CS&T/AllsportsAmerica Wednesday Sports News Update, 05/13/2015.

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Sports Quote of the Day:

"I myself am frustrated in just where sports are at. It's a hard thing when you're out there working every day, and you know that someone else is cheating and they may not necessarily get caught." ~ Allyson Felix, Track and Field Sprint Athlete, who competes internationally

Trending: NHL expansion plan to 45 teams by 2025. (Nothing like advance planning.)

By R. P. McMurphy

 

Grant future expansion franchises to the following 15 cities/markets:

1. Seattle
2. Houston
3. Kansas City
4. Las Vegas
5. Quebec
6. Hamilton
7. Portland
8. Norfolk
9. Milwaukee
10. Hartford
11. Salt Lake City
12. Sacramento
13. Birmingham
14. Indianapolis
15. Louisville

Add 1 or 2 teams per season, then realign into 3 conferences x 3 divisions x 5 teams each: 

Eastern Conference

 

Atlantic Division:

• Boston
• Brooklyn
• New Jersey
• New York
• Philadelphia

Northeast Division:

• Hamilton
• Montreal
• Ottawa
• Quebec
• Toronto

Southeast Division:

• Birmingham
• Carolina
• Florida
• Norfolk
• Tampa Bay

Gretzky Conference

 

Capital Division:

• Columbus
• Hartford
• Indianapolis
• Nashville
• Washington

Metro Division:

• Buffalo
• Chicago
• Detroit
• Louisville
• Pittsburgh

Central Division:

• Kansas City
• Milwaukee
• Minnesota
• Saint Louis
• Winnipeg

Western Conference

 

Southwest Division:

• Arizona
• Colorado
• Dallas
• Houston
• Las Vegas

Northwest Division:

• Calgary
• Edmonton
• Salt Lake City
• Seattle
• Vancouver

Pacific Division:

• Anaheim
• Los Angeles
• Portland
• Sacramento
• San Jose

 

Contract the regular season schedule to only 74 games per team per season. The Blackhawks would play:

 

• 3 home games + 3 road games per season vs. each of the other 4 Metro Division teams = 24 games +
• 1 home game + 1 road game per season vs. each of the other 10 Gretzky Conference teams = 20 games +
• 1 game per season vs. each of the other 30 teams from the other 2 conferences = including 15 @ home + 15 on the road.

The 16-team postseason format would include the top team from each conference, seeded 1st-3rd, + the other 6 division champions, seeded 4th-9th, + the next best team from each conference, seeded 10th-12th, + the next 4 best teams in the entire league.

 

Contract all playoff series', except for the Stanley Cup Finals, to best of 5 to guarantee that the Stanley Cup Finals does not extend into June for the first time since 1991.

How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks face tough test against Ducks in Western Conference Final.

By Tracey Myers

The St. Louis Blues, the Minnesota Wild, even the Los Angeles Kings: these are teams the Blackhawks are used to seeing over and over again, regular season and postseason.

The Anaheim Ducks, well, the Blackhawks don’t see them quite as often. Still, in this day and age, there’s no such thing as an unknown opponent. Even if you play once or twice a season – or in the case of these two, three times – you see enough of your opponents’ other games, you watch enough film to be ready.

And when it comes to the Ducks, the Blackhawks had better be good and ready.

No, we still don’t know when the Ducks and Blackhawks will commence the Western Conference Finals. We could take guesses until we’re all confused but what the hell is the point of that? So let’s forget about what we don’t know (at the moment) and look at what we do know: the Ducks are going to be one formidable opponent.

“You watch them play, they’ve got a lot of different options they use,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “Their [defensemen] are very mobile. They’re strong in all aspects. Faceoff circle, they’re good in that area, as well. So we need to be at our best in all areas ourselves.”

The Blackhawks were playing at their best, or pretty close to it, when they wrapped up their series vs. the Wild. The goaltending, defensive and penalty killing issues that had been there in the first round dissipated. Corey Crawford was back to his strong form. The Blackhawks held the Wild to seven goals over those four games, and two of those came in the final two and a half minutes of Game 4. The penalty kill came up in critical situations.

Now they bring that more complete game against the Ducks, who are playing pretty well themselves. The Ducks have lost just one of their nine postseason games, and that was an overtime contest. Much like the Blackhawks, they have their stars – Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry have shone the brightest. They also have their secondary scorers. Would you have picked Matt Beleskey to have a goal in five consecutive games against the Flames?

The Ducks are a sizeable group and they’ll hit, something the Blackhawks know. But their concern is with another part of Anaheim’s game.

“We’ve got to take away their rush game,” Andrew Shaw said. “They’ve got a lot of guys who like to wheel and like to score goals on the rush. That’s one of their main scoring strategies. So we’ve got to shut that down.”

The Blackhawks are entering this series confident coming off their sweep of the Wild. But they know they have to treat this series in an entirely different manner. The further they get into the rounds, the higher the stakes grow.

“We have good feelings against them but you don’t want to fall into getting complacent at all, or feel like because things have gone well that they’ll automatically go well [this round],” Corey Crawford said. “We’ll have to battle hard and remember what it felt like in the last series to battle hard and be successful because of that, and do the same thing. Fight through things and be the same team we were no matter what happens.”

The Blackhawks haven’t seen the Ducks as often as the Wild or Blues or Kings, at least on the ice, but they have a pretty good idea what to expect. The tests get tougher the further they go in the postseason. This is no exception.

“We feel like if you progress in the playoffs, you’ve got to elevate your game to beat teams that have got a lot of confidence, and they’ve got to be playing the right way,” Quenneville said. “They’ve got a lot of things going for them. You look at the first two rounds: they played extremely well. So we’ve got to raise it.”

Despite lengthy rest, Blackhawks remain focused on Ducks.

By Tracey Myers

The Blackhawks have enjoyed a rare postseason privilege this week: off days.

While the Eastern Conference second-round series continue on Tuesday, the Blackhawks have relaxed, practiced a time or two, and relaxed some more. As far as getting completely away from hockey, however, the Blackhawks aren’t doing that.

“You don’t want to let your mind wander too much,” Jonathan Toews said. “When you have your sights set on your next opponent and you know when the date is, it’s great to be able to snap back into it and knowing, the couple days leading up to it you need to be where you would be if it was a game day.

The Blackhawks don’t know the dates yet but they do know their opponent. And whether practicing or taking an off day, their minds are completely focused on the Anaheim Ducks right now.

The extended time off presents a challenge: get rest but stay sharp. Coach Joel Quenneville has never been big on lengthy practices; a “long” practice runs about 45 minutes. But when the Blackhawks do practice they’re not coasting out there.

“Sometimes you’ve got to make sure you balance it when it gets a little longer… where it’s almost, let’s try something different in practice, simulate a game situation,” Quenneville said. “Or we get the feel of the puck, feel of the play, that first game type of intensity that’s going to be there.”

Whenever a team is off for a while, there’s the inevitable question: will players be rusty when they do return? The Blackhawks had six days off between finishing their first-round series against the Nashville Predators to starting their second-round session vs. the Minnesota Wild. That layoff didn’t hurt them; the Blackhawks scored three goals in the first period of Game 1. Given the gravity of the postseason, the Blackhawks should be ready when this series starts, too.

“You kind of get in that routine of every-other-day games and getting that momentum and playing, getting into the games. It’s kinda tough [with time off], but it’s also nice to have the rest,” Bryan Bickell said. “These last practices have been a good pace and it gets us ready for the game.”

The Blackhawks have enjoyed their days off, from Bickell’s day of fishing to players spending time with family and friends. But at this time of year, the game and the next opponent is never too far in the back of their minds.

“It’s nice to be here, sleep in your own bed and not a hotel, things like that,” Duncan Keith said. “[But] you’re always focused on hockey no matter what, watching the games and thinking about the next series.”

Just Another Chicago Bulls Session… Bulls fight but come up short in series-turning loss to Cavs 106-101.

