CS&T/AllsportsAmerica Wednesday Sports News Update, 05/06/2015.

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Sports Quote of the Day:

"Success is almost totally dependent upon drive and persistence. The extra energy required to make another effort or try another approach is the secret to winning." ~ Denis Waitley, Motivational Speaker, Writer and Consultant 

 

Trending: Kentucky Derby win raises expectations for American Pharoah.

By GARY B. GRAVES

Trainer Bob Baffert barely had 14 hours to digest his Kentucky Derby victory with American Pharoah before hearing the inevitable question.

Does his horse have what it takes to win the Triple Crown?

"Well, we've got to get to the Preakness first," an admittedly tired Baffert said Sunday, referring to the 1 3/16-mile race May 16 in Baltimore. "I don't even think about that yet."

The question seems somewhat premature, but it isn't totally farfetched considering American Pharoah earned a signature victory that answered questions about his resume.

Saturday's one-length victory over Firing Line — with Baffert-trained Dortmund finishing third — before a record crowd of 170,513 at Churchill Downs was his fifth in six career starts.

"He's competitive, he wants to win," Baffert said after parading American Pharoah around a phalanx of clicking cameras. "He knows he's special."

Unlike his runaway eight-length victory in the Arkansas Derby tune-up that made him the favorite in the Run for the Roses, American Pharoah proved his worth against tougher competition. He was part of the lead pack in the 18-horse field before surging ahead in the stretch and pulling away from Firing Line with Dortmund two lengths behind him.

The Kentucky-bred, California-based colt is the third straight Derby favorite to win, immediately sparking discussion of whether he can be the first Triple Crown champion since Affirmed in 1978. California Chrome made a strong push to end the drought by winning the first two legs before stumbling at the start and finishing fourth in the Belmont Stakes last year.

Hall of Famer Baffert is well aware of the history and ultimately could have a say in whether it continues or ends after his two horses went 1-3 in the Derby. For now, he just wanted to let his fourth Derby win sink in.

"If you look back at all the Triple Crown runners, they ran a lot," Baffert said. "I think a lot has to do with who you are running against and how tough it is. This was such a tough Derby."

The Triple Crown schedule only gets tougher with two more races over the next five weeks, a daunting docket for horses accustomed to running once a month. Baffert said that American Pharoah and Dortmund emerged from the Derby in good shape and will spend this week at Churchill Downs before heading to Baltimore.

Dortmund is showing just as much potential to knock off American Pharoah. Baffert hinted that owner Kaleem Shah might "want a little revenge" and said he planned to talk with him.

"If Pharoah is that good, he's going to have to run hard," Baffert said. "Right now I would say if all's well (Dortmund would run); and Dortmund looked good."

A few barns away, Firing Line trainer Simon Callaghan reflected on his horse's strong effort with Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens aboard and impressive condition afterward.

But as Callaghan praised Firing Line and a likely Preakness run, he acknowledged American Pharoah as the probable favorite because Derby winners have a tendency to raise hopes that way.

"It's going to be close," Callaghan said. "We figure we've got a chance of beating him, but he's going to be favored. We'll see."

How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Crawford,  Blackhawks shut out Wild in Game 3, 1-0.

By Tracey Myers

Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith defend as Wild center Jordan Schroeder tries to score on goalie Corey Crawford in the third period. (Photo/Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Corey Crawford has had his ups and downs in this postseason, the downs coming mainly in the first round when he lost the net for three-plus games against the Nashville Predators.

Crawford, however, has had more up moments since the second round began. And on Tuesday night, he was tremendous.

Patrick Kane scored a power-play goal and Corey Crawford stopped all 30 shots he saw as the Blackhawks beat the Wild 1-0 in Game 3 at Xcel Energy Center. The Blackhawks take a 3-0 lead in the second-round series, which continues here on Thursday night.

 Tuesday marked the first time the Blackhawks won a Game 3 on the road since 2010 against the Vancouver Canucks. It’s the second time this postseason they’ve won the road opener of a series.

A good deal of the credit goes to Crawford, who made good-to-great stops throughout the evening. It was his fourth career postseason shutout.

The Blackhawks didn’t generate a ton on the other side but they got enough — and they got it on a first-period power play. Patrick Sharp’s pass into the Wild zone didn’t have enough zip on it, but Andrew Shaw got to it and pushed it to Kane, who beat Devan Dubnyk five-hole for a 1-0 lead.

The third period seemed like a 20-minute penalty kill for the Blackhawks and Crawford. But they withstood it, and now have a commanding lead in this series.

Jonathan Toews named finalist for Mark Messier Leadership Award.

By C. Roumeliotis

For the third straight year, Jonathan Toews has been named one of three finalists for the 2014-15 Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award, which is awarded "to the player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice, during the regular season," the NHL announced Monday.

Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf and Winnipeg Jets captain Andrew Ladd were also nominated for the award.

Toews led the team with 66 points (28 goals, 38 assists) in the regular season, and piloted Chicago to its seventh consecutive postseason appearance.

Off the ice, the Blackhawks captain is involved with a variety of team fundraisers and charity programs, including the Make-A-Wish foundation and the Four Feathers Golf Invitational. He has also been a supporter of multiple foundations independently, such as the Israel Idonije Fundraiser, a non-profit "committed to impacting underserved communities by proving programs focused on social and emotional life skills."

The winner will be announced during the 2015 NHL Awards on Wednesday, June 24 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Just Another Chicago Bulls Session… Bulls-Cavaliers Preview.

By TAYLOR BECHTOLD (STATS Writer)

The Cleveland Cavaliers didn't have much success slowing the Chicago Bulls' pick-and-pop game in the opener before Derrick Rose walked off holding his shoulder in the closing minute.

While Rose's latest injury isn't expected to be serious, the host Cavaliers will be seeking answers Wednesday night when they try to avoid becoming the first LeBron James-led team to drop the opening two games of a series in seven years.

Rose, playing in his first postseason since 2012 due to knee injuries, gave the Bulls a scare when he walked gingerly off the court after banging shoulders with Tristan Thompson late in Monday's 99-92 win. He said it took a few minutes to get the feeling back in his arm but he's not concerned about it moving forward.

When he wasn't finding an open Pau Gasol for one of his five assists, the 2011 MVP was creating his own shots on the way to 25 points while hitting 3 of 6 from 3-point range. He also made a 20-foot jumper to halt the Cavs' rally after they had cut an 11-point deficit to two midway through the fourth quarter.

"High pick and roll is a play a lot of teams run," Gasol told the team's official website. "With Derrick's ability and my ability to make plays for each other and make plays for others we were very effective, and let's see if we can continue to be as effective."

Cleveland isn't likely to keep dropping off Gasol in Game 2 after the All-Star center attempted nine shots with no defender within four feet - and made eight.

"We have to go back to the drawing board and see ways that we can be better with that particular play - when Pau is popping to the elbow and making those shots," James said.

James hasn't been down 0-2 in a series since the Cavs lost to Boston in the 2008 Eastern Conference semifinals. It's a good bet he'll be focused on being more efficient after shooting 9 for 22 while committing six of his team's nine turnovers in Game 1.

The four-time MVP ended up with 19 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists, but his teams fell to 41-14 in the postseason when he finishes with a double-double. It was only his fourth loss in 16 playoff meetings with Chicago.

"We all have to be better," James said. "I have to be better. I wasn't that good."

Kyrie Irving paced the short-handed Cavaliers on Monday with 30 points. Iman Shumpert added 22 while starting in place of J.R Smith, who is suspended one more game for striking Jae Crowder during the first-round series with Boston.

Kevin Love is done for the postseason after undergoing shoulder surgery last week. Mike Miller started in Love's place and scored three points in 16 minutes - Cleveland was outscored by 20 with him on the floor - and coach David Blatt said he's considering a lineup change for Game 2.

Without two of their top shooters, the Cavs went just 7 for 26 from beyond the arc after making an East-best 39.6 percent from long range in the final two months of the season. They also allowed Chicago to sink 10 of 18 from 3-point range.

