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Sports Quote of the Day:
" It seems to be a law of nature, inflexible and inexorable, that those who will not risk cannot win." ~ John Paul Jones, Sailor and Naval Fighter
Trending: Spieth overshadowed but firmly in the hunt. (See golf section for details).
US golfer Dustin Johnson watches his drive from the 4th tee on the opening day of the British Open at St Andrews in Scotland, on July 16, 2015 (AFP Photo/Ben Stansall)
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Jonathan Toews wins ESPY for Best NHL Player.
By C. Roumeliotis
Jonathan Toews is already one of the most decorated players in the NHL, and he added another accolade to his resume on Wednesday.
The Blackhawks captain won the 2015 ESPY Award for Best NHL Player, beating out fellow nominees Washington's Alex Ovechkin, Montreal's Carey Price, New York Islanders' John Tavares, and teammate Duncan Keith.
Toews compiled 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists) in 23 postseason games, piloting the Blackhawks to their third Stanley Cup win in the last six years. He also registered 28 goals, including seven game-winners, and 38 assists in 81 regular-season games last season, ranked fourth in faceoff wins, and finished with a career-high rating of plus-30.
At age 27, Toews may be far from finished to padding his trophy collection.
The Blackhawks captain won the 2015 ESPY Award for Best NHL Player, beating out fellow nominees Washington's Alex Ovechkin, Montreal's Carey Price, New York Islanders' John Tavares, and teammate Duncan Keith.
Toews compiled 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists) in 23 postseason games, piloting the Blackhawks to their third Stanley Cup win in the last six years. He also registered 28 goals, including seven game-winners, and 38 assists in 81 regular-season games last season, ranked fourth in faceoff wins, and finished with a career-high rating of plus-30.
At age 27, Toews may be far from finished to padding his trophy collection.
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session... USA Basketball's Jerry Colangelo talks Rose's chances for 2016 Olympic games.
By Vincent Goodwill
With Summer League displaying the youth and NBA dreams players are chasing, Vegas also sets the stage for the elite of the elite next month for USA Basketball.
While the Bulls were playing their third Summer League game Tuesday afternoon in Cox Pavilion, USA Basketball Director Jerry Colangelo sat across the concourse at the Thomas and Mack Center watching Dallas and Washington from a VIP seat.
In a month, Colangelo will preside over what he calls a “celebration” of USA basketball during a three-day minicamp from August 11-13.
There will be a USA basketball showcase at the Thomas and Mack center, a blue and white game that could play a part in determining who’ll make the trip to Rio de Janeiro to represent the country in the 2016 Olympic games.
Bulls guards Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler (a late addition according to ESPN) presumably will be in Las Vegas hoping to impress Colangelo and USA Basketball coach Mike Kryzyzewski.
“We don’t want to act prematurely regarding anyone’s prospects or opportunities,” said Colangelo in an exclusive interview with CSNChicago.com. “We have a national team roster. The important thing this summer is for our people to come together, kind of a celebration if you will of USA basketball, get a read on where people are physically, what their attitude is going forward. And we have plenty of time regarding the selection of a roster for Rio.”
Seeing where players like Rose, Paul George (Indiana) and Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City) are with their rehabilitation or overall health is a chief concern for Colangelo.
Seeing if LeBron James is up for his fourth run of Olympic play is whom Colangelo was referring to when he said “attitude going forward.”
The Cavaliers star hasn’t said publicly which way he was leaning but Colangelo said he’ll get a feel for what James wants to do next month. As for the Bulls oft-injured star who underwent meniscus surgery in late February before making a return in early April, Colangelo said special attention will be paid to the likes of Rose.
“Absolutely, there’s no question about it,” Colangelo said. “The ballplayers are valuable assets and we want to protect them as much as possible.”
The gruesome leg injury suffered by George at that very gym when he landed awkwardly against the basket stanchion cost George his season and the Pacers a chance at a decent 2015 playoff run.
It sparked concerns about NBA players participating in the USA Basketball program, as well as NBA team owners feeling like the teams inherently take all the risk without getting much in return, with the mob led of course by Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.
“We don’t want them to be at risk in any way,” Colangelo said. “Their first responsibility is to their team.”
But he added, “The good news is this: Everybody wants to play, they all want to participate and so it’ll solve itself. It’ll come out in the wash.”
“There’s a lot of considerations when you figure who’s gonna end up playing for you in the Olympics,” Colangelo said.
Golden State Warriors star and 2014-15 MVP Stephen Curry is a shoo-in at point guard while Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving will be out due to recovery for his broken kneecap he suffered in the NBA Finals.
Memphis point guard Mike Conley and Utah’s point guard Trey Burke have been invited to the camp in August, but neither are in Rose’s class as far as talent. Golden State’s Harrison Barnes, Orlando’s Victor Oladipo and Tobias Harris are some swingmen who’ve been added to the camp in addition to Butler.
Despite the light atmosphere Colangelo wants to establish for the August weekend, it’s clear he has an eye toward the 2015-16 NBA season and ensuing selection process, making attendance to this nearly mandatory for consideration.
“We have another NBA season, a season that will always have its injuries because it’s part of the game,” Colangelo said. “We can watch how guys progress, we can make sure they’re injury free and we’ll be in camp a year from now in preparation for Rio. We’ll have a roster of 15-18, from which we’ll take 12.
“And trust me, it’ll be a real difficult process. There’s so many players who want to be part of it, it’ll be a big job in selecting the team.”
Dollars and sense: In the NBA, money is exploding. What's your Take?
By TIM REYNOLDS
To understand how the business model of NBA salaries is unlike ever before, consider the cases of Reggie Jackson, Khris Middleton and DeMarre Carroll.
They're not exactly household names, either.
Nonetheless, the trio got a combined $210 million in deals this summer: Jackson got $80 million over five years from the Detroit Pistons, Middleton a five-year, $70 million deal to stay with the Milwaukee Bucks, and Carroll a four-year contract worth nearly $60 million to join the Toronto Raptors.
Only a couple years ago, such deals would have been considered baffling. These days, they seem quite fair.
''The numbers you hear out there, they seem crazy to think about,'' Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside said.