By Vincent Goodwill

Bulls center Joakim Noah  tries to block a shot by Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James during the first half. (Nuccio DiNuzzo, Chicago Tribune)

At some point the powder keg was going to explode, after four games of “almosts” and “maybes,” the Bulls and Cavs were bound for a meeting of the minds and bodies.

And LeBron James was due for an explosion, with the only question for the Bulls being could they absorb the haymaker and fight back.

Well, James took his shots and the Bulls buckled but didn’t fall, standing emboldened yet undermanned in a hostile atmosphere in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

When the dust settled and the feet were planted firmly back on solid ground, they found themselves not able to do enough down the stretch in a 106-101 loss, putting them 48 minutes away from elimination.

Jimmy Butler rebounded from a foul-plagued first half to score 29, including a triple with 1:18 left to cut the Cavaliers lead to 101-99.

And after resiliently fighting from a 17-point deficit with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, they had a chance to take the lead with 45.9 seconds left.

Even then, they allowed an old bugaboo to emerge on the ensuing possessions, not finishing defensive possessions and giving up turnovers at the most inopportune times.

Iman Shumpert came up with an offensive rebound off a James miss with 19.9 seconds left and the Bulls trailing by two, as the Bulls’ best chance at completing a rousing comeback ended with the most fundamental of mistakes — controlling the glass.

James scored 38 with 12 rebounds and six assists in 42 minutes, getting help from the injured Kyrie Irving, who scored 25 with five assists, helping kick start the Cavaliers to big leads in the first half — and then the Bulls kicked back.

Early in the fourth quarter, Cavaliers reserve Matthew Dellavedova and Taj Gibson got tangled up on the floor, and Gibson took exception to Dellavedova locking Gibson’s foot with his legs. Gibson kicked out, angrily, starting a scrum that brought all participants on the floor to break it up.

The officials ejected Gibson, and his presence was sorely missed on that final defensive possession, but they had their chances and valiantly fought back — now finding themselves one game away from another offseason of "what ifs" and "what could've beens."

Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!! Cutler sees Martz'ist elements in new Bears' offense.

By Kevin Patra

 

The annual offseason discussion about how Jay Cutler will improve this year took on an interesting label over the weekend.

As Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase talked offensive philosophies with his new quarterback -- Cutler has ran through four OCs already during his stint in Chicago alone -- the sides found a commonality in a former play caller.

"He's worked with a couple different guys; the good thing is, he's heard a few things that I say," Gase said last weekend, per CSN Chicago. "He'll look at me and kind of, 'That's a little Martz'ist right there'."

"Martz'ist," of course, refers to former Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz. It's an odd comparison considering the overwhelming recollection when pondering Cutler's two-year stint under Martz from 2010-2011 is the quarterback being sacked on seemingly every drop back -- there was also the infamous time Cutler was caught saying "Tell Mike I said (expletive) you" after a play call was relayed.

The Martz reference likely wasn't about Gase implementing a plethora of no-help, seven-step drop, all-vertical plays. Rather it was a call back to the strict limitations that offense put on the quarterback, taking some of the decision-making out of the process. Since decision-making has been one of Cutler's biggest weaknesses, that could be a good thing.

Still, having some offensive commonalities that Cutler can relate to and actually -- finally -- improving the signal-caller are far from congruent. We'll need to see Cutler in Gase's full offense before believing any narratives about the quarterback turning that corner he's been stuck on for more than half a decade.

"I think this is his 10th year. I mean, a lot of ups and downs," Gase said of Cutler. "I think he's ready for a fresh start."

Cutler's had many fresh starts. None have lasted. Gase will likely be his last chance to make one stick in Chicago.

Bears waive LB Khaseem Greene, add QB Pat Devlin.

By John Mullin

Linebacker Khaseem Greene, the Bears’ fourth-round pick in the 2013 draft, has been waived as part of roster moves that give the Bears another young quarterback going into phase two of the team’s offseason program.

The Bears signed tryout quarterback Pat Devlin from Delaware to a one-year contract, and defensive tackle Terry Williams and linebacker Kyle Woestmann to three-year deals. Devlin, Williams and Woestmann all made the current roster, now at 89 players, with performances as tryouts at last week’s rookie minicamp.

The Greene move follows the trade of wide receiver Brandon Marshall as the incoming staff adjusts the roster left over from the Phil Emery era. Veteran center Roberto Garza and safety Anthony Walters were released previously.

Greene appeared in 25 games with six starts over two seasons (2013-14), collecting 60.5 tackles, one interception and one forced fumble to go along with seven special-teams stops. But he was unable to demonstrate impact ability in his few starts and did not show enough on special teams or in the voluntary veterans minicamp last month.

Devlin, 6-3, 220 pounds, spent four years with the Dolphins (2011-13) and Vikings (2014). He spent a majority of his 2011 rookie season on the Dolphins practice squad and was on Miami’s 53-man roster for all of 2012 and 2013 but was inactive each game. He also spent the final eight weeks of the 2014 regular season on the Vikings practice squad after being released by Miami in August.

He demonstrated both arm strength and touch on deep throws during the minicamp, capped off by a 30-yard hookup with rookie wide out Kevin White. Devlin played at Penn State from 2006-08, then transferred to Delaware a year after Joe Flacco left for the NFL.

Williams, at 6 feet, 329 pounds, will work at nose tackle after three standout seasons at the position for East Carolina, where he was a teammate of undrafted free agent quarterback Shane Carden.

Woestmann appeared in 49 games with 24 starts in four seasons (2011-14) at Vanderbilt, putting together 100 tackles, 13 sacks, 20.5 tackles for losses, five forced fumbles and three pass break-ups. Woestmann was a team-captain as a senior, starting 11 contests and recording 30 tackles, one sack, 5.5 TFLs and a forced fumble.

Tom Brady, Patriots get hammered by NFL in deflate-gate punishment.

By Frank Schwab

(Photo/Jim Rogash/Getty Images North America)

The NFL took deflate-gate very seriously, hammering the New England Patriots with unheard of punishment in the matter of deflated footballs.

The league announced Monday that quarterback Tom Brady was suspended four games, the team was fined $1 million and will lose its 2016 first-round draft pick and a fourth-round pick in 2017. The league has been considering punishment since the release of investigator Ted Wells' report on Thursday.

That's a huge punishment considering there was no evidence Brady was directly involved and the Wells Report said Patriots ownership and coach Bill Belichick weren't involved. The league said the punishment was for violating playing rules and not cooperating fully in the investigation.

Brady plans to appeal the decision. His agent, Don Yee, said in a statement, via Fox Sports' Mike Garafolo: "The discipline is ridiculous and has no legitimate basis. In my opinion, this outcome was pre-determined; there was no fairness in the Wells investigation whatsoever. ...

"The NFL has a well-documented history of making poor disciplinary decisions that often are overturned when truly independent and neutral judges or arbitrators preside, and a former federal judge has found the commissioner has abused his discretion in the past, so this outcome does not surprise me."

In the release, the NFL said Patriots employees John Jastremski and James McNally have been indefinitely suspended without pay by the club, effective May 6. They aren't allowed to be reinstated without the NFL's permission. If they are reinstated, the NFL said "Jastremski is prohibited from having any role in the preparation, supervision, or handling of footballs to be used in NFL games during the 2015 season. McNally is barred from serving as a locker room attendant for the game officials, or having any involvement with the preparation, supervision, or handling of footballs or any other equipment on game day."
 

In Wells' report, it states "it is more probable than not that Tom Brady (the quarterback for the Patriots) was at least generally aware of the inappropriate activities of McNally and Jastremski involving the release of air from Patriots game balls."

Jim McNally is the officials locker room attendant who took the game balls to the field, and stopped in a locked side bathroom for a minute and 40 seconds with the balls inside. Jastremski is the Patriots' assistant equipment man who prepared the game balls. The two texted about Brady's preference over the air pressure. Brady has said his preference was to have it at the low end of the rule, which is 12.5 psi.

The issue came about after the AFC championship game against the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts, who told the league the day before the game that they had concerns about the air pressure in the Patriots' game balls, intercepted a Brady pass in the first half and examined it on the sideline. They told the league, and league officials re-inspected the game balls at halftime and found they were under the minimum allowed by league rules.