"Coming in, we knew what the circumstances were," Blatt said. "We knew what we were looking at but we had to go through it to learn from it. Now we have and hopefully we come out a lot better."

That isn't likely to be easy facing a Chicago team that is limiting foes to 89.0 points on 39.2 percent shooting in the playoffs. In addition to playing solid defense on James in Game 1, Jimmy Butler is averaging a team-high 24.1 points in the postseason.

Chicago, however, is taking its victory in stride since it won the opener against James-led Miami teams in 2011 and 2013 - when it played without Rose - before dropping the next four in each series.

''You can't get wrapped up in it,'' coach Tom Thibodeau said. ''We're going to have to play a lot better in the next game."

Rose, Bulls come out firing to steal Game 1 from Cavs 99-92.

By Vincent Goodwill

Jimmy Butler guards LeBron James on Monday night in Cleveland. (Photo/Jason Miller/Getty Images.)

Stealing the first road game against a possibly rusty team in a building that has seen wins in 22 of the last 23 contests didn’t seem likely, but in the playoffs, series openers call for such streaks to be broken.

It was improbable but not impossible for the Chicago Bulls, who played like a championship boxer in a heavyweight fight for 48 minutes in their 99-92 Game 1 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, but like everything else with this team, it came with a little tension.

Derrick Rose was nailed by a Tristan Thompson screen with 21.5 seconds left in the fourth quarter and immediately began walking the other way in what appeared to be a right shoulder injury that the Bulls hope is a short-term issue and not a series-changer, which would be cruel considering his 25-point, five-rebound, five-assist evening.

“It was a stinger and it was my first time having one,” Rose said. “It went away in 5-10 minutes. It’s something I’m not worried about.”

Unlike the bout that took place in Las Vegas a couple days ago, this highly-anticipated contest featured haymaker after haymaker from both sides, as the Cavaliers tried to shake themselves out of an eight-day lethargy with superstar efforts and the Bulls were desperately worked themselves into the series.

But like Saturday, when attacking boxer Manny Pacquiao was dazed and confused by his opponent’s brilliant wizardry, LeBron James didn’t look like himself in the fourth quarter, committing crucial turnovers, accounting for six of the Cavaliers’ nine giveaways.

“Three of them was not “attack” turnovers,” James said. “You don’t jump and pass.”

Meanwhile, Rose went from attacker to facilitator late, hitting Gasol and Jimmy Butler for crowd-quieting jumpers after the Cavaliers were again threatening to make the Bulls do more than sweat in the fourth.

“We know how good they are,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. “There’s gonna be runs in the game. It’s gonna be important to answer the runs.”

Aside from an offensive foul on a drive, Rose played with poise down the stretch, illustrating why he so poignantly said “I’m built for this (bleep)” after that embarrassing gaffe in Game 4 of their first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks, where he fell asleep for a game-winning layup.

He went head up with Kyrie Irving, who scored 30, and the two times James dared switch onto Rose, James walked away frustrated as Rose sent him packing with two long jumpers, unbothered by James’ length, the crowd or the pressure.

“When you’re playing in the playoffs and it’s the first game, you’ve got to see what they’re doing on the pick and roll, who they’re double-teaming off of, who they aren’t double-teaming,” Rose said. “You’re reading and I think we made adjustments during the game.”

He found Pau Gasol for open jumpers against a leaky pick-and-roll defense, as Gasol scored 13 of his 21 in the third, many after the Cavaliers emerged from a 16-point deficit to tie the contest at 51 in the second half’s opening minutes, ensuring the Bulls never trailed.

They jumped out to a 10-2 run, rarely looking back.

“We kept running it because it was working,” said Gasol, who added 10 rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots. “High pick and roll was working. With Derrick’s ability and my ability to make plays for others, it was very effective tonight. It’s what we do.”

Butler was James’ shadow for the evening, resting when James rested and checking himself in when he saw James saunter to the scorer’s table. His 20 points, six assists and five rebounds don’t look as gaudy as James’ 19 points (on 22 shots), 15 rebounds and nine assists, but his defense played a crucial part in stealing a road win.

The role players carried the Bulls early, as the Cavs were unable to track Mike Dunleavy, who hit dagger after dagger on the way to nearly outscoring the Cavaliers by himself in the first quarter as the Bulls took a 16-point lead.

“Mike moving without the ball, opening up the floor he never stops moving,” Thibodeau said. “The threat of his shot gives us space.”

The Cavs players tabbed to replace spacers Kevin Love and J.R. Smith—James Jones, Shawn Marion and Mike Miller—otherwise known as “who?” went silent, hitting one field goal in a combined 30 minutes.

It was an offensive clinic for the Bulls for the better part of three quarters, despite the score not reaching triple digits. They shot 50 percent from the field and 56 percent from 3-point range, turning the ball over just 10 times and totaling 23 assists.

“Sharing the ball is important,” Thibodeau said. “The ball movement, keeping your turnovers down, those are things that are necessary. You can never let your guard down.”

Irving and James accounted for essentially all of the registering every assist except for two and every turnover aside from one.  

That made it critical for the Bulls to come away with more than just a pat on the back and brownie points for being competitive. Iman Shumpert scored 22 as the only member of the supporting cast not to be on a milk carton, as the Bulls shutting down everyone else is a big piece of a huge blueprint for an underdog team no longer feeling like one.

Round 1 to Chicago.

Reports: Bulls management 'can't wait to rid itself' of head coach Tom Thibodeau. Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica thoughts: "A house divided against itself cannot stand," however, we still hope and pray for the best as the  Bulls continue their quest for the 2014-2015 NBA championship. This report keeps resurfacing, we hope it isn't so but only the parties involved know, "the rest of the story."

By Brett Pollakoff

(Photo/AP)

As the Bulls advance deeper and deeper into this postseason, the reportedly rocky relationship between head coach and Tom Thibodeau and management in the front office becomes more and more intriguing to watch.

There’s been persistent chatter that Thibodeau’s job is on the line, but it seems to have little to do with his actual performance.

The relationship has been described as being beyond repair, while people close to Thibodeau are convinced that he’ll be fired as soon as the season is finished. Now, after Chicago went into Cleveland and upended the Cavaliers to take a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semis, comes yet another report which seems to confirm that’s the case.

From Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports:

Amid the twisted culture of Chicago’s regime – where winning is losing, where success is failure – management can’t wait to rid itself of one Tom Thibodeau. 

For everything Chicago management does to undermine the coach, this Bulls locker room has remained something rare in professional sports: unaffected and unrelenting. … 

“In this league, it’s so easy to get sidetracked. There’s so much noise. Trades. Free agency. This. That. Whatever. To me, none of that is important. All that matters is what we think. Are we doing the right things every day? Are we putting the proper work in? Are we playing the right way? Practicing the right way? That’s how you play well in this league. All that other stuff is just noise, it doesn’t mean anything.”

Head coaches in the NBA are no different than any of us at our jobs, in that it doesn’t matter how good you are at what you do if you can’t get along with your boss. We saw Mark Jackson blown out as head coach in Golden State after guiding the Warriors to a 51-win regular season, and we saw the Nuggets part ways with George Karl after a successful 57-win 2013 season because he refused to do what the front office asked.   

But what if the Bulls make it to the Finals for the first time since Michael Jordan won his last title some 17 years ago? Can management really still let Thibodeau go if that happens?

No one knows for sure. But what’s clear is that Thibodeau is one of the league’s best coaches, and should he indeed find himself looking for work this summer, he’ll certainly have plenty of options.

Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!  QB Shane Carden brings accuracy, 'fiery attitude' to Bears.

By Brad Biggs 

East Carolina quarterback Shane Carden avoids North Carolina linebacker Nathan Staub to get a first down during a 2013 game. (Photo/Chuck Liddy, McClatchy-Tribune)

In an NFL draft that lacked a flawless quarterback prospect, only seven were selected, the fewest chosen in 50 years. Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota went 1-2 and then only five more quarterbacks had their name called in the next 254 picks.

