CS&T/AllsportsAmerica Wednesday Sports News Update, 02/18/2015.

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Sports Quote of the Day:

“Both desire and imagination are stored in the mind of the individual and when stretched, both have the potential to position a person for greatness.” ~ Eric Thomas, Speaker, Educator, Activist, Author and Minister  

Trending: MLB execs vote White Sox, Cubs among most improved teams.

By Sarah Langs

The positive projections and predictions keep pouring in for Chicago’s baseball teams.

 

In Jayson Stark’s poll of 35 MLB executives on the best and worst moves of the offseason, the Cubs were voted the second-most improved NL team behind the Padres and the White Sox the most improved AL team.

 

The votes on the South Siders were still mixed, though.

 

“It was incredible, on one hand, to see a team get this many most-improved votes and still, on the other hand, hear so many concerns expressed by the people voting for it -- over depth in general, pitching depth in particular and the challenge of making all these pieces mesh,” Stark wrote. 

Two of the Cubs’ division rivals ended up on the most unimproved teams in the NL, with the Brewers voted the fifth-most unimproved and the Reds the sixth-most.

 

Two of the Sox divisional foes landed in the most unimproved AL teams, too. The Tigers were voted fourth-most unimproved and the Royals sixth-most.

 

The teams’ specific signings garnered attention from the executives as well.

 

The Cubs’ signing of Jon Lester was voted the third-best free agent signing this offseason, while the Sox addition of Adam LaRoche was voted fourth on the list.

 

The Lester signing also popped up on another list: the most outrageous contracts, where it was voted fourth.

 

The top-voted trade haul was the White Sox acquisition of Jeff Samardzija from the A’s.

 

The White Sox minor league deal with Geovany Soto was voted the best non-majors free agent signing.

 

How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Red Wings-Blackhawks Preview.

By JACK CASSIDY (STATS Writer)

The Detroit Red Wings hoped the return of Jimmy Howard would vault them toward the top of the Eastern Conference, but it's had the opposite effect.

The sliding Red Wings look to right the ship Wednesday night when they visit the Chicago Blackhawks. 

Detroit (31-14-10) has yet to win since Howard returned from injured reserve last Wednesday, although he was hardly at fault in Monday's 2-0 defeat to Montreal. 

"I felt really good," Howard, who stopped 27 of 28 shots, told the Red Wings' official website. "Halfway through (Saturday's 5-4 shootout loss to Winnipeg) I started feeling more and more at home out there and it transferred over to tonight and hopefully it transfers even more into Chicago." 

Howard produced a similar performance in his last outing against the Blackhawks, stopping 25 shots in a 4-1 victory Nov. 14. Including the postseason, he had lost his previous four meetings behind a 3.47 goals-against average.

Chicago (35-18-4) has found its groove at the United Center with four games remaining on a season-high eight-game homestand. The Blackhawks earned at least one point in the first two before beating New Jersey 3-1 on Friday and Pittsburgh 2-1 in a shootout Sunday.

Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp converted in the shootout as the Blackhawks improved to 4-0-2 in their last six overall. Chicago leads the NHL with a 46.4 shootout percentage.

"I mean Jonny and Kaner, that's a 1-2 punch that's as good as any team in the league, and then Sharpy ends up finishing it," coach Joel Quenneville said. "So it was necessary today, and it's been effective for us this year." 

Detroit would be at a clear disadvantage should Wednesday's game go to the tiebreaker, as the Red Wings' 54.5 shootout save percentage is tied for worst in the league. 

Saturday's shootout loss is part of a three-game skid for Detroit, which suffered through an 0-2-4 slide Dec. 10-21 but hasn't lost consecutive games in regulation since March 25-27. 

These teams are among the best in the NHL in goals allowed per game, as Chicago gives up an average of 2.26 and Detroit is at 2.42. The Blackhawks have allowed 10 goals during a 3-0-2 stretch at home, where they post 39.5 shots on goal per game to lead the NHL. 

Kane leads the league with 63 points, while Marian Hossa has seven goals in his last five games. Hossa had a goal and two assists as the Blackhawks won 4-1 in Detroit's last visit to Chicago on March 16. 

Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk has seven points in his last seven games, but he's been held to three points in his past 12 - including the playoffs - against Chicago. 

 

Corey Crawford has played a big part in stifling Datsyuk, as he's 16-6-3 with a 1.98 GAA in 26 appearances against the Red Wings.

Petr Mrazek, who went 8-2-0 during Howard's absence, was assigned to Grand Rapids of the AHL on Tuesday, leaving Jonas Gustavsson as the primary backup.

The Red Wings lead the league with a 26.0 power-play percentage and are at 38.7 (12 for 31) over the last 11. Chicago is near the top of the NHL with an 87.9 penalty-kill percentage and has killed 14 of 15 chances over the past eight.

Blackhawks still favored to win 2015 Cup.

#HAWKSTALK

 

It's been a while since we've checked out the latest Stanley Cup numbers from the oddsmakers over at Bovada, but with the Blackhawks in the middle of an eight-game homestand and the competition in the Central Division heating up, we figured now's a better time than ever.

With less than two months remaining in the regular season, the Blackhawks currently rank third in the Central, four points behind the St. Louis Blues and eight behind the league-leading Nashville Predators.

But when it comes to getting the job done in June, Chicago still remains the favorite on Bovada's sportsbook:

Team	Odds to win 2015 Stanley Cup
Chicago Blackhawks	11/2
Anaheim Ducks	7/1
Nashville Predators	9/1
Pittsburgh Penguins	10/1
St. Louis Blues	10/1
Montreal Canadiens	12/1
New York Islanders	12/1
Tampa Bay Lightning	12/1
Boston Bruins	14/1
Detroit Red Wings	14/1
New York Rangers	14/1
Los Angeles Kings	16/1
San Jose Sharks	18/1
Minnesota Wild	20/1
Washington Capitals	25/1
Vancouver Canucks	33/1
Winnipeg Jets	33/1
Calgary Flames	50/1
Dallas Stars	75/1
Colorado Avalanche	100/1
Florida Panthers	200/1
Philadelphia Flyers	300/1
Columbus Blue Jackets	500/1
New Jersey Devils	500/1
Ottawa Senators	500/1
Toronto Maple Leafs	500/1

Do you agree with these odds? Which team do you see winning it all?

