CS&T/AllsportsAmerica Friday Sports News Update and What's Your Take? 01/16/2015.

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Notice: We will publish a NFL Conference Title Game Update Saturday Morning, 01/17/2015. We hope you'll enjoy it. 

Sports Quote of the Day:

"Individual accolades won't matter. At the end, we will be remembered for what we accomplished as a team, and as a team, we have business to finish this year and years to come." ~ Jose Abreu, Chicago White Sox Professional Baseball First Baseman

How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Jets-Blackhawks Preview. 

By JEFF BARTL (STATS Senior Writer)
                                       

Dustin Byfuglien, Michael Frolik and captain Andrew Ladd each won a Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks, and their tenures with that club may be part of the reason the Winnipeg Jets seem so comfortable playing at United Center.

The Jets seek their third victory in Chicago this season and fourth straight overall as they face the rested Blackhawks on Friday night.

Winnipeg is chasing the franchise's first playoff berth since 2007 when it was based in Atlanta, which would be a drastic improvement from its last-place finish in '13-14.

The Jets (23-14-8) trail the Blackhawks (28-13-4) and St. Louis - which are tied for second - by four points in the Central Division and have gone 3-0-1 since dropping four of their previous five. They beat Dallas 2-1 on Thursday with goals from Frolik and Evander Kane, who has scored in three straight.

"It's definitely nice to get some offense going," said Kane, who has just one assist in his last six against Chicago. "(Friday) is a big game. That has to be our focus. We've had some success in that building and hopefully we can continue that."

Frolik, who won the 2013 Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks, scored 20 seconds into the game in Winnipeg's 1-0 victory Nov. 2 in Chicago. Byfuglien and Ladd, members of the 2010 championship squad, combined for three assists in a 5-1 road win Dec. 23.

Ladd has two goals and four assists on a four-game point streak against Chicago, which has been outscored 9-2 in the last three meetings - all at United Center.

"They keep coming at you," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "They get you disrupted, and I think that's what we saw here both times. I think we got outworked both times we played them, and you can't expect to beat them when you're just out there playing."

The Blackhawks have had plenty of time to prepare for this meeting after opening a four-game homestand by beating Minnesota 4-1 on Sunday. Marian Hossa and Bryan Bickell had a goal and an assist apiece for Chicago, which has split its last six.

"You get two days away to get re-energized, then we had two good practices and I think they're ready to play," Quenneville said. "We're playing a team that's had some success against us twice already (at United Center). We can't let them come in here and beat us all three times."

Winnipeg native Jonathan Toews has five assists over his last three, but the Blackhawks are still waiting for top prospect Teuvo Teravainen to record his first NHL point. This will be the 20-year-old's fifth contest since being recalled from the AHL, and he'll start on the third line with fellow winger Patrick Sharp and center Andrew Shaw.

"I think Teuvo has played his best when (he and Sharp) were together," Quenneville said. "Hopefully they can generate some offense. Teuvo looked like he got to (another) level and had the puck a lot more."

Corey Crawford will be in net after making 36 saves against the Wild. He's started each of the last three losses to Winnipeg while posting a 2.69 goals-against average.

Michael Hutchinson recorded his only career shutout with 33 saves in the first meeting with Chicago. He could get the nod again after Ondrej Pavelec made a season-high 46 saves Thursday.

Blackhawks are ready for four games in six days.

By Tracey Myers

The Blackhawks were on the ice again on Wednesday, their practice more of a spirited scrimmage.

It was fun. On Thursday, however, the Blackhawks will be all business again.

The Blackhawks were back after taking Monday and Tuesday off. The respite was needed, coming off a busy schedule that included five games over eight days. They'll need that replenished energy soon as they'll play four times in six days, starting with the Winnipeg Jets on Friday night.

Coach Joel Quenneville saw the last two days' effects on the Blackhawks.

"I think we had good energy, good enthusiasm out here; it was kind of a fun day," Quenneville said. "Certainly [when they] stay away for a couple days, it's almost like the energy they come with is pretty amazing. We find that we get a lot more production and effectiveness by just staying away those days, [then] coming with some enthusiasm on a day like today and probably comparable tomorrow and look forward to Friday."

Bryan Bickell agreed.

"The mindset was great, having a couple of days off to get some rest after last week being tough," he said. "You could see we kept the practice pretty light and had some fun just getting our legs and a little sweat going."

The Blackhawks convened on Tuesday night for a concert benefitting Duncan Keith's charity, Keith Relief, and local Ronald McDonald House charities. Otherwise, Blackhawks players said they used their rest days for just that.

"Not much. I relaxed," goaltender Corey Crawford said when asked what he did on the two days off. "It's nice to get a couple of days; they went by really fast. The most important thing is mental [rest]. Physically it's nice but to step away and not to think about [hockey] is really good for us right now."

The Blackhawks reconvened with a fun practice on Wednesday. They wanted to get back out there, get the legs going again, get the good vibes going again. But tough divisional contests loom, beginning with Winnipeg. So on Thursday, it's back to work.

"Today we had a fun day on the ice, just keeping things loose. I think it's good for us, being halfway through the season; there are a lot of games, [it's] a long year,"
Jonathan Toews said. "We like where we're at so far and like where we're going. It's good to use these breaks in the schedule and use them to your advantage to rest and get ready for the next little while." 

Blackhawks' Jonathan Toews named a 2015 All-Star Captain.

CSN Staff

Patrick Kane #88 (L) and Jonathan Toews #19 (R). ( Photos by KC Armstrong)

Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews had a wary feeling heading to coach Joel Quenneville's office prior to Wednesday's practice. Kind of like that feeling of getting called to the principal's office.

"We kind of looked at each other like, 'What did we do over the past couple of days that got us in trouble?'" Kane said.

The two soon found out it was no trouble, just good, fun news.

Toews was named captain of one squad and Patrick Kane will be assistant captain to the other at the NHL All-Star game, which will be later this month in Columbus, Ohio. Ryan Getzlaf of Anaheim and Rick Nash of the New York Rangers will serve as Toews' assistant captains. Kane and the Los Angeles Kings' Drew Doughty will do the same for Columbus' Nick Foligno, who is captain of the other all-star team.

Quenneville just wanted to tell the two the news prior to Wednesday's practice, the Blackhawks' first after two days off.

"It's a great compliment; they should be proud representing the league and being captains in the all-star game," Quenneville said. "They have fun with the process, too, selecting the players and they get to put them on different events in the skills competition as well. It's fun. I'm sure they're going to have a good time with it."

Toews was pleasantly surprised at the selection.

"It's pretty cool. It's not something I expected," Toews said. "It's definitely an honor, so it's going to be fun sitting across from Kaner. I'm sure the competition is starting already to see what's going to happen."

As Quenneville referred to, the two will help their respective all-star squads select players at the fantasy draft on Jan. 23. Kane helped do that at the 2011 NHL All-Star Game, the first to feature the team draft. After the appropriate amount of pseudo-drama that night, Kane's team selected Toews. Based on that, Toews is expecting some chatter between he and Kane.

"I think a lot of people made a big deal out of him passing over me in the draft a couple times last time we did it, so there'll definitely be some back and forth," Toews said.

Brent Seabrook, Duncan Keith and Corey Crawford are also headed to the all-star game. Toews said he's already been asked when he expects to select some teammates.

"Only Seabs. He said, 'Just make sure I don't get picked last,'" Toews said. "I don't think it's really fun for the guy who gets picked last, and I don't think anyone means that personally to that guy. But I mean, I'll be 100 percent honest, I wouldn't like to get picked last. I don't think Kaner would either. So, that's the unfortunate thing. Other than that, I think it's a fun thing. We'll try to make the best of it and make sure whoever it is doesn't feel slighted by any means."

Granted, the guy picked last is still an all-star player who just happens to get picked last. It'll be a fun weekend for all players involved, including the two who thought they were in trouble with Quenneville today.

Just Another Chicago Bulls Session… Bulls-Celtics Preview. 

