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Sports Quote of the Day:

"It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome." ~ William James, Philosopher and Psychologist 

Trending: Wisconsin Vs. Duke Preview.

C.L. Brown, College Basketball Reporter

Second time around: Duke Blue Devils vs. Wisconsin Badgers.

When the Wisconsin Badgers suffered their first loss of the season, an 80-70 setback to the Duke Blue Devils on Dec. 3, the Badgers weren’t exactly sitting around plotting their revenge.

They’ll get a shot at it anyway on Monday with the national title at stake.

"When the brackets came out, if you said we’d be playing Duke, we’d be pretty happy because that meant we’d be in the championship game," Wisconsin guard Josh Gasser said. "If you want to be the national champs, you’ve got to play the best teams in the country, and Duke is definitely that."

It’s the first championship game rematch of a regular-season meeting since the Kentucky Wildcats defeated the Kansas Jayhawks in 2012. The past three times regular-season opponents met for the national title, the team that won the first meeting won on Monday night, as well. That goes for the Connecticut Huskies beating Kentucky in 2011 and the North Carolina Tar Heels beating the Michigan State Spartans in 2009.

Duke point guard Tyus Jones said the Blue Devils would put aside their December victory while preparing for Monday night. They’ve already gotten practice forgetting the past. They did it before facing the Spartans in the national semifinals on Saturday after beating them 81-71 on Nov. 18.

"It’s the national championship game, so you can’t look at it as we’ve played them already," Jones said. "... We played those teams back in November and December, so both those teams have gotten a lot better -- along with ourselves."

Duke's performance is something that still stands out on Wisconsin's résumé. The Badgers haven’t allowed 80 points to anyone else this season. And they certainly haven’t allowed another team to shoot 65 percent from the field -- including 71 percent in the second half -- like Duke did.

"We weren’t playing our best basketball at that point in time in December," Wisconsin guard Bronson Koenig said. "Duke shot 65 percent, so hopefully they don’t do that again [Monday], but it’s NCAA tournament, so you don’t really know what’s going to happen."

Don’t go rushing to the WatchESPN app to replay the first meeting just yet. If you do, the teams will look markedly different from what they are now.

In December, Amile Jefferson was in the starting lineup for Duke and Rasheed Sulaimon was a spark from off the bench. Sulaimon, who was dismissed from the team in January, scored 14 points against the Badgers.

Traevon Jackson was Wisconsin’s starting point guard and pumped in a career-high 25 points against the Blue Devils. Jackson missed 19 games after suffering a foot injury, returning for the Badgers' past three NCAA tournament games.

Jackson, who was replaced by Koenig in the starting lineup, gave a boost to the Badgers against Kentucky with six points and two assists in 12 minutes -- his best performance since returning. Although he is not the same player he was in December, he said Wisconsin is much better.

 "We’re more confident, definitely," Jackson said. "That was our first loss, so it was in a moment to where we're like, we’ve been in those moments more now. We’ve been in games where we’ve been down. We’ve been in pressure environments against great teams, so it’s going to be exciting."

In the Blue Devils’ locker room, while Wisconsin had yet to tip off against Kentucky, most of their players said it really didn’t matter which opponent they faced. Guard Matt Jones said, "We’re just living in the moment of us." And that, ultimately, is why neither team really cares about what happened in December. It’s all about capturing the national championship now.

"To play on Monday, we’re so excited as a team," Matt Jones said. "We know we have a good chance of winning it all if we just play the way we should. We’re just focused on us."

How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blues edge Blackhawks, move into first place in Central, 2-1.  

By Tracey Myers

 

When the Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues play, the margin of error is usually small. The little things can make big differences: a hit post, a big block, being in the right place at the right time, you name it.

So it was no surprise that Sunday’s matchup between two of the Central Division’s best was once again a close one.

Kris Versteeg scored his first goal since February but Olli Jokinen scored the game-winner in the second period as the Blues beat the Blackhawks 2-1 at the United Center. The loss snapped the Blackhawks’ winning streak at four and also kept them from grabbing first place in the division. St. Louis did that; with 105 points the Blues leapt over Nashville to sit atop the Central. The Blackhawks remain in third with 102 points.

The Blackhawks played most of this one without Kimmo Timonen, who coach Joel Quenneville said is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Timonen was hit by Ryan Reaves along the boards midway through the first period and did not return.

Corey Crawford stopped 31 of 33 shots in the loss. Marian Hossa, who came oh-so close to tying the game in the second period, garnered his 38^th assist. Blues goaltender Jake Allen stopped 38 of 39 shots for the victory.

The fact it was another closely contested game between the two teams was little consolation for Quenneville.

“We pushed at the end. I thought we had stretches where it was OK but at the end of the day it was a big four-point swing,” he said. “It seems when we play these guys it’s always a one-goal game. The first period, Crow did a great job for us. The second period they got two big ones and they were trying just to defend and keep it out of their end, or prevent the rush game.”

The Blackhawks got the desired start thanks to playing their style. While Crawford stopped everything on his end, the Blackhawks got great scoring chances on the other. Hossa helped them capitalize when he stole T.J. Oshie’s pass, held the puck then passed to an open Versteeg, who recorded his 14^th goal of the season for a 1-0 Blackhawks lead.

The second, however, things started to turn when the Blackhawks landed a few big hits. Problem is, some of that physical play proved costly. Andrew Shaw launched himself at Barret Jackman, leaving his feet and earning a charging call, which took the Blackhawks off a power play they were on at the time. A few minutes later Michal Rozsival was whistled for boarding and David Backes scored a power-play goal to tie it 1-1.

“We try to match it but also we try to not get away from our game, which is skill, smart and an offensive game,” Hossa said. “Sometimes we get carried away and that’s what [the Blues] want. That happened a little in the second.”

Jokinen scored the winner off a Ty Rattie rebound with less than five minutes remaining in regulation.

The Blackhawks went back on the offensive in the third period but the Blues clogged things up on them. St. Louis recorded 13 of their 24 blocks in the third period, denying the Blackhawks opportunities.

“That’s what they do: they get in lanes. But we didn’t do a good enough job of getting it deep. Sometimes the lanes are tight and maybe you’re shooting wide or you get it behind the net and try again. But they did a good job of denying our point shots tonight.”

The Blues and Blackhawks just play close games. The Blues got the better of this one but the Blackhawks get another shot in St. Louis on Thursday. And even then, it may not be the last time they see each other this spring.

“They’re a good team. That’s what we’re going to expect Thursday,” Brent Seabrook said. “And if we see them in the playoffs it’ll be a tight checking game: physical and low scoring.”

Toews leads Blackhawks to late comeback over Sabres 4-3. (Friday night's game, 04/03/2015).

By Nick Mendola

A pair of late goals from Jonathan Toews 47 seconds apart saved Chicago the ignominy of losing to the last-place Buffalo Sabres, whose fans saluted the Blackhawks after a 4-3 win on Friday.

"Big goal for us to tie it, I don't think we expected to score two that quickly," Toews said. "I think at that point any team would've been thinking about going to overtime."

The Blackhawks entered the third period of Friday's game with a 24-0 record when leading after two periods, but found themselves down 3-2 when Toews tapped a loose puck past Anders Lindback with 1:43 to go.

Toews then added the winner with a quick shot off a Brandon Saad assist less than a minute later, giving Chicago its seventh-straight win against Buffalo and fourth-straight overall.

"Toews wins the face off, I mean we don’t score if we don’t win the face off, then he goes right to the net and he has a nice, soft goal-scoring touch to put that one in," Duncan Keith said. "Then it was a nice play, a nice drop pass by Saad and a great shot by Toews."

Keith and Patrick Sharp scored first-period goals to put the Blackhawks up 2-0. Chicago pulled to within a point of Nashville in the Central Division standings.

Marcus Foligno scored the second of his two goals at the 12:42 mark of the third period to put Buffalo ahead Chicago, 3-2. Johan Larsson also scored for the Sabres.

A heavy pro-Chicago crowd comprised of fans in Blackhawks gear and Sabres fans hoping for the worst record in the league — and a better shot at drafting generational prospects Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel — erupted when Chicago tied it up.

And then got louder when Toews sealed the two points in regulation.

Coming off a 3-1 win over Vancouver and facing a rested Sabres team, Chicago came out anything but flat. The Blackhawks camped out in the Sabres zone and worked the puck around well, finding several point shots for their defensemen.

And it was a point shot that got the scoring started just 2:16 into the game. Bryan Bicknell's drifted through the slot to screen Lindback, and Keith's slap shot rose over the goaltender's left shoulder to make it 1-0.