Brady denied any wrongdoing in January, during a long news conference. During it, he said, "I have no knowledge of anything." A little more than a week later at the Super Bowl, he had one of the great performances of all time, bringing the Patriots back in a nearly-perfect fourth quarter to knock off the Seattle Seahawks. It was his fourth Super Bowl title. He was named Super Bowl MVP.

The issue with punishing Brady is it is all based on conjecture. There's not even really circumstantial evidence; there's really no evidence of Brady's direct participation in any scheme put forth in Wells' report. The report implicates Brady basically because it says he had to have known, not because they had any proof that he did know or stated to either McNally or Jastremski that he wanted balls deflated after inspection. The report simply doesn't find him guilty.

NFL vice president of football operations Troy Vincent sent a heavy-handed letter to Brady.
 

"Your actions as set forth in the report clearly constitute conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in the game of professional football," Vincent said within the letter.

 

The Patriots were punished harshly in the videotaping controversy of 2007. The team was fined $250,000 and stripped of a first-round pick, and coach Bill Belichick was fined $500,000.

Jake Arrieta upstages Noah Syndergaard as Cubs shut down Mets 6-1.

By Patrick Mooney

The Cubs have heard enough about the New York Mets and all their young power pitching.

Jake Arrieta upstaged Noah Syndergaard’s big-league debut on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field, leading the Cubs to a 6-1 victory.

Syndergaard is 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds with a “Thor” nickname and bright blond hair flowing out from his cap. The Mets made Syndergaard the centerpiece in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays after R.A. Dickey’s 2012 Cy Young Award-winning season.

Almost seven months later, the Cubs flipped one-year rental Scott Feldman in a deal with the Baltimore Orioles that involved Arrieta, who had been stuck in neutral at the Triple-A level.

Arrieta never got quite as high as Syndergaard (No. 11 heading into this season) on the Baseball America lists, but he had been a well-regarded prospect who wound up needing a change of scenery.

At the age of 29, Arrieta (4-3, 3.00 ERA) continues to blossom into a frontline starter. He delivered eight strong innings on Tuesday, limiting the Mets to one run on three hits in a dominant 10-strikeout performance.

The Cubs knocked out Syndergaard in the sixth inning after 103 pitches. Starlin Castro — the All-Star shortstop linked to the Mets in so much trade speculation — hammered a Syndergaard slider into the left-field corner for an RBI double that easily scored Jorge Soler from first base.

The next batter, Chris Coghlan, launched a 96 mph fastball into the under-construction bleachers in right field for a two-run homer as the Cubs (17-15) wore out the first-place Mets (20-13).

Chris Sale strikes out 11 as White Sox top Brewers 4-2.

By Dan Hayes

Chris Sale delivered his best performance of the season Tuesday night when the White Sox needed it most.

With the bullpen fried and a series on the line, Sale struck out 11 batters as the White Sox edged the Milwaukee Brewers 4-2 in front of 26,935 at Miller Park. The left-hander allowed three hits over eight innings and Alexei Ramirez made it count with a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the top of the eighth as the White Sox won for only the third time in 15 road games.

White Sox starting pitchers entered Tuesday with an average of 5.53 innings per start this season. While their 160 1/3 innings can partly be accounted for by fewer games played, the rotation’s struggles haven’t been exaggerated. The team’s 5.16 ERA from its starters ranked 26th among 30 teams and Sale has contributed, lasting a career low three innings against the Minnesota Twins on April 30 -- his second consecutive non-quality start.

But fresh off a five-game suspension, Sale looked like a new man. Perhaps heeding the advice of pitching coach Don Cooper, who thought Sale had been trying to do too much, the left-hander reduced his velocity and painted the strike zone.

Sale hit his spots much more frequently, throwing strikes on 77 of 110 pitches. With the bullpen taxed, Sale was economical in the late innings, throwing 10 pitches in the seventh.

He wasn’t without his mistakes as Elian Herrera crushed a 2-2 changeup in the fifth for a game-tying solo homer. But from there, Sale retired 12 of 13, including striking out the side in the sixth. He issued his only walk with two outs in the eighth inning but struck out Jean Segura, who tripled in the first inning and scored, to end his outing. Sale extended his franchise-record to 19 games with double-digit strikeout performances.

The White Sox were slow to start against Brewers pitcher Mike Fiers, who was perfect through four innings. But Ramirez and Flowers had back-to-back doubles to start the fifth inning and tie the game and Micah Johnson’s RBI single gave the White Sox a 2-1 lead.

Avisail Garcia singled in between walks of Jose Abreu and Conor Gillaspie to set up Ramirez in the go-ahead rally in the eighth. Abreu singled in an insurance run in the ninth.

David Robertson struck out two to convert his sixth save in seven tries.

Golf: I got a club for that: Power rankings: Wells Fargo Championship.

By Ryan Ballengee

Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, poses with his trophy on the 16th green of TPC Harding Park after winning the Match Play Championship golf tournament in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

The PGA Tour moves into the Tarheel State this week for the Wells Fargo Championship. Charlotte's Quail Hollow Club has typically been the host to The Players precursor, but that's not the case this year. 

World No. 1 Rory McIlroy, who won the WGC-Cadillac Match Play, is looking for a second win in three starts and is coming off a modest, if not bored, performance at TPC Sawgrass. J.B. Holmes is the defending champion here, earning a one-shot win last year over Jim Furyk.

Quail Hollow takes on more importance for many of the top players as it will host the 2017 PGA Championship.

Here are our top five players for this week:

1. Rory McIlroy -- The world No. 1 has been in the top 10 in his last two Quail Hollow starts, he won the Match Play and finished in the top 10 at The Players without his best stuff, bored half the time. Obvious pick here.
 

2. J.B. Holmes -- The defending champion is riding an odd streak of alternating good tournaments with bad ones: 2nd-MC-WIN-MC-T9-T51. So a good one here?

3. Jim Furyk -- Furyk faded pretty hard on the weekend at The Players, but he never seems to do well at that home game. He was runner-up here last year and is in good form overall.
 

4. Hideki Matsuyama -- Matsuyama made the cut here last year, but he's so much more than that now. He faded quickly after a Day 1 lead at The Players, but this course should suit his eye.

5. Kevin Kisner -- Don't be shocked if Kisner gets a huge rub from losing to the better player that day, Rickie Fowler, at TPC Sawgrass. He's been in two playoffs, at The Players and Harbour Town, played six playoff holes in 2 under and lost both. He was T-6 here last year.

Golf's new guard: Fowler's win bolsters PGA Tour's future.

By DOUG FERGUSON (AP Golf Writer)

          

Dustin Johnson holds the Gene Sarazen Cup after winning the Cadillac Championship golf tournament in Doral, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)

 

Tiger Woods walked off the 18th green in his Sunday red shirt before players in the final few groups even sat down for lunch.

 

This constitutes progress for Woods.

 

And for golf.

 

Never mind that only four other players had a worse score than Woods in The Players Championship. It was the first time in 18 months that Woods completed 72 holes in consecutive starts, and only the sixth time during that period that he was even seen in his red shirt.

 

So how is this progress for golf?

 

Because there was a time that when Woods left the golf course, the majority of fans left with him.

 

That might not ever happen at the TPC Sawgrass, not with the spectacle that is the island green on the 17th hole, or with Rory McIlroy in range to start the final round. And it's a big championship, as big as it can get without being a major.

 

But golf has options now, and a lot them.

Rickie Fowler winning - and the way he won - was the latest example why the PGA Tour is so healthy even when it's biggest star is ailing.

Consider the last two months that featured two World Golf Championships, one major and one tournament that feels like one. The winners were Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, McIlroy and Fowler. In the last seven PGA Tour events, the worst-ranked winner was J.B. Holmes, who was at No. 20 when he won the Shell Houston Open in a three-man playoff that included Spieth.

The timing of Fowler's victory was impeccable.

