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Sports Quote of the Day:

Success is about dedication. You may not be where you want to be or do what you want to do when you're on the journey. But you've got to be willing to have vision and foresight that leads you to an incredible end. ~ Usher, Singer, Songwriter, Dancer and Actor 

Trending: Complete 2015 NCAA "March Madness" Championship Tournament Scores

YahooSports.com

Sunday, March 22, 2015

7 Michigan St. 60 Final

2 Virginia 54

 

8 S. Diego St. 49 Final

1 Duke 68 

7 Wichita St. 78 Final

2 Kansas 65

 

11 Dayton 66 Final

3 Oklahoma 72

 

7 Iowa 68 Final

2 Gonzaga 87

 

8 Oregon 65 Final

1 Wisconsin 72

 

5 West Virginia 69 Final

4 Maryland 59

 

5 Northern Iowa 53 Final

4 Louisville 66

Saturday, March 21, 2015

14 UAB 75 Final

11 UCLA 92

 

8 Cincinnati 51 Final

1 Kentucky 64

 

10 Ohio St. 58 Final

2 Arizona 73

14 Georgia St. 67 Final

6 Xavier 75

 

8 N.C. State 71 Final

1 Villanova 68

 

5 Utah 75 Final

4 Georgetown 64

 

5 Arkansas 78 Final

4 N. Carolina 87

 

6 Butler 64 Final OT

3 Notre Dame 67

Friday, March 20, 2015

15 N. Mex. St. 56 Final

2 Kansas 75

 

10 Georgia 63 Final

7 Michigan St. 70

 

12 Wyoming 54 Final

5 Northern Iowa 71

12 Buffalo 62 Final

5 West Virginia 68

 

10 Indiana 76 Final

7 Wichita St. 81

 

15 Belmont 67 Final

2 Virginia 79

 

13 UC Irvine 55 Final

4 Louisville 57

 

13 Valparaiso 62 Final

4 Maryland 65

 

9 Oklahoma St. 73 Final

8 Oregon 79

 

16 Robert Morris 56 Final

1 Duke 85

 

10 Davidson 52 Final

7 Iowa 83

 

14 Albany 60 Final

3 Oklahoma 69

 

16 Coastal Car. 72 Final

1 Wisconsin 86

 

9 St. John's 64 Final

8 S. Diego St. 76

 

15 N. Dak. St. 76 Final

2 Gonzaga 86

 

11 Dayton 66 Final

6 Providence 53

Thursday, March 19, 2015, (Big Dance Starts)

14 Northeastern 65 Final

3 Notre Dame 69

 

14 UAB 60 Final

3 Iowa St. 59

14 Georgia St. 57 Final

3 Baylor 56

 

15 Texas Southern 72 Final

2 Arizona 93

 

11 Texas 48 Final

6 Butler 56

 

11 UCLA 60 Final

6 SMU 59

 

11 Mississippi 57 Final

6 Xavier 76

 

10 Ohio St. 75 Final OT

7 VCU 72

 

16 Lafayette 52 Final

1 Villanova 93

 

9 Purdue 65 Final OT

8 Cincinnati 66

 

13 Harvard 65 Final

4 N. Carolina 67

 

12 S.F. Austin 50 Final

5 Utah 57

 

9 LSU 65 Final

8 N.C. State 66

 

16 Hampton 56 Final

1 Kentucky 79

 

12 Wofford 53 Final

5 Arkansas 56

 

13 Eastern Wash. 74 Final

4 Georgetown 84

Tuesday, March 17, 2015, (Play-In Games)

16 Robert Morris 81 Final

16 North Florida 77

 

11 Dayton 56 Final

11 Boise St. 55

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

By JACK CASSIDY (STATS Writer)

The Chicago Blackhawks dominant stretch of play ended abruptly with an ugly loss over the weekend.

 

Still with a chance at the Central Division crown, they'll look to bounce back Monday night when they continue a four-game trip against the lowly Carolina Hurricanes.

 

The Blackhawks (43-22-6) had won four straight to cap off an 8-1-1 stretch, but stumbled on both ends of the ice in a 4-0 loss to Dallas on Saturday.

 

Chicago, which trails division-leading St. Louis by five points with two games in hand, has been shut out in each of its three previous defeats.

 

"I don't think we've had too many of these games this year," defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson told the Blackhawks' official website. "You have at least four or five games like that in an 82-game season. That was just one of those and we just got to move on."

 

The loss continued a scoring drought for Patrick Sharp, who has only 12 goals this season after netting a team-high 34 in 2013-14. Sharp scored twice in Chicago's win over San Jose on March 14, but otherwise has been held scoreless in 22 games since Jan. 30. 

Marian Hossa and Jonathan Toews have been slightly more productive for the Blackhawks as they continue to deal with absence of leading scorer Patrick Kane (fractured clavicle). They combined for 10 points during Chicago's four-game winning streak, and Toews needs one point to reach 500 for his career. 
 

Coach Joel Quenneville is also on the brink of a milestone, sitting one victory shy of the 750th of his career - a landmark he had hoped to reach Saturday.
 

"I thought we got outworked," Quenneville said. "Our power play wasn't very good and the penalty killing wasn't very good and the team game wasn't very good. (Dallas) deserved to win."
 

Corey Crawford had touted a 1.13 goals-against average in his last seven starts prior to Saturday's defeat, which ranked best in the NHL from Feb. 26-March 17.
 

He made 27 saves and both Toews and Hossa scored on March 2 in Chicago's 5-2 win over Carolina (26-35-10), which has since gone 2-4-3. Crawford has won three straight starts against the Hurricanes, allowing two goals in each.
 

All but eliminated from the playoffs, Carolina trails the second wild-card spot by 22 points with 11 games to play, and lost to the New York Rangers on Saturday 3-2 in a shootout.
 

 Anton Khudobin stopped 27 shots in the loss. He has recorded only one win in his last six starts and owns a 2.77 GAA in that time.

 

"It would have been nice to have some more looks in the third period," coach Bill Peters said. "But it wasn't meant to be. It's been a run of bad luck in the shootout for (Khudobin). We haven't given him enough support. He's a solid NHL goaltender."

 

Cam Ward started in net earlier this month against Chicago, but was pulled in favor of Khudobin after he allowed four goals through two periods.

 

The Hurricanes expect a better effort against the Blackhawks this time around.

 

"These are fun games to play," Nathan Gerbe told the Hurricanes' official website. "You get up for these games. You want to use them as a measuring stick. You know these teams are good. They're playoff teams."

Blackhawks get throttled by Lehtonen, Stars 4-0. (Saturday night's game, 03/21/2015).

By Tracey Myers

It was no surprise that the Dallas Stars came out playing the part of the desperate, trying-to-avoid-official-playoff-elimination team.

They played that part because that’s what they are right now, a squad holding on to this season with the edge of its fingernail. On Saturday, the Stars played that desperate hockey. The Blackhawks didn’t come close to matching it.

Tyler Seguin scored his 33rd of the season and the Blackhawks were shut out for the eighth time this season as the Stars blanked them 4-0 on Saturday night. It was the first regulation loss in March for the Blackhawks (92 points), who remain in third place in the Central Division behind St. Louis and Nashville, both of which have 96 points.

