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Sports Quote of the Day:
"Losers make promises they often break. Winners make commitments they always keep." ~ Denis Waitley, Motivational Speaker, Writer, Consultant and Best-Selling Author
Trending: The Chicago Bears Training Camp Starts July 29, 2015. Are You Ready For Some Football? Just Asking? (See football section for details).
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Rocky Wirtz: Blackhawks want new practice facility near United Center.
By Chris Kuc
Blackhawks Chairman Rocky Wirtz visited the Chicago Tribune's Editorial Board on Thursday to discuss his myriad business dealings, including operating the Stanley Cup champions. Here is Wirtz on some of the hockey-related topics discussed:
On a new practice facility for the Blackhawks: "We want to build a practice facility. Hopefully, we're close. Working with the city and finding the right parcel (of land) is the key thing. We want it in close proximity to the United Center. That's really what makes sense. There's a lot of area available out there."
On plans for future hockey events: "We're talking about trying to get the World Junior Championships here (in 2018). That would be part of the bid with this new facility. That's all the best countries' (junior) teams. It's a big deal. Next to the Olympics, I think that's the biggest hockey event.
"It would be great. There are so many different things you can do with this. (It's) bringing people into the city, especially internationally. It's great for the city and good for the sport and it's good for us. We want to make this a 12-month sport and this is another way to do it."
On the NHL's salary cap and losing players because of it: "It's hard for the fans because, rightfully so, (they) fall in love with certain players and that's great. The players who were here, both Patrick Sharp and Brandon Saad are terrific young men but it's a business. I think it's helping hockey. You have to have a formula, in my humble opinion, to make enough teams profitable.
"The hard cap is good for the players, it's good for ownership and then we can grow the revenues of the league. Overall, I see very good days ahead."
On the dual eight-year, $84 million contract extensions to Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane that will kick in next season: "In the long run we'll see if we get a couple of more statues. I think that they're quality individuals. They're never satisfied. They're great leaders and I think they're terrific for the city. As the eight-year contracts go on, I think we'll see they're worth every penny."
On how long the contracts for the circus and ice show run at the United Center, disrupting the Hawks' and Bulls' seasons: "I think two more years. We're looking at (whether) you even want to bring them back for a long weekend. What happens is both (the Hawks and Bulls) are on the road for two weeks. We made those commitments and we talked to the Feld (Entertainment) folks (about) if we can kind of redo the contract and they weren't interested at the time. I think we'll kind of sit back and let the contracts expire and see what we can do."
On NHL players in the Olympics: "I just dislike it. The players get nothing, the teams get nothing and what you worry about is injuries. The Olympic committees are the ones that make all the money. I don't think it's going to help hockey going to Korea (in 2018). For my one vote out of 30 I'm not too thrilled about it. I'm only 1/30th, but (NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman) knows where I stand. I think the NHL players should stay here in North America."
On renovation the Hawks' locker room at the United Center: "It's completely remodeled. They jack-hammered it. They have (a new) hot tub. They were losing a gallon of water a day and they couldn't figure out where the water went. We know it goes down, we don't know where it went. We're changing it around a little bit. It should be really nice."
Puck Daddy Power Rankings: Experience factor; Del Zotto's deal; expansion dreams.
By Ryan Lambert
Stars
7. Concussions
Amanda Kessel's college career is reportedly over because of them. They don't even allow much checking in women's hockey (it still happens), which makes this all the more upsetting. Hockey's a physical, contact sport, obviously, but this shows just how easy it is to get concussions that have extreme effects for years after the fact.
At what point do we start acting like this kind of injury is the mega-huge deal it really is?
Amanda Kessel's college career is reportedly over because of them. They don't even allow much checking in women's hockey (it still happens), which makes this all the more upsetting. Hockey's a physical, contact sport, obviously, but this shows just how easy it is to get concussions that have extreme effects for years after the fact.
At what point do we start acting like this kind of injury is the mega-huge deal it really is?
6. Stocking up on “experience”
No one is saying that Johnny Oduya or Patrick Sharp aren't still good hockey players — well, there's plenty of reasons to have doubts about Oduya, but nevertheless — and to some extent they are what the Stars need. But the suggestion that they're being sought to, I don't know, offer counsel on How To Win to the rest of the Stars (All losers! Tyler Seguin only has one Stanley Cup!) seems a bit silly.
Do you want to know the secret to winning a Stanley Cup? Having Stanley Cup-caliber talent just about everywhere in the lineup and also behind the bench. Shouldn't Jim Nill know that after all those years in Detroit?
What is Sharp going to tell Art Ross winner Jamie Benn about how to be a dominant forward who gets results as well as big point totals that he didn't already know besides, “Get more goals than the other team?” What can Oduya tell Alex Goligoski about defending better? “Have Jonathan Toews playing in front of you,” isn't necessarily the most helpful advice here.
And that's not to say Sharp and Oduya's success is entirely the product of their extremely great team — and one wonders by the way what kind of Leadership we would attribute to Toews if he had been stuck playing for, say, Dallas instead of a juggernaut in Chicago this whole time — but it sure doesn't hurt. There's basically no way Oduya is going to live up to the contract he got, but you pay a premium for recent Cup winners in this league.
In their games, Oduya and Sharp ostensibly provide Dallas something the team needed. Defense and scoring depth were both problems. And after what the nightmare season Kari Lehtonen turned in, Nill also (somewhat inexplicably) added an expensive goaltender who also happened to win a Cup with Chicago once upon a time.
The Stars will almost certainly be better next year than they were this year. But it will be because they've improved in terms of personnel and goaltending luck almost certainly won't go against them nearly as hard as it did in 2014-15.
So how much do you want to bet Sharp and Oduya's “leadership” is credited with the turnaround?
5. Rookie camp highlights
Nothing in the world is better than seeing a kid score some insane between-the-legs, backwards, blindfolded goal against a netminder who wasn't even paying attention in mid-July. That's the good stuff, baby!
4. “This is a good contract for Michael Del Zotto”
That's a real thing actual hockey writers said just last week about a contract that will give Del Zotto a cap hit of nearly $4 million for the next two seasons.
Now, obviously $3.875 million doesn't buy what it used to, but I don't understand where people get away with saying this kind of thing with a straight face. Sure, last year Del Zotto faced tougher competition and zone starts than he has at any point in his career, but the Flyers did better in terms of both possessing the puck when he was off the ice versus when he was on.
What this boils down to, really, is his goal total. He tied a career high with 10 goals (in just 64 games), which is really good. And the fact that eight of those came at even strength suggest he maybe could have used a little more power play time, if nothing else. And man, 119 shots in 64 games is a decent total too.
But please excuse anyone of being skeptical over the whole, “24-year-old posts career-best numbers in contract year,” thing being indicative of future value. Obviously, as with any good season Del Zotto has in his career, you'd have to say that a lot of luck was involved.
And that's not to say Sharp and Oduya's success is entirely the product of their extremely great team — and one wonders by the way what kind of Leadership we would attribute to Toews if he had been stuck playing for, say, Dallas instead of a juggernaut in Chicago this whole time — but it sure doesn't hurt. There's basically no way Oduya is going to live up to the contract he got, but you pay a premium for recent Cup winners in this league.
In their games, Oduya and Sharp ostensibly provide Dallas something the team needed. Defense and scoring depth were both problems. And after what the nightmare season Kari Lehtonen turned in, Nill also (somewhat inexplicably) added an expensive goaltender who also happened to win a Cup with Chicago once upon a time.
The Stars will almost certainly be better next year than they were this year. But it will be because they've improved in terms of personnel and goaltending luck almost certainly won't go against them nearly as hard as it did in 2014-15.
So how much do you want to bet Sharp and Oduya's “leadership” is credited with the turnaround?
5. Rookie camp highlights
Nothing in the world is better than seeing a kid score some insane between-the-legs, backwards, blindfolded goal against a netminder who wasn't even paying attention in mid-July. That's the good stuff, baby!