It was too easy to connect the dots to the magazine survey of anonymous players who voted Fowler and Ian Poulter as the most overrated players on the PGA Tour. Each received 24 percent of the vote, which led them to refer to each other as ''24.'' Fowler did his best to disguise the hurt. This is a 26-year-old who doesn't speak negatively about anybody, even in playful banter.

He said it would motivate him, though Fowler derived far more pleasure from the crystal trophy and all the perks that go with it - a three-year exemption to the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open, a five-year exemption on the PGA Tour and a $1.8 million check.

But this win was far more significant as it relates to all of golf, not just Fowler.

McIlroy has established himself as a clear No. 1 with two majors and two World Golf Championships in the last 10 months. Spieth was mentioned as the top challenger with his wire-to-wire Masters victory, which completed a stretch of four tournaments in which he won twice and was runner-up twice.

Fowler's name was mentioned without trophies because of his appeal - particularly to young fans - and his work ethic, which often got lost in all the hype over his astute activation of social media, often referred to as ''Rickie 2.0.''

He had a pair of runner-up finishes in the majors last year, and joined Woods and Jack Nicklaus as the only players to finish in the top five at all four majors. The difference was they won, and that's why it was so important for Fowler to win a big one for his game - not just his name - to be part of the conversation.

But there's a broader significance to his victory, coming on the heels of Spieth and even Johnson.

It's hard to let go of heroes. Woods and Phil Mickelson, who missed the cut last week and is approaching the two-year anniversary of his last win, carried golf for the better part of two decades. And in some respects, they still do.

McIlroy, Spieth, Fowler and a growing list of others - Jason Day, Patrick Reed, Hideki Matsuyama - are making it easier to embrace the future instead of clinging to the past.

''The game, I don't think, could really be in a better place,'' Fowler said. ''There's a lot of great players right now, a lot of young guys playing well. Rory has distanced himself a bit from this group of younger guys, but there's going to be a lot of good competition in the years to come.

''A lot of great young players, and none of us are afraid,'' he said. ''We're ready to go to battle and have some fun.''

As for Woods?

Due mainly to injuries and swing change, he has finished only six tournaments in the last 18 months and he has not been closer than nine shots to the winner. He fell to No. 133 in the world this week.

It's still too early to rule him out.

Even in a closing round of 72 on Sunday, there were signs he was caught between his old swing and his new one. He has been down this road with three other coaches. It won't be any easier to win once he figures it out because the competition is younger and just as good, if not better, than Woods at 39. As good as golf is now, that would make it even better.

NASCAR: Power Rankings: Our top 2 finished in the top 2 at Kansas.

By Nick Bromberg

1. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 1): Well this is boring, isn't it? Johnson led the final 10 laps after he stayed out during the last caution period and the clean air helped him get to victory lane for the 73rd time. Here are some fun facts about his win at Kansas. Johnson's 10 laps led were the sixth-fewest he's led in any of his 73 wins. Of the five races he's won leading less than 10 laps, he's only taken the lead later in the race than he did at Kansas (lap 258) twice. Once was at Las Vegas in 2006 (when he passed Matt Kenseth on the final lap, and the other was at Atlanta in 2007, when he led the last nine laps.

2. Kevin Harvick (LW: 2): Without the caution, Harvick was in control. But as the leader when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. hit the wall, he was going to be damned if he did pit, damned if he didn't. He chose to pit for gas and two tires and was second off pit road. However, he was sixth on the restart because four cars ahead of him stayed out, including Johnson. Because he was sixth, he got to restart in the high line and ended up second. However, had he been in the second row and not the third row on the restart, he might have won the race.

3. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: 5): This was the guy who restarted in fifth. And it hurt his chances for the win. Truex, who was second when the caution came out, got just fuel on his pit stop and beat Harvick out of the pits. However, he was on the inside line and with old tires and a propensity to not get going immediately on the restarts all evening, the formula was not a good one for Truex. He faded back to ninth by the end of the race, but he's still establishing himself as the driver to beat among those without a win. And yes, that sentence makes sense to us.

4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 3): Following up a win with a third-place finish isn't terrible. Junior stayed out along with Johnson and almost stole a win had he been able to clear Johnson off the restart. He didn't, which meant he was playing defense to Harvick, a game that he also lost. It meant a repeat finishing order of the race at Texas, where Johnson, Harvick and Junior finished in the top three (in that order) after a late-race restart.

5. Kurt Busch (LW: 4): Busch led from laps 30-49 and looked like an early contender for the win. Those were the only laps he led. His car was good after the lengthy rain delay, but not really good. Or good enough to contend for a top three spot. Busch ended up eighth. He's been so good so far this season that he's 14th in the standings despite missing three races because of his indefinite suspension. Even without the win at Richmond, Busch would be in a position to make the Chase.

6. Joey Logano (LW: 6): Here's the man who charged from the back of the field not once, but twice throughout the evening on Saturday. The first penalty he got on pit road was because his crew members jumped over the wall too soon. He worked his way through the field and then messed up later by pitting when the pits were closed. He went to the back again. The end result was a fifth-place finish and easily the most cars passed of anyone throughout the entire evening.

7. Matt Kenseth (LW: 8): Kenseth had one hell of a save on lap 130 when he almost lost the car off turn two. While he was officially listed as the reason for the caution, he made out the best of anyone involved in the incident as Brett Moffitt hit Tony Stewart and sent the No. 14 car into the wall. While Stewart's race was toast, Kenseth's wasn't and he ended up finishing sixth.

8. Ryan Newman (LW: 7): Now that the appeal process is over and Newman is officially docked 50 points, Saturday night's race was his first without crew chief Luke Lambert. And he got a 10th-place finish to show for it. Not terrible, eh? If the No. 31 bunch averages a 10th-place finish throughout Lambert's suspension, the team will undoubtedly have weathered the storm. Will it happen? Probably not. But it's not going to be lost without him.

9. Jamie McMurray (LW: 10): McMurray finished 13th Saturday night and is currently the No. 2 driver in the Chase on points. Not bad at all. It's almost like the No. 1 and No. 42 teams have switched roles from 2014. Last year, Larson was racking up good finishes while McMurray was showing flashes. This year, McMurray has been fast and consistent and looks good for the Chase barring a collapse over the next 15 races.

10. Kasey Kahne (LW: 9): As Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. marched forward from their starting spots outside the top 15, Kahne slipped backwards. After starting second, Kahne survived on the periphery of the top 10 until the final restart. He pitted, and like Martin Truex Jr., fell backwards over the final green flag run. He ended up 17th, a finish not indicative of the speed he showed throughout the race.

11. Brad Keselowski (LW: NR): Keselowski is sixth in points but eighth in average finish. How is that possible? Because Ryan Newman has been a bit more consistent this year (Newman? Consistent?) and Kurt Busch has the third-best average finish and has missed races. Saturday night, Keselowski finished seventh and led 43 laps. If you're not taking a Hendrick-powered car for the All-Star Race, you better be picking a Penske one.

12. Aric Almirola (LW: 12): Best finish of the year? Best finish of the year. Almirola was 11th at Kansas and is now 11th in the standings, one point outside of the top 10. Keep top-15ing them to death, Almirola. You're going to be like a gnat that doesn't go away. And hell, you may also prove that the Chase berth last year wasn't a fluke. That's a big boost.

Lucky Dog: Jeff Gordon finished fourth. He's not much of a Lucky Dog rather than the guy we'd slot 13th (or 12th if we weren't having so much fun with Almirola).

The DNF: Oh, Tony Stewart. Oh, Tony Stewart

Dropped Out: Paul Menard

Kyle Busch to return to car this weekend in All-Star race.

By JENNA FRYER (AP Auto Racing Writer)

Kyle Busch will run the All-Star race this weekend, his first competition since he was seriously injured in a crash at Daytona nearly three month ago.

Busch will drive his No. 18 Toyota in Saturday night's All-Star race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He tweeted ''I'm back. (hash)RowdyReturns'' early Tuesday along with a 24-second video of him in his fire suit and pulling down the visor of his helmet.
 

Busch broke his right leg and left foot in a Feb. 21 wreck in the season-opening Xfinity Series race, crashing into a wall that was not protected by an energy-absorbing SAFER barrier at 90 mph. He said his car left the racing surface and headed toward the wall at 176 mph, and even though he was able to slow it, he knew the impact was likely going to break one leg.