Bears general manager Ryan Pace said in an ideal world he'd like to draft a passer every year. The Bears have an established starter in Jay Cutler, who enters what amounts to a prove-it season with a new regime, and veteran Jimmy Clausen looks like a good bet to be the No. 2.

Nothing beyond 2015 is definite and the Bears surely will be surveying possibilities, which led them to sign East Carolina's Shane Carden as an undrafted free agent. That puts Carden in position to challenge David Fales, a sixth-round pick a year ago, for a roster spot.

The Bears explored the top options, bringing Winston and Mariota in for pre-draft visits as well as Colorado State's Garrett Grayson, who was the third quarterback selected (going to the Saints in the third round).

Carden chose the Bears over the Lions and Chargers among other teams that pursued him as the draft ended. He will be on display beginning Friday at rookie minicamp, eager to prove he deserves a shot after a productive three-year career as a starter.

Pace called Carden's agents Pat Dye Jr. and Bill Johnson immediately after the draft and offensive coordinator Adam Gase pitched him on the opportunity.

"This absolutely sounded like the best deal," Carden said. "I wanted to go to a team that wanted me and that was the hardest thing about not being drafted."

Former Bears quarterback Jim Miller praised Carden in the pre-draft process after seeing him compete at the Senior Bowl, citing his accuracy and savvy.

"The kid competes," Miller said. "He has a fiery attitude to him. He plays with a purpose."

The knocks on Carden are his size – 6-foot-1 3/4 and 218 pounds – and arm strength. He worked at IMG Academy in Brandeton, Fla., last winter to tighten his mechanics with Chris Weinke and Vinny Testaverde, working to get his legs and hips into his throws.

"There are a lot of guys playing very well in the NFL that don't have that elite arm," said Oklahoma offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley, who coached Carden throughout his career at East Carolina. "This guy has unbelievable accuracy and unbelievable touch, which I think is more important that arm strength and most importantly, he knows where to go with the ball."

When NFL folks asked Riley about Carden, he made sure they knew that despite playing in an up-tempo spread offense, the prospect was versed in checks at the line of scrimmage and protection adjustments.

"Some of these guys in the spread offense are getting a bad rap and there is a big deal with these guys not having to communicate and people are holding up boards on the sideline," Riley said. "That's not the case with the way we do things."

Carden engineered an upset at Virginia Tech the week after the Hokies defeated eventual national champion Ohio State. With 1:20 remaining, he drove the Pirates 65 yards in three plays for the game-winning touchdown, scoring on a 1-yard keeper with 16 seconds left. Carden threw for 427 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-20 Birmingham Bowl loss to Florida and there might not have been two better secondaries in the country than the Hokies' and Gators'.

"You could see at Blacksburg that Shane has been in the fire," Riley said. "No matter the situation, this guy believes in himself."

That self-confidence should help Carden face the even bigger test ahead of him with the Bears.

2015 NFL offseason schedule: Dates for minicamp, OTA's.

By Rana L. Cash

The NFL is always on, it seems. Already, the 2015 offseason schedule has been released, starting with dates for OTAs (organized team activities) and minicamp. NFL team-by-team training camp dates will be set soon enough, as well.

Teams can hold a total of 10 days of OTAs, but no drills are allowed.

Here's a team-by-team look at when mandatory minicamp begins, along with OTAs.

Arizona Cardinals 

First Day: April 20

OTA Offseason Workouts: May 19-21, May 26-28, June 1-4

Mandatory Minicamp: June 9-11

Atlanta Falcons 

OTA Offseason Workouts: May 26-29, June 2-3, June 5, June 9-12

Mandatory Minicamp: June 16-18

Baltimore Ravens 

OTA Offseason Workouts: May 26-28, June 1-3, June 8-11

Mandatory Minicamp: June 16-18

Buffalo Bills 

OTA Offseason Workouts: May 26-27, May 29, June 1, June 3-4, June 8-11

Mandatory Minicamp:June 16-18

Carolina Panthers 

OTA Offseason Workouts: May 26-28, June 2-4, June 8-11

Mandatory Minicamp: June 16-18

Chicago Bears 

OTA Offseason Workouts: May 27-29, June 1-3, June 8-11

Mandatory Minicamp: June 16-18

Cincinnati Bengals 

OTA Offseason Workouts: May 26-28, June 2-4, June 8-11

Mandatory Minicamp: June 16-18

Cleveland Browns 

OTA Offseason Workouts: May 26-27, May 29, June 1-2, June 4, June 8-9, June 11-12

Mandatory Minicamp: June 16-18

Dallas Cowboys 

OTA Offseason Workouts: May 26-28, June 2-4, June 8-10

Mandatory Minicamp: June 16-18

Denver Broncos 

OTA Offseason Workouts: May 27-29, June 1-2, June 4, June 15-18

Mandatory Minicamp: June 9-11

Detroit Lions 

OTA Offseason Workouts: May 26-28, June 2-4, June 8-11

Mandatory Minicamp: June 16-18

Green Bay Packers 

OTA Offseason Workouts: May 27-29, June 2-4, June 9-12

Mandatory Minicamp: June 16-18

Houston Texans 

OTA Offseason Workouts: May 26-28, June 1-2, June 4, June 8-9, June 11-12

Mandatory Minicamp: June 16-18

Indianapolis Colts 

OTA Offseason Workouts: May 18-20, May 26-28, June 1-4

Mandatory Minicamp:June 9-11

Jacksonville Jaguars 

OTA Offseason Workouts: May 26-28, June 1-2, June 4, June 8-9, June 11-12

Mandatory Minicamp: June 16-18

Kansas City Chiefs 

OTA Offseason Workouts: May 26-28, June 2-4, June 9-12

Mandatory Minicamp: June 16-18

Miami Dolphins 

OTA Offseason Workouts: May 26-27, May 29 June 1-2, June 4, June 8-11

Mandatory Minicamp: June 16-18

Minnesota Vikings 

OTA Offseason Workouts: May 26-28, June 2-4, June 8-11

Mandatory Minicamp: June 16-18

New England Patriots 

OTA Offseason Workouts: May 26, May 28-29, June 1, June 3-4, June 8-9, June 11-12

Mandatory Minicamp: June 16-18

New Orleans Saints 

OTA Offseason Workouts: May 26-28, June 2-4, June 8-11

Mandatory Minicamp: June 16-18

New York Giants 

OTA Offseason Workouts: May 27-29, June 1-2, June 4, June 8-9, June 11-12

Mandatory Minicamp: June 16-18

New York Jets 

OTA Offseason Workouts: May 19-21, May 26-28, June 2-5

Mandatory Minicamp: June 9-11

Oakland Raiders 

OTA Offseason Workouts: May 19-21, May 26-28, June 1-4

Mandatory Minicamp: June 9-11

Philadelphia Eagles 

OTA Offseason Workouts: May 26-28, June 1-2, June 4, June 8-11

Mandatory Minicamp: June 16-18

Pittsburgh Steelers 

OTA Offseason Workouts: May 26-28, June 2-4, June 8-11

Mandatory Minicamp: June 16-18

St. Louis Rams 

OTA Offseason Workouts: June 2, June 4-5, June 8-9, June 11, June 15-16, June 18-19

Mandatory Minicamp: None

San Diego Chargers 

OTA Offseason Workouts: May 26-28, June 1-3, June 8-11

Mandatory Minicamp: June 16-18

San Francisco Giants 

OTA Offseason Workouts: May 19-21, May 27-29, June 1-2, June 4-5

Mandatory Minicamp: June 9-11

Seattle Seahawks 

OTA Offseason Workouts: May 26-27, May 29, June 1-2, June 4, June 8-11

Mandatory Minicamp: June 16-18

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

OTA Offseason Workouts: May 26-28, June 2-4, June 8-11

Mandatory Minicamp:June 16-18

Tennessee Titans 

OTA Offseason Workouts: May 26-28, June 1-2, June 4, June 8-11

Mandatory Minicamp: June 16-18

Washington Redskins

OTA Offseason Workouts: May 26-28, June 2-4, June 8-11

Mandatory Minicamp: June 16-18

Report: Bears GM Ryan Pace continues scouting department overhaul.

