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Sports Quote of the Day:
"Failures are expected by losers, ignored by winners." ~ Joe Gibbs, NFL Super Bowl Winning Coach and NASCAR Team Owner
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!! Did 'continuity' doom Bears vs. Aaron Rodgers, Packers?
By John Mullin
The Green Bay Packers traveled to Chicago to take on the Bears for the 189th game in the NFL's oldest rivalry. (Photos by Jim Biever, Packers.com.)
One loose definition of insanity is performing the same action over and over and expecting a different outcome. Bears coach Marc Trestman and defensive coordinator Mel Tucker are anything but insane. But sticking to a failing game plan on the basis of what Trestman termed “continuity football” in the wake of the Bears’ 38-17 loss to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers rang curious on the day after.
Continuity is generally a sought-after staple in more than just football. But a college basketball coach coming off a 4-24 season was once asked if he was excited to at least be having his same starting five coming back next season. To which he replied, “We were 4-24. Why would I be excited about having those same guys all back?
The Bears, who may be on their way to a 4-24 record against Rodgers (they’re 1-12 against him already, he’s 30, so… well, never mind that now) committed to a conservative tack in dealing with Rodgers on Sunday. Ironically it was similar to the one that worked serviceably for Lovie Smith against Rodgers and Brett Favre — two quarterbacks who handle and exploit careless pressure.
The formula was pressure from a front four and a lot of zone coverage in the secondary. Smith had an 8-3 career record against Favre, and in 11 games against Rodgers, the Bears allowed an average of 22.7 points; not ideal, but respectable against one of the NFL’s greats. The Bears weren’t losing to Green Bay twice annually because of the defense.
But without a Tommie Harris in his prime or a younger Julius Peppers, the Bears on Sunday got zero pressure on Rodgers while their secondary was shredded. “They know we’re a ‘zone’ team,” cornerback Tim Jennings said afterwards.
So why didn’t the Bears change a losing game? “Blitz and play ‘man’ behind it” may be predictable but so was the Bears’ scheme on Sunday.
The reason lay partly on the Bears’ offense. And partly with “continuity football.”
“I think it’s all a part of ‘continuity football,” Trestman said. “We’ve got to hang on to the football. We went into the game thinking that if we could have the ball for 36 minutes, we’d eliminate his opportunities to make plays. We did that by being able to run the ball and use clock and do those kinds of things.”
But while the offense was delivering a respectable first half, the plan on defense was not close to working. Rodgers was 13 for 18 in the first half, two touchdowns, 150.1 rating, zero sacks or hits on him.
But rather than alter course in the second half, perhaps sell out with more blitzing and trying man-to-man — possibly Kyle Fuller on Jordy Nelson, Jennings on Randall Cobb — against a quarterback who was destroying them anyway, the Bears stayed their course.
Coaches in fact did expect a different outcome rushing primarily just the four down-linemen. They stayed with a mindset that was functional for Lovie Smith, one of making the Packers cover longer fields to score — even though Rodgers had directed barely contested drives of 81, 78 and 61 yards in the first half.
And seven of the Packers’ 10 longest plays were made in the first half. The Bears could not have done a lot worse going on the attack in the second half.
Still, “we were hoping we could make the corrections, get our guys on some edges,” Trestman said. “The score was such that we wanted to keep playing and not put them in a position where they had to do anything but go the long way. You start bringing too many people, all of a sudden you start getting more explosive plays. If we could make them go the distance, if we could get them in third-down situations of six-plus, seven-plus, we felt we could match them, without giving them the explosive plays they would need to get it done through the blitz.
“You gotta be real careful with the blitz with a guy like this because as easy as it looks, it’s much harder to do it play in and play out.”
Which is absolutely true. And significantly altering scheme may not have changed the error of their ways, just change the ways of their errors.
Which is where the offense in fact became part of the thinking.
Since the arrival of Phil Emery as general manager, the Bears have been built to win with offense in a league that tilts that direction. The Bears last season did outscore the Packers on the year; they scored 27 and 29 points in the Green Bay games, enough to have won both.
“We made some mistakes along the way that put our defense back on the field,” Trestman said. “If you take 17 points out of it, it’s a different game. You take the turnovers out of it, it’s a different game.
“We didn’t play enough continuity football to get it done. But we were in a place where we could have made it a football game in the fourth quarter. We took it away from ourselves by turning the ball over.”
FCC votes to end government approval of NFL blackouts.
By Jay Busbee
Chicago Bears fans watch the warmups before an NFL football game between the Bears and Green Bay Packers Sunday, Sept. 28, 2014, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
The FCC has voted unanimously to end its support of a decades-old rule allowing the NFL to black out games in markets where tickets remain unsold.
The NFL blocks all local broadcasts of games if a team does not sell out before 72 hours of kickoff. The league did so with the FCC's blessing and backing, but Tuesday's 5-0 vote ends that support.
"The sports blackout rules are a bad hangover from the days when barely 40 percent of games sold out and gate receipts were the league's principal source of revenue," FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler recently wrote. "The NFL no longer needs the government's help to remain viable."
Only two games were blacked out by the NFL last season, and none have been this year. The NFL has warned that if the blackout rule is ended, more games could move from broadcast to cable television, an argument that sounds more like a threat than a defense.
It's worth noting that this action does not prohibit the NFL from enforcing blackouts on its own. This merely ends the government backing and support of the practice. However, the NFL could enter into agreements with its broadcast partners that allow for blackouts under certain conditions.
The NFL has reason to be concerned about shrinking attendance at games, the ostensible reason for mandating the blackouts. On one hand, attending one NFL game means you're missing out on the other half-dozen going on at the same time. HD TVs (and private bathrooms) are far more attractive for a large segment of the viewing public. Plus, the cost of an NFL game has spiraled, and there's always the chance that you'll get swept up in a fight or two.
Still, the blackout rule is an anachronism, and the NFL now has one less reason to tout it as a reasonable business practice.
Bears in-foe: Scouting Ron Rivera and the Carolina Panthers.
By Chris Boden
"Riverboat Ron" Rivera's defending NFC South champions, like the Bears, are battling through injuries. Unlike the Bears, they're hurting from one big name on the exempt list as part of the league's ongoing attempts to correct the errors of its ways in domestic violence issues.
Franchise-tagged defensive end Greg Hardy has already been charged in an abuse case involving his then-girlfriend. The ugly details became public a couple of weeks ago in the aftermath of the Ray Rice and Ray McDonald incidents. During a speech earlier this month, owner Jerry Richardson broke down in tears when addressing the matter before action was taken on Hardy after he played in the opener.
Hardy and middle linebacker Luke Kuechly were the driving forces in a Panthers defense, coupled with Cam Newton's growth at quarterback, that reversed course from a 1-3 start a year ago to lose just once the rest of the way and save the ex-Bear his head-coaching job. Hardy had 15 sacks as part of Carolina's league-high 60. Opposite end Charles Johnson racked up 11 (his fourth straight year of nine-plus). In between, their first- and second-round draftees from a year ago, Star Lotulelei and Kuwann Short, made them even more effective with their respective run-stuffing and pass-rushing talents. Short continues to rotate in with Dwan Edwards and Colin Cole. But the unit has managed just five sacks so far without Hardy, and it's been ex-Bear Mario Addison who's been the revelation, with 3.5 of those.
Kuechly, however, has picked up where he left off, leading the league with 46 tackles after being fourth a year ago, adding four interceptions. The instinctive, sideline-to-sideline first-rounder from two years ago has begun his career as Defensive Rookie of the Year, followed by Defensive Player of the Year. Lawrence Taylor is the only other player in NFL history to do that. Thomas Davis, his weak-side partner who's endured three torn right ACLs to deliver 123 tackles a year ago, missed Sunday's game at Baltimore with hamstring and hip issues. All that talent on the front seven gave them the second-best run defense last season. Through four games this year, they're allowing an average of 141 per game after being gashed for 391 yards on the ground versus the Steelers and Ravens. Joe Flacco enjoyed a career-best 137.4 passer rating Sunday against a Steve Smith-singed secondary that was prompted to replaced right cornerback Melvin White with Josh Norman.