Although Busch removed his right foot from the brake pedal, the impact with the wall was so hard, both his helmet and chest slammed into his steering wheel. Busch said the throttle stop was pushed back closer to him and smacked his right leg, breaking it.

The injuries caused Busch to miss the season-opening Daytona 500 and 11 total Sprint Cup races. His Joe Gibbs Racing entry was driven by Matt Crafton at Daytona, then David Ragan for nine events and 18-year-old Erik Jones drove it Saturday night at Kansas.

There was speculation that Busch was close to returning when Jones said two weeks ago JGR officials had only discussed the Kansas race with the development driver. Gibbs confirmed Busch had tested a late model car, suggesting he would be back for the two Charlotte race weeks. The Coca-Cola 600, the longest race on the NASCAR schedule, runs May 24.

Busch will return to the track in a Cup car in Friday's practice sessions for the All-Star race.

Busch, who turned 30 earlier this month, is awaiting the birth of his first child. He and wife, Samantha, are expecting a boy later this month.

NASCAR gearing up for next generation of racing fans.

By DAVE SKRETTA

NASCAR drivers Greg Biffle, left, and Denny Hamlin, right, appear at a news conference with SpongeBob SquarePants, middle, following practice for Saturday's Sprint Cup Series auto race at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., Friday, May 8, 2015. The race is named the SpongeBob Square Pants 400. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

On a muggy Saturday afternoon, two children dragged their parents through the garage area at Kansas Speedway, intent on catching up to a hero they had seen only on television.

They weren't after Jeff Gordon or Jimmie Johnson, though. They were after a giant, yellow Nickelodeon character - better known as SpongeBob SquarePants - whose name was attached to the Sprint Cup race featuring Gordon, Johnson and the sport's biggest stars that night.

It was exactly what the children's TV network wanted out of its partnership with NASCAR - and just what NASCAR wanted out of the SpongeBob SquarePants 400. 
 

''You know, you're always looking for a younger demographic,'' Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer said, ''and what better way to attract that younger demographic? I can't imagine any younger kid not wanting to come to the SpongeBob SquarePants race.'' 

NASCAR has been trying to reach younger demographics for years, particularly as stars such as Gordon close in on retirement. The fan base that brought about the racing boom of the 1990s and early 2000s has started to age, and filling that void has become a priority. 

 

That's why a few years ago NASCAR announced an industry action plan designed to attract younger and more diverse fans. It began with a rebuffed website and mobile apps, inviting more mainstream celebrities to races, and providing concerts and other ancillary entertainment.  

That was just the start of the outreach, though.

NASCAR has also opened its garages to children accompanied by parents on race days, allowing them to get closer to the cars and drivers. It lowered age limits on some regional competitions, giving up-and-coming drivers a chance to compete earlier. And it embraced social media, fantasy racing and online simulators such as iRacing that are popular with younger demographics.

The push toward a younger demographic in some ways mirrors the push that NASCAR made toward women in the 1980s and '90s, which ultimately succeeded in growing the brand.

''This is really cool to engage the youth and bring in a new fan to NASCAR, and that is an important aspect for all of us, for all our partners moving forward in the sport,'' said Michael McDowell, whose No. 95 car had Larry the Lobster from the SpongeBob show painted on his car.

A recent Turnkey Sports poll found that only about 10 percent of NASCAR fans these days are in the coveted 18-to-24 marketing demographic. While that may be a sobering number, polls also have found that 37 percent of NASCAR fans have children under age 18.

In other words, there are plenty of potential fans just waiting to get hooked.

''The SpongeBob SquarePants 400 gives Nickelodeon the opportunity to expand its relationship with NASCAR, while working with a best-in-class track to give fans a unique, engaging and high-quality race experience that the whole family can enjoy,'' said Pam Kaufman, the chief marketing officer for Nickelodeon Group who has spearheaded the affiliation with NASCAR.

''Nickelodeon has embarked on some great initiatives with NASCAR over the last 10 years,'' Kaufman said, ''sponsoring and participating in marquee racing events that have resonated with motorsports fans across the country.''

This may be an opportune time to attract younger fans, too.

There is a new set of drivers poised to take over the leadership of the sport. Eighteen-year-old Erik Jones made his first Sprint Cup start on Saturday night, and Ty Dillon, Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott are at an age that resonates with a younger fan base.

Then there are the current Sprint Cup stars with children of their own. Images of Greg Biffle toting daughter Emma around the garage area, or Matt Kenseth celebrating with daughters Kaylin and Grace in victory lane, get beamed by television into living rooms every race weekend.

''My daughter is 3 1/2 and she loves watching SpongeBob, and she asked before I left if I could bring him back with me,'' Biffle said. ''It's kind of funny how the kids go in cycles. There are a lot of young kids and a lot of new dads in the garage right.''

The sponsorship brought out the child in those dads, too. Many were caught taking selfies with the SpongeBob character traipsing through the garage area Saturday night.

''My 6-year old son thinks I am the coolest dad ever because I got to drive the Ninja Turtle car and now I get to drive the Larry Lobster car,'' McDowell said, wearing a big grin. ''I am definitely winning cool points with my kids.''

SOCCER: Three questions heading into Champions League clash between Real Madrid and Juventus.

By Kyle Lynch

Real Madrid hosts Juventus tomorrow in the second leg of the Champions League semis to determine which team will face Barcelona in the final.

Juventus holds a 2-1 aggregate lead following a first leg win in Turin, but now Massimiliano Allegri’s men must fend off Real in front of 80,000 strong at the Bernabeu.

Many would argue this match pits the world’s best defensive team in Juve against the world’s most dangerous attack in Real Madrid. Below we take a look at three questions that could define the outcome of this semifinal clash.

HOW DOES ALLEGRI ORGANIZE THE JUVENTUS DEFENSE?

Juventus has played shut-down defense all season long, conceding just 20 goals in 35 Serie A matches, and that stellar defensive record has carried over into the Champions League as well. In the first leg of the semifinal, Allegri’s men started the match with an aggressive high-pressure system, but switched to a more defensive look when Juve took the lead.

Playing away from home at the Bernabeu, it will be interesting to see if Allegri chooses to press again early, or if he will start with a more defensive-minded formation. Real has scored a goal in 52 consecutive matches at home, so Juventus will certainly have to deal with a lot of action from Ronaldo & Co. on the attack.

One key factor that could determine how Juve’s back-line looks…

WHICH Gareth Bale WILL SHOW UP?

It’s been a tough week season for Gareth Bale, as the world’s most expensive footballer has struggled to find his form for Real. Earlier in the week, Bale’s agent claimed he was struggling because his teammates don’t pass him the ball enough. Soon after that, Madrid’s manager Carlo Ancelotti told Bale’s agent to shut up.

Bale had one of his poorest performances for Real in the first leg at Juventus Stadium, getting only 27 touches on the ball in 85 minutes of play before being subbed off in favor of 22-year-old Real academy product Jese. If Real wants to expose the stingy Juventus defense, Bale must be at the top of his game.

With Karim Benzema back from injury, the striking trio of Bale, Ronaldo and Benzema is back together. As seen by the play of Messi, Suarez and Neymar, having your top scorers on the same page can work wonders.

CAN PAUL POGBA DELIVER ON THE BIG STAGE?

Considering Paul Pogba was named the best young player at the World Cup last summer, it seems strange to ask if the French international can deliver in big games. But at 22-years-old, this is surely the biggest match of his career in a Juventus shirt.

Pogba has been brilliant for Juve all season, but his stellar campaign was brought to a halt when he tore his hamstring two months ago. The French midfielder returned to action for the first time this weekend, and scored Juve’s only goal in a 1-1 draw against Cagliari. However, that was a meaningless Serie A match, and this is the Champions League semifinal.