Thanks to a $24 billion television deal that kicks in before the 2016-17 season, already skyrocketing salaries will soon reach a new stratosphere. It's hard to fathom that a league that dealt with serious labor strife four years ago and might be looking at another work stoppage in a couple years is about to become flush with so much cash.
''One of the things we're learning is that there is so much that's unpredictable when the cap is moving so dramatically as it did - as it will next year and the year after that,'' NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. ''We're continuing to study how our system is absorbing the money.''
Despite all the contract riches, Silver offers a major word of caution - the NBA still insists that plenty of teams are losing money.
''A significant number of teams are continuing to lose money and they continue to lose money because their expenses exceed their revenue,'' Silver said.
And yet to many, the riches seem richer than ever. The salary cap for this coming season was supposed to rise considerably to $67 million; it went even higher, to $70 million. The salary cap for the 2016-17 season might be $90 million. For the season after that, maybe $110 million or more.
These days, players that might not have been considered stars are getting what would recently have been star-level deals. John Wall - one of the league's elite point guards - of the Washington Wizards aired his complaints earlier this week.
''I'm getting the same as Reggie Jackson,'' he lamented, as quoted by CSN Washington.
Wall, a two-time All-Star, is going into the second year of a five-year, $85 million deal. Jackson cashed in after averaging nearly 18 points in 27 games with Detroit this past season, a breakout that followed 3 1/2 seasons of largely unheralded work.
''That new CBA kicked in at the right time,'' Wall said.
Sure, but it seems like all players are reaping benefits. Under the current CBA, player salaries are supposed to make up about 50.4 percent of the league's basketball-related income. This past season, income grew more than anticipated and that meant the league wrote a check to the National Basketball Players Association to cover the difference - roughly $57 million.
Silver thinks that might look like peanuts next year.
''We could be writing a check moving close to half a billion dollars to the players association,'' Silver said. ''That's not of course the ideal outcome from our standpoint. ... It's happened because the revenue we generated was much higher than we had ever modeled. But we're also learning that when you have all that money coming into the system, team behavior isn't necessarily predictable either.''
The numbers right now are huge, which is giving some within the game hope that the league and the union - which can opt out of the current collective bargaining agreement in two years - can avoid any more interruptions in play.
Anthony Davis got locked up by the New Orleans Pelicans for $145 million over the next five years. LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers will make $23 million this season; he could earn more than $30 million in 2016-17 if he, as would seem likely, opts out once again.
Next summer, Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder is the expected headliner of the free-agent class, and his contract could easily set records. Just think what Stephen Curry - the league's reigning MVP and leader of the NBA champion Golden State Warriors - will make when he's a free agent again in 2017.
Some scoffed when he signed a $44 million, four-year deal in 2013. Curry seems like the biggest bargain in the game now.
''I've never seen anything like it,'' New York Knicks general manager Steve Mills said, when asked about how contract values keep soaring. ''Obviously, it changes what happens with the league.''
The growth has been steady in recent years, though now the climb seems to be much steeper. In 2011, the average annual value of new free-agent contracts was about $5 million. So far this year, it's flirting with the $10 million mark.
Whiteside will make just under $1 million this season. Next summer, it wouldn't be surprising if he landed a deal with a total worth of $80 million or more.
''Can't think about it,'' Whiteside said. ''It's hard to process. I just worry about what I can control.''
Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Take: These salaries are ridiculous and completely insane. The NBA and NBAPA are headed for a major bubble burst like one never seen before. As the commissioner has stated, despite all the contract riches, he offers a major word of caution - the NBA still insists that plenty of teams are losing money. Silver reiterated that, ''A significant number of teams are continuing to lose money and they continue to lose money because their expenses exceed their revenue.'' Eventually team performance, economic conditions and other unforeseen circumstances will cause serious concerns and major problems for the league and the player's association. Ticket prices, cable and satellite cost, jersey prices, etc. will reach a point that the average fan will not be able to afford them. The average fan's salary is not escalating as fast as the player's salaries are. It is very evident that a strike is very possible in the near future. Now is the time for the NBA and the NBAPA to sit down and re-evaluate future expense considerations. The fans are the driving force behind the league's popularity, however, they have an economic breaking point also. Contrary to popular belief, greed is not always good. Basketball is a terrific sport, I just hope the parties involved, (NBA and NBAPA), do not kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.
Now, you know what we think and how we feel, what are your thoughts and what's your take? Please go to the comment section at the end of this blog and share your thoughts with us. We value your comments and can't wait to hear them.
The Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Editorial Staff.
Luol Deng, Pau Gasol to play in NBA Africa Game.
By Mark Strotman
Headliners include former Bulls forward Luol Deng, eight-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul and Bulls center Pau Gasol, who all will participate in the Aug. 1 game at Ellis Park Arena in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Deng, a South Sudan native, will captain Team Africa, comprised of both players born in Africa and second-generation African players. Gregg Popovich will coach the team that also includes Al-Farouq Aminu, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nicolas Batum, Bismack Biyombo, Boris Diaw, Gorgui Dieng, Festus Ezeli, Serge Ibaka and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute.
Paul, the NBPA president, will captain Team World, which also includes Bradley Beal, Kenneth Faried, Marc Gasol, Pau Gasol, Jeff Green, Marcus Smart, Evan Turner and Nikola Vucevic. Brooklyn Nets coach Lionel Hollins will coach the squad.
For Gasol, the two-time NBA champion said in a press release it was an easy decision to take part in the game.
"When I heard about the NBA Africa Game I jumped at the chance to participate," he said. "The continent of Africa has a special meaning for me through my foundation. I look forward to putting on a great show for the fans and taking part in activities in the local community."
NBA commissioner Adam Silver will attend the game, along with NBA global ambassador Dikembe Mutombo and NBA Africa ambassador Hakeem Olajuwon.
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!! Four positions worth special attention as Bears camp looms.
By John Mullin
(Any doubts, see: Bears, Chicago; 2014).
Three overarching issues will in large part determine the success of the 2015 Bears, and those will be addressed subsequently by CSNChicago.com. But four specific positions warrant close attention when training camp opens later this month and on through the preseason:
Defensive End
When the Bears signed Jared Allen, Lamarr Houston and Willie Young last offseason, the plan was to add a win-now edge pass rush out of a 4-3 scheme. Now the scheme is changed, Houston and Young have yet to practice following season-ending injuries last season, and Allen’s role or spot on the depth chart is still forming.