View from Rockford: Blackhawks prospects prepare for NHL.

By Nina Falcone

Inside the walls of the BMO Harris Center, a story is told; a story of dreams coming true for a number of young hockey players as they made their journey to the NHL.

Just 90 minutes from the United Center, the Blackhawks' top prospects are walking through those halls, greeted by pictures of Andrew Shaw, Corey Crawford, Brandon Saad and a number of other NHLers that all got their start in Rockford.

"We wanted to show players as they walked in everyday that there were players here in the past that made their way to Chicago," said minor-league affiliations director Mark Bernard. "The road to Chicago starts here."

Eight players on the Blackhawks' 2014-15 roster all got their start with the Rockford IceHogs and 13 members of the AHL squad all contributed to the Blackhawks' 2010 and 2013 Stanley Cup runs.

And while Chicago's roster isn't exactly an easy one to crack, a number of prospects have gotten a taste of what NHL life is like this season, including Teuvo Teravainen, who laced up in 15 games with the Blackhawks prior to Kris Versteeg's return from an upper-body injury.

Joakim Nordstrom, Scott Darling, Phillip Danault, Klas Dahlbeck and Adam Clendening (who's since been traded to Vancouver) all got the call up to Chicago as well. Now they're back in Rockford and even more anxious to make a return.

"It's an amazing feeling that I want to re-do. I wanted to go again," Danault said, who played in two games with the Blackhawks in November. "Been working hard here to go back and get another shot."

Since Teravainen was reassigned, the Blackhawks have called up former first-round pick Ryan Hartman and defenseman Kyle Cumiskey. 

Both have impressed coach Joel Quenneville since they first took the ice this season during Friday's contest against the New Jersey Devils and hope to stick around for a bit. Their goal, as well as their teammates' in Rockford, is to become another example and one day have their picture go up in the walls of the BMO Harris Center as well.

"Everyone matures and develops at a different rate. We've got a room full of great prospects," Bernard said. "Are they all gonna play in Chicago? I sure hope so. It's a tough lineup to crack, but we definitely have some great prospects here."

Just Another Chicago Bulls Session… Bulls now turn focus to second half of the regular season.

By Christian Arnold

The All-Star Game is over and now it's back to work for Pau Gasol, Jimmy Butler and the rest of Bulls squad later this week.

They will have a few more days of rest before they have to travel to Detroit to take on the Pistons on Friday. The Bulls entered the All-Star break winning four straight and going 6-4 over their last 10 games.

But the Bulls – 34-20 and in first place in the Central Division – know that the second half of the season is when they will have to bare down.

“Now we gotta – after these couple of days – we gotta lock back in,” Pau Gasol said, “and understand the importance of every game. We had great games this season, but we had some really bad ones as well. We need to have great games consistently, because we’re capable of playing at a very high level.”

The down time over the next couple of days will be good for Jimmy Butler, who is dealing with a strained right shoulder. Butler played nine minutes in Sunday’s All-Star Game and said that his shoulder felt “alright” after the game.

“I put some heat on it,” Butler said. “Got to some of that, but I think it’s more important that I get healthy and I get ready for the regular season.”

Butler has been an important cog for the Bulls this season. He is in the midst of the best season of his career, hitting career highs in points, rebounds, assists and free throws. He also leads the league with 39.3 minutes per game.

The 25-year-old will use the next few days to get fully ready for the first game back.

“I’ll be back in Chicago getting my body right,” Butler said. “I think that’s more important than going on a beach somewhere for me. I want to make sure I can give my all to my team.”

The Bulls’ post All-Star break schedule starts in Detroit, before they return home to the United Center for seven straight games. Chicago has 27 regular season games left and Gasol understands that this is where the team has to play at its best if it want to find success.

“Every game is important, especially how the standings are, and we cant take set backs,” Gasol explained.

He also said that mental toughness and mental focus are important keys to the Bulls having success. Gasol has tried to hammer that into his teammates' psyche.

“I’ve tried from my position to encourage that on a regular basis,” he said. “But now that we’re getting closer, and we only have two months out of the regular season, every game has more importance, because the margin of error is smaller… We have to understand that.”

Silver seeking 'dramatic' improvements in NBA scheduling.

By Brian Mahoney

Commissioner Adam Silver is determined to make a schedule that keeps NBA players fresher, and he is willing to discuss starting the season earlier or ending later.

Change could come as early as next season, with fewer stretches of games on back-to-back nights, or four in five nights. He said Saturday during his All-Star press conference that he is concerned with the wear and tear on players.

Silver believes the league can make "dramatic" improvements in those areas.

"We hear everyone loud and clearly," Silver said. "Certainly our players and our teams, that there's nothing more important than the health and welfare of our players. And ultimately we want to see players getting appropriate rest and playing at the highest level."

Just beginning his second year in charge, Silver said his priority is improving the game, whereas much of his early successes were on off-the-court areas.

But business couldn't completely be ignored, with Silver acknowledging the league and players association are early in discussions about how to handle to the influx of revenue coming when the new TV deals kick in in 2016.

The union rejected the league's first proposal for how to set a salary cap number the previous season so it didn't vault too high the following year.

Silver made a schedule tweak this season by lengthening the All-Star break, addressing one concern from players. But that in some cases created more situations where teams had to play four games in five nights during other stretches of the seasons.

He wants to work on that next.

"One of the things we're hoping to address, even for next season, is to come as close as possible as we can to eliminating the four games out of five nights," Silver said. "It's a math formula at the end of the day in terms of the number of days we play, but we think we can make a dramatic reduction there."

Training camps traditionally open around Oct. 1 and the regular season starts just before Halloween. Silver said coaches would like to keep enough time for camp but perhaps don't have the same need for as many preseason games, which could allow the regular-season opener to move up.

Ending the season later - the draft is usually the last week of June and free agency opens July 1 - may not be as easy, but Silver won't rule it out.

"Generally the view has been - in addition it just feels out of sync once you get into the summer - historically those nights haven't been viewed as the best television nights, once you get into July, and just in terms of households watching TV," he said.