By JEFF MEZYDLO (STATS Senior Writer)

Mired in their worst stretch of the season, the Chicago Bulls might not have their injured All-Star center to help them end it.

It's uncertain if Joakim Noah will be available as the visiting Bulls try to avoid a season-high third straight defeat and take the season series with the Boston Celtics on Friday night.

After averaging 103.7 points and allowing 96.5 per game in winning 13 of 15, Chicago (26-14) has scored 94.2 per contest while yielding an average of 102.4 in losing four of five. Derrick Rose had a season-high 32 points, but the Bulls allowed Washington to shoot 51.3 percent during a 105-99 home defeat Wednesday.

''It is basketball. You can't play this sport and be perfect,'' said Rose, who tied a career-best with six 3-pointers while playing a season-high 36:33.

''We're just going through a little bit of adversity right now. But it seems like guys are trying their hardest and it's just not going our way right now. We'll find our way through this. It's still early, still have a lot of basketball to play."

While Rose isn't ready to panic, the road to recovery could get rockier if Noah misses a significant amount of time after turning his right ankle Wednesday. Though Noah's averaging 7.6 points and 9.4 boards after setting career-highs of 12.6 and 11.3 rebounds last season, he remains the team's vocal and emotional leader and is still a solid inside presence along with Pau Gasol.

Coach Tom Thibodeau isn't sure how serious the latest setback might be for Noah, who missed four straight games with an injury to the same ankle last month.

"We'll see where he is,'' said Thibodeau, whose team also could be without veteran Mike Dunleavy for an eighth straight game with an ankle injury.

"It's tough to build continuity that way when you have guys in and out," Thibodeau told the Bulls' official website. "That's our reality; we have to figure it out, we have to deal with it.

"We still have to find a way to win. We can't hang our heads and we can't make excuses. We've just got to find a way to win."

Rose (17.5 ppg) is doing his part while going 20 of 37 from the floor in the last two games and averaging 23.0 points in his last three.

After sitting out Chicago's 106-101 home loss to the Celtics (13-24) on Nov. 8, Rose hit half of his 18 shots to finish with 21 points in a 109-102 win at Boston on Nov. 28.
 

He scored 12 while Gasol had 29 and 16 boards in a 109-104 overtime home victory over the Celtics on Jan. 3.

Gasol, who totaled 74 points with 32 boards in two games prior to finishing with 13 and eight Wednesday, has averaged 21.0 points and 13.3 rebounds against the Celtics this season.

Boston guard Avery Bradley (13.2 ppg) has averaged 16.0 points against the Bulls in 2014-15, and scored a team-high 17 in Wednesday's 105-91 loss to Eastern Conference-leading Atlanta.

The Celtics allowed the Hawks to shoot 49.3 percent and committed 17 turnovers as they fell to 4-10 since trading star guard Rajon Rondo to Dallas on Dec. 18.

"Make simple plays, don't turn the ball over," Bradley said. "That's what we need to do."

Boston has lost three of four without leading scorer Jeff Green, who was sent to Memphis in a deal that was finalized Monday.

Rose, Bulls refuse to make excuses following latest loss 105-99.

By Mark Strotman

Two nights ago an irritated Tom Thibodeau sat in front of reporters and refused to make excuses for his team's seven-point loss to the Orlando Magic, admitting that in the NBA there's a justification teams can use each night for why they didn't perform to their standard.

Wednesday night, his star point guard followed suit.

The Bulls suffered yet another defensive letdown in the second half, resulting in a 105-99 loss to John Wall and the Washington Wizards. And though Rose scored a season-high 32 points and added five assists in 36 minutes, the former MVP was more interested in dissecting his team's play rather than speaking on his individual accolades.

It was their fourth game in six nights. They were again without starter Mike Dunleavy (ankle) for the sixth straight game. Joakim Noah didn't play the second half after suffering an ankle injury of his own. Seldom used Tony Snell started, marking the second straight game the Bulls had used their 12th different lineup of the season.

There were plenty of defenses for the Bulls to make on why they struggled yet again, but Rose wouldn't bite on any of them, especially not after losing to a team that had played the defending champion Spurs 24 hours earlier.

"It's no excuses. Everybody in this locker room - but two or three players - have been playing this game a long time at this level and played in big games," Rose said after the game, "and the nucleus of this team has been together for a long time, so I don’t want to say fatigue. Everybody’s tired by this time. It’s just defensively we’ve got to give more effort."

Effort wasn't an issue early for the Bulls, and especially not for Rose. At Wednesday’s shootaround Thibodaeu stressed the importance of starting fast. In the Bulls’ three most recent losses prior to Wednesday they had been outscored 81-50 in the opening stanza. The most points the Bulls had scored in any first quarter in that stretch was 21, and Rose almost got there by himself. He scored 17 points, including three 3-pointers, to pace the Bulls to a 32-26 lead after one.

His final 3-pointer of the period arrived from half court as he drained his third triple as time expired. Rose appeared locked in from the get-go, hitting those outside jumpers while also attacking counterpart John Wall off the dribble. Wall was limited to four points in the opening period, with Rose looking like the far more dominant of the John Calipari alums. The Bulls, too, appeared to be back to their old defensive ways, turning Washington over 12 times and limiting the Wizards to just 44 points and a single 3-pointer on six attempts.

But that momentum built up in the first half - Rose added three more points in the second quarter while Wall entered halftime with as many made field goals (three) as turnovers - disappeared. The Wizards took over in the third quarter, taking care of the basketball, moving the ball seamlessly past the Bulls defense and continuing to dominate the glass.

The end result was 61 second-half Wizards points on 58 percent shooting and just three turnovers. The Bulls appeared to be back to their old ways in the first half, yet looked like the same lifeless defensive unit they were against the Magic on Monday in the second half. Matters were only made worse when Noah suffered his injury, as Taj Gibson was thrust into the lineup with Nikola Mirotic also seeing extended time against the massive frontcourt of Marcin Gortat and Nene.

Matters were made worse with Dunleavy out, as the Bulls were again forced to go small with Derrick Rose and one of Snell, Kirk Hinrich or Aaron Brooks alongside him in the second half. Facing the 6-foot-4 Wall and the 6-foot-5 Beal in the backcourt, not having Jimmy Butler - playing small forward in Dunleavy's absence - around to guard one of the two proved troublesome; Beal finished with 17 points on 8-for-14 shooting while Wall had 15 points and five assists after halftime. Paul Pierce scored a team-high 22 points, his highest point total in more than a month.

So it's once again back to the drawing board for Rose and the Bulls. A Friday date in Boston would seem like the right remedy for a struggling group, though the Celtics have given Thibodeau's group trouble this year. The following night, Saturday, the East-leading Hawks arrive at the United Center in what will be another challenge for a Bulls group that touts just a 12-9 record at the United Center.

"Stay together, keep working. Don’t let your heads hand and win the next one. That’s how you improve it," said Pau Gasol, who made just four of 11 shots for 13 points and eight rebounds. "You snap out of it. You bounce back and you get yourself on the right track."

Thibodeau has never been one for excuses, and won't start now. He also understands the ups and downs of the league. He may be without Dunleavy and Noah on Friday, but the task then falls on both himself and the players to find a way through it and get out of their current rut by stringing together wins that have alluded them the past week.

"We have to be better, that is our reality," Thibodeau said. "We have to figure it out. It is tough to build continuity when you have guys in and out (but) we have to deal with it and we still have to find a way to win. We can't hang our heads and we can't make excuses."

Adam Silver eyes 4 European NBA franchises: 'I believe it’s our manifest destiny to expand'.

By Dan Devine

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks during the Leaders Meet Innovation Event on Jan. 15, 2015, in London. (Tom Dulat/Getty Images)

The 2014-15 edition of NBA's annual Global Games initiative continues Thursday, as the pleasantly surprising Milwaukee Bucks will face off against the very-much-the-opposite-of-that New York Knicks at the O2 Arena in London, England. (If it strikes you as odd that the NBA, as Grantland's Jason Concepcion puts it, "looked at the Bucks’ 15-67 record from last season and the Knicks’ 37-45 mark from last year and decided, 'Yes, send them to a country that barely likes basketball,'" you are not alone!)

