CS&T/AllsportsAmerica Monday Sports News Update, 12/08/2014.

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“Four short words sum up what has lifted most successful individuals above the crowd: a little bit more. They did all that was expected of them and a little bit more.” ~ A. Lou Vickery, Author and Business Writer

How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? 'A different animal': Brandon Saad hitting his stride.  

By Tracey Myers

Brandon Saad is off to a hot start with the Blackhawks with goals in his team's first two games. (Photo; Bill Smith/Getty Images)

The smile spread over Joel Quenneville’s face, the satisfied look of a coach who knew Brandon Saad had this type of game in him the whole time.

“When he plays like that, he’s at the elite level,” said Quenneville after Saad recorded a goal and an assist in the Blackhawks’ 3-1 victory over the Nashville. “The consistency is what we’re looking for but if he played like that every night, he’d be a different animal.”

To borrow the oft-used description Saad was a beast on Saturday when the Blackhawks won their sixth in a row and moved atop the Central Division. He had power, he drove the net and he annoyed the Predators just enough. It was a good night for he and fellow top liners Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa. It was a better night for Saad, who’s been looking for that consistent power-forward game.

“Creating space, using my speed, playing with guys like Toews and Hoss: they’re going to make plays and get the puck to the net. The biggest thing is getting there first,” Saad said. “I want to get better every game and when the production is there, it definitely helps out the confidence. I’m feeling pretty good right now.”

Saad scored his second goal in as many nights on Saturday and is currently riding a four-game point streak. Saad said he tried not to press when things weren’t going his way and he talked with some of the Blackhawks’ veterans about finding that consistency again.

Hossa, to whom Saad is compared to sometimes, said Saad doesn’t need much advice.

“I mean, you can see [from] last year in the playoffs, he’s so strong on the skates, a powerful skater,” said Hossa, who scored off a Saad pass in the second period on Saturday. “He understands the game well and is improving every game. He’s one of the power forwards with skill and great release on the shot. He’s just going to be a dominating player in this league.”

Even when Saad and his fellow top liners weren’t scoring, Quenneville liked what the group was doing. Obviously he was that much happier with them last night. But with Patrick Sharp returning from a right-knee injury, there’s the inevitable question: where do you put him? Do you take Saad, who’s coming off one of his best games of the season, off the top line and put Sharp there? Or do you leave that top line alone and put Sharp on the third line?
 
Saad knows he could move down the lines and said if that’s the case, so be it.

“You can’t replace Sharp. When he comes back he’ll do a great job,” Saad said. “Every line’s good on this team, really. Whoever I’m with, I look forward to playing well.”

Saad tapped into that “elite” game on Saturday night. His teammates and coach knew he had it in him.

“Certainly he has that ability, and a lot of nights he’s fine,” Quenneville said. “But tonight he took it to that next level where you can talk about the elite power forwards.”

Blackhawks climb atop the Central Division with win over Nashville. (Saturday night's game, 12/06/2014).

By Tracey Myers

The Blackhawks' Marian Hossa celebrates his first goal of the game with teammates against the Predators. (Photo/John Russell / NHLI)

Brandon Saad talked earlier this week about the Blackhawks’ top line. He, Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa were doing plenty right, especially defensively.

Scoring, however, wasn’t there as much. Despite that, Saad wasn’t too worried.

“We need to relax and stick to it,” he said at the time. “With the talent we have on our line it’s only a matter of time. The pucks will go in.”

On Saturday, they did.

Saad scored his second goal in as many games and Hossa scored twice as the Blackhawks beat the Nashville Predators 3-1 at Bridgestone Arena. The Blackhawks have now won six in a row and nine of their last 10. The team that was up and down entering its annual Circus Trip has been all up lately. With Saturday’s victory, the Blackhawks are now atop the Central Division (third in the Western Conference).

Scott Darling stopped 32 of 33 shots as the Blackhawks’ backup goaltenders continued to win with Corey Crawford sidelined. But it was the Blackhawks’ top three setting the pace on Saturday, shutting down the Predators on one end and scoring at their end.

“That line had a great game,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “Saader was special tonight. That line was a force tonight. It seems like every night someone may jump forward offensively. That line consistently plays the right way but tonight they had a little more.”

That includes Saad, who now has a four-game point streak. On Friday he was scoring the Blackhawks’ final goal, a game-winner with 27 seconds remaining in regulation. On Saturday he got it started, rattling a wrister past Pekka Rinne for a 1-0 lead.

“Obviously that one last night felt good but coming in tonight on a back-to-back and doing a solid job as a team, as a line, it felt good,” Saad said. “It was a big game, a big test. That’s a character win for us.”

Hossa broke out of his goal slump in the second period, taking a pass from Saad and, with Rinne out of position, scoring into a relatively open net. Hossa scored an empty-net goal with 1:11 remaining to seal it. It was Hossa’s first goals since Nov. 22 against the Edmonton Oilers, but he said he wasn’t sweating the drought.

“To tell you the truth I don’t think about it anymore,” Hossa said. “Obviously Saader made an unbelievable play, Johnny drove the net and the defender didn’t see me behind his back. I hit a wide-open net. I felt great relief. That gives you a little extra jump, energy. Our line felt good tonight. We had a lot of chances.”

Darling did the rest. Colin Wilson beat him with his sixth of the year just 34 seconds into the third period but Darling wouldn’t allow any more. It was another night in which the big goalie wasn’t showing nerves.

“That may be deceiving,” Darling said with a smile. “It was pretty nerve-wracking to begin with but every game it gets a little better. I’m happy to do whatever I can.”

The Blackhawks are getting a lot of things from a lot of players right now. The next time the Blackhawks play, Patrick Sharp will probably be back in the lineup. Where he fits remains to be seen. The Blackhawks are rolling right now, with four lines and with victories. They’d like to keep it that way.

“We put ourselves in the spot we were hoping to be after 20 games, but we shouldn’t be satisfied,” Quenneville said. “We should be looking to improve off these levels, which would make us a good team.”

Blackhawks rally as Saad's game winner takes down Canadiens 4-3. (Friday night's game, 12/05/2014).

By Tracey Myers

Brandon Saad #20 of the Chicago Blackhawks celebrates with Jonathan Toews #19 and Duncan Keith #2 after scoring the game winning goal against the Montreal Canadiens during the NHL game at the United Center on December 5, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Bill Smith/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Blackhawks weren’t fussing much during the second intermission.

Sure, they were down 3-2 against the Montreal Canadiens, who were better in the second period than the Blackhawks. But it was still just a one-goal deficit heading into the third period, where the Blackhawks have been great this season.

They continued that trend on Friday night.

Jonathan Toews scored a power-play goal early in the third and Brandon Saad got the game-winner with 27 seconds remaining in regulation as the Blackhawks came back to beat the Canadiens 4-3 at the United Center. The Blackhawks have now won five in a row and eight of their last nine.

Antti Raanta stopped 38 of 41 shots, including a few breakaways, for his second victory in as many games. Michal Rozsival scored his first goal of the season and Ben Smith added his second in the first period. Toews added an assist.

The Blackhawks struggled through a second period in which they were sloppy with the puck and unable to take advantage of an early 5-on-3. The Canadiens capitalized, as P.K. Subban’s power-play goal gave them a 3-2 edge entering the third.

But the Blackhawks weren’t sweating it. When you’re outscoring teams 31-12 in those third periods, you usually don’t.

“You don’t really want it to go that way when you have to come up with big third periods, but we’re finding ways to win games. You have to be happy about that,” Smith said. “It’s definitely something to work on [with] the second, finding ways to stay consistent in our game we got away from getting pucks deep and cycling pucks. But it’s always good to come back in the third, though.”

That, they did. Toews started the comeback 4:18 into the third period, nudging Brad Richards’ power-play shot over the goal line to tie it 3-3. It stayed that way until the waning seconds when a rebound went right to Saad, who scored his fifth of the season.

