CS&T/AllsportsAmerica Friday Sports News Update and What's Your take? 11/21/2014.

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Bear Down Chicago Bears!!! Buccaneers-Bears Preview.

By JEFF MEZYDLO (STATS Senior Writer)

       VS.             

Lovie Smith hasn't enjoyed much success in his first season of coaching since being fired by the Chicago Bears two years ago.

Things haven't gone smoothly for his former team, either.

However, both Smith's Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Bears are looking to build on much-needed victories Sunday when the coach returns to Soldier Field.

Over nine seasons in Chicago, Smith went 81-63, made the playoffs three times, reached two NFC title games and guided the Bears to their second Super Bowl after the 2006 season. He was eventually fired after the Bears went 10-6 and failed to make the playoffs in 2012.

Still, some current Bears, especially on the defensive side of the ball, continue to praise their former coach.

"He was the type of guy that you really wanted to run through a wall for," linebacker Lance Briggs said. "And you didn't want to see him go."

The defensive-minded Smith was replaced by Marc Trestman, who thrived as an NFL offensive assistant and head coach in the CFL, but has endured a rocky start in Chicago.

While Smith's Buccaneers are 2-8 in his first season after taking a year off, there's certainly more heat on Trestman, who is 12-14 in Chicago (4-6), where the defense remains a problem and the offense is averaging 6.3 points fewer than its NFC-best 27.8 from 2013.

Though the circumstances surrounding this matchup seem most critical to Trestman, he isn't about to address the underlying significance of what a loss can mean to his potentially shaky status within the organization.

"We're going to talk to our team truthfully about every aspect of this game," Trestman said. "The thing I can tell you about Lovie is that I've watched him for years and played against him for years and I know him as a person and I have tremendous respect for him as a person in all areas.

"That's the only thing I can speak of at this point, and I truly mean that."

The most glaring difference between the Bears under Smith and Trestman is on defense.

With Smith, Chicago averaged 2.2 takeaways, allowed 19.2 points per contest and 40 or more four times. In 26 games under Trestman and defensive coordinator Mel Tucker, the Bears have averaged 1.6 takeaways, 29.5 points per contest and given up 40 six times.

After yielding 50 or more points in two straight, Chicago managed to snap a three-game slide with last Sunday's 21-13 victory over Minnesota. The Bears allowed a season-low 243 yards, but it came against a Vikings team that ranks 30th with 309.1 per contest.

"I'm sure there's going to be things we can build off of defensively, but this is a step in the right direction," safety Ryan Mundy said.

Chicago expects to be in for a more difficult test against former Bear Josh McCown, who has thrown for 589 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions in two games since regaining the starting job he lost after suffering a thumb injury.

McCown threw for 288 yards and two TD passes to rookie Mike Evans as the Bucs snapped a five-game skid with a 27-7 win at Washington last Sunday.

He earned a two-year, $10 million deal with Tampa Bay after throwing for 1,543 yards, 11 TDs, one interception and posting a 108.2 passer rating while going 3-2 as a starter for the Bears in place of an injured Jay Cutler last season.

The 35-year old is 1-4 with six TDs, six INTs and an 82.6 rating in 2014, but feels confident facing his former team coming off a victory.

"It will be neat, weird, all those things. I'm sure for Coach Smith it's the same thing," McCown said. "But for us, we've got to win ball games, it doesn't matter who we play."

McCown will continue to look toward Evans, who had seven catches for 209 yards last Sunday to become the first rookie with 200 yards and two TDs since Anquan Boldin in 2003.

Evans has caught seven passes in three straight games, recording 458 yards with five TDs during that stretch.

Tampa Bay allowed an average of 30.2 points, forced 12 turnovers and had 14 sacks through nine games, but had three takeaways and six sacks while yielding their fewest points of the season against Washington.

"Hopefully we can build on this and see where we go from there," Smith said.

Cutler, whom the Bears handed a seven-year, $126.7 million extension instead of re-signing McCown, expects Smith's defense to have even more incentive to build on last weekend's performance.

"It's going to be challenging," he said. "We are going to be familiar with their defense, they've got some really good players on that side of the ball."

Cutler threw for 330 yards with three TDs, but was picked off twice for the second straight week last Sunday. He's thrown half of his 12 INTs in the last four games.

Matt Forte had 117 of his 175 total yards on the ground against the Vikings. Third in the NFL with 1,308 total yards, Forte has rushed for at least 100 in two of the last three games and faces a Tampa Bay team that allowed 155 on the ground to the Redskins.

Forte gained 145 yards on 25 carries to help Chicago win the most recent meeting with the Bucs, 24-18 on Oct. 23, 2011.

Bears know Lovie Smith's defense, but things have changed.

By John Mullin

Virtually all through his tenure as Bears head coach, Lovie Smith was the architect of a core Cover-2 scheme, based on sound zone principles and eyes on the quarterback, that he used perhaps one-third of the time. The Bears and incoming coordinator Mel Tucker kept major elements of Smith’s defense in place.

 

But as he did in Chicago more than critics realized, Smith has changed his coverage plans this season, though with only modest success given a pass rush ranking 20th in sack percentage.

 

“They’ve played a lot of man-to-man coverage, more than you’d think,” Bears coach Marc Trestman said. “You look at where they’ve been defensively, and they’re moving man-to-man coverage significantly.

 

“And not just on first and second down but on third down. We’ll look for those opportunities. It looks to me like they’re doing a little bit more of it, feeling comfortable with their guys covering man to man. Now, will that change? It didn’t change. That’s the way it was over the last three or four weeks: that they’ve lined up against some top receivers and played them man to man on third down in all situations and on first and second down, as well.”

 

The Bears likely would be ecstatic if the Buccaneers, ranked 30th in passing yards allowed per game (266.1), would attempt to deal with Martellus Bennett, Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall using man-to-man extensively.

 

The Minnesota Vikings did and were beaten by touchdown passes to Jeffery and Marshall against cornerback Josh Robinson, 5-foot-10. Tampa Bay's starting cornerbacks are 5-foot-10 Alterraun Verner and 6-foot-2 Johnathan Banks.

 

“They’re going to keep the ball in front of them,” quarterback Jay Cutler said. “They’re going to zone you out — not a ton of ‘man.’ They’re going to rely on that front four to get the pressure, bring some (blitz) pressure from time to time. So we’re just going to have to control the ball, run the ball. We’re going to be throwing into zone coverages, so find your check-downs and just try and keep the chains moving.”

 

The problem for the Bears, if Smith turns heavily toward his base Cover-2, is that the formula for unhinging the Chicago offense has been to use heavy doses of zone coverage to force Cutler and his big-play receivers to work underneath coverages and settle for shorter gains that force them to sustain drives longer.

 

“(But) they haven’t backed down from doing the things they want to do,” Trestman said. “They could be significant because they’re practicing against, every day, big receivers and they’re feeling better about doing those types of things, because it’s definitely part of what they do. And if it goes the other way, we’ve got to do the distance. We gotta find ways to catch the ball and break tackles and do the types of things you do against zone defenses that play you deep and make you throw everything underneath.”

How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Adam Clendening scores in debut as Blackhawks beat Flames 4-3.

By Tracey Myers

Patrick Kane #88 of the Chicago Blackhawks looks up at the replay after scoring a goal against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome on November 20, 2014 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Gerry Thomas/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Blackhawks got their first goal from a player who’s new to this whole NHL goal-scoring thing. They got their game-winner from someone who’s been here, done this plenty of times.

Adam Clendening scored his first NHL goal on his first NHL shot of his first NHL game, and Patrick Kane collected the game-winner as the Blackhawks beat the Calgary Flames 4-3 at Scotiabank Saddledome on Thursday night. It was a good start for the Blackhawks, who have won two in a row and four of their last five.

Brent Seabrook scored in his 700th career NHL game. Daniel Carcillo also scored. Corey Crawford stopped 24 of 27 shots for the victory.

The Blackhawks had their hiccups early, especially on their penalty kill. But that was strong again by the end of the game, and Kane was once again coming up with the necessary goal. But the feel-good story of the night belonged to Clendening, who was playing just his second shift of the game when he scored his first goal, a power-play effort that put the Blackhawks up 1-0 at the time.

“I had a lane and just tried to shoot as hard as I could. It ended up finding a way,” Clendening said after the game. “I thought the game was going to go much differently but that put it and ease and hopefully got the guys going.”

Coach Joel Quenneville liked Clendening’s first NHL game overall.

