CS&T/AllsportsAmrica Friday Sports news Update and What's Your Take? 12/26/2014.

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Sports Quote of the Day:

“Winners are losers who got up and gave it one more try.” ~ Dennis DeYoung, Singer. Songwriter and Musician 

How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Antti Raanta's affable personality 'contagious" for Blackhawks.

By Tracey Myers

Antti Raanta (Photo/Getty Images. Kuva: Jonathan Daniel)

The Blackhawks weren’t sure what to expect from Antti Raanta, especially off the ice, when he first came into the organization in the fall of 2013.

Their previous goaltender Antti — Niemi — was and still is very good-natured but also very quiet. With the latest Antti, however, the Blackhawks were hearing he wasn’t quite as quiet.

“I guess we heard he was an energetic guy, kind of goofy,” Ben Smith said with a laugh. “It’s definitely contagious energy we can all feed off.”

Indeed, Raanta figured he’d make an impression.

“Guys were like, ‘Who’s that guy? This is not normal,’” Raanta said with a smile. “Then they realized I’m not normal.”

The NHL still has its characters, though not as many as in the past. Enter Raanta, whose jovial and energetic personality has won over his Blackhawks teammates and much of Chicago. He’ll dance after a goaltending victory. He’s smiling in the locker room. He’s always got a great line or two for journalists and, we assume, teammates.

Ask one of the other Blackhawks about Raanta’s personality, and before you get an answer, you get a chuckle.

“He’s definitely different, but in a good way,” Patrick Kane said. “A lot of people say goaltenders are a lot different, but his personality almost suits his position. He’s very calm, his demeanor is very easy going; he’s very funny and relaxed all the time. I think that’s good for a goaltender.”

Patrick Sharp said as far as the great hockey personalities he’s met, Raanta “has got to be right up there.”

“He’s in a great mood every day, win or lose, good game or bad game. You can tell he has fun playing hockey,” Sharp said. “When you have players like that in the room, it’s easy to stay in a good mood.”

Backup goaltenders have to be patient in their jobs, given how often starters play. That’s especially true for the Blackhawks with Corey Crawford, who takes a bulk of the games. Coach Joel Quenneville said Raanta’s approach, however, has been great.

“His attitude is part of what it takes to be a good backup, being ready to go,” Quenneville said. “He compliments Crow, being ready in that position. At the same time, (it’s) having that attitude where he’s not just satisfied being here. He’s excited about being here, but he wants to get better, which is part of the process.”

Raanta said he gets his upbeat personality from his mother, Teija; his brother and father are quieter. The happy goaltender was even happier last weekend when his family arrived in Chicago, two days before he recorded a shutout victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Still, Raanta said he tempered his upbeat attitude some when he first got to Chicago, when he was adjusting to the language barrier and first meeting new teammates.

“I’m not so loud anymore as when I was in Finland. But when you get better and better inside the team you start joking around,” said Raanta, who added his disposition helped his Europe-to-United States transition.

“If I would be that person who wouldn’t take a lot of pressure and would overthink lots of things, I think I would be done already,” Raanta said. “There was so much going on the last few years. In Finland we had a bad season, then we won the whole league. Then I came here, went to Rockford, and I think that (attitude) helped a lot. There are some days when you think of what’s going on and things like that; then you realize you never know what happens so just enjoy every day.”

Raanta has been a happy addition to the Blackhawks’ organization. He knows when to be serious, especially on the ice. He also knows how to enjoy life and laugh, and that’s been as beneficial to his young career as anything.

“Some days there are bad moments and bad games, but you have to fight over those, put a smile on your face and enjoy the people you’re around,” he said. “You have this kind of chance to be here. What else can you ask for?”             

New OT rule in minor-league hockey generating buzz.

By PAT GRAHAM (AP Sports Writer)

Adirondack Phantoms' Tom Sestito, rear, wraps his arm around teammate Shane Harper who scored the winning goal during the overtime period of an AHL hockey game against the Hershey Bears in Philadelphia. The new overtime rule implemented in the AHL this season is a roaring success and could soon be seen at an NHL rink near you. (AP Photo/Tom Mihalek, File)

This rookie just may be called up from the American Hockey League after catching everyone's attention in an impressive debut.

Sorry, though, it's not the next Sidney Crosby, but a new overtime rule that should allow players like Crosby to showcase their skills even more with the game on the line.

The minor-league organization has long been the place to experiment with new directives, just to see how well they work - or don't work - before the NHL takes a look. Some (oversized blue lines) weren't popular. Others (not being able to change players after an icing call) have been promoted.

 

The new OT rule possibly could be coming soon to an NHL rink near you.
 

''It's certainly entertaining for fans and a lot of fun to watch,'' said David Andrews, the president and CEO of the AHL for the last 21 years.
 

Currently, the NHL uses a 4-on-4 OT model for five minutes. If no one scores, then it goes to a shootout.
 

But here's how the extra period works on the AHL level: It's seven minutes long - or until someone scores, of course - with the opening three minutes 4-on-4. Then, after the next whistle, it switches to 3-on-3 for the last four, leading to lots of room for creativity and scoring chances. If that doesn't decide things, it goes to a shootout, a concept that drives many a coach bonkers since it's almost like a skills competition.

  

That's the thing, though. This new overtime system has cut down significantly on shootouts.

Last year, the AHL had 65 percent of its OT games decided in a shootout, Andrews said. This season, it's shrunk to 25 percent.

Even more, of the 99 overtime games so far, 35 of them have been decided in 3-on-3 action.
 

Initially hesitant over the newfangled OT ordinance, Roy Sommer, the coach of the AHL Worcester Sharks, has warmed up to the idea. He thinks it would be a big hit with fans and players on the next level.
 

''If you put your three best NHL players against each other with all that ice and creativity, man, it would be something to watch,'' said Sommer, one of the all-time winningest AHL coaches. ''I know I wouldn't leave.''
 

As for when - or even if - this version of overtime arrives at the NHL level, that's hard to predict. In a statement, the NHL's hockey operations branch said the league follows ''the American Hockey League and other leagues closely. ... We're always interested in ways to make an already great game better.''
 

Colorado and Toronto had a 3-on-3 situation in overtime earlier this season after both teams drew penalties. It was riveting as players raced from end-to-end, unable to risk heading to the bench for fear of an odd-man rush going the other way.
 

''If we did this, there's no way games would go to a shootout,'' Colorado forward Matt Duchene said. ''As much as shootouts are fun to watch, I'm not a big fan of them, because it stinks to finish a game on a non-hockey play.
 

''But I'd love to see overtime 4-on-4 and then 3-on-3, because it would be amazing.''
 

Chris Wideman can attest to that. The defenseman for the Binghamton Senators has scored two of his 12 goals in overtime this season - one in 3-on-3 and the other on a 4-on-3 power play.
 

