryan Newman. All you have to do is show up at Richmond and basically not start-and-park. You can do that, right? And how does it feel to not have much stress this weekend? It's gonna take a race manipulation of massive and epic proportions to get you out of the Chase. We don't trust Michael Waltrip Racing to hatch a plan successful enough to dislodge you.
11. Greg Biffle (LW: 10): Hey Greg, all you have to dois prevent Kyle Larson from gaining 20 points on you and Clint Bowyer from gaining 23 and hope there's a repeat winner. You can do that, right? Oh, what's that? You've never won at a short track? Yeah, that could make things a tad tricky. Your average finish at Richmond is 17th. If you do that, you're fine barring a new winner.
12. Danica Patrick (LW: NR): Here's where we give Danica a shoutout for her career-best finish in the Sprint Cup Series. While Patrick's standing was boosted by the late restart kerfuffle on the outside lane, you could argue that her performance driving through the field at Atlanta was better than staying near the front all evening at Kansas.
Lucky Dog: Outside of Kevin Harvick, is Denny Hamlin the biggest boom-or-bust Chase driver?
The DNF: It's not a DNF, but what the heck, Kyle Busch? Or is this a master plan to get the bad stuff out of the way before the Chase begins?
Dropped Out: Kurt Busch, Jamie McMurray, Clint Bowyer.
Jurgen Klinsmann not happy about MLS playing on FIFA dates.
By Jeremiah Oshan
United States manager would have preferred to call in the likes of Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley for the Czech Republic friendly.
If Jurgen Klinsmann had his way, there would be a full compliment of first-choice players at this week's United States national team training camp. Instead, Klinsmann's squad is missing most of the MLS contingent, including cornerstones Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley.
The culprit is MLS's refusal to abide by FIFA dates, and it sounds like this could become a more contentious issue as it persists.
"Our biggest wish going forward is that MLS takes time off at the FIFA fixture dates because it's a lose-lose for both sides when that happens,"Klinsmann told reporters.
Klinsmann's frustrations are understandable. More than 30 MLS players were taken away from their club teams this week, some of them to play in competitive matches like the Copa CentroAmericana, but mostly to play in friendlies that give teams an opportunity to work together. After getting pushback from club coaches, the only MLS player Klinsmann called in was Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando.
It may be a perfect time to give some of those players a break -- the USMNT won't have any competitive matches until next summer -- but building the American program is already hard enough without having to work around club schedules like this.
But the solution isn't as easy as Klinsmann seems to think, either. Klinsmann apparently suggested extending the schedule earlier in the year and wrapping up earlier as well. While it's possible MLS could someday figure out a way to be done before the Nov. 9-17 window, there's no way they could be finished before Oct. 5-13 window. And the reality is that.
That leaves MLS with trying to figure out how to schedule around international dates, something it has been reluctant to do aside from the World Cup. There seems to be at least some level of compromise available here, though.
If MLS plays through the March 23-31 FIFA date next year, that shouldn't be a huge problem as the season is only getting started and losing a handful of players shouldn't be a huge problem. But the league should go dark for the June 8-16 window and for at least part of the Gold Cup from July 7-26. The dates that are going to take some real compromise are the Aug. 31-Sept. 8, Oct. 5-13 and Nov. 9-17 dates.
MLS needs to figure out a way to take off the October date and hopefully Klinsmann can agree not to call in players whose teams are in the playoffs from the November date. That leaves the August-September date, which might just have to be a similar situation to this current window. The unfortunate reality is there are no simple solutions.
College Football: FSU still sits atop coaches’ poll.
By John Taylor
By John Taylor
(Getty Images)
Not so unexpectedly, preseason No. 1 Florida State remains at the top of the coaching poll. The Seminoles also stretched its lead on No. 2 Alabama, going from 88 points up on the Tide to 109 as well as picking up a first-place vote.
FSU now has 57 of the 62 first-place votes.
Three other teams received first-place votes: No. 3 Oklahoma (two), No. 4 Oregon (two) and No. 8 Georgia (one), which was ranked No. 12 in the initial preseason poll. The other team that received a first-place vote in the poll released last month, South Carolina, lost to Texas A&M and tumbled all the way to No. 21 from No. 9.
UCLA, with a sloppy road win over Virginia, also fell out of the Top 10, from No. 7 to No. 11. Replacing the Bruins in the Top 10 was Stanford at No. 10.
Ohio State also dropped despite a win, moving down two from No. 6 to No. 8. Michigan State, on the other hand, moved into the No. 6 hole vacated by their Big Ten foe after entering Week 1 No. 7.
The Top 10 was rounded out by Auburn (No. 5, same as last week) and Baylor (No. 9, No. 10 last week).