The run-up to Thursday's tilt has featured a number of now-typical "hey, we're playing somewhere different!" conventions — sight-seeing, pop quizzes on familiarity with local slang, visits to the home stadia of soccer clubs, and so on. NBA commissioners greeting the foreign press isn't quite as exciting a travel tradition as a trip to Stamford Bridge, but it's part of the process all the same, and in his chat with the media, Commissioner Adam Silver used a pretty curious turn of phrase to describe the league's commitment to continued growth on — and eventual expansion into — the Continent, according to Owen Gibson of The Guardian:

“My sense is that the NFL is a little bit ahead of us in terms of their timeline for having a franchise based in London. There are some aspects of their schedule that make it easier – they play once a week, they have fewer games,” said Adam Silver, who took over from David Stern as the commissioner last year.

“It will be easier logistically for them to pull it off. It would be difficult for us to have one team in Europe. We’d have to put both feet down. That would mean having four franchises in Europe.”

He said that the arena infrastructure was improving across Europe with US-style arenas in place or under construction in England, Germany, France and Spain.

“We’re not there yet. I know that as much growth as we’ve seen, we have a long way to go before we can sustain four franchises in Europe,” said Silver, who has worked at the NBA since 1992. “On the other hand, I believe it’s our manifest destiny to expand.”

"Manifest destiny," of course, refers to the popular belief (although perhaps not as widespread as one might think) held during the 1800s that westward expansion across North America was the United States' birthright, preordained by God, in keeping with the notion that the U.S. was a nation created with the special purpose of bringing religion to the New World. That belief was also used as a means to justify American imperialist efforts to conquer, subdue and/or wipe out non-white natives on the continent, as well as land-grabs that led to wars; Queens College history professor Donald M. Scott recently wrote an interesting piece about the religious, social and political underpinnings of manifest destiny for the National Humanities Center's Divining America initiative.

It's a pretty heavy-duty concept chock full of historical resonance and implications, and a pretty weird term for Silver to toss into a discussion of whether the NBA would have more basketball teams in different places. That said, we can reasonably suspect that Silver's diction was a rare and unfortunate linguistic misstep rather than a sneak preview of an NBA-led campaign of annexation and destruction to come. (Or, at least, we hope.)

From a practical perspective, his comments aren't necessarily all that fresh and news-y. Global growth of interest in the NBA product has been a key league goal for years, and expansion to Europe was a big-ticket item on the to-do list of Silver's predecessor, too; remember, David Stern said two years ago that he "for sure" expected there to be multiple international NBA teams in 20 years' time. Silver acknowledging that there would need to be four European franchises on the floor from Jump Street in order for across-the-Atlantic expansion to be feasible really only constitutes a reiteration of what the league's position on the matter has been for a while now. (Ditto for Silver telling the British press that advertisements on NBA jerseys "inevitable," a line he first trumpeted last March.)

The concrete realities of actually implementing said expansion, though — locating whales willing to plant far-flung flags at a time when buy-in costs and team purchase prices are higher than ever, setting up the league-wide and organizational infrastructures needed to be able to effectively function so far removed from the NBA's day-to-day operations, adding even more travel (and thus likely ratcheting up player fatigue, a growing sticking point among players and topic of study for teams and media members) to its compressed and overloaded schedule, the quality-of-play and TV-audience-related problems involved with shifting tip-off times to accommodate local fans in foreign lands, etc. — make this an especially complicated quandary for the NBA to solve, even with two decades of lead time to suss it all out. (To say nothing of the cultural issues associated with getting four rosters' worth of players to be cool with playing overseas full-time, and with embedding the NBA into a very different sporting scene than the one stateside, as our own Eric Freeman wrote in 2013.)

The prospect seems especially questionable, as SB Nation's Tom Ziller notes, when there look to be a number of more suitable prospective expansion sites in North America that wouldn't pose nearly as many logistical problems as moving to Europe would. Silver clearly recognizes the mammoth undertaking of leaping all those hurdles, and he told reporters that despite his view that European expansion is something that will happen, the future he sees is still far, far off in the distance.

From Bill Wilson of BBC News:

"It is on our list as something that we continue to explore, but we do not want to get ahead of ourselves — it is something we continue to study. There is an opportunity to bring NBA basketball to Europe on a permanent basis," he says.

"It is something we ultimately want to do, but a lot of work needs to be done."

That doesn't sound too much like the sort of fervor that marked the vision of proponents of manifest destiny back in the 19th century. Let's all take some solace in that.

Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! The John Fox watch continues, more speculation; John Fox (likely to be) hired by Bears: 6 things to know. What's Your Take?

By Will Brinson | NFL Writer

Chicago's feeling Foxy. (USATSI)

All signs point to former Broncos coach John Fox, divorced from his old team on Monday, landing in Chicago. Would it be a good fit?

Sure looks like it. Here's five things to know about this impending hire.

1. Quick Turnaround: The 2001 Carolina Panthers were a horrible, horrible football team. They went 1-15, hired Fox, won 7 games the next year and promptly went to the Super Bowl the season after that (they lost to the Patriots thanks to John Kasay kicking the ball out of bounds and Tom Brady being superbly clutch).

The 2010 Denver Broncos went 4-12 under Josh McDaniels (who was fired midseason), hired Fox after the Panthers cut him loose and promptly went 8-8, winning the AFC West AND a playoff game. With Tim Tebow at quarterback. It's a modern miracle honestly.

The Broncos were in the Super Bowl by Fox's third year. Credit a certain No. 18-wearing quarterback for that all you want, but Fox has two quick trips to the Super Bowl when he took over teams. Two Super Bowl appearances might only be worth something in horseshoes and hand grenades, but it means you're getting a proven commodity at head coach.

2. Fixing Defense: The 2010 Broncos allowed 29.4 points per game (32nd in the NFL) and 390.8 yards per game (also last in the NFL). The next year Fox had them at 24th in points allowed and 20th in yards allowed, respectively, and his Broncos were a top-5 NFL defense by his second year.

In Carolina, the 2001 Panthers ranked 28th in points allowed and 31st in yards allowed. During Fox's first year they ranked 5th in points allowed and 2nd in yards allowed.

The Bears fell apart after Lovie Smith's departure, going from a top-five unit in Smith's last year (2012) to a bottom-five team in both of Marc Trestman's seasons in Chicago. This isn't entirely Trestman's fault; there was a cliff coming for that defense because of aging and talent depletion. Trestman just happened to be playing the role of Louise when it happened.
 
There's talent there now for Fox to fix up though. Kyle Fuller is a potential star cornerback. Jared Allen might not return because of money issues, but Willie Young (if healthy) and Lamarr Houston (if healthy part deux) can cause problems as pass rushers. Ego Ferguson and Will Sutton aren't rounding to be Kris Jenkins/Brentson Buckner but they're young and mold-able.

3. Sensible Offense: The one thing John Fox isn't known for is innovative offensive techniques. He had Peyton Manning the last three years, but let's be honest here: Peyton and Mike McCoy/Adam Gase were running things on that side of the ball.

 

Look at Fox's history of coaching and you'll find he's been on five teams who were top-five in points scored (three with Manning) and four who were top-five in yards produced (three with Manning).

Maybe this is a good thing. For Cutler anyway. Let's take a ton of throws away from Cutler and turn him into a high-priced handoff machine who feeds Matt Forte and, when the situation calls for it, takes some shots downfield to Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery. Make him a rich man's Jake Delhomme with better weapons.

You could eliminate the turnovers and cater to his strengths. This might be just crazy enough to work.

4. General (Manager) Knowledge: Ryan Pace, the new Bears general manager, is just 37 years old, the youngest general manager in football. But he's been in the front-office game since 2001 and was the Saints director of pro personnel by 2007 (at 30!).

Despite his youthful age, he could be a nice combo with Fox, 22 years his elder.