"I will say maybe that's something we should look at, too. If we're truly going to take a fresh look at this, we have to examine what the appropriate time is to begin the season and when we should end it."

The desire to improve the schedule could hinder a review of the playoff format, another interest of Silver's. Currently the top eight teams in each conference make the playoffs, meaning some teams in the Western Conference will miss out this year despite better records than East playoff squads. Silver would like to find a way to get those teams in and has been receiving proposals.

He thinks East owners would consider it for the sake of improving the product, but there are other concerns.

"I think it's a difficult issue, because there are no perfect solutions," Silver said. "And on one hand to the extent you increase the amount of travel, it goes directly against my first issue on reducing wear and tear on our players, and ensuring that on any given night our players are playing at the optimum level."

He did say that he believes a lottery tweak is still necessary after a proposal to change it last fall fell short. And he wants the NBA, along with USA Basketball, to help improve youth basketball.

"My focus is on the game," Silver said. "It's a fantastic game, it's a great game. But that's an aspect I believe we can improve."

Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! With questions ready, will Bears' bosses answer?

By Chris Boden

Four weeks since John Fox was introduced as Bears head coach and about three weeks before the free agent signing frenzy begins, it will be curious to see how much Fox and new general manager Ryan Pace will reveal their hand Wednesday. 

That will be the first time they’ll speak publicly (or at least have the opportunity to) about exactly what they’ve inherited, personnel-wise, since Fox – and Pace about ten days prior - took the podium at Halas Hall.  They were able to sidestep the biggest questions then by saying they were just getting started on the job. Rest assured, the two – along with their respective staffs – have gone through every game, every play, of tape from the nightmare 2014 campaign in the interim. Based on what they saw, it’s safe to say decisions and personnel game plans have been made.
 

As they continue interviewing and evaluating the college talent at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, most of the questions will be about whether they’ve made a decision on the two players whose futures remain most in question. Have they decided whether Jay Cutler will be their quarterback in 2015? And have they determined whether Brandon Marshall will be one of their wide receivers? The guess here is there won’t be a complete transparency to their plans, as much as we’d all like to learn those answers. They could say, and imply, both are “Chicago Bears” in an effort to veil those decisions and plans, not announcing to the rest of the NFL they’re listening to offers, and potentially devaluing the market price.

To some, the Cutler question is a no-brainer based on cost and the lack of quality potential replacements. But anything short of saying Cutler’s their guy leaves the door open, and the questions to continue, for another three weeks. Fox and Pace will either play it conservative and keep the guessing games going. Or they’ll be as publicly swift and decisive as their bosses were the day after last season ended.

Bears, NFL, players not the only ones high on Scouting Combine.

By John Mullin

When I first starting attending the annual NFL Scouting Combine in 1993, it was still relatively new to Indianapolis (moved there in 1987 from New Orleans) and the media weren’t particularly welcome in what organizers at the time were intent on keeping restricted generally to teams and college prospects.

A couple dozen reporters, none from TV or radio, stood around a hotel lobby near where teams met with player prospects, and interviewed whichever of those college players happened through. As longtime pal Mike Chappell at the Indianapolis Star recalled, in 1998 we all sat around the Louisiana Street Bar at the downtown Crowne Plaza hotel and did our group interviews with Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf.

It’s come a long way since then.

Now that media number is approaching 1,000, NFL Network television, Comcast SportsNet Chicago and Sirius XM radio will be among those providing daily coverage – all reflective of the NFL’s realization a few years back that the Combine is a layup for keeping its brand front and center less than a month after its signature Super Bowl season-ender, while basketball and hockey are still wading through their regular seasons and baseball is just starting into its spring training.

For the next week the football world will be spinning on an Indianapolis axis with the Combine, the next step after the Senior Bowl in the run-up to the draft at the end of April. But more than the NFL and its hopefuls look forward to the event.

Chappie gives a great synopsis of exactly how big the Scouting Combine is for Indianapolis, starting with the estimated economic impact of $6.5 million from the week-long gathering centered around Lucas Oil Stadium.

There are bigger conventions in Indianapolis, but none with quite the national splash as the Scouting Combine.

Bovada predicts Cubs will be a winning team in 2015...barely.

By Tony Andracki

Would you take an 82-80 season for the Cubs in 2015?

Bovada set the over/under on Cubs wins at 82.5 for the 2015 season, meaning the system believes the North Siders will be above .500, but just barely.

Bovada is a betting site, so they would never peg the Cubs as World Series favorites like Sporting News. And given the Cubs' five straight fifth-place finishes in the NL Central, an 82-80 or 83-79 season would be a step in the right direction, even if it doesn't lead to a postseason berth.

Last season, three of the four wild card teams from each league finished with 88 wins and the fourth had 89 victories. If the Cubs finish with 82 or 83 wins, they would be at least be within shouting distance of a playoff spot.

That 82.5 win total ranks 13th on Bovada's list, ahead of teams like the White Sox (81.5), New York Yankees (81.5), Oakland Athletics (80.5) and even the Kansas City Royals (79.5), who came within a win of a championship in 2014.

Around the NL Central, Bovada set the over/under for St. Louis Cardinals wins at 88.5 (fourth in MLB) while the Pittsburgh Pirates (83.5 wins), Milwaukee Brewers (78.5) and Cincinnati Reds (77.5) fell in behind.

Odds are, AL Central will be a tight race. 

By JJ Stankevitz

The sports betting website Bovada set the over/under for White Sox wins this year at 81 1/2, but that's not necessarily a bad omen for a possible postseason run on the South Side.

If Bovada's over/unders prove to be accurate, the AL Central should be a tightly-contested division this summer. The White Sox have the third-highest over/under win total on Bovada, behind Detroit (84 1/2) and Cleveland (83 1/2) and ahead of Kansas City (79 1/2) and Minnesota (70 1/2).

Bovada's projected close nature of the AL Central race fits with PECOTA, which pegs the White Sox to go 78-84 but has Detroit at 82-80 and Cleveland at 81-81. Fangraphs projects Detroit to win 85 games, Cleveland 84, Kansas City 81 and the White Sox 78. 