''Lots of odd-man rushes, breakaways,'' explained Wideman, who's in his third season with the minor-league affiliate of Ottawa. ''From the pure entertainment side, you can't beat it. As far as for the players, it's a lot of fun for us. It gives you a chance to show off a little skill.''
 

One possible downside? More ice time for players, which could take its toll over an already grueling regular season.
 

NBC hockey analyst Eddie Olczyk wouldn't mind seeing something similar to college football's overtime rules. His suggestion is this: One team receives a 4-on-3 power play for two minutes and if it scores, then the opponent gets its chance. The one that stops the other wins.
 

''If we're trying to get away from the shootout, there are ways of trying to do that,'' said Olczyk, a former NHL player and coach.
 

Hey, maybe another test idea for the AHL. But the minor-league outfit isn't just a petri dish for the NHL. A lot of times, it's the AHL that institutes a rule that causes the NHL to take notice and later implement, like the delay penalty for flipping a puck over the glass in the defensive end. Or the trapezoid area behind the goal.
 

Or, maybe soon, this new OT rule.
 

''The fans love the shootout,'' Avs defenseman Erik Johnson said. ''But they'd LOVE 3-on-3 in overtime.''

Just Another Chicago Bulls Session… Bulls, Pau Gasol smash Lakers in Christmas day rout. 113-93.  

By Mike Singer

Pau scores the final points of the 3rd quarter.

The Bulls took Thursday’s Kobe Bryant-less Christmas affair not because the Lakers were without their star, but because Chicago has stabilized its roster with several of their own.

None was more important in Thursday’s 113-93 win than Pau Gasol, essentially the Bulls’ low-priced Christmas present. Gasol spurned Los Angeles after six-plus years and two championships hoping for a chance at one more title. He also left Bryant, who sat on the bench watching his former teammate pick apart the Lakers’ piecemeal frontcourt to the tune of 23 points and 13 rebounds. It was Gasol’s 16th double-double of the year, a campaign where he’s been noticeably rejuvenated.

If Thursday’s game was any indication, Gasol, who signed a three-year, $22 million deal, made the right decision in leaving the bruising Western Conference. The Bulls, winners of five-straight, improved their record to 20-9, the exact opposite of the Lakers.
 Paired with Derrick Rose (20 points, six assists) and Jimmy Butler (21 points), Gasol has bolstered an impressive array of offensive weapons.

Thursday was also a homecoming of sorts for Carlos Boozer, who was waived using the amnesty provision this offseason. His $16.8 million contract came off the books, opening up room for the Bulls to sign Gasol. He had an unremarkable 14 points and five rebounds in Thursday's loss, and the United Center fans missed no chance at raining boos down on him.

Fittingly, it was Gasol whose third-quarter run opened up the game for the Bulls. After an early 11-2 Laker spurt cut the lead to 60-58, Gasol scored 10 to close the quarter and stabilize the Bulls’ lead at 83-77.

From there, the Bulls’ second unit iced the game with 30 points in the fourth quarter led by the late-game tandem of Aaron Brooks and Niko Mirotic. Brooks hit several jumpers, Mirotic added a dagger three-pointer at the 5:15 mark, and by then, any chance the Lakers had had been extinguished.

Gasol admitted it would be weird to face his former team. None of those nerves were apparent on Thursday night. He’s in the midst of a rejuvenated season, partly due to his reborn role within the offense, but also as a result of the Bulls’ depth. Their offensive weapons have opened up consistent 15-foot looks or open lanes to the hoop that simply weren’t available with Gasol last season in Los Angeles, especially with Bryant sidelined. As a result, he entered Thursday averaging 18 points and 11.4 rebounds per game.

After a tight first quarter, the Bulls’ second unit blitzed the Lakers and flexed the team’s overall depth. Mirotic continued to layer his already impressive rookie season with even more timely outside shooting. He hit two from deep while Taj Gibson made a pair of buckets to spur a four-minute, 12-0 run to distance the Bulls. By the 5:54 mark of the second quarter, the Bulls were up 45-30 as the team’s starting unit prepared to return.

From there, Rose carved up the Lakers’ porous defense and opened the game up for Chicago’s frontcourt. Joakim Noah and Gasol combined for seven straight before Rose arced an off-hand floater and Butler drained a soft turnaround jumper to close the half. The Bulls shot at a 54 percent clip (24-of-44) in the first half compared to just 42 percent from the Lakers.

Rose, Butler and Gasol each had a game-high 11 in the first half.

His last few years in Los Angeles were marred by injuries and coaching changes, and while the Bulls have certainly had their fair share of injuries this year, Gasol has found stability as a vital crux of coach Tom Thibodeau’s offense.

The first two -- Rose and Butler -- were big reasons why the third chose to come to Chicago during this offseason’s free agency period.

The Bulls and Lakers are two teams heading in different directions, one with championship aspirations and the other with championship memories.

After topping Wiz, Bulls know 'it's going to be a special year'.

By Rich Dubroff

Derrick Rose had a prediction after he fueled a late rally that finished off the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night.

“I know where I’m going to be in a couple of months. You all are going to be the ones that are going to be surprised by the way I’m going to play,” Rose said.

A night after the Bulls scored a franchise-record 49 points in the fourth quarter and a season-high 129, Rose had 10 of his game-high 25 points in the fourth quarter, as the Bulls beat the Wizards 99-91 on Tuesday night.

The Bulls have won four straight and seven of eight, and appeared to have the game in hand when Rose hit a jumper with 6:23 to play to put them ahead 86-75.

But, John Wall, who was facing Rose for the first time since Jan. 30, 2012 and just the fifth time in his career, scored 10 of 12 straight Washington points as the Bulls trailed momentarily 87-86. Wall led the Wizards with 18.

Rose had six of the eight straight points the Bulls countered with as they took a 94-87 lead with 1:48 to play. After Washington called timeout, Rose strutted toward the bench, brimming with confidence.

“I think it was just the moment,” Rose said. “It was in a tough situation. We were up by a decent amount of points, and they came back and made it a game again.”

Pau Gasol had 18 points and Aaron Brooks had 13.

Gasol closed out the first quarter with a 3-pointer at the horn, his first of the season, and Rose ended the first half with another one, giving the Bulls a 46-40 lead.

Rose’s jumper with 6:23 to play pushed the Bulls’ advantage to 86-75. Washington scored 12 straight, but then the Bulls rallied.

In their four wins, the Bulls have beaten New York, Memphis, Toronto and Washington. The Grizzlies, Raptors and Wizards have combined to lose just 22 games this season. It’s a good time for Rose to round into form.

“He’s stringing the games together, and so that’s important,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. Thibodeau noted Rose had missed two games because of illness.