“First game, first period score a goal, can’t get any better than that,” he said. “We get a win as well, so it’s a good start for him. He played well, too, outside of the goal.”

Kane agreed.

“Oh man, great start,” Kane said. “I like the reaction after he scored. He seemed he didn’t know it was in and then pure excitement when he knew he scored that one. Great start to his career.”

The Blackhawks had a good start, too, especially through the first 10 minutes. They skated around the Flames and fired 10 shots on Jonas Hiller. They scored on two of them, Clendening’s and later Carcillo’s, a shot that hit the inside of the far post and went in to give the Blackhawks a 2-0 lead at the time.

But midway through the period the Blackhawks’ penalty kill, so stellar all season, was filleted by two consecutive Flames power plays. Paul Byron scored on Marcus Kruger’s interference call to cut the Blackhawks’ lead to 2-1, and 54 seconds later Dennis Wideman scored with Niklas Hjalmarsson in the box to tie it 2-2.

Seabrook gave the Blackhawks a 3-2 lead midway through the second but about 90 seconds later Sean Monahan forced a deadlock once again, 3-3.

Then, it was Kane. The right wing picked up a loose puck in front of the net and beat Hiller for the 4-3 lead the Blackhawks wouldn’t relinquish.

“Sometimes it happens like that,” said Kane, who’s had a propensity of scoring in third periods lately. “Obviously you want to be counted on in third periods to produce and make plays. When you get those opportunities, you want to find a way to produce. It’s nice for the team to start that way.”

The penalty kill would right itself by the end of the game as the Blackhawks kept Calgary from scoring when Hjalmarsson committed a hooking penalty with 3:32 remaining in regulation. Crawford also stood tall, stopping Calgary’s late attempts to tie.

Kane makes this goal-scoring thing look old hat. Clendening is new to it, at least at this level. That first one felt awfully good.

“I didn’t know it went in,” Clendening said. “I thought it may have hit off one of their guys and found its way in, but as soon as [Marian Hossa] put his hands up I knew it was in. I couldn’t believe it. I’m just glad we won.”

 NHL roundup: WIll expansion happen any time soon?

By Nina Falcone

Over the last few days, a number of topics from around the NHL were addressed at the general manager meetings. Here's a look at what commissioner Gary Bettman and Co. had to say about the following items:

Sponsorship ads on NHL jerseys

There seems to be a new answer for this one every week as of late. NHL chief operating officer John Collins said a couple weeks ago that sponsorship ads are "coming and happening," before Bettman said a few days later that those ads "aren't imminent."

Well, the commissioner talked about that one again, stating that he doesn't like the look of sponsorships on jerseys, and will only add them "if everybody's doing it and there are boatloads of money." 

Hint: There probably are boatloads of money, so once other leagues go that route, it's likely it'll hit the NHL.

Will we see expansion any time soon?

Those expansion rumors have been alive and well, with talks most recently of four expansion teams in Las Vegas, Seattle, Quebec City and Toronto. The fact that there are 16 teams in the East and 14 in the West alone suggests that expansion is coming, not to mention that the league is booming financially.

But Bettman said that even if new teams were to be created in the NHL today, it would be at least two to three years before they actually joined the league. The commissioner said that the board of governors will be updated on parties interested on getting expansion teams in December.

Other fun facts, per Sportsnet's Chris Johnston

— As of this upcoming Saturday, the dry scrape will officially be dead. Ice crews will go back to just using shovels before teams go into overtime.

— The league is considering an expanded video review process for goaltender interference plays. No decision has been made on that yet.

— Bettman says the league hasn't thought much about participation in the 2018 Olympics but that a decision "should be made quickly."

Just Another Chicago Bulls Session… Bulls drop first road game 103-88, fall to 8-4 overall

By Sam Smith

Chicago Bulls guard Aaron Brooks (0) lays the ball up in a losing effort. The Bulls lost to the Sacramento Kings 103-88. (Rocky Widner/NBAE/Getty Images)

The Bulls fell to 1-1 on their long road trip and 8-4 overall in a 103-88 loss to the Sacramento Kings. After the Bulls took an early double digit lead, the Kings got out in transition for easy baskets and took advantage of an uneven Bulls reserve group as Sacramento shot 51.4 percent for the game and pulled away in the fourth quarter. Jimmy Butler led the Bulls with 23 points while DeMarcus Cousins had 22 points and 14 rebounds for the Kings and Rudy Gay 20 points. Joakim Noah had 10 points, 11 rebounds and again six assists.

The Bulls had a strong start as they went for a record seventh consecutive road win to begin the season. Continuing to shoot the three well, the Bulls made five of 11 in the first quarter to take a 29-22 lead that included a late 16-4 run. Rookie Nikola Mirotic was crucial in that stretch with a three and pull up jumper, though he would draw a fourth foul early in the second quarter. Again, that first Bulls substitution in the second quarter group struggled as the Bulls bench was outscored again early. Though it’s understandable with starters Derrick Rose and Pau Gasol still out with injuries. Both are questionable for Friday in Portland. The Bulls got outrun in the second quarter. The Bulls were holding DeMarcus Cousins down, but Rudy Gay shooting and Derrick Williams off the bench contributed to 10 fast break points and  a 52-47 Kings halftime lead. The Kings began to open it up in the third quarter as Joakim Noah drew a fifth foul wrestling for a rebound with Cousins and in an outward show of disdain—similar to here last year when Noah was ejected for an open display against the officials—leaped in disgust and drew a technical foul. Cousins finally began to go inside, forcing the Bulls to help and opening up shooters as the Kings went up by 15 and took an 80-68 lead after three.

Observations:

1. Jimmy Butler doesn’t think he’s a go to guy, but he better not tell his teammates. Once again the Bulls tried to rely on Butler’s offense as he led the Bulls with 23 points and eight rebounds. But no one else had more than 12.

2. Live by the three die by the three? The Bulls made five threes in the first quarter shooting five of 11. The rest of the game they were zero for eight on threes

3. Nikola Mirotic is moving to front of the young players class for the Bulls ahead of Tony Snell and Doug McDermott. With Gasol out, Mirotic is getting more opportunities and shooting and rebounding with confidence, though reaching and somewhat foul prone. He had seven points and five rebounds.

Chicago’s New Definition of “Big 3″.

By Antwone Smith

There is one question surrounding the Bulls and the rest of the NBA: how does the Bulls’ Big 3 rank amongst other big threes?

We all love the defensive mind set of Chicago. Sports personnel everywhere can appreciate the Bulls as a collective unit, but to analyze the top-three players that look good on paper serves for a terrific argument. It’s obvious that this generation does not believe one guy can lead a team to a championship.

As refreshing as it sounds having more players agree on team basketball, teams still struggle with having three stars in their line-up. The mindset of the players and the coaching staff is what causes success on a team with multiple all-star caliber players.  As much as other teams have tried to follow suit after watching the recent Celtics and Miami Heat, there is no way to legitimately point out a Big 3 on a roster by just having amazing athletes.

Chicago Bulls Michael Jordan (23), Scottie Pippen (33) and Dennis Rodman (91).

When Michael Jordan led the Bulls to multiple championships, he was determined to prove to the rest of the world that a scoring leader could win a title. The years he struggled against the legendary Celtics, Boston had a Big 3. And the Detroit Pistons of the 80s had defensive weapons for Jordan as well.

It wasn’t until Scottie Pippen came of age and complimented Jordan, that they were able to contend for multiple years. Ultimately, they would go on to win six championships. In recent history, Tracy McGrady (one of many stars) has gone on the record expressing how hard it was for one star to lead a team to a championship. Allen Iverson might have been the last example of how far a pure scorer could go without being accompanied by another superstar on the same roster. In fact, Iverson attempted to play with Carmelo Anthony in Denver and it just did not work for him.

Today’s game is different and the player’s mindsets have changed. The talent level of today’s players is so much greater that the last guy on the bench today is more athletically gifted than the 6th man of a great team in the past. The point is two is better than one and three has proven to be better than two.
 

Chicago Bulls Joakim Noah (13), Derrick Rose (1) and Pau Gasol (16). (Photo via ALP Hoop) 

Now that Miami has dismantled and reconfigured, there are other teams to consider when talking about a Big 3. The Bulls have Rose, Noah, and Gasol. The Cavs have LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love. The Spurs are stacked with Duncan, Parker, and Ginobli.