The highest American League over/unders went to Los Angeles (89 1/2), Boston (86 1/2) and Seattle (86 1/2). Minnesota's over/under win total is the lowest among American League teams.

Golf: I got a club for that; Reports: Davis Love III will be 2016 U.S. Ryder Cup captain.

By Ryan Ballengee

Davis Love III will get a chance to avenge the "Meltdown at Medinah."

According to a report by Golfworld's Tim Rosaforte and a tweet from former PGA of America president Ted Bishop, Love will be named 2016 U.S. Ryder Cup captain on Tuesday, Feb. 24.

---------------------------------------------- 

Ted Bishop                                                                                   Follow

@tedbishop38pga

 

Sources say Davis Love next US Ryder Cup Captain. #DoOver Bet Freddie wishes he had do over at Medinah. My $$ was on Couples, but luv DL3.

 

4:43 PM - 16 Feb 2015

                     

23 Retweets 8 favorites  

 ----------------------------------------------   

Love was the 2012 captain, and his team performed well for the first two days in Chicago, building a four-point lead heading into the final day. However, the Americans lost the Ryder Cup, succumbing to a record European charge somewhat inspired by captain Jose Maria Olazabal and his relationship with the late Seve Ballesteros. 

Bishop, who became PGA president months after that loss, reached out to Tom Watson about returning as Ryder Cup captain after a successful turn in 1993 -- the last time the United States has won the biennial matches on foreign soil. Watson's second run as captain bordered on total failure, as the U.S. lost by a five-point margin at Gleneagles for the third consecutive time in the series. The five-time Open champion's style also rubbed many of his players the wrong way, with Phil Mickelson speaking out in the moments after the American defeat to NBC and media gathered in Scotland.

The resulting fallout led to the creation of an 11-man Ryder Cup Task Force by the PGA of America, charged with auditing the entire U.S. approach to the matches, including selecting a 2016 captain, developing a succession plan and assessing how the American team should prepare the week of the matches. Love is a member of that group.

It was thought three-time victorious Presidents Cup captain Fred Couples was the favorite for the job, especially when the 1992 Masters champion confirmed he had been contacted by the task force about the opportunity. Other names had been floated, including an early populist movement to bring back winning 2008 captain Paul Azinger, the last man to lead the U.S. to a win in these matches. Love's name did not appear at the top of many speculative lists of potential candidates.

Love will know his opposition on Wednesday, when the European Tour is expected to announce Darren Clarke as their 2016 captain for the matches at Hazeltine National in Minnesota.

Clarke set to be named Europe's Ryder Cup captain.

Reuters; By Tony Jimenez

It would be a major surprise if anyone but former British Open champion Darren Clarke was appointed Europe's new Ryder Cup captain on Wednesday.

A five-man selection panel is due to make an announcement on Paul McGinley's successor after meeting at the European Tour's Wentworth headquarters on the outskirts of London.

Clarke is one of three candidates for the 2016 role, along with Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez and Thomas Bjorn of Denmark, and the Northern Irishman is the odds-on favorite with the bookmakers to land the coveted role.
 

It seems almost inconceivable that McGinley, 2012 captain Jose Maria Olazabal, 2010 skipper Colin Montgomerie, tour chief executive George O'Grady and former Ryder Cup player David Howell will not opt for Clarke. 

The 46-year-old, who played in the biennial team event five times and was a vice-captain in 2010 and 2012, appears to have the backing of most of the team that beat the United States in Scotland in September including world number one Rory McIlroy.

Four-times major winner McIlroy said last month that Clarke would be a perfect fit in the U.S. where he is a popular figure.

The 2011 British Open champion has tasted defeat just once in the seven times he has been involved in the Ryder Cup, when the U.S. won at Brookline in 1999, and he appears to tick the right boxes in terms of experience and support from the players.

Media reports have incorrectly suggested in recent days that only the three former captains will have a vote, with O'Grady and Howell stepping in if the trio cannot decide on their choice. 

The tour, however, has been at pains to point out that each member of the panel has an equal vote. 

The successful candidate is likely to be going head-to-head with Davis Love III at Hazeltine, Minnesota next year after the Golf Channel reported on Monday that the 1997 U.S. PGA Championship winner would be named American skipper next week. 

 

It would be the second time Love, 50, has led the team after he oversaw the "Miracle of Medinah" defeat in 2012 when Olazabal's side stormed back to win from 10-6 down.

Power Rankings: Our 2015 Chase predictions

By Nick Bromberg

1. Brad Keselowski: Title No. 2 for team No. 2? That's where we are leaning. Remember, he had the most wins in the Cup Series last year (6), one more than 2014 Sprint Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick (5). However, here is a possible reason to take caution. Other than Jimmie Johnson (three times), no driver since 2006 who tallied the most wins in a Sprint Cup season has equaled or improved his finish in the points standings the following season. Keselowski is in that group, as he and Denny Hamlin tied Johnson for the circuit lead in wins in 2012. Though, yes, it's hard to repeat as a champion.

 

If Keselowski gets to a final four, we like he and crew chief Paul Wolfe in a winner-take-all format. And we're going to go out on a limb and say while Brad may still be considered the antagonist in the Cup Series story at the end of the season, there won't be any prolonged public conflicts in 2015. 

Bovada odds for the title: 8/1

2. Carl Edwards: Here's to the third straight year of a driver with a new team being a Chase contender. If Edwards gets off to a hot start in 2015 you're going to quickly lose count of all the comparisons to Matt Kenseth's 2013 with Joe Gibbs Racing. Will Edwards win seven races like Kenseth did in 2013? No. But he's going to be faster than he was last year, and we saw how consistent he can be.

Bovada odds for the title: 10/1 

3. Jimmie Johnson: The six-time champion has had his two worst Sprint Cup seasons in the past four years. Is Johnson in the midst of a career swoon? Pardon us as we giggle from typing a low-grade television news teaser there. No, he's not. Yeah, 2014 wasn't a good season for Johnson as his Chase finish would have been (relatively) porous with either the old or new format. But we're not going to say it's the sign of any sort of trend. 