But the real question at the position lies at the end positions in the 3-4 scheme, spots that need to staffed by players closer in size and role to defensive tackles, not the speed rushers lined up outside offensive tackles.
The Bears used a No. 2 pick on Eddie Goldman to staff nose tackle, and they have other options at that spot. What they don’t have are the fits like coordinator Vic Fangio had in San Francisco with Justin Smith (285 pounds) and Ray Collins. Ego Ferguson and Jeremiah Ratliff have been with the No. 1 unit but it is a critical position for the run defense that needs to be stout if Fangio is to have chances to display the creativity that has established him as one of the NFL’s elite coordinators.
“Your heart and soul in any defense, and the 3-4 is no different, the three down linemen to me are the heart and soul of the defense,” Fangio said. “If they're getting pushed around, it doesn't matter what you're in; we're in trouble.”
OL Right Side
The location of Kyle Long has been an obvious story line through the offseason, and the two-time Pro Bowl lineman has been at both guard and tackle through minicamps and OTA’s. But more is involved than just Long.
Left tackle Jermon Bushrod sat out practices in June, as did right tackle Jordan Mills, the starter at right tackle before a troublesome foot injury week 17 of 2013. The Bears signed guard Vladimir Ducasse from the Minnesota Vikings; the decision on Long can be assumed to factor in whether Ducasse is a better guard than Mills is a tackle.
Left tackle is the marquis position from the standpoint of pass protection to the quarterback’s blind side. But the majority of Hall of Fame defensive ends were left ends, meaning the ones who were bearing down right where the quarterback can see any protection breakdown.
The Bears are making changes to their blocking schemes; those typically always happen anyway with a coaching change. But sorting out the blocking where it’s most visible to quarterback Jay Cutler has to happen, and happen quickly.
“I look at tackles, while they have to be physical, I look at them as ‘skill’ guys,” said line coach Dave Magazu. “They better be able to protect the passer first, and maybe be a run blocker second."
Special Teams
Special teams at times over the past two years had the appearance and feel of afterthoughts. Coordinator Joe DeCamillis was forced to deal with constantly changing personnel, rarely working with starting defensive players or top specialists in the coverage arts.
The result was that units that once ranked annually among the NFL’s best slipped into mediocrity. Coach John Fox hired Jeff Rodgers as special-teams coordinator with the Denver Broncos and was able to bring Rodgers to the Bears staff.
“There’s a lot of things to like about guys that make tackles or guys that did a good job with blocks or if they were penalty type guys,” Rodgers said. “You just try to identify those things, educate them on what we’re trying to do and move forward.”
Inside Linebacker
So much attention has been on the outside linebackers because of the pass-rush component, that the inside two have been overlooked. They shouldn’t be.
Fangio’s top-10 defenses in San Francisco got sacks from Aldon and Justin Smith. But they had All-Pro’s NaVorro Bowman and Patrick Willis as their 245-pound inside linebackers.
The Bears have nothing approaching the Bowman-Willis tandem; no team does. And what they do have are Christian Jones and Shea McClellin lining up as the first unit, plus Mason Foster from Tampa Bay and potentially Jonathan Bostic coming off a back injury.
None of the four have ever started at inside linebacker at the NFL level. Not that they’re intimidated by the challenge, but...
“I feel comfortable,” McClellin said as the offseason practices wrapped up. “I haven't played inside for a long time, but it's starting to come back to me, the instincts to play in there are coming back. Personally I'm feeling good… .It's not where we want to be, but we'll continue to build.”
Lamarr Houston: There won’t be much to laugh about this season.
By Josh Alper
(Photo/AP)
When Bears linebacker Lamarr Houston tore his ACL while celebrating his first sack of the season in the fourth quarter of a blowout loss to the Patriots, he became a punch line for plenty of people.
Houston could see the humor in the situation and says that people are “not wrong to question why I celebrated and they’re not wrong to say I shouldn’t have celebrated,” although he feels he had reason to celebrate. He also says that the celebration is going to remain part of his game while vowing that it won’t lead to laughter this season.
“My second thought was ‘Laugh now. Because next year when I come back, there’s not going to be much to laugh about,'” Houston said, via the Chicago Tribune.
Houston made another vow as he prepares to play the second season of a five-year, $35 million deal that he signed with the Bears before last season.
“People in Chicago haven’t had the opportunity to see my full athleticism yet,” Houston said. “They’ll be surprised. I guarantee that.”
Houston joins Jared Allen in making the move to outside linebacker this season and will be part of a group that also includes Willie Young and Pernell McPhee as the Bears try to resurrect their defense under new coordinator Vic Fangio. They’ll need that group to provide consistent pressure off the edge for that resurrection to take place or there won’t be much more to celebrate in Chicago this season.
Cubs promoting Kyle Schwarber in response to Miguel Montero’s injury.
By Patrick Mooney
With Miguel Montero headed to the disabled list, the Cubs will promote Schwarber from Triple-A Iowa, fast-tracking their top prospect to Turner Field when the second half opens on Friday against the Atlanta Braves.
Montero is scheduled to see a hand specialist on Friday and will be sidelined for at least 15 days. The two-time All-Star catcher jammed his left thumb in the second-to-last game before the All-Star break. The Cubs had ruled out a broken bone after the initial MRI.
For now, the Cubs plan to rotate Schwarber with veteran catchers David Ross and Taylor Teagarden. But the buzz will revolve around Schwarber, the Futures Game MVP and last year’s No. 4 overall pick out of Indiana University.
This is the damage Schwarber has done through his first 147 games in the minors: .333 average, 34 homers, 102 RBI and a 1.042 OPS.
Maybe Schwarber’s left-handed bat can give a struggling lineup a lift. His presence already helped the Cubs as a designated hitter during interleague play. He went 8-for-22 (.364) with one home run and six RBI in six games last month, showing he could be a potential impact player for the stretch run.
A move to left field would have allowed Schwarber to focus on his offense, and not worry about game-calling and pitch-framing while trying to handle all the egos and information overload.