Raanta did the rest. The backup goaltender, pressed into action when Corey Crawford suffered a left-leg injury that will sideline him 2-3 weeks, was strong once again. He stopped all 16 shots the Canadiens threw at him in the third to preserve the victory.

“He had a real strong third when the game was on the line. They had scrambles at the net, some loose pucks and he made some key and timely saves as well,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “He was getting us to overtime, it looked like. That certainly that was a huge goal by Saader.”

Raanta has faced 41 shots in each of his last two games. Being busy doesn’t seem to bother him.

“It’s good to have a little bit of action there,” Raanta said. “You just get yourself in the game and a little bit of pushing. You just have to battle and find the puck, that’s the main thing.”

No one seems to have a definitive reason why the Blackhawks are so good in third periods this season. They just are. And they picked a good time to have another good third period on Friday night.

“We always say our third period’s going to be our best. We’ve been so far, so good in that area,” Smith said. “We’d like to play the full 60 minutes; that’s ideal. But finding ways to win games in the third isn’t so bad.”

Just Another Chicago Bulls Session… Lack of 'trust' hurting Bulls' chemistry following latest loss.

By Mark Strotman

The sky isn't falling in Chicago, and the Bulls' ceiling this season isn't any lower because of a 10-point loss to the best team in the NBA.

But Saturday's 112-102 loss to the Golden State Warriors also exploited the Bulls as a team with plenty to improve upon on both sides of the ball and from a communication standpoint if it's to be taken serious as a true title contender.

Case in point, many of the players who spoke after the loss cued in on their defensive letdown: the Bulls allowed the Warriors to make 12 of 30 3-point attempts, only forced 11 turnovers which turned into 17 points and allowed 100+ points for the sixth time in the last nine games. Albeit against a Warriors team averaging better 107 points per game, the Bulls defense continued to have ill-timed lapses, leading to far too many open looks for an outside shooting group as good as any in the NBA.

But a few rooms over in the Bulls' media room, Tom Thibodeau's focus was on his team's offensive struggles. The Bulls committed a season-high 22 turnovers which became 27 points for the Warriors, they made just seven 3-pointers on 21 tries and didn't have enough firepower to match Steve Kerr's group late in the fourth quarter, when a 15-6 Warriors run put the game away.

And though much of the talk during some of the Bulls' struggles have been chalked up to early-season kinks having to be worked out, nearly a quarter of the way into the season forward Taj Gibson said the issues plaguing the team right now go deeper than X's and O's and must be taken care of quickly.

"We’re just not trusting [each other] right now. Not having each other’s back on certain things, and it’s a small thing that you can fix, but we’ve got to get it right away," he said after the game, "because these games are going to keep coming and nobody’s going to feel sorry for you."

The Bulls have been as snake-bitten by injury as any team in the league, as seven different players have missed at least two games for a total of 26 missed games. But Saturday night the Bulls were essentially at full-strength, with Joakim Noah and Gibson both playing after being labeled as questionable with respective ankle sprains. Only sparingly used rookie Doug McDermott (knee) was out, giving the Bulls their starting five and sixth man available for just the third time in 20 games.

And that lack of chemistry showed. The starting five committed six turnovers in the game's first nine minutes, Gibson, who admitted was "shaking off rust," committed five turnovers himself and countless defensive lapses allowed stretch-forward Draymond Green open looks, and the forward finished with a career-high 31 points and seven 3-pointers. Even the reliable defense the Bulls have pinned their hat on under Thibodeau was non-existent down the stretch, as the Warriors went 7-for-11 during a critical fourth-quarter run that stretched their lead from two to 13 points. On a night when Stephen Curry was *limited* to 19 points on 5 of 14 shooting, the Warriors still scored 112 points.

Derrick Rose, who played in his seventh straight game, didn't score after the first quarter and made just two of 11 shots. A bench unit that had began the year in stellar fashion committed more turnovers (10) than they made field goals (7). Pau Gasol once again looked the part (22 points, 20 rebounds) and worked well offensively with Joakim Noah (7-8 FG, 16 points, five rebounds) when the Bulls weren't handing it over to the Warriors, but Gibson's slow return and a quiet night from Mike Dunleavy (6 points in 26 minutes) was a recipe for disaster against a red-hot Warriors group.

The Bulls aren't a team to make excuses, but even a frustrated Thibodeau admitted after the game that the team is looking for more continuity, and that healthy bodies on the court together may be the only way to accomplish that.

"We’ve got to get guys working together more. They have to practice together, they have to practice hard together, so they can get used to what they’re going to have to go in a game against a quality opponent," he said. "And that’s where we’re going to really have to grow."

The chemistry concerns, the string of home losses - they're now 2-5 at the United Center - and the struggles from key players aside, the Bulls still hold a 12-8 record, are tied with the Cleveland Cavaliers atop the Central Division and, barring unforeseen injuries popping up overnight, are as healthy as they've been.

There's plenty of teams, especially in the Eastern Conference, who would trade situations with the Bulls 10 out of 10 times. But as Gibson pointed out after the game, the Bulls understand this season that "good enough" isn't good enough. Through 20 games they have two signature wins, at Toronto and at the Clippers, while they've dropped four games against fellow contenders in Cleveland, Portland, Dallas and Golden State.

"If we want to do what we said we want to do, and that’s go ahead and play for a championship, we can’t let these things happen," Gibson said. "We’re giving away too many games, being lackadaisical on defense, not talking, not trusting each other, including myself. We’ve just got to do better and we've got to put more pressure on ourselves."

Sloppy Bulls fall to 2-5 at home after loss to Warriors 112-102. (Saturday night's game, 12/06/2014).

By Mark Strotman

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) looks to pass against Chicago Bulls center/forward Joakim Noah (13), guard Derrick Rose (1) and guard/forward Mike Dunleavy (34) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2014. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Known in the past for their offensive exploits, the Golden State Warriors entered their contest against the Bulls as the NBA’s most efficient defensive group under first-year head coach Steve Kerr.

The Bulls found out why in a hurry.

Tom Thibodeau’s group turned the ball over 23 times and, despite a third-quarter surge, couldn’t keep pace with the Warriors in a 112-102 loss Saturday night at the United Center, dropping them to 2-5 at home this season.

The Bulls were a disaster all around in the first half, as eight different players committed turnovers that led to 21 points for the Warriors, who shot 46 percent before halftime. Those turnovers also led 27 fast-break points for the visitors, who entered the game averaging a league-best 18.9 transition points per game.

Chicago’s giveaways were magnified in that the Warriors struggled mightily to begin the game, missing their first seven shots. But the NBA’s third highest scoring team wasn’t held down for long, responding with a 20-4 run behind the hot shooting of forward Draymond Green, who proved to be a matchup nightmare all long for the Bulls’ bigs.

But the Bulls had an answer after falling behind early, as the inside work of Pau Gasol (22 points, 20 rebounds) and Taj Gibson (12 points, seven rebounds) spurred a 25-8 run between the end of the first and beginning of the second quarter, giving the Bulls a six-point advantage. It was Gibson's first action in six games after spraining his ankle on Nov. 21 in Portland.

That’s when the turnovers began piling up and when the Warriors began heating up. After taking that 35-29 lead, the Bulls turned the ball over four times in a three-minute span which turned into a 12-point swing, giving the Warriors a lead behind more outside shooting and inside work from reserve forward Marreese Speights. The Warriors continued to capitalize, making their final five shots of the first half to take a 61-49 lead while the Bulls limped into the half lucky to be down by just 12 points.

But the Bulls were a different group out of halftime, scoring 19 of the first 25 points out of the break and playing turnover-free basketball for nearly nine minutes into the third quarter. Jimmy Butler, who had a team-high 24 points, scored eight points in the stretch, with a Gasol layup from Derrick Rose giving the Bulls their first lead since early in the second quarter. Rose didn’t score after a nine-point first quarter, but did add six assists.