Pick a facet, any facet of this game: for the Blackhawks, there weren’t many that were good. Coach Joel Quenneville said Corey Crawford, who allowed four goals on 29 shots, “gave us a chance.” Past that, the compliments were scarce.

“It’s just one of those games where you can say [there was] not one line you liked,” Quenneville said. “Didn’t like the way the D played. They deserved to win. I thought they were the better team.”

Dallas, if nothing else, was the hungrier team from the start. Patrick Eaves, coming through the slot relatively unscathed, gave the Stars a 1-0 lead midway through the first before Seguin added his, a power-play goal, about seven minutes later.

“It was just not good enough today. It’s as simple as that,” Niklas Hjalmarsson said. “They just had way more speed and there were five men on their attacks and a lot of odd-man rushes against and they were just overall way better than us today.”

The Blackhawks had glimpses of decent play late in the second period, when they had some of their better scoring opportunities. But that didn’t transition over to the third period. Shawn Horcoff scored another power-play goal for the Stars about six minutes into the period for a 3-0 lead. And after a failed Brandon Saad penalty shot, Jason Spezza, off a Michal Rozsival turnover, put the Stars up 4-0.

“We knew, especially at home, they were fast and quick. That was a playoff-type tempo on the ice and in the beginning they were much quicker than us,” Marian Hossa said. “At the end of the second we had good opportunities. We just couldn’t score the goal. They scored again on the power play and that was the game.”

Hossa said the Blackhawks will chuck this one in the garbage, something they say after their more forgettable losses. The Blackhawks missed an opportunity to get very close to the Blues and Predators, but they weren’t looking at it as anything more than an off night.

“I don’t think there’s more than that,” Hjalmarsson said. “It’s just one game. It happens. And we’ve just got to leave that behind and focus on the next game.”

Just Another Chicago Bulls Session… Hornets-Bulls Preview.

By TAYLOR BECHTOLD (STATS Writer)

 

The Chicago Bulls suffered an embarrassing collapse over the weekend, one that likely brought back memories of the last time they faced the Charlotte Hornets just a week and a half ago.

 

With help possibly on the way in All-Star Jimmy Butler, the banged-up Bulls hope to avoid their seventh loss in 10 games Monday night against a visiting Charlotte team looking to solidify its playoff position.

Chicago (42-29) has dropped one-half game behind Toronto in the race for the Eastern Conference's third seed after getting outscored 54-19 over the final 19 minutes of Saturday's 107-91 loss at Detroit.

Pau Gasol scored 17 of his game-high 27 in the second half, but his teammates had only 18 while going 7 for 30 over the final 24 minutes. Aaron Brooks had four points in last two quarters after scoring 15 in the first half.

Nikola Mirotic finished with eight points on 1-of-8 shooting after he had averaged 21.5 over his previous 11 games.

''We were 19 (points up) with about six minutes left in the third,'' coach Tom Thibodeau said. ''The game isn't over if you start giving them easy scores and don't get back on defense.''

Thibodeau's club has certainly struggled at times defensively during a 3-6 stretch, allowing an average of 106.8 points over its last five losses after letting the Pistons shoot 48.9 percent and 11 for 26 from 3-point range.

Charlotte (30-38), just 2-5 in its last seven games, similarly rolled past Chicago in a 101-91 home win March 13. The Hornets overcame a 19-point deficit and outscored the Bulls 82-56 over the final three quarters.

They also held a 55-36 rebounding edge - including 17-4 on the offensive glass - without top big man Al Jefferson.

Chicago will have third-leading rebounder Taj Gibson available in the final meeting of this four-game season series. Gibson has totaled 19 points while playing limited minutes in two games since missing 10 with a sprained left ankle.

The Bulls now hope Butler can return after sitting out the past 11 contests due to an elbow injury. The guard is averaging a career-high 20.2 points, though he's scored just 11.3 per game in his last four versus Charlotte.

Gasol has averaged 20.7 points and 12.0 rebounds in the season series, finishing with 19 and 15 in a 102-95 road win Dec. 3. The Hornets, however, have taken the past two matchups - including a 98-86 victory at the United Center on Feb. 25.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 18 points and 12 rebounds to help Charlotte overcome Kemba Walker's absence. Walker is still trying to find his stroke, averaging 11.7 points on 30.9 percent shooting in six games since missing 18 with a knee injury.

He was one of five players to score in double figures with 16 in Sunday's 109-98 win at Minnesota that snapped a three-game slide and put the Hornets into sole possession of eighth place in the East.

Mo Willliams led the way with 24 points, while Jefferson had 18 to go with 11 boards and Kidd-Gilchrist added 18 and nine.

"We're going to have to do it for more than 24 minutes to win (at Chicago),'' said coach Steve Clifford, whose team trailed by as many as 13 in the first half. "We needed to win a game, especially on the road, and hopefully we can build on it.''

Charlotte hasn't won this series since taking two of three in the 2008-09 season.

Bulls blow 19-point third quarter lead, get rocked in Detroit 107-91. (Saturday night's game, 03/22/2015). 

By Vincent Goodwill

In a land far away, Tayshaun Prince was a valued defensive stopper for a championship Pistons team and in a land even farther away, the Pistons and Bulls had the NBA’s most heated rivalry, must-see TV.

For a one-night only showing, the Pistons again gave the Bulls fits at the Palace of Auburn Hills, erasing a 19-point Bulls lead and blowing the Bulls out in the fourth quarter for a 107-91 win that could prove to be critically damaging to the Bulls playoff seeding, as they were within striking distance of the second-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers but now drift back to dangerous land, in the 3-4-5 jumble.

The Pistons actually went on a 50-13 run after the Bulls appeared to be on pace for their third straight win, leading by nearly 20 midway through the third quarter.

“We’re up 19, all we gotta do is play good defense, be solid. It didn’t happen,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. “In this league, you think a game’s over with a lead like that. It’s not. With the three-point shot and the way the clock works in this league, no lead is safe.”

Everything was working.

Pau Gasol was hitting corner threes on his way to a 27-point, 10-rebound evening, Joakim Noah was registering his 28^th game of five or more assists and the Bulls offense was clicking like it has been for the past several nights.

But the Pistons heated up and things went south for the Bulls rather quickly in an engaged environment that featured several segments of Bulls fans who made the five-hour trek to Metro Detroit.

“We played well in the first half and beginning of the third,” said Noah, who finished with six points, 13 rebounds and seven assists. “A lot of sloppy play, turnovers. We have to play smart basketball. We were tired. When you’re tired you gotta be smart. I gotta play better.”

In another blast from the past, the Pistons got physical and the Bulls couldn’t handle it, which could be a bad omen for the upcoming postseason if they don’t get that in order.

“The thing is, we got frustrated, we had the lead and we didn’t finish our defense,” Thibodeau said. “We didn’t get back, they made up ground quickly. They had their way from there. They went on a run and we couldn’t stop them.”

Anthony Tolliver, Andre Drummond, Joel Anthony and even the skinny Prince supplied the beef, getting the Bulls out of rhythm.

Ten straight made baskets by the Pistons in the half six minutes of the third quarter started the breakdown, with Reggie Jackson leading the way, scoring 17 in the period and dishing seven assists, breaking down the Bulls’ perimeter defense of Kirk Hinrich and Aaron Brooks.