Sharp doubled the Hawks' advantage when he dragged the puck through Andre Benoit at the blue line before gliding into the slot. Lindback caught a piece of Sharp's wrister, but the puck dribbled past the goaltender and into the net for a too-easy 2-0 lead.

"Certainly we had a great start to the game and had a great finish," coach Joel Quenneville said. "At the end of the night, I don’t think anybody would have foresaw what would have happened in the third period."

Blackhawks goalie Scott Darling made several big saves to keep the Sabres off the board earlier, and stopped a point-blank one-timer when Mikhail Grigorenko stripped Kimmo Tyrone behind the net and found Nicolas Deslauriers cruising into the slot.

Kruger left the ice favoring his right shoulder after being caught along the boards by Buffalo's Tyson Strachan. Kruger went straight to the locker room, while Andrew Desjardins dropped the gloves with Strachan for the hit.

Foligno then narrowed the gap to 2-1 when he picked up a rebound from a Rasmus Ristolainen shot and backhanded it behind a prone Darling at the 13:10 mark.

"Obviously we're not too happy with the way we let up control of the game halfway through," Toews said. "It was a good start for us but we didn't have the effort we needed all the way through."

Buffalo found the equalizer on its 31st shot of the night, as Ristolainen's slap shot from the point was redirected past Darling by Larsson.

And Foligno gave Buffalo its first lead when he put his own rebound past Darling off of a pitch-and-catch with Gionta, before Toews scored a pair.

Then came Toews' late heroics.

"Once we tied it up, next thing you know we scored another one," Keith said. "So we're just trying to the win the game no matter what the score is."

Just Another Chicago Bulls Session… Derrick Rose could return to Bulls lineup this week.

By Vincent Goodwill

 

Of all the fretting and hang wringing over Derrick Rose’s return, it appears he could be on track to step on the floor this week.

On the ESPN broadcast, it was revealed he told sideline reporter Lisa Salters he would “probably” return sometime this week, as the Bulls have road games against the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat on Wednesday and Thursday before playing the Philadelphia 76ers Saturday at the United Center.

If he plays, it’ll be right at the end of the initial timeline set out by Bulls GM Gar Forman when he addressed the media hours after Rose’s right knee surgery, saying it was a 4-6 week process.

Sunday marked the beginning of the sixth week, and as the regular season games dwindled, the angst surrounding his return grew—on the outside.

“Well we’re hopeful. Everything has gone according to plan,” said Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau before Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. “He’s got to keep taking the contact on, keep moving forward, and hopefully it will be soon.”

Thibodeau seemed to intimate there have been no setbacks, and Rose himself has been as optimistic as one could expect from someone who’s gone through three knee surgeries. It’s doesn’t appear to be a case where Rose has been cleared for anything that his body or psyche isn’t ready for.

“With any player, when he goes through rehab he has to go through the rehab step-by-step,” Thibodeau said. “And even though he may be cleared you have to make sure the player is ready to be out there. And that’s the final step. The player has to feel good about getting out there. That’s the way we do it. When he’s comfortable enough he’ll be out there."

“Well he’s been cleared for the contact part of it. Being cleared for contact doesn’t mean you’re ready to play. It just means now there are no restrictions in terms of practice. He does everything in practice. But you have to remember, he’s been out for a long period of time. He’s just taking contact on again. You don’t just jump into a game from there. We’ve got to allow him to work through that."

Rose has missed 20 games, and the Bulls are barely .500 during that time (10-9), losing ground to the Cavaliers for the second seed in the East, so while his return would be welcome, it would start another process of readjusting to his teammates and vice-versa.

“That’s the challenge,” Thibodeau said. “Any time you’re dealing with injuries, it’s how quickly can you adapt to those changes. We’ve had our starters together for 19 games. We’re heading down the stretch now. So whenever we do get people back, we gotta be ready to move forward right away. We don’t want to use that as an excuse. Just get out there and get the job done.”

Bulls can't match LeBron, Cavs in emotion-filled loss 99-94.

By Vincent Goodwill

The emotion was in the building from the opening tipoff and if you didn’t know it, you felt it when Joakim Noah dunked on Timofey Mosgov and barked in his face.

Or when Noah took down longtime antagonist LeBron James on his way to the basket, followed by James giving Noah a forearm shiver the next time down when Noah tried to ride James up court.

These two teams don’t like each other, and shouldn’t, and the Bulls’ 99-94 loss only crystallized a few facts we already knew before a potpourri of evidence flooded our eyes.

James, who later dunked on Noah in the third quarter, earned his first triple-double of the season with 20 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds, although most of his field goals came in the open floor and not the set offense.

The spectacular moments came from Kyrie Irving and J.R. Smith, each making his share of spectacular buzzer-beating three-pointers up against the clock, often a sign of doom against lesser teams.

The duo combined for 50, making shots many teams don’t have the personnel to attempt, even the scrappy Bulls. But the Bulls scrap and fought from double-digit deficits to make the Cavaliers sweat, even without standout performances from Jimmy Butler or fourth-quarter savior Nikola Mirotic. Mike Dunleavy scored 24 and Aaron Brooks added 17.

Two of the last three possessions resulted in unforced turnovers for the Bulls, an unfortunate theme considering how hard they fought to stay in the game when it appeared the Cavaliers were headed for an easy win.

Jimmy Butler stepped on the baseline with a little under three minutes left on a semi-break, going nowhere, and two possessions later, Pau Gasol lost the ball on a left-handed drive as the shot clock was running down—their 16^th giveaway of the afternoon.

James found the forgotten man, Kevin Love, in the corner for a triple to put the Cavaliers up nine, shutting the door with 1:14 left.

Who knows if the Bulls have found a little rust in the armor of the Cavaliers, but they left feeling what they already knew going in—that unless Derrick Rose is at his best, a lot of things will have to go in their favor if they are to meet in the postseason.

Gasol's late dunk lift Bulls past disaster against Pistons 88-82. Friday night's game, 04/03/2015).

By Vincent Goodwill

Pau Gasol #16 of the Chicago Bulls dunks the ball with seconds to go over Kentavious Caldwell-Pope #5 of the Detroit Pistons on his way to a game-high 26 points and his 50th double-double of the season at the United Center on April 3, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. The Bulls defeated the Pistons 88-82. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

 

The Pistons weren’t going away and the Bulls didn’t appear willing to put them away, at risk of a 21-year old still figuring out this league in precocious Andre Drummond.

The Bulls failed to block him out, and Pau Gasol will likely see Drummond in his nightmares, but Gasol’s redemption in the form of a tip-dunk and foul with 5.7 seconds left, closing the door on a ferocious Pistons comeback, completing a 88-82 win and return to the third spot in the East.

The Bulls led by just one after Drummond blocked a Gasol fade away and caught the Spaniard napping for a layup with 30.8 seconds left, and when Taj Gibson’s jumper caromed off the rim, there was time for palpable doubt to set in as the Pistons would’ve had the momentum and a stunned crowd to deal with—if they completed the possession.

But Gasol happened, getting position on Drummond for once and slamming home the miss while being fouled from behind—and the frustrated but elated big man yelled out in joy, to the delight of the United Center crowd that was thirsting for revenge after two blowout losses at the hands of the Pistons since the All-Star break.

Drummond finished with 14 points, 22 rebounds and six blocked shots in 43 minutes before fouling out, but that play and Aaron Brooks’ circus triple with the game tied at 78 will haunt him all night.

Brooks hadn’t hit a shot all game, missing all seven of his attempts but scored five in 45 seconds after the Pistons roared back from a 16-point deficit in the second half.

The Bulls performed their usual disappear-reappear act in the second and third quarters, having shut down the lottery-bound Pistons to nine points in the second before giving them life after halftime—and the game entered full-fledged dogfight mode in the fourth because the Bulls’ offense grinded to a halt in the third for just 12 points of their own.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope played free safety on a swing pass intended for Jimmy Butler, intercepted it and took Butler all the way to the basket for an impressive finish to tie the game at 78—and Butler complimented the second-year guard the next time down court, as the Bulls were truly tested when they hoped to have an easy night before heading to take on another central division rival, the Cleveland Cavaliers, on Easter Sunday.

There will be plenty to critique and certainly some warning signs re-emerged, like the Bulls’ going 4-for-17 from the 3-point line—but they survived and lived to control the third seed for one more day.

Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!! Which teams have signed the most/fewest players?

By Gregg Rosenthal

Most signings

It's no surprise that the Indianapolis Colts have signed the most players in free agency this offseason. It is a surprise that the New England Patriots have matched them in volume.