That layup marked the first of seven lead changes in the quarter, with the two teams going back and forth looking to make a move. In fact, the two teams played the final 7:18 within one possession of each other.

With the Bulls looking for scoring in the final stanza, the Warriors turned up the intensity on the offensive end and used a 16-5 run – including three more triples from Green – to take a 103-90 lead, salting away the game. Green finished with a career-high 31 points, while Klay Thompson added 24 points and five assists in the victory.

Rose, who struggled from the field in shooting just 2-for-11, made headlines before the game by wearing an "I can't breathe" t-shirt in warmups in memory of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man who died after a New York police officer put him in a chokehold this past summer.

Bulls' Mike Dunleavy: The old Derrick Rose is 'going to be there'.

By Chuck Garfien

Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose (1) shoots over Charlotte Hornets' Kemba Walker (15) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2014. The Bulls won 102-95. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

When Mike Dunleavy sees Derrick Rose play this season, at times it brings him back to the darkest moment of his NBA career: the time his career almost ended.

While playing for the Indiana Pacers in 2009, doctors removed a giant bone spur in Dunleavy's right knee. He agreed to undergo a risky surgery to remove the spur from his patella tendon. He was told there was a 50-50 chance he'd never regain the strength in the knee to play NBA basketball again. 

Dunleavy eventually made it back. It was a long, tough road. But compared to Rose, he was fortunate.

He had surgery on only one of his knees. Derrick is trying to come back from surgeries on both.

"I was out for eight months at one point. He's been out for two years. I can only imagine what [Rose] is going through," Dunleavy told CSNChicago.com. "It's an incredible challenge to get back into the pace of an NBA game and for him to get back to an MVP level. It's just going to take time."

After missing only 11 games in his first six NBA seasons, Dunleavy missed 64 games in the 2008-2009 season alone, and didn't return the following season until late November.

Even then, he wasn't truly ready to come back and be the player he was before.

"I wasn't playing basketball for six months, and to get back and playing games and things, trusting your knee. He's got to trust both knees," Dunleavy said. "It took me a couple seasons to really not think about it. That's not to say it's going to take him that long, but it might. But him playing at whatever level he's playing at right now is better than 90 percent of the guys, so we'll take it."

Rose took a couple of big steps this past week.  On Tuesday, he played a season-high 37 minutes in the Bulls' double-overtime loss to the Mavericks. He then played 28 minutes the next night in Charlotte. It was the first time he had started and finished games on back-to-back nights this season.

But he's still not Derrick. Not the explosive point guard with jaw-dropping moves that repeatedly breaks the ankles of his defenders.  Many doubt that he'll ever return to that kind of special player. Rose doesn’t. "I know how good I am and how good I'm going to be," the Bulls star said last week.
 
Dunleavy believes that Rose just needs more time to bloom.

"You would say it, I would say it, anybody who's watching the game would say it: You've seen flashes of it, so it's there. It's going to be there. It's just a matter of doing it consistently, trusting yourself time and time again. It's going to come.

"When is it going to come? I can't tell you. He can't tell you. Nobody's going to be able to tell you, but it's going to come and you just have to be patient with it. He's going to have some bumps in the road, but he's young, he's still incredibly effective right now as he's working through things for us, which is huge. And eventually he's going to get back to that level. It's just a matter of time. There needs to be some patience and understanding, and he's going to do great."

Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Bears need clean sweep of football operation from president on down. Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica feelings: Actions speak louder than words. 

By David Haugh
                                 

It's time for Bears boss George McCaskey to clean house in the team's front office. (Chris Sweda, Chicago Tribune)

You will recall Bears Chairman George McCaskey, at a downtown function in October, publicly dismissed a hypothetical question asking if he would accept a $3 billion offer to sell the team.

"It's not about the money for us,'' McCaskey told the crowd of business leaders. "We have a responsibility to Bears fans and the city and we think we're uniquely qualified to carry out that responsibility.''

Now comes time for McCaskey to prove it.

If it's really not about the money for his family, then the Bears will take an uncharacteristically intrepid approach to replacing their general manager, coach and coaching staff in the wake of this disastrous season. History says the McCaskeys will go the conservative route. The Bears' future depends on them taking the road less traveled, which could make all the difference.

Hitting the reset button at Halas Hall won't be cheap. Based on conversations with league sources, estimates say it would cost the Bears roughly $6 million to buy out the final two seasons of coach Marc Trestman's contract and about $3 million for the last two years of general manager Phil Emery's. Add nearly $5 million for assistant coaches and personnel staff and the total price to clear out football personnel is approximately $14 million. For comparison's sake, Jared Allen alone will make $12.5 million next year. The alternative is bringing back either Trestman or Emery back — both? — and alienating a Bears fan base infected with apathy that eventually could lead to declines in attendance and merchandising. The question really isn't whether the Bears can afford to start over; the real question becomes whether they can afford not to.

In a dynamic sports city where the Blackhawks and Bulls aggressively chase championships and the Cubs just pulled off a managerial coup, the team that makes this a Bears town cannot let Chicago's public trust atrophy into an afterthought.

Firing defensive coordinator Mel Tucker or special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis, while appropriate, merely would represent a good start more than an adequate response to the losing. The decline in 2014 has been so swift, severe and unforeseen that nobody in Chicago will believe the Bears are serious about improvement without Trestman and Emery losing their jobs too. Both are quality people. Neither has done enough to escape the harsh professional realities of the NFL: Get to the playoffs or get out of Dodge.

No matter the mini-success stories, Emery always will be the general manager who hired Trestman, gave quarterback Jay Cutler a $126 million contract extension instead of applying the franchise tag for one season and drafted Shea McClellin, first-round bust. This is Emery's underachieving roster and overmatched coach. Choosing Trestman in 2013 over 2012 NFL Coach of the Year Bruce Arians makes him the last guy the Bears should want finding Trestman's replacement. Any total reboot in the NFL starts with the top football executive in the organization.

Trestman has done even less to justify staying. He started 3-0 his first season but a 5-8 finish in 2013 was marred by the regrettable decision to attempt a 47-yard field goal in overtime on second down, forever part of his legacy. This year will be remembered for the way Trestman created a culture of permissiveness by letting players run amok over his authority, which resulted in a team lacking discipline, direction and leadership. When Emery hired Trestman, it was to fix an offense that only scored 23.4 points per game in 2012. In 2014, Trestman's offense averages 21.6 points per game. 

Any new regime will deal with the dilemma of what to do with Cutler, a coach killer. The temptation would be to include Cutler as part of a purge — contract language says if the Bears released Cutler after this season, they would have to pay him $15.5 million to cut ties. That cost reduces to $10 million if the Bears release Cutler before 2016. A trade remains a remote option if a team feels desperate enough at quarterback — the Jets, Titans or Rams? – to assume the albatross of Cutler's contract. If the Bears indeed get to the point philosophically where they want to unload Cutler in a trade, they likely would accept anything from a late-round draft pick to a backup long-snapper as compensation.

It all depends on whose vision the Bears follow into 2015. Any reorganization should begin with McCaskey appointing a team president with a football championship pedigree and reassigning Ted Phillips to solely run business operations.

Let the football CEO hire a general manager aligned with his winning philosophy. Let those two hire a coach off a list of guys who have done the job before, ranging from long shots like Bill Cowher, Jon Gruden and Jim Harbaugh to legitimate candidates with previous head-coaching experience such as soon-to-be-fired Jets coach Rex Ryan, Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmer. Let the new braintrust decide on Cutler and every other player before NFL free-agency begins in March.

Let the McCaskeys boldly change the course of the Bears, if money truly is no object.

Bears lose Marshall to rib, lung injuries from Cowboys hit.