Now, in the heat of a pennant race, the Cubs should get a better idea of whether or not Schwarber can be a long-term answer behind the plate.
After Schwarber move, Cubs waiting for more impact at trade deadline.
By Patrick Mooney
The Cubs are responding to Miguel Montero’s injury by promoting elite prospect Kyle Schwarber from Triple-A Iowa.
If that aggressive mindset is going to carryover to the trade deadline, the Cubs have to hope teams start getting more realistic and more decisive once the All-Star break ends.
Not that the Cubs know exactly what they will do by July 31, but there is no impulse to blow this team up again. It’s just a matter of how much Theo Epstein’s front office will add, how hard they want to slam their foot on the accelerator.
Schwarber will be rejoining a third-place team when the Cubs open the second half on Friday against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field. At 47-40, the Cubs also have the National League’s fifth-best winning percentage, already sweeping the season series (7-0) against the New York Mets, the team trailing them by one game in the race for the second wild card.
All 15 teams in the American League are within eight games of a playoff spot, creating uncertainty about which direction to go and fueling the belief this could be a sellers’ market.
“It’s not a unilateral thing,” Epstein said. “You can’t make things happen at the deadline. It’s all about understanding what teams are trying to do, being opportunistic when they’re in a certain mindset, trying to match up.
“But I think it’s important when you write about the trade deadline, you look back. Those deals rarely work for buyers.”
The Cubs built this team, in part, through those fire sales, finding 40 percent of their rotation (Jake Arrieta, Kyle Hendricks), rebuilding their bullpen (Pedro Strop, Justin Grimm, Neil Ramirez), getting a starting second baseman (Addison Russell) and deepening their overall pool of prospects.
Within Epstein’s first three years of running baseball operations, the Cubs engineered 10 major trades where they gave up 13 players (average age: 31) and eight seasons of future control for 17 prospects (average age: 22.5) and 95 seasons of future control.
“We’ve made a lot of phone calls,” general manager Jed Hoyer said. “But I don’t think things have sort of kicked off yet, as far as the trade market. I still think this will be a tighter market than usual early on, just because the American League is so jumbled up that I don’t think teams have really declared themselves yet.
“The National League’s a little bit different, but I think it will take some time to break through. Maybe after the All-Star break that will happen.”
The Cubs are relevant again with star manager Joe Maddon, All-Stars Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant and the hope another impact player could arrive within the next two weeks beyond Schwarber, a 22-year-old catcher and Baseball America’s No. 6 midseason prospect.
“It’s brought a nice little buzz to the city,” said Jon Lester (4-8, 3.59 ERA), who had an up-and-down first half in the first year of that $155 million megadeal.
“We’ve got a bunch of young guys on this team that haven’t played a full season in the big leagues before, and the adjustment period has (gone) surprisingly well.
“I expect these guys to continue to make adjustments and continue to do well. With that being said, there’s going to be some ups and downs involved. You have to take the good with the bad sometimes.”
With the Cubs already bracing for Bryant, Russell and Jorge Soler to hit the rookie wall – not to mention the unanswered questions about the back of the rotation and what that does to the bullpen – is there a psychological boost to acquiring a new player?
“It depends on how good he is,” said Maddon, who guided the Tampa Bay Rays to five 90-win seasons between 2008 and 2013.
“That could be overstated. I’ve been involved in a lot of playoffs the last several years with minimal acquisition at that point. A lot of time, it comes from within. A lot of time, it comes from guys that may have been injured that get well, too. And then a lot of times, it comes from guys that have been underperforming and start to perform.”
Maddon pointed to the submarine-style reliever the Rays acquired from the Baltimore Orioles in August 2008 on their way to the World Series.
“The first year we got good, Chad Bradford was a huge addition,” Maddon said. “That came after the July 31 deadline. We got Chad and he was huge for us down the stretch (1.42 ERA in 21 appearances).
“He doesn’t have to be this huge name. It could just be a nice fit for what you’re trying to get going on here. It also could be somebody that’s really good within the room and really makes a difference in there.
“I evaluate all the importance of a player, beyond just wearing batting average on a sleeve to determine whether or not somebody is beneficial to me. I don’t go there.
“Obviously, acquisitions can be great, but I’ve seen it be detrimental. Honestly, I have. I’ve seen guys come in and absolutely take you the other way, too, because they just don’t fit.”
The Cubs still have 23 games left against the Philadelphia Phillies, Milwaukee Brewers and Colorado Rockies, three last-place teams that should be even weaker by Aug. 1 and playing for the future.
The Cubs also have 15 games remaining against the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates, the two teams in front of them in the division. Plus 10 more against the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers and the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants.
Welcome back to The Show, Kyle Schwarber.
Chris Sale: White Sox must play through distractions as deadline approaches.
By Dan Hayes
The four-time All-Star has seen his team headed this direction each of the past two seasons as the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline approaches. Outsiders believe they’ll soon be there again with a Jeff Samardzija trade almost certain.
While Sale has an advantage over most of his teammates -- he’s confident he won’t be traded -- he said he has learned to block out the noise. Not only do he and his teammates think they’re still in the postseason picture after winning nine of their last 12, but Sale wants to avoid any diversions to stay effective.
“I don’t have Twitter,” Sale said this week from the All-Star Game in Cincinnati. “I don’t have Facebook. I don’t have any of that crap. I don’t read it. I don’t pick up the newspaper. It’s all distractions, really. It’s a bunch of stuff that people write that don’t know what they’re talking about -- no offense. I don’t pay attention to it. I have a job to do and that’s be a pitcher for my team.”
The White Sox face an uphill battle to even be in consideration for the playoffs. They open the second half 5 1/2 games out in the wild-card race and currently sit in eighth place for the two spots.
Their performance has surprised opponents, who struggle to see how a team with such a strong rotation finds itself in the position it’s in.
“They’re a good team," said Pittsburgh ace Gerrit Cole. “We’ve all been in those situations where stuff doesn’t go your way. They’ve got really good players, good approach. I don’t foresee them playing like that the rest of the year. They’ve got a good squad. They’ve got the most dominant starter in baseball, they’ve got one of the best closers. Adam LaRoche and Melky Cabrera and Jose Abreu, they have a tremendous team. Unfortunately they’re where they’re at right now, but there’s plenty of baseball left. Anybody can get hot, especially with a team with those names. Don’t count them out because they’re really, really good.”