Bovada odds for the title: 13/2 

4. Kevin Harvick: Can Harvick be the first non-Johnson to repeat as champion since Jeff Gordon? We don't dislike his chances. But just ask Joey Logano about the crazy stuff that can happen to take away your title shot in a one-race format. If these four drivers make the final race, it's truly a toss-up between the four. 

 

Bovada odds for the title: 15/2

5. Jeff Gordon: What's a bigger storyline at Homestead? Gordon's possible final race or the championship? Sure, they're married together if the four-time champion is in the final four, but if he's not, he'll be a close second to the title chase, especially depending on the drivers racing for the championship. Bold prediction time. Gordon wins at least one of the following: the Daytona 500, All-Star Race, Coca-Cola 600, Brickyard 400, Southern 500 or the Sprint Cup title.

Bovada odds for the title: 15/2
 

6. Matt Kenseth: Yeah, this was the only JGR team that didn't get a win in 2014. But it was also the only JGR team that kept the driver and crew chief together. Why? Because Kenseth had 22 top-10 finishes, four more than Denny Hamlin and seven more than Kyle Busch. Expect more of the same in 2015, except with a win or two.
 

Bovada odds for the title: 10/1

7. Joey Logano: Being eliminated from the chase before the final race shouldn't be seen as a step backwards for Logano. Unless he struggles all year and doesn't make it out of the first round. If he gets to round two or round three and has a win or two in 2015, it's a continuation of the foundation that was built last year. Logano is going to win a title, and it's going to happen sooner rather than later.

Bovada odds for the title: 9/1
 

8. Kyle Busch: Is Logano taking the "is going to win a title, and it's going to happen sooner rather than later" mantle from Busch? It's a fair question to ask, though title expectations have also been heaped on Busch without steady consistency. He's finished in the top five of the standings twice, and those finishes happened six years apart. If the new rules package mimics the way the Xfinity Series cars drive, don't be surprised if this is the year Busch is a true challenger for the title.
 

Bovada odds for the title: 10/1
 

9. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin snuck through the Chase more than Ryan Newman did. He was the guy who was the epitome of avoiding bad finishes throughout the Chase. Can Hamlin be in the final four again? Yes. Can he be the guy who finishes fourth among the Gibbs cars? Yes to that too. But you can answer yes for any of the four JGR drivers to that question. How the team adapts to an extra car in 2015 will be a focal point, especially if there are struggles.
 

Bovada odds for the title: 14/1

10. Tony Stewart: Smoke back? He's the pick for the 2015 Daytona 500, which would guarantee a spot in the Chase. He's back to being ornery (see the weight issue during Unlimited practice) and aggressive (he had a point to prove in the first part of the Unlimited and ran near the front before being crashed). Stewart is going to win a race in 2015. Will week-to-week consistency follow?

Bovada odds for the title: 22/1
 

11. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: If Junior finishes outside the top 10, it's got to be the crew chief change, right? Sigh. Even if it's not, it'll be Junior Nation's most overanalyzed aspect of the 2015 season. Junior's going to be good again and he's going to win a race again. It's just a matter of not having a misstep in the Chase.

Bovada odds for the title: 10/1
 

12. Kurt Busch: 2015 sleeper? 2015 sleeper. Busch's partnership with Tony Gibson was fruitful at the end of the season and don't act surprised if he's a serious contender for the title. The wild card, of course, is any pending action from the Delaware attorney general's office, but we won't assume anything at this point. Busch's 2014 roller coaster evens out this year.
 

Bovada odds for the title: 25/1

13. Kyle Larson: If we're presuming that Larson wins a race this year, where does it happen? We'll take the easy way out and say Auto Club Speedway, where he won his first Xfinity Series race last year and closed in a hurry in the Cup Series. The worn out pavement suits his driving style as he can wheel the car up near the wall and zip around everyone, a la Kyle Busch did in 2013 to win.

Bovada odds for the title: 16/1
 

14. Kasey Kahne: Will Kahne once again be the fourth car in terms of performance at Hendrick? Will he need to win to get into the Chase or sneak in on points? Will Keith Rodden's return to the team be the magic elixir the No. 5 needs? Notice how one of the questions we're not asking is about Kahne's long-term future at Hendrick Motorsports. That's a big positive. He finished fourth in 2012 but the big year for Kahne at HMS could still be to come.
 

Bovada odds for the title: 25/1
 

15. Clint Bowyer: At Daytona media days, Bowyer said he figured consistency would be enough to get in the Chase in 2014. It didn't happen, so now he's all about the wins. The truth is somewhere in the middle, and Bowyer likely knows it. The No. 15 was consistent last year, but consistently meh. If Bowyer ups the performance without a win, a Chase berth isn't impossible.
 

Bovada odds for the title: 40/1
 

16. Ryan Newman: What's more indicative of Ryan Newman's chances in 2015? His first 26 races of 2014 where he top-15'd the field like crazy and made the Chase or his final 10 where he was a serious contender for the title despite not winning a race? If it's the latter, move Newman up seven or eight spots in this ranking.

Bovada odds for the title: 40/1

Changing schedule could keep IndyCar on right track.

By MICHAEL MAROT (AP Sports Writer)

Less than a month after the season opener was canceled, IndyCar Series chief Mark Miles outlined a new vision for scheduling Tuesday that includes more races, fit perfectly between football seasons in hopes of adding interest and fans.

''We know that in the past whatever our average (television) ratings declined 30 percent after Labor Day and we know why,'' said Miles, the CEO of Hulman & Co. 

College football and the NFL, the ratings king of sports, dominate the airwaves in September and October. So rather than compete against football, Miles believes the smarter play is to fill in the gap. 

Ideally, he wants a 20-race schedule that begins one or two weeks after the Super Bowl and ends Labor Day weekend, a few days earlier than the NFL's first regular-season game and at a time most of college football's best teams are playing non-conference games. 

This year, IndyCar has 16 races between March 29 and Aug. 30. Last month, organizers canceled the 17th race, the opener scheduled for March 8 in Brazil.