By Scott Krinch

Just days after Ryan Pace completed his first NFL Draft with the Bears, the rookie general manager is making a major change in the team's scouting department.

According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, Bears director of college scouting Marty Barrett will not have his contract renewed after 18 years with the organization.

Barrett, a former quarterback at the University of Buffalo, spent three years with the New Orleans Saints before joining the Bears in 1997. He scouted the West region for the Bears for 15 years before being promoted to director of college scouting by Phil Emery in 2013.

Barrett becomes the third longtime member of the Bears' scouting department that Pace has severed ties with this offseason. Director of pro personnel Kevin Turks was fired in January and college scout Rex Hogan was released from him contract shortly after Pace was hired as GM by the Bears.

Barrett is expected to join Hogan in New York under Jets GM Mike Maccagnan.

White Sox preach accountability as losing streak comes to an end.

By Dan Hayes

 

Though they didn’t completely rid themselves of the horrendous play that plagued their road trip, the White Sox made progress on Tuesday night.

Two days removed from a five-game trip Rick Hahn said was full of “stupid” and “poor” decisions, the White Sox brought forth some of the missing elements in a 5-2 win over the Detroit Tigers at U.S. Cellular Field. Jeff Samardzija delivered the goods and Conor Gillaspie capped a four-run rally with a two-run triple as the White Sox snapped a five-game losing streak. For at least one game the White Sox — who have preached accountability across the board amid calls for the firing of manager Robin Ventura — showed they’re capable of playing as well as everyone within the walls at 35th and Shields thinks they can.

“This team is far, far better than what we’ve seen the last few days,” Hahn said. “Obviously we shot ourselves in the foot with some stupid base running decisions, there was some poor defensive decisions.

“Our problems right now are amplified by the fact that we’re not scoring runs. This is a lineup that is able to score runs over the long haul. This is a starting rotation that is going to not have however many starters we have with ERAs over 5 over the long haul.”

Though it’s not likely to restore the faith of fans who have continued to call for Ventura’s head, Samardzija at least provided the White Sox with a breather.

Samardzija did what four starters couldn’t in the last turn through the rotation — keep the White Sox in the game.

Tuesday’s effort looked to be headed in that direction, too.

With the help of a first-inning error and a solo homer that bounced off Melky Cabrera’s glove over the fence (it would have been a stunning catch), Samardzija gave up two runs.

But Samardzija didn’t give up any more runs and pitched out of critical jams in the fifth and seventh innings. He allowed two earned runs and seven hits with seven strikeouts in seven innings.

In his previous start, Samardzija allowed eight earned runs as he and White Sox starters went 0-5 with a 10.39 ERA in 21 2/3 innings on the road trip.

“Everybody’s frustrated,” Ventura said. “We’re frustrated too. You understand that, but in the end we gotta focus on what we’re doing right here, and I get it. I’m frustrated. You understand where people lash out and why they do it. Again, that doesn’t stop what we’re trying to do here and the focus on playing the Tigers.

I’m not sitting here thinking of my own situation with that. We’re trying to win a game tonight. That becomes the focus.”

An offense that was outscored 39-10 in Baltimore and Minneapolis also showed a pulse. The White Sox displayed patience at the plate against Detroit’s Shane Greene, drawing four walks and knocking him out after 2 2/3 innings.

Trailing by one, Jose Abreu singled in a first-inning run to tie the score. Two innings later, Adam LaRoche tied it with a bases-loaded walk, Avisail Garcia had an RBI fielder’s choice and Gillaspie had a two-run triple to give the White Sox a 5-2 lead. Adam Eaton, who doubled to start the game, said Ventura’s steady presence is critical if the White Sox are to rebound.

“He's the type of manager you need in the clubhouse, a cool-headed manager that doesn't come in here after every loss and preach to us about how we should have done stuff,” Eaton said. “But when something needs to be said he says it. It sucks that he gets heat from wherever it may come from, but realistically it's us. We need to perform and perform for him. It's going to come sooner or later.”

The White Sox aren’t naïve enough to think one game is the elixir for their issues. They’ve been far too sloppy on the bases — Eaton probably should have tripled in the first — and they made three more errors. Aside from a bullpen that delivered two more scoreless innings, the White Sox clearly have been pressing throughout the roster. But Hahn and Ventura believe as long as the team is accountable, the ship can be righted. After all, prior to their hellish trip, the White Sox were coming off their best games of the season.

“I certainly am pleased with how our team has responded,” Hahn said. “To hear our players stand up over the last few days and say ‘Look, this is on us, we need to start performing better’ I think is a great first step to getting this thing right. … In times of adversity I think it’s more important for us to pull together and reinforce what we’re doing as a unit than to say anything specific about any individual.

“We’re in this together and the accountability is shared by all of us.”

MLB: Samardzija to begin serving suspension Wednesday.

By Dan Hayes

Jeff Samardzija is expected to drop his appeal and begin serving a five-game suspension Wednesday, a baseball source said.

With Samardzija, Tuesday’s starter against the Detroit Tigers, out and perhaps Chris Sale starting his suspension on Thursday, Carlos Rodon almost certainly would make his first White Sox start during a three-game home series against the Cincinnati Reds that begins Friday.

Samardzija and Sale, who starts against the Tigers on Wednesday night, both received five-game suspensions stemming from an April 23 bench-clearing brawl against the Kansas City Royals. Four Royals players were suspended after the incident, including a seven-game penalty for Kansas City starter Yordano Ventura. White Sox catcher Tyler Flowers also received an undisclosed fine for what he described as making an aggressive move.

White Sox general manager Rick Hahn didn’t announce the team's plans to handle the situation whenever Samardzija and Sale start serving their suspensions.

“We’ve got a pretty good idea how it’s going to unfold,” Hahn said. “Shark is starting tonight, Sale tomorrow then we’ll go from there.”

Rodon said he hasn’t learned if he’d make a start this homestand, but the White Sox likely would need a sixth starting pitcher to eat up the extra day and he’s the best candidate. Working in long relief on Saturday, the left-handed rookie threw 63 pitches against the Minnesota Twins. He also threw 87 pitches in his two starts at Triple-A Charlotte last month and thinks he could throw between 90-100 pitches.

The White Sox haven’t announced any starters for their series against the Reds.

“I’m ready to do whatever it takes to win for this team,” Rodon said. “If it’s starting or it’s out of the bullpen or whatever role it is, I’ll do it.”

Samardzija would next pitch at Milwaukee on Monday.

Part of the Wrigley Field bleachers will reopen next week.

By Craig Calcaterra

The Cubs’ renovation of Wrigley Field continues, with the team announcing that the left and center field portions of the bleachers will reopen next week. There are some new lounge-type areas below the scoreboard and a suite thing, all described here, with some pictures. But this one sticks out the most:

Left Field Well: The new Left Field Well features space in the first two rows above the left field wall with designated standing room and limited seating for groups of 15 to 50 fans. It will open Monday.

Standing room in front of fans and right above opposing players. I cannot see how that could possibly go wrong. Unless, of course, they jack up the price of bleacher seats and access to that area so high that none of the drunk, post-college crew can afford it, thereby cutting down on the obnoxiousness. Which, I dunno, could be a good thing depending on your point of view.

Golf: I got a club for that: McIlroy, Spieth together in opening 2 rounds of Players.

AP

Jordan Spieth, left, shakes hands with Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, on the 18th green following the second round of the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Ga. The match that didn't happen in San Francisco will be available in stroke play at The Players Championship this week. Match Play winner Rory McIlroy, ranked No. 1, and Masters champion Jordan Spieth, ranked No. 2, are in the same group for the opening two rounds.(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

The match that didn't happen in San Francisco will be available in stroke play at The Players Championship this week. Match Play winner Rory McIlroy and Masters champion Jordan Spieth are in the same group for the opening two rounds.

McIlroy is a four-time major champion who stretched his lead at No. 1 in the world with his victory Sunday in the Match Play Championship. Spieth is No. 2 in the world. He was eliminated before the weekend at the Match Play.

Jason Day is the third member of that group.