“He’s picked right up where he left off. The good thing was him working through the back-to-backs.”

The Bulls outrebounded Washington 52-41. Gasol and Joakim Noah combined for 20 rebounds.

Noah is enjoying Rose’s renaissance.

“It feels good to see him having fun out there,” Noah said. “He’s playing at a really high level. It feels good to have Derrick back on the court.”

After polishing off the three tough opponents, Noah thinks the Bulls are ready to roll.

“It’s real. The Chicago Bulls are getting healthy. It’s very real,” Noah said. “We know that we’re still not where we want to be, and we know the sky’s the limit for our time. Our confidence is getting better. We feel like we can get better defensively, but it’s all coming. It’s going to be a special year."

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

By NOEY KUPCHAN (STATS Writer)

Just when it looked like Jay Cutler may have played his last snap in a Chicago Bears uniform, coach Marc Trestman is turning back to the enigmatic quarterback. Sunday's season finale against the host Minnesota Vikings could mark the end for both key figures.

General manager Phil Emery, offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer and defensive coordinator Mel Tucker could also be gone after the Bears (5-10) missed the playoffs for the seventh time in eight years. Though it's hard to put all the blame on Cutler, his play has been especially disappointing after agreeing to a seven-year deal in January. He leads the NFL with 18 interceptions and 24 turnovers and ranks 17th in QB rating at 89.5.

Cutler was benched in favor of Jimmy Clausen ahead of last Sunday's 20-14 loss to Detroit, but he's getting another shot with Clausen unable to go due to a concussion suffered on the game's final drive.

"Jay gives us the best chance this week. And so that's why. That's why he'll be out there," Trestman said. "I believe that Jay can work his way out of this. And I've enjoyed coaching him and working with him. And we had dialogue last week. And we worked together last week. It was a tough week on him. I empathize with him on that. But we're moving forward, both with the idea that we've worked together for a long time and that hasn't changed."

Cutler is owed more than $15 million in 2015, but it remains to be seen if he'll be back with the team.

"I feel really bad for Jay," injured kicker Robbie Gould told a local radio station. "When you're having a tough season like this, he's not the guy to be the scapegoat. ... There's a lot of guys you can put that blame on."

Trestman's future also remains in limbo after going 13-18 since replacing Lovie Smith last season. Chicago has averaged just 20.7 points after scoring 27.8 per game in 2013 to rank second in the NFL.

The Bears have been outscored by an average of 13.0 points during a four-game losing streak, their longest since dropping five in a row Nov. 27-Dec. 25, 2011.

Chicago hasn't tasted victory since getting the best of Smith in a 21-13 win over Tampa Bay on Nov. 23. The Bears held on to beat Minnesota by the same score the week before as Cutler threw for 330 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.

Cutler has recorded 20 TD passes and 11 picks in winning seven of his last eight starts in the series. However, Chicago has dropped nine of 12 at Minnesota after suffering a 23-20 overtime defeat Dec. 1, 2013, with Josh McCown under center.
 

The Vikings (6-9) have also encountered their fair share of drama after losing All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson to suspension back in Week 2. The two-time NFL rushing leader was indicted in September on a felony charge of injury to a child and is anything but certain to return next year.
 

However, there remains optimism around the team thanks in large part to Teddy Bridgewater's recent play. The 32nd overall pick in this year's draft has thrown two TD passes in four of the last five weeks, a stretch during which Minnesota has averaged 26.2 points to rank ninth in the NFL.
 

"It's pretty incredible to me what he's done, how he's handled it, the things he's gotten done and what he's really done is made everyone around him better and that's a quality that you're looking for,'' offensive coordinator Norv Turner said.

 Bridgewater completed 19 of 26 passes for 259 yards with two TDs and an interception in last Sunday's wild 37-35 loss at Miami. Minnesota was outscored 23-18 in the fourth quarter, including 9-0 over the final 1:11 after allowing the winning safety with 41 seconds to go.

"One of the worst defensive performances I've seen in a long time," said coach Mike Zimmer, whose team gave up a season-worst 493 yards of offense. "All of the things I've been trying to preach for 11 months, we didn't do."

Minnesota will need to be wary of Bears wideout Alshon Jeffery, who's hauled in seven touchdowns over the last six games. Jeffery has 23 receptions for 384 yards and three scores in his last two against the Vikings.

Matt Forte has compiled 326 total yards in those contests, but he hasn't scored against Minnesota since his 2008 rookie season. Forte is averaging 118.1 yards from scrimmage to rank fourth in the NFL.

Vikings running back Matt Asiata is tied for third in the league with nine rushing TDs after scoring three times in the last two weeks.

This marks Jared Allen's first return to Minnesota, where he spent the previous six years before signing with Chicago in March. Allen had five tackles and a sack against his former team last month, but his 5 1/2 sacks on the season are his fewest since recording a career-low 7 1/2 in 2006.

The Bears placed defensive end Willie Young on injured reserve with a torn Achilles suffered last week. Minnesota released little-used running back Ben Tate on Tuesday.

Long a Pro Bowl’er at guard, but Bears future at tackle? Not so fast.

By John Mullin

Chicago Bears Right Guard Kyle Long (L) and Running Back Matt Forte (R)

Kyle Long was selected to the Pro Bowl at guard for the second time in his two year career. At 6-6, 330 pounds, one assumption has been that his future lies at tackle. The idea was not well received by a veteran who sees the right guard every day in practice.

“Why would you move him to guard?” Jeremiah Ratliff said incredulously, shaking his head and running through some of the best guard’s he’s faced in his own four-time Pro Bowl career, as examples of what Long could become. “He’s definitely one of the best. He comes off the ball hard pretty much every single snap and he knows how to make adjustments. A lot of guys come in and you can beat them with something over and over and over again.

“He adjusts automatically, realizes what he’s done wrong, and self-corrects, almost auto-corrects.”

The prospect of Long eventually moving to tackle has been raised. But Bears offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer has consistently held that guard requires elite talent because it and center are at ground zero for the pass rush, where any breakdown puts a huge pass rusher immediately in the quarterback’s face.

The highest-paid offensive lineman in the NFL is Tampa Bay Buccaneer guard Carl Nicks ($12.5 million), although typically tackles go higher in the NFL draft than projected guards.

Kromer’s future with the Bears is not expected to extend past this year but he is definitive about where the strength of the offensive line needs to be, literally and figuratively.

“He has the athletic ability to play a lot of positions,” Kromer said. “It’s important, with everyone having such good defensive tackle pass rushers in the league that you have a guard like him to be able to match up with that person, because there’s a lot of times you get one-on-one inside as well.