Allegri has said that Pogba is fit and is “very probable” to start against Real, although he may not be able to go the full 90 minutes. With the chance of keeping a clean sheet at the Bernabeu highly unlikely, it will be Pogba’s job to control the Juventus attack, either feeding Carlos Tevez through or taking on defenders himself. Tabbed to be one of the hottest transfer prospects this summer, Pogba’s performance tomorrow could be a stepping stone for his extremely bright future.

Fire prepares for seven-match stretch vs. Eastern Conference.

By Danny Michallik

As the Chicago Fire prepares for its first trip to Yankee Stadium to face New York City FC for the second time in three weeks, Frank Yallop and his technical staff are still in the process of mending the team's offensive struggles, which materialized in the 2-1 loss to Real Salt Lake.

Friday night's match in the Big Apple, however, will commence a run of seven matches - all against Eastern Conference opponents - spanning a 41-day period that will serve as the barometer in determining where the Men in Red stand come July.

Yallop addressed the media in his weekly conference call Monday morning following the team's training session, underscoring the importance of amending the away form while providing additional updates on other news tidbits surfacing inside the Fire camp.

Mike Magee nearing return

 

"Mike trained today," Yallop said. "It was his first day with the team. He's worked very hard to get to this point, so the progression is getting through this week with probably non-contact stuff, but obviously with the group and then get him into full practice, I would think by next week and see how he goes.

"It's good to have him out there. He's not moving around like a spring chicken right now, but he was involved in the play and joined in and wasn't any worse for wear after the session."

The 2013 MLS MVP underwent season-ending hip surgery last September and has been favored for a return in June, but extra precautions are still being taken to ensure a sound recovery.  

"We have to tread carefully," Yallop added. "We don't want to push and then all of a sudden we're going backwards again. The medical staff's done a good job with Mike, from the surgeon to Adrian Lamb - our fitness guy - to get him to this point. We don't want to ruin that. He's ahead of schedule and he's feeling pretty good."

Midfielder Matt Watson, who departed in the 53rd minute of Saturday's match after sustaining a concussion, will not be available for the Fire's trip to NYCFC. Meanwhile, Michael Stephens could be available after training for nearly a week following an ankle injury that left him out of the last three games.

Defensive form and offensive output

Behind the Montreal Impact, the Fire are currently tied with NYCFC for the second-least amount of goals scored in MLS. It's certainly not the most flattering of statistics for a team that has still seen its designated forwards' scoreless drought persist, but Yallop is perceptive as to what those problems can be attributed to.  

"It's been frustrating all around," he said. "We had a meeting this morning. We've played pretty well enough to win maybe another game and we haven't done it. We're getting punished for our mistakes and not taking our chances when they come. That's soccer; it's won and lost in two boxes. Group-wise and playing-wise, it's been okay. We feel we're playing some decent stuff, but we've got to win and we know that.

"We've played well enough and created enough chances to score more goals, but we haven't and that's our issue at the moment, through confidence, through lack of technique. It's just that little bit of edge, that mental toughness and being ruthless around goal, and not being nice. In both boxes, we've just got to be a bit more ruthless and tough."

By the same token, Yallop credited the Men in Red's opponents when discussing the performances from his back four, citing the clinical finishing that has eluded the Fire for the better part of the previous nine matches.  

"I've been pleased," Yallop said. "The amount of chances we've given up is not that many, but the execution of the chances from the other team has been good. If you look at the goals on Saturday, they were two very good goals; they could be avoided by us in certain areas. Two very good finishes and two good plays.

"You don't want to concede any goals, but realistically, we've got some good attackers in this league and it's a pretty wide open league. Every team you play is not sitting back trying to get a result, they're trying to win."

Upcoming schedule vs. NYCFC, Eastern Conference opponents

“We’ve just got to go in here knowing they’re desperate to win,” Yallop said. “We’re desperate to win, too. We’ve lost two in a row. We’re desperate to get on the mark in our away form.

"There's pressure to win every game, so games against conference opponents are very important. We're still sitting in sixth spot ... we've lost five matches already, that's not good. These games coming up are very important. The next seven don't define your season, but it makes up a big part of it. We want to be ready and try and get wins in those games coming up.

Following a disappointing 2-1 loss to New York Red Bulls in the first-ever New York derby on Sunday, NYCFC will return to play on its home turf at Yankee Stadium, which, measured out to be approximately 70 yards by 110 yards, has drawn some criticism for its upkeep and narrow dimensions.  

"You've just got to deal with it. Obviously it's a tight pitch and one that they're more used to than us," Yallop said. "We've got to have some sharp feet on the field because there's not a lot of room; it's very condensed with a lot of players in the central areas.

"It comes into my thoughts, so we're just trying to pick a team that we feel is going to get after it and, for me, have a good performance and get a win."

Should CFB have a one-size-fits-all approach?.

By Ted Miller and Mark Schlabach

Despite a wildly successful College Football Playoff featuring the sport's first selection committee, debate still rages on how much individual conferences' structures affect teams' standing in the process. Is it time all conferences adopt the same structure? Ted Miller makes his case for uniformity, while Mark Schlabach argues on behalf of regionalism:

Miller: Logic and fairness require uniform format across Power 5.

The buzzword coming out of the Big 12 meetings last week in Phoenix wasn't what you'd think. No, it wasn't "conference championship game," something the Big 12 doesn't presently play but entered the week wondering if it should and exited the week strategically tabling for a vague future evaluation.

Instead, the leading buzzword was "data points," a term that lolled out of many mouths through a smirk and a honeyed Texas accent.

Sounds silly, doesn't it? This is football, a collision sport for manly men. "Data points" sounds like something that would squeak out of the mouth of a guy with masking tape on the bridge of his horned-rim glasses.

Yet the resistance to "data points" is the most important question in college football right now, outside of the plight of the student-athlete (academic, financial and behavioral).

A data point is what the College Football Playoff selection committee uses to evaluate teams vying for one of four spots in the CFP. We lay folk call them "games." Or, more accurately, "quality games."

If college football aspired toward logic and fairness, then the goal across each of the Power 5 conferences would be to present the committee with teams featuring the same number of important data points. That would be nine conference games, at least one nonconference game against another Power 5 conference team and a conference championship game.

Ergo, just about every team vying for a semifinal spot would give the committee 11 quality data points. Or 11 quality games, thereby reserving space for two lesser foes in a 13-game schedule. It wouldn't always be an exact science, of course. Playing a Big Ten team in a nonconference game could mean you played Michigan State or Purdue, programs in very different places right now. And some years teams worthy of consideration might not play in their conference championship game.

Still, there would be a pretty firm standard for evaluation, so comparing teams would be more like analyzing different varieties of apples instead of comparing apples and, say ... oranges. Or kumquats.

This would be easy and painless to make happen in advance of the 2016 season. The Pac-12 already mostly follows the 11 data point path. The Big Ten will start in 2016 when it adopts a nine-game conference schedule. The ACC and SEC need only to add a ninth conference game. The Big 12, as noted, is missing only a title game and perhaps a push toward tougher nonconference scheduling.

The 11 data point path requires no sacrifice of tradition. It takes nothing away. It only adds quality. It's unquestionably good for fans. It's good for TV. More conference games would create a more accurate picture of said conference's true pecking order. It would create a more equitable system regionally and nationally.

In fact, there is no legitimate argument against it. Oh, there's smokescreen blather -- "Our conference is too hard to play nine conference games!" -- but that's just obfuscation, not real counterargument.

So why is something so obviously good for the game not happening anytime soon? The biggest reason is no one has the unilateral power to make it happen. With the new autonomy of the Power 5 conferences, there should be some consideration for a commissioner who can made decisions for the good of the game, but that idea has yet to gain traction.

With no external authority overseeing things, teams and conferences are still playing the angles, looking to game the system. For more than a few coaches and athletic directors, the skillful avoidance of competition is almost as important as collecting skillful players.

A year ago, the ACC voted against adding a ninth conference game. Duke coach David Cutcliffe told ESPN.com's Heather Dinich that he "didn't see the value" in nine conference games.

"What's going to get you in the playoff opportunity is to have no losses or one loss. I don't care who you're playing," Cutcliffe said.

"I don't care who you are playing." Think about that.