By John Mullin

Dallas Cowboys strong safety Barry Church (42) tackles Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall (15) during the first half of an NFL football game Thursday, Dec. 4, 2014, in Chicago. Marshall was injured in this play. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

The Bears’ loss to the Dallas Cowboys went even deeper after it was announced Monday that wide receiver Brandon Marshall suffered two fractured ribs and an injury to his lung from a seemingly un-notable hit by Dallas safety Barry Church.

Marshall will miss next Monday’s game in Soldier Field against the New Orleans Saints.

Head coach Marc Trestman went to the hospital to visit Marshall and “he was in good spirits,” Trestman said. “We’ll have to see where he is.”

Trestman said only that receivers Josh Morgan and Marquess Wilson would be working at the receiver positions, with a decision on a starter likely not being announced until later in the week.

Report: Bears plan to part ways with Mel Tucker after season.

CSN Staff

Mel Tucker, Chicago Bears Defensive Coordinator

The Bears are planning to part ways with defensive coordinator Mel Tucker at the end of the season, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Rapoport tweeted Sunday afternoon the Bears will move on from Tucker barring any significant improvement in the final weeks of this season.

Ian Rapoport        ✔                                                                            Follow
@RapSheet
    

Barring significant improvement, I’m told the #Bears plan to part ways with defensive coordinator Mel Tucker after this season.

 

8:31 AM - 7 Dec 2014

                     

677 Retweets 409 favorites  

Heading into Week 14, the Bears defense ranks 26th in total defense (27th in pass and 17th in run). 

Tucker is in his second year with the Bears.   

Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica observation: Everyone feels that this defensive coordinator is the worse; he may have some problems but we can assure you he's not the total problem. From the way we see things, there are multiple causes for this teams demise.  Number one ,Chicago has always had a strong defense and even though many of you fell off of Lovie Smith's bandwagon, He always had a very prepared defense and for many years they carried the offense. Look at the talent, is it what it's been in the past? All that Tucker can coach is what he's given to work with. Maybe he should dress and go out and play safety, three technique or linebacker, do you think that would help? Here's another thing to look at, there's underlying resentment among the players. They hate the way Urlacher was treated. Right or wrong, they just don't like the way it was handled. They don't like the way Lovie Smith was fired. 10-6, they just didn't like it. Ownership does reserve the right to make changes, however, the players perception of the handling was horrific. Granted. the defense was getting a little long in the tooth and injuries were starting to pile up, the players perception was that they were not going to be treated fairly.

It doesn't stop with the defense, the offense had great results in 2013, they had a couple of injuries in 2014 and totally fell apart. Where's the depth? Injuries are part of the NFL. Other teams' players step up, why not the Bears? Is it a talent problem or a disconnect from the coaching staff? Again, there's distrust. The players still to this day do not understand why Matt Forte had to grovel for a new contract. It's common knowledge that the fans, fellow team members and sportscasters at the Bears games constantly kept saying, "Pay the man." Again, players feeling that they can't get a fair shake. Now a report comes out yesterday saying, the ownership is questioning Jay Cutler's contract. They're wondering if they got their money's worth? They gave him the contract, he just accepted it. And again, players wonder if they will get a fair shake? This weekend I watched Henry Melton and Tyler Clutts (former Bears players) play and perform well for the Dallas Cowboys. I've watched Julius Peppers and he's quietly having a good year. He's scored two defensive touchdowns this year and I wonder why the guys left? Again, the defense was getting long in the tooth but if they can perform well enough to play for other teams, why couldn't they perform well enough for us and to mentor and teach our young players?

Another thing that is wrong is, why do we have 31 of our 53 player come from cuts off of other teams. This year has been a joke. A new punt returner every other week. New safeties and cornerbacks every other week. What's with this? We have OTA's, mini-camps and training get-togethers throughout the year, how do you expect guys to build trust, familiarity and camaraderie if they don't know who they're going to be playing with week to week?

It's difficult for me to believe that all of the Bears coaches are that bad. The head coach, the defensive coordinator, the special teams coordinator and the offensive coordinator (and yes, the Bears have one that works with Coach Trestman), are all bad? It just can't be, it's possible but very improbable. Maybe we should start looking at the front office, you think?

We do know, something's has to change. We have a lot of the same players under contract for next year. You can change the coaches all you would like but until the players perception of fair treatment is improved, it will be much of the same next year. People will say, there's not an attitude problem there. I can assure you, it is and it's festering and it must be addressed immediately if not sooner. Final observation on this matter, if it's not the attitude then it can only be horrible coaching or a severe lack of talent. What do you think it is? The inquiring minds at Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica would love to hear your thoughts. The comment section at the bottom of the blog is open. Let's hear you!!!   

Baseball meetings to open with stress on offense.

By RONALD BLUM (AP Sports Writer)

When baseball officials last gathered in San Diego for the winter meetings, the session took place at the Town and Country Resort in Mission Valley. No free agents reached agreements and players claimed collusion, which led to the first of three grievances against owners and eventually a $280 million settlement.

The annual get-together is back, this time in downtown San Diego at the Manchester Grand Hyatt, and the average salary has soared from $372,000 to about $3.5 million. But one thing hasn't changed: The Kansas City Royals are defending AL champions.

Since then, offense has boomed with the Steroids Era and then gone bust in a new Age of the Pitcher. With offense at a premium, teams have pursued hitters with greater urgency this offseason, leaving pitchers Max Scherzer, Jon Lester, James Shields and David Robertson still searching for deals.

 ''It's been interesting that the market's moved a lot quicker on the bats, both trades and free agents,'' Texas Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said. ''Most of the major, bigger-name guys that have been moved so far, whether it's the free-agent market or the trade market, have been offensive players. I think that's a little reflective of the marketplace, there aren't as many offensive players out there, the offensive environment in the game.''

Since the end of the World Series, third baseman Pablo Sandoval has left the champion Giants for a $95 million, five-year contract with Boston, which also signed Hanley Ramirez for $88 million over four years and plans to shift him from shortstop to left field.

Toronto signed catcher Russell Martin for $82 million over five years, Detroit kept designated hitter Victor Martinez for $64 million over four years and Seattle added DH Nelson Cruz for $57 million over four years.

Atlanta, retooling under new president of baseball operations John Hart, traded Jason Heyward to St. Louis and replaced him in right field by signing Nick Markakis. Oakland dealt All-Star Josh Donaldson to Toronto for Brett Lawrie in a swap of third basemen.

 

''Things can happen quickly here, just because of the proximity of everyone in the same hotel and the availability of everybody's staff,'' New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said. ''But at the same time, if you look at the free-agent market, not a lot has happened on the pitching side, so some of that activity may have to take place before we're able to really have serious discussions with anyone on a possible trade.''

Among those thought to be available on the trade market are Dodgers outfielders Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier; Boston outfielder Yoenis Cespedes; Mets pitchers Dillon Gee, Jon Niese and Bartolo Colon; Washington pitchers Jordan Zimmermann and Doug Fister; Detroit pitchers David Price and Rick Porcello; Philadelphia pitcher Cole Hamels; Oakland pitcher Jeff Samardzija; Colorado shortstop Troy Tulowitzki; White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez; and Atlanta outfielder Justin Upton.

And among free-agent hitters, Chase Headley, Melky Cabrera, Michael Morse and Kendrys Morales remain unsigned.

The four teams chasing the Giants in the NL West all have changed their top baseball front-office person since last year's meetings, with Tony La Russa taking over at the Diamondbacks, Andrew Friedman with the Dodgers, A. J. Preller with the Padres and Jeff Bridich with the Rockies. Matt Silverman replaced Friedman with the Rays.

 

Baseball set up for big doings, even though many winter meetings in recent years often lacked announcements and instead favored agreements announced after teams get home. The press room sprawls across a ballroom with 164 tan chairs spaced before a dais and 300 adjacent work spaces across 25 rows. There are separate areas curtained off for MLB.com (56 work spaces) and radio (38).