It will be interesting to see how Chicago responds to the challenge of saving face when it comes to their top three players (on paper). They won’t have a problem matching up with San Antonio for the simple fact that they have confidence in what coach Thibodeau is trying to do. When it comes to the Cavaliers, the Cavs have to find what works for them before they can expect success. Even though the Bulls lost the first matchup against Cleveland, they should not have much trouble with them come Playoff time – pending a healthy Bulls roster.

At the end of the day, it comes down who has the ability to get the job done in June. The game of basketball has changed with evolution of talent, and at least three superstars on one roster might be crucial in today’s game. It will be up to the coaches to figure out how to win with these special talents.

The Knicks, Nets, Warriors and the Trail Blazers have honorable mention, and a championship could be in each of those teams’ future as well.

NBA suspends Hornets' Jeffery Taylor 24 games.

By STEVE REED (AP Sports Writer)

Jeff Taylor #44 of the Charlotte Bobcats shoots against the Miami Heat on December 1, 2013 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Victor Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)

The NBA has suspended Charlotte Hornets forward Jeffery Taylor for 24 games without pay after he pleaded guilty last month to misdemeanor domestic violence assault and malicious destruction of hotel property.

 Taylor will get credit for the 11 games he has missed, and will sit out an additional 13, which is slightly more than one-fourth of the league's 82-game schedule.

"This suspension is necessary to protect the interests of the NBA and the public's confidence in it," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a release Wednesday. "Mr. Taylor's conduct violates applicable law and, in my opinion, does not conform to standards of morality and is prejudicial and detrimental to the NBA."
 

The suspension means Taylor will lose nearly $200,000 of his $915,000 salary this season.
 

Taylor, 25, is in his third NBA season. He was sentenced to 18 months of probation. As part of his probation, he must complete 26 weeks in a domestic violence intervention program.
 

The Hornets released a statement before Wednesday night's game against Indiana, saying: "The NBA has informed us of its decision to suspend Jeffery Taylor. We understand and support the NBA's position in this matter."

The NBA conducted an investigation into Taylor's arrest in an East Lansing, Michigan hotel the morning of Sept. 25 following an altercation with a woman with whom he was having a romantic relationship.
 

Taylor and the woman were drinking heavily and a loud argument ensued, prompting hotel guests to call security, the NBA release stated. The argument escalated and Taylor shoved the woman in a violent manner into the hallway, where she fell to the ground and struck her head on an opposite door.
 

The release also said Taylor slapped her arm and punched a hole in the wall near his hotel room. The woman had marks on her upper arm and a bump on her head but declined medical treatment, the report said.
 

Taylor was arrested by East Lansing police officers and according to NBA investigation was "belligerent and uncooperative."
 

Silver said Taylor also must enter an outpatient alcohol treatment program and perform alcohol sensor tests daily for 60 days. After that, he is subject to random testing by the probation department. He must also perform 80 hours of community service.
 

The domestic assault charge will be dismissed if Taylor successfully meets the conditions of his probation. If Taylor fails to meet the conditions of his probation he could be subject to further punishment from the league.
 

"While the suspension is significantly longer than prior suspensions for incidents of domestic violence by NBA players, it is appropriate in light of Mr. Taylor's conduct, the need to deter similar conduct going forward, and the evolving social consensus — with which we fully concur — that professional sports leagues like the NBA must respond to such incidents in a more rigorous way," Silver said in the statement.
 

Taylor's suspension comes at a time when domestic violence has dominated the sports landscape around the country, including Charlotte.
 

Carolina Panthers Pro Bowl defensive end Greg Hardy was convicted in July on two counts of domestic violence. He is appealing, but is not allowed to return until after the trial is completed.
 

Hardy played one game for the Panthers, before a video was released of Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice punching his then-fiance in a hotel elevator, leading to the league changing out it handled domestic violence situations. Hardy was placed on the exempt-commissioner's permission list three weeks into the season and continues to collect his $13.1 million salary from the Panthers.
 

The Hornets learned of Taylor's suspension before their game against Indiana Wednesday night.
 

When asked if the suspension was too stiff, Hornets backup center Jason Maxiell said, "It's hard to answer that one right now."
 

A second-round pick in 2012 out of Vanderbilt, Taylor missed most of last year with a ruptured Achilles tendon but is healthy now.
 

The 6-foot-7, 225-pound Taylor has been competing for the past two seasons with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist for a starting spot at small forward. He played in 26 games with eight starts last season before suffering his injury in late December.
 

As a rookie in 2012, he played in 77 games with 29 starts. He has averaged 6.6 points and 2.0 rebounds for his career.
 

Stanton signs record $325M deal at news conference. What's Your Take?

By STEVEN WINE (AP Sports Writer)

Giancarlo Stanton stood on the Miami Marlins' field Wednesday and scanned a sea of empty seats, mindful the stands look much the same at games.

He had just signed a record $325 million, 13-year contract and conceded he wasn't certain he should have agreed to the deal.

''There was no 100 percent sure answer,'' Stanton said. ''But the decision is made. Once you make your decision, you go all-in with it.''

The slugger hit the jackpot, landing the most lucrative contract for an American athlete and the longest in baseball history. Stanton accepted the deal after cost-conscious owner Jeffrey Loria pledged to put together a contending team that will finally transform Miami into a baseball town.

Stanton and South Florida have heard such talk before.

''You can't keep saying, 'We're going to win this year. We're going to do it this year,''' Stanton said. ''I'm sick of hearing that. Everyone is sick of hearing that. It's doing something about it.''

At a news conference, Loria said signing Stanton is part of a long-range plan that began with the Marlins' most recent payroll purge two years ago.

''Our goal was to start fresh,'' Loria said. ''It wasn't popular, but we had to do it. We wanted to create a long-term system around young players who would build their entire career with us.''

General manager Dan Jennings said the team plans to pursue multiyear contracts this offseason with several other young players, including right hander Jose Fernandez, center fielder Marcell Ozuna, left fielder Christian Yelich and shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria.

Such deals will be possible for the historically low-payroll franchise only because of the way Stanton's contract is structured. He readily agreed to a heavily back-loaded agreement, and will make just $6.5 million in 2015, the same as this year. His salary doesn't peak until 2023, when he'll make $32 million.

The agreement wouldn't have happened without such structuring, team president David Samson said. He said the Marlins anticipate better attendance and a more lucrative TV package will make Stanton's contract affordable.

Loria wants to be around for the franchise turnaround. His popularity with fans has plummeted in recent years, but he has no plans to sell the team, Samson said.

''He's in it with Miami for the long run, because he loves it,'' Samson said.

While Kevin Brown was the first player to break the $100 million barrier in 1998 and Alex Rodriguez became the first to top $200 million just two years later, it took 14 more years to produce baseball's first $300 million man.

Stanton did a double take when asked if the amount of deal was embarrassing to him.

''Embarrassing to me? Not exactly,'' he said. ''I know I have a lot of expectations to live up to, which I need to do and am willing to do. This isn't like a lottery ticket. This is the start of new work and a new job. It's a huge responsibility, and one I'm willing to take.''

Stanton took the podium for his news conference wearing a tailored blue suit and a grin, showing no signs of the beaning that ended his season Sept. 11. He hasn't hit a ball since but said he'll return to the batting cage beginning in mid-December in his native California.

''I'll probably take a moment before I get into that box, but it'll be good,'' he said. ''I'm excited for it.''

The Marlins said they're not concerned the injuries will have lingering effects.

Stanton, who turned 25 on Nov. 8, wasn't due to become eligible for free agency until after the 2016 season. When negotiations on his mega-deal began, Stanton said he was more concerned about the front office's plans for improving the roster than about his financial terms.

Despite 154 home runs from Stanton, the Marlins have finished with a losing record in each of his five seasons, including three last-place finishes.

''They had the contract there, and I put it aside and said, 'Listen, what are we going to do to make this better?' I'm financially good for the rest of my life. Great. But I'm not coming here to get my butt kicked for 10 hours every day and then going home to a lavish lifestyle. That's not fun for me.''

He said he didn't seek advice from players on other teams about whether to accept the Marlins' offer.

''Everyone sees the dollar sign and they're like, 'What are you waiting for?' No one could relate to how I felt over the years. So I had to do this on my own.''

Topics of the negotiations included the dimensions at Marlins Park, which Stanton considers too big. The walls are staying where they are in 2015, but the Marlins haven't ruled out moving them in eventually.

The final hurdle in the discussions was an opt-out clause, which the Marlins accepted and Stanton described as ''my fail-safe.'' He can part with the Marlins after making $107 million over the first six years of the deal. It also includes a no-trade clause.