“I don’t think enough people have an appreciation for that, and the pocket, the integrity of the pocket that you have to throw from, and allowing the quarterback to step up and allowing the quarterback to finish his throw, that’s why it’s so important for him to be inside and playing guard. But does he the athletic ability to do it? Yes. Would it take another learning period? Yes it would.”

Teammates have seen almost exponential improvement from when Long arrived as an inexperienced lineman with five college starts in addition to being unable to participate in offseason programs because of rules regarding rookies and their college graduating classes.

“Last year it was like he didn't know where to go at first or anything like that,” said running back Matt Forte. “[In] camp I was [thinking], ‘I don't know about this guy.’ But you know now I've got a lot of trust in him on the back side of plays and stuff that you know he's going to get a guy cut off or block a guy down field because you know he's always hustling too."

The NFL's unusual history with Christmas.

By Frank Schwab

The NFL has dominated Thanksgiving for nearly as long as the league has been operating. It doesn’t take the same approach to Christmas. 

There are very few things the NFL will change its plans for, but Christmas Day is one of them. In its 95^th season, the NFL has held just 17 games on Dec. 25. Since the NFL extended the regular season to late December and Dec. 25 falls on a Sunday, the NFL moves a bulk of the games to Saturday. That happened in 1994, 2005 and 2011.

Before that, the NFL would move playoff games to Monday if Christmas fell on a Sunday. There were wild-card playoff games on Monday, Dec. 26 in 1983 and 1988, and a pair of divisional playoff games on Monday night to avoid Christmas in 1977. In 1955 and 1960 the NFL moved its championship game to Monday because it was supposed to land on a Christmas Sunday. Imagine the 21st century NFL moving a Super Bowl to Monday, just to avoid playing on Christmas.

The NFL has a long history of not messing with Christmas, although starting in 1989 it has sprinkled games on that day, although it has never held a full slate of games on Dec. 25. The first time the NFL tried to impose on Christmas, it turned out so well, they didn’t do it again for 18 years.

The longest game in the history of the NFL happened on Christmas Day in 1971. In the first game of the day, the Dallas Cowboys beat the Minnesota Vikings 20-12. The second game wasn’t as non-descript. The Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins played in a double-overtime thriller. Ed Podolak of the Chiefs had 350 all-purpose yards, which is still an NFL postseason record. Dolphins kicker Garo Yepremian finished it with a 37-yard field goal, 22:40 into sudden-death overtime.

And the legacy of the game was twofold. It lives in NFL lore as the longest game ever, and one of the greatest games ever too. And it screwed up Christmas plans for so many families, the NFL avoided Christmas for a long time after.

“Everyone I knew in Miami told me they had to shut off their ovens to avoid ruining their Christmas turkeys,” former Dolphins linebacker Nick Buoniconti told the New York Times in 2012.

After Christmas dinners were delayed in 1971 until the Chiefs-Dolphins game ended, the NFL didn’t take that risk again until 1989. The Vikings and Bengals played in a “Monday Night Football” game that year on Christmas, just the second Christmas that featured an NFL game.

 

The NFL is often inflexible when it comes to changing their plans, because through sheer force of popularity it will generally beat whatever other option tries to challenge it. But even the NFL doesn’t try to go head-to-head with Christmas.

When it comes to parity, baseball's got it.

By Rich Dubroff

In the 1950’s NFL commissioner Bert Bell liked to remind people that “on any given Sunday, any team can beat any other team.” That bromide has stuck around because it’s true.

Football’s partisans always like to point to its sports parity, but these days, it’s baseball that has the parity.

In the last five years, in the narrowest postseason in any sport, 20 of 30 teams, two-thirds, have qualified, and that’s with one team, the San Francisco Giants winning the World Series three times.

No team has qualified for the postseason more than four straight years, the St. Louis Cardinals.

For years, fans moaned that the Yankees had an unfair advantage. They could spend their way into the postseason. No longer.

The Yankees have stayed home in October for the last two years while the Orioles, Royals, Rays and Indians made postseason trips.

It’s not only the postseason where parity reigns. Look at the regular season. This year, for the first time since 2007, no team won or lost 100 games. Twenty-eight of 30 teams had winning percentages of between .400 and .600. The two outliers, the Angels and Diamondbacks had winning percentages of .605 and .395.

Let’s contrast this with the NBA, which besides baseball plays the most regular season games, 82, and has the easiest standings to understand.

 As of this morning, 12 of the 30 NBA teams have winning percentages greater than .600 and 10 have winning percentages under .400. Twenty-two of 30 NBA teams have extraordinarily high or extraordinarily low winning percentages, and just two of 30 had that in baseball last year.

In the last three years, three longtime baseball alsorans, the Orioles, Pirates and Royals, ended long postseason droughts. Kansas City’s was the longest in professional sports. They hadn’t been in the postseason since 1985.

How about the NFL? Since the advent of the Super Bowl in 1967, 28 of the 32 teams have qualified for the big game. Only Cleveland, Detroit, Houston and Jacksonville haven’t.

During that time, only the Cubs, Mariners and Nationals haven’t played in a World Series. In some ways, the Cubs’ long absence from the World Series makes them more appealing to some people.

Baseball’s revenue sharing has helped parity. The top spenders are taxed heavily and money flows to the relative have-nots.

There are actually some downsides to parity. In the NBA, where a star such as LeBron James is so dominant, fans are attracted to him, and the team he plays for. There’s no go-to star in MLB.

In recent years, Derek Jeter may have been the face of baseball just as Cal Ripken was to many people before that, but Jeter never won a Most Valuable Player award.

The best players today, Miguel Cabrera, Giancarlo Stanton and Mike Trout could probably walk down the streets of many major cities without being disturbed for an autograph or photo.

In some ways, it may be better when baseball has a team that can be envied or despised. There isn’t a Belichick-led Patriots team or the Dallas Cowboys to love or hate.

Maybe Bryce Harper could grow into that role. Sorry, A-Rod doesn’t count. He’s just a sideshow.

NOTE: The Orioles’ acquisition of Ryan Lavarnway on Tuesday gave them five catchers on the 40-man roster. Since the end of the seasons, the Orioles have 10 new players on the 40-man, and more changes are coming.

The Orioles had been interested in Lavarnway, who has batted just .201 in 97 major league games for some time.

Lavarnway has been with four teams, on paper, anyway, this month. The Red Sox waived him to the Dodgers, who let him go to the Cubs, and four days later, he winds up with the Orioles.
Four teams in 18 days. Don’t expect a fifth one any time soon.

The Orioles want to be protected in case Matt Wieters isn’t available to start the season, and Lavarnway can join Caleb Joseph and Steve Clevenger in jockeying for a backup role, if Clevenger isn’t traded.

Lavarnway had 32 home runs in 2011 with Double-A Portland and Triple-A Pawtucket. Dan Duquette is hoping that Lavarnway can capture some of that power on the major league level.