There's an old-school connection or two, with the tentacles of NFL circles wrapping around the unlikely duo. Fox coached with Saints coach Sean Payton when both were with the Giants under Bill Parcells. Pace was in New Orleans for Payton's entire run there.

Ernie Accorsi, who consulted during the Bears GM search, was the GM of the Giants when Fox and Payton were there.

5. A Little Assistance: So who helps out Foxy in Chicago with everyone from Denver appearing to scatter in the wind to other head-coaching gigs (Jack Del Rio was already named the Raiders coach)? Look for Dennis Allen -- the guy Del Rio is replacing for the second job in a row! -- to take over the defensive coordinator role in Chicago, per CBS Sports Jason La Canfora. La Canfora also reports Fox could target Kyle Shanahan on the offensive side of things.

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Jason La Canfora        ✔                                                                       Follow

@JasonLaCanfora    

 

If John Fox gets Bears job I'd very much expect Dennis Allen and Kyle Shanahan to be his coordinators. Sounds like a strong package to me

 

9:22 PM - 14 Jan 2015

                     

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That's a logical fit: the younger Shanahan's had mostly success at various stops, including the Texans, Redskins and Browns. His dad drafted Jay Cutler with the Broncos so there's some familiarity there as well.

6. Reunited And It Feels So Good: Most importantly the Bears gig means Fox gets to team up with Jimmy Clausen again. Without a first-round pick in 2010, Marty Hurney drafted Clausen with his first pick (in the second round) and Fox was forced to play out the pre-lockout string as a lame duck with Clausen as his quarterback.

One could argue Clausen as a rookie put up the worst, post-merger season in quarterbacking history (10 starts, 3 touchdown passes). At the very least it's in the discussion. Carolina won two games that year and never managed to score more than 24 points in a single game.

Clausen's now the backup behind Jay Cutler -- you'll recall Trestman started him at one point! -- and that's a fun story. Fast forward three years to Clausen and Fox embracing as they hoist the Lombardi while Cutler angry chain smokes cigs on the sideline.

 

Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Take: Please tell us if you think John Fox should be the Bears next Head Coach. Post your thoughts in the comment section at the bottom of this blog. We'd love to know what you think and what's your take?

John Fox gets teams into playoffs...Bears next?

By John Mullin

The Carolina Panthers had not gone to the playoffs in the five seasons prior to John Fox arriving as head coach in 2002. The Denver Broncos had not gone to the playoffs in the five seasons prior to Fox arriving as head coach in 2011.

The Bears have been to the playoffs just once (2010) in the past eight seasons. In 13 seasons as an NFL head coach, Fox has only twice gone more than one year without taking a team to the playoffs:

Carolina Panthers

SEASON	RECORD	RESULT
2002	7-9	Missed Playoffs
2003	11-5	Lost Super Bowl to New England Patriots
2004	7-9	Missed Playoffs
2005	11-5	Lost NFC Championship to Seattle Seahawks
2006	8-8	Missed Playoffs
2007	7-9	Missed Playoffs
2008	12-4	Lost NFC Divisional Round to Arizona Cardinals
2009	8-8	Missed Playoffs
2010	2-14	Missed Playoffs/Contract not renewed

Denver Broncos 

SEASON	RECORD	RESULT
2011	8-8	Lost AFC Divisional Round to New England Patriots
2012	13-3	Lost AFC Divisional Round to Baltimore Ravens
2013	13-3	Lost Super Bowl to Seattle Seahawks
2014	12-4	Lost AFC Divisional Round to Indianapolis Colts

 

Fox's career record: 119-89 regular season, 8-7 postseason 

Cubs finally see action after talking such a good game.

By Patrick Mooney

At this time last year, the Chicago Sun-Times anchored its Cubs Convention coverage with the “OWN AND GROAN” back page, calling the Ricketts family the worst group to lead the team in franchise history.

That fell into the laps of “60 Minutes Sports” and the Showtime crew following the Cubs board members around the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers last January. Even for an organization playing the long game, the Cubs appeared to be more about talk than action.

Chairman Tom Ricketts won’t drop the mic and walk off the stage during the opening ceremonies on Friday night at the downtown hotel overlooking the Chicago River, because that’s really not his style and the Cubs haven’t accomplished anything yet.

Ultimately, the next five years should be even more difficult if the Cubs are actually going to win the World Series predicted in Sporting News and on “Parks and Recreation.” Not to mention the multiple titles club officials talk about with a straight face.

But this time the focus won’t be on Clark the Cub or artistic renderings or Masahiro Tanaka. The fan at the ownership Q&A won’t be complaining about Dale Sveum looking like he sleeps on a park bench.

What mascot? Wrigley Field is finally a live, loud, messy construction site with workers in hardhats and neon vests. There are rumors about the Cubs buying up rooftop buildings as part of a Lakeview land grab.

President of baseball operations Theo Epstein finally landed the big fish (Jon Lester) and hired a manager with style and substance (Joe Maddon) to pair with one of baseball’s deepest farm systems.

President of business operations Crane Kenney made local TV deals with WGN and ABC, which will give the Cubs five years to survey a rapidly changing media landscape, and cash in with a new regional sports network by 2020. (Unless, of course, the cable bubble bursts and the TV negotiations experience the same gridlock that slowed the $600 million stadium renovation.)

Even super-agent Scott Boras toned down the Ricketts rhetoric during his media sessions at the GM/winter meetings, not making it personal with another “Meet the Parents” line.

You don’t have to drink the Cubbie Kool-Aid to have some hope this season. There hasn’t been this much buzz around the team since Epstein left the Boston Red Sox in October 2011.

“I wouldn’t have come here if it was important to Tom that we make a splash at a certain point,” Epstein said. “I can’t stand when decisions are dictated by appearances or the next day’s headlines. Those are almost fated to be bad decisions in the long run. So Tom does a great job of keeping a really broad perspective. He’s extremely patient. He takes the big picture.

“He’s never going to force us to do something for the sake of appearances. He’s going to ask us to do what’s necessary to win — and win over an extended period of time — and our business side is along with that, too.

“They’ve taken some heat, but they’re building for the long-term. They’re not rushing into deals. They’re looking for the right deals that are going to put us in a position to be a financial superpower, we hope.”

The Cubs have gone 5-for-5 in fifth-place finishes since the Ricketts family entered into a highly leveraged partnership with Sam Zell’s Tribune Co. as part of an $845 million deal that included a stake in Comcast SportsNet Chicago.

The Cubs didn’t spend a moment above .500 during the 2010, 2012 and 2014 seasons. Their high-water marks in 2011 and 2013 came in April — one game above .500 before the free fall.

The spending spree this offseason didn’t come from the Cubs suddenly opening the vault. Lester got six years and $155 million guaranteed, but that came together with creative accounting (rolling over the Tanaka savings), attrition (Alfonso Soriano’s megadeal and other contracts coming off the books) and the pipeline of young/cheap talent.

The real test will come if Kris Bryant and Addison Russell and the other Boras clients are as good as advertised and need to get paid. Let’s see what’s next after the Lester signing and how long it takes before the Cubs spend like a big-market team again, or even approach the 2010 Opening Day payroll level (almost $147 million).

But at least it’s not all rooftop posturing and shovels-in-the-ground promises and social-media disasters anymore. The focus might actually be on the field this season. After all the business vs. baseball tensions, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Epstein signs an extension that matches Kenney’s through-2019 contract.

To make a point during an event for season-ticket holders last October, Epstein remembered telling Ricketts about a young Cuban player named Jorge Soler, a top priority from the first days of his administration.

“We really like his tools,” Epstein said. “We like his swing. We like his body. He hasn’t played at the highest level of Cuban baseball yet. We think he’s going to be really good. All we need is $30 million and we can sign him for the next nine years.

“He might be really good. He might never make the big leagues. We’re not sure.

“Tom didn’t blink. He didn’t hesitate. He said: ‘Go for it. That’s exactly what we’re trying to do.’”