As the meetings open Monday, the Hall of Fame Golden Era Committee will announce whether it has elected any of 10 candidates: Gil Hodges, Luis Tiant, Maury Wills, Dick Allen, Ken Boyer, Jim Kaat, Minnie Minoso, Tony Oliva, Billy Pierce and Bob Howsam. The group considers players and executives whose most significant impact was from 1947-72.

NOTES: Next year's meetings are back in Nashville, Tennessee, and the 2016 session is set for Washington, D.C. - the first there since 1958.

 

Cubs still looking to upgrade at catcher after Russell Martin pursuit.

By Patrick Mooney

The Cubs are still looking to upgrade at catcher after losing the Russell Martin sweepstakes.

The Cubs knew their walkaway point with Martin, extending beyond $65 million and offering a conditional fifth year before the Toronto Blue Jays locked up the All-Star catcher with a five-year, $82 million guarantee.

That’s worth remembering when agents, executives and reporters check into the Hilton San Diego Bayfront on Sunday and the Jon Lester rumors start flying all over the winter meetings.

President of baseball operations Theo Epstein continues to say the Cubs don’t believe they’re one player away and won’t sign a guy at any cost. The Cubs Way is thinking of alternatives and focusing on the big picture, whether it’s the catching situation or trying to acquire a No. 1 starter this winter (or at the 2015 trade deadline or next offseason).

Though there have been some complaints about his game-calling and pitch-framing skills, it’s not personal with Welington Castillo, a hard worker with a good attitude and a lot of raw talent. 

As Epstein said: “Catching is one of the few areas on the field where we have an opportunity to add some veteran leadership and not – in the near-term anyway – block a potential impact player. That’s an area we’ll continue to look at.” 

One name that should surface during the winter meetings is Miguel Montero. Epstein tried to trade for the Arizona Diamondbacks catcher when he ran the Boston Red Sox, and Montero will be available again as chief baseball officer Tony La Russa and new general manager Dave Stewart put their imprint on the team.

Montero, 31, has three years and $40 million left on his contract at a time when the Cubs have some payroll flexibility. Montero’s a two-time All-Star and a left-handed bat who hit .243 with 13 homers and 72 RBI last season.

A weak overall market for position players is particularly thin at catcher, with David Ross, A.J. Pierzynski, Nick Hundley and J.P. Arencibia among the names in this free-agent class.

The Cubs will have to do something after non-tendering backup John Baker, leaving Castillo and Rafael Lopez as the only catchers on the 40-man roster.

The Cubs hope to get more out of the position by retaining catching/strategy coach Mike Borzello on Joe Maddon’s staff. People inside the organization describe Borzello as an unsung hero in terms of game-planning and building the pitching infrastructure. Maybe new quality-assurance coach Henry Blanco – who lasted 16 years as a big-league catcher – can also help Castillo’s development.

Castillo will be 28 next year and won’t become a free agent until after the 2017 season. He should have some upside after hitting .237 with 13 homers and 46 RBI. His .686 OPS in 2014 represented a 60-point drop from the year before. He also threw out 31 percent of runners trying to steal and showed good blocking skills.

So while the Cubs don’t have a Gold Glove defender behind the plate, they also don’t have to worry about Martin making around $17 million during his age-35 season, which is simply the cost of doing business now.

“We’re really confident in going forward with Wely,” Epstein said. “We think if you look around baseball and you see the catching that’s out there, Wely does a really nice job and has a promising future.”

Golf: I got a club for that; Jordan Spieth pulls away for 10-shot Hero World Challenge win.

By Ryan Ballengee

Jordan Spieth hits off of the 7th tee box during the first round of the 114th U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in Pinehurst, North Carolina on June 12, 2014. (UPI/Kevin Dietsch)

 

If the past few weeks have been any indication, Jordan Spieth is going to have one hell of a 2015.

Spieth shot a final round of 6-under 66 at Isleworth Golf & Country Club to close out a 10-shot win at the Hero World Challenge, his second win in as many weeks, on different continents.

 

The 21-year-old Texan backed up the Saturday 63 that gave him a seven-shot cushion for the final round, expanding his lead en route to shooting 26-under-par 262 at the Orlando-area golf club. The 66 was great -- tying Jason Day for the Sunday best -- but could have easily equaled his Aussie Open closer were it not for a double-bogey 6 at the par-4 14th hole.

On that final day Down Under, Spieth fired a 63 so unmatched world No. 1 Rory McIlroy later said he couldn't reproduce that score in those windy conditions in 100 tries. 

This week in Florida was a completely dominant performance from a player who, the week prior, became the first American in 21 years to win the Australian Open. 

Spieth now has three professional wins, and, in the past two, taking down essentially the entire world top 10, of which he'll now be a part, in dominating fashion. 

Perhaps the golf world should have seen this coming. In Spieth's one collegiate season at the University of Texas, Isleworth was site of one of his three solo wins, taking that tournament by eight shots.

As American competitive golf goes into its brief hiberation, it's hard not to be excited for the prospect of a Masters showdown between McIlroy, who needs a green jacket to complete the career grand slam, and Spieth, who held the lead early on Sunday in the 2014 edition.

Is it April yet?

They said it: Quote board from Saturday night's NASCAR Sprint Cup Awards.

By Chris Estrada

Kevin Harvick (Photo/AP)

In addition to new champion Kevin Harvick, the other 15 Chase for the Sprint Cup contenders were also recognized during last night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards in Las Vegas.

Each member of the Championship 4, as well as each of the four drivers knocked out in the Eliminator Round, got their own time on the podium. As for the foursomes eliminated in both the Challenger and the Contender Rounds of the Chase, they shared their thoughts on the season together.

In case you didn’t get to watch last night’s festivities, here’s a little bit of what each driver had to say during the evening. We’ll start with the guest of honor:

Kevin Harvick – Champion

“The first time I was able to get in my No. 4 Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevrolet, we were fast. And it didn’t matter if it was at an open test at Charlotte last December, a practice session, a qualifying session, or a race – we wanted to be on top of the board. After 13 seasons at Richard Childress Racing, I made the move to Stewart-Haas Racing and I have to admit, I was scared to death. I tried to play it cool, but it was a pivotal moment in my career. I was venturing outside my comfort zone, and I had to make it work.”

Ryan Newman – 2nd Place

“I’d like to congratulate Kevin, [crew chief] Rodney [Childers], everybody at SHR, Tony Stewart – my buddy’s here, just got out of the hospital [after] surgery. I think if he hasn’t got the nurse’s phone number by now, he’s probably not going to get it. *Crowd laughs* Richard and Judy Childress, thank you for the opportunity to drive your race cars. It’s been an amazing year. I really appreciate the opportunity. We had a lot of fun. We didn’t win anything, but we did have a lot of fun along the way and that’s really hard to do, so thank you very much.”

Denny Hamlin – 3rd Place

“It was an up and down year with our No. 11 team. We won, we wrecked, we fought, we were fined, but with all that, we still had a shot with one race to go. And with this great new Chase format, that’s all you can ask for. I have to thank [crew chief] Darian [Grubb] for three great years together. You’re a great leader, a motivator, and I’m proud of the success we had together…However, I’m not so proud of the things we did bring attention to such as Macklemore’s haircut at the beginning of the year, Taylor Swift, and Brad [Keselowski].”

Joey Logano – 4th Place

“Thanks to the entire 22 team – what an amazing season we had. Five wins, 16 Top-5s, 22 Top-10s – you guys are the best example of teamwork I’ve ever seen. And what a great season for all of Team Penske with the Nationwide owner’s championship and the IndyCar championship…Brad, you’ve still got a friend in me, man. We’re alright. *crowd laughs* It’s great to have a teammate that really knows the definition of teamwork and for a two-car team to win 11 races, it takes real teamwork and I appreciate that.”