The other side of the ball has featured massive turnover, but not turnovers — which they've committed just twice (for a plus-four turnover ratio). Ex-Bear Greg Olsen is Newton's trusty target with 21 catches and a pair of touchdowns. But there was a complete housecleaning at wide receiver, led by the decision to let Smith go. The replacements are highlighted by 6-foot-5 first-round beast Kelvin Benjamin of Florida State, who's grabbed three scoring passes from Newton and averaging 15.7 yards from his 21 grabs. A true star-in-the-making, who figures to go to battle against fellow-rookie Kyle Fuller. Among the veteran replacements at the position, Jerricho Cotchery and Chicago native Jason Avant have combined for 23 grabs and one score.
The retirements of Jordan Gross and Travelle Wharton led a carousel of offensive line moves of backups now starting and former positions being flopped with the exception of center Ryan Kalil, who made the Pro Bowl.
Carolina's veteran 1-2 backfield punch of DeAngelo Williams (ankle/hamstring) and Jonathan Stewart (knee) has been slowed by injury since the opener. Stewart seems closer to returning Sunday, but tough, Pro Bowl fullback Mike Tolbert was also lost last week to injured reserve. If Williams and Stewart aren't in uniform, the ground game averaging just 71 yards per game will be fronted by journeymen Fozzy Whittaker, freshly signed Chris Ogbunnaya and undrafted rookie Darrin Reaves.
Then there's Newton, working with all those new targets, behind a patched-up O-line (10 sacks allowed) and with his own aches and pains beginning his fourth NFL season. There was left ankle surgery in March and a cracked rib in the preseason. As he tries to protect himself from what's already been a pile of hits in his still-young career (just eight carries for 33 yards after 585 last season), his passer rating of 98.2 is higher than Jay Cutler's, and in his three games, he's tossed three TD passes with no interceptions. Combined with Derek Anderson (who started the opener), the Panthers, with that receiving corps, are passing for six and a half yards more per game than Marc Trestman's offense.
This is a team that, without Hardy and with the help of three turnovers, handed NFC North-leading Detroit it's only loss, 24-7, in Week 2, which raised their record to 2-0. With the two losses since, they'll return home desperate to beat the Bears on Sunday, with dates at Cincinnati, at Green Bay and home against Seattle looming.
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Central Division 2014-15 Preview: Chicago Blackhawks
By Brian Cazeneuve
PREVIEW:
COACH: Joel Quenneville
2013-14 RECORD: 46-21-15, 107 points (third in Central; lost to Kings in conference final)
VITAL SIGHS: 3.18 goals per game (2nd); goals-against per game (2.58); 19.5 power play pct. (10th); 81.4 penalty kill pct. (19th); shootout record: 6-8 (17th)
NOTABLE ARRIVALS: C Brad Richards
NOTABLE DEPARTURES: LW Brandon Bollig, G Nikolai Khabibulin
PROJECTED DEPTH CHART:
Forwards
Patrick Sharp — Jonathan Toews — Marian Hossa
Brandon Saad — Brad Richards — Patrick Kane
Bryan Bickell — Andrew Shaw — Kris Versteeg
Brandon Mashinter — Marcus Kruger — Ben Smith
Peter Regin — Jeremy Morin
Defensemen
Duncan Keith — Brent Seabrook
Johnny Oduya — Niklas Hjalmarsson
Nick Leddy — Michal Rozsival
David Rundblad
Goalies
Corey Crawford
Antti Raanta
OUTLOOK: The playoffs exposed a serious hole in the Blackhawks' deep offense: Michal Handzus was simply no longer equipped to be a second-line center in such a high-octane offense. After allowing Handzus to walk via free agency, Chicago hopes the signing of veteran Brad Richards, 34, who was bought out by the Rangers after a disappointing three-season tenure, will provide an upgrade. Slotting between Brandon Saad and Patrick Kane, he could complete a second act that will help alleviate the pressure on the first line while unleashing Kane's full offensive potential. (Kane's initial impression of playing with Richards was positive.) If so, consider the hole plugged and the rest of the league on notice as the Blackhawks are determined to erase the bitter taste of their Game 7 OT loss to Los Angeles in the conference final that deprived them of a shot at third Stanley Cup since 2010. There are other questions—will Corey Crawford bounce back from an up-and-down year?; will GM Stan Bowman pull off a trade to get the Hawks under the cap without weakening his defense or forward corps? — that must be answered, but the Blackhawks remain the class of the division.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Bryan Bickell
The big power forward cashed in on his 2013 playoffs (17 points in 23 games) with a four-tear, $16 million extension, and then suffered through injuries and inconsistency last season (15 points in 59 games). He came around once again in the postseason, scoring seven goals and racking up 80 hits in 19 games. While maintaining that pace would be a stretch over a full season, a 20-goal, 40-point campaign with 200 or so hits would go a long way towards making his big contract more palatable.
PREDICTION: 108 points; first in Central
Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica thoughts: Everyday we receive another prediction from some sports person, media or organization with their thoughts on what the Blackhawks are going to do this year. They're all pretty much the same. The Hawks have a great organization, terrific team, tremendous fan base and unprecedented city support. They have a goal an are on a mission. We agree with all of these prognosticators; Lets go Hawks. If we want it bad enough, we'll get it. "Stanley, we're coming for you!!!"
Just another Chicago Bulls Session… Ball Don't Lie 2014-15 NBA Season Previews: Chicago Bulls.
By Dan Devine
Every year, as the injuries pile up, Tom Thibodeau invokes the mantra: "We have enough to win." This time, that might actually be true.
After grinding out a first-round win before a gentleman's sweep in Round 2 without their leader, the Chicago Bulls entered the 2013-14 season hoping for a return to prominence helmed by Derrick Rose, finally healthy following his April 2012 left ACL tear. Just 10 games later, though, Rose was back on the shelf after tearing the meniscus in his right knee, and Thibodeau was back to scratching out wins one stop at a time.
Derrick Rose thinks back to the way it used to be. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
That happened because the Bulls employ Joakim Noah, the Defensive Player of the Year, and Taj Gibson, whom some thought defended even better than Noah, and Jimmy Butler, who's become a premier wing stopper. And, of course, because of Thibodeau, whose strong-side overload zone is the gold standard of NBA defense, and whose coaching has coaxed career-best work out of many lightly regarded defenders.
Without Rose to run the offense, Chicago relied heavily on Noah as a high-post initiator. He responded by averaging a team-high 5.4 assists per game, by leading all NBA bigs with 12.3 points created via assist per game, and by becoming just the fifth player 6-foot-10 or taller to assist on more than a quarter of his teammates' baskets, according to Basketball-Reference.com. Whether picking out cutters or running the break, Noah helped conjure enough points to win 48 games; combined with his stellar defense, it was enough to earn him a fourth-place finish in MVP voting.
It wasn't, however, enough to get past the resurgent Washington Wizards in Round 1. Randy Wittman's club bullied the Bulls from the jump, taking the first two games at United Center en route to a five-game wipeout that sent Chicago into another uncertain offseason.
It wasn't, however, enough to get past the resurgent Washington Wizards in Round 1. Randy Wittman's club bullied the Bulls from the jump, taking the first two games at United Center en route to a five-game wipeout that sent Chicago into another uncertain offseason.
The Bulls seem to have handled their business this summer, putting together what Rose called the most talented roster he's had in Chicago, and the former MVP says he's ready to roll again after another year spent rehabbing. With one longtime nemesis on the downturn and another on the rise, can a more potent Bulls team vault back into the NBA's elite? Or will this year's bid for a return to glory fall short, too?
2013-14 season in 140 characters or less:Hey, Derrick's ba—nevermind. We can’t score but neither can you. Noah runs point, wins DPoY. DJ Augustin! 48 wins, but smothered in Round 1.
Did the summer help at all?
Yes. After struggling to score without Rose for the past two seasons — they finished 24th among 30 NBA teams in points scored per possession in 2012-13, and tied for 27th last year, according to NBA.com's stat tool — they needed to add some offensive firepower to their perpetually near-perfect defense. By the looks of things, they succeeded.