4. “This is a good contract for Michael Del Zotto”
That's a real thing actual hockey writers said just last week about a contract that will give Del Zotto a cap hit of nearly $4 million for the next two seasons.
Now, obviously $3.875 million doesn't buy what it used to, but I don't understand where people get away with saying this kind of thing with a straight face. Sure, last year Del Zotto faced tougher competition and zone starts than he has at any point in his career, but the Flyers did better in terms of both possessing the puck when he was off the ice versus when he was on.
What this boils down to, really, is his goal total. He tied a career high with 10 goals (in just 64 games), which is really good. And the fact that eight of those came at even strength suggest he maybe could have used a little more power play time, if nothing else. And man, 119 shots in 64 games is a decent total too.
But please excuse anyone of being skeptical over the whole, “24-year-old posts career-best numbers in contract year,” thing being indicative of future value. Obviously, as with any good season Del Zotto has in his career, you'd have to say that a lot of luck was involved.
He basically posted the third-best shooting percentage of his career despite playing the hardest assignments he's ever faced. The likelihood that this holds up seems low.
And look, this number is probably a little bigger than anyone save Del Zotto would have liked, but the fact that it's only a two-year deal gets the team out from under a potentially awful contract while they're still rebuilding. Which is better than going long-term by a fair sight.
But in the end, a lot of the argument advanced for this being a good contract boiled down to, “He was the second-best defenseman on the Flyers last year,” which seems to me more an excoriation of the team, rather than a reason the player is valuable.
3. Overstating things
One thing that struck me as odd this week was all the headlines about “Pavel Datsyuk out until November!!!!!! (maybe)” and yes, all those exclamation points were only implied.
November is a long time from now, obviously, but wait a second it's still not even August yet. If he's out until November — and there's been conflicting reports here, because his agent recently said Datsyuk could be ready for the start of the season — that means he misses something like a dozen games or so. Detroit has 11 scheduled for October and their first game in on the Nov. 3. Let's say he misses that one too and that's 12.
While you never want to be without one of your best players for a month, it's a little more alarmist to say “four to five months!” even if that's technically the case. Especially because of how soft Detroit's schedule is for that first month of the season.
They open hosting Toronto, travel to Carolina the next night, then host Tampa for three games in five days. Then Carolina is at Detroit before the Wings travel to Montreal for another back-to-back. After that it's three in seven days at Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver. Four days later they host Carolina (again!), then have a back-to-back home-and-home with Ottawa to close out the month.
I see a whole bunch of wins in that 11-game stretch. Missing Datsyuk probably isn't going to matter much.
2. Pretending(?) to be really upset
If you ever wanted to get a bunch of free hockey gear from a player you really like, wait until he's traded or signs somewhere else, then have your young child cry about it, then upload that video to YouTube. Your signed jersey will be in the mail by close of business that day.
1. Dreams of expansion
So only two cities submitted expansion bids and the NHL is very disappointed. Not because they wanted to expand to three or four cities, but because oh my god they're not going to be able to twist arms at the municipal level and play the bidders off against each other. Now the owners are probably only going to get $1 billion in non-hockey related revenue to split among themselves ($500 million per team)! What a bummer!!!
The big revelation here, of course, is the three Seattle bidders who all said, “No thanks,” but apparently never really considered, “Hey maybe we should join up,” because it's really hard to build an arena in heavily populated areas. No Toronto team comes as no surprise, because the league seemingly hates the idea even though it's a license to print money and keep making fun of the Leafs simultaneously. No Milwaukee bid, okay fine. Some of the other hopeful bidders you'd probably heard bandied about (like Saskatoon for some reason) didn't get anywhere either.
The league sent out 16 — SIXTEEN — expansion applications and only got two back. Big coincidence here: They're the only two with buildings that are already being built. Weird. Weirddddddd.
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session... Unsure of future, Nazr Mohammed added to NBA Africa Game. By Mark Strotman
Nazr Mohammed still isn't sure if he'll be playing in the NBA next year, but he will take part in next week's NBA Africa Game, the league's first exhibition in the continent.
Mohammed, whose parents are from Ghana, was added to Team Africa, which is being captained by former Bulls forward Luol Deng. Pau Gasol will play for Team World in the Aug. 1 game at Ellis Park Arena in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Mohammed, a 17-year veteran, appeared in just 23 games last year in his third season with the Bulls and recently wrote on his website that he's contemplating retirement, penning that "I'm currently at a point where I'm trying to decide what to do next."
Mohammed added in the blog post that his body feels great, there are about "8-9 teams that I would consider playing for" and hinted he has options to join a front office to move toward his goal of becoming an NBA general manager. He also admitted to catching the "broadcast bug" attending the NBAPA's "Sportscaster U" program at Syracuse University.
NBA leaning toward no playoff guarantee for division winners.
By BRIAN MAHONEY
A division title might soon mean a banner but no assurance of a playoff spot in the NBA.
Commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday the league is leaning toward not guaranteeing a postseason berth to a team that wins its division, forcing clubs to finish in the top eight of their conference if they want a shot at the title.
Silver had already said he expected a change from the current format that guarantees division winners no worse than the No. 4 seed. But after discussions with both the competition committee and board of governors, he believes the change will go further than that.
''First of all, it's never happened before that a division winner did not finish within the top eight, and our basketball analytics folks calculate that there's less than a 5 percent chance that it would happen,'' he said before taking part in a panel discussion at the ''Beyond Sport United'' program.
''Where we are leaning right now is that we would not guarantee a spot for a division winner in part because it's so unlikely to happen, and No. 2 if it does happen it would be potentially confusing to fans. No. 3, you would be displacing a team that did have a top-eight record.''
Portland got the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference last season by winning the Northwest Division, but the Trail Blazers would have been seeded sixth by win-loss record. That sparked new calls to throw out the protection for division winners, and Silver said after the owners' annual summer meeting in Las Vegas that change was coming, though they wanted more time before voting on it.
''So while we're going to continue to discuss it a little bit more - we need to make a decision before the preseason begins - I think the greater likelihood is we will not be guaranteeing a spot to a division winner,'' he said Wednesday.
Silver added it was too far off to talk about whether owners would opt out of the collective bargaining agreement in 2017, after saying last week that a significant number of teams were still losing money.
He was then joined by former NBA star and league global ambassador Dikembe Mutombo and women's great Teresa Edwards in discussing the social responsibilities of the league and its players. Commissioners Rob Manfred of Major League Baseball and Gary Bettman of the NHL took part in other panels.
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!! Bears Issue No. 3: How quickly can the defense improve?
By John Mullin
A significant portion of the Bears’ offseason consisted of a makeover of the defensive coaching staff; a complete change of defensive scheme, and a virtual makeover of the depth chart staffing that defense.
In the flag-football portion of offseason practices – minicamps, OTA’s – the speed was slightly above “install” and was without the pressure of speed, pads and an offense itself looking to establish itself with a new coordinator of its own.
All of those will be part of dialing up the level of both performance and expectations that comes with the first training camp for a staff, scheme and players needing to come together with urgency in the form of games against the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks in the first three weeks of the season.
Schemes are like diets; if you follow/execute them precisely, they pretty much all work, more or less, some better than others. But the change from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 is less important than how well a vast array of new players come together with a new coaching staff and philosophy.
That is one of the guiding directives of Bears Training Camp 2015.
How fast is realistic?
During his first NFL owners meeting as Bears head coach, John Fox departed ever so slightly from his conservative “under-state and over-produce” mantra to venture an opinion that the Bears would turn around their defensive disasters of the past two seasons “sooner [rather] than later.”
After an offseason of orientation under coordinator Vic Fangio into the first 3-4 scheme run by the Bears, and involving as many as eight potential new starters on defense, the new pass-rush alignments, run fits, pass drops and all the rest now begin in pads and with hitting.