Of course, Baylor coach Art Briles said his Bears' lackluster nonconference schedule had "zero effect," on his team's standing with the selection committee last December, so maybe it doesn't matter whom teams play. That said, anyone have a sneaking suspicion that if the Bears had beaten, say, Georgia in their season opener instead of SMU things might have played out differently?

A week before backtracking at the Big 12 meetings, commissioner Bob Bowlsby said, "All things equal, 13 data points were better than 12 data points," when speaking about a potential conference title game. His source for that belief, he said, was selection committee chair Jeff Long. After the meetings, however, the party line was to not overreact to a lack of data points.

There are myriad advantages to playing fewer conference games. The most basic one is fewer chances to lose. The second most basic one is it transforms a conference's overall record. By adding a conference game, half the teams in the conference add a defeat to their records. With just eight conference games and a fourth nonconference game, the entire conference can write in a victory. When you pencil this out, perhaps counterintuitively, it actually in most cases negatively affects a nine-game conference's strength of schedule.

Further, it can skew how many road games a conference plays. This fall, eight SEC teams will play just four true road games. Just one SEC team, Vanderbilt, will play six road games. No Big 12 teams and just one Pac-12 team, Arizona State, which plays Texas A&M in Houston, will play only four road games. Meanwhile, six Pac-12 teams play six road games.
 
TCU is likely to start the season ranked in the top three, but if you are looking for a reason to bet against the Horned Frogs it might be their six road games.

Just imagine if different divisions in pro sports leagues had different rules about scheduling, such as the New England Patriots playing 10 home games or the Houston Rockets playing Golden State only twice while the rest of their division played the Warriors six times.

In the absence of a commissioner, Long and his committee will have to react negatively to a lack of data points a handful of times before teams change their ways.

With five major conferences and a four-team playoff, at least one conference is going to be smarting every year. Controversy is part of the college football system, and some might even argue it's part of the sport's appeal. Adopting an "11 data point" model wouldn't end all controversy. No plan would do that, even if it included a commissioner.

But a general scheduling blueprint would make it more difficult to game the system. Oh, and it would give us a bunch more quality matchups to enjoy during the season. Because fans do care who you are playing.

 Schlabach: Regional rivalries, not format, are most important factor.

When Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott was asked about other Power 5 leagues playing eight-game conference schedules, he said that college football's power conferences need to "run the race on the same course."

Do you know what makes running so mundane? Circling the same track over and over again. It's like watching paint dry. At least give me some trails, hills and valleys to make things interesting.

With all due respect to my colleague Ted Miller, uniform scheduling in college football sounds a lot like running 10 miles on a treadmill. It's boring and monotonous.

In fact, uniform scheduling sounds a lot like the NFL. I don't want college football to turn into the NFL. I want to enjoy college football's traditional marching bands, fight songs, student sections and, just as importantly, its regional rivalries.

I want Florida playing Florida State every season. I want Miami playing Florida and Florida State every year. I want Georgia playing Georgia Tech, Louisville playing Kentucky, and Clemson playing South Carolina. What I really want is for Texas to start playing Texas A&M on Thanksgiving Day again. I want to watch BYU and Utah playing in the Holy War and Pittsburgh and West Virginia squaring off in the Backyard Brawl every season.

I really don't care how many conference games a team plays, as long as it plays opponents who matter the most to its fans. I want more in-state rivalries and border wars, which often mean so much more in terms of bragging rights than playing another conference game.

Of course, Scott's argument is that teams from the Big 12 and Pac-12 play more challenging schedules because they play nine conference games every season, one more than teams from the ACC, Big Ten and SEC play. The Big Ten will move to a nine-game schedule in 2016, while the ACC and SEC voted last year to remain at eight for the foreseeable future.

Nine-game conference schedules won't make things equal in the race for the College Football Playoff. The Big 12 (with only 10 teams) is the only Power 5 conference that plays a true round-robin schedule. However, it doesn't play a conference championship game like everyone else. Under this format, the Big 12 would be guaranteed a repeat matchup in its championship game -- something no other conference would require -- and its coaches and athletics directors don't want to play one.

Because the Power 5 conferences have expanded so quickly, even league scheduling is unbalanced. In the Big Ten, for example, Wisconsin won't play Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State or Penn State during the 2015 regular season. Conversely, Big Ten West rival Minnesota has to play the Buckeyes and the Wolverines this year.

The argument that a nine-game conference schedule would preclude Power 5 teams from playing FCS foes doesn't hold water, either. This coming season, eight of the Pac-12 schools will play FCS opponents: Arizona (Northern Arizona), Arizona State (Cal Poly), California (Grambling State), Colorado (Nicholls State), Oregon (Eastern Washington), Oregon State (Weber State), Washington (Sacramento State) and Washington State (Portland State). Stanford (it played UC Davis in 2014), UCLA, USC and Utah (played Idaho State in 2014) are the only Pac-12 teams that won't play FCS cupcakes this coming season.

In the Big 12, Oklahoma and Texas are the only teams that won't play FCS foes in 2015. Sure, Baylor will play nine conference games, but its nonconference games are against FCS foes Northwestern State, Buffalo and SMU. Does it really matter how many Big 12 games the Bears play? Baylor is one of four Big 12 teams that won't play a nonconference game against at least one Power 5 opponent or Notre Dame this season. Iowa State, Kansas State and Oklahoma State are the others.

Uniform scheduling and having every Power 5 league playing nine conference games might sound like a great idea, but what would it really accomplish in the end? It wouldn't necessarily mean that we would get to see the games we want to see. Even after the Big Ten moves to nine games in 2016, we'll have to wait at least one more season to see Michigan play Nebraska and Penn State play Wisconsin.

At least the debate about playing eight or nine conference games gives us something to argue about, which is what makes college football great. The bottom line: Leagues can talk about "data points" all they want, but it's a moot point because it's never going to be apples to apples or oranges to oranges in college football. 

Embrace diversity and celebrate college football for its variations.

College Basketball summer recruiting: Key dates to know.

By Kami Mattioli

It's been a month since Duke hoisted the national championship trophy in Indianapolis and many fans have now turned their focus to the summer recruiting calendar.

The NCAA has clearly defined periods throughout the summer when college coaches can and cannot contact, visit or observe high school players. These are called "live," "quiet" and dead periods, and each period permits college coaches and recruiters to do different things.

During any live period, college coaches may take part in any of the following: Unofficial visits, official visits, off-campus/home visits, letters, emails, calls/texts and evaluating the player during his high school/prep/AAU competitions.

A quiet period restricts some of those activities from the live period and doesn't allow coaches to make any off-campus contact with a prospective student-athlete. He's still allowed to write letters, call/text and email the prospect, who is allowed to make official and unofficial visits to campus.

The third and final period is a dead period, which means coaches are only allowed to make contact with recruits through email, calls/texts or letters. The recruit may take a campus visit but he cannot meet with any of the coaching staff during a dead period.

Summer 2015 college basketball NCAA recruiting calendar

April 23 through July 5: Quiet period*

(*Except for May 21-29, which is a dead period)

July 8 (5 p.m.) through July 12 (5 p.m.): Live period

July 15 (5 p.m.) through July 19 (5 p.m.): Live period

July 22 (5 p.m.) through July 26 (5 p.m.): Live period

All other dates in July not listed above are considered part of the dead period.

California group proposes semi-pro league in Vegas to lure nation's top talent.

By Kami Mattioli

Las Vegas strip (Getty Images)

If someone offered you $700,000 to skip college, would you do it?

That's the proposition a group of businessmen in California are trying to sell to the nation's top high school basketball talent. The premise, according to owner Cerruti Brown, is easy: join the Las Vegas Dealers semi-pro team, skip the college game altogether, make some money and then get drafted.
 
“College is not for every young man that is trying to use basketball to provide a better situation for their families,” Brown says.