Tiger Woods is competing for the first time since he tied for 17th in the Masters. He was in the same group as U.S. Open champion Martin Kaymer and Adam Scott. Kaymer in the defending champion at The Players.

Power rankings: The Players Championship.

By Ryan Ballengee

In the final round of the 2015 Valspar Championship, Jordan Spieth sinks a 28-foot putt for birdie on No. 18, the third hole of a sudden-death playoff, to claim his second win on the PGA TOUR.

The Players Championship is one of the best weeks in golf. The PGA Tour's crown jewel boasts the deepest field in golf, and the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass is an iconic test that is built to confuse, scare and challenge. 

While the top-to-bottom field is excellent, our rankings this week favor the best players in the world.

1. Jordan Spieth -- Spieth finished T-4 here last year, was the best player in a losing effort last week at Harding Park and is the best putter in the world. His driving leaves something to be desired, but he's on fire.

2. Rory McIlroy -- The WGC Match Play champion has to be gassed after seven matches last weekend, including finishing off three players on Sunday. He has top-eight finishes in his last two Players starts.

3. Jim Furyk -- It's a home game for Jim Furyk, coming off a strong performance out in San Francisco. It's hard to believe Furyk has never won here given his track record at Harbour Town, another Pete Dye design. Runner-up a year ago.

4. Henrik Stenson -- The Swede was the champion here in 2009 and was T-5 in 2013. Hard to look past his great March and early April results.

5. Jimmy Walker -- Walker may not be the most accurate driver, but the guy is built for a course like this because he can hit less than driver and find the fairways. His T-6 here last year is his best-ever Players finish.

NASCAR Power Rankings: Does Earnhardt Jr. crack the top two?

By Nick Bromberg

1. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 1): Can you imagine the reaction if Johnson passed Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the last couple laps? Of course, the chances of that happening were slimmer than they otherwise would have been given the two drivers' Hendrick relationship, but Johnson could have done some serious damage to his popularity with the pass. And yes, Johnson is popular, Vader-haters. Though if you look at the rest of the top five, Johnson easily would have been the second-most popular choice for the win.

2. Kevin Harvick (LW: 2): An eighth-place finish after a fair amount of front-end damage isn't a bad way to survive Talladega. Harvick's car got dinged up in the first big crash of the day, but his team worked on the car, put a bunch of tape and pieces on the front and got it working like a high-speed do-it-yourself home improvement project. And hey, since Harvick finished eighth, the Bloomin' Onions were free again on Monday. Not only is Harvick destroying everyone in the points standings, he's making NASCAR fans fatter.

3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 8): Sunday's win was the 24th of Earnhardt Jr.'s career. He has six multi-win seasons and in five of those seasons, he's gotten his first win at a restrictor plate race. In his four one-win seasons, he doesn't have a restrictor plate win. If past results are any indication of future success, Junior is going to have another win or two coming this year. And it won't be surprising.

4. Kurt Busch (LW: 3): The most notable moment of Busch's race might have been the incident involving Trevor Bayne. And no, it really wasn't Busch's fault. Bayne's car washed up the track a bit and Busch got near his left quarter panel, taking the air off that part of his car. Bayne's car snapped around and away went the crash. Busch got around it and after he fell towards the back of the pack, worked his way to 12th on the final lap.

5. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: 6): Truex beat Harvick at Talladega to cut into his points lead ... by two points (Harvick was three sports behind Truex but led a lap). Barring some sort of collapse, Truex is going to make the Chase via points. Yeah, we sound like a broken record, but given the team's struggles in the first half of last year, it can't be repeated enough how good they've been in 2015.

6. Joey Logano (LW: 5): For the second time in three races, Logano was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He had nowhere to go when Bayne's car started crashing and he got a ton of damage. Though his ton of damage wasn't nearly the ton of damage that other drivers got and his car was fairly fixable. He ended up two laps down in 33rd place and the first car a lap(s) down.

7. Ryan Newman (LW: 11): The best decision Newman made in the final laps of the race might have been abandoning Tony Stewart's aggressiveness in the low line. Stewart was one of the only drivers trying to make things happen in the late laps and Newman was with him on the backstretch. However, Newman jumped back in line on the high side when he realized Stewart wasn't making much progress and stayed there until the last lap chaos. He ended up seventh while Stewart finished 19th.

8. Matt Kenseth (LW: 4): Kenseth was the pied piper of his line. Except his line was not very close to the leaders in the late stages of the race. He finished 25th, just his second finish outside of the top 20 in the past eight Talladega races. Yeah, Kenseth has become one of the better restrictor plate racers in NASCAR, but we feel comfortable saying Sunday's race wasn't entirely indicative of drivers' plate-racing ability.

9. Kasey Kahne (LW: 8): Kahne was also caught up in the early crash and finished a whopping 30 laps down. After finishing 34th, he's now ninth in the points standings and 108 points behind Kevin Harvick. However, five of the top six drivers have wins and Kahne is third among drivers who haven't been to victory lane this season. We're still betting he doesn't have to wait until the fall for his first win.

10. Jamie McMurray (LW: 10): The guy who is second? McMurray, who is seventh in the standings. The 2013 fall Talladega winner finished 11th on Sunday and is quietly putting together a fantastic season. So far, he's had the speed he showed in flashes in 2014 and has been a bit more consistent. After a slow start, McMurray has finished in the top 20 in seven of the last eight races. The finish outside the top 20? 21st.

11. Paul Menard (LW: NR): Menard finished third and is 11th in the points standings. We'll paraphrase what we think Menard would say when asked about his finish and say "Good run for our Menards Chevrolet." While he has two top-five (and top-10) finishes in 2015, he's finished in the top 15 seven times so far. If that keeps up, Menard is once again going to be in the Chase discussion at Richmond.

12. Aric Almirola (LW: NR): The streak of slow and steady is continuing. Almirola is 12th in the standings and a point behind Menard after finishing 15th. He also finished 15th at Daytona and still doesn't have a top 10 all season. But with nine finishes in the top 20, Almirola is simply letting other drivers fail while he maintains. And maintains. And maintains.

Lucky Dog: Ryan Blaney, Sam Hornish Jr. and Josh Wise (Tie): Blaney finished fourth, Hornish was sixth and Wise was 10th. It was the best career finish for Blaney and Wise and the best finish of Hornish's season.

The DNF: We'll give it to David Ragan, who was in his last ride at Joe Gibbs Racing before he heads to Michael Waltrip Racing at Kansas.

Dropped out: Jeff Gordon, Brad Keselowski.

NASCAR mulls hitting brakes on changes to Sprint Cup cars for the 2016 season.

By Nate Ryan

NASCAR To Announce 2015-16 NASCAR Next Class

NASCAR seems to be backing off on more changes to Sprint Cup Series cars next season.

After scrapping plans to use a proposed 2016 rules package in the Sprint All-Star Race, NASCAR executive vice president Steve O’Donnell said Tuesday the sanctioning body might stick with 2015 regulations next year.

“I think we’re still developing what the 2016 package could be,” O’Donnell said after a news conference at the NASCAR Hall of Fame to announce the 2015-16 NASCAR Next class. “It could very well be the 2015 package.”

O’Donnell said the uncertainty was a major reason the series decided not to feature the rules in the All-Star event, which will take place May 16 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

“To go down a path that we felt still potentially needed testing, we didn’t think was the right thing to do,” O’Donnell said. “(It would) put essentially a test out there for a big race on our schedule. So we elected to stay where we’re at and continue to monitor the racing under this package right now.”

After a decrease of 125 horsepower and a 30 percent reduction in downforce, the plan was for a larger cut in downforce in 2016. During the preseason Sprint Media Tour in January, O’Donnell was optimistic of having the 2016 rules to teams by May.

But there has been some grumbling among team owners about bearing the costs of a significant rules change for the second consecutive season, and O’Donnell said there had been some pushback among the feedback solicited in the garage.

“I think it’s all over the board,” he said. “Some of the drivers would say they’d like to pursue a different direction. Some like it as is who have had success. From the owner standpoint, we certainly have to manage what we’re looking at for ’15 or ’16 and manage constantly putting new rules in front of them. So that’s where we’re at today.”