Brad Keselowski – Eliminator Round

“Tremendous season. I can’t really tell you how much fun I had. It might not have looked like a lot of fun at times this year, but I had a blast…It couldn’t have been possible without a lot of great people and when I think about a great team and a great year, I think about great people. That really starts with the Captain down there, Roger Penske, everyone in the leadership team. The guys stick behind me, seems like, every time I do something dumb [laughs], so I’m really lucky and very fortunate. Thank you for that.”

Jeff Gordon – Eliminator Round

“Even though we didn’t make it to Homestead to battle for the championship, I truly believe that NASCAR got it right this year with the new knockout format for the [Chase for the] Sprint Cup. I cannot begin to describe the pressure and intensity we faced week after week, race after race. And this year, we crowned a deserving champion…I think most would agree this was a successful season for the 24 team. It felt incredible to go into each race with a car and a team that was capable of winning, and that was certainly highlighted by some big wins – especially that fifth Brickyard 400, an amazing weekend for us.”

Matt Kenseth – Eliminator Round

“This is the most dreaded three minutes – or in the case of my speeches, one minute – of the season. *crowd laughs* But I got to think about it last night, and it’s so easy to lose sight of how fortunate we all are to do this. The group that gets to compete at stock car racing’s highest level is so small, and the ones that get to drive for top-notch race teams and enjoy the successes are even smaller. I’m so incredibly thankful to be part of that group, and it really starts with NASCAR. Thanks for creating the most competitive form of motorsports and allowing us to compete in it.”

Carl Edwards – Eliminator Round

“Jack Roush – you are a man among men. You have taught me a lot, you have given me opportunities that I’ve never dreamed of, and particularly this year, when I came and told you my plans for next year, you stuck your hand out and said, ‘Let’s go win this championship.’ And you said some other things that I can’t say up here. *crowd laughs* But that part, seriously, you lived up to it. You never quit. You never gave up on me. Thank you very much, sir.”

Kasey Kahne – Contender Round

“I don’t know why it’s happened that way, but we’ve been able to perform late before the Chase a few times over the years. To get that win at Atlanta this year was big, and to get all four Hendrick cars into the Chase was big for our team at the time. It was great to do that, and from there, we just tried to do the best we could for the rest of the season.”

Jimmie Johnson – Contender Round

“I definitely want to be back at the head table, and a big congratulations to everybody on the 4 team. A Hendrick chassis and engine won the championship, which we’re very proud of. But I definitely want to be back and I’d love to have the opportunity to tie the greats, Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr. We’ll go to work hard, and get our Lowe’s Chevrolet tuned up, and hopefully, we’ll be back next year.”

Kyle Busch – Contender Round

“It was obviously an exciting season for us making it into the Chase and then having a great Chase going our way. To be here as an honorary member of the Hendrick Driver’s Club tonight in our elimination round is a bit awkward. But we’ll make it through and hopefully, we’ll get more success next year.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. – Contender Round

“Every [Chase] round was exciting with the elimination factor. I think the fans were pumped up throughout the whole thing. We had an awesome year. Thanks to [crew chief] Steve [Letarte] and the whole team. Getting back to Victory Lane felt great. We really enjoyed it, and we’ll try to do it more next year.”

Aric Almirola – Challenger Round

“[The highlight of the year] had to be the big win at Daytona. That was huge for me personally, but when I signed at Richard Petty Motorsports, I said I wanted to be the guy that brought the 43 car back to Victory Lane and we were able to do that this year – 15 years after the 43 had won its last race…Our Chase didn’t go exactly to plan, but we have a lot to be proud of from this year and I’m looking forward to 2015.”

Greg Biffle – Challenger Round

“We certainly had a tough season altogether with Roush Fenway and the 16 team, but we certainly made a charge there at the end [of the regular season] and got ourselves into the Chase. Like Aric, we didn’t make what we wanted of it, but we’re excited for next year.”

A.J. Allmendinger – Challenger Round

“A special year for us. I think it’s really cool that my team owners, Tad – and the real boss, Jodi Geschickter – are sitting here with us. To be able to share such a year – they’ve made me feel like family, so to be able to go out there and get our first Sprint Cup victory together was something very special. And to come here for my first time and be a part of Champion’s Week and see what it’s all about and be somewhat in the same breath of all the great drivers that we have – it’s an awesome year. Hopefully, next year will be even better.”

Kurt Busch – Challenger Round

“It means a lot to me personally to have Gene Haas select me to try and give all of Stewart-Haas a shot at a championship. Congratulations to Kevin Harvick and his team, everybody, Rodney Childers – they did a fantastic job. Thanks to Tony Stewart, Gene Haas, everybody at the whole program. You have to be competitive and you gotta do it week in and week out, and Daniel Knost did a great job as a first-year crew chief to lead us into this position. And now, with Tony Gibson taking the reins – we finished the season strong and we’re looking to build on that.”

MLS Cup Champions: LA Galaxy beat New England Revolution, 2-1, in extra time.

By Duncan Day

Robbie Keane, Bobby Shuttleworth

Defeating the New England Revolution 2-1 in the MLS Cup on Sunday, the LA Galaxy is the first team in Major League Soccer history to capture five league titles.

Robbie Keane scored the game-winning goal in extra time, while Chris Tierney leveled the score in the 79th minute after Gyasi Zardes’ 52nd-minute conversion.

The Galaxy opened the match with a quick chance in the 2nd minute, when Robbie Rogers found space on the left wing and successfully cut inside the box to get a shot on goal, only to see defender AJ Soares clear away the bouncing ball at the last second.

Around the 21st-minute mark, league MVP Robbie Keane gathered the loose ball at the top of the box. After taking a short touch, he fired a seething attempt that, fortunately for the Revs, met goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth directly in the chest.

One minute later, Zardes and Donovan executed tight combination play near the left post, but New England’s back line managed to shut down the attack before any danger altered the scoreline.

In the 32nd minute, Keane had the ball at his feet in favorable spot, but his long-range effort  eluded the crossbar.

 Then, eight minutes passed and Landon Donovan spearheaded one of the Galaxy’s best occasions of the half, when the USMNT legend fed an accurate through ball to a wide-open Zardes, whose strike dashed wide of the iron.

New England dominated possession toward the end of the half, and overall, Jay Heaps’ squad enjoyed that statistical advantage. Lee Nguyen, Charlie Davies and Jermaine Jones weren’t able to muster legitimate opportunities on frame, though.

The first 45 minutes of the Cup ultimately marked a defensive struggle between the two talented sides, with both teams totaling one shot on target each.

Five minutes gone in the second half, Kelyn Rowe pounced on an LA turnover to spur the break, but Nguyen, corralling the ball in the box, inched forward and collapsed on contact.

The referee didn’t call a penalty during that sequence, and two minutes later (52nd minute), Zardes buried a left-footer in the five-yard box to give his crew the 1-0 lead.

In the 69th minute on a counterattack, Keane busted into the middle of the pitch, 1-on-1 with 2013 MLS Defender of the Year Jose Goncalves. The Ireland international made a crafty move to dart past the Revs defender, but couldn’t beat Shuttleworth, who sprinted off his line for the deflection.

Right when you thought the Revolution were out of it, Goncalves hit a well-weighted lobbed pass to substitute forward Patrick Mullins, and, hustling forward, the rookie assisted Tierney for the close-range finish.

The remainder of 90 minutes fizzled out, and the 1-1 score couldn’t name the champion, so extra time commenced.

The pace of the game slowed at this point, and the opening fifteen minutes showed fatigue from both groups. However, the Revolution stayed in the attacking end, and the Galaxy were barely able to advance up the pitch.

The next fifteen minutes of extra time had Landon Donovan miss a dangerous free kick, and in the 11th minute, Keane, positioned similarly to LA’s first score, banged home the winner.

New England pushed hard and desperately threw men forward. Cross after cross, nothing in the scoring department materialized for the Eastern Conference champs.

Time expired, fireworks blasted, and the StubHub Center erupted. The LA Galaxy stormed the field, ready to celebrate their return to the top.