What Fangio has installed, beyond scheme specifics, is a quality decidedly absent the past two years:
“Creative,” said linebacker Pernell McPhee. “He is very creative. It might not look like it sometimes from some of the schemes, but he’s very aggressive. Every time when I watch practice film, I see things and think, ‘Dang, this guy is really creative.’ Sometimes I’ll wonder why he had me doing something, and then I watch the practice film, and it all plays out.”
“Creative” is more easily said than achieved. Mel Tucker talked about being it last year and it never materialized. Now it’s being attempted with a mix of new players brought in and existing ones who’ve never played Fangio’s scheme.
Nothing is assured
Conclusions are difficult and little more than speculation at this point. It would actually be more difficult NOT to improve than to get better, given the historic low points hit in 2013-14 that saw the Bears reach franchise-worsts in multiple areas despite then-coordinator Mel Tucker opting to remain with a scheme familiar to veteran players schooled in the Lovie Smith system.
Staying with a 4-3 scheme, including GM Phil Emery drafting linemen, linebackers and defensive backs ostensibly for their fits into that scheme, the Bears finished 2014 ranked 31st in points allowed and 30th in yards given up per game. Amazingly perhaps, despite multiple free-agent signings to bolster the unit, those results were even worse than the numbers posted the year before by a defense riddled with injuries to key members (Lance Briggs, Henry Melton, Charles Tillman, D.J. Williams).
Notably, Fangio does not foresee problems even with veteran players like Allen or Willie Young making changes, for example.
They’ll be doing things they’re used to doing as an end, except they’re going to be doing it standing up and at the end of the line,” Fangio said. “It’s called a 3-4 defense, but in some ways you can call it a 5-2. We like bigger guys out there. I don’t foresee it being a major problem, although there’s a lot of learning and growing that has to take place.”
Drama missing from Bears receiver corps...for a change.
By John Mullin
For so many recent Bears training camps, there was some drama to play out at the receiver positions, some position competition, something to resolve, usually something significant and pressing.
Not this year.
The training camp “issues,” such as they are, are not really issues at all. There is no "Devin Hester as No. 1 receiver." No "How will they use Brandon Manumaleuna?" Not even "Who will win the No. 3 slot?"
Drama around the tight end position dissipated when Martellus Bennett attended the mandatory minicamp and said he intended to be there for training camp. What the Bears are able to get from oft-injured Zach Miller or Dante Rosario are not front-burner concerns.
Brandon Marshall is gone, which by definition reduces the “drama” quotient by somewhere between half and two-thirds. The only drama now is performance-related, whether or how quickly rookie Kevin White reaches the level of excellence set by Marshall and expected of a No. 7-overall draft choice. White missed a number of offseason sessions, some for an unknown reason, but no indication of worrisome drama there.
“It'll happen, slowly but surely,” White said. “It'll all come together.”
His bosses agree: “It’s always tough [for] rookie receivers,” said offensive coordinator Adam Gase. “It’s completely different than anything you’ve done, and just getting used to the tempo and the speed of practice and being able to maintain it. Coach Fox said it best: ‘You’re getting ready for a 20-plus game season, where the most you’ve ever gone is 13.’ And so for [White] to get ready, it’s going to be a mental challenge, but I think he’s up for it.”
Alshon Jeffery is a known NFL quantity. The only “drama” there is whether the Bears go to him before season’s end with a new contract to pre-empt his reaching free agency. The assumption is that the early stages of talks have begun and that the Bears will not stint on keeping an impact receiver of Jeffery’s stature in place.
Replacing Marshall with White has obvious payroll effects, even with the money spent to add Eddie Royal this offseason.
Royal effectively removes any of the drama around the No. 3 receiver spot. Marquess Wilson displayed promise in the early days of camp 2014 before suffering a broken clavicle. But the anticipation of Wilson’s return from injury seemed inflated; Wilson caught 17 passes over the final six games but averaged a very modest 8.2 yards per catch and scored just once, doing nothing to lead the new coaching regime to do anything but upgrade the No. 3 position with Royal, who is on a mild mission of his own.
“I’m trying to show that I’m more than a slot, that I can play outside and I can play everywhere,” Royal said. “As a receiver, you don’t want to be defined in just one role. You want to try to expand that, and that’s what I’m trying to do now.”
Wilson projects as depth at, ideally, more than one position. Josh Morgan caught 10 passes in spot duty last season (seven starts) but signed with the New Orleans Saints in May. Josh Bellamy returns but is in roster competition with rookie free agents Ify Umodu and Cameron Meredith, Rashad Lawrence and possibly Marc Mariani, whose chief value lies in return abilities.
NFL scout: Bears' Cutler not 'monster he's been made out to be'.
#BEARSTALK
Not all NFL evaluators have given up on Jay Cutler.
Though a recent poll ranking the 32 starting NFL quarterbacks slotted him in the third tier of signal callers, tied for 20th overall with Oakland's Derek Carr, one scout believes Cutler takes too much criticism and can thrive in the right system.
Front office members and coaches listed each projected starting quarterback in tiers from 1 to 5, with one being a championship-caliber quarterback and four being an unproven starter who may not remain a starter. Thrity-five league insiders were polled, with 27 voters placing him in the third tier, reserved for "quarterbacks who are good enough to start but need lots of support, making it tougher to contend at the highest level."
One anonymous evaluator who ranked Cutler in the third tier had this to say about the nine-year veteran:
"I do not think he is the monster everyone has made him out to be," the evaluator said. "He does have issues, but can you win with him? Yes. That is why he is a 3, not a 4. If you protect him and get him to get the ball out and have a really good run game, he can be [good enough]. But he will turn it over, and you have to overcome that."
Cutler may not have the best press clippings from time to time following games, but he's not the monster he's at times made out to be off the field, either. Last weekend Cutler hosted a four-hour youth football camp in Tennessee to support the Jay Cutler Foundation.
Eight voters placed Cutler in Tier 4, while one placed him in the rarely used Tier 5 because of his "damaging" presence to a team.
Last year Cutler had one of his best statistical seasons as a pro, throwing for a career-high 28 touchdowns and throwing for more than 3,800 yards. The Bears, however, struggled to a 5-11 record and missed the playoffs for the fourth straight year. Last year Cutler was ranked 17th in the same poll.
Unsurprisingly, Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers was ranked first overall in the poll, tied with Tom Brady as a unanimous Tier 1 quarterback. Detroit's Matthew Stafford tied for 12th overall and in Tier 2, while Vikings sophomore quarterback Teddy Bridgewater rounded out Tier 3 tied for 23rd overall.
Cubs have big plans for Kyle Schwarber.
By Patrick Mooney
The future is now for Kyle Schwarber. It’s getting harder and harder to see him ever going back to Triple-A Iowa, how the Cubs could afford to take his bat out of the lineup.
Manager Joe Maddon is already planning to use Schwarber in the outfield at some point, which wouldn’t mean the end of this catching experiment. The Cubs simply need Schwarber’s offensive production.
If Schwarber keeps hitting bombs – and shows enough improvement behind the plate – who cares if the defensive metrics don’t look so great right away on Baseball Prospectus?
It could open up the possibility of moving Miguel Montero – who has a sprained left thumb and two years and $28 million left on his contract – to create some payroll flexibility and make a splash this winter.
It’s not crazy to wonder if Schwarber will be your Opening Day catcher in 2016.
“He’s definitely going to answer a lot of those questions now for next season,” Maddon said. “It definitely permits you then to plan. How do you plan? How do you acquire? How do you do – whatever – going into the next year? He’s off to a great start.”
Schwarber sat on the edge of his seat in between games of Wednesday’s day/night doubleheader at Great American Ball Park, his gray pants covered in dirt and a bottle of water in his hand.
The day after hitting the game-tying and game-winning home runs, Schwarber went 2-for-3 with a walk and drove in his team’s only run during a 9-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.