With Lavarnway on the roster, Quintin Berry was released. Berry, who had substantial major league experience, chafed at his long assignment to Norfolk. He had hoped to be called up before September, and was used mainly as a pinchrunner when he joined the Orioles.

Berry has 25 straight successful stolen base attempts in the majors and five more in the postseason.

He wasn’t interested in coming to the Orioles camp as a minor leaguer because he feared he’d be sent back to Norfolk again.

Golf: I got a club for that; Something's missing from golf's HOF.

By Michael Collins

Ask Jack Nicklaus if he wins arguably the most historic major victory in the history of golf - the 1986 Masters - without his son Jackie on the bag, and the 18-time major champion needs only one word to answer. "No." (Photo/Getty Images)

The statue outside the front door of the World Golf Hall of Fame depicts one of golf's most iconic duos.

Francis Ouimet stands alongside his caddie, Eddie Lowery. The pair took down two of the game's greats in 1913 -- Harry Vardon and Ted Ray -- in one of America's first golf triumphs. The statue is called "America's First Golf Hero."

Only one of them, however, is enshrined in the building.

The hall is filled with the game's greatest players, both men and women. No caddies allowed, though.

Would Jack Nicklaus have won the 1986 Masters without son Jackie Jr. on the bag?

"No," said Nicklaus, arguably the greatest golfer of all time.

When asked about caddies being included in the hall of fame, his answer was blunt.

"No. I think the hall of fame is for golfers that played the game, played with distinction, and handled themselves well," he said.

Nicklaus attempted to phrase his answer just right.

"Same thing as they tried to get," he said, but caught himself, then finished. "I guess they probably have a teacher or two in there."

In Nicklaus' mind there should be only golfers in the World Golf Hall of Fame, which would eliminate 31 of the current 146 members. Sorry about that, Presidents Dwight D.

Eisenhower and George H.W. Bush, but we're going to have to ask you to pack up your lockers.

Maybe that's a bit harsh.

Speaking of harsh, Johnny Miller should have a no-brainer answer on whether caddies have a place in the WGHOF, right?

"I think they do actually," he said.

What?

Miller continued.

"Maybe it's a small little room," he said as the giggles started. "You could put a lot of the great caddies in there. Might be fun to see some of their quotes from the bags they had. I think actually ..."

Then he got serious.

"I think it wouldn't even have to be a small room," he said, speaking slowly and thoughtfully.

Miller went on to name a couple of the older caddies who worked for him and some of the greats, including one of Nicklaus' loopers.

"[There are] guys who've won a lot of tournaments besides the Steve Williamses of the world. So yeah, I think that's a good idea actually."

Surely Hall of Famer Lee Trevino, who got his introduction to the game carrying clubs, would see the need for including caddies in the hall.

"Well, I think [caddies] have a hall of fame," he said. "But you've gotta understand, they've already got some 'caddies' in the hall of fame."

In Trevino's mind, the people in the hall of fame that he doesn't believe belong there, are "caddies."

"People that don't qualify to get in there [are already in there]," Trevino said with a belly laugh. "And if you don't believe that, just look and see what the qualifying criteria is to get into the hall of fame, and then look at the names that are in the hall of fame, and there's a lot of them in there that don't [meet] that [criteria]."

Sounds like the hall of fame is kind of a joke to the Merry Mex. That's probably why he hasn't donated anything to his hall of fame locker.

"A lot of people in here started as caddies," said Tony Parker, historian at the World Golf Hall of Fame.

There is an impressive exhibit called "Honoring the Legacy: A Tribute to African-Americans in Golf."

Did you know the first American-born golf professional was an African-American? John Shippen was a 16-year-old caddie who finished fifth in the second U.S. Open played in 1896 at Shinnecock Hills. He earned $10.

Many of golf's famous and enduring names started as caddies, yet in the place pegged "a celebration of the game," there is no place for those who carry the bags. Even the oldest known piece of golf artwork includes caddies.

Comedian Bob Hope, writer Dan Jenkins, television director Frank Chirkinian and those two former presidents all loved and promoted golf. But the professional game did not necessarily require their help. And yet, a pro golfer is not permitted to play in a tournament without a caddie.

In the four major sports, a coach is not required in the rules of the game, but that position exerts enough influence to justify inclusion in each sport's hall of fame.

There are 22 NFL coaches, 23 MLB managers and 95 basketball coaches enshrined in their respective halls, and sure, some have played their sport professionally, but let's stick to the reason they are in their HOF. No one argues their inclusion, though their induction was not based on their exploits from the field of play.

While it's easy to joke about some of the shady characters who have walked the fairways of history carrying the golf bags of the men and women now enshrined, it should not take away or belittle the importance of their role.

Count hall of fame member Nick Price as a proponent of putting caddies in the hall.

"Absolutely, I think there are guys that have just excelled winning majors with [many] different guys," said Price, reminiscing about his old caddie, Jeff "Squeaky" Medlin, and Williams' on-course feats.

The WGHOF even includes a member who made a comment so racially insensitive, that by today's standards he would have to make a public apology and would lose his job.

That man got in the hall 26 years before Charlie Sifford, the only African-American enshrined, was voted in. The prejudice against the professional caddie is not blatant like the racist and sexist remarks made publicly by some. This is why it has been allowed to fester.

Change the name caddie to coach, manager, woman or African-American and that thing you snicker at so easily is no longer cute or funny. If that makes you uncomfortable, good.

What do you call it when a specific group of people is categorically excluded from something? Can we truly celebrate the game of golf at a place that excludes one of its most important historical elements?

The World Golf Hall of Fame remains an incomplete place without a caddie as a member.

NASCAR: Brad Keselowski Q&A.

Interviewed by Ryan McGee

Keselowski tangled with Jeff Gordon--who's somewhere in there--and his crew last month in Texas. (Matthew Bishop/AP Images)

The Mag: You won the championship in 2012, then missed the Chase completely in 2013. This year you came back and led the entire series in wins. So what changed?

KESELOWSKI: A lot. Ford did things with the cars that helped tremendously. At Team Penske, we did a lot to improve. Our pit stops were much better. And I was much more aggressive behind the wheel.

That aggressiveness resulted in the six wins, but it also resulted in a lot of anger from your competitors.

There's a difference between being aggressive and being dangerous. Or being reckless. Or being careless. Being aggressive is making the move that is hopefully going to win the race. Being dangerous is making the move that puts people at risk. Being reckless is making a move without considering the consequences. And being careless is making the aggressive move when it doesn't matter. That's not what I do.

During the Chase, you were at the center of a garage fight at Charlotte (first with Denny Hamlin, then Matt Kenseth) and a fight on Pit Road at Texas with Jeff Gordon and his crew. That's a lot of anger focused on you. Did it ever get to you?