Rookie point guard Spencer Dinwiddie picked up where Jackson left off, compiling his first double-double, with 10 points and six assists in the fourth (10 assists overall). He broke an 83-all game with a three-point play, assisted for a three pointer and a layup, and scored again himself—breaking the game open with 7:13 left.

“Dinwiddie’s a good player, he’s a young guy, he’s got good size,” Thibodeau said. “He sees the game well. He’s gonna be good for them.”

On the other end, Prince (nine fourth-quarter rebounds) single handedly kept Bulls fourth quarter super scorer Nikola Mirotic from even touching the ball, using his length and veteran smarts to stifle the Bulls offense.

“Yeah, it was just, Tayshaun made great athletic plays,” said Noah, who tried to force two passes to Mirotic that Prince intercepted, “Not smart passes, though. Should’ve been smarter, should’ve known that he knows what he’s doing.”

And with any Stan Van Gundy coached team, the Pistons fired threes, and lots of them, hitting four in the final 12 minutes, hitting 42 percent from long range and 49 percent overall.

The Pistons were without leading scorer Greg Monroe so veteran Caron Butler picked up the slack, scoring 13 of his 20 in the first quarter, as the Pistons actually got off to a 10-point lead before the Bulls, led by Taj Gibson and Gasol, stormed back to take control.

But the control was short-lived, as was the Bulls’ recent prosperity, sending them back home to Chicago, scrambling yet again.

Noah flirts with triple-double as Bulls roll over Raptors 108-92. (Friday night's game, 03/20/2015).

By Mike Singer

Chicago Bulls' Joakim Noah (13) dunks during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Toronto Raptors, Friday, March 20, 2015 in Chicago. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

With 2:25 remaining and the Bulls win comfortably in hand, Joakim Noah momentarily thought about hoisting a deep jumper from the right wing that, had it fallen, would’ve given the Bulls’ point-forward-savior his first triple-double of the year.

"I did think about it," Noah joked. "Unfortunately, I can't score."

Instead, Noah, who tied his career-high with 14 assists to go along with eight points and 10 boards, opted to pass it -- an indication of just how unselfish the Bulls’ leader has been throughout this season.

Noah continued his streak of at least five assists in his last 11 games as he spearheaded the Bulls’ 108-92 win over Toronto. The win temporarily gives the Bulls a half game lead over Toronto at 42-28 for the East’s No. 3 seed as the regular season continues to wind down.

The Raptors knocked down 10 triples and got to the line 26 times, but Nikola Mirotic had an answer after seemingly every big Toronto bucket. The rookie finished with 29 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks as he continues to warrant time in Tom Thibodeau’s notoriously stingy rotation. It was the sixth time in the Bulls' last 11 games that Mirotic has reached at least 20 points.

"You're only gonna learn from experience," Taj Gibson said of Mirotic. "A lot of people don't understand when you got guys out, the best thing to do when you don't know when your shot's gonna come is just go in there and attack. With Niko playing the way he's been playing, the court was just so wide open."

Despite the win, the loudest cheers of the evening were reserved for Gibson, who returned after missing 10 games to a sprained left ankle. Less than a minute into his first-quarter shift, Pau Gasol fed Gibson for a patented alley-oop, and Gibson’s subsequent scream may well have been out of the frustration he felt sitting the on the bench the past three weeks. The Bulls were 11-8 in his absence.

Gibson was the first of the injured Bulls to return, but he won’t be the last before the regular season ends. Jimmy Butler (sprained elbow) was out on the court taking jumpers pregame and Tom Thibodeau has said he’s “close.” Derrick Rose (knee surgery) could be two weeks away as well, but the Bulls have reinforcements coming at the most optimal time.

On Friday, with a 54-26 advantage in the paint, the whole team was hardly necessary, but it will if the Bulls want to realize their postseason potential.

The Bulls extended their lead in the third as Mike Dunleavy found his stroke. Coming off a 21-point performance against Indiana on Wednesday, the league’s seventh-leading 3-point shooter was aggressive in his cuts and didn’t hesitate when the Raptors gave him a window. He had nine of his 21 in the third alone, taking advantage of a defense that had packed it in after getting exposed in the paint throughout the first two quarters.

The Raptors momentarily had a bit of momentum after a Patrick Patterson 3-pointer at the 2:43 mark to cut the deficit to 78-64, but Mirotic immediately responded with another triple from the wing. He closed the quarter with a transition dunk, and Chicago held an 18-point lead heading into the final stanza.

It was as impressive of a first half as the Bulls have assembled in weeks, and that’s taking into account Toronto’s 48.5 percent shooting. The Bulls countered at a 57.8 percent clip and poured in 60 points for a 12-point halftime lead. That margin was buoyed by a 36-10 edge in the paint, an advantage the Bulls haven’t had without their full squad.

Noah, the foundation of the team’s offense with Rose out, had nine assists in 15 minutes and continually set his teammates up with space to operate. As a team the Bulls registered 20 assists on 26 field goals, which kept the Raptors’ defense on a swivel. The biggest beneficiary was Mirotic, who had a team-high 15 after two quarters. The rookie, who lately hasn’t played like one, hit two first-quarter triples that helped to set up hard drives to the rim as the half wore on.

Even more encouraging for the Bulls was the distribution of points as 10 players found the bucket. Tony Snell, going right at DeMar DeRozan, had 10 including an emphatic dunk, again assisted by Noah. For a Bulls team severely lacking an offensive surge, Friday’s first half was a refreshing relief.

Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!! Upcoming NFL owners meetings presents less intrigue for Bears.

By John Mullin

                                                            

At the NFL Owners Meetings last year, the agent for Jared Allen and Bears executives were scurrying to keep secret the talks that would bring the veteran defensive end to Chicago. As this year’s meetings begin this weekend, no such subterfuge or equivalent move is expected.

The Bears landed their projected linchpin pass rusher already when they signed Pernell McPhee away from Baltimore, and they already have Allen, David Bass, Lamarr Houston and Willie Young under contract.

“Pernell McPhee is a huge addition for us,” general manager Ryan Pace said in the wake of the McPhee signing, “and I think this is just the beginning of a lot of great things we’re going to do.”

Pace did follow McPhee with other “things” and more can be expected. Of more immediate interest, however, are some of the topics before the NFL, with 23 proposed rules changes – ranging from implementing a nine-point touchdown (Indianapolis Colts’ idea) to ensuring that both teams have one possession on offense during overtimes (Bears’ idea).

Meetings commence Monday with a report from the Competition Committee and continue through Wednesday and an address from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

Which or how many of the ideas are adopted is always problematic. By the way, the Colts’ suggestion is for a six-point TD, an option to go for a two-point conversion, and if successful, then what amounts to the right to try what amounts to a 50-yard field goal for a bonus point. (If the NFL is concerned about speeding up games, this would presumably not help).

The Bears have been relatively quiet after an aggressive start to free agency that upgraded the defense with linebacker/end McPhee, safety Antrel Rolle, and the offense with wideout Eddie Royal and guard Vladimir Ducasse, plus long snapper Thomas Gafford. Their other signings have been primarily their own, including  quarterback Jimmy Clausen, cornerback Demontre Hurst, and tight ends Zach Miller and Dante Rosario.