In the end, Stanton called the decision to say yes the toughest of his life.

''This is 13 years,'' he said. ''I didn't even go to school for 13 years.''

He signed the agreement at the start of the news conference, Loria at his side.

''I'm glad to be here for my foreseeable future,'' Stanton said.

The occasion attracted nearly 100 members of the media, a sign interest in the Marlins already is on the rise.

Keith Olbermann says Giancarlo Stanton's contract is a scam. What's Your Take? (Con'd)

By Mike Oz

In no uncertain terms, ESPN commentator and noted baseball fan Keith Olbermann gave us his opinion on Giancarlo Stanton's new $325 million mega contract with the Miami Marlins. It's another of Olbermann's scathing sports rants, which are always fun, and this time he's throwing haymakers at one of baseball's top punching bags — Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria.

There's no shortage of skepticism about Loria and the Marlins, given their history of promising better days ahead and then fire-selling at the first glimpse of trouble. Yahoo Sports' Tim Brown and Jeff Passan have each written columns in the past week wary of Stanton's commitment to the Marlins. Brown says the contract is a one-man trust fall. Passan writes that Stanton's playing a dangerous game by trusting Loria.

There are good things about the contract, as we've pointed out previously — Stanton has an opt-out after the 2020 season, so he can flee if the Marlins haven't delivered on their promises of change. The Marlins are getting a deal in the early going, because Stanton is taking only $30 million in the first three years of his heavily backloaded contract. That gives the Marlins money to build around him, they say. 

Some people — Olbermann included — don't believe that. The Marlins are long-skilled at the art of "seeming to spend money," Olbermann says, leveraging PR into profits and winning a little before dismantling the team. In all, Stanton is getting $107 million in six years before his opt-out clause kicks in, so it's not really a $325 million contract, it's potentially a $325 million contract. Getting Stanton for six years at $107 million is actually a bargain for the Marlins.

That leads to another theory floating around, one Olbermann didn't include in his rant. Some people in South Florida (and some people in my inbox) believe that Loria is setting up a future sale of the Marlins. Stanton's backloaded deal helps Loria and the Marlins make money in the immediate future. And starting next year, Loria could sell the team without having to give any of the profits back to the city of Miami and Miami-Dade County. Had he sold in 2009, for instance, 18 percent of the profits would have gone to the government. Some fans theorize that Loria could enjoy the cheaper years of Stanton, then sell the team before Stanton's opt-out date and not care about what happens to the Marlins and/or Stanton after that.

The common theme in all of this — even if you want to believe the best in Loria and the Marlins, like Stanton does — is that the club has an image problem to combat. Hope as they might, a big shiny contract isn't going to make people trust Loria or the Marlins. Certainly not in a week's time.

Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Take: This signing is attention getting, however, we don't see this contract reaching completion. The first six years are a bargain for the Marlins and Mr. Stanton has an opt-out clause after six years. The contract is for 13 years, Mr. Stanton will be thirty-eight by then and we all know the greatest obstacle for any athlete is "old man time". He always catches up with you  and your skills start to diminish. Plus younger, bigger, faster and stronger players are always waiting in the wings to prove themselves. This move is great PR for Mr. Loria and the Marlins and provides security for Mr. Stanton but the real question is, will this help the Marlins and the city of Miami win a World Series within the next six years? That remains to be seen. 

Now you know what we think, what are your thoughts? What's your take? Feel free to post your opinion in the comment section at the bottom of this blog.

White Sox don't want to throw away sound financial positioning.

By Dan Hayes

With the books mostly cleared of large contracts, the White Sox want to be prudent with their money this offseason.

After all, they’ve earned this position by ridding the roster of costly veterans while also signing Chris Sale, Jose Quintana and Jose Abreu to mutually beneficial contracts. They don’t want to find themselves bogged down again any time soon with cumbersome contracts that are hard to move and aside from John Danks’ current deal they have none.

So as general manager Rick Hahn and his team navigate this offseason with an estimated $35-40 million on 2015, they want to be as smart about how they spend while still filling in the gaps on the roster.

“There are better times to be risky than others,” Hahn said last week at the GM meetings in Phoenix. “Perhaps when you feel you’re a player or two away is the time to take that risk that may conceivably put you over the top. The benefit say of going from 88 wins to 91 wins is greater than the benefit of going from 63 to 66 wins, just because of what it could lead to in the postseason opportunities. But I don’t think we use the positive nature of some of our contracts as a reason to feel OK should we get reckless.”

Consider that heading into 2013, the White Sox had five players earning a minimum of $13 million with a total of $70.25 million committed to John Danks, Adam Dunn, Jake Peavy, Paul Konerko and Alex Rios.

Dunn’s huge contract is now off the books while the money owed to Rios and Peavy has been gone for more than a year. In Konerko’s final season, he took a pay cut of $11 million, down from $13.5 million in 2013.

While Danks is set to earn $14.25 million over each of the next two seasons, the only other player set to exceed double digits this season is Alexei Ramirez, who will earn $10 million.

Thanks to the win-win contracts Hahn and assistant Jeremy Haber paid to their talented trio, Sale, Quintana and Abreu will earn roughly a combined $16.4 million next season.

Beyond 2015, the White Sox have committed roughly $44.5 million in 2016, $32.1 million in 2017 and $23.5 million in 2018, according to baseballprospectus.com.

And that isn’t a position they want to take lightly.

So while Hahn said last week he thinks the club could throw its weight around with a $100 million deal -- if the “right one” exists -- he doesn’t plan to do so in a haphazard fashion. The White Sox would likely need to be in a spot where such a move put them over the top for Hahn to take such a risk in order to maintain positive organizational health for the long run.

“Yes, we’re in a good situation right now, but our goal is to continue to the best of our ability do additional contracts that help perpetuate us being in a good position, as opposed to rationalizing a major poor decision based upon the fact we’ve made a bunch of good ones up to this point,” Hahn said. “You can put yourself in a good position today that 12 months from now, because of something unfortunate or unforeseen, you view as a potential albatross in terms of being responsible for it.

"So while we certainly feel we’re in a good spot based on some of the deals we have on the books right now, it truly doesn’t put us in a position to go out and do something reckless. It may allow us more flexibility to do something on a grander scale that we view as beneficial in the long run, but I would have a hard time justifying something that we didn’t think was economically wise simply based on the fact that we have these others already in hand today that seem to be economically wise.”

Golf: I got a club for that; What rust? Rory McIlroy shares Day 1 Dubai lead with Lowry.

By Ryan Ballengee

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland tees off at the 16th hole during the first day of The DP World Tour Championship, held at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2014. (AP Photo/Stephen Hindley)

Rory McIlroy hadn't played competitive golf in six weeks. He didn't look like it on Thursday in Dubai.

McIlroy shares the lead at the DP World Tour Championship after a first-round, 6-under 66 has him tied with Irishman Shane Lowry. The world No. 1 dissected the Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates early, making four birdies in the first five holes, then another pair of birdies in the final 13 holes to take control.

There could not have been a better place for McIlroy to return to the European Tour than the Earth course. In 21 career rounds, McIlroy has never carded an over-par round and just one even-par round (2010, second round).

The Ulsterman won this tournament in 2012, the last time he won the tour's Race to Dubai, its season-long points race. McIlroy has already locked up this year's Race to Dubai, despite skipping the prior three events that, along with the DP World Tour Championship, comprise their Final Series, the European Tour equivlaent of the FedEx Cup. With that title comes a $1.25 million bonus.

However, McIlroy clearly isn't in Dubai to collect just one check and one trophy. He's looking for the double and an over $2 million pay day. 

Black golfer recognized for breaking barriers.

By MARK GILLISPIE (Associated Press)

Charlie Sifford throws up his arms after he dropped a short par putt on the 18th green to tie Harold Henning of South Africa at the end of 72 holes in the $100,000 Los Angeles Open golf tournament. Sifford went on to win the tournament with a birdie 3 on the first extra hole. Pioneering black golfer Charlie Sifford will receive the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, on Nov. 24 during a ceremony at the White House. The 92-year-old Sifford has been compared to Jackie Robinson for finally breaking the PGA's color line when it reluctantly dropped its "Caucasian only" membership rule in 1961 and issued him full playing privileges on the PGA Tour. Sifford has been credited with opening the doors to other minority golfers. Tiger Woods has long called Sifford his grandfather and has said that were it not for Sifford and other pioneers, he may not have ever played golf. (AP Photo, File)

Tiger Woods might not be a world famous athlete were it not for Charlie Sifford and other black golfers who took a stand in the 1950s against the racist policies that denied them their chance to compete in the sport they loved.