Josh Donaldson said it’s all about the pitching. Donaldson’s Toronto Blue Jays came to town last week with the hottest offense in baseball only to have Sale, Samardzija, Jose Quintana and John Danks hold them to eight runs in four games, three of which they lost. Few teams have done that to Toronto this season, Donaldson said.
“When you walk out of there you realize they have some top-of-the-line starters,” Donaldson said. “To me their pitchers are pretty darn good.”
David Price said the Detroit Tigers have endured a similar struggle as the White Sox this season. He believes Detroit, which has won seven of the teams’ 12 meetings, is better than their current 44-44 record. But given how many talented teams there, he’s not surprised when any team struggles or when another unexpectedly flourishes, like 49-40 Minnesota.
“It’s just whether or not they come together and do it night in and night out,” Price said. “On paper (the White Sox) have a very good team and that’s always surprising, just like the Tigers right now. We’re not a .500 ball club by any means. We haven’t played our best baseball yet.”
Sale thinks the only way that will continue to happen for the White Sox is if they avoid the distractions. Over the previous two weeks, Sale said White Sox players had begun to do the little things necessary to win. He believes they’ve gotten over the shock of their poor start and “everything has just kind of been clicking,” he said.
The key now is for them to continue to play the same way and shut out what everyone else has to say.
“That’s kind of the mindset we should all take is let’s not worry about what this guy says or that guy says,” Sale said. “Let’s worry about what we as a group are doing and do that together and if we keep winning it’s going to be hard to split us up.”
White Sox prospect Frankie Montas to join club Friday.
By Dan Hayes
Frankie Montas will be in the big leagues on Friday, only five days after he appeared in Major League Baseball’s Futures Game.
A baseball source confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that the White Sox pitcher, the team’s No. 2 prospect, would join the club when it opens the second half with a home doubleheader against the Kansas City Royals. Presumably, Montas would be the team’s 26th man for one game, though the White Sox declined to comment on the powerful right-hander’s promotion.
Montas is 2-1 with a 2.47 ERA in 15 starts this season at Double-A Birmingham. He earned a spot on the Southern League All-Star team last month and also was awarded a spot in the Futures Game for a second straight year, though he was unable to play in 2014 because of an injury.
One of three prospects who came over from the Boston Red Sox in the Jake Peavy trade along with Avisail Garcia from Detroit, Montas twice hit 101 mph on the radar gun in Sunday’s contest at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati. He allowed three earned runs and four hits in two-thirds of an inning for the World Team, which lost 10-1 to the U.S.
Montas posted a combined 1.44 ERA in 2014 and pitched well in the Arizona Fall League. He got off to a slow start this season but has a 1.42 ERA in his last 38 innings pitched.
“Slider has been better and the changeup, I’ve started to get a feel for it,” Montas said Sunday. “Last year when I was in High-A I was doing great. This year at the beginning I was not doing how I expected to do. Thank God I figured out some things and I’m doing better.
“Everything is going well.”
Golf: I got a club for that: Spieth overshadowed but firmly in the hunt.
Reuters; By Martyn Herman, Editing by Justin Palmer
Out-scored and out-hit by playing partner Dustin Johnson and trailing Tiger Woods in the popularity stakes, Jordan Spieth still displayed the hallmarks of a potential British Open champion on Thursday with a composed opening round of 67.
The 21-year-old American, making only his third appearance in the tournament, kept his head when the St Andrews course tripped him up and showed an unerring touch with the hottest putter in the game.
His five-under-par score around an Old Course becalmed by light breezes, was two worse than leader Johnson who consistently belted his ball further than his compatriot.
Not that he cared.
"I've played enough golf with him to believe in my skill set that I can still trump that crazy ability that he has," Spieth said of Johnson's spectacular round.
"I expect when he stands on the tee it's going to be up there miles and down the fairway. I also expect that I can birdie each hole. It's just a little different route."
As 14-times major champion Woods was unraveling amid the frenzy that still accompanies his every move, Spieth showed why he arrived here with the Masters and U.S. Open under his belt.
With talk of history in the making -- no player has won the year's first three majors since Ben Hogan in 1953 -- Spieth could have been jittery, especially at the Home of Golf and with the great and good tipping him as favorite.
Instead, he was blemish-free, carding seven birdies, the pick of the bunch a 20-foot curler he rolled in for a grandstand finish on the 18th green.
But the real clue to Spieth's quality was the way he responded when the Old Course bit him -- a quality that will be needed with bad weather on the way.
At the 465-yard par-four 13th he drove into a bunker and dropped a shot. Another one could have gone at the 14th, but he rescued par with a tricky 12-footer.
A visit to the notorious Road Hole bunker on the 17th cost him a five but he finished with a flourish at the 18th.
Although Johnson won the day's duel, Spieth is ready for another battle on Friday.
"I think that tomorrow is a true Scottish day that we all should enjoy the challenge ahead, but today was a big day to try and get off to a good start," he said.
5 things to look for on Friday at the 144th British Open.
By Ryan Ballengee
Tom Watson drives a ball during the first round of the British Open. (Photo/AP)
Meanwhile, Tiger Woods stumbled again to a new low, while Tom Watson and Nick Faldo are on the precipice of their final Open rounds at St. Andrews.
Here are the five things we're looking out for – if not forward to – on Friday:
1. Tom Watson's final walk over the Swilcan Bridge – The five-time Open champion is at 4-over after Day 1 and staring at a missed cut. That would make his walk over golf's most famous bridge his last in competition. If that appears the case, expect a flood of emotion from Watson, his playing partners Ernie Els and Brandt Snedeker and the Scottish crowd, which loves and respects the American.
2. A steady diet of hefty winds – Intermittent heavy rain is expected throughout the morning on Friday, but winds ranging from 20-35 mph should be present throughout the day. Sometimes, the wind will gust over 40 mph. That means about half the holes will be with the wind and half against. Expect a stark contrast in scores between the outward and inward nines.