Financially, Miles said, the series had protections from taking a big hit. But the delayed start will keep the series off the grid even longer, hurting a series that hasn't held a race since late August. A longer season and shorter offseason would keep IndyCar on the radar, and series officials could have more flexibility to avoid other scheduling conflicts such as Final Four weekend and the first week of Major League Baseball. Plus, they could frontload the schedule with an international race or two and even add a warm-weather venue in the U.S., such as Phoenix.  

Drivers like the concept.
 

''I think 22 (races) would be a great number,'' said Scott Dixon, the three-time series champ with Chip Ganassi Racing. ''But I love racing and if we do it more often, that's great.''
 

Miles also would like to change the series' television strategy. He said he is talking to ABC and NBC Sports Network about dropping the ''exclusive rights'' clause that exists in the current contracts. ABC is the sole broadcaster on the network side, while NBC holds the rights to all cable telecasts.
 

Miles said ABC's expanded coverage of Indianapolis' two May races led to a 55 percent increase in viewership. Ticket sales for the month of May, which were helped by the inaugural Indianapolis Grand Prix, were up by about 75,000 to 360,000, Miles said. And he thinks those increases can continue, especially if ABC and NBC agree to expand coverage of other races.
 

''If each could have (rights to) both, you could imagine ESPN, for example, possibly being a player for us, and you can imagine NBC, as opposed to NBC Sports Network, taking some races,'' he said. ESPN and ABC are both part of The Walt Disney Co.

''That is harder, that is not consistent with our current agreements,'' Miles added. ''There are ideas like that are being discussed for a next set of improvements.''
 

Things will look different at the track, too.
 

Teams will get their new aerodynamic kits, which are expected to increase speeds, in mid-March. Brian Barnhart returns to a more visible role as IndyCar's race director. He was the series' chief steward from 1997-2011 but was replaced after making several contentious calls.
 

While Team Penske still has defending champion Will Power, three-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves and former NASCAR and Formula One driver Juan Pablo Montoya, it added a fourth full-time car when by signing France's Simon Pagenaud.
 

James Hinchcliffe left Andretti Autosport to sign with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. And Sage Karam announced Monday that he would be driving for Ganassi's team at next month's season opener in St. Petersburg.
 

But most drivers are tired of talking about this season.
 

''Being here is nice, but being around the guys is a tease,'' Graham Rahal said. ''Some guys ran four days (testing) in the last two weeks. You're building up, get going, then, boom, it stops all over again. It's going to be a long month.''
 

Miles wants to make sure that never happens again.
 

''We think our growth is to add two or three races in February, the beginning of March,'' he said. ''Lengthening the season by starting earlier, it's still a full seven months of racing, and that's a full season.''

Lionel Messi back at the top of AP Global Football 10.

By JACK BEZANTS (Associated Press)

Lionel Messi returned to the top of The Associated Press Global Football 10 on Tuesday after scoring a hat trick in Barcelona's 5-0 win over Levante.

Messi's 31st career treble came in his 300th Spanish league match. He is already the all-time record scorer in the division and his three goals on Sunday took his tally to 269.

''Lionel Messi's goals meant he went level on 23 La Liga hat tricks with Cristiano Ronaldo, and so his duel with the Real Madrid star continues,'' Mike McGrath of The Sun in England said. ''This week it is the Barcelona superstar who is top of the charts.''
 

Messi received eight more votes than Wolfsburg striker Bas Dost, who scored four goals as his side overcame Bayer Leverkusen 5-4, including a stoppage-time winner.
 

''Scoring four of Wolfsburg's five goals was a remarkable contribution from Bas Dost in an equally as remarkable game of football,'' Marco Monteverde of News Corp. Australia said.  

Arjen Robben was third after propelling Bayern Munich, the Bundesliga leader, to an emphatic 8-0 victory over Hamburg with two goals. The victory that kept Pep Guardiola's side eight points ahead of Wolfsburg atop the Bundesliga. It also put Bayern top of the Global Football 10 team vote, ahead of Barcelona. 
 

''Bayern made a case for itself with an 8-0 win, which re-established it atop the Bundesliga, though you have to give Wolfsburg credit for the most interesting results of the year after its 5-4 win over Bayer Leverkusen,'' Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch said. 
 

Barcelona's emphatic victory - its 11th straight - impressed other panel members but the majority felt Bayern deserved its place atop the rankings.
 

 ''Luis Suarez scored the most spectacular goal of the weekend in Europe, but what Bayern did to Hamburg was incredible,'' Manos Staramopoulos of Dimocratia in Greece said. ''Spectacularly high standards with the amazing orchestrator, Arjen Robben.''

 

Wolfsburg is third while Celta Vigo enters this week's poll in fourth after a surprising 2-0 victory over Spanish league holder Atletico Madrid.
 

Inter Milan is fifth and Real Madrid sixth, while third-tier English side Bradford re-enters the poll in sixth after continuing its FA Cup exploits by knocking out Premier League side Sunderland in the fifth round of the tournament with a 2-0 win.
 

It had previously beaten Chelsea 4-2 at Stamford Bridge in the fourth round.
 

Arsenal is eighth, with second-tier club Blackburn ninth for beating Premier League side Stoke 4-1 in the cup.
 

Borussia Dortmund is 10th after winning 4-2 against Mainz and moving out of the relegation zone in the German league.
 

In the player's poll, Fredy Guarin is fourth after he inspired Inter Milan to a 4-1 victory away to Atalanta with two goals and is a place above Suarez, who came off the substitute's bench to score Barcelona's fifth goal with a superb acrobatic strike.
 

Olivier Giroud, Thomas Mueller, Mario Goetze, Isco and Marco Reus complete the top 10 players of the week.
 

AP Global Football 10:

Players:

1. Lionel Messi, 98 points.

2. Bas Dost, 90.

3. Arjen Robben, 78.

4. Fredy Guarin, 60.

5. Luis Suarez, 55.

6. Olivier Giroud, 50.

7. Thomas Mueller, 42.

8. Mario Goetze, 38.

9. Isco, 31.

10. Marco Reus, 20.

Teams:

1. Bayern Munich, 126.

2. Barcelona, 100.

3. Wolfsburg, 94.

4. Celta Vigo, 67.

5. Inter Milan, 60.

6. Real Madrid, 49.

7. Bradford, 47.

8. Arsenal, 44.

9. Blackburn, 22.

10. Borussia Dortmund, 21.

Las Vegas oddsmaker reveals Fire's MLS Cup odds. 