Doug McDermott's lights-out shooting should help provide space for a cramped Bulls offense. (AP/Nati Harnik)
They started by sending the rights to their two 2014 first-round picks, Bosnian center Jusuf Nurkic and Michigan State guard Gary Harris, and a 2015 second-rounder to the Denver Nuggets for Doug McDermott. The Creighton sniper led the NCAA in scoring last season, earning National Player of the Year honors, and shot a blistering 45.8 percent from 3-point range during four years on campus. The three-time first-team All-American ought to offer some additional punch to a Chicago team that ranked dead last in the NBA in field-goal percentage and 24th in 3-point accuracy last season.
But one rookie does not an offseason make, and Chicago also had its sights set on landing upgrades with money saved by jettisoning the non-crunch-time-playing Boozer via amnesty. Carmelo Anthony might have been their top choice, but when the New York Knicks backed up the Brinks truck to keep 'Melo in Manhattan, the Bulls bounced back by bringing in both Pau Gasol and Nikola Mirotic, a 2011 draftee who starred for Real Madrid of Spain's ACB for the past few seasons, on three-year deals.
The backcourt signings — spirit animal/perpetual bruise Kirk Hinrich, veterans Aaron Brooks and E'Twaun Moore — won't blow anyone's hair back, but if the team's biggest question gets answered in the affirmative, they won't need to. Rose went through a full Team USA training camp and played in all nine games for the eventual gold-medal winners during the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain, and while he did so without much distinction — 4.8 points and 3.1 assists per game on rancid 25.4 percent shooting — he also did so without incident or injury. That alone makes this summer a winner for the Bulls, right?
Go-to offseason acquisition:
I'll cheat and go two-for-one with Gasol and Mirotic. Neither the former Los Angeles Lakers pivot nor the 23-year-old European forward approximate Anthony's scoring skill, but together, they represent a significant offensive upgrade at the four spot and give the Bulls one of the NBA's deepest frontcourts.
The Bulls hope Nikola Mirotic (left) and Pau Gasol will help bolster their offensive attack. (AP/M. Spencer Green)
Gasol's post prowess and interior passing should pair beautifully with Noah's facilitating, especially if Pau can build off his strong summer play for Spain at the World Cup, where he averaged 20 points in 27 minutes per game on 63.5 percent shooting. The 6-foot-10 Mirotic will likely experience some growing pains in his first NBA season, but his perimeter shooting and scoring touch, detailed in this DraftExpress scouting video, gives Thibodeau a stretch four whom opponents will have to respect out to the arc. That should open up more driving lanes for Chicago's guards and provide increased playmaking room on the inside.
If Gasol's energized by a fresh start after an often-frustrating end to his time in L.A., Mirotic can get acclimated to the NBA quickly and McDermott's strong Summer League play — 18 points, four rebounds and 2.8 assists in 28.8 minutes per game, 44.4 percent from 3 — carries over, they should give Chicago's offense a greater level of creativity and versatility than it's had in years, all for about two-thirds of Anthony's annual rate. With Noah and Gibson already on board and veteran Nazr Mohammed back to set screens and spell Noah, the Bulls' frontcourt looks very capable of both creating their own opportunities and taking advantages of those created for them.
Glaring weakness:
While Gasol gives Thibodeau another frontcourt initiator, and McDermott and Mirotic look to be able to stretch defenses, Chicago still seems thin on dynamic creators.
For all his grit and all the equity he's built with Thibodeau over the years, Hinrich's just not quick enough at this stage to break down many defenders; he's a capable reserve guard whose warts get magnified when he's forced into a larger role. The 29-year-old Brooks profiles as this year's undersized reserve gunner — by now, a time-honored tradition for Thibodeau teams — with the burst to get to the basket and a solid shooting touch (he's shot league-average or better from 3 in four of his six NBA seasons). But with the exception of his Most Improved Player-winning 2009-10 season with the Houston Rockets, Brooks has never been a reliable big-minutes solution, and he's much more of a creator for himself than for others.
A lack of playmaking off the bench feels like a bigger concern for Chicago than it might be for other teams due to the somewhat tenuous nature of Rose's return and the lack of a reliable scorer at the two, where neither Butler nor Tony Snell are yet the kind of players who scare defenses with the ball in their hands. If Rose can't shoulder the playmaking load for any reason, the Bulls could again struggle to score against top defenses.
Contributor with something to prove:
Rose. It's one of the biggest questions in the league: Can Rose can get back to being the go-go engine of Thibodeau's offense, whose explosive forays to the rim break down defenses? Rose's gift for getting to the basket and finding teammates can transform Chicago from a one-sided team that fades against top-flight competition into an all-around squad that can beat the very best ... but he's got to prove he's still that guy.
Derrick Rose didn't play well for the U.S. during the 2014 FIBA World Cup, but he made it in one piece. (AP/Manu Fernandez)
The last time the Bulls had Rose for a full season, in 2010-11, they finished 12th in offensive efficiency, scoring an average of 105.5 points per 100 possessions; Rose averaged 25 points and 7.7 assists per game and won the league's Most Valuable Player award. The last time they had him for more than half the season, in the lockout-shortened 2011-12, they finished fifth in points per possession; Rose dished dimes on more than 40 percent of his teammates' baskets, the NBA's seventh-best assist rate. Without him these past two years ... well, Chicago's been dismal, despite Thibodeau getting better-than-expected work out of reserves Hinrich, Augustin and Nate Robinson.
He'll have the re-signed Hinrich and veteran Brooks to run the show if Rose can't go this time around, but for the Bulls to get where they want to be — back to winning 75 percent of their games, back in the mix for the East's top spot, back to the brand of ball that can kick LeBron's ass — they need Rose to play like the reckless-abandon MVP he once was. He never quite looked like that guy during his 10 pre-injury games last season, and scarcely resembled him during his Team USA turn.
The glass-half-full position on Rose suggests you can't take too much away from the summer. After all, he didn't exactly light the world on fire during the 2010 FIBA World Championship, but went on to become the youngest MVP in NBA history the following season, and he looked fantastic last preseason before playing poorly once live action started. Viewed through that lens, Rose's unimpressive World Cup seems less important than the fact that he feels like his body's accustomed to basketball again.
Whatever lens you use, though, it's still two and a half years and two major knee injuries since Rose last played at his peak, and he has to prove that he can be a top scorer and table-setter again. If he can, the Bulls can contend for a championship. If he can't, they'll again have a hard time getting past Round 1.
Potential breakout stud:
Butler. "Breakout" might be the wrong word here, because thanks to Thibs' insistence on iron-man basketball and some high-profile matchups with LeBron James, we know what the 25-year-old Marquette product is capable of on the defensive end. So let's call Butler a "breakthrough" candidate, then — if he can get his offensive game on track, he could join Paul George and Kawhi Leonard as one of the best two-way swingmen in the game.
Butler earned a spot in Thibs' rotation with his defense and hustle as a sophomore, but he also showed a developing jumper, knocking down 38.1 percent of his 3-point tries during the 2012-13 season. The bulk of that work came on catch-and-shoot opportunities away from the play — 43 of Butler's 55 made 3-pointers in '12-'13 were spot-up looks, according to Synergy Sports Technology's game-charting, and he shot 38.4 percent on such shots. Last season, with injuries and ineffectiveness hampering the Bulls' point guards, Butler handled the rock more often, orchestrating a higher share of Chicago's possessions in the pick-and-roll while working less frequently as a spot-up option. Perhaps as a result of the necessity-based stretching of his game, his overall shooting accuracy cratered; Butler shot just 39.7 percent from the floor and 28.3 percent from 3.
Rose's return means both that Butler won't have to initiate offense as often, and that when he does get the ball with an opportunity to attack, he'll more likely face defenses that have already been distorted by initial Rose-triggered action. It should also mean that he'll get cleaner looks and that he'll get them more often, which could help his shooting numbers bounce back. If Butler can resurrect his stroke, continue to refine his off-the-bounce game and maintain his elite defense, he could go from solid to star, and put himself in line for a hefty offer sheet in restricted free agency next summer. (If the Bulls don't extend him before the Oct. 31 deadline, that is.)
Best-case scenario:
Rose gives Chicago the off-the-bounce lightning bolt they've sorely needed these past two years, creating easy transition points and drive-and-kick buckets. McDermott, Mirotic and Mike Dunleavy Jr. feast on those open looks, bumping the Bulls up to the middle of the pack in 3-point makes and percentage. Thibodeau creatively splits frontcourt minutes to keep his bigs fresh, allowing Gasol and Noah to make beautiful music, Mirotic to learn the ropes while paired with a defensive watchdog, and Gibson to put up another Sixth Man of the Year-worthy campaign. Butler and Tony Snell give Thibs a 3-and-D combo that can squash any perimeter threat, and the Bulls ride a top-five D and a top-10 O to the team's first title since MJ left town.