The Cubs catcher of the present/future huddled with David Ross and Mike Borzello. Ross is 38 years old and seen as a potential manager as soon as he retires. Borzello is the catching instructor who gets behind-the-scenes credit for doing a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to breaking down opponents.
That clubhouse scene – Schwarber listening, paying attention and laughing with the guys – illustrated why the Cubs think he can be a long-term answer.
“He’s learning on the job at the highest level,” pitcher Jason Hammel said, “(without) much time in the minor leagues to really figure out how it works.
“It’s fun to work with a guy like that who really wants to get better. And you can see that. He’s all ears right now. He’s going to be good.”
Schwarber won’t always pass the eye test – or automatically get the benefit of the doubt – but Hammel quickly took the blame for one obvious miscommunication on Tuesday night. Schwarber called for a slider while Hammel wound up throwing a fastball.
“He and I were on the same page,” Hammel said. “When I shook, he went to what I wanted. That’s pretty good – to know what my Number 2 is behind my Number 1. It was pretty impressive that I didn’t really lose any rhythm. I actually crossed him up with one of the two pitches I threw to the backstop.
“I screwed up the signs (and) I felt bad, because he had been really good up until that point. And I think he felt like it was his fault, and it wasn’t – it was me.”
Maddon already had a picture in mind before he left the Tampa Bay Rays last October and signed that five-year, $25 million contract to come to Chicago. The Rays had discussed drafting Schwarber with their first-round pick in the 2014 draft.
The Cubs grabbed Schwarber at No. 4 overall – or 16 spots ahead of the Rays – and there was a perception Theo Epstein’s front office reached for the Indiana University catcher/outfielder.
“I know the Rays wanted to draft him badly,” Maddon said. “I heard about him. I heard about what kind of a player, what kind of a hitter he was coming out of college. I just know that his name was prominent.
“The catching side of it with Schwarbs (became): When was that going to happen? I’ve been involved with two catchers in the recent past (who were in the) same boat: Johnny Jaso and Stephen Vogt, both pretty good offensive players.
“How well were they going to catch? Vogt made the All-Star team. And if Jaso had not been hurt a couple times, who knows where he would be at right now? There’s a lot of similarities among those three guys, and they’re all left-handed (hitters).”
Schwarber is hitting .429 (18-for-42) with three homers, 11 RBI and a 1.205 OPS through his first 12 games in The Show.
“Be careful what you wish for with Schwarbs,” Maddon said. “If we just wear his butt out by the end of the season, that bat will go away, I promise you.
“Let him play at his own pace. We’re going to work with him in the outfield, absolutely. I have ideas (and) we’ll just see how it goes. For right now, everybody’s euphoric about the game last night. We all are. And it was wonderful. But he’s a young man (who’s) still learning his craft.
“That’s what’s going to benefit us in September/October – not wearing people out right now, mentally and physically.”
Schwarber doesn’t want to look too far ahead, but he wants to stay at catcher and knows he can always play the outfield.
“Whatever happens, happens,” Schwarber said. “I’m going to keep working my butt off to get better defensively, and keep getting better offensively, too. My goal is to stay up here, so whatever it takes, I’m going to try to do it.”
White Sox offense supports Jeff Samardzija with four homers.
By Dan Hayes
The offense woke up Thursday night in honor of what could be Jeff Samardzija’s final start with the White Sox.
Melky Cabrera homered twice, and the White Sox crushed a season-high four home runs in an 8-1 rout of the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. Samardzija allowed a run and four hits over eight sharp innings just hours after the trade market suddenly heated up. Adam Eaton and Alexei Ramirez also homered for the White Sox, who snapped a four-game losing streak.
Believed to be the team’s biggest available trade chip, Samardzija retired the first eight batters and faced two over the minimum through five innings. By the time he yielded his only run, Samardzija was ahead 5-0 courtesy of a rare offensive explosion.
Cabrera led off a four-run rally in the fourth inning with a solo homer to right off Trevor Bauer. Ramirez followed singles by Jose Abreu and Avisail Garcia with a laser of a three-run homer to left to make it 4-0. Eaton got into the act in the fifth with a solo homer, his eighth to make it 5-0.
Two innings later, Cabrera became the first White Sox player to hit homers from both sides of the plate in the same game since Nick Swisher in 2008 when he had a two-run blast to left off Kyle Crockett. Tyler Saladino also had a sacrifice fly for the White Sox.
The market for Samardzija — who struck out three and walked none — likely grew smaller by one team on Thursday when the Houston Astros acquired Scott Kazmir from the Oakland A’s for two prospects. Still, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick tweeted that the White Sox believe they would receive a “significant haul” for Samardzija before the July 31 trade deadline. The Pittsburgh Pirates also acquired third baseman Aramis Ramirez from the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday.
Golf; I got a club for that: Jordan Spieth is the big favorite to win the 2015 PGA Championship.
By Kyle Porter
Can Jordan Spieth win three majors? (Photo/USATSI)
Time to move on, everyone. The British Open was absolutely spectacular, but the PGA Championship is less than a month away. We're not short on storylines, either. Jordan Spieth is trying to become the third man to win three majors in a season. Martin Kaymer is looking to defend Whistling Straits. And Rory McIlroy, well, he's just looking to play.
Tiger Woods continues to struggle. (USATSI)
Well, the Tiger Woods narrative is going zero places.
Gary Player revived it this week with this quote to Europe's Omnisport.
"We need Tiger Woods. Why? He's a man of color. We need a black champion," Player told Omnisport in England. "Go to Africa, where we've got all these young black kids used to seeing a white guy as the champion. Now they're getting inspired; they're sitting in front of their TV sets. It inspires them; it gets them interested in golf.
"Asia wants to see a man of color. So there are many reasons besides being so charismatic. I don't know if anybody in the world today can play like Tiger Woods did."
So that is something. I see what Player is saying, but the timing is not great. After that stellar British Open, I'm not sure golf needs Tiger Woods as much as Tiger Woods needs his golf to be better.
Player, a South African who lived in the country during apartheid, has long been a vocal proponent for racial equality and equal opportunity.
"In South Africa, we have a terrible system in apartheid," Player said back in 1987, according to the Los Angeles Times. "I think it's terrible. It's almost a cancerous disease. I'm happy to say it is being eliminated. … The businessmen are working very hard. I am, as an individual, and so are many other sportsmen. We have a lot of pressure being put on our country to change it.”
Gary Player revived it this week with this quote to Europe's Omnisport.
"We need Tiger Woods. Why? He's a man of color. We need a black champion," Player told Omnisport in England. "Go to Africa, where we've got all these young black kids used to seeing a white guy as the champion. Now they're getting inspired; they're sitting in front of their TV sets. It inspires them; it gets them interested in golf.
"Asia wants to see a man of color. So there are many reasons besides being so charismatic. I don't know if anybody in the world today can play like Tiger Woods did."
So that is something. I see what Player is saying, but the timing is not great. After that stellar British Open, I'm not sure golf needs Tiger Woods as much as Tiger Woods needs his golf to be better.
Player, a South African who lived in the country during apartheid, has long been a vocal proponent for racial equality and equal opportunity.
"In South Africa, we have a terrible system in apartheid," Player said back in 1987, according to the Los Angeles Times. "I think it's terrible. It's almost a cancerous disease. I'm happy to say it is being eliminated. … The businessmen are working very hard. I am, as an individual, and so are many other sportsmen. We have a lot of pressure being put on our country to change it.”
Canadian Golfers Welcome the World.
Market Wired; Department of Canadian Heritage
The Honourable Bal Gosal, Minister of State (Sport), today announced $150,000 in funding for Golf Canada in support of the 2015 RBC Canadian Open. This funding is being provided through Sport Canada's Hosting Program.
Quick Facts
- The Canadian Open is a professional golf tournament that was first played in 1904. Since then, it has been presented every year, except during the First and Second World Wars. The Canadian Open is the third oldest continuously running tournament on the PGA Tour, after the Open Championship and the U.S. Open.