CSN Staff; By Danny Michallik

It is common practice for fans of the NFL, NBA, and college sports to bet on teams and how they will fare in their respective leagues.

It seems almost too far away to even ponder, but leave it up to oddsmaker Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook to open the betting on who will win the 2015 MLS Cup.

The Fire, who last won the trophy in the club's inaugural season in 1998, were listed at 40/1 to win. Colorado, Philadelphia, Montreal and San Jose were the only longer shots and rounded out the bottom five.

Reigning champions LA Galaxy, whom the Fire will face in the season opener on March 6, were backed to defend their title at 3/1. Seattle Sounders, winners of last year's Supporters' Shield, came in at 9/2, with 2014 MLS Cup finalists New England Revolution trailing in third spot at 8/1.

Jason Kreis's expansion side New York City FC are priced at 15/1. Check out the full list below:

 

 

Paul Carr                                                                                                        Follow

@PCarrESPN

   

The @LVSuperBook has posted @MLS title odds for 2015. LA, Seattle, New England favored:  

12:00 PM - 16 Feb 2015

                     

73 Retweets 41 favorites 

 

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Kentucky is a unanimous No. 1 again in AP basketball poll.

By The Associated Press

Kentucky is the unanimous No. 1 choice in The Associated Press Top 25 for the third straight week.

The Wildcats (25-0) received all 65 first-place votes from a media panel Monday after holding off LSU and rolling over South Carolina last week.

The top eight teams remained the same from last week, with Virginia at No. 2, followed by Gonzaga, Duke, Wisconsin, Villanova, Arizona and Kansas.

Utah moved into the top 10 for the second time this season, up two spots to No. 9. Louisville dropped three spots to No. 12 after losing to North Carolina State on Saturday.

Northern Iowa moved up two spots to No. 11 for its highest ranking ever.

Associated Press Top 25   1. Kentucky 2. Virginia 3. Gonzaga 4. Duke 5. Wisconsin 6. Villanova 7. Arizona 8. Kansas 9. Utah 10. Notre Dame 11. Northern Iowa 12. Louisville 13. Wichita State 14. Iowa State 15. North Carolina 16. Maryland 17. Oklahoma 18. Arkansas 19. Butler 20. Baylor 21. Southern Methodist 22. Oklahoma State 23. West Virginia 24. Ohio State 25. VCU

Coaches Poll   1. Kentucky 2. Gonzaga 3. Virginia 4. Wisconsin 5. Duke 6. Villanova 7. Arizona 8. Kansas 9. Utah 10. Notre Dame 11. Northern Iowa 12. Louisville 13. Wichita State 14. Iowa State 15. Maryland 16. North Carolina 17. Arkansas 17. Oklahoma 19. Butler 20. Baylor 21. Southern Methodist 22. West Virginia 23. Ohio State 24. Oklahoma State 25. San Diego State

North Carolina-Duke Preview

By JOEDY McCREARY (AP Sports Writer)

Jahlil Okafor has made it look easy for No. 4 Duke.

The freshman big man is preparing for his first taste of college basketball's fiercest rivalry Wednesday night when the Blue Devils host No. 15 North Carolina - a matchup Okafor called ''one of the games I marked on my calendar'' when he chose Duke.
 

A parade of talented freshmen has run through Duke (22-3, 9-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) in the past five seasons, from Kyrie Irving to Jabari Parker.

Okafor has a case to be the best of the bunch.

He leads the Blue Devils in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage, with both his scoring average of 18.2 points and his shooting percentage of 66.5 percent tops in the ACC. No freshman has ever led a Duke team in all three categories. 

''When a team has a game plan just to stop him, and they're double-teaming him,'' fellow freshman Tyus Jones said Tuesday, ''it's crazy to see, but he does it night in and night out.'' 

The 6-foot-11, 270-pounder has proven to be such a matchup problem for opponents that they have resorted to brute force in their efforts to try to slow him down.
 

''I knew the game would be a lot more physical than it was in high school,'' Okafor said, ''but it was hard for me to imagine just how physical it was going to be.''

Coach Mike Krzyzewski added that ''it's amazing how good a job he's done on defense as a result of the physical play he has (faced) on the offensive end.''

Okafor has scored in double figures in all 25 games of his college career. He's posted nine double-doubles and reached the 20-point mark 10 times.

His unique blend of skills makes him tough to handle. He's talented enough in the post to beat a single defender, yet is a slick enough ball handler to pass out of double teams.

''You have to make some allowances for him,'' North Carolina coach Roy Williams said. ''Because they can score inside and they've got terrific 3-point shooters, and that may make (the entire Duke team) more difficult to guard than anybody. ... The challenges they pose to you on the offensive end, trying to stop them, is really unlimited.''

The Tar Heels figure to send either Kennedy Meeks or Brice Johnson - or both - at Okafor, who averages an ACC-best 4.04 offensive rebounds and his 9.3 total rebounds ranks fourth in the league.

North Carolina is the league's best team on the glass, averaging 42.3 rebounds and leading the conference in both offensive (15.0) and defensive (27.3) rebounds.

''It's definitely going to be a hard-fought battle,'' Okafor said. ''They have an amazing front line, as do we.''

While Okafor and the Blue Devils are surging, having won five straight, the Tar Heels are limping with losses in three of their past four games.

During that stretch, they blew an 18-point second-half lead in an overtime loss at Louisville, fell at home to No. 2 Virginia and allowed Pittsburgh to shoot 65 percent in last weekend's loss.

''We're not really all the way down to shambles or anything, so I don't know if resurrect is the appropriate term,'' guard Marcus Paige said. ''These past four games, it's pretty obvious we've struggled. So this is a great opportunity to get a confidence-booster and kind of give us some momentum going forward. I think we'll still be OK, regardless of what happens.'' 

College Hall names 2015 class.

 

ESPN.com News Services

 

Two-time All-American John Havlicek, Indiana star Quinn Buckner and longtime coach Lou Henson are among the newest class to be enshrined in the College Basketball Hall of Fame.