Thanks to its dominating win over South Carolina Thursday night, A&M made the biggest move up in the coaches’ Top 25. Ranked No. 20 entering Week 1, the Aggies climbed all the way up to No. 13 entering Week 2.
Wisconsin, meanwhile, dropped five spots to No. 19 following its loss to LSU. The Tigers, though, moved up just one spot to No. 12.
Oklahoma State, which nearly knocked off FSU, is the first team in the “Others Receiving Votes” with 106 points; in the preseason poll, the Cowboys totaled just 37.
Unlike in the past with the BCS, and as we will remind you every week moving forward, neither the coaches’ poll or the Associated Press rankings, which will be released this afternoon, will have any bearing on which teams qualify for the College Football Playoff.
1. Florida State 1,541
2. Alabama 1,432
3. Oklahoma 1,407
4. Oregon 1,358
5. Auburn 1,289
6. Michigan State 1,141
7. Ohio State 1,114
8. Georgia 1,108
9. Baylor 1,018
10. Stanford 999
11. UCLA 964
12. LSU 912
13. Texas A&M 895
14. USC 713
15. Notre Dame 605
16. Arizona State 502
17. Ole Miss 438
18. Nebraska 384
19. Wisconsin 373
20. Kansas State 370
21. South Carolina 272
22. Missouri 189
23. North Carolina 189
24. Clemson 155
25. Texas 150
New Faces, New Places: Wojo making his own mark as Marquette coach.
By Gary Parrish
Former Duke assistant Steve Wojciechowski takes over at Marquette this season. (USATSI)
Marquette senior Derrick Wilson was in class when news broke that his new coach would be Steve Wojciechowski, and so one of the first people he talked about the development with back in April was actually a Marquette professor.
"And the first thing my teacher told me is to look up a video of him slapping the floor," Wilson said. "So I watched it. I thought it was funny."
Few weeks later, Wojciechowski was conducting an in-home visit with Matt Carlino, a transfer from BYU. Carlino's family was there, including a cousin named Bucky O'Connell.
"My cousin is kinda crazy," Carlino said, big smile on his face. "So he ran over and slapped the floor before he shook Wojo's hand, and Wojo was like, 'That's a B-minus floor-slap.' So my cousin slapped the floor four more times. He wanted Wojo to give him a better grade!"
Simply put, this is life for Steve Wojciechowski.
He never goes too long without hearing about floor-slapping, and it's been that way for nearly two decades -- since the now 38-year-old started 88 games in a four-year career at Duke that earned him the reputation as college basketball's most-famous floor-slapper. He heard about it for years on the road in ACC games while serving as an assistant under Mike Krzyzewski. He still gets it all the time from total strangers in restaurants and airports. And it is literally the first thing Cousin Bucky hit Wojciechowski with when the two met at Carlino's home.
"It's so bizarre to me," Wojciechowski said with a laugh. "I'm branded for life."
I got to the Marquette campus early on a Tuesday morning.
"And the first thing my teacher told me is to look up a video of him slapping the floor," Wilson said. "So I watched it. I thought it was funny."
Few weeks later, Wojciechowski was conducting an in-home visit with Matt Carlino, a transfer from BYU. Carlino's family was there, including a cousin named Bucky O'Connell.
"My cousin is kinda crazy," Carlino said, big smile on his face. "So he ran over and slapped the floor before he shook Wojo's hand, and Wojo was like, 'That's a B-minus floor-slap.' So my cousin slapped the floor four more times. He wanted Wojo to give him a better grade!"
Simply put, this is life for Steve Wojciechowski.
He never goes too long without hearing about floor-slapping, and it's been that way for nearly two decades -- since the now 38-year-old started 88 games in a four-year career at Duke that earned him the reputation as college basketball's most-famous floor-slapper. He heard about it for years on the road in ACC games while serving as an assistant under Mike Krzyzewski. He still gets it all the time from total strangers in restaurants and airports. And it is literally the first thing Cousin Bucky hit Wojciechowski with when the two met at Carlino's home.
"It's so bizarre to me," Wojciechowski said with a laugh. "I'm branded for life."
I got to the Marquette campus early on a Tuesday morning.
I stayed late.
And, yes, while I was there I heard lots of stories about floor-slapping -- the funniest of which (outside of Cousin Bucky's introduction, of course) belonged to Marquette assistant Chris Carrawell, who played two years with Wojciechowski at Duke and acknowledged that, absolutely, he got caught up in the moment once and "did that corny bullsh-t."
"But just one time!" Carrawell said. "It was Wojo's Senior Game. We're down like 15, but we're on a comeback. Get it down to like seven. Then we score again, and it's down to five.