If everything falls apart:
Rose can't find his form, whether due to another injury, persistent mental blocks or an inability to alter his game to find ways to contribute without going 110 miles per hour. The minutes, miles and workload catch up with Noah, who'll turn 30 just after the All-Star break, and his at-times-troubled feet. Gasol's summertime spark dissipates in the States, he looks two steps slow at age 34, and he winds up providing less production than Boozer. McDermott and Mirotic struggle against NBA defenders and can't defend well enough to stay on the floor. Neither Butler nor Snell take steps forward on the wing, as the Bulls miss Deng something fierce. Chicago tops out as a bottom-of-the-playoff-bracket squad that can't score enough to pull an upset.
Kelly Dwyer's Best Guess at a Record:
57-25, giving Chicago its seventh straight playoff berth and slotting them second in the East.
2014 MLB postseason: Here's the schedule for the opening rounds.
By Mike Oz
Postseason clinch (Getty Images)
The final Sunday of the MLB regular season could have produced chaos, but as it turns out, things wrapped up quite neatly. The Detroit Tigers won to clinch the AL Central. The St. Louis Cardinals clinched the NL Central when the Pittsburgh Pirates lost. And the Oakland Athletics, after losing two straight potential clinchers, finally won to secure the second AL wild-card spot.So the MLB postseason is set. We don't need any Game 163s.
In the AL, the Tigers, Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Angels are division winners, while the A's and Kansas City Royals are wild cards. In the NL, the Cards, Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals are division winners, while the Pirates and San Francisco Giants are wild cards.
As we look ahead at the schedule, there are many intriguing storylines coming in the next days, among them:
• The Royals, in the postseason for the first time since 1985, trying to survive a one-game playoff with the A's, who barely made the playoffs after a second-half collapse.
• The Dodgers and Cardinals renewing their rivalry from last year's NLCS.
• Whether the highly touted pitching of the Tigers can shut down the home-run hitting Orioles.
Since you won't want to miss a game, here's the full playoff schedule for the wild-card and LDS rounds:
(Getty Images)
(all times TBD unless listed)
TUESDAY SEPT. 1
AL wild card: A's at Royals, 8:07 p.m. ET (TBS)
Oakland Athletics 8, Kansas City Royals 9, 12 innings
WEDNESDAY OCT. 1
NL wild card: Giants at Pirates, 8:07 p.m. ET (ESPN)
THURSDAY OCT. 2
ALDS Game 1: Tigers at Orioles (TBS)
ALDS Game 1: Wild card winner at Angels (TBS)
FRIDAY OCT. 3
NLDS Game 1: Cardinals at Dodgers (Fox Sports 1)
NLDS Game 1: Wild card winner at Nationals (FS1)
ALDS Game 2: Tigers at Orioles (TBS)
ALDS Game 2: Wild card winner at Angels (TBS)
SATURDAY OCT. 4
NLDS Game 2: Cardinals at Dodgers (FS1 or MLB Network)
NLDS Game 2: Wild card winner at Nationals (FS1 or MLBN)
SUNDAY OCT. 5
ALDS Game 3: Orioles at Tigers (TBS)
ALDS Game 3: Angels at wild card winner (TBS)
MONDAY OCT. 6
NLDS Game 3: Dodgers at Cardinals (FS1 or MLBN)
NLDS Game 3: Nationals at wild card winner (FS1 or MLBN)
ALDS Game 4*: Orioles at Tigers (TBS)
ALDS Game 4*: Angels at wild card winner (TBS)
TUESDAY OCT. 7
NLDS Game 4*: Dodgers at Cardinals (FS1)
NLDS Game 4*: Nationals at wild card winner (FS1)
WEDNESDAY OCT. 8
ALDS Game 5*: Tigers at Orioles (TBS)
ALDS Game 5*: Wild card winner at Angels (TBS)
TTHURSDAY OCT. 9
NLDS Game 5*: Cardinals at Dodgers (FS1)
NLDS Game 5*: Wild card winner at Nationals (FS1)
*If necessary, all series are best of five
Wait till next year? Time for rebuilding Cubs to 'step it up'.
By Patrick Mooney
A fan on Miller Park’s second level watched Sunday’s game from behind home plate, wearing a blue Cubs jersey with “NEXT YEAR” and two zeroes sewn onto the back.
The Cubs have stopped making wait-until-next-year promises, keeping The Plan open-ended.
Chairman Tom Ricketts says the franchise needs a Jumbotron and a new Wrigley Field to compete. That four-year construction project has finally begun after all the turf battles with the rooftop owners, City Hall and the 44th Ward.
President of baseball operations Theo Epstein says the renovations are nice — and the new clubhouse will be sick — but the TV megadeal will be the real payroll game-changer in 2020.
President of business operations Crane Kenney says the team generated the fifth-highest revenues in baseball last year. But the bill for the on-field product — your 2014 Cubs — came in around $75 million. At times, this looked and felt more like Triple-A Iowa.
So what is it? The Cubs finished this season at 73-89 after a 5-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers, last place in the division, 17 games behind the hated St. Louis Cardinals. What should be the expectations for this team going into next year?
“To be the NL Central champs,” first baseman Anthony Rizzo said. “Obviously, that’s the playoffs and we want to go deep, but it takes a lot of work and we have a tough division. Teams aren’t going anywhere. It’s only getting better, but that’s our expectation. That’s the message we’re going to send.”
If the Cubs are going to make that big leap forward, it will have to be with the development of their young core and some smart free-agent investments. Manager Rick Renteria would have to grow on the job in his second year, and there would need to be some luck involved.
“All those guys know that we want to step it up,” Renteria said. “We need to come out, go into spring training really preparing to be a better club, with the expectations of us again improving and making ourselves, hopefully, a topic of conversation throughout the season.”
That means getting off to a fast start and not selling big at the trade deadline, becoming an afterthought once the Bears open training camp. The crowd of 33,837 here focused on the Green Bay Packers, cheering in the third inning when Jay Cutler threw a third-quarter deflected interception at Soldier Field.
Before Game 162, a staffer sat in the middle of the clubhouse and checked his fantasy football team.
A player joked about pulling a Sammy Sosa and leaving during the middle of the game. With the roof open and the sun spilling into Miller Park, the sound system played The Beatles' “Hello, Goodbye.” The season doesn’t wind down so much as it comes to a sudden, complete stop.
By the ninth inning, Hector Rondon was hitting 98 mph, notching his 29th save and completing a remarkable transition from Tommy John case to Rule 5 guy to lights-out closer.
Rizzo blasted his 32nd homer, going for 3-for-3 with a walk to finish with 78 RBIs and a .913 OPS. That answered the questions about whether he’d be a nice player or a real middle-of-the-order force.
Even Jacob Turner (6-11, 6.13 ERA), the latest change-of-scenery guy, limited the punch-drunk Brewers (82-80) to two runs across five innings. Who knows what it ultimately means, but the Cubs had a winning month in August (16-14), didn’t fold in September (12-13) and won seven more games than last season.
“A lot of positivity,” Turner said. “We played hard until the end, and I think there’s a lot of guys here that had success, to an extent. Some guys had more than other guys, but I think it showed definitely where we’re going.
“There’s a lot of talent in this room.”
That group includes second baseman Javier Baez, who put up nine homers but struck out 95 times during his 52-game audition in The Show. Jorge Soler didn’t miss a beat after his promotion from Iowa, hitting .292 with five homers and 20 RBIs in 24 games, showing why the Cubs invested $30 million in the Cuban outfielder.
“We’re right there,” said Jake Arrieta (10-5, 2.53 ERA), who looked like next year’s Opening Day starter. “It’s obvious for the guys in the clubhouse. A lot of the young guys know that there’s adjustments that have to be made moving forward.
“The transition from Triple-A to the big leagues is the biggest jump in all of sports. I think that things are magnified once guys get here for the first time, but that’s just kind of the way it goes. You’re going to take your lumps.