First NFL Veteran Combine includes ex-Bears, local flavor.

By Chris Boden

About a month after the NFL's annual "Underwear Olympics" for potential draft picks, former Vikings All-Pro center Matt Birk (in the freshly-established role of the league's Director of Player Development) has scoured over the lengthy list of out-of-work veterans looking for what's likely one last opportunity to remain in the league. He's pared it down to 100, who'll go through a lot of similar drills Sunday in Glendale, Arizona at the NFL Veteran Combine that many of them previously went through in Indianapolis years ago.

Birk admits there were hundreds of candidates he had to reject, as there are only so many wanna-be's they can evaluate in one day. Among the invites is Michael Sam, the league's first openly-gay player who has yet to play in a regular season game after being a seventh-round draft pick of the Rams who was later cut and signed to the Cowboys' practice squad. But there's also no shortage of former Bears or other local college stars who've been deep on depth charts, practice squads, or the outer fringes of 32 rosters. Among them:

DT Nate Collins - Cut by the Bears in training camp last summer, then went unsigned all season

DT Zach Minter - Played for the Bears in 2013 and Cowboys in 2014

FB Harvey Unga - Former supplemental draft pick, cut and re-signed to practice squad several times

RB Michael Bush - Salary cap casualty a year ago before brief stint with Cardinals in 2014

WR Joe Anderson - Mostly practice squad time in 2012 and 2013, spent a few 2014 offseason weeks with the Eagles

DE Jamaal Anderson - 2007 No. 8 overall pick of Atlanta; last NFL time was with Bears in 2013 training camp

QB Jerrod Johnson - Most recently in CFL after with Bears practice squad in 2013, the most recent of stints with four NFL teams

QB Mike Kafka - With Tampa Bay in 2014 while Josh McCown was injured; had been with three other NFL organizations after signal-calling at St. Rita H.S. and Northwestern

RB Mikel Leshoure - The once-promising ex-Illini was among final cuts last August by Detroit, three years after he was their second-round draft pick, and hasn't hooked on elsewhere since

C Graham Pocic - Mammoth offensive lineman out of Lemont H.S. and Illinois; spent a couple of weeks in Bears camp last August, then was later a camp cut by the Steelers

C Mike Golic, Jr. - Notre Dame alum hasn't been able to survive cut-down days with the Steelers and Saints

LB Dan Fox - former Irish playmaker got into two September games with the Giants last fall before being cut loose

RB Cierre Wood - another ex-Golden Domer who's spent time with the Texans, Patriots, Ravens and Seahawks organizations and has just three carries in five games over the past two years

Cubs: Mike Olt quietly doing his job in Kris Bryant’s shadow.

By Patrick Mooney

Mike Olt is quietly doing his job in Kris Bryant’s shadow.

Olt became a spring-training obsession at this time last year. Cubs fans and the Chicago media wondered if he could recapture what once made him a top prospect. Win the third-base job and he could be anointed as part of The Core.

That came with the question about whether or not Olt would be an all-or-nothing hitter, almost daily updates on his sore right shoulder and the backstory to that winter-ball accident that led to concussion issues and vision problems. 

Nobody’s asking about Olt’s eyesight now.

“Or how’s my arm?” Olt said. “It’s good to focus on just baseball and I haven’t had that in a long time. It’s a relief.”

Now it feels like all Bryant all the time. But if the Cubs really want that extra year of club control over Baseball America’s No. 1 prospect, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Olt in two weeks on Opening Night at Wrigley Field.

Defensively, Olt’s probably the most natural third baseman in camp, someone who can make an athletic barehanded play and make strong throws from different angles. Offensively, he’s made a few tweaks after sometimes looking so lost at the plate last season (100 strikeouts in 258 plate appearances).

“He’s done a nice job,” manager Joe Maddon said before Sunday’s 6-1 loss to the San Diego Padres at Sloan Park. “Not only that, he’s swinging the bat pretty good right now, too. He’s doing everything really well.”

Cactus League numbers can be misleading, but Olt has noticed a real difference, putting up a .905 OPS with two homers, seven walks and 12 strikeouts through 13 games. 

“It’s night and day,” Olt said. “Last year, I said that I felt like my swing was there. But secretly I knew in my head I wasn’t swinging at pitches I was supposed to.

“I’m just feeling like I’m tracking the ball a lot better this year. And a lot of the changes to my swing that we’ve made are a big reason why.”

Olt needed to find a way to protect himself against the off-speed stuff that left him exposed. His 12 homers came with a .160 average and the inconsistency got him demoted to Triple-A Iowa last summer. 

“The swing I had last year, I was trying to hit a ball 500 feet,” Olt said. “I don’t need to hit it 500 feet. I need to hit it 330, 340. So understanding that was a big mental step for me.”

Olt might have a narrow window here before The Bryant Show. But offense is at a premium, Olt could theoretically also play first base and the outfield and Maddon loves versatility.

“You hear so many good things about his makeup and also his personality,” Maddon said. “I saw the numbers. I know that he had a tough year last year. His walk-to-strikeout rate was tough – (along with the) batting average – but he still hit for some power. Everybody speaks well of his third-base abilities and his arm, et cetera.
 

Everybody loves him as a teammate.”

Olt is 26 and at a crossroads. He appears to be a little more relaxed now. Team officials like his makeup and reporters see him as a stand-up guy who answers questions at his locker.

The Texas Rangers saw enough potential to make Olt the 49th overall pick in the 2010 draft – and make him their organization’s minor league player of the year in 2012 – before packaging him in the Matt Garza trade.

“You find out it really is a lot more mental than physical at this level,” Olt said. “All of us have the talent to do it. It’s now kind of putting it all together and making sure that mentally you can get over every hump the game throws you.

“You really just want to get out there (and) prove it.”

So what about your shoulder and your eyesight?

“The best they’ve been,” Olt said.

Jeff Samardzija gives up three homers in White Sox loss.

By Dan Hayes

Though he gave up three home runs on Sunday afternoon, Jeff Samardzija isn’t worried.

The White Sox starting pitcher threw 76 pitches in a 13-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers at Maryvale Stadium and feels like he could have gone longer.

Samardzija, whose turn currently is lined up to be the White Sox Opening Day starter, allowed five earned runs and eight hits over 4 1/3 innings. He struck out two and hit a batter.

“Spring training doesn’t go on the back of your baseball card so it don’t mean nothing,” Samardzija said. “You go out there and make sure you feel good and make sure your pitches are doing what they are doing. You learn from it when it comes to mistakes you mistake and if it didn’t go well, why didn’t it go well and things like that. But mostly I’m worried about make sure my body feels good, my arm feels good and ready for that start of the season.”

Samardzija is still working to get on the same page with catcher Tyler Flowers. They threw a changeup to Jonathan Lucroy that the All-Star catcher belted for a homer -- a pitch Samardzija might not normally throw.

And he continues to work on other pitches in preparation for the regular season. That’s all Samardzija truly cares about.

Ryan Braun followed Lucroy’s homer with a solo blast of his own.

“(Lucroy) asked why I threw him a changeup,” Samardzija said. “I said we have a new catcher in there so we are working on some new pitches.

“I felt like I could have kept going. I felt real good. We’ve been extending it down in warm-ups and throwing a lot of pitches. It’s all about stretching out and making sure your endurance is up, so when you need to go 100 or 120, you can do it.”