- Funding, through Sport Canada's Hosting Program, will provide up to 23 Canadian athletes, 14 Canadian coaches and 10 Canadian officials with a highly competitive international experience.
- For the 2015-16 fiscal year, the Government of Canada, through Sport Canada's Sport Support Program, is providing close to $697,000 to Golf Canada to support programs and services that have a direct impact on athlete development.
- From November 1, 2014, to October 31, 2015, the Government of Canada-through Sport Canada's Athlete Assistance Program-is providing approximately $131,000 to support 18 carded athletes with living and training expenses to help them focus on their pursuit of excellence.
- During the Year of Sport in Canada, the Government of Canada is encouraging Canadians of all levels of ability to participate in sport according to their talents and interests.
- In Economic Action Plan 2015, the Government doubled the Children's Fitness Tax Credit to $1,000 to help offset the costs of parents enrolling their children in organized sports. At the same time, it will be investing an additional $20 million in the next generation of Olympic and Paralympic athletes, to ensure they continue to have what they need to push for the podium today and in the future.
Quotes
"In this Year of Sport in Canada, we have hosted over 60 international sport events. This tournament among these events, which not only bring economic benefits to Canadian businesses, but also help showcase our Canadian athletes, values and pride to a global audience. We are pleased to once again assist Golf Canada in presenting this prestigious sporting event."
-The Honourable Bal Gosal, Minister of State (Sport)
"On behalf of Golf Canada and everyone involved with the 106th playing of Canada's National Open Golf Championship at Glen Abbey Golf Club, we are proud to celebrate the Year of Sport with the continued support of Sport Canada as a partner in the RBC Canadian Open. For more than a century, our National Men's Open Golf Championship has been a rallying point for Canadian golf, providing our top amateur and professional athletes the opportunity to compete against the world's best golfers. We are also extremely proud that the event is a major draw for Canadian, U.S. and international spectators; is broadcast to hundreds of millions of homes around the world; and contributes an economic impact of more than $20 million within the province and our host community."
-Scott Simmons, CEO, Golf Canada
NASCAR: Race Team Alliance considered a success after 1st year.
By DAN GELSTON
Race Team Alliance chairman Rob Kauffman tried to spin the ownership group's biggest contributions to NASCAR in the last year as ''things fans don't care about.''
From cost-cutting to fantasy gambling, the RTA has, however, made strides in the sport. And the disconnect between NASCAR and its teams has eased up, which is good news for the series and its fans.
One year after the RTA was launched to much hype and curiosity, the group is riding along without much fanfare. That's just fine with Kauffman.
''There's been a good level of communication, good collaboration among NASCAR, all the tracks, the teams,'' the Michael Waltrip Racing co-owner said this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. ''There much more coordinated conversations in discussing rules changes, ways to improve the show. I think it's been very productive for everybody.''
Kauffman said the RTA, which started with nine team members, has created one voice to benefit the entire garage. Furniture Row Racing, a one-car operation based in Denver, far removed from NASCAR's North Carolina hub, is the only fulltime team that has not joined the RTA.
''We want to evaluate the program as it develops.'' FRR general manager Joe Garone said.
Kauffman said figuring out a long-term equity value for teams could be ahead. So far, he said he was pleased with the results of the past year, even if the average NASCAR fan hasn't been affected by the outcome.
''Team have knocked out millions by consolidating how we travel,'' he said. ''There's been a lot of savings on a lot of small things that add up. The way we've worked with NASCAR on rules changes and testing, that's been millions of savings as well.''
A drivers' council formed earlier this season to discuss their own ideas about safety, the rules package and other ideas.
''When anybody has things that can improve the sport, we're going to be open to that,'' NASCAR chairman Brian France said earlier this month at Pocono Raceway. ''It doesn't really matter how the exact form of communications happens. What matters is that it does happen. We're getting the stakeholders as close to us as we can because there's a lot of good ideas that come out of these discussions.''
The RTA landed DraftKings in a three-year marketing deal where the daily sports fantasy company will bring fans access to a direct data feed from NASCAR Digital Media that contains real-time statistics. DraftKings offers two different types of NASCAR-themed games, a free game for casual players and paid games for avid followers of the sport.
''Hopefully it's the shape of things to come,'' Kauffman said. ''We're trying to do work with them on how we can do more stuff with them with activations or work more with drivers and teams.''
The RTA planned to announce more partnerships soon, perhaps as early as this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
''Everyone just has the same motivation, they want to put on a good show for the fans and have an exciting sport,'' Kauffman said. ''We all want to stay in business. It's pretty straight forward. Like most good businesses, it's based on good communication. Our communication has really improved a lot the past year. Hopefully, our activities have been a contribution to that.''
PACKAGE DELIVERY: NASCAR will use a new rules package for Sunday's race at Indianapolis, where drivers are unsure what to expect.
A track-specific package used in the July 11 race at Kentucky was well-received by most competitors, and race statistics showed it was one of the better Sprint Cup races of the season.
NASCAR will now try a package with higher-drag in an effort to improve passing opportunities at Indianapolis, which is a notoriously tough fit for stock cars.
''I'm going to reserve my opinion until afterward because I don't really think any of us know how (the rules package) is going to act,'' said Greg Biffle, who said the low-downforce package used at Kentucky made for ''one of the best races that I've been in a long time because we were able to do things we couldn't do with the car before.''
NASCAR is trying different packages - a similar package to Kentucky will be used at Darlington next month, while the package at Michigan will be similar to Indianapolis - in an effort to improve the racing.
Indianapolis produces exciting IndyCar races, but the flat, 2.5-mile track doesn't suit the heavier stock cars the same way. NASCAR chairman Brian France has indicated he wants something close to pack racing, but Michigan is likely more suited to bunch the field the way series officials are hoping.
Indianapolis, with just 12 degrees of banking in the corners and long straightaways, has proven to be difficult for NASCAR to figure out.
REMEMBERING WHELDON: IndyCar drivers continue to honor the memory of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon by racing in a karting event in his name.
Scott Dixon, Sarah Fisher, Ed Carpenter and Sebastian Saavedra are among the drivers set for the Dan Wheldon Memorial Pro-Am Karting Challenge on Sept. 19 at New Castle (Indiana) Motorsports Park.
The event is a fundraiser for The Dan Wheldon Foundation and the Alzheimer's Association. Wheldon's mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2008 and died in April 2014. Wheldon was killed in a crash in 2011 in Las Vegas.
The event features 20 corporate-sponsored teams consisting of one professional driver and three amateur drivers in a two-hour race. Karts for the final stint will be driven by the professional racers.
''When we started this event in 2013, we did it to honor Dan's legacy with support for charities that were near to his heart,'' his widow, Susie Wheldon, said. ''I'm amazed and humbled at what we've accomplished in just two short years.''
Danica Patrick's season hasn't been terrible, but it's 'not great either'.
Danica Patrick's season hasn't been terrible, but it's 'not great either'.
By Daniel McFadin
(Photo/Getty Images)
What kind of season is Danica Patrick having?
The Indianapolis Star’s Curt Cavin asked Patrick about a season that has the Stewart-Haas Racing driver 22nd in the Sprint Cup standings after 19 points races.
“Do I think it’s going terrible? No, it’s not going terrible, but it’s not great either,” Patrick said a few days before the 22nd annual Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
With seven races to go before the Chase for the Sprint Cup begins, Patrick, in her third full-time season, has only two top-10 finishes in 2015. Those came at the short tracks of Bristol Motor Speedway and Martinsville Speedway.
This season has also been Patrick’s first full year with crew chief Daniel Knost. She spent her first two with Tony Gibson, who now works with SHR teammate Kurt Busch. Busch has two wins and is eighth in points, even after missing three races due to suspension.
“At first we went through the hiccups of learning how to communicate well enough to improve the car and not make it worse,” said Patrick, who is in the final year of her SHR contract. “I don’t think our cars are as good as they were at the beginning of the year.”