“If you can stay even keel, be the same guy on a daily basis, and put your work in, with the ability we have ... it’s going to pan out.”
At some point, the Cubs will have to stop talking about the future.
“As an organization, we all feel some momentum going into the offseason, and that’s what we needed,” Rizzo said. “Not only the players, but the front office as well. We’ll see what happens.
“There’s always optimism, and now you can see it around everywhere.”
Golf: I got a club for that… A flawed Ryder Cup system for Americans.
By DOUG FERGUSON (AP Golf Writer)
Paul Azinger is not ruling out a return as Captain America in the Ryder Cup.
But that's not what America needs.
And neither does Azinger.
His reputation only grows each time the Americans fail. Why would he want to risk that when there is no guarantee of reward? With so much focus on a dysfunctional U.S. team, it's easy to overlook that Europe might have been the stronger side, anyway.
Azinger was in a Harley-Davidson bar in Florida on Sunday when the Ryder Cup ended. He answered his phone and said, ''Dude, why is my Twitter blowing up?''
The reaction to such a resounding loss and embarrassing exit in the Ryder Cup was to bring back Azinger in 2016 at Hazeltine. So when Derek Sprague takes over as president of the PGA of America the weekend before Thanksgiving, Azinger should be the first person he calls.
Not to hire him. To listen to him.
Azinger might be the one person responsible for giving the Americans their best chance in a game that has gone global.
His greatest contribution had nothing to do with pods, rather how the team was chosen. He refused to take the captain's job for 2008 unless the PGA of America agreed to toss out its outdated qualifying system in which points were rewarded only to the top 10 at PGA Tour events. That stopped working as the tour became populated with the best players from around the world.
And he somehow persuaded the PGA of America to copy the PGA Tour. The new qualifying system is just like the one used for the U.S. Presidents Cup team - based strictly on money dressed up as points. He also asked that the number of captain's picks be doubled to four players.
That prompted Azinger to say, ''If we win, I'll go down as having the lowest I.Q. of any genius who ever lived.''
He sure looked like one. His system of ''pods'' was genius. Three groups of three qualifiers told Azinger whom they wanted as a captain's pick (Steve Stricker was a pick but treated like a qualifier that year). They were accountable for each other as a pod, and ultimately a team.
Phil Mickelson referred to it as a ''winning formula.'' It's more about the philosophy than the details.
And above all, it's about team.
That's what Europe has figured out. The Americans had that under Azinger. They also had it under Davis Love III, except that Europe had better putters at Medinah, and that works in any format golf is played.
But to identify the problem with the Americans is to study the team that keeps beating them. That starts with how the captain is selected.
Paul McGinley wasn't chosen by a club pro.
The 12 players on the tournament committee for the European Tour who put him forward as the captain, the same system that selected Jose Maria Olazabal and Colin Montgomerie. It will change for 2016, but the same principle applies. Getting the players invested started with having everyone under the same flag.
The past three captains, one player from the tournament committee and European Tour chief George O'Grady are on the panel that picks the 2016 captain.
How did PGA President Ted Bishop decide on Watson? Reading a book.
He was coming home from the boondoggle in Bermuda known as the PGA Grand Slam of Golf when he read a book by the late Jim Huber on Watson's remarkable run at Turnberry in 2009, when he was an 8-foot putt away from winning the British Open at age 59. He called Huber about his ''out-of-the-box'' idea, and Huber loved it. Bishop consulted his officers, called Watson and a year later took a chance.
''I think it's important for the people to understand that the PGA of America has an obligation to try to pick and find the captain that we feel is going to put our team in the best position to win,'' Bishop said when he introduced Watson as captain. ''We feel he's certainly the perfect person to do this, based on his playing record in Scotland.''
It's hard to say which is more dreadful. That he would connect Watson's playing record in Scotland with his ability to lead players half his age? Or that the PGA of America alone decides to should be captain?
Why not involve the players? Why not involve the past captains?
Europe has a formula that began under Tony Jacklin and has been used in various capacities by just about everyone except Nick Faldo, whom Azinger referred to as the ''lone wolf.'' Faldo brought his own system, and it was the one European loss in the last 15 years.
All of Europe seems to be involved in the Ryder Cup.
The PGA of America runs this show by itself, and there is a built-in disconnect because it has no involvement with PGA Tour players except at the PGA Championship every year, and the Ryder Cup every other year.
There is no continuity in America, even on the rare occasion when it wins.
The Ryder Cup is closely contested because the players are great. Even so, Europe has won eight of the last 10.
And unless something changes, the gap will only widen.
Three radical suggestions to improve America's Ryder Cup chances.
By Ryan Ballengee
You can pin the blame on whoever or whatever you want, but the fact remains the American Ryder Cup team lost its third-straight biennial match against Europe on Sunday in Scotland. That ties the longest American losing streak, matching the stretch from 2002-06 when the Europeans twice beat the U.S. by record, embarrassing 18.5-9.5 counts.
Tom Watson didn't work, with the complete picture why still to be revealed.
Three captain's picks didn't work, as two (Webb Simpson and Hunter Mahan) contributed very little to the overall effort.
Something has to change, and it seems toggling the captain and the number of guys he can hand-pick for the team may not be the answer. Let's try something else. Try on these three suggestions for size.
1. Shorten the qualifying period to just eight months: Americans qualify for the Ryder Cup team over a two-year period, earning points weighted toward events in the second year of the cycle (a smart change made by Paul Azinger). However, this approach still doesn't identify the hot hands, so to speak. Throw out the two-year cycle and shorten it from Jan. 1 the year of the competition through the end of the PGA Championship. This way, only players who have stood out when it matters most make the team on points.
2. Name a player in his late 30s captain: Until 65-year-old Tom Watson got the call, the PGA of America's formula for picking Ryder Cup captains sided with modest major winners in their late 40s (Tom Lehman, Davis Love III, Corey Pavin, etc.). The PGA wants guys with an impressive-enough CV that are still somewhat in touch with their younger peers. The PGA has it wrong. Majors don't matter and don't decide if a captain will be any good at the job. Ask Paul McGinley, Colin Montgomerie or Bernard Gallacher. Instead, identify a driven, smart player who sees their best days behind them and the opportunity to mastermind a U.S. victory as their career highlight.
3. Let the players pick the captain: The European Tour has this one right. They've architected a system whereby the equivalent of their commissioner and the last three European captains, plus one more player, pick future Ryder Cup leaders. It's a form of succession planning that carries through in who is named a vice-captain for each team. Rather than ushering in a new administration with each successive American captain, name a cabinet of guys that will work together to get this thing figured out. They can all take turns as ceremonial captain, but this group would ultimately be one unit dedicated to turning the tide.
What would you recommend the U.S. and PGA of America do to make a stronger Ryder Cup team?
Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica thoughts: There's a lot to done in the next two years. Winning is a priority. We have the talent so now is the time to formulate a successful game plan. We can, we must and we will get this done. PGA and American tournament players, I have no doubt that if we work together, "Victory in 2016 is our destiny."
Power Rankings: Three drivers, one top spot. Who gets it?.
By Nick Bromberg
NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Kevin Harvick (4) leads NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Brad Keselowski (2) during the AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway. (Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports)
1. Brad Keselowski (LW: 1): We're not going to dump Keselowski from the top spot for finishing second. That's cruel and unusual punishment. While we realize we're suggesting tweaks to a Chase system that seems like it's constantly tweaked, but what if drivers got three bonus points for the next round of the Chase for winning a race in the previous round? It'd give Keselowski, Joey Logano and Jeff Gordon something to show for the their wins, even if it was a net of three positions in a single race.
2. Joey Logano (LW: 2): We mentioned this in Happy Hour on Thursday, but Logano has quietly become one of the best in the Cup Series. That was evident again on Sunday where he finished fourth. Sure, he didn't have the best car or even led a lap, but if Logano keeps this up, don't act surprised when he's going for the title at Homestead.
3. Jeff Gordon (LW: 6): This isn't a slight to Gordon putting him here. Would you really put him above Logano or Keselowski at this point? And if so, why? It's close, but the flat tire at New Hampshire puts Gordon at the third of three. He's the defending champion at Kansas and Charlotte is up after that. Gordon could tie Keselowski's win total soon, assuming Keselowski doesn't win a race.
4. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 5): Six-time's finishes in the first three races went 12th, fifth and third. Only in his world can that be considered a disappointment. I Johnson keeps that up, it should be good enough to get in the last race. An average finish of between sixth and seventh is going to be incredibly tough to beat. But we're going to go out on a limb and say Johnson wins a race in the next round.
5. Kevin Harvick (LW: 3): Harvick's season is a broken record. We all know why he's a championship contender. It's the speed he showed at Dover in utterly dominating the race when he was up front. But we all know why there's a big asterisk as well, and it's because of the flat tire. Kansas was a place where Harvick had a mistake to help give Gordon the win in May. He'll have one of the best cars again on Sunday.
6. Kyle Busch (LW: 4): Busch is another example of the lack of separation at the front of the field. He finished in the top 10 in all three races of the first round of the Chase and would be sixth in points if the ponts system didn't reset. But hey, it does, and that's good news for Busch and everyone below him. Now, if Busch could just get a top 10 on Sunday, he'd be all set.
7. Kyle Larson (LW: 7): Another week where Larson was the highest finishing non-Chase driver. If he can keep that up it'll be one hell of a streak and force us to research how proficient Larson is being among non-qualifying drivers. Given how well Larson performed at Chicago, we're preparing to dive deep into the archives.
8. Matt Kenseth (LW: 9): A top-five is good enough for Kenseth to swap spots with Junior. It didn't feel like Kenseth was in danger of being eliminated from the Chase, but he was only eight points ahead of Denny Hamlin, who was in 13th before the race. Finishing fifth meant a drama-free day for Kenseth.
9. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 8): Junior was not happy after finishing 17th, saying his team never was competitive for a moment throughout Sunday's race. Plus, he said it's not good enough to win a championship. He's right, the lack of top speed the No. 88 team has shown so far in the Chase won't win them a title, but it'll probably be good enough to advance to the final eight.
10. Ryan Newman (LW: NR): Newman's eighth place finish was his 11th top 10 all year. Not a good omen for his title hopes. But if you're looking for one, here it is. The drivers eliminated on Sunday were the top four drivers in a ranking of A-Z of the last names of Chase drivers. If the eliminaton by alphabet thing becomes a trend, congratulations, Newman. He'll be the last driver standing.
11. Carl Edwards (LW: NR): Edwards finished 11th, so we'll put him 11th. And 11th s pretty close to where Edwards would be over the course of the season. (He'd be ninth.) It's not going to be a surprise if Edwards makes the final eight and it won't be a surprise if he misses it. Making the final four is a different story.
12. Denny Hamlin (LW: NR): Hamlin was 12th and advanced to the Chase because everyone else around him had days that were considerably worse than his. Given that Hamlin had a bad day the week before to put him in that position, you can't say that he feels too lucky to benefit from others' misfortune.
Lucky Dog: Martin Truex Jr. finished seventh. It's just his fourth top-10 of the season.
The DNF: Aric Almirola needed a good run and was instead 28th.
Dropped out: Almirola, Allmendinger, McMurray
Tony Stewart speaks, cites overwhelming support in the search of return to normalcy.
By Tony DiZinno
Tony Stewart has addressed the media in full for the first time since the August 9 accident that killed Kevin Ward Jr., and since Stewart was cleared by a Grand Jury of all legal charges last week.
While Stewart had had a written statement in the immediate aftermath, a brief response upon his return to the track at Atlanta Motor Speedway and a several-part interview with the Associated Press last week, he had not fully addressed the media in a news conference until Monday morning.
Questions related to the accident itself, however, were off limits. Stewart-Haas Racing PR chief Mike Arning said the statements from Michael Tantillo, the Ontario County (N.Y.) District Attorney, last week outlined the facts of the incident itself.
Still, there were some elements revealed from this press conference.
Stewart confirmed he had seen the video of the accident.
He also said he would be available to speak to Kevin Ward Jr.’s family if they want to speak with him; however, he said he would not need to speak to them for closure.
Asked if he could do anything different, Stewart said simply, “I’d have stayed at Watkins Glen that night. I do this stuff to have a good time. That’s all I wanted to do that night.
“I just wanted to go run my sprint car for a night. It didn’t end up being fun that night.”
Stewart dismissed retirement talk, when asked if that was an option. While he reiterated what he told the AP in terms of his not racing sprint cars for a while, he said he can’t quit what he’s done his whole life, for 36+ years.
“Right now I couldn’t give you a small idea of when I’ll get back in. I won’t be in for a while,” Stewart said of his sprint car driving presence.
“There was never a thought in my head about stopping. That would take the life out of me,” he said.
Stewart spoke of his struggles in managing his Sprint Cup race team, Stewart-Haas Racing, and all his sprint car products, be it race teams or Eldora Speedway.
“I’ve let my team down from that standpoint. I’ve been a bit of a cheerleader, but that’s all I’ve been the last seven weeks,” he said of SHR.
On the dirt track side: “I’ve watched and paid attention, but I haven’t been engaged in it.. Watched online at Eldora, listened online. But I haven’t been engaged with the teams or drivers.”
Stewart said sponsors have been supportive throughout the process; communication with Johnny Morris (Bass Pro Shops) and Mobil 1 has been positive.
Stewart’s last seven weeks, especially at the outset, had mainly been in seclusion. He said days were going by slower, and he did not want to do much of anything.
“The first three days, I didn’t get out of bed, didn’t care if I took a shower,” he said. “I had to force myself to get food. First 3-4 days I didn’t want to talk to anybody. Finally started moving around a little bit and every day got a little bit easier. Didn’t have any desire to do anything. You asked yourself ‘Why, why did this happen.’
“It’s been awkward because I know what a typical day was like for me, and what I thought about. You get in a pattern. This was something that changed that pattern. It won’t get back to normal, but it will get better.”
Still, the overriding message Stewart had Monday was of the level of support he has received from the NASCAR garage, community and fans, in what has been a trying and difficult seven weeks.
“Initially, I was hurt by some of the things I read,” Stewart said. “But it’s people who don’t know me, and never spent time with me. They ran with it based on what was presented or if they were people who didn’t like me to begin with. I really stopped wasting my time worrying about it. That’s all that matters.”
Stewart also thanked drivers for reaching out and the fans for welcoming him back when he was introduced ahead of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series return at Atlanta.
“Honestly I thought I had walked out in Dale Jr.’s spot,” he joked. “But it was very overwhelming. I’m glad I had sunglasses on. It was the one of the most flattering, humbling parts of my career to have that kind of reception.”
Defenseless Barcelona fails first big test in loss to PSG.
By Ben Hayward
Everything about Barca in 2014-15 had seemed impressive. The attitude, the organization, the desire and the commitment was all there. Wins over Elche, Villarreal, Athletic Club, Levante, Granada and APOEL, plus a goalless draw at Malaga, showed early promise - but ultimately proved little.
Paris Saint-Germain, on the other hand, has already conceded ground in its own title race and even though the club's owners assured Blanc's job was safe, six draws from 10 competitive fixtures this term had led to intense speculation over the coach's position at the Parc des Princes.
Missing the injured Zlatan Ibrahimovic, PSG was stripped of the talents of its finest footballer. But Blanc's men started strongly and pushed back Barcelona. Within nine minutes, they were ahead as David Luiz took advantage of horrible hesitation in the Barca box to slot home. It was the first goal conceded by Luis Enrique's side in 639 minutes of competitive football this season. And there was more to come.
At the other end, however, Andres Iniesta soon set up Lionel Messi and the Argentine drilled a lovely left-footed effort into the corner to level less than two minutes later. All of PSG's hard work was quickly and so simply undone.
Seven sides had tried and failed to score against Barcelona this season, but none of those teams possess the quality of PSG and the French champions looked like scoring on a number of occasions in this one.
Marco Verratti headed home a rare goal from a corner after 26 minutes to restore their lead as Ivan Rakitic failed to get in front of the Italian and Marc-Andre ter Stegen (getting his second opportunity in the first team) was left in no-man's land as the midfielder nodded in at the far post.
This time, the home side was able to hang on to its lead and Blaise Matuidi made it 3-1 in the second half as he fired home PSG's 100th Champions League goal from close range after finding himself in ample space in the Barca box. Earlier, Javier Mascherano's last-ditch tackle had saved Jeremy Mathieu after the Frenchman was easily turned in the area by Edinson Cavani.