Ricketts already had a trip to the Dominican Republic planned and met with the player and his father, impressing the Soler camp by speaking a little Spanish.

“That wasn’t a difficult thing for me to get my head around,” Ricketts said. “Those are the kind of decisions and investments that I knew we had to make. There were other guys coming out of Cuba — and other ways to spend the money at the time — and I think our guys made the right bet.”

The Cubs better be right, because Ricketts put it this way during that “60 Minutes Sports” sit-down interview: “I’m not sure there is a Plan B.”

White Sox to retire Paul Konerko's number May 23

By JJ Stankevitz

Paul Konerko will become the 11th player to have his number retired by the White Sox this coming May.

The White Sox will honor their longtime captain and retire his No. 14 prior to Saturday, May 23's 3:10 p.m. game against Minnesota, the team announced Thursday. The first 20,000 fans in attendance will receive a replica Paul Konerko statue.

Nellie Fox (No. 2), Harold Baines (No. 3), Luke Appling (No. 4), Minnie Minoso (No. 9), Luis Aparicio (No. 11), Ted Lyons (No. 16), Billy Pierce  (No. 19), Frank Thomas (No. 35) and Carlton Fisk (No. 72) have had their numbers retired by the White Sox, in addition to Jackie Robinson's No. 42, which is retired across baseball.

“Paul Konerko is one of the greatest players in White Sox history not only for his strength and performance on the field, but also for his heart and leadership off the field,” White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said. “Paul was a humble leader whose passion for the game earned the respect and love of the entire clubhouse and fans all over the country. We honor Paul by retiring his number and welcoming him to the ranks of White Sox legends.”

Konerko hit 432 home runs, second-most behind Thomas in franchise history, during his 16-year tenure with the White Sox in which he was named an All-Star six times and won the club's first World Series in 88 years. Acquired from Cincinnati for outfielder Mike Cameron prior to the 1999 season, Konerko finished his White Sox career with a .281/.356/.491 slash line.

Report: Baseball will implement pitch clock in minor leagues.

By Mike Oz

(Photo/USA Today)

Baseball is reportedly taking another step toward bringing a pitch clock to the big leagues. Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports are reporting that pitch clocks will be implemented this year in Double-A and Triple-A, as MLB attempts to remedy pace-of-play concerns.

In September, MLB initiated its "Pace of Game" committee that would be exploring ways to speed up games, which had reached a record 3:08 in 2014. In 1984, the average game time was 2:40, so MLB has added almost 30 minutes in 30 years. 

 

Many pace-of-play experiments, including the pitch clock, were enacted during the Arizona Fall League, with varying degrees of success. The pitch clock reportedly coming to the minors would be the same as the Arizona Fall League, where pitchers had 20 seconds to come set on the rubber. The penalty for a pitch-clock violation is a ball added to a batter's count.

 

Here's more from Rosenthal and Morosi about the pitch-clock addition and what else is coming:

In the minors, baseball will enact other changes that it tried during the recent Arizona Fall League season, one source said. Those changes include a rule requiring a hitter to keep one foot in the batter's box, a time limit on pitching changes and also a limit on breaks between innings.

The introduction of the pitch clock would be the most significant innovation, one that baseball ultimately may adopt at the major-league level. Multiple players and coaches told FOX Sports recently that they found the pitch clock to be effective and not disruptive to the flow of the game.

Major League Baseball Advanced Media will pay for the clocks, according to one source. Such an expenditure would require the approval of the owners.

Fans who are savvy about the MLB rulebook are probably shaking their head and saying baseball should just make umpires enforce Rule 8.04, which is already on the books and gives pitchers a 12-second limit. It doesn't come with a big ol' clock, though. 

 

How'd this work in Arizona Fall League? Well, the 17 games in which a pitch clock was used were 10 minutes shorter than the average AFL game the season earlier. There are a lot of variables in baseball, of course, so seeing what happens for an entire minor-league season will be a stronger indicator of how much the clock actually helps. 

But if the results hold up, don't be surprised to see this in a major-league ballpark near you in 2016.

Golf: I got a club for that; Vintage McIlroy rallies with late run.

AFP; By Josh Charles 

Rory McIlroy produces a Seve Ballesteros-like recovery shot during his solid opening-round five-under par 67 in the $2.7 mn Abu Dhabi Golf Championship (AFP Photo/Karim Sahib)

Rory McIlroy produced a Seve Ballesteros-like recovery shot during his solid opening-round five-under par 67, three adrift of triple champion Martin Kaymer after the opening round in the $2.7 million Abu Dhabi Golf Championship Thursday.

World number one McIlroy was even-par after 11 holes when he reached the par-4 third hole (his 12th) and smashed his tee shot into the fairway bunker.

But from a horrific lie that prompted a very unusual stance, the Northern Irishman somehow muscled his wedge shot to 12 feet and turned what looked like a bogey into a birdie.

That got his round going, and McIlroy added four birdies in his last six holes to finish on 67, the same as his playing partner, world number 10 Rickie Fowler, who made a bogey on his final hole after sending his shot over the green on the par-4 ninth.

But the round of the day, which saw two holes-in-one, belonged to world number 12 Kaymer. Two birdies in the last two holes saw him finish one shot better than Belgium’s 22-year-old, 6ft 6in-tall Thomas Pieters, who went out in the morning and shot a superb seven-under par 65.

Kaymer, the defending US Open champion, made the turn in 33 shots, and then made six birdies and a bogey on the back nine.

The German credited his hot putter for the score, and said: “I think the key to me doing well here the last few years was my putting. And today, it was the same. I made ten birdies, and there were three putts in those that were over 15 feet, and that’s very rare."

McIlroy admitted the shot on the third hole changed everything, but he would have to up his game over the next three days to secure what would be his first Abu Dhabi title after three runner-up finishes.

“I was just trying to get it on the green. From looking like going one-over to finishing five-under, I’m very happy,” he said.

“I’ll need to do a lot more of that over the next few days if I want to have a chance to win. I know I’ll need to hit more fairways, as well. I didn’t drive the ball particularly well today.”

Pieters was going great guns with seven birdies in his first 13 holes, but a bogey on the easy par-3 15th halted his charge, and he needed to make a birdie on the final, par-5 18th for his 65.

The long-hitting Belgian said: “I’ve been driving it a lot better. I think that’s the key out here. You have to drive it around the fairway and I drove it long today, so gave myself a lot of wedges in and converted some putts. It was a nice start to the season.”

There was a five-way tie for the third place at six-under par 66 that included South Africa’s Branden Grace, French duo of Gregory Bourdy and Alexander Levy, Mikko Ilonen of Finland and England’s Tyrrell Hatton.

However, world number two Henrik Stenson did not have the best of starts, and a double-bogey on his first hole was followed by two more bogeys as he closed with a birdie-free round of 76. England’s world number six Justin Rose was three-under at the turn, but four bogeys on the back nine saw him finish at one-over par 73.

Of the two holes-in-one - the first by England's Tom Lewis on the difficult seventh hole won him a Cadillac Escape worth $88,580. While Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez got one at the 15th hole, winning a five-night stay in the Royal Suite of the official hotel, the St Regis.

Nicklaus optimistic on Tiger, U.S. Ryder Cup future.

Reuters; Reporting by Larry Fine in New York; Editing by Frank Pingue

Jack Nicklaus, golf's greatest major winner, says Tiger Woods and the U.S. Ryder Cup team are both going through golfing lulls but is optimistic they will bounce back.

The 39-year-old Woods, returning from a back injury, has not won a major since he took his total to 14 -- second on the all-time list -- at the 2008 U.S. Open.

"Tiger's had a great career, and I don't think his career is over," 18-times major winner Nicklaus said during a conference call on Wednesday to promote a documentary on his career that will air on Fox TV on Sunday.

"He's had a little lull in his career and we’ll see what happens from here. I had lulls in my career, too," the Golden Bear said about two three-year periods and one six-year gap between majors.

"I came back from that and I think Tiger may do the same."