In the first 10 races of the year, Patrick finished higher than 20th five times, including her top-10 results which came in two of three races, separated by a finish in 16th at Texas Motor Speedway.
Since then, she has finished higher than 20th twice, at Dover International Speedway (15th) and Michigan International Speedway (16th).
“After being in (the series) for a couple of years, great things need to pop up on the radar,” Patrick told the Indy Star.
Patrick needs something great at Indianapolis. While the 2.5-mile track was how many were introduced to her during her days in the Verizon IndyCar Series, Patrick hasn’t had any success there in the Sprint Cup Series. In two Brickyard 400’s, Patrick has failed to finish every lap.
In 2013, she finished two laps down and last year, rear-gear problems ended her day after 114 laps.
SOCCER: Nyarko, Igboananike send Fire to U.S. Open Cup semifinals.
By Danny Michallik
Thanks to Patrick Nyarko's third-minute strike and a late brace from Kennedy Igboananike, the Fire eclipsed MLS expansion side Orlando City SC, 3-1, and secured their passage to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup semifinals.
The Men in Red came out of the gates flying, catching the Orlando City back line napping. Jon Busch's long ball forward to Nyarko was brought down well and coolly finished past 'keeper Tally Hall, before Canadian international Cyle Larin leveled in the second half. Two late goals from second-half substitute Igboananike, however, proved to be the difference between the sides in front of an announced crowd of 4,723 at Toyota Park Wednesday night.
“I can smile! Yes!" Yallop replied when asked to submit his opening statement to reporters after the match. "Massive, I've sat here long enough and said to you (reporters), when we have our guys on the field, that we are pretty good. I think that showed tonight, we had the difference-makers out there."
Frank Yallop made a trio of changes from the side that experienced a second consecutive loss to Columbus Crew SC over the weekend. Busch earned his first start in goal since the Fire's 2-0 defeat away to the New England Revolution on June 13. Joevin Jones returned from Gold Cup duty to replace a cup-tied Patrick Doody, while Shaun Maloney's entry allowed Harry Shipp to retreat to a wide role in place of David Accam.
Maloney -- making his first cameo since emerging with what was diagnosed as a bulging disc in his back in the Fire's 1-0 win over USL's Louisville City FC on June 16 -- looked lively in his No. 10 role: demanding the ball, creating for his teammates and moving fluidly. The Scotland international came close in the 16th minute, knuckling a free kick toward Hall, forcing the Orlando City netminder to parry over the bar.
Shipp generated a couple of solid looks himself, his most dangerous coming just shy of the quarter-hour mark. After combining well with Maloney, the Homegrown midfielder curled a cheeky effort past the reach of Hall and just wide of the right post. A nifty one-two between Nyarko and Razvan Cocis -- sporting the captain's armband -- 10 minutes later led to the Romanian's shot trickling wide of Hall's left post.
The Men in Red, who outshot the Lions 8-2 in the opening 45, had their slim advantage canceled out 11 minutes into the second stanza. A swift counterattacking move -- ignited by right back Rafael Ramos -- sent winger Eric Avila bursting down the right side before delivering a pinpointed cross for rookie Cyle Larin to head past Busch.
Substitutes Accam and Igboananike ran the Orlando City defense ragged -- the former showing flashes of his speedy brilliance -- keeping defenders on their heels and forcing a wary Hall into a number of saves as the sides went back and forth as the second half wore on.
With extra time looming, the two Designated Players put matters into their own hands. Three minutes from time, Matt Watson sprung Accam down the left side before releasing a shot that clanked off the post, falling to Igboananike to tap in and restore the Fire's lead. The Nigerian was on the mark again in the 91st minute, dribbling his way around Hall and scoring on an unguarded net to eliminate the visitors from the quarterfinal stage for the second time since 2013.
"Hopefully this win, although it's in the Open Cup -- it was against a very good opponent -- lifts our spirits and we have a great performance on the weekend and win," Yallop added. "I think we have done well to get to this stage and we have had a couple tricky ties at home, forget the opposition. If you look at some of the results in the Cup, a lot of teams go through that are lower in the league. We stuck to it, got through it and did well."
The victory sets up an away visit to face the Philadelphia Union at PPL Park on Aug. 11 in the Open Cup semifinals, five days before the two sides meet in Philly again for a MLS regular-season fixture on Aug. 16.
Chicago Fire Starting XI (subs):
(4-4-1-1): Jon Busch; Matt Polster, Eric Gehrig, AdaÃlton, Joevin Jones; Patrick Nyarko (David Accam, 59'), Matt Watson, Razvan Cocis (C), Harry Shipp; Shaun Maloney (Kennedy Igboananike, 66'); Jason Johnson (Michael Stephens, 90').
Should Jurgen Klinsmann be fired? What we learned from USMNT's Gold Cup campaign. What's Your Take?
By Joe Prince-Wright
USA v Jamaica: Semifinals - 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup
Following the USMNT’s shocking 2-1 loss to Jamaica in the Gold Cup semifinals in Atlanta on Wednesday, plenty of questions are being asked of head coach Jurgen Klinsmann and his players.
Rightly or wrongly, his future as the leader of the USMNT is being debated by many fans and pundits with a poor 2015 Gold Cup campaign culminating in a huge upset against Jamaica. After four years in charge of the U.S., has their been real progress under the German coach?
Let’s break that down and more by assessing the current situation.
Is this a knee-jerk reaction to a poor Gold Cup campaign?
People calling for Klinsmann’s head seems a little premature, it has to be said. Yes, the U.S. has reached the Gold Cup final in the last five tournaments and had said winning this trophy was a must, but they came up against a talented Jamaica side who have spent all summer together and have conceded just six goals in eight games of tournament play. Impressive. What hasn’t been impressive is the play of Klinsmann’s side. There has been a lot of rotation in the lineups throughout this Gold Cup but squeaking past Haiti and Honduras to open up, then a 1-1 tie with Panama showed plenty of cracks. Especially at the back.
When it came down to the big game against Jamaica, Brad Guzan was at fault for both goals and the central defensive partnership of John Brooks and Ventura Alvarado just didn’t work. In particular the defending on Darren Mattocks’ header from a long throw on the first goal was woeful. Klinsmann will get a reprieve for now and should remain in charge until the Confederations Cup playoff in October, but if the U.S. loses to either Jamaica or Mexico in a few months time, the writing could be on the wall.
Progress since 2011 has been minimal
Soccer is a results business. We all know that. Look at the constant chopping and changing of players and coaches across the globe in order to try and achieve success. Klinsmann took charge in 2011 and has won a Gold Cup and lost in the semifinals, got to the last 16 of the World Cup and won World Cup qualifying. In the cycle before him former USMNT manager Bob Bradley won a Gold Cup, got to the last 16 of the World Cup and won World Cup qualifying, plus came second in the 2009 Confederations Cup and was runner up in two other Gold Cups. Right now, it is hard to suggest that there has been progression under Klinsmann in the last four years despite marquee friendly wins in Europe against Italy, Holland and Germany. Sure, they were great, but when it comes down to tournament play and the games that really matter, the jury is still out.
Defensive issues remain
One of the head-scratching decisions this summer was the fact that Klinsmann persisted with Brooks and Alvarado as a central defensive partnership. Both are young and inexperienced on the international stage and Klinsmann wanted to test them. Time and time again they just weren’t good enough and how Omar Gonzalez and Tim Ream didn’t both, or at least one of them, start against Jamaica is baffling. Leaving Matt Besler at home despite him being a starter at the 2014 World Cup last summer seemed to be almost a punishment for his comments and those of his manager at Sporting KC, Peter Vermes, when Klinsmann questioned the fitness of several experienced players in his squad in January. During the post-World Cup friendlies, late collapses were commonplace as defensive partnerships were changed time and time again. Due to MLS not being on a FIFA schedule, it makes it hard for Klinsmann to keep the same group of players together year round. But he must find a way of doing that and building continuity, especially in the defensive areas. One thing is for sure: veterans Tim Howard and Geoff Cameron should.