More notes:

— Though he batted second on Sunday, Alexei Ramirez has found some comfort hitting sixth this spring. He went 2-for-3 and drove in two more runs Sunday, giving him 13 this spring. He’s hitting .394 this spring through 32 at-bats.

“That’s part of the job that I’m doing right now,” Ramirez said through an interpreter. “I’ve found my spot in the lineup. It’s a great responsibility and I can find men on base. I have to bring them home.”

— Outfielder J.B. Shuck continues to make a strong push for the final bench spot as he went 2-for-3 to raise his average to .394. Shuck has stolen four bases this spring, including one on Sunday.

— Micah Johnson singled and walked in four trips to the plate. But he also had a rough day in the field with an error committed. He was also unable to reel in a hot shot that went for a single.

— Dan Jennings allowed a pair of runs and three hits in an inning to raise his ERA to 3.00. Maikel Cleto allowed two runs after he walked two and had a wild pitch. Cleto didn’t record an out. Arcenio Leon pitched around a pair of walks in a scoreless inning. Zach Duke got a double play ball for his only two outs of the day.

 

Golf: I got a club for that; Matt Every wins Bay Hill for 2nd straight year.

By DOUG FERGUSON (AP Golf Writer)

 

Matt Every, left, is presented the championship trophy by Arnold Palmer after Every won the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament in Orlando, Fla., Sunday, March 22, 2015. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Matt Every had a tongue-in-cheek response when he heard Tiger Woods was not ready to play the Arnold Palmer Invitational this year. He said he told Woods, ''Don't worry, man, I'll hold it down for you until you get back.''

He did that and more.

Every was dressed in a blue shirt, not red, but the moment sure looked familiar on the 18th green Sunday at Bay Hill. He made an 18-foot birdie putt for a 6-under 66, gave an abbreviated fist pump and held onto the trophy for one more year with a one-shot victory over Henrik Stenson.

''You watch tournaments on TV and guys make a 20-footer on the last and everybody goes nuts,'' Every said. ''It's cool to close one out like that.''

Every rallied from a four-shot deficit last year for his first career victory, helped in part by Adam Scott's collapse in the final round.

This one was even sweeter.

Every came from three shots behind Sunday by matching the low score of the final round, and he was never seriously close to bogey on the back nine on his way to another handshake with Palmer and another trip to the Masters.

Needing a birdie to force a playoff, Stenson was wide left on a 20-foot putt at the 18th.

 

''It feels great,'' Every said about his return to Augusta National. ''When Henrik missed that putt, that was the No. 1 thing on my mind: 'You're already in. Miss it - I need to get in.'''
 

Stenson was angry with being put on the clock on the 15th hole - the second time the final group was out of position - and closed with a 70 to extend a peculiar streak on the PGA Tour. It was the ninth straight tournament in which a 54-hole leader failed to win, and the Swede let this one get away.
 

He regained the lead with birdies on the 11th and 12th holes as Morgan Hoffmann began to fade, and Stenson had a one-shot lead until a three-putt bogey from 45 feet on No. 15 and a three-putt par from 40 feet on the fringe at the par-5 16th.
 

''Really, problems kind of started on 15,'' Stenson said. ''We got on the clock again, which when you're coming down the stretch you want to be able to have five extra seconds.''

 

He said he rushed his first putts on the 15th and 16th, and the three-putts were ''really what cost me the tournament.''
 

Every finished at 19-under 269 and became the first player since Payne Stewart in 1987 to win at Bay Hill with all four rounds in the 60s.
 

A year ago, Every missed a 4-foot par putt on the 18th hole and had to wait a nervous 10 minutes to see if anyone could catch him. This time, he had no room for error.
 

With a confident swing that held up all week, he drilled his drive down the left side of the fairway and hit his approach above the hole to set up his birdie.
 

He said he heard one man in the gallery saying between fake coughs, ''Straight putt.''
 

''I was like, 'This guys is a real (expletive) if he's lying, because it's a pretty important putt,'' Every said. ''I looked over it pretty hard and I didn't see anything. It was a great putt to have under pressure, because I literally had to get it going. It wasn't going to come up short. The last 3 feet I was begging for it to hang and I was like, 'Gosh, these are the one that always lip out. Be so cool to see this one dive in.' And it did.''

 

He joined Woods and Loren Roberts as the only players to repeat at Arnie's place. Woods won four in a row, and back-to-back on two other occasions. Roberts, like Every, won his first two PGA Tour titles at Bay Hill.

Matt Jones birdied three of his last four holes for a 68 to finish alone in third.

Hoffmann had a two-shot lead after a birdie on the eighth hole, but it was a struggle the rest of the way. Stenson caught him on the 11th, and Hoffmann made bogey on his next two holes to fall three shots behind. He hit his tee shot out-of-bounds into a backyard on the 18th hole for a double bogey and a 71 to finish fourth.

Rory McIlroy, in his final tournament before he goes for his third straight major and the career Grand Slam at the Masters, closed with a 70 and tied for 11th. The world's No. 1 player had only one round in the 60s in his three events on the Florida swing.

''The main goal was to come here and try to win,'' said McIlroy, who played Bay Hill for the first time. ''Couldn't do that. At least I got a couple of things out of this week, which is good.'' 
 

Zach Johnson holed a 5-iron from 207 yards on the par-5 16th for the second albatross in two days, after no one had made a 2 on a par 5 since Bay Hill began in 1979.

Albatross Update: Zach Johnson makes it two albatrosses in two days at Bay Hill.

By Ryan Ballengee

Zach Johnson of the United States hits his tee shot on the seventh hole during the third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented By MasterCard at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge on March 21, 2015 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

There had never been an albatross made in the Arnold Palmer Invitational until Daniel Berger broke the ice on Saturday.

On Sunday, Zach Johnson made the second.

Using a 5-iron from 207 yards in the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Johnson made a 2 to go from 5 under to 8 under on the round. 

In a typical PGA Tour year since the Tour started keeping such statistics in 1983, there are three or four albatrosses per season. However, from 1983 to 2003, there were just 56. From 2004 onward, there have now been 54, including two in the last two days.

NASCAR: Brad Keselowski holds off Harvick late, wins at Fontana.

By GREG BEACHAM (AP Sports Writer)

Brad Keselowski celebrates winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race in Fontana, Calif., Sunday, March 22, 2015. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

Brad Keselowski roared past Kurt Busch on the final lap and held off streaking Kevin Harvick to win at Fontana on Sunday, earning his first NASCAR victory of the season in a wild finish.

Harvick fell just short of a three-race West Coast sweep, but finished second to extend his remarkable streak of top-two Sprint Cup finishes to eight races dating to last season. Richard Petty holds the NASCAR record with 11 straight in 1975.

Keselowski led only one lap in his Team Penske Ford, but capitalized on two late restarts to a green-white-checkered finish.

''I knew (Harvick) and (Busch) had been the class of the weekend and deserved to win on speed,'' Keselowski said after his 17th career Sprint Cup victory. ''Maybe we kind of stole one today.''

After getting four tires on the first late caution, Keselowski then slipped underneath Busch for the decisive pass, taking full advantage of the California speedway's wide racing surface. He had never finished better than 18th on this track, which he called the best in NASCAR last week.