Nicklaus, who will celebrate his 75th birthday next week, also said the sinking fortunes of the U.S. team in the Ryder Cup, spotlighted by last year's 16-1/2 to 11-1/2 rout by Europe at Gleneagles, was likely to turn around.

The victory gave Europe wins in six of the last seven editions of the biennial match play series.

"There's a lot of criticism that came from the Ryder Cup and not winning that," he said about some player dissatisfaction with Tom Watson's captaincy and the formation of a task force to look at the U.S. approach to the competition.

"But I think you're going to go in cycles on that and right now there's a lot of really good players in Europe. They just played better than the American players. That's all there was to it. There's nothing magic about it.

"But that'll turn around. The American players have their pride. They'll play better as time goes on, and they'll win their share of Ryder Cup matches."

Nicklaus never played on a losing Ryder Cup team in six Ryder competitions, and was 1-1 as U.S. captain.

He said the current depth in the game poses challenges in the Ryder Cup and for Woods in his quest for majors.

"You've got some really good players out there right now, and they're winning on all continents," Nicklaus said. "You probably have as great a depth as you’ve ever had in the game. I think it will become more difficult to win, yes, absolutely."

Phil Mickelson skipping Pebble Beach for first time since 1995.

By Ryan Ballengee

Phil Mickelson watches his tee shot on the 14th hole during the first round of the Bridgestone Invitational golf tournament at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. This year delivers back-to-back majors where someone can join the most elite group in golf with a career Grand Slam. McIlroy at the Masters, Phil Mickelson at the U.S. Open. Mickelson already had one crack at it last year at Pinehurst No. 2 and he never broke par. Lefty is in great shape physically, the public will get its first look at him in two weeks and even at 44, he believes he will have multiple chances. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan, File)

Phil Mickelson is skipping a pair of West Coast Swing staples to spend time with his family. 

Mickelson announced on his website that he won't play in either the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am or the Northern Trust Open. Mickelson had played the old Clambake each year since 1995 and is a four-time winner of the event, including in a 2012 showdown with Tiger Woods. Lefty also has posted an excellent record in the last decade at NTO host Riviera Country Club, where he has a win and a pair of runner-up finishes in that span.

“Those are two of my favorite events, two of my favorite courses,” he said on his website, “but with the kids in two schools with different spring breaks, I’ll take that time off. They’ve accommodated my schedule enough over the years. It’s time for me to accommodate theirs.”

These tournaments moved on the schedule this year, sliding into the spot held for a decade by the WGC-Cadillac Match Play Championship, which is shifting for at least one year to May so TPC Harding Park in San Francisco can host the 64-man event. Mickelson has skipped that tournament four of the last five years to be with his kids during their spring break.

Mickelson begins his 2015 next week at the Humana Challenge, followed by the Waste Management Phoenix Open and Farmers Insurance Open. 

New pit road technology at the 'tip of the spear'.

By Kenny Bruce

Groundbreaking system will change landscape of sport.

NASCAR officials will no longer be standing alongside crewmen to police pit stops in 2015, but that doesn’t mean the sanctioning body won’t be watching what takes place.

A new, technologically driven system that incorporates the use of 45 cameras will feed video of every stop made by every team to a central location, where eight officials will log pertinent information and report any violations.

"This is a great new innovation," Shawn Rogers, Managing Director of Business Operations for NASCAR, said as he previewed the system for members of the media.

"I think it will probably change our sport, put us finally at the tip of the spear with technology.

"Paramount to us, we always want to increase our safety when possible, increase our accuracy ... be consistent and above all these days, be transparent."

How will it work?

Each of the cameras will display two specific pit stalls. Once a car is on pit road, the individual cameras will record its progress as it moves through each area. The use of tracking software and pit road scoring loops identifies and verifies each car.

That same system software tracking its movement will indicate any infractions, such as too many men over the wall or driving through too many pit boxes when entering or exiting the pits based on information ingested before the event.

If there are no infractions logged by the system, one of the eight officials will still monitor the stop, noting the number of tires taken, whether fuel was added and whether any changes (chassis adjustments or repair to a damaged area, for example) to the car were made.

Infractions fall into three groups -- vehicle (such as pitting outside pit box), equipment (leaving pit box with gas can still attached, etc.) and personnel/crew (too many men over the wall; over the wall too soon, etc.).

When the software picks up an infraction, it will be displayed on the monitor where an official will quickly view the stop and either confirm the issue (and subsequently notify the tower) or clear it if it can be determined that no infraction took place.

As an example, Rogers provided video of a driver that stopped just beyond his pit box last year when pitting, and the system flagged the infraction. However, crewmen quickly pushed the car back into its box before beginning to service it. Therefore, there was no penalty, and under the new system, an official has the ability to remove and clear the infraction notation.

Although it was in place during the final portion of the ’14 season, the system was tested, but not used for official purposes.

"We ran the system, full parallel testing, the final 11 races," Rogers said. "Our focus was to test out our hardware and software ... train our officials and give them lots of reps with the system … and train our (operations) group."

The expectation is for each pit stop to be viewed and cleared in no more than eight seconds and stops are prioritized -- those that are flagged as infractions are moved to the top of the list for immediate attention. The eight officials work through each stop until all have been cleared, reported when necessary and logged.

Teams will be notified of any penalties that occur once a stop has been completed.

"We’re not going to tell anyone of any violations until they leave pit road," Rodgers said. "That's how we do speeding violations now. So we don't get into this person found out a little bit sooner than that person.

That could be different depending on circumstances, he said. "If 35 cars pit at once on the third lap of the Daytona 500, some ... could be told sooner than others."

The use of the technology will change the number of officials along pit road. Instead of the approximately two dozen that policed pit stops last year, only 10 will be in the pits this year. And Rogers said they would be stationed behind pit wall where they can respond to any team inquiries and monitor actions from that side of the car when necessary.

The officiating system will not be used at stand-alone events for the NASCAR XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series, according to Rogers.

Don't worry, American soccer fan: MLS trend will be a good thing for USMNT.

By Leander Schaerlaeckens

Jozy Altidore and Mix Diskerud are the latest U.S. players to leave Europe for Major League Soccer.

Something of a panic has broken out among a large segment of United States men's national team fans.

Now that the transfers of Mix Diskerud and Jozy Altidore to Major League Soccer are done – or practically done in the case of Altidore, who still has to be forcibly allocated to his apparent destination Toronto FC in some heavy-handed way – 13 of the 23 men Jurgen Klinsmann took to last summer's World Cup play in North America's domestic league, up from 10 at the time of the tournament. That reality is inducing a fair bit of anxiety amongst the many who concern themselves with the USMNT's fate.

On the eve of MLS's 20th season, fans remain deeply suspicious of the upstart league, which has made immense strides but inarguably still lags behind its European brethren on the field. So, for now, does its popularity. If the soccer in Europe is better, it follows in the reasoning of those apprehensive fans that an American playing in Europe rather than at home is also better. But that just isn't necessarily so.

Some call it insecurity, others point to self-loathing. But essentially, this misconception boils down to the evolution of the national team and its gradual weaning of domestically sourced players.

The USA has been to 10 World Cups. In the very first edition in 1930, when the Americans reached the semifinals (still their best-ever performance), all 16 of their squad members played at home for such clubs as the Providence Gold Bugs, Philadelphia Cricket Club and Detroit Holley Carburetor. The same was true in 1934 and 1950. When they finally made it back in 1990, 18 of 22 Americans played at home, for colleges and semi-pro teams. By 1994, seven players were active abroad with the other 15 contracted to the United States Soccer Federation full-time.

In 1998, the first World Cup after MLS kicked off two years earlier, 16 of the 22 U.S. players were active at home. In 2002 – America's modern high-water mark with a quarterfinal run – and 2006, the number fell to 11. In 2010, Bob Bradley took just four MLSers to South Africa, and that was seen as a sign of progress. Which is why it was jarring to so many that Klinsmann selected 10 American-based players (or Canadian-based in Michael Bradley's case) for Brazil.