Most players signed
Team	No. of players
Colts	18
Patriots	18
Ravens	17
Falcons	16
Panthers	16
Jets	15
Bears	14
Dolphins	14
Giants	14
Buccaneers	14

The table shows the teams that have signed the most players since Feb. 27. This includes a team re-signing their own players. We chose Feb. 27 as a starting point because that would eliminate any low-level "futures" contracts signed just after the season. Feb. 27 was also the day when the Redskins added Ricky Jean Francois in the first significant pickup of the offseason. A few thoughts on the list:

» The Colts entered the offseason knowing they weren't good enough. Indianapolis reached the Final Four, yet knew they were far away from a title because of gaping holes on their roster. General manager Ryan Grigson has relied heavily on free agency since arriving after a huge roster overhaul following the Bill Polian era.

Grigson's uneven drafts the last two years after a boffo 2012 crop haven't helped. No playoff team is more reliant on talent acquired through free agency than Indianapolis. That won't change in 2015.

» Patriots fans have complained that they didn't shell out big money for Darrelle Revis. But New England did hand out the second-highest figure of guaranteed money to any player in free agency for Devin McCourty. They picked up a nice mid-level option in Jabaal Sheard, but most of their signings here are low-risk, medium-reward variety: Alan Branch, Brandon Gibson, Bradley Fletcher, Scott Chandler and Robert McClain are prime examples. And they still have more work to do in the secondary.

» This list does not include trade acquisitions, so Miami's move to pick up Kenny Stills, for instance, is not included in their total.

» Atlanta has quietly been one of the most active teams over the last month, going for bulk signings on defense. O'Brien Schofield, Adrian Clayborn, Justin Durant and Brooks Reed are some of the names they have brought in to bolster one of the worst groups in the league. Consider it a win if the Falcons "hit" on half of these pickups.

» The Panthers are another team shopping in the bargain aisle, hoping that reclamation projections Michael Oher and Jonathan Martin add up to a usable starter.

 Fewest signings

Fewest players signed
Team	No. of players
Rams	6
Saints	7
Steelers	8
Packers	8
Eagles	9
Texans	9
Chargers	10
Vikings	11
Jaguars	11
Lions	11
Browns	11
Bengals	11
Cardinals	11

» The Rams are at the top of the list, but we like some of their low-cost moves. Nick Fairley and Akeem Ayers both have high ceilings for players who did not cost a lot to bring in.

» The Saints have been mislabeled as "rebuilding." They dramatically changed the direction of their team, but they are certainly spending money. (Just not on Jimmy Graham.) Brandon Browner and C.J. Spiller were two big free-agent pickups. Dannell Ellerbe and Max Unger came via trade, so they don't count here. The Saints now seem to change direction every 12 months or so, which is not a sign of franchise stability.

» It is no surprise to see Green Bay and Pittsburgh toward the top of this list. At one point this offseason, Julius Peppers was the only Packer on the roster that had ever played with another team. Pittsburgh is the rare NFL team with legitimate salary-cap troubles that prevent them from being too aggressive in the offseason. DeAngelo Williams is their biggest move thus far.

The Steelers and Packers both shy away from signing other teams' players, which requires a high "hit" rate from their general managers on draft day. Steelers GM Kevin Colbert has been far less consistent in recent years than early in his Pittsburgh run.

» The Eagles' offseason, in many ways, has been defined by its departures. They haven't brought in a huge number of players in bulk, but the signings have mostly been potential impact players like DeMarco Murray, Byron Maxwell, Ryan Mathews and the re-signing of Brandon Graham. There have been few low-level moves, which the Eagles will likely make after the draft.

» A change in the NFL offseason calendar could impact how free agents are signed. In previous years, unrestricted free agents signed by other teams counted toward the league's compensatory pick formula until June 1. That day has been moved to May 12, meaning a lot of veteran signings could happen right after May 12.

 Report: NFL to hire Sarah Thomas, first female game official.

By Eric Edholm

According to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun, the NFL is prepared to hire its first female game official.

**************************************** 

Aaron Wilson                                                                               Follow

✔ @RavensInsider

Hearing the NFL has hired its first female official, Sarah Thomas, a ground-breaking move. Mississippi native was a finalist previously.

 

7:35 AM - 3 Apr 2015                      

425 Retweets 251 favorites 

 

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The NFL has yet to confirm the news, and you'd think they can't be too thrilled about this leaking on a Friday of a holiday weekend — good news is usually reserved for Mondays — which is when, for instance, Ray Rice held ill-fated press conference almost a year ago. (According to PFT, the league is expected to announce the news and its full list of officials next week.)

But back to Thomas: She has worked her way up in officiating and worked in New Orleans Saints training camps a few times in recent years and has been a line judge in NFL preseason games, too. She openly has campaigned to be the NFL's first female referee, and now it appears she's earned that honor.

The league likes to mention that more than 40 percent of its fans are women, but in the wake of the Rice-Greg Hardy-Adrian Peterson news last year, the NFL likely is aware that its reputation with the fairer sex might not be as strong as it once was. 

That's nice and all, but we certainly hope Thomas was hired for meritorious reasons, that's she's a good official, and nothing else. But either way, it's a big story if and when it comes to be confirmed.

Cubs' new manager, ace no match for Cards' old reliable in MLB opener.

AP

CHICAGO   —  

 

Same ol' Cubbies. Same old Cardinals, too.

At least for one game.

Adam Wainwright threw six sharp innings to outpitch Jon Lester, and St. Louis handed new Chicago manager Joe Maddon a 3-0 loss Sunday night in the major league opener.

Jason Heyward had three hits in his St. Louis debut and Matt Holliday drove in two runs for the NL Central champions. Throw in Matt Carpenter's two hits at new-look Wrigley Field, and the top third of the Cardinals' lineup went 7 for 14 with three RBIs.

Playing their most anticipated opener in years, the Cubs went 0 for 13 with runners in scoring position.

Lester was pulled with one out in the fifth inning on a chilly evening. The ace left-hander, who got a $155 million, six-year contract from Chicago during free agency, allowed three runs and eight hits in his fifth straight opening day start.

The addition of Lester and Maddon ramped up the expectations for Chicago after five straight losing seasons. But it was more of the same in their first game.

The biggest difference for the home team was a giant video board in left field, part of a major renovation for the iconic neighborhood ballpark. The closed bleachers were covered by pictures of Hall of Fame slugger Ernie Banks, who played for Chicago for 19 seasons and died in January at age 83.

The Cubs honored Banks with a pregame moment of silence, and his sons Jerry and Joey Banks each threw out a ceremonial first pitch. The club also extended its condolences to the Cardinals for Oscar Taveras, an outfield prospect who died in a car crash in his native Dominican Republic last October.

Heyward got the majors' first hit of the season when he doubled and scored on Holliday's single in the first. Holliday had another RBI single in the fifth.

It was more than enough for Wainwright, who was slowed by an abdominal injury early in spring training, but looked just fine in his fourth opening-day start. The 6-foot-7 right-hander made the most of umpire Mike Winters' wide strike zone, striking out six with no walks. He gave up all five Cubs hits.

Carlos Martinez, who won the fifth starter job in training camp, then worked the seventh for St. Louis. Jordan Walden got three outs before Trevor Rosenthal struck out the side for the save.

The shutout was sure to have some Cubs fans clamoring for Kris Bryant, the power-hitting prospect who recently was sent to the minors for more seasoning.

 TRAINER'S ROOM

Cardinals: LHP Jaime Garcia (shoulder inflammation) is expected to begin a throwing program in the next week or so, and general manager John Mozeliak said OF Tommy Pham (strained left quad) is scheduled to see a specialist on Monday. Garcia was competing for the fifth starter job before the injury. "I would say in the next week to two weeks we'll have a better idea of perhaps expected return or perhaps what a rehab assignment might look like," Mozeliak said. "But I would say it's still about 10 to 14 days away before we make that decision."

Cubs: OF Chris Denorfia (mild left hamstring strain), RHP Jacob Turner (right shoulder inflammation), RHP Dallas Beeler (right shoulder inflammation) and LHP Tsuyoshi Wada (mild left groin strain) were placed on the disabled list before the game. Each of the DL stints is retroactive to March 27.

UP NEXT

Following an off-day on Monday, Cubs RHP Jake Arrieta gets the ball on Tuesday against Cardinals RHP Lance Lynn. Arrieta went 10-5 with a 2.53 ERA in 25 starts last year, and Lynn has won at least 15 games in each of the last three seasons.