''Feel like today is the day we break our (Fontana) curse,'' Keselowski tweeted Sunday morning.

Busch, who won the pole, finished third in his second race back from suspension, clipping the wall on his final lap in a desperate attempt to catch up. He hasn't won since last March at Martinsville, but has two top-five finishes since his return from a three-race ban. Busch's girlfriend accused him of domestic assault, but he wasn't charged.

''We just got hung out on the yellows at the end,'' Busch said. ''That last restart, I just didn't get the job done. Brad outmuscled us on four tires.''

Busch and Harvick dueled down the stretch in front of a sellout crowd, two teammates eager to capitalize on their superior Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolets.

They might have cruised to a 1-2 finish if not for another chapter in the thrilling races that have recently characterized the well-aged asphalt at Fontana.

''I hate that (Busch) wasn't able to hold on for the win there,'' Harvick said. ''I would have loved to see those guys get their first win.''

Busch was holding off Harvick until a caution for debris with five laps to go, forcing a green-white-checkered finish. Busch and Harvick took tires and went right up the middle on the restart and got in front of three drivers who didn't make pit stops.

Busch reclaimed the lead, but Kyle Larson then clipped the wall and sent his entire back bumper flying airborne, forcing another caution.

On the 202nd lap, Keselowski slid down the low side and seized the lead from Busch. Although Greg Biffle crashed behind them, NASCAR let the field keep racing, and Keselowski finished strong.

Brian France says biggest mistake was Car of Tomorrow.

By Nick Bromberg

Brian France said Friday that his (and NASCAR's) biggest mistake has been the Car of Tomorrow.

France was asked what his biggest mistake was at the Detroit Economic Club where he spoke to high school and college students.

From the Detroit Free Press:

"We are going to make mistakes," said France, who has pushed the competitive envelope at NASCAR since taking over from his father Bill France Jr. in 2003, making significant changes to series qualifying rules and the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship format, among other things. "Occasionally, we make a big one now and again. I would say that if there is one thing we could have done better in the last 10 years under my watch, is when we launched what we called 'the new car.' It is now called the Gen-5. We just didn't get the collaboration we needed to get from the industry, the owners, the drivers, the engineers and car manufacturers.

"They had a voice, but they didn't have a loud enough voice, and so we changed that."

The COT was the car introduced in 2007 that initially had the garish front splitter and the giant wing on the back. NASCAR used it through the 2012 season until the new car was introduced in 2013.

It's fair to wonder if the COT would be viewed as a big mistake if the sanctioning body had spent more time on it and originally gone with the spoilers and front splitters that were on the car when it was last used in 2012. Here's what a COT looked like in 2007 vs. 2012.

 

.

If you didn't know any better, you wouldn't think those were the same cars. Plus, if you look at the racing from 2012 to now, there isn't a monstrous visual performance gap. The cars are still very aerodynamically dependent. Perhaps a variation of the COT would still be in use if it didn't start out so garish-looking? It's at least worth a thought.

 

But props to France for admitting that NASCAR could have done a better job with the car. And if you notice, he didn't criticize the racing product while talking about it. That's good, because it prevents the awkwardness of having to fine himself.

 

MLS Snapshot: San Jose Earthquakes 2-1 Chicago Fire.

By Nicholas Mendola

One game in 118 words: The first game in Avaya Stadium history might’ve been the most entertaining MLS match of the weekend… at least for a solid 45 minutes. Three goals in the match’s first half-hour set the tone, as the Quakes built a 2-1 lead. San Jose keeper David Bingham made some nice saves, including a 32nd minute stop on Eric Gehrig’s powerful header off a corner kick. David Accam came on to make his Fire debut at halftime, and fellow DP Kennedy Igboananike followed, but the second half was a stagnant display without much to offer the neutral fan until the very last gasps. The home fans got a victorious stadium debut, which was nice for them, and Chicago has its first 0-3 start in franchise history.

Goals

San Jose Earthquakes: Alashe (5′), Harden (21′)

Chicago Fire: Shipp (29′)

Three moments that mattered

5’ — Fatai at Avaya — First-round SuperDraft pick Fatai Alashe scored the first goal in Avaya Stadium history, and it came from less than a yard in front of the line. A San Jose corner was flicked around a few times before Alashe headed past mark Lovel Palmer.

21′ — Can’t Harden Wait — Seven years after his MLS debut, Ty Harden poked in a rebound to give San Jose a two-goal lead with his first goal. It came off a free kick, and neither Sean Johnson nor his Fire defender teammates will not enjoy the replays.

29′ – Harry halves the hole – Joevin Jones slipped a neat through ball for Harrison Shipp, and the Homegrown Player from Notre Dame darted past Alashe to hit it home.

LINEUPS

San Jose: Bingham, Wynne, Goodson, Harden, Francis, Alashe, Koval, Perez Garcia (Jahn, 83′), Nyassi (Cato, 87′), Wondolowski, Emeghara (Salinas, 76′).

Chicago: Johnson; Gehrig, Larentowicz, Adailton, Palmer; Polster, Shipp, Stephens (Igboananike, 67′), Maloney, Jones (Accam, 46′); Amarikwa (Guly, 74′)

USMNT releases roster for upcoming friendlies.

By Kyle Bonn

Jurgen Klinsmann has yet again created ripples with his US 23-man roster, released this morning ahead of the upcoming friendlies with Denmark and Switzerland.

The biggest note seems to be the omission of Geoff Cameron, who has had plenty of playing time with Stoke City but apparently not enough for the US manager.

Meanwhile, 26-year-old Club Leon goalkeeper William Yarbrough, as reported earlier, does make the roster alongside Cody Cropper and Nick Rimando between the sticks. Brad Guzan does not appear on the roster due to the upcoming birth of his child.

Julian Green also makes the roster despite his inability to make the roster of a senior team. The youngster has struggled to make the Hamburg teamsheet on loan from Bayern Munich, and has been playing with the U-23 team as a result. Another Bundesliga member in Fabian Johnson appears, as he has been in good form for Borussia Monchengladbach.

Another new face is 22-year-old defender Ventura Alvarado, who plays for Club America of Liga MX. Both he and Yarbrough have yet to choose between the United States and Mexico, so Klinsmann would like to give them a way into the national team.

Also interesting to note, Klinsmann has left all U-20 eligible players who Tab Ramos would like to utilize for the upcoming World Cup off the roster.

Other players we haven’t seen for a bit that make the side include a number of European-based players like Timmy Chandler, Tim Ream, and Danny Williams, along with Puebla’s Michael Orozco, while young Miguel Ibarra is back on the roster, as is Gyasi Zardes from the LA Galaxy.

ROSTER

GK: Cody Cropper (Southampton), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake), William Yarbrough (Club Leon)

DEF: Ventura Alvarado (Club America), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt), Greg Garza (Club Tijuana), Michael Orozco (Puebla), Tim Ream (Bolton Wanderers), Brek Shea (Orlando City SC), DeAndre Yedlin (Tottenham Hotspur)

MID: Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Julian Green (Hamburg), Miguel Ibarra (Minnesota United FC), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Alfredo Morales (Ingolstadt), Danny Williams (Reading), Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy)

FW: Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC), Aron Johannsson (AZ Alkmaar), Rubio Rubin (Utrecht)

 

Down to 16 teams, NCAA Tournament still has a lot to watch.