So Wojo is over there slapping the floor, and I was like, '[Expletive] it! We gotta slap the floor! Let's do it!' So I did it -- but just that one time. And we won the game!"
Tales like these came often on that Tuesday while men with saws and drills worked constantly on multimillion-dollar renovations to the Al McGuire Center, and seemingly everybody has one or seven floor-slapping stories. Like Wojciechowski said, he's branded for life. But the other (and more important) conversations around campus with both people who have known Wojciechowski forever and folks who only met him five months ago painted a picture of someone far different than the cartoon character he's sometimes made out to be. Specifically, Wojciechowski was consistently described as a big-thinker with huge plans for himself and the program he inherited from Buzz Williams, and it was difficult not to notice the impressive impression he's made on virtually everybody.
"Wojo's been outstanding," said Marquette deputy athletic director Mike Broeker. "It's clear he has a plan that's 15 years in the making, and he's executed flawlessly since Day 1."
Wojciechowski's assistants said similar things -- both for the record and privately.
The players echoed those thoughts.
And I don't mean just the typical "Coach is great" stuff you might hear from anybody's staff or players. These conversations were more specific than that, complete with people describing a man who seems smarter than everybody but never carries himself that way.
"His vision is unique, and he does everything at a high level," said former Drake coach Mark Phelps, who is now an assistant at Marquette. "He gives value and respect to everybody even though he's so accomplished at such a young age, and, I mean, who does that? A lot of us would have an ego if we were him. But he's a real servant-leader, and he's a master-communicator with everybody from the president to a prospect in the Class of 2017.
"You know the it factor we all talk about?" Phelps added. "He has it."
And, by all accounts, he's always had it, which is, presumably, among the reasons Krzyzewski hired Wojciechowski when he was just 22 years old. Speaking of, I asked Carrawell what it was like to be coached by Wojciechowski after playing beside Wojciechowski, which is obviously an unusual thing for a student-athlete to experience, and he described it as a surprisingly smooth transition because Wojciechowski forever presented himself as a leader and like a coach.
"You could always see this day coming," Carrawell said.
In other words, none of this is surprising. But one thing that might surprise you is how rarely Wojciechowski -- despite being someone who has spent nearly his entire adult life in Durham -- mentions the Blue Devils or Coach K to his players.
"I don't think I've ever heard him mention Duke," Wilson said, at which point Carlino added, "Yeah, I've been kinda waiting on him to say something about Duke, but he really never does. I was always wondering, 'Is he going to make a Duke reference?' But he never does."
Wojciechowski insisted this is not by design, but others around the program said they believe it has to be. Either way, it's hardly gone unnoticed, and those closest to him describe it as a great symbol of Wojciechowski's quiet confidence. As the theory goes, a first-year coach less sure of himself would rely on Duke stories and Coach K stories and USA Basketball stories to establish credibility with players, fans, everybody. But Wojciechowski hasn't had to use any of that to win people over or convince them that Marquette made the right hire. He's instead let his own ideas and actions speak for themselves, and, to date, everybody I talked with seems genuinely blown away.
Bottom line, Wojo, in lots of eyes, will forever be known as Duke's floor-slapper.
There's no escaping it, at this point.
But there's so much more to him than that, and people on Marquette's campus learned as much during the interview process, and they appear a little more convinced of it with every passing day. Like Broeker said, Wojciechowski has been planning for this opportunity for 15 years, and he knows exactly how he wants to do things. None of it guarantees success, of course. But anybody who thinks Marquette merely hired Coach K's right-hand man is grossly underestimating what Wojciechowski brings to the so-called table.
He's sharp, organized and focused like crazy.
And he's not above pulling out an old trick someday, if he needs it.
"We'll see," Wojciechowski answered with a grin when I asked if he'll ever slap the floor as a head coach to get his players motivated. "I mean, if that's what it takes ..."
Bryan brothers advance; Williams sisters knocked out of doubles.
By Danielle Elliott
A very relaxed Serena Williams told the crowd that she never felt nervous during her fourth-round singles match because she kept reminding herself that, even if she lost, she was still in the doubles.
Tomorrow, she'll have to come up with a new way to stay calm: Venus and Serena Williams were knocked out of the women's doubles draw in their quarterfinal match on Tuesday afternoon, falling 6-7, 4-6 to Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina. The Williams sisters had more than twice as many unforced errors in the match, playing on what felt like the hottest and most humid day of the summer here.
Makarova and Vesnina are the 4th seed. The Williams sisters were not seeded, and have not won the tournament here since 2009.
Serena Williams, Makarova and Flavia Pennetta had all advanced to the quarterfinals in the singles and doubles draws. Makarova moves on to the semifinals in doubles and will look to do the same in singles on Wednesday. The 17th seed, she'll face 16-seed Victoria Azarenka in the second match on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Pennetta and partner Martina Hingis also advanced to the semifinal, as they won their quarterfinal match 6-4, 6-3 on Tuesday afternoon. Pennetta will face Williams tomorrow night in their singles quarterfinal match.