Golf: I got a club for that; Holmes wins Houston Open in playoff.

AFP

Kentuckian J.B. Holmes won a three-man playoff and the Shell Houston Open title at the Golf Club of Houston. (Photo/AP)

J.B. Holmes fashioned an electrifying final round, then held on to win the Houston Open in a three-way playoff Sunday for a perfect final preparation for next week's Masters.

"Anytime you can get a win it's a big step coming into a major," said Holmes, who beat Johnson Wagner with a par at the second hole of sudden death after Jordan Spieth was eliminated at the first playoff hole.

"Hopefully I'll be ready next week," Holmes said.

Holmes started the day six shots adrift of overnight leader Spieth and surged up the leaderboard with seven birdies in his first nine holes -- nine of his first 12. He had just one bogey in an eight-under 64, then waited for almost two hours before he was joined on 16-under 272 by Wagner and Spieth.

Spieth closed with a 70 while Wagner, playing on a sponsor's exemption, made just the third birdie of the day at the Golf Club of Houston's tough 18th hole to cap a 69 and join the playoff.

The trio returned to 18, where Holmes and Wagner were in the fairway but Spieth's shot off the tee rolled down the bank toward the water hazard.

Holmes's second shot left him a long birdie attempt and he two-putted for par, while Wagner got up and down for par from a bunker.

Spieth's awkward second shot left him in a bunker and he was eliminated with a bogey.

From the 18th tee again, Holmes and Wagner both found the fairway. Holmes gave himself a 10-foot birdie putt, while Wagner left himself a difficult effort over the ridge.

Holmes' birdie effort trickled right, but his par proved good enough when Wagner's five-foot par putt failed to drop.

Wagner had been hoping to duplicate his fairytale win in this event in 2008 -- his first US PGA Tour title giving him a Masters berth.

He's had his struggles since then, including losing his tour card. Losing out on the trophy and a spot in the year's first major was a blow, but being in contention was a sign of progress.

"Birdying 18 to even get in the playoff was pretty incredible," Wagner said. "I'm pretty bummed right now, I love this event. I'm really pretty disappointed, But there's a lot of good stuff going on."

Spieth, who finished runner-up to Bubba Watson in his Masters debut last year, still takes plenty of confidence into Augusta.

He won the Valspar championship and finished second in the Texas Open in his two prior starts.

"I feel as prepared as I think I could be," said the 21-year-old Texan. "I've felt more and more comfortable with more and more pressure. That gives me a lot of confidence going into Augusta."

Russell Henley finished alone in fourth after a 69 for 274.

Zimbabwe's Brendon de Jonge carded a 67 for 275, where he was joined by Cameron Tringale (68), Keegan Bradley (69) and Charles Howell (70).

Mickelson expects 'sharp' Woods at Masters.

AFP

Tiger Woods of the United States and Phil Mickelson of the United States talk during the first round of the 96th PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club on August 7, 2014 in Louisville, Kentucky (AFP Photo/Sam Greenwood)

Three-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson isn't surprised that Tiger Woods will tee it up at the Masters next week -- and he thinks the four-time winner will be ready.

"That's a tough tournament to miss," Mickelson said of the first major championship of the season in the lush confines of Augusta National.

"I just don't think anybody would miss it if they were in it, if they were physically able to play," Mickelson said at the Houston Open on Friday, after Woods confirmed he would end his self-imposed layoff from tournament golf.

He hasn't played in a tournament since withdrawing at Torrey Pines on February 5 with back pain.

That followed a dismal showing at the Phoenix Open, and the 14-time major champion announced the following week that he was taking an indefinite break until he could improve his game to a competitive level.

Pundits have pointed to the glaring weaknesses displayed this season in Woods' once-mighty short game as making Woods an unlikely contender.

But Mickelson, who has endured struggles of his own this year, believes Woods has had enough time to sort things out.

"He's had such a good short game and such a great game throughout his career, I think it's going to be an easy fix," Mickelson said. "I think his game will be sharp."

Woods' decision to play the Masters, revealed on his website and in a Twitter posting by the 14-time major champion, sparked immediate reaction on social media.

"@TheMasters isn't the same without @TigerWoods," tweeted fellow pro Bill Horschel. "Glad to see him back playing again. Going to be an electrifying week as always! #cantwait"

"Was it ever really in doubt," tweeted England's Ian Poulter. "Best show on earth just got better."

The news even caught the eye of Olympic swimming superstar Michael Phelps.

"Pumped to watch @TigerWoods at the masters," the 18-time Olympic gold medallist tweeted.

Superlatives from first six NASCAR races of 2015.

By Zack Albert

Our picks for MVP, comeback driver and more for early 2015.

The chock-full NASCAR Sprint Cup season doesn't provide many breaks among its broad schedule of 36 races. So when a rare idle weekend looms on the calendar, it's time for a well-deserved breather and a recharge before the engines re-fire.

From this side of the guardrail, it's also time for some spring cleaning of the trusty notebooks with some ridiculously early superlatives and picks, just one-sixth of the way home.

MVP: Kevin Harvick. As the only driver with multiple victories (Las Vegas, Phoenix) this season, the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 bunch has shown zero let-up from its championship march in 2014, the first year of the new Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoff format. It's a safe bet to pencil Harvick into this year's final round, but keep the pen handy.

Biggest upswing: Martin Truex Jr. The first-year pairing of Truex and the Furniture Row Racing No. 78 team yielded just five top-10 finishes in 36 races in 2014. So far this year, Truex has already surpassed that number as one of just three drivers (Harvick and Joey Logano being the others) to go 6-for-6 with top-10 results to start the season, an amazing turnaround from the scrappy single-car outfit from Denver. Honorable mentions: Paul Menard, Casey Mears, AJ Allmendinger.

Biggest slump: With four finishes of 40th or worse to open the season, it's been a rough go for three-time series champion Tony Stewart. Placing 14th at Auto Club and 20th at Martinsville slightly helped to stem the slide, but Smoke remains mired in 32nd place in the standings. Only Michael Annett ranks lower among drivers who have competed in all six races this year. Honorable mentions: Greg Biffle, Trevor Bayne, Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Best streak: Harvick's stunning string of eight consecutive top-two finishes drew to a close last weekend at Martinsville Speedway, coming within breathing distance of Richard Petty's all-time record of 11 top-twos in a row. The No. 4 team's continued excellence may be the more remarkable of the two streaks, achieved during a time of far greater parity in the world of big-league stock-car racing.

Biggest romp: Kevin Harvick at Phoenix. Seven of Harvick's 30 career wins in NASCAR's top division have come in the desert. Last month, Harvick claimed his fourth straight Phoenix International Raceway victory in convincing fashion, leading 224 of 312 laps. In his four-race Arizona monopoly, Harvick has led 782 of a possible 1,248 laps, a possible indicator of more success when the series returns to Phoenix for its annual Chase race in November.

Biggest rules/technology story: NASCAR's snazzy new pit-road officiating system made its debut this season, but so far it hasn't garnered a large share of headlines. That's a good thing, meaning it's working as it should -- much like a steady referee making the right calls or a long snapper in football who always hits his target. Honorable mention: The 2015 rules package and the adjustable track bar.

Biggest rules/technology to come: The early reviews of trial runs for the 2016 rules package have been boffo, lending heft to the notion that NASCAR's Research & Development Center is onto something and that the right balance of aerodynamics, handling and horsepower isn't far away.

Biggest scandal: The Goodyear-bleeding tactic that grew from garage rumblings to a full-blown Tire-gate. Richard Childress Racing's No. 31 team and driver Ryan Newman were popped post-Martinsville for alleged alterations of their racing slicks, violating one of the Holy Trinity areas of technical no-nos: tires, engines and fuel. Will a stern P5 penalty be enough to stop the practice in its tracks? Time will tell. Honorable mentions: Hold-ups in the inspection process forcing teams to miss Coors Light Pole Qualifying early in the season. That, and Martinsville Speedway changing hot dog providers.

Biggest mess: Group qualifying at superspeedways. Multicar crashes marred both Sprint Cup and XFINITY Series qualifying sessions at Daytona International Speedway, signaling the end of the format as we once knew it on restrictor-plate tracks.

Best call: He needed a little luck on his side, but Paul Wolfe's four-tire decision in the late going at Auto Club Speedway allowed Brad Keselowski to snatch away his first victory of the season in the Team Penske No. 2 Ford on the final lap.

Best rally: Jimmie Johnson started 37th after missing out on qualifying, but wound up in Victory Lane at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March. Honorable mention: Denny Hamlin's comeback from a pit-road penalty to win at Martinsville Speedway.