No. Not really. It certainly wasn't any fun. I did turn off some media outlets. You have to keep social media at arm's length a little. But honestly, I was too focused on what was next.

The new Chase seemed to lead to more aggressiveness. Did it feel that way on the racetrack?

It absolutely did. And yes, the new format was a big reason for that. A win could do everything. It could get you into the Chase, into the next round. A win is how Kevin Harvick won the championship. If you're a race fan, you have to like that. Watching guys ride around and collect points or just being happy settling for third with two laps 
to go -- that's over.

A lot of your critics say you don't care about the other racers.

I have so much respect for my competitors. But I will never put my feelings for other racers above my feelings for my team. My job is to win races. I honestly cannot understand why a race car driver would ever put his feelings for another driver ahead of his team.

Have you ever reached out to Jeff Gordon or had a chat with him about what happened at Texas?

I tried to talk to him about it the next weekend in Phoenix, but honestly he wasn't very responsive. My side of what happened is out there and so is his. Maybe one day we'll talk through it. But I don't spend a lot of time worried about what's happened in the past. I'm focused on what's next.

Holiday fixtures favor Man City over Chelsea in Premier League title race.

By Shahan Ahmed

Entering the festive flurry of fixtures, Chelsea and Manchester City are only separated by three points, but that likely will not be the case after Jan. 1, 2015.

For Chelsea, Monday's 2-0 victory over Stoke City marked the start of the most grueling stretch of the season as the Blues will play four matches over 11 days. With one win already in the Christmas bag, Chelsea face a trio of tests starting with West Ham United on Boxing Day.

Nearly halfway through the 2014-15 season, Sam Allardyce's West Ham has been glued to the Premier League's top four positions. The Hammers are unbeaten in their last five matches, and the most famous ponytail in the Premier League, Andy Carroll, is back in the starting lineup. The towering 25-year-old forward has three goals in his last three matches – all of those tallies came at Upton Park. Friday's game with Chelsea is at Stamford Bridge.

Back when Allardyce managed Blackburn Rovers in 2010, the tactically astute manager sent out a "B" team against Manchester United at Old Trafford in an attempt to rotate his squad in a match he did not expect to win. Allardyce was surprisingly sacked following a famous 7-1 defeat, but even a 7-1 loss to Chelsea would not threaten Allardyce's post at West Ham. With the larger goal in mind, Big Sam may be tempted to accept defeat against the Blues and save his first-choice players for home games against Arsenal on Sunday and West Brom on New Year's Day.

If West Ham does send a full-strength squad, the Hammers offer only one of the potential banana skins laid out for Chelsea in the upcoming set of games.

After West Ham, the Blues play only two days later against Southampton at St. Mary's Stadium. Currently in fifth, the Saints are only two points behind West Ham after losing four of their last five Premier League fixtures. However, a 3-0 victory over Everton on Saturday reenergized Southampton's Champions League charge.

At Saint Mary's, manager Ronald Koeman and Southampton have recorded six of their nine Premier League victories this season with a goal differential of plus-15. Only Chelsea (+17) has a better goal differential at home than Southampton, so Chelsea's journey Southwest promises to pack a punch.

To commemorate 2015, Chelsea will travel to White Hart Lane on New Year's Day in another testing affair.

Mauricio Pochettino and Tottenham Hotspur have won three matches on the bounce, and Spurs are level on points with Arsenal for sixth place. Regardless of form, Tottenham and Chelsea make for a proper London derby, but Spurs are unbeaten in their last five home games. That would suggest Chelsea will have a tough time of it in North London.

Conceivably, the Blues could face a fourth-place team thrice in seven days.

For Chelsea to collect nine points from the upcoming fixture list would be some achievement, especially considering manager Jose Mourinho has rarely rotated his squad this season. Likely, Mourinho will look to Didier Drogba to supplant Diego Costa, and Felipe Luis will come in for Cesar Azpilicueta. Oscar sat on the substitutes' bench against Stoke City, so the Brazilian should feature in the upcoming stretch of games. However, Cesc Fabregas, Eden Hazard, Nemanja Matic, John Terry, Gary Cahill and the majority of first-choice squad expect to start all of the crucial matches.

What makes Chelsea's schedule even more difficult is the relative cakewalk Manchester City faces over the same stretch of games. On Boxing Day, the Citizens are away to West Bromwich Albion, which is only two points above the drop zone. Following that, City plays host to Burnley, a side in the relegation zone, on the weekend and another team that has been at home in the bottom half of the table – Sunderland on New Year's Day.

Even with an injury crisis at striker, Manchester City would expect to win at The Hawthorns, where West Brom has lost four times in nine matches this term, and collect six more points at the Etihad Stadium. Man City has six wins in eight home matches this season.

Chelsea's fixtures promise a fantastic festive period in the Premier League, and the title race should be neck-and-neck to start 2015. In a perfect world, Chelsea and Manchester City will be level on points when the Citizens travel to Stamford Bridge on January 31 for a sumptuous affair with dramatic title implications.

**********

 

Here are other notable festive fixture lists:

Arsenal: Queens Park Rangers (Boxing Day), at West Ham United (Dec. 28), at Southampton (Jan. 1)

Liverpool: at Burnley (Boxing Day), Swansea (Dec. 29), Leicester (Jan. 1)

Manchester United: Newcastle (Boxing Day), at Tottenham (Dec. 28), at Stoke (Jan. 1)

Tottenham: at Leicester (Boxing Day), Manchester United (Dec 28), Chelsea (Jan. 1)

 

Gary Patterson named AP Coach of the Year.

By Tom Fornelli

Gary Patterson won his second AP Coach of the Year award. (USATSI)

Gary Patterson's trophy case is filling up rather quickly this season.

It was announced on Wednesday that the TCU coach had been named the Associated Press Coach of the Year after leading TCU to an 11-1 record this season, a year after the Horned Frogs went 4-8. It's just the latest Coach of the Year award Patterson has received this season, as he won both of the Big 12's awards (from both the coaches and media) as well as the Walter Camp and Eddie Robinson versions.

Patterson received 27 of the 54 votes in the AP award, beating out Ohio State's Urban Meyer, Mississippi State's Dan Mullen, Alabama's Nick Saban and Arizona's Rich Rodriguez. Florida State's Jimbo Fisher, Baylor's Art Briles and Memphis' Justin Fuente each received a vote as well.

It's the second time Patterson has won the AP Coach of the Year, as he first captured it in 2009. He joins Saban as the only coach to win the award twice.

Freshman-laden UNLV grows up in time to upset Arizona.

By Jeff Eisenberg

UNLV guard Rashad Vaughn celebrates a 71-67 victory over Arizona after an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2014, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison)

As a result of its newcomer-laden roster and ultra-challenging early schedule, UNLV's season has always felt like a race against the clock.