Sifford, 92, will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Nov. 24 at the White House, the nation's highest civilian honor. He's previously been inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame and has received an honorary doctorate from the University of St. Andrews, Scotland for being the first black golfer to receive a Professional Golfers Association tour card. That occurred in 1961 after the PGA, which ran the professional tournament circuit then, reluctantly gave in to pressure and dropped its ''Caucasian only'' membership clause.
  

While Sifford is an obscure figure outside of golf, those familiar with the game's history compare Sifford to Jackie Robinson, who broke baseball's color barrier in 1947. Sifford, in his 1992 autobiography, ''Just Let Me Play,'' wrote that he believed his struggle even mightier than Robinson's.

Tony Parker, historian for the World Golf Hall of Fame and Museum in St. Augustine, Florida, said the battles fought by Sifford and others benefited more than just black golfers.

''He opened the door for all ethnicities,'' Parker said.

Woods, who along with Jack Nicklaus are considered the greatest golfers of the modern era, told The Associated Press in an email that he might never have taken up the game were it not for Sifford and unheralded greats like Ted Rhodes and Bill Spiller. Woods has long called Sifford the grandfather he never had. Sifford and Woods' father, the late Earl Woods, became fast friends when Tiger was still playing junior golf.

''It's not an exaggeration to say that without Charlie, and the other pioneers who fought to play, I may not be playing golf,'' Wood wrote. ''My pop likely wouldn't have picked up the sport, and maybe I wouldn't have either.''

Renee Powell is a longtime friend of Sifford's. She runs Clearview Golf Club in East Canton, which her father, Bill Powell, struggled to build after returning home after serving in World War II.

Now 68, Powell says she remembers meeting Sifford when she was 12 years old during a United Golf Association event in Pittsburgh. The UGA was the tournament circuit established in the mid-1920s by black golfers. Fittingly, the UGA allowed golfers of all races to compete.

Sifford won the UGA's biggest event, the National Negro Open, six times, including five successive years from 1952 to 1956. He still counts those championships as his most significant victories despite having won PGA tournaments in 1967 and 1969 and the 1975 PGA Seniors' Championship.

Renee Powell followed Althea Gibson, who had won major championships in tennis, to become the second black woman golfer on the LGPA Tour. Powell said she endured some of same treatment that Sifford received, including racial epithets on the course and death threats off it.

She called it ''amazing'' what Sifford and others went through. She said the recognition Sifford has received late in life is important.

''People didn't know the name Charlie Sifford, didn't know a black man accomplished what he did,'' Powell said. ''White people didn't know he made sacrifices for the game of golf. Now maybe they will look it up and find out what he did and why he did it.''

Sifford has long had a reputation for being surly. The trademark cigar he kept clenched between his teeth often failed to mask the bitter anger he felt toward the white golfing establishment. He found it galling that the overseers of golf, a game supposedly built on honor, could be so cruel and callous by denying him his right to fully compete. He was 39 when he got his tour card, an age when professional golfers are typically past their prime.

His son, Charlie Jr., said the indignities his father faced caused ''trust issues.'' It was often left to Sifford's wife Rose to stoke he competitive fires inside her husband. She would urge him to stay out on the road and keep fighting. Sifford and Rose married in 1946. She died in 1998.

''My mother was the main one who really kept him going,'' Charlie Sifford Jr. said. ''She encouraged him and knew how to calm him down when he got mad.''

Charlie Sifford Jr. said his father is excited about the prospect of returning to the White House. He visited Clinton there during his presidency and calls Clinton ''my man.''

Age and thrice-weekly dialysis have taken their toll on Sifford. It's been years since he's felt the soul satisfying click of the club face's sweet spot compressing the golf ball just so. But the game still consumes his thoughts. If there's a tournament to watch, it's lighting up his big-screen TV.

He said he has ''slowly'' made his peace with the game.

''Golf is such a wonderful game,'' Sifford said. ''I loved it to death.''

'The rebuttal' provides rare glimpse inside Tiger Woods' mind.

By Dan Wetzel

Tiger Woods penned a column, 'Not True, Not Funny,' in response to Dan Jenkins' satirical interview. (The Players' Tribune)

Golf Digest, in the spirit of satire and winter magazine sales, let its iconic writer, Dan Jenkins, pen a fake interview with Tiger Woods in its latest edition.

Dan Jenkins (AFP)

Jenkins is one of the funniest writers of all time, from newspapers, to magazines, to best-selling books, to Hollywood screenplays. He's 84 years old. He's covered more than 220 major golf championships. He's been a close friend to Ben Hogan, President George H.W. Bush and lots of other famous people not named Tiger Woods.

For any number of reasons, he doesn't care much for Tiger, who, it should be noted, has for years steadfastly declined to sit down for a real interview with Jenkins.

So Jenkins wrote a fake interview full of his trademark one-liners, often zinging Woods on rumored aspects of personality, i.e. he's a lousy tipper. Whether the jokes are funny are up to the reader.

One reader who didn't find it humorous was Tiger Woods, who decided to write a guest column on an athlete friendly website to slam Golf Digest, Dan Jenkins and everyone and everything in between.

It was titled: “Not True, Not Funny."

Reaction has mostly fallen into two separate camps: either that Tiger was right to stand up to a magazine that was being mean spirited or that the golfer needs to lighten up because these were mostly pedestrian jokes and besides, all he did was draw attention to the fake interview.

Both sides have their points.

If you step back from the particulars of the fight, however, this was absolutely fascinating and serves, perhaps, as a rare look at the real, unvarnished Tiger Woods, a megastar whose every move has been so scripted that we hardly know him even after nearly two decades in the spotlight.

____________________

First off, where did this reaction even come from? Woods' response was unexpected because he's never done anything like this publicly, something Woods himself acknowledges.

Does he have the right? Of course. If Jenkins or Golf Digest is going to mock him, then they certainly are fair game to be mocked back.

It's just, why this, why now? The anger, hurt and bitterness in Tiger's column seemed real. Yet this is a guy who, thanks mostly to his marital infidelity, has been a punch line a million times over.

Saturday Night Live once aired a skit – one of many involving Woods – where his then-wife Elin beat him over the head with a golf club. South Park went along the same vein claiming avoiding domestic assault was in Woods' new EA Sports video game.

Woods didn't complain then. It was assumed he understood this was part of the job, an unavoidable reality of being incredibly rich and incredibly famous. (Elin, for her part, once told People that the television portrayals were "pretty hysterical," although untrue, she noted.)

Yet this article got Tiger angry? A mock interview no one was discussing in the dead of the offseason in an edition of a golf mag so ill conceived that Johnny Manziel is on the cover?

Interesting.

Maybe it's because he's older now, 39 next month. Maybe it's because he isn't winning majors regularly and has mentally moved into a new stage of his career, where he just doesn't care anymore. Maybe he isn't interested in taking any crap from the media, comics or both. Maybe this is new-era Tiger. (Doubt it, but maybe.)

Maybe it's because he has children who he imagines might one day read this stuff. Maybe it's the nature of golf media, where golfers can have promotional relationships with magazines (as Woods once did with GD), and he felt betrayed – that this was just retribution. Maybe he really hates Jenkins. Maybe his agent didn't think jokes about when Tiger was going to fire him were very funny and put his client up to this.

Who knows?

That's why it's a notable glimpse at the true personality of a guy we know so little about.

This is at least … something.

_____________________

Since he burst on the scene as a child prodigy with a stage dad and a shoe company attached, fans have wondered what Tiger is really like. It's almost impossible to know. Almost every public aspect of the man is plotted and planned, a marketing creation with a booming drive and killer short game.

There's something for everyone when it comes to Tiger. He wears red shirts on Sundays, depicting a macho, intimidating Tiger on the prowl. Yet he still has a stuffed animal driver cover to note his softer side, a throwback to when he was the young kid of the PGA Tour. It's named "Frank" to add extra whim.

Early on in his career his father said he'd have a greater impact on humanity than Ghandi. He stopped doing serious media early on when he was quoted making dirty, yet mostly harmless jokes.

His actual interviews are almost always purposefully bland. He mostly communicates through television commercials. His management team trails him at each tournament with scowls and darting eyes straight out of the secret service.

Whatever. It was enough, at least for most of us.

He played an exciting version of golf, something new, and that was plenty. When he was on his game there was no better show in sports. We didn't need to know him. He's made a fortune following this plan – although with his success on the course, he would've made a fortune no matter what PR strategy was employed.