O’Donnell said Goodyear still was testing tire combinations if a new package was implemented for next year. The goal is to have the 2016 rules finalized by Aug. 1, about two months ahead of when the 2015 rules were released.

“We’re looking at a number of different options for ’16, including staying where we are,” O’Donnell said. “So we’ll evaluate everything and what we feel like has the best chance of success on the track.”

Montoya fastest on opening day of Indianapolis 500 practice.

NBCSports.com

 

(Photo: IMS Photography)

On May 3, the Verizon IndyCar Series kicked off the month of May action with opening day for the Indianapolis 500. Practice and phases of rookie orientation occurred, along with the premiere of a handful of new liveries.

Releases from both the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and INDYCAR are linked below:

IMS RELEASE

On a sunny and warm Opening Day, 27 drivers hit the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval for the first time this year to prepare for the 99th Running of the Indianapolis 500.

Sunday at IMS also marked the first day for superspeedway aero kits, the bodywork enhancements that allow for easier distinction between manufacturers Honda and Chevrolet and encourage faster speeds. Every race so far in the Verizon IndyCar Series has been on road/street courses, which feature different aero kits.

Faster speeds were the order of the day as 21 drivers, led by 2000 Indianapolis 500 champion Juan Pablo Montoya, surpassed the fastest Opening Day 2014 lap of 223.057 mph by Team Penske’s Will Power. Montoya, also of Team Penske, hit 226.772 mph (39.6874 seconds) late in the afternoon.

“We struggled a little bit this morning with the balance. We made a few changes, a couple of good things,” said Montoya, driver of the No. 2 Verizon Chevrolet. “We’re all trying different things. Each car has its own program so we will be trying to make the car better.”

Montoya ran 95 laps on the day, tied with 2013 Indianapolis 500 champion and Chip Ganassi Racing driver Tony Kanaan for the most on Day 1. A total of 1,845 laps were turned on the 2.5-mile oval.

“It’s a new kit. We’re still trying to figure out what to do, every day at the racetrack is a good day,” said Kanaan, who pilots the No. 10 NTT Data Chevrolet. “We had a smooth day, that’s what counts.”

Rookie Gabby Chaves placed 13th on the Opening Day speed chart with a lap at 224.718 mph in the No. 98 Bowers & Wilkins/Curb Honda.

“This was a very special day for me to be out there in an Indy car and to work with the new aero kits. The car felt great, very comfortable,” Chaves said. “This is the first time I have gone over 200 miles per hour. It’s very different. When you’re running 30 miles per hour faster than you have ever gone before, everything comes at you a lot quicker.”

Second fastest behind Montoya was three-time “500” champion Helio Castroneves, at 226.468 mph, in the No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet.

“We feel great. It’s always awesome to be here,” Castroneves said. “The fans are incredible, just to see everyone (is) already excited. It’s a great opportunity to have an extra day to run with the new aero kit.”

When the drivers return to IMS on Thursday, their cars will be in road course configurations as practice begins for the second annual Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis. Admission is free and gates open at 8 a.m.

INDYCAR RELEASE

Opening Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was highlighted by a significant jump in speed in the on-track debut of superspeedway aero kits from Chevrolet and Honda. Twenty-one drivers surpassed last year’s fastest lap of Opening Day as drivers turned more than 1,800 laps in preparation for this month’s 99th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race.

Click HERE to view and download the practice results of Opening Day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 

“It’s faster, for sure, no doubt about it. Speeds are going to be up,” 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay said. “The difficult part for teams and drivers is balancing the clouded read you get from a big tow and new tires versus getting a read on the new car.”

Juan Pablo Montoya, who 15 years ago won the Indy 500, recorded the fastest lap at 226.772 mph (39.6874 seconds) on the 2.5-mile oval as 28 driver/car combinations became acclimated to the aero kits and developed a baseline for practice that begins May 11. The fast lap on Opening Day last year was set by Will Power at 223.057 mph.

“(Having the fastest lap) is good for Verizon and for Chevy and for everybody that is paying attention. But I think the time sheet, as always, is irrelevant until you get to the race or until you get to qualifying,” Montoya said.

Montoya, the Verizon IndyCar Series championship points leader in the No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, was 0.0533 of a second faster than teammate and three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves. Marco Andretti was third on the speed chart at 226.268 mph and the fastest of the Honda contingent. Scott Dixon, driving a Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, was fourth at 225.881 mph and Simon Pagenaud of Team Penske was fifth at 225.641 mph.

Takuma Sato (225.571) was sixth in an AJ Foyt Racing Honda, followed by Simona de Silvestro (225.317) in an Andretti Autosport Honda and two-time defending Indianapolis 500 Verizon P1 Award winner Ed Carpenter (225.257) in a CFH Racing Chevrolet. Hunter-Reay was ninth in an Andretti Autosport Honda (225.208) and Sage Karam, who made his Verizon IndyCar Series debut in the 2014 Indy 500, was 10th (224.931) in a Chip Ganassi Racing Teams Chevrolet.

A rookie orientation test and refresher test for drivers who had not competed in a Verizon IndyCar Series oval race since last May also was part of the on-track activity.

Gabby Chaves of Bryan Herta Autosport completed the three phases of the rookie program that examines car control, placements and a consistent driving pattern at various speed parameters. Stefano Coletti was out of the country and will run through the rookie phases May 11 in a KV Racing Technology Chevrolet.

Overall, 1,845 laps were turned without incident.

A balance between aerodynamic drag reduction and maintaining sufficient down force is the hallmark of both manufacturer superspeedway aerodynamic bodywork kits. Different approaches were taken by manufacturers to achieve optimal performance in conjunction with their 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6 engines, and it is reflected in their base platforms.

Both manufacturer packages include a variety of individual aerodynamic components fitted to the Dallara rolling chassis that make them markedly different from the road/street and short oval kit that has been utilized in the first four races of the Verizon IndyCar Series season. Additionally, multiple options are available to teams to explore during practice for qualifications May 16-17 and the May 24 race.

“We have a laundry list of changes to try and luckily we have time to work with it,” Andretti said of the aero options.

Verizon IndyCar Series teams return to Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 7 for a Promoter Test on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course in preparation for the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis on May 9. Pagenaud was the winner of the inaugural road race in 2014 while with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports.

     
Juventus beat Real Madrid thanks to penalty from Carlos Tevez.

By Associated Press

 

Carlos Tevez makes no mistake from the penalty spot.

Former Real Madrid forward Alvaro Morata came back to haunt his old club as he sent Juventus on their way to a 2-1 victory over the holders in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal on Tuesday.

Morata, who moved to Juventus last summer shortly after helping Madrid to a record 10th European Cup title, didn't celebrate after scoring the opening goal in the ninth minute.

Cristiano Ronaldo overtook Lionel Messi to become the competition's all-time top scorer with Madrid's equaliser in the 27th minute but his former Manchester United teammate Carlos Tevez also continued his fantastic season as he restored Juventus' lead from the spot shortly before the hour after being brought down by Dani Carvajal.

Juventus, who last won the competition 19 years ago, will continue their bid to reach their first final since 2003 in the return leg in Madrid on May 13.

Backed by a passionate home crowd, the newly crowned Italian champions had the better of a frantic opening period.

The fans bayed for a penalty in the opening minute when Arturo Vidal fell between two Madrid players and Morata also went close.

The Spaniard did get his goal moments later. Claudio Marchisio slotted the ball through to Tevez and, although Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas got a hand to the Argentine's shot, he only succeeded in deflecting the ball to Morata, who tapped in from close range.

That was Juve's fourth shot on target in the opening nine minutes but it was to prove their last on goal of the first half as Madrid slowly got into the game.

Toni Kroos almost levelled immediately but Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon dived smartly to his right to turn the shot around his post.

Ronaldo had been kept fairly quiet apart from an early free kick which came off a Juventus defender in the wall. But he also went close to the equaliser when he sprung the offside trap to run onto a through-ball from Isco but could only send his effort wide of the right upright.