Mathieu, impressive so far in La Liga, looked out of his depth on occasions here, while Jordi Alba's poor form in the left-back position is also a concern for Luis Enrique. Barcelona's biggest priority in the summer window was central defense and two - Mathieu and Thomas Vermaelen - were signed, but Masherano (a midfielder) remains the club's best center back. That, surely, is a worry.
Again, however, Barca hit back quickly as Neymar sent a clever shot just inside the post moments later at the other end to set up a fascinating finale in which both sides could have added to their tally.
But PSG looked hungrier, created the better chances and did enough to merit a win which gives Blanc some credit after a difficult few weeks. For Luis Enrique, meanwhile, the first big test has brought the first failure of his tenure. And as so often before in recent times for Barca, the spotlight falls on the one area he had seemingly improved - the defense.
Why do Manchester City struggle so much in the Champions League?
By Joe Prince-Wright
In their Group E clash against AS Roma on Tuesday, familiar issues struck Manchester City as their struggles in the UEFA Champions League continue.
Without a win from their opening two group games of the 2014-15 UCL campaign, their upcoming back-to-back games with CSKA Moscow are now crucial if Manuel Pellergini’s men are to advance to the knockout stages for the second-straight season. They sit five points behind Group E leaders Bayern and three points behind Roma with a trip to the Italian capital still to come.
The fact that last season marked City’s first-ever trip to the knockout rounds of Europe’s elite club competitions sets up the story. They just haven’t performed well in the Champions League since they qualified for the first time back in 2011-12.
With a galaxy of superstar players such as Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure and Vincent Kompany, plus a manager known for success in European competitions, Manuel Pellegrini, City’s floundering performances just don’t make sense.
Let’s try and break this down and get to the bottom of their European struggles.
Tempo troubles
Time and time again groans came from the home fans as City were forced to pass backwards and sideways. They could not dictate the tempo as Roma, like many other UCL teams, waltzed into the Etihad Stadium and set the tone. Even though City scored early on against the Italians, instead of inspiring confidence in its players the goal seemed to put them on the back foot. Roma equalized soon after and only when Pellegrini changed formations by replacing Edin Dzeko with Frank Lampard to create a 4-5-1 did City gain control of the game for the final 20 minutes. Maybe going for a 4-5-1 home and away in Europe is the way forward for Pellegrini’s men to gain control of games like they do in the Premier League. After the game City midfielder James Milner, who come on at half time to try and stop Roma’s counter-attacks summed things up: “We didn’t play at our best but we had a fair few chances and could have nicked it. We never played at our tempo which teams find hard to deal with. They [Roma] are well organised and we didn’t do enough.”
Lack of belief
To be saying this is a bit of a joke but this group of players, most of which have won the PL title in two of the past three seasons, seems to be lacking in confidence. Right now, Yaya Toure is playing like a cowering cat compared to the marauding lion who drove City onto PL success last season. Vincent Kompany had another bad night in Europe on Tuesday and Joe Hart‘s slip gave Francesco Totti the initiative for Roma’s equalizer. Aguero scored a PK but did little else and there seemed to be a lot of hands on hips, heavy exhaling and looks of dismay from City’s players. Too many times their big-name players have failed to shine in Europe as Yaya Toure has now had two terrible performances to open up his UCL campaign as Fernandinho did double work to cover the Ivorian in midfield.
UEFA coefficient
Until Man City reach the latter stages of the UCL, I’m talking semifinals or final, then they will continue to be dealt a tough draw in the group stages. That is down to their old friend, the UEFA coefficient. That gem measures the success of a club over the past five season in European competition and City were ranked 17th in Europe in terms of their success in the continental competitions since 2009-10. That means that unless they reach the late stages of the knockout rounds, they will struggle to move out of pot 2 and into the top pot which would therefore give them a better (in theory) chance of qualifying from the group stages. Is that pressure getting to the players? After being knocked out at the group stage for their first two UCL campaigns, their coefficient would take a huge hit and they may drop into pot 3 if they failed to make at least the last 16 this season.
Pellegrini’s tactics
On more than one occasion, City have come unstuck in Europe due to Pellegrini’s slightly strange tactics. Yes, we are talking about the 3-2 win away at Bayern last season in the group stages where he demanded his team to sit back… even though one more goal meant they finished top in the group and avoid playing Barcelona in the knockout stages. D’oh! It took Pellegrini 60 minutes to change his tactics on Tuesday as Dzeko was pulled for Lampard and City looked so much more fluid as they almost grabbed all three points. Look, Pellegrini took Malaga to the UCL semifinals in 2013 and Villarreal to the final four in 2006. Both Spanish clubs are tiny in comparison to City and it seems as though the weight of securing success and silverware in Europe from City’s demanding but incredibly supportive (especially financially) owners may be getting too much for the Chilean to handle. After winning the Premier League last season, success in the Champions League is City’s number one aim this term and so far, even though there are still four group games left, it’s not going well at all. Same old story for the Citizens.
ACC presidents announce autonomy 'priorities'.
By Jerry Hinnen, College Football Writer
First the presidents of the Pac-12 made public what NCAA reforms they'd like to see once the Power 5's autonomy move was granted. Then the Big Ten followed suit.
Tuesday it was the ACC's turn, with the league's Council of Presidents issuing a statement establishing its "initial priorities as part of the new autonomy structure."
"Each of the priorities builds upon the ACC's overall mission to emphasize both academic excellence and athletic competitiveness, seeking to maximize the educational and athletic opportunities of its student-athletes while enriching their quality of life," according to the statement.
Those priorities won't surprise anyone who's followed the autonomy movement over the previous year:
The initial priorities being sent forward by the ACC include:
In other words: guaranteed four-year scholarships, full cost of attendance scholarships, extended scholarships for players who may leave early, better care for injured players, and, uh, better food.•Examination of scholarship protections for student-athletes;•Meeting a student-athlete's cost of attendance;•Ensuring institutional flexibility to provide educational support for former student-athletes;•Examination of career-related insurance options for student-athletes; and•Ensuring that nutritional needs of student-athletes are met in a reasonable way.Additional topics were also identified for further discussion and possible inclusion within future legislative cycles. These topics include, but are not limited to, exploring the time demands on student-athletes and safeguarding the right of student-athletes to enjoy the full educational opportunities and benefits available to other students.
So, again: nothing too far afield from the Pac-12's and Big Ten's statements, or Mike Slive's sabr-rattling on the part of the SEC. But if you were wondering where John Swofford's league stood officially, there you go.
Cal ups its academic requirements for athletes; will hoops keep up?
By Matt Norlander, College Basketball Writer
Cal, one of the most prestigious public universities in the country, is about to make enrollment even tougher for student-athletes.
According to a report from the Associated Press, powers-that-be at the school have opted to adopt a stricter admissions policy for its incoming players when it comes to academics. This is in response to a recent dip in APR scores for some of the Golden Bears' teams. The school has not been graduating players at an acceptable rate in the eyes of many who make the decisions at Berkeley.
"Chancellor Nicholas Dirks accepted the more than 50 recommendations made by a task force he put together last year in response to low graduation rates in football, men's basketball and six other sports," per the AP. "While many of the recommendations released Friday by the Chancellor's Task Force on Academics & Athletics focused on doing a better job of integrating student-athletes into campus life, the ones that could have the most impact on the field are the increased standards for applicants."
Cal men's basketball has gone from a 967 multi-year (read: four-year average) APR rate in 2008-09, to 948, 950, 955 and 939 in the years since. And in the mid-2000s, the men's hoops team graduated 38 percent of its players, which the AP cites as the fourth-lowest among major-conference schools. The football program graduated just 44 percent of its players between 2003-06.
From the report:
New guidelines are expected to be in place for recruits entering school next fall. The task force has set a goal that every team have a similar graduation rate as the campus does as a whole, which is currently between 91 and 92 percent in a six-year period. "We believe this can be done. It can be done for all the sports," Papadopoulos said. "It may not be doable in a global way for all NCAA teams in all sports. But at Berkeley it can be done."The move comes at a time of transition for the men's basketball team. Cuonzo Martin was hired away from Tennessee this off-season. Martin, 43, has been a head coach for six seasons. His Sweet 16 run with the Volunteers last year was his first trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Martin came to Cal without West Coast ties, and though he has made some inroads to building the program, it will no doubt be a big challenge to keep bringing in top-tier players that can also qualify for the school. Cal has made four of the past six NCAA Tournaments. Will the school be able to keep that going under Martin with these new academic guidelines?