Biggest hype: Chase Elliott's much-ballyhooed Sprint Cup debut had the NASCAR photography corps following the 19-year-old driver like paparazzi, but his rocky 38th-place finish was more learning experience than big-time splash. That said, Jeff Gordon -- the driver he'll replace next year in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 -- didn't wow the crowd in his first race, either, debuting with a 31st-place finish in the 1992 season finale at Atlanta.

Strangest day: February 21. On the eve of the season-opening Daytona 500, one Busch brother -- Kurt -- was in the midst of two unsuccessful appeals of his suspension for behavioral infractions, all while the other -- Kyle -- was recovering from severe leg injuries after a hard crash in the XFINITY Series opener. Neither participated in the Great American Race the next day, capping a whirlwind 24 hours of coverage. Honorable mention: February 27 -- Team Xtreme's No. 44 is reported stolen from a hotel parking lot; hours later, an SUV rolls back into Denny Hamlin's motor coach.

Biggest comeback: Since completing NASCAR's outlined path for reinstatement, Kurt Busch has put the legal distractions in the rear view with sheer, solid performance, building on the chemistry he's developed with new crew chief Tony Gibson. He opened his 2015 campaign with two straight top-five efforts, and has more Sprint Cup points in three races than several drivers do in six.

Toughest break (off-track edition): Brian Vickers. After recovering from offseason heart surgery, Vickers returned to the driver's seat of the Michael Waltrip Racing No. 55 Toyota at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. But his comeback lasted just two races, when a recurrence of blood clots forced him to take indefinite leave for the fourth time since 2010.

Toughest break (on-track edition): Kurt Busch's strong return to competition almost had a crowning moment at Auto Club Speedway, but a late caution flag for debris threw his possible stretch run to the checkered flag into doubt. On the second green-white-checkered attempt, Busch's No. 41 gave way to a charging Brad Keselowski on the last lap.

Best schedule wrinkle: The debut of the West Coast Swing was great fun for the roving band of NASCAR.com staffers crisscrossing the left side of the country in an RV, but it showed some fresh, previously untapped potential in making tweaks to the NASCAR schedule. Honorable mention: Darlington Raceway's return to Labor Day. Even though this hasn't happened yet, it's still the reigning king of schedule shifts for 2015.

Biggest void: Kyle Busch remains a polarizing figure for fans, whether it's in his role as a Sprint Cup regular or a poacher of victories in other NASCAR national series. Love him or hate him, his absence as he recovers from leg fractures has had lasting ramifications on this year's competition.

Best relief effort: Brett Moffitt. The Michael Waltrip Racing development driver made the most of his first start of the season, holding on for an eighth-place run at Atlanta in relief of Brian Vickers. The brow-raising finish earned him a more regular spot in the Sprint Cup rotation, increasing his prospects for a full-time ride in the future. Honorable mentions: Matt Crafton and David Ragan in for Kyle Busch; Regan Smith in for Kurt Busch and Kyle Larson.

Best farewell tour: Jeff Gordon. Not since Richard Petty's fan appreciation tour in 1992 has their been a more celebrated victory lap. Accordingly, tracks have made a contest of trying to one-up each other with farewell gifts for the four-time champion in his final full season.

Best beef: It's not quite to the level of the Gordon-Keselowski fracas as Texas last season, but the differences of opinion between Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano keep on giving. The two squared off again after the exhibition Sprint Unlimited at Daytona, exchanging verbal jabs but no physical ones.

Most civil post-race disagreement: Danica Patrick vs. Denny Hamlin. Their two cars -- Nos. 10 and 11 -- had numeric and spatial proximity during Daytona's Speedweeks, with the latter closeness causing major issues. After their Daytona 500 qualifying race, their second run-in in a matter of days led to a rather pointed but orderly airing-out of opinions in a bizarre moment on pit road.

Best hair: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. The mullet-wearing driver of the Roush Fenway Racing No. 17 Ford also has possession of the circuit's best Mississippi mud flap. Honorable mention: Chase Elliott's offseason mop-top, since shorn.

Best Air Titan save: On a chilly, soggy March 1 at Atlanta, the Air Titan track-drying system battled in-track "weepers" and damp atmospheric conditions with relative ease, clearing the way for a full-distance race that had the markings of Monday all over it. Honorable mention: Saving Martinsville Speedway from a complete Friday washout last weekend.

Best bet for a Chase surprise: AJ Allmendinger. Had the JTG-Daugherty No. 47 not succumbed to mechanical failure last week at Martinsville, Allmendinger would be solidly in the conversation for punching his Chase playoff ticket for a second straight season, but this time on the basis of points. With two road courses on the schedule before the Chase field is set, Allmendinger has two golden opportunities ahead, if the standings route falls through. Honorable mentions: Martin Truex Jr., Aric Almirola, Greg Biffle.

Best bet for a Chase miss: Clint Bowyer. The Kansas native's losing skid hit 83 straight races last weekend at Martinsville, and the MWR No. 15 team has only a seventh-place finish in the Daytona 500 in its top-10 column this season. To transform into a Chase-caliber contender, Bowyer and Co. need big leaps, a triple jump even. The potential is there. Finding it and unleashing it is the challenge.

Final Four predictions: Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Jimmie Johnson, Brad Keselowski. Again, ridiculously early to make a sure-shot pick, but going with the chalk means placing these four in the title-eligible heap at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Honorable mentions: Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon.

Sprint Cup champion: Harvick. Repeating isn't easy, but until another team shows it's ready to take away the heavyweight belt, the No. 4 remains the car to beat. Honorable mention: Logano.

Sir Richard Branson Wants To Change The World With Electric Race Cars. 

By Neal Pollack

Twenty racecars that sounded like giant electric knives sliced through the streets of downtown Miami, emitting exactly zero emissions. Despite the fact that the tropical sun was hot enough to steam empanadas, the bleachers were full. For a $20 admission price, standing-room-only fans lined three-deep along the track. Nearly every balcony of every high-rise along the route was equally stuffed. Several dozen people even lined up on highway overpasses until police chased them away. They wanted to see the first-ever North American running of Formula E, the all-electric racing series Sir Richard Branson and others believe to be the future.   

Formula E differs from traditional auto racing in pretty much every way. All 20 drivers operate the exact same car, a toothpick-thin Spark-Renault SRT_01E. The cars go zero to 62 in three seconds, can reach 140 mph, run with a top-secret motor designed by McLaren, and balance on bespoke yet skinny 18-inch Michelin tires, designed to work in both wet and dry conditions.

From there, it gets strange. The cars of Formula E generate up to 270 hp, but must be operated in power-saving “race mode,” which barely generates 200hp. Formula E fans can vote with hashtags on social media to provide a “Fan Boost,” which allows favorite drivers to generate 30 extra kilowatts of power for five seconds sometime in the race. But even those drivers don’t win unless they properly conserve energy. It’s like high-speed hypermiling, with a battery that’s powered by sea-algae glycerin.

This unusual battery can only last for approximately half the 39-lap race, with each lap covering approximately 1.5 kilometers. It can’t be recharged quickly enough to get it back onto the track. So en lieu of a battery change (or, for that matter, a tire change, which is neither allowed nor necessary), drivers simply pit, get out of their car, get into a fresh car with exactly the same specs, and continue on.

Therefore the race features ten teams, 20 drivers, and 40 completely identical cars. Next year, teams can fiddle with the gearbox, suspension, and motor, and in 2017 they will be able to use their own batteries. But for now, they're all the same.  

Whizzing through the streets of Monte Carlo and Buenos Aires, among other Bond-movie locations, they represent the world’s most glamorous display of electric-car potential.

 

The racing community, though, remains skeptical over this alien form of motorsports. For many, the roar of a combustion engine is part of the allure, and while Formula E is fast for an electric car, its lap times are akin to lower-rung junior open wheel formulas. It’s not been easy to digest for the diehard racing fan. 

 

But Formula E has more than a dash of glamour to it, with an extra E-boost provided by Sir Richard Branson, who’s fielding a competitive Virgin Racing Team. Sir Richard was on hand last weekend in Miami for the festivities. In a poorly attended press conference on the floor of American Airlines Arena, he sounded coolly messianic in his fervor for Formula E, which he says can be a major driver of social change, and not just in racing.

 

“We’re trying to work toward a world that’s carbon-neutral by 2050,” Sir Richard said. “Unless you have racing like this, we’ll never get there. Hopefully, 10 to 20 years from now, the smell of exhaust will be something as much a thing of the past as cigarette smoke. That’s what we’re trying to get to.”