However, Ronaldo did level minutes later, heading into an empty net from close range after James Rodriguez hooked in a cross from the right of the penalty area.

It was the Portugal star's 76th goal in the competition -- one more than Lionel Messi, whose Barcelona side host Bayern Munich in the other semifinal on Wednesday.

Rodriguez almost got on the scoresheet himself four minutes from halftime but he headed Alarcon's cross off the bar from five yards out and Marcelo volleyed the rebound narrowly over the bar.

Juventus had earlier had a chance to restore their lead but Marchisio's long-range effort flashed just wide of the left upright.

The Italian side were under pressure from Madrid at the start of the second period and they was camped inside their own half in the build-up to their second goal.

A corner was cleared to Tevez, who went on a blistering run down almost the entire length of the field before being brought down by Carvajal.

The tension was palpable and the normally ice-cool Buffon couldn't even bear to look, standing in his goal with his back to the action. However, Tevez blasted his spot-kick straight down the middle for his 29th goal of the season.

Madrid brought on Javier Hernandez, who had scored the late winner in his side's 1-0 aggregate win over Atletico Madrid in the quarterfinals, and he almost leveled but just failed to get on the end of a cross from Sergio Ramos.

Numbers that matter: Why draft gap with SEC isn't closing.

By Bill Bender

Another day, another draft, another year the SEC had the most players selected.

The SEC led all conferences with 54 players in 2015, but there’s a perception the ACC – which tied the Pac-12 for most first-round picks with nine – might be closing the gap.

That’s not necessarily true. Look past the first round. The ACC had 47 picks in 2015, seven fewer than the SEC. That’s the same gap between the two conferences in 2014, when the SEC had 49 players picked and the ACC finished with 42.

We might never see another year like 2013. That’s when the SEC placed a record 63 players in the NFL Draft, 32 more than the ACC (31). The outlier year is why the perception that a gap is closing exists.



Yet the SEC has maintained a nine-year stranglehold atop the NFL Draft, and the gap was just one pick in both 2012 and 2008. The ACC last had more players picked in 2006.

So that gap has been tested, but look at the cumulative results. In the past 10 drafts, the SEC has put 445 players in the draft, most of any conference. That’s followed by the ACC (365), Big Ten (319), Pac-12 (314) and Big 12 (265).



For those looking for a trend to latch onto, consider that the Power 5 conferences combined for 200 of the 256 picks (78.1 percent) and 30 first-round picks in 2015. Each Group of 5 conference saw an increase of at least five picks.

Group of 5 conferences and independents, meanwhile, combined for just 36 picks and two first-round picks.

Compare that to 2014, when the Power 5 had 172 picks and 25 first-round picks. The Group of 5 and independents combined for 58 picks and seven first-rounders.
 

That’s the trend to watch in 2016. Will the Power 5 continue to increase the gap with the Group of 5?

NCAA, officials show more concern for themselves than student-athletes ... again.

By Pat Forde

The NCAA seems unconcerned about Derryck Thornton graduating high school early to play for Duke in 2015. (Photo/AP)

You may have noticed that the latest red-alert, all-wonks-on-deck, DefCon 1 crisis in college athletics involves graduate transfers.
 

NCAA officials, college administrators and other power brokers are scandalized by the fact that student-athletes who fulfill the student part of the equation by earning bachelor's degrees are actually exercising full freedom of transfer movement in record numbers. Immediate eligibility – kind of like coaches switching jobs – seems to be a strong attraction to players who fulfill the NCAA's stated goal of graduating. And it seems to be bringing out the inner control freak in the folks who run College Sports Inc.
 

New NCAA vice president for governance Kevin Lennon said in late April that possibly amending the graduate transfer rule is near the top of the list of issues facing college sports. And last week in Irving, Texas, for the College Football Playoff management committee meetings, there was additional tut-tutting about the scourge of empowered college graduates moving freely from one school to the next.

"I don't think it fits the core values of intercollegiate athletics," said Sun Belt Conference commissioner Karl Benson.

When asked for specifics on the conflict with core values, Benson said, "It just doesn't feel right."

So there you have it. Bad feel. Benson is a smart man with a lot of sound thinking on various college athletics issues, but this was not his finest sound bite.

Of course, it also should be noted that Benson's Sun Belt is a likely poaching ground for grad transfers moving to bigger programs – not a likely landing spot for them. So those might be the words of a man whose ox is being gored more than anything else.

There also was this from Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott: "Personally, I've been concerned with the incidence of it, the numbers. The number of graduate transfers isn't measuring up to the number of graduate degrees."

In other words, players aren't terribly interested in getting the master's degree – which normally requires two years of class work – they allegedly transferred to pursue. That's a more tangible concern than "bad feel."

Still, it feels as if the power brokers are majoring in minors here simply in an effort to further exert control over the athletes. Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick, for one, wants to know why there's outrage over this issue during a period of seismic change in college sports.

"Of the things we have in front of us to deal with in the next year or two, this doesn't rise to great concern for me," Swarbrick said. "I'm not sure where all the interest in that comes from."

Swarbrick is right. If College Sports Inc. wants to tackle academic issues, it should look at the front end of the college experience more than worrying about what players with degrees are doing.

This is not breaking news, but the one-and-done basketball matriculation from the NCAA to the NBA is the bigger academic sham. Passing 12 credit hours of Intro to Breathing, not declaring a major and not entering into an advanced curriculum before leaving school is a clear refutation of the academic mission.

Problem there is, that's a quandary the NCAA is stuck with – it's the NBA's minimum age rule. College basketball simply has to deal with the giant academic loophole it presents. Closing that loophole is the only way in which Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany's retrograde, "year of readiness" trial balloon seems like a decent idea, but the backlash to dialing back freshman eligibility 40-plus years would be immense.

Another front-end trend that bears scrutiny: the "reclassification" trend that has seen a number of high school basketball players suddenly leap frog a year forward to go to college earlier.

Rivals.com national basketball recruiting analyst Eric Bossi says reclassifying is not a completely accurate term; that most often it's a case of actually catching up with said player's intended graduating class – players ticketed for an additional year of seasoning in prep schools are simply bypassing that step. That was the case with Nerlens Noel, Andre Drummond and others. Canadians like Andrew Wiggins, who attend one more year of high school than Americans, also have reclassified.

But then there is the case of Derryck Thornton, the junior who entered high school with the class of 2016 but will leave it with the class of 2015. He will also leave it as the likely starting point guard for Duke next fall.

While that's an enticing opportunity, he's giving up a lot in order to fill Mike Krzyzewski's glaring need after the loss of freshman Tyus Jones (one of three one-and-done players on Duke's championship team) to the NBA.

Thornton originally joined youth basketball's ever-growing vagabond circuit in 2013, when he transferred from Sierra Canyon High School in Southern California to the five-star assembly line at Findlay Prep in suburban Las Vegas. But instead of spending three seasons at Findlay, Thornton spent two.

Media reports in February floated the idea that he might accelerate his graduation date by a year, but at the time Thornton said he was "70 percent" sure he would stay in the Class of 2016. Then Jones went pro and Krzyzewski needed a starter at point. On April 21, Thornton committed to Duke and said he would graduate this year.

A senior year of high school is among the priceless commodities in life. I hope giving that away in part because some coach needs you now is a good decision for Thornton. It certainly seems to be one more example of the coach controlling the athlete more than vice versa.

Then there are the academic questions. By all accounts, Thornton is a bright young man and he may have been planning his class load with this accelerated graduation in mind. But will he be ready – early – for the classroom challenge at Duke? It's not exactly like going to UNLV.

As issues like reclassifying percolate without seeming to draw much attention, the powers-that-be in College Sports Inc. are wringing their hands over graduate transfers. They're focused on the wrong end of the academic experience, and addressing the wrong issue.

There's A Difference Between Broke And Bankrupt For Ex-NFL Players.