3. The Dustin and Jordan Show – It's like the U.S. Open never ended. Dustin Johnson is in the lead and Jordan Spieth is just two shots behinds him. That sounds like pretty late in the day on Sunday at Chambers Bay. The question on Friday is if they can survive the weather playing in the same group.
4. Can the Americans continue to dominate? – Of the top 12 on the leaderboard, six are Americans, including amateur Jordan Niebrugge, who is at 5-under par. After Americans took four consecutive Opens from 2003-06, only two Americans (Stewart Cink in 2009, Phil Mickelson in 2013) have won since.
5. Tiger Woods' certain doom – Tiger Woods is simply unable to take what he does on the driving range and in practice rounds into competition. That mental block is what leads to scores like we saw on Thursday. After a 4-over 76 to start, Woods will need a miraculous turnaround in nasty winds to get to the weekend.
NASCAR: Tony Stewart: 'The whole year's been frustrating'.
By Nick Bromberg
Tony Stewart's disappointment with the way his 2015 season has unfolded was evident on Tuesday.
TONY STEWART: Driver, Owner, Philanthropist
Tony Stewart's disappointment with the way his 2015 season has unfolded was evident on Tuesday.
The three-time Sprint Cup Series champion was on NASCAR's weekly teleconference in advance of next week's Camping World Truck Series race at Eldora, the dirt track he owns. While the Eldora race is cause for celebration for Stewart, he's also 28th in the points standings through the first 18 races of the season.
Any joy about Eldora is muted by the way he's been running in 2015, and Stewart said the optimism he had entering the season has wavered as his team has struggled.
"You know, I wish I could say, No, it didn't," Stewart did. "But it did. I mean, the whole year's been frustrating. You know, it just seems like everywhere we go, we seem to fight the same balance. That's the part that's been frustrating for the whole 14 car."
"We're trying a ton of things and just can't seem to find anything that moves the needle and seems to make significant change. Just seems like the further we go into the year, the more frustrating that gets, too."
The previous three races could have been a perfect turning point for Stewart. He's won twice at Sonoma, four times in the Daytona summer race and it reasoned he'd perform well at Kentucky with the lower downforce package. Stewart has not adapted well to the 2015 rules configurations.
He finished 12th at Sonoma and 14th at Daytona. Kentucky was a disaster. He hit the wall and ended up 33rd.
"Well, I think honestly I'm not sure I'm the best judge of it," Stewart said of the Kentucky rules. "We're fighting the handling of our car so bad right now that I'm not sure I'm a real good judge of it."
"You know, it was a pretty considerable change package‑wise going into this weekend. Balance‑wise my car didn't change. I think there's guys that could tell you a lot more accurately about what the feel of it was better than I could at this point because we weren't close enough to getting our car driving good to really understand it."
NASCAR chairman Brian France said the sanctioning body liked what it saw at Kentucky but was also looking for more. Stewart said he thought the driver's council, which has helped streamline communication between drivers and NASCAR (and perhaps help spur changes like we saw at Kentucky), is something he's never seen. And that he'd like to see France there.
"It was all right to walk in the trailer and give [NASCAR officials] an idea, and that's as far as it always went," Stewart said. "Now you're actually having meetings, working hand‑in‑hand with NASCAR. I think that's something that I've never seen in this sport, which to me is really exciting as a driver and owner. I think it's great.
"So, you know, as far as the flipside of that, I really don't know what the answer is for that. But, I mean, I definitely think that seeing NASCAR's involvement on the more personal side, I'd love to see Brian France show up at some of these council meetings and stuff, but I'm sure he's busy."
SOCCER; MLS Snapshot: Chicago Fire 0-1 Columbus Crew.
By Nicholas Mendola
(Photo/Getty Images)
The game in 100 words (or less): Columbus scored its road win of the season against a Chicago team that’s struggling mightily… and they get to face off again in a few days. Ethan Finlay and Kei Kamara continue to assert themselves as forces in the East (and league wide for that matter).
Three moments that mattered
41′ — Kamara buries another — Ethan Finlay raced down the right wing to collect a pass, and Chicago gave him somewhere between three seconds and two years to pop a cross to an onrushing Kei Kamra, who rose to hammer home a header. Goal No. 13.
61′ — Finlay denied — Different half of the pitch but Finlay again had a chance to stare down the keeper, only to see his insurance attempt pushed over the bar.
64 — Johnson saves — Chicago goalkeeper Sean Johnson flew to stop Federico Higuain’s free kick. It was super solid.
Man of the match: Finlay — So dynamic… he must be an All-Star.
Gold Cup quarterfinals set: USA get Cuba; Costa Rica vs. Mexico pick of the ties.
By Joe Prince-Wright
The group stage of the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup came to a close on Wednesday, as the field for the knockout stages is set.
Four quarterfinals will take place this weekend with the U.S. national team facing Cuba in Baltimore on Saturday, while Haiti will play Jamaica after them at M&T Bank Stadium.
On Sunday the attention switches to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford for two tasty clashes with Trinidad and Tobago taking on Panama and the game of the tournament so far, Costa Rica vs. Mexico.
So, Jurgen Klinsmann’s side face Cuba, the team who lost 6-0 to Mexico in their opening group stage game and have only have 16 players after six players and their head coach Raul Fernandez were denied entry to the U.S. due to visa issues, while another player has apparently defected. Cuba’s late goal vs. Guatemala put them in the quarterfinals, but Klinsmann’s USMNT will be expected to coast past the island nation and into the semifinals where they will face the winner of Haiti vs. Jamaica. Winfried Schafer’s Reggae Boyz have looked impressive at this Gold Cup and certainly look to be favorites against a spirit Haiti outfit who the U.S. overcame 1-0 in group play.
On the other side of the bracket are two games which could really go either way. First up on Sunday in New Jersey we will see Trinidad and Tobago — unbeaten in the tournament so far after their amazing 4-4 tie with Mexico in Charlotte — clash with Panama. The latter have yet to get going but given the fact they made the final in 2013, expect Los Canaleros to wake up anytime soon and prove a tough test for T&T. Then, the big one: Costa Rica vs. Mexico.