 

Sir Richard was joined at the press conference by the head of Formula E, a dashing multilingual Spaniard named Alejandro Agag, who added, “this is our goal. To try and change the world.”

 

That’s not just how they talk to the press, either. This is a genuine transformation mission. Later, during a panel at an upstairs lounge where all the wealthy racing fans had gathered, Branson said, “It won’t be long before we can have batteries that will last the duration of the race. That technology is coming. A lot of members of the public don’t realize that electric cars can go 140 miles an hour, or that they can be sexy. These cars are that. It’s up to manufacturers to get out there and make more electric cars. The demand will be there. If dirty fuel has a real competitor, then the price of fuel will come down and the world will be a clean place.”

To prove their point, Branson and Agag then both drank a shot of sea-algae glycerin. It’s Soylent Green for racing cars. Though it’s not, as far as we know, made out of people.
 

It came time for the race, which was only an hour long but was quite exciting. The cars bolted down the street from a standing start as though they were launched from a slingshot, and proceeded to zip, in very close quarters, around the track, which was designed with deliberate nostalgia to resemble the old-school Miami Grand Prix, a route that hadn’t been run in more than a decade.

 

This was the fifth Formula E race of the season. Because of the uniformity of equipment, no clear favorite had yet been established. But as the race unfolded, Renault-backed Nicholas Prost, the son of Formula One legend Alain Prost, bolted to the front, just behind German Daniel Apt, who appeared under the Audi Sport banner. Surprisingly close behind them was the aptly-named American dude Scott Speed, best-known for winning the Global Rallycross Gold Medal in last summer’s X-Games, and a last-minute addition to Michael Andretti’s team.

The cars whizzed through the streets of Miami, making less noise than a single street cleaner, and emitting not one particle of pollution. As Speed later said. “I could hear the crowd noise. I could hear the tires squealing. I could hear everything.”

With four laps to go, Apt was in front, but also in trouble, because he was running out of power. He later said that if he’d pushed the car to its limits, it would have stopped suddenly on the track, which would have caused a major calamity. Instead, he did the sane and gentlemanly thing and retreated to third place. Prost took the lead, with Scott Speed speeding behind him.

As the final lap dawned, Speed was on Prost’s bumper, but he couldn’t quite catch him. Prost pulled across the finish line with only one percent of available energy left in his second car, meaning he’d pushed to the very limit of endurance and had run a basically perfect electric-car race. Speed still had several percent in reserve. If he’d made his move earlier, he would have won.

 

But that’s how it goes in Formula E. Everyone’s learning how to run these races together. “We’re all learning about the science of energy recovery together,” Agag said. “This is the beginning of new technology.”

After the champagne flowed and La Marseillaise played, the three podium drivers descended the stairs of the arena for their post-race press conference, bouncing like kids who’d just been given nifty new toys. They already were looking forward to the next U.S. Formula E race, on the streets of Long Beach this Saturday.  “It was halfway through the race,” Scott Speed was saying, “And I got a whole new car! It was awesome!”

 

La Liga Sunday roundup: Ronaldo scores FIVE, Barca remains first.

Kyle Lynch

Sunday hosted four matches in La Liga and wouldn’t you know it, Cristiano Ronaldo finds himself the star yet again.

Real Madrid 9-1 Granada

Yes you read that scoreline correctly. Real Madrid nearly put up double-digits in an absolute thrashing of Granada today. Out of those nine goals, Cristiano Ronaldo scored five, including a hat-trick in an eight minute span in the first half. Karim Benzema added a brace as Gareth Bale and an own goal from Granada rounded out the scoring for Madrid, as the club has scored an incredible 87 goals through 29 matches. Ronaldo has now scored 36 times on the season, more goals than 14 clubs in La Liga.

 Celta de Vigo 0-1 Barcelona

Celta de Vigo shocked Barcelona with a 1-0 win at Camp Nou earlier in the season and nearly stunned the Catalans again, falling just short. It took the league-leaders nearly 75 minutes to open the scoring as Jeremy Mathieu’s 73rd minute header proved to be the game winner. The home side pushed for an equalizer late on, only to be forced to ten men when Fabian Orellana was sent off for throwing a chunk of turf at Sergio Busquets. Barcelona remain four points clear of Real Madrid at the top of the table following the victory.

Valencia 0-0 Villarreal

A crucial match in the race for a Champions League berth ended in a scoreless draw at Mestalla Stadium. Valencia will be disappointed with the result as they were jumped by Atletico Madrid for third place in La Liga on Saturday. Alvaro Negredo come off the bench in search of a game winner for the hosts, but failed to create many clear goalscoring opportunities. With the draw Villarreal sit in sixth place, 11 points behind fourth place Valencia. That means the club is in need of somewhat of a miracle to earn a spot in the Champions League next season.

Elsewhere in La Liga

Getafe 2-1 Deportivo
Espanyol vs. Elche (Monday, 12 p.m. ET)

USWNT routs New Zealand, 4-0, in latest World Cup warm-up friendly.

By Andy Edwards

The U.S. women’s national team continued its march toward the 2015 World Cup in Canada with its latest friendly triumph, a 4-0 thrashing of fellow World Cup qualifiers New Zealand at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Saturday.

All the familiar names — Abby Wambach, Alex Morgan, Sydney Leroux and Megan Rapinoe, to name a few — played a part in the USWNT’s fifth victory in sixth games in all competitions, but none of the team’s mega-stars found their name on the scoresheet at the final whistle.

Meghan Klingenberg gave the Americans the lead in the 14th minute with a powerful strike from outside the penalty area. The USWNT’s initial cross into the box was poorly cleared by the New Zealand defense, right into the path of the onrushing Klingenberg, whose right-footed shot swerved through traffic and found the back of the net.

From there, New Zealand threatened the USWNT on occasion, forcing Hope Solo into a couple of big saves, but nothing could prepare the visitors for the five-minute onslaught that was to come in the game’s final 15 minutes.

Lori Chalupny finished a short corner-kick routine with a sweeping, left-footed shot into the upper-90 in the 76th minute. Julie Johnston Julie Johnston flicked a pinpoint header just under the crossbar from Lauren Holiday’s free kick in the 78th minute. Morgan Brian was played behind the Kiwis’ defense by Leroux and she slotted her first-time shot off the inside of the far post and in in the 81st minute.

Just like that, it was lights out for New Zealand and Jill Ellis’s side had much to be happy about as this summer’s tournament kicks off in 64 days, where the USWNT will face the much-heralded “group of death,” comprised of Australia (10th-ranked in the world), Sweden (5th) and Nigeria (33rd).

LINEUP

USA: Solo, Krieger (O’Hara 83′), Sauerbrunn, Johnston, Klingenberg (Chalupny 57′), Press (Heath 56′), Holiday, Lloyd, Rapinoe (Brian 79′), Rodriguez (Leroux 57′), Morgan (Wambach 73′)

Goals: Klingenberg (14′), Chalupny (76′), Johnston (78′), Brian (81′)

Fire hang on to beat Toronto FC for second straight win. (Saturday Afternoon's game, 04/04/2015).

By Danny Michallik

In their second consecutive home match, the stage was set for the Chicago Fire to take the momentum from last week's win over Philadelphia and translate it into another win against a Toronto FC side yearning for three points.

Despite finding themselves in a 2-1 deficit in the 54th minute, goals from Shaun Maloney and captain Jeff Larentowicz sealed the Fire's 3-2 comeback win over Toronto in front of 13,818 at Toyota Park on Sunday.

The Men in Red avoided their fourth consecutive draw with their Eastern Conference foe, as Frank Yallop's side extended its unbeaten run against Toronto to 12 games, dating back to May 2010.

The loss for Toronto drops them to eighth in the East, while the win for the Fire moves them into third place with six points, a fitting outcome on Yallop's birthday.

"A great birthday present," Yallop said in his post-match press conference. "We deserved to win the game and tried to initiate a lot of the play. It was frustrating scoring early and giving a goal up, but in the end, very happy with our spirit and general play.

"We pushed a little higher and learned something from our last home game against Philly. We cannot sit back against anybody and we didn't. I was very pleased with everybody's commitment and general play."

The Fire got on the front foot early, with home debutant David Accam's pacey runs causing problems for the Toronto back line in the opening minutes. 

In the 5th minute, however, Yallop was forced into making an early substitution after Toronto defender Warren Creavalle clattered into midfielder Michael Stephens, who was forced to exit the game and emerged with a right ankle sprain. Chris Ritter came on in place of the Naperville native and got into the action straight away, partnering alongside Matt Polster in the center of the park.