“Our innovative model targets the McDonald’s All-Americans who are projected first round prospects by NBA scouts and general managers. This concept allows for the highly touted player to bypass college and immediately become a paid professional.  We are able to offer competitive salaries averaging around $700k to the highly touted McDonald’s All-Americans who are typically 'one-and-done' players and $400k for college underclassmen. The Dealers niche will be based on giving basketball players a different option than what is presently offered in America. Before this, underclassmen had to either play college ball or go overseas. Venturing to Europe will not be a necessity when a U.S. based organization will play top European teams.”

Brown says the 2015-16 season will be the inaugural one for the Dealers, and that the management group has already reached out to some McDonald's All-American players with offers.

“We don’t see any problems in landing the right kids. Now, I’m not going to say we’ll have 10 of the top 25 kids this year, but I’m going to go on record as saying we’re going to have five,” Brown told Las Vegas television station WVVU last week.

Of the 24 players on the 2015 McDonald's All-American roster, however, only one remains uncommitted — Caleb Swanigan, who re-opened his recruitment last week. It seems unlikely that, even with a hefty sum of money, the Dealers would be able to poach any of the top players who haven't yet signed a Letter of Intent.

Part of the reason is that the Dealers likely are scrambling to assemble a schedule of European teams before the team's inaugural season begins in October, so there's no guarantee the group will be able to land games against EuroLeague teams at all, let alone teams that rival the top college competition.

That seems too risky a move for players hoping to become lottery picks in the 2016 NBA Draft.

Another question that may be cause for pause among players: Where is the money coming from?

The Dealers are an independent team, meaning that they don't belong to a league that could share profits from other teams. The risks are inherently the same as investing in an unproven start-up business, and with such a limited window for college players to prove their value, many won't want to take the risk.

Preakness Stakes 2015 schedule: The second jewel of the Triple Crown is here.

By James Pennington

All eyes are on American Pharoah this week.

American Pharoah enjoyed a cozy win in the Kentucky Derby on May 2, cruising along off the lead before storming ahead in the final turn to take the Run for the Roses. Now the Preakness Stakes is here, and jockey Victor Espinoza and trainer Bob Baffert will have a laser's focus turned toward them all week until the gates swing open at Pimlico.

The Preakness runs at 1 3/16 miles, half a furlong shorter than the Kentucky Derby and 2 1/2 furlongs shorter than the Belmont Stakes, which will be run June 6. The shorter distance doesn't necessarily signal problems for American Pharoah, whose surge to win the Kentucky Derby suggested he had all the gas he could need in the homestretch and that Espinoza could have turned it on sooner.

 

Baffert has been in this position before. Pharoah was his fourth Derby winner, and each of the previous three also won the Preakness: Silver Charm in 1997, 1998's Real Quiet and War Emblem in 2002. Real Quiet notably suffered the slimmest loss in the Belmont Stakes, losing to Victory Gallop by all of four inches. Overall, Baffert has won five Preakness Stakes, including the three aforementioned Derby winners and also 2001's Point Given and 2010's Lookin at Lucky.

 

No horse has won the Triple Crown since Affirmed did so in 1978.

 

American Pharoah, along with several other Preakness contenders such as Firing Line and Dortmund, will remain at Churchill Downs until a Wednesday flight to Baltimore for the Preakness. Wednesday is also when the post position draw will take place, determining where the horses will start on Saturday and just how heavy a morning line favorite American Pharoah will likely be.

 

Friday's racing at Pimlico will feature the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes, a Grade II stakes for 3-year-old fillies that is considered the second leg of the Filly Triple Crown that coincides with the three Triple Crown races. Kentucky Oaks winner Lovely Maria is expected to be among the Black-Eyed Susan entrants.

 

Wednesday, May 13: Preakness Stakes post position draw, 6 p.m. ET, HRTV

 

Friday, May 15: Black-Eyed Susan Stakes coverage begins at 3 p.m. ET (4:50 p.m. ET post time) on NBCSN

 

Saturday, May 16: Preakness Stakes coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN and moves to NBC at 5 p.m. ET

 

Preakness Stakes post time: 6:18 p.m. ET

 

Hall of Famer Stevens looking to turn tables in Preakness.

 

By MIKE FARRELL

 

Exercise rider Umberto Gomez gallops Kentucky Derby runner-up Firing Line at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., Monday, May 11, 2015, in preparations for a start in the 140th Preakness Stakes in Baltimore on May 16. (AP Photo/Garry Jones)

Gary Stevens came within a length of his fourth Kentucky Derby win when Firing Line finished second to American Pharoah.

Not bad for a 52-year-old rider with an artificial knee.

The Hall of Famer will try to even the score Saturday in the Preakness at Pimlico Race Course when the Derby runner-up again faces the Bob Baffert-trained duo of American Pharoah and third-place Derby finisher Dortmund.

"As we get older, we're not going to get too many chances, so hopefully look, if he's 80 years old or 79, he's still bringing it. But it's tougher as we go along," Baffert said of the rider who won a Derby for him in 1998 aboard Silver Charm. "He brings a lot of experience into this race."

Stevens is considered a brilliant tactician, perhaps the best among active jockeys. His latest Derby ride was a textbook case in point. Stevens maneuvered Firing Line through early traffic in a bulky 18-horse field to fashion an ideal trip behind the pacesetting Dortmund.

It was a two-horse race in the final sixteenth-of-a-mile with American Pharoah prevailing, preventing a 9-1 upset by Stevens and Firing Line.

"I know Gary really well, and so I had a feeling the race was going to set up like that," Baffert said. "He was so focused. I was watching him all week. That horse was training well, and Gary's out there helping him train, so Gary's on a mission too, like I am."

Stevens could add another big win to his remarkable career — and improbable comeback — with a fourth Preakness win.

Knees have always been Stevens' weakness. They forced him to the sideline in 1999. He returned the following year only to retire — seemingly for good — in 2005.

Out of the saddle, he stayed active as a television analyst, had a few acting roles as a follow up to his appearance in the movie "Sea biscuit," and briefly trained horses.

But the lure of competition drove him to return in 2013. He amazingly picked up where he left off, winning the Preakness that year with Oxbow and the Breeders' Cup Classic aboard Mucho Macho Man.

Those victories could not erase the pain of arthritis. Stevens underwent right knee replacement in July of last year. Once again on the comeback trail, Stevens now rides a feisty colt who relishes a good fight.

"He was training like a bear all week long," Stevens said of countdown to the Derby. "As the race approached closer, he was very, very relaxed, but his energy level, he kept getting tougher and tougher and tougher in the mornings.

"So I knew I was sitting on a horse that was on go, leading into the Derby."

Firing Line did gain a measure of revenge, finally finishing ahead of Dortmund after two narrow losses in Derby preps in California.

Now it's Round 2 against the Baffert duo.

"Hopefully we can turn the tables on American Pharaoh, the same as we did Dortmund," Stevens said. "But believe me, I have plenty of respect for all three horses. They are very, very good and exceptional colts."

The edge could be the rider.

"He's a really good guy, and I think for all these top end races, I don't think you can have anyone better than Gary on your horse," Simon Callaghan, Firing Line's trainer, said. "So in the race, we'll pretty much leave it to him, and whatever he decides to do is good with us."

On This Date in Sports History: Today is Wednesday, May 13, 2015.

Memoriesofhistory.com

1911 - Fred Merkle (New York Giants) recorded six RBIs in an inning.

1953 - Willie Mays (New York Giants) and Darryl Spencer (New York Giants) each hit two homeruns and a triple in the same game.

1955 - Mickey Mantle hit three consecutive home runs.

1958 - Stan Musial became the 8th player in major league history to get 3,000 hits.

1972 - The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Minnesota Twins, 4-3, in 22 innings. The game was actually started on May 12.

1982 - The Chicago Cubs won their 8,000th game.

1983 - Reggie Jackson became the first major league player to strike out 2,000 times.

1985 - Carlton Fisk became the 5th catcher in major league history to steal 100 bases.

1989 - Wayne Gretzky was a guest on "Saturday Night Live."

1991 - At Yankee Stadium fans sang Madonna's song "Like a Virgin" to Jose Canseco.

1994 - The Cleveland Indians began an 18 game win streak.

1996 - O.J. Simpson appeared on British TV to discuss his not guilty verdict.

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