A youthful but talented Rebels team replacing all five starters from last season had to jell quickly enough to avoid being buried by a non-league slate featuring a trio of top 15 opponents, three more power-conference foes and several tricky mid-majors.

Progress had been slower than UNLV would have liked until Tuesday night when the Rebels unleashed by far their best performance of the season on unsuspecting third-ranked Arizona. Sophomore Christian Wood and freshman Rashad Vaughn combined for 45 points to rally host UNLV to a 71-67 victory in a game the Rebels trailed by as many as eight points late in the first half.

Toppling Arizona improved UNLV to 8-3 so far this season and gave the Rebels the profile-enhancing signature win they had been lacking.

UNLV had previously fallen by 29 against Stanford and by 22 at Arizona State before showing some signs of life defensively Friday night against 14th-ranked Utah in a 59-46 loss. Two chances for marquee non-league victories remained — Tuesday's game and a Jan. 4 visit to Kansas — and it was imperative for the Rebels to find a way to win at least one because the Mountain West doesn't offer many opportunities for season-changing wins this year.

What powered UNLV in the second half oddly enough was actually abandoning its motion offense and attacking Arizona's vaunted defense with isolation plays designed to take advantage of specific matchups. Wood in particular thrived as a result of that change, scoring 16 of his 24 points in the second half, many by attacking Brandon Ashley off the dribble from the elbow.

Shooting 44.1 percent as a team against Arizona was very impressive, but UNLV also supplemented that by beating the Wildcats on the offensive glass. Arizona uncharacteristically surrendered 14 offensive rebounds, five by Wood and four by Goodluck Okonoboh.

In spite of foul trouble for Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Kaleb Tarczewski, unusually shoddy rebounding and defense, errant free throw shooting and a lack of bench points, Arizona still had a chance to steal the game down the stretch the way it did against Gonzaga and San Diego State earlier this season. Two Ashley free throws and a T.J. McConnell put-back propelled the Wildcats within one with 58 seconds to go, but the lack of a late-game closer to replace Nick Johnson short-circuited the comeback..

Highly regarded freshman Stanley Johnson blew a transition layup in traffic that would have given Arizona the lead. Ashley missed a potential go-ahead pick-and-pop 3-pointer that rimmed out. And Johnson squandered the Wildcats' final chance down two in the closing seconds when he was stripped of the ball as he tried to weave through traffic in transition.

Arizona's loss could serve it well in the long run because the Wildcats already own a handful of big early wins and this will allow Sean Miller to refocus his team entering Pac-12 play. The Wildcats are still a heavy favorite to win the league but more challengers than expected are emerging with Washington still unbeaten, Utah solidifying itself as a top 20 team and both Cal and Stanford showing flashes of potential.

As for UNLV, this has the potential to be a monumental win if the Rebels can build on it.

Freshman-laden UNLV beat the clock and came together in time to win one of its big non-league games. Now the Rebels must avoid the peaks and valleys so many young teams endure and continue their upward trajectory.

D-I's youngest coach also has inexperienced team.

By TERESA M. WALKER (AP Sports Writer)

Dana Ford and his Tennessee State Tigers are learning on the job together.

Ford is the youngest coach in Division I men's basketball after being hired in April at the age of 29, and he has one of the least experienced teams with only one senior from last season and 12 newcomers.

''It's a huge mystery,'' Ford said. ''Being the youngest coach, I'm learning on the job and having the (least) experienced team, they're learning on the job so we're all kind of just learning together.
 

''Our attitudes have been great, the guys have really gotten better ... I've probably gotten a little bit better as a coach too coming up with different motivation methods and having a better understanding of who I have on my team.''
 

Ford, now 30, already had a challenge taking over a program that went 5-25 last season.
 

Tennessee State was the first historically black college to win a national title, winning three NAIA championships between 1957 and 1959. The school has sent the likes of Robert Covington, Truck Robinson, Anthony Mason and Carlos Rogers to the NBA.
 

But the Tigers have had more coaches than winning seasons the past two decades.
 

Athletic director Teresa Phillips took a chance in bringing back Ford as head coach after he was an assistant with the Tigers under John Cooper between 2009 and 2011.
 

Ford, who played at Illinois State, got his start in coaching as a graduate assistant for Gregg Marshall at Winthrop and then Wichita State. He was an assistant coach at Chipola Junior College in Florida before joining Cooper at Tennessee State. Ford rejoined Marshall at Wichita State for 2011-12 before going to Illinois State for the past two seasons.
 

''Obviously having some built-in relationships helped me,'' Ford said. ''When I was here the first time, we had a tremendous amount of success.''
 

Knowing his way around certainly helped as Ford went from being introduced April 21 to putting together essentially a brand new team in his first eight weeks.
 

''You can't just be on there saying, 'I'm a new coach at a new school.' You've got to be a little more impressive than that,'' Ford said. ''I was able to sell what we had done recently. It was still a couple years removed, but it was close enough people could relate. I used that to my advantage and having been here was an added bonus.''
 

Ford made a quick enough impression to be voted one of Nashville's most beautiful people by a local magazine this summer.
 

Only senior Jay Harris has any real Division I experience. Ford also signed six freshmen, four junior college players and two Division I transfers. Of the newcomers, only Christian Crockett had any Division I experience after playing about a minute in two games at Mount Saint Mary's.
 

That has left all of the Tigers figuring out how to play with each other and for their new coach. The Tigers are 2-10 and have lost nine straight heading into Saturday's game at Tennessee, though five of the losses are by single digits. Injuries and fouls forced Ford to finish the last 1:37 of an 84-67 loss at Southern Illinois in November with only four players.
 

''I tried to warn the official, 'Hey, I have no more eligible players if a guy fouls out,' and he thought I was being a smart aleck,'' Ford said. ''I was just basically telling him I have no more players. So he gave me a warning, and the next possession they called a foul. I said, 'That's it. I don't have any.' The look on his face said it all.''
 

Ford has been so busy since being hired he even forgot to take a house key with him on a November trip to Jersey City, New Jersey, for a couple games. Luckily, his wife left a spare waiting for him with a neighbor.
 

''I couldn't ask for anything better,'' Ford said.

10 Bold Sports Predictions For 2015. What do you think? What's your take?

CBSChicago.com

As 2014 comes to a close, CBS Local Sports is looking forward to 2015 – where there’s hope for many sports possibilities and surprises in the new year.

Will Tiger Woods win a major? Will Adrian Peterson return to top form in the NFL?
See what bold predictions our sports experts made for 2015.