Two of the pre-tournament favorites will meet at the quarterfinal stage as Costa Rica drew all three of their group games and Mexico had two ties, as both failed to finish top of their groups. Mexico have scored 10 goals in three games, while Costa Rica has scored just once. Expect Los Ticos to sit in and try to hit Mexico on the break, while the likes of Oribe Peralta and Carlos Vela will try to get El Tri going and send Miguel Herrera’s men into the semifinals against the winner of T&T and Haiti. It promises to be a superb atmosphere and occasion at MetLife on Sunday evening as the knockout stages of the Gold Cup are upon us.
Below is the full schedule for the quarterfinal matches, with our own Kyle Lynch in East Rutherford for the two games on Sunday. Make sure to give him a follow on Twitter for all the latest updates and click the links below for live commentary on each game.
2015 Gold Cup quarterfinals
July 18: USA vs. Cuba – 5 p.m. ET, M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore — Follow live
July 18: Haiti vs Jamaica – 8 p.m. ET, M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore — Follow live
July 19: Trinidad and Tobago vs. Panama – 4:30 p.m. ET, MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford — Follow live
July 19: Costa Rica vs. Mexico – 7:30 p.m. ET, MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford — Follow live
NCAAFB: Why it's vital for the SEC to tackle talk of race, Confederate flag head-on.
Three moments that mattered
41′ — Kamara buries another — Ethan Finlay raced down the right wing to collect a pass, and Chicago gave him somewhere between three seconds and two years to pop a cross to an onrushing Kei Kamra, who rose to hammer home a header. Goal No. 13.
61′ — Finlay denied — Different half of the pitch but Finlay again had a chance to stare down the keeper, only to see his insurance attempt pushed over the bar.
64 — Johnson saves — Chicago goalkeeper Sean Johnson flew to stop Federico Higuain’s free kick. It was super solid.
Man of the match: Finlay — So dynamic… he must be an All-Star.
Gold Cup quarterfinals set: USA get Cuba; Costa Rica vs. Mexico pick of the ties.
By Joe Prince-Wright
(Photo/Getty Images)
The group stage of the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup came to a close on Wednesday, as the field for the knockout stages is set.
Four quarterfinals will take place this weekend with the U.S. national team facing Cuba in Baltimore on Saturday, while Haiti will play Jamaica after them at M&T Bank Stadium.
On Sunday the attention switches to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford for two tasty clashes with Trinidad and Tobago taking on Panama and the game of the tournament so far, Costa Rica vs. Mexico.
So, Jurgen Klinsmann’s side face Cuba, the team who lost 6-0 to Mexico in their opening group stage game and have only have 16 players after six players and their head coach Raul Fernandez were denied entry to the U.S. due to visa issues, while another player has apparently defected. Cuba’s late goal vs. Guatemala put them in the quarterfinals, but Klinsmann’s USMNT will be expected to coast past the island nation and into the semifinals where they will face the winner of Haiti vs. Jamaica. Winfried Schafer’s Reggae Boyz have looked impressive at this Gold Cup and certainly look to be favorites against a spirit Haiti outfit who the U.S. overcame 1-0 in group play.
On the other side of the bracket are two games which could really go either way. First up on Sunday in New Jersey we will see Trinidad and Tobago — unbeaten in the tournament so far after their amazing 4-4 tie with Mexico in Charlotte — clash with Panama. The latter have yet to get going but given the fact they made the final in 2013, expect Los Canaleros to wake up anytime soon and prove a tough test for T&T. Then, the big one: Costa Rica vs. Mexico.
Two of the pre-tournament favorites will meet at the quarterfinal stage as Costa Rica drew all three of their group games and Mexico had two ties, as both failed to finish top of their groups. Mexico have scored 10 goals in three games, while Costa Rica has scored just once. Expect Los Ticos to sit in and try to hit Mexico on the break, while the likes of Oribe Peralta and Carlos Vela will try to get El Tri going and send Miguel Herrera’s men into the semifinals against the winner of T&T and Haiti. It promises to be a superb atmosphere and occasion at MetLife on Sunday evening as the knockout stages of the Gold Cup are upon us.
Below is the full schedule for the quarterfinal matches, with our own Kyle Lynch in East Rutherford for the two games on Sunday. Make sure to give him a follow on Twitter for all the latest updates and click the links below for live commentary on each game.
2015 Gold Cup quarterfinals
July 18: USA vs. Cuba – 5 p.m. ET, M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore — Follow live
July 18: Haiti vs Jamaica – 8 p.m. ET, M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore — Follow live
July 19: Trinidad and Tobago vs. Panama – 4:30 p.m. ET, MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford — Follow live
July 19: Costa Rica vs. Mexico – 7:30 p.m. ET, MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford — Follow live
NCAAFB: Why it's vital for the SEC to tackle talk of race, Confederate flag head-on.
By Pat Forde
Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen speaks at the SEC college football media days in Hoover, Ala. (AP)
If you want to see Southeastern Conference football coaches squirm like they’re down three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, ask them about the Confederate flag.
Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen issued 124 words in response to a question about the flag, which flies at the capitol of the state where he coaches – the presence of which prevents the state from hosting any NCAA or SEC championship events. Mullen's answer was an exercise in evasion.
“I don’t see it very often,” Mullen said. “We don’t have it on our campus. I do know we’re the most diverse campus in the Southeastern Conference. I know the university embraces that diversity as a whole. I certainly embrace that diversity. We’re so diverse, they have a Yankee as the head football coach in the Southeastern Conference [Mullen hails from New England].
“I think it’s something that on a national level is getting an awful lot of attention right now, that people are really looking into how we can make things better in the state of Mississippi. And I hope as a university we’re out on the forefront trying to help make things better with the type of school that we have and the diversity we have in our school.”
I don't know whether Mullen was worried about offending fans or boosters who still have some affection for that flag, but his answer didn't really hit the mark.
Mississippi’s Hugh Freeze took on the question a bit more directly.
“In the late ’90s, our school made a move in a direction away from the flag,” Freeze said. “So our school has kind of made up its mind of where it’s at. I’m a Mississippian. No one understands the pride of the people of that state and the heritage of that state better than I do. While I’m not a political figure, that symbol has been hijacked somewhat by groups that have meant ill will toward other people. I think it’s time that we move in a different direction with the state flag.”