Handling of Dempsey, Altidore a concern going forward
Deciding to strip Clint Dempsey of the captaincy for his hissy-fit when playing for the Seattle Sounders was a bold move from Klinsmann and seemed to work for most of the Gold Cup as Deuce scored six times in five matches. But now what? With the captaincy handed to Michael Bradley and the U.S. failing to make the final, what will Dempsey’s relationship with Klinsmann be like going forward? Far from positive is the likely answer. As for Jozy Altidore, his omission from the U.S. squad after the Gold Cup group stages due to fitness issues has seen Klinsmann ostracize Altidore and the Toronto FC forward will rightly feel bemused by the decision. Sure, Jozy might not have been fully fit but is a 70 percent fit Alitdore a better option than Alan Gordon or Aron Johannsson? I’ll let you decide that. Dempsey is the second-highest scorer in U.S. history, Altidore is in fifth. Both may now be feeling hard done by and that could backfire massively against Klinsmann if his two top goalscorers are unhappy.
If Klinsmann was fired, could USMNT hire anybody better?
I threw this question out on Twitter directly after the defeat to Jamaica and, understandably, there was plenty of buzz surrounding Klinsmann’s tenure so far and if anybody else could do better. Granted, U.S. fans want their team to succeed like any other fan of a national team, but most are intelligent enough to realize this program has come a long way in a short space of time. With huge improvements in the way all teams are set up from youth level right through to the first team, Klinsmann has done a lot of good things structurally for the U.S., just like he did for Germany before and during the 2006 World Cup. But with Joachim Low kicking on the German national team in recent years and grabbing World Cup glory in 2014 following the foundations Klinsmann successfully laid, do the U.S. now need a fresh figurehead to build on Klinsmann’s project?
It is a question worth asking but another question remains: is there anybody out there right now better than JK? The last thing the U.S. needs to do is gamble on another coach and have things not work out. That could set them back years. Klinsmann holds the role of technical director with U.S. Soccer and has a deal through the 2018 World Cup. If U.S. Soccer fire him anytime soon, that would mean paying huge amounts of cash in compensation to Klinsmann. I’m not sure that’s something they can afford to do, especially if they don’t have a top-class replacement lined up to build on the foundations he has put down.
What next?
As the disappointment of failing to reach the Gold Cup final sets in, the U.S. must now regroup and play in the third place match against Panama at PPL Park in Philadelphia on Saturday. After that, a friendly against Peru in D.C. on Sept. 4 awaits, while a rumored friendly against Brazil in September has also been lined up. However, the big game on the horizon for Klinsmann and his players is the Confederations Cup playoff in October. No date is confirmed for that game, but it will be played on U.S. soil against either Mexico or Jamaica to decide which nation will represent CONCACAF at the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia. If the U.S. lose this one-off playoff game, Klinsmann will be under intense pressure and serious questions will be asked about his future with the USMNT.
Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Take: I've been watching soccer for several years now, have learned the rules and is now starting to appreciate the sport. Being a typical American sports fanatic, I hate losing. JK has brought the USMNT a long way and now it's time to take it to the next level. His contract expires in 2018 and with his contract, it would be ridiculous to terminate him as just buy out the contract. It would be a financial disaster. Serious thought needs to discussed on building this team where the players play for each other. It is very obvious that there is too much turnover and unfamiliarity among the players. Soccer is a TEAM sport. Before anyone tells me it can't be done, explain to me how the USWNT does it. Maybe we should look at what they're doing.
It's apparent that I'm a little frustrated right now because we should do better, need to do better, can do better and must do better. I hope you feel my pain; please tell me what you think needs to be done, what are your thoughts and what's your take?
Please go to the comments section at the bottom of this blog and let me know how you really feel.
Marion P. Jelks, Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Editorial Manager.
NCAAFB: It's hard for Northern Illinois University to ignore Ohio State.
By Fred Mitchell
Ohio State is college football’s boogie man this season, and Northern Illinois is trying to pretend the Buckeyes are not hiding right around the corner.
NCAABKB; SEC Sumner School: New coaches face challenge of chasing Kentucky.
By Matt Norlander
Mike White's task at Florida is not easy: replacing the guy who made the program. (USATSI)
When was the last time the SEC was both this interesting and on the verge of being so good? It's been eons, feels like. The conference hasn't sent six or more teams to the Big Dance since 2008, the longest drought of any major conference. It's often had down years that resulted in just three programs even qualifying for the NCAAs, and in most of the seasons over the past decade only Kentucky and Florida have been nationally viable.
Same old sad, repetitive song, but now it looks like the turn has been made and new tune has been written. Ironically, this is happening at a time when the league's most accomplished coach, Billy Donovan, is no longer part of the picture. (Most accomplished meaning: done the most within the SEC and in winning national championships. So settle, Kentucky fans.)
As we look to the season ahead and even beyond, I think we can agree it's about time we got some new blood and worthwhile storylines into the league. Ben Howland at Mississippi State is still kind of weird -- but good! Avery Johnson takes up the Alabama job? Huh? That's going to be worth tracking; I'm not sure anyone really knows what to expect, and at the very least we're talking about Alabama basketball for the time being.
Mike White is Donovan's replacement at Florida, and we touch on that below. Then you've got Rick Barnes at Tennessee, making him the fourth coach in as many seasons in Knoxville. Barnes is 61. If he can go a decade with UT, make a few Sweet 16s and dodge any NCAA no-nos, this will be a success.
FOUR OFFSEASON HEADLINES
1. Billy Donovan leaves Florida after two decades to take job in the NBA
With Donovan out, former Louisiana Tech coach Mike White now mans the program. Donovan's departure seemed inevitable, if only because his reputation continued to ascend, his relationship with USA Basketball was good and he was starting to grow a bit weary of battling Kentucky in the SEC. White's reputation is about as good as you could expect of any coach taking that position. He'll have some struggles, but Florida's already on the books to renovate the O-Dome, and the facilities are improving once again as well. Tough to replace "the man," but White's got the skill set to do it.
2. Kentucky gets six players drafted into the NBA
I could have picked Calipari's annual will-he-won't-he NBA coaching circus, but nah, the thing Cal and Kentucky fans are most proud of in the past few months was this. For most schools, getting just one guy into the draft in a given year is a massive accomplishment. If Kentucky doesn't send at least three, it's a letdown. Six is tied for the best eve (with, uh, prior Kentucky teams under Cal), and because of this, UK was able to wrangle the top-rated class of 2015. Jamal Murray, Isaiah Briscoe, Skal Labissiere, Charles Matthews.
3. Ben Howland lands, of all places, at Mississippi State
If I'd told you say, in February, that Howland was going to get another D-I job and allowed you to guess until you got it right, how many schools do you think you would have run through before you got to Mississippi State? At least 50? I probably would have. But now Howland gets a chance to definitively prove his worth and legacy. If he can win here with any sort of consistency (for MSU, let's call it making NCAA Tournaments in half the seasons he's there; that's the bar we're dealing with), then this hire will go down as one of the more clairvoyant ones by any AD this century. Still, what Scott Stricklin did in firing Rick Ray was cold and parts unfair. This move will look awful in retrospect if Howland doesn't bring any more relevance to MSU than it had prior.
4. Donnie Tyndall fired by Tennessee after one season; replaced by Rick Barnes
Tyndall's saga and dismissal at Tennessee was one of the more forgettable -- yet memorable -- ones in recent college hoops history. Tyndall ran into some slight trouble with the NCAA while at Morehead State, but won enough to get promoted to the Southern Miss job, then won enough in two years there to parlay that into the Tennessee post. And as he's trying to turn around the Vols, the NCAA catches wind of allegations of improper benefits to players during Tyndall's time at USM. We're still waiting on the verdict with that, but Tyndall seems to be set on getting back into the game at some point -- and becoming a head coach again. It all depends on what the NCAA's report will say (and Southern Miss should have its Notice of Allegations in short time) and how tarnished Tyndall's rep is thereafter. In terms of whiteboard capability, there's no denying he's a valuable coach.