John Jastremski, “JJ After Dark” on WFAN and CBS Sports Radio in New York. (1-4)

2015 Predictions:

• Tom Brady will win his 4th Superbowl & 3rd Super Bowl MVP over the defending SB Champion Seahawks.
• The Kentucky Wildcats will go undefeated throughout the NCAA Tournament.
• In what may be the most loaded Western Conference in NBA history, the San Antonio Spurs will win back-to-back championships for the first time in franchise history & Tim Duncan will walk into the sunset.
• The New York Mets who have not had a winning season since 2008 will make the postseason for the firt time since 2006.

Dan Roche, WBZ-TV Sports in Boston. (5)

2015 Prediction:

• The Boston Red Sox will find their ace to lead the pitching staff sometime in 2015.

Right now their rotation shapes up as Clay Buchholz, Joe Kelly, Wade Miley, Rick Porcello, and Justin Masterson. Good, solid, capable starters, but no true ace. Where will this ace come from? There are lots of possibilities. One of those five could emerge as an ace, but Ben Cherington could also pull the trigger on a trade. Philadelphia’s Cole Hamels or Washington’s Jordan Zimmerman are possibilities on that front, but Ben is nervous about giving up his top prospects. The ace could come via the free agent market (Max Scherzer or James Shields) although it doesn’t seem like the Sox want to shell out a long-term, big-money deal to someone like Scherzer after not signing Jon Lester. Maybe the more likely route is that the Sox hope one emerges from within their system, like a Henry Owens, Matt Barnes, Eduardo Rodriguez (a guy the Sox rave about), Anthony Ranaudo or Brian Johnson.

Cherington said during the Winter Meetings that if you look at the aces that led their teams to World Series titles, they were all in their late 20’s. Madison Bumgarner, Lester, Josh Beckett, Hamels, and John Lackey are all examples of this. Ben thinks/hopes/believes that one of his prospects can grow into that role.

A lot depends on how the Sox begin the 2015 season too. If they haven’t acquired an ace before the season, and if the club gets off to a great start, an ace may be acquired at the trade deadline. If not, it could come later. But, I can tell you… it WILL happen.

Dan Durkin, CBSChicago.com Bears reporter and contributor to the Spiegel and Mannelly Show and the Boers and Bernstein Show in Chicago. (6)

2015 Prediction:

• Adrian Peterson will win the 2015 NFL rushing crown. 

 
After playing just one game in 2014 because of legal troubles and a suspension that stemmed from child abuse charges, Peterson has gone so far as to say he’s considering retirement and wants to make an attempt at qualifying for the 2016 Olympics in the 200-meter and 400-meter dashes.

Neither of those developments will come to fruition. Instead, Peterson — who turns 30 in March — will return to top form for one more year. Fresh after basically having a full season off, he’ll win the 2015 rushing crown in a new setting. Which team will he play for? Who knows, but he still has something left in the tank.

Chris Fillar, producer on Baskin & Phelps on 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland. (7)

2015 Prediction:

• The first three picks of the 2015 NFL Draft will be quarterbacks. 

The demand for signal callers will be high for many teams limping to the finish line to end 2014, and QB is a position that teams are getting desperate to figure out. Marcus Mariotta and Jameis Winston are the obvious top talents, but the need for a solution will cause another organization to overdraft a third arm at the expense of other picks more worthy of a top-3 pick. If the Raiders are sitting in one of those top spots, look for a trade out and WR Amari Cooper wearing Black and Silver come the beginning of May.

Jeff Phelps, co-host on Baskin & Phelps on 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland. (8)

2015 Prediction:

• Tiger Woods will win a Major in 2015. 

 
When Tiger won his 14th Major, the U.S. Open in 2008 at the age of 32, did anyone think he’d still have 14 Majors at the age of 39 (he turns 39 in late December)? As the television commercial says, “Life comes at you fast, especially when you cheat on your wife with multiple losers, run over fire hydrants, and change your swing coach 37 times,” or something like that. Tiger has gone from the dominant force in sports, to a sympathetic figure, one who’s not really deserving of anyone’s sympathy. That said, majors have been won by players age 40+ a surprising 33 times. Tiger still has plenty of time left to track down Jack Nicklaus’ all-time record for Major Championships. He won’t get it, but he will get one in 2015. With it will come the love (not talking about the previously mentioned losers here) and adulation that he’s always seemed to disdain, but I’m guessing, has secretly missed and messed with his psyche more than anyone, including Tiger, could have ever imagined.

Dustin Fox, co-host on Bull & Fox on 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland. (9)

2015 Prediction:

• The Cleveland Browns will draft another QB in the 1st round. 

The Browns aren’t completely sold on their current QB situation and will look to the draft one more time to attempt to remedy that issue. This year, Brian Hoyer started out strong, but lost the confidence of the coaches and front office and will probably be gone next year. Johnny Football didn’t “wreck the league” with his dismal inaugural performance and the team isn’t sure if he ever will.

Marc Hochman, co-host of the Marc Hochman Show on 560 WQAM Sports Radio in Miami. (10)

2015 Prediction:

• Dan Gilbert will sell the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2015. 

LeBron James and Dan Gilbert with have a public falling out over the play of the Cavaliers, and the end result will be Gilbert putting the team up for sale.

 Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Take: 2015 is going to be very interesting. All of the above predictions are possible but some of them are very improbable. The city of Chicago is longing for a professional championship and the teams are going all in to see who will be the first to win one. The Bears, however, will have to retool and start all over but as we all know, "Hope springs eternal". Our 2015 prediction is that one of Chicago's professional teams will win a championship. That's right, you heard it here first!!! Now that you know how we feel and what we think, what's your prediction, what's your take? We'd love to know, please put your thoughts in the comment section at the bottom of this blog.

On This Date in Sports History: Today is Friday, December 26, 2014.

Memoriesofhistory.com

1908 - Texan boxer "Galveston Jack" Johnson knocked out Tommy Burns in Sydney, Australia, to become the first black boxer to win the world heavyweight title.

1917 - Harry Cameron (Toronto Maple Leafs) became the first defenseman to score four goals in a game.

1927 - The East-West Shrine football game featured numbers on both the front and back of players’ jerseys.

1928 - Johnny Weissmuller announced his retirement from amateur swimming. At the time he held all world swimming records for free-style swimming from 50 to 880 yards.

1941 - Booby Riggs won his first pro tennis game.

1968 - Ted Green (Boston Bruins) set a National League Hockey (NHL) penalty record when he recorded 3 minors, 2 majors and 2 game misconducts.

1974 - The Washington Capitals achieved their first NHL sellout.

1986 - Doug Jarvis, age 31, set a National Hockey League (NHL) record as he skated in his 916th consecutive game. Jarvis eventually set the individual record for most consecutive games played with 964.

2001 - "Ali," starring Will Smith, opened in the U.S.

2001 - Patrick Roy (Colorado Avalanche) became the first goalie to win 500 NHL games.

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