Klinsmann's confusing statements that all players should seek the best possible clubs in Europe while he increasingly built around the ones employed in MLS didn't help. But the view that playing in Europe trumps all is misguided. The bulk of the national team playing at home is a sign of maturation of both the league and the sport in America. It's a function, primarily, of MLS's demonstrated and long-overdue willingness to pay the same kind of multi-million dollar salaries to big-time USA players as aging Europeans of fading skills.

The league office and its clubs have gone well out of their way to find ways to retain or return national teamers, whether by massaging their Byzantine rulebook of allocations and drafts and discovery claims and designated players, or by plainly strong-arming their own system to land a player. Bradley and national team captain Clint Dempsey, for instance, were simply delivered to their destination of choice, bypassing the process entirely, even though the league – and therefore rival teams – would be paying part of Dempsey's salary.

A new collective bargaining agreement, currently being negotiated by the league and the players union, might only serve to strengthen that effect, as payrolls are expected to rise and a fourth designated player slot (per team) is apparently also being discussed.

And if we really must look over to Europe for our guiding principles, all this must be lauded. The English, while far from the most talented soccer players in the world, almost all play domestically because that's where they are compensated the best removing the urge to leave. The Russian league, newly flush with disposable cash from its energy oligarchs, has brought back its entire national team – not a single one of its players at the 2014 World Cup was employed abroad. (In 2002, at its last appearance on the world stage, Russia had nine players stationed abroad.) And the English and Russian Premier League are better for it.

The Spanish, for their part, didn't start leaving Spain for England until a big gap in salaries opened up between the clubs in the two countries – for those who don't play for Real Madrid and Barcelona, at least. By and large, a soccer player's decision to play abroad is a financially motivated one. For Americans, there was historically an aspirational aspect to it as well, but not one that couldn't be bought out for the right sum, as it turns out.

Yet the eagerness of his players to return stateside has occasionally drawn Klinsmann's ire. While speaking of Dempsey and Bradley, the coach said that it would be "very difficult for them to keep the same level." That sneer in turn aggravated MLS commissioner Don Garber, who ranted that Klinsmann's comments were detrimental. This week, Klinsmann backed off his anti-MLS edict somewhat, telling Sports Illustrated that it was the right solution for some players but not others. He okayed Diskerud's signing with New York City FC, for instance, but insists Altidore could succeed in a major European league even though there is scant evidence to support that claim.

In the end, every U.S. national teamer playing at home has a higher net benefit to the American gain than one playing abroad. He doesn't just represent an opportunity for the league to reposition its image as one where players are keen to stay during their primes, rather than glide into retirement, but also can conspire to have a larger overall impact. With far more USMNTers around, young players in the clubs' first teams and even academies benefit from better examples and higher standards. Over time, these players will raise the playing level of the league with their play as well as their influence.

If Klinsmann is burdened with a short-term sacrifice in having to tolerate lesser competition for his players – which also assures them of more playing time, by the way, which has all too often proven scarce in Europe – the long-term payoff of creating a better talent incubator is potentially huge. This is a consideration Klinsmann should make now that he is no longer just the national team head coach, but also the federation's technical director entrusted with the future of the program.

 

It must also be noted here that MLS is an uncommonly demanding league, with the extreme weather, extensive travel and physical play conspiring to tax players throughout the season. Those challenges do rather a good job of simulating conditions at the World Cup, the end game in all of this. Better than just about any other league in the world, in fact.

Ohio State QB Cardale Jones is staying in school.

By Graham Watson

                                                                

Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones answers questions at a news conference in Cleveland, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2015, after declaring he will not enter the NFL draft in 2015. Jones, 3-0 as a college starter including a win in the national championship game, says he will return to the Buckeyes for his final two years of eligibility. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones announced Thursday that he’s staying at Ohio State for another season citing his desire to graduate.

“It’s everybody’s dream when they play a collegiate sport to make it to the next level,” Jones said. “At my point in my career, I feel like it’s best for me to go back to school and one of the most important things for me is to graduate. So, when I make that decision to play in the NFL, I want to be done with school. I want to devote all my time and all my effort into the film room and getting better at the quarterback position.   

 

“The NFL, after three games, was really out of the question for me.”

 

Jones’ meteoric rise has been unprecedented.

He spent the past two seasons as the third-string quarterback, but found himself on the field after injuries to starters Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett forced him into action. 

 

And Jones made the most of his opportunities.

 

He led Ohio State to a Big Ten championship win against Wisconsin, a College Football Playoff semifinal win against Alabama and a 42-20 national championship win against Oregon earlier this week.

 

During that three-game span as a starter, Jones completed 46 of 75 passes for 742 yards and five touchdowns and two interceptions.

 

"Cardale's brand right now has never been stronger, might never be stronger again in his life," Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said on Tuesday.

Jones said Tuesday he didn’t think he was ready for the NFL after just three starts, but his prospects of getting on the field for the Buckeyes in 2015 are slim. Miller, who is expected to be back from his shoulder injury, was the Heisman favorite heading into the 2014 season before his injury. Barrett, who will spend the spring rehabbing the broken ankle he suffered in the Buckeyes final regular season game, finished fifth in Heisman voting this year.

However, Jones said he’s eager to compete for the starting role and that if he doesn’t win it, he said he’ll be ready for his next opportunity. Currently, it's unclear whether Miller will return to the Buckeyes. He's already graduated and could transfer and play for another program next season.

 

Jones, who is listed at 6-foot-5, 250 pounds, showed amazing arm strength during his three starts and remarked while meeting with the media during national championship week that he could throw the ball 80 to 85 yards. He also showed tremendous speed, agility and power for his size. He rushed for 81 yards against Alabama and Oregon and several of those yards came after initial contact.

While NFL scouts didn’t have a lot of film on Jones, some pundits though he could have been a first-round pick.

“I thought it all through, but chances are slim,” Jones said of actually being taking in the first round. “Football has been a stepping stone for my education. So being a first-round draft pick means nothing to me without my education.”

Kedren Johnson's resurgence gives struggling Memphis hope.

By Jeff Eisenberg

Three minutes remained in Memphis' convincing 63-50 victory over Cincinnati on Thursday night when Kedren Johnson knifed into the lane, spun past forward Gary Clark and scored a SportsCenter-worthy acrobatic layup.

It was the signature moment from a 13-point, five-assist performance from Johnson that gave Memphis three things it hasn't enjoyed all season. 

A victory over a quality opponent. Competent point guard play. Hope of a midseason turnaround.

Having graduated its four top guards from last year's NCAA tournament team, Memphis (10-6) dropped its four most challenging non-league games and its opening two league games because its backcourt play was inadequate. Ice-cold outside shooting and a lack of wing scoring were certainly issues, but the most glaring problem was the absence of a capable point guard.

 

Johnson, Vanderbilt's leading scorer during the 2012-13 season, was expected to inherit the starting point guard job but he arrived rusty and out of shape after sitting out last year due to an academic issue. The 6-foot-4 junior played sparingly in November and December, never getting off the bench in five of Memphis' first 14 games and scoring only a total of five baskets in the other nine.

 

With Johnson not coming close to living up to expectations, point guard duties fell largely to sophomore Pookie Powell. The 6-foot-1 guard proved largely unprepared for that responsibility, posting nearly as many turnovers as assists while shooting 40 percent from the field and 25.7 percent from behind the arc.

 

Point guard appeared likely to be a season-long black hole for Memphis until Johnson finally began showing signs of his Vanderbilt days in the Tigers' last two games. He came off the bench to deliver 10 points and four assists in 17 minutes during a 62-44 rout of Houston on Sunday. Then he followed that up by torching a typically stifling Cincinnati defense with crisp passing and dribble penetration.

 

There's no guarantee Johnson will keep performing at this level the rest of the season, but if he does, Memphis is a vastly better team than it has shown to this point. Suddenly the Tigers have a dribble penetration threat capable of finishing at the rim, setting up frontcourt standouts Austin Nichols, Shaq Goodwin and Trashon Burrell or kicking to Avery Woodson for open threes.