With sustained pressure through the first quarter of an hour, the Men in Red's bright start saw them break the deadlock in the 14th minute, courtesy of some delightful interchange between Shaun Maloney and Joevin Jones. With Jones barreling down on the Toronto defenders, the left back calmly slotted past a stranded Joe Bendik.

The Fire appeared to take their foot off the gas as Toronto answered four minutes later, with build-up play from Benoit Cheyrou and Ashtone Morgan setting up Italian international Sebastian Giovinco for his first MLS goal in the 20th minute. 

Passing exchanges between forwards Jozy Altidore and Robbie Findley, with Giovinco floating in the midfield pockets seemed to be the theme for the rest of the half. The halftime whistle perhaps provided the Men in Red with a respite, as they headed into the break with only 40 percent of possession. 

The Fire started the second half unchanged and on the attack again, but it was Greg Vanney's side that took the lead and turned the game on its head.

Defender Benoit Cheyrou's one-time effort following a slick Giovinco assist put the visitors ahead in the 54th minute, but Designated Player Shaun Maloney had a reply of his own two minutes later as the Scotland international opened his MLS scoring account.

"I think we're starting to improve," Maloney said after the game. "I wouldn't get overboard about today. I think it was a really good show from the team.

"We started the season slowly, but it's a big bonus today. We saw a lot of signs of things to come."

What eventually came next was the spirit and desire that Fire fans near and far longed for.

Following a red card to Toronto Creavalle in the 67th minute, the ensuing free kick set up Larentowicz for his first goal of the season and capped off the Men in Red's comeback.

"We finally had the players that we've been talking about," he said. "We looked a more confident group with those guys playing."

"The crowd were very good with us today," he said. "I think they enjoyed pushing the team on and that's important to our players. The fans need something to cheer on, so I think it worked hand-in-hand today for us. I think we did a good performance with good attacking play and the fans made us win the game."

Chicago Fire Starting XI (subs):

(4-4-1-1): Jon Busch; Eric Gehrig, Jeff Larentowicz (C), Adailton, Joevin Jones; Harry Shipp, Matt Polster (Victor Perez, 88'), Michael Stephens (Chris Ritter, 8'), David Accam; Shaun Maloney; Quincy Amarikwa (Kennedy Igboananike, 74').  

USWNT goalkeeper Hope Solo 'in a better place' after resolution of off field controversy.

By Duncan Day

Hope Solo (Photo/USSoccer.com)

Serious controversy engulfed USWNT goalkeeper Hope Solo off the field this past summer when domestic assault charges marked her reported physical confrontation with relatives during what was described as an “out-of-control situation.”

Her case was dismissed in January, but she was then suspended for 30 days by U.S. Soccer for her aggressive actions as a passenger in a car with her husband and former NFL player Jerramy Stevens.

Now that both of the personal incidents have eased to a close, the first-rate goalkeeper wants to completely put her past in the rearview mirror, while she admits the negative pressure has lessened with her return to game exploits for the United States.

“I feel better, I feel a little bit lighter, like a weight’s been taken off my shoulders,” Solo said a few days before Saturday’s exhibition against the New Zealand national team at Busch Stadium, per the Associated Press. 

“I feel just in a happier place, a bit more relaxed with my defenders, which is more fun for them to play with me when I’m not on edge.”

Veteran forward Abby Wambach also revealed her understanding of Solo’s temperament at this time.

“I think Hope has come back with her eyes wide open and with her heart full of passion and excitement for the game, for competing in another World Cup,” she said. “We’re all human beings, we all have things that are going on in our personal lives, myself included.

As noted by Wambach, Jill Ellis and Co. are in deep preparation for the World Cup in Canada this summer, and Solo’s presence, in addition to the returns of Megan Rapinoe and Sydney Leroux, will certainly have an appreciable positive effect on the Stars and Stripes chances following their heartbreaking defeat to Japan in the 2011 World Cup final.

Perfection Denied: What Went Wrong for UK as Wisconsin Spoils Dream Season.

By C. J. Moore

(Photo/Darron Cummings/AP Images)

The shot left Aaron Harrison's hand and we had all seen this story before.

This was the man who took down Louisville, took down Michigan and took down Wisconsin with that same confident stroke in one of the clutchest stretches in the history of the NCAA tournament a year ago.
 
But this time the deficit was four, the shot too short, the seconds ticking painfully away.

"Me and Andrew, especially me, let my team down," Harrison said. "I didn't hit the big shots that I'm supposed to hit. I'm supposed to be the guy to put them away, and I didn't."

The greatest run in the modern era of college basketball ended on Saturday night in Indianapolis in a beautiful 40 minutes of basketball that had just had to end with Kentucky on the wrong side of history, 71-64.

The NCAA tournament is cruel. It does not care about destiny. It does not care about 40-0.

Someday, maybe, the Wildcats will look back on this 38-1 season and realize that greatness is not always defined by cutting down the nets on Monday night.

Sometimes UNLV loses to Duke. 

Sometimes a shot goes in after the shot clock ends unnoticed by the men in stripes, as it did for Wisconsin's Nigel Hayes when it looked like perfection would stretch on for at least one more night.

That awkward pause, realizing Hayes' shot counted and tied the game at 60, will forever haunt the Wildcats. 

"It sucked the air completely out of us," Harrison said. "But there's bad calls in basketball all the time."

And this was the team that for 38 games was not shaken by bad calls. You could not scare the Wildcats. You could not put them on their heels.

Notre Dame tried, and Kentucky finished the Irish off by burying nine straight shots to pull off one of the most memorable Elite Eight wins ever.

But this time around, the finishing strategy was flawed and the execution shaky.

Like they had learned nothing from how Notre Dame blew its lead seven days prior, the Wildcats played the final minutes on Saturday night trying to use every second on the shot clock.

What Kentucky wanted was the ball to end up in the hands of Karl-Anthony Towns, the most talented man on the floor, who will be one of his first to have his name called at the NBA Draft in June.

"We knew they were gonna get the ball to the big fella, Towns," Wisconsin guard Josh Gasser said. "We wanted to make it hard on him and not let him catch it too deep. We were able to get it out of his hands make their guards make a play."

The ball ended up with the Harrisons, and the brothers missed four straight shots and were just 2-of-11 in the second half after going 8-of-10 in the first half.

The Badgers, meanwhile, got a bit of luck—the shot clock violation that wasn't—and executed flawlessly to get the shots they wanted.

"I feel like we just gave everything we worked for away," Harrison said. "We just let go of the rope."

The stranglehold that Kentucky's defense seemed to have on almost every offense it faced this year was also let loose. The Badgers used a brilliant spread attack that brought Kentucky's shot-blockers away from the basket.

They shredded the 'Cats with ball screens that led to open perimeter looks, and they made 7-of-17 threes against the best three-point defense in college basketball.

What Kentucky has been able to do all season is switch most ball screens, because of 7-footer Willie Cauley-Stein's ability to guard all five positions.

But they had not faced an offense like this with every guy capable of burying shots and attacking off the dribble.

A year ago, not all five Badgers showed in the semifinal loss to Kentucky. Frank Kaminsky had little impact with only eight points in that game. This time around he had 20 and 11 rebounds. 

Kaminsky and Sam Dekker (16 points) looked like the best two players on the floor, going at all of UK's height without any fear. The Badgers nearly made the UK trees in the paint obsolete, somehow grabbing 12 offensive rebounds and limiting UK to six. 

Dekker set the tone that the Badgers were going to go right at the giants, burning Cauley-Stein for two buckets early and making the All-American an afterthought.

"I think it's more eating at me that I didn't really contribute on anything," Cauley-Stein said. "I scored the first bucket—one of the first couple buckets on a lob—and then played 33 minutes and had two points and five rebounds. 

"I mean that's probably going to eat at me for the rest of my life. Just to know I had so much more that I could have gave and change the outcome of the game and I just didn't do it, and that's really going to kill me on the inside."

Regret.

The Wildcats will feel many emotions over the next couple days, but regret was all they could verbalize in the immediate aftermath. 

"Nobody said much," freshman point guard Tyler Ulis said of the first minutes in the locker room. "We understood we had a great season, but everybody understands we did it for nothing."

That's not true, and someday these 'Cats will realize this. Someday they'll be able to get back together and appreciate that they flirted with history and sometimes the best team does not win. 

But this group, as we know it, will never play together again. Cauley-Stein admitted he's probably off to the NBA. Several others will follow. 