BIG QUESTION THAT REMAINS
With the quality of coaches it now boasts, can the SEC turn itself into a top-three league in the next couple of years?
Because it's about players just as much as coaches. The players are bringing in just as much anticipation as their elders. For the incoming freshman class, Kentucky, LSU and Texas A&M are all ranked in the top 10. Auburn and Mississippi State are top-20. Florida, Arkansas and South Carolina are 34th or better. So the recruiting has finally picked up again. That should pay dividends in terms of watchability but also talent sent to the NBA in the next 11 months to three years.
College sports can by cyclical when it comes to conference pecking order, but the SEC's been out of the rotation for far too long. The 2015-16 season can be the start of something, but if John Calipari opts to stay at UK for another three to five seasons, we might well be entering into an age of prosperity on the hardwood for a league that will always be known for its football domination.
NBA DRAFT REPORT
- Could've gone and did: Devin Booker (Kentucky), Willie Cauley-Stein (Kentucky), Michael Frazier (Florida), Aaron Harrison (Kentucky), Andrew Harrison (Kentucky), Dakari Johnson (Kentucky), Trey Lyles (Kentucky), Jarell Martin (LSU), Jordan Mickey (LSU), Bobby Portis (Arkansas), Michael Qualls (Arkansas), Karl-Anthony Towns (Kentucky), Chris Walker (Florida).
- Could've gone but stayed: Dorian Finney-Smith (Florida), Damion Jones (Vanderbilt), Marcus Lee (Kentucky), Alex Poythress (Kentucky), Tyler Ulis (Kentucky).
TRANSFERS
- Coming: Kareem Canty (Marshall to Auburn), Anthony Collins (South Florida to Texas A&M), Nolan Cressler (Cornell to Vanderbilt), Tomasz Gielo (Liberty to Mississippi), Dusty Hannahs (Texas Tech to Arkansa), Tyler Harris (Providence to Auburn).
- Going: Matt Atewe (Auburn to Washington), Nick Babb (Arkansas to Iowa State), Cameron Biedschied (Missouri to Iona), Deuce Bello (Missouri to TBD), Braxton Bonds (Tennessee to TBD), Willie Carmichael (Tennessee to Western Kentucky), Eli Carter (Florida to Boston College), Dwight Coleby (Mississippi to Kansas), Davonte Fitzgerald (Texas A&M to Minnesota), Jeff Garrett (Alabama to Northern Kentucky), Demetrius Henry (South Carolina to TBD), Willy Kouassi (Kennesaw State to Arkansas), Avery Johnson, Jr. (Texas A&M to Alabama), Roderick Lawrence (Mississippi to TBD), Shelton Mitchell (Vanderbilt to Clemson), Tariq Owens (Tennessee to St. John's), Jack Purchase (Auburn to Hawaii), Shamiek Sheppard (South Carolina to TBD), Dakota Slaugther (Alabama to Texas-Pan American), Antwan Space (Texas A&M to UMass), Ricky Tarrant (Alabama to Memphis), Reggie Theus, Jr. (South Carolina to TBD), Alex Thompson (Auburn to Samford), Johnathan Williams III (Missouri to Gonzaga).
EARLY GUESS AT LEAGUE STANDINGS. (TEAM COMMENTARY IN 140 CHARACTERS OR LESS.)
1. Kentucky: An easy call. Kentucky will probably win the league by four games. Intrigued to see how good Isaiah Briscoe is in Cal's offense. 
2. LSU: Johnny Jones lost his two best players, but he's got Ben Simmons (future No. 1 pick?) and a potentially stellar backcourt in Antonio Blakeney/Brandon Sampson.
3. Georgia:Gimme the Dawgs to make a run of it here. They've got a great backcourt, and I think they'll be a very fun watch in the league.
4. Vanderbilt: Vandy will likely be chic pick to take second in the league. Kevin Stallings last made the NCAAs in 2012. Should be back in 2016.
5. Texas A & M: Billy Kennedy's fifth year, and he'll most likely make the NCAAs this season due four four-star freshmen, plus Danuel House and Jalen Jones.
6. Ole Miss: Marshall Henderson took 34.6 percent of Ole Miss' shots his senior season, in 2013-14; I'm guessing Stefan Moody breaks that mark in 2015-16.
7. Mississippi State: Guessing high on MSU here, as Howland is no doubt a really good coach, and Malik Newman could be a stud right off the bat.8. Florida: Last year's team was
an absolute mess, and I'm thinking UF won't crack 20 Ws in White's first year. We'll see if big man John Egbunu breaks out.
9. Auburn: Bruce Pearl won't make the NCAA Tournament next season, but the one after that? He should have a good shot. Tigers on the move.
10. Arkansas: They lose Michael Qualls and Bobby Portis, meaning last year's 27-9 mark is better than what's to come in 2015-16.
11. South Carolina: Frank Martin's kind of just ... existing at South Carolina. The Gamecocks still don't have depth. Sindarius Thornwell a darkhouse all-league choice.
12. Tennessee: Vols start over AGAIN. Barnes was with Texas and made the NCAAs all but once in 17 seasons. They'll love him forever at this UT if he does that.
13. Missouri: Anyone's guess as to how Missouri climbs out from the depths at the moment. You wonder if this might be a five- or six-year dormancy.
14. Alabama Johnson was hired after Bama couldn't get Gregg Marshall, despite offering north of $4 million. How long before he hears the NBA call again?EARLY GUESS AT THE ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
- F/C: Skal Labissiere, Kentucky
- F: Ben Simmons, LSU
- F: Damian Jones, Vanderbilt
- G: Tyler Ulis, Kentucky
- G: Malik Newman, Mississippi State
Tour de France at a Glance.
AP
A brief look at the 18th stage of the Tour de France on Thursday:
Stage: The 186 kilometers (115 miles) of Alpine punishment took riders from Gap to Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne and featured a windy, previously unscaled climb at the Tour up some spectacular hairpin bends.
Winner: Romain Bardet. The boyish but brainy Frenchman with the AG2R La Mondiale team led a solo ride to victory after speeding out of a breakaway bunch, giving the home country its second stage winner.
Yellow jersey: Chris Froome of Britain. The 2013 champion again faced futile attacks by rivals to reduce his lead, but he again reeled them in — with just two tough mountain stages ahead before the race finish in Paris on Sunday.
How did the "Fab Four" perform? Froome has essentially made it a two-man race for victory, and a longshot at that for second-place Nairo Quintana of Colombia because he trails by 3 minutes, 10 seconds - a sizeable deficit. Froome has all but eliminated from contention the two other pre-race favorites: Two-time champ Alberto Contador is fifth, 6:40 back, and 2014 champ Vincenzo Nibali is 8:04 back in seventh place.
Quote of the day: "If a motorcycle hadn't hit me I wouldn't be bleeding, and I wouldn't have a fine" — Danish rider Jakob Fuglsang, who was clipped by an official Tour motorcycle, crashed, and was later penalized for holding too long on a team car as he tried to regain lost time.
Stat of the day: 18. The number of switchbacks on the Montvernier Laces, a climb making its debut in the 112-year-old race. It's so narrow that spectators weren't allowed on the roadside of the three-kilometer (two-mile) ascent.
Next stage: Friday offers more leg pain: The pack scales four climbs, including the Croix de Fer pass — one of the hardest ascents in cycling — and an uphill finish at the La Toussuire ski station after a 138-kilometer (86-mile) ride from Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne.
On This Date in Sports History: Today is Friday, July 24, 2015.
Memoriesofhistory.com
1978 - Billy Martin was fired for the first of three times as the manager of the New York Yankees baseball team.
1984 - Terry Bradshaw retired from the National Football League.
2005 - Lance Armstrong won his seventh consecutive Tour de France.
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