You figured if he was really a fun, affable, likeable guy that would have come out through the years but it really didn't matter. Even if he was just an insufferable, overbearing, prepackaged pawn of Phil Knight, he was more fun to watch than the other guys.

It's not like we're ever going to truly know these people anyway … or haven't you heard about Dr. Huxtable?

Still, Woods elicits fascination. The public has longed to know who he really is.

And there are times when Tiger would flash a bit of the real personality that would suggest he was more than this type-A golfing robot.

When he hugged his dad after winning the Masters. When he would talk about his children. When he'd catch his mother's eye as she walked along one of his rounds.

There was the way he reveled in high-level competition, especially intimidation. There are too many examples of that for it to be faked.

And of course there was the time he ran his Escalade into a fire hydrant and Elin smashed the windows with that golf club.

Tiger turned out to not be the perfect man or the perfect husband or living the perfect life. He was into debauchery. Some were outraged. Some were stunned at the depths he went. Others enjoyed the schadenfreude of watching someone who corporations hyped up as perfect prove to be anything but.

Most used it as a glimpse into who this guy actually was. He didn't cheat on us, so we wondered how he managed to play so well while juggling a chaotic and exhausting life, or how he thought the lies wouldn't get exposed, or simply laughed at all the Perkins waitress jokes.

Basically we still just wanted to see him in contention on Sunday afternoon so we could watch.

Team Tiger, of course, reacted not in a human way but as brands do – it took the whole thing way too seriously because it threatened endorsement money.

____________________

 

At first he settled with Vegas folks such as Rachel Uchitel, presumably to keep more stories from coming out. When they did anyway, he took a sabbatical. He went to rehab. There was an over-the-top serious "press conference" where Tiger gathered those close to him, stood at a podium while wearing a suit and apologized in person to his friends and family while national television filmed away.

Nike put out a commercial with his father supposedly lecturing him from the grave courtesy of creepy, out-of-context audio.

You would've thought he was the President and had committed a felony … or he murdered someone … or he just had the worst public relations team ever.

He could've just apologized to his wife and kids, noted he was a terrible husband and gone back to playing. That's what most celebrities – or regular people – do. The people that like you will forgive and even forget. He went the opposite route.

Unless you believe what Nike tells you, this was the rare look into Tiger.

And the Golf Digest kerfuffle is more of this and equally bizarre.

"I like to think I have a good sense of humor, and that I'm more than willing to laugh at myself," Tiger wrote.

Yeah, probably not. Whatever it was, Tiger was bothered, Tiger decided to attack, Tiger wanted to take down Dan Jenkins the way Dan Jenkins took him down.

All fair and reasonable emotions, even if publicizing his rebuke on Derek Jeter's website was probably an ill-advised maneuver, because there is nothing Jenkins is enjoying more than knowing that he got under Tiger's skin – except maybe that the golfer reads him.

Tiger blindly walked right into that, too. He's inadvertently giving his arch nemesis more satisfaction then Jenkins ever could have dreamed of when he sat down to write his column.

So is this another sign ("the rebuttal" and previously "the press conference") Tiger is tactically dumb or too sure by half?

No way to know for sure, but it's all we've got when it comes to Tiger Woods, and for those of us still interested in the man, it's more than we had at the start of the week.

LPGA Tour announces 33-event season for 2015.

Reuters; Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes, Editing by Frank Pingue

The globe-trotting LPGA Tour will feature 33 tournaments, one more than this year, in 15 countries on its schedule for 2015, Commissioner Michael Whan said on Tuesday.

The season tees off in Ocala, Florida from Jan. 27-31 before moving on to the Bahamas and then Australia and will end with the Nov. 19-22 CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Florida.

Thirteen new events have been added in the last four years, strengthening a tournament schedule that will also include stops in Germany, Thailand, China, Malaysia, Canada and Mexico.

"I'm excited that our team has achieved our target number of events to fill our schedule over the past few years," Whan said in a statement.

"We are focused on elevating and enhancing the playing opportunities for our players, viewing experiences for our fans and corporate involvement for our partners."

The first women's major of the season, the newly-named ANA Inspiration at Rancho Mirage, California, will be held from April 2-5.

The KPMG Women's PGA Championship at Westchester, New York takes place from June 11-14 with the U.S. Women's Open to be played at Lancaster Country Club in Lancaster, Pennsylvania from July 9-12.

Turnberry in Scotland will host the Women's British Open from July 30-Aug. 2 before the fifth and final major of the year, the Evian Championship, is staged in Evian-les-Bains in France from Sept. 10-13.

The 2015 LPGA Tour will offer a total purse of $61.6 million, an increase of just over $4 million from this year.

Stewart's 15-year NASCAR winning streak ends.

By DAN GELSTON (AP Sports Writer)

Tony Stewart threw his arms around Kevin Harvick and gave him the kind of hug where it seemed as if neither driver wanted to let go.

Stewart's worst season - on and off the track - ended with a dose of triumph, hugs and tears at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Harvick capped his first season at Stewart-Haas Racing with a Sprint Cup championship that finally gave one of his best friends in the sport and team owner a reason to smile.

''It doesn't make up for a bad year,'' Stewart said. ''I mean, I've had a terrible year. But this makes the end of November great.''

Stewart was already in street clothes for the victory bash because his race ended long before Harvick took the checkered flag.

Stewart's 15-year streak of winning at least one NASCAR race ended once the grille got knocked in on his No. 14 Chevrolet and the engine overheated. Stewart retired the car and finished last in the 43-car field.

His run began with a victory as a rookie on Sept. 11, 1999, at Richmond International Raceway, and is tied for fourth-best in NASCAR history. Richard Petty holds the record with 18 straight years.

Harvick ended a successful run at Richard Childress Racing to try to win a championship with Stewart. It paid off with a beer bath in Victory Lane and a championship trophy passed around the crew - with a party planned that could stretch into the morning.

''Tony was pretty adamant that we could race for wins and championships,'' Harvick said. ''That was really what it was all about. I needed to be excited about going to work and this just gave me an opportunity to race with one of my good friends.''

Stewart had the worst season of his career and his struggles continued at Homestead. He fell a lap down early in the race and was never a threat before parking his car.

He still had a vested interest in the race as the car owner. Harvick's title was Stewart's second as a car owner. His 2011 championship as a driver/owner was his first.

''He's probably been more of a help to me this year than I've been to him,'' Stewart said. ''But the great thing is, we understand each other. ''

Stewart's performance was below average even before he was involved in an Aug. 9 accident that killed Kevin Ward Jr. during a dirt track race in upstate New York.

 

Stewart said earlier this week in an interview with The Associated Press that he has struggled with NASCAR's current rules package. The three-time NASCAR champion also doesn't have a feel for Goodyear's tires, and has not been able to execute decent restarts.

He also has been bothered by lingering pain in his surgically repaired right leg, which he shattered in a sprint car accident in 2013. It cost him the final 15 races of last season.

Stewart ended this year with a career-worst three top-fives and seven top-10s.

Stewart did win a sprint car race in July, extending his streak of 36 consecutive years with a racing victory in at least one series. He has not raced a sprint car since Ward's death.

''I'm tired of talking about it, to be honest,'' Stewart said. ''I'm more excited about what this organization and what this group of people has done together. There's a lot of things I would love to change about the last 18 months of my life. But tonight is not one of them.''

For a night, Stewart could briefly push aside the pain and get set to make room on the SHR trophy shelf.

''That's about as emotional as you can you can get, to have one of your greatest friends go out in one of your races cars and win a championship in the toughest series in the country,'' Stewart said.

When will Jurgen Klinsmann take the U.S. men's national team forward?

By Joe Lago

Another World Cup year has come and gone for the United States men's national team. The determined underdog side stuck to a defensive mindset to advance to the tournament's last 16 despite being overwhelmed at times by superior talent, while millions back home got swept up in the every-four-years futbol fever like a true soccer-mad nation.

Those words applied to Bob Bradley's American squad four years ago after the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The same could be said about Jurgen Klinsmann's USMNT after this summer's World Cup in Brazil. Therein lies the problem with the state of the U.S. men's national team.

Under Klinsmann, the U.S. has made very little progress.

This isn't about fretting over results of international friendlies, even one as ugly as Tuesday's year-ending 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Republic of Ireland's "B" team. No, this is about objectively looking at how much the U.S. senior team has improved since American supporters celebrated the exit of Bradley and welcomed the arrival of Klinsmann in July of 2011.