That stance was quickly backed by Freeze’s boss at Ole Miss, athletic director Ross Bjork. He tweeted the following Thursday morning:
************************
Ross BjorkVerified account Follow
As a native Mississippian @CoachHughFreeze has a clear position & we are proud that our university takes a firm stand
If the folks in Starkville took Bjork’s tweet as a shot, well, that would seem like an accurate interpretation.
But the place where Freeze got lost in the tall grass was the business about people hijacking an otherwise benign symbol. The Confederate flag was never hijacked; it always was a symbol of a region fighting to preserve slavery.
As Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen wrote this week: “It takes a willful disregard of history to appreciate how white Southerners could look at the ol’ Confederate battle flag and see states’ rights or a way of life or a tradition – and not one human being whipping another, which was a common occurrence.”
Memphis Commercial-Appeal columnist Geoff Calkins followed up with Freeze on the hijacking comment. Freeze’s response: “Like I said, I’m not a political figure, nor do I want to be. I’m sure our governor and the legislation will hear from the people. But in the world to which we live, if something that is creating ill will in any way towards someone, it’s difficult for me to support that. As far as comparing what the original meaning meant, I’m going to have to go study some and make sure I’m speaking out of knowledge as opposed to – I know the people I grew up around, I did not see them using it in ill will toward anyone, but obviously, I was raised at a much later date. I do think it’s been associated with people that have meant some harm and ill will.”
This is the tricky reality of being a Southern football coach in the wake of the horrific hate-crime massacre in Charleston, S.C., this summer. On one level, these coaches can be forgiven for wondering why they have to wade into politically and socially sensitive waters. But on a larger level, they absolutely should be asked about it and talk about it.
Hopefully with some candor.
Most of these millionaires are the most visible men at their universities, and some are the most visible men in their states. Their words matter. And given whom these coaches recruit – a huge percentage of their rosters are comprised of African-American players from the South – the topic is relevant.
Ideally, they’d all deal with the issue the way Steve Spurrier has, consistently, since he came to South Carolina. This is what he said eight years ago on the issue of the Confederate flag flying at the capitol in that state:
“I realize I'm not supposed to get in the political arena as a football coach, but if anybody were ever to ask me about that damn Confederate flag, I would say we need to get rid of it. I've been told not to talk about that. But if anyone were ever to ask me about it, I certainly wish we could get rid of it."
Not talking about race has stunted America’s growth. It was an uncomfortable topic, and we lost the ability to have frank discussions about uncomfortable things. So there was a rush by a lot of people to declare racial issues dead and gone in the United States – the nation had become colorblind, there was equality for all, and the scary old ideas were gone forever. The term “post-racial” gained some traction, even if it was a fallacy.
Barack Obama’s election helped further that line of thinking. But for all the progress that represented, it also wasn’t the truth. And what happened in Charleston helped tear down that façade.
So we should all keep talking about race, as candidly as possible. Even college football coaches.
NCAABKB; NBC SportsWorld: Bryce Alford on life as a coaches son.
By Rob Dauster
(Photo/Getty Images)
Back in June, I flew out to Los Angeles to attend the Nike Basketball Academy.
In my downtime, however, I made my way over to UCLA’s Westwood campus to spend some time with Bryce Alford, the star point guard for the Bruins and the son of the program’s head coach, Steve Alford.
That conversation turned into a wide-ranging story — published over on NBC SportsWorld — where we talked about the rivalries within the family, how Bryce ended up playing for his dad, the criticism he receives for playing “Daddy-Ball” and what it’s like being a coach’s son.
The Alford family was open and honest, and the way they view their status is interesting.
You can read the full story here.
Tour de France at a glance.
In my downtime, however, I made my way over to UCLA’s Westwood campus to spend some time with Bryce Alford, the star point guard for the Bruins and the son of the program’s head coach, Steve Alford.
That conversation turned into a wide-ranging story — published over on NBC SportsWorld — where we talked about the rivalries within the family, how Bryce ended up playing for his dad, the criticism he receives for playing “Daddy-Ball” and what it’s like being a coach’s son.
The Alford family was open and honest, and the way they view their status is interesting.
You can read the full story here.
Tour de France at a glance.
AP - Sports
A brief look at the 12th stage of the Tour de France on Thursday.
On This Date in Sports History: Today is Friday, July 17, 2015.
Stage: The toughest and last of the three Pyrenees stages took riders over 195 kilometers (121 miles) from Lannemezan to an uphill finish at the Plateau de Beille ski station.
Winner: Joachim Rodriguez. Despite high heat then hard rain, the Spanish leader of the Russian Katusha team broke away to collect his second stage win, following another uphill finish in Stage 3.
Yellow jersey: Chris Froome. The 2013 champion overcame repeat attacks from his top rivals, and didn't lose time to them in the title chase.
How did the ''Fab Four'' perform? Nairo Quintana of Colombia, two-time champ Alberto Contador of Spain, and 2014 winner Vincenzo Nibali all finished with the same time as Froome.
Quote of the day: ''I love it when it rains like that. I really enjoy it. It's like being back home in Wales'' - Froome's Sky teammate, Geraint Thomas, musing about the downpour.
Stat of the day: 6:47. Rodriguez was 6 minutes, 47 seconds faster than Froome, trimming his deficit to the British leader by more than one third.
Next stage: Stage 13 on Friday takes the pack over three lower-grade climbs in a 198.5-kilomeer (123-mile) trek from Muret to Rodez, in one of the least-populated corners of France.
On This Date in Sports History: Today is Friday, July 17, 2015.
Memoriesofhistory.com
1941 - The longest hitting streak in baseball history ended when the Cleveland Indians pitchers held New York Yankee Joe DiMaggio hitless for the first time in 57 games. The streak had begun on May 15, 1941.
1954 - The Brooklyn Dodgers made history as the first team with a majority of black players.
1994 - Brazil won a record fourth World Cup in soccer. They defeated Italy 3-2 on penalty kicks.
1954 - The Brooklyn Dodgers made history as the first team with a majority of black players.
1994 - Brazil won a record fourth World Cup in soccer. They defeated Italy 3-2 on penalty kicks.
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