As Kentucky walked off the court for the final time together, UK students lined the entryway to the tunnel and applauded this team one last time. 

A season worth celebrating. With an imperfect finish.

South Carolina president: NCAA deserves 1-2 years to improve.

By Jon Solomon

The NCAA deserves “another year or two” to make improvements for college athletes through a new governance structure, NCAA Division I Board of Directors chairman Harris Pastides said Thursday at a Final Four news conference.

The NCAA is in the first year of a new structure that provides the five wealthiest conferences autonomy to create some of their own rules for protections and benefits. Allowing schools to pay athletes the full cost of attendance was the first measure passed by the major conferences.

But the external threats aren't going away. Depending on how the NCAA's appeal in the Ed O'Bannon case plays out, schools could soon be allowed to pay football and men's basketball players about $5,000 per year in deferred money for use of their names, images and likenesses. The Jeffrey Kessler lawsuit seeks a free market for players.

Congress has shown interest in NCAA issues, including the possibility of creating a presidential commission to examine college sports. President Barack Obama told the Huffington Post last month that universities bear “more responsibility than right now they're showing” toward athletes, such as ensuring they have medical coverage for college-related injuries.

“I think we've made terrific progress, but it's only a beginning,” said Pastides, the University of South Carolina's president. “I think we deserve the time to see how both governance reform and autonomy plays out. I can tell you from the side of the Southeastern Conference, it's not easy to figure it out completely. I can tell you that it's expensive.”

Kansas State president Kirk Schulz, chair of the NCAA Board of Governors, said he is “tired of playing defense” against critics of the NCAA. “What we have sometimes allowed to happen is the five or six stories that aren't good wind up dictating the picture of intercollegiate athletics,” Schulz said.

The question of whether enough high-profile athletes are truly being educated sits at the heart of the NCAA's ongoing North Carolina academic fraud investigation and lawsuits attached to the scandal. The NCAA has recently argued in court filings that it has no legal responsibility to determine if athletes are being properly educated, saying it's up to each individual school.

"I have no desire at Kansas State University to have the NCAA more involved in our academic enterprise," Schulz said. "It's the responsibility of the institutions and the academic leadership of those institutions to ensure that we're offering quality degree programs for everybody and that we're not parking our student-athletes over in some particular area or program that's not academically rigorous and doesn't allow them to be successful."

In January, NCAA enforcement director Jonathan Duncan told The Chronicle of Higher Education the NCAA is investigating allegations of academic misconduct on 20 campuses. On Thursday, NCAA president Mark Emmert somewhat walked back that number and said the quote “skews the context just a little bit.”

Emmert said being “under investigation” could be “as modest as someone having reported something that they didn't like and that being investigated to a full-blown investigation where there's some really serious allegations and some really serious evidence. I wouldn't hear that as there are 20 schools that are enmeshed in academic scandals. … At that particular moment there were about 20 of them going on around academics. I don't know because I don't track that. I keep walled off from the investigative arm. I don't know where that stands right now, but I suspect it's well below that (20).”

Time demands for college athletes will be the buzz words spoken by administrators this year. Emmert said the issue is on the agenda for the NCAA.

“To be a successful Division I athlete and a successful student is a very demanding task,” Emmert said. “In some cases it's too demanding and we need to find ways to not just provide, but insist that they have more time to be students as well as student-athletes.”

Meanwhile, as always, the NCAA men's basketball champion will be crowned on a school night late Monday evening.

Status quo: Playoff committee keeps weekly rankings.

By RALPH D. RUSSO (AP College Football Writer)

Jeff Long, College Football Playoff selections committee chairman, discusses the selection process of the semifinal pairings and semifinal bowl assignments during a news conference Sunday, Dec. 7, 2014, in Grapevine, Texas. (AP Photo/Tim Sharp)

The College Football Playoff selection committee plans to release its first weekly rankings of the 2015 season on Nov. 3.

Committee chairman Jeff Long said the committee will recommend to the conference commissioners that there should be no changes to the rankings routine. Following the ninth week of the regular season, the 13-member panel will meet in person in the Dallas area and the rankings will come out each Tuesday.
 

The college football season starts a week later this season so there will be six total rankings instead of seven. The final rankings used to determine the four teams participating in the College Football Playoff will be released Dec. 6. 

Commissioners had previously talked about tweaking the schedule and paring back the frequency of the rankings.

Dortmund wins Santa Anita Derby, improves record to 6-0.

By BETH HARRIS (AP Racing Writer)

In this photo provided by Benoit Photo, Gimme Da Lute and jockey Martin Garcia win the $200,000 Echo Eddie Stakes horse race, Saturday, April 4, 2015 at Santa Anita Park, in Arcadia Calif. (AP Photo/Benoit Photo)

Dortmund towers over his competition, standing the equivalent of 5-feet, 8-inches tall. He's pretty imposing on paper, too.

The chestnut colt romped to a 4 1/4-length victory in the $1 million Santa Anita Derby on Saturday, keeping him unbeaten at 6-0 heading into next month's Kentucky Derby.

''It's good to see this horse just really developing the way he has from his first start,'' Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert said. ''I just love the way he ran.''

Dortmund led all the way in running 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.73 under Martin Garcia and paid $3.20, $2.40 and $2.10 as the 3-5 favorite of 38,647. Baffert earned his record seventh victory in the West Coast's major prep for the Kentucky Derby.

''When we bought him he looked like a really good horse, but he was just a big horse and sometimes they don't turn out,'' Baffert said. ''He's a big, long-legged horse. When he made the lead and when he gets by himself like that, he'll idle on you a little bit, so he had to keep going.''

Dortmund bobbled slightly coming out of the starting gate in the No. 1 post - a spot Baffert detests - but he quickly went to the lead and kicked clear leaving the final turn.

''Even though he's won all his races, he's still learning,'' said Garcia, who won his first Santa Anita Derby. ''He can play around a bit when someone comes to him. When I ask him to go, he becomes pushbutton and he just takes off.''

Dortmund joins his sire Big Brown (3-0) and Barbaro (5-0) in taking an undefeated record into the Kentucky Derby. Big Brown won the Derby in 2008 and Barbaro did so in 2006.

At 17 hands, Dortmund stands taller than the average thoroughbred, which can measure anywhere from 15 to 17 hands, with a hand being equal to 4 inches.

One Lucky Dane, also trained by Baffert, returned $4.80 and $2.80, while Bolo was another 2 1/4 lengths back in third and paid $3 to show. Prospect Park was fourth, followed by Cross the Line and Bad Read Sanchez in the six-horse field.

Dortmund earned 100 points for the victory, moving him into second place on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard that determines the 20-horse field for the May 2 race.

One Lucky Dane was running just 16 days after returning from a 4 1/2-month layoff with a victory on March 19. He moved into 16th on the Derby leaderboard and will head to Churchill Downs, too.
 

''He qualified in Bob Baffert's eyes,'' the trainer said. ''I don't need 40 points.''
 

Baffert's other top horse, American Pharoah, will run in next weekend's Arkansas Derby, giving the white-haired trainer a third shot at winning the Kentucky Derby for the fourth time in his career.

''I can't believe I'm so fortunate to be in this position with two outstanding 3-year-olds,'' he said.
 

In other stakes:
 

- Stellar Wind rallied to win the $400,000 Santa Anita Oaks by 5 1/4 lengths under Victor Espinoza. The 6-5 favorite ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.26 and paid $4.40 to win. Trainer John Sadler said he plans to run the filly in the Kentucky Oaks on May 1.
 

- Even-money favorite Gimme Da Lute won the $200,000 Echo Eddie Stakes by 5 1/4 lengths for Baffert. Ridden by Garcia, the 3-year-old colt ran 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:14.64 and paid $4 to win.
 

- Spirit of Xian won the $151,750 Providencia Stakes by a neck under Joe Talamo. The filly ran 1 1/8 miles on turf in 1:48.10 and paid $35.60 to win.

On This Date in Sports History: Today is Monday, April 6, 2015.

Memoriesofhistory.com

1896 - The first modern Olympic Games began in Athens, Greece.

1970 - Bobby Orr (Boston Bruins) became the first defenseman to win the National Hockey League's (NHL) scoring title.

1973 - U.S. President Nixon threw out the first pitch of the season at a California Angels game. It was the first time that a U.S. President had performed the ceremonial activity in a city other than Washington, DC.

1987 - Sugar Ray Leonard took the middleweight title from Marvin Hagler.

1997 - Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) announced that he would retire from the National Hockey League (NHL) following the playoffs of the current season. 

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