By JIM O'CONNELL (AP Basketball Writer)

It's the Sweet 16 - the second week of the NCAA Tournament - and that means bragging rights for college basketball programs.

 

Check the cover of media guides or banners adorning arenas. They always start with Sweet 16 appearances. No bragging about the first weekend. Playing this week means you had two good wins and you are just two wins from the Final Four.

The story of the tournament has been Kentucky's pursuit of a perfect season. Everyone's playing in that shadow. The Wildcats improved to 36-0 - the best start to a season for any team - and they're trying for 40-0. That would be the first undefeated season by a national champion since Indiana in 1976.

The East Region changed dramatically entering the Sweet 16 with top seeds Villanova and Virginia ousted. It's only the eighth time that the top two teams from one region failed to advance to the second week. The last time that happened was in 2004.

The Atlantic Coast Conference and Pac-12 entered the round of 32 as the only leagues with three or more teams not to lose a game. Virginia's loss to Michigan State was the ACC's first after a 9-0 start. Oregon lost to top-seeded Wisconsin dropping the Pac-12 to 7-1.

Here are some story lines to watch as the Sweet 16 approaches:

UCLA'S RUN: The Bruins were the at-large team complained about the most on Selection Sunday. Wins over SMU and UAB have the 11th-seeded Bruins in the Sweet 16 for the second straight year, the first time they have done that since reaching the Final Four in three straight seasons between 2006 and 2008.

''The selection committee thought we were good enough to play in this tournament, and I think we proved it,'' forward Tony Parker said.

They will face Gonzaga in the Sweet 16.

''There's no better time to do that than March,'' UCLA coach Steve Alford said.

UCLA and Gonzaga met on Dec. 13 in Los Angeles, and the then-No. 9 Zags came away with an 87-74 victory. Kyle Wiltjer scored 24 points and Byron Wesley added 20 points for Gonzaga.

Bryce Alford scored 23 points and Isaac Hamilton added 18 for UCLA.

SPECIAL K: When the coaches shake hands before the Duke-Utah Sweet 16 game it will be between two men with a lot in common.

Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and Utah's Larry Krystkowiak probably lead the NCAA in name typos.

''I don't know how many times two Polish coaches will go against one another, where both of us are called Coach K, but he's a good friend,'' Krzyzewski said of Krystkowiak. ''I had him on my Sirius XM show about a month ago and, boy, he was really good, really good.''

OLD TEAMS: Arizona coach Sean Miller will face his former school, Xavier, in the Sweet 16. Miller has taken the second-seeded Wildcats to the regional semifinals for the third straight year.

Now, he will face the sixth-seeded Musketeers, whom he coached from 2004-2009. Xavier reached the Elite Eight in 2008 under Miller and the Musketeers were in the Sweet 16 the next year.

Chris Mack succeeded Miller at Xavier when he left for Arizona.

''As far as playing Sean, it's really tough,'' Mack said. ''I recruited all these guys that play for me. But Sean gave me a heck of an opportunity to come back to my alma mater. He put a lot of responsibility and trust in me. He ultimately really pushed for me to become the head coach, and for that I'm eternally grateful. It's hard to play against one of your best friends in the business. But it really won't matter to our guys, nor will it matter to Arizona, because they don't know me from a bucket of paint.''

SPARTY'S PARTY: Michigan State under Tom Izzo has become as familiar in the Sweet 16 as the guys in a school band wearing enough face paint to cover a garage.

The Spartans have reached the regional semifinals for the seventh time in the last eight years. They will face Oklahoma winner in Syracuse, New York.

Izzo has a 13-1 record in games in the round of 32. He was surprised a bit that this team won its second game to move on.

''We've been a team all year that has banged around, probably lost more games than we should have just because of the free throw situation or dumb coaching with 2, 3 seconds left to go in the game and people hitting 3s and tying it,'' Izzo said. ''But I think we've had to earn every single thing we've gotten because every game's been like that. So I think they felt comfortable in a game because that's the way not their whole tournament has gone or the Big Ten Tournament, their whole season has gone that way. I'm really proud of this team. I don't use that word lightly when I speak and I am.''

IRISH ALIVE: For the first time in 12 years Notre Dame is in the Sweet 16 and the Fighting Irish moved on with an overtime win over Butler. Steve Vasturia had 20 points for the third-seeded Irish, who face seventh-seeded Wichita State in the Midwest Regional in Cleveland.

''It's a great feeling. We're playing really well right now,'' Vasturia said. ''We made big plays down the stretch, and we've been doing that all year, getting big defensive stops, hitting shots. So it's a great feeling. We're playing with a lot of confidence right now so we want to keep it rolling.''

KENTUCKY'S CHASE: The top-ranked Wildcats showed in the round of 32 why they are the even-money favorite to win the whole thing.

In their win over Cincinnati, the Wildcats shot just 37 percent and were outrebounded 45-38. There really wasn't a point in the game when Kentucky felt threatened about its winning streak and the 64-51 win was the Wildcats' 29th of 36 by at least 10 points.

''I always like it when my team shoots 37, 36, 35 percent and wins in double digits,'' Kentucky coach John Calipari said. ''It shows them they don't have to make shots to win. You can miss them all. No, you can't miss them all. You can miss most of them, and you can still win games if you defend, you rebound and you play that way, make your free throws, and they did.''

Princeton wins Legacy Bowl in Japan, 36-7

By Kevin McGuire

Chalk one up for the Ivy League. The Princeton Tigers travelled to Japan to take on Kwansei Gakun University in an exhibition match-up titled the Legacy Bowl. It was all Princeton as the Tigers will come home with a souvenir 36-7 victory over the powerhouse Japanese college football program. Sophomore quarterback Chad Kanoff was named MVP of the game.

Defensive back Samuel Huffman intercepted a pass to end a late possession by Kwansei Gakun and the Tigers took a knee to seal the victory. Princeton had jumped out to a 36-0 lead before the host school put any points on the scoreboard. Princeton took a 13-0 lead int he first quarter and blocked a field goal attempt. Running back AJ Glass scored the first touchdown of the game on a short run in the first quarter. A two-point conversion attempt failed.

 

Winning is nice, but the experience of going to Japan and experiencing the culture in the days leading up to the game are what will truly be the great memories the players carry with them. It is also a great effort to help promote the sport of college football globally, and that is always a good thing.

SWAC, MEAC announce creation of Celebration Bowl.

By Zach Barnett

Yep, another bowl game is on the horizon. Don’t worry, though, this one won’t get us any closer to a 5-7 MAC team playing a 5-7 Mountain West foe in Missoula, Mont., or anything like that.

No, this one actually has a good reason for existing beyond dollar signs. The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) jointly announced with ESPN the creation of the Celebration Bowl on Wednesday, pitting the two historically black leagues’ champions on an annual basis.

“This is a great opportunity for our schools and student-athletes to compete on a national stage and showcase the talent that exists within HBCUs. And to have it during bowl season, the most exciting time in college football, is a bonus,” said SWAC commissioner Duer Sharp in a statement.

In conjunction with ESPN Events, the inaugural Celebration Bowl will be held Dec. 19 at the Georgia Dome and shown on an ESPN network.