FIFA Women's World Cup: U.S. draws 'Group of Death,' Canada into more favorable group.

By Stephanie Myles

National team soccer coaches, from left, USA's coach Jill Ellis and Sweden's coach Pia Sundhage, pose for a photograph in Gatineau, Quebec, Saturday Dec. 6, 2014, after the FIFA Women's World Cup draw. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Fred Chartrand)

 

The football gods listened to Canadian coach John Herdman Friday night.

 

He asked for Canada not to be in a "group of death". And he asked for New Zealand, the team he coached in the Women's World Cup in 2007 and 2011, to be in Canada's pool.

And that's exactly what Herdman got. The only wish he wasn't granted was for New Zealand to be the opening-match opponent on June 6 in Edmonton, when the 2015 Women's World Cup gets under way.

Canada drew New Zealand, along with China and the Netherlands, in the group stage. They will open against China in Edmonton on June 6.

"We avoided that group of death. Bless Sweden and USA and Nigeria, I mean, wow, that’s a tough group. We’re going home pretty happy today," Herdman said. "It’s not the hardest group. it’s not the easiest, but certainly doable. Over the last three years we’ve played all of those teams and beaten them. It’s a good group for us, one that we think we can finish on top of."

The Americans drew the closest thing to what could be called a "group of death" in this World Cup. They drew Australia, Sweden and Nigeria in Group D. And as a host city, they drew Winnipeg.

"I think out of the all the groups, physically it’s going to be very challenging. But I think that’s good, because we’re deep. We’ve got a lot of young players, and we’ve got a lot of depth on our roster," U.S. coach Jill Ellis said. "It’s earned respect, it’s earned pressure. I think, because of historically how this team has done, I think we’re coming in with something to prove, and we’re gunning for it. We haven’t won a World Cup in many years."

"All three teams in with the United States will push the Americans to their limits," said Jason De Vos, the former Canadian national player, now a commentator on TSN.

Here's how the groups shook out.

GROUP A (Edmonton): Canada, China, New Zealand, Netherlands.

GROUP B (Ottawa): Germany, Côte D'Ivoire, Norway, Thailand.

GROUP C (Vancouver): Japan, Switzerland, Cameroon, Ecuador.

GROUP D (Winnipeg): U.S.A., Australia, Sweden, Nigeria.

GROUP E (Montreal): Brazil, South Korea, Spain, Costa Rica.

GROUP F (Moncton): France, England, Colombia, Mexico.

The ceremony itself was an elaborate production. Held in the IMAX theatre at the Canadian Museum of History, just over the bridge from Ottawa in Gatineau, there was entertainment, a video presentation, the singing of the national anthem by former Canadian winner Eva Avila, and even a full complement of tourism stations from each of the six cities that will host games next summer.

FIFA dismiss discrimination claims as "nonsense".

Reuters; By Steve Keating

FIFA President Sepp Blatter adjusts his glasses as he addresses a news conference after a meeting of the FIFA executive committee in Zurich September 26, 2014. (Photo; Reuters/Arnd Wiegmann)

FIFA prepared on Friday to stand their ground in a turf war with top women soccer players, dismissing as "nonsense" any suggestion that staging next year's World Cup on artificial grass was discrimination.

The bitter dispute between soccer's governing body and a group of players who have filed a lawsuit against FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Association continued to overshadow the buildup to Saturday's glitzy World Cup draw for the June 5 to July 6 2015 tournament in six venues across Canada, all on artificial turf.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter, whose organization has been dogged by a wave of scandals and controversy ranging from allegations of corruption in the 2018/2022 World Cup bidding process to the artificial turf row, will not attend the draw, leaving general secretary Jerome Valcke to field reporters questions at pre-draw press conference.

Despite persistent threats by players' attorneys, Valcke said FIFA had not yet been served and would probably be advised to steer clear of the contentious subject. 

But the general secretary came out guns blazing, declaring any talk of discrimination as unfounded.  

 

"If anyone is saying the use of artificial pitch is a question of discrimination it is nonsense. It is completely crazy to say that. It has nothing to do with discrimination," declared Valcke. "I can't imagine no one will recognize what FIFA has done for the development of women's football over the last 15 years.

"I'm amazed by the size and the scale of the discussion.

"It is part of our statutes and regulations that artificial pitch can be used as natural grass to make sure we can play football everywhere."

Valcke arrived in the Canadian capital with the players' lawyers pressing for a conference call with the general secretary to discuss the dispute.

While Valcke had stated earlier he would welcome dialogue with any and all players he added a condition on Friday saying he would only do it face-to-face and not over the phone.

"I don't have to speak to a lawyer. Why should I speak to anyone else but the players," said Valcke.

"I'm very happy to sit and discuss with the players but I will not discuss by phone because I am expecting to sit in front of people not via phone conference call."

Ohio State beats out Big 12 teams as playoff field is set. Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica would love to hear from Big 12 fans in the comment section  at the bottom of this blog. Don't be bashful, tell us how you really feel and what you think?

By Dan Wetzel

College Football Playoff Championship Trophy

 

The inaugural College Football Playoff field was set Sunday and it arrived with both excitement, anticipation and other staples of the sport … controversy and bitterness.

No. 1 Alabama (12-1) against No. 4 Ohio State in New Orleans on the evening of Jan. 1. The game will be preceded by No. 2 Oregon (12-1) against No. 3 Florida State in Pasadena, Calif. The winners will meet in Arlington, Texas, on Jan. 12.

The matchups are tantalizing – Nick Saban vs. Urban Meyer, Jameis Winston vs. Marcus Mariota, who will likely follow Winston as a Heisman Trophy winner. The one-off, elimination nature of a playoff is too. College fans had long ago grown frustrated with the old Bowl Championship Series and now the modern era is here.

And it arrives with screams of delight and howls of protest, particularly down here in Texas.

Ohio State surged into the top four on the strength of a 59-0 annihilation of Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship game. It gave the Buckeyes (12-1), which were ranked fifth last week, the bonus they needed to overcome a bad loss at home to Virginia Tech and the general weakness of the Big Ten conference.
 

“Ohio State proved they are a complete team,” committee chairman Jeff Long said. “It was decisive that Ohio State move into that fourth spot. …It was really about Ohio State and not about TCU. Ohio State’s performance in a 13th game gave them a quality win against a highly ranked team and gave them a chance to move into that fourth spot.”
 

The committee dinged Florida State (13-0) for weeks after repeatedly struggling against inferior competition even though the Seminoles won all their games. FSU defeated Georgia Tech 37-35 in the ACC championship game, but its unbeaten record was enough to keep it in the playoff and not get jumped by the Buckeyes. The Seminoles even managed to leap TCU.
 

The Horned Frogs (11-1) weren't so fortunate. Despite being No. 3 last week and defeating a weak Iowa State team 55-3 in a complete domination, TCU dropped three spots anyway.
 

Baylor (11-1), which was No. 6 last week and had an impressive 38-27 victory over No. 9 Kansas State, never won over the committee's approval and remained on the outside looking in despite having the most impressive victory (over TCU) of any of the contenders. It also had the weakest non-conference schedule, however.

All three of the final teams had compelling arguments for their inclusion, making the job of the committee particularly difficult.
 

With both Big 12 teams locked out, controversy and criticism will increase on the league office, which lacks a league title game that could serve as a 13th game, and decided to deem Baylor and TCU as  "co-champions," perhaps weakening the argument for one of the teams.

Baylor, which owned the head-to-head victory over TCU, was particularly vocal in protesting that its conference wasn't giving it all the weapons needed to make the playoff field.

The Big 12 teams countered the argument of lacking a league title game by pointing out they already play nine conference games, the same number as Ohio State which played eight Big Ten regular season games and the conference title game. The league does plan on petitioning the NCAA for the right to possibly host a title game despite having just 10 members -- the current minimum is 12 teams.
 

Regardless, it wasn't enough. The deal is set.
 