In men's doubles action, the kings of mens doubles have once again advanced. Top-seeded pair Bob and Mike Bryan defeated 7th seed David Marrero and Fernando Verdasco of Spain. The Bryans came out strong, dominating the first set 6-2, but lost their momentum in the second set as they fell 4-6. The crowd helped rally them back, and they converted a break point to win a hard-fought third set and the match, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.
"We're really jacked up to win. Towards the end of the match it could've gone either way," Bob Bryan said after the match. "I think you guys made the difference," he added, pointing to the stands. Whatever he said next was impossible to hear over the boisterous applause.
The win sets up a semifinal meeting with fellow all-American pair Rajeev Ram and Scott Lipsky. This will be the third time in four rounds that the Bryans face two other Americans. They defeated Jared Donaldson and Michael Russell in the first round, then Bradley Klahn and Tim Smyczek to get to the quarterfinals. The brothers are playing here for the 20th consecutive year; they have claimed the title four times.
Earlier Tuesday, Ram and Lipsky defeated American Eric Butorac and South African Raven Klaasen, 6-3, 7-6, in their quarterfinal match.
This is the first time Ram or Lipsky has advanced beyond the third round of a doubles Grand Slam event. Ram is playing doubles here for the 14th time, while Lipsky, who exclusively plays doubles, is playing for his 8th. They'll face the winner of tonight's match between the Bryan brothers, who are the top seed, and 7th-seeded pair David Marrero and Fernando Verdasco of Spain.
On This Date in Sports History: Today is Wednesday, September 3, 2014.
MemoriesofHistory.com
1895 - The first professional football game was played in Latrobe, PA. The Latrobe YMCA defeated the Jeannette Athletic Club 12-0.
1947 - The New York Yankees got 18 hits in an 11-2 win over Boston. All 18 hits were singles.
1957 - Warren Spahn (Milwaukee Braves) recorded his 41st career shutout.
1966 - Bobby Orr (Boston Bruins) signed his first NHL contract. The two-year deal paid $70,000 plus a signing bonus, gave Orr the top salary in hockey.
1970 - Vince Lombardi died of cancer at the age of 57.
1970 - Billy Williams (Chicago Cubs) ended his National League record of 1,117 consecutive games played.
1981 - The Boston Red Sox and the Seattle Mariners played the longest game in Fenway Park history. The game was ended in a 7-7 tie after 19 innings the previous day. The Mariners won the game 8-7.
1984 - Bruce Sutter of the St. Louis Cardinals set a National League record by earning his 38th save of the season.
1986 - The Houston Astros beat the Chicago Cubs 8-7 in the 18th inning. The game ended after 14 innings were played. The two teams had used a record 53 players the day before.
1990 - Bobby Thigpen set a major league record when he got his 47th save.
1999 - Mario Lemieux's ownership group officially took over the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Penguins. Lemieux became the first player in the modern era of sports to buy the team he had once played for.
2000 - Kenny Lofton tied a major league record when he scored in his 18th straight game.
2001 - Bud Smith became the 16th major league rookie to throw a no-hitter. It was his 11th career start.
1947 - The New York Yankees got 18 hits in an 11-2 win over Boston. All 18 hits were singles.
1957 - Warren Spahn (Milwaukee Braves) recorded his 41st career shutout.
1966 - Bobby Orr (Boston Bruins) signed his first NHL contract. The two-year deal paid $70,000 plus a signing bonus, gave Orr the top salary in hockey.
1970 - Vince Lombardi died of cancer at the age of 57.
1970 - Billy Williams (Chicago Cubs) ended his National League record of 1,117 consecutive games played.
1981 - The Boston Red Sox and the Seattle Mariners played the longest game in Fenway Park history. The game was ended in a 7-7 tie after 19 innings the previous day. The Mariners won the game 8-7.
1984 - Bruce Sutter of the St. Louis Cardinals set a National League record by earning his 38th save of the season.
1986 - The Houston Astros beat the Chicago Cubs 8-7 in the 18th inning. The game ended after 14 innings were played. The two teams had used a record 53 players the day before.
1990 - Bobby Thigpen set a major league record when he got his 47th save.
1999 - Mario Lemieux's ownership group officially took over the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Penguins. Lemieux became the first player in the modern era of sports to buy the team he had once played for.
2000 - Kenny Lofton tied a major league record when he scored in his 18th straight game.
2001 - Bud Smith became the 16th major league rookie to throw a no-hitter. It was his 11th career start.
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