“It’s a testament to the collaborative spirit of both the MEAC and SWAC and their respective commissioners that the Celebration Bowl will take place,” said ESPN Events senior vice president Pete Derzis. “This game will give a platform to these student athletes – to showcase their talents, their bands and their traditions. The Georgia Dome is the perfect venue for the Celebration Bowl – and we hope that fans across the country will take advantage of this experience.”

The SWAC does not participate in the FCS playoffs, and today’s announcement figures to be a signal that the MEAC will follow suit.

Morgan State – which endured some bad news this week – won the MEAC in 2014 before bowing to Richmond 46-24 in the first round of the FCS playoffs, closing the year with a 7-6 mark. Alcorn State won the 2014 SWAC title by virtue of a 38-24 conference championship game victory over Southern.

Obama against compensation for college athletes.

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE (Associated Press)

President Barack Obama cheers in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game between Princeton and Green Bay in the first round of the NCAA tournament, Saturday, March 21, 2015, in College Park, Md. Obama's niece is Princeton forward Leslie Robinson. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

 President Barack Obama says compensation for college athletes would ''ruin the sense of college sports.''

Obama said in an interview released Saturday that what frustrates him, though, is college coaches, athletic directors and the NCAA making huge amounts of money while an athlete is banished for getting a tattoo or free use of a car.

''That's not fair,'' Obama told The Huffington Post in response to a question about whether college athletes should be compensated because they are money-makers for the NCAA, television stations and advertisers.

Compensation would ''create a situation where there are bidding wars. How much does a Anthony Davis get paid as opposed to somebody else?'' Obama said, referring to the power forward who played one season at Kentucky before heading to the NBA.

''And that I do think would ruin the sense of college sports,'' Obama said.

The interview was released Saturday, hours after Obama cheered as his niece's Princeton team remained undefeated by topping Wisconsin-Green Bay in an NCAA Tournament first-round game played in Maryland.

Obama's niece is Leslie Robinson, daughter of Michelle Obama's brother, Craig Robinson. She did not appear in the game for her team.

Obama sat a few rows away from courtside surrounded by an entourage that included his daughter Malia, mother-in-law Marian Robinson, Craig Robinson and other Robinson family members. Both Craig Robinson and the first lady are Princeton graduates.

Michelle Obama missed seeing her niece because she is traveling in Cambodia.

More comments from the President: Obama says NCAA should require schools to give guaranteed scholarships.

By Sam Cooper

Add President Obama to the list of people who thinks college athletes deserve more than they get.

 

In an interview with the Huffington Post on Friday, the president said that the NCAA should require schools to offer guaranteed athletic scholarships “no matter what.”

  

"Students need to be taken better care of because they are generating a lot of revenue here," Obama said. "An immediate step that the NCAA could take – that some conferences have already taken – is if you offer a scholarship to a kid coming into school, that scholarship sticks, no matter what."

“It doesn't matter whether they get cut, it doesn't matter whether they get hurt. You are now entering into a bargain and responsible for them."

The Big Ten and Pac-12 have already taken the measure suggested by the President – four-year guaranteed scholarships. Based on the new rules for autonomy that passed early this year, the rest the Power Five conferences aren’t far behind. The same can’t be said for universities outside of Power Five conferences, however.

Obama seemed discouraged with the millions of dollars that flow around collegiate athletics, but stopped short of saying that some of that money should end up in the pockets of student-athletes.

Above all, Obama’s main point of emphasis was to make sure those who are injured in athletic competition are completely covered health-wise, including the financial burdens that may come with surgery and rehabilitation.

“You’ve got to make sure that if they get injured while they’re playing that they’re covered,” Obama said. 

 

Tensions brewing around Pacquiao-Mayweather mega-fight.

AFP

                             

Floyd Mayweather Jr (L) and Manny Pacquiao, pictured during a press conference in Los Angeles, California, on March 11, 2015 (AFP Photo/Robyn Beck)

Tensions appeared to be rising around the long awaited welterweight world title fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, with the fighters' camps reportedly at odds over a proposed doping penalty.

Pacquiao adviser Michael Koncz told the Los Angeles Times on Thursday that he was "a little puzzled and dismayed" that Mayweather wouldn't agree to the $5 million penalty Pacquiao had proposed should either fighter test positive for a banned drug.

Mayweather Promotions chief executive Leonard Ellerbe, however, told the newspaper that the drug testing protocol for the May 2 fight in Las Vegas had been "rigorously negotiated" by Pacquiao promoters Top Rank.

In comments to ESPN.com, Ellerbe called Koncz an "idiot."

"If this moron didn't convey his fighter's wishes when the negotiation was going on that's their problem," Ellerbe said. "This is a lame-ass attempt to generate publicity."

Drug testing was an issue in attempts to put a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight together in late 2009 and early 2010.

Mayweather wanted random Olympic-style blood and urine testing, but Pacquiao objected to some of the protocols and the deal disintegrated.

Mayweather later accused the Filipino ring icon of using performance-enhancing drugs, a charge which Pacquiao denied.

Pacquiao sued Mayweather over the accusation and the two settled out of court.

Drug-testing differences have been just part of the long and winding road to the May 2 match-up between the two fighters widely considered the best pound-for-pound fighters of their generation.

The bout has required rival telecasters Showtime and HBO to work together to produce a fight considered a lock to break all records for pay-per-view viewers and revenue.

Pacquiao, a two-term Congressman from Sarangani province in the Philippines, is 57-5 with two drawn and 38 knockouts while Mayweather is 47-0 with 26 knockouts.

Last week, the US Anti-Doping Agency said both fighters had agreed to undergo Olympic-style random drug testing prior to the bout.

Mayweather has submitted to USADA testing for all of his bouts since 2010.

Both fighters must provide USADA with their whereabouts and make themselves available for blood and urine tests for drugs including human growth hormone (HGH) and the blood-boosting erythropoietin (EPO).

Pacquiao first suggested the reciprocal fine for a failed drug test as extra insurance that a doping issue wouldn't scupper the fight that fans worldwide have clamored for.

But Ellerbe charged the arrangement was an attempt to "put a $5 million price tag if Manny tested positive."

"It will cost Manny a lot more than some $5 million if he comes up positive," Ellerbe said.

On This Date in Sports History: Today is Monday, March 23, 2015.

Memoriesofhistory.com

1952 - Bill Mosienko (Chicago Black Hawks) scored the fastest hat trick in NHL history. He scored 3 goals in 21 seconds.

1971 - The Boston Patriots officially announced their name would change to the New England Patriots.

1972 - Evil Knievel broke 93 bones after successfully jumping 35 cars.

1991 - The London Monarchs beat the Frankfurt Galaxy 24-11 in the World League of American Football's (WLAF) first game.

1994 - Wayne Gretzky (Los Angeles Kings) score his 802nd career goal to pass Gordie Howe as the NHL's all-time leading goal scorer.

1995 - Jaromir Jagr (Pittsburgh Penguins) became the first European player to lead the NHL in scoring.

2002 - Keith Tkachuk (St. Louis Blues) slashed Lyle Odelein (Chicago Blackhawks) during a game. On March 25, 2002, Tkachuk was suspended for one game without pay for the incident.

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