It's 'Bama vs. the Buckeyes, the Seminoles against the Ducks and years of arguing to come.
 

 Note: Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica observation: "Any team can beat any other team on any given day." Unlike NCAA football, in NCAA basketball, the smaller schools are very competitive with the much larger Division I schools. Basketball talent is much more abundant , many more players are available and basketball programs cost much less to operate than football programs. A couple of stories from this weekend's college games are highlighted below. Don't be surprised if you see more of this as the season progresses. We think it's good for basketball because we are firm believers in the saying, "Competition breeds excellence."

Former laughingstock NJIT stuns Michigan in Ann Arbor.

By Jeff Eisenberg

Michigan guard Spike Albrecht (2) reacts after being charged with a foul late in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against N.J.I.T. at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, Dec. 6, 2014. N.J.I.T. won 72-70. (AP Photo/Tony Ding)

 

When Jim Engles became the head basketball coach at New Jersey Institute of Technology in 2008, he inherited by far the nation's most challenging rebuilding job. 

 

NJIT had just completed a nightmarish second season in Division I in which it went 0-29 and lost every game it played by at least nine points. The Highlanders suffered through plenty more humiliating losses in Engles' debut campaign, extending their winless drought to an incredible 702 days before finally notching their lone victory that season. 

Wins aren't nearly as hard to come by anymore for NJIT, and even marquee ones are no longer unfathomable. The Highlanders proved that Saturday afternoon when they notched the biggest upset of the college basketball season thus far, stunning 17th-ranked Michigan 72-70 in Ann Arbor.

Wolverines star Caris LeVert scored 18 of his game-high 32 points in the final eight minutes to rally his team back from a seven-point deficit, but NJIT guards Damon Lynn, Ky Howard and Winfield Lewis matched him big shot for big shot. Lynn sank perhaps the most critical shot of the game, a 3-pointer that increased the Highlanders' lead to 68-64 with less than three minutes to play. 

Michigan's best chance came when Howard missed a 3-pointer at the shot-clock buzzer with 11 seconds to go and the margin at just one, but the Wolverines failed to corral the rebound. They never got another chance to tie or take the lead either as DaQuan Holiday hit two foul shots and the Engles elected to foul Kameron Chatman in the closing seconds rather than allow the Wolverines a chance at a game-tying 3-pointer. 

Though NJIT has followed up a respectable 13-win season last year by upsetting Duquesne and taking Marquette to the wire so far this year, the chasm between the Highlanders and Michigan is unfathomably large. 

Michigan has been a member of the prestigious Big Ten since its inception; NJIT is the lone remaining independent in Division I because its former conference folded two years ago and it has yet to find a new league willing to offer an invitation. 

Michigan plays in newly renovated 12,700-seat Crisler Arena; NJIT calls home a high school-sized gym with bleachers on only one side of the court. 

Five Michigan players have been selected in the past two NBA drafts; NJIT has never produced an NBA player.

None of that mattered Saturday, however. For one afternoon, a program ranked 19th in this year's KenPom rankings was on a level playing field with a program ranked 293rd. 

The biggest long-term benefit of Saturday's win for NJIT could be that it forces conferences in the Northeast to pay attention to how far the program has come. 

Engles told reporters in Ann Arbor after the game that his goal is to get NJIT into the America East. Then he cracked a joke Michigan fans probably won't find amusing. 

Said Engles, "Maybe we can get into the Big Ten now." 

No. 15 Miami Hurricanes upset by Green Bay, 68-55.

By STEVEN WINE (AP Sports Writer)

Green Bay Phoenix guard Carrington Love, center, is lifted into the air by Turner Botz (2) after Green Bay defeated Miami 68-55 in an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2014, in Coral Gables, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Green Bay guard Keifer Sykes hopped happily across the lane after scoring one clutch basket, and threw a jubilant fist after another. Then in the final seconds his teammates did all the celebrating while Sykes dribbled in the corner to run out the clock on the 15th-ranked Miami Hurricanes.

Sykes scored 18 points and junior Carrington Love had a career-high 20 Saturday to help Green Bay hand the Hurricanes their first defeat, 68-55.

Fourth-year coach Brian Wardle said the upset was a milestone for the Phoenix, coming on the road against a ranked team.

''It was a great program win for us, something we haven't been able to do since I've been at Green Bay,'' Wardle said. ''Miami is going to win a lot of games. This is going to be a good win for us.''

 

Green Bay bounced back from a loss Thursday at Georgia State and improved to 6-2. Miami, which has never been ranked so high so early in a season, fell to 8-1.

''We didn't come out with a chip on our shoulder like we did coming into the season,'' said Sheldon McClellan, who had 16 points for the Hurricanes. ''We're not the underdog anymore. Everybody wants to beat us. Everybody is going to bring their A game. We didn't bring our A game, and we lost.''

Miami was flummoxed by a zone deployed by Green Bay and scored only one basket in the first 12 minutes of the second half. The Hurricanes shot a season-low 33 percent, including 5 for 20 from 3-point range.
 

''We had a lot of nice open 3s and didn't make them,'' Miami coach Jim Larranaga said. ''We got discouraged and weren't as emotionally charged.''
 

Sykes also struggled with his outside shot but went 7 for 8 at the free-throw line and had seven rebounds. Love contributed nine rebounds, four steals, three assists and two blocks. Teammate Greg Mays had 10 points, and the Phoenix enjoyed a 46-37 rebounding edge.

 ''Stuff we emphasize, we did,'' Wardle said. ''It leads to a great win for us.''

Green Bay began shooting successfully over Miami's zone early in the second half. Love sank a 3-pointer during a 13-1 run that put the Phoenix ahead 44-31 with 11 minutes left.

The Phoenix built their biggest lead at 48-32 with eight minutes left before Deandre Burnett started a Miami comeback, scoring 10 points during an 11-0 run that made it 48-43. But the Hurricanes could get no closer.

''We just got outplayed, outhustled, outrebounded,'' McClellan said. ''They had 10 dunks. They were tougher. We didn't do a very good job of guarding. That's why we went to the zone. We've got to come out with a better intensity at the start of the game.''

The Phoenix drove repeatedly for baskets in the early going, taking a 22-11 lead before the Hurricanes abandoned their man-to-man.

''That's the first time this season I've had to go to the zone because of that,'' Larranaga said. ''Hopefully that's not a sign of things to come.''

Burnett had a season-high 21 points for Miami. Angel Rodriguez added 12 points but shot 2 for 15 and had three turnovers.

TIP INS

Green Bay: The Phoenix improved to 4-0 in Florida this season. They won the Gulf Coast Showcase last month.

Miami: Sophomore Davon Reed, who missed the first eight games because of a knee injury, decided to get taped up at halftime and played eight minutes. ''He could see we didn't have the energy we needed,'' Larranaga said. ''He came in and had a lot of energy and did a great job defensively. That's a big boost for us.''

UP NEXT

Green Bay hosts Drake next Saturday.

Miami hosts Savannah State on Monday.

 

On This Date in Sports History: Today is Monday, December 8, 2014.

Memoriesofhistory.com

1863 - Tom King of England defeated American John Heenan and became the first world heavyweight champion.

1987 - Ron Hextall (Philadelphia Flyers) became the first goalie in NHL history to shoot and score a goal. His empty net goal made him only the second goalie to get credit for a goal in the NHL.

1994 - In Los Angeles, 12 alternate jurors were chosen for the O.J. Simpson murder trial.

2000 - Mario Lemieux announced to the Pittsburgh Penguins that he planned to return to the National Hockey League (NHL) as a player at age 35. He would be the first modern owner-player in U.S. pro sports.

2003 - The Orlando Magic ended their 19-game losing streak by beating the Phoenix Suns 105-98.

2004 - In Michigan, five Indiana Pacers and seven fans were charged for various crimes related to a fight that broke out during a Pacers-Pistons game on November 19.

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