Cal's upped academic-entrance bar will go into effect for applicants in the 2015-16 year.
College basketball's preseason crunch ends as real season push begins.
By Dana O'Neil, ESPN.com
Havoc is not created in a day, at least not the sort that Shaka Smart would like to wreak. VCU's brand of mayhem takes time to build and time is not something basketball coaches always had.
But now, thanks to a few NCAA rule tweaks and a reconstituted basketball calendar, Smart and his peers have a little wiggle room. Gone are the days when coaches and players sat pent up, like horses in the gates before a big race, waiting for 12:01 a.m. on Oct. 15 to see if their players actually followed their offseason conditioning program.
For two years running, they've been able to actually work with their players individually throughout the summer -- and in larger groups after Sept. 15. And instead of the hard date of Oct. 15, practice starts six weeks prior to a team's particular opening game.
So this week, in fact, is the start for a vast majority of teams. Yes, that's worthy of an alleluia.
(Although we can pause here and say a prayer over the corpse of Midnight Madness. Lefty Driesell's brainchild is all but gone thanks to the scheduling changes. Fewer and fewer schools do anything, other than maybe a public scrimmage; more and more, if they host a madness, offer more of a public-relations, dog-and-pony show that occasionally includes a basketball; and almost no one waits until midnight).
While the changes haven't exactly added up to stress-free coaches (an oxymoron, if ever there was one), they have worked into a completely different approach to preparation and practice. Perhaps, too, they have made for a better product on the court. There's no concrete evidence to support the latter, but anecdotally, anyone who watched last year's Champions Classic and other early-season games would agree that it was pretty good hoops for early November.
"You know, 10 years ago the first practice, the first time together was Midnight Madness, so you hadn't been together as a team for several months before that," Smart said. "There's a little less of a buildup, maybe, than there used to be, but I think overall, it's been really helpful."
Every coach, like every team, approaches his preseason run-up differently.
Smart, because of his style of play, stresses conditioning. His guys have become familiar with the torture device known as the VersaClimber, a machine that mimics climbing a tree, only there is no tree, it's not much fun and it's a lot more painful.
For the Rams, conditioning has to be a year-round commitment, but with the extra time to actually see his guys and work with them, Smart at least knows the work is getting done.
"You can't practice if you're not conditioned; it would be a waste," Smart said. "You have to get your bodies ready. Our strength coach calls it building body armor."
At UCLA, Steve Alford puts the emphasis on skill development all summer and deep into September.
It's not that he ignores the fundamentals once official practice begins, but with the need to integrate offenses and defenses, plus scout opponents, he might spend just 15-20 minutes on skill development.
In the time leading up to Friday's practice start, he's devoted the better part of his two hours to skills.
"We're really taking everything they do individually and working with them," Alford said.
Meantime, Tim Miles goes in a different direction at Nebraska. He looks for specific game situations he might not otherwise have time for during practice.
"We might work on a different type of offense or some wacky plays," said Miles, whose team starts practice officially on Oct. 5. "We'll spend an hour on the third option of how we double in the post."
Most everyone agrees on one thing universally -- that used properly, the extra time allows for something even more precious than practice:
By NCAA rule, college basketball teams can practice 30 times in those 42 days prior to the first game.
Or, in other words, take 12 days off.
Days off once were like unicorns to college basketball players, fairy-tale rumors lost in the midst of two- and even three-a-day, high-intensity practices.
"I'd say probably a few, if any, coaches would ever give guys two days off in a row before," Alford said. "Now, you can actually do that."
Ideally, the rest doesn't stop in October, either. With more things checked off the to-do list early, even coaches who micromanage every minute can afford to ease off the gas once official practice starts.
And in a season that spans two semesters and stretches across six months, that's never a bad thing.
"There's nothing like basketball season," Miles said. "Your full body of work matters. A game on Jan. 8 is equal to a game on March 8, which is equal to a Nov. 25 game. You can wear your guys out, and, really, that's the worst thing you can do."
NFL says Abdullah should not have been penalized.
By DAVE SKRETTA (AP Sports Writer)
The NFL said Tuesday that Kansas City Chiefs safety Husain Abdullah should not have been penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct when he dropped to his knees in prayer after an interception.
The league's rule book prohibits players from celebrating while on the ground, but spokesman Michael Signora wrote in an email Tuesday that the ''officiating mechanic in this situation is not to flag a player who goes to the ground as part of religious expression, and as a result, there should have been no penalty on the play.''
The flag thrown in the fourth quarter of Kansas City's 41-14 victory over the New England Patriots on Monday night led to criticism on social media, with many wondering how it was different from players such as former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow dropping to one knee in Christian prayer.
Abdullah is a devout Muslim who took a year off from football to make a pilgrimage to Mecca. He said after Monday's game that he knew before he even reached the end zone he would drop to his knees in thankful prayer after intercepting Tom Brady.
After he slid to the grass in Arrowhead Stadium, yellow flags came flying from the officials.
''I don't think it was because of the actual prostration that I got the penalty,'' Abdullah told The Associated Press afterward. ''I think it was because of the slide.''
And that's precisely the explanation that Chiefs coach Andy Reid said he received from the game officials. They had no issue with the prayer, Reid said, only the celebratory slide.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a civil liberties and advocacy organization, issued a statement early Tuesday asking that the NFL take steps in response to the penalty.
''To prevent the appearance of a double standard, we urge league officials to clarify the policy on prayer and recognize that the official made a mistake in this case,'' CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said.
Reid didn't agree with the penalty, but he also didn't make much of it.
''When you go to Mecca,'' he said, referring to the end zone, ''you should have the privilege to slide anywhere you want to slide. We have two priests in here. I think they will vouch for me.''
Indeed, there were two pastors sitting in Reid's postgame news conference.
Abdullah is in his second year with the Chiefs after spending an entire season away from the game. He decided that, in the prime of his career, he would join his brother Hamza - who also was playing in the NFL at the time - to make a pilgrimage to Mecca. The Fifth Pillar of Islam is The Hajj, the pilgrimage that all Muslims are supposed to make once in their lifetime.
Abdullah, who also fasts during Ramadan, told the AP in an interview last year the brothers wanted to make sure they did the pilgrimage while they still had the health and means to go.
In the case of Hamza, it proved costly. He never got a shot to return to the NFL.
Husain Abdullah said he didn't expect any repercussions from his penalty Monday night, least of all from his coach. After all, it was Reid who gave him an opportunity to work his way back into the league after he had stepped away.
''I'm pretty sure he understands who I am, what my faith is,'' he said. ''And again, I think the prostration is all right. It's the slide. Come to a full stop, get down, make the prostration, get up and get out.''
On This Date in Sports History: Today is Wednesday, October 1, 2014.
MemoriesofHistory.com
1903 - The first modern World Series took place between the Boston Pilgrims and the Pittsburgh Pirates.
1919 - Eight players for the Chicago White Sox began their conspiracy to lose the World Series to the underdog Cincinnati Reds.
1933 - Babe Ruth made his final pitching appearance. He pitched all nine innings and hit a home run in the 5th inning. 1946 - The first baseball play-off game for a league championship was played. The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Brooklyn Dodgers, 4-2.
1961 - Roger Maris (New York Yankees) hit his 61st home run of the season to beat Babe Ruth's major league record of 60. Maris got the home run in the last game of the regular season.
1994 - The National Hockey League (NHL) team owners began a lockout of the players that lasted 103 days.
2006 - Albert Haynesworth (Tennessee Titans) kicked off the helmet of Andre Gurode (Dallas Cowboys) and then scraped his cleat across his head. Gurode required 30 stitches and suffered blurry vision from the attack. The NFL suspended Haynesworth for 5 games without pay. This was the worst suspension for onfield behaviour to date.
2007 - Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins) played his first game as captain. He was the youngest player to be named a captain in the NHL.
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