 

If whether Johnson can build on his past two performances is the biggest question facing Memphis, the follow-up to that is whether it's too little, too late.

 

The Tigers (10-6) entered Thursday's game 113th in the NCAA's RPI thanks to a complete dearth of quality wins and losses to Wichita State, Baylor, Oklahoma State, Stephen F. Austin, SMU and Tulane. Beating No. 34 Cincinnati will certainly help, but Memphis has a long, uphill climb ahead of it to emerge from the early-season hole it dug and get back into NCAA tournament contention. 

 

Nonetheless, what Johnson's recent play does is make it seem plausible.

 

Memphis isn't necessarily an NCAA tournament team just because its most talented guard has finally played to his potential for two games, but the Tigers have no chance of reaching the postseason if Johnson doesn't keep it up.

Boxing returns to prime-time network television on NBC.

By RACHEL COHEN (AP Sports Writer)

Boxing legends Sugar Ray Leonard, left, Roberto Duran, center, and Thomas Hearns joke around while posing for pictures during a news conference in New York, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2015. NBC plans to air boxing matches on broadcast television beginning with an event on March 7, 2015. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Usually this is how big-time sports television works: The network pays for the right to air an event.

  
The new ''Premier Boxing Champions'' series on NBC flips the model. The latest attempt to reverse the sport's declines requires some major creativity - and a major investment.

Al Haymon's management company, Haymon Boxing, is paying for PBC, betting on NBC's promotional might and the reach of old-fashioned prime-time network television. Five of this year's broadcasts will air on Saturday nights on NBC.

 

''We want the opportunities for the fighters in this sport to be parallel to the opportunities for athletes in other sports,'' Lamont Jones, the vice president of operations for Haymon Boxing, said Wednesday.

 

The first card will feature Keith Thurman against Robert Guerrero and Adrien Broner vs. John Molina Jr. on March 7. All the fighters are managed by Haymon.

 

These will be the first prime-time bouts on NBC in nearly 30 years. The sport's shift to pay-per-view has been wildly lucrative for the biggest stars. Not so much for other top boxers.

Sugar Ray Leonard will work as a PBC analyst, still a household name because he fought in an era when boxers were some of the world's biggest celebrities.

''You are relevant,'' he said, recalling how that name recognition made for endorsement opportunities, not just payouts for bouts.

''A lot of these guys are very good fighters,'' he added, ''but nobody knows who they are.''

So for boxers such as the four taking part in March's inaugural event, this new venture is a chance to attract a wider following that translates into future profits.

Jones predicts the PBC telecasts, which will air from 9-11 p.m. on the East Coast, will introduce them to a sports fan who ''hasn't yet had a reason to fall in love with a particular boxer, because she or he hasn't wanted to spend 70 bucks to watch a pay-per-view show when the main event starts at midnight.''

And that fan will see some trademark NBC features. Every Olympics, some gymnast or figure skater or swimmer goes from nobody to celebrity in a matter of days - with more than a little nudge from the network's promotional engine.

Haymon seeks the same for boxing, and NBC plans to oblige. Al Michaels will host its prime-time telecasts, and the network has tabbed prolific Hollywood composer Hans Zimmer to score music to set the tone.

''We have to build the story lines and make people care about something they may not have cared about the day before,'' NBC Sports Group Chair Mark Lazarus said of the network's Olympic philosophy.

For the boxers, he added, ''we have to do that about educating about who these gentlemen are, and why they're so skilled at what they do, and whey they're among the best in the world, and why the battle will matter.''

For NBC, there's little financial risk. There's also some precedent: The network didn't pay a rights fee in its first deal with the NHL after the lockout that wiped out the 2004-05 season, but that changed when the sport's fortunes rebounded.

The NBC prime-time telecasts will take place during quieter times of year for sports. The network would typically be showing a repeat of a program that aired during the week in those slots. And live sports have proved increasingly valuable in recent years because viewers are much less likely to DVR them - which means they're more likely to sit through the ads.

NBC will be able to promote the series when it airs the Super Bowl next month. There will also be six Saturday afternoon broadcasts on NBC and nine Saturday prime-time shows on cable channel NBCSN in 2015.

In the second NBC prime-time fight, undefeated Danny Garcia will take on Lamont Peterson on April 11 in a long-anticipated matchup at 140 pounds.

''The boxing people will tell you those three matchups are six real fighters: It's not one good guy, one bad guy,'' Lazarus said. ''And that's what (Haymon) has committed to us.''

 

Obscure NFL Rules We Had No Idea Existed.

Answers.com

1. Consecutive Timeouts Are Not Allowed

Something has to happen on the field before you can call the next timeout. If you don't, a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty is called.

2. Don't Snap The Ball Between the QB's Legs.

If the QB is under center, misses the ball as it's snapped and it goes through his legs, the QB has to be the one to touch the ball.

 3. Illegal Leverage

The concept behind this rule is simple enough: during field goal attempts or extra point conversions, a defensive player is not allowed to use one of his teammates for leverage to gain extra momentum or height to block a field goal.

Violation of this rule results in a 15 yard penalty. Bill Belichick was less than pleased when his Patriots were slapped with this rarely called penalty last season against the Jets, arguing that the Jets should have penalized for violating the penalty as well.

4. Fielding Out Of Bounds Kicks

During a kick off, if the ball stops and you're near the boundary line, wait to pick up the ball. First step of bounds, then pick up the ball.

If any part of the player is out of bounds when he touches the ball, the kick is ruled out of bounds and is moved to the 40-yard line.

5. A Palpably Unfair Act

One of the rarest called penalties in all of sports, a palpably unfair act is any illegal action that the officials deem has clearly and indisputably deprived a team of a score.

That may sound vague, but it's deliberately put in the rulebook that way. The penalty has never been called in the history of the NFL, but should a player on the bench ever decide to tackle a runner in order to prevent a score, the deprived team would be awarded with a touchdown.

6. The Fair Catch Kick

When a receiving team calls for a fair catch during a kickoff, they then have two choices: They can either begin an offensive drive, or they can attempt a field goal.

With the Fair Catch Kick rule in place, the field goal attempt must be made from the spot of the fair catch.

Also, the kicker cannot use a tee, but instead must employ a placed kick or drop kick. During the attempt, the defense is not allowed within ten yards from the spot of the kick.

The Chargers were the last team to successfully turn a fair catch kick into three points thanks to Ray Wersching back in 1976.

7. Possession After a Touchdown

In the early days of the NFL, after each touchdown, the team captains would meet in the center of the field to decide who would kick off.

That's because the Possession After a Touchdown rule states that after a touchdown, the team that was scored on can choose if they want to receive the ball or kick off.

The rule still stands to this day, even though it seems highly unlikely that a team would choose to kick off after their opponents just scored on them.

8. The Drop Kick

In the early days of the NFL, the Drop Kick rule was established to prevent players from bouncing the ball off the ground and then kicking it when punting or attempting a field goal.

Essentially inherited from rugby, the rule made infinitely more sense back when the ball itself was rounder and a player could more easily predict where it would go when bounced.

Though antiquated, the rule is still in the books today. If you want to see it in action, check out Doug Flutie's drop kick field goal against the Miami Dolphins, which also happened to be the last play of his professional career.

No one has done it successfully since.

On This Date in Sports History: Today is Friday, January 16, 2015.

Memoriesofhistory.com

 

1896 - The first five-player college basketball game was played at Iowa City, IA.

1961 - Mickey Mantle signed a contract which made him the highest paid baseball player in the American League at $75,000 for the 1961 season.

1981 - Leon Spinks was mugged. Even his gold teeth were taken by the assailants.

1988 - The St. Louis Cardinals announced that they would be moving to Phoenix.

1993 - Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) scored 64 points against the Orlando Magic. It was Jordan's second highest single-game total of his career.

1995 - Malcolm Glazer bought the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for an estimated $192 million.

2002 - Baseball owners voted to approve the record $660 million sale of the Boston Red Sox. 

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