Klinsmann was supposed to be the breath of fresh air that the U.S. desperately needed. The hope was that he could be the football visionary to guide the national team into new territory, much like he did with Germany in laying the foundation for the 2014 world champions, by injecting new ideas (hopefully new, radical ones) to show the Americans how to be fearless and stand toe-to-toe with the world's elite.

That approach, the popular belief suggested back then, was necessary after the methodical (read: boring) and predictable (read: conservative) ways of Bradley. And in the lead up to the 2014 World Cup, there were times when the U.S. looked like that swashbuckling side we've never seen in the Red, White and Blue. The commitment to attacking soccer in friendly victories over Germany and Bosnia were sights to behold for American fans.

But that mentality of taking the game to opponents, big or small, disappeared like lost luggage by the time the U.S. landed in Sao Paulo last June. In Brazil, we only saw glimpses of that confidence: The first 30 seconds of the opening match when Clint Dempsey scored his glorious goal against Ghana … the immediate push for John Brooks' match-winner after Ghana equalized … a 20-minute stretch that produced both goals in the 2-2 draw against Portugal … the last 10 minutes of extra time against Belgium in the round of 16 when the U.S., down 2-0, had no choice but to press forward.

That was it – less than one half's worth of attacking soccer. The rest of the time the U.S. fell back into a defensive shell, absorbing wave after wave of opponents' attacks and relying on goalkeeper Tim Howard to save the day – or the same blueprint for success under Bradley in South Africa.

The level of competition in Brazil had something to do with it, of course. Most teams would find themselves back on their heels against the likes of Ghana, Portugal and Germany. But let's not confuse the success of getting out of the Group of Death with the minimal progress made under Klinsmann. Sure, it was a great accomplishment to survive such a difficult group, but if Cristiano Ronaldo doesn't lead Portugal past Ghana to help the Americans secure second place in Group G (after losing a must-draw game to Germany), we could be talking about a very different outcome for the U.S.

The fact is, Klinsmann was supposed to instill an attacking flair to the Americans' game and we didn't see it when it mattered most.

Klinsmann's best trait as a coach arguably is his ability to motivate. He borrowed tactics from good friend Pete Carroll to coax the U.S. to beat the odds. But after the Germany and Belgium defeats, an exasperated Klinsmann said he implored his players to go forward but they simply refused to do so. It could've been fatigue. It could've been the simple fact that the U.S. was outmanned. But a shrug of the shoulders by a master motivator is not an acceptable answer.

In defense of Klinsmann, one could make the argument that he made the most of the talent he had. He also made all the right moves with his substitutions in Brazil. And it's not his fault Chris Wondolowski couldn't bury a golden chance at a game-winner against Belgium.

But it's time for Klinsmann to stop pointing fingers. Since the World Cup, he has deemed Major League Soccer not challenging enough for America's top players and criticized his USMNT veterans for slacking off with their club teams. The ranting was incessant as the U.S. went winless in its final five games of 2014 to close out the year with a 6-5-4 record having scored 20 goals and conceded 20.

Klinsmann is expected to use the January training camp to get a look at more promising talents (Los Angeles Galaxy forward Gyasi Zardes definitely deserves a call-up). But perhaps Klinsmann should stop scouring the globe for players with American passports and start focusing on building an actual team. This year, he had 50 players wear the U.S. shirt for 15 games. Next year, or by the time the March international date rolls around, he should settle on a core to play in the 2015 Gold Cup and be the foundation for the U.S. squad in the 2016 Copa America.

The reality is that, with any American side, the sum of its parts will always be greater. The chances of a world-class No. 10 emerging before the 2018 World Cup are slim. And surely, Landon Donovan is not walking through that door. 

After the drubbing in Dublin, Klinsmann said Tuesday that the U.S. still has "quite a way to go." Three years into his reign, that shouldn't be the case. The USMNT should be going forward, literally and figuratively in its tactical approach. Instead, it is perpetually stuck in neutral, the way it was when Bob Bradley was in charge.

Denouncing FIFA, whistleblower fears for safety.

By ROB HARRIS (AP Sports Writer)

A whistleblower in the World Cup bidding controversy fears her treatment by FIFA will prevent people from coming forward with allegations of corruption and says she was approached three years ago by the FBI, which was worried about her safety.

Former Qatar bid worker Phaedra Almajid has complained to FIFA that her right to witness confidentiality in the bidding investigation was breached in an ethics report last week, claiming she was easily identifiable even though she wasn't named.

Almajid, who lives in Washington, D.C., and worked in the bid team's media department, also is angry the report by FIFA judge Hans-Joachim Eckert said she and Australian whistleblower Bonita Mersiades lacked credibility.

''After what they've done to me and Bonita, who else is going to want to come forward and be a FIFA whistleblower?'' Almajid said Wednesday during a telephone interview with The Associated Press. ''I wish what happened to me as a whistleblower never happens again to anyone. I would never wish this on anyone.''

Almajid alleged in 2011 that three FIFA executive committee members were paid $1.5 million each to vote for Qatar. She was named in a July 2011 statement in which she retracted her claims of corruption but says she was coerced to do so by unidentified Qatari officials.

Almajid said about two months after she signed that retraction, American law enforcement officials visited her house because they became aware her safety was in danger.

 

''The FBI came to me because they knew my security was being threatened and to protect me,'' Almajid said from Washington. She did not give details of the threats.

''The FBI wanted me to get in contact with the Qataris so that they could admit the fact there was a deal between me and them,'' she added. ''They recorded me speaking to a senior official from Qatar. The senior official admitted there was a deal for (retracting) the affidavit and they would provide a letter saying they wouldn't sue me.''

Supervisory Special Agent Martin Feely of the FBI's New York office did not respond to an email seeking comment.

Qatar repeatedly has denied any wrongdoing in bringing the World Cup to the Middle East for the first time by winning the 2010 vote.

Almajid said she remains concerned about her safety.

''Being a whistleblower has changed my life and my kids' lives. I will be looking over my shoulder until 2022 is over,'' she said.

Though not named by Eckert, Almajid was easily identified in a section covering Qatar titled ''Role and Relevance of a 'Whistleblower''' based on her 2011 statements.

Eckert, who assessed evidence from FIFA prosecutor Michael Garcia, concluded in his 42-page report the whistleblower ''altered evidence'' to support the allegations and had not ''relied on any information or material.''

''He discredited me and breached the confidentiality agreement we had,'' she said. She added: ''This has cost me dearly. I am ready to keep fighting for the truth to be known and for what happened to me not to happen to anyone else.''

Brains and brawn: MIT football undefeated, still really smart.

By Eric Adelson

MIT players hold up the New England Football Conference trophy. (Credit: MIT athletics)

Ask a quarterback about the perfect spiral and he'll likely speak of the feeling when the ball leaves his hand, or the pristine arc through the air, or how easy it is for a receiver to catch.

Quarterback Peter Williams can describe the perfect spiral a little differently:

"It ensures the stability of the ball," he said Tuesday. "A lot of factors that go into it. It helps reduce the overall drag."

Williams is a quarterback who happens to be majoring in aero astroengineering. At MIT.

"It's similar to mechanical engineering," Williams said, " but I like the subject a lot more. It's pretty difficult."

This weekend, Williams will hand off to senior running back Justin Wallace, who is taking courses this semester including advanced algorithms, advanced computer architecture, and a project involving "thermo sensors and optical range finders."

Their senior teammate, middle linebacker Cam Wagar, is developing an app that allows cyclists to create the feeling of inclines while riding on a level path.

"We have a lab tomorrow morning to figure that out," he explained.

Feel free to call these guys nerds – they've heard clunky zingers from opponents like "Go do your homework!" – but know the MIT Engineers are 9-0 and headed to the Division III playoffs this weekend in Maine. They are a part of one of the most rapidly ascending football programs in the nation. Only a few years ago, the team didn't recruit much at all outside the campus. Some of the assistant coaches are still volunteers. But now the team is comprised of guys who are standouts in games as well as game theory, and the fans are lining up on the parking deck across from the field to watch them play.

"The band has been to the last two [games]," Wagar said. "I don't know if it was random or whatnot."

Granted, none of these student-athletes are bound for your NFL fantasy team. Division III players rarely go pro (Mount Union stars Pierre Garcon and Cecil Shorts III notwithstanding). MIT's opponents include Maine Maritime and Salve Regina, not B.C. and UMass. And when asked if he's recognized on campus as the star quarterback, Williams says, "By my friends; other than that, not really."