By Pablo S. Torre

 

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Raghib Ismail was a star athlete who went broke but didn’t go bankrupt. (Photo/Ronald Martinez/Allsport/Getty)

Seven years ago, I started reporting a piece for Sports Illustrated on the financial health of NFL players — a whole lot of them went broke soon after leaving the league. Ever since then, I’ve been seeking reliable statistics to help define the scope of a complicated problem. Just how many athletes emerge financially imperiled once their pro salaries dry up?

And so my brain’s wonkiest pleasure centers lit up recently when an economist friend emailed me a PDF that bills itself as a new, “comprehensive” study of that very issue. What I wasn’t expecting was for the study — in the course of selling itself to the public — to train its sights on me.

Presenting the National Bureau of Economic Research’s Working Paper No. 21085, “Bankruptcy Rates Among NFL Players with Short-Lived Income Spikes.” The researchers who put it together used Pro-Football-Reference.com to compile a list of 2,016 players who were drafted by NFL teams between 1996 and 2003. They then gave that list to a third-party service,¹ asking it to search for recorded addresses that matched those names, and had another service scan for bankruptcy filings that fit both the names and the addresses.

The study’s big finding: Of the 471 draftees² who had been retired for at least 12 years, 74, or 15.7 percent, had filed for bankruptcy by year 12.

It’s worth mentioning, for the uninitiated, that NBER working papers have not yet been peer reviewed.³ As the preamble to FiveThirtyEight’s In the Papers series perpetually explains, the papers’ “conclusions are preliminary (and occasionally flat-out wrong).” But as crude as the methodology of this particular study may be, it does seem to be a useful analysis of a defined subset of NFL draftees. Had the paper existed back when I reported that 2009 SI article on how and why athletes lose their money, I would’ve added it — caveats included — to the depressingly brief roll call of academic research in this field.

And that’s why one of the paper’s other prominent findings, as announced in a note from the authors, was so jarring to read. “The result of our comprehensive research on bankruptcy risk among NFL players,” they wrote, “is quite different from a widely-cited Sports Illustrated article, which reported that 78 percent of former NFL players are bankrupt or under ‘financial stress’ within two years of retirement (Torre, 2009). After 2 years of retirement, only about 1.9 percent of players in our sample have filed for bankruptcy.”

One blog used that first sentence as the basis of a headline. In terms of economist trash talk, this was basically the authors flexing.

But their summary of the 78 percent statistic was incomplete. Here is what my SI story said: “Reports from a host of sources (athletes, players’ associations, agents and financial advisers) indicate that: By the time they have been retired for two years, 78 percent of former NFL players have gone bankrupt or are under financial stress because of joblessness or divorce.”

I called up the California Institute of Technology’s Kyle Carlson, one of the authors of the working paper, and mentioned this discrepancy. I pointed out that excluding the details about joblessness and divorce helped mask the difficulty of measuring a personal, complex issue. Financial health cannot be comprehensively captured by whether a person filed for bankruptcy or not. That their results are “quite different” from, well, an entirely different study should be surprising to approximately zero people.

Bankruptcy, by definition, is an elective legal proceeding wherein a person publicly admits an inability to pay outstanding debts. It is also a sufficient but absolutely not necessary condition for defining financial stress; for various reasons, bankruptcy and financial stress can even be mutually exclusive. In my reporting, I have met athlete after athlete who knew to avoid the headline-generating shame of a bankruptcy filing. Even if their finances remained a shambles. Even if they were, by any reasonable standard, broke.

Consider former NBA guard Allen Iverson, or ex-NFL receiver Raghib “Rocket” Ismail — whose case, by no coincidence, leads off that SI story — both of whom never filed for bankruptcy despite squandering their pro fortunes.

“Bankruptcy is only one measure of a person’s status,” Carlson admitted to me. “It’s what we could get data on. There are many other ways in which a person could be in financial trouble. You might think of our number as maybe a lower bound for the number of guys who are actually in trouble.”

And yet what Carlson called a “narrow” academic paper was promising a definitive analysis of a larger, albeit related, problem. Due to the academic marketplace — “Publish or perish” is an idiom for a reason — working papers tend to be hungry and ambitious. The goal is to make it into a journal and contribute knowledge to the world. But it can be tough to find the kind of dramatic angle that makes for an eye-catching study.

Measuring financial health just through bankruptcy would be the equivalent of, say, assessing the mental health of a population by just tracking suicide rates, ignoring any other indicators of psychological stress. Pain isn’t exclusively about disaster.

You often hear data people say that sample size matters. It’s not just size, though; it’s also the quality of the sample itself. Yes, the authors tell us about 2,016 players who were drafted by NFL teams between 1996 and 2003. But thanks to the relative inaccessibility of data on undrafted players, they also left out every player who didn’t begin his career by shaking hands with an NFL executive on a televised stage. In 2013, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, 638 undrafted players were on active rosters for at least one game — a staggering 31.4 percent of the entire NFL. And that does not even include the drafted or undrafted players who never make it to an active roster, toiling instead on the practice squad or injured reserve.

My 78 percent number from 2009 is limited in its own ways, admittedly. I did not conduct the study myself, and, as I told Carlson, I wish I had access to all its component parts. But the statistic was vetted by multiple NFL and NFL Players Association sources who asked not to be quoted or only be quoted anonymously. Several of them shared with me that the stat had been presented at confidential meetings they attended. It was the last, best estimate anyone in this industry had seen; in the six years since SI published the article, neither the PR-obsessed NFL nor the Players Association has disputed the number’s validity in public.

What the NFL did instead was eventually market its own study, published months after my SI article in 2009, with findings that were more pessimistic than the NBER working paper’s but more optimistic than the ones in my article. The league supplied University of Michigan researchers with an even more rarified sample of players: pension-eligible retirees, meaning those who had played a minimum of three years. The average career length among those interviewed was 7.3 seasons, far longer than the NFL average.⁴ “We had no way to include players with shorter careers,” one of the Michigan authors, David Weir, wrote to me in 2012, “and I would certainly agree that they would be an interesting group to know more about.” That same year, I received an email from an NFL PR person with the following results for me to chew on: “45% (age 50+) and 48% (age 30-49) of retired players said that they have at some point ‘experienced significant losses in business or financial investments.’”

None of this was a direct comparison to the number cited in my article, not even close. But said PR person nevertheless included his own note, colored in bright red font: “a far cry from 78 percent.”

The NFL has already convinced thousands of men to devote themselves to the pursuit of a lifestyle that is unsustainable at best and fictional at worst. Some of the enablers of this dream include, but are not limited to: the league’s financial literacy programs, which have historically failed to instill basic principles; the NFL Players Association’s certification program for financial advisers, which supposedly vetted a number of moneymen who reportedly allowed players to lose more than $300 million in recent years; and the players themselves, who are pressured to exaggerate the opulence of their existence.

Even academics are susceptible. “I don’t think there’s really a problem with either of our numbers,” Carlson told me. “They’re really measuring different things.”

That last sentence isn’t a great headline, no. But it’s 100 percent true.

On This Date in Sports History: Today is Wednesday, May 6, 2015.

Memoriesofhistory.com

1903 - The Chicago White Sox committed 12 errors against the Detroit Tigers.

1915 - Babe Ruth hit his first major league home run while playing for the Boston Red Sox. The game was also his pitching debut.

1921 - The American Soccer League was formed.

1925 - Ty Cobb hit his 5th homerun in only 2 games. The feat tied Cap Anson's record in 1884.

1929 - The American League announced that it would discontinue the MVP award.

1934 - The Boston Red Sox hit a record of four consecutive triples.

1946 - The New York Yankees became the first major league baseball team to travel by plane.

1954 - British runner Roger Banister broke the four minute mile.

1973 - The New England Whalers beat the Winnipeg Jets in the first WHA championship.

1992 - Anthony Young (New York Mets) began a losing streak of 26 games.

1995 - The Classic Sports Network began on cable TV.

1997 - The NHL's Hartford Whalers became the Carolina Hurricanes.

1997 - Rick Pitino became the head coach of the Boston Celtics.

2004 - It was announced that "Spider-Man 2" ads would not appear on bases in major league games during games from June 11-13. The advertising plan had been announced the previous day.

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