Their ceremony will take place Nov. 20 at the Arvest Bank Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri.

The latest group of eight basketball luminaries was revealed Tuesday during a news conference at the College Basketball Experience in downtown Kansas City. They will follow a star-studded class from last year that included former LSU standout Shaquille O'Neal and Duke icon Grant Hill.

Others selected for the 2015 class are former Kansas State star Rolando Blackman, Dayton coach Don Donoher, Langston coach C. Felton "Zip" Gayles, Long Beach State star Ed Ratleff and North Carolina All-American Charlie Scott.

"Don Donoher and Lou Henson took their teams to the NCAA Final Four while Zip Gayles was a trailblazer and role model for athletes and coaches," said Reggie Minton, deputy executive director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches and chairman of the Hall of Fame selection panel. "The men selected as players include some great all-around athletes who helped lead their teams to championships in the NCAA, Olympic Games and the NBA."

When Henson arrived at Illinois in 1975, the first thing he did was preach patience.

"We had a lot of great talent in Illinois, and I said, 'Look, we're not going to win for a while,'" Henson recalled, "but we're going to try to build relations in our state. And we did."

By the time he took the Fighting Illini to the Final Four in 1989, where they fell to Big Ten rival Michigan, all of his starters had grown up in-state.

"I still think [the Hall of Fame] made a mistake," said Henson, offering a good-natured laugh. "There are a lot of people out there that deserve it more than me."

Henson had plenty of opportunities over the years to coach against Donoher, who spent his entire 25-year career at Dayton, leading the Flyers to eight NCAA tournaments and the 1967 title game, where they lost to John Wooden and UCLA.

Buckner was a member of Bob Knight's national title team at Indiana in 1976 before winning NBA and Olympic titles. Havlicek helped the Buckeyes win a national title before winning eight NBA titles over a 16-year career with the Celtics.

Blackman was the Big Eight Player of the Year for Kansas State before embarking on a 13-year NBA career with the Mavericks and Knicks.

Gayles also coached football and baseball for Langston. He won nearly 600 games in basketball with teams that included longtime Harlem Globetrotters star Marques Haynes.

Among the players in this year's Hall of Fame class is a pair whose iconic coaches recently died: Scott, who was North Carolina's first black scholarship player for Dean Smith, and Ratleff, who starred in the 1970s for Jerry Tarkanian at Long Beach State.

Power conference betting odds favor Ohio State, Alabama, Oregon & TCU. 

By Kevin McGuire

This may come as a slight shock to some of you, but one online sports book is giving Ohio State, Alabama, Oregon and TCU the best odds to win their respective conference championships in 2015. Hard to believe, right?

This year’s first batch of conference championship odds was released by 5Dimes for each of the power conferences. Ohio State, Alabama, Oregon, TCU and Clemson were all the favorites in their conferences. The Buckeyes, defending national champions, are the only clear favorite among all the power conference programs, receiving -150 odds to win the Big Ten in 2015. TCU and Oregon each were next in line with +200 odds to win the Big 12 and Pac-12, respectively.

The biggest longshot in the crowd? That would be Vanderbilt at +10,000. Hey, that may be worth laying a couple bucks just for the heck of it. Or, you could just send me your money instead and get the same return in reality. You think it over and just let me know.

The biggest longshot in the crowd? That would be Vanderbilt at +10,000. Hey, that may be worth laying a couple bucks just for the heck of it. Or, you could just send me your money instead and get the same return in reality. You think it over and just let me know.

See any good odds that entice you?

2015 ACC Championship Odds

Clemson +250
Florida State +300
Georgia Tech +400
Duke +800
Louisville +800
Virginia Tech +800
NC State +1000
Miami FL +1500
Pittsburgh +1500
North Carolina +2000
Boston College +3000
Virginia +3000
Syracuse +6000
Wake Forest +6000

2015 Big 12 Championship Odds

TCU +200
Baylor +225
Oklahoma +500
Oklahoma State +500
Texas +800
Kansas State +1000
West Virginia +1300
Texas Tech +1500
Iowa State +2000
Kansas +8000

2015 Big Ten Championship Odds

Ohio State -150
Michigan State +300
Wisconsin +800
Nebraska +1100
Minnesota +1200
Michigan +1300
Penn State +1700
Iowa +2200
Rutgers +2500
Maryland +3000
Northwestern +5500
Illinois +6000
Indiana +6000
Purdue +8000

2015 Pac-12 Championship Odds

Oregon +200
UCLA +450
USC +450
Arizona +550
Arizona State +600
Stanford +600
Utah +900
California +2000
Washington +3000
Washington State +4000
Oregon State +4000
Colorado +6000

2015 SEC Championship Odds

Alabama +260
Auburn +400
Georgia +400
Mississippi +420
Tennessee +900
LSU +1000
Arkansas +1200
Missouri +1300
Mississippi State +1500
Texas A&M +1500
South Carolina +2500
Florida +2500
Kentucky +7500
Vanderbilt +10000

On This Date in Sports History: Today is Wednesday, February 18, 2015.

Memoriesofhistory.com

1918 - Georges Vezina (Montreal Canadiens) recorded the first shutout in NHL history. The event came in the third month of the NHL's first season.

1932 - Sonja Henie won her 6th world women’s figure skating title in Montreal, Canada.

1965 - Frank Gifford announced his retirement from football for a career in broadcasting.

1983 - The Indiana Pacers began a 28 game road losing streak.

1984 - Bill Bradley had his New York Knickerbocker number 24 retired at Madison Square Garden.

1984 - The 4,000,000th NBA point was scored.

1984 - Reed Larson (Detroit Red Wings) became the highest scoring American-born player in NHL history. He passed Tom Williams when he got his 432nd point.

1995 - John Stockton (Utah Jazz) became the first player to register 10,000 assists.

1995 - Deion Sanders was a guest on "Saturday Night Live."

1996 - Frankie Fredericks of Namibia became the first man to run 200 meters under 20 seconds indoors. He set the record at 19.92 seconds.

2001 - NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, Sr., was killed in a crash during the Daytona 500 race. 

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