But this is a success story nonetheless: MIT was 6-3 last season, and that was the school's best record since 1999. This year, the Engineers have yet to lose. They face Husson this Saturday in Bangor, Maine, and they believe they can go deep into the playoffs.

 

"We've just been getting better and better," said Wallace. "It's a lot about family, building each other up, more than just football. We know we can win."

That confidence has had a unique obstacle: the players are too smart for their own good. They are some of the best young minds on the planet, and they can't help but analyze everything.

"I tend to overthink a lot," said Wagar. "First couple games [at middle linebacker] I struggled with my reads. There would be times I would just freeze because I was thinking too much."

Of course the benefits of a beautiful mind outweigh the costs. Williams is already eyeing his post-grad life, having had interviews with Amazon about a possible job "doing the drone work." Next year, instead of working on dropping passes into the corner of the end zone, he might be working on dropping boxes of Pampers into your neighbor's yard. For now, he's spending his days in a campus wind tunnel, designing a wing sail.

That's considered normal at MIT. Wallace, only the second player in program history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season, is studying artificial intelligence and may be spending the next 10 years designing anything from a spacecraft to driverless cars. Williams, when asked to name the most impressive person he's met at school, mentioned his adviser, who is president of a school in Russia.

But to a man, all of these players would rather talk about their upcoming bus ride to Maine. This is their release from the stress of labs and projects. "We're going to go out and party," Wagar said of the game plan. "We don't care how many yards we give up as long as we play physical, rush to the ball, hit everybody as hard as we can."

They are pioneers of sorts, many of them coming from across the country to lay the foundation for a better football tradition. The team used to be 40 or 50 guys plucked from campus; now head coach Chad Martinovich is reaching out to all corners of the country. Wallace is from Chicago; Williams is from Portland.

"When I came on my visit, I really liked the people," the quarterback said. "The football team was up and coming and the players and coach were making it better."

Football is, of course, only the latest reason to come to MIT. There's the Boston area, the deep history of the place – the stadium is named for George Steinbrenner's father, who was a champion hurdler there – and the quirky aspects, like the beaver mascot being called "Tim" because that's MIT backward.

Oh, there's also the education.

The only drawback any of the players mention is that the home-field stands aren't the best.

"It was up to par back in the day," Wagar said. "It's just outdated."

If only there were someone on campus with the expertise to design a better version.

ACC commissioner says eight teams 'ideal' for playoff.

By Nick Bromberg

ACC Commissioner John Swofford

ACC commissioner John Swofford likes the idea of an eight-team College Football Playoff.

Swofford spoke at a Durham Sports Club Meeting on Wednesday and according to the Durham Herald-Sun said “in terms of the number of teams, would probably be ideal" when referring to the CFP.

More from the Herald-Sun:

“I don’t think all the controversy’s going to go away,” Swofford said of the new system. “You have four teams that get a chance to play for the national championship, which is twice as many as before, but whoever’s fifth or sixth is not going to be happy. There will be some conferences that won’t have a team in the playoff.”

The ACC might be that conference. Reigning national champion Florida State, ranked third in the College Football Playoff Selection Committee’s weekly ratings, is the league’s only team in position to contend for a playoff berth.

“I feel really good about where we are at this point in time,” Swofford. “I hope I feel as good about it in a few weeks — December the seventh — when they announce who’s in the playoff, meaning I hope we have a team in it.”      

While it would be easy to assume that Swofford is speaking out of immediate self-interest — if Florida State lost a game this year it'd likely be out of a four-team playoff but still in an eight-team one, — he's speaking about the inevitability of expansion.

While the College Football Playoff director Bill Hancock has said previously that the playoff is committed to four teams for 12 years, it's not a bad bet to think expansion will happen before 2026. After all, the BCS expanded and added a separate National Championship Game after rotating through the main bowls and Swofford is also a member of the management committee for the playoff. His words carry some weight.

While Swofford said that December exams limited the playoff to four teams initially, those concerns are more paperweight than anchor in terms of obstacles. Playoff formats thrive in non-FBS divisions of college football.

Swofford also said that he thinks realignment — at least among Power Five conference schools — is slowing down. 

“For the next 12 to 15 years, I don’t think you’ll see movement in the Power Five conferences,” Swofford said. “Unless someone grows and adds a team not currently in the Power Five, but I don’t think you’ll see any teams moving within it.”

There are pros and cons to the NCAA releasing early seed projections.

By Jeff Eisenberg

Wisconsin's Traevon Jackson dribbles past the NCAA logo during practice at the NCAA men's college basketball tournament in Anaheim, Calif. A federal judge ruled that the NCAA can't stop players from selling the rights to their names, images and likenesses, striking down NCAA regulations that prohibit them from getting anything other than scholarships and the cost of attendance at schools. U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken in Oakland, Calif., ruled in favor Friday, Aug. 8, of former UCLA basketball star Ed O'Bannon and 19 others in a lawsuit that challenged the NCAA's regulation of college athletics on antitrust grounds. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

The intrigue created by the weekly release of the College Football Playoff rankings has apparently caught the attention of the Division I men's basketball committee.

Dan Gavitt, NCAA vice president of men's basketball championships, told USA TODAY Sports that for the first time the men's basketball committee is considering releasing information prior to Selection Sunday. It almost certainly wouldn't be a full mock bracket, nor would it be likely to come any sooner than midway through conference play.

"There was some discussion of four (one seeds) or sixteen (total seeds), the top four seeds in the four regions," Gavitt told USA TODAY Sports. "The way the committee left it was, we'll discuss it again (at meetings) in January. There wasn't enough time to fully vet it. But I'd say there's certainly some consideration being given to it."
 

One of the biggest advantages to Gavitt's idea would be increased transparency, something that critics of the NCAA have long called for regarding the tournament selection process. It's also possible releasing the seed rankings as they stand six weeks before Selection Sunday could boost interest in the final month of the college basketball regular season.

The concern would be that releases from the selection committee could dilute interest in Selection Sunday. It could give college basketball's most intriguing day the feel of unwrapping Christmas presents when you already know what's inside many of them.

If the committee merely releases its top four seeds in each region once in early February, that wouldn't be too big an issue. If this evolves into a weekly event like the football version, it could seriously cut into the drama of Selection Sunday.

Once a $37 million center, Jason Brown gave up NFL for farming.

By Frank Schwab

There are more than a few stories of someone growing up on the farm, and eventually moving on to become an NFL star.

St. Louis Rams center Jason Brown (60). (Photo/Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)

There aren't too many stories of a player going the other way on that path.

Jason Brown is doing this to help the less fortunate. He grows sweet potatoes and other vegetables, and donates his harvest to food pantries. (CBS/Business Insider)

Jason Brown has one of the best, more unusual stories you'll find.

Brown played for the Baltimore Ravens and St. Louis Rams from 2005-11. In 2009, his five-year deal with the Rams for $37.5 million made him, at that time, the highest-paid center ever. He made more than $25 million from that contract and despite not even being 30 and having interest from other NFL teams after the Rams cut him, he gave up football.

He wanted to get into farming.

He had never done it before. He learned by watching YouTube videos and asking other farmers for tips. Really.

CBS News shared Brown's unique story.

"My agent told me, 'You're making the biggest mistake of your life," Brown, who lives in Louisburg, N.C., told CBS. "I looked right back at him and said, 'No i am not. No I am not.'"

CBS said Brown just harvested his five-acre plot of sweet potatoes.

"When you see them pop up out of the ground, man, it's the most beautiful thing you could ever see," Brown said to CBS.

He talked in the interview about serving God, and how he was doing that through farming. He said he plans to donate the first fruits of every harvest to food pantries. This year it was 100,000 pounds of sweet potatoes, the CBS story said.

It's a pretty remarkable story, one that probably won't be recreated by many NFL multi-millionaires down the road. He certainly seems very happy with his new career.

On This Date in Sports History: Today is Friday, November 21, 2014.

Memoriesofhistory.com

1934 - The New York Yankees purchased the contract of Joe DiMaggio from San Francisco of the Pacific Coast League.

1959 - Major league baseball lifted the ban on inter-league trade.

1964 - The Detroit Red Wings began a streak of 47 straight wins when leading after two periods. The streak ended on January 23, 1966.

1977 - Walter Payton (Chicago Bears) ran for an NFL record 275 yards against the Minnesota Vikings.

1982 - The National Football League (NFL) resumed its season following a